Here it is, an unedited photo of the new wood stove! There is a bit of cosmetic work to be done, since it replaced a ventless propane fireplace (ventless=toxic). The silver electrical box (upper left of photo) has to come out, since it is no longer needed. Some trim has to be replaced, and the wall needs some doctoring, but she's ready to fire up. Now all we need is some cool weather!

Jury duty was a trial, but I made it through. Actually, I was fortunate, and was not selected as a juror. There were about 70 people in my group (one of two groups present that day). They called the first 7 people to the jury box seats, interviewed them, dismissed one, and accepted the next person up as the replacement. The other 62 or so of us got to go home without ever being interviewed by the judge. I had to call in for the next 2 nights, but was not required to appear again (phew). This was apparently a light week because of the holiday, with only two judges presiding and only a few cases scheduled.

I did not park in the free parking garage (free with validation, that is) because I would have had to walk a few blocks to the courthouse in a not-so-nice part of Atlantic City. And, trust me, Atlantic City has quite a not-so-nice side to it. I really don't like to go there alone.

I paid $9.00 to park in the lot across the street from the courthouse, the lot they call the Courthouse Parking Lot. The lot has no government affiliation, so validation is not an option. Good deal for the owners, because a lot of the women opted to park there, and I'm sure some of the men did, too. Several women had their husbands drop them off at the door. Nice.

I came home after court with a migraine and ended up in bed early. The headache carried over into Wednesday, but I was essentially functional. Today, all is well. And what a beautiful day it is!

So life may once again resume its normal ebb and flow, and I can stop being a worried, miserable so-and-so. Apologies for the gripe fest earlier this week!

Hope everyone has a marvelous weekend. I'm hoping to get out to see the new Indy movie.

Here's a quick pic of Daisy, just for Virginia Gal:

I'll have to get some video of her running. She runs like the wind! She barrel races around the trees in her enclosure out back. Don't expect those images too soon. I don't even have a cable to get the video images into the computer. Then I have to figure out the whole You Tube thing. I'll get there, sooner or later!

One at a Time

The wood stove will finally be installed this week. It was supposed to be installed a couple of weeks ago, but it dared to rain on the scheduled date. It took a bit of doing to get the wood stove guy to reschedule, but Wednesday should be the day.

The wood stove guy was off pursuing a dream - something to do with having someone famous read his screenplay. Nice, but he left the business here hanging for several days while he was gone. The folks left behind in his shop seemed to be at a loss, unable to set a schedule until he came back. They kept telling me that they expected to "get with him" that day and they'd call back with a final date, then I'd hear nothing.

I understand chasing your dreams, but I also know that I need a reliable business backing up this purchase. The relationship with this guy doesn't end with the installation of the stove. There will be maintenance, replacement parts and chimney sweeping through the years.

Ironically, I could have used the stove a few times over the last few weeks, since it has been chilly at night, and on few rainy days, as well. At least the stove will be there when I need it in the fall. More wood is being chopped as I write, and my woodpile grows daily. The propane company wants me to prepay some $2500.00 for next year's fuel to help me to SAVE money. Not me, not gonna happen. I am going to use WAY less propane next year.

Anyway, the wood stove is the first in a line of projects needed around here. The water conditioning system needs to be serviced. My Daisy needs a fenced back yard. Gutter Guards are needed on the roof. Massive amounts of gardening and landscaping are needed. I need a handyman for several small projects around the house that are beyond me. Actually, I might take a few of them on myself, once I have some time.

My time hasn't been my own lately. We've just been through a round of graduations, graduation parties and family visits, and this week I have jury duty. No, I don't consider it to be a pleasure to do my civic duty. I don't have much faith in the American justice system, and, if I am selected as a juror, I'll probable get stuck listening to the details of some silly lawsuit, since I've been called for civil court.

I will have to travel for more than an hour to get to the courthouse in Atlantic City. I couldn't be called to jury duty at the courthouse that's 20 minutes from home, oh no. I have to go to the opposite side of the county and into the city, where I must struggle with traffic and parking. I hate traffic, and I hate driving and parking in the city.

I've already checked the train schedule, and it's a no-go. The train station is too far from the courthouse, and the schedule is limited. If I take a cab from the train station, I'm only adding to the expense of the day. I'm going to check out the bus schedule, but I'm not too hopeful. I used to think that any day off of work was a good day, but I truly would prefer to go to work this week.

OK, enough complaining. This, too, shall pass. I'll probably feel far less stressed and miserable once I've made it through tomorrow. I just have to remember to take things one at a time.