Monday: New Schedule and 4 1/2 Hours Without Internet or Phote

Following up on a counseling session this morning, I sketched out the tasks I have set for myself - and started putting them into a weekly schedule.

And, found out why I feel so frazzled sometimes. I've been over-reaching a bit.

So, starting today, I've been using the schedule to keep me on track. Or, rather, that was the idea. Around 2:15 this household lost our Internet connection: as well as phone and television. I eventually found out that a fiber-optic cable had been cut, and several cities in Minnesota were 'in the dark.'

We got our connection back about 6:45.

Since quite a lot of what I do is online, that 4 1/2 hour outage put quite a crimp in today's plans. My sincere hope is that tomorrow will go more smoothly. On the 'up' side, I got quite a lot more of the paper-and-pen work done than I normally would.

Apart from that, the day was pretty routine: I cleaned out one of my wife's sprout-growing trays; she's practiced on the keyboard (including something from "The King and I"); my son's looking forward to a field trip to the state capital this week; and he and I wrapped up our day by reading Garfield.

Whizz! That Was Wednesday and Thursday Going Past

I could blame it on the Ash Street Project.

It's been active in front of the house. This morning, a crew put in our new sidewalk. My son and I spent a good part of an hour watching that. And, in my case, taking pictures.

Maybe it's my diabetes.

That's not too realistic. Not all that much has changed recently: Although I'll know more, when results come back from today's tests.

My guess is that I'm distracted.

And, not all that well organized. "It could be worse" applies here, but my planning and organization skills could be better, too.

The point is, I'm back - and intend to get another post out 'soon.' However much time that is.

In case I'm not back today, have a nice weekend!

A Month in Fast-Forward

Repeating a point from Tuesday's post, this month has felt like it's been in fast forward. It isn't that I've been busy. At least, I don't seem to have gotten much done. It's like my mind's been doing laps 'round the gym.

It can't be mental exercise, though, or I'd have been a little smarter. Case in point: over the weekend, My son and I went out for some groceries. That's when I realized that I didn't have my car keys in my pocket. Or, in any other reasonable place. Or in a few unreasonable places, for that matter.

We got the groceries, using spare keys, but I still wanted to find my set. I even considered the possibility that I might have chucked them in the trash, while dealing with some stuff we really did want to throw out.

Sound familiar? It should. I'd gone through about the same thing with an appointment book last week ("Friday: Where'd Wednesday and Thursday Go?" (July 11, 2008)).

That night, walking through what I'd done after the last time I remembered using the keys, I came to my computer desk.

I'm learning: Instead of telling myself how I couldn't have, I checked in one of the drawers. There were the keys. Right where I'd put them.

I don't generally do that sort of thing.

There's a pretty good explanation. We've been sorting through a household-full of stuff that's been taken down from the Red River Valley. Besides what I can see and touch, there are a lot of memories there.

I'm down to about four piles of books to go through - for now - so that's pretty much taken care of.

My father's doing about the same, although I've gotten a phone call from someone he's been dealing with, asking me to please get the power of attorney paperwork to them. They're right, of course: but it's another reminder that my father is getting rather close to the end of his life.

Not the happiest thought in the world.

Where was I?

Right. July in fast-forward.

Whether all this explains why I've been feeling like one of those wind-up toys that whiz around in circles until they run into something, or not, is anyone's guess.

My mind's done another lap around the gym, and I'll be repeating myself soon.

Time to stop.

Us Guys on Our Own: Day 1 - We're Not Alone

My wife is taking no chances this weekend. She sent #1 daughter here, presumably to do some more organizing. I think it was to keep an eye on us guys.

She may have a point.

I asked #1 daughter to get me some coffee: a sensible request, since she'd just then blocked me in with a pile of books to sort through. I told her that she'd find the coffee cup on a temporary table, next to my son's invention, and a spoon on the arm of the couch.

That's right: just a little over 18 hours on our own, and this place is already starting to look like a bachelor pad.

Tuesday: A Nicely Typical Day

#1 daughter showed up today, a little before noon, to help organize books in the attic. She and I talked, too, off and on through the afternoon. A little after noon, she alerted me to a hummingbird at the feeder. That little green bird's bill was longer than it's head.

The Webcam caught a picture of the hummingbird, but the part of the image where the bird is sitting is pretty dark. There's been a big trailer with bright white sides parked on the street, right in front of the Webcam. That throws the brightness balance off more than a little.

Oh, well. At least we got to see the hummingbird.

My son spent quite a bit of the day, making a gadget for delivering one of our two remote controls for use: He's justifiably pleased with his efforts, considering the limitations of materials and tools the household had to offer.

My son's remote-control delivery device. "That's my boy!"

Work on Ash Street continues: we'd have had the windows open more, except that sometimes the sound level outside was too high.

Normally, around this time of year, the high school's band would be marching past the house at intervals, practicing for Sinclair Lewis Days. The Ash Street Project's hanged that. They were doing their marching in the school parking lot today.

