Finally Friday
Friday, March 10th, 2023 12:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoozefestaudioIt snowed late last night, but this morning there was no trace of it. Overcast and 38F, but no wind, so it was nice out there.
Last night I scanned all the deed documents and converted them into two PDFs. I then printed copies, stapled the two sets, stapled the death benefit papers, and put them all in a manilla envelope addressed to the State Employee Retirement Service, and put some stamps on it.
So now all I have to do is get the signing notarized next Tuesday and drop it at the post office.
--<>--
A second tree contractor met us in the back yard this morning. I'd forgotten that before getting Mendez on the phone, I had talked to these people and made an appointment for today.
They looked everything over and quoted $2,600.00 for the job, and that they could do it tomorrow!
I told them I was still getting quotes and wouldn't have the money until April. They said they'd work with me and gave me their card.
I know I'm going with Mendez, because they used to live next door and knew Dad... in addition to it being a thousand dollars less... but the fact that they're all so competitive right now, and ready to go, tells me I should try to act sooner!
I'm gonna get the ball rolling on that personal loan this weekend. I'm sure if I get it started online, then a banker will be in touch if need be.
My credit score's still golden, and I've just paid up all the bills for March, so it's not gonna change. And today is the end of the first full week, at least, of full time work, and close enough to six months with Geostaff.
I'm now picturing having it done on Saturday 19, or Saturday 26, of March, here.
That would be good, because the grass doesn't really wake up until April, so the lawn would be able to start filling in from the word go.
There's gonna be a huge dead space where the brush pile is, and there's another dead spot from last summer where I had a working pile of branch clippings for several weeks. Also dead spots where the bigger mulberry cast it's shade.
But mowing tends to spread seeds around and allow grass to take hold in spaces like that... especially early on in April.
--<>--
I'd also like to fix the section of the chainlink fence that got ripped open when the fallen mulberry fell.
It's not my fence, and legally I don't have to do it, but for the sake of neighborly relations, seeing as I am the new property owner, I'd like to take care of it.
I could do it myself in an afternoon. It's just a five foot section of chainlink.
--<>--
I'm also thinking I need a wood chipper, going forward.
There are still plenty of trees and saplings back there that will require constant pruning, if not being cut down.
I know from experience that tordon is not the answer, because it's too toxic for the ecosystem. But just piling it up is no good either, and I can't possibly burn it all.
But if I had a wood chipper, I could just turn it all into mulch to use for landscaping, or composting. Just one tree at a time... prune it, and grind up the branches the same day!
Wind storm? No problem! Just grind up the fallen branches.
A decent gas powered chipper is in the neighborhood of $600.00. But I imagined spending several thousand on tree removal so... it's definitely a justified expense.
I could keep it in Dad's tractor shed. Just gotta sell or give away the tractor to make room!
------------{=0=}------------
1:05AM
Made it through my first goddam week of full time janitor jazz at Cloud Elementary!
I was dragging today, because I stayed up too late last night, and only got six hours of sleep, instead of the eight I've grown accustomed to.
But... I managed to get everything done, including running the floor machine down the hallways, which is a Friday night thing.
My feet held out pretty good! I forgot to take any advil today, but there was only some mild discomfort from time to time.
Yvette's been a real champ all week! Tonight when I got home, she was a little vocal, but calmed down quick and just... put her head between my legs like... I just miss you so much when you're gone.
All week it's been that I grab a beer and then we immediately go outside. And for the past three days, she now immediately poops outside... a normal, solid poop!
She did not ONCE use the puppy pads in the music room this whole week!
That's kind of amazing, given that she has not been in any way discouraged or forbidden from doing so. The whole floor is two layers thick with them... and she's been home alone for over nine hours at a stretch every night!
But she has not even peed in the music room!
--<>--
I think part of it is that those Good 'N' Fun Dog Kabobs were super salty or something, because she'd always drink up a storm after eating a bunch of them, and so, had to pee quite a lot.
But now that she's eating the pate', she barely touches her water.
