Finally Friday (and the start of a three day weekend!)

Friday dawned cool but clear. For the first time in a long time, you could see the sunrise!

It was pay day, so I stopped at the bank on the way into work and got some cash for the house.

Sidebar: There are a lot of people I know who only use their debit or credit cards to pay for things, so they don’t need to carry cash. I do that too, sometimes. But I have found that I can realize just what I am spending (and what things cost) if I pay in cash. When I use a debit/credit card, it feels like play money or something.

Sidebar: There are going to be a lot of sidebars in this post!

All City Refrigeration was onsite with a crane, a flatbed truck and a lot of smaller vehicles. Turns out they were replacing a bad air conditioning unit on the roof. So, when I was walking outside at 10:00 a.m., I walked right into (literally, not figuratively) Marty, the owner. He and I did a massive project at our Building 16 some 20 years ago and got to know each other quite well.

I was impressed that he took off his work gloves to shake my hand. I really like that guy! And, the weird thing is he doesn’t look a day older! WTF? We chatted for a bit and then I went back inside.

Then I waited for lunch (I didn’t eat breakfast at home this morning)

Sidebar: One of the managers in the building (not IT) wanted to have a picnic. Note: This was not one of the Company-authorized department picnics. They invited us as well, So, we all chipped in (they asked for $3-$7 and you could bring a dish). I gave Kelly (our receptionist) $10.00 and told her I didn’t have time to make a dish, and I might not be there anyway, but to buy some soda or ice or something with it.

I decided to go. But 12:00 p.m. came and went. Kelly was worried she hadn’t gotten enough hamburger patties. The guys were still firing up the grill and people were all just standing around. I was hungry! So, I went to Time Out to get some soup (until lunch was ready).

But, when I sat down at my table, Dan (the owner) came over and proudly placed a bottle of malt vinegar on it and said, “See, I didn’t forget!”

Sidebar: How could I say, “Gee Dan, thanks, but I just want some soup.” So, I ordered the fish and chips. It was delicious!

So, I ate lunch and then rushed back to work. There was still food left, so I fixed a plate with a hot dog, a hamburger with cheese and somebody’s store-bought potato salad. I took it to my desk and set it down.

When I went in the office, who did I see but Michelle, my old cubicle buddy! Vicky had sent her a text, telling her about the impromptu picnic and she decided to come. So, she hugged me (the woman does, like, bear hugs) and we all chatted.

Sidebar: I said something about not knowing she was coming and my Boss said she had sent me a text that she was here. Of course, Vicky and Michelle chimed in, “Oh, you know, we don’t exist for John when he’s at lunch!” I tried to explain I was in a Sports Bar and simply didn’t hear the text message noise, but it made no difference. Let them have their fun…

When it was cool, I covered my plate with aluminum foil and stuck it in the fridge for my dinner. I went back to the “buffet” table and got a plate of fresh fruit to snack on while at work.

Michelle went back to her work, our office cleared out and I got back to work. Well, maybe not so much. Courtney helped me download the Kindle Android app and I went looking through the free titles. Oddly enough, most of them are romance novels.

My boss (bless her heart) said she was closing up shop at 4:00 p.m. and we should all go home and enjoy the weekend. She didn’t have to ask any of us twice!

Once home, I changed clothes. I threw a load of laundry in the wash machine and then headed out back.

I wanted to see if I could cut the rebar with wire cutters. Ha! Fat chance! So, I figured out the spot I wanted to cut them and hauled them up to the patio. I got out Jake’s grinder and an extension cord and ground through the tough rebar.

Then I took them back to the garden. I nailed one end to the board on the bed. I bent the other ends over through my fence. Now I have a more stable platform for the summer squash and cucumbers to grow on.

Sidebar: I don’t know if this will really work, though. I think the openings are too big and the plants will just fall through. We’ll see…

I notice that the iris I transplanted from the patch under my bedroom window to the rear garden were in bloom. Since I had the camera out for the garden project, I took a photo of them.

When I drove in, I also noticed that the farm iris in front had a lot more blooms. So, I walked up there and took a photo (just to make GPF jealous, LOL!)

I put away the tools, nails and the extension cord. Then I went inside for the night.

I watched the last 15 minutes of the Nightly News. Then I warmed up my dinner. I took the hamburger patty and the hot dog out of the buns and heated them in the microwave. When they were hot, I put them back in the buns. I added the cheese to the burger and applied yellow mustard to both. Then I sat down to supper.

Sidebar: When I got back from lunch, Vicky had her plate in front of her, with about a quarter of her burger left, just sitting there. I asked her if it tasted okay, and she said it was great, but she just couldn’t eat it all.

I ate the hot dog first, but then ran into the same problem! The burger fit the bun perfectly and was about one inch thick.

Sidebar: I don’t know where Kelly bought them, but I was there when she hauled them in. They were on a big Styrofoam tray, eight to a tray and covered with cling wrap. And they looks quite fresh. They were not the pre-made patties I am used to.

They were overcooked (of course) but excellent. It took some effort on my part, but I managed to eat it all.

The potato salad was a different story. I couldn’t figure it out. It had bacon in it and a weird dressing. I finally decided it must be some kind of riff on German potato salad, but served cold. It was not that successful, and I didn’t finish it.

There was NOTHING interesting on TV, so after I put away the laundry in the dryer, I turned on Ancient Aliens. It’s one of my guilty pleasures. I get a big kick out of listening to these supposed “authorities.”

“Just look at the round helmet and the big eyes on this cave drawing. What else could it be but an alien in a space suit?”

Um, maybe Neanderthal man wasn’t that good with perspective drawing 30,000 years ago and was trying to draw his buddy’s head?

Anyway, I watched a couple of them and them went to bed at 10:00 p.m.