My Weblog

God is good...........

I know, I know, I'm about to write something that will torque Satan off. So, I will "walk in" "He that is in me.........." and give God the well deserved praise. I just got the deal of the century and I didn't really even have to ask for it.

I went in to check out the water heaters. I'd been told there were 3 or 4 with exterior damage that were marked down. Well, that was incorrect. There was only one. It was only marked down 10%. Additionally, it was a 50 gallon and I had been told I'd be okay with a 40. I was disappointed as it was still priced at a lot more than I wanted to pay. I had rehearsed over and over "Is that the best you can do?"I planned to ask that question before i bought. I never had to. The salesman who was helping me excused himself and went to talk to his manager. He told the manager to "give her a deal". And the manager earned himself a hug. I got it for about 25% of the original price after my discount. Only God could move people's hearts to do stuff like this for His kids!

So, it is all paid for and the installer will pick it up SOON, I HOPE!

"

Doin okay on limited water............

I'm off today. I turned the water on for about an hour and a half. Washed a load of clothes. Washed a bunch of hand-wash dishes. Washed parts of me. Now the water is off. I'll do a garage inspection after a while and if it's not too wet, i HAVE to water those shrubs. They've not been watered in days..........

I've been working on trash stuff. Emptied the small trashcans in the bedrooms. I've lugged trash from the office and kitchen to the outside bin. Lugged the office recycling out to that bin. Still need to get the kitchen recycling. I'm also trying to put in about 15 minutes at a time in the garage. The weather channel says it's 105 in Vegas right now, so 15 minutes is about all I can stand. I'm spending my time just patrolling the area, looking for things i can call trash that I'll haul out of there to the curb.

Some stuff is just too big/bulky/heavy for me. I think I have a solution to that. Let's back up a bit. First, the "stuff" problem. I called the company that does our trash hauling. It just so happens that this next Tuesday is bulk hauling day. So, anything I can haul out to the curb by then will be taken, within limits. Rolled carpet, for example cannot stand any taller than 6 ft & must be taped. I honestly don't think any of the carpet scraps that make up part of the "mound" out there are big enough to worry about. The most important part here is that i CAN get rid of "stuff".

I priced an installation of a water heater through the store. The company that does the work wants $750 for what is about 2 hours work. They should be ashamed! Additionally they have numerous bad reviews on Yelp. I dug around and came up with a business card from a guy who shops at the store frequently. He will do it for $225. This is not a hard decision. I spoke to the guy who supervises the plumbing department at work--he's actually one of the guys who calls me "Mama". He says he has several water heaters that are "blemished" but still good sitting around that he can sell at a substantial markdown. You can bet I'll be checking those out. I've asked several people who are in a position to know and the consensus is that a 40 gallon will be plenty for a single person. Thank you, Lord.

The guy who is going to do the install has two guys who will do grunt work for $15 an hour. That's more than I make which irks me, but I figure two strong guys, working two hours will take care of the "stuff" problem. We will have to remember to pray for the trash guys, though!

So, anyway, creeping along...........

It's not the end of the world...........

I just went out into the garage to retrieve something from the freezer. Heard a weird noise. There's nothing out there to make this kind of noise except the water heater. Yes, there is some leakage. I am going to have to get a new water heater. They are quite pricey. Even worse is the usual charge to install them. Making it worse is the fact that there is a mountain of indiscriminate "stuff" piled in front of it. Oh, Lord, help me. I cannot possibly be out in that garage lifting and tugging stuff out of the way. Even worse, I have no idea what to do with the "stuff".

I'll have to hire laborers to deal with the stuff. I hate to think what this is going to cost me..............

It's a good thing...........

Last night: Taking off my shoes. What a grand thing! The only thing that rivals it is taking off my bra!

This morning: Special Blessing: I have not had enough $$$ to devote to the garden. Let's face it. I'm just trying to get started and that's pricey. It's more expensive when the native dirt is mostly useless. It's clay based, highly alkaline, and rocky. There are also random strata of limestone rock running through the area. So, I need decent dirt and I need a lot of it if i'm going to grow much of anything. Dirt has been costing about $9 for 3 cubic feet. I have one raised bed. It's 3 x 12 x 1, or 36 cubic feet. So, more than $100 for dirt! Of course, I can't grow a whole lot in 36 square feet. So, I need more raised beds and, thus, more dirt. All that takes money.

