We went out last Thursday to put up our Christmas lights. We also had some errands to run, but since we wanted to deal with the lights while there was still daylight we did the lights first.
Husband decided that the fallen leaves would catch fire from the lights and we had to rake and bag them first. This exhausted both of us before we even started with the lights. Sunny and 59 degrees which had been expected, was actually terribly overcast and colder.
Of course 3 of the 8 strands of lights only had half their bulbs still working - although they had been tested before being stored. We figured we would put up what we have and then go and buy replacements while running errands. The lights go on bushes and 2 small trees and a strand of red bulbs with white cords go around our white mail box post (which is at our front door, not along the road) which gives it a candy caneish look. Hooked up the extension cords, plugged it all in. I went to the basement and turned on the breaker for that circuit and turned on the timer - no lights. Husband comes in and checks to make sure I did it right. (I would say because he thinks I am an idiot who cannot turn on the breaker and timer, but I won't.) He decides that maybe the breaker is broken - it feels funny. Just in case it is the outlet (which hangs oddly since our siding was replaced - but worked fine last time we mowed the grass in July) he decides to disassemble the outlet and check the wiring. It is now dark out and getting colder.
He cannot disassemble the outlets as one of the screws stripped . He then spends an hour attempting to take out the outlets. He then gives up and spends another hour and a half trying to put the front plate (which covers the outlets as they are outside) back on as the entire assembly now is loose due to the stripped screw. We finally give up and put tape around the box - figuring we will be calling an electrician to deal with it all. It is now 6 pm. He goes back into the basement in frustration and finds out that we turned on the wrong breaker! When we bought the house there was one outside set of outlets in the back yard. The breaker was labeled "outside outlet". We later had another one added in front of the house (mostly for Christmas lights) which is labeled "front outside outlet". Yes, I forgot which one was specially labeled and turned on the back yard outlets! I showed him which one was correct. He labeled the other one as “rear outside outlets”. We had disassembled the extension cords to prevent problems and will have to plug everything in again and see if the lights come on - on Saturday. No he did not get mad or yell at me. I was crying too hard from being so stupid and making the problem and wasting so much time for him to do so.
We normally would put up a wreath on each door and swags (all artificial) from the lights on either side of the door - but that would wait. (So far we have put up one wreath - it is new. We put battery operated lights on it and it fits between our front door and the storm door and is lighter so it can go up with magnetic hooks instead of having to run fishing line over the front storm door to hold it outside the storm door . We still have not put out a wreath on the side door or the swags - not sure if he will do so or not.)
We then set out to the PO and the bank. As we approached the corner where the PO is located there were police cars and their lights all over at the corner to the PO. There is a very small "town center" in a pool park there and apparently this was the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. We managed to get through the mess and had to go aways to get a parking space for the PO.
We then had to pull into a side road and turn around, back into the mess, which now also had fire engines with lights and sirens on, to go to the bank. When we left the bank husband was going to go in a different direction to avoid the mess, forgot to and we were headed back there. Instead we kept going to a different main street which goes to our house. There were police cars all over with police directing traffic and apparently we could not turn towards our house - the street was closed either for an emergency or to put up Christmas decorations as there were "bucket trucks" with men in the buckets. We had to drive back to the bank a different way, drive past it and then go the way he intended originally. 15 minutes of errands took over an hour, so it was now 7 pm.
I then made dinner and called him and he had gotten a work online conversation and was on for an hour - to 9 pm. Just as I finished reheating the soup for dinner (and the rest was still reheating) my mom called and I had to tell her I couldn't talk. If you think I write a lot - a call between mom and me can run 2 hours.
Friday we went to Lancaster, PA area for a day trip - mostly Green Dragon Farmer's (and merchant's) market and dinner at Dutchway buffet - owned by and adjacent to their supermarket. Picked up the needed Christmas lights during a stop at Walmart there before our trip home.
Saturday we took the snow blower out of the box and assembled it. We then put up the rest of the lights after making sure that when we used the correct circuit breaker the other lights came on.
We bought gas for the snow blower on Monday and also filled the tank in our van - we don’t drive it a lot, so we don’t fill it a lot, so we figured we would do both at once. On Tuesday we started it and it started fine. Unfortunately we found out over the weekend that we cannot get the small shed we wanted. It would not come for 3 weeks and by then it would be too cold to assemble it. For now the snow blower is in the garage - sitting just inside the door, ready to go. But if it snows we have to shovel our way out to the garage. One idea husband has it to pick up the snow blower and put it in our tiny side porch (really just a covered entryway) - which means I have to clear it out - but we don’t know if we could carry it that much.
Today was my embroidery club meeting. As I was getting ready last night for the meeting it suddenly dawned on me that this is the last meeting of the year. Why is that significant? I never got the paperwork to reserve the meeting room for 2017. I called this morning and found out that the person in charge of the room reservations changed and I was not on the list she was given for who had to have renewals sent to them - “everyone else will call for them”. Luckily this room is not in great demand and there should be no problem - she is sending me the paperwork to do.
I also got rid of 2 months worth of soda bottles today and made about $2 in returned deposits - which I then spent plus more on a few grocery items we needed. I went to Goodwill and donated 3 of our suitcases - more to go there in the future. I also donated my good coat. I love this coat - it comfortable, nice fabric. It is the only piece of clothing I have ever heard my mom say I looked good in. Why did I get rid of it? It was a hard decision, but I have not worn it since 2009 when we had the bed bugs. It is a bit on the long side and I would worry about picking up bed bugs when walking on stairs in NYC if I wore it to work. When we go out to dinner for holidays or such - much rarer now - I sit on my jacket and the coat would be too bulky, so I decided it was time for it to have a nice life with someone else who needs and will use it. I kept it in its bag until the last minute so I would not change my mind. I added to all this a rotating CD rack husband has not used in years and said we should get rid of. Oh - don’t forget to go through all pockets in clothes and suitcases - I did and found copies of our driver’s licenses in one of the suitcases.
So another week is gone. I have put out a minimal amount of Christmas decorations - but I did put RV stuff in our RV to get it out of the dining room until next spring - more of it to go out yet. I also put away all of the various items that were out loose of our reenacting stuff - the dining room is on its way to being ready to decorate.
What did you get done this week? Even a small amount of things done is something done. Jump in and do something.
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