Before I left for work yesterday, I loaded towels into the washer and left it running. I like to run my washing machine and/or dishwasher late at night (bedtime) to help with peak usage (electrical) hours, so I figured if I washed the towels, I could dry them later that night.
When I opened the washer, the tub was still full of water, but it was on the rinse and spin cycle. I figured the load was imbalanced, move some things around and put the lid down. Nothing! Great! Just Great! Anyway, I did everything that I could think of to ‘fix’ the washer (without taking it apart…..cause lets not talk crazy here!!) LOL! When I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to fix it, I knew I had to remove the towels, and empty the water out of the washer manually. I took the towels out one by one and wrung them out by hand. Ok – remember I’m older and this hurt my hands after a while. Of course, by hand wringing, I couldn’t put them in the dryer because they would be too damp and heavy, so I threw them in the dryer just to store…until I could get all the towels wrung out.
I emptied out the (20 gallons) of water in the washer. Then I took the towels out of the dryer and laid them across the top of the agitator (that wasn’t agitating)….and sent Gregg a note letting him know we had issues with the washer. THIS is the replacement washer, an old heavy duty washer that we put in the washroom just two months ago because the last washer I had (for 11 years) was spewing water everywhere during the rinse cycle.
Prior to the washing machine adventure, I’d gone into the front bathroom and there in the bathtub was approximately 4 inches of water. One of the teens had taken a shower and the water didn’t run out. I didn’t have any Draino, so I grabbed the plunger and went to work. I suspect that if a plumber were to come out, he would find a glob of Band-Aids and possibly the spent heads to razors there. You see, one of the teens at my house does not bother to remove Band-Aids before getting in the tub, so I suspect they just travel down into the drain and she gets out with no afterthought or concern. She uses lots of band-aids because lately and I am pretty sure I’m accurate in my hypothesis because when I used the plunger last week on the tub…I found a Band-Aid stuck to the side of the tub. I’m hoping to get a plumbers ‘snake’ and work on this tub this weekend. Until then, Draino is my best bet…but with sticky Band-Aids…..I’m hoping a plumber’s visit isn’t in my future. If so –someone will have to cough up the dough to help pay the bill. Only way I know to teach a child to THINK about their actions and repercussions is to hit them where it hurts…..and that is the purse, the phone, the computer, and the car. Also – this is the child who throws things AT a trashcan. If they make it in the trash = Great!, If not, oh well….the maid (me) will pick them up at some point and time (ewwww). I swept up 5 used band-aids and their packaging last week, plus at least 6 Q-tips. Bathrooms are my least favorite rooms to clean. But the fact that she had staph infection made those band-aids a bio hazard.
So...more on this later.
I feel like before I can sell the house, I’m going to HAVE to replace the plumbing and probably the roof. The roof looks good and appears to be working well. I just can’t remember if it’s a 15 or 20 year roof. I hate being a grown up….I really really do!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Storms, Persimmons and work.....
Well, I returned to work today after a very short (albeit a 3 day) weekend! It's reports week so I'm busy busy and having to add even more process stuff in to get it done.
So - what will I do tonight? Well, I'm only like 4 months behind on my financial accounts (reconciling, not paying)....so I think I will try to at least get that accomplished tonight. Tomorrow night (Depending on the weather) I will go to Macclesfield and help Dad clean up the yard. Those two massive oaks make the biggest mess during storms and during the normal leave dropping time of year. He needs the yard cleared so he can use his new mower to mow the fast growing lawn. With all this rain we're getting...storm after storm. AND I need to go out in my backyard and get more persimmons up. I've put a bunch of them in the freezer to process later. I hope to get them all processed and back in the freezer.
The process is pretty interesting. You have to wipe any dirt off of these small orbs of fruit and then you have to peel back the skin and take a 'nip' out of them to make sure they are ripe as not ripe = sour. This has to be done so that 'one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch' kind of thing. Once this is done, then you have to 'mash' them up in a food mill, keep the pulp and put it in a container and in the freezer to use later. The skins and such are thrown away.
Well, I found out last night that you can put these little fellows unprocessed into your freezer and process them when you're ready. I'm all about that. LOL!
I awoke this morning and turned the TV on to the news as I usually do, however, there was Tornado activity in Eastern NC (yet again). I went to the Grocery Store on the way home (Dang I forgot to buy Deli turkey and the teens live off that). Anyway, I got soaked coming out from the Dollar Store (located beside the Food Lion). I'd gone in to get Chaos (the Red Nosed Pit Bull 40 pound puppy) a new toy. He's destroyed his others. I felt sorry for him last night chewing on the carcus of a small animal (cloth) that had lost all of it's stuffing (Thanks to Chaos)....So I gave him a rope with a ball on it and TADAH two hours later and he has already chewed the ball up. HA HA HA! Sad thing about the storms, heard tomorrow will be even worse for us.
