Vic303

Poor DH, he's been hit with a bunch of OT this week. Last night he didn't get home until 9pm! It's been wacky for him all week with lots of 'problem children' work tickets. Pretty much all we did last night was tuck the Monkeys in bed, and crash ourselves. I did however, manage to get the stove cleaned up, and buy the right parts to fix the burners! I've been cooking on the two small elec ones for about 6mo and it's been driving me nuts. Now to go back to Lowes today, to exchange the un-needed new burner, and get another replacement receptacle and DH will wire that in tonight maybe...wow, the thought of having a stove with all 4 burners working! The plus-side is the receptacles are a LOT cheaper than new burners! Still have a list of stuff to do by Saturday, but hopefully we will get to go to the local "funshow" if our sitter is available. That's almost like getting a 'date night' with DH!

Wormie, what about traction & eventually the back exercises to reduce the disc herniation? Also there WAS a treatment using papaya extract to dissolve the offending portion of the disc that was in use back in the 80's when my Mom blew a disc in her back. She was successfully treated by traction/exercises though. Have you seen a GOOD physical therapist for your back yet? Some of them can work wonders!

Well I managed to get a bit of stuff done yesterday, though not as much as I wanted. 1. get stamps & mail out an ebay item sold. **DONE 2. vacuum Monkey rooms--**DONE, though it needs it again in one of their rooms... 3. roast coffee--**DONE 4. put the kids tent away--**DONE 5. slay the laundry beast 6. pay bills--**DONE 7. sweep the floors--**DONE 8. if feeling energetic, I could mop the kitchen 9. homeschooling the monkeys--**DONE Also managed to vacuum out the van from the road trip, and get two thank you cards sent out. Today I need to work on #5,8, and add more thank you cards, school, folding laundry (tough to do with my shoulder...), list more stuff on ebay, and try to figure out dinner.

Well, I think the stress of the last week caught up with us all yesterday. DH was sick most of the day, I was exhausted, and Monkey1 had a tummy ache all day and whined about it non stop. At least it's Monday, so DH is back on routine, and Monkey1 says the tummy ache is gone. Now I can maybe try to catch up on everything that did not get done. 1. get stamps & mail out an ebay item sold. 2. vacuum Monkey rooms 3. roast coffee 4. put the kids tent away 5. slay the laundry beast 6. pay bills 7. sweep the floors 8. if feeling energetic, I could mop the kitchen 9. homeschooling the monkeys And yet here I sit on the 'puter...suppose I ought to get my backside in gear & do something constructive. I also want to thank you all for your prayers and condolences. They are much appreciated. -Vic

What a wonderful lesson the Lord has shown us through you! Thank you!

My Dad's funeral was Saturday, and we buried him Monday, in a pretty spot in the cemetery east of his town, near the train tracks. He grew up with a train running behind his home as a boy--though not this train, nor this country. It was good to go home--to see Mom & help her out, to see old friends near & dear, and to tell the funny stories of Dad. We left there today, and drove the 9hrs back to home, home with a capital H. Home! Our home--empty now without the dogs underfoot. They'll come home tomorrow. Our bed & blankets, our sights & sounds and comforts of Home. It's funny--I didn't cry much. Not because I didn't love my Dad or anything silly. Rather because I felt the Lord's comforting presence in what occurred. I have been blessed with seeing God in action a few times in my life, and this was one of them, and I am at peace because of what the Lord has done for us.

What do I do? What do I say? THAT phone call came this morning around 6:30am. My sis calling to tell me Dad died last night. If you saw my prayer requests you may remember he suffered severe dementia, and had just gone to a care facility Monday. I feel lost & conflicted--I miss him so much, though in truth I have been missing him for a couple years, as his decline got worse and worse. He used to have 'moments' on the phone where he was Dad again...and I hoped I could reach him so he knew I cared. In the end he knew no one--only pain and the relief morphine could give him. I pray God will have mercy on his soul.

