Hurricane Preparedness...
Living in the South, there is a chance of encountering hurricanes during the summer and fall months. Being a responsible husband and father (ok, nobody laugh, I'm being serious here), it falls on my shoulders to make sure my family is prepared in the event a storm hits this area.
Each spring and early summer, I go out and pick up our standard hurricane supplies. With the cost of gas, some of these are getting a little expensive. Here is a basic list:
Gasoline. During hurricane season, we make it a point to keep our vehicles at least half full. In addition to the cars, I have six 5 gallon gas cans, in addition to the 2.5 gallon can I use for my lawnmower. I don't have to tell anyone that purchasing 30 extra gallons of gas for "just in case" is not cheap, but it is cheap insurance. Gas does not keep indefinitely, so you need to use it in your car over the winter and re-fill in the spring for next hurricane season. I use our hurricane gas during deer season to offset the cost of extra trips out to the ranch to go hunting.
Drinking Water. We always have a steady supply of bottled water, but just for hurricane season, I have six 1 gallon jugs of drinking water and a couple of the 2.5 gallon containers with the handle and spigot on them. The gallon jugs come in cardboard boxes with 3 gallons per box. Keep them closed up and store in a dark place and they theoretically keep quite a while. I'll switch ours out after this year just to make sure it stays fresh. We like camping, and the 2.5 gallon containers with the spigots are perfect for taking camping.
Other use water. In addition to drinking, you also need water for other things like bathing and flushing the toilet. The night before Rita was supposed to make landfall, we took one last bath and then filled all of the bath tubs with water. We also filled Matthew's swimming pool on the back patio. In a pinch, you could also boil it and use for cooking (I don't cook with water we have bathed in...)
Batteries: Self explanatory. I buy a mega pack of D and AA batteries. Most of our flashlights are AA size, but we do have a couple of bigger ones and also a lantern that runs on D batteries. When you have kids, the bonus is that you have plenty of batteries for all of the Christmas toys.
Charcoal / Propane. I generally buy 2 big bags of charcoal and keep about 6 of the small propane canisters. If the power goes out and looks like it will be out for a while, we're having a heck of a cook-out at our house. Being hunters, we have a decent amount of meat that we would need to do something with. I know how to smoke meat and make Jerky on the charcoal grill, so we would be able to use most of it (and share with neighbors). The propane cylinders are for the camp stove if for some reason the gas service at home is not still on. I can't imagine having that problem, but I would feel stupid having a camp stove and not being able to use it if we had to.
Non Perishables. We generally have a decent amount of dried pasta, canned goods, and peanut butter type stuff hanging around. I'd say we could eat for most of a week without any major problems. We have a gas stove / oven, and a back-up camp stove, so cooking a few things shouldn't be a problem.
Paper Products. You have enough to worry about, and possibly a sparse water supply. You don't want to have to worry about washing dishes. Also, with a baby, make sure to have enough diapers and wipes, etc on hand for a few days.
Cards, games, etc, etc. No electricity means no TV and no Wi-Fi. Make sure you have something to do to pass the time.
Cash. No electricity means no ATMs and no stores will be able to take a credit card. Have enough cash to get you by until things are running normally again.
Home defense. Everyone has their own opinions and comfort levels, but there will always be people that don't prepare. Desperate times make people do desperate things. use your imagination. Share with people as you can, but be prepared to protect yourself if you need to. I make sure to keep 2 or 3 boxes of the proper type and calibers handy at all time.
I might have missed some staples, but you get the idea. Most of this stuff is stuff you would use throughout the year, just stock up at the beginning of the season and use it the rest of the year.
Getting the house ready...
We're on the far northwest side of Houston, so I'm not overly concerned about major wind damage. I don't board up the windows, but I do have wood and plastic to seal up a couple of windows if for whatever reason a window broke. That being said, it is important to pick up and loose items from outside your house. We put patio furniture in our breakfast area or in the storage building. Garbage cans go in the garage, etc. Also put a lock or piece of wire through the gate latch to keep it from blowing open. Anything that could get blown around should be secured. Before Rita, I also took all of the screens off our windows. I don't know if that was necessary, but I didn't want any of them to blow away.
Evacuate...
When Rita came this way, we had planned to evacuate before the storm took it's last minute turn to the East. Out thought was "plan to leave, but prepare to stay." Being the father of a 4 yr old and an infant, I'm not planning to be a daredevil and put my family in harms way. We're not going to ride out any major storms. We're fortunate that we have the ranch to go to north of Austin, so it's not too far away. If we stay for a minor storm and lose all services, as soon as practical, we'll probably leave town until services are restored. If a major storm, we'll leave ahead of time and be able to gather supplies (generator, etc) from outside the storm zone where they would still be available.
Future plans: I keep saying that I'm going to get a window unit A/C (can be bought for less than $150) and a generator to power the A/C and our fridge and freezer. I hope I'm not disappointed that I didn't spring for it this year, but with medical bills, a new baby, and unpaid maternity leave, I didn't want to spend the money from our savings. Maybe next year.
MOST IMPORTANT: Now that you have all of the supplies and are prepared, make sure you have the most important thing. Homeowners (or renters) insurance. Check your coverage and deductibles, and make sure you know where a copy of your policy is to you will know what to do if you need to file a claim.
I'm not an expert, so if I left anything out or have potentially led anyone astray, leave me a comment.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Completely random photos... (explanations below the photos)
on edit: Clicking on the photos makes a REALLY large photo. I'll try to figure out how to correct this problem. Drop me a line if you already know how...
I was going through some of the photos on the computer to put on my facebook page, and I came across a few that I thought were pretty random, and most of them pretty funny.
on edit: Clicking on the photos makes a REALLY large photo. I'll try to figure out how to correct this problem. Drop me a line if you already know how...
I was going through some of the photos on the computer to put on my facebook page, and I came across a few that I thought were pretty random, and most of them pretty funny.
