But life is busy as it is for all of us.
Check out the link below, as it relates to a fire that was at the former home of my Aunt Jo and Uncle Ken in Murrysville, PA. Thankfully, everyone at the home was able to get out safely.
http://www.sardisfire.org/history.html?view=1&id=54766
Search for the address on Google Maps, then zoom in on satellite view. The resulting image is shocking to those of us that know the home, but shows there is nothing left of the house.
Hugs to GSP!
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
It has been this kind of month
Last night, as K was doing some laundry about 8PM, suddenly the washing machine stopped, in mid cycle. Our washing machine is less than 3 years old. It just stopped, with lots of water in the machine, for a front loader.
So first thing today, about 7AM I moved the washing machine forward so that I could get access to the back. The back panel was pulled and everything looked fine, but when the washer was turned on, just a mild 60hz humming.
The humming was coming from the water pump. It was nicely in area of the washing machine that could easily be serviced. I lowered the hose into a bucket and let the water siphon out. Once that was done, one of my pumps was used to drain the remaining liquid. (My demo pump had just returned the previous day, so I was lucky there). 2 hoses, 3 bolts and 1 electrical connector later and the washing machine pump was in my hand. Reaching through the outlet, it was found the pump would not turn. A few screws later (both mine and the pump) and the pump was disassembled.
The culprit was found. It seems one of the under wires from an under-wire bra got from the washing machine tub, through the drain and into the pump, jamming the impeller.
The pump was reassembled and project abandoned until lunch time, when the washing machine was placed in proper working order. A test load was done, All is well with the washing machine.
What was I doing last night when the washing machine decided to try out for the choir? At the time, I was fixing the passenger side window on my car. It had recently fallen, rather unexpectedly. A part called the window regulator, the mechanism that holds the glass and controls the up/down of the window broke, and the part arrived yesterday. So the passenger side door was apart while the offending part was broken.
Both of these items required handling thin sheet metal parts. Why do I mention that? I left much skin, blood and sweat in doing these repairs. If you were to look at my hands and arms right now, it would appear to be those of someone with an emotional disorder. No stitches though.
This is the kind of thing that is happening a bunch lately. It is distracting me from finishing a bathroom/closet/MBR remodeling project. I should be laying ceramic tile for the shower. It has been that kind of month.
So first thing today, about 7AM I moved the washing machine forward so that I could get access to the back. The back panel was pulled and everything looked fine, but when the washer was turned on, just a mild 60hz humming.
The humming was coming from the water pump. It was nicely in area of the washing machine that could easily be serviced. I lowered the hose into a bucket and let the water siphon out. Once that was done, one of my pumps was used to drain the remaining liquid. (My demo pump had just returned the previous day, so I was lucky there). 2 hoses, 3 bolts and 1 electrical connector later and the washing machine pump was in my hand. Reaching through the outlet, it was found the pump would not turn. A few screws later (both mine and the pump) and the pump was disassembled.
The culprit was found. It seems one of the under wires from an under-wire bra got from the washing machine tub, through the drain and into the pump, jamming the impeller.
The pump was reassembled and project abandoned until lunch time, when the washing machine was placed in proper working order. A test load was done, All is well with the washing machine.
What was I doing last night when the washing machine decided to try out for the choir? At the time, I was fixing the passenger side window on my car. It had recently fallen, rather unexpectedly. A part called the window regulator, the mechanism that holds the glass and controls the up/down of the window broke, and the part arrived yesterday. So the passenger side door was apart while the offending part was broken.
Both of these items required handling thin sheet metal parts. Why do I mention that? I left much skin, blood and sweat in doing these repairs. If you were to look at my hands and arms right now, it would appear to be those of someone with an emotional disorder. No stitches though.
This is the kind of thing that is happening a bunch lately. It is distracting me from finishing a bathroom/closet/MBR remodeling project. I should be laying ceramic tile for the shower. It has been that kind of month.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Wow
It has been over a month and a half since last blogging.
Life has been busy with just plain normal life. There have been numerous business trips to places like Boston, Columbus, Atlanta and Toledo.
Likewise, due to health issues, we have spent many days in Toledo with Dad and my M-I-L. Dad seems back to nearly normal health wise.
M-I-L has a way to go after having a transverse fracture of her sacrum. She fell backward, landing on her bottom while putting on her slippers. She is in a rehab facility for PT right now. Once the pain of the break is manageable and she can move farther than 15 or so steps, should be back home. It is the pain management that is most pressing. She still has a great sense of humor about things though.
