We didn't get up today until a little after 9. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. After that it was a little surfing until Melissa showed up. She suggested we take down the tree. It was an excellent suggestion.
I got the containers for the decorations out of the apartment. Melissa and Ellen took the decorations off the tree while I took down the lights on the deck and the gate. Then I put the tree in its box and took everything back to the apartment. After that I went out to the van to help John. He was disassembling his windmill so he could transport it more safely.
After that we had lunch - sandwiches. It was a much nicer day today, cloudy and 62. So we went to Circle-C to walk the dogs. The path has taken some damage in places from the rain.
We'd forgotten to get cat food at Tomlinson's yesterday. So we stopped in there again. We bought cookies for both dogs. Then we parted ways. They went back to walk in the park some more. We went to the post office and HEB to buy stuff for dinner.
When we got home it was surfing and football until dinner time. Dinner was smoked salmon and hamburgers.
After dinner it was more football.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Day 1157
We got up a little after 8. It was cold and raining. We did the pet stuff and had breakfast. Then it was surfing. It was too miserable to do anything else.
John and Melissa felt the same way. They stayed in their apartment until after 11. Then they came over for conversation and lunch. Melissa was disappointed that everything was closed for new years. We resigned ourselves to staying indoors.
The rain stopped a little after lunch. So John and I took his van to Home Depot to pick up the water heater. We had to wait awhile while they got it from the back. When we got it home I got the furniture mover from the back shed. We strapped the water heater to it and put it in the garage. We can't install it until the powered anode comes in.
After that it was football. We needed some groceries, so we left John and Melissa there and took Lucy to HEB and Tomlinson's. When we got back Melissa had gone back to the apartment to work on some project.
John and I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening drinking beer and watching TV. After dinner Melissa and Ellen went into the bedroom and watched some chick flick.
John and Melissa hung around until 10. We surfed until time to go to bed.
John and Melissa felt the same way. They stayed in their apartment until after 11. Then they came over for conversation and lunch. Melissa was disappointed that everything was closed for new years. We resigned ourselves to staying indoors.
The rain stopped a little after lunch. So John and I took his van to Home Depot to pick up the water heater. We had to wait awhile while they got it from the back. When we got it home I got the furniture mover from the back shed. We strapped the water heater to it and put it in the garage. We can't install it until the powered anode comes in.
After that it was football. We needed some groceries, so we left John and Melissa there and took Lucy to HEB and Tomlinson's. When we got back Melissa had gone back to the apartment to work on some project.
John and I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening drinking beer and watching TV. After dinner Melissa and Ellen went into the bedroom and watched some chick flick.
John and Melissa hung around until 10. We surfed until time to go to bed.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Day 1156
I woke up at 7:30, turned over, and went back to sleep until 9. Then we got up to do pet stuff and have breakfast. Daniel got up about half an hour later.
It was cold - low 40's. It didn't get much warmer all day. John and Melissa came over and had some breakfast. Then John and I watched football while the others surfed. John finally got a hold of Isaac. He refused to drive even half way to meet them for lunch. So the three of them drove up to Round Rock. I would have gone with them except that was too damn far to drive.
We had lunch. I needed to do something, so I cleaned off the mess on the kitchen counter. We can actually put things there now. The dog went out. When she came back in I could smell her from across the room. So we took her for a bath. We went to the place on William Cannon. It was packed with a line waiting to wash dogs. So we went to the Petco. It was open.
We stopped at the post office on the way home. When we got home it was surfing. John and Melissa showed up about 5. John and I watched football again while Ellen and Melissa surfed. About 6 we had Lee's smoked salmon for dinner.
After dinner it was more football, with surfing after John and Melissa went back to the apartment.
It was cold - low 40's. It didn't get much warmer all day. John and Melissa came over and had some breakfast. Then John and I watched football while the others surfed. John finally got a hold of Isaac. He refused to drive even half way to meet them for lunch. So the three of them drove up to Round Rock. I would have gone with them except that was too damn far to drive.
We had lunch. I needed to do something, so I cleaned off the mess on the kitchen counter. We can actually put things there now. The dog went out. When she came back in I could smell her from across the room. So we took her for a bath. We went to the place on William Cannon. It was packed with a line waiting to wash dogs. So we went to the Petco. It was open.
We stopped at the post office on the way home. When we got home it was surfing. John and Melissa showed up about 5. John and I watched football again while Ellen and Melissa surfed. About 6 we had Lee's smoked salmon for dinner.
After dinner it was more football, with surfing after John and Melissa went back to the apartment.
Friday, December 28, 2018
Day 1155
We got up about 8:30, did pet stuff and had breakfast. Then it was surfing. Daniel got up about half an hour later. We talked and he played video games. He left to go to the apartment for coffee, and a little later they all came back and fixed themselves breakfast.
I got an email from Home Depot saying that the new water heater has been delivered. We'll probably pick it up in the next couple of days.
We surfed and talked for awhile and then left to go to COTA. We all signed up for two sessions. It was cold, about 55 degrees. It was fun though. I didn't drive very well on the first session because my glasses were askew. I did much better in the second session.
When we were done I wanted a drink. So we went to Red's. We had beer and appetizers. The frito pie was a hit. We had three. After that we stopped by the post office on the way home.
When we got home it was surfing, TV car shows, and video games depending on the person. There wasn't any dinner.
WSU is in the Alamo bowl this year. They are on right now. It's the 4th quarter and they are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
I got an email from Home Depot saying that the new water heater has been delivered. We'll probably pick it up in the next couple of days.
We surfed and talked for awhile and then left to go to COTA. We all signed up for two sessions. It was cold, about 55 degrees. It was fun though. I didn't drive very well on the first session because my glasses were askew. I did much better in the second session.
When we were done I wanted a drink. So we went to Red's. We had beer and appetizers. The frito pie was a hit. We had three. After that we stopped by the post office on the way home.
When we got home it was surfing, TV car shows, and video games depending on the person. There wasn't any dinner.
WSU is in the Alamo bowl this year. They are on right now. It's the 4th quarter and they are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Day 1154
We got up about 8:30. It was pet stuff and breakfast followed by surfing. John and Melissa were in the apartment having breakfast after taking Daniel to I35 to meet Isaac. They were going to Corpus Christi.
About 9:30 the sewer people called. They'd been shut down for Christmas. They said they could have someone here in 45 minutes.
John and Melissa came over and we talked for awhile. Then the sewer guy came and got to work. Ellen and Melissa left to shoose granite for the bathroom. John and I surfed and talked. I found a pick a part place for us to get Bronco parts.
The sewer guy knocked on the door and said the apartment pump needed replacing - $1,300. I said OK. A while later he said the house pump needed replacing, too - another $1,300. He left to pick one of those up. John and I continued to talk and surf.
The sewer guy came back and replaced the pump. He presented me with a $3,000 bill. e said that the reason the pumps failed was the drain field needs to be blown out. He's going to send us an estimate for that. I expect it will be another $1,500. Ellen and Melissa came back just after he left. They have expensive bathroom mods in mind. Fortunately we can afford it all.
We talked and surfed for awhile. All of us walked to the mailbox along with the two dogs. Dinner was various leftovers. John left to go back to I35 to pick up Daniel.
We spent the evening watching car shows. John really likes them. He actually stayed until 10:30 to watch them.
About 9:30 the sewer people called. They'd been shut down for Christmas. They said they could have someone here in 45 minutes.
John and Melissa came over and we talked for awhile. Then the sewer guy came and got to work. Ellen and Melissa left to shoose granite for the bathroom. John and I surfed and talked. I found a pick a part place for us to get Bronco parts.
The sewer guy knocked on the door and said the apartment pump needed replacing - $1,300. I said OK. A while later he said the house pump needed replacing, too - another $1,300. He left to pick one of those up. John and I continued to talk and surf.
The sewer guy came back and replaced the pump. He presented me with a $3,000 bill. e said that the reason the pumps failed was the drain field needs to be blown out. He's going to send us an estimate for that. I expect it will be another $1,500. Ellen and Melissa came back just after he left. They have expensive bathroom mods in mind. Fortunately we can afford it all.
We talked and surfed for awhile. All of us walked to the mailbox along with the two dogs. Dinner was various leftovers. John left to go back to I35 to pick up Daniel.
We spent the evening watching car shows. John really likes them. He actually stayed until 10:30 to watch them.
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Day 1153
We got up at 8 again today. After pet stuff and breakfast we surfed. It was raining pretty hard and we just didn't feel like doing anything. Melissa came over about 10. John and Daniel had left earlier to go look at windmill parts. We talked and surfed together.
The only thing I did was package up my SportEar earplug to send back for repair. I also called the sewer people, but they didn't respond. I'll probably try another place tomorrow.
Melissa was waiting on Isaac to come and take her to lunch. Of course he was late. When he got there we left to go to the post office and leave some stuff for Goodwill. I was jonesing for a hamburger, so we stopped at Mighty Fine. It was good.
We went to HEB on the way home to buy stuff for Melissa's birthday dinner.
When we got home Melissa, John, and Daniel were still out. We surfed. Eventually Melissa showed up with steaks for dinner. She and Ellen started making dinner. John and Daniel showed up sometime later. Apparently John made a major score on windmill parts. Daniel was impressed with how empty west Texas is.
We had a good dinner. I started Jurassic Park before dinner because John wanted to see it. We kept watching and commenting through dinner and finished watching the movie afterwards. When Jurassic Park was over we watched one of the old Star Trek movies that Melissa got for Christmas. It was the last one with Nimoy and Shatner.
The movie ended about 11. There's a big thunderstorm coming this way, so I put the car in the garage.
The only thing I did was package up my SportEar earplug to send back for repair. I also called the sewer people, but they didn't respond. I'll probably try another place tomorrow.
Melissa was waiting on Isaac to come and take her to lunch. Of course he was late. When he got there we left to go to the post office and leave some stuff for Goodwill. I was jonesing for a hamburger, so we stopped at Mighty Fine. It was good.
We went to HEB on the way home to buy stuff for Melissa's birthday dinner.
When we got home Melissa, John, and Daniel were still out. We surfed. Eventually Melissa showed up with steaks for dinner. She and Ellen started making dinner. John and Daniel showed up sometime later. Apparently John made a major score on windmill parts. Daniel was impressed with how empty west Texas is.
We had a good dinner. I started Jurassic Park before dinner because John wanted to see it. We kept watching and commenting through dinner and finished watching the movie afterwards. When Jurassic Park was over we watched one of the old Star Trek movies that Melissa got for Christmas. It was the last one with Nimoy and Shatner.
The movie ended about 11. There's a big thunderstorm coming this way, so I put the car in the garage.
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Day 1152
It was a good Christmas, maybe the best in several years. We got up at 8, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. Then I took oiut the recycle bin. It was full. I met John and Melissa driving out on the way back. They were going to church.
