I got two pool visits in, and it really helps. I got two bike rides in, and I had to go to level 2 to get the proper resistance for both knees. Prior to surgery, I'd only been able to use level 1.
I didn't mow this week. Everything's so dry, I don't want to bother the grass. We have watered the St Augustine to keep it healthy. Same for a baby pecan tree we're encouraging, Ms. Peach, and Mr. Fig.
We ordered, received, and installed the missing parts for our "new" lawn tractor. They were all cosmetic, but it's nice to have it complete.
I've been working on Granite Hill series preparation. One huge "success" for the week was nailing done the scope of Book 1 and working on identifying series themes.
Rossie is making incremental progress. That time she spent so much time in my arms was a fluke -- I think she was more afraid to get down with Sneaky in the room than she was to stay with me. The real successes we've seen is she sits up to be petted by us when we approach her, and she's eagerly wanting to come out of the cage when we open it for her to have time in the parlor. Today, I insisted upon petting her before letting her out, and she agreed.
I'm trying to let her out when I'm working on the computer. I've noticed her moving around the room more when she doesn't think I'm watching. If we have Tarzan or Ajax in the room, she will eagerly approach them and ask for attention. Unfortunately, after cursory sniffs, they generally ignore her. It's so sad to see this poor cat begging for attention. I know it can't compare to the pain a parent must feel when their child has social troubles, but it seems like a similar situation on a smaller scale. Rossie does appear to be learning to be a cat again, and that is encouraging.
The three primary outside cats are a hoot. Junior is very vocal in the morning about wanting his Fancy Feast. Sneaky makes sure she's on the porch waiting for her share, and Walter is always on the ductwork peeking around the brick porch supports when we appear at the side porch steps in the morning with three cans of Fancy Feast. I've managed to coax Walter off the ductwork and to eat from the dish between my feet as I sit on the edge of the side porch steps. He seems to welcome petting as much as the Fancy Feast. He still needs to learn to keep his claws in when trying to interact with us, though. Mr. L has been able to pet Junior with both hands but only while he's chowing down on Fancy Feast. Walter will come to be petted even after the food is gone. Sneaky will attack them both, given the chance, so it's fair to say she's the Alpha Cat out there.
We attended the foreclosure auction for the property we're interested in. We were relieved that only us and the guy who was foreclosing on the property showed up. He bid the exact amount on the loan to regain control and title of the property. Since he was the lender, he didn't have to have cash. The trustee is going to take care of ensuring the paperwork is done to return legal ownership to him and she's going to ensure there's a clear title on the property. Once that is done, she's going to draw up papers to sell the property to us. It's a cash sale, so the owner will know he's done with the property, and we'll become landlords and have a fenced place to store the motor home and several trailers (currently stored at the ranch). We know and like the man who owns the detail shop and vehicle inspection station operating from the building on the property, and we want his business there. He's relieved, because once he found out about the foreclosure, he didn't know if someone was going to come in and tell him to get out.
Friday, two of three A/C units popped breakers. The upstairs unit appeared to be working when the breakers were reset, but it wasn't doing any heat exchange, so we've shut it down. Unfortunately, it's the unit that services the front bedrooms, so we've been sleeping in rooms that are in the high 80s temperature wise, cooling overnight to 80 degrees by morning. The new heat pump is supposed to be installed beginning on Monday, but they've delayed installation twice before due to their backlog of work. I'll be heading over bright and early Monday morning to make sure we're on their schedule this week -- either for the install or to take a look at the old unit to see if it can be revived (they've jury-rigged an over-temp switch on the unit that I suspect tripped when the breakers blew, and it may need to be reset). Thankfully, the downstairs unit resumed proper function when I reset the breakers. I took that opportunity to change all the filters as well (they were due).
I bought train tickets and made rental car reservations to visit my folks in Wisconsin for the last week of October. I want to begin spending a couple of weeks a year with them, maybe helping out with stuff around the house, and definitely just hanging out and doing stuff with them.
The Week Ahead:
- Pick pears (not ripe yet as of Sunday night)
- Yard work
- Keep up with blog posts
- Work on Granite Hill
- Follow up for hand surgery
- Eye appointment at VA
- Pool and bike work
- Hope the A/C install begins this week. If not, they need to come fix the old unit.
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