I didn't write anything on Friday - because I knew I just wasn't going to have time, what with Avista coming and replacing the pole out back (not in our yard) and my power was expected to be off and on. So I raced to the gym, worked out for an hour - raced home, cleaned myself up, moved Zach's sheets from the washer to the dryer and had them dry and on his bed, ready for his 6'4" frame that night - all before 9AM. I knew that while Avista had told The Dad between 8AM and Noon, I was told thrice by the locators and the one phone call I made that it would be between 9AM and 1PM.
They never came. For 3 weeks there have been big white Avista trucks all over the mountain... except for on Fridays. So I went to task on the rest of the house knowing Zach would be home later in the afternoon. I vacuumed, washed, folded, did my bi-yearly ironing - yes, you read that right, cleaned the wood floors, emptied old food out of the fridge - I was exhausted by 4PM. I sat down and turned on the TV, found nothing worth watching so bought a movie on OnDemand that wasn't worth the price I paid. But it kept my attention while it needed to. The Dad walked in at 4:33 - and Wack shortly thereafter. We were going to take him to dinner and he had told his MOTY that he didn't have any plans when he was coming home... but then somewhere between Wednesday night and Friday on the drive home he connected with The Wizard (#7) and plans were hatched. Shortly after he arrived in the house - he pulled his shorts off, put his jeans on - right there in the kitchen and took The Dads car keys and headed to Cheney. Actually he followed us to 2 or 3 spots here up on the hill to have dinner with us first, but every spot was jam packed. We gave him $$ for him to get something with #7 and off he went to Cheney. For the night. Clean sheets untouched. Sad MOTY.
Saturday was mostly uneventful. The house in order, Wack home from Cheney and downstairs studying, the four legged boys close under his feet - breathing in every moment that they can with one of "their" boys and the clock just ticking until dinner time when I was going to get 2 of the 3 Minn Boyz at the table with us. We dined at Clinkerdagger - had a great meal, great service, great table, great everything and then The Wizard took his truck and headed back to Cheney. We all came home and while The Dad and I took in the GU game on TV, Wack strummed the guitar he left home after Christmas break, then played some Xbox. While this was going on - I got a tweet BACK from the Darius Rucker which prompted me to liven up a little. This has no real meaning to this post. A while later, the front door handle jiggled and we figured it was Wack's friend. Lo & behold, it was The Wiz. He had taken a long drive in the fog to get from Cheney to The Can because of a picture Z-Man had posted while playing Xbox. Home for the night. That coupled with some ongoing texts from Blue Eyes down in Pullman - made my night as close to complete as it could get. We went to bed, listening to the TV downstairs, a comedy show the boys were watching - and bellows of laughter every few minutes. I haven't slept so sound in I don't know how long.
Sunday came. Superbowl Sunday. Breakfast made early and errands to run with Wack. Home again, home again - until it was time to get him to the airport. The elder boy had returned to his other home 20 minutes away and now I was having to part with the youngest after too little time. Fortunately - there was the big game to divert my attention and waterworks. I'll admit - I was rooting for the 9ers for two weeks until I saw the Harbaugh brothers meet on the field a few hours before the game. Jim's demeanor towards his brother was, in my opinion, not acceptable - so I changed who I was rooting for at that point. That said, the game ended on a good note for me. But I don't really care and it's all in the past now. I don't even care about the "lights" conspiracy either. Dumb.
Monday. Up and at 'em I hear big trucks. I look out our front window and there they all are... just a few houses down. But on the big truck there is only ONE pole. That didn't make sense because there are TWO on this block that they had scouted. Painted. Trudged between houses. Opened gates. Painted bushes. Knocked on the doors. So The Dad comes home from work before lunch time to go ask them what their plan of attack was going to be for the pole between our house and our two neighbors. The foreman tells him they aren't replacing our pole. Even takes The Dad up to his truck to go through all of the paperwork.
WOTY: "So that leaves me feeling uneasy. Some "scouting" company for Avista has been up and down between the houses, in our backyard, knocking on our doors... and for no reason?"
The Dad: "I guess so. This is good news. No losing power..."
WOTY: "Yeh, but you hear about all of these criminals posing as power or utilities employees knocking on doors for home invasions or to scout the homes, see what they have in them."
The Dad: "Obviously they were just confused."
WOTY: "I'm calling Avista. You can't just mess up like that. And then for 3 weeks have me altering my schedule because they were going to be messing with my power. Uh uh"
So I called Avista, told Kathleen that I don't want to be patched through to the foreman because I KNOW what he said his paperwork said - I need to know what whoever makes the rules, plans, projects - that provides the paperwork TO the foreman says. So Margie calls me back. But Margie doesn't have the answer so she's going to call Mark and call me back. She does this. In short order actually. (I won't say "because she's a woman" but it is because of that, to be sure.) Mark says our pole is just getting a new ground wire and that's it. In fact it may have already been done. I never saw anyone back there - but, I didn't spend all day Friday looking for them either, once I hadn't seen a single truck on the mountain and gave up on them coming. And then there was that 2 hour stint at the ironing board... so they could have easily been missed.
We are still waiting for the whole "other" Avista project to commence. The one where they jackhammer out my stairs on the side of my house to replace some pipe. Totally can't WAIT for that one. Actually - I can. Remember how Avista said the pole replacement would take 2-4 hours? And I said (here) "if it's a normal, on the side of the road pole." They were on our street at 8AM yesterday - and didn't close up, finish that one pole until 4:45PM. Because of it's location. So this whole 4 hour job for the pipe to be replaced - is EASILY going to be an 8 hour job. No question. Sadly - the warmer temperatures are showing to drop as the week goes on. I could do without heat for 4 hours yesterday or today, maybe even tomorrow - though rain is forecast. But Thursday and Friday and an entire day - notsomuch. Though if the next two days come and go with no sign of Avista - I can be certain that I have nothing to worry about on Friday. So there's that.
I could come up with more of nothing to write about - to help me stall doing the FAFSA or filing or bill paying - but with guests coming tomorrow - I really... really really really really really need to make an effort today to start of few of the "undesirable" jobs. Today. (I wrote that for myself so that I might actually make myself get to it. Today.) Yet I'm still sitting here...
And just noticed my calendar is on January. That's one job I can do to today... right now - that will likely make me think of something else to do that will aid in helping me forget getting to the undesirables. Over & out.
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