After that I went to the garage and got the ladder, a hammer, and some wood shims. I figured the dish was drooping again, and I was right. Two shims raised it enough raised it enough to give acceptable signal strength. I didn't want to spend the time to put in metal shims. At least it was warm, 65. It later got to a little over 70.
Daniel was getting up when I came back in. I think my banging on the shims might have had something to do with it. I started surfing. When Melissa got back she made breakfast for everyone - bacon and eggs. After that we all talked and surfed. Daniel played games online. We started watching TV (NBA games) when they came on about noon. There's no football of any type today.
I got the chairs ready for dinner. I needed my garage chair and one from the apartment kitchen to have enough for everyone. I also went in search of the other table leaf. I couldn't find it to save my life. I looked in all of the closets, under all of the beds, in the apartment. I even looked in the well house and the back shed. No luck. I have no idea where it went. I finally gave up and had a drink.
Ellen and Melissa were working on dinner while I was searching. They continued while John and I watched a car auction.
Isaac and company were supposed to show up at 1. They got here about 2. Ellen started cooking the shrimp and ham. While they were cooking we all opened presents. It was great. I got a full auto BB gun. Ellen got this huge set of pots and pans. Then we had dinner. It was lots of fun. Conversation, stories, and comments on the car auction when there wasn't anything else to talk about. I really enjoyed myself.
After dinner John, Daniel, Isaac, and company went to the living room. They started playing video games on the TV and graduated to NBA games. I called Hooch. I talked to everyone, including Mom. She sounded OK, but I'm sure she doesn't remember me. She didn't remember opening presents an hour before I called.
The rest of the evening was watching games and surfing. Isaac and company left about 7. Melissa and John left about 9. Daniel went to bed soon after. He's going with John to get windmill parts tomorrow.
I took a huge load of cardboard boxes to the recycle. Then I spent 15 minutes or so cutting them up to fit in the can. It's going to be pretty full when they come to pick it up. Then I surfed until bed.
After that I went to the garage and got the ladder, a hammer, and some wood shims. I figured the dish was drooping again, and I was right. Two shims raised it enough raised it enough to give acceptable signal strength. I didn't want to spend the time to put in metal shims. At least it was warm, 65. It later got to a little over 70.
Daniel was getting up when I came back in. I think my banging on the shims might have had something to do with it. I started surfing. When Melissa got back she made breakfast for everyone - bacon and eggs. After that we all talked and surfed. Daniel played games online. We started watching TV (NBA games) when they came on about noon. There's no football of any type today.
I got the chairs ready for dinner. I needed my garage chair and one from the apartment kitchen to have enough for everyone. I also went in search of the other table leaf. I couldn't find it to save my life. I looked in all of the closets, under all of the beds, in the apartment. I even looked in the well house and the back shed. No luck. I have no idea where it went. I finally gave up and had a drink.
Ellen and Melissa were working on dinner while I was searching. They continued while John and I watched a car auction.
Isaac and company were supposed to show up at 1. They got here about 2. Ellen started cooking the shrimp and ham. While they were cooking we all opened presents. It was great. I got a full auto BB gun. Ellen got this huge set of pots and pans. Then we had dinner. It was lots of fun. Conversation, stories, and comments on the car auction when there wasn't anything else to talk about. I really enjoyed myself.
After dinner John, Daniel, Isaac, and company went to the living room. They started playing video games on the TV and graduated to NBA games. I called Hooch. I talked to everyone, including Mom. She sounded OK, but I'm sure she doesn't remember me. She didn't remember opening presents an hour before I called.
The rest of the evening was watching games and surfing. Isaac and company left about 7. Melissa and John left about 9. Daniel went to bed soon after. He's going with John to get windmill parts tomorrow.
I took a huge load of cardboard boxes to the recycle. Then I spent 15 minutes or so cutting them up to fit in the can. It's going to be pretty full when they come to pick it up. Then I surfed until bed.
Monday, December 24, 2018
Day 1151
We got up a little after 8 and did pet stuff and breakfast. After that we did a little surfing. Ellen did the wash. I'm more concerned about the sewer. It was buzzing faintly when we got up. It was louder after the wash. Melissa came over about 9 and she and Elln made baklava.
John came over and we talked until it was time for them to leave to pick up Daniel. We stayed until the baklava got out of the oven. Then we went to Central Market to buy stuff for tomorrow. We bought salad stuff and shrimp. We also got Melissa another cake. This one is chocolate. The parking lot was packed. We also stopped at the doggy bakery. They are no longer baking anything.
I wanted some pop. Central Market doesn't have much pop, so we stopped at HEB. We got pop and the ingredients for Key Lime pie.
We were home before John and Melissa. That wasn't surprising since they had to drive back to Round Rock to get the dog. Isaac refused to even meet them half way. We put away the groceries and laundry. Then Ellen fixed the shrimp while I surfed.
John, Melissa, and Daniel showed up about a hour later. We talked for awhile and I texted Lee about the TV. Melissa fixed dinner (quesadillas) with a very little help from Ellen. They were almost ready when Lee texted back. John and I loaded the TV in the van and took it over. We spent some time there and had a beer. Of course that didn't make us popular back home.
After dinner it was football. Daniel spent almost all the time since we got here playing a video game. He's as bad as Ellen.
John came over and we talked until it was time for them to leave to pick up Daniel. We stayed until the baklava got out of the oven. Then we went to Central Market to buy stuff for tomorrow. We bought salad stuff and shrimp. We also got Melissa another cake. This one is chocolate. The parking lot was packed. We also stopped at the doggy bakery. They are no longer baking anything.
I wanted some pop. Central Market doesn't have much pop, so we stopped at HEB. We got pop and the ingredients for Key Lime pie.
We were home before John and Melissa. That wasn't surprising since they had to drive back to Round Rock to get the dog. Isaac refused to even meet them half way. We put away the groceries and laundry. Then Ellen fixed the shrimp while I surfed.
John, Melissa, and Daniel showed up about a hour later. We talked for awhile and I texted Lee about the TV. Melissa fixed dinner (quesadillas) with a very little help from Ellen. They were almost ready when Lee texted back. John and I loaded the TV in the van and took it over. We spent some time there and had a beer. Of course that didn't make us popular back home.
After dinner it was football. Daniel spent almost all the time since we got here playing a video game. He's as bad as Ellen.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Day 1150
We got up a little after 8. We did pet stuff and breakfast. Then it was surfing until about 10:30 when the four of us left for the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.
We got to the Parmer center at just about 11:00 when it opened. We parked on the lowest level of the parking structure. The bazaar was interesting. There were about 75 or so booths selling the usual craft fair stuff - jewelry, paintings, wood and metal sculptures, etc. The difference was that all of the artists were really talented. There was also music, some sort of swing type western music that I wasn't too thrilled with.
We walked through the whole thing and bought a couple of presents for people. John and Melissa didn't buy anything. We left a little after 12. We walked across the street to a BBQ place to eat lunch. I'd always wanted to go there, but it has a small parking lot that always seems to be full. It was really good BBQ.
We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home so John and Melissa could stock up on wine. Then we stopped at the post office. There were two packages, one for us and one for Melissa.
It was football time when we got home. John drank beer and I drank rum and cokes. I texted Lee. He said he could pick up the TV tomorrow afternoon.
Dinner was leftover crab and a roast chicken we bought a few days ago. After that it was more football and surfing.
We got to the Parmer center at just about 11:00 when it opened. We parked on the lowest level of the parking structure. The bazaar was interesting. There were about 75 or so booths selling the usual craft fair stuff - jewelry, paintings, wood and metal sculptures, etc. The difference was that all of the artists were really talented. There was also music, some sort of swing type western music that I wasn't too thrilled with.
We walked through the whole thing and bought a couple of presents for people. John and Melissa didn't buy anything. We left a little after 12. We walked across the street to a BBQ place to eat lunch. I'd always wanted to go there, but it has a small parking lot that always seems to be full. It was really good BBQ.
We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home so John and Melissa could stock up on wine. Then we stopped at the post office. There were two packages, one for us and one for Melissa.
It was football time when we got home. John drank beer and I drank rum and cokes. I texted Lee. He said he could pick up the TV tomorrow afternoon.
Dinner was leftover crab and a roast chicken we bought a few days ago. After that it was more football and surfing.
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Day 1149
We ddin't get up until after 9 today. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. Melissa texted us after 10 to tell us where Isaac's storage until was. We left a little while after we got the text.
The storage is a 40 mile drive from our house. We took the loop1 and 45 toll roads because we didn't want to take anymore time than necessary. We made good time and great mileage (38). We got there just as they were unloading the shelving from the van.
The shelving was all used metal shelving. Allegedly it was all the pieces that had been salvaged. The shelf brackets sure weren't the right ones. We (mainly John) had to modify a lot of shelves to use the brackets that came with them. Isaac's girlfirend's brother helped a whole lot. He's a real worker. Isaac and his girlfriend moved all of their stuff from their second floor cube to the new bigger one on the third floor.
We worked until 1 and then went to a pizza place for lunch. Then we went back and finished the job. It took until almost 5. There were only 7 or 8 racks of shelves. With the right brackets we would have been done in an hour or so. We stopped at an HEB to fuel up on the way home. Premium was 30 cents cheaper up there than it is in the south.
We got home by 6. We got back a lot before John and Melissa because they didn't take the toll roads. Dinner was crab legs and salad.
After dinner was football and surfing.
The storage is a 40 mile drive from our house. We took the loop1 and 45 toll roads because we didn't want to take anymore time than necessary. We made good time and great mileage (38). We got there just as they were unloading the shelving from the van.
The shelving was all used metal shelving. Allegedly it was all the pieces that had been salvaged. The shelf brackets sure weren't the right ones. We (mainly John) had to modify a lot of shelves to use the brackets that came with them. Isaac's girlfirend's brother helped a whole lot. He's a real worker. Isaac and his girlfriend moved all of their stuff from their second floor cube to the new bigger one on the third floor.
We worked until 1 and then went to a pizza place for lunch. Then we went back and finished the job. It took until almost 5. There were only 7 or 8 racks of shelves. With the right brackets we would have been done in an hour or so. We stopped at an HEB to fuel up on the way home. Premium was 30 cents cheaper up there than it is in the south.
We got home by 6. We got back a lot before John and Melissa because they didn't take the toll roads. Dinner was crab legs and salad.
After dinner was football and surfing.
Friday, December 21, 2018
Day 1148
The dog got us up at 8 by harking like she was going to barf. I let her outside. When she came back she was still harking a little. She got rice for breakfast. After we had breakfast it was time for a little surfing. then I got out an erector set RC race car that I'd ordered from Amazon.
I spent the rest of the morning putting the car together. John and Melissa came over about 11 and they talked while I put the car together. Ellen turned on the Traeger and cooked some chicken legs for the Hog Heaven potluck this afternoon. I finished the car a little after noon. Then Ellen and I went out to get my drugs at CVS and the mail. John and Melissa went to Circle C to walk the dog.
