It’s been ages since I posted a sunset photo. The wind really picked up yesterday just as the sun set on a gorgeous day:
MLK 2014 Sunet
Of course, when I stepped outside into the backyard to take the photos, Apollo just had to join me. He had a hard time standing still for his portrait, but this one turned out well:
Apollo peaking around the fence at me.
It was a very busy three day weekend. We made great progress on our remodeling project. The weather was so nice I was able to walk both dogs without wearing a jacket and we grilled out Sunday afternoon.
Late Sunday morning, taking advantage of the unseasonal warm fall weather, I cleaned the Bonneville inside and out. I did this in anticipation of treating my hubby and my dad to a birthday dinner later that afternoon.
By Monday morning, though, I had to re-install the seat protector in the back because we had a nine o’clock appointment at the vets for both Apollo and Lexy. They both behaved very well in the lobby, even though another young male Rottweiler was being picked up by its owner. He was quite rambunctious and excited to see his owner.
I finally caught Lexy in the act with my Android smartphone this morning. She was a bit camera shy though and didn’t race around the room like she normally does with her toy ring.
Yesterday, Terry and I celebrated the first anniversary of our adoption of Lexy. She got a special dinner and an ice cream treat.
I also took her on a short walk down Fawn Valley just as the sun was setting. She did very well and has improved immensely over the last twelve months in her obedience training and leash etiquette.
Lexy is calmer, more playful and very loving towards Terry and I. Apollo tolerates her and attempts to play tug-of-war with her occasionally, but she’d rather snag a toy and whip it around like a rag doll by herself while running full tilt around the great room.
While Terry was in the hospital last week, I had a Dickens of a time getting Lexy to go outside. I resorted to a dirty trick, knowing that you can get a Rottweiler to do just about anything if you cater to their stomach. I started feeding her and Apollo outside. That way, I lured her out there with her food dish and could leave both of them outside for thirty minutes while I got myself ready for work in the morning or to transition to the hospital in the evenings. I’d always find her standing impatiently at the back patio door, waiting for me to let her back inside.
Our weekend weather forecast called for sporadic thunderstorms, so I opted not to work in the yard yesterday. Terry and I did make it out of the house in the morning, visiting the local farmer’s market and our favorite grocery store. After we woke up from our lunch food coma, I got the notion in my head to relocate the plasma from the old bowed coffee table where it had languished for over five years.
Several months ago (yes, months), Terry had ordered a wall mount for the television. He was prompted to pursue this avenue because when Lexy joined our family, she glued herself (and her nose) to the front of the plasma. She’s the only pet we’ve ever had who actually watches television (myopically, like Mr. Magoo). Keeping a clear view through the dog slobber became a daily household chore.
Thus began an afternoon of rearranging furniture, cables, heavy objects and lots and lots of dust. Our new vacuum cleaner saved the day more than once. Eventually, we found the wall behind the coffee table and plasma.
Lexy sniffing around in search of her lost plasma.Ah, she found it.
Next, Terry and I had to find the framing studs behind our tongue-and-grove paneling in the great room. We could see one of them through the large return air vent. Assuming, correctly we hoped, that the builder followed code and the studs were installed every sixteen inches, we got out our measuring tapes, levels and pencils and dredged up our elementary math skills to hunt them down.
Drilling for studs
After finding three studs and drilling six holes, Terry and I positioned the wall mount, properly aligned and leveled. I held it in place while he drilled the six lag bolts (and washers) into place. This mount, properly installed, should be able to hold almost two hundred pounds. Our current plasma weighs in between one hundred and one twenty pounds.
Securely fastened to the east wall of the great room.
Terry was concerned that I would not be able to lift 50-60 pounds from the floor to shoulder height. I wanted to argue with him, but I also didn’t want to drop a three thousand dollar television either. Per Terry’s suggestion, I returned the coffee table to the middle of the room and we lifted the plasma from the floor back on to the table. His reasoning was it was less distance (bending over) from the coffee table to the wall mount.
Staging the lift
Six years ago this situation would have been a non-issue. Derek at one time set a school record for bench press. Had he still been living with us, he probably could have lifted the plasma by himself from the floor to the wall mount and not broken a sweat. As it was, both Terry and I may have strained our lower backs getting the plasma from the floor back onto the coffee table. I succumbed and gave my dad a call to see if he could spare a few minutes to help us wrestle the thing up to the mount.
