Landscape Lanterns

We had this great idea to spruce up our son’s house landscaping by adding some solar lights to his steps.  Well, okay, it was my idea, but my husband indulged me, saying he thought it would look great, as well.

This being my idea, it became my project and I was certain it was so easy I would need no assistance whatsoever. (First mistake, never take your own skills for granted!). I managed to get to the store, find the solar lighting I wanted, purchase eight of them, and return home without much stress.  In fact, it was completely stress-free –which maybe should have put me on full alert.  Really, my projects are usually great ideas, sometimes fun, but rarely stress-free.       

Now mind you, we only needed five lanterns, but they come in sets of four. Or at least the ones I liked did.  Fortunately, we have seven or eight garden areas around our own home that can benefit from lighting, so I wasn’t worried.

I opened the boxes and removed the instructions, carefully setting them aside to read  – if needed – later.  I mean, come on, how complicated can solar lights be?  I then took out each and every one of the lovely little lights and removed them from the loose, plastic baggie one by one.  I carefully set them on the side of our son’s driveway, which faces south and gets full sun most of the day.  It was about noon and the directions indicated that it took 12 hours for a full charge, so I figured we’d get some light that evening and fully charge them the next night.

               Then, because I didn’t read the rest of the directions, I turned the lights onto the large end (which, as it happens, is upside down).  I can’t honestly say I did this with some conscious thought, it just seemed to me that the battery must be in the bottom, so that’s the end that would need the sunlight (another mistake, are you keeping count?  If so, you actually already missed one).

               After dinner that night, we were too tired to go out and assemble the lanterns.  I thought it was okay, since they weren’t going to be fully charged until the next day anyway.  But Matt went out with the dog and when he returned (after dark), he asked me if I had taken the plastic off the lanterns.  Well, duh, yes, the bags surrounding the lights were hard to miss (I thought this, but of course merely responded, “yes, honey, I did”).

               Just about dark, our son arrived home and texted me “are you painting the lights?”  I texted back, “no, they’re just charging and should be on tomorrow night.”

               What NEITHER of these guys said to me is anything about why those lanterns, which had been in the sun since noon, were not lighted. Neither of them said, “well, then, why aren’t they on?” They just accepted my answers to their rather ambiguous questions.                    

               So the next day, I went out to assemble the lights on their stakes and when I turned the first lantern over, I saw…yeah, plastic film.  (this was the second mistake I made).  Then, when I finally removed the plastic film I realized that this was the correct end of the light to be in the sun.  So naturally, the batteries weren’t charged in the slightest.

               Having removed the film and turned them right side up, they were beautiful by nightfall.  Another successful project completed!  But don’t worry, I’m not quitting my day job!