I gotta get a job if he’s gonna stay retired

“On my first day of semi-retirement” has been the statement of the day. It applies to everything!

He’s been in & out. Upstairs & down. On his motorcycle & off. He’s driving me nuts. Even the girls know something is different. He doesn’t respect their nap times, so he’s continually bothering them. Loki is presently hiding under my desk, trying to sleep.

There was 1 time I was glad he was here. A man came to the door, claimed to be a college student, & wanted to talk about kids who are going to be seniors at Bear Valley High School. When I couldn’t hear him because of the dogs, he asked me to step outside, to get away from them. Like that was happening. Then Chris came to the door & the guy freaked out, Chris said. I told him we don’t have any kids & shut the door in his face.

So far, that was the only time I was glad he’s here. The rest of the time, his hyper-active self is driving me nuts. I really don’t know how long I can do this. My head has hurt literally all day long. Marsha came to pick up their Toyota, & when he told her it was the first day of his retirement, she looked at me & told me she was sorry. She understands. Pete did it for 10 years.

I think my grip on my sanity is more tentative than I originally believed. I think it may be non-existent.  

I shudder to think what tomorrow will be like.

Chris is thinking of retirement

I’ll admit it. Sometimes my grip on sanity is comparable to holding a rolling pin with greased hands. Now this, which would be akin to more grease on a marble rolling pin. Here looms a fresh assault waiting in the wings.

I have always believed what the orthopedics have told me, that his skeletal age (all joking aside) is 20 years greater than his chronological age, due to the damage done when the polio virus invaded his system at 2 months of age. In the last few years, this is showing up more & more. The obvious damage was done to his left leg, up to his hip. The not so obvious damage is everywhere else. So I totally agree & understand his need to get out of a plumbing truck. It can be a physically grueling trade at times, meant only for the young & strong. He’s even admitted to the possibility that post-polio syndrome (which has been described as possible for him) exists & could be happening. Check it out on webmd.com. The only thing the overview is missing is his picture. 

Him not being in a truck would mean he’s home during the day, & I don’t know if my sanity could handle it. I can hear him now, at his most irritating. “Mumu! where are you?” (Where he came up with “mumu” I haven’t a clue.) If I don’t answer him, he only gets louder. As he gets prepared for his nap on the couch, he whines like a toddler, & wants me to sit with him. If I have something I need to do, it can wait. (He doesn’t know it, but just like when the kids were little, once he’s asleep, I’m up & doing what I need to.) If I’m working on data entry (which I hate) his offers to help are appreciated, but I won’t let him near my computer. He knows even less about Excel than I do. If I’m on the phone, he wants to know what’s going on. Granted, there are good things about this. If a call comes in that I can’t handle, in the technical areas, his being here would be handy.

He’s met up with a group called the Blue Knights, a BIG motorcycle group made up of past & present motorcycle cops from all over. (He found out over the weekend that his hopes of being a motorcycle cop are long gone. The oldest you can be to get in is 37, & he’s passed that a long time ago.) They like him. They called him before the traveling wall got into town, to have him ride with them. Even though he rides a Honda & the majority of them have Harley’s. (What does Chris’ brace & a Harley-Davidson motorcycle have in common? They both leak oil. Yes, he said that to a Harley riding cop at the Top Gun competition. The cop thought it was hysterical, because it true. They then sent him to the mechanic there to get a squirt of oil so he’d stop squeaking. Seriously.) So that would keep him busy. His pens would keep him busy.

Then he could work part-time, when the need arose. Like a problem fish system, or estimating. Joe still hasn’t gotten that down. He may not, as it’s something not everyone can do, even if they are a good plumber.

I guess I need to look at this as a sign of our passing of time together. I told Mother yesterday that we are trying to figure out a way to do something next year on our anniversary, & she said we should, that 25 is a special one. I told her it would be 30, & she popped out with “that’s a lie!” so I told her to do the math, from ‘79. Then she got it right. DUH!

Or, maybe this will have the same effect on my sanity that meeting him had on my patience level. With exercise, it got higher.

It could happen.

Maybe.

