As this whole retirement thing is coming to an end, I am considering continuing this blog. Some of you found it mildly amusing, while I am sure most of you found it a simple way to escape actually working. If the traffic continues to increase, even nominally, I will continue this experiment, but if it drops below 2 people a day, I will probably give it up. I will have a new link for the site once I have it set up. I will import all of these posts over, but I will refresh the page as to get away from the retirement theme. Again, I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I already have the new page.
So back to my day. I had the pool guy at 12, the landscape lady at 1, grabbed lunch, sprinkler guy at 3, and the pest control guy at 4. Finally, I had a Charles Manson look a like quoting a project when he could show up, which was about 7. So much for enjoying the 5 days I have left. I looked forward to going back to work after today. It makes me wonder how my wife juggles all these things plus a rambunctious 7 month old.
How many plants do you think you can stuff into a backyard? Well, my hippie, pot smoking landscaper came up with almost 500. I thought she was crazy, or high, but she insists it is the right plan for the yard. I tried to inform her that I don't live in a plant nursery and that I don't have any plants that I need to hide among 500 plants like she does. Something tells me she has a lot of 5 leaf plants mixed among her legitimate plants in her backyard. I asked her if i get a rope swing and small jungle animals with the complete foliage covering, she just giggles a bit. I think I mentioned her before, but she really does scare me a little bit.
My pool guy informs me that he couldn't possibly have progressed on the pool in 2 weeks due to the enormous amount of delays. Permit delays, Inspector delays, Electric delays, mother board delays, weather delays. Seems we have had the perfect storm. I asked him how many pools he was this far behind on and we seem to be the only one delayed. Interesting how I drew the short straw on this one. Good thing is that the pool LED lights, 4 fountains, backyard ground lighting, and sprinkler system will all work on one remote now. Due to the delay, they have upgraded the mother board. Kacey is so excited she can barely contain herself. She loves when I speak of mother boards.
Finally, I wanted a door cut in the side of my garage so i didn't have to walk all the way around to get stuff in/out of the garage. My father in law tells me he has this guy that will do it on the side. He doesn't make appointments, he comes when he has time. Of course he does... Anyway, he shows up tonight. When I answer the door, I immediately look for hidden cameras outside as this guy is a perfect image of Charles Manson down to the beard. He is fidgety and talks real strange! So, I lock Kacey and Maddie in the house and show him where the door is to go. He takes a buck knife off his belt buckle. For the second time in a week (remember Gibson) I look for a place to run. He parlays my fears by walking up to the house, stabbing his knife in, and cutting a piece of siding off my house. My jaw hits the ground. This guy just knifed a jagged 1 foot section of siding off my house. He sees my astonishment, and says, "how'd you think I was going to match the color?" I ask him, "Did you think about asking? I have 3 sheets of the stuff in the basement." He laughs and admits that would have been better. To make it even better I tell him I have the manufacturer, color, and pattern written down for him. He starts playing with the knife blade with his thumb while he listens. I tell him that it is fine and I always thought that section hung slightly crooked anyway. He leaves, I hug Kacey and Maddie and tell them I love them.
I don't like this working life, but I think I have 30 years of it left. Can't wait...
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