He Heard Me!

 Having been absent from this venue for quite some time ..... I am back. Besides my stiff fingers that I keep finding ways to injure, I need a new laptop. The letters have been gone from most of the keys for some time now and the body of the laptop looks like it must think it is older and more prone to injury than its owner. The lid is all catty-wompus.

It is quite possible to live without going online every day, but I don't want to! The seasons are changing, leaves are falling and we are making plans for the cold months ahead. I added another layer to one side of my raised beds and am slowly filling it with dirt. Dirt, well, good dirt, is expensive. I have already layered some leaves and twigs to compost over time, then I purchased some blocks of that stuff made from coconut shells. More fertile stuff will go on top. These beds will be over 2' deep and make bending down a thing of the past.

HeWho is busy putting the pontoon to bed for winter. I "helped" a bit and discovered that he did not ascertain which end was what. He was in the boat and had me running from front to back and side to side as he tried to force it to fit. The gnats were landing in my eyes and I suddenly quit and hiked back down the drive saying I had to cook. I didn't. It was already prepared. I did remove 5 gnats from one eye ....

So, today he is doing it according to the directions that accompanied the cover. It has that tripod that fits in the middle to facilitate the water runoff. I am hoping that he took all the life jackets that I put on the hood of his truck and put them on board. He had put them on the back deck for me to find a place for them. You know, because I have nothing else to do.

Yesterday I managed to get some help from HeWho has more strenth in his hands and we leveled the blocks that will hold the small deck that will be on the front of the She Shed. Just 8' long and 3' wide. We are also making the tiny porch that brings you to the door of our home larger. It is currently a tight space with just enough room to get the door open to enter. It will grown to 8' by 12'. It would appear that our decks will have decks. And I will have smashed fingers from cement blocks.

Today I am nursing the smashed finger from yesterday and just doing housework. It was overcast this morning with a promise of rain in the forecast, so I decided to do some laundry and bake a cake to reward HeWho for all his hard work and soon I will be cooking the supper feast. 

He finally fixed the screen door on the slider that is the only egress and exit of our tiny home. The frame was all bent up from the fight HeWho had with it a few months back. Since then he has tried to buy a replacement, only to find that all the ones he brings home are too tall. I told the man that this is basically a glorified RV and he would find one at a mobile home or RV supplier. Then I bought one of those doors that open in the middle and as soon as you go through, the magnets pull it back together.

I actually bought 2, since they were only $6 each. I put one in my She Shed and it works just like the ad. HeWho kept saying he would "get to it" and I finally just did it myself. No handy manual with this product to give you instruction and maybe some helpful tips. I grabbed my stepstool and went to work on the one door that I open and would like to leave open for airflow. It has double doors, but I have stuff on the back of the door that I leave in a closed position.

It came with velcro and tacks. I opted for the tacs and started at the top. I put it up and then secured both sides before I realized it was upside down. Never underestimate the determination of an old woman! I took it down and put it up the right way and am quite happy with it. I explained all this to the man in the recliner, doubt he heard all it, but he did make eye contact and nod a lot. He did not, however install the one I bought for the slider, just stated that it would not work because it would prevent the door from sliding unless you took one side apart to open or close the door. I realized that before I installed it myself, using the velcro strips that came with it. It was easy enough to detach the one side to close the door. So, I had carefully put the screen up and was quite proud of the job I did. Even the man in the recliner agreed.

It was functioning well enough for the first few days until Mr. BoJangles decided to investigate the bottom and ripped it, then ripped it at the top as he tried to take the bottom outside with him. Toni Louise is sporting significant cataracts and runs into things that are in unfamiliar places now. The door that split in the middle and trailed across her back as she went through was not an adventure she appreciated. Eddie solved the problem by refusing to enter or exit unless someone held the sides open for his to pass through, like he thinks himself to be royalty. I suppose that could be my fault for telling him he is special.

Anyway, the holes in the $6 screen defeated the purpose of the screen  and I took it down. This action caused the man in the recliner to leave the slider open anyway and let gnats and mosquitoes in to bite me. I suggested that he might try unmangling the door he had a fight with and straighten out enough to fit back in the door, or make a template to build a door to replace it.

I was impressed to see that he did just that, causing me to think to myself, "He CAN hear me!".