More Grass, More Rain, More Than This…

Okay, the More Than This part, I just had to throw in because I simply love that song.  I could have written, More, More, More but I’m just not feeling an Andrea True Connection moment.  And since I’ve lost most of you with these references, I’ll just move right along.

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I’m attempting to recover from a near week long illness of sorts.  I think most of the symptoms would be identifiable with the common cold; congestion, lots of phlegm, occasional fever, and the urge to be planted on a recliner in front of the TV, occasionally waking up to fast forward the DVR through the commercials that for some inexplicable reason make the volume increase automatically.  Just a little side note here, but if the FCC was really in place for the interests of the American public, they would worry less about wardrobe malfunctions and more about letting the owner of the TV control the volume, not those greedy businesses who only want the people watching the shows they sponsor to actually hear the commercials they are paying for.  The nerve.

And just another side note about TV.  Am I the only person in the world who thinks that Ashton Kutcher is just not doing it for me as a replacement for Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men?  Clearly, I have too much time on my hands.  I could be outside right now Occupying San Antonio, and here I worry about the quality of a half hour comedy.

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If you have stayed reading this long, you are probably ready to hear about the grass.

At about 5:30 Saturday morning, we woke up to lots of thunder and heaver rain.  I was pretty happy about that because it meant that the sand would be wet when the delivery of 10 pallets of grass came in at 7:30. The forecast said we had a good chance of rain later in the day, but the morning was expected to be fairly uneventful.

There was only a slight sprinkle as I stood in the driveway and watched the Moretti truck stop at the end of our street.  At first, I thought maybe he wasn’t sure of our street, but as I looked a little closer, I could see that he had stopped to let two deer move along.  The larger deer easily jumped a fence and raced off into the property across from our house.  The second smaller deer jumped repeatedly into the fence, unable to get the height needed to make it safely over the barbed wire that runs across the top.  It wasn’t long ago that my neighbor had to cut one of the smaller deer out of the fence when it got hung up in the wire.  I was hoping we would not have to do the same.  Eventually, the little deer gave up on ramming itself into the fence and decided to run past the truck and make its way up to a gate that it could easily slip through.  And, let me get my grass.

And about the time the pallets were coming off the truck, it started pouring down really hard. And then stopped.  Our plan was to finish the front part of the yard out to the fence so when we look out the front windows, we see lawn instead of sand.  We also wanted to get at least to the edge of the house so it will at least look like we have a plan.  Sodding the entire front yard is just not an option, not as long as I’m part of the labor force!  Last week, putting down 6 pallets of grass with the help of a neighbor seemed reasonable.  This week, even with the help of our neighbor again (how is that for having great neighbors?) 10 pallets was exhausting.  

I did a thing with the deer cam, mounting it on the fence as the grass was being delivered.  It is actually quite cool to watch the entire process of all the pieces of grass going down.  In about 680 frames, you can see the delivery of pallets, the laying of the sod, and finally a beautiful front yard.  It was about half way through when Eva asked if that camera on the fence was taking pictures of us each time we bent over to put down grass.  So, needless to say I can’t really turn it into a video like I had planned.  And you can also see why my back is killing me this morning.  Do those shorts make my butt look big?

I think we finally wrapped up around 1:30 or so and the three of us looked like we had been in a huge mud fight. There was still some additional trimming of sod and cleaning up to do, but I decided that I needed a shower more than anything else.

Later, I went down the street to borrow a roller attachment from another neighbor (how is that for having great neighbors?) and I took the time to flatten down the grass a bit.  Our yard is certainly not putting green smooth, but it beats the sand trap we had going into it. And no, do not let your eyes deceive you.  Nobody around here is watering grass during stage 2 water restrictions.  It’s raining, dammit!

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We drug ourselves out of bed this morning, in serious physical pain I might add, and enjoyed the steady rain coming down.  Of course, at some point, I had to lure the dogs outside and insist they conduct business, wet or not.   And no, in spite of what my wife might tell you, I do not routinely walk outside with an umbrella so Gracie can perform in flash flood conditions.  

There really was no reason at all for us to leave the house today, but I suddenly had a hankerin’ for a breakfast taco from La Palmera.  This is definitely my favorite taco place in these parts but every now and then, even good places do something crazy.   I ordered my standard fare of Carne Guisada with cheese, chorizo & egg and country sausage & egg.  My order was perfect.  Eva on the other hand ordered a barbacoa taco with avocado and a bean & cheese taco.  For some reason, her barbacoa taco came out without the avocado and her bean & cheese came without the cheese.  We had to laugh.  Seriously, there are two key ingredients in a bean & cheese taco.  One of those ingredients is beans.  The other is, uh… let me think about this...  Of course, my rule is never return anything to the kitchen.  Even at a five-star restaurant, it is a rule that cooks spit in your food if you return it.  My wife was brave though and the waitress happily brought her little containers with avocado and cheese.  No spit at all.

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While we are here anyway, can I mention a few TV shows now that another season has started?

American Horror Story on FX.  Kinda weird, but I’m in for a few more episodes anyway.  Eva, not so much.  My only problem is, the husband on the show sounds like the voice of the guy who plays the cartoon character Sterling Archer.  I know it isn’t the same guy, but I can’t get it out of my mind.  By the way, we love Archer, also on FX.

Dexter on Showtime:  Edward James Olmos joins the cast this season.  If you are not a regular Dexter fan or don’t want the expense of cable TV, go to NetFlix or one of those rental places and rent the first five seasons.  At least then you can understand why so many people enjoy watching a killer.  Just like when John Lithgow joined the cast in season 4, no doubt we will all be eager for Dexter to kill EJO by the end of this season.

Son’s of Anarchy on FX:  I’m not going to lie.  I’m having a tough time getting into SOA this season.  It has become like a little soap opera.  I don’t mind following a story, I just think they are spending less money on production, and I think it shows.  We’ll see.

Hawaii Five-O on CBS:  This is one show that I did not care for.  In fact, I stopped watching it all together.  But Eva convinced me to watch repeats of the final two episodes last season and now I’m back on it.  Especially now that John Locke has joined the cast.  Well see if I can suspend reality long enough to get through the entire season.

Enough about my DVR addictions.  Got any shows we need to add to our playlist?  I’d be happy if you left a comment or sent an e-mail to tell me about it.