John and Melissa were back before we were. Ellen finished packing up the chicken and left for Hog Heaven. I surfed. John and Melissa showed up about 5. The three of us had leftovers for dinner. Then we talked for awhile. John and I decided it was time for a Christmas movie - Die Hard. Ellen came home just after the movie started.
The movie was great, as usual. It was better because it was in 4K.
John and Melissa left when the movie was over. We surfed for awhile and then went to bed.
I spent the rest of the morning putting the car together. John and Melissa came over about 11 and they talked while I put the car together. Ellen turned on the Traeger and cooked some chicken legs for the Hog Heaven potluck this afternoon. I finished the car a little after noon. Then Ellen and I went out to get my drugs at CVS and the mail. John and Melissa went to Circle C to walk the dog.
John and Melissa were back before we were. Ellen finished packing up the chicken and left for Hog Heaven. I surfed. John and Melissa showed up about 5. The three of us had leftovers for dinner. Then we talked for awhile. John and I decided it was time for a Christmas movie - Die Hard. Ellen came home just after the movie started.
The movie was great, as usual. It was better because it was in 4K.
John and Melissa left when the movie was over. We surfed for awhile and then went to bed.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Day 1147
I'm not sure what time we got up this morning. It wasn't early. Getting up begore 8 two days in a row was enough. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast, followed by a little surfing.
I decided to go out to the garage and finish the clean up activity that I'd stopped a coupe of days ago. I put away some stuff, threw away some stuff, and put some stuff in the Goodwill pile. When I was finished with that I put a new connector on the antennas wire in the bedroom. The TV still only picks up 2 channels. I went up in the attic to look at the other end of the cable. It's loose, so I might try to fix it tomorrow.
We left for the post office about 11:30. The first stop though was Circle C. The three of us walked around the park (John is up north with Isaac). The dogs had a great time. Then we went to the post office to pick up a check for Melissa. We stopped at Costco so she could pick up some Christmas cards she had printed. We took the opportunity to purchase a bunch of food. Included was some seafood - scallops and king crab legs.
On the way home we stopped at Chase to deposit Melissa's check. The final stop was a brand new doggy bakery next to Chase.
When we got home Ellen went to Hog Heaven. Melissa went to the apartment. I surfed. At 5 I took Lucy to the mailbox and John and Melissa came to the house. Melissa started making the scallops for dinner. Ellen showed up a little later and helped her. They were great.
After dinner we watched a football game. When that was done it was more surfing and bed.
I'm really worried about the sewer. The light is still on at the apartment and the house alarm buzzes faintly every night. I've tried alling and emailing the sewer people, but they haven't responded.
I decided to go out to the garage and finish the clean up activity that I'd stopped a coupe of days ago. I put away some stuff, threw away some stuff, and put some stuff in the Goodwill pile. When I was finished with that I put a new connector on the antennas wire in the bedroom. The TV still only picks up 2 channels. I went up in the attic to look at the other end of the cable. It's loose, so I might try to fix it tomorrow.
We left for the post office about 11:30. The first stop though was Circle C. The three of us walked around the park (John is up north with Isaac). The dogs had a great time. Then we went to the post office to pick up a check for Melissa. We stopped at Costco so she could pick up some Christmas cards she had printed. We took the opportunity to purchase a bunch of food. Included was some seafood - scallops and king crab legs.
On the way home we stopped at Chase to deposit Melissa's check. The final stop was a brand new doggy bakery next to Chase.
When we got home Ellen went to Hog Heaven. Melissa went to the apartment. I surfed. At 5 I took Lucy to the mailbox and John and Melissa came to the house. Melissa started making the scallops for dinner. Ellen showed up a little later and helped her. They were great.
After dinner we watched a football game. When that was done it was more surfing and bed.
I'm really worried about the sewer. The light is still on at the apartment and the house alarm buzzes faintly every night. I've tried alling and emailing the sewer people, but they haven't responded.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Day 1146
We got up about 7:20, did pet stuff and had breakfast. At 8 we left for San Angelo. We took both vehicles so that we could take the dogs. I took the truck.
Traffic in Dripping Springs was lousy. There were multi-cycle waits at all of the lights. We finally got through and on to Fredericksburg. From there we went north through Menard and another small town before getting to San Angelo. We made good time, traveling at 70 most of the way. The truck worked fine and got almost 20 MPG. This is the best mileage I've seen with it since it was new. Also there's less turbo whine than there used to be.
It was a long trip, over 200 miles. We decided to listen to the book on tape that we were listening to when we arrived. We also listened to it on the way back. There's still several CD's to go.
We got into San Angelo about 11:30. We stopped at a restaurant/bar for lunch. We were done just in time to make our 1:00 appointment at the aermotor factory. The receptionist introduced us to the head builder. He's been there for over 20 years and knows everything there is to know about aermotor windmills. He gave us a two hour tour that covered how everything is made. He spent a lot of time answering John's questions about the windmill parts that he's acquired.
I fell in love with the sheet metal rear vanes. So I bought one and the support hardware to attach it to the garage. It's going to look great.
It was time to go home when the tour was over. We went back on 87 and 71 through Llano. It was dark by the time we got north of Bee Cave. Traffic was a little heavy through Bee Cave even though we were going south. It was really backed up when we got to the Y. So we took a side street around the back of the Goodwill shopping center and out on 290. We got home after 6. We got 19.8 MPG on the way back, including the traffic delays.
We ate leftovers for dinner - chicken, pizza (from San Angelo), fish and shrimp. It was all good. After dinner we talked until about 9. Then John and Melissa went to bed.
Traffic in Dripping Springs was lousy. There were multi-cycle waits at all of the lights. We finally got through and on to Fredericksburg. From there we went north through Menard and another small town before getting to San Angelo. We made good time, traveling at 70 most of the way. The truck worked fine and got almost 20 MPG. This is the best mileage I've seen with it since it was new. Also there's less turbo whine than there used to be.
It was a long trip, over 200 miles. We decided to listen to the book on tape that we were listening to when we arrived. We also listened to it on the way back. There's still several CD's to go.
We got into San Angelo about 11:30. We stopped at a restaurant/bar for lunch. We were done just in time to make our 1:00 appointment at the aermotor factory. The receptionist introduced us to the head builder. He's been there for over 20 years and knows everything there is to know about aermotor windmills. He gave us a two hour tour that covered how everything is made. He spent a lot of time answering John's questions about the windmill parts that he's acquired.
I fell in love with the sheet metal rear vanes. So I bought one and the support hardware to attach it to the garage. It's going to look great.
It was time to go home when the tour was over. We went back on 87 and 71 through Llano. It was dark by the time we got north of Bee Cave. Traffic was a little heavy through Bee Cave even though we were going south. It was really backed up when we got to the Y. So we took a side street around the back of the Goodwill shopping center and out on 290. We got home after 6. We got 19.8 MPG on the way back, including the traffic delays.
We ate leftovers for dinner - chicken, pizza (from San Angelo), fish and shrimp. It was all good. After dinner we talked until about 9. Then John and Melissa went to bed.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Day 1145
I didn't sleep well last night. I was obsessing over what would happen when we went to get the truck. Ellen woke up at 5:30 to pee. She woke me up, and I couldn't get back to sleep. The alarm went off at 7:30. We got up, did pet stuff, and had breakfast. Then we went to the dealership.
When we got there Joey (the service writer) told me that they weren't going to charge me the $8K. However, we had to wait while the service manager "worked the numbers". After about an hour I met with him and some lady (actually a dike). They tried to get me to sell them the truck. They offered me $15K saying they had a buyer. They offered me $25K on a trade in (which was just adding the existing incentive on 2018 trucks). Of course I told them no. They said it was a good deal because my truck was only worth $8K. I still said no. Finally they said they needed some more time to "work the numbers".
After a little more wait they said they'd settle for $5,200. That's about $1,000 more than it should have been, but I didn't want to argue. We did the deal. The whole time Joey was bitching about the $8K injectors. I told him new OEM was on the web for $3K a set. I later found out that they put in re-manufactured ones, which are about $2K a set. He still maintained "gm parts .com" wanted $1K a piece.
We went home. At home Melissa was putting in the dimmer switch for the living room fan. She was bored. We surfed and talked for awhile and I ordered a water heater. Then we had lunch, left overs and sandwiches.
We took Lucy with us when we went to Central Market. We stopped at the dog bakery first. Unfortunately they are selling the business.
We bought the makings for a shrimp and salmon dinner along with a white cake for Melissa. Then it was a quick stop at the post office and home.
When we got home Melissa and I surfed, John worked on the light in his van, and Ellen put the shrimp and fish on the Traeger. It was a great meal.
After dinner we talked until about 9:30. Then they left and we surfed for awhile.
When we got there Joey (the service writer) told me that they weren't going to charge me the $8K. However, we had to wait while the service manager "worked the numbers". After about an hour I met with him and some lady (actually a dike). They tried to get me to sell them the truck. They offered me $15K saying they had a buyer. They offered me $25K on a trade in (which was just adding the existing incentive on 2018 trucks). Of course I told them no. They said it was a good deal because my truck was only worth $8K. I still said no. Finally they said they needed some more time to "work the numbers".
After a little more wait they said they'd settle for $5,200. That's about $1,000 more than it should have been, but I didn't want to argue. We did the deal. The whole time Joey was bitching about the $8K injectors. I told him new OEM was on the web for $3K a set. I later found out that they put in re-manufactured ones, which are about $2K a set. He still maintained "gm parts .com" wanted $1K a piece.
We went home. At home Melissa was putting in the dimmer switch for the living room fan. She was bored. We surfed and talked for awhile and I ordered a water heater. Then we had lunch, left overs and sandwiches.
We took Lucy with us when we went to Central Market. We stopped at the dog bakery first. Unfortunately they are selling the business.
We bought the makings for a shrimp and salmon dinner along with a white cake for Melissa. Then it was a quick stop at the post office and home.
When we got home Melissa and I surfed, John worked on the light in his van, and Ellen put the shrimp and fish on the Traeger. It was a great meal.
After dinner we talked until about 9:30. Then they left and we surfed for awhile.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Day 1144
We didn't get up until a little after 9. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. We surfed for a little while and then Melissa came over. I called the dealership, they said the truck would be ready today. So I went out to the garage to look for a RCA connector to repair the antenna cable in the bedroom.
I looked for a connector in the obvious places and couldn't find one. I decided to search for one on the shelves by the window. That turned in to a general clean up of those shelves. I spent quite awhile at it, but didn't find any connectors. I did manage to reorganize some stuff, but there's a lot more to go.
John came out and borrowed a Dremel to mod the apartment door a little to make it close easier. When he got done with that I called a halt to the reorganize and we went to see a guy on Brodie about windmill parts.
The guy was really interested. He has been restoring machinery for years. Most of it was WWII vehicles. He's now working on a 1930's tractor and a windmill. He had some windmill parts that John might be interested in, but John delayed purchasing them. We spent a lot of time taking to him about his past and present projects.
