Outdoor Spring Cleaning

I spent most of the day doing things I've put off doing for the past few weeks, either because of the weather or a lack of time. First of all, I made a quick run to the Oaklyn Library to return The Mapping of Love and Death, renew Apple Turnover Murder, and pay the fine for both.

After that, I worked on outdoor cleaning. I washed the deck chairs, the milk crate I use for a deck table, the trash can, the recycling canisters, and the cruiser bike. I would have done it earlier in the week, but it's been too cold to use the hose, or to be playing in water outside at all. The only thing I didn't do today was the mountain bike. I'm going to do some more work on that before I clean it.

I had far less luck with the sewing machine. I've been trying to figure out how to thread the mini-sewing machine I bought from the thrift shop forever. Every time I do it, it just keeps bunching up and getting tangled. The instruction manual is no help. It doesn't really explain things well, and the pictures are so small, I can't see what it's referring to. I guess I'm just going to have to stick to hand-sewing until I can get that thing going.

I went to work early to pick up my paycheck, which turned out to be pretty smart. I got two paychecks this week. Something about the Union paying us extra for not giving us raises for over a year and a half. (I really can't remember the last time I had one.)

Good thing I did. It'll make up for getting lousy hours next week. I only got 18.50. On one hand, having three days off, including Sunday, will come in handy for all the chores and cleaning I still have to do before Lauren arrives in two weeks (and Jen after her). Not to mention we haven't exactly been hugely busy lately. On the other hand...the extra money's been really nice, too.

Work wasn't really busy tonight, either. Two major sports games (the Flyers had a do-or-die playoff game with the Boston Bruins, and the Phillies played tonight, too) and a huge thunderstorm around 7 pretty much cleared everyone out. It may have been just as well. There was a call-out, and we were short-handed tonight.

I did get some grocery shopping in after work. I mostly needed flour (unbleached and whole wheat), but I also picked up apples, bananas, canned black beans and fat-free/low-salt chicken broth, beef ribs, and chicken cutlets and Yoplait yogurt that were on sale.

Though it wasn't raining when I got out, I could see dark clouds on the horizon, and even a little lightning. I hurried home. We had a second thunderstorm about a half-hour after I got in, but it didn't last long.

Oh, and congratulations to the Flyers for becoming only the third team in NHL history to come back and win a playoff series after being down 3-0 after the first three games! (The Phillies won, too.)