I can’t believe I am typing a 7th-week recap. Last year we were finished with start-ups in 5 weeks, and lawn aerations were complete. We do have about 150 more start-ups than last year, but it shouldn’t be taking this long. Not having the help we need really caused a problem. The only thing we have been able to keep up on this year so far is backflow tests, which were behind last year because I was the only one doing them. With Jacob having his license, that has helped a lot. He has completed over 200 backflow tests already this year and it is still early yet.
My wife’s surgery last Tuesday went really well, and I was able to bring her home on Thursday. She is moving around pretty well and has a walker to assist, and the pain medication seems to be working most of the time. We have a three-level house, so have confined her to the bottom level to keep her off the stairs. Fortunately, she has all the comforts of home with a family room with a sectional, TV, bathroom, etc. I installed a grab bar if she needs to go up two stairs to get to the kitchen. The master bedroom upstairs is off-limits for now.
Those who have known me for several years know I have back trouble of my own stemming from several different incidents over the years. Jumping out of planes, rappelling injuries, ladder falls, a helicopter crash, car accidents, etc., have taken their toll. Though it all I have never broken a bone, nor had any body parts removed, I have had rotator cuff surgery twice on the same shoulder. One from a gunshot wound back in the ’80s at an undisclosed location, and another from a work-related injury back in the mid-’90s. The spine is made up of 33 vertebrae, and adults have 26 because they fuse together as we age, and more of mine have fused together due to all the crap I have put them through over the years and all of them are arthritic. There are millions of neurons in the spine, so I am in a lot of pain most of the time. Fortunately, a few years ago I discovered radiofrequency ablation which for what I understand, burns the agitated nerves which relieve the pain. I have had both sides of my spine done over several months, and it can last anywhere from 6 months to 6 years. Mine seem to last about two years, so the process is starting over again because I have been in a lot of pain lately which has affected my job performance. We had to quit earlier than I wanted to on Friday because I could barely get in and out of Jacob’s truck. The pain I am experiencing now will be dealt with on May 31 for the right side, and then the following week for the left side. Apparently, they only deal with 3 vertebrae at a time, so it is a long process. It was much longer the first time around when I had to wait between each ablation to make sure it was actually working.
With that, I am sending Jacob out on his own Monday, and possibly Tuesday for sprinkler start-ups so I don’t slow him down. Even on his own, we should have all remaining start-ups complete within 10 business days, maybe less. At that time we can concentrate on lawn aerations, major sprinkler system repairs, and all the other work we have.
I will continue to post where we are going to be until sprinkler start-ups are complete, and then deal with customers one on one for any other repairs, with an occasional post on how things are going. Daily posts will then resume once we start sprinkler blowouts this fall. Watch for another post for Monday morning.