Do dogs get tired of barking at squirrels?

Or is it a permanent condition? Like eating downed apples off the tree that never grew completely & are laying on the ground?

We have 2 of the mutts. Yesterday, after cleaning 1 aquarium with filters, & the filter on another, then a trip to the store, they had to have baths. Since it was hot & Joe wanted to play in the water, he helped. He found out what a chore it is.

Loki wants to bite the water stream as it comes out of the hose & doesn’t worry about getting all the shampoo off herself. She’d rather run, & does. Frequently. Katie (who has been given the ‘unofficial’ birth date of July 4th since she was born sometime around the first part of the month) thought the whole process was a dirty trick. She’ll stand still, or sit if she gets tired, but isn’t fond of it. She does have the annoying habit of trying to shake just as a person bends over her. I think she does it on purpose. Loki tried to bite the water as Katie was being done, & irritated her (Katie) even more. But they got done, & their fur is now both fluffy & soft. Or as soft as they get.

Then we have the irritants in the neighborhood popping firecrackers on the next street over. It doesn’t matter to them that it’s totally illegal, or that we’re in seriously dry conditions, not as long as they can do what they want. Katie is terrified of loud noises, like firecrackers. She actually got into our bed when the M80 sounding things went off. I thought about doping her, but with her age, 12, Chris didn’t want to risk it. Once it finally settled down, she stayed on the floor & slept. I had to call her down to go outside when I got up. She was sleeping in. But since she didn’t have a potty run before she went to bed, she needed to go out. Loki wasn’t affected by the noise at all. She got under her table & went to sleep when we went to bed last night. Only thing that bothers her is the high pitched ones that squeal & scream.

Maybe today will be calmer for them. I certainly hope so. Back to their normal routine of chasing the robins (they don’t understand they are German Shepherds, not bird dogs) barking at the tree rats, & trying to climb the cottonwood tree that the squirrels like to run through.

Joe has his Xbox to play on, & Chris has a ride to do today, so it should be peaceful. I only have to bake a coffeecake & clean the 210 & the filters on it. Later this evening, I can sit on the deck, read, & listen to the sprinklers run. Ahhh, peace!

Chris’ favorite is in there

Sort of.

A list of drinks men should not order.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/slideshow/boredroom/13648473/detail.html

Since he isn’t a drinker, he would find something listed in there.

Figures.

Justice in Texas?

I don’t think so.

Joe Horn is a 61 year old man who lives in Pasadena, Texas. A suburb of Houston, if that gives a clue. In Nov of ‘07 he saw 2 burglars leaving a neighbor’s house, running away. He was on the phone with 911 dispatch, who repeatedly told him to stay in his own house & not do anything. He announced he was going to kill them, & then shot them in the back as they were RUNNING AWAY.

The kicker of it all is: The Grand Jury said he did nothing wrong. He shot 2 unarmed men in the back & did nothing wrong.

Colorado has its own version of the “Castle Law”, but you can’t go outside & shoot someone who robbed a neighbor’s house. You have to PROVE your life is in danger, in your own home. For awhile they (cowboy lawmakers) tried to extend it to cover being in your car, & place of employment, but that was nixed by lawmakers with common sense. Joe Horn wouldn’t have gotten away with murder here.

I don’t care that they were 2 illegal immigrants. Catch them, put them in jail, then deport their sorry selves.  They didn’t deserve to be killed like they were.

I tried to read the comments that were left on the GMA story, but after the first 10 or so, I had to stop. Looking at the literal bloodlust was making me sick.

After the Supreme Court botched the 2nd Amendment decision, this kind of thing will only get worse. The “Castle Laws” will be more prevalent as well. Even though we could, we don’t have any guns here. I don’t worry about break-ins though. We have motion sensor lights outside, & 2 German Shepherds inside, who will sound off if they hear something. IF we were going to have a loaded gun here, it would have to be a shotgun on Chris’ side of the bed. Specifically a 12 gauge loaded with 00 buck. Not something as dangerous as a pistol. And, we don’t have to worry about small hands getting it as we have no young children here. Anyone who keeps a loaded weapon in a house with small children is guilty of criminal stupidity.

