Today I'm sending DH to the shop with two different types/sets of headphones/earbuds. Chickie will talk him through getting them recognized by his phone and tablet. He's discovered the joys of streaming on Peacock, and wants headphones so that he can hear "Longmire" with greater ease after I've gone to sleep. I'm a headphone/earbud junkie - I have a lot of different sets - many for swimming, others not. I chose two for him - my spare set of underwater AfterShokz, and a set of HUB ear buds that are magnificent, but I prefer my OlyDance bone inductions instead when I'm not using my AfterShokz.
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I love my AfterShokz OpenSwim bone induction headphones. The best I've ever used in the pool and on the treadmill. I have two sets, because when one didn't work properly, I immediately ordered a second set on overnight shipping. Meanwhile their customer service department sent me instructions for resetting the device, which I did when DH was looking for headsets. I think he'll like them as much as Chickie, ChickieMama and I do (I've managed to convert everyone over to using AfterShokz - although they aren't using the underwater model). |
I use my AfterShokz for the pool. I load up my audiobook of the period onto them using a convoluted, semi-legal method, and then I'm set for 11-13 hours of swimming before I need to download and upload the next volume in the series. This particular series I'm in has more than 20 volumes, so I'm set for the year - LOL.
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My HUB ear buds are excellent - great sound reproduction, enormous battery power, very compact design - basically it hit all of my buttons. But ... this fancy case? It's really hard to open and close. I always have to fight with it. So I'm giving these to DH also - he can see what he prefers - buds or bone induction. |
I got the HUB earbuds on Indigogo - I buy a lot of things via them. It was a good price, and they are a quality product, but I really don't like their case. It's all inclusive and a sharp design, but it's also a PITA to open to get to the buds themselves. The buds give excellent sound, but I decided they weren't worth the trouble I had to go through to open and close the damned case. So, I'm giving them to DH instead. He can figure out which style of earpiece he wants to use. He might use both of them. That's fine. They're his now.
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When DH came into the upper back yard, this is what confronted him. A huge branch had broken from our neighbor's Silver Maple tree and fallen directly into our upper yard. |
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Silver Maple trees can grow 50-80 feet tall. His tree is massive. I can't estimate the height, but it's BIG. |
I haven't told you about our tree saga. As many of you know or may remember, I have a LOT of trees on my lot. But the tallest tree in the neighborhood belongs to my next door neighbor, Chris. His Silver Maple is huge and extremely tall. Silver Maple trees can grow to a height of 50-80 feet, and his is definitely in that upper category. On Tuesday shortly after noon, I got a message from DH: "Have time go out and see if it was our tree of Chris's that just made big boom. Thank goodness it didn't take out power." He sent a photo of a HUGE branch that had fallen off the maple into our upper yard, barely missing our crabapple tree and the fence between our yards.
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I'm just going to give some photos of the tree. Here, you have our crabapple, a tree we dearly love, and the branch barely missed it. DH did say that it had smashed a younger crabapple that he had been growing nearby, though. |
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Chris and DH worked for an hour or so to brace the fallen branch so that it would be stable until it could be removed. That evening, DH was mumbling BS to me about being able to remove it himself, if he could get it braced correctly, but I told him - "Not our tree, not our problem. Let Chris handle this one - it's his responsibility." |
The guys braced the tree so that it wouldn't move until the arborist Chris was going to call could come, look at it, and then take the fallen limb apart. I spoke to Chris the next morning and the arborist came at the same time, so he, I and the Rainbow Tree guy spent almost a half hour looking at the damage and figuring out the best way to approach the cleanup. Chris' insurance won't pay for it of course, because it didn't cause any property or home damage, but he'll pony up and pay for the removal, which is only right. It is his tree. He'll drop a couple of the fence panels to allow easier access, and the tree guys will start removal on Monday. It's a bummer that we both have to work that day, but it's probably for the best - DH won't be able to hover - LOL.
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Amazingly enough, the fencing was completely untouched. That's a six-foot fence, and that branch extends WAY above that. It's unsafe for DH to do any cutting, so the professionals will take care of it on Monday, and Chris will pay for it. His tree, his responsibility. (I might sneak him a hundred or two - he has three kids in private school, so this is a financial blow, I'm sure). |
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One last overview. You can see the bracing at the end of the branch, helping to keep the whole thing stable until next week. It should be OK unless we get tornado-level winds. Chris said he's going to drop a couple of the fence panels to allow easier access to our yard, and the tree dudes will start on Monday, hopefully finishing within the day. |
So that was our excitement this week. It's always something - if not an appliance breaking, then a windstorm, or a tree. Life is always unpredictable and it would do us good to remember that - LOL. As for me ... I had a lot of fun writing on the dark side for the current story, and have been thanked for putting down the warnings of trigger possibilities. I enjoy writing gritty. Maybe I'll have another opportunity in future to explore the dark side once again. In the meantime, however, it's Friday, it's my ONLY day off this week, and I have a slate of things I need to do today that's as long as my arm. So I'm out of here. Have an excellent Friday and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow.
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