Waiting for the Next Bright Idea

We did it. Sam and I managed to move 2 couches, 2 love seats, 1 overstuffed chair, a desktop, two small bookcases that hold up the desktop, a pie safe, and about 900 couch pillows, all in two trips - one from his house to mine, and the return to his house. We even managed to do it in a cargo van (mainly because it was either rent it or a 24-foot truck), and we did not have to put any gas back in the van (because we went only about 17 miles).

For Sam and me, today was no big deal. Our furniture-moving adventure was something we wanted to do, so we did it. The only planning we did was to plan to rent a truck. We had to go to two rental places, and ended up with a vehicle that was not in our plan, but we ran with it and it worked out. We had no idea what would fit in the van, but we didn't let that deter us.

One of the great things about my family is our ability to "just do it." Sometimes our adventures work out as planned (or as a great surprise even to us). Sometimes our attempts don't work out as we expected (and honestly figured would happen anyhow). But whether we succeed or not doesn't keep us from going ahead with our next great idea.

I'm very blessed to have a family who is open to new ideas, whether it's launching a new company, or walking the AT, or having a Magic Bullet Christmas. Although sometimes unsettling, you just never know who's going to have the next adventure. We just know we'll all be there for support (or feign ignorance), praise (or constructive criticism), active particpation (or not), and bragging rights (or coverup attempts).

That's my family, and I thank God I'm a part of them!

If It's Spring, It Must Be Furniture Moving Time ......

... at least around the Davidson household, that is. Our family has a habit of trading furniture. Before the kids moved into their own homes, it was about moving furniture around in the house. Like the time we moved a couch upstairs and had to saw the legs off mid-staircase. Or the time I moved a full-sized freezer on top of a pair of skates. Or the fruit-basket-room-turnover where every bedroom eventually became somebody else's.

Tomorrow Sam is coming over and we're trading couches and he's taking a desk (and hopefully some other stuff). Meanwhile, a few days ago, I took a shelf, mini-fridge, and coffee table from Molly's house. I'm not sure what I'll do with them, but I took them anyway.

It's not that we have fancy furniture. Most of it is stuff that has been in my family for years (think OLD, not antique). The newer stuff isn't that great either - it's just newer. We just feel like a change, so we pass the furniture around. After all, it's just stuff.

So, tomorrow the physical surroundings of our homes will change a little. My office will have a new/old desk, my living room with have new/old couches, and who knows what else will have whatever.

It's just part of what makes us a family. A family that moves stuff around and laughs about it later. A family whose furniture really has stories - of where its been and how it got there. A family who knows it's not about the stuff, but about the memories we create around the stuff. A family who knows it's not the furniture that makes it home, but the people. A family like ours.

Our New Home Addition

Last year, I had every intent of getting a rain barrel. I didn't want to work hard at it - I just wanted to get the darn thing and have it set up and ready. I had heard all about getting them free, or for a reduced price, etc., which kept me from action - too many decisions and choices.

A few weeks ago, I decided with spring here, it was time to act. So I ordered my barrel (no price shopping - just one of the first ones that came up on Google). It was delivered a few days ago, and here is my simple step-by-step process of becoming a little greener.


Step 1: Notice that there was a HUGE box on my front porch. I didn't, but Steve did and mentioned it. The mentioning pretty much summed up his participation in this project.

Step 2: Bring in HUGE box from front porch, and place in den, next to pool table, away from gas heater - rain barrel will be no help in putting out fire unless there is actual rain in barrel, which cannot be accomplish if rain barrel melts.

Step 3: Take HUGE rain barrel from HUGE box - wonder if this was right size, since I didn't remember Sam's being this big. Let barrel sit for awhile, away from gas heater (note: barrel is plastic - I think it was used to transport pickles or something.)

Step 4: Email Sam telling him of rain barrel delivery, and asking him to come over and help set it up. Try to get top off barrel, to no success. Wonder if top is supposed to come off. Wonder if there are directions anywhere. Look in box, but only packing slip is in there. Wonder how I am supposed to get water out when barrel has water. Look at various holes in side of barrel, wonder what they are for.

