Fix-it week

Sometime this morning Tony will be calling. And, sometime this week, Ron will be coming. Sometime this week, Joyce will go into action on my head. Possibly this week, Joyce's son Jim will be calling to set a time for his work.

This is fix-it week, and I'll be available for the fix-it folks here at the Lovestead and at the Colburn farm. I'll also be going to the hair fix-it shop to get some maintenance done on myself.

While cleaning stalls in the barn this morning, I heard on K102 that Deejay Derek went to get his hair cut this weekend, and he got plenty for the price of a haircut.

The beautician finished trimming Derek's hair and then pulled out an instrument and started in on his eyebrows. Derek hadn't expected that, but he said he didn't mind.

There's plenty besides my hair that Joyce could fix on me, but so far, she hasn't offered, and I haven't asked. No eyebrow stuff, no nosehairs, no toenails. And, that's just fine. I like to attack that personal maintenance within the confines and privacy of my own home.

Annie told me I'd better get some maintenance done before heading off for Maui in a couple of weeks. That would be tanning. I have done tanning in the winter time----I figure it's one of those rare self-indulgences for a soul who usually doesn't care much about personal maintenance as long as my hair looks okay and I'm clean.

But tanning BEFORE going to Maui sounds pretty sensible to me. After all, I want to enjoy the whole stay there rather than feeling like a lobster ready for the pot after one day in the sun.

Back to the home maintenance. Ron, our wonderful plumber, will be coming to fix the drip under the kitchen sink. We had a drip under the kitchen sink when we first met Ron several years ago. We were impressed with him from the moment we met him, and our respect and admiration has only grown since we ended up moving right next door to his parents.

Ron Kauble, Jr., like Tony Bitton, is one of the "salt-of-the-earth" people who help us out with our maintenance challenges. With these folks, you get quality, professional workmanship as well as the confidence that these people take pride in doing every job right. Plus, they've both turned out to be good friends.

Ron will be also fixing one of the automatic waterers in the barn. It's got a slow drip out one corner. That drip falls on the rubber mat, and when it's cold, turns to ice. I do not want the drip to suddenly turn into a waterfall in mid-winter, so we're taking care of it now. Plus, it's nice not to have to carry buckets of water to the barn every day.

Sometime this week, Jim, son of Joyce, my hairdresser, will call and set up an appointment to install Mother's new front door. We went to the door shop (the Sandpoint Furniture complex) a few weeks ago and picked out a beautiful door with an oval cut-glass window. We're figuring it should come in this week.

And, when Jim, who's been doing windows and doors for several years, comes to put it in, there will be reason to celebrate. The practicality of having a door with no opening between it and the threshold will be welcome, and the beauty of the new door for the Christmas season will add a festive touch to Mother's house.

Sometime this week, I might even call John, our horseshoer, to come for end-of-the-season maintenance on the horses' feet. Shoes off for Lily and a trim for Lefty and Heather. Then, we won't see John again until spring when we're ready to start all over playing with the horses.

Lots to do. Actually, I don't do much when the fix-it people do their thing. Just talk while they work, and try not to talk too much in some instances so they can get their work done. Regardless of what they're doing to make our lives go more smoothly, there's a common thread associated with all fix-it folks: the check at the end.

And, in each of these cases, we won't mind it one bit, cuz they're all the best!