WOOOOOOOO

IT'S SNOWING!!!

That is all.

Shiver

Got cold last night.  Ok, maybe not cold to the rest of the world, but cold for this part of Texas.

Overnight the low was about 36.  So far, it's only gotten up into the 40's today, and it's already after 2!

Woo - winter weather!  For a couple of days, at least.

Other notes 

- seester comes home (to USA) soon.  YAAY!

- STILL no raise at work.

- talk of "cutting costs" is making me wonder if we get no Christmas bonus this year.  grrrr.

- hubby and mother-in-law been making TAMALES last couple of days.  YUMMMMM.

(excuse me while I drool on myself)

Vacation

WOO!

Two more workdays, then I get three vacation days and two holiday days.  9 days away from work.

YAAAAAAAAAY.

Just had to announce that.

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

:D

Adventures in Plumbing

1 am. 

I was sound asleep and I hear, "CRAP."

Now only half asleep, I ask, "What happened?"

"Pipe's leakin' again."

1 am and I'm now wide awake and worrying about how big of a puddle is building up under our spare room, and thanking fate that I had taken my bath before I went to bed instead of in the morning.

The last time the pipe busted, we had to cut a hole in the floor in the spare room, and Arthur had to cut the metal pipe where it was leaking, and replace with plastic pipe.  He used some kind of coupling to seal the old and new together.

When he got all the boxes and stuff off the corner where the hole had been intentionally covered up, he unscrewed the "hatch" and looked inside.  I was trying to go back to sleep.  I hear some hammering, and some plastic screwingnesses going on, and then, "I need you to go turn the water on."

Ok.  I go get my robe and put on my sandals, go out front, and start turning the shutoff valve slowly.  "It's all the way on." 

"No leaks, I think I got it."

Good.  I go back to bed, he plays on the computer.

4 am.

"It's leakin' again."

I say something I can't remember, and go back to sleep.  Then I hear sawing and a lot of electric screwdrivering.  Then, "I need you to get up.  Go turn the water back on."

Ok.  Robe again.  Sleepy sandals again.  Yawn.  Open front door.  "Ok.  I'm about to turn it on."

"Ok.  Slowly."

Turn the valve slow, don't hear any bad words - ok, good sign.  Turn some more,  even better.  Turn on all the way, "It's on all the way."

"No leaks.  We got it this time."

I get back in and he shows me how he rigged it - the pipe had popped apart - the joint came loose, so he screwed the outside bend to the outside wall to keep it inwards, and screwed the inside metal part down to a wood block under the floor.

This morning, it came a little loose, but not all the way.  He screwed the outside part down a little tighter, and I think we're REALLY good to go now.  We still have the trap door available, though.  Just in case.

My sweetie can fix ANYTHING!

Election Day

I voted.

For the first time in my life, I voted.

Wasn't so bad.

Went over to the fire station about 7:15 this morning.  Only like two people were there voting already.  Signed in.  They asked us, do you want paper or electronic voting.  I said paper.

I work around computers.  I know how they can mess up.  I don't want to risk it.  ;)

Filled it in just like those bubble sheets we used to have for tests in school.  Easy peasy.

Was back out of there in about 5 or 10 minutes. 

YAY.

Rats!

Yes, rats.

Eww.

Cocker Spaniels must be bred for hunting.  Angel kept getting up last night, jumping off the bed and running to the kitchen.  Then running back and settling on the bed, only to jump up again a few minutes later.

So, we go see what she's checking out.  She runs to the kitchen.  She sniffs along the undersides of the floor cabinets, and sniffs by the dryer, and sniffs a lot by the washing machine.

I shake a box that sits next to the washing machine, thinking she saw a wood roach and chased it between the wall, the box, and the washer.  Nothing happens.  I go back to bed.

She goes back to bed.

Then she jumps back down and goes back there again.  I try to sleep.  Arthur gets up to check it out.  He finds a rat pellet on TOP of the washing machine.

EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.

He moves the box between the washer and the wall.  More rat pellets.  EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeew.

He looks behind the washer.  HUGE holes in the floor around the water pipes and the drain pipe.  When I say huge, I mean big enough for a cat to fit through.

So, after freaking out, at 3:30 in the morning, I try to go back to bed, so I can get to work in the morning.  Yeah.  That's a good one.

Arthur spent the rest of the morning moving the washer so he could get to the holes.  After I went to work, he put two plywood boards over the holes, snug around the pipes.  As I write, he's painting them with Kilz (water sealer/primer).  Then he's gonna scoot the washer back into place and we can sleep at night once again.

Rats.  Eew.  But at least it wasn't a 'possum!

Or a fat chicken snake.

(shiver)

Intro and Icy Hot

This "blog" (shudder) is set up for me to blow off steam, and to remind my sister why it's not so bad to be so far away from home.  ;) (love you seester)

First post - how stupid do I have to be?  The last time I used Icy-hot on my back, i broke out in a rash a couple of days later.

So what do I do?  I forget, and use it AGAIN!

Now i have a super-itchy gigantor red bumpy circle on my back.

Brilliant!