Tuesday, November 29, 2011

P-R-P

Pumping - Raking - Praying.  That's what I do these days...  The pump I bought last spring to remove the rainwater from the pool when the water gets too high tripped the GFCI outlets every time I plugged it in.  Only used it about three times.  It was out of the store return time frame window but the manufacturer was great and gave me a return number.  Walked into Lowe's with that number and got a new pump.  The pool cover is porous and rain water gets in.  The water gets too high and the regular pool pump is winterized so I need this to keep the level low.  Mocha doesn't like that plan - she is heavy enough to lay in the middle of the cover and create her own lake when the water is too high.

Did the annual leaf raking and blowing yesterday.  The fenced in backyard acts as a giant leaf catcher.  All of my neighbors' yard are windswept clean - mine is full of leaves.  Or was.  I blow them all to the back fence and then "shovel" them over into the woods.  Not hard work but time consuming.  And it gets dark so early now...

It was nice to have Ashleigh home for Thanksgiving.  We had a couple of families over and had a nice, laid back day.  Pretty thankful for all that we have.

The outside time doing mindless work lets me pray and think a lot.  I am not writing much about my job search and the circumstances about my unemployment but I can say Lucie and I are VERY encouraged about the "coincidences" that remind us that God is in control and it is all part of the Plan.  Sermons at church about hope and peace, things people say, verses-of-the-day, and other little "random" reminders keep us positive.  A couple of things that have seemed to be a recurring theme - that God sees our lives from the end and knows how things will turn out and how He is able to create something from nothing.  So we are doing our part in terms of job searching, networking, cutting expenses, etc. and waiting for God to pull us through.  Looking forward to telling the happy ending to this story...

Monday, November 7, 2011

Agitating Again

Today I was doing my domestic duties which included doing the laundry.  I noticed that the top part of the washing machine was not agitating like the bottom was.  It just sort of sat there.  Well, Google is my friend so I went online to find out what was up.  Come to find out, these little Agitator Dogs fit inside the agitator and have tiny ridges that engage grooves which in turn spin the agitator.  Apparently after 18 years, those little ridges wear down and no longer engage.  Some guy even made a YouTube video of how to replace them.  Made a phone call to the local Sears place and then Mocha and I made a run over.  Less than $10.  When Elliott came home from school, we re-played the video and put these dogs back in their houses.  Ten minutes later all was good.

Can't wait to see what's on the agenda tomorrow...

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Birthday Girls

Ashleigh came home for her birthday weekend.  It was pretty stormy on the Saturday before with wet snow and overcast skies but we had a good time.  Had a nice lunch on her birthday and she stayed an extra day just to hang out and watch the Patriots game.  Mocha turned two a few days later.  I took her to the vet to get some more heartworm prevention pills and she hopped on the scale:  132 pounds!  Here she is with her bib on ready for cake!