Snow car

My car says "You know....you have a perfectly good two-car garage sitting right next to me. What is your problem? Do you enjoy scraping ice and snow off of me on mornings like this?"

Sigh. My car has a good point. Well, it is in the garage now.  Like it matters - 4 days after the snow fall. I pull it in the garage, but can barely get the door open and get out. heh, heh.

Bits and Pieces

Just a quick post to jot down what is going on around here, so that when I re-read this post five years from now I will remember.

My sister-in-law is having surgery today. I may post more about that at another time. It is cancer. The photo above was what I sent to her on f@ceb00k.

My neighbor's basement wall collapsed the night before last under all this rain. A crew started water-proofing their basement on Monday. What do you think? Co-incidence or was the crew responsible? Tough situation to be in. I am going to double-check my wall on that side of the house. A few years back I had a company come in and put two big braces on that wall using steel anchors that lead to a brace ten to twenty feet out into the yard underground. Water has pooled in the little ditches between our houses for years.

My daughter's car broke down. Same thing that happened about a year ago. It was a piston then, sounds like a piston, now. She said it is doing the same thing. When I told my appliances (that were breaking down) not to let word slip out to my car in the driveway that I was spending money on them, I guess I forgot to tell them that also includes my daughter's car. Cripes.

I had to go out to a couple of schools yesterday and work with my hands instead of my brain. It was hot and muggy in the wiring closets. The schools are not keeping their equipment cool AT ALL. I was sweating up a storm and guess who forgot to put on deodorant yesterday? Yep, that's right. Not a pleasant morning.

I won (sort of) four tickets to the Pitt$burgh z00. I visit a radio station's web site to read their lost & found (pets) and when they designed a new one, I could not find the l&f. I sent them a message asking where it was. They assured me it was coming and since I commented, they wanted to send me 4 tickets to one of three places. I chose the z00.

My work is switching from 26 pays to 24 this next month. I know it is easier for them to do, but I really looked forward to those two "free" pays every  year. Sigh.

Fur baby

I am not exactly certain what my sister put on this little one's head.  I doubt that she kept it on for very long. I don't get to see the little ones very often. Understandably it is hard for them to travel.

This Sunday is a big family cook-out, though. I hope to be surrounded by the little tykes.

My house is freezing! Last week I came home from work on Monday and noticed that the house was 84º Fahrenheit. My air conditioner had stopped working. I called on Tuesday- another very hot day.

It is the controller board. Thursday the temps dipped drastically. The repairman wired the fan directly and it blows 24/7. I have wooden floors. I have shut every vent that I can and my floors are like ice. This year Ohio is experiencing a very cold/hot month. One extreme or the other.

So, either I spend over $400 for a new controller board or get a new unit. It is central air and the controller board controls the furnace, too. I guess they were put in, in 1995 or so. I suppose I should replace both of them together.


I just made my first payment on my $800 gas hot water heater. So, this is the year all the appliances fall apart. My dish washer leaks (sometimes). My washing machine leaks so that I have to babysit it and when the rinse cycle fills up I have to hold the basin back so the water does not splash behind it.

My garbage disposal has been out for a few months, now.

Ahhh. And life goes on. I hope my car is not listening.

I see a T-Rex

One morning I sat in my car waiting for it to warm up and I saw a T-Rex trying to eat my red garbage can. So I aimed my phone in just the right position and caught the dinosaur in the act.

Retirement Car

A co-worker at the building I work at retired this year. Her husband (second) purchased this convertible for her. She was so happy and showing it off.

Take me back 14 years to when her first husband left her for a new model. She was devastated. It is so wonderful to see her happy and on top of the world again.

A grab handle

I knew about the "grab" handle but did not know what it was called until I looked it up. I went through the drive through at the bank yesterday and shifted to reach for the canister. I bumped my head on my grab handle. I cursed under my breath and rubbed my head.Ouch!

While the bank was processing my request I looked at it. Why in hell is there one on my side of the car?

I have been in cars where I have "grabbed" the grab handle when I was the passenger. Not often, thank God. I usually don't ride with daredevils. I really didn't even need it while I taught two girls how to drive. My daughter and my niece.

I tried to imagine the driver ever needing a grab handle. It would make sense to me that if you were in a situation where you were driving fast or recklessly enough to grab the handle, you should certainly have both hands on the steering wheel. That would be what I would be grabbing.

Then this morning as I looked through images, it occurred to me. Oh, maybe it is for cars that are shipped to Australia or Ireland. Where the steering wheel is on the other side of the car. Maybe it is just easier to manufacture one on each side.

And the hairy arm up there? Not mine.

Getting pulled over

There was no doubt this little tyke was the hit of the party Saturday evening. I need to get a shot of him in his duds. His mother dressed him up in a little golfer outfit. The dinner was at a restaurant at a Golf Course. Huh. Not a one of us golf. One nephew used to. Eh...

