Genius!

Strange things are happening around here. Things that I cannot explain but something is definitely amiss. The first thing I noticed is that my sock and underwear drawer was empty. Nothing in it at all. Not even a single lost sock looking for its match. Likewise with my work shirt drawer. Empty, no one home, In all my years, I think this is a first. 

On the bright side, I had made several discoveries and a new invention. The discovery is that hampers are totally unnecessary and are just a marketing ploy. When you are done with an article of clothing just throw it in the washing machine and take out the middleman known as the hamper.  My invention is going to turn the furniture industry on its side. It is called the dryser. Not a dresser, not a dryer but a combination of the two, a like a dresser and dryer together. No more need to put those socks, underwear and shirts back into the dresser. When I need something, I just go to the "dryser" and pull out what I need. Plus, if something is wrinkled, 2 minutes on "more dry" and it is not only wrinkle free it is also comfy to put on. Genius! 

Then there is the dishwasher. Of course all the dirty dishes go into the dishwasher. But getting them out of there is a lot harder than one thinks. So, the key is to put all the dirty dishes on one side of the dishwasher then run the cycle cleaning them. From there, you just take the dishes and utensils out as you need them putting the newly dirty ones on the other side. Kind of like a rotation system. Again, genius!

As you can see, I am taking these housekeeping chores to a whole new level. Barb was just speechless when I explained my approach to each of these chores. I am sure she is just in awe of my creativity.

Barb is getting better. Still sleeping on the couch in the recliner but she is able to get off the couch by herself now. Still in pain and discomfort but hopefully this pain is temporary and will replace the constant pain she had before the surgery. But now that she is mobile even more strange things are happening. For example, I walked in the house the other day and found her in the dog wash. She looks at me like "What, you never seen anyone shower in a dog wash before?". Had she actually asked, my reply would have been "No, I have never seen anyone shower in the dog wash before". But her logic is sound, she cannot shower in the human shower so she thought she could at least take a mini shower and shave her legs in the dog wash. 

Zoey is none too happy about Barb sleeping on the couch. She looks sad and pathetic snuggled up on Barb's side of the bed next to her pillow.  Dakota on the other hand gets to sleep on the bed so I don't think she minds quite as much. 

The other strange thing I noticed is that the kitchen towels magically appeared in the towel drawer. When I asked Barb how those got in there all I got was an "I don't know". I go into the bedroom and sure enough my dresser drawers are full again too. I guess she was not on board with my dyser idea. It was then that I noticed that the floors had been swept. Seriously? I was only outside for like 30 minutes! 

I am happy she is feeling better, but she over did it and paid for it later. 

We did get a visit from our neighbors to the north; Doug and Debbie. They brought over a get-well card and two delicious, sweet rolls from the bakery in town. Thank you, guys, you can come over anytime! 

 And neighbor Jim showed up with this little gem of a water bottle for Barb. He does leather work that he sells in local shops. 

Monday was concrete day. The truck was scheduled for 1:00. Kevin arrived at noon with a pot full of Buffalo Chili. Thanks Cheryl! With just two of us pouring this 6.5 yards it was nonstop action for the 3 1/2 hours. The first 45 minutes are pretty chaotic as we pour, screed, and smooth the edges. I was not prepared as 20 minutes in I had sweat pouring down my face and did not think I was going to make it. I had forgotten to hydrate and was paying for it. 

But we eventually got it all laid out, paid the truck driver. Concrete in our area is a little over $200/yard so this pour was right around $1,400. Once the driver left, we set out to finish it. Kevin bull-floated while I worked the edges. Then Kevin hand troweled the entire pad. Finally, at 5:00 we were on the porch having a well-deserved beverage. I asked Kevin what it would have cost us if we had a crew lay the concrete instead of doing it ourselves. $6.50-$7.00/square foot. Roughly $3,000 saved in 3 1/2 hours. Definitely worth it.  

There are two side effects from having your hands in concrete all day. One good, one just an annoyance. The annoyance is that my hands are so rough that the fingerprint reader on my computer does not recognize me, and I have to enter my password. I know, first world problem right? The good side effect is that my rough hands give killer back rubs. Barb has to wear this compression wrap that makes her back itch like crazy and she said that my back rubs are noticeably better with concrete hands. 

Well, she is in luck, as the other project I am working on involves working with mortar putting the rock up on the house. This project has been staring at us for months and it is finally time to get it done. It has been slow going as I have not been super motivated, but it is getting done, one stone at a time. 

Also this week I spent several hours over at Kevin's setting and tying rebar for his new bunkhouse which will be a VRBO when finished. The next day we poured concrete there. This 12-yard pour was a bit less taxing than our garage as we had a crew of 6. It still took 5 hours but before we knew it we were done.  

  

On the critter front we have a couple of new arrivals now that we are back. The deer have been making regular appearances to see what we are up to.

This mule deer stops by to drain our bird bath. She thinks it is her personal water dish. 

Then there is this red squirrel who likes to hang out on a branch near the birdfeeder and watch the world go by.

In turkey news, they still visit almost every day. We discovered something new this week when we saw two turkeys fighting over something out front playing tug of war with it. Curious I went out to see what it was thinking as I approached them, they would drop it and I could see what it was. They would not let go of this thing! Finally, one of the turkeys let go and the other one ran off with the mystery object. I gave chase and the turkey dropped it but then another turkey ran over grabbed it and started running off with it. But I was able to get close enough to see what it was. A mouse. Who knew that turkeys ate mice?!?  Makes sense if you think about it. They eat grasshoppers and other bugs, why would they now eat a mouse?

On Wednesday, we headed into Rapid for Barb's follow up appointment. All went well. She went back yesterday (Friday) and got some of her dressings off. A big relief to her as these were causing her a lot of discomfort.  She is feeling so much better in fact that she is kicking me out of the house for a few days. Kevin and I are having so much fun pouring concrete, we are going to take the show on the road. Tomorrow, we head up to southern North Dakota for a couple of days to help a friend up there with his pour. Honestly, I think she just wants some alone time and to make sure my hands stay rough!