My day started winding down, as usual, with reading Garfield with my son.

We've got a good life here.

Wednesday: This Day Went Fast

This day whizzed past. My wife and #3 daughter went out this morning for their usual Wednesday-morning-with-the-Sauk-Centre-Grandpa, and were off again for the last half of the afternoon, at a music lesson.

I got out for an exercise session. I think the things are helping. Some of the pulling, pushing, and turning seems to be easier now: which probably means I should put it up another notch.

#1 daughter showed up around noon. She came to pick up the laundry she'd done on Monday - and forgot to take with her. Also, she helped my wife with some of the re-organizing that's happening in the house.

Speaking of which, when I got back, Sunday night, I discovered that my wife had backed a hutch to the left side of the desk I use. It hides the clutter of cables that's behind the computer, and gives me a sort of 'office wall.' It actually helps me concentrate, I think.

And, the arrangement looks nice from the other side.

I see that I wrote, but didn't post, yesterday's entry. Clumsy. I think my wife's right: I do need more sleep.

Tuesday: I Overslept

My body's probably trying to tell me something. I overslept this morning.

But, once up, I got some writing done. After lunch, I went to the place where I used to work and sorted through a few cubic feet of papers - part of an effort to clear unnecessary stuff out of the building. That left me with some time to check out an item at Wal-Mart, and get photos of the Ash Street Project.

That street and utilities replacement and improvement project is coming along well, as far as I can tell. Today's obvious bit of progress was a long stretch of sidewalk getting poured on the west side of the Stearns County Fairgrounds.

Our son got home before I did. He spent most of the day at the Arrowwood Water Park, up in Alexandria. Near Alexandria, actually, if it's the place I'm thinking of. I'm told that he had a good time. This has been a big week for him already: two major go-and-have-fun field trips in a row.

My wife and #3 daughter moved at least half of the furniture in the north room around this morning. She tells me that it's in preparation of more stuff coming in.

That gives me quite an incentive to get busy at organizing my stuff - and getting rid of the extra/outdated/useless papers.

Wednesday: Minding the Shop, the Flu, and an Eclipse

My wife and #3 daughter were over at the in-town grandpa's for most of the day, minding the shop. #1 daughter arrived a little after they left, for a weekly meeting here, and to help this household get books organized.

#1 daughter and I talked, ate lunch, and she got some work done anyway. After lunch, I followed her up to the attic, where she's been excavating a path through piles of books. I sat in a lazy boy that we wrestled up there years ago, and read a trade magazine - when we weren't talking.

Or, when I wasn't driving #1 daughter half-nuts with good advice over how to deal with a slightly unstable pile of books. We resolved that issue. Actually, she did, by piling the books on their backs, instead of their edges.

We had a good time up there, actually. And, thanks to having the foresight to wear jackets up there, we didn't get too cold.

I got a phone call around noon. It was the guitarist who teaches #3 daughter. He was letting us know that he had the bug that's been going around, and that there would be no lesson today.

For reasons that I don't understand, I assumed that my wife already knew about this, and so didn't call her. She and #3 found out, when they came here.

My wife is an understanding and forgiving woman, thank God, so I'm not in too much hot water.

#1 daughter called me a little after 10 tonight, reminding me of the Lunar eclipse. Thanks to her call, I had time to get outside, set up the tripod, and take a couple of pictures.

It was cold out there, so I went back inside after about two minutes.
When I looked at the photos, I saw that tree branches were between the camera and the moon. My wife pointed out that they looked like canals. I wasn't going to go back outside for another shot - it was too cold for my comfort at that time - so I'll settle for the photos I have. This photo, and another, are on today's "Sauk Centre Journal" entry.

Saturday: Crafty Backyard Grills; Kids and Computers; Guitar Lesson

I grilled lunch today, and discovered depths of deception previously unknown in my old reliable grill. Just as I was getting the burgers scraped off the grill and onto a plate, the flames reached out and touched me.

Thanks to the after-effects of carpal tunnel syndrome, the thumb and first two fingers on my right hand are still fairly numb. More to the point, they don't sense heat.

Pain, however, is another matter. The pain receptors must be on another circuit.

So, my right middle finger experienced the inside of a tongue of flame for a fraction of a second. Then, having been heated sufficiently, those nerves which handle PAIN sent their special message up to headquarters. No damage done: but that hurt. Most of the neighborhood may know that it hurt. I wasn't diffident about my short, but very sincere, yell.

But the burgers were worth it. I like grilled meat.

My son has two defunct computers, and some spare parts, on the floor of the living room. He hopes to make one working computer out of the assortment. Today, he got the main power switch on one to work: a step in the right direction.

He says he wants to fix computers for a living, when the time comes. He's off to a good start.

My wife's feeling better. She came up from the basement this evening, face filter in place and leaning implements in hand. She's been organizing the house, one section at a time. With two kids and me at home, she'll won't run out of that sort of work soon.

Things could be better: but not by much

Typically, I didn't leave enough time to create a decent post. I'll be back, after church and grilling.