Guten Morgen MMP

[dogbutler]

It's humpday, but there will be no humping only blurf. Is it Sunday yet?

[Man With a Cat]

Caffeine is having no effect. Need. More.

Here's a disturbing trend, I think Evil Fat Sacrlett is actively trying to harm Cuervo. Which of course will not be tolerated. Mostly by him. He's pretty good natured but she ought not piss him off, because he is after all, younger and stronger.

Some history: she's older, and ever since she was a wee kitty, her preferred sleeping position is more or less spooned against me. If I roll over to another side, she gets up, walks over me to the other side so as to re-spoon. and did I mention she is fat?

Well, every now and then Cuervo who is usually content to curl up by my feet, feels like climbing under the blanket. This usually happens when I return to bed after a midnight tinkle when Sacrlett has been disturbed and is waiting for me to rearrange myself. He will beat her to the spot, only get under the cover. Which makes no never mind to her, as she will then proceed to go to where she feels entitled to be, curled up against me, except that the very same spot only UNDER the comforter is already occupied by a loudly purring Cuervo.

So she just sits her big fat self right the heck on top of him. Now, if you can imagine, I gave two loudly purring cats in a sort of a condo arrangement. After a few minutes, he will just get up and leave, I guess to be able to take a deep breath or two.

So that's my night.

[Nava]

That story has me in need of a deep breath or two, CatMan

[kopek]

Originally Posted by DMark

Immer noch kein Baby!
I just checked and she is at work again today.
It is only a matter of time.
I have a large plastic tarp in my car trunk to throw on the floor, my Swiss Army knife to cut the cord and some wet naps on my desk next to the Post-It notes. I also wrote down the number 911 in German next to the phone.
I am ready in case she goes into labor.
The size she is, I am betting this baby will be 28 pounds 6 ounces upon birth.

I rely on my trunk monkey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di6hZ0U5Av0




{{{tarra}}} and {{{Filbert}}}

Originally Posted by dogbutler

It's humpday, but there will be no humping only blurf. Is it Sunday yet?

No Stanley Cup excitement???????

[FairyChatMom]

Well, well, we're getting a new well.



The company we called is the very one that put in the well 31 years ago and replaced the pump 12-ish years ago. They know what was done and they know that the well, while state-of-the-art for its day is pretty much shot. They'd already lowered the pump as far as it could go but being a smaller diameter than is permitted today, it ain't gonna get any better. So we'll be getting a newer, bigger, better well with a bigger pump. And we won't be going on any vacations this year, for sure, and maybe not even next year. But ya gotta have water, right?

Dammit. We'll be depleting our savings way more than I would like, but at least we've got the money on hand. It'd really suck if we had to go into debt for this.

In other news, it's a pretty day out there...





Dammit.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by FairyChatMom

Dammit.

Sorry.

[Silver Tyger]

I realized last night that I have a swimsuit that I haven't worn in about five years. I'm pretty much within walking distance of the beach. Anybody want to come and watch me make a fool of myself in the water?

[phouka]

Someone (I suspect my brother) has been using up my hot chocolate mix and not replacing it! Which ticks me off to no end, because then, when I get up in the morning and am a good phouka and make my breakfast at home, I end up drinking weak-ass mocha, because there's so little hot chocolate mix left.

Grrrrrr.

I'm also reminded why I go out for breakfast nearly every day. Dad is so unpleasant to be around - he stomps, he slams things, he farts, he belches, he curses, he glowers - that I would really just as soon hand my money to a smiling person who will bring me tasty food and then leave me the hell alone.

[VunderBob]

Originally Posted by Silver Tyger

I realized last night that I have a swimsuit that I haven't worn in about five years. I'm pretty much within walking distance of the beach. Anybody want to come and watch me make a fool of myself in the water?

:wolf whistle:

[phouka]

Originally Posted by FairyChatMom

Well, well, we're getting a new well.

Mooooooooom, I'm awfully sorry about your well dying, but can I ask some informational questions, because my Someday plan is to own a patch of land, put a well on it and proceed from there.

How much does it cost to dig a new well? How much does the pump and other hardware to run it to the house cost? How long does it last? What kind of maintenance does it need? Do you have a septic system, and if so, how far away do you have to put it from your well? What about filtration? Are you in an area where there's frakking (not the Battlestar Galactica type, but the extraction type)? Has it had any effect on your well or the ones around you?

