How's you week going? - May 23, 2022

[ProudTVJunkie]

Hi All,

I almost forgot it was Monday. It was a busy weekend. We went to my cousin's one year old's birthday party. They have a large backyard so it was all outdoors. The downside was that it was 95 degrees! Talk about crazy weather. All last week it was in the 60s and 70s. Then Saturday and Sunday it was in the 90s, and now it's back to the 60s and 70s again. Go figure.

My front porch is finally being rebuilt. There was a delay with some supplies last week but now things are moving right along. It's an old, wooden porch, and when they tore up all the wood planks they found all sorts of old wood, brick, and tools underneath. Apparently, years back, they just used that space as a dumping ground for everything they needed to get rid of. Unfortunately, now we're stuck with disposing of it. My contractor worries that if we leave it there it will eventually attract termites and this is a 100-plus-year-old house, mostly made of wood.

Last week, we caught one more cat in our traps. It was a BIG tomcat. We got him neutered and vaccinated and then released him. My daughter was there to release him and asked what he would do when I opened the trap. I said he would run to the end of the property and jump over the back fence. She asked, how can you be so sure? So I opened the trap, and he ran full speed and cleared the 6-foot fence in one jump!

So how is your week going? Check in and let us know.

[tycho657]

Your house project is always interesting. When dealing with a house that old it will always be a challenge.
I started to feel like a hoarder this last week. I returned from my last RV trip until fall and decided to take everything out and do a deep clean this summer. I brought in many bags of “stuff” and finally got the energy today to start emptying the bags. I am throwing old food, donating what has good exasperation dates to St. Vince, and storing things that should not be in the heat this summer. I need to find the leak in my Queen bed mattress that is for guests. I went to take it out today only to discover that the slide must be out to lower the bed. I can’t get to the mattress until I back out so I can get the slide out…boo..
My one heirloom tomato plant has 5 tomatoes growing and a possible 35 more to come. I still haven’t planted my raised garden planter. It sits in the shade of my patio so It might do ok this summer. We will see how it does. Now I just need to plant stuff in it.

[ProudTVJunkie]

Yes, my husband and I have resigned ourselves to the fact that there will always be something that needs to be done with this house. Our goal is to prioritize it all and hope we don't run out of money before the important stuff gets done. Speaking of which, the plumber comes next week to fix the broken pipes.

Over the weekend, there was a town-wide yard sale. I hadn't signed up for it because I rather despise yard sales. I generally spend hours sitting in the sun, having to talk to strangers who want to pay 50 cents for something I'm asking a $1, and then making very little given the amount of hours spent sorting, setting up, and cleaning up afterward.

But we had a bunch of stuff we needed to get rid of, and I was having trouble even trying to donate it. So, at the last minute, I decided to put it all out for the yard sale with big signs that said FREE. It worked like a charm. Everything we put out was gone by noon. Now I only wish I had put out more!

[ibmjas]

I'm working on painting my great room and connected hallway. Last year I painted the large hallway that has 8 doors in it. I hate painting around doors like that. It takes forever! That was a third of the project. Today I finished painting the 2nd third which was kitchen and dining area. At some point I'll get to the family room.

And under the 'People are really weird' file, remember when they captured the escapee and his jailer here? They had been staying in a fly-by-night motel here. Now there is a huge waitlist for people that want to stay in their room! And at almost double the normal rate! Every day I shake my head at people.

[ProudTVJunkie]

May 23, 2022 23:57:28 GMT -5 ibmjas said:

I'm working on painting my great room and connected hallway. Last year I painted the large hallway that has 8 doors in it. I hate painting around doors like that. It takes forever! That was a third of the project. Today I finished painting the 2nd third which was kitchen and dining area. At some point I'll get to the family room.

And under the 'People are really weird' file, remember when they captured the escapee and his jailer here? They had been staying in a fly-by-night motel here. Now there is a huge waitlist for people that want to stay in their room! And at almost double the normal rate! Every day I shake my head at people.

That is really weird! People never cease to astound me.

[geezer2008]

It's been a nice week. Friday, we saw Downton Abbey, which we enjoyed.  Monday, Rikki went to her craft group for the first time in a couple of years. She was stoked to see friends again. I went to see Dr. Strange which I liked. We went to Pete's game in the evening. We shopped yesterday and went to the Dentist today. Tonight, I play cards. Things are finally emerging again in our area. Tomorrow, I am going to a Sectional Track Meet. My SIL's nephew, who is a junior in HS, has the best throw in the shotput in the State this year. He'll go to the State Meet if he throws well enough tomorrow. LOL, Ben is a manchild. He's roughly 6'3" and BIG with no fat on him. It'll be very interesting to see what he is when he stops growing  We plan to stay close to home for the weekend when it is busier with the holiday weekend. 

We wish you all a very happy Memorial Day Weekend     

[ProudTVJunkie]

geezer2008, my daughter and I are bingewatching Downton Abbey right now. We’re about to watch Season 5 Episode 3. We’re hoping to get through the whole series and be able to still catch the new movie in theaters, but at the same time we don’t want it to end! It’s a really great show and we’ve loved every minute of it.