Worries, Worries, Worries, Worries, Worries.... I sure do miss the good old days when I had fun and I had down time and I had a life. WHAT HAPPENED? Oh I remember....it's been one huge wicked roller coaster life since I can remember. I felt this way once before. After the flood (Floyd), when everyone's life went back to 'normal' and there was plenty and there was fun and there was a good life....and mine sucked! I was fixing things up, trying to keep it together, losing my mind and missing Megan's childhood. So - a decade later and I've gone through more than I thought I was capable.....but I'm not out of the woods yet. Oh please GOD help me keep it together one more year or less!!!
So - I'll go out to the car (Oh did I mention that since the storms weekend before last), we of course have these butt-holes coming into the neighborhood (cause we get discovered during times like this) and stealing from cars. I'm having to be very vigilant to make sure everything is kept locked up...and thank GOD for Chaos. When he barks, makes me feel good inside. Do I worry? I think whoever it is will stay outside and if they come in, well......judged by 12 works for me. And I will leave it at that. Anyway, I'll go get the rest of the groceries (non-perishables) I left during the storm and put them away.
So - I've got to get busy.....and get some things done because MY work is never done! I am so going to do GREAT things for myself when things get better!
So - what will I do tonight? Well, I'm only like 4 months behind on my financial accounts (reconciling, not paying)....so I think I will try to at least get that accomplished tonight. Tomorrow night (Depending on the weather) I will go to Macclesfield and help Dad clean up the yard. Those two massive oaks make the biggest mess during storms and during the normal leave dropping time of year. He needs the yard cleared so he can use his new mower to mow the fast growing lawn. With all this rain we're getting...storm after storm. AND I need to go out in my backyard and get more persimmons up. I've put a bunch of them in the freezer to process later. I hope to get them all processed and back in the freezer.
The process is pretty interesting. You have to wipe any dirt off of these small orbs of fruit and then you have to peel back the skin and take a 'nip' out of them to make sure they are ripe as not ripe = sour. This has to be done so that 'one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch' kind of thing. Once this is done, then you have to 'mash' them up in a food mill, keep the pulp and put it in a container and in the freezer to use later. The skins and such are thrown away.
Well, I found out last night that you can put these little fellows unprocessed into your freezer and process them when you're ready. I'm all about that. LOL!
I awoke this morning and turned the TV on to the news as I usually do, however, there was Tornado activity in Eastern NC (yet again). I went to the Grocery Store on the way home (Dang I forgot to buy Deli turkey and the teens live off that). Anyway, I got soaked coming out from the Dollar Store (located beside the Food Lion). I'd gone in to get Chaos (the Red Nosed Pit Bull 40 pound puppy) a new toy. He's destroyed his others. I felt sorry for him last night chewing on the carcus of a small animal (cloth) that had lost all of it's stuffing (Thanks to Chaos)....So I gave him a rope with a ball on it and TADAH two hours later and he has already chewed the ball up. HA HA HA! Sad thing about the storms, heard tomorrow will be even worse for us.
Worries, Worries, Worries, Worries, Worries.... I sure do miss the good old days when I had fun and I had down time and I had a life. WHAT HAPPENED? Oh I remember....it's been one huge wicked roller coaster life since I can remember. I felt this way once before. After the flood (Floyd), when everyone's life went back to 'normal' and there was plenty and there was fun and there was a good life....and mine sucked! I was fixing things up, trying to keep it together, losing my mind and missing Megan's childhood. So - a decade later and I've gone through more than I thought I was capable.....but I'm not out of the woods yet. Oh please GOD help me keep it together one more year or less!!!
So - I'll go out to the car (Oh did I mention that since the storms weekend before last), we of course have these butt-holes coming into the neighborhood (cause we get discovered during times like this) and stealing from cars. I'm having to be very vigilant to make sure everything is kept locked up...and thank GOD for Chaos. When he barks, makes me feel good inside. Do I worry? I think whoever it is will stay outside and if they come in, well......judged by 12 works for me. And I will leave it at that. Anyway, I'll go get the rest of the groceries (non-perishables) I left during the storm and put them away.
So - I've got to get busy.....and get some things done because MY work is never done! I am so going to do GREAT things for myself when things get better!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
I know 2 things about electricity
There are millions of funny stories told by members of the Beck family in our times together. One of my favorites told by Weldon Beck. He worked with Beau Webb at the Fire Department and at Beau's 2nd job. Beau was an electrician. There was a conversation struck up with an old man about electrical work. The old man told Weldon, "It know two things about electricity". "It will light a light bulb....and it will kill you ass!" Truer words have not been spoken. One of my favorite sayings.
Monday August 29, 2011
So it was an extremely busy day at work again. It always is and I'm not complaining!! Strong work ethic plus hard work is happy but tired person! :)
The one redeeming item to the day....***MY LIGHTS ARE BACK ON!!!!******
So, it's 5:30 and I'm on my way home. I drive 60 minutes round trip to work, and I'd stopped for some Wendy's because I was too tired to cook. I received some texts from my college friend who lives in Wake Forest NC. Lynn told me that storms had just rolled through there and had plenty of straight line winds, hail and was just plain nasty! GREAT! I can't tell you how excited I was after this past week..... Sunday Week - Power out, lines down, and trees down in my neighborhood...couldn't even get in the neighborhood...stayed at my sisters house, that night I twisted my ankle and was hobbling around for the better part of a week, then Tuesday week - Earthquake that shook the East Coast from Ontario, Canada to Alabama. Saturday, Hurricane Irene and power out from 9AM Saturday to 4pm Tuesday....so coming home to a storm was not my idea of fun.
