Conspiracy Theory

Yesterday, we went to our daughter Kara's house. She had called the day before, desperate to plant something. "Mom, what can I plant NOW?" I suggested a couple types of bulbs she could force. She wanted to do seeds. I explained that it was a little too soon to plant seeds inside without lights, because they'd get too leggy before she could get them outside, so I mentioned winter sowing. She thought that would satisfy her urge.

I took her some milk jugs and between the two of us, she had six for planting. We were off to Lowe's to look at 'stuff' and find her some seeds. She decided to do nasturtiums, flax, dianthus, Canterbury bells, bachelor's buttons, and Chinese Forget-Me-Nots. She got a big bag of potting soil, but they kept it outside and it was more like a brick of it than a bag, because it was frozen solid.

While we were shopping for seeds, Romie was off in the lighting department and when we met up with him, he'd found some lights on clearance for $26. We'd been looking for a couple of years for a replacement for some old track lighting in our family room and by golly, he'd found it. Oooh, goody! A new project!

We got back to Kara and Adam's and I helped her fix her milk jugs for sowing. We couldn't actually plant them, because of the potting soil being frozen, so I left her with instructions. "These had better grow!" she said as she glared at me, like it would be all my fault if they didn't. I told her not to expect results of 100%, and if she did, she'd better give up gardening right now, 'cause that wasn't ever gonna happen. She hmmmphed at me.

When Romie and I got back home, he took the old track lighting down and installed the new. This was what followed:

Romie: Okay, flip the switch. This should work.
I flip switch. Lights don't work.
Romie: Hmmm....
Romie does some thinking.
Romie: Maybe if I switch the wires...
He switches wires.
I flip switch. Lights don't work.
Me: Well, if you think you've done it right, maybe you should ask the electrician at work tomorrow.
Romie: I'm thinking maybe it has to do with the ground wire.
Me: Maybe you should ask the electrician tomorrow at work.
Romie: I wonder if your dad would know what we should try.
Me: Why don't you call him?
Romie does some more thinking.
Romie: I can't figure out why this won't work! Give me one of the old lights and let me see if one of those will work on it.
I hand him one of the old lights.
Romie: Okay, flip the switch.
I flip switch. Light works!
Romie: Now why won't the new ones work???
Romie looks at the new light more closely and unscrews glass cover.
Romie: Well, no wonder it wouldn't work. There's no light bulb in here!
Me: I thought you put them in. You asked me if they pushed in or screwed in, so I thought you had put them in.
I run upstairs to get a white glove (they're halogen bulbs) and come back downstairs and put a light bulb in the light. Romie puts the light in the track. I flip switch.



Life give us so many opportunities to do something stupid, doesn't it?

There were six lights altogether, but six would be too many for where we're using them. It's nice to have a spare, though, and we've got two. Except that one light bulb was missing. And one didn't work. Now that required a trip back to Lowe's for the other two light bulbs, which I did today after work.

Wonderful people at Lowe's, there are. I got my two replacement light bulbs with no muss and no fuss, and when I was finished, the sales associate asked if there was anything else I needed. "We got lots of new plants in today."

And there it is.

I just know they rigged those track lights to necessitate a return trip just to tempt me with plants or other garden-related paraphernalia. Do you like my new pictures?