I stopped the manager of the outside lawn and garden area yesterday and let him know I wanted to purchase 2 bags of dirt. It turns out he has some punctured bags of the stuff I buy. He sells the punctured bags for $1 each. He has 4 bags for me. So, I will get $40 worth of dirt for $4! THAT's a BLESSING! I am going to let him know he has a market for whatever punctured bags he has in the future. I am so heartened and grateful for this!

I made something good to eat night before last. I made some "overnight oatmeal". I've never made this before, but it was tasty. It's a combination of milk, oats, chia seeds, honey and fruit. In my case I used some dehydrated apples and a bit of cinnamon. It was quite tasty. I felt like I had done my body a favor, eating it. There are a lot recipes online for variations of overnight oats. I'm anxious to try another one. The key to whether I can get this done may be whether or not I work til 8PM, standing.

 

Unexplained............

I worked last night and happily got to spend most of my shift in Lumber. It was quiet and while doing something else, I found myself humming an old chorus we used to sing in church. I searched my memory banks for the words and then I got just a little bit angry. Here are the words: "Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry; while on others you are calling, do not pass me by". What religious BS. Where is the Biblical basis for such words? When did Christ EVER pass by a person who was needy. He raised the daughter of the wealthy and influential Jairus from the dead. He healed and "made whole" lepers, the lowest of the low of society. He accepted the Samaritan woman who had been married 5 times and was in an illicit relationship at the time. There is no record that I can think of which relates an episode where Christ rejected anyone.

Worst of all, we sang that at the time of an altar call. What a horrible time to implant the idea that a specific penitent person might not be acceptable to Christ. Were we helping people to conclude they were too "bad" to come to Christ? Did we make people think they had to go "clean up their lives" before they could be saved? If so, there we sat singing our religious song, helping Satan to give folks a reason not to answer that altar call........... We were well meaning. Does that count?

This morning I have some old youtube videos playing of a series called "The New Detectives". I just heard the following: "This process was developed in the United States. It is in use in Canada and in Europe. However, it is too expensive for most jurisdictions in the US". To make matters worse, at the time this show was made, a detective had to take some evidence across the border to Canada because they could analyze it and we couldn't. Is that as ridiculous as I think it is? Again, just a little bit angry................

Here's an interesting observation. The employees where i work are all required to watch a video on what to do in the case of an active shooter in the store. We are advised to run. If we can't run, then we're to hide. if our hiding place is discovered, then we are to fight. Yet, even with a valid concealed carry license, we are not to have a weapon on us. As an almost 70-year-old, I can't wait for this weak and wobbly woman to attack a guy with a gun with a hammer. Doesn't that sound like fun? The video shows a male employee going after the shooter with a fire extinguisher. He's gonna bang the bad guy over the head with the thing. Wouldn't he be better off unleashing those chemicals in the bad guy's face? Besides, there is no fire extinguisher near me. i guess I could throw candy bars at the bad guy............. But, you can bet the company figures it has done its duty, telling us how to take care of ourselves.............

Gotta love the little ironies of life...........

 

 

It's a God thing...............

When I left home for work early this afternoon, I'd been sitting on the heating pad for several hours. The pain in my tush was significantly less than it had been when i got up this morning. I wasn't sure about going to work, but, in faith, i went. I stood for 3 hours and then it began to hurt again. Not awful, but enough to know it was a trouble spot. Long story short, I made it through my whole shift. I came home and sat on the heating pad again. Right now, I've laid the heating pad aside. I don't hurt, but I'm sweating and the extra heat just makes that worse!

I've had crazy muscle problems for decades. I wish I had $1 for every hour I've spent with a heating pad or hot rice bag in my lifetime. The heat has always helped some, but never before like it has today. i feel truly blessed.

I learned today that they have scheduled another of those lame company meetings. You know, those meetings where you can't hear what they are saying, can't see the video they're showing, and half the people are either asleep or playing on their phones. Geez, I can hardly wait............Unbelievably, to make matters worse, it's scheduled for 5:30AM on a Sunday. I am not enthusiastic about it. Can you tell?

No other news tonight. God Bless you all.

 

I always thought......

that those padded toilet seats were lame. I'm beginning to reevaluate. Yes, i still have symptoms. Or rather, I still have SYMPTOMS! I just had a really hard time trying to sit on the toilet. I had to ease myself onto it very carefully after my first attempt to just sit down. So, now, I'm sitting on the heating pad. Will it make things any better? Who knows, but it doesn't seem to hurt as much to sit. Walking is iffy for 5 or 6 steps, pretty much out from behind my desk and as far as I have something to hold onto. Once I've made it that far, it seems like the leg will take the weight and I move on.