So it is a sunny day today--that's good actually, as DH is on pager all week. No rain until Sunday maybe, but then again, it means no OT for him, so less $ to pay down bills. Everything's a tradeoff, eh? The Monkeys are up & around, and are somewhat behaving this morning. I don't expect it to last though. It never does! The shoulder is alternately feeling fine, and just aching. I see the doc tomorrow and find out if I start PT next week, or stay in the sling. I admit I do get out of the sling a bit each day anyway, but am very careful not to lift or twist it in any way. It hurts if I goof up! Even typing this is problematic. --Vic

I just finished drying a large rubbermaid tub full of apples. Just cored and sliced--no peeling here. Ran them thru the dehydrator in daily batches until I FINALLY got done. I'd guess it was a bushel+ of apples.

I got tested at my old job years ago. No one believed I was an INTP, but it's true. I just learned as a kid life was easier if everyone thought I was an extrovert...

http://www.pickyourown.org/ Nice site with lots of useful info.

I suppose I ought to get my AA up and running. I have deferred doing that expense, since I have a working Presto. But I have a tiny of discretionary $$ now and ought to take the plunge.

You DO know, that armadillos are a leprosy vector, right?

Another one with good prices: http://www.bulkfoods.com/baking.asp

No, you're supposed to store canned jars without the bands--too tight and you can disturb the seal. I like to leave them on, but loose. That way when I open the seal, I can close the jar for storage in the fridge (salsa in particular). Now Darlene, how on earth do you remove the lid without damaging the thin metal? I have to PRY mine off, and they all get dented or bent.

I'd say get the Ball book, and if you want the AA canner, GREAT! I wishI had one, but my Presto was free, so it works for me. I suggest you look on ebay for an AA canner a bit cheaper. You may find one there. Also check out your local garage sales for jars, as well as the local Salv.Army/Goodwill stores. Rings & lids can be had at Walmart cheap. On jars be sure they are REAL canning jars (ball or mason or kerr) and not chipped or cracked. New can be had at walmart for pretty cheap too. I prefer widemouth jars. Funnels are cheap in a 4pack at walmart, and I took the biggest & hacksawed off the bottom, to make a wider opening so stuff like salsa or chunky spag. sauce would flow through. I don't use a jar wrench, I do wish I had a jar rack or at least a proper jar lifter. The grill tongs work...sort of! I did buy a huge tamale pot to use as a waterbath canner. $20 IIRC.

Originally Posted By: UKGuy Yeah, but lookie what I got..... Ha Ha Haaaaaaa (evil laugh) Too bad that only shoots those little plastic pellets, UKGuy! What you REALLY want is one of these... It shoots something other than those little plastic pellets...!

Originally Posted By: UKGuy Like I told my boss on the phone when he rang to see why I wasn't at work today; "The little voices in my head told me to clean my guns today, do you really want me at work with that sort of stress". Sorry UKGuy, that excuse only works here in the States, where we still OWN guns! :gun:

Glad you liked the Bega! I gotta save up for some soon!

Originally Posted By: UKGuy "FEMININE PROTECTION" ....and I came in here expecting to see pics of a 45 automatic stuffed into a stocking top It's not a stocking top, but it is a .45!

I really want a case of the new Bega cheese...

www.MREdepot.com is having a sale...

Originally Posted By: cookiejar When someone picks up a bullet on a detective show and you already can name the style, "Oh that's a 22". (Wink to Vic303) When your on a first name basis with the folks that bake in your supermarket and they *save* buckets for you. When you can pick up a brass shell casing, look at it and tell if it was fired in a Glock (pistol brass) or an HK (rifle brass). And yes, every time we stop at Walmart for cookies, the bakery ladies ask us if we need the empty buckets!

Originally Posted By: cookiejar When you watch cops/Swat/court TV and make in fun of the handguns of both the good and bad guys (by caliber etc) When you can watch a cops episode and can name the gun maker and caliber 3 seconds after the cop finds it and holds it up Busted! We're both so bad about that. Including counting rounds fired vs reloads done, and the magic morphing gun (where the continuity folks goofed and the gun is one type in one scene, and something totally different in the next.)