Fingers Crossed

Yesterday afternoon dive friend Spanky installed the new stainless steel sink and white range hood in the rental side of the duplex with, as I predicted, 3 trips to Home Depot, but there wasn't time to install the sink and range hood in our side of the duplex.  That has to wait for him to be free another Saturday, probably in 2 weeks, but it will take less time since there was a pretty steep learning curve to the sink replacement yesterday.  Seems that the original installer GLUED the sink into the counter top.  G.L.U.E.D.  Now there are clips that hold them in place.  Clips are easier to remove.  A small section of Formica stuck to the sink so Spanky had to glue it back in place and caulk around it to finish the job in a day.  Even though it galls me, I have to grant the 4 dive guys at breakfast yesterday with being right that he couldn't do all the installation in one day, and the third trip to Home Depot was only necessary because they didn't have the correct PVC pipe thingy so the one the clerk told me was the right one wasn't. Spanky and I went back and he picked out the parts to make what he needed, which cost the same as the ones I returned.  I would have liked to have wheedled him into coming back today to do ours but he had another "friend" job to do last night and had an invitation to go diving today.  Since I had to give up the idea of going diving with KC today because of showing the duplex to prospective renters I couldn't try to talk him out of going diving.  I'm just that nice.

I have two, maybe three (stupid irresponsible woman who never responded to my answer to her email; watch her show up anyway, I'll be ready just in case), showings scheduled this afternoon.  Keep your fingers crossed that one of them sees beyond the moving out, 2 preteen girls in the house, mess and can't wait to shell out hard-earned money for the chance to live next door to me.

I wore myself to a frazzle fetching tools and things for Spanky yesterday.  I probably didn't need to but I don't feel right leaving people to do work for me and not help if I can.  I meant to mow the lawn while he worked but ended up running to Home Depot and helping, probably also hindering but I mean well.  I made yummy, sauteed mushroom-onion-BBQ-sauced burgers on the grill for supper with slabs of grilled zucchini and steamed Yukon gold fingerling potatoes on the side.  Durwood suggested slicing a tomato to top the burgers which was perfect.  Then after supper I went out and zoomed around the yard mowing, making it with about 5 minutes to spare before absolute darkness fell.  Whew.  Then I had a nice shower, put my feet up for a bit, and hit the hay.  I had tired myself out enough that I slept like a log, not lightly like I have the last few nights.  I feel much better today.  Sleep is a miracle, isn't it?

August 4--Egypt, The Singer of Amun Nany's Funerary Papyrus.  The jackal-headed god weighed Pharaoh's deeds and the baboon-headed god kept the tally.  Amun sat on the throne with the crook in one hand, the flail in the other.  His head was weighed down by the dual crown he wore.  The weight of the gold and inlay bent his neck and pressed grooves into his forehead.  He squirmed on the throne, uncomfortable with how his life would be judged.  "I did my best," he said and the jackal-headed man looked hard at him, yellow eyes assessing.  The sharp animal scent of the baboon stung his nose and made him uneasy as to how accurate his accounting would be.  Naomi fought her way out of the tangle of Egyptian cotton sheets and reached for the light.  The sensation of the heavy crown faded slowly in the light as the dream dissipated.

Nice.  I like it.  I'm going to turn some of my Farmer's Market haul into coleslaw for lunches next week and get the chicken breasts for supper marinating in teriyaki, homemade of course, I can't stand the bottled stuff.  I'm spoiled, I know.  Then wait for the prospective tenants.  23-skidoo!
--Barbara