I pulled into the driveway where my neighbor Steve met me. He helped me get the generator in the garage. I had to pull the motorcycle out so it could be placed in there, and then we both pushed the bike in. He grabbed the almost empty gas cans and put them away for me and we both ran for our respective houses.
I was in the house moments before the sharpest lightning I think I've ever seen hit. Immediate thunder and that hot electric feeling in the air. Another 4 or 5 close lightning strikes and the real fun began.
The teens were watching a movie so I had them turn it off so we could view the cable (YAY it was back on!) to see news concerning the storm. One of the channels we found had live coverage. The weatherman told us the time to expect the storm to hit us. It was 10 miles away, then Joyners Cross Rds, 5 miles away, then it was right on top of us. Golf Ball sized hail hitting the house....I felt like I was in an ice machine. The teens and me, the puppy and the cat sitting in the hallway waiting it out. I then had conversations via phone with several people who were trying to see how we were. Zack called and he was stuck under an overpass just a mile down the road waiting for the storm to subside. The storm was actively over us for about 10 minutes. When it left, there was water running down the driveway, down the street (looked like a creek) and the ditch was full and appeared to be 5 or 6 feet wide and about 3 feet deep.
Now before all this happened, I'd run in and tried to close all the windows. I had trouble with one old storm window closing so I forced it. Bad move on my part. When it released it slammed 4 of my fingers (Middle and Index on both hands) under it. I was screaming I was in so much pain and so pissed that I did that. So I was sitting in the hallway with ice in a baggie wrapped around my hands. It just doesn't get better than that. In case this drama wasn't sufficient, the storm then headed for the farmhouse in Macclesfield...so I had to call Dad and get him to get out of his trailer and into the farmhouse. It's not finished yet, (remodeling) but it's liveable and being built in 1879, it's a lot sturdier than being in a trailer, under 2 HUGE 200 year old Oak trees..... He was okay and the storm went North of him. Unfortunately, the storm caused more damage for already hard hit Pinetops...where now there is even more fresh damage to power lines, trees, houses, etc. They are under a state of emergency. I was there on Sunday and the clerk couldn't sell beer and people were getting ticked. Yeah....glad I don't drink....
So - Now it's Tuesday evening and I've come home to realize that instead of turning on the air conditioner when the lights came back on....I turned on the heat. It was 80 degrees in here when I got here. I apologized to the pets and turned it on air and turned it back so it would cool off.
I have to run some errands and then I'm going to try to get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is the last day of the month and my status report is due. Excellent news....my Project Plan (how I try to stay organized for work) is completely updated and I'm adding tasks so things don't get dropped. Here's hoping things will be better....
I'm praying for all of you on the East Coast still without power. May you be safe and have power, air conditioning and everything straight very soon.
Monday August 29, 2011
So it was an extremely busy day at work again. It always is and I'm not complaining!! Strong work ethic plus hard work is happy but tired person! :)
The one redeeming item to the day....***MY LIGHTS ARE BACK ON!!!!******
So, it's 5:30 and I'm on my way home. I drive 60 minutes round trip to work, and I'd stopped for some Wendy's because I was too tired to cook. I received some texts from my college friend who lives in Wake Forest NC. Lynn told me that storms had just rolled through there and had plenty of straight line winds, hail and was just plain nasty! GREAT! I can't tell you how excited I was after this past week..... Sunday Week - Power out, lines down, and trees down in my neighborhood...couldn't even get in the neighborhood...stayed at my sisters house, that night I twisted my ankle and was hobbling around for the better part of a week, then Tuesday week - Earthquake that shook the East Coast from Ontario, Canada to Alabama. Saturday, Hurricane Irene and power out from 9AM Saturday to 4pm Tuesday....so coming home to a storm was not my idea of fun.
I pulled into the driveway where my neighbor Steve met me. He helped me get the generator in the garage. I had to pull the motorcycle out so it could be placed in there, and then we both pushed the bike in. He grabbed the almost empty gas cans and put them away for me and we both ran for our respective houses.
I was in the house moments before the sharpest lightning I think I've ever seen hit. Immediate thunder and that hot electric feeling in the air. Another 4 or 5 close lightning strikes and the real fun began.
The teens were watching a movie so I had them turn it off so we could view the cable (YAY it was back on!) to see news concerning the storm. One of the channels we found had live coverage. The weatherman told us the time to expect the storm to hit us. It was 10 miles away, then Joyners Cross Rds, 5 miles away, then it was right on top of us. Golf Ball sized hail hitting the house....I felt like I was in an ice machine. The teens and me, the puppy and the cat sitting in the hallway waiting it out. I then had conversations via phone with several people who were trying to see how we were. Zack called and he was stuck under an overpass just a mile down the road waiting for the storm to subside. The storm was actively over us for about 10 minutes. When it left, there was water running down the driveway, down the street (looked like a creek) and the ditch was full and appeared to be 5 or 6 feet wide and about 3 feet deep.