Step 5: Check email - no reply. Go get a snack.

Step 6: Check email again - no reply from Sam, so I decided to forge ahead. Keep trying to get top off barrel. Remember all the times I tried to get tops off things, and succeeded, only to discover that top was not supposed to come off. Miraculously, top begins to screw off, as it was designed to do.

Step 7: Peer inside barrel to discover plastic bag containing spigot and plastic cap and (hallelujah!) instructions.

Step 8: Scan instructions (since I rarely read them). See a diagram on how to install spigots. As it turns out, you have a choice of two openings to put spigot, depending on whether to put the barrel on ground level or elevate it. I hate decisions. After carefully pondering, I put cap in bottom hole, and spigot in hole slightly higher up.

Step 9: Take barrel outside to designated rain barrel position (where downspout is that floods the concrete slab). Begin monotonous gutter renovation.

Step 10: Take off bottom bendy part.

Step 11: Study how to take off long straight part - need screwdriver, which entails trip back inside.

Step 12: Unscrew long part - put aside.

Step 13: Put on bendy plastic part - decide to screw in to metal part for security. Requires new holes and another trip back inside to get drill.

Step 14: Drill and screw in plastic bendy part. Decide more metal gutter needs to come off, so unscrew, take off, drill, rescrew.

Step 15: Bend and fold and twist plastic bendy part to divert rain to top of rain barrel.

Step 16: After much consideration, decide to switch spigot and plastic cap - decide spigot needs to be on bottom-most hole to get all rain out. Both components are screwed in pretty good, so another trip back inside to get pliar tool thing to loosen.

Step 17: Unscrew, rescrew, adjust plastic bendy gutter thing.

Step 18: Decide barrel should be on blocks so I can get a pitcher under spout. More moving, positioning barrel, bending, twisting plastic bendy, until it appears all is well. Very excited, because much rain is predicted.

Step 19: Wait for rain - am not disappointed. During a break in rain, I decide to go out and check on barrel (I have issues). Notice all rain is pouring over top. I loosen lid on barrel, and rain begins to flow inside.

Step 20: A few hours later, I decide to check on barrel again, expecting to jiggle barrel to hear a few inches of rain. Barrel is so full, it is overflowing. The instructions say in this case, to connect the long gutter back, but the end of plastic bendy thing is too big, so this is not feasible. So, rain just continues to splash all over concrete slab.

So, in conclusion, I have my rain barrel. It is now full. I do not need it to water the outside plants, because it has been raining a whole bunch. I will go out and get some to water the indoor plants.

I just don't know what to do with tomorrow's rain!

Just What I Need

A Cat IQ test. Shaggy the Cat scored 18, but only because none of the answers really fit so I had to choose the answer that was least incorrect. I would have involved him personally in the test, but he's still protesting the food I put down for him to eat. He was also protesting it this morning at 4:30 am.

He did much better on the Cat Psychological Test.

Oh well, I'll just close with my favorite Cat Haiku (possibly written by Shaggy the Cat):

Wanna go outside.
Oh, shit! Help! I got outside!
Let me back inside!

All It Takes Is One Card

One of my favorite games on my computer is Solitaire. I play it when I'm waiting for something to load, or just have an extra few minutes.

Today I was playing a round, and it looked as if it were going to be a quick game. None of the exposed cards were playable, nor were any of the cards I was turning over. I figured the game was over - until I turned over the last three. The next card was playable, and it caused another card to be playable. As I continued to draw cards, it seemed that the game continued, playable card by playable card. Just when I thought the game was over, it continued - all it took was one card.

I will need to think about this when a project or a goal seems doomed. Just when I think something won't happen or I can't achieve what I want, I will remember that all it takes is one action to continue and make progress. One action may result only in one more action, but it is forward motion. As long as a play to be made, there's still hope for anything to be accomplished.

I just have to keep turning the cards.