I saw this billboard and make an illegal U-turn to go back and take a picture of it. Why? Because Reggie always talks about Cruzan Rum. I thought it would be fun to send a pic of a billboard in rural Texas to a guy in North Carolina that I've never actually met, but read his blog every day.
This is my grandfather, my mother, and my niece. I'm sure there are a million stories for this one. Feel free to leave a suggested tag line in comments.
This is a little shelf type deal above the front door in the entryway of our house. Once a year or so, it is necessary to get up there and vacuum the corners, etc to keep it looking clean. The plywood is to help spread the weight so my fat butt doesn't go crashing through...
That's my boy. Safety first when using power tools...
Not sure what this was all about... Matthew calls the hose on the vacuum cleaner his gun, so it was funny when we heard him in the office with the vacuum cleaner making shooting sounds and walked in to find this...
This is my friend Tommy and his son, John Thomas. We were riding the Austin Steam Train. Looks like Tommy is enjoying the train ride...
Insert sexual joke here... This was the handle on the emergency exit on the train car we were riding in.
This is probably the funniest photo I've ever taken. Matthew was potty training in June & July 2007. Yes, that's what it looks like on the floor in our downstairs hallway. Shelly was calling for me to help, but of course, I had to grab the camera first. She will kill me when the news of this photo gets back to her...
Enjoy, and feel free to leave comments or make up funny tag lines for any or all photos.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The worlds most perfect food...
I was eating lunch today at a place called Gringo's. Obviously, it was a Mexican joint. I know there are 2 or 3 of them in Houston, possibly more in other places. The place is decent. Not the best Mexican around (that would be Doneraki), but decent all the same.
As I was sitting there eating my Chimichanga, it hit me that I was eating the perfect food item. Think about it. You are basically eating a burrito. Everyone loves burritos. If you don't, you just haven't had a good one. I imagine one day years back, a couple of Mexicans were sitting around thinking about how good burritos were, when one of them, in a stroke of pure genius, decided to deep fry the burrito. Voila, the Chimichanga.
That has to go down on the list of the most important historical inventions...
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, Henry Ford brought us the modern assembly line, and some Mexican guy brought us the Chimichanga.
Brilliant.
I was eating lunch today at a place called Gringo's. Obviously, it was a Mexican joint. I know there are 2 or 3 of them in Houston, possibly more in other places. The place is decent. Not the best Mexican around (that would be Doneraki), but decent all the same.
As I was sitting there eating my Chimichanga, it hit me that I was eating the perfect food item. Think about it. You are basically eating a burrito. Everyone loves burritos. If you don't, you just haven't had a good one. I imagine one day years back, a couple of Mexicans were sitting around thinking about how good burritos were, when one of them, in a stroke of pure genius, decided to deep fry the burrito. Voila, the Chimichanga.
That has to go down on the list of the most important historical inventions...
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, Henry Ford brought us the modern assembly line, and some Mexican guy brought us the Chimichanga.
Brilliant.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Losing my mind...
You know how sometimes you get sidetracked in performing a task?
Tonight I promised Shelly I would take her truck down the street and fill it with gas so she wouldn't have to do it on the way home. Of course, I got into the evening routine of cooking dinner, bathing Matthew, etc, and I forgot. Around 10:00, Shelly came in and found me sitting on the couch in my drawers watching TV and surfing the web. She asked me if I was going to put gas in her truck.
Of course, let me put some shorts on and I'll head out. I got up from the couch, picked up a few of Matthew's toys from the living room floor, and took my dessert plate into the kitchen. While I was in the kitchen, I washed the 3 or 4 dishes that were in the sink and put them in the dishwasher, then I headed out the door to get in the truck. I reached for my pocket to grab the keys... Not only are there no keys, but there is no pocket either...
I'm standing in the garage in my drawers (boxers for those interested), no keys, no wallet, no shoes, and no pants. I guess I'm losing my mind.
How funny would it have been if I had grabbed the keys off the counter and headed out, only to get to the gas station and reach for my wallet? Of course, I stopped at the store first to return a couple of DVD's we had rented the other night. I guess I could have made that stop without any real problems...
Anyone else have a similar problem?
You know how sometimes you get sidetracked in performing a task?
Tonight I promised Shelly I would take her truck down the street and fill it with gas so she wouldn't have to do it on the way home. Of course, I got into the evening routine of cooking dinner, bathing Matthew, etc, and I forgot. Around 10:00, Shelly came in and found me sitting on the couch in my drawers watching TV and surfing the web. She asked me if I was going to put gas in her truck.
Of course, let me put some shorts on and I'll head out. I got up from the couch, picked up a few of Matthew's toys from the living room floor, and took my dessert plate into the kitchen. While I was in the kitchen, I washed the 3 or 4 dishes that were in the sink and put them in the dishwasher, then I headed out the door to get in the truck. I reached for my pocket to grab the keys... Not only are there no keys, but there is no pocket either...
I'm standing in the garage in my drawers (boxers for those interested), no keys, no wallet, no shoes, and no pants. I guess I'm losing my mind.
How funny would it have been if I had grabbed the keys off the counter and headed out, only to get to the gas station and reach for my wallet? Of course, I stopped at the store first to return a couple of DVD's we had rented the other night. I guess I could have made that stop without any real problems...
Anyone else have a similar problem?
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Convenience vs. Waste...
Shelly has mentioned lately that it's pretty hot in the truck when she goes to put the boys in after running errands. Because you constantly hear about someone jumping in a running vehicle and stealing it with kids buckled in the back, she has been scared to put them into the truck with it running while she loads stuff into the back.
We solved that problem today by having a remote start deal installed on her truck. You just push a button on the remote, and that big V-8 purrs to life, unleashing the arctic blast of A/C to cool off the truck before you get in.