I wanna know stuff about wells.

[FairyChatMom]

Kanga - I can only address specifics about my county, but I expect it'll be enough to give you a general idea.

Our new well has to be at least 50' from the septic system and at least 30' from the house. I'm not sure how far from the property line, but ours will be at least 30', I think. The company we're going with is, as the Prez told me, "not the cheapest" but it isn't going to be as much as I feared. A 480', 4" diameter well lined with PVC, plumbed to the house and with a 1 HP, 10-gallon per minute pump will be $8200. It would have been $200 more but our accumulator tank is in good condition and bigger than the one they were going to install. The nearest fracking to us is out in western Md, so it's not an issue for us. In fact, the water in our area is quite good. We don't even bother with a water softener and we don't have a filter, altho I was thinking of adding one to prevent future sand. The driller assures me that's not going to happen in our lifetime...

As far as maintenance - our old well was drilled in '81. The pump lasted till about 2000 or so. I'd bet the rent that the accumulator tank is no more than 10 years old. Really, there's not a whole lot you can do once the system is in place, until it dies. FCD did replace the pressure switch/relay, but it turns out that wasn't the problem. In any event, it was a $13 part that he swapped out in about 30 minutes - not a big deal.

One other thing I know about because of my inlaws - they had a house in the mountains of NC and the well was really deep and really low volume, so they had to have a cistern instead of an accumulator tank - otherwise, they'd always run out of water. I think my aunt in WV had a similar issue - I remember them running out of water in the summer sometimes. Anyway, that's something that depends on where you drill.

I expect another thing that would affect the cost of a well is how far the drillers have to travel. If you're building on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, be prepared to pay more than someone 10 miles out of town (I think we're about 14 miles from the guys doing ours.) We're also saving in that the drilling mud can be dumped in our back yard, so we don't have to pay to have it hauled. Having 3 acres is definitely nice!

You now know everything I know, which ain't much, but I learned it all today. Imagine if I really studied!!!

[gotpasswords]

So far, I've always lived someplace that had city water and sewer. As one less thing to worry about, I hope that doesn't change.

Got some new nicknames for one of my co-workers - Sticky Butt or Honey Pants. Seems he put some extra honey packets in his pocket while getting his morning tea at the food court. Then he forgot about them. They did not survive when he sat down at his desk.

Not 100% sure the bread pudding I had with lunch wasn't a bit alcoholic as I can't spell too well now. I think autocorrect is fixing most of it. Like Lucy said while plugging Vitameatavitavegiamin: It's tasty! Too tasty as I went back for more. Wouldn't that be quite the scandal - Bank employees intoxicated by company cateferia.

[Silver Tyger]

Originally Posted by phouka

I'm also reminded why I go out for breakfast nearly every day. Dad is so unpleasant to be around - he stomps, he slams things, he farts, he belches, he curses, he glowers - that I would really just as soon hand my money to a smiling person who will bring me tasty food and then leave me the hell alone.

I'm of the opinion that if you're not a morning person, you should be quiet about it with a minimum of 'curse the daystar!!!' and if you are a morning person, you should also be quiet about it with NO SINGING!!!

(I'm so glad I don't have to deal with my mom in the mornings any more. She's too loud and cheerful.)

[FairyChatMom]

Out of sheer boredom and laziness, I was just rereading the first Uncle Rue Story Guy thread in the archives, and I just had to share this pearl:

Originally Posted by RueDeDay

Hickory dickory dock.
A mouse ran up the clock.
She got her tail stuck in a gear,
And when the clock struck,
It yanked her ass clean off.
Hickory dickory dock.

Oh, how I miss Rue...

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

My sister just called.

She thinks my mom just had a stroke.

We'll know more soon, I hope.

[VunderBob]

{{{{{Soapy}}}}}!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FairyChatMom]

{{{{Soapy}}}}

[swampbear]

{{{Soapy}}} prayers and good thoughts headed out for your mom.

Sorry about the well expense MOOOOOOM. Hey, at least giggity wants to hook up with ya. I miss Rue too. I sometimes go back and read the Unca Rue Story Guy threads when I need a good laugh. They never fail to put me in stitches.