And, by the way, I've worked out that the secret to getting her to eat the pate' is to give it to her in a small cat food can!
I was giving it to her in a big dog bowl, and she wasn't eating much. But she always wants the cat food, so I gave her a little can of cat food, which she licked clean and guarded closely.
So I filled that little can again with her dog pate'... and voila!.. she ate it all and asked for more!
For some weird reason, she likes having the little can to covet, and work on, and hold close, and guard, even when it's empty!
So, that's the magic combination!... not kibble, but moist food... in a little tuna can sized bowl! I wish I could go back in a time machine to 2016 and tell my younger self and living Dad this information!
It would've saved a ton of money and headaches, and prevented a massive mouse invasion!
------------{=0=}------------
Okay, let's talk about the WIFI extender!..
You'll recall I bought a NetGear WIFI extender for the security cameras, because... while the main WIFI is excellent in the main part of the house... and great in the kitchen... it's not so great in the back room, and poor outside the back room, and outside the side porch.
The extender gave the back door and basement hatch door cameras both over 50% signal strength... and even gave the side door camera close to 40%... which was enough for all of them to function normally...
BUT!.. it's had this issue where it keeps going down unpredictably, and has to be rebooted!
So, last night I ordered a WIFI rebooter!.. which came tonight.
--<>--
Now, the other issue with the extender was that the only two outlets in the right location for it to... extend that signal where I need it... are on either side of the doorway between the kitchen and the back room.
On one side, it's behind the oven. On the other side of the doorway it's behind the refrigerator. Which means, in either location, it was blocked by a large steel box!.. and also probably not getting a ton of airflow.
So tonight after work, I mounted a power strip on the kitchen wall, up above the top of the oven.
And then I plugged the rebooter into that, and the extender into the rebooter... and I configured the rebooter to reboot the extender... and... now it's all MUCH BETTER!
--<>--
Now the side door camera, overlooking the driveway... which is the furthest away, is getting 50% signal strength!
The back door's getting 65%, and the basement hatch cam's getting goddam 80%!
The back room itself it getting above 95%!.. even in the back of the back!
--<>--
2:40AM
Okay, I was just out there in the kitchen feeding the pets and saw the extender go down in real time, and watched the rebooter reboot it! It took a minute or two, but it worked.
Not sure why the stupid extender is so temperamental. It runs kinda hot, even up, out in the open, in a kinda chilly kitchen.
We'll see how this goes when the weather warms up. I may need to buy a better extender.
Time was, when Netgear meant quality, but... I'm an old fart, so maybe that's not true anymore.
------------{=0=}------------
Okay, so, a week ago tonight, I was celebrating the fact that I'd finally gotten the deed in my name.
A week later, I'm celebrating the fact that me, Yvette, Snoop, and Prowly, all made it through my first five-day week working full time!
In fact, let's add to that team, not just we four biologicals, but our cybernetic friends; the Ring doorbell, the three cameras, and Alexa... who's controlling the smart bulbs, and smart plugs for the garden lights and the exhaust fan.
And let's not forget our mechanical friends, the indoor lamp timers, and my RAV4.
Everybody did a great job this week!.. except for the smart plug controlling the garden lights... which went unresponsive a few days ago and has left them on all day and night. But we can work on that!
The dog and cats are becoming a team now... not only convening with me in the back yard every morning, but also every midnight when I get home... and as of the past few nights, now even eating together in the kitchen at the same time!
I told you what a champ Yvette's been, but Snoop & Prowly are also to be commended as very good kitties, for staying out of trouble, both outside and inside... and amping down the antagonism they had going on as we started the week!
Also... they have not even ONCE sprayed in the house!
This to me is another miracle, because I WATCH them spray out in the yard like it's the thing they live to do! But they don't spray in the house!
We did have that issue, before I installed the cat doors, where they were peeing in the crawl space, which required running the basement exhaust fan to get rid of the cat whiff, but... that's all ancient history now!
The crawl space and basement smell normal, and they do 95% of their pooping and peeing outside now... in addition to 100% of their spraying.