We had a great time. We were loud. There were 17 of us and two children. There was plenty of drinking. The drivers did not imbibe or only drank a couple. Such as I. One beer and I was like - give me ice water from now, on. I did taste my daughter's drink. Grey goose and vodka. Uh, no thanks! Yech!

On the way home I was to drop sister 1954 off at a bar and my daughter was anxious to get back - she had plans to go out and meet friends. We were chatting. At one time I looked at my speedometer and thought, "Oh, I am such a granny driver."  I thought perhaps my daughter would say something eventually. I really have slowed down even more since hitting the deer in 2009. Everything I see alongside the road is a potential deer.

So, I was very surprised when I was the one pulled over. I saw his lights in my rear view mirror. I pulled over immediately and glanced at the tail lights of the car in front of me. My first thought was 'I wonder what the guy in front of me did.' My second thought was 'I wonder what is going on that he (the patrolman) has to rush lights flashing.'

I giggled and said 'He is after ME!"  Like I was some giggly girl in high school and just found out a boy liked me. Good gawd!

He said I was doing "65" in a "55" zone. I said "Sorry, we were probably chatting and I didn't realize."  I could find my drivers license. I found an old registration but could not find proof of insurance to save my life. He said given the state of my car he was certain that I had insurance and let me go with a written warning.

Both my sister and daughter said there was no way it was ME doing 65. The more I thought about it the more I realized that they were right. I am a granny driver. I don't even go the speed limit. My daughter said he must have "clipped" the guy in front of us. Things were not so funny, then. What if he had given me a ticket? What are they now $120. Ten dollars for every mile over the speed limit? $100? I would have been pissed.

I had not been passed. In fact, I recall somebody pulling out in front of me shortly before the straight stretch. Ah, well. I did NOT get a ticket, but it un-nerves me to think that I can get a ticket because they "clipped" someone else.

And for ONCE sister 1954 did not have a beer with her in the car. She manages to sneak one in her purse from the bar almost every time.

I dreamt that the same guy pulled me over again. I killed him - with a machete knife and I was trying to get rid of his head.  OMG! WTH?! WTF?!  How angry WAS I?

Room with a view

View from my motel room - Columbus trip mid-February. Ugh.

Road Trip

East to west. Route 70 today. Three sisters in a car. There will be lots of stories and lots of laughter. Sadly, no shopping. More of a personal business trip for sister 1949.

Cute but stupid

19 toddlers in your car lady, really? She is a nursery school teacher.

"We're really a very cute school".  Cute doesn't cut it - you dignbat.

http://www.citizen.co.za/citizen/content/en/citizen/local-news?oid=328732&sn=Detail&pid=146826&Teacher-crams-19-toddlers-into-Clio

Car lashes

The photo is blurry. I was a couple of parking lots over and only had my phone with me. This photo is cropped from the original. I had never seen them before. Car lashes.

I was with sisters Saturday night and we watched "A Joyful Noise." I have a sister who is a D Parton fan. We made comments about the surgery structure of her face of course - how plasticized she looked and she even had a zinger put in the movie to make fun of her surgeries. Q Latifah's character was arguing with her and spit out  "I liked you seven procedures ago!"  - or something to that nature. It has a few one liners but for the most part if you don't like singing - skip this one. I love singing and still did not like it.

My sisters and I would have sworn that was Stella Parton at the end of the show singing on stage, but no - the movie claims it was Karen Peck. Sounded very much like D Parton.

And it was very strange that all choir members had loose-fitting choir robes but Dolly's was form fitting - snug as could be to show off her figure. Bizarre and distracting. What is up with that? Why does she feel the need to do that and how in the heck does she think it appropriate for a church choir for one to stand out like that?

No Smoking Please

Well, I am driving a crappy loaner. Until 8:00 this morning. I will go back and get mine. Another nail in the tire. Either I really ticked somebody off or I have been driving in some rough terrain. This nail nearly punctured through the side wall of the tire. Forcing me to purchase a new tire. Which, as we all know - you must purchase in twos.

I suppose since the car lot deals with things of this nature, we can let this grammatical error go.

Some things just show up where you lease expect them. LOL!

And they walked away

This is not my car. My car is green. This is sister 1944's car. She was driving and her husband was in the passenger seat. They do not know what the lady who hit them was doing. She was left of center and she did not even correct herself when she almost hit them, she just plowed into them and was headed for the car behind them.

It was at the crest of a hill so my sister had little time to react, but was able to swerve to avoid a head-on collision. The collision was horrendous. It spun my sister's car around twice, it hit an embankment. The bank propelled the car back out and into the road and spun it around again. The car landed with it's back end lodged in another embankment facing north when they were originally headed south. An entire wheel with tire flew off the car.

Bless the car engineers. All airbags deployed as they were supposed to. That solid steel bar that is placed in the door stopped the offending metal barge of the other vehicle from causing more damage to my sister.

Her husband has a hurt elbow. She has a burn on the inside of her left arm and a bruised elbow. She and he both will have horrendous aches and pains today - no doubt. Whiplash is bound to be one of them.

