So I promised myself that I would start updating my blog on a weekly basis. Nothing major, no earth-shaking thoughts or deep introspective writings, just a basic update to get the habit started.
At least that is the plan…
For now, I’ll start out simply by noting that my **plan** is to add this every Sunday night, and of course this first one is being written Monday. 🙂 I won’t cop-out and schedule this for next Sunday, and be transparent with my failings, too.
So, we’re continuing to help clean up our parents house getting it ready to sell. Kate has been going out there nearly every weekend (quite often both days), taking Dad and Nick with her and occasionally getting a couple friends to help. To her I tip my hat with a big note of thanks. I’ve tried to keep up with her on those weekends, but have had to beg forgiveness and sit out a few times. And of course Amanda has been doing what she can remotely – she’s our backup for both Kate and I. Kate is helping navigate all the various health-related events with Mom and Dad, and I’m taking on keeping their bills paid and going through all the paperwork and either keeping the important pieces, or getting the remaining stuff to a shredder.
This past weekend we hit the garage attic and got it cleaned out. Many of those boxes had been packed and never opened when they moved from Columbus. Dad was proactive and put labels on each box, then noted in a document what was in each box. Unfortunately, the boxes and the document are both 20 years old, and we’re unable to find the list anymore. It was fun to open them and dive into the contents, but at the same time it was borderline overwhelming. Some of the findings did bring back some happy memories; Jilli found a small bottle of gemstones. They were (we presume) some natural garnets that her Great Grandfather Linder (William Linder, father of Gary) found when he, Dad, and I were hiking one summer in the Rocky Mountains (either near Estes Park, CO or in the Medicine Bow, Wyoming area). He suspected they were garnet, and since that is my gemstone he gave me the bottle of them to keep. Jilli might take them back to SDSM and see if one of the mineralogy professors might be able to determine what they are.
What this work has impressed upon me is to clean out my office a bit. I really doubt that anyone will ever crack open the “Windows 95 Unleashed” book, let alone many of the other related books. If I really get an urge to read it, I’ll find a PDF version but for now the paper version can go into the recycling. (I might donate it, but I don’t think Salvation Army nor Goodwill would have a need for them either.)
A good friend of ours gave us a DeeBot robotic vacuum cleaner for a family Christmas gift. It is amazing what volume of pet hair it picks up, as well as bits of paper, small stones, misc cat/dog food, etc. Our main floor is mostly wood, with only a small bit of carpet and it doesn’t have a problem with either location. What it does have a problem with is going under the couch and chairs. It just barely fits, but occasionally it gets stuck and can’t make it out. I’m brainstorming on how to add a small “guard rail” underneath the furniture, or the alternative is to add little 3/4″ risers under each leg. Since I’m the one with the long legs, I don’t think anyone else wants the chair raised so the guard rail is probably the best option.