1. I think we are about to survive the tilers. They have been here all week, but Mike had everything moved out of the kitchen by Friday of last week. So we have been living out of our den, with a mini-frig that holds just the necessities, and a laundry basket full of snacks and breakfast foods. We've had to eat out more than usual this week (but who's complaining?). This contractor has a great reputation, which is why Mike wanted to use him, but the erratic hours, the loud radio, and the noise of the tile-cutting saw have made for a long week. But the floor is really going to look nice when it is done!
2. This La-Z-Boy chair harks back to the late summer and autumn of 1988, when I was pregnant with our son. I always thought pregnancy was great - until that last month. I very much needed a comfortable chair, both for the end of pregnancy and when we had a new baby in the house. We bought this chair that summer, when we didn't have two nickels to rub together - but the La-Z-Boy showcase store was running a three-months-same-as-cash deal. So we bought it for $300, giving them $100 down. As you can tell from the picture, this chair is well worn from much use over the past 29 years. It has survived the childhood of two children as well as many other people using it.
Anyway - the linkage that raises the footrest broke. Not a screw that came out, or something repairable like that, but the metal failed and it truly broke. We were getting ready to get it hauled off.
Last Friday night, after taking my folks to the airport for their visit with my sister, Mike had to stop at another store - which happened to be right in front of the current showcase store. I got to thinking - don't these have a lifetime warranty? So I went in and asked, and was told, yes, they do, as long as the part is still carried. So - after a phone call and several emails, it looks like the La-Z-Boy firm may actually carry that part. If so, we will be back in business!
3. College baseball. It's College World Series week. Yes, we are almost addicted to watching college baseball. Something about it makes it special to us. Maybe because the players aren't being paid thousands of dollars for each swing of the bat. Our team went out a long time ago (and we are getting a new coach) but we still are enjoying watching the games.
4. You will have to look closely at this photo, but it's our latest bird. It's a prairie warbler. We had heard from another birder that they were present in the scrubby woods near our favorite haunt. It prefers to stay hidden, but I confess, we cheated a little bit. Mike played an audio clip on his phone, and within five minutes it flew over our car. I wanted a better pic, but sometimes you've got to be happy with what you've got.
Warblers are not easy, and we haven't seen many at all. Many warbler species exist, but they are not common in everyday life - you've got to go looking for them most of the time. Two species winter in our area and are common at our feeders, but most either just pass through, or are only present in the summer. This was a little jewel for our life lists.
5. Finally, I saw this in an advertisement this week. Not worth spending the $$ on, but the sentiment is still true, and mostly funny!!