A moves home Sunday for a 6 week clinical rotation at a county health department. Then back to C-H for summer work.
C on the other hand, will be home later today until Sunday. Monday she goes back to C-H to take Organic Chemistry as a summer school class to lighten her load in the fall. C will live in A's apartment. At the end of the class, she and A will swap places.
As for K and I, currently life is happening in routine fashion.
Life has been busy with just plain normal life. There have been numerous business trips to places like Boston, Columbus, Atlanta and Toledo.
Likewise, due to health issues, we have spent many days in Toledo with Dad and my M-I-L. Dad seems back to nearly normal health wise.
M-I-L has a way to go after having a transverse fracture of her sacrum. She fell backward, landing on her bottom while putting on her slippers. She is in a rehab facility for PT right now. Once the pain of the break is manageable and she can move farther than 15 or so steps, should be back home. It is the pain management that is most pressing. She still has a great sense of humor about things though.
A moves home Sunday for a 6 week clinical rotation at a county health department. Then back to C-H for summer work.
C on the other hand, will be home later today until Sunday. Monday she goes back to C-H to take Organic Chemistry as a summer school class to lighten her load in the fall. C will live in A's apartment. At the end of the class, she and A will swap places.
As for K and I, currently life is happening in routine fashion.
Monday, February 15, 2010
A Thank you to the FCC and Federal Government
To whom it may concern,
I want to take a moment of my time to thank you for changing the television signals from analog to digital. It has given me such a clearer picture that it has actually improved my family life.
I am one of the few Americans left that watches television from over-the-air signal, meaning antenna. Our household has a reasonable income but I do not wish to pay for cable or satellite as more expenses are not needed and I we do not watch many of the stations that accompany the various packages. The content does not warrant the expense.
Living just outside the Greensboro, NC city limits, population about 205,000, I was able to watch (2) CBS, (2) NBC, (1) ABC, (2) Fox and (1) PBS affiliated stations from my town and another major city about 60 miles distant. Since going digital, the reception has become much clearer for (1) Fox and (1) ABC affiliated stations.
No longer am I able to receive continuous viewing of CBS or PBS. In good weather and in bad, these stations frequently seem to operate in stop-motion that you call "pixelation". This frequently occurs during the most desired part of the program. Some programs are completely unwatchable due to the stop-motion, even in good, clear weather.
To view the NBC affiliate is not possible, there is no signal for either station. It could be that the towers are located beyond reach for over-the-air transmission in my area. Prior to the switch, the "local" NBC affiliate was marginal at best, occasionally like watching a polar bear in a snow storm, but the affiliate from Raleigh was viewable. Now I can view neither.
The Fox affiliate reception is wonderful 95% of the time. The ABC affiliate is also good about 90% of the time.
I have tried orienting my antenna for best signal reception based on tower location, but it has shown no improvement. I even raised my antenna to no avail.
Because of the aforementioned issues, my family and I have taken to reading more books or working on projects around the home while listening to the radio. The television advertising money being spent are not reaching us, too bad for them. This has improved the look of my house and increased my breadth of knowledge.
Since I am unwilling to pay to watch television, that places me in the 5% category (I am guessing on that number) of people that do not have cable or satellite. I have a digital television that is great for watching movies on my DVD player, when I rent 6-8 times per year. It is more a paperweight than anything, needing dusted more than watched.
Yes, I cannot keep up with what is happening on Survivor, Lost, American Idol and the like, but there are other things to do in life and they can go on without me.
Not all technical improvements are for the better, so thanks for the time back.
Sincerely,
Unconnected Television Viewer in Suburban Greensboro, NC
PS: Because it provides content I desire and control, I am willing to pay for a connection to high speed internet service.
I want to take a moment of my time to thank you for changing the television signals from analog to digital. It has given me such a clearer picture that it has actually improved my family life.
I am one of the few Americans left that watches television from over-the-air signal, meaning antenna. Our household has a reasonable income but I do not wish to pay for cable or satellite as more expenses are not needed and I we do not watch many of the stations that accompany the various packages. The content does not warrant the expense.
Living just outside the Greensboro, NC city limits, population about 205,000, I was able to watch (2) CBS, (2) NBC, (1) ABC, (2) Fox and (1) PBS affiliated stations from my town and another major city about 60 miles distant. Since going digital, the reception has become much clearer for (1) Fox and (1) ABC affiliated stations.
