Thursday evening

Well, here it is a week later and we finally got the new hot water heater.  I've been praying for days, that it'd be an easy (and painless) installation.  It was.  My husband and youngest son went to the hardware store this morning and got it.  And yesterday they'd man-handled the old one out of the attic, down the pull-down stairs and out on street.  The sanitation department here is wonderful about picking up just about anything you put on the street.  Didn't have to wait for them, though, since someone else got it before dark.

A bath later will be WONDERFUL.

Got out a bit by myself this afternoon, which was way overdue.  Got some library books and went to the library bookstore too.  Found some Faulkners I didn't have and one treasure, a Charlotte Bronte dated around 1897.  The book is called The Professor and includes Emma and some poetry. Beautiful book.  Three dollars, which you can't beat.

* * *

Going to have a quiet day tomorrow.  Have been, as they say, all sixes and sevens, this week.  Can't account for it.  Reading, yes.

Saturday holds middle daughter's seventeenth birthday, which she wants to be Star Wars themed, and it'll be a fun day.  Unfortunately, an old friend of the family, my mom's next door neighbor died yesterday.  I'll likely go to his funeral on Saturday afternoon.  We took Mom her groceries today, and I was able to see the children of the neighbor. We're about the same age, grew up together and hadn't seen one another in about forty years. Sweet to be called by my nickname (Missy) by folks who knew me ages ago. Very comforting, for some reason.

Anyway, we'll still have a birthday, with a pause in the middle.  Had planned on baking her pies for her day, but our oven ignitor is out and I'll have to order the part and fix it.  I'm volunteering, since fixing appliances gives me a rush.  Stuff breaks, but thankfully we're clever.

Enjoy your Fridays. :)

November first

Like lots of folks, woke up to a cold house this morning.  I think it was in the 30s overnight, but we'd been cooking yesterday, so the rooms weren't too chilly.  Turned on the heat and the old problem, not reconciled yet, of the blower to the heater not shutting off and the pilot light not re-lighting.  Gary went up in the attic to see about it, spent the day off and on working on it, figured out the part needed, went to the hardware to get it (a thermocouple), the kids and I prayed off and on, and yippee-ka-looga, he fixed it.  Heater is working a treat.  Didn't have to call a repair man, and we're all cozy tonight.  And it's nice when the price of the parts needed don't make you cry.

Yesterday took fourth son back to the wrist doctor (we went earlier in the week as well) for a ganglion cyst he's got at the joint.  Oldest daughter had one disappear a year ago.  Seems she coincidentally took a hefty antibiotic for a tooth extraction, and by the time the prescription was used up, the cyst was gone.  She'd had it for a few years, and suddenly it shrank and was no more.  Wonder if the antibiotic was the solution.  Our son is going the more traditional (and very expensive) route, and had it drained.  We'll see how that works...maybe fine.  Sure hope so since he's sunk so much money into it already, including an MRI.

So much non-news to share.  And on it goes...

My mother-in-law enjoys watching the Duggars and since we have eight kids (not nineteen, and not counting), she figures we'd enjoy it.  Well, frankly, they scare me, but the girls like to watch, but can't since we don't have cable anymore.  So sad.  Anyway, I see on today's news that another daughter of theirs has gotten married, so Gary's walking around singing to the tune of Mr. Rogers' 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?,' but has substituted the words to 'Won't You Be My Duggar?'  We sort of worry for the boys who have married into that family.  Not much independence in the situation.  Jim Bob rules, though he probably means well.  Shoot, he's the dad, he can rule.  I do appreciate their consistency and belief system, I will say that, but they still scare me.

Must go now.  Church tomorrow, altar flowers from us to our birthday girls (middle girl yesterday, oldest girl on Tuesday), and teaching Sunday School and keeping nursery.  Taking next Sunday off.  It's time for a long weekend with no obligations.  Good obligations, but change is good.  Needing a mental breath of air.

Take care, all.

My handyman side

Got a zipper caught in the grove in the front of the dryer yesterday afternoon while it was running.  The fabric was all twisty and it was caught tight.  I was in the kitchen when it happened and all of a sudden the dryer had made a very annoying sound.  Tugged on the jacket where it was stuck and the little part of the zipper across from the tongue just pulled off.  Whoosh and it was gone.  Turned the dryer back on and there was a regular kathunk noise.  Gary offered to look at it, and I told him I would today.

Honestly, I enjoy fixing appliances.  Seriously.

Woke up this morning, had my tea, prayed about the dryer first, then got out Gary's tools.  Took it all apart, couldn't find anything, and so put it all back together again.   (Taking it apart consisted of raising the top, taking off the front and removing the drum.  Really, repairing stuff is easy---it's the taking apart part that'll drive you nuts.  Screws and ratchets----getting things lined up.  Drives me nuts, that part.  Or putting it back together.  Never as easy as it sounds.) Anyway, I thought about it, watched a couple of videos, thought some more and took it apart again.  Got to looking under the felt that's attached to the front of the drum, and whattayaknow...a loose screw from somewhere??? and the zipper part just fell out.  Put it all back, turned it on and voila.  Fixed.  Free of charge.

When I grow up I want to be a repairman.  

Took the kids to the library late afternoon.  Bought a copy of Home from Holly Springs by Jan Karon at the library bookstore for $3---the only one of her novels I don't own, excepting for the newest one.  Ate leftover spaghetti.  And that was my day.  I'd call it all a success, yes?

Here and there

~just a pretty picture for the day

Wrote one brother last night about Mom coming home--the brother who said she'd be leaving there on the 11th (I'd not heard anything about this from the staff at the nursing home/rehab, so was curious as to the details), and he called me today.  My email last night spurred him on to call the social worker in charge of Mom and she's NOT supposed to come home next week.  Mom's speech therapist releasing her from their work caused her to think she was totally done with therapy and would be discharged.  Let's call it a brain-stimulated snafu on my mom's part, just a misunderstanding, but a pretty big one at that.

Anyway, the social worker went to visit Mom this morning and she wasn't even able to sit up in bed.  Told the soc. worker that she was just fatigued (her words).  Huh.  Add to this my oldest brother sitting in on her physical therapy last week and she was stubborn and rebellious.  Huh again.

Her stroke has encouraged a behavior that's childish in several ways---one in her logic, and her thinking she's more able than she really is, and her little temper fits.  Her perception of truth is a bit skewed as well.  An odd mix of traits, I'm thinking.

Not sure what this means, as her 100 days of total Medicare/Medicaid is about up around St. Patrick's Day. Thankfully God's got this covered, and I don't have to play His role.  I mess it up everytime.

But, on a high note, I replaced the part on the dryer today and it's working. Little old handyman, me.  I told the 2 youngest girls who came in and out of the kitchen while I was standing on my head behind the dryer that I partially do stuff like this to show them that they CAN.  It's very empowering to not have to always depend on my husband.  Funny thing is, though, it's easier to take a big appliance apart than it is to put it back together again.  Never fails!

Y'all take care.