SNAFU*

 Well...Let's start with the good news.  LJW got a video call from Little J this past week.  .  (Ain't life great?  A video phone call from the other side of the world.  For Free? What a world we live in!)

They speak regularly, so when LJW mentioned at dinner Wednesday that she had spoken to Little J,  I asked how's everything going. And...

Miss B has been medically cleared to go to England!!!!

Thank You, Lord!

There's a lot more smiling going on around here lately.

Speaking about Hong Kong, Our last guests at one of the Cassetas (our name for our BnB's) mentioned that they couldn't get a signal on the TV.  I  went down to take a look at it after they had left.

Using the Top Secret methodology I learned as a Fighter Pilot for fixing anything, I gave it a try, (Yes, Beans, I turned it off then back on.)  Unfortunately that did not solve the problem.  Since Little J had set the system up when he was last in town, I would've liked to telephone him, but it's a 14 hour difference in time between CST and HK time.  So one must be careful not to call at say 1PM Texas Time.  

Fortunately, I realized that before I actually hit send.  Instead I went home and sulked until 5PM CST.  He was in a much more helpful mood.

To shorten this longish story a bit, he could not see the TV via the network, so there's a problem somewhere between the Network radio antenna and the TV.  I could see the network on my phone (Ain't modern technology grand? Internet in the middle of a field in Texas.  Imagine!) so it wasn't a problem with the network.

Futzed around with the TV for a couple of hours but never could see the network.  Mrs J then authorized the purchase of a new TV.  So, we head to Wally World and purchase a new TV, a Vizio.  On RTB, Mrs J decides on a nap, so I go down to the Cassetas and set up the TV.

 

Three hours later, I finally get the directions (written in the Swahili dialect of Chinese) and got it set up.  Yes, I did call Little J a couple of times with questions.  It's a wonderful thing to have an experienced computer professional at the touch of a button. Still...setup was a PITA!

Again on the Miss B front,  she's making great progress on the standing and walking stage.  LJW reports that she's able to stand and only needs one finger to hold on to. While holding hands she's able to take a couple three steps.  You go girl!

She also likes to pull herself up on things, chairs mostly.  Which brought about a request from LJW.  She asked if I could build Miss B a Pikler Triangle. What's a Pikler Triangle, you ask?

Well, it looks like this.

Source This was also where I got the plans

Kids climb on it, gaining strength in arms and legs while learning balance and other motor skills.

So, how near am I to completion?  Well...

 

 

I've cut the wood to rough length, done a bit of sanding (but as every woodworker is well aware, there's always more sanding needed.) and only have 15 more steps left in the directions . So...small steps still count as progress right?

 

Four legs cut on the bandsaw then sanded into shape.  Lot of sawdust on the floor. Took a couple of hours sanding also.

Hey, it keeps me off the streets at night.

The other project, the doll house, is also nearing completion.  Mrs. J will play a significant role in the completion.  MG is going to like it I'm pretty sure.

On one of the nicer days this past week (High for the week was 92, but lows were in the 30's and windy. Frankly, I like warm better) Mrs J and I sat out on the front porch enjoying a bit of Zinfandel.  Life is good.  We're chatting a bit and I happen to glance down to my Left.

What to my wondering eyes do I see?

Well...

One of the Great Pyrenees is taking a nap with his nose shoved into a rain downspout!  Now THAT's funny, I don't care who you are!

No, Beans, I didn't spew wine through my nose.  Mrs J however....

There was some discussion in the comments here a few days ago about what retirement was like.  While I'm still in single digit years in that category, I have something that might answer some folk's questions. I had to laugh as there's a bit of truth there.

 

Finally, given that Tuna had a lot of good "Fiery" (if I may use the word even as bastardized as it has been by the Press recently) pictures in his post last week, I thought I'd end with this one.

Peace out, y'all!

*I'm using the original wording for the acronym i.e. "Situation Normal, all fouled up!"  instead of a more recent version that uses another word with an "F".  Just sayin'.