Now before all this happened, I'd run in and tried to close all the windows. I had trouble with one old storm window closing so I forced it. Bad move on my part. When it released it slammed 4 of my fingers (Middle and Index on both hands) under it. I was screaming I was in so much pain and so pissed that I did that. So I was sitting in the hallway with ice in a baggie wrapped around my hands. It just doesn't get better than that. In case this drama wasn't sufficient, the storm then headed for the farmhouse in Macclesfield...so I had to call Dad and get him to get out of his trailer and into the farmhouse. It's not finished yet, (remodeling) but it's liveable and being built in 1879, it's a lot sturdier than being in a trailer, under 2 HUGE 200 year old Oak trees..... He was okay and the storm went North of him. Unfortunately, the storm caused more damage for already hard hit Pinetops...where now there is even more fresh damage to power lines, trees, houses, etc. They are under a state of emergency. I was there on Sunday and the clerk couldn't sell beer and people were getting ticked. Yeah....glad I don't drink....
So - Now it's Tuesday evening and I've come home to realize that instead of turning on the air conditioner when the lights came back on....I turned on the heat. It was 80 degrees in here when I got here. I apologized to the pets and turned it on air and turned it back so it would cool off.
I have to run some errands and then I'm going to try to get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is the last day of the month and my status report is due. Excellent news....my Project Plan (how I try to stay organized for work) is completely updated and I'm adding tasks so things don't get dropped. Here's hoping things will be better....
I'm praying for all of you on the East Coast still without power. May you be safe and have power, air conditioning and everything straight very soon.
August 2011 Storms - Power is OUT!
Saturday Night 8/27/2011:
I am so glad that Hurricane Irene is about to leave us. She was a pain in the backside today and so much for having a nice Saturday. So now, I’m waiting for the generator to give out of gas so I can let it cool off, fill it up and start the process again. I figure if it last at least until 12am and I have the gas refilled by 12:30 and restarted…..it will last at least until 6:30. Then when I’ve started it again, it will last until the Calvary gets here and can take over. I guess I will need to close the back door as I just saw a mosquito in here. Now – that’s just plain cruel…but Chaos did his best in the past few months to destroy the screen in that door…..so it is what it is.
My main concern through the night is someone trying to steal the generator, so when I go out to restart it, I will be moving it to the outside of the carport and chaining it to one of the post on the carport. We’ve got all the cars crammed together under and around the carport to protect them, so if I chain it…maybe it will be there in the morning.
Looks like this week will be interesting. Being on the tail-end of Progress Energy Grid (through Raleigh NC) whenever we lose power due to a storm it’s generally a 7 day wait until we regain power. However, with this storm, Raleigh was not affected as much….so maybe it will just be a day or so. If the power stays off, then we have days where the teens are here (if school is out) and I’m at work in the next town down the road. It’s iffy though as the same power lines that were knocked down last Sunday (Tornadic type activity) are the same ones knocked down this weekend. Add an earthquake on Tuesday of this past week and you have one humdinger of a week – I’ll say!
Sunday 8/28/2011
Here we are 24 hours later (Sunday night) and it’s been an exhausting day. I got up early and refilled the generator. Then I started cleaning again. The yard is a mess, but it was too early to get out there and deal with it. Soon enough I was dressed and outside picking up pinecones and limbs and twigs. I completed the area around the pine tree in the back yard. Then I started on the side lot. I’ve learned a lot this weekend. Not only did I learn how to utilize the generator and create excellent documentation so when my faulty memory happens next time, I can retrieve info and keep on going! I also learned how to utilize the trailer behind the lawn mower. A neighbor taught me a secret to backing trailers. Don’t put your hands on the top of the steering wheel as you have to think about which way you want to turn when backing. If you want to turn right, you have to turn the wheel left. Very hard to do….at least for me. Instead. Place your hands at the bottom of the steering wheel. If you want to turn right, then turn the bottom of the steering wheel right. I backed it up like a pro. I had a serious “Fail’ moment when I was unable to undo the latch that allowed the trailer to tilt and had to use the rake to remove all the items…but oh well. Now, I know better.
So, I worked in the yard as long as I could. Then we went to Mom’s house (Me, Gregg, Megan & Christopher) to cut up the Bradford Pear Tree that fell on her fence. Gregg cut up the tree…You will never see ME handle a chain saw. I like my fingers and toes and other body parts! Then we all pulled the tree limbs and trunk over and threw them in the trailer behind the truck. Very heavy work in some seriously hot weather! Next we drove them around the fence and dumped them in Mom’s side yard. We’re planning a Halloween party bonfire to get rid of all this debris. We had to get this tree out of the neighbor’s yard. He’s quite the fussy person about his yard…..some people…. Hmmph!
