PERHAM, MINNESOTA (WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2009)

Lu woke up in a foul mood (sure sign when she doesn‘t talk unless it‘s of great consequence)……
In order to explain why, let me take you on a time warp:
As you may know, we had a satellite TV (DirecTV) installed just before taking off on this trip, and we chose to have the “local” networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX) come out of Los Angeles, which, of course, is in the same time zone as Lummi Island…. Well, as you also may know, this country spans several time zones, and as we travel East, our NEWS shows, and Luanne’s “REALITY” shows came on later and later in the evening….
You’re getting the gist of what I’m getting at, aren’t you?
So… I’ve been on the phone with DirecTV for the better part of three weeks now, trying to get the “locals” changed from L.A. to New York, which would
enhance Lu’s viewing pleasure, since her shows would come on earlier rather than later, and she can go to bed earlier…. She likes going to bed early, what can I say?
Well, I’ve been getting nowhere with my inquiries … Matter of fact, at one time we lost the local channels altogether, and Lu was not pleased!
Last night, after spending almost an hour on the phone with DirecTV, I finally gave up…. My better half had a few chosen words (which I can’t divulge, since this is a family show) about the incompetence of said communications giant, and stalked off to bed without being able to watch anything.
And that brings us to this morning, and the story of the miracle worker….
Yep, that’d be me…
Lu was sitting outside reading when I got up… She barely had a few words of morning cheer for me, so I knew this was not a happy day, but…
During my restless night I evidently had an epiphany (other than the guilt feelings for not being adequate enough in the electronics department to satisfy her viewing needs), and promptly got to work….
Totally disconnected everything from the TV, and the satellite receiver… Waited a minute, and hooked everything back up.
Guess what…. It worked! Not only do we get L.A. stations, but we get ‘em from New York as well…. How bloody marvelous is that? What can I say? I’m the man! And Lu was so happy we had a most wonderful rest of the day, and we lived happily ever after.
The weather is not cooperating! It was windy again this morning, and the clouds hung around all day…. Didn’t stop us from biking (rode for over an hour), but it stopped us from swimming, and that’s sad, ‘cause we love dipping when it’s hot…. Oh, well…. We did the next best thing… Went to town and browsed through stores, then had some suds, just to break up the monotony, and then home to watch TV, now that we can see everything. What a wonderful life!