Boxing Gloves & Mystery Liquids

Dear John,

 

The next person that asks me why I'm
not dating yet is going to get it.
 

I had a fun and productive day off. I slept in, then cuddled for half an hour with the cat (he's been unusually cuddly today), and had oatmeal while I talked to Irene. I got the east flowerbed cleaned and planted two cotoneasters where other plants didn't survive the drought last summer.

 

I tackled the garage today. I got through lots of piles of stuff and got my workbench set up. And I went through everything on the shelves, cleaned, sorted, tossed, and organized - that was the big job, and the interesting one. And I have some questions for you.

 

First, why on earth do we have two washer/dryer outlets? Why was there a plastic bag of composting weeds - and some new compost - in the corner, and how long has it been there? And what on earth is the mystery liquid in the spray bottle, the one with the hand-pump? I sprayed a little on a weed, and will watch to see if it's weed killer. It's clear and odorless, which doesn't aid with identification. If the weed survives, I'm at a loss what to do with it. Is it hazardous? Poisonous? Radioactive?

 

I did solve one mystery: I found the owner's manual for the trimmer. I also found multiple packages of trimmer string, all different types and sizes. I'll figure out which one fits, but why do we have different types? It's another mystery. And why were the owner's manuals for the trimmer, mower, and snow blower on a shelf in the garage instead of in the notebook with the rest of the owner's manuals? I suppose that makes a bit more sense than the mystery liquid in the unlabeled sprayer!

 

Oh, about the mower: I worked on the grass chute this morning. I couldn't drill new holes and reattach it - it's shaped to fit too exactly. So I did something totally feminine. I tried Gorilla Glue. I cleaned it up first and glued the whole length of it to the mower. We'll find out how it works on Saturday. If it doesn't hold, I'll drill holes and put wire through them and attach it to the bolts. And watch the mower sales in August, and sell this one as-is. I'm pulling for the Gorilla Glue. It's still a good mower except for the grass chute.

 

So today was a big step. I began bringing the garage under my control, making it part of my home. It's always been your domain. I still have more to do. I need to re-organize the area around my potting table (always my little corner!) and I have to sweep. I'm going to put all the chemicals in that white cabinet and childproof the doors. I should get it done this weekend. Or I can do it on a rainy day.

 

Oh, about the photograph! I was looking at a series of old photos that were grouped as "unexplained," and most of them were really funny. When I got to this one, the caption was immediately obvious. So I pinned it, and had to show it to you. Your wife is being feisty again!

 

Love you only,

Joan.