Life's A Beach...In the Boy's Room

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Spent part of my lunch at Lowe's. It was supposed to rain today and so I wanted to get a tarp to cover the chipper. When it rained last week, water got down in the blades and when we turned it on it all came shooting out. I can't imagine that having water on those blades is real good for them. I also got a 50 pound bag of sand to put in the base of the boys basketball hoop.

After work it still wasn't raining, so I quickly changed clothes and went out to finish cutting up the remainder of the trees. As we suspected, it was mostly branches. We got all the branches piled up and have a couple of log piles that need to be cleared, but otherwise we are ready to rent the big chipper on Saturday. Hopefully we can get the majority of the branches through the machine before we have to take it back.

After I got in from the yard and after my shower, I went out and got the sand to put in Cade and Kelson's basketball hoop. Cade has had this hoop for about 3 years now, and it has worked just fine without any real weight in it. When we first got it, we tried to put water in it, but when we would tip the thing to move it, water would leak out of the plug where it went in. Well we didn't think about picking it up and carrying it, we just took it back out and dumped the water. As I said, it hasn't been a problem, but Cade liked to hang on the rim after a dunk and tip the thing over, and sometimes when Kelson is on their bed, he will lean against the hoop, and I've been afraid that he will put too much weight on it one day and he will fall over the edge of the bed because the hoop tipped. Man, I'm making this a long story, aren't I? ANYWAY, I took the hoop out into the addition and then spent about 15 minutes lugging the 50 pound bag of sand up and then into the small hole that they give you to fill the base up. I finally get it all in, put the plug in, clean off the base off all other sand, then tip it forward to make sure none comes out of the plug. None. We're good to go. I wheel the base back into the boys room, set it just a foot or so from where it is going to go permanently, and then move some things from out of my path. I then tip the hoop forward again, and wheel it back under the bed. What's that? Why do my bare feet feel like they are on the beaches of Acapulco? It's leaking. From somewhere. I don't know where, it's just leaking. I tip the thing over but still can't see a hole or anything. I wiggle the square backboard pole a little and out flows tons of sand. I've figured out where it is coming from, but the problem is the pole isn't supposed to come out. Once you put it in, it is supposed to stay there...forever I guess. I run grab a hammer and a piece of wood and start pounding on the pole trying to get it out. With every swing of the hammer the sand comes out quicker and quicker. I finally get the pole out and see the problem. A crack in the base about 2 inches long right in one of the corners. I quickly flip the base the opposite direction so that that corner is up and there isn't sand coming from that. Still, there is sand coming out. I look a little closer and see a second crack, opposite corner about an inch long. So there is nothing to do now but try to run with this akward, 50 pound (48 by now after all the sand had been dumped out) base back down the hallway into the addition and out the back door. I dumped it on the ground outside to let it get as much sand out as it wants (and there it sits, in the rain as we speak). I had a nice trail from the bedroom down the hall. It was fun cleaning it up too, let me tell you.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Cade and Kelson got to go to grandma's this morning again. They played with grandpa and were good kids...as they usually are for them. For some wonderful reason they save all their bad boyness for when they are with mom and dad. They also wound up going with Shena to Enrichment Meeting at the church, since I was outside clearing trees. Kate Hiatt was there to babysit and Shena said they were good for her and behaved themselves. Cade probably had fun playing in the nursery again.

Shena got a pedicure today. She and Leesa went together and got pampered. I can't tell a difference when she goes to a professional. Her toes look the same to me. But I guess it is the "experience" that she enjoys.

Arellano Update
Dad started working in my yard at about 3:00 today. I felt bad. He called me about then to ask if I was working. I told him if it wasn't raining at 5:00, I'd be out there. For some reason he decided to go over right then. He said that if he had started working in HIS yard, he wouldn't have wanted to come over, so he decided he would just come straight over then.

Christensen Update
None to report, that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 10:30 - 7:00 - it felt good, but it wasn't a complete nights sleep. Kelson got up at some point in the night (not sure when, I was still pretty out of it). Shena took care of him.

TODAY:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of frosted flakes

Lunch: corn tortillas with cheese, a shot of apple juice and then a couple bites of cake with milk

Dinner: McDonald's - Big 'n Tasty (yeah right) with cheese, fries, orange drink - since Shena had her meeting, she just fed the boys mac and cheese and she ate cereal for dinner. That left me on my own after I got in from clearing trees. Everybody knows what I do when I'm on my own. Eat out. I was too tired from moving trees to cook anything.