From here, we left to go to Dad’s house where the tin roof was damaged on the small 1824 house on the actual roof and the lean-to beside it. I was unable to do anything with that roof (scared of heights) but I was able to start cleaning up some of the limbs that fell from the 200-yr old Oaks in the front yard. I’ve never seen such a mess. Of course, I grabbed the biggest limb I could get my hands on and drug it around the front and side of the house to put it in the burn pile. This resulted in my heart starting a seriously fast (overly fast) heartbeat. It was so hot and I was pulling on this limb for all I was worth. I need to get more help over there this week, so Dad will not attempt to cut up and remove the larger limbs. He’s not feeling well (some sort of bronchial infection) and already has heart issues (rapid heartbeat) when he overexerts himself. I then started picking up the smaller limbs from the pecan tree (back yard) and realized I wasn’t making a whole lot of progress but was worn out from top to bottom. I left to get some water and drinks and had to drive to Pinetops as the power was out all over Macclesfield, so the stores were closed.
My sister had called me earlier in the day with electrical issues. Seems her electrical box had a serious issue where the main breaker was faulty and needed to be replaced. Something about half the breakers were 110 (as usual) and half were like 17. This was causing a strange smell (as her appliances were actually getting electrocuted) and only half of her lights, appliances were working. She had called and the Power folks had come over and checked it out. They had to turn off the power from the meter till she could get it fixed. So – I was trying to organize her contact with my brother-in-law (all the while my phone was dying), so he could go over and fix the issue. He was able to go over but unable to fix the issue, so she is staying elsewhere overnight and hopefully will have power tomorrow. Then when my brother-in-law Weldon was showing her the breakers, something broke off and fell at his feet. My sister leaned over to pick it up. As she did, the main breaker flew out of the box and if she had not leaned over…would have hit her square between the eyes, and would have hurt her quite badly. God is good isn’t he?
So, at the end of the day, we returned to our house and I started clearing the yard again. Then we left to go over to my in-laws house to have dinner. I nearly started crying when I got there. There were 3 trees down in their yard. One tree had started falling, hit a second tree, and they landed on the garage doing some serious damage. Weldon had seen the first tree falling and yelled at his parents to “GO” and they all took off down the hallway away from the falling trees. (This happened Saturday during the storm). There was nothing they could do during the storm but cover “Henry”, Papaw’s 1931 Ford. Later in the day, a 3rd tree fell and landed between two sheds in the back housing 2 motorcycles and no damage to either. So…for those keeping score, 3 individuals not hurt, 3 cars not damaged by the falling trees, and 2 motorcycles not damaged by falling trees. Unbelievable! When I realized how quickly I could have lost 3 people who mean so much to me….it brought tears to my eyes!! I thank GOD above for his blessings!!!!
Tummies full we returned to the house where we refilled and started the generator and I went inside to keep Chaos the dog and Max the cat company. I’m supposed to turn the generator off and sleep tonight in a house with two teenagers and two pets with no air conditioning or lights with windows open (security issue….how do you sleep in this day and time like that?)….then get up and go to work tomorrow with more than 10 brain cells functioning. I think I will wait till 12:30 and fill and restart the generator. Then, I can close all the windows and leave on the fans for the night and hopefully the electricity will be on tomorrow. I need and deserve a good nights sleep (didn’t get that all weekend) before I start work on Monday. And I do not like the idea of the teens being in another room with windows open and asleep. Especially after the random guy on the scooter rode through the neighborhood staring at our houses. I’m assuming to find something of value to steal. We live in a sub-division with dead end streets. Not many folks come back here who do not belong…… So – wasn’t looking forward to tonight.
So, inside for the night and I’ve had my shower and although that sounds lovely (after a hard day of working outside in the heat), it wasn’t. We cannot have the water heater on while the generator is on, so I had to take a cold shower. OK – no sex jokes please. Now – I know my inner child screamed her bloody head off during this very quick shower. I’ve decided that should I have to do this again (Oh please not…please!!), I will have to consume at least 3 or 4 shots of Bourbon or Tequila to silence that bitty!!! LOL! Hmmmm, this isn’t a bad idea!
I plan to finish clearing the yard tomorrow….and who knows….maybe, get some more organization completed. I’m not saying I wished this to happen on a week day so I don’t have to be at work…but it sure filled up my weekend with some serious work!! Now – back to work….I need the rest. (If I plan to rest at work…..then I’ve not planned well…busier than a one armed paper hanger).
I am so glad that Hurricane Irene is about to leave us. She was a pain in the backside today and so much for having a nice Saturday. So now, I’m waiting for the generator to give out of gas so I can let it cool off, fill it up and start the process again. I figure if it last at least until 12am and I have the gas refilled by 12:30 and restarted…..it will last at least until 6:30. Then when I’ve started it again, it will last until the Calvary gets here and can take over. I guess I will need to close the back door as I just saw a mosquito in here. Now – that’s just plain cruel…but Chaos did his best in the past few months to destroy the screen in that door…..so it is what it is.
My main concern through the night is someone trying to steal the generator, so when I go out to restart it, I will be moving it to the outside of the carport and chaining it to one of the post on the carport. We’ve got all the cars crammed together under and around the carport to protect them, so if I chain it…maybe it will be there in the morning.