Leftover pot roast from Monday for dindin. If ya skip a day it's almost like havin' it for the first time.

[FairyChatMom]

Well, swampy, there are hook ups and there are hook ups, and much as I enjoyed meeting and talking with tugig, it wouldn't be that kind of hook up. Truth be told, meeting you ruined me for all other Doper men... Oh, and I just finished reading the 2 Unca Rue Story Guy threads that I'd bookmarked - he's a genius and he really should come back, dagnabbit!!

FCD asked for brussels sprouts for supper, and I found a recipe that made them edible, even for me! It was a sauce made with onions, butter, flour, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, milk, and sour cream. We decided it'd be good on broccoli, cauliflower, and as a base for a chickie casserole. The rest of supper was steak-n-onions, instant N.O.T., and broccoli. We've got fresh strawberries for later.

Amazingly, the jeans that I hung out on the line 4 hours ago were dry! Yay for saving electricity!

I've got a hot date with the guy from the oil company about replacing our tank. I sure hope his schedule will work with ours.

Gropes and smoochies for all!!

[anyrose]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Soapy}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[Silver Tyger]

Oh Soapy. ((((hugs))))

[tarragon918]

{{{{{{{{{Soapy}}}}}}}}}}, sending prayers for you mother.

[swampbear]

I tend to have that effect MOOOOOOM.

You should provide a link to the Unca Rue Story Guy threads so the uninitiated could read 'em.

Home from Evening Prayer at the church house. I liked it because it was just Evening Prayer. Since YP is out of town this week, there was no Communion as a Priest must be present to preside over Communion. So, it was strictly the Evening Prayer service from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer with Intercessory Healing prayers. Very nice.

In other church related news (this is the religious news portion of the MMP) the local ELCA church, Lutheran Church of Our Savior (LCOS) has expressed interest in a shared ministry with us. Seems they are very interested in sharing space with St. Pat's, meanin' there would be a Lutheran service at nine a.m. and an Episcopal service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Plus other stuff to iron out like how to best share meeting and office space as well as financial considerations. Should make for some interestin' times over the next few months as we iron this all out. Da bear, of course, immediately volunteered to be a part of the Episcopal end of things. I reckon I'm afraid I'll run out of things to keep me out of trouble.

Thus ends the religious news portiion of the MMP. We now return to our regular program.

[VunderBob]

Originally Posted by swampbear

In other church related news (this is the religious news portion of the MMP) the local ELCA church, Lutheran Church of Our Savior (LCOS) has expressed interest in a shared ministry with us.

Y'all better be careful. Them pesky Brewtherans might get their beer mixed with your whiskey.

[swampbear]

Originally Posted by VunderBob

Y'all better be careful. Them pesky Brewtherans might get their beer mixed with your whiskey.

Thanks for the heads up BBBobbio. The first point I shall make is they should buy their own refrigerator so they don't mix their beer with our beer and wine. Seriously, I looked in the kitchen fridge tonight and there were two twelve packs of beer and two bottles of wine. Know how to tell if you're in an Episcopal Church kitchen? You can't find a can opener but you can find at least three corkscrews.

[swampbear]

Oh and because I am uber nice, links to Unca Rue Story Guy Part One and Part Two.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

She's owing better. Slurring and left side weakness much better. CT scan tomorrow and we'll have a better idea of what happened.

Thanks for the hugs. I can't believe this. Just a month since my dad died. I fell apart in a meeting I was in when I got the call. Fortunately I was among friends.

[gardentraveler]

Oh, Soapy! Best wishes for a swift and full recovery for you Mom. And extra hugs for everyone.

Meant to write this to DMark earlier: hope baby arrives in the middle of the night so that you don't have to freak out. Also liked the part about writing down 911 auf deutsch.

Exciting religious report, swampy. We used to share space with the Korean Catholic parish. Not sure why they left us...

I thinK that we need to [del]bully[/del

Long day at work. But getting closer to being done with this project. So, YAY!

Hugs all.

GT
GT

[SpazCat]

{{{{{everybody}}}}}

[swampbear]

Good Mornin' Y'all! Up and caffienatin'. *YAWN* 'Tis 60 Amurrkin out with a predicted high of 88. Normal weather has returned.

