Using My Head

I am learning to use my head...in some most unusual ways.

I brought my brother's swing frame and my sister's swing with me, intending to unite the two and have a back yard swing of my own. Both of them lost their other half in storms this past year. I was hoping to just stick them on the truck, but it turned out the frame had to be taken apart in order to transport it. Consequently, it has been lying on the grass in a corner of my yard since June. Bobby said he would help me put it together, but we weren' t sure there was room since he had already bought an umbrella table for the backyard before I came, but while the table was still at the garden party, I decided to set up the swing.

I thought I had it all figured out. I would spray for spiders, because they outnumber me by at least twenty to one in the house at any given point. Chauncey likes to chase them into the kitchen while I am reading at night. They crawl out onto the bathroom floor while I shower, up the walls and down the walls of my bedroom when I turn the lights off, parade along the woodwork and have generally tried to drive me out. I finally bought some spray and tried to use it sparingly in the worst places. I was very careful, but by the time I joined Chauncey in the back yard I couldn't stop sneezing. I began to wonder if anyone ever died sneezing. I even went back and reread the can to see if there were any specific effects listed from inhaling the bug spray, but there was nothing about sneezing on the can.

Once I quit sneezing, I dragged the frame poles over where I could see them and dumped all the hardware onto a small table. I have never seen so many screws, bolts, washers, etc. I kept trying to reason out what went where and finally just separated everything into piles that were alike then counted them. There were four place that required something long in the swing set top and I had four long bolts. Voila, I figured they must go there. I used the rest to hook the decorative pieces on. Of course all the bolts were bent and they each had to go through six holes, two per pole tube. It was not easy! I used a chair, an upside down trash can, both knees and my head to keep things in the right place so I could screw them together and it worked!

In three hours I hooked six poles together, with frequent breaks for prayer, meditation and breathing, then I hung the swing. After which, I peeled my clothes off and took a shower without any spiders for company. This morning Bobby and Lennon came down to help me hang my chandelier. Three novices trying to follow a faulty picture with no written instructions. It took a while and once more my head came into good use. When I could no longer hold the chandelier up while Bobby wire and hooked, I balanced it on my head. I thought if women can carry water jugs, I should be able to hold a light, but I'll bet those water jugs don't have metal screws sticking out the bottom!

In the end the chandelier looks fantastic, it is a tiny highland palladium with five candle lights and it just what I needed for more light with a touch of style.