My Third Hand

There are no pictures today; well there are, but they are still in the camera. Today was spent continuing to move things about as part of my renovations, and I am just too tired to play with both the camera and the computer.


I showed you the media center that needed to be moved. First it had to be emptied, then a place found for all of the stuff I took out of it. I have bags of DVDs and VHS tapes that will either be given away, or taken to Coas, the used book store for credit. There were a bunch of music cassettes that need to be gone through because time is not kind to cassette tapes. My CDs are in a bag waiting for more musical furniture to give them a place to hang out.

My neighbor and his twenty something son will come on Wed. to help move the media center to the garage where it will be used for storage. It is now empty and ready to go, but that means the TV is disconnected. I bought a new TV and a stand for it to sit on. I figured I could assemble the stand, and set the TV up on it in front of the fireplace and then move them where they should be when the media center was out of the way.


First I assembled the table. Because it was very heavy; the box said it should be "team lifted" and showed a picture of two people moving it, I had left it in the back of the car. I unwrapped it while it was in the car, and carried it into the house one or two pieces at a time. A very wise but very time consuming process. Of course that BIG box had to be cut in to medium pieces before it went into the dumpster. The directions were clear but doing it by myself was awkward. I used my shoes to help hold it in position while I was assembling it.


Next came the TV. The directions for assembly were not as clear. Assembling with a black base, a black TV, and black screws was a challenge. Two of the screws had to be placed deep inside the stand almost blindly, and required a long, slender, Phillips head screw driver. Lord knows Ralph left me with set after set of interchangeable screwdriver sets, but not one of them would fit into that slender spot. I must have spent an hour looking for the proper one. I came close with a long flat head screwdriver; it wasn't the right tool and it was not easy to use. I never thought I would have to buy a set of screwdrivers, but they are now on my shopping list. (If I have them I will never need them.) Of course the TV came in another BIG box that needed to be cut up before it could be put in the dumpster.


Now it is time to hook up the TV. I found a new cable for the satellite connection, but it is not long enough for me to connect the TV in it's current position; once it is in its proper position the cable will reach. But that can't happen until I get the media center out of the way. That is OK because when I look at the drawing and read the hook up directions I don't understand one little bit of it. I will attempt it again tomorrow when I am fresh, but if that doesn't work I will have to call somebody who know what they are doing.


I am looking at the media center thinking that I won't have to wait until Wednesday if I put it on a couple of old rugs and slide/drag it into the garage. Hey, it is a thought.


Today I missed Ralph. For almost 30 years we were each other's third hand. We repaired plumbing, painted a barn, laid tile, assembled countless items, hung kitchen cabinets, poured cement, dug a trench for a new well connection, built a summer house, and so many other things. I can do a lot of things thanks to his lessons. He ended up knowing he should read directions thanks to my lessons. I don't mind that it takes longer now, and that I have to be a bit more creative in how I do things, but I do miss sharing the accomplishments.