No longer am I able to receive continuous viewing of CBS or PBS. In good weather and in bad, these stations frequently seem to operate in stop-motion that you call "pixelation". This frequently occurs during the most desired part of the program. Some programs are completely unwatchable due to the stop-motion, even in good, clear weather.
To view the NBC affiliate is not possible, there is no signal for either station. It could be that the towers are located beyond reach for over-the-air transmission in my area. Prior to the switch, the "local" NBC affiliate was marginal at best, occasionally like watching a polar bear in a snow storm, but the affiliate from Raleigh was viewable. Now I can view neither.
The Fox affiliate reception is wonderful 95% of the time. The ABC affiliate is also good about 90% of the time.
I have tried orienting my antenna for best signal reception based on tower location, but it has shown no improvement. I even raised my antenna to no avail.
Because of the aforementioned issues, my family and I have taken to reading more books or working on projects around the home while listening to the radio. The television advertising money being spent are not reaching us, too bad for them. This has improved the look of my house and increased my breadth of knowledge.
Since I am unwilling to pay to watch television, that places me in the 5% category (I am guessing on that number) of people that do not have cable or satellite. I have a digital television that is great for watching movies on my DVD player, when I rent 6-8 times per year. It is more a paperweight than anything, needing dusted more than watched.
Yes, I cannot keep up with what is happening on Survivor, Lost, American Idol and the like, but there are other things to do in life and they can go on without me.
Not all technical improvements are for the better, so thanks for the time back.
Sincerely,
Unconnected Television Viewer in Suburban Greensboro, NC
PS: Because it provides content I desire and control, I am willing to pay for a connection to high speed internet service.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Super Bowl Commercial
Given most of you know my political stance, I found this commercial very funny. Especially the ending.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
The latest Snow
It didn't happen here. We got rain and lots of it. 3 inches of rain, on relatively frozen ground. There is a small lake in my back yard, but, not the 2 feet so snow TGND is scheduled to receive.
I will find out as I must go to North-Central PA on Monday evening for a Tuesday appointment at a Paper mill. I will get to see a lot of the snow.
I will find out as I must go to North-Central PA on Monday evening for a Tuesday appointment at a Paper mill. I will get to see a lot of the snow.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
The snow
I know you have seen plenty of pictures of snow on the ground, so I will not post more. We got between 5-7 inches of it on Friday and Saturday of last week.
We live on a dead-end street, off a dead-end street, out in the county and they have plowed our street.The amazing thing about this snow is that the children of Guilford County are still not back in school. 3 Days for snow, and their spring break is about gone, used as make-up days for the no school.
They are calling for an ice storm to begin on Thursday evening lasting through Friday, but all the weather forecasters are hedging their bets, so it may bypass us.
We live on a dead-end street, off a dead-end street, out in the county and they have plowed our street.The amazing thing about this snow is that the children of Guilford County are still not back in school. 3 Days for snow, and their spring break is about gone, used as make-up days for the no school.
They are calling for an ice storm to begin on Thursday evening lasting through Friday, but all the weather forecasters are hedging their bets, so it may bypass us.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Economics
I am more a Hayek guy than a Keynesian, but this video puts some economics in perspective:
Earlier Today
Some of you know that I had my first, "over 50" colonoscopy today. Because I was a bit dehydrated, even after drinking water until no more could be consumed up until the 4 hours before the procedure, I became a human pin cushion when they were trying to put in the IV. They tried 5 different places on both arms until they could find a vein that would work. At one point, there were 4 different nurses around me, attempting to get the IV started. I told them I knew I was a babe magnet!
The worst part about the whole procedure was drinking their Kool-Aid. Those college beer chugging days certainly helped there. The stuff worked very quickly. My intestines sounded like there was a thunder storm just over the horizon, with all the gurgling and noises.
According to K, the doctor said everything was just fine, no polyps or other unusual things. I of course, was a bit loopy until about 6PM and remember very little other than flirting with the two nurses in revcovery. I only rememeber the good parts anyway.
Glad the next one will be 10 years from now.
The worst part about the whole procedure was drinking their Kool-Aid. Those college beer chugging days certainly helped there. The stuff worked very quickly. My intestines sounded like there was a thunder storm just over the horizon, with all the gurgling and noises.
According to K, the doctor said everything was just fine, no polyps or other unusual things. I of course, was a bit loopy until about 6PM and remember very little other than flirting with the two nurses in revcovery. I only rememeber the good parts anyway.
Glad the next one will be 10 years from now.
Friday, January 01, 2010
My Picture Dump
The backgrounds may not be holiday and festive, here are some of the pictures that were taken during the recent holiday get togethers.
