Time
Well, here I am sequestered at the stately Motley Manor on another rather dull day, frittering away the morning, watching episodes of Leave It to Beaver. Look’s like “The Beave” is in hot water again, Dad’s really gonna give him “the Business.”
My dad used to give me “the Business” with the business end of a leather belt. Of course, I probably deserved it, or at least he thought so. Nowadays, you’d be arrested for child abuse and thrown in the slammer. Please don’t give your kids “the Business – I don’t want you to end up in the slammer.
“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull fay. Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way, kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown, waiting for someone or something to show you the way.” (“Time” – Pink Floyd – From the classic “Dark Side of the Moon album – 1973)
With lots of time on my hand, like a lot of other folks, I’ve been undertaking a lot of home improvement projects, like cleaning the oven, which I’ve never done before…what a gooey, greasy mess. Next time, I’ll have the Missus do it.
Next came replacing a bathroom sink faucet set, then windows at one of our rental properties. Boy, was that a mistake! The work was done by a major home improvement store, which of course required a permit from the county, then an inspection by the county building inspector. Now I have to replace all the smoke and CO2 alarms, despite installing new ones about three years ago. Of, course, they’ll have to be inspected afterwards.
Boy was Mick (this newspaper’s owner, Mick Hill) right when he slammed the county recently in one of his weekly editorials for all their required permits and exorbitant fees. This probably wouldn’t have happened if Crestline was incorporated and had its own building and safety department. Next time, I’ll do it myself.
Well, the weeds are finally whacked away and I’m ready and rarin’ to commence painting the house, a project I had abandoned last fall, as the never-ending rain and snow set in. Even with the return of sunny weather, I’d better commence doing this before the summer monsoon season arrives.
“Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain, and you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today, and then you find ten years have got behind you.”
When I’m finished painting the house, I think I’ll spend some time walking and running around the lake, properly distanced from others, of course.
“No one told you when to run, you missed the staring gun, so you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking, racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way, but you’re older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death.”
Keep it flyin’ Uncle Mott