It is a jungle out there

I need a better lawn mower.  The weeds behind my house were getting tall.  Rain and intermittent sunny days have a tendency to grow large green things in places you really don't want them to be.  In places they were over four feet tall.  I researched the best way to knock them down and found this very interesting one but it looked a little hard to move around the big rocks in the area.  Well I tried to get my weed whacker to work but it had been so long between uses the gas lines broke off spilling gas all over.  I went over to JR's and got my lawn mower but it wouldn't keep running in the tall weeds.  So of to "ONE MORE TRIP" also known as Home Depot, and purchased a electric powered week eater.  Two and a half ours later and being covered with green slime from the weeds it is done.  Not something I want to to again for a while but such is the price one pays for being a homeowner.

Much ado about nothing

Jury duty was a bust.  I got picked for a jury in a felony case as Juror number 4.  It took two days to pick the 12 and 2 substitutes.  On the day we were to start hearing the case we arrived  and were ready to sit in the court room and the court officer said it would be another hour because of some motions.  Well at 10:10 we filed into our seats ready to perform our citizen's duty and I notice the defendant is not in the court, that does not bode well for continuation of justice.
The judge with a small smile on his face stated, "This is one of the shortest trials in history".  You see the defendant pleaded guilty to all counts and the case was over.
Oh well, that is the justice system for you.

Jury Duty in Sacramento

Here I am all broken hearted, came to Sacramento County Courthouse and I can think of a great number of things I could be doing on this pretty spring day.  They called the maximum number of jury applicants and the line went out the door down the hall and I didn't think it would ever stop.  I am back from the manditory two hour lunch and waiting again for my name to be called.  I am fully aware of my civic duty but looking around it seems no one really wants to be here.  More later.

The truck needed to be fixed.

The old Dodge truck wasn't shifting into high gear, and my Brother-in-law, who is the primary driver, was using to to drive to Folsom.  He stated "it was using a lot of gas".  Not exactly efficient to drive 30 miles in second gear.  Well, I picked it up and drove to a shop and $567 later it still doesn't shift very well when it is cold but once it warms up it is OK, (a lot like me I would suppose).  It is not much of a truck.  It doesn't lock the passenger door unless you do it manually, the radio speakers have a buzz in them, the windshield has a big crack, it has 105,000 miles on it, and it has a few dents.  I guess you could name it LUCKY.  It still runs and gets Brian to and fro.  A new transmission would be $2500 and I just don't think it is worth it.  It is another expense I really can't afford, but considering the alternative of buying a new rig, it will do.