Glad your mom is doin' better Soapy. Prayers and healing thoughts headed out for a full recovery.

Today is yet another webinar (hate that word!) led by the person I cannot understand. Seriously, not to sound all prejudiced but she has a very thick Hispanic accent and I cannot understand a lot of what she says. The way I learn anything is to review the tutorials. I will sit there for two hours and not learn a thing. Le sigh.

Now I need more caffiene and brekkie for rumbly tummy. Then, alas and alack, irk purtification must commence.

Happy Thursday Y'all!

[VunderBob]

Blurf.

I am filled with much Recreational Indignation this morning, for I now have a twofer related to the ex-VunderLair. To recap, the property management company the bank hired has been hassling me to sign their paperwork for the third time, and to mow the yahd. The bonus is I got a letter from the mortgage company yesterday, saying that because I dropped my homeowner's coverage, they are exercising their right to get it themselves and bill me for it.

So, following a very heated phone call with the bank that established once and for all that the deed-in-lieu process is concluded and I relenquished all claims and responsibilities as of March 6th, I wrote two of my famous poison pen letters.

To the insurance enforcement wing of the mortgage company, I said that if y'all wanna buy insurance for the property, knock yerselves out. However, if you try to stick me with a bill for it, the matter will be settled by someone refered to as Your Honor.

To the property management company, I sent a long one, where I can almost quote the good bits verbatim:

Here's a bunch of clues for you. Feel free to pass any of them around to people within [loathsome company] that needs one:

1. I've signed your paperwork twice already. I will not sign a third time.
   
2. There will be glaciers in Hell a mile thick before I mow the yard of a property where I have no property interest.
   
3. You will need to provide me with a court order to compel me to do either of the above.

The only signature you will get from me ever again is the one at the bottom of this letter telling your company to go pound sand up its ass.


/s/ VunderBob

Now I need to pull up a lawn chair and get a bucket of popcorn to wait for the responses. I won't hold my breath, though.

[FairyChatMom]

{{{Soapy}}} - all kinds of good thought headed to you and your mom!

Oh, BBBobbio, don't hold back - tell us what you really think!

Good morning! It's raining way earlier than I expected, so I won't be doing anything outside today. Steve from the oil company is coming over around 1030 to discuss pumping out our oil tank and replacing it once the well guys dig out then bury the new plumbing to the house. I also need to remind FCD about getting a load of dirt delivered and dumped so we can fill in the shallow well. I should probably empty the dishwasher, too - we're about out of glasses in the cabinet. It's so tough to be me... <insert pose of woe>

Again with the freaky sleep cycle - I woke up around 3:30 and could not fall back to sleep. So I turned on TV and about 4:40, I couldn't keep my eyes open, so I crashed again. I woke up enough to tell my sweetie good bye, then managed to snooze again till almost 7. So I'm feeling sorta human, kinda.

I've got a small poke roast in the slow cooker with some apple juice. I'll figure out the sides later. Daughter is coming to dinner as usual for Thursday.

Other than that, just another day in paradise. Happy Thursday!

[Dolores Reborn]

{{{Soapy}}} - sending prayers for your Mom to recover quickly. Take care of yourself, too!

Love your letter, Bobbio!

I was a hero at work yesterday! I found an error that could have potentially cost us $10K in material alone, and untold amount of money due to weeks of delay on the project. Yay!

[FairyChatMom]

Good for you, Rebo! I expect my husband would love an employee like you. Right now he's dealing with a guy who's designed a plastic plate with brass inserts to receive stainless steel screws, and the guy doesn't understand that he needs to provide a torque specification for the screws because the device it holds has very rigid alignment parameters. And personally, I don't understand the 3 different materials - why don't they just tap a stainless plate??

Never mind. I'm retired. Not my problem. But good for you anyway!

[Nava]

There's no need to be so polite, Bobbio, you can just cut loose and let them know the depth of your feelings.



{{{{{Soapy}}}}}

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by FairyChatMom

the well guys dig out then bury the new plumbing to the house.

How much are they replacing?