I want to rave on a product. You know I don't do this often, but I think this product is pretty special. Often I have spoken about ant attacks. It is so hot and dry here in the summer, the old timers hypothesize they come in looking for water. I don't know about that, I just know they bring a new visual image to the Photoshop term "marching ants". In the past all I've had to deal with these streams of ants was Raid spray. The initial smell, the way it lingered and the necessity to wipe up all the dead bugs--totally unsatisfactory. I noticed them about 4 days ago. The enemy forces marched from the top of the door from the garage, down the wall, all over a key rack, further down the wall, and all over a window frame. I bought some Terro ant bait stuff at the store and brought it home. i opened two of the containers and leaned them up against the window frame. Twelve hours later: no "marching ants", no dead bug bodies to wipe up, just two little 2 x 3 (approximately) packs to throw in the trash. I will never be without these things again. To steal from a fancy advertising campaign, "just set 'em and forget 'em". I HIGHLY recommend them. They come in a 6-pack. I paid less than $5. I'm going to be recommending them to customers as well.

So, it's several hours later and I have about 20 minutes til I have to be out the door. I have to say the heating pad has made a big difference. No telling how long it will last, but right now the butt feel almost normal while I'm sitting. Praise be!

 

My butt hurts.............

I worked the late shift tonight. I stood the entire 6 hours except for my breaks. Honestly, it was better than sitting down in that this butt thing is no fun. Nevertheless, I went to work as I was scheduled. To stay home would have handed slewfoot a victory............Sitting down on breaks was painful. It kind of took the shine off of having a break. I ended up being assigned to trash pickup for the first time. That meant I had to go to all the registers and empty the trash in the individual trashcans into big trashbags. Then I was asked if I thought I could take the trash to the back of the store. I wasn't about to say no. So, first the Lord and I pushed one shopping cart and pulled another. It was punishing. Then I had to make my way back up front. I was blessed to find an empty cart in the trash area and that helped me get back where I started. Then I was asked if I thought I could make another trip. Again, I wasn't about to say no, so I pushed a big flatbed cart to the back, thankfully lightly loaded. There were no more empty carts back there so I had to get back up front on prayer and faith and willpower. I made it. Who would have thought I could manage that?

The worst of it seems to be bending in any form and sitting. Weird.

The parts for my Roomba came as promised. They are from China! That kinda bothers me. That miniature bra I got the other day was also made in China. I'm pretty sure trying to return it is useless. I don't like giving my money to China. But I had tried to source the screws I needed and buying them from Amazon which acquired them from China was the only way I could figure to do it. Well, anyway, perhaps the edges will get a tiny bit cleaner. I hope so.

I turned Roomie loose this morning without the edge brush. There's dog hair everywhere, not just around the edges. I emptied the little dirt bin 3 times in the course of things. The bin wasn't completely full any of those times, but there was a substantial amount of hair each time. I noticed Roomie was dropping hair here and there. So, this evening, in addition to fixing the edge brush, I went after the roller brush. The more often that thing gets cleaned, the better the job Roomie can do in her travels..........

I would have liked to turn Roomie loose again tonight, but this morning she pulled one of her favorite tricks. She got herself lost. I didn't find her til I got home from work a couple of hours ago, so she's charging now and I'll get her revved up tomorrow morning again.

I've had all I can stand for tonight. I'm headed to the bedroom............G'night and God Bless.

 

I just can't force nyself

I try. I really do. But it doesn't work. No matter what I do, I can't make myself like green beans. I grew up in the south where people made a "pot of beans". They'd throw some fatback into a pot with a bunch of green beans and cook them all day. I swear, if it weren't for the fast that beans have strings that kind of reinforce their structure, you wouldn't have been able to identify what you were eating. I just didn't like them.

Years later I was married to a guy who thought he could cook. He couldn't. I was served some of the most obnoxious food I've eaten in my entire life during that time. My kid was about 8 or 9 at the time. We'd be out somewhere and she'd ask me what I was making for dinner. I'd respond "I don't know. It's Tony's night to cook." She'd immediately begin to beg me to go out for the evening meal--his "cooking" was SO bad even an 8 year old knew. To make matters worse, because he fancied himself a cook, he absolutely would not listen to any suggestion about how to do things differently. One of his favorite menus called for a canned ham, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Nothing ever got cooked to the point of being hot. He'd put that ham in a baking dish, never removing the gelatinous stuff that was on it and turn the oven on. The ham would be in the oven no more than 30 minutes, starting from a cold oven. Then he'd open a can of those ghastly canned yams, go after them with a potato masher, pile marshmallows on them and put them in the oven for just long enough for the marshmallows to show a little color. Finally, he'd open a can of green beans and dump them into a pot about the time he declared the ham "done" and put them on the electric stove. By the time he carried the ham and the sweet potatoes to the table, he'd grab the beans off the stove and put them on the table. The whole "meal" made me want to gag, and the presence of green beans just made it worse. Even his own kids wouldn't eat that slop............