The other lady? Not a scratch and she refused treatment.

They may never know what she was doing. Was she sleeping? Texting? Fiddling with her GPS?

Now they must deal with the memory of that sound. The feel of a car spinning out of control. The fear of not knowing if you are going to die. The sickening after thoughts. Looking at your property and knowing it is not salvageable. Dealing with insurance claims. Getting a rental car and depending on somebody to get you around until you get the rental. And then, lastly - searching for another vehicle. Ugh!

We did find humor. We always do. On the ride home I told my sister when I called their insurance company and I was telling the representative all that I knew and that they had hit a bank, he said "like a ditch - bank?"  Not realizing I could be referring to a building bank. As in ATM machines went flying and money was floating everywhere!"  We got a good chuckle out of that.

Not to mention that they had dealt with a kitchen under two inches of water when they got up that morning and had to sump pump it all out. This was one of those days where they definitely should have stayed in bed.

Alert!

I am getting this nastiness taken care of Thursday after work. I love my Honda service department. They are the greatest guys. Well, the guys out at the front desk are. I never see or speak to the actual workers. I hope they know how much I appreciate them. Hmmm. How can I let them know?

Eh - anyway. I know that Honda has an indicator to tell them WHICH tire is low on their nicer models, but it certainly did not help me when I first saw this alert a couple of years ago when  it was seven (7) flipping degrees Fahrenheit outside. With numb fingers I put air in each tire, trying to find the one that was low. My service stations did not have what they have in place now. A digital readout on a screen that gauges the air pressure and stops and sounds a small alarm when you reach 32 psi. It is a bit easier now that the weather is warm, the digital display is quite large and it stops putting air in at the correct pressure.

I wonder if I can get the service department to clean my dusty dashboard.

A closer view

A close up view. I get the windshield replaced on Monday. While I am at work. They come to the parking lot and replace it. You have to wait an hour before you can drive the car.

Yes, I have a green cover for my phone. It is to help me find it in the deep dark depth of my purse. It makes it easier than the black cover I had.

I watched "The Pianist". This one had escaped me. I knew it was praised but I just did not get around to watching it. Very disturbing..as most war biography movies are.

What are you going to do?

Yep, it was THAT kind of day, yesterday.
Click it to big it.

Warmer weather

We received a dusting of snow last night. It is on my daughters' car. Mine is safely tucked away in the garage. Her side of the garage is filled with junk. Don't I hear about that?! Yah. I'll get to it, when I get to it. If you want to park in the garage - YOU clean out that side.

Anyways....I wanted to show a warm picture. From this past summer.

I watched "Robin Hood". The version with R Crowe in it. I liked this version.

If I were the Queen Mother I would have had to smack my youngest son (Prince (King) John) upside the head, though. Then again, I suppose she would have gone to prison. Royalty did not raise their children - servants did. So he was probably a stranger to her, thus she had little control over him.

She's got the look!

Yep. That is a look I remember very well. It says "Stop yer damn yakkin' and take me home!" My Mom loved to go places (I think) but she also loved to leave and go home. "Enough already," she is saying. "I got what is left of my cheeseburger for breakfast tomorrow and I want to go home!"

I will have to guess this photo was between 1992 and 1995. That is when I had that white Buick.

Road Trip

I has me a road trip today. Columbus. I doubt that I will get the odd chance to stop along the route and take any photographs of any scenery. It is predicted to be a scorcher today, too. Love the A/C.

I was caught at a little elementary school yesterday during a huge thunderstorm. I stood around with the handful of staff that are still working. They are all in a good mood because the students are gone and their last day is Thursday. Sigh.

Street Gang

I was out early the other morning - I think about 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. with my dogs outside. I saw them. I had not seen that many in our neighborhood before. They were traveling in a group of five or six. I guess they like the old adage 'power in numbers'.  

As soon as I saw them, I tried to hide. And, I tried to get my dogs back to the side of our house where they couldn't see them. They were quiet, moving eerily through the neighbor's yard. They all wore the same coat, could be some kind of gang thing.

They saw me, but didn't say or do anything. They just silently walked under the street light. I could not tell if there was a leader, or if they just walked along as a group following each other.

A few years ago, when I first moved into this neighborhood, I would have been shocked to see them. I guess. I had never seen them up close before, just from a distance when I would travel to other parts of the county. Were they branching out? Did they need more territory? I don't know. A few years ago, I would have been a bit in awe of them.

I guess I was still in awe. But now there is fear there, too. Especially for my dogs. I understand that I don't own the neighborhood but I didn't like to see them so close to my home. I wanted to yell at them to go back where they belong. Yelling out at that time of the morning may not have been a good idea. I have no idea how they would have reacted to my outburst, anyway.

I went back inside the house and waited about thirty minutes before taking the dogs out again to do their business. I wanted to make sure the gang was gone. One of their kind is the reason I am driving a different car today. I hit one of them with my Civic in December of 2009. He ended up dead alongside the road. My Civic was totaled. I loved that car. You can read about that episode here.