The Problem with Shirts

This is a girl with simple needs. A place to dig, food to eat, and some beloved human's shirt to toss around.
The problem this week was that she chose the clothes she shredded. Picked one of my favorite items out of a clothes basket sitting by the washer, unattended for just a few minutes.
Yeah, I'll continue to give her shirts with which to play, but I won't leave my laundry unchecked.

Thanks IKEA

I understand, in theory, how to wire in a light fixture. When there are multiple wires coming out of the box, I'm stumped. The electric guy had no problem though (it's a conspiracy from the electric workers union).
So here are the new, energy efficient, fixtures. Enough bulbs to illuminate the art work and light the way.

What The....#3

A Curb Pooping Thingy!
Caltrans (California Department of Transportation to you foreign readers) is building a Park&Ride lot a block from my house, by the freeway exit. Coming to a stop, waiting for traffic gave me an opportunity to glance at their equipment.
A cement mixer was loading its cargo onto a belt attached to a weird looking thing.
What the..? It can't be!
Yes, I saw it! It's real, an honest to goodness Curb Pooping machine.
I drove home, parked my car, got the camera and took a walk to capture the machine's production on film. There you have it.
I had no idea such a machine existed, but it's not surprising. It's so ingenious.

Don't Scare Me Like That

So here I was, the happy dog sitter.
I took a break inside, came back out and here is Alani with a three inch wide, deep red smear running down the side of her neck. Seeing that gave my heart a big jump. I ran my hand over her neck to find the source. She was not in any distress. The red stuff on my hand had a familiar smell, but I couldn't identify it. Checked both dog's feet, checked the cement for blood drops. All clear.
I walked the yard still smelling my hand when it hit me. My relief was immense. Yup, she'd been rolling in fallen plums. She didn't even seem to mind getting washed up.

Yard Sale vs. Freecycle

I like the Freecycle organization. I have benefited from the generosity of their members and have given away things I no longer need.

The neighbors are having a yard sale and offered me a space to add items for sale. I sorted through the garage this week already and came up with three containers of parts and pieces and added an extra large Dogloo, not large enough for our pets.
Needless to say if all my items sell at the requested price I'll have enough to travel the world. Or not.
On the other hand, the daughter contributed Barbies and accessories which Suzanne had me get for her child. My dog shelter sold and we are even with the Barbie trade.
So much for traveling the world.

Yard sales are great! To clean up regularly Freecycle is the way to go.

The Great Electric Puzzle...

...is solved!
One afternoon last week Michelle and I took down two light fixtures in the hallway. Clumsy looking things from the '80s.
That evening we noticed that some of the outlets in three bedrooms were not functioning. I hated that since I had no reading light in the evening or radio to wake up to.
Michelle's dad came to sort it out. He made sparks fly, but admitted defeat.
I found a semi-retired electrician who spend four hours today chasing down this problem and installing four simple lights fixtures. Installation of those took maybe one hour, the rest was spent tracing electric lines in the walls and listening to his beeper tool. He disassembled outlets, put them back together. We moved a couch to get to the main switch box in the garage. I emptied two book cases and moved them to check the outlets hidden behind them.
Lastly we moved the bathroom cabinet to check the outlet there. Well, well, well, there was the defective safety plug.
So, it was strictly coincidence that we took the fixtures down and lost power on the same day. I'm happy to know that the jumble of wires that spew from the wall boxes is actually not a messed up mess as I'd suspected.
And it didn't cost me any limbs to pay for it.

Freebee

Pun intended!
At one point I purchased a packet of sunflower seeds and spread them out on the ground. Now I have clusters of sunflowers coming up amid the grass. I mow around it and end up with a patch of field.
When the dogs knock the plants down, I cut off their heads - the flower's, not the dog's - and lay them on the patio. The birds love that little treat and come in flocks.

Personal Moon

The patio behind the house is a great place to sit, especially at the end of the day.
A fine place to have dinner, a drink, entertain visitors. A perfect spot to play a few hands of cards.
But the light was never just right. There are Fairy-lights mounted on the eaves about ten feet away, OK, fine, they are Christmas lights. Wonderful ambiance, not bright enough to read by or see cards well. We tried candles, too much glare, not enough light.
On our last trip to Ikea we found lantern parts that we used to hobble together our own moon. It's lightweight, won't drag the frame down. We fitted it with a CFL and it only uses 11W. How great is that?
So tonight 'Shel and I are already scheduled for some cards, by the light of the moon.

Does It Ever End?

A dog's life is work, work work.

Alani might be saying, "The work around this place never ends! What with digging the holes in the boring lawn, chasing birds, harvesting berries, distributing toys all over the yard. Now these people have added cleaning the dishes to the list of chores. What are they thinking!"

She still makes me laugh!

The Sounds of Summer

My windows are open to the mild breeze this evening. I hear crickets chirping. I am not aware that I heard others this year. Seems these are the first. It is one of the classic summer sounds.

Every two months a pest control service comes by, clears the webs away, sprays to kill whatever bugs are too abundant in a given season. The stucco stays clean. The eaves are not loaded with spiders, the ants no longer walk in as they please looking for the tiniest morsel. The products used are sprayed to a ten foot perimeter and won't hurt the pets. It seemed a bit extravagant when I first signed up for a trial time, but I am pleased with this service. I also believe it helps the house stay healthier, not so likely to become a dinner for insects.

Yet, I'm happy that at least ten feet out there are crickets communicating.

New Stuff

This site is for those of us who love that store.

Did I mention that Michelle and I ripped out the broom closet/converted to a cupboard, cabinet, and replaced it with a pull out shelf pantry. It was tricky to put together as the components are versatile, can be used in many other pieces. We took our time and the instructions made sense after all. It takes up less space-width- than the original piece. All items stored are easily seen and accessible. Love it! Love it! The drawers have the easy close/quiet feature. It pulls itself close. A wonderful thing.

I want to go back soon and get a light to put under my patio cover. We like to sit out there in the evening, maybe playing cards, and the light is never just right.
As soon as I purchase another light fixture, to put over the kitchen sink, Michelle's dad will come and install it for us. I'm thankful that he's willing to do that for us.