Another painful start to the day. I’ll sit here writing until the ice pack does its work, and my left leg finally loosens up. I go through this process every morning now while taking the dogs out is the worst part. Fortunately, I was talking to a kindly neighbor as Tally did her business, and he did the honors of picking it up. He apparently went through the same thing with a disc problem, knowing that bending over can be excruciating. Fosse did not need to go, so I’m wondering if she picked a spot indoors – I just can’t check at this time. 

Within an hour, my leg began to function normally, and soon I’ll be able to help it along with some stretching and a trip to the fitness center. I was at least able to go out again and see that my timer project is working. I’ve installed two on our fountain. The first fills the base with water and the second activates the pump that is then set to then shut off at dusk. I got tired of manually refilling the fountain bowl all the time since most of the water splashes out or is scattered by the wind rather than be recycled efficiently. I chose the lazy man’s way out – technology!

It took me two days of hassle to finally get it operating properly. I had to order two different timers to get the right one, returning the first. I also had to contact customer service because the valve on the water timer was stuck. They have yet to get back to me, but I apparently solved the problem on my own through trial and error. I thought I would have to send that one back too. Instead, today became a Labor Day victory! 

My wife has the day off from substitute teaching, so we were all able to sleep a little later. She just got up and took the dogs to the park. In the meantime, I enjoyed my little victory over technology and took Fosse out one more time – this time successfully – she didn’t go in the dining room as I suspected. I think she just wanted multiple treats, one of Tally’s tricks. The more they go out – the more the rewards. I’m surprised they don’t park themselves by the front door. By the way, Fosse chewed up her fourth remote control!

I have one more Labor Day project that has already presented several days of DIY hassle. A landscaping light went out, and I may have shorted out the system trying to get the bulb out of the socket. I also had to do some major digging to expose the underground network of wires. After the fact, You Tube showed me how to properly do it, carefully twisting and removing the protective shroud to gain access, rather than trying to muscle it out. Now that I know how to do it right, it should be easier in the future. Unfortunately, I didn’t happen to be around to ask questions when they installed the system. Rule #1: always learn how to properly maintain the unfamiliar when they initially put it in. This saves time and trouble. Now, I should simply have to take the bulb to the dealer. Hopefully, it’s still under warranty, since it’s the only one of a dozen that failed. However, I still think there may be a problem with the wiring that “Mr. DIY Disaster” caused. 

Once I get these problems solved, I can re-focus on my leg, as if I can ignore the pain. It’s already been a week with no feedback on a MRI date. I go back to the chiropractor in a few days, since like everything else his offices are closed for the holiday. There’s not much he can do until I get the results of this test. The lighting store will probably also be shuttered, so that DIY project will continue to wait. 

I also initially thought this would be an exciting football weekend, but the IU game was only available through streaming since the Big Ten Network was showing the Northwestern game, and the University of Oregon does not have a contract with Xfinity, so it too was unavailable to watch in our area, except via streaming. Both teams at least won! Televised sports are getting too complicated for this retiree. In addition, the Bears don’t play until next Sunday, so that too was a disappointment. At least, I got my Labor Day victory over the fountain. 

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