Looks like this week will be interesting. Being on the tail-end of Progress Energy Grid (through Raleigh NC) whenever we lose power due to a storm it’s generally a 7 day wait until we regain power. However, with this storm, Raleigh was not affected as much….so maybe it will just be a day or so. If the power stays off, then we have days where the teens are here (if school is out) and I’m at work in the next town down the road. It’s iffy though as the same power lines that were knocked down last Sunday (Tornadic type activity) are the same ones knocked down this weekend. Add an earthquake on Tuesday of this past week and you have one humdinger of a week – I’ll say!
Sunday 8/28/2011
Here we are 24 hours later (Sunday night) and it’s been an exhausting day. I got up early and refilled the generator. Then I started cleaning again. The yard is a mess, but it was too early to get out there and deal with it. Soon enough I was dressed and outside picking up pinecones and limbs and twigs. I completed the area around the pine tree in the back yard. Then I started on the side lot. I’ve learned a lot this weekend. Not only did I learn how to utilize the generator and create excellent documentation so when my faulty memory happens next time, I can retrieve info and keep on going! I also learned how to utilize the trailer behind the lawn mower. A neighbor taught me a secret to backing trailers. Don’t put your hands on the top of the steering wheel as you have to think about which way you want to turn when backing. If you want to turn right, you have to turn the wheel left. Very hard to do….at least for me. Instead. Place your hands at the bottom of the steering wheel. If you want to turn right, then turn the bottom of the steering wheel right. I backed it up like a pro. I had a serious “Fail’ moment when I was unable to undo the latch that allowed the trailer to tilt and had to use the rake to remove all the items…but oh well. Now, I know better.
So, I worked in the yard as long as I could. Then we went to Mom’s house (Me, Gregg, Megan & Christopher) to cut up the Bradford Pear Tree that fell on her fence. Gregg cut up the tree…You will never see ME handle a chain saw. I like my fingers and toes and other body parts! Then we all pulled the tree limbs and trunk over and threw them in the trailer behind the truck. Very heavy work in some seriously hot weather! Next we drove them around the fence and dumped them in Mom’s side yard. We’re planning a Halloween party bonfire to get rid of all this debris. We had to get this tree out of the neighbor’s yard. He’s quite the fussy person about his yard…..some people…. Hmmph!
From here, we left to go to Dad’s house where the tin roof was damaged on the small 1824 house on the actual roof and the lean-to beside it. I was unable to do anything with that roof (scared of heights) but I was able to start cleaning up some of the limbs that fell from the 200-yr old Oaks in the front yard. I’ve never seen such a mess. Of course, I grabbed the biggest limb I could get my hands on and drug it around the front and side of the house to put it in the burn pile. This resulted in my heart starting a seriously fast (overly fast) heartbeat. It was so hot and I was pulling on this limb for all I was worth. I need to get more help over there this week, so Dad will not attempt to cut up and remove the larger limbs. He’s not feeling well (some sort of bronchial infection) and already has heart issues (rapid heartbeat) when he overexerts himself. I then started picking up the smaller limbs from the pecan tree (back yard) and realized I wasn’t making a whole lot of progress but was worn out from top to bottom. I left to get some water and drinks and had to drive to Pinetops as the power was out all over Macclesfield, so the stores were closed.
My sister had called me earlier in the day with electrical issues. Seems her electrical box had a serious issue where the main breaker was faulty and needed to be replaced. Something about half the breakers were 110 (as usual) and half were like 17. This was causing a strange smell (as her appliances were actually getting electrocuted) and only half of her lights, appliances were working. She had called and the Power folks had come over and checked it out. They had to turn off the power from the meter till she could get it fixed. So – I was trying to organize her contact with my brother-in-law (all the while my phone was dying), so he could go over and fix the issue. He was able to go over but unable to fix the issue, so she is staying elsewhere overnight and hopefully will have power tomorrow. Then when my brother-in-law Weldon was showing her the breakers, something broke off and fell at his feet. My sister leaned over to pick it up. As she did, the main breaker flew out of the box and if she had not leaned over…would have hit her square between the eyes, and would have hurt her quite badly. God is good isn’t he?
So, at the end of the day, we returned to our house and I started clearing the yard again. Then we left to go over to my in-laws house to have dinner. I nearly started crying when I got there. There were 3 trees down in their yard. One tree had started falling, hit a second tree, and they landed on the garage doing some serious damage. Weldon had seen the first tree falling and yelled at his parents to “GO” and they all took off down the hallway away from the falling trees. (This happened Saturday during the storm). There was nothing they could do during the storm but cover “Henry”, Papaw’s 1931 Ford. Later in the day, a 3rd tree fell and landed between two sheds in the back housing 2 motorcycles and no damage to either. So…for those keeping score, 3 individuals not hurt, 3 cars not damaged by the falling trees, and 2 motorcycles not damaged by falling trees. Unbelievable! When I realized how quickly I could have lost 3 people who mean so much to me….it brought tears to my eyes!! I thank GOD above for his blessings!!!!
