Birthday Weekend

Friday was my birthday (55th) and the great J took the day off to begin the long weekend worth of tasks I had for him. Most of the tasks involved pulling weeds and moving plants, but he also installed a trellis for me and, without even being asked, cleaned up my potting bench. He rearranged all the pots, swept, organized and generally cleared out all the assorted junk and garbage. I have three plants to pot, but I'm afraid to use my potting bench, for fear it will get messy.

And then he solved a router problem, which had kept me from getting my KPFA (in Berkeley) and KVMR (in Nevada City, but drowned out by a commercial Christian station in Auburn). I can also get KALW and KCSM, which we haven't been able to get since we moved from Oakland almost 10 years ago. I am a happy woman.

But I think we should get some cheap dedicated computer, so that I can run the radio through the stereo speakers and work at the same time.

Oh, and he took me out for an expensive dinner, and grilled steak, and made muffins.

J is also very tolerant of my web surfing. I called to him, "Come here. Someone has our exact TV stand and TV. And it's in New York City." J asked, "Why are you looking at the furniture in apartments in New York?" It was actually research, the slide show that came along with an article on rising rents for NYC apartments. In general, the furniture was disappointing--not the sort of vintage street finds pictured in house magazines, but more the non-vintage stuff you find at IKEA and Target. One apartment featured chair pillows that read "Hugs" in large letters. I thought NYC had laws against that sort of thing.