It might as well be underwater–we will have had 3+ straight days of 3-4″ of heavy rain when it’s all done.  We needed a boat just to get to and from the store, and the garden is partly submerged.  They haven’t invented drainage here, and the soil is clay, so it mostly pools up and floods.  At the same time, it’s been in the 60s.  Daffodils are starting to open.  Soon there will be masses of them along with the crocuses.  Even I, waterproof as I am, almost drowned taking these two photos!  I may be slightly exaggerating.

It’s 62º and heading up to 71º, on this early February day.  Crocuses and others are taking over the yard.  Bees are already out pollinating.  Misu is busily hibernating as usual.  Myself, I’m not quite sure what to do!  Meanwhile, my son is speeding above the clouds toward S. Africa.  And the senate is probably getting ready to acquit the most corrupt, depraved, dysfunctional president in our history.  Just a normal day…

I think I missed my calling as a Spring Prognosticator, because I could have called this.  Phil has nothing on me.  Spring is even early for the south.  It’s crazy to think it’s snowing and freezing elsewhere, while crocuses have been blooming down here for a week, and daffodils are not long behind.  It’s going to be a spring flower explosion.  And now back to hibernating.

In other news, the shower doors are now back.  It won’t be long until my next shower, needed or not.  Just a few more tweaks remain.

My son is off to Cape Town, S. Africa for a business conf.  I wish him much success (and safe return).  The globe is so interconnected now, in a way he might as well be in the next county, but somehow the African continent (or Australian, for that matter) still feels like the other side of the world to me.

I’ve gone all maternal in my old age, I guess.  Maybe it’s my karma, biting me back.  I’m just happy for him that he’s been able to turn extreme misfortune around 180º and make it work for him early enough to restart and redirect his true trajectory in life.  Not all of us have the strength or guts (or opportunity) to do that.  I have to admire his.

We were fortunate enough to rate a visit from Avdi between business trips to Chicago, St. Louis, and coming up, Cape Town, S. Africa, his first visit to the continent.  He had lots of exciting adventures to share, including hanging out with Adam Savage, Jon Scalzi, and many other notable colleagues.

Of course E showed off her impressive shower install.  Just a few tweaks remain.  Misu is so blasé now, she just sleeps through it all.  It almost feels like back to a normal erev.  I took photos of Avdi from so many angles to make up for all the times I don’t get to see him.

Today E installed the actual shower.  That sounds easier than it was!  It took a lot of adjusting and readjusting components (plus more sweat and blood), but the good news is, she got to take a shower!  It works!  Phew!  The job’s not completed, but the worst is over.

The whole process was mystifying and exciting for Misu, but eventually she just settled down to wait by her food bowl, then inspected the final product.  It met with her approval.  What a relief!

The hideous horror from the abyss is mostly a thing of the past today.  These photos don’t even begin to hint at how much labor by E went into tearing out the decayed ruins, rebuilding the whole infrastructure, and starting to install the new shower components, including proper plumbing.  Much sweat and blood was shed.

Next up–finishing the installation and fine-tuning.  E has definitely earned the eventual shower she will seriously need!

Misu is shown here proofreading my report.

Meanwhile, confused (and forced) flowers are blooming up a storm here in late January.  They didn’t get the memo that it’s f-ing winter/ the new spring.

I’ll just sum up the ordeal of overhauling the shower, which had to be done, trust me.  Façades can be deceiving.  It was like a dank, hideous nightmare of stupidness under there, once revealed in all its horror.  It’s a wonder anyone even took showers in there.  We almost gagged to death.

Misu and I are just keeping a safe distance, “supervising” or “helping”.  Mostly Misu is hiding behind things while extremely loud machinery is screeching.  I’m hauling off disgusting debris and watching the sparks fly.

E is actually doing all the real work herself, of course.  It took a lot of planning and getting her nerve up.  It’s a daunting project, but coming along nicely.  Here are before and during shots.

Before the dig:

Misu supervising/hiding:

E hard at work tearing it up and rebuilding, including the dreaded plumbing fix:

Installing her framing for the eventual shower insert:

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion.

Our old Ohio friend Rex has died, after a long, painful struggle with pervasive cancer.  He chose the hospice route back home with family in Indiana, rather than the grueling, unaffordable ordeal of chemo/radiation.

We had lost touch with him, but missed the many happy times we spent hanging out at his house, meeting his friends, or doing repairs/maintenance he needed.  He had a beautiful front sunroom full of tropical plants, where I was always taking photos, when I wasn’t playing with his two cats, or drinking the scotch he generously kept refilling.  He was a lovely person.  I’m sad, but happy he’s finally in peace.

Here are some of his flowers, plants, and cats, from pleasanter times, in his memory.

Misu sums up the week:

Apply as needed.