A Fix of Chores

The cats woke me at 5 this morning, and I had a terrible time going back to sleep. Then the garbage truck folks came along. I never know what they will pick up or not. I looked out, and they'd picked up two containers of about ten. And of one of those two, they'd managed to drop the contents in the middle of the street.

After about 15 minutes, I heard them coming back. This time they got all the containers, but made no attempt to clean up the mess in the street.

I thought of trying to go back to sleep, but now I was wound up. The first thing I did was to take my trusty rake and pitchfolk and sort out the leaves and pine straw in the street and along the front of the property.

The next task was to remove the containers. Three I took to the south side and filled with wet leaves and pine straw. By now I was feeling very winded, so I thought I'd stopped. I also wanted to run a few errands before lunch.

First stop was CVS for my Lexapro prescription. I always enjoy watching the druggist who has a vague Arabian look. I usually can not take my eyes off him.

The notice had come the other day about the need to pay for the 06 car tag. Actually, it's not so much the tag you're paying for as it is the ad valorem tax on the value of the car. I also needed to have the information transferred to my name from mother and my name. I quickly discovered I didn't have the right papers - title to the car and the legal notice indicating me as sole heir.

I then stopped off to mail some letters. There are three post offices I use. And they are all set far back from the street with no signs on the street. You more or less have to know where they are, or you'll zip right by them.

Lunch was the standard buffet deal. I read an article in the current issue of "The New Yorker" about the trial of two cops in New York who worked as mob hit men. There were some parts that were so grotesquely funny that I had to fight to keep from cackling.

When I got home I decided I'd try the reciprocating saw on the stump (of a fruitless mulberry, I think) in the front yard. No problem inserting the blade. I first attacked the roots but found out that the diameter of the roots was larger than the blade. So I had to cut part of the root, then cross cut and remove what I could, then cut the lower section.

After about 30 minutes, I realized the stump was free, so I was able to use a shovle and pry it out. It's one think to have a stump in the ground; it's something else to have it out of the ground. It weighs a ton and is barely moveable. I was finally able to juggle it to the side of the property. The intent being to come back and try to carve it up with the saw.

I then headed for the front to cut up a smaller stump. Within about five minutes, the blade snapped. Which tells me I'm letting the blade jump around too much. By the way, the blade seems almost flimsy. It's only a couple of centimeters wide and about ten centimeters long.

On the way back to the first stump to pick up the tools, I heard a crunch and looking down and discovered I'd stepped on my glasses. I came inside and tried to fix them, but quickly gave up. I got in the car and drove to the nearest optical place. And they were very kind to work me into their busy schedule and not charge me anything.

When I got home, I needed to do one more task. As you'll remember there was a birdbath surrounded by ferns and an outside border of bricks. The bed was several inches higher than the surrounding soil, so I wanted to take the soil and fill in the cavity left by the uprotted stump. As with the other spots I've worked with, it was a light layer of soil over a tangle of roots. So what should have been a simple task turned into a very arduous one.

At this point, I was exhausted. I came in, took a shower and then a quick nap.

Tomorrow, I'll scout around Lowe's for a new saw blade. And do some more digging, cutting, raking and sawing.

PAX!