I would say I hope Joe Horn felt some form of remorse for killing those 2 men, but I know he doesn’t. His own statements bear that out. He just wanted to kill someone & did. Then he got away with it.

Justice in Texas is a joke.    

And they say women are vicious!

Yesterday afternoon my aunt in Oregon sent me an email, a joke about a “new” hands-free device for cell phones. I forwarded it to 3 men I know who love their cell phones. One of which is my husband, the others are a couple of his cronies. When they get on the phone, whew! This is the reason Chris is on his own cell phone plan, & no longer on mine.

The reply from each started last night. Women have nothing on these guys when it comes to being catty. All of them are over 50, so they have this down to an art form.

“I’m afraid it would mess up my hair.” 

“Which one?” 

“It’s got to be the only one he has!!! And it’s the one he had in the war of 1812.”

Guy #1 did leave himself wide open, but for the other 2 to take such advantage. Of course, when the shoe is on the other foot…….

Oh my.

Chris’ friend owes me 2 “Thank You’s”

For anyone who’s been in business for any length of time, you “acquire” a list of people you won’t work for. We have such a list. I know the occupants of that list by name. Which, since I answer the phone, is a good thing. I also have 2 companies in town that I won’t hesitate to send these customers to, when they call. I wouldn’t call them to MY house, but I don’t have to.

One of the list inhabitants is someone we met in our church. The last job that we did for them, installing a water line to their new refrigerator & ice maker, was never paid for, even after Chris did them a favor & cut the price more than half what it should have been. He called on Monday. The kitchen drain line is stopped up. They’ve even put Drano down it. I did explain to him that stuff is worse than useless, then told him both Chris & Joe were out, & not expected back soon, & got off the phone. Yesterday she calls. And she’s got an attitude. As Joe & the van were out, I told her she would have to call someone else, & gave her the numbers. She started whining then. I hate whiners. She trusts Chris, & she doesn’t want anyone else in her house. I did tell her that both companies are large, they can get to her quickly, & they are insured. Then I got off the phone. (This is the same woman who called Chris once to get a cash “gift” so she could feed her family. The “gift” he gave her was advice, go to the church, or a food bank, that they could supply food. She didn’t want to do that. She wanted the cash. She didn’t get it.) If it wasn’t for Chris’ restraint on my mouth, she would get an earful, but when he puts his big foot down, I do listen.

Chris has a friend who has his own plumbing company. I did Joe (not my son) a favor, & didn’t refer either of these 2 people to him. One ripped off her insurance company to get money, & the other doesn’t pay their bill. Both are nothing but trouble. And they don’t have his number. He should appreciate it.

 

I felt sorry for the kid

In my reading this morning, the story of a mother & child removed from a plane in the Raleigh-Durham area because the child was having a “meltdown” was mentioned. I looked up the story, I read the comments, & came away with 2 minds on it.

First off, I don’t fly. Not if I can help it. It’s been I don’t know how many years since I have, & I still remember the terror I felt then. I have serious issues with height. I try to limit my self-abuse in some areas.

One, a lot of the comments were made by misinformed nitwits, who care about themselves only. But they did have a point. Why pay hundreds of dollars for a ticket, get treated like cheap cattle by the airlines & flight crews, then have to listen to the very unpleasant sounds of a child having any sort of a meltdown? I don’t like it when I hear it in the grocery, restaurants, or anywhere in public. Especially when the parents do nothing about it, just let the child scream. I didn’t tolerate that when mine were small, but then I used something parents nowadays don’t. Discipline. But, unlike the passengers in a plane, in public, I have the option to leave, or get away from the noise. In a plane, you’re basically stuck with it.

Second, there’s what appears to be the mother’s side. That her 2 1/2 year old toddler is autistic, he can’t help it.

Third comes the airlines point of view. The child was out of control, wouldn’t keep the seatbelts on, & was rolling in the floor. Before they had even left the ground. If I understand it correctly, at the point the child left his seat, they couldn’t take off because of FAA regulations. They did what they had to, to make sure the balance of the passengers & the plane were as safe as possible.

