Back to reality (or at least work)

It was raining a little when I drove to work on Tuesday morning. It was still raining when I left for lunch to pick up the lawn tractor tire. Unfortunately, it was not finished! So, the guy said he’d call me.

I went home and after treating the cats, ate the last sandwich of the ham and pickle salad. Without any call, I went back to work. It had more or less stopped raining at that point.

I finally got the call about 3:00 PM that the tire was finished. I asked what the latest they would be there and he said, “5:00 PM.” So, I asked my boss if I could leave a few minutes early and pick it up. She said, “Sure, no problem.”

The sun came out about 4:00 PM, BTW, but it remained very, very muggy.

So, I did leave early and it was when I was reaching into my pocket to pay him that I realized I didn’t have my cell phone! So, I drove like hell back to work (hoping somebody would be there so I didn’t have to deal with the alarm, etc.). Fortunately, somebody was (it was only a few minutes after five, after all). I got my phone and drove home (again).

They said on the news that some places in St. Clair county got over two inches of rain. But when I checked my gauge, I had about 1/4 inch in it. Oh well, its better than nothing, I guess.

I cleaned the tractor axle and installed the wheel. Then I put the floor jack back and took the garbage can out to the road. I put the rest of the old kitty litter in a garbage bag and filled the rest of it with the arborvitae bucket, empty mulch bags and the old furnace filters. I took that out to the road as well. I also set out the two wicker chairs and cushions from the porch. I am hoping this will inspire me to make that bench I want.

Then I pounded in those Miracle-Gro evergreen fertilizer stakes (two for the new arborvitae and two for the older one I planted a couple of years ago out front). Now, these are both in a mulched garden. I’ll do the ones in back some other time when it’s rained enough (or I’ve watered enough) that the ground is soft.

Next, I took my Brother Carl’s advice and trimmed all the iris down to about five inches. I was still a bit skeptical, but if it worked for Mom and Carl, it should work for me. I put all the rubbish in the wagon to take out to the compost pile another day, as it was getting late.

Back inside it was already after 7:00 PM. I got cleaned up and then made dinner: a BLT sandwich. This time I remembered to warm the bacon as the bread was toasting. I loaded it with lettuce, home grown tomatoes and the warm bacon after spreading mayo on each slice of toast. A little salt and “Bingo!”

I watched TV until 10:30 PM and then went to bed.