Tummies full we returned to the house where we refilled and started the generator and I went inside to keep Chaos the dog and Max the cat company. I’m supposed to turn the generator off and sleep tonight in a house with two teenagers and two pets with no air conditioning or lights with windows open (security issue….how do you sleep in this day and time like that?)….then get up and go to work tomorrow with more than 10 brain cells functioning. I think I will wait till 12:30 and fill and restart the generator. Then, I can close all the windows and leave on the fans for the night and hopefully the electricity will be on tomorrow. I need and deserve a good nights sleep (didn’t get that all weekend) before I start work on Monday. And I do not like the idea of the teens being in another room with windows open and asleep. Especially after the random guy on the scooter rode through the neighborhood staring at our houses. I’m assuming to find something of value to steal. We live in a sub-division with dead end streets. Not many folks come back here who do not belong…… So – wasn’t looking forward to tonight.
So, inside for the night and I’ve had my shower and although that sounds lovely (after a hard day of working outside in the heat), it wasn’t. We cannot have the water heater on while the generator is on, so I had to take a cold shower. OK – no sex jokes please. Now – I know my inner child screamed her bloody head off during this very quick shower. I’ve decided that should I have to do this again (Oh please not…please!!), I will have to consume at least 3 or 4 shots of Bourbon or Tequila to silence that bitty!!! LOL! Hmmmm, this isn’t a bad idea!
I plan to finish clearing the yard tomorrow….and who knows….maybe, get some more organization completed. I’m not saying I wished this to happen on a week day so I don’t have to be at work…but it sure filled up my weekend with some serious work!! Now – back to work….I need the rest. (If I plan to rest at work…..then I’ve not planned well…busier than a one armed paper hanger).
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Hurricane Irene
Well to say the least today has been quite the day. I awoke at 8:00 am and immediately got up to check the status of the Hurricane. The center of the eye had just passed into the Carteret County area. Winds here in Rocky Mount NC were about 25 mph so I figured this would be the best time to get Chaos up and outside to do his business. Now for a pit bull puppy, he does not like water, baths, rain etc so I had to go out with him. He finally did his business and we came back in. The electricity was on at this time however soon the winds picked up and power went out around 9:00. I really dislike power outages because I so like being connected. Thank God for smart phones so u can still reach out to others via phone or social media. The girls slept late. I fed the dog and cat and checked the status of the neighborhood and then went back to sleep myself.
Now I knew I had to go get the generator out and start it myself when my brother In law told me treed were down at my inlaws house. Luckily just roof damage to the garage...and that can be fixed. Mom had a tree down on her fence. We will deal with that tomorrow I guess.
So at 4pm I went into the garage, pulled out the motorcycle, pulled out the generator and put the motorcycle back in. I had to call someone for directions on how to start it and its going!! I will have to refill it with gas in a few hours....at least twice before tomorrow morning....but that's ok. Its nice to have power again but honestly it is so loud!! When I move to the farmhouse I will see about having a generator installed so when weather events occur all this manual labor can be done away with. I now jave to document the process for starting the generator so I can repeat the process later but I learned something new. Now if only we had cable (tv), I would almost be content! Thank you God for keeping me and my family safe!! I love you!!!
Now I knew I had to go get the generator out and start it myself when my brother In law told me treed were down at my inlaws house. Luckily just roof damage to the garage...and that can be fixed. Mom had a tree down on her fence. We will deal with that tomorrow I guess.
So at 4pm I went into the garage, pulled out the motorcycle, pulled out the generator and put the motorcycle back in. I had to call someone for directions on how to start it and its going!! I will have to refill it with gas in a few hours....at least twice before tomorrow morning....but that's ok. Its nice to have power again but honestly it is so loud!! When I move to the farmhouse I will see about having a generator installed so when weather events occur all this manual labor can be done away with. I now jave to document the process for starting the generator so I can repeat the process later but I learned something new. Now if only we had cable (tv), I would almost be content! Thank you God for keeping me and my family safe!! I love you!!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Oak Island 2011 - College Friends Unite
If you ever get the chance to go to Oak Island NC, (Long Beach) to spend a day, week or month or so....do it! It's wonderful! :) I was fortunate to be able to spend Wednesday through Saturday with some dear friends there last week. It was a trip that was way too short, with friends that I rarely see.
Gail lives in Colorado. I last saw Gail 2 years ago. They were in town for their daughter to play a soccer tournament. A year before that, Gail, 2 of her friends from Colorado, and a friend from Virginia, and another friend from Rocky Mount, spent a week at Holden's Beach (another favorite Beach). It was so much fun!
I last saw Beverly that same week, as she and her family were staying in a cottage a few blocks down the street. Beverly is amazing. She is a teacher in New Jersey, and is ready to obtain her Masters Degree. She RUNS each day....RUNS? I wish I could say I enjoyed running. If I'm running, someone is after me with a knife or gun. HA!
