if a tree falls on the house while you're on vacation, does it make a sound?

It might not make any noise, but it sure leaves (pun intended) a mess.

Dear Dad came and chopped in up and hauled it away. He loves any project involving a chain saw. The tree knocked out the power, telephone and Internet connection. My neighbor called the power company and they came out and reconnected the line after a few days.

I got home Monday night to half a bathroom - luckly, the important half- toilet and floor. I've been brushing my teeth, washing my hands and bathing in the kitchen sink. Hopefully it will be done tonight.

The telephone and DSL cable should be fixed by tonight.

In a not-related to the tree disaster: the air port in my laptop is shot. I took it to the Apple store yesterday and burst in to tears at the counter when I was told the news - $300 and ten days for repair. I took the poor thing home to think about it. It might be time for a new computer, but the financial timing sucks (St. Valentine's Day party, Ireland, new bathroom).

The good news is that I can still plug right in to the DSL line. The bad news is that the cable is in my tenant's side of the house. I very cleverly downloaded my photographs each day, so they are essentially stuck on the computer. Ireland blogging will be even slower.

All of that said, I had a wonderful time and I'm trying to keep the vacation spirit alive.
Cheers!