Getting Stuff Done

 55-75 are the magic numbers for the next week here in sunny California.  Oh boy am I looking forward to that!  We got seriously blasted with rain the last couple of days.  That's good for the farmers.  Our reservoirs are pretty low this time of year and any extra is welcomed.  

For those who noted that I must have looked up the wrong name in search of this product, that would not be correct.  That was simply a typing error in the blog that I did not catch before I posted.  Go ahead, type in Grip Rite and see what you get.  I got every kind of nail and screw there is.  There was nothing that even remotely looked like this.  Possibly that's due to the Google browser on my computer.  At any rate, thank you again to Mr. Ed for finding one for me.  It's on order and should arrive in about a week.  I love it when things work out.

It's nice when THIS works out too.  The water receded enough that I could set up my tallest ladder to clean the mud out of the gutter.  Waterfalls over the window look lovely, but aren't so good for the house.  It's not exactly fun teetering so high up without handrails, but I got it done.

There was one stick, one leaf and about 8 cups of pure mud.  That's a pretty close measurement since I use an old metal measuring cup to remove it.  That's how much dirt is deposited on housetops from the harvesting of almonds and summer winds.  With all that gone, the gutter emptied quickly.  

I might try leaf guards again just on this section, but previously, I had to remove them (just as much trouble as putting them up) in order to get rid of the mud.  It's so heavy it pulls the gutter away from the eaves, making more waterfalls.

I figured that was my triumph for the day.  I was still feeling really bad and coughing a lot.  I hate being sick.  Though I didn't really feel like eating anything, I finished off the pork tacos.  Frying these up in a frying pan makes all the difference in flavor.

What an exciting day, yes?  There was a bit of drama when Kitters came in to wander the house.  Truly, I think she's just looking for food, though lots of petting occurred.  She definitely doesn't like to stay long, and this day was the shortest of all.  She walked right up to Jonathan's cage and jumped up before I could stop her.  

Believe me, it's not Jonathan I worry about.  That guy can take care of himself.  She landed on the narrow side of the table, whereupon Jonathan lunged at her with a scream that made her jump three feet in the air.  If she had stayed, she would have lost a couple of toes.  She spun out heading for the back door.  Out you go Kitters.  I hope that was a good lesson.

Kitters has brought quite the drama to the house, so we all went outside where there's lots of room to roam.  That's when I realized I felt just a tad bit better.  Enough anyway to drag the green bin to the back yard and start the tomato disposal.  I guess it's because they got a late start, but these three plants just went crazy.  There are five tomato cages under there that didn't even begin to hold it up.

Thus the white fence boards and lots of string trying to keep them upright.  This is the AFTER picture.  It was taken AFTER I filled the bin 3/4 full, even while cutting them in very small pieces. I didn't even get 1/4 of it taken down.

I get THE LOOK from the gardener when I do that, so this is going to be a long haul job.  There are still a few nice red tomatoes under there, so I'm making sure I pull them off first.

That was almost it for the day, except I did want to put the ghostys back out.  Luckily the witch survived the rainstorm ... I'm not sure how.  While fixing her cape, I discovered some wires.  What?  SHE HAS LIGHTS?  

In a hidden pocket in her dress is a light control that has six different settings.  Well let's turn her on!  Not so easily seen in the light of day, but she lights up like a rocket at night!!  I also hung up my two waving skeletons.  

The ghosts went back out to fly around the house, but the gravestones ... not so much.  I ended up tying them to the trees since they refused to stand upright.

The good news is it rained so hard, I don't have to wash any windows outside!  Not that I would anyway because it's just way too much work and requires a ladder.

By the way, did I mention I got the bid back on the shutters for my ONE window?  $1595.00 ... for a 70" x 70" window.  Yessiree ... I guess there won't be any shutters there!!  That Reflectix that's taped to the window to keep the sun out, looks just fine to me.  

The OTHER window door?  $1200.00 for one silhouette shade.  Yeah, that's not happening either.  Someone said to try Budget Blinds.  I'll look them up today.

I seem to be improved today, but still coughing a lot.  It's only 5:30 am, so maybe the day will bring less coughing in order to attend that Elks Lodge meeting tonight.  Or maybe NOT!!