It was after 1 when we got through there, so we drove up Brodie to La Crema and had lunch. Then we stopped at Lowe's so I could get connectors. I also got a dimmer for the living room, the new light is really bright. Then we stopped at the Wine store. It was a real hit. John and Melissa bought a dozen bottles of wine. We also bought some beer and some cider to take to Martha.
The last stops were the post office and a gas station. When we got home Ellen cooked dinner (meatloaf), Melissa and I surfed, and John tried to fix the dome light in their van.
About 5:30 the dealership called to say the truck was ready. I said we were about to eat dinner and I'd pick it up tomorrow morning. They guy called back a little later to say he'd made a mistake. According to him he'd "forgotten" to add the gost of the injectors they replaced, a little matter of $8,000. I told him there was no way I was going to pay that and I would never have authorized $12,000 worth of work on the vehicle. He said he'd talk to his supervisor and hung up.
After he hung up I looked it up on the web. A set of 8 new injectors can be had on the web for $3,000 or less. Of course I'll be going there early tomorrow morning to straighten this out.
After dinner we watched football and talked some. The general consensus is that they probably spent a lot more labor on the job than they thought. Also, it sounds like the truck didn't really need injectors at all. Instead it looks like it needs a new fuel pressure regulator.
FUCK
I looked for a connector in the obvious places and couldn't find one. I decided to search for one on the shelves by the window. That turned in to a general clean up of those shelves. I spent quite awhile at it, but didn't find any connectors. I did manage to reorganize some stuff, but there's a lot more to go.
John came out and borrowed a Dremel to mod the apartment door a little to make it close easier. When he got done with that I called a halt to the reorganize and we went to see a guy on Brodie about windmill parts.
The guy was really interested. He has been restoring machinery for years. Most of it was WWII vehicles. He's now working on a 1930's tractor and a windmill. He had some windmill parts that John might be interested in, but John delayed purchasing them. We spent a lot of time taking to him about his past and present projects.
It was after 1 when we got through there, so we drove up Brodie to La Crema and had lunch. Then we stopped at Lowe's so I could get connectors. I also got a dimmer for the living room, the new light is really bright. Then we stopped at the Wine store. It was a real hit. John and Melissa bought a dozen bottles of wine. We also bought some beer and some cider to take to Martha.
The last stops were the post office and a gas station. When we got home Ellen cooked dinner (meatloaf), Melissa and I surfed, and John tried to fix the dome light in their van.
About 5:30 the dealership called to say the truck was ready. I said we were about to eat dinner and I'd pick it up tomorrow morning. They guy called back a little later to say he'd made a mistake. According to him he'd "forgotten" to add the gost of the injectors they replaced, a little matter of $8,000. I told him there was no way I was going to pay that and I would never have authorized $12,000 worth of work on the vehicle. He said he'd talk to his supervisor and hung up.
After he hung up I looked it up on the web. A set of 8 new injectors can be had on the web for $3,000 or less. Of course I'll be going there early tomorrow morning to straighten this out.
After dinner we watched football and talked some. The general consensus is that they probably spent a lot more labor on the job than they thought. Also, it sounds like the truck didn't really need injectors at all. Instead it looks like it needs a new fuel pressure regulator.
FUCK
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Day 1143
I woke up at 7:30, but didn't get up until 8:30. I spent that hour playing with the cat and drifting in and out of sleep. It was great. After that it was pet stuff, breakfast, and surfing.
John and Melissa had gone out in the morning. They knocked on the door when they got back. We talked for a little while and then we went to Best Buy. We took our car and they took the van. The van only has two seats. We bought them coffee when we got there. Then we picked up the TV.
When we got home we unpacked the new TV and tested it. It worked fine with no interaction with the DirecTV receiver. Then John helped me take the old TV off the wall and put it in the study for Lee. I spent quite awhile after that pulling wire. I removed two AV sets from the wall. I thought we didn't need them anymore. Then I pulled another HDMI cable. That allowed me to remove the HDMI switch that I had been using. Then I cleaned everything up.
Everyone else was having lunch while I was doing all of that. It was about 2 when I was done, so I called a lunch break for myself. When I was finished John and I hung the new TV. Melissa connected the cables. Then it was Ellen's turn to reprogram the remote.
While she was doing that I went out to the garage and got down the old TV's box. I removed the stand from it and took it to the garbage. I cut up the box so it would fit in the recycle. Then I broke up all of the Styrofoam so it would fit in the garbage. Then I did the same thing for the box the new TV came in. When I was finished there was just a little room left in both cans.
Isaac had come down to 290 this afternoon to go to Goodwill. So we met him, his girlfriend, and her brother at the Cajun place about 5. I just got done with the garbage in time. The Cajun place has lots of vegetarian options. We had a good meal. I think John and Melissa were really glad to see him.
We were back home about 6:30. We were all looking for things on the internet. John and I looked for windmills (his current passion). Ellen was looking for more info on programming the remote. Melissa was looking for flowers. We were talking about various subjects at the same time. They left a little after 9.
Ellen mentioned that the TV sound (for off air and internet) doesn't play through the receiver. I said of course, one of the wires I'd removed used to supply the receiver with TV sound. This bugged me, so I decided to take the TV off the wall and pull an optical cable through the wall. Ellen helped with the TV. The cable pulling went pretty smoothly except for some trouble with the string I used to pull the cable.
We put the TV back up and everything worked as expected. The only problem right now is that Ellen can't get the new TV to program the on air channels. It only sees two channels. The other TV sees a lot. There's no mention at all of the on air input in the user manual. She's going to try the website.
John and Melissa had gone out in the morning. They knocked on the door when they got back. We talked for a little while and then we went to Best Buy. We took our car and they took the van. The van only has two seats. We bought them coffee when we got there. Then we picked up the TV.
When we got home we unpacked the new TV and tested it. It worked fine with no interaction with the DirecTV receiver. Then John helped me take the old TV off the wall and put it in the study for Lee. I spent quite awhile after that pulling wire. I removed two AV sets from the wall. I thought we didn't need them anymore. Then I pulled another HDMI cable. That allowed me to remove the HDMI switch that I had been using. Then I cleaned everything up.
Everyone else was having lunch while I was doing all of that. It was about 2 when I was done, so I called a lunch break for myself. When I was finished John and I hung the new TV. Melissa connected the cables. Then it was Ellen's turn to reprogram the remote.
While she was doing that I went out to the garage and got down the old TV's box. I removed the stand from it and took it to the garbage. I cut up the box so it would fit in the recycle. Then I broke up all of the Styrofoam so it would fit in the garbage. Then I did the same thing for the box the new TV came in. When I was finished there was just a little room left in both cans.
Isaac had come down to 290 this afternoon to go to Goodwill. So we met him, his girlfriend, and her brother at the Cajun place about 5. I just got done with the garbage in time. The Cajun place has lots of vegetarian options. We had a good meal. I think John and Melissa were really glad to see him.
We were back home about 6:30. We were all looking for things on the internet. John and I looked for windmills (his current passion). Ellen was looking for more info on programming the remote. Melissa was looking for flowers. We were talking about various subjects at the same time. They left a little after 9.
Ellen mentioned that the TV sound (for off air and internet) doesn't play through the receiver. I said of course, one of the wires I'd removed used to supply the receiver with TV sound. This bugged me, so I decided to take the TV off the wall and pull an optical cable through the wall. Ellen helped with the TV. The cable pulling went pretty smoothly except for some trouble with the string I used to pull the cable.
We put the TV back up and everything worked as expected. The only problem right now is that Ellen can't get the new TV to program the on air channels. It only sees two channels. The other TV sees a lot. There's no mention at all of the on air input in the user manual. She's going to try the website.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Day 1142
I woke up about 8 this morning and was out of bed by 8:30. After pet stuff and breakfast it was time to continue the battle of the bookcase.
I went out to the back shed and got a couple of boxes. I assembled one and put all of the books that we decided to give away yesterday into it. That gave us enough room to move. Then we went through the rest of the bookcase. We gave away some more books, and identified some that we'll give to other people. Finally I taped up the last box and put everything in the car. The last box was big and very heavy. I probably shouldn't have tried to lift it. My back felt bad for the rest of the day.
After that I went out to the garage. I turned on the heat in the apartment. The water heater was already on, Isaac hadn't turned it off. Then I brought the ladder back to the house. I set it up and removed the old lamp shade, light fixture, and light fixture mount. I got off the ladder and tried to fit the new light fixture on the fixture mount. It was supposed to fit, but it didn't. The fixture mount required a flush fit, and the switch on the new light fixture stuck up above its edge.
That meant another Dremel project. I went out to the garage and cut a hole in the fixture mount to allow the new one to fit. I used a cutoff wheel and a rasp. The screws supplied with the new fixture were too short, so I replaced them with longer ones. Then I screwed the whole thing together and went back to the house. I attached the whole thing to the fan. I was really glad that it all worked.
Ellen and I both hate the CFL bulbs that came with the new fixture. So after lunch (leftover sloppy joes) we went out. We stopped at Goodwill to get rid of the books, the post office, and then Home Depot. Traffic around Brodie was insane. We bought warm LED bulbs for the fixture. Then we stopped at HEB for food for John and Melissa. It was packed. Then it was home.
When we got home I took water over to the apartment. I put some of the water in the refrigerator and turned it on. Then I took the dog to the mailbox.
John and Melissa showed up about 6:30. Ellen had dinner (chicken and mashed potatoes) ready for them. We had a good dinner and talked until about 9. Then they went to bed. We surfed for awhile and went to bed ourselves.
I went out to the back shed and got a couple of boxes. I assembled one and put all of the books that we decided to give away yesterday into it. That gave us enough room to move. Then we went through the rest of the bookcase. We gave away some more books, and identified some that we'll give to other people. Finally I taped up the last box and put everything in the car. The last box was big and very heavy. I probably shouldn't have tried to lift it. My back felt bad for the rest of the day.
After that I went out to the garage. I turned on the heat in the apartment. The water heater was already on, Isaac hadn't turned it off. Then I brought the ladder back to the house. I set it up and removed the old lamp shade, light fixture, and light fixture mount. I got off the ladder and tried to fit the new light fixture on the fixture mount. It was supposed to fit, but it didn't. The fixture mount required a flush fit, and the switch on the new light fixture stuck up above its edge.
That meant another Dremel project. I went out to the garage and cut a hole in the fixture mount to allow the new one to fit. I used a cutoff wheel and a rasp. The screws supplied with the new fixture were too short, so I replaced them with longer ones. Then I screwed the whole thing together and went back to the house. I attached the whole thing to the fan. I was really glad that it all worked.
Ellen and I both hate the CFL bulbs that came with the new fixture. So after lunch (leftover sloppy joes) we went out. We stopped at Goodwill to get rid of the books, the post office, and then Home Depot. Traffic around Brodie was insane. We bought warm LED bulbs for the fixture. Then we stopped at HEB for food for John and Melissa. It was packed. Then it was home.
