The Best Laid Plans...

Well, they cleaned the air ducts, but then we realized that the air conditioner has condensation that goes into the plumbing system.  So we call Rick and he says either to not use the AC, or saw the drain pipe and divert it to a bucket.  That sounded easy... until I get in there and realize that the pipe is, 1. almost to the bottom of the closet to begin with, 2. there's another pipe blocking the path out of the closet, and 3. the part I need to cut is encased in the previous metal drain pipe.  I thought about pulling out the drywall under the closet to see if I could do anything but that's right where the cats' bathroom is and Bones would almost certainly get himself in trouble under the closet.  So no AC.  Yesterday was hot.  Today was hotter.  It's 83 in here right now.  It got up to 91 according to the Mesonet but our reading was 95.  I think our temp sensor is in the sun part of the day.
I forgot how much the heat saps the energy out of you.  And I forgot the simple joys of stand fans and iced tea.  Celing fans are nice and all, but they just don't have the power you need in these conditions.    This really brought back memories of growing up.  I remember chasing the fan as it swiveled back and forth.  I remember talking and singing into the fans to hear my distorted voice.  I remember planning meals around whether it's cool enough to use the oven.  Playing in the sprinkler.  Renie's gallon jugs of iced tea with a tablet of sacchrin in it.

It was a little cooler out on the porch in the shade than it was in the house- as long as you didn't actually do any work.  So although we planned to clean out the garage this weekend, the only thing we really got done was taking 2 weeks of dirty dishes out back and spraying them with the hose.   Looking back, I'm not real sure why we haven't done that all along.  I guess we're just too used to our normal way of doing things.  I also repotted a bunch of houseplants.  Well, they're porch plants during the summer.  The rest of the time we were all splayed out being miserable.  Even the pets.

I meant to take pictures of the plants.  Some neat things are going on.  I guess I'll have to do that tomorrow.  Since I'm staying home to babysit the plumber again.   Maybe this time he'll actually show up.  I shouldn't be too hard on him I guess.  Lightning is dangerous.  But I wish he had canceled the day before  I could have gone to work on Friday.

DH says the insurance is actually paying reasonably so we should be ok despite all my lost work. Too bad the medical insurance isn't as good. They are still refusing to pay for DH's post-surgery glasses. And this is supposed to be the best insurance available in the state. I guess the next step is involving a lawyer.


Random Picture: Bed 2

So then we went camping.  Last fall we were planning to camp in a campground but it was full so we had to go to overflow camping out in the middle of nowhere. DH really liked it because there weren't lot of people and lights.  He could even see the milky way.  That's a big deal when you're blind.  So we decided to try wilderness camping.  We started small and safe on my family's property.  There's a creek that wanders onto the back of the acreage for a little bit so we went out there and camped on the sandy bank.  That turned out to be a mistake because sand gets everywhere.  Plus the creek is about 20 feet below the surrounding area and we had two loads of heavy gear.

 I found a great spot for the bathroom!

 Here's the view looking both ways.

 Tuvok had a blast!

 We learned a lot and we have a list of things we want to make the next trip better. Like a camp mattress.  Regular air mattresses are heavy and take up too much room.   Army duffels are not made for backpacking. And I found a couple of good spots to set up next time that don't require scaling a 20 foot sand cliff.  I thought we'd use the creek water more than we did.

Back to real life.  These bugs are on my tomato plants.  I posted them on GardenWeb so we'll see if anyone knows what they are.



For the most part, the tomatoes are doing well.  I've been skyping with my aunt who happens to be a Microsoft Applications trainer and she helped me get my trial spreadsheets in order.  I was doing ok but she showed me some things that will help tremendously.  LOVE LOVE LOVE the format painter!!!  I know I don't have to be this detailed for the trial but this is what my degree is in and I've missed doing scientific experiments.  Data collection rocks! (when you're a nerd like me.)  Seriously, I'm having a blast going out there and measuring the growth every day and documenting the bugs and the number of flowers, etc.  And I'm really looking forward to analyzing the data at the end of the season.

So anyway, I'll be home again tomorrow but hopefully this time it'll be for a purpose and then we'll have our kitchen and our washing machine and our AC back.  Won't that be nice!  The ice storm and week-long power outage of 2009 helped us appreciate electricity.  This experience is really driving home the wonders of plumbing and climate control!  I really hope I don't have to appreciate my car next!