Specific Instructions

 Little Martha is growing fast. I don't notice it so much because I see her every day. He who loves to rescue came home yesterday and was amazed at how big she has gotten. Should be no surprise, considering how often she eats ....... and how much! She is no longer on a bottle. She chewed the nipple off, then decided to use my chin as a chew toy. She is still on the formula for kittens, but with solids. She has also mastered the litter box.

I am so happy to have my husband home. Such a relief to not be responsible for everything. The pool is his chore and he has it down to a science. He e-mailed instructions for back-washing and I tried. I really did. I got a little hung up on the very first item on the list, though. One pump is down for the count and the replacement is on the way. I knew that, but there are two breakers in the electrical box. One to each pump. His instructions said to turn off the 20 amp breaker ......

They are both 20 amp. However, one was actually labeled "20". I couldn't get him on his cell. So I decided that he would have phrased it that way so that I would turn off the one with a label. The rest of his instructions were based on the location of the tanks in proximity to the pool. My reasoning was that he would have said to turn off the breaker closest to the pool had he wanted me to turn it off.

I was wrong. I went on to the next step, which was to press down on the black handle atop the pump closest to the breaker box, then rotate it to the "backwash" function, turn the breaker back on and then let the water run for so many minutes or until clear. Then repeat the process backwards. Sounds so simple.

I could not turn that handle. Harvey was here and it took both of us to do it and then put it back to filter when we were done. I found out later that the water pressure was what made it so hard, because I had flipped the wrong breaker. I did manage to clean and organize the pump house while I was there, though.


Apparently, my method screwed up the works, because as I was filling the pool with a hose to bring the water level up to proper height and water was still coming out, faster than I was putting it in. Finally got he who backwashes on the phone to tell me I had done the whole process wrong and how to fix it. I appreciate his presence so much more now! His mom was doing better when he left. Thank you all for your prayers and concern.

Little Martha likes to go out with me in the morning to explore. We were watering the dry gardens this morning when she discovered a leak in my set up. Like all cats, Little M is curious.

So, she went under to check it out. She didn't fix it, though.

We figure that Little M has only 8 lives left after her fall from the big bucket. She is wary of engine noise and will flatten her little body to the ground if she hears one. But, in the early morning she likes hanging out with me in the great outdoors. We went on the golf cart this morning to set the sprinklers in motion on some sites that have new grass and new plants, then we checked on the Killdeer eggs, still unhatched.

When I stopped to set up the watering on my gardens she got down on the grass. In the sun. It is hot already. If I can't spot her I will call her name and she will meow until she spots me, then run to me. This morning she didn't. She hit under the golf cart in the shade and just watched me. My Little M is growing up!