Maybe it is a little bit of a fuel waster, but as hot as it is, that's an option we'll probably wish we had spent the money for long ago.
Shelly has mentioned lately that it's pretty hot in the truck when she goes to put the boys in after running errands. Because you constantly hear about someone jumping in a running vehicle and stealing it with kids buckled in the back, she has been scared to put them into the truck with it running while she loads stuff into the back.
We solved that problem today by having a remote start deal installed on her truck. You just push a button on the remote, and that big V-8 purrs to life, unleashing the arctic blast of A/C to cool off the truck before you get in.
Maybe it is a little bit of a fuel waster, but as hot as it is, that's an option we'll probably wish we had spent the money for long ago.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Not so bad...
I learned one thing tonight. I DON"T want 5 kids. We made it through the evening just fine, but 5 kids is a bunch of kids for 2 people to keep up with. Of course, Matthew was the turd of the bunch. He got a little territorial with his toys, his baby brother, and Sweetie the Chihuahua.
Overall, it was a decent night. We ordered a couple of pizzas and rented a video.. When things wound down a little, Shelly ran the kids through the bath tub, and they played with toys until Staci & James got back.
We'll do it again sometime... But not this week.
I learned one thing tonight. I DON"T want 5 kids. We made it through the evening just fine, but 5 kids is a bunch of kids for 2 people to keep up with. Of course, Matthew was the turd of the bunch. He got a little territorial with his toys, his baby brother, and Sweetie the Chihuahua.
Overall, it was a decent night. We ordered a couple of pizzas and rented a video.. When things wound down a little, Shelly ran the kids through the bath tub, and they played with toys until Staci & James got back.
We'll do it again sometime... But not this week.
12 Rollos Grandes / sin fragancia
I was taking care of a little business this morning, and the only thing to read nearby was the new package of Charmin on the floor by my feet.
We're reached a new low when even the TP has to have Spanish labels.
That's all I better say on that subject. Someone might get the idea that I'm somehow intolerant or insensitive...
I was taking care of a little business this morning, and the only thing to read nearby was the new package of Charmin on the floor by my feet.
We're reached a new low when even the TP has to have Spanish labels.
That's all I better say on that subject. Someone might get the idea that I'm somehow intolerant or insensitive...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Have I bumped my head?
Those of you with kids will understand what I mean when I say that going on dates after you have kids is a rare occurrence. It's not that you aren't willing, it's that it costs an arm and a leg. Babysitters are about $10 per hour and up, so dinner and a movie is about $50 worth of babysitter cost before you even order your appetizer. That's where grandparents and generous single friends come in handy.
My sister and bro-in-laws anniversary was last weekend, and they find themselves without anyone able to watch their 3 devil kids. OK, so they aren't really devil kids. She reads this blog, so I'm entitled to yank her chain every now and then. Based on the last several get-togethers, and noticing how well all of the kids played together, Shelly and I offered to have the kids over tomorrow night to give Staci & James a night out to enjoy dinner and a movie without worrying about the clock ticking at $10+ per hour.
If you don't hear from me for a while, you will know I didn't survive the evening... (or I'm in jail for offing one of the little suckers...)
Now, where is that Bourbon?
Those of you with kids will understand what I mean when I say that going on dates after you have kids is a rare occurrence. It's not that you aren't willing, it's that it costs an arm and a leg. Babysitters are about $10 per hour and up, so dinner and a movie is about $50 worth of babysitter cost before you even order your appetizer. That's where grandparents and generous single friends come in handy.
My sister and bro-in-laws anniversary was last weekend, and they find themselves without anyone able to watch their 3 devil kids. OK, so they aren't really devil kids. She reads this blog, so I'm entitled to yank her chain every now and then. Based on the last several get-togethers, and noticing how well all of the kids played together, Shelly and I offered to have the kids over tomorrow night to give Staci & James a night out to enjoy dinner and a movie without worrying about the clock ticking at $10+ per hour.
If you don't hear from me for a while, you will know I didn't survive the evening... (or I'm in jail for offing one of the little suckers...)
Now, where is that Bourbon?
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Facebook...
I'll be the first to admit that I've always shunned social networking sites as the hangout of kids and people that need to grow up. Until this week...
My long-time friend Tommy got on Facebook and told me that most of the people we hung out with "back in the day" were on there. I've found friends scattered across the US that I never thought I'd speak to again. I'll probably encounter some I hoped would never find me again...
We'll see how this goes...
Or, maybe I just need to grow up...
I'll be the first to admit that I've always shunned social networking sites as the hangout of kids and people that need to grow up. Until this week...
My long-time friend Tommy got on Facebook and told me that most of the people we hung out with "back in the day" were on there. I've found friends scattered across the US that I never thought I'd speak to again. I'll probably encounter some I hoped would never find me again...
We'll see how this goes...
Or, maybe I just need to grow up...
Friday, July 11, 2008
Dear Diary:
June 10th: Just moved to Texas ! Now this is a state that knows how to live!! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! It is beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here.
June 14th: Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper.
June 30th: Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing the lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but I love it here.
July 10th: The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least, it's kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longe r than I expected.
July 15th: Fell asleep by the community pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body). Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.
July 20th: I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag, then popped like a water balloon. The car now smells like Kibbles and $hits. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat. Good ol' Mr. Sun strikes again.
July 25th: The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!! And it's hot as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.
July 30th: Been sleeping outside on the pati o for 3 nights now. $225,000 house and I can't even go inside. Lomita is the lucky one. Why did I ever come here?
Aug. 4th: It's 115 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 85. I hate this stupid state.
Aug. 8th: If another wise a$$ cracks, 'Hot enough for you today?' I'm going to strangle him... D@mn heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!!
Aug. 9th: Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and when I sat on the seats in the car, I thought my a$$ was on fire. My skin melted to the seat. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and a$$ . . . Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried a$$, and baked cat.
