I took a day off on Friday to try and catch up on some work around the house.

I did pretty well, considering the weather that turned from partly cloudy in the forecast to partly dreary in reality.

Nonetheless, I took my extra time and put it to good use, hanging my hammock in the apple tree near the house. Most of the other trees around the place are pines, which aren't really the best place to put a hammock, especially not if there are other choices. Of course, the apple will likely be less than ideal for the purpose this fall, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I am looking forward to taking a nap in it one afternoon. Whether or not that happens is another question.

After wistfully wishing for a hammock nap, I went back in and started on my real work.

I finally finished putting up the wainscot in the bedroom, which took me the better part of two hours, and also finished putting up the trim in the bathroom. I first tried to saw the trim with the circular saw, but that doesn't give the tight fitting joints I like. So I got out my daddy's old rock maple miter box and hand saw for the job. By the time I had finished cutting enough for the entire room and the bathroom, my arm was getting pretty tired.

The dull saw added to the problem. Perhaps I should have paid more attention when lessons on saw sharpening were being given.

In the den, there was a light wired into a plug-in on the wall with a white extension cord. Since that had bothered me for some time, I opted to remove the overhead light entirely. I replaced it with a torch lamp and then moved the fixture into the kitchen, also in the process removing some of the gold globe lights, lost remnants of 70s fashion, that had adorned the ceiling there.

The green sink is also doomed, it just doesn't know it yet. Some friends have donated two sinks to my cause, one white and the other stainless. One will be in my house and the other will replace the terrible brown one at my place in Virginia. Just removing a brown or green sink probably adds value to the home.

I know that removing the green tub and sink from the bathroom added a lot of beauty to the home.

I decided to go to Virginia Saturday morning to try and catch up with my wayward renters. When I arrived on the scene of the first place, the grass was around a foot tall and I didn't see anyone around.

Anyway, I needed to put out some grass seed around the property on the spots I had graded off with a tractor, so I went about my work. I sowed the seed and fertilizer and then covered it with straw just as the rain started to sprinkle again.

Saturday was one of those days that just couldn't seem to make up its mind on how it was going to act.

After that, on a whim, I called my tenant's mother's house. That may seem unorthodox, but I try to gather what information I can about people I rent to so that I can find them in cases such as this. He was supposed to mail me a check for $50 about three weeks earlier and I had yet to hear from him. It was also the first of the month and another payment was due. He was there and still sleeping when I called at around 9 a.m.

"I was thinking about moving out," he said groggily.

"No time like the present," I said. I immediately went after him and hauled his possessions in my truck using my gas and back.

He helped me move two loads and said he had something else to do. No problem, I said. I took his keys to the place and went back to haul the last load alone, took it to his mother's house and put it in the building for him.

Not smart? Try going through the hassle of an eviction ceremony and waiting for weeks to get the house clear so that you can try cleaning it up. I like my way much better. See, it does pay to be a nice guy sometimes.

After getting that place emptied out, I had burned a good portion of my Saturday doing something I had no intention or desire to do. After that, I had to go to the other property and mow the grass. At least it was the last time — they finally found their own riding mower.

I decided to finally try and head back to my house to get some of my own work done. I had to go get some supplies to hook up a used dishwasher that was recently donated to my cause while I was near the really big store. I opted to get the stuff to install the new sink at the same time.

After coming home, I loaded up some trash and just managed to get to the dump just before it closed.

I called one of my friends on the cell phone. "What's for supper?"

"Steak on the grill," he said.

"I'll be right over," I replied.

I couldn't think of a better way to end a difficult day.

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