When we got home I took water over to the apartment. I put some of the water in the refrigerator and turned it on. Then I took the dog to the mailbox.
John and Melissa showed up about 6:30. Ellen had dinner (chicken and mashed potatoes) ready for them. We had a good dinner and talked until about 9. Then they went to bed. We surfed for awhile and went to bed ourselves.
Friday, December 14, 2018
Day 1141
We got up about 8:15. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. It was cold and still blowing. I did go outside to check on the truck shelter. The roof was starting to blow off. So I got out the ladder, re-positioned it, and tied it back down.
The rest of the morning was spent surfing. About 11:30 I called the Amish. They said that the bookcase would be ready for delivery next week. That got me started clearing out the old bookcase. I'd been meaning to do that for awhile, but hadn't got around to it. The new bookcase only holds about half the stuff of the current one.
Ellen and I spent the next hour and a half going through the bookcase contents and deciding what to throw away. We pitched old paperback, photography books, hobby books, and a lot of old software. We got about half of it done before I decided to stop for lunch. After lunch we went to the post office. We had to pick up a package and see about one that hadn't been delivered even though Amazon said it had.
At the post office I got the first package and asked about the second. The lady went back and found it. My Christmas tip to her pays off.
Then we went to Best Buy. It was cold, so we stopped at the coffee shop there. Then we went to Best Buy and picked up the rest of the SD cards. We also got them to hold the TV until next Wednesday. The dealership didn't call today (I didn't expect it). On Monday I'm going to tell them to either have the truck ready on Tuesday or give me a loaner to pick up the TV in. I'm getting a little pissed off at them.
We stopped at HEB on the way home to pick up bread and lunch meat. Then we went to Tomlinson's to get cat food. Lucy made out like a bandit.
When we got home I had to tie down the other end of the truck shelter roof. Then I spent about 45 minutes boxing up the books we no longer want and sorting some of the ones we hadn't got to. Then it was time to take the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was sloppy joes. After dinner was TV - Ellen's fantasy shows.
The rest of the morning was spent surfing. About 11:30 I called the Amish. They said that the bookcase would be ready for delivery next week. That got me started clearing out the old bookcase. I'd been meaning to do that for awhile, but hadn't got around to it. The new bookcase only holds about half the stuff of the current one.
Ellen and I spent the next hour and a half going through the bookcase contents and deciding what to throw away. We pitched old paperback, photography books, hobby books, and a lot of old software. We got about half of it done before I decided to stop for lunch. After lunch we went to the post office. We had to pick up a package and see about one that hadn't been delivered even though Amazon said it had.
At the post office I got the first package and asked about the second. The lady went back and found it. My Christmas tip to her pays off.
Then we went to Best Buy. It was cold, so we stopped at the coffee shop there. Then we went to Best Buy and picked up the rest of the SD cards. We also got them to hold the TV until next Wednesday. The dealership didn't call today (I didn't expect it). On Monday I'm going to tell them to either have the truck ready on Tuesday or give me a loaner to pick up the TV in. I'm getting a little pissed off at them.
We stopped at HEB on the way home to pick up bread and lunch meat. Then we went to Tomlinson's to get cat food. Lucy made out like a bandit.
When we got home I had to tie down the other end of the truck shelter roof. Then I spent about 45 minutes boxing up the books we no longer want and sorting some of the ones we hadn't got to. Then it was time to take the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was sloppy joes. After dinner was TV - Ellen's fantasy shows.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Day 1140
I woke up a little after 7. Then I took 15 minute cat naps until about 8:15. It was nice to turn over an go back to sleep several times. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. I cleared out the closet again for the alarm guy and then surfed until he came. He got here about 10.
I called the dealership. They said the truck might be repaired tomorrow. We'll see.
We sat and surfed while he installed the two new sensors. It took until a little past noon. I did do a little work. I cleaned the doors to the deck. The film on them has been bugging me since we got here. After the alarm guy left I put things back in the closet. I had to attach the alarm box cover first, he forgot to.
Lunch was a turkey sandwich and crackers. Then I put together a couple of Minions Lego things. That got me looking on Amazon for more. I ordered a couple.
Speaking of Lego, Devin decided to knock on of the large items I'd built before off the desk. Of course things fell off. I collected everything, got out the instructions, and reassembled it. Luckily I found everything.
Ellen went to Hog Heaven. It's been windy and the temperature was dropping all day. She said it was cold in the wind. t's supposed to get into the 30's tonight.
I took the dog to get the mail. There was a letter from the Amish people. They said they didn't have our phone number, so they wrote. I guess our bookcase might be done.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. After dinner was football and reading. I finished three magazines.
I called the dealership. They said the truck might be repaired tomorrow. We'll see.
We sat and surfed while he installed the two new sensors. It took until a little past noon. I did do a little work. I cleaned the doors to the deck. The film on them has been bugging me since we got here. After the alarm guy left I put things back in the closet. I had to attach the alarm box cover first, he forgot to.
Lunch was a turkey sandwich and crackers. Then I put together a couple of Minions Lego things. That got me looking on Amazon for more. I ordered a couple.
Speaking of Lego, Devin decided to knock on of the large items I'd built before off the desk. Of course things fell off. I collected everything, got out the instructions, and reassembled it. Luckily I found everything.
Ellen went to Hog Heaven. It's been windy and the temperature was dropping all day. She said it was cold in the wind. t's supposed to get into the 30's tonight.
I took the dog to get the mail. There was a letter from the Amish people. They said they didn't have our phone number, so they wrote. I guess our bookcase might be done.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. After dinner was football and reading. I finished three magazines.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Day 1139
I woke up about 7:30 and went back to sleep. It was cold and the bed was VERY comfortable. Between naps and playing with the kitten we didn't get up until a little before 9. Then it was pet stuff and getting ready to leave. I didn't have breakfast because I wasn't feeling very well. I called the dealership about the truck, but they didn't call back.
We left a little before 10. Traffic was amazingly light, and we made really good time. We were at the club before 10:30. We renewed our membership and got free t-shirts. Isaac and company showed up just on time. I was surprised.
We took them to the executive course. We cherry picked the targets, some were a little too hard. Once they got warmed up all three of them managed to hit the targets we did throw most of the time. There were only 5 executive stations, so then we went to the super sporting course. We cherry picked there, too. The rabbit was a big hit. We had them shoot some more challenging targets and they all did well.
We were done about 2. They said they had a good time, and I think they did.
I was hungry, but we couldn't agree on a place to eat. So we just went home after a trip to the post office. Traffic on 183 made up for this morning's fast travel. We ended up following a truck hauling a manufactured home that took up both lanes. It was stop and go for over a mile.
We had a makeshift lunch after everything was put away when we got home. Then I went out to the garage and got out the sawsall. Some large vehicle had broken off a 3 inch branch on one of the trees outside our fence on the road. I used the saw to cut it down. It worked really well. Then I hauled all 12 feet of the branch inside the property and put in on an existing pile of dead branches. Finally I painted the stump with black paint to take care of the bugs.
I took Lucy to the mailbox and then surfed for awhile. Ellen fixed veal parmigiana that we bought at Sam's Club yesterday. It was OK.
The evening was reading, surfing, and TV.
We left a little before 10. Traffic was amazingly light, and we made really good time. We were at the club before 10:30. We renewed our membership and got free t-shirts. Isaac and company showed up just on time. I was surprised.
We took them to the executive course. We cherry picked the targets, some were a little too hard. Once they got warmed up all three of them managed to hit the targets we did throw most of the time. There were only 5 executive stations, so then we went to the super sporting course. We cherry picked there, too. The rabbit was a big hit. We had them shoot some more challenging targets and they all did well.
We were done about 2. They said they had a good time, and I think they did.
I was hungry, but we couldn't agree on a place to eat. So we just went home after a trip to the post office. Traffic on 183 made up for this morning's fast travel. We ended up following a truck hauling a manufactured home that took up both lanes. It was stop and go for over a mile.
We had a makeshift lunch after everything was put away when we got home. Then I went out to the garage and got out the sawsall. Some large vehicle had broken off a 3 inch branch on one of the trees outside our fence on the road. I used the saw to cut it down. It worked really well. Then I hauled all 12 feet of the branch inside the property and put in on an existing pile of dead branches. Finally I painted the stump with black paint to take care of the bugs.
I took Lucy to the mailbox and then surfed for awhile. Ellen fixed veal parmigiana that we bought at Sam's Club yesterday. It was OK.
The evening was reading, surfing, and TV.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Day 1138
We woke up about 8:15 this morning. We played with the cat in bed for awhile and then got up. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. After that there was a little surfing.
I'd gotten an email yesterday from Cabela's saying that my P365 was in. So we drove over there. I picked up the pistol and spent the rest of the points on the card on ammunition. Lucy had a great time. It seemed just about everyone in the store wanted to pet her.
After that we drove up I35 to Pei Wei for lunch. I was amazed. Traffic was going 10 or more over the speed limit the whole way. Lunch was good - I like that place.
The other day I'd found a Sam's Club gift card in my wallet that I'd forgotten about. So we stopped there. We really didn't see anything we needed, so we spent it on junk food for Daniel when he comes for Christmas. Then we went to Best Buy to pick up an SD card that Ellen had ordered. The last stop was the post office.
When we got home it I put everything away and then did some surfing. Then I took the dog to the mailbox. While I was doing that UPS delivered a package. It was for Isaac. It was an English Lit book I remember from high school. Who knows.
I called Isaac about shooting tomorrow. He called back and said he still wanted to go. So after dinner (left over coconut shrimp) I got out two guns and put the cart and ammo in the car. They are supposed to meet us there at 11. We'll see.
Today was wash day. After the wash was done the septic alarm started buzzing again. I'm thinking about having it checked. I'll wait and see if it will still be buzzing in the morning.
The evening was watching TV. I'm really getting into taping shows I like so I can fast forward through the commercials. They are such a waste of time.
I'd gotten an email yesterday from Cabela's saying that my P365 was in. So we drove over there. I picked up the pistol and spent the rest of the points on the card on ammunition. Lucy had a great time. It seemed just about everyone in the store wanted to pet her.
After that we drove up I35 to Pei Wei for lunch. I was amazed. Traffic was going 10 or more over the speed limit the whole way. Lunch was good - I like that place.
The other day I'd found a Sam's Club gift card in my wallet that I'd forgotten about. So we stopped there. We really didn't see anything we needed, so we spent it on junk food for Daniel when he comes for Christmas. Then we went to Best Buy to pick up an SD card that Ellen had ordered. The last stop was the post office.
When we got home it I put everything away and then did some surfing. Then I took the dog to the mailbox. While I was doing that UPS delivered a package. It was for Isaac. It was an English Lit book I remember from high school. Who knows.