Aug 10th: The weather report might as well be a d@mn recording. Hot and sunny...Hot and sunny...Hot and sunny...It's been too hot to do $hit for 2 d@mn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this d@mn state? Water rationing will be next, so my $1700 worth of cactus will just dry up and blow over. Even the cactus can't live in this d@mn heat.
Aug.14th: Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 115 today. Cactus are dead. Forgot to crack the window and blew the d@mn windshield out of the car. The installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? 'Hot enough for you today?' My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking Texas ...What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here?? Will write later to let you know how the trial goes...
June 10th: Just moved to Texas ! Now this is a state that knows how to live!! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! It is beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here.
June 14th: Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper.
June 30th: Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing the lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but I love it here.
July 10th: The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least, it's kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longe r than I expected.
July 15th: Fell asleep by the community pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body). Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.
July 20th: I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag, then popped like a water balloon. The car now smells like Kibbles and $hits. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat. Good ol' Mr. Sun strikes again.
July 25th: The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!! And it's hot as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.
July 30th: Been sleeping outside on the pati o for 3 nights now. $225,000 house and I can't even go inside. Lomita is the lucky one. Why did I ever come here?
Aug. 4th: It's 115 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 85. I hate this stupid state.
Aug. 8th: If another wise a$$ cracks, 'Hot enough for you today?' I'm going to strangle him... D@mn heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!!
Aug. 9th: Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and when I sat on the seats in the car, I thought my a$$ was on fire. My skin melted to the seat. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and a$$ . . . Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried a$$, and baked cat.
Aug 10th: The weather report might as well be a d@mn recording. Hot and sunny...Hot and sunny...Hot and sunny...It's been too hot to do $hit for 2 d@mn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this d@mn state? Water rationing will be next, so my $1700 worth of cactus will just dry up and blow over. Even the cactus can't live in this d@mn heat.
Aug.14th: Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 115 today. Cactus are dead. Forgot to crack the window and blew the d@mn windshield out of the car. The installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? 'Hot enough for you today?' My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking Texas ...What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here?? Will write later to let you know how the trial goes...
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Dang, I'm ahead of the trend...
I don't really consider myself a drinker, but I do enjoy an adult beverage every now and then. I never learned to like beer, and I never was interested in trying anything else until my early 20's. Long story short, I discovered I liked Bourbon. I also like Tennessee Sipping Whiskey (Jack Daniel's). Of course, it seems that mostly old farts drink Bourbon, but I don't care.
Imagine my surprise when I read that the next generation is discovering Bourbon. Dang, All that's going to do is make the price of my favorite drink go up. I guess I'll see in 3 or 4 years when I finish the bottle I bought 2 years ago. (I told you I don't drink that often...)
Who knew I would one day be ahead of a trend (instead of woefully behind). I guess I am now officially an early adopter.
I wonder if that means now I'll have to get an i-pod?
I don't really consider myself a drinker, but I do enjoy an adult beverage every now and then. I never learned to like beer, and I never was interested in trying anything else until my early 20's. Long story short, I discovered I liked Bourbon. I also like Tennessee Sipping Whiskey (Jack Daniel's). Of course, it seems that mostly old farts drink Bourbon, but I don't care.
Imagine my surprise when I read that the next generation is discovering Bourbon. Dang, All that's going to do is make the price of my favorite drink go up. I guess I'll see in 3 or 4 years when I finish the bottle I bought 2 years ago. (I told you I don't drink that often...)
Who knew I would one day be ahead of a trend (instead of woefully behind). I guess I am now officially an early adopter.
I wonder if that means now I'll have to get an i-pod?
Pics...
Shelly took the picture the other night. Jonathan was crying a little bit, so I started whistling the Andy Griffith theme song. He stared intently at me. Hey, whatever works, right?
These are the before pics of some of the meat. first is the pork roast (butt roast), and the others are the backstrap section before and after wrapping with bacon.
Finished backstrap. I would have preferred to cook it "medium", but I messed up and cooked it a little too long. Still good, but not as good as it could have been.
Sausage, ribs, and pork roast on the grill. I didn't get a pic of the roast before I wrapped it. I smoked it about 4 hours unwrapped, then wrapped it for the last couple of hours.
Dinner. Pulled pork sandwich, beef ribs, deer smoked sausage, and fresh yellow squash sauteed with Vidalia onions All washed down with a Diet Coke (or 3)
Friday, July 04, 2008
Great BUTT...
Pork butt that is.
The ribs were excellent and the deer sausage was just the way I like it - smoky and sort of crinkly looking on the outside. The backstrap was good, although a little overdone, and the pork butt came out perfect. It was a lot of work and I made a big mess, but Shelly said she thinks I need to make pulled pork every year for the 4th of July. The first try was a success.
I even worked a little in the garage. Man, even at 10 PM, it was still stifling hot outside. I came in a little while ago, drenched. After cooling off, I cleaned the kitchen while Shelly bathed Matthew and put him to bed. I think every dish in the kitchen was dirty. What didn't fit in the dishwasher got hand washed and put up, and the counters and sink are clean and sparkling. Shelly said that since the kitchen was left so clean, she would let me cook in "her" kitchen again. I told her it's a good thing she lets me cook, because her cooking isn't any good. That's a running joke around here, so I'm safe with that comment.
I took a bunch of pictures, and after I take a shower and clean up a little, I'll get them posted.
Pork butt that is.
The ribs were excellent and the deer sausage was just the way I like it - smoky and sort of crinkly looking on the outside. The backstrap was good, although a little overdone, and the pork butt came out perfect. It was a lot of work and I made a big mess, but Shelly said she thinks I need to make pulled pork every year for the 4th of July. The first try was a success.
