Up and Running

All the plumbing was done yesterday, extra vinyl pipes had to be purchased and convinced to go together and today Mac started the pump for the first time since it was hit by a tree during hurricane Matthew last fall----it WORKED---no complaints, just the lovely sound of water going through the system.
He then put up a couple more pieces of lattice work and poles.  Tomorrow I'm going to help him move some plants over to go around the pool, my Confederate Rose, an orange tree and maybe the lemon one too.  We're going to put decorative rock around the base and keep the plants in pots.  The plants we had before put all kinds of roots under the pool and made the bottom very lumpy.
I pulled more weeds and fried my brains as it's quite a bit warmer today.  I'll post photos tomorrow when we get everything set up.

What Happens When You Put in a New Pool

Why it rains of course!  Temperature down in the 70's, overnight lows in the 60's, all lovely except if you want to get in and try out the new pool.  So today I weeded and Mac worked around the pool, moving debris and covering up what can't be move yet--his helper just had carpel tunnel surgery and is out of commission for awhile.  My haulage days are long over, so we'll have to live with it for awhile.

Another hairball this morning, but at least we didn't hear it.

Quit Licking

We've been awake since about 6:30 this morning because Miss Kitty kept trying to get rid of a hairball.  First hacking in the bedroom, then the bathroom, then back in the bedroom before finally depositing on in the hall.  If she'd just stop licking herself she'd be fine.  She's short-haired and she's gotten rid of her winter coat.  She has no fleas, we treat for that.  She gets like this every spring and it drives us bonkers.  Doesn't seem to bother her at all.  As soon as she's done it's off to the food bowl for a bit to eat and then a good licking clean up.  But I give her fair warning if she wakes us up at dawn again she's going to get a bath and I don't think she'll like that at all.

Tuesday in the Swamp

Busy week so far.  Yesterday they showed up to finish the pool and it's all done except for hooking up the pump and Mac will do that.  Today as we had water going in the pool he's been busy putting back up the lattice work panels that go around the pool for privacy.  Have to grow some new vines.
Yesterday afternoon we both had doctor's appointments to have moles removed.  I go twice a year to my dermatologist so I only had one to be cut off, Mac had many and he's a mass of  bandaids and sore spots.
Today it was do laundry, make bread, clean bathrooms and listen to the piano tuner who was doing my annual tune-up.  It sounds much better.
Not really hot, but incredibly humid, Mac is changing to his third shirt of the day and after I cleaned bathrooms I had to put a cold rag on my face and neck.
Yesterday morning, and I do mean most of the morning, was spent getting i-tunes to recognize my password, took 2 calls to Apple support to get it straight.  I had to authorize this new computer to have access to my i-tune library.
I think that's the last thing I have to set up.  So far I've been very happy with my new machine.  Our daughter doesn't like Macs, she says the Mouse doesn't have enough buttons.  I said it doesn't have any and she said, "Exactly".  She's much more tech savvy than we are and really knows hew way around a computer, but I just want a computer that's easy to use.

New Computer

The new computer arrived late Friday afternoon and we set her up yesterday after I mowed the lawn. Easy to set up, plug in, push power button and you're done.  That's what I like about Macs.  I then spent a couple of hours reestablishing Bookmarks, finding where they'd hidden the sound icon, having a fight with Siri who I felt was giving me snitty answers.  The only site I had trouble  with was our mail server, used their online chat feature and they recommended that I call the company.  It didn't recognize my User Name, so I told it I'd forgotten it, I hadn't, they sent what they thought was my user name--Mac got that on his computer--it still wouldn't work so I told it I'd forgotten my password, I hadn't, and it asked for the city I was born in and when I gave the correct answer it said that was wrong, so I called them.  Had a 10 minute wait to talk to a human and while they were trying to straighten things out I tried my original User Name and Password and lo and behold it worked.  The help on the phone said there may have been a glitch on their end that caused the problem, I thanked him.
So most things are straightened out, found the sound icon and put it on the desktop for easy use, found out why it kept asking for my password and reset that, so I think I'm good to go.
Mac had worked on the broken computer and gotten it to run some diagnostics, but it still won't start up.  He's hoping he can at least get my photos off there,  otherwise I'm going to have to work my way through Blogger and Facebook and get them.
Our pool is still not done.  The heavens opened Wednesday and the workers left, returned Thursday and said it was too wet to work, said they'd be back Sunday, but yesterday they said they decided they didn't want to work on the weekend.  We've had little to no rain since Wednesday so it's pretty dry, if they get here early tomorrow they could get it done before the next round of showers start.  So fingers crossed.
I'm off to start a painting.

