Barry’s Daily Web News

Family

Cortney, her parents, and Sean and Ethan made it to Arizona this afternoon. They had to dodge some storms in Houston, but they made it only a few minutes later than scheduled.

Sean and Ethan seem to be happy to be home. It appears that they missed their toys the most. They had to pull out all of their toys to check them out. The house was in chaos for awhile, when Cortney was unpacking and Sean and Ethan had toys everywhere. But the unpacking was eventually finished and I had the kids put the toys away.

We had dinner out, then I took Sean and Ethan into the pool. I was surprised that Sean and Ethan did not get tired, since we are three hours behind the time they are used too. I noticed Sean has improved his swimming skills, and Ethan is now more comfortable around the water.

I put Sean and Ethan to bed at the normal time Arizona time, but they still had trouble getting to sleep. Even though they slept some on the plane, I think they are over-tired.

Cortney was impressed with our new wood floor in the living room - dining room area. I decided it made sense to get the floor installed with just me in the house. It was quite an effort. Even though I had the floor installed, I put back the baseboard molding myself.

The only other of the home fixes I worked on that made an impression was the pantry. I cleaned, sorted and organized the pantry, including labeling the shelves so that it would stay organized.

New Thermostats

When the blower motor in the upstairs air conditioning unit went bad, I made the decision at that time to upgrade the thermostats in the house. I ordered the top of the line Honeywell units, which I was able to get at half price through an employee discount. The units arrived on Thursday, but with Cortney’s flight delayed until Saturday, I decided to install them this morning, so the house wouldn’t get too hot while I changed the thermostats.

The installation went easily enough. I labeled the wires from the old unit, hooked up the new unit, and ran through the initialization settings in the unit. I saw a “wait” reading, which was good because the meant the unit was protecting the compressor against turning it on too soon.

Just a few minutes later, the unit came on and everything appeared to be running normally. A few minutes later, and I noticed the air wasn’t coming out wasn’t cool. The heat was on! I shut off the circuit breaker, pulled the cover, and checked the wiring. Everything looked correct, so I checked the manual. I decided the most likely cause was that I had a heat pump system, and not just electrical heat, so when I made that change in the configuration screen, it worked fine. Installing the second unit went much faster.

The new thermostats have a seven day programming feature, with four time periods per day. I hope to save some energy costs by using the programming. I did notice that the old units were reading two to three degrees lower than the new ones, so that we were putting up with much warmer temperatures then I had thought. It will be interesting to see what effect this has on the electrical bill.

Scorpion Hunting

I picked up a black light this week so I could go scorpion hunting. The bark scorpions that are a problem here fluoresce under black light. It turns out I didn’t have any luck finding any. I think it was too early in the evening, and too hot for the scorpions to be out. I’ll try again after it cools off a bit.

Still Alone

Cortney, Sean, Ethan and Cortney’s parents did not make it to Arizona this evening. Apparently, they made it all the way to the gate and where then told they would not be able to make the connecting flight. They decided the best course of action was to go home and fly again Saturday morning.

All I can say is, do not fly Continental Airlines. If you have to, do not take a connecting flight with them, and do not check in any luggage.

I will take advantage of the extra time alone to complete a couple more projects.

Last Night Alone

I spoke to Sean on the phone today. I didn’t even need to ask Sean; he came right out and told me “one day until I see you again!”. I wanted to get more things done this evening, but I just wasn’t up to it. Still, I think Cortney will be impressed when she comes home.

It cooled off slightly today, although we set another record high for today at 114 degrees. I thought it seemed noticeably cooler. Maybe I am just getting use to the real hot weather.

A Hot Day

After the cleaners were done this morning, the house is not only clean, but neat. I just need to keep it that way until Cortney and her parents arrive two days from now.

It sure was hot today. The high temperature was 115 degrees, a record for this day. My car temperature was reading 122 degrees on the pavement. I went out after dinner to pick up some mesquite beans, and I thought I was going to melt. I wasn’t planning on going in the pool, but I had to take a dip just to cool off.

A Slow Day

Today was a bit slow at work. Normally that’s not good, since I prefer things to be a bit more exciting. But today, I was feeling a bit rundown. My sinuses are bothering me, and I can’t tell yet if it is allergies or a virus. I have no problem doing mundane tasks when I feel like this, but I get frustrated with challenging work when I know I could handle it if I felt better.

The cleaners are coming tomorrow, so I had to clean up the house. This is the last time I have to do that without Cortney’s help.

Helicopter Ride

Cortney, Sean and Ethan, and Corkie and Leslie all went on a helicopter ride today. Corkie and Leslie have a next door neighbor who is a professional pilot, working for the County Sheriff. I talked to both Sean and Ethan afterwards, and they both said they had fun and weren’t afraid.

I asked Sean how many days until he flew back to Arizona, and he said four, the correct answer. I hope he is still looking forward to coming back home; it sounds like he has had a lot of fun in Florida.

Today was my last full day to finish off all of my projects before Cortney and the kids come back. I didn’t quite finish all I had wanted to, but I am satisfied with the work I have done.

A Cooking Day

I was a bit disappointed this morning. I got up early to go for a run, then my calf muscle started to cramp up just down the street. I think I pushed myself too hard on the exercise bike yesterday. Maybe next weekend I’ll get in a full run.

I cooked myself three meals today. This morning, I had fried eggs and bacon. For lunch, I made some chicken soup. This was the most involved cooking, and it took me almost three hours to finish. This evening, I barbecued burgers on the grill. I really like taking the time to fix good food. For me, this is more enjoyable than going out to eat.

Tomorrow will be leftovers. I have plenty of soup left for lunch, and I cooked some extra burgers for dinner tomorrow.

One More Weekend Alone

This is the last weekend I have alone before Cortney and the kids get back. It also means this is my last chance to get everything around the house done, so I should be busy.

Cortney reports that they went to Lion Country Safari today. It sound like Sean and Ethan had a good time, but the might have been a bit tired at the end.

The Phone is Working

Finally, after almost six days, the phone is now working. Apparently, the box on the side of the house just died. It was likely the hot weather that did it. The cable guy told me they are replacing about 8 of those a day. The good news is that he checked out the TV signal as well. The signal strength was too low, so he went up in the attic and installed a booster. The TV picture is noticeably improved.

Cortney and the kids fly home one week from today. I can’t wait. Of course, there are some advantages to being alone. Tonight, I fixed a nice baked chicken dinner. I ate half the chicken, leaving the other half for a nice leftover tomorrow.

News from Florida

Today was a quiet day at work, which made it an easy transition for me after a four day holiday.

Cortney reports that the water main broke near Cortney’s parents’ house. Cortney was taking pictures of Sean and Ethan near the backhoe, and the backhoe operator allowed Sean and Ethan to sit in the operator’s seat. Sounds like Sean and Ethan are getting a learning experience as well as having fun.

A Relaxing Day to end the Weekend

After finishing a couple of jobs around the house, I pretty much took it easy for the rest of the day. Most of what I am working on is a suprise for Cortney, so I may list what I have been working on after she returns next week.

Happy 4th!

I celebrated the Fourth of July by doing all the work I should have done the last two days. Cortney tells me Sean celebrated with a sparkler. Sean and Ethan had a busy day, so Cortney did not keep them up to see a full fireworks show.

A Bit Lonely

I’m starting to really miss Cortney, Sean and Ethan. Cortney tells me they all went to the beach today. Sounds like fun.

Even though I was up late last night, I went out early to work in the yard. I finished everything I needed to do, but I was pretty tired afterwards. Even though I took a nap, I didn’t get much done for the rest of the day.