I even worked a little in the garage. Man, even at 10 PM, it was still stifling hot outside. I came in a little while ago, drenched. After cooling off, I cleaned the kitchen while Shelly bathed Matthew and put him to bed. I think every dish in the kitchen was dirty. What didn't fit in the dishwasher got hand washed and put up, and the counters and sink are clean and sparkling. Shelly said that since the kitchen was left so clean, she would let me cook in "her" kitchen again. I told her it's a good thing she lets me cook, because her cooking isn't any good. That's a running joke around here, so I'm safe with that comment.
I took a bunch of pictures, and after I take a shower and clean up a little, I'll get them posted.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Real Men Have Gas... But they use wood and charcoal for grilling...
I've always fancied myself to be a decent cook. Nothing fancy or fru-fru, just good food. Over the years, I've become quite comfortable with the simple charcoal grill. I started grilling with a gas grill, but quickly figured out that gas grills suck. Charcoal is where it's at.
Along the way, I've grilled everything from steaks to chicken to pork chops. I regularly grill vegetables to go with the meat I'm cooking. I've even cooked bacon and pizza over a bed of coals. I like to eat, so it's only logical that I also like to cook.
Tomorrow I'm trying something new. I bought a pork butt that's about 8 lbs, and I'm going to grill / smoke that baby. I figure I'll get the coals ready, put them all on one side of the grill, add some wood chips (apple wood soaked overnight in water), and put the roast on the "cold" side of the grill for 7-9 hours, adding a few new coals to the grill every 30 or 45 minutes to maintain the temperature. If all goes well, we're having pulled pork this weekend. Of course, I can't let the grill burn all day without cooking a few other items. I have a rack of beef ribs already seasoned up and getting happy in the fridge that will also be put on the grill at some point. If that's not enough, we also pulled out about a 10 inch section of venison backstrap (the filet mignon of deer). The plan is to season it with a little salt and pepper, wrap with peppered bacon, and grill it also.
Can you tell that our 4th of July weekend is going to be centered around food?
Of course, there are other things in the works. I'm going to clean out the garage while I'm sort of stuck around the house tending the grill. It's long overdue. Hopefully I'll be able to get both cars back in there when I'm finished. Maybe I'll even manage to talk Shelly into tending the grill a little while so I can squeeze in a nap...
I'll dig out the camera tomorrow and snap a few pictures - maybe a before and after shot of both the meat and the garage.
I hope all of you guys have a great weekend and get to spend it with the folks you love.
I've always fancied myself to be a decent cook. Nothing fancy or fru-fru, just good food. Over the years, I've become quite comfortable with the simple charcoal grill. I started grilling with a gas grill, but quickly figured out that gas grills suck. Charcoal is where it's at.
Along the way, I've grilled everything from steaks to chicken to pork chops. I regularly grill vegetables to go with the meat I'm cooking. I've even cooked bacon and pizza over a bed of coals. I like to eat, so it's only logical that I also like to cook.
Tomorrow I'm trying something new. I bought a pork butt that's about 8 lbs, and I'm going to grill / smoke that baby. I figure I'll get the coals ready, put them all on one side of the grill, add some wood chips (apple wood soaked overnight in water), and put the roast on the "cold" side of the grill for 7-9 hours, adding a few new coals to the grill every 30 or 45 minutes to maintain the temperature. If all goes well, we're having pulled pork this weekend. Of course, I can't let the grill burn all day without cooking a few other items. I have a rack of beef ribs already seasoned up and getting happy in the fridge that will also be put on the grill at some point. If that's not enough, we also pulled out about a 10 inch section of venison backstrap (the filet mignon of deer). The plan is to season it with a little salt and pepper, wrap with peppered bacon, and grill it also.
Can you tell that our 4th of July weekend is going to be centered around food?
Of course, there are other things in the works. I'm going to clean out the garage while I'm sort of stuck around the house tending the grill. It's long overdue. Hopefully I'll be able to get both cars back in there when I'm finished. Maybe I'll even manage to talk Shelly into tending the grill a little while so I can squeeze in a nap...
I'll dig out the camera tomorrow and snap a few pictures - maybe a before and after shot of both the meat and the garage.
I hope all of you guys have a great weekend and get to spend it with the folks you love.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Dang it....
I got home this evening, and the weather was actually pleasant. That's rare around here this time of the year. We've had quite a bit of rough weather lately, so that was probably the reason.
As I was sitting on the sofa perusing the e-mail, I would swear the weather guy on TV said that we were done with the rain and would be getting the heat again. Armed with that news, I headed down to the auto parts place and got a fresh jug of car wash soap. When I got home, I washed the Expedition. Matthew "helped". I even scrubbed the tires and cleaned all the little crevices on the wheels. After washing it, I dried it top to bottom, making sure to open all doors and wipe out the jambs. It looks sharp. I even put the gel stuff on the tires to make them shine.
The whole time I was working on cleaning the truck, Shelly sat in a lawn chair with Jonathan watching me clean her truck. After I finished and was about to pull it back in the garage, she said it was going to be a shame that it was going to be nasty weather all weekend and get it dirty again...
WHAT? NO!!! The weather dude said hot and sunny... Apparently I was mistaken. The 10:00 forecast just told me it would start raining tomorrow afternoon.
Isn't that just about how things work out lately? And Shelly sat there watching me the whole time knowing I was wasting my time...
I got home this evening, and the weather was actually pleasant. That's rare around here this time of the year. We've had quite a bit of rough weather lately, so that was probably the reason.
As I was sitting on the sofa perusing the e-mail, I would swear the weather guy on TV said that we were done with the rain and would be getting the heat again. Armed with that news, I headed down to the auto parts place and got a fresh jug of car wash soap. When I got home, I washed the Expedition. Matthew "helped". I even scrubbed the tires and cleaned all the little crevices on the wheels. After washing it, I dried it top to bottom, making sure to open all doors and wipe out the jambs. It looks sharp. I even put the gel stuff on the tires to make them shine.
