Dang, Dolly. I Guess We Will Never Marry After All, Despite My Boyhood Wishes & Desires (It Was 9 to 5 for Me). RIP.

Another childhood dream squashed. Of course, naming Dolly as a future wife was an elementary school desire, but as I grew older, began to teach, learn of her incredible investment in literacy, especially for all kids, my boyhood crush of Dolly simply transitioned to much admiration and respect.

And then I think of the song Jolene, and my love for her grows deeper. If only such leadership and respect for humanity exist once again in America.

I still don't know what is burning my eyes -- ragweed? -- and I ended up staying another night in Syracuse to be sure all would ride well medically. This decision also led to fixing the gate to the Amalfi Drive fence, as the lowest pipe rusted, and as it deformed the fence, it would open like it should. Once I learned Chitunga was going to stop by at 6 p.m., I decided it was a project he and I could tackle in a short time. I picked up the pipe, ran to Mike's so he could cut it down, unfastened bolts from the old fence, and awaited Chitunga's arrival for the four-hands part. We undid the frame and took of the links, then went to work at breaking the rusted parts and pulling the pipes out of the corner valves. The hardest part was finding the right bolt sizes for the socket wrench as every bolt differed. 

We broke two bolts in the process (well, they rusted apart), and as I was trying to find something in Dad's garage, Tom came over to talk about the cake again, but also said he had the bolts we needed. We used them when he noticed we put one of the bottom contraptions on upside down. He was right, because as he helped me to fix that (Chitunga had to go pick up Alyssa) the gate was easier to open and close. Upside down, it pushed some of the fencing into the dirt causing a part of the fence to catch and drag in the soil.

We accomplished the entire thing in about an hour, and as I waited for Chitunga, I had time to weed whack the backyard.

The crazy thing was that Karal and Tom's dog were playing in the backyard and then sat with us as we worked on the fence. We didn't notice when Tom's dog disappeared. She ran down the street while we were working and we didn't catch her take off.

I didn't get a meal in until 9:15 and I'm glad I made penne pasta for the leftover sauce. It made for a great dinner before I went to bed.

Fence is fixed. And I am so sad about what the world lost with Dolly Parton's passing. She is definitely an American hero to be upheld by all.