BL, C, AJF, HO RL, and SL:
Dad and D:
HO, AJ, SL, KR, TR and SF:
HO, SL and AJF
JO, DO and A
A and C:
LO:
SL, RL and AJF:
My M-I-L:
Thanks to all who did the best thing, just show up. At both get-togthers, it was loud, kids were playing and everyone was having a great time.
BL, C, AJF, HO RL, and SL:
Dad and D:
HO, AJ, SL, KR, TR and SF:
HO, SL and AJF
JO, DO and A
A and C:
LO:
SL, RL and AJF:
My M-I-L:
Thanks to all who did the best thing, just show up. At both get-togthers, it was loud, kids were playing and everyone was having a great time.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Cookies
Sunday evening, C, A and I made the dough for some of our Christmas Cookies. We made honey cut-out cookie and chocolate crinkle doughs. Of the Honey dough, there is apparently some local thief that likes the dough so much that we need to make a double batch just to get enough cookies. Same should happen with the chocolate crinkle dough as well but that did not happen.
On Monday, while A went to visit a friend in town for the holidays, C and I baked the chocolate crinkles. After finishing this portion of the baking, C posted this to help her sister:
Note there is no reference to me as I pose no threat. I am not a chocoholic.
On Monday, while A went to visit a friend in town for the holidays, C and I baked the chocolate crinkles. After finishing this portion of the baking, C posted this to help her sister:
Note there is no reference to me as I pose no threat. I am not a chocoholic.
Christmas Picture
Many of you will be receiving a picture in the mail of A and C, so I thought I would post a different one.
A made a 3.64GPA for this past semester, her best semester yet, even with harder classes. C's grades are not all in yet, but we will find out soon, but it will be better than a 3.0
Merry Christmas
A made a 3.64GPA for this past semester, her best semester yet, even with harder classes. C's grades are not all in yet, but we will find out soon, but it will be better than a 3.0
Merry Christmas
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Snow and Ice
Well, it did snow last evening. We got about 4 inches, but the ground was way too warm for it to stay around too long, so it is melting from the bottom up. Right now, there are about 2 inches of snow on the ground, covered in ice as it is drizzling then freezing.
Here is a picture of a figurine in the front yard.
It will be more of an inconvenience than anything for the rest of the day, but only a minor hindrance.
Here is a picture of a figurine in the front yard.
It will be more of an inconvenience than anything for the rest of the day, but only a minor hindrance.
Friday, December 18, 2009
They are predicting Snow
and significant ammounts, 8-10 inches overnight tonight. If it happens, it will shut down the world here for 2-3 days. We shall see.
First Update: It has begun snowing her, but just flurries. A bit west of here in Winston Salem, it is snowing ans sleeting. It should be interesting. If it gets pretty outside, I will post pictures.
Update 2: The snow is about to end and we have about3-4 inches on the ground. It is about 10:15PM and the warm weather is pushing north, changing things to sleet, but all precip should stop in the next hour or so. I will take pictures in the AM when there is light.
First Update: It has begun snowing her, but just flurries. A bit west of here in Winston Salem, it is snowing ans sleeting. It should be interesting. If it gets pretty outside, I will post pictures.
Update 2: The snow is about to end and we have about3-4 inches on the ground. It is about 10:15PM and the warm weather is pushing north, changing things to sleet, but all precip should stop in the next hour or so. I will take pictures in the AM when there is light.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thanksgiving
The whole family traveled to T-town over the Thanksgiving weekend. By the whole family, this included A's boyfriend Au. Unfortunately, I was too busy to take many pictures, but I should have used the time more wisely to do so.
Everyone in attendance appeared well. The Ozlanders minus H seemed in great form, L was really funny.
The RF family from southern OH appeared healthy. KFR is showing nicely as she is due in early April. SF seems happy with her counseling role in Cincy. AJ is growing into a pretty young lady, counting down the days until she gets her learners permit (61 as of Friday)
Dad and D both looked very good.
I wish I had taken pictures, maybe the Oz's did and will post them.
Everyone in attendance appeared well. The Ozlanders minus H seemed in great form, L was really funny.
The RF family from southern OH appeared healthy. KFR is showing nicely as she is due in early April. SF seems happy with her counseling role in Cincy. AJ is growing into a pretty young lady, counting down the days until she gets her learners permit (61 as of Friday)
Dad and D both looked very good.
I wish I had taken pictures, maybe the Oz's did and will post them.
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