It's weed whacking time

7/17/08 Thursday
I’m not sure how yesterday went. All I remember right now is returning Chuck and Lillian’s trailer after removing two thirds of the manure. The other third I got for them in appreciation for the use of their trailer. After I shoveled it into their compost bin with the help of Chuck I went to put the trailer where it belonged. Unfortunately in the process I got the truck stuck. It was straddled over the two or so foot high bank that runs along the dirt road with the rear wheels just spinning. Getting it pulled put required a team effort involving Chuck, Tommie, and Jamie, along with their blazer. The blazer couldn’t pull it over the hump by itself so we ended up jacking up both sides of the truck and placing bricks, rocks, and two by fours under the wheels. That did the trick.

Rascal and Trixie were along for the ride. This is the first time either one of them has been around other dogs and, boy did it set them off. I had the windows just halfway rolled down and they were both hanging out the window and barking like crazy as Chucks dogs barked back. Trixie was the most aggressive with her hackles up and a snarl to her bark. It went on and on. I would shout “Shut Up. Trixie, DOWN” which stopped it for about four seconds and they were back at it. In the process of getting the truck loose I rolled my window down in order to hear over their barking. When I got out to help put things under the wheel Trixie jumped out the window after Chuck’s dogs. They are almost twice the size of Trixie but that didn’t phase her. She’s a fearless pup when it comes to other dogs and not terribly afraid of people either. She knew she was in trouble with me when I saw her jump out of the truck but couldn’t find a way back in. I picked her up and threw her in, highly frustrated with everything going on. We need o get them used to other dogs. When we went to Albuquerque they were around other dogs at the kennel and relaxed after a day. That was when they were only a few months old.

Today is a weed day. I’ve been putting off attending to the weeds because there are so many other things that must be done, but I can’t put it off any longer. With the meager amounts of rain we’ve had they have sprung up all over. Thankfully I have the weed whacker our friends bought us, so that will be a big help. Another incentive to attacking the weeds is the horse poop. It needs to be composted in order to kill seeds, fly and parasite eggs, as well as making it much more effective in the ground. Straight poop can burn the plants I’ve read. Green vegetative matter is a vital part of composting so I’ll be shredding the weeds with the mower and making a big compost pile. There will be too much for just the compost bin we use so I’ll make a pile on the side. One of these days I need to create something for some serious composting. Turning the composting material over on a regular basis is an important step in this process and that is a lot of physical work. I would like to make something that I can roll or perhaps turn on an axle of some type. I keep my eye out for something I can use to fabricate such a device every time I go the landfill.

It’s time to go to work. Cherie has a few days off from her temporary job so that will allow her to go over to Janie’s and get some stuff done over there. She has interviewed for several jobs lately and many look real good. The most important benefit she will get from a full time job will be medical insurance. Working for Janie and doing odd jobs are nice, and she really likes helping Janie, but Cherie has no insurance and can’t get it doing private work. My medical needs are covered by the VA but there is no coverage for Cherie there. Neither of us are getting younger and we are not in the best physical shape so medical benefits are vitally important. One of the jobs has full, company paid, medical and it includes dental. That is a big big deal as Cherie’s teeth are in really bad shape. Pray she gets that job if you could.

Gotta go.
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It’s already 3:30. Time sure blew by fast. It doesn’t seem like I’ve made a dent in the weeds but I’m sure worn out. It doesn’t take much to wear me out since the accident. I had lost seventy five pounds while in the coma and was so weak I couldn’t lift my hand high enough to comb my hair, so I had it all cut off. I thought that getting into good physical shape would cure that but it doesn’t seem to be the case. It got to where I was shuffling around like I was drunk so decided to come in, cool off, drink lots of fluids, and rest.

One of the problems that comes up with this short term memory loss is I can’t remember when I took a bath. Add to that the fact that my sense of smell is drastically reduced because if the brain damage and there is a potential problem. On occasions my sense of smell returns, often unusually acute, as does my sense of taste. Another thing affected by the TBI. The point is, as I was out mowing I was suddenly aware that I didn’t smell too good. Glad I’m not out in the public. I have to wonder how many times I have assailed others olfactory senses and was unaware of it.

I must take a nap now. Am dozing off as I write. Like it or not I don’t really have much of a choice. That’s just the way it is. Doing these weeds may take a couple of days.