My question is for the mother: Just what the hell were you thinking, putting him in a situation like that? You know he’s a “special needs” child. Why put him through the trauma of going to an airport, going through security, all the lines, to be cooped up in a seat where he’s literally tied down, then not expect a meltdown? Why sit in a location where you can’t stuff his bag of toys under the seat? Why expect a plane load of people, who don’t care about anyone other than themselves, to deal quietly with a scene like that? Wouldn’t it have been better for him if you had taken a train, or possibly driven for 8 hours, to get to your family in New Jersey? Why expect him to handle something that would/does try the patience of the calmest adults, & him not have problems? If traveling will be coming up again, maybe you could do it differently. Make it easier on him.

Here’s the link:      http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6223045

Don’t know how long it’ll last, but it’s interesting.

“I will not be de-thonged”!

Today, I know for a fact that the hairs Chris still has on his head are getting further apart, because of all the swelling going on there.

Every time his computer is shut down, for whatever reason, his WordPress account has to have the password put back in, for him to access it. Of course, he “can’t” do this himself. I’ve offered to show him how to do it, but he’s not interested in that. So I signed him back in this morning, & it goes to his dashboard first thing. I was looking, & found one of his posts about making pens from deer antler as a ‘Top WordPress Post’. I got excited & had to go get him so he could see it. He couldn’t believe it, & had to call a couple of friends to tell them about it. Now he’s walking around the house, marveling about how he can still get through the doors, & how supreme he is. I’m getting ill here. I tried to calm him down by letting him know it isn’t shown on MY dashboard, but that had no effect on him. Next thing, he’ll want the camera to take a picture of it! (Here I was thinking it was the aspirin making my stomach turn, but I have to wonder now.)

Most of the time, Chris will hide his light under a bushel, then there are other times he has it hanging out for the world to see. This is one of those times. Between here, the garage, & the phone, he’s beginning to get on my nerves. If he continues along this line, I will have to do my duty as his wife & prick that ego, so his head doesn’t explode. I’ll point out, again, that the pen I use comes from Office Max, with a plastic, see through, barrel & a rubber grip on the end of it. That usually does it. Deflates him quickly.

As he left the room, his parting shot was “I will not be de-thonged”. He was trying to impress me. No, he didn’t mean to say de-throned, he meant de-thonged. The man is a mental midget. He doesn’t even wear them. Thongs, that is.

He keeps up, he’s going to end up with stretch marks on his head. And since he shaves it, everyone will see them.  

We made 29, & if I can keep my sense of humor, we stand a good chance of making 30.

Well, that was interesting

NOT!

The power went out today, which is unusual in itself. Why I panicked after I called Xcel, was the estimated time of repair. 4 hours! I got a live body on the phone (who’s actually located in the U.S.!) & explained that wasn’t going to work for me. No, I don’t have anyone here on oxygen, I have 320 gallons of aquariums full of fish who can’t wait that long for air.

My next call was to the Aquatics dept in PetsMart, who told me if they started going to the top of the water looking for air, I could take 10 gallons of water out of the smaller 2 tanks, & replace it with 10 gallons of water laced with 1 teaspoon of peroxide, then keep the lids closed on the tanks. Ok. Not what I wanted to do, but you do what you have to, when needed.

I called Xcel back, & got a revised time of 2:30 PM, & that a crew had been assigned to fix it, since it was the whole neighborhood affected. (The more people without power, the faster the response time.) Still too long.

Chris sent Joe to the place they rent oddball tools from, for a gas-powered generator. He comes back with it, we get it hooked up, air is going in the tanks, & we settle to wait. 15 minutes later, the power comes back on! We un-hook everything & Joe takes it back. He wasn’t charged for the 15 minutes usage, they know us, are a family run business too, & didn’t see the need to charge for the 30 minutes it was out of their store.

After I get my computer back, I look up air pumps for aquariums that are backed up with a battery. PetsMart has them, I will have them. We won’t do this again!

The total length of time the power was out? 1 hour & 40 minutes. Had I known in advance that was all it would be, the fish could have waited.