We also saw Dr. Strange last week. It was a LOT to take in, but then again it was called the Multiverse of Madness, and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. We’ve been strategic with our movies these days. We usually wait a few weeks after they’ve come out and then see them during less busy showtimes. Being able to see how many seats are sold online really helps.

My cousin just got Covid for the second time. She thinks it’s her own fault for being so lax about wearing masks in public, and I feel really bad for her. She had it after Thanksgiving 2020, when she got it at her sister’s. She was down for about a month then, and had flu-like symptoms and overwhelming fatigue.

She says this time is different. She really thought she just had a head cold and a sinus infection. She had one a few months ago and was Covid negative. After three days of symptoms, she went to the doctor expecting to be prescribed more antibiotics, but found out it was Covid. They gave her the new plaxovid but unfortunately, it works best if you take it right away and she’d already been sick for several days. She says in some ways this is worse than the first time. She has a splitting headache that won’t go away and an incredibly painful cough that won’t allow her to sleep. On the phone, she sounded absolutely miserable.

I have an appointment for my second booster shot next week. Everyone try and stay healthy! Things are better but it’s not done with us yet.

[ProudTVJunkie]

Well, in another episode of This Old House, yesterday I was mowing the lawn and realized the attic fan was on. It was loud and running at full speed, but the louvers were closed on the outside. So I go up to the attic to find that my father had closed off the inside as well with insulation and shutters that had been nailed shut. I'm guessing he did this to keep the cold out in the winter.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a switch to turn off the fan. I tried every switch up there, as well as a few on the floor below but nothing would shut off the fan. Todd was working that night, so I called my cousin who is a retired contractor. He's worked on this house in the past and I was hoping he'd know where the shutoff switch was. He didn't, but he came right over.

Together we figured out that the fan had a temperature gauge, but nothing we did to adjust the setting would get the fan to turn off. Then we followed the electrical cord, which went through an old brick chimney, into a junction box in the rafters, and then down into an exterior wall.

With no other way to turn it off, and not wanting it to burn out and start a fire, we decided to shut off the circuit breaker. He stood upstairs with the fan while I went down to the basement. There were two switches marked "Attic." One did nothing. The other shut off all the lights but not the fan. There were several switches not marked at all, so I began trying them and eventually came across the right one. So the immediate crisis was averted and the fan is off, but I'm guessing a call to an electrician is in my future.

[ibmjas]

I just got my 2nd shingles shot yesterday. I've never had a shot affect me like these shingles shots! It felt really thick going in. I could barely sleep last night. Today my arm feels like it was hit with a baseball bat and I have a slight fever. If I just barely touch my arm it hurts like crazy. I'd rather have a day of this than a minute of shingles though.

[tycho657]

Today I was volunteering at the Phoenix Fanfest at the Kinds Need to Read booth. This is the 1 st time since the Pandemic. Many people still wore masks as they could work them into their outfits many times. Good to see people getting out and having fun again. The guy who plays Dr Who had to cancel as he is filming over in Europe and couldn’t get away. He sent a nice video with his apology.

[ProudTVJunkie]

May 27, 2022 17:34:10 GMT -5 ibmjas said:

I just got my 2nd shingles shot yesterday. I've never had a shot affect me like these shingles shots! It felt really thick going in. I could barely sleep last night. Today my arm feels like it was hit with a baseball bat and I have a slight fever. If I just barely touch my arm it hurts like crazy. I'd rather have a day of this than a minute of shingles though.

I had my second shingles shot a couple of months back and it hit me hard. I woke up the next morning and every one of my joints ached badly. They say that's because of the Lyme disease I had in my 20s, that joint pain is always going to be a likely weak spot for me.

But like you said, one day of pain (which mostly went away after some Advil and a good nap), is highly preferable to shingles! I remember when my grandmother had it and it looked nasty.

[tycho657]

I had shingles in my eye back in 2010. I got the old shot back then after my 2nd bout with shingles. We were going on a cruise to Italy and I didn’t want to get it again. My dr said I had to be symptom free for 6 months. It was like 5 months when it came back. The pharmacist told me the rep for the vaccine told him I only needed to be symptom free for 30 days. I had the RX from the dr so after 3 months I got the shot. When the new one came out I got the 1st shot and had such a reaction I never got the 2nd dose. I have never had that kind of reaction to a shot. I figured I got the old shot, had shingles twice, and the new shot so I was good. ….I hope.

[arky]

Hello everyone!
Hectic week what with work and getting ready for vacation.
We were victims of a very bad hail storm on 4/11/2022.
We had right at 50,000 dollars in damage to home and cars.
We are having siding replaced today.
Our roof is done but still need gutter work and garage door replaced.
Can’t get my truck in until June 29th.
My wife’s car was totaled in the storm and she has replaced it.

My birthday was May 27th and I turned 70!
A milestone for sure .
Looking forward to the beach next week.
Going to Panama City Beach for 9 days of Sun and fun.
Going to cure my seafood craving.😜

Happy memorial weekend to all .

Sincerely, Arky

[larryholmes]

Wow, I am sorry to see all the property damage...BUT...pleased that there was no one injured. Happy Birthday!