Mulch Maniacs

It started early, a rumble in the distance. A quick glance out the window confirmed "they" were on the way down the street. The Mulch Maniacs. The landscape guys were coming with monster edgers. The machines they used to edge were almost bigger than they were. I promise, this is true! Like most of the contract labor working for landscape companies here in Richmond, these men are mostly from South America, and they are small. They don't speak much English and they work at breakneck speed. One wielded a shovel, another ran the huge machine, and in no time flat, (less than 10 minutes)they were gone, on to the next house.

In their wake, we lost our Cable, hence our TV, our Internet, and our Phone becasue of course, we have Voice Over Internet. Eric drove to the main office to report the break to the powers that be and to also call the Cable Company. Comcast said they would be there the next day (today).

This morning, we were bombarded with the bags of mulch. They delivered it in ATV's with trailers. Again, working at top speed they dropped off between 15 to 20 Fifty pound bags of pine bark. Crews drove and dropped, other broke the bags out and spread it around, then the blower guys cleaned up. It was almost like a military assault!

When the service man from Comcast arrived he told Eric that between 50 and 60 others in the neighborhood had their lines cut the day before too. Now in defense of the Mulch guys, the only reason they cut the lines was because the Cable company didn't bury the lines deep enough. What a waste of time for everyone, and money. Just do your job right the first time, I say!

So, Comcast reconnected us, new cables strung across the lawn, and they will be back to bury it later. During the hour I was at the pool the mulch was all spread out and all that was left was for me to dig out the pansies and bulbs they buried. No fear, the weather was beautiful and it didn't take long.

Middle of the Week

Wednesday and the day has gone by quickly, with not much to show for it. We have had a damp, drizzly day, no sun, just gray clouds. Tomorrow we are due the sun again, and even though we have had lots of sun lately, it will be good to see it again. I am going to go to the Hospital tomorrow to get my blood work done, as it just didn't seem like the kind of day to be out. I spent the day reading, working on blogs and just puttering around. Eric set up his trains in the dining room and has run them this afternoon to get them warmed up again. He still has some engines that have never run, so he'll be working with them for the next few days.

Yesterday we were able to con some of the sod installers into giving us 3 rolls of sod to fill in some of the cracks in the yard. We really need a load of topsoil to spread, but that won't happen. We were happy to get the sod. A few weeks ago someone came and did spread some soil and seed, but I think the turf will address the issue better. Once the yard has mowers and people walking on it more I am sure it will even out more. In the meantime, we have done what we could. I also found out that the shrubs at the back of the lot are wax myrtles, no blooms, no edible berries (birdwise) and seemingly good only to hold soil and make a hedge. I told Eric I think we need to move what they put in further back in the bed, closer to the back of the lot, so we can plant things we might like in front of the wax myrtles, as the further back in the bed they will be, the less their height will block our view. We'll see if we can do in (there are 8 of them) without drawing a crowd.

The furniture is coming on Friday, which will be welcome. That will complete the order and we'll be able to clear the calendar for them. It has seemed long and drawn out, but the last piece seemed to be giving them fits, and they finally reordered it, rather than have the damage repaired (broken glass). So, we'll see what shape it is in when it gets here.

I too finished my Olympic Knitting yesterday, and today I have just spent time putting things back in order and trying to see what patterns I have on hand that might work with what yarn I have. It seems there is always something new someone online is making that catches my eye, and then my brain has a hard time remembering where I saw such and such.

Tom is coming home from work early tonight, so we will not have the kids. Seems strange to not be planning for them. Eric is working on a meatloaf, so it will be a surprise. He adds things I never think of, so it will be nice to have something different for a change. I may try some oven fries or something else that can cook at the same time as long as we will have the oven up and running.

I added a button over in the sidebar for Brian and Christine and Michelles new blog that will focus on their move to Texas. I also added it in Mom and Dads sidebar, so they have a direct link. Time for them ( and Mike - hint hint ) to post again, don't you all think so?

Freezing again this morning!

Seems the cats in Newspaper Comicland were the source for ideas today; this morning's comics were full of cats in action .... Some resemble our pointy ear friend and house companion, Silly. Now that she has her perch at every window with a view this could be her.

We have a dusting of snow this monring.

Anything Goes Month

That would be February. The last few days our daytime highs have approached 70 degrees, with night time lows in the 50's. Today it is snowing .... 39 degrees at the moment, so no doubt we will really just see rain. We are in a tug-of-war, winter and spring pulling harder and harder against each other. Looks like winter will be winning for the next few days. Snow is supposed to make another appearance on Monday.

Outside, the pansies are blooming and my bulbs are sprouting green things, but the only sign of a flower is on a hyiacynth, which if I remember correctly was not an "early bloomer." There is no sign of the blooms that are supposed to be "early" so who knows. Maybe winter is still going to be around for awhile. We are supposed to be 19 degrees tonight, so I guess it is best they are all still snug in the ground.

The cat is enjoying her perches at the windows, and would probably even like a few more in other locations if we were prone to admit she is queen and rules the house. However, at the moment, three seem sufficient.

Nothing exciting on the agenda, monday I will go give blood to have the tyroid levels checked to see if the meds are working. These past few days I have felt tired again, so I am almost hoping that the results will be that I need to up the dosage. I am still cold alot, so it would seem that my furnace is still not properly tuned.

Eric plans to work on a cat scratch post today, and then once he is finished move the truck off the driveway into the garage just in case it really does snow and keep at it. We have enough food laid by to survive about six weeks, just in case you know that "be prepared" attitude!

Old News

We didn't have to dig out from our latest snow fall like the folks north of us. We also didn't endure any power outages - I guess this just wasn't our time. All the old timer Richmond folks (that includes most of my new neighbors) say this is the mildest winter they remember in ages. We are not complaining, it's nice to not be snowed in.

So, what are we up to? We've had our 90 day inspection and gotten all those small repairs either finished or scheduled. The last pieces of furniture we have coming are due to be delivered in the next week. The garage is now organized, and ready for the boxes that will come back from Texas. We have gotten estimates for the changes needed for the heat/AC upstairs which will allow us to finish the room DH will use for his trains/office/escape. And, we received the final part for a boat repair that needs doing. So, (knock on wood) it looks like we will be able to plan our visit to Texas sometime in March without a hitch. Yes, Mom and Dad, we really are coming.

One morning last week I was reading the classified ads; the Richmond Times-Dispatch has a section entitled "Cool Cheap Stuff", and I found a table saw. Now, DH, has been looking at new saws since we moved in. That ad eventually led us to a man who does nothing but buy, refurbish and resell power tools as a hobby. He's well up there in age, and has a garage full of toys for big boys. We spent two mornings there, and as a result, now have a tablesaw, planer, and a joiner. DH is very happy, and got to cut his first boards today. He made window ledge perches for Silly. She isn't too impressed, but hasn't shunned them, so I think that after her initial "I could care less about what you humans do for me" attitude wears off they will be a hit. Of course this means I'll now have nose prints to clean off of three windows instead of just one. She does enjoy a good view!