Saturday...And I Don't Have to WORK!!

This has been an unusual Saturday. I actually got to do what I really wanted to do today, vs. what I really had to do.

This morning was atypical as I didn't get up until after 6:00 AM. Usually, I'm up before 5. Then, I had little to nothing to do until around 9:00 when the garage was due to be overrun by appliance boxes. So, it was a mad rush to get all of the stuff that would be needed out of the storage that would be blocked by a range, dishwasher, microwave/range hood, kitchen sink, and refrigerator. All of the trip goodies that were in the steel shelves are now in the Jeep.

Mission accomplished.

The appliances are beautiful. I'm sure they are, since Marilyn selected them, but, right now beauty is brown cardboard boxes. The garage is full of future condos for urban outdoorsmen.

As the appliances were being unloaded and moved into the purgatory of my shop/garage, Gretchen came home. It's always good to see her. She's been through a lot, and has become one of my favorite people again. Even when she's down she brightens my day.

This afternoon, I decided to take care of a chore I'd been postponing for weeks. I rotated the tires on the Jeep. These things are fairly large, 33x12.5x16, and weigh about 70 pounds each. Schlepping them around is a job for the young. Fortunately, only my body is old. As usual, nothing is ever as simple as it starts out. I got the left front wheel up on the jack stand, and the floor jack would not release. I got a pipe wrench, broke the rusted shaft loose, and got the jack lowered, and the left front wheel suspended 2 inches in the air. Perfect.

The next unplanned chore was to fix the jack so I could do the other 3 wheels. 15 minutes with a 9/16 wrench, a can of WD-40 (a.k.a. Miracle in a Can), a pass with a wire wheel to de-rust the end of the handle, and a glob of grease later, the jack was as good as new. The other 3 wheels went up on the stands without a hitch. 20 minutes later, the wheels were in their new homes. Another successful assault on the to-do list.

During the tire rotation, I got to speak on the phone with Jon and Bobby. Jon needed advice on replacing a door that had an altercation with a mower-launched rock, and Bobby needed to talk and relate the good time he had camping through a tornado on Skid-a-Way Island. I needed to hear both their voices. Both were welcome breaks. It was warm out in the driveway.

While I'm gone, Bobby is planning a family camping trip with his siblings and buddies from the Legion of Doom (more on the LOD in a future post). I got to thinking about Sandy, Slade, Tyler, and Sam, and their complete lack of camping equipment. I gave them a call and volunteered some or all of my gear.

While I was talking to Slade he mentioned his latest acquisition. A Gold, 1977 Cadillac Coupe de Ville that he got in a swap for a 6-wheel ATV. So I grabbed a camera, jumped in the Jeep and roared off toward their house.

The car is amazing. It is BIG! You can land aircraft on the hood. It is also in the best condition of any 31 year old car I've seen in a long time. The body is straight, everything from the A/C to the 8-track player works. (Full disclosure: Almost everything works. The wiper switch is bad.)

After a really nice visit with Sandy and Slade, and a quick ride in the land yacht, I headed home and waited for Marilyn's call as she left work. This is a much appreciated ritual, and I think it's a "I need to talk to somebody who's not griping" moment for Marilyn. I don't think I could do 12 hours in an emergency room. She's currently on the other computer continuing her "Knob Quest" for the kitchen trim. It's good to have her here.

I'm blessed by being surrounded with good people. It will be tough being away from them for the best part of 3 weeks.

9 days and counting.