I called Isaac about shooting tomorrow. He called back and said he still wanted to go. So after dinner (left over coconut shrimp) I got out two guns and put the cart and ammo in the car. They are supposed to meet us there at 11. We'll see.
Today was wash day. After the wash was done the septic alarm started buzzing again. I'm thinking about having it checked. I'll wait and see if it will still be buzzing in the morning.
The evening was watching TV. I'm really getting into taping shows I like so I can fast forward through the commercials. They are such a waste of time.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Day 1137
I woke up a little after 7, turned over, and went back to sleep until after 9. The dog woke us up several times last night to go out. I don't think I really got a lot of sleep before about 2. It was cold and I don't think we got out of bed much before 10. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast.
I cleaned out the closet for the alarm guy. Then I decided to spend the morning doing a whole lot of little things that had been hanging around for awhile. I mailed a check to AARP. I took some stuff we didn't need that was in the closet to the garbage. I took some other stuff to the apartment, trailer, and garage. I got a box out of the recycle and filled it with all of the mugs that Isaac had left in the apartment. I put some stuff away in the safe. Just a whole lot of small jobs that took up time.
Lunch was turkey sandwiches. The alarm guy showed up about 1. It turns out that the alarm has two batteries, in two different boxes. When I replaced the battery in the spring I only replaced 1. He replaced the other. Apparently that was the cause of the 04 alarm. I decided to have him install motion detectors in the bedrooms. He's going to do that on Thursday.
As soon as he was done we left. We picked up drugs for Ellen, bought some candy on sale too. Then we stopped at a gas station. At $2.50 for premium it's the cheapest we've paid in a long time. Then it was the post office. There was a Christmas present there.
We stopped at HEB for bananas and milk. Then we took Lucy to Circle C. We walked to Escarpment and back. She did a lot of sniffing and more retrieves than she probably should have done. Then it was home.
Dinner was meat loaf and mashed potatoes. After dinner was football.
I cleaned out the closet for the alarm guy. Then I decided to spend the morning doing a whole lot of little things that had been hanging around for awhile. I mailed a check to AARP. I took some stuff we didn't need that was in the closet to the garbage. I took some other stuff to the apartment, trailer, and garage. I got a box out of the recycle and filled it with all of the mugs that Isaac had left in the apartment. I put some stuff away in the safe. Just a whole lot of small jobs that took up time.
Lunch was turkey sandwiches. The alarm guy showed up about 1. It turns out that the alarm has two batteries, in two different boxes. When I replaced the battery in the spring I only replaced 1. He replaced the other. Apparently that was the cause of the 04 alarm. I decided to have him install motion detectors in the bedrooms. He's going to do that on Thursday.
As soon as he was done we left. We picked up drugs for Ellen, bought some candy on sale too. Then we stopped at a gas station. At $2.50 for premium it's the cheapest we've paid in a long time. Then it was the post office. There was a Christmas present there.
We stopped at HEB for bananas and milk. Then we took Lucy to Circle C. We walked to Escarpment and back. She did a lot of sniffing and more retrieves than she probably should have done. Then it was home.
Dinner was meat loaf and mashed potatoes. After dinner was football.
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Day 1136
I woke up at 7, turned over and went back to sleep. We eventually got up about 9:30. After pet stuff and breakfast we put the cat in the cat room and the dog in her box. In the process we found out where Devin had been hiding when we thought he was outside. It was under the curio cabinet. I've blocked all access to that now, so it won't be a problem in the future.
The we got in the car and drove to the Domain. It was great - there was very little traffic and everyone was going 8 - 10 over the speed limit. We got there about 11. Some of the stores were still closed. We walked around and looked at a lot of stores. We only went into a few, like a leather store and Filson. It was cold, in the 50's, but sunny. It made for a good walk. We stopped at a coffee shop. A mocha, pop, a cookie and coffee cake cost $20. The Domain is expensive.
About 1:30 we went to the Dogwood restaurant. We wanted to go there last spring, but couldn't find it. We've had a $25 gift card for there for a long time. We ordered off their breakfast menu. I also had a $12 drink to make sure we got to $25. I wouldn't have ordered it otherwise. It came in a small glass and certainly wasn't worth $12 to me.
After that we walked back to the car and went to Fry's. It's only a couple of miles up loop 1. I bought a fast SD card for the camera. Then we went home.
We got home about 4. The rest of the day was surfing and football. Dinner was a frozen noodle bowl and pineapple upside down cake. The bowl wasn't very good, the cake was really good.
The we got in the car and drove to the Domain. It was great - there was very little traffic and everyone was going 8 - 10 over the speed limit. We got there about 11. Some of the stores were still closed. We walked around and looked at a lot of stores. We only went into a few, like a leather store and Filson. It was cold, in the 50's, but sunny. It made for a good walk. We stopped at a coffee shop. A mocha, pop, a cookie and coffee cake cost $20. The Domain is expensive.
About 1:30 we went to the Dogwood restaurant. We wanted to go there last spring, but couldn't find it. We've had a $25 gift card for there for a long time. We ordered off their breakfast menu. I also had a $12 drink to make sure we got to $25. I wouldn't have ordered it otherwise. It came in a small glass and certainly wasn't worth $12 to me.
After that we walked back to the car and went to Fry's. It's only a couple of miles up loop 1. I bought a fast SD card for the camera. Then we went home.
We got home about 4. The rest of the day was surfing and football. Dinner was a frozen noodle bowl and pineapple upside down cake. The bowl wasn't very good, the cake was really good.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Day 1135
I don't remember when we woke up, but we didn't get out of bed until after 9. It was cold and there wasn't any reason to. When we did get up it was pet stuff and breakfast, followed by surfing. Best Buy announced a sale on the TV we were going to buy. Before we ordered one we brought the apartment TV over to make sure turning it on didn't foul up the DirecTV. It didn't.
When we brought it in, we left the front door open for a little while. After we got everything set up we couldn't find Devin. He didn't come when we called and didn't answer the tweeting toys or the crinkling food bag. We thought he'd gotten out.
I spent the next hour or more walking the entire property calling for the cat. I didn't find him. I gave up and walked out to the mailbox because the rain had kept me from doing so yesterday. The shithead mailman had hung a package from the mailbox. Luckily it was still there. I was just coming down the driveway when Ellen called to say Devin had shown up. He'd been somewhere in the house.
After all that drama, Ellen ordered the TV. It will be at the store in a week. Hopefully the truck will be done by then.
By then it was almost 1. We had turkey sandwiches for lunch (remember Thanksgiving?). Then it was surfing until it was time to go to Tomlinson's. We put Devin in a carrier and dressed up Lucy with a jingle bells collar and battery powered Christmas lights.
There were 20 dogs by the time we got there, and we were early. We hung around until it was our turn. Lucy got to meet and greet, had lots of treats, and lots of pets. The pictures were taken outside on a decorated chair. There was no way Devin was ging to sit there, so we didn't even try. I think they got some good pictures of Lucy though.
After that we went to HEB to get the makings for pineapple upside down cake. We also got coconut shrimp for dinner. There were food samplers all over the store. We almost had dinner there. Then we went home.
I watched TV until dinner. After dinner I watched the Timbers lose the MLS championship. Now I'm watching the Trailblazers. They seem to be doing OK.
When we brought it in, we left the front door open for a little while. After we got everything set up we couldn't find Devin. He didn't come when we called and didn't answer the tweeting toys or the crinkling food bag. We thought he'd gotten out.
I spent the next hour or more walking the entire property calling for the cat. I didn't find him. I gave up and walked out to the mailbox because the rain had kept me from doing so yesterday. The shithead mailman had hung a package from the mailbox. Luckily it was still there. I was just coming down the driveway when Ellen called to say Devin had shown up. He'd been somewhere in the house.
After all that drama, Ellen ordered the TV. It will be at the store in a week. Hopefully the truck will be done by then.
By then it was almost 1. We had turkey sandwiches for lunch (remember Thanksgiving?). Then it was surfing until it was time to go to Tomlinson's. We put Devin in a carrier and dressed up Lucy with a jingle bells collar and battery powered Christmas lights.
There were 20 dogs by the time we got there, and we were early. We hung around until it was our turn. Lucy got to meet and greet, had lots of treats, and lots of pets. The pictures were taken outside on a decorated chair. There was no way Devin was ging to sit there, so we didn't even try. I think they got some good pictures of Lucy though.
After that we went to HEB to get the makings for pineapple upside down cake. We also got coconut shrimp for dinner. There were food samplers all over the store. We almost had dinner there. Then we went home.
I watched TV until dinner. After dinner I watched the Timbers lose the MLS championship. Now I'm watching the Trailblazers. They seem to be doing OK.
Friday, December 7, 2018
Day 1134
I woke up at 7:15, turned over, and went back to sleep until about 9. It had been another late night. Then it was get up for pet stuff and breakfast. Then we left to go to an estate sale.
It was a successful one. We bought a Walkman for Isaac to sell. We also bought two lighthouse prints for Patty. We bought a VHS digital converter and two books on CD's for ourselves. Everything was 25% off, even though it was only Friday.
I was planning on going to a couple of other sales, except I didn't feel like fighting Friday traffic. The first was near Mickelwaithes. Unfortunately, I35 was a parking lot from 290 north forever. The second was up at loop 1 and 2222. I just didn't want to drive that far.
We went to lunch instead. We stopped at a Cajun place on Brodie next to the donut shop. It was really busy for lunch, but we got in right away. I had gumbo. It tasted OK, but it was soup not gumbo. Ellen had the jambalaya. It was good, but not as good as the other place. We stopped at the donut shop for dessert. Lucy got a bacon donut.
We made a short stop at Lowe's so I could get another quick disconnect. Then it was the post office and home. I had to wait quite awhile in line to get a package at the post office. It was raining hard by then. We've gotten 1.7 inches of rain today.
When we got home I tried covering the bedroom TV with aluminum foil. It still fucked up the DirecTV. I checked the power in the attic, it was OK. I have no idea what is wrong. I changed the power strip in the attic when I was up there. That set off the alarm, even though I didn't touch the alarm's power supply. We called the alarm company. They are coming out Monday to look at it.
I was disgusted. To have a small victory I went to the apartment and installed the new quick release. The compressor still leaks down, but it's really slow. I bet it's inside the compressor. I also tightened up the knobs on the doors to the washer and dryer. They bug me every time I use them.
Isaac called about a Beretta waxed coat he had on sale. I went out to the trailer to look at mine and answer his questions about it. It turns out he has another coat. While I was there i checked the fan. It's still leaking. I also checked the floor by my side of the bed. It was wet, too. I closed the closet slide. Hopefully that will fix the problem. I have no idea how the water is getting in in either case.
Dinner was left over jambalaya. I didn't go to the mailbox, it was raining too hard.
After dinner was TV until about 9. At that point TV was boring the hell out of me, so the rest of the evening was surfing.
