Yay! FINALLY the frost cloths and frost curtains are folded up (ahem…apologies to everyone on the Eastern Seaboard…). I’ve got my yard back, and it’s so nice!
We probably will get one more frost — often February will bring in one last cold storm. But for the nonce, I don’t have to look at all that ugly stuff.
Tried to backwash the pool but found that despite my having nagged the Pool Dude all summer and fall to do the job, the fact that he never bothered meant the backwash valve is jammed shut. I couldn’t get it open at all. So called Swimming Pool Service and Repair; arranged to have someone come pull that thing part, lubricate it, put it back together, and then clean out the DE filter.
Harvey II, despite two service trips to Leslie’s, is not working optimally. It’s practically a brand-new unit, dammit. I suspect a backwash may help, although the water is running vigorously through the inlet and outlets so the system appears to be running OK. If that doesn’t work, I’m going to holler at Leslie’s to give me my money back or substitute a new unit that will run.
Today I’d like to go up to HD and pick up as many of their little black metal garden borders as they have. I’m anxious to clean up the yard and get the new anti-puppy scheme in place. Once the last frost really is over, that blue plumbago will need to have all the dead stuff pruned off, and after that happens, the dogs will be able to navigate through the garden bordering the pool and tumble into the drink. So those proposed borders need to be put in place soon.
I’m VERY glad the new neighbor, Joel, canned Pool Dude, who was a sweet guy but a bit of a flake. Joel came home from work to find the fool had left the backwash valve open! Half the water was drained from their pool, according to Joel. That seems unlikely — once the water got down to the tile line, it would have burned out the pump. (Joel is a first-time homeowner and knows NOTHING about pool care.) My guess is the guy somehow opened a drain in the bottom of the pool. How, though, is beyond comprehension. The drains on my pool don’t work that way.
Anyway, when Joel told P.D. never to darken his backyard gate again, P.D. stopped coming to either of our houses. Good riddance.
Fortunately this happened while the water was very cold, and fortunately while I was coming round the far turn into the final lap of the Healthcare Sweepstakes. I’m now just about well enough to cope with that thing, and am glad not to have to tell P.D. he’s fired because his services have become redundant.
Anyway, in addition to making a Home Depot run, I’ve got to read 25 pages a day of International Banker’s single-spaced copy. That’s the equivalent of 50 pages properly formatted manuscript. Plus the stoonts are turning in stuff and asking stupid questions (“Do I have to buy the book? Where it says here that we have to synopsize chapter 2, does that mean we have to synopsize chapter 2, pages 37 to 42?”)
No, kid. Synopsize the chapter 2 that appears on pages 157-168.
Onward.
Sorry the site was down earlier today. Jesse’s server was attacked, apparently by spammers. Looks like he’s got it back up.
Glad to hear you’re feeling better. I look forward to seeing how you transition away from healthcare issues being your number one source of stress. Hopefully nothing else takes it’s place and you can enjoy a well deserved winning streak!