I Wouldn't Even Want Touching Me
Another crisp September morning arrived which was another welcome relief from those agonizing days of excessively high temperatures. There were a handful of people actually wishing for summer to be soon over, and I must admit those last days had me ready for a quick end to it all.
I was definitely kept busy enough all morning with follow-ups on emails and phone calls, along with working on my month-end accounting. I did have to go out and help an elderly gent with the setting of a trap in his attic which has one or two jack squirrels living up there which are becoming more than a nuisance for him. I had to remind him that the sooner they're out, the better off it'll be because once they get established, they're devils to get rid of. He was indifferent to it all until I shared several real-life stories about the damage they'd done to the interiors of homes right here in Mason City. Personally, my greatest fear, is the possibility of them chewing on live electrical wires and causing attic fires. I know I may sound completely off-base when saying it wouldn't surprise me if those downtown squirrels were somehow involved with that fire over at the Kirk Apartments, and only because I would see them running around over there. It wasn't a surprise to me when finding they're not to be seen running around over there anymore.
I spent a good hour looking online for a replacement part for a stove, and for whatever reason, today's online companies are always wanting serial numbers instead of simply showing various designs of specific parts, so when I have some free time, I'll have to go back and write down the serial and model numbers if I can find them. It seems every time a person's looking for some simple little thing, it turns into a tortuous online journey.
While out, I made a quick stop over at First Congregational Church, just to let the office manager know that I'd rather not have to go digging online for the music their visiting minister had requested to be played, along with reminding him that there's likely not one of their members who's heard them, which in turn would create nothing more than a organ solo which I do not want. He assured me that he'd make the contact and get me hymns that their regulars know, so we'll see what I find in my email tomorrow morning. I'll never understand why so many pastors and music directors pick hymns they know from past experience, their members are unwilling to sing, and mostly because they're either highly syncopated, or in uncomfortably broad ranges. I'd say there's a third of our religious hymns which are more suited for choirs than general congregations, and especially knowing how most communities of faith are rapidly growing older.
After reading the obits today, I discovered there was another death of someone I've known for many years, so I'll have to stop and pick up a sympathy card tomorrow morning and drop it off over at the funeral home. Yes, as the years continue to advance, the frequencies increase. I've been noticing more young ones again, which always makes me all the more sad.
One of my out of State clients called to check on things, and for whatever reason, we ended up on health care, and unbeknownst to me, she had to visit an emergency room at a hospital while on vacation, and by the sounds of it, she was pleasantly surprised by the speed in which she was received by a doctor, along with how thoughtful and caring the entire staff was. With the both of us knowing how cumbersome emergency room visits usually are, I was equally surprised. The last time I had to accompany someone, it was an exceedingly long wait and the staff wasn't the least bit pleasant, and I'm sorry to say, that episode took place right here in River City. I do wish more in the medical community would start looking at their careers more as a calling instead of a job. I personally know both doctors and nurses who were never cut out to be working with our general public's heath care. There's more than one I wouldn't even want touching me.
I announced to a small group of people today that I'll be dropping off a giant watermelon at their workplace tomorrow morning, so hopefully there'll be enough for everyone, along with leftovers to take home. While in a groceteria today, I noticed slices with their rinds still intact, selling for $2.99 per pound. Those high prices must be an indication that our drought conditions created shortages. Actually, I have two types growing which are the more elongated red-meat, and the small and round yellow-meat. I personally like the yellow better, but of course they're not ripe yet.
I've got my black popcorn harvested, so now I'll have to let it dry on the cob longer, just so I can get the kernels free. This year's crop has much larger kernels which will offer even more striking popped corn. I've been slowing getting my sunflower heads cut off soon after they're finished blooming, and for sure, the one that was over 12' tall, has a head on it which I'll be taking a photo of and sharing. What a monster!
Around mid-afternoon, I did a full inspection of a home which I'm hoping the sellers will be listing with me tomorrow morning, and only because I'm confident it'll end up selling because of its square footage, the sought-after neighborhood, and the double garage it has. I already have someone in mind that I'll be calling, and especially because it has a washer/dryer hook-up on the main floor.
I noticed there's another City Council member who's running for re-election, and from what I heard today, there's going to be someone signing up to run against the incumbent. We all know how much harder it is to un-seat incumbents, but I believe this time around, our general public is going to make their true thoughts known thru their ballot boxes.
Tonight's One-liner is: Advice is like castor oil--it's easy enough to give, but terribly hard to take.
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