The whole time I was working on cleaning the truck, Shelly sat in a lawn chair with Jonathan watching me clean her truck. After I finished and was about to pull it back in the garage, she said it was going to be a shame that it was going to be nasty weather all weekend and get it dirty again...
WHAT? NO!!! The weather dude said hot and sunny... Apparently I was mistaken. The 10:00 forecast just told me it would start raining tomorrow afternoon.
Isn't that just about how things work out lately? And Shelly sat there watching me the whole time knowing I was wasting my time...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
More gun stuff...
Open Carry? What do you think about that?
OK, I'm the first to say that I'm in full support of gun owners rights. I may or may not even own a weapon (It's really no one else's business if I do or not). I guess I support the premise of having the right to carry whether concealed or in plain sight, but I sort of question the mind-set.
Unfortunately, I believe that some of the supporters have the "My pecker is bigger than your pecker" mentality. They want to carry the biggest, baddest weapon on their hip to show how much of a bad-ass they are. Let me be clear, I support their right to do so, but I'm also entitled to my opinions and positions on that matter.
I'm not so sure of the absolute crime deterrent of some folks carrying a gun on their hip. Criminals are the lowest common denominator, but most of them aren't completely stupid. The guy with a gun on his hip is the guy that's going to be shot first in a hold-up. Keeping it hidden (concealed carry) will not make you an obvious target and might give you options if you find yourself in a bad spot.
That's just my opinion. Feel free to disagree in a civilized manner in the comments section
Open Carry? What do you think about that?
OK, I'm the first to say that I'm in full support of gun owners rights. I may or may not even own a weapon (It's really no one else's business if I do or not). I guess I support the premise of having the right to carry whether concealed or in plain sight, but I sort of question the mind-set.
Unfortunately, I believe that some of the supporters have the "My pecker is bigger than your pecker" mentality. They want to carry the biggest, baddest weapon on their hip to show how much of a bad-ass they are. Let me be clear, I support their right to do so, but I'm also entitled to my opinions and positions on that matter.
I'm not so sure of the absolute crime deterrent of some folks carrying a gun on their hip. Criminals are the lowest common denominator, but most of them aren't completely stupid. The guy with a gun on his hip is the guy that's going to be shot first in a hold-up. Keeping it hidden (concealed carry) will not make you an obvious target and might give you options if you find yourself in a bad spot.
That's just my opinion. Feel free to disagree in a civilized manner in the comments section
Crying over spilt organic soy milk from free range cows...
Well, it happened today. Five individuals that know how to read and didn't drink the liberal kool-aid made a decision. A decision, I might add, that shouldn't have even needed to be made. What a shame that the "powers that be" have eroded our rights to the point that someone has to go to the Supreme Court to get a "once and for all" decision that this particular right was indeed a right to begin with.
Of course, I'm talking about the Supreme Court's decision that Americans in good standing have the right to own a handgun. Fortunately, here in Texas we don't have the problem of our political leaders trying to take this particular right away from us.
Of course, the libs are on every news channel crying about how society is going to descend into chaos and we'll all be shooting at each other. Sure... How many of the shootings around involved a person legally possessing a firearm. Very few. Around here, most of the shootings are either criminals shooting, or lately a few honest citizens have evened the score by shooting intruders.
A big case here locally involves a gentleman that shot 2 guys that were robbing his neighbors house. Of course, the libs are crying about these 2 guys being gunned down, but the real story is that they were both illegals from Central America and they had already been deported at least once. Clearly, not a big loss to society. OK, granted, this guy should have stayed in his house and not run out to confront these guys with his gun, but if they had not been here, robbing the house of a guy who was at work earning his living, they wouldn't have been shot. Hopefully the grand jury will no-bill Mr Horn.
I guess time will tell the effects, but I suspect that crime might actually decrease, or at lease not increase from this decision.
Remember this phrase: Those who beat their swords into plowshares will be forever ruled by those who kept their swords.
Well, it happened today. Five individuals that know how to read and didn't drink the liberal kool-aid made a decision. A decision, I might add, that shouldn't have even needed to be made. What a shame that the "powers that be" have eroded our rights to the point that someone has to go to the Supreme Court to get a "once and for all" decision that this particular right was indeed a right to begin with.
Of course, I'm talking about the Supreme Court's decision that Americans in good standing have the right to own a handgun. Fortunately, here in Texas we don't have the problem of our political leaders trying to take this particular right away from us.
Of course, the libs are on every news channel crying about how society is going to descend into chaos and we'll all be shooting at each other. Sure... How many of the shootings around involved a person legally possessing a firearm. Very few. Around here, most of the shootings are either criminals shooting, or lately a few honest citizens have evened the score by shooting intruders.
A big case here locally involves a gentleman that shot 2 guys that were robbing his neighbors house. Of course, the libs are crying about these 2 guys being gunned down, but the real story is that they were both illegals from Central America and they had already been deported at least once. Clearly, not a big loss to society. OK, granted, this guy should have stayed in his house and not run out to confront these guys with his gun, but if they had not been here, robbing the house of a guy who was at work earning his living, they wouldn't have been shot. Hopefully the grand jury will no-bill Mr Horn.
I guess time will tell the effects, but I suspect that crime might actually decrease, or at lease not increase from this decision.
Remember this phrase: Those who beat their swords into plowshares will be forever ruled by those who kept their swords.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
It's MY blog...
It's my blog, so I have a few rules.
1. The blog writer gets to make the rules.
2. The blog reader is free to enjoy the things written by the blog writer.
3. Political correctness will not be tolerated.
4. The blog writer gets to change the rules to suit his current whims
5. Blog Readers are free to disagree in the comments section as long as they disagree in a civilized manner.
Of course, this is my blog, which is based on my version of events in my life as they happen. If anyone has a different version, they are welcome to start their own blog.
It's my blog, so I have a few rules.