[FairyChatMom]

flytrap - we're having all new plumbing run, since the existing stuff is 30+ years old. The new well is closer to the house and my uncalibrated eyeball guess is that they'll run about 50' from the well head to the corner of the basement where it enters the house. It's at least 35 or 40' closer than the old well.

So, should I buy one of those adorable "lighthouses" that one sets over the well to disguise it? Or a cutesy "wishing well? Or really freak the neighbors out with a gallows or guillotine? This could be fun...

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by FairyChatMom

So, should I buy one of those adorable "lighthouses" that one sets over the well to disguise it? Or a cutesy "wishing well? Or really freak the neighbors out with a gallows or guillotine? This could be fun...

Gallows, without question.

[Filbert]

{{Soapy}}

I'm having the opposite weird sleep- I'm not falling asleep until about 4am, then I'm waking up around 1pm. I think it's partly because I've been stuck inside due to the thoroughly rotten weather all week, after planning a week of gardening stuff. It's not too soggy today though, so I might go out and see if I can do anything.

Anyway, finally found my camera this morning, so I've photographed my eggcups I may have mentioned from last term: the glaze is awful, so I'm going to try and go over the worst bits. They have nasty cheap very thin glaze at the class, so I'm going to buy some coloured slip for use in future, that being what I prefer to use. One of them's also a bit shallow for holding an egg steady... other than that, I'm quite pleased with them : Eggcups F'tagn!

I'm gonna make a few more better ones, I think; got class tonight.

[FairyChatMom]

LOVE the eggcups!

The drillers stopped by a bit ago to get the lay of the land. They asked if I cared if they took out one small tree - pfffffy - nah! I just hope they were referring to my dogwood... no, I'm pretty sure it's the spindly little thing next to the well site. They also asked where they'd be dumping the drilling mud, and I told them to put it as far back in the yard as they could. We're moving along.

Boat show tomorrow - that'll be a nice break from fretting over household crap.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Filbert

Eggcups F'tagn!

I KNEW it! The MMP is a Lovecraftian cult!

[Taters]

Soapy, I'm glad to read your mother has improved a little. I'll continue to keep all of you in my thoughts.

Two nights ago I had to meet one of my best friends at the vet because she had to put her dog down. It was totally out of the blue. My friend was devastated and her husband was out of town. Poor Wilma was a good girl and I'm going to miss her. She was only eight, but she was riddled with cancer. So strange; it was just like my Cappy; fine one day, doing horrible the next. That was not a good night for any of us.

Last night I was speaking to my son. He informed me that the guy he worked for last summer has informed him that he may not have enough for my son. This sucks big time as next week is his last week of school and now he's going to have to hit the pavement and find a job for summer. The job he had last summer paid well, and we were sort of counting on that so he could get a better car. Also, for some stupid reason, his replacement debit card got sent back to the CU because "there was no such address". However, his pin made it to him. Now, he has to wait again and he basically has a week left. What a damn clusterfuck.

FCM, I'm sorry about your well woes, and sorry that you won't be able to go on vacation. However, it is really good that you had the money in savings to cover this.

Give them hell, Bobbio.

[FairyChatMom]

Oil tank guy just left. Makes we wish I'd replaced this tank a couple years back when I was thinking about it. Oh well, the chickens have come to roost... He'll have our oil pumped out tomorrow, and they'll put the new tank in after the well is done. We'll get a credit for whatever is in the tank, and they'll fill the new tank so we start fresh. Of course, heating oil is currently going about $4/gallon and it'll be a 300 gallon tank, so there's another ouch! But we're on the budget plan with them, so they spread our payments out over the whole year to ease the pain.

Did I mention that being a homeowner sucks sometimes? Life was easier when we lived on our boat. Except for being crowded. And having a teensy fridge. And having to go to a laundromat. And it got freekin' cold in the winter. OK, being a homeowner is better than living on a boat, but this week still sucks.

I can't even afford to go out and get drunk now... if I drank...


<whimper> send chocolate <whimper>

[kopek]

Originally Posted by Silver Tyger

I realized last night that I have a swimsuit that I haven't worn in about five years. I'm pretty much within walking distance of the beach. Anybody want to come and watch me make a fool of myself in the water?

Well, if you twist my arm and since there has been no offer of pictures -----------

Originally Posted by IvoryTowerDenizen

My sister just called.