It was a successful one. We bought a Walkman for Isaac to sell. We also bought two lighthouse prints for Patty. We bought a VHS digital converter and two books on CD's for ourselves. Everything was 25% off, even though it was only Friday.
I was planning on going to a couple of other sales, except I didn't feel like fighting Friday traffic. The first was near Mickelwaithes. Unfortunately, I35 was a parking lot from 290 north forever. The second was up at loop 1 and 2222. I just didn't want to drive that far.
We went to lunch instead. We stopped at a Cajun place on Brodie next to the donut shop. It was really busy for lunch, but we got in right away. I had gumbo. It tasted OK, but it was soup not gumbo. Ellen had the jambalaya. It was good, but not as good as the other place. We stopped at the donut shop for dessert. Lucy got a bacon donut.
We made a short stop at Lowe's so I could get another quick disconnect. Then it was the post office and home. I had to wait quite awhile in line to get a package at the post office. It was raining hard by then. We've gotten 1.7 inches of rain today.
When we got home I tried covering the bedroom TV with aluminum foil. It still fucked up the DirecTV. I checked the power in the attic, it was OK. I have no idea what is wrong. I changed the power strip in the attic when I was up there. That set off the alarm, even though I didn't touch the alarm's power supply. We called the alarm company. They are coming out Monday to look at it.
I was disgusted. To have a small victory I went to the apartment and installed the new quick release. The compressor still leaks down, but it's really slow. I bet it's inside the compressor. I also tightened up the knobs on the doors to the washer and dryer. They bug me every time I use them.
Isaac called about a Beretta waxed coat he had on sale. I went out to the trailer to look at mine and answer his questions about it. It turns out he has another coat. While I was there i checked the fan. It's still leaking. I also checked the floor by my side of the bed. It was wet, too. I closed the closet slide. Hopefully that will fix the problem. I have no idea how the water is getting in in either case.
Dinner was left over jambalaya. I didn't go to the mailbox, it was raining too hard.
After dinner was TV until about 9. At that point TV was boring the hell out of me, so the rest of the evening was surfing.
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Day 1133
I woke up at 8:15 and got up at 8:30. After pet stuff and breakfast I went out to the apartment. I really wanted to get the kitchen done today.
I started by cutting the base board so I could put the vertical board in. That went really well - the cutoff tool is really nice. Then I cut the board to length and nailed it up.
Measuring, cutting, and nailing up the boards on the left wall went easily. It wasn't really quick because I had to be careful measuring and cutting a bit of trim in the corner with the back wall. I'd purposely left it a little long. The cutoff tool did the trim, but I actually had to get out the Dremel to cut a small part of the old beadboard away. It seems just about any project I do involves the Dremel at some point. I can't seem to get away from it.
I took some more time measuring out the back wall boards. I got lucky two ways. First, I was able to cut off the crooked parts of both boards. Second, I mis-measured the last board. I thought I was cutting it long, but ended up cutting it to just the right length. Whew. Nailing them up went easily.
Cleaning up took quite awhile. I had to put away a lot of tools. Then I had to use the shop vac on both the saw in the garage and the kitchen. I'd made pretty good messes in both. Finally, I took all of the garbage out to the can.
The whole effort took about 2 hours. That was about what I thought it would take.
I went back into the house and surfed for awhile. Then it was a sandwich for lunch. When that was finished we went out. We stopped at the post office. Some packages were due, but they weren't there. Two day Prime delivery is a bullshit. Then we went to Lowe's to get a compressor hose to replace the leaking one. That hose has been a pain in the ass. The compressor runs continuously. They didn't have one, so we went to Home Depot. I got the last one they had.
We stopped briefly at HEB and then went to Tomlinson's. Lucy had a great time. Everyone, workers and customers, petted her. She also got A LOT of treats.
When we got home I went out to the garage to replace the compressor hose. The new hose doesn't leak. However, the quick connect does. I couldn't hear it before because the hose leak was louder. More trouble with cheap Chinese shit.
It has been raining all day. I didn't take the dog to the mailbox. We had frozen meatloaf for dinner.
After dinner I took two sacks of garbage out to the can. It wasn't raining very hard, so I kept going to the mailbox. Then it was TV and football for the rest of the evening.
I started by cutting the base board so I could put the vertical board in. That went really well - the cutoff tool is really nice. Then I cut the board to length and nailed it up.
Measuring, cutting, and nailing up the boards on the left wall went easily. It wasn't really quick because I had to be careful measuring and cutting a bit of trim in the corner with the back wall. I'd purposely left it a little long. The cutoff tool did the trim, but I actually had to get out the Dremel to cut a small part of the old beadboard away. It seems just about any project I do involves the Dremel at some point. I can't seem to get away from it.
I took some more time measuring out the back wall boards. I got lucky two ways. First, I was able to cut off the crooked parts of both boards. Second, I mis-measured the last board. I thought I was cutting it long, but ended up cutting it to just the right length. Whew. Nailing them up went easily.
Cleaning up took quite awhile. I had to put away a lot of tools. Then I had to use the shop vac on both the saw in the garage and the kitchen. I'd made pretty good messes in both. Finally, I took all of the garbage out to the can.
The whole effort took about 2 hours. That was about what I thought it would take.
I went back into the house and surfed for awhile. Then it was a sandwich for lunch. When that was finished we went out. We stopped at the post office. Some packages were due, but they weren't there. Two day Prime delivery is a bullshit. Then we went to Lowe's to get a compressor hose to replace the leaking one. That hose has been a pain in the ass. The compressor runs continuously. They didn't have one, so we went to Home Depot. I got the last one they had.
We stopped briefly at HEB and then went to Tomlinson's. Lucy had a great time. Everyone, workers and customers, petted her. She also got A LOT of treats.
When we got home I went out to the garage to replace the compressor hose. The new hose doesn't leak. However, the quick connect does. I couldn't hear it before because the hose leak was louder. More trouble with cheap Chinese shit.
It has been raining all day. I didn't take the dog to the mailbox. We had frozen meatloaf for dinner.
After dinner I took two sacks of garbage out to the can. It wasn't raining very hard, so I kept going to the mailbox. Then it was TV and football for the rest of the evening.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Day 1132
I woke up at 8 and got out of bed shortly after. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. Then it was take out the garbage and recycling. After that I went out to the apartment. John and Melissa are going to be here soon, so I have to get the kitchen done.
I started out by sanding the live edge pieces. I measured out where the vertical piece has to go and marked it. Then I went out to the garbage and retrieved some of the scrap I'd thrown away. I cut it and used it to shim the vertical edge of the bead board. Then it was time to cut the vertical trim to length and nail it. It worked well. Then I cut the top trim for the right hand wall and nailed it up. I had some trouble with the picture frame cut, but it finally worked out well.
That all took about 2 hours. I measured and marked the live edge pieces, but didn't feel like doing any more work. So cutting them will be the first order of business tomorrow.
I went back to the house and fixed a sandwich. Then I checked Cabela's to see if they had gotten a P365 in. They hadn't. However, the website said I could order online and have one shipped there. The process was a lot of work. I had to enter 6 gift card numbers. Then I had to create a website account in order to be able to use my points. I finally managed to purchase it. The cost will be $0 and I'll still have over $100 in points left. I suspect I could have done this weeks ago, but the guy at Cabela's just said they weren't getting anymore.
After that I surfed for awhile and then we went out. I stopped at the post office, but they are closed today because president Bush died (so what?). Then we stopped at the home store to get replacement Christmas lights and tree scents. They didn't have either. Neither did Target. We finally got the scents at Home Depot, I've given up on the lights. We bought rum at the wine store across the street and stopped at HEB on the way home.
Ellen fixed turkey and dumplings for dinner. After dinner it was movies.
I started out by sanding the live edge pieces. I measured out where the vertical piece has to go and marked it. Then I went out to the garbage and retrieved some of the scrap I'd thrown away. I cut it and used it to shim the vertical edge of the bead board. Then it was time to cut the vertical trim to length and nail it. It worked well. Then I cut the top trim for the right hand wall and nailed it up. I had some trouble with the picture frame cut, but it finally worked out well.
That all took about 2 hours. I measured and marked the live edge pieces, but didn't feel like doing any more work. So cutting them will be the first order of business tomorrow.
I went back to the house and fixed a sandwich. Then I checked Cabela's to see if they had gotten a P365 in. They hadn't. However, the website said I could order online and have one shipped there. The process was a lot of work. I had to enter 6 gift card numbers. Then I had to create a website account in order to be able to use my points. I finally managed to purchase it. The cost will be $0 and I'll still have over $100 in points left. I suspect I could have done this weeks ago, but the guy at Cabela's just said they weren't getting anymore.
After that I surfed for awhile and then we went out. I stopped at the post office, but they are closed today because president Bush died (so what?). Then we stopped at the home store to get replacement Christmas lights and tree scents. They didn't have either. Neither did Target. We finally got the scents at Home Depot, I've given up on the lights. We bought rum at the wine store across the street and stopped at HEB on the way home.
Ellen fixed turkey and dumplings for dinner. After dinner it was movies.
Day 1131
We didn't wake up until 9. That sounds bad, but we didn't get to bed until after 1. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. After that I brought in the Christmas stuff from the apartment. After I assembled the tree I left the tree decoration to Ellen. I went out and did the lights on the gate. Then I hung up some icicle lights That have been sitting around since last spring. Then I put up the lights on the deck railing.
By the time I'd finished that it was lunch time. Ellen wasn't finished with the tree because she had a "one goes out, they all go out" problem. She fixed pizza for lunch, based on the cheese pizza we got yesterday. After lunch she finished thetree and then I took everything back to the apartment.
Devin had a traumatic experience. He climbed into the tree box and I didn't see him. So he got a bouncy ride out to the apartment. Then he was bounced up the stairs. Then he was turned upside down so I could clean gravel out of the box wheels. I finally saw him then. I carried him back to the house and he hid. We tried to give him a snack, and he wouldn't eat it. He barely came out for dinner, and then didn't eat much. He didn't start to begin to be normal until bed time.
I decided I really ddin't want to work on the apartment today. So I surfed the afternoon away instead. It was nice.
I took the dog to the mailbox. Lee tracked me down and we talked for awhile. The neighbor's dog was barking at our two dogs all the time we were talking. The neighbor came out and we talked briefly.
After dinner (frozen) we watched both of the Kingsman movies. They were really entertaining.
By the time I'd finished that it was lunch time. Ellen wasn't finished with the tree because she had a "one goes out, they all go out" problem. She fixed pizza for lunch, based on the cheese pizza we got yesterday. After lunch she finished thetree and then I took everything back to the apartment.
Devin had a traumatic experience. He climbed into the tree box and I didn't see him. So he got a bouncy ride out to the apartment. Then he was bounced up the stairs. Then he was turned upside down so I could clean gravel out of the box wheels. I finally saw him then. I carried him back to the house and he hid. We tried to give him a snack, and he wouldn't eat it. He barely came out for dinner, and then didn't eat much. He didn't start to begin to be normal until bed time.
