The date isn't really significant, except that this evening, as I waited for the horses' water troughs to fill, I saw two fireflies. Even after 17 years in the south I am still amazed at things like lightning bugs in November. It's not even all that warm; an hour earlier as I drove home, the LED signs flashed 57 F. That may seem warm for November to many, but there's been a chill wind blowing all afternoon, and fireflies should be warned: by morning the temperature will fall to half that number. Perhaps these two fireflies were the last singles of the summer - and now they've found one another.
It's been one of those weeks when living alone and being responsible for everything has been harder than usual. My furnace went on the fritz last Friday, just in time for brrrr... cold nights. Even though it meant waiting two extra days for a diagnosis, I canceled the service call from the Yellow Pages people when I got a recommendation from a friend. Like most women, my worst fear about repairs is getting ripped off. I'm perfectly willing to pay; I just hate wondering if Ive been cheated or taken advantage of. A referral is priceless when it offers peace of mind. The new relay switch is on order for my 15 year old system, but it looks like that ever-shrinking woodpile is all that stands between me and certain hypothermia over the weekend. I am so, so lucky to have a fireplace, an electric blanket, and a couple of warm cat bodies to snuggle up to and with.
Tuesday it was the refrigerator's turn. I came home to a small flood on the kitchen floor. I mopped up the water with a few paper towels, thinking the evaporation pan was overfull. But when I moved the fridge, there was a bigger flood and it kept coming. I realized the water must be leaking from the water feed, so I shut off the icemaker and figured the flood was over, but a couple of hours and several towels later it was obvious this hadn't worked. At midnight I left three huge bath towels surrounding the side-by-side like a levee. By morning the levee had been breached; the water was heading north... I had my very own river Nile.
The man who came to check out the leak suggested my eighteen year old appliance might not be worth the $100 or so it would take to replace the icemaker apparatus, and that I must have gotten my money's worth from it by now. "No way" said I, "It works fine - sorta." And little did he know that pack-rat that I am, I just happened to have a complete icemaker kit, along with another side-by-side stored down in my workshop. (When we split up, I thought my ex was taking this one with him. A friend who happened to be trading up gave me her old one - and then my ex decided this one was too big for his use, so I ended up with two.) "Besides which," I told the repairman: "This thing probably cost $10,000 as it was the first of many items to be charged to Sears and paid off with those minimum payments..." He fixed it - and it only cost $50 for labor.
Arrgh! Elvis the noselicker just jumped on my chest. He thinks my ample bosom is a shelf upon which to perch to wash his paws after a mad leaf chasing romp. Every time I stop scratching his chin, he licks my nose to remind me he's there. It's extremely difficult to type when your nose is under siege from a scratchy tongue.
And finally: I was perfectly satisfied with the two horses I'd selected, but I just couldn't stop thinking about that little red mare, and as some of my friends already know, I caved and bought her - hoping it wasn't a mistake. Yesterday was her much anticipated arrival. As Jeffrey unloaded her from the huge trailer, I waited anxiously, expecting the nervous jumpy behavior I had witnessed over a month ago when I first saw her. The other horses were all lined up at the gate whinnying and snorting and eager to pick on the newbie. She backed carefully down the ramp and stood quietly while I exchanged his halter and lead for mine. She looked about briefly, then put her head down and started grazing, completely ignoring the other horses and seeming right at home. I spent the afternoon just messing about in the yard with her, letting her get used to my voice and scent. She never once pulled back or spooked or anything. When I finally put her in the pasture, she took a nap in the sun. It was a wonderful anticlimax.
Having her here just feels right. Now I never have to wonder what became of her; I can watch her becoming...
Things I love this week:
Those mini-firestarter logs...
Having friends who know things...
My pack-rat nature...
My velcro cats: Elvis and Snoochie...
And a nice feeling that some good deeds go unpunished...
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| November 9, 2007... a blog about life, without rancor |
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