She thinks my mom just had a stroke.

We'll know more soon, I hope.

Will be working the vibes for all they are worth; one of the reasons you've all been in our prayers. Someone gets ill and its the caregivers who lose as much health as anyone.

Originally Posted by IvoryTowerDenizen

She's owing better. Slurring and left side weakness much better. CT scan tomorrow and we'll have a better idea of what happened.

Thanks for the hugs. I can't believe this. Just a month since my dad died. I fell apart in a meeting I was in when I got the call. Fortunately I was among friends.

Unca Kopeks RX is that you and other closely beloved get a good physical and check-up real soon and another at 6 month and at a year.

When my BIL died:
I had a stroke 6 months later as we were completing his estate
Muvver (my MIL) had a heart attack on what would have been his next birthday
My wife had a clinical bout of depression around the first anniversary.

We spent so much time caring for each other and his memory that we fell apart ourselves. Not good ------ and something a good relationship with a GP/PCP can cure.

[kopek]

Originally Posted by FairyChatMom

flytrap - we're having all new plumbing run, since the existing stuff is 30+ years old. The new well is closer to the house and my uncalibrated eyeball guess is that they'll run about 50' from the well head to the corner of the basement where it enters the house. It's at least 35 or 40' closer than the old well.

So, should I buy one of those adorable "lighthouses" that one sets over the well to disguise it? Or a cutesy "wishing well? Or really freak the neighbors out with a gallows or guillotine? This could be fun...

Times like that I shop here
(haunt supply - some images could be disturbing)

http://www.distefano.com/

[VunderBob]

Originally Posted by FairyChatMom

So, should I buy one of those adorable "lighthouses" that one sets over the well to disguise it? Or a cutesy "wishing well? Or really freak the neighbors out with a gallows or guillotine? This could be fun...

I recall one time while at the NC VunderLair threatening to hang out a clown suit and a merry widow on the clothesline just to tweak the nose of neighbor CindyTheFlake.

[anyrose]

Originally Posted by carnivorousplant

I KNEW it! The MMP is a Lovecraftian cult!

And your point is?

[VunderBob]

Originally Posted by anyrose

And your point is?

Well, I ain't skeered of any danged Cthulhu. I bet he'd make some bodacious croaker bait.

[phouka]

Originally Posted by kopek

Unca Kopeks RX is that you and other closely beloved get a good physical and check-up real soon and another at 6 month and at a year.

When my BIL died:
I had a stroke 6 months later as we were completing his estate
Muvver (my MIL) had a heart attack on what would have been his next birthday
My wife had a clinical bout of depression around the first anniversary.

We spent so much time caring for each other and his memory that we fell apart ourselves. Not good ------ and something a good relationship with a GP/PCP can cure.

Soapy, I second Unca Kopeks. There is a statistically heightened chance of death in the year following the death of a spouse. I'm sure there's a scientific/medical explanation for it - stress hormones suppressing the immune system, leading to bacterial infections getting in the blood stream, causing inflammation, causing abnormal clotting, causing infarctions.

In the end, it doesn't matter so much what the mechanism is as it matters that you be aware of it and take measures to counter it. This doesn't just apply to your mom but also to you, your sister, and your other family.

Having dealt with severe depression, panic attacks, and a crappy immune system, what I've found to be the most helpful is listed in order of importance:

- exercise, regular and fun
- socialization
- physical contact with loved ones (including puppies and kittens)
- healthy diet

Take your mom for walks in the park as soon as she is able. Give her backrubs. If there's a pet around, bring it with you for extra affection. Grief is stress. Stress depletes us. Love restores us. Especially when it's a box of kittens.

[Noone Special]

{{{Ivory}}} Thirding that you all have to take care of yourselves after a loved one passes -- my MIL was seemingly perfectly healthy after my FIL died... until she keeled over with a sudden heart attack less than a year later.

I am stuffed and pickled -- Independence Day long weekend, including a night out on the bar yesterday with another couple, and the yearly BBQ at my wife's aunt's place today -- between the two I have ingested enough alcolhol and meat for about a month. And it isn't even Firday yet!

And I totally think we need to change out national anthem for a day -- to this (SFW)