Torture test, Dracula, Washed and watched, End of an Empire

So the weather on Saturday morning was agreeable for tree trimming with temps in the mid 60’s.  After Cindy returned from a coffee run with the girls we got started.  I had a number of weapons in my tree trimming arsenal. They included loppers, a machete, pole saw, electric extension chain saw and finally a cordless reciprocating saw.  To get among the tree tops I used my 20 foot aluminum extension ladder which will probably need to be swapped out next year for a taller model.  Certain trees are now of sufficient height to require the ladder to be fully extended with me dangerously perched near the top.

Early on it felt like Cindy and I were really knocking things out, we had the front trees done pretty quickly and another bunch of them done in the back before lunch.  I pretty much exclusively just cut branches while Cindy was the clean up crew.  Picking up branches and dumping them in the pit at the back of the house obviously doesn’t have the danger factor of working up on the ladder but it is ass busting all the same.  Cindy picked up hundreds of branches/fronds along with all of the assorted organic matter that comes off the tree during the process.

I had a couple scary moments where I was at the top of the ladder and suddenly felt my center of balance moving away from the tree.  Those situations are due to needing the ladder to be in a very vertical angle to get the necessary height.  This angle means my body is very close to the tree which causes the tenuous balance issues.  On the very tallest trees I dropped the loppers and cut the branches with the reciprocating saw which I could operate one handed, using the other hand to hold on.

The machete comes into play to remove the remains of palm fronds past.  Over time they start to rot and get brittle.  The machete is the tool of choice to remove them from the trunk of the tree.  This is a pretty messy process, especially if you are down wind.  As I would hack into the dead wood I would be showered in rotting wood, ants, and other random organic matter.   It was pretty gross.

In the afternoon both Cindy and I started to slow down.  Even though the temperatures were still quite reasonable by Florida standards, around 80 degrees, the bright sun felt much hotter.  I started to feel more like I was trudging around the yard instead of walking.  Even Energizer bunny Cindy admitted she was running low on energy towards the end.  It is just hard, hard labor, which makes me wonder how I did all the trimming and all the clean up solo for so many years.

We didn’t get everything cleaned up until shortly before 4PM.  During clean up Cindy had pulled out various things to be used for Halloween costumes/decorations.  One of the things she set aside were the huge seed pod casings from the coconut palm.  Later in the weekend she turned them into this cool looking spider in the front yard.  I love her random, spontaneous creativity that results in stuff like this.

Despite a long day of labor we wanted to head out to the movies on Saturday night to see Dracula Untold.  We took out the SSR which hasn’t been used for our movie trips most of the summer because of high temps and rainy weather.  The cool, dry air was perfect for top down cruising. We stopped for coffee on the way to battle the drowsiness that was sure to show up after such a hard day.

The movie wasn’t bad.  It was very short, I’m not sure if it even was 90 minutes in length.  As a result the story and character development felt rushed and in some cases not there at all.  It was entertaining enough but pretty much middle of the road in every way.  I’d give it a B to weak B+.

Sunday morning Cindy and I didn’t even consider endurance training, we both were feeling beat up from the tree trimming the day before.  Instead we started the day off in a more relaxed manner before we loaded up the girls in the van for a ride.  While I went into Home Depot Cindy was in Michaels, getting more craft supplies for her extensive Halloween plans.  I  grabbed some more stuff for the garden including two kale varieties, and cubanelle banana peppers which did so well last year.  I also snagged a couple plants to replace two house plants that bit the dust.

After lunch I did something I don’t get to do that often anymore, wash some vehicles.  Cindy always volunteers to do the car washing but on Sunday she had other projects to keep her busy. It felt good to wash the SSR and by the time I was done it looked SHARP, sharp enough that I felt the need to take a picture.  I don’t appreciate how beautiful the truck is very often.  Maybe if I wash it more often I will.

I even gave the Tacoma a bath although it is hard to see much of a difference due to the deteriorating exterior finish on the truck.  The most visible difference is the removal of the brake dust that coats the front wheels.

The Eagles were playing the Cardinals in Arizona so the game didn’t start until 4PM.  I actually missed most of the first quarter due to a bill paying session that took longer than planned.

I guess if someone told you the Eagles barely lost a game to the 5-1 Cardinals on the road that you would think overall that was a positive thing.  I guess I am just not that upbeat, I found myself coming away from that game disappointed.  The Eagles made some major mistakes that you just can’t make if you are a good team.  They should have won that game rather easily, instead they wind up with a hash mark in the loss column when a last second, potential game winning completion in the end zone was just out of bounds.

There were only a couple things that cost them the game, turnovers, and defensive mental lapses.  Nick Foles again threw two bad interceptions and was lucky he didn’t have a couple more.  He continues to make throws off his back foot or even worse while falling backwards, resulting in passes that take too long to get to their target, allowing defenders to easily step in front.  He needs to find a way to break the habit.

The defense, which overall  played well had break downs at crucial times, the most egregious was allowing the Cardinal wide receiver to get behind TWO defenders for the go ahead score.  When you are defending a lead that is the number one rule, always keep the play in front of you.  Perhaps the Eagle DB’s can’t read.  Conversely, I really admired that the Cardinals defense was aggressive as hell on the Eagles last drive, blitzing on almost every snap instead of playing prevent.

So anyway, a more rational person would not care much about the Eagles losing.  After all their 5-1 start prior to the game was their best since 1981.  I just hate seeing a game that was totally winnable given away in the way that it was.

In my virtual fantasy football world I am having the dream week with 167 points with Demarco Murray yet to play.  How my fantasy team is 2-5 thus far is beyond me, I have had some very unfortunate luck.

Cindy and I watched the series finale of Boardwalk Empire last night.  Of course I won’t spoil it for those that still having it waiting for them on the DVR.  I’ll just say that it did not end in the way that I originally hoped it would but the ending, upon reflection, made sense story wise, completing a very long arc.  However if you are like Cindy and only have seen the last two of the five seasons you are going to be completely in the dark.