shakin' like tremolo

Two major feats accomplished today. One of them was short-lived, but much needed. I finally got to take the windhorse out for about half an hour. I ran it hard out the country until the wind found its way up my sleeves and inside my jacket and the sun began to go down. So I came home so Al could go to work.
The other major feat wasn't as short-lived. You'll be suspicious when I tell you what it was, but honestly, the project had started before Jan reprimanded me last week. I tried to install a CD player for Allison on Monday, but really, all I accomplished was removing her old Ford factory tape deck. That took about a minute, and the rest of the day was spent trying to get the new one to receive power. I wired and re-wired and trouble shot, and second guessed, and finally decided the new CD player wasn't any good. So I took it back to the store and swapped it for another one. When I got back home, it took me about 5 minutes to get the new new one wired and working. Ha, so it wasn't my fault. But once I got power, it became evident that sound was going to be another story. I thought I was at the easy part - just trial and error until learn what wires go to what speakers. Not so easy. Nothing worked in any combination. So I got online and googled wiring diagrams for Explorer factory speakers. What I found were dozens of queries from guys doing exactly what I was doing, but getting nowhere. I was still getting nowhere when it was time to run the kid taxi service and so Allison drove around all week with the dash board detached, a big hole in the dash and a brand new CD player laying in the floorboard. I've installed CD players in every vehicle I've ever owned without the least bit of trouble. But try to impress your wife with a surprise that involves male know-how, and get emasculated by a truck.
After Jack's basketball team survived the first round of the play-offs this morning, I came home to tackle the CD player again. I tried out a week's worth of what ifs but was still beaten by the existing wiring. Finally, I removed all the existing speakers and by-passed the wiring to confirm that the speakers could actually be driven by the new unit. They worked fine. So Molly came out and helped me re-wire all the speakers, and put everything back together.
Finally, we were ready to actually install the new player, which took precisely 47 seconds. Molly and I were both proud of our handiwork. When Allison came out to go to work she had a new CD player to sing to her all the way to town. And you'll never guess what she brought out to listen to on the player's maiden voyage. You guessed it, Third Day, "Wire". How fitting. But she didn't know. I think that was just God's little gift of laughter as a reward for persistence.
So she drove off listening to Mac and Co., but I walked back into the house with my own tune going in my head.
Life's the same I'm moving in stereo
Life's the same except for my shoes...