Dad arrived just before the thunderstorm did. Our power had blipped once already. Lexy made a bee-line for the upstairs main bathroom, her ‘safe place’ when the thunder starts rolling. I urged Apollo to take a nap up in our bedroom so that the great room would be Rottweiler-free during our lift.
While Dad and Terry lifted the plasma, I held the old base down so it would slip easily away from the device. Then I moved quickly around the coffee table and took the center of the plasma to steady it and so that Dad and Terry could make sure the hooks on the back of the plasma found the bar on the wall mount. They also needed to secure the safety latches. Once mounted and adjusted, I re-installed the HDMI cable from the home theater system to the back of the plasma and struggled with the power cord for a few minutes. Then I pushed our ancient rolling entertainment cabinet back against the wall and crossed my fingers, turning on the home theatre system first, then the satellite DVR and finally the plasma. I heard audio first and then the plasma warmed up and we had a picture.
Thank you Terry and Dad!
Things left to do:
New shelf for the center speaker.
Donate coffee table to Goodwill.
Donate entertainment cabinet to local dump
Purchase new furniture to house the electronics under the plasma
The first thing Terry and I noticed was that the plasma actually appeared smaller now. Sigh. Maybe it really is time to move up from fifty inches.
Bonus points to anyone who can guess what movie we found to test the new setup with? Hint: It’s one of my all-time favorites from the late 80s, but we only caught the last fifteen minutes of it.
Great big thanks to the two ‘Dads’ in my life a day early but never too late:
Terry (father of my children)
and
Dan (my dad for nearly fifty years now).
For the first time in nearly a month, Apollo and I took a pleasant evening stroll around our neighborhood. I didn’t get much exercise, as I became easily distracted by all the beautiful blooming spring flowers and trees. The temperature stayed in the 70s and the sky remained cloudless as the sun dipped toward the western horizon.
Flowers with Apollo (click for rest of album)
The forecast for the next couple of days, however, predicts more rain, so Apollo and I may not get out and about until later this week.
Terry and I also visited our local Home Depot to purchase a replacement day lilly (for the one lost to the driveway re-construction a year or so ago) and a couple of new flowers to add to the bed around the mailbox. As soon as the day lillies bloom, I’ll snap some photos and share them here.
This past Thursday May 9th, Terry and I celebrated the anniversary of our adoption of Apollo seven years ago. Since we rescued him we don’t know his exact birthday. Our family vet estimated that he was a year or year and a half old when we rescued him.
So we will give Apollo the benefit of the doubt and round down to eight, which is probably over 50 in human years. Welcome to your midlife crisis Apollo. You’re over the hill now and it’s smooth sailing from now on.
This morning I took a half dozen pictures of Apollo as the lounge on the couch. I tried to take a couple more outside but there was too much difference between the shadow of the house and the bright morning sunlight on the grass behind him. I upload them to my Flickr feed but I uploaded one separately here to this blog for your enjoyment.
One year ago today, Terry and I laid to rest Roxy, our beloved yet ditzy female Rottweiler. I find it imminently appropriate that today is also the dark of the moon. When I walk out to the van this morning, I will quickly and easily be able to find Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the heavens, a fitting reminder of the brightest memories I have of Roxy.
I decided to increase my daily step goal by one thousand steps starting October 1st. When I hooked up my pedometer to my laptop last Monday morning, I reconfigured my daily goal through the TrakNote software, which is much easier than trying to remember what buttons to press (or not press) on the pedometer. I worried a bit that I wouldn’t be able to meet the new goal of 8,000 steps per day, but looking back on the last week, I’m pleasantly pleased and proud to report I succeeded on six out of seven days. And the only day I didn’t reach my goal happened to be my birthday, so I gave myself a break.
The fall weather motivates me to get out of the house more with Apollo. I even took Lexy on one very short walk. She is still very skittish around vehicles and other people and dogs, so I have to be extra vigilant and patient when I walk her. Most week days I end up walking Apollo after dark, so I don’t get an opportunity to take any photos. With that in mind, I took a later afternoon walk with him on Saturday and snapped these pictures:
At the corner of Fawn Valley and First Terrace, Apollo almost always stops to smell the fire hydrant and the stop sign but he wisely ignores the base of the utility pole shown at right. When I took a look at the gaping hole forming around the base and the state of the rotting pole below ground, I took a few steps back. I should probably send the photographs to my city councilman or at least the public works director before someone is injured by a toppling pole. I don’t believe it’s an electric utility pole, because it supports a streetlight, and no other wires beyond the power for the light attach to it.
Here’s a few flowers and fruits we stumbled upon on our afternoon walk:
