In Memory of Adversity | Chickens in the Road

Mar
14

The satellite TV guy came out. He said, “You’ve got a problem.”

Man, I hate those words. I like what Steve-the-Builder always says. “That ain’t no problem.” Or, if I’m asking him about water running in the house, he says, “It’s real close.” The only bad thing I can say about Steve-the-Builder is not really a bad thing. He’s a perfectionist. So I know when he takes a little bit longer to do something, it’s because he’s doing it right. When the Gutter Guy got here, he took a look at the roof and said, “That’s the best metal roofing job I’ve ever seen.” That’s what everyone says, about various things, who comes out here. Then they find out he built nearly the whole thing by himself, with only his family to help him, and their jaws drop. (Steve-the-Builder hired out only a few jobs, like the cement block work, the drywall, and the gutters.) The satellite TV guy looked at the wiring setup and said, “This is perfect. No one ever has it perfect, but this is.”

Then he said, “You’ve got a problem.”

All. Those. Trees.

We can’t get local channels. We can get all the other satellite channels, but not the local ones. They’re on a different satellite that sits lower. He said we’d have to cut a swath of trees down off our hill to get local channels. I had an urge to go get Steve-the-Builder and tell him to put his Superman cape on and go pluck those trees out of the ground with his bionic pinkie (because we know he could do that), but that seemed a little rash. I like the trees. I also like Judge Judy and Desperate Housewives and American Idol. I guess we’ll see how we feel about it in a few months. The kids really don’t watch the local channels, and I don’t watch them much, either. Thank goodness I can still have my HGTV.

And I have water running in the house. Here is Steve-the-Builder (with one of his sons) finishing the final touches on the water heater, just before he turned water on in the house yesterday. He said, “I’ll get water in your kitchen tonight.”

I said, “What about the bathrooms?”

He said, “You want it in the bathrooms first?”

I said, “YES!!! I don’t want to do dishes. I want to PEE!!”

Men. Once we got that priority cleared up, he focused properly and got water where I wanted it.

Life is good.

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35 Responses
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3-14
5:41
am

No networks???? Even though I love HGTV too, I still need my regular fix of NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, etc. But at least you can pee. That’s a good thing.

Margery -
3-14
6:10
am

Priority #1 definitely is water in the bathroom!

As for the television channels: Who cares! Nothing on TV can beat your view, Suzanne. But then, I prefer to listen to jazz in the evenings anyway, and don’t want much on the television other than news and weather and the occasional archaeology or nature doc.

Besides, when you have your chickens and other farm animals, you won’t have time to watch TV!

-Kim :smile:

Kim A. -
3-14
6:13
am

I can’t get satellite where I live because of the trees, either.(I’m next door in VA) I miss satellite TV. {sigh}

Amber -
3-14
6:25
am

I love what he is useing for a heater on that piece of pipe.. He is the rugged, good looking type aint he? I like those type…. good thing thats my hubbys ‘look’ :bananadance: How is the book coming along? I would offer to help, but I am substandard with my imaginitory thingy.. I could cook for you while you are working though… especially a pie. When are you going to be getting chickens for this homestead of yours? Oh – I was thinking last night that you should have an outhouse on the property, just for the nastalgia of it all.. Have a great day!!

Heidi -
3-14
6:32
am

I wonder if a good old-fashioned antenna would work for local channels. Maybe you’re too far out or maybe the trees would still be a problem, but maybe if the antenna was big enough or high enough it’d work. Hmmm, do they even still make TV antennas anymore?

lintys -
3-14
6:54
am

Unfortunately Antennas are going the way of the dodo, what with the switch to digital next year.
So having satellite is about the only way to go. bleh.
We had a similar problem at our farm.
We ended up cutting some tree’s and elevating the dish on a tall metal pole to get it up high enough to clear the tree’s we didn’t trim down to the ground.
Maybe you could try something similar?
Hopefully!

Blaze -
3-14
7:12
am

Yep, got to have that pee pot working!
BW

Bayou Woman -
3-14
7:24
am

I agree that the toilet is more important than the kitchen. Take out, paper plates, and bottled water are much more doable then an outhouse. Now you can sit on the pot and watch HGTV. I couldn’t live without that channel and the Food Network. The only network show that I really couldn’t live without is Lost, but they show the episodes on the internet so I would be okay. Have Fun!

Cyndi Lewis -
3-14
7:51
am

YAY! Get out the toilet paper; we’re having a party! :flying:

Mental P Mama -
3-14
7:59
am

Local channels, not a necessity. But,I believe Steve-the-builder will find a way! Atleast at the end of the day you don’t have to get in the car and go home. You are home! Yeah!

Hillbilly2 -
3-14
8:07
am

I was thinking that when my kids had satelite, they didn’t get the local channels, but did get news, weather and the major networks(abd,cbs,nbc), they just came from somewhere else. The weather news might be from California, and they live in Arkansas, but they still got to see all the programs they wanted to see, just at different times. Oh,and the funny things were the local commercials were for brands of things they’d sometimes never heard of.

If you can’t pee and poop,there’s no need for food. Don’t all men have this figured out yet? But then after sex, food does seem to be the most important thing on their minds.

Shirley -
3-14
8:07
am

I love reading about Steve-the-builder…..BUT…..something caught my eye up at the Daily Photo…MORE OF 52! A kneecap to go with the hands and shoulder. Woo-hoo!
My husband (also 52 – 1955 was a very good year!) rubs my feet and I will never let him go. Way to go 52!

Cheryl -
3-14
8:16
am

For your local channels, you could set up an antenna with a booster. We linv in Weston and there is not a local ABC or FOX so we get two ABC and two FOX Channels out of Atlanta and San Fransciso. I went to all american direct.com just put in you zip code and it will let you know if they are available (you may have to fill out a waiver) and within 24hours you have them on your dish. you wont have the local news but you will stil have the shows. plus San Franciso is three hours behind so I can watch Oprah at 7:00p.m. if I want to!

Annette -
3-14
8:17
am

You can definitely get ABC, CBS and NBC from somwhere else by satellite. Or watch them on internet. But I would miss local news. You can try Slingbox if you have locals in the area who will let you set up your Slingbox in their basement or somewhere…

Gail -
3-14
8:32
am

Heck yeah peeing is MUCH more important than dishes!!!!!

Jill S. -
3-14
8:54
am

I feel your pain, after about a year of no local channels we ended up installing an antenna. Congratulations on getting running water!

Christine -
3-14
9:03
am

Our local news can be watched on the Internet. But I guess local for you won’t have a news station, just the Post Office for gossip!

Amy -
3-14
9:06
am

I live smack dab in the middle of our little town and still can not get our local channels. We have to watch all of the news from Cleveland and the commercials for that area too. We don’t watch the news because of all the crime etc. that plagues Cleveland Ohio. We do get to watch all of our favorite shows though. We live for Food Network and BBC America. When I was little all my grandparents had at their Wva mountain home was an outhouse. Hard to hold your pee when your little and afraid to go out in the dark to god knows what is waiting for you in the outhouse. They finally got indoor plumbing and my grandma painted a board that looked like eyes peering out of the outhouse window. We stayed clear of the outhouse after that. I can’t wait to get to work every day to see what new and exciting things have gone on in your holler in Walton WVA. Jeri :flying:

Jeri -
3-14
9:11
am

You have your priorities(spelling?) in order for sure. :mrgreen: No woman can live without her bathroom. I had a problem with my satellite not receiving local channels until I had 1 tree cut.End of problem. I have to say that Steve-the-builder is amazing. He must be the most sought after builder around. If he wasn’t, he will be now after building your house. People from all over the world know about him now. With his work ethic, everyone will want him to build their homes. What a man Have a great day and to all.

Fannie M Wiggins -
3-14
9:12
am

We don’t have cable either, or even satellite, just dvds. But we are LOST fans and watch on the internet. I think you can get DH too. I’d keep the trees.

Remudamom -
3-14
10:00
am

That’s great news on the water. However not so great on the local channels. How will you keep up with the local weather?

Treasia -
3-14
10:27
am

Suzanne, we don’t get local channels with our satellite. And we live in a valley, so a regular antennae is useless. We got an attachment antennae for our dish at Radio Shack called a Turk which works for us…partially anyway! We get local ABC and CBS on it. It depends on the strength of the signal transmission.
I gots to have my Greys, Moonlight, Lost, and Dancing with the Stars!

Angie-la -
3-14
11:18
am

Well, of COURSE you want the bathrooms before the kitchen!! Men!!

Good luck getting some network stations so you can still watch your network shows! Local news is overrated…

kacey -
3-14
12:20
pm

roflmao Cheryl – one of these days we’re going to get all the pieces.

I believe…Steve the builder can do anything. Sure wish he was around here!!!!!

catslady -
3-14
2:03
pm

Men! Like we’d rather cook than go potty in the house? GAH! Hope the Satellite/Local channels thing gets worked out!

Brandy -
3-14
2:08
pm

Sorry about the no local channels, but you’ve got water! Wahoo!

::doing the happy water dance::

Amy Addison -
3-14
2:34
pm

Thank goodness you have water in the bathroom.
Local tv is not wat is cracked up to be. Mostly junk.

Estella -
3-14
2:48
pm

Oh, man, I couldn’t live without the local channels! No LOST! Cannot live without that! I could probably cope without SURVIVOR but I wouldn’t like it. *g*

Tori Lennox -
3-14
2:49
pm

And no JERICHO! Nope, gotta have the local channels.

Tori Lennox -
3-14
3:02
pm

Don’t you just love people like Steve-the-Builder! Congratulation on the water. You were so right about the order it needed to be turned on too! I have cable, but they had to run the wire about a 1\4 a mile through the trees. So I can’t offer you any advice.

Susan -
3-14
3:17
pm

I have great faith in Steve-the-builder’s ability to get you local t.v.
A flushing toilet is better than just about anything…except a hot shower.
Take it from one who knows!
While I’m thinking of it… Are you going to stain or paint the porch, stairs and rails?

Lora -
3-15
1:08
am

Men! Even when they have a bathroom, they’d rather pee on the wall. I caught my son at it this afternoon.

Alice Audrey -
3-15
9:52
am

The house looks gorgeous!

Is there a way to put the satellite up higher so you don’t have to cut down trees?

rebecca -
3-15
10:18
am

I want to marry Steve-the builder…and his family. I love your new home!

Jyl -
3-15
12:58
pm

Suzanne. I must tell you like it is. It’s harsh truth and reality. You can do w/out the local stations. Your time is better spent having adventures and blogging them so the rest of us have something to be entertained by and something to wait impatiently for while we’re watching local channels. Friends don’t let friends watch too much t.v.
Boy, I love your house! And, Boy, oh, boy I have had fun watching this transpire. It’s made the last month fly. And by the way, 52 has nice knees. And Jyl, you seem like a nice girl and all, but Steve the Builder is on reserve for me. My husband is the greatest thing EVER in the entire world, but I need a spare and Steve seems to fit the bill in many ways. It’s just nice to know there are wonderful work ethicy guys out there. I am a bit concerned that he hired the drywall out, but I will forgive him for the fact he really didn’t know my husband is also the GREATEST Drywall man EVER who also has a strong work ethic. Can’t wait for spring at the new farm house!
Yours in appreciation of the flush toilet,
M

Maria -