November 25, 2007

• Van Swap, Garland Hell, & Breakfast

  Jesse just left for church, without us.  I'm almost completely over my headaches.  At least, the ones I'm having aren't "killers" and I'm managing them by resting in a cool, quiet room until they subside.  I only had a problem twice yesterday and I could tell I was tired or overdoing things.

  I have a hash brown potato casserole in the oven and turkey sausage links frying for breakfast.  Will whip up some scrambled eggs soon.

  Stephanie's mini van (Nissan Quest) is in bad shape - way beyond a weekend repair job.  She's totally without a vehicle, right now.  Many, many things are wrong: some from her neglect and some because things just sometimes break after a while.  So, after a discussion with Jesse last night, they came to an agreement for her to purchase our new (used) mini van (Mercury Villager) and while Jesse gets the Nissan van fixed, she will pay as much as she can for its repairs.  Then, he will sell her old van and apply the sale money to the repair bills and the price of the van we're "giving" her; and, she will pay the balance for the newer van when she receives her tax refund in February.  Sounds like an accounting spread sheet, to me!  I think Jesse also stressed the importance of being responsible with a car - checking fluid levels, air in the tires, etc.  He bought her new tires last November and her current air pressure was 15 instead of 32.  Her new tires only have half of their tread left because she was driving with such low pressure. (sigh) 

  I put up ONE garland yesterday, the one over the fireplace mantle.  It's not in the place it will need to be permanently, but I gave up trying because I was getting very frustrated.  I had to wire together 3 bulky garlands and then twist 200 lights through them.  This is a one time project, as I'll pack the assembled garland "as is" for future use.  I was working alone with NEW lights and they kept wanting to spring back into their boxed, curved-wire position!  While trying to put the garland on the mantle, it repeatedly slipped down, one side and then the other.  I called on Rissy to hold the other end in place, to no avail.  The mantle is about 8' long and narrows at both ends, thus the garland-slipping-off problem. 

  To top things off, I was standing in front of a blazing fire in our fireplace wearing a turtleneck blouse, flannel dress, and wool blend socks, and thought (through my frustration) that this surely must be a small taste of hell!  I also found out we own (in this entire house and 3 car garage) only 4 nails longer than 1 1/2 inches!  I needed longer ones (preferably with heads, which my precious four 2 1/2  inches "long nails" didn't have) to keep the garland in place.  I'll have to worry about tacking it in place and arranging the lights today or tomorrow when Luci is at daycare.  I won't attempt the doorways until I've visited the hardware store and bought proper nails!  The doorway garlands will be easier because they are plain garland and lights, not entwined with pine cones and berries like the mantle garland. 

  My sausage is beginning to smell good and little people are telling me they are hungry.  I need to go for now.  I'll write more tomorrow!

  • 11:15 am
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