Together with Yvette not using the puppy pads in the music room... this is nothing short of miraculous!
I am doing my best, as the new ship captain, but... I do have a great crew!
°¦}
https://soundcloud.com/snoozefestaudio
Last night I scanned all the deed documents and converted them into two PDFs. I then printed copies, stapled the two sets, stapled the death benefit papers, and put them all in a manilla envelope addressed to the State Employee Retirement Service, and put some stamps on it.
So now all I have to do is get the signing notarized next Tuesday and drop it at the post office.
A second tree contractor met us in the back yard this morning. I'd forgotten that before getting Mendez on the phone, I had talked to these people and made an appointment for today.
They looked everything over and quoted $2,600.00 for the job, and that they could do it tomorrow!
I told them I was still getting quotes and wouldn't have the money until April. They said they'd work with me and gave me their card.
I know I'm going with Mendez, because they used to live next door and knew Dad... in addition to it being a thousand dollars less... but the fact that they're all so competitive right now, and ready to go, tells me I should try to act sooner!
I'm gonna get the ball rolling on that personal loan this weekend. I'm sure if I get it started online, then a banker will be in touch if need be.
My credit score's still golden, and I've just paid up all the bills for March, so it's not gonna change. And today is the end of the first full week, at least, of full time work, and close enough to six months with Geostaff.
I'm now picturing having it done on Saturday 19, or Saturday 26, of March, here.
That would be good, because the grass doesn't really wake up until April, so the lawn would be able to start filling in from the word go.
There's gonna be a huge dead space where the brush pile is, and there's another dead spot from last summer where I had a working pile of branch clippings for several weeks. Also dead spots where the bigger mulberry cast it's shade.
But mowing tends to spread seeds around and allow grass to take hold in spaces like that... especially early on in April.
I'd also like to fix the section of the chainlink fence that got ripped open when the fallen mulberry fell.
It's not my fence, and legally I don't have to do it, but for the sake of neighborly relations, seeing as I am the new property owner, I'd like to take care of it.
I could do it myself in an afternoon. It's just a five foot section of chainlink.
I'm also thinking I need a wood chipper, going forward.
There are still plenty of trees and saplings back there that will require constant pruning, if not being cut down.
I know from experience that tordon is not the answer, because it's too toxic for the ecosystem. But just piling it up is no good either, and I can't possibly burn it all.
But if I had a wood chipper, I could just turn it all into mulch to use for landscaping, or composting. Just one tree at a time... prune it, and grind up the branches the same day!
Wind storm? No problem! Just grind up the fallen branches.
A decent gas powered chipper is in the neighborhood of $600.00. But I imagined spending several thousand on tree removal so... it's definitely a justified expense.
I could keep it in Dad's tractor shed. Just gotta sell or give away the tractor to make room!
Made it through my first goddam week of full time janitor jazz at Cloud Elementary!
I was dragging today, because I stayed up too late last night, and only got six hours of sleep, instead of the eight I've grown accustomed to.
But... I managed to get everything done, including running the floor machine down the hallways, which is a Friday night thing.
My feet held out pretty good! I forgot to take any advil today, but there was only some mild discomfort from time to time.
Yvette's been a real champ all week! Tonight when I got home, she was a little vocal, but calmed down quick and just... put her head between my legs like... I just miss you so much when you're gone.
All week it's been that I grab a beer and then we immediately go outside. And for the past three days, she now immediately poops outside... a normal, solid poop!
She did not ONCE use the puppy pads in the music room this whole week!
That's kind of amazing, given that she has not been in any way discouraged or forbidden from doing so. The whole floor is two layers thick with them... and she's been home alone for over nine hours at a stretch every night!
But she has not even peed in the music room!
I think part of it is that those Good 'N' Fun Dog Kabobs were super salty or something, because she'd always drink up a storm after eating a bunch of them, and so, had to pee quite a lot.
But now that she's eating the pate', she barely touches her water.
And, by the way, I've worked out that the secret to getting her to eat the pate' is to give it to her in a small cat food can!
