Back From WI

I returned safely from WI.

The Good Stuff:
- The trip to and from WI went very well.  Mom had everything well organized, so we could work as continuously as we could all stand.  One of my adult nieces helped a little bit.  My teenage niece and her boyfriend were a tremendous help for one day, saving the "old people's" knees and contributing to the ultimate demise of their own.  My sister took a day off work to help, but we also got to spend a little time together, which was nice.  My aunt was oh, so awesome during the week she was there, which made things immeasurably easier for all of us.  Her being there made the work almost pleasant.
- I got to have lunch with Tammy on the way back (and I got to meet the cute little munchkin who has the most amazing eyes).  I wanted to pester Stephen, but my desire to get home and not stray from I-35 kept me from asking him -- sorry, my friend.  I thought of you often on the drive.
- I worked on Polar Bear on the Loose both nights during the trip back and am now on page 8.  This is Lesson 17 of "How To Revise Your Novel", Cutting the Manuscript.  This lesson involves almost as much addition as it does cutting, and I get to write it in by hand and cut and paste other stuff by hand.  I think I'll call it the "arts and crafts" portion of the revision.  Grin.
- Two weeks after sending my battery powered lawn mower back to Black and Decker for a recall repair (discovered when I was looking for a new charging transformer that is no longer available), I have a mower in my possession.  It isn't the mower I sent them (a 2005 model), but it is a gently used 2011 model with a functional charging transformer (and the batteries I purchased last summer for the old mower will work in this one when the time comes to replace them).  I cannot tell you how pleased I am at how well this whole situation worked out to my satisfaction.  I've always valued my Black and Decker yard "appliances," but this experience has increased my loyalty to them as a company.  Not only did the customer service person sound like a native US English speaker, she was personable, knowledgeable, and helpful. 
- Natasha is very happy to have me back home.  Hubby told me every time he came in the house while I was gone, she came running to the door looking expectant, but when she realized it was him, she turned away. (Quite a blow to the guy who prides himself on being the cat whisperer).  She hugged my neck, purring, for quite a while last night.

The Not So Good:
- Despite earning 200 activity points over the last week, I only lost half a pound.  Do you think I may have gained some muscle?
- Despite my best effort, I did not get everything moved out of my parents' old house.  I figure I still had at least three trailer loads to go when I left.  They are confident they can get everything before the end of the month.  They have a lease until June, but, thankfully, the property management company is showing the house to prospective renters, and everyone is hopeful someone will want to move in at the end of the month, which will absolve Mom and Dad of their lease responsibilities.  We had the upstairs completely empty by the time I left.  There were still two rooms in the basement to go.  One, the largest room, was half to two-thirds empty, and the other room was about half empty.  There is also approximately one-quarter of the garage to go, but most of that is not their stuff, so it may wind up by the curb if the people it belongs to do not retrieve it by the end of the month.
- I did a stupid thing at a Kansas rest stop.  I napped in the truck for about 20 minutes, then I got out to use the rest room before driving on.  When I came out of the restroom, I felt in my usual pocket for my truck keys but they weren't there.  I pretty much freaked out, immediately assuming I'd left the keys in the ignition and locked the truck when I got out for the rest room.  (There's virtually no reasonable way to break into a Lincoln.  I have a door code, but I couldn't remember it.  Despondent, I approached the trucker parked next to me and said, "I did something really stupid.  I locked my keys in my truck, and I can't remember the door code."  He said, "I did that not too long ago.  I have a hanger, I'll see what I can do."  Getting through the weatherstripping on the door (and around the door designed to keep clothes hangers and other items out) was a challenge.  I got a cotter pin from the trailer to give him some leverage.  He still couldn't poke the hanger through, so he pulled out a lock blade knife and cut through (eek) my weather stripping.  He got the hanger in, but neither he nor I could get it to press down on the unlock button.  He left me to try while he went back to his truck to warm his hands.  At this point, I glanced at the ignition.  No keys.  Huh?  Where are the keys if they aren't in the ignition?  I checked my coat pocket.  Sure enough.  There they are.  I went to the trucker's cab window, and sheepishly held up the keys and explained what happened and thanked him profusely for being willing to help me.  Then I went back and kicked myself repeatedly for the damage I'd inflicted on my beautiful new truck (scratches inside the top of the door and weather stripping cuts, which will probably cost me a couple of hundred dollars to get repaired), all because of my stupidity for a) not checking all my pockets, b) not remembering that the truck would have made lots of noise if I'd left the keys in the ignition, and I wouldn't have locked the keys inside,  c) for not ensuring I'd either memorized my door code or assigned one I knew I could remember, d) leaving my cell phone in the truck when I got out (rendering me unable to call anyone who might be able to help), and e) not having the Lincoln customer service number stored in my cell phone.  I have now memorized the door code -- I'll make a point to use it periodically just to make sure it stays fresh in my mind.

For the Next Week:
- Resume recumbent bike rides and Wii workouts
- Continue work on PBOTL and HTRYN
- Work on several sundry tasks around the house here
-- Get stuff from the trip put away
-- Get the trailer inspected
-- Get my truck detailed to get the road grime off it
-- Take the trailer through the car wash and pressure wash it to achieve the same result
-- Find a place for the Great Books and the bookshelf for them I got from the folks
-- Begin my winder yard work -- trimming trees in preparation for spring growth
-- Begin/resume decluttering (a trip to the parents' place always reminds me how necessary this really is!)