I tried again tonight. I bought some fresh green beans and decided tonight was the night. Even dressing them with butter and a little garlic powder did not make them any better. I choked down about half what I cooked. Thankfully, turns out Parker will eat them. What does he know? He's a dog. Besides I've heard tell of Labradors eating rocks.............

My butt has not gotten any better. That's the bad news. The good news is that it hasn't gotten any worse. I'm walking funny and somewhat afraid to trust myself to stay upright when I start walking, but it hasn't gotten any worse. I was pretty worried (lack of faith much?) when I was trying to get the fitted sheet on my bed. By the time I accomplished that, my back, butt, and legs all hurt. I was considering the possibility I'd really messed myself up performing that task, but after sitting down for a while, the pain in the back and legs faded.

I am in search of a comfortable bra. I really want to get rid of the underwires. I ordered one of those bras they're advertising with the crossover lace pieces which are supposed to cradle your bosom and uplift. Well, the darn thing is made in China. They really do come here on a "slow boat from China". I don't think I have much of a chance of getting a refund. They are sized very small. I used their size chart and ordered up a size and I still feel like I'm doing a slow dismemberment, just below the bust line. Darn!

It's about bedtime. I will go into the bedroom and see what it will take to extricate myself from this thing...........

Blessed day off..........

I'm home and that's a good thing. That pain that starts in my butt and runs down the back of my leg to somewhere in the calf is back. So far it's mostly the butt that's screaming.

Going to make a sincere effort to get some things done around here today. Not sure how well that will work out with butt/leg pain so I guess I will just ask the good Lord to take away the pain. After all, I'm his favorite child so why wouldn't he do that for me, given that He can. My earthly father would have taken care of the pain if he could have. I can't imagine my heavenly Father will do less.

Starting out with making my bed. That's already been hard and I don't have a clean sheet on there yet, LOL. Somehow, when Parker jumps up on the bed, the mattress moves. It was off center by a good 4 inches. With a king sized mattress, it takes a good bit of pushing, lifting, and shoving to get that straightened out. Next, I rotate the featherbed. I love that thing. When it's freshly rotated, it sure helps the hip pain. However, the rotating is not a whole lot easier than moving the mattress. It involves more bending........... I make sure to turn it a quarter turn everytime I wash the bed linens. The feathers move as you sleep on it. That's both good and bad. They adjust to support various areas depending on the shape of your body. I'm a side sleeper. After I lie down on the featherbed feathers move up from the hip area to support my waist area and down to support the thighs. However, after a few nights, this movement effectively creates a rut in the bed..........And, I have neither the time nor the energy to strip the bed and rotate it again every 3 or 4 nights. So, I settle for rotating it when I change the bed linens and overlook the "rut" in between.

I have been trying to be more diligent about turning Roomie the Roomba loose to do her thing. My theory is that picking up whatever dog hair and dirt she can handle is a good thing. She may do an imperfect job, but even imperfect has to make a dent if done often enough. My main complaint with her has always been that she's not all that good on corners and edges. I took a good look at her a few nights ago and realized the little 3-pronged corner brush has come off, making her edge performance even worse. Months ago I ordered an accessory pack for her--replacement brushes and filters, etc. I have a replacement (3, in fact) for that missing piece. But, what I don't have is the screw to attach it. At first I thought it might just pop into place. No such luck. I tried to buy screws at work. i bought a pack of the smallest screws we have of that type and they don't fit. However I went on Amazon and searched "Roomba screws for edge brush". I found a pack for $8 that contains 6 of those screws. They are due to arrive tomorrow and by tomorrow night, Roomie will be back at her best. Two things I love about the Roomba: you can buy replacement parts from Amazon and fix whatever yourself. I have no doubt the local vacuum cleaner monopoly would charge me $75 to fix something like that on one of the other machines. Secondly, I love that there are literally hundreds of videos on youtube showing you how to fix stuff and what regular maintenance needs to be done. So, again I get to avoid the local vacuum cleaner monopoly and their outrageous prices.

Well, I'm out of coffee so I'm off to the kitchen to fix that and maybe unload the dishwasher while I'm there. Maybe not, not much coffee in me yet to get my body started.............