I was giving it to her in a big dog bowl, and she wasn't eating much. But she always wants the cat food, so I gave her a little can of cat food, which she licked clean and guarded closely.
So I filled that little can again with her dog pate'... and voila!.. she ate it all and asked for more!
For some weird reason, she likes having the little can to covet, and work on, and hold close, and guard, even when it's empty!
So, that's the magic combination!... not kibble, but moist food... in a little tuna can sized bowl! I wish I could go back in a time machine to 2016 and tell my younger self and living Dad this information!
It would've saved a ton of money and headaches, and prevented a massive mouse invasion!
Okay, let's talk about the WIFI extender!..
You'll recall I bought a NetGear WIFI extender for the security cameras, because... while the main WIFI is excellent in the main part of the house... and great in the kitchen... it's not so great in the back room, and poor outside the back room, and outside the side porch.
The extender gave the back door and basement hatch door cameras both over 50% signal strength... and even gave the side door camera close to 40%... which was enough for all of them to function normally...
BUT!.. it's had this issue where it keeps going down unpredictably, and has to be rebooted!
So, last night I ordered a WIFI rebooter!.. which came tonight.
Now, the other issue with the extender was that the only two outlets in the right location for it to... extend that signal where I need it... are on either side of the doorway between the kitchen and the back room.
On one side, it's behind the oven. On the other side of the doorway it's behind the refrigerator. Which means, in either location, it was blocked by a large steel box!.. and also probably not getting a ton of airflow.
So tonight after work, I mounted a power strip on the kitchen wall, up above the top of the oven.
And then I plugged the rebooter into that, and the extender into the rebooter... and I configured the rebooter to reboot the extender... and... now it's all MUCH BETTER!
Now the side door camera, overlooking the driveway... which is the furthest away, is getting 50% signal strength!
The back door's getting 65%, and the basement hatch cam's getting goddam 80%!
The back room itself it getting above 95%!.. even in the back of the back!
Okay, I was just out there in the kitchen feeding the pets and saw the extender go down in real time, and watched the rebooter reboot it! It took a minute or two, but it worked.
Not sure why the stupid extender is so temperamental. It runs kinda hot, even up, out in the open, in a kinda chilly kitchen.
We'll see how this goes when the weather warms up. I may need to buy a better extender.
Time was, when Netgear meant quality, but... I'm an old fart, so maybe that's not true anymore.
Okay, so, a week ago tonight, I was celebrating the fact that I'd finally gotten the deed in my name.
A week later, I'm celebrating the fact that me, Yvette, Snoop, and Prowly, all made it through my first five-day week working full time!
In fact, let's add to that team, not just we four biologicals, but our cybernetic friends; the Ring doorbell, the three cameras, and Alexa... who's controlling the smart bulbs, and smart plugs for the garden lights and the exhaust fan.
And let's not forget our mechanical friends, the indoor lamp timers, and my RAV4.
Everybody did a great job this week!.. except for the smart plug controlling the garden lights... which went unresponsive a few days ago and has left them on all day and night. But we can work on that!
The dog and cats are becoming a team now... not only convening with me in the back yard every morning, but also every midnight when I get home... and as of the past few nights, now even eating together in the kitchen at the same time!
I told you what a champ Yvette's been, but Snoop & Prowly are also to be commended as very good kitties, for staying out of trouble, both outside and inside... and amping down the antagonism they had going on as we started the week!
Also... they have not even ONCE sprayed in the house!
This to me is another miracle, because I WATCH them spray out in the yard like it's the thing they live to do! But they don't spray in the house!
We did have that issue, before I installed the cat doors, where they were peeing in the crawl space, which required running the basement exhaust fan to get rid of the cat whiff, but... that's all ancient history now!
The crawl space and basement smell normal, and they do 95% of their pooping and peeing outside now... in addition to 100% of their spraying.
Together with Yvette not using the puppy pads in the music room... this is nothing short of miraculous!
I am doing my best, as the new ship captain, but... I do have a great crew!
°¦}