                                                          My poor backyard

That Kind of Week

Tuesday my computer was weird, Wednesday it died.  Mac tried a number of things on it to no avail.  I ordered a new one yesterday.  We've always had Macs and the new one will be too, but I have to say that if the last one had been my first Mac it would have been my last one.  It was always doing weird things and too, too often I would get what I call the spinning ball of death, a brightly colored ball that would just spin instead of what I wanted it to do and I would end up having to force quit whatever program I was running.  Hopefully the new one will be less haunted.  In the meantime I'm using and old computer of Mac's, my Mac, not the company, and all the programs are really old so wherever I go on it, it complains and tells me to download a newer version--that's not going to happen.  The new computer should be here tomorrow.
Yesterday they showed up to put our new pool in, became concerned because it had decking and trellises around it even though we had told the pool company, they were also concerned that they couldn't get their equipment into the backyard--they could.  They said it would cost more, well of course it would, it's been that kind of week.  They got most of the preliminary work done and then the heavens opened and they left.  When they came back this morning they said it was too wet to work.  Guess what the weather forecast is for the next week, afternoon thunderstorms.  Who knows when it will get done.  In the meantime all the trellises and plants that use to surround our pool are laying in the yard looking forlorn.
With nothing else to do today we're painting the back hallway that I've been threatening to do forever.  I did the big parts and Mac is doing all the trim.  Considering what kind of week it's been it will all need a second coat.

Memorial Day Weekend

But it feels more like Labor Day.  Mac has most of the old pool down and I've been polishing floors, making bread and cleaning out my painting/crafting area.  Wound up a bunch of yarn balls and carried stuff upstairs to my messy craft room---its next.
Going to be hot today, around 94º so trying to get everything done early so we don't melt.
Have quite a bit more energy since I got my B-12 shot, they help a lot.  Been taking them for a couple of years and they make a difference.  When I first started taking them I took them in my upper arm alternating between left and right.  The right one was fine, but the left one was always sore and miserable for a week or more, not the injection site, but the whole muscle.
After about a year I talked to the doctor about taking it in the upper hip instead.  I've had no problems since then.  I've read that the shot needs to be at body temperature and injected slowly.  I'm working with new nurses, but so far they've been great.
The first tomatoes of the season, cherry tomatoes.  We never have much luck with tomatoes, this plant will probably croak now that it's given us a few, but I'll enjoy what I have.
Some more Gladiolas too!

Not a Five on Friday

Not enough time, not enough to post, not enough energy as I always like to visit the other Friday bloggers, but 2 doctor visits ate into my time this week.

But a bit has been going on, my Rose of Sharon came into bloom while we were gone and isn't it gorgeous.

The old pool is coming down, poor Mac, his helper, our friend Mike is on vacation, and I'm not strong enough even after taking my B-12 sho to help.  The new one goes in next week weather permitting and it won't be Mac putting it in.  It'll be trickier to put in than the first one as we've added the deck, the lattice work and all the plants, but that's the pool company's problem and probably our financial one if they charge us more.

I got a new backpack while we were in Yellowstone, not for my Grandkids, we don't have any, just for the little girl who still lives in me.

Have a great weekend.