1. The blog writer gets to make the rules.
2. The blog reader is free to enjoy the things written by the blog writer.
3. Political correctness will not be tolerated.
4. The blog writer gets to change the rules to suit his current whims
5. Blog Readers are free to disagree in the comments section as long as they disagree in a civilized manner.
Of course, this is my blog, which is based on my version of events in my life as they happen. If anyone has a different version, they are welcome to start their own blog.
a rant...
Ok, I'll admit I drive too fast. I don't even know what the speed limits are around here, because it really doesn't matter. I get in the car and drive. That driving style fits in well here - MOST of the time.
Occasionally, some jerk camps out in the left lane driving below the speed limit. Seriously, I understand. People are really in a bind because of fuel prices and they are driving slower to help increase fuel mileage. I get it. PLEASE, just do me a favor... Get out of the damn left lane. Slower cars to the right. The left lanes are for passing. If you are not passing anyone, keep moving to the right. I Houston, there are usually 3, and many times 4 or 5 lanes in each direction, surely you can find one of the right lanes that will suit you.
Lately, the majority of these slowpokes are driving a Prius. And to top it all off, they aren't even looking at the road, they are looking at that darn gauge on the dash telling them their efficiency. Selfish Birkenstock wearing, granola eating, tree hugging *&(%%$&^*^$'s. Typical liberal types. Only concerned about their little deals without regard for the effects on the rest of the people.
The icing on the cake was last week. I left work and drive into town to pick Matthew up from daycare. On the way back out to the suburbs, we were in the HOV lane (2 or more) and the lane was creeping along at a snail's pace. After about 30 minutes, we had made it about 6 miles and we saw the cause of the back-up. It was a hippie woman (probably hairy arm-pits) sitting stalled in her Prius, and she was ALONE. I know the Republic of Kalifornia allows you to drive alone in the HOV lane in a Hybrid, but we don't allow that in Texas. So, she thought she was entitled to ride in the HOV lane in her Prius, but instead she cause the rest of us to be significantly delayed, while belching tons more hydrocarbons than we should have while being stuck in the back-up.
She should have been arrested and as part of her bail, been made to purchase carbon offsets for all of the extra pollution she caused...
Ok, I'll admit I drive too fast. I don't even know what the speed limits are around here, because it really doesn't matter. I get in the car and drive. That driving style fits in well here - MOST of the time.
Occasionally, some jerk camps out in the left lane driving below the speed limit. Seriously, I understand. People are really in a bind because of fuel prices and they are driving slower to help increase fuel mileage. I get it. PLEASE, just do me a favor... Get out of the damn left lane. Slower cars to the right. The left lanes are for passing. If you are not passing anyone, keep moving to the right. I Houston, there are usually 3, and many times 4 or 5 lanes in each direction, surely you can find one of the right lanes that will suit you.
Lately, the majority of these slowpokes are driving a Prius. And to top it all off, they aren't even looking at the road, they are looking at that darn gauge on the dash telling them their efficiency. Selfish Birkenstock wearing, granola eating, tree hugging *&(%%$&^*^$'s. Typical liberal types. Only concerned about their little deals without regard for the effects on the rest of the people.
The icing on the cake was last week. I left work and drive into town to pick Matthew up from daycare. On the way back out to the suburbs, we were in the HOV lane (2 or more) and the lane was creeping along at a snail's pace. After about 30 minutes, we had made it about 6 miles and we saw the cause of the back-up. It was a hippie woman (probably hairy arm-pits) sitting stalled in her Prius, and she was ALONE. I know the Republic of Kalifornia allows you to drive alone in the HOV lane in a Hybrid, but we don't allow that in Texas. So, she thought she was entitled to ride in the HOV lane in her Prius, but instead she cause the rest of us to be significantly delayed, while belching tons more hydrocarbons than we should have while being stuck in the back-up.
She should have been arrested and as part of her bail, been made to purchase carbon offsets for all of the extra pollution she caused...
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Summer Sucks...
Summer has arrived in the south. It never really left, more like it sort of just hid around the corner for a couple of weeks. From early April through late October, we see temperatures in the 90's and humidity in that range also. That means that shade provides a little relief, but not much. At we get closer to the middle of summer, the nights are quite warm also, so the morning low temperatures is generally 80 or higher.
I got up at the butt crack of dawn this morning to cut the grass before the heat hit. Ok, it was just before 8:00, but on a Sunday morning, that's early. It was already just over 80 degrees. That's not so bad, but with the sun out and no clouds, it didn't take long to hit 90. I believe it's supposed to settle in around 95 today. Add to that the downpours we get every afternoon lately, and the humidity is quite high also.
Thank God the A/C is running just fine today.
Summer has arrived in the south. It never really left, more like it sort of just hid around the corner for a couple of weeks. From early April through late October, we see temperatures in the 90's and humidity in that range also. That means that shade provides a little relief, but not much. At we get closer to the middle of summer, the nights are quite warm also, so the morning low temperatures is generally 80 or higher.
I got up at the butt crack of dawn this morning to cut the grass before the heat hit. Ok, it was just before 8:00, but on a Sunday morning, that's early. It was already just over 80 degrees. That's not so bad, but with the sun out and no clouds, it didn't take long to hit 90. I believe it's supposed to settle in around 95 today. Add to that the downpours we get every afternoon lately, and the humidity is quite high also.
Thank God the A/C is running just fine today.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Happy Father's Day...
Last night I cooked my own Father's day meal, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Dinner was charcoal grilled baby back ribs and beef ribs. Beef ribs are pretty much ignored by most people cooking ribs, but man, they are great. Season them with salt and pepper, nothing else, then grill. Talk about good. Add some baked beans and you're set. I also diced up some tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc, mixed with black beans and some roasted corn (roast frozen corn in the oven), them add some lime juice and a few other things to make a top notch salsa.
