There is a commercial on TV that in part said, “In olden days we did not regularly check our smart phones”. Now I assume that they were commenting to the effect that years ago we didn’t have the distraction we now have, with the cell phones.
In the olden days, (70 years ago) many people didn’t even have a phone. Those people who had a phone were often on a party line. The party line means there were other people on the same line. When you wanted to use the phone you would first pick up the phone and listen to see if someone else was using the line. If someone was using it, you just had to wait until they were finished talking, and then you could use the phone.
In the olden days, people may not have been regularly checking their smart phones, but they did regularly check to see if someone was using the party line, then they could listen in. It is called eavesdropping.
So now you see, phones have always been a distraction, and also an attraction!
Thursday afternoon:
Yesterday was Thursday and it only hit 99 degrees. The day was hot and dry, there was very little wind, and there were low level clouds. The clouds were blocking some of the sun but there were times I could still see a slight shadow following me around. The shadow was usually 2 to 3 steps behind me, I am quick for a senior retired person.
It was about 2:00pm when I decided I was tired of doing nothing. I popped out of the Ford’s ole recliner and ran out to the back 40, where I procured some tools from the ole shed and headed for the old blackberry bushes. I had decided to pull some of the grass and weeds that seem to thrive there. It is odd that the St. Augustine grass grows so good everywhere you don’t want it to grow.
I dropped all the tools and trash can by my floor mat, and I got down on my knees. The first thing a senior person who is going to be 72 years old next week should do, is pray that he will be able to get up after while! It only took a few minutes for me to change the plan. New plan is to remove the old bushes and to try and get the new bushes to grow up and not out. I finished this project at 4:45pm, which is 2 hours and 45 minutes of an old senior person’s labor!
The bushes do look good, I am happy and tired.
Friday morning bright and early:
This morning I decided to get outside early and attempt to remove the grass and weeds from the old black berries. I will not get distracted this morning. I secured the necessary tools, gloves are the most important tool, if they are a tool, and my floor mat. I started at 7:00am, the sun was not over the house yet, it only took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to remove the weeds. I then watered the old and the new black berry beds.
Hot and sweaty, I drug my ole senior body back to the Homestead, and made myself my first cup of real coffee of the day. There was half a breakfast sandwich, (my spouse of over 5 decades had eaten the first half) sausage and jalapeno with a little cheese, in the fridge, I warmed it up and had it with my real coffee.
Refreshed, I drug my ole body to the bed room and prepared for a shower. Sweat and dirt removed from my body, I actually felt like a live person again.
I do feel blessed that I can still do most work around the homestead!
Friday afternoon hot and dry:
It was hot and dry outside, it was not so dry inside. Shall I explain? I thought I had been hearing a slight noise from the air conditioner. I being mechanically inclined, opened the door to the unit and attempted to remove the air filter. Instead of the filter being flat and properly installed, it was bent and slightly wet on one corner. I removed it and installed a new filter. All seemed ok until I rechecked the filter. The new filter was totally wet and no longer flat. I had trouble getting the filter out. I then removed the inlet air vent and there was water on the floor and dripping from the unit.
I now know I have problems. This unit has a sump pump. Yep, the water from the unit goes down a pipe like all air conditioners but, the unit is lower than the drain pipe, so the water goes into a sump and then gets pumped up and out. The sump pump was supposed to have a safety switch which would shut the unit off, if it were to become full. It didn’t!
I called the people who installed the unit last year, and explained the problem. I was surprised that I could get a repair person on a Friday afternoon during a heat wave. He came to the house and replaced the sump pump. He also replaced some of the pipes that went from the unit to the pump. He also said he would return next week and install a second safety switch.
Bad situation turned into Good situation!
I was irritated and upset, I am happy and satisfied!
The positive points to this negative situation are; not a lot of water got on the new floor, the air conditioner works, an additional safety switch will be installed and the work was no charge.
The best part of the day, my spouse of 5 decades and I sat on the Ford’s ole swing just before sun set and enjoyed the evening!
Senior happy person; Don Ford
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