Wednesday in the Swamp

Just back from the doctors, had to have my B-12 shot I was about a week late and I've been doing supplements.  Also have an ear ache.  They took all kinds of wax out of my ears, like Shrek cleaning his.  But they couldn't get it all out of the sore ear and so they put in softener and I have to go back tomorrow to have them finish up.
We were under a tornado warning yesterday afternoon, but we were lucky, one touched down in Ludowici, about 20 miles west of here and another on Wilmington Island, about 36 miles northeast of here.  We just got thunder, lightning and more than an inch of rain.  More is forecast for this afternoon.  Hopefully the electricity won't go out as it is incredibly humid.  I think I'm missing the Montana snow.

In Recovery

Quaking Aspens

We use to say, back before we retired, that we had to go   back to work so we could get some rest after one of our trips.  Now being retired feels like being on vacation and traveling feels like work.  We had a wonderful time, but it's still tiring, so for a couple of days we're in recovery mode.
Getting to Yellowstone and back is not a straight shot from here.
We left at 5:30 am and flew from Savannah to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Minneapolis/St. Paul then to Billings---Bozeman is closer to the park, but has fewer flights.  Then we had a drive of over a 100 miles to the cabin, it rained for 90 miles and snowed for 30. Coming back we flew  Billings to Salt Lake City to Atlanta to Savannah.  It was a rough, but easy flight except for being delayed in Atlanta where we waited on the  plane for an hour for someone's dog to show up.  So we didn't get home until 2 am.
Glad we upgraded to a SUV, we had a Dodge Durango and it was great, will rent one like it next time we go regardless of the weather.

Please excuse the window screen, too cold to go out for the shot

The speed limit in the park is never more than 45 mph and usually 35 as you never know who or what might be crossing the road.  Hitting a deer will significantly damage your car, ask our daughter she hit one once, can't even imagine what hitting a  buffalo would do.  They're so big, about the size of a Volkswagen.
Badger enjoyed the trip too, though he wondered why the buffaloes kept crossing the road.

We saw a young buffalo, probably a year or so, rolling in the dirt to remove his winter fur and then he jumped up in the air and all but clicked his heels, talk about your rights of spring.
Mac made a small snowman on the back porch, using my vitamins for his eyes and nose, badger liked him.

And we admired the mule deer at the bottom of the yard.

Our cabin was so comfy, 2 large bedrooms, a loft up above if you had a load of kids.  Downstairs was a large tv room.  There was a small electric stovelike fireplace that heated the whole place as well as having regular heat.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

We've been to Montana to visit the northern end of Yellowstone National Park.  It was wonderful.  Though we'd visited Wyoming and the southern end of the park before we'd never made it to the northern end of the park, the park is huge.
Before I deluge you with photos a few facts about the park

•  Yellowstone was the first National Park, dedicated in 1872

•  It's huge measuring 63 miles north to south and 54 miles east to west.

•  It covers nearly 3500 sq. miles

•  It's larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined

•  It's highest elevation is 11,358 feet and it's lowest is 5282 feet and you really feel that elevation
   when you're out hiking around.

•  The basin is a huge caldera ( that's when a volcano collapses into itself) measuring  45 miles by
    30 miles

•  It has 1,000 to 3,000 earthquakes a year

•  It has more than 500 active geysers

•  It has 290 waterfalls

ª  It has bears, bison, elk, deer, antelope, lynx, wolves, coyote and so much more

•  It has snow, even in May!

The view from our cabin on May 17

Our cabin

The Norris Basin, some of the walkways were still covered in ice

Buffalo crossing the road with its calf, they're called Red Dogs and are one of the first signs of spring in Yellowstone.

• We saw White Pelicans, Canadian Geese, Blue Herons, a  Bald Eagle, Magpie, Osprey and its nest, Sand Hill Cranes---they make the strangest sounds and I totally messed up my picture of them---and beautiful Mountain Blue Birds

Elk


We just missed a group of 4 grey wolves, but Mac had seen one the day before.

And best of all there were black bears.  We watched a Mother bear with her two cubs, we saw another bear ambling down a valley and then right next to the car we saw a bear eating.

We had a wonderful trip and have already decided that we'll have to go back again.