I decided I really ddin't want to work on the apartment today. So I surfed the afternoon away instead. It was nice.
I took the dog to the mailbox. Lee tracked me down and we talked for awhile. The neighbor's dog was barking at our two dogs all the time we were talking. The neighbor came out and we talked briefly.
After dinner (frozen) we watched both of the Kingsman movies. They were really entertaining.
Monday, December 3, 2018
Day 1130
I woke up about 7:30 and got up a little after 8. After pet stuff and breakfast I went out to the apartment to work.
I began by repositioning the backing board in the kitchen cabinet. Then I cut up new backing strips (narrower then the ones from yesterday). By then it was 10, so I called the Chevy place. I told them I wanted to understand the test results on the truck better. The service writer said he'd get back to me. So I went back out and continued working. I cut some of the old backing material away on the right wall to make room for the trim pieces.
The service guy called back and said they were ready. So we drove there. Lucy stayed in the cage - she's lost her outside the cage privileges. The service guy was there when we got there. He called in the head of the service department and the tech. They explained the test results. Apparently all of the injectors are returning too much fuel to the fuel filter. All of them are between 150% and 200% of spec. A couple are higher. We've got no choice but to replace them. It will cost $4K.
Two things piss me off. First, if it had occurred 17,000 miles ago it would have been covered under warranty. Second, the asshole who cut the sensor wire kept me from discovering this years age. Oh well, we're rich.
We've decided that the best way to correct the problem with the TV in the basement may be to replace it. We looked at TV's at Sam's Club, Best Buy, and Costco. We'll get a 55 inch one, probably Visio or TLC. We ate lunch at the Italian place. We had a coupon for "buy one, get two" pizzas. We took one and a half pizzas home with us.
When we got home I went back to the apartment to work. I finished removing the backing on the right wall. I also marked where the trim should go. Then I attached the trim on the left and center walls and the wood on the left wall. Finally, I measured out the wood for the center wall (I still have to cut it). After that I was tired and quit.
I went back into the house, got the dog, and went to the mailbox. Then it was surfing because it was too early to eat after a late lunch. Eventually I had leftover pizza and salad for dinner.
After dinner it was football and surfing.
I began by repositioning the backing board in the kitchen cabinet. Then I cut up new backing strips (narrower then the ones from yesterday). By then it was 10, so I called the Chevy place. I told them I wanted to understand the test results on the truck better. The service writer said he'd get back to me. So I went back out and continued working. I cut some of the old backing material away on the right wall to make room for the trim pieces.
The service guy called back and said they were ready. So we drove there. Lucy stayed in the cage - she's lost her outside the cage privileges. The service guy was there when we got there. He called in the head of the service department and the tech. They explained the test results. Apparently all of the injectors are returning too much fuel to the fuel filter. All of them are between 150% and 200% of spec. A couple are higher. We've got no choice but to replace them. It will cost $4K.
Two things piss me off. First, if it had occurred 17,000 miles ago it would have been covered under warranty. Second, the asshole who cut the sensor wire kept me from discovering this years age. Oh well, we're rich.
We've decided that the best way to correct the problem with the TV in the basement may be to replace it. We looked at TV's at Sam's Club, Best Buy, and Costco. We'll get a 55 inch one, probably Visio or TLC. We ate lunch at the Italian place. We had a coupon for "buy one, get two" pizzas. We took one and a half pizzas home with us.
When we got home I went back to the apartment to work. I finished removing the backing on the right wall. I also marked where the trim should go. Then I attached the trim on the left and center walls and the wood on the left wall. Finally, I measured out the wood for the center wall (I still have to cut it). After that I was tired and quit.
I went back into the house, got the dog, and went to the mailbox. Then it was surfing because it was too early to eat after a late lunch. Eventually I had leftover pizza and salad for dinner.
After dinner it was football and surfing.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Day 1129
I woke up at 8:15 today, laid in bed petting animals for awhile, and then got up. I did the pet stuff and breakfast. Then it was off to Lowe's to get some trim wood and a cutting tool.
We spent some time in Lowe's looking for a special package they had for the cutting tool. I finally looked on the web and learned that it was out of stock in all of the Lowe's around us. So I went to the Home Depot website. They said "low inventory, go to store". So we went to Home Depot.
The Home Depot didn't have the package either. The "bare" tool cost $140. Home Depot had another package for $180 that had the cutting tool, a drill, a drill driver, two batteries, and a charger. Go figure. So we bought that along with some blade for the cutter and the trim wood we needed. The wood was pre-painted, which is really nice.
We made a brief stop at Michaels to get a package of D rings to attach to the Audi trunk organizer. That way I can bungee it in and it won't slide around like it does now. We were going to stop at Freddie's for a really late lunch, but they've gone tits. So we just went home.
After lunch I went out to the garage. I measured out the pieces I needed and carefully marked the lines for the left and back sides of the bead board. Then I cut the live edge and trim pieces for the left side. I also did a 45 degree cut on one end of the back side trim. That made a picture frame like connection with the left edge trim. It looked pretty good. After that things went a little south.
I needed to attach a piece of scrap wood inside the kitchen cabinet so the nails for the trim didn't poke into the cabinet. At first I tried the nail gun. It didn't work because the nails pushed out the unsecured end of the wood. So I ended up removing them all and using screws. Then I cut a whole bunch of spacers to put behind the trim. I got three nailed up before I realized I'd cut them too wide. I removed the ones I'd nailed up . It was 5:30, so I decided to call it a day.
While I was in the apartment Ellen was putting the D rings on the organizer. When I came in she started to fix dinner. We had Tragerized potatoes and steak with salad. Because she didn't start preparing anything until I came in we didn't eat until after 7. That was two late meals today.
After dinner it was football. Ellen tried to watch TV in the bedroom, but when she turned on the TV it killed the DirecTV in the living room. This has happened before. After the game I tried to debug it. I discovered that just turning on the TV, even when it wasn't connected to the DirecTV box, caused the problem. I also discovered that the asshole that wired the place had all of the bedroom and living room outlets on one circuit. I tried using the bathroom circuit to power the TV, but that didn't help. Any more debugging will involve a longer extension cord and/or the TV in the apartment. It was after midnight, so that will wait until tomorrow.
I've been obsessing all day about the truck. I'm not looking forward to talking with them tomorrow. I'm afraid they've damaged the injectors while they were "testing" them and are trying to get me to pay for new ones.
We spent some time in Lowe's looking for a special package they had for the cutting tool. I finally looked on the web and learned that it was out of stock in all of the Lowe's around us. So I went to the Home Depot website. They said "low inventory, go to store". So we went to Home Depot.
The Home Depot didn't have the package either. The "bare" tool cost $140. Home Depot had another package for $180 that had the cutting tool, a drill, a drill driver, two batteries, and a charger. Go figure. So we bought that along with some blade for the cutter and the trim wood we needed. The wood was pre-painted, which is really nice.
We made a brief stop at Michaels to get a package of D rings to attach to the Audi trunk organizer. That way I can bungee it in and it won't slide around like it does now. We were going to stop at Freddie's for a really late lunch, but they've gone tits. So we just went home.
After lunch I went out to the garage. I measured out the pieces I needed and carefully marked the lines for the left and back sides of the bead board. Then I cut the live edge and trim pieces for the left side. I also did a 45 degree cut on one end of the back side trim. That made a picture frame like connection with the left edge trim. It looked pretty good. After that things went a little south.
I needed to attach a piece of scrap wood inside the kitchen cabinet so the nails for the trim didn't poke into the cabinet. At first I tried the nail gun. It didn't work because the nails pushed out the unsecured end of the wood. So I ended up removing them all and using screws. Then I cut a whole bunch of spacers to put behind the trim. I got three nailed up before I realized I'd cut them too wide. I removed the ones I'd nailed up . It was 5:30, so I decided to call it a day.
While I was in the apartment Ellen was putting the D rings on the organizer. When I came in she started to fix dinner. We had Tragerized potatoes and steak with salad. Because she didn't start preparing anything until I came in we didn't eat until after 7. That was two late meals today.
After dinner it was football. Ellen tried to watch TV in the bedroom, but when she turned on the TV it killed the DirecTV in the living room. This has happened before. After the game I tried to debug it. I discovered that just turning on the TV, even when it wasn't connected to the DirecTV box, caused the problem. I also discovered that the asshole that wired the place had all of the bedroom and living room outlets on one circuit. I tried using the bathroom circuit to power the TV, but that didn't help. Any more debugging will involve a longer extension cord and/or the TV in the apartment. It was after midnight, so that will wait until tomorrow.
I've been obsessing all day about the truck. I'm not looking forward to talking with them tomorrow. I'm afraid they've damaged the injectors while they were "testing" them and are trying to get me to pay for new ones.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Day 1128
Another day where I woke up at 7:15, turned over, and woke up again at 9:15. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. After that we left for the street fair in Dripping Springs. It was fun, the standard kinds of booths. We didn't buy anything. However, we did notice that there are a lot of interesting shops there now. We'll have to go back to see them. We had the dog, so we couldn't go in today.
We had parked in the Home Depot parking lot, so we went inside. I bought some tools for John Koenig for Christmas. Then we went to the Christmas craft show. It was at the same place that they hold the gun shows. I bout a couple of prints there - a road runner and a heron. Ellen bought a cool pepper mill.
We stooped at the ACE on the way home. I bought two electronic tape measures - one for me and one for John. We also got small flower pots for some plants we take with us. We'd been looking for them for awhile. Then we had lunch at the restuarant next door. It was really good. We'll be going back.
When we got home Ellen wrapped the presents and repotted the plants. I went out to the apartment and tore the molding off the kitchen bead board. I'll need to get a cutoff tool and some trim board before I can install the new stuff.
I took the dog to the mailbox and then had dinner - leftover sloppy joes.
After dinner it was TV. First it was some shows I'd taped. It's so good to be able to fast forward through the commercials. Then I watched a movie. It was really entertaining.
We had parked in the Home Depot parking lot, so we went inside. I bought some tools for John Koenig for Christmas. Then we went to the Christmas craft show. It was at the same place that they hold the gun shows. I bout a couple of prints there - a road runner and a heron. Ellen bought a cool pepper mill.
We stooped at the ACE on the way home. I bought two electronic tape measures - one for me and one for John. We also got small flower pots for some plants we take with us. We'd been looking for them for awhile. Then we had lunch at the restuarant next door. It was really good. We'll be going back.
When we got home Ellen wrapped the presents and repotted the plants. I went out to the apartment and tore the molding off the kitchen bead board. I'll need to get a cutoff tool and some trim board before I can install the new stuff.
I took the dog to the mailbox and then had dinner - leftover sloppy joes.
After dinner it was TV. First it was some shows I'd taped. It's so good to be able to fast forward through the commercials. Then I watched a movie. It was really entertaining.
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