This year, Gail's husband Eric, daughter and 3 of her friends, Beverly's husband Bill, their adult children Christopher and Sarah, and some of their nephews and nieces all piled into a huge 6 bedroom cottage at Oak Island. The house was very large and didn't appear to be that large from the beach road. A huge porch facing the ocean, and a deck near the dunes. I was able to have a bed in Gail and Eric's room (a single)....and luckily we all snore....so no worries there. :)
Anyway, They all arrived on Saturday. It rained Monday and Tuesday and it was still overcast and rainy when I arrived on Wednesday at lunch. The rest of the week was spent sitting on the sand, watching the waves, drinking a few beers, talking, laughing and having great fun. The last day (Friday), We were sitting there from about 11:00am - 6:00pm....High tide coming in under our chairs....grabbing every last ounce of daylight. We cleaned up and packed as much as possible.
On Saturday, we all were up about 6:30ish and had everything packed and ready to go by 8:30. I drove away after hugs and kisses from my friends, and nearly cried the whole way to Wilmington.
I don't expect great riches in life....but why oh why....can't I afford a beach house? It's the one thing (other than me and mine being healthy and at the least not on welfare)....in life that I want. I really, really want it!!!!
Sigh - countdown till the next beach trip. And next time I go.......for the day....Chaos get to go. :) 720 some days till we all get together again at the beach.
Gail lives in Colorado. I last saw Gail 2 years ago. They were in town for their daughter to play a soccer tournament. A year before that, Gail, 2 of her friends from Colorado, and a friend from Virginia, and another friend from Rocky Mount, spent a week at Holden's Beach (another favorite Beach). It was so much fun!
I last saw Beverly that same week, as she and her family were staying in a cottage a few blocks down the street. Beverly is amazing. She is a teacher in New Jersey, and is ready to obtain her Masters Degree. She RUNS each day....RUNS? I wish I could say I enjoyed running. If I'm running, someone is after me with a knife or gun. HA!
This year, Gail's husband Eric, daughter and 3 of her friends, Beverly's husband Bill, their adult children Christopher and Sarah, and some of their nephews and nieces all piled into a huge 6 bedroom cottage at Oak Island. The house was very large and didn't appear to be that large from the beach road. A huge porch facing the ocean, and a deck near the dunes. I was able to have a bed in Gail and Eric's room (a single)....and luckily we all snore....so no worries there. :)
Anyway, They all arrived on Saturday. It rained Monday and Tuesday and it was still overcast and rainy when I arrived on Wednesday at lunch. The rest of the week was spent sitting on the sand, watching the waves, drinking a few beers, talking, laughing and having great fun. The last day (Friday), We were sitting there from about 11:00am - 6:00pm....High tide coming in under our chairs....grabbing every last ounce of daylight. We cleaned up and packed as much as possible.
On Saturday, we all were up about 6:30ish and had everything packed and ready to go by 8:30. I drove away after hugs and kisses from my friends, and nearly cried the whole way to Wilmington.
I don't expect great riches in life....but why oh why....can't I afford a beach house? It's the one thing (other than me and mine being healthy and at the least not on welfare)....in life that I want. I really, really want it!!!!
Sigh - countdown till the next beach trip. And next time I go.......for the day....Chaos get to go. :) 720 some days till we all get together again at the beach.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
2011 Mar 19 - FREEDOM sweet FREEDOM
Seems as an adult, my child 18 year old child and I are suffering from the same issue. Both of us want previous freedom. Me - freedom from stress, worry, problems. Hers - freedom from parental care, concern, rules. Makes from a disconcerting time.
I do remember being 19 years old at my parents house. I was working full time and going to college and I couldn't understand why I couldn't do what I wanted, when I wanted. I mean, I was 19 and knew it all..... just wasn't paying for a damn thing. HA HA. So typical of that age (and now this generation). My parents had so many expectations of me even though I was barely home long enough to sleep and get a shower.
Everything comes full circle.
I finally realized that I was not an island and I had responsibilities to my family and I wasn't a free agent. Maybe I'll survive this sequel....who knows. All I can say is "Sorry Mom! From the bottom of my heart!".
I've been told that as difficult as my experiences have been so far with having a teenager, it is now going to get worse...for a while. Oh well. We all have our crosses to bear. Guess I'll dig deep and see if anything is left of my nerves and go forward. A trip to the beach is planned and my therapy will begin there. The Ocean is so soothing.
I do remember being 19 years old at my parents house. I was working full time and going to college and I couldn't understand why I couldn't do what I wanted, when I wanted. I mean, I was 19 and knew it all..... just wasn't paying for a damn thing. HA HA. So typical of that age (and now this generation). My parents had so many expectations of me even though I was barely home long enough to sleep and get a shower.
Everything comes full circle.
I finally realized that I was not an island and I had responsibilities to my family and I wasn't a free agent. Maybe I'll survive this sequel....who knows. All I can say is "Sorry Mom! From the bottom of my heart!".
I've been told that as difficult as my experiences have been so far with having a teenager, it is now going to get worse...for a while. Oh well. We all have our crosses to bear. Guess I'll dig deep and see if anything is left of my nerves and go forward. A trip to the beach is planned and my therapy will begin there. The Ocean is so soothing.
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