We're about to pack up the above salsa and the family and head down to my parents house to spend the afternoon with my Dad and Grandfather. This evening we'll head to the in law's house to celebrate Father's day with them.
Shelly and I are fortunate to have great Dad's. I hope I am able to live up to their examples for my 2 boys.
Last night I cooked my own Father's day meal, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Dinner was charcoal grilled baby back ribs and beef ribs. Beef ribs are pretty much ignored by most people cooking ribs, but man, they are great. Season them with salt and pepper, nothing else, then grill. Talk about good. Add some baked beans and you're set. I also diced up some tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc, mixed with black beans and some roasted corn (roast frozen corn in the oven), them add some lime juice and a few other things to make a top notch salsa.
We're about to pack up the above salsa and the family and head down to my parents house to spend the afternoon with my Dad and Grandfather. This evening we'll head to the in law's house to celebrate Father's day with them.
Shelly and I are fortunate to have great Dad's. I hope I am able to live up to their examples for my 2 boys.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Blogs I read...
Ok, after a year or so of blogging, I have 3 or 4 regular readers, and another few that stop by once in a blue moon. Actually, there are more than that. I noticed I had a reader from Sao Paulo Brazil and another from somewhere in India last week. Hopefully this provides some measure of entertainment, or at least a break from the work you should be doing...
So, the question is: What does MELackey read when he's cruising the web? Well, here are a few of the blogs and other sites I peruse on a fairly regular basis.
The Adventures of Tioga and George. I came across George on a camping website I like to read. I've been following him almost daily since late in 2004. He has an interesting story about beating the odds and surviving cancer. The day he was declared to be in remission, he bought and RV, moved out of his apartment, and hit the road in search of adventure. The proverbial "sucking the marrow out of life". George has this amazing ability to connect to locals wherever he is. He spends a good bit of time in Mexico, and is in Israel now looking for adventure in the land of his ancestors.
Our Odyssey I also found these guys on the camping website. Click the Home tab on their website and read a little of their background. Basically they travel to each corner of the US (and places beyond) in their converted Neoplan Bus. They are "full-timers". The are quite service oriented people, devoting a great deal of time and personal resources to helping the Red Cross with disaster relief. Their blog is probably one of the most complete, informative reads around about an amazing list of topics.
I'm Always Mentally on Vacation and This Makes Some Folks Mad. This guy is just a hoot. I found Reggie's blog by just randomly clicking the "Next Blog". I believe one of the first posts I read was about a little boundary dispute he was having with a redneck neighbor (Whatever happened to those mouth breathers anyway, Wreg?). Reggie (aka Wreggie) lives and works in North Carolina, but he belongs on a beach on St Croix. As a matter of fact, he's there this week.
Bumfuzzle Man, you want to talk about adventure, this is it. This couple lived in Chicago and worked as commodities traders. One day, they decided they needed to buy a boat and sail the Caribbean for a year (they weren't boat people beforehand...). Four years later they had circumnavigated the globe. Immediately after upon returning, they ran the 2007 Great American Race, winning the Rookie Division in their '65 Porche 356C. After finishing the race, they completed the outfitting of a 1958 VW Bus and hit the road. Man, the stories they will have to tell their grandchildren one of these days. Be sure to set aside a complete weekend to read their adventures from the beginning.
I need to scram now, but be sure to stay tuned for the rest of the blogs I read regularly. Also, if you don't mind, take a minute to leave me a comment with any suggestions. If you are a regular reader, drop me a note and introduce yourself.
Ok, after a year or so of blogging, I have 3 or 4 regular readers, and another few that stop by once in a blue moon. Actually, there are more than that. I noticed I had a reader from Sao Paulo Brazil and another from somewhere in India last week. Hopefully this provides some measure of entertainment, or at least a break from the work you should be doing...
So, the question is: What does MELackey read when he's cruising the web? Well, here are a few of the blogs and other sites I peruse on a fairly regular basis.
The Adventures of Tioga and George. I came across George on a camping website I like to read. I've been following him almost daily since late in 2004. He has an interesting story about beating the odds and surviving cancer. The day he was declared to be in remission, he bought and RV, moved out of his apartment, and hit the road in search of adventure. The proverbial "sucking the marrow out of life". George has this amazing ability to connect to locals wherever he is. He spends a good bit of time in Mexico, and is in Israel now looking for adventure in the land of his ancestors.
Our Odyssey I also found these guys on the camping website. Click the Home tab on their website and read a little of their background. Basically they travel to each corner of the US (and places beyond) in their converted Neoplan Bus. They are "full-timers". The are quite service oriented people, devoting a great deal of time and personal resources to helping the Red Cross with disaster relief. Their blog is probably one of the most complete, informative reads around about an amazing list of topics.
I'm Always Mentally on Vacation and This Makes Some Folks Mad. This guy is just a hoot. I found Reggie's blog by just randomly clicking the "Next Blog". I believe one of the first posts I read was about a little boundary dispute he was having with a redneck neighbor (Whatever happened to those mouth breathers anyway, Wreg?). Reggie (aka Wreggie) lives and works in North Carolina, but he belongs on a beach on St Croix. As a matter of fact, he's there this week.
Bumfuzzle Man, you want to talk about adventure, this is it. This couple lived in Chicago and worked as commodities traders. One day, they decided they needed to buy a boat and sail the Caribbean for a year (they weren't boat people beforehand...). Four years later they had circumnavigated the globe. Immediately after upon returning, they ran the 2007 Great American Race, winning the Rookie Division in their '65 Porche 356C. After finishing the race, they completed the outfitting of a 1958 VW Bus and hit the road. Man, the stories they will have to tell their grandchildren one of these days. Be sure to set aside a complete weekend to read their adventures from the beginning.
I need to scram now, but be sure to stay tuned for the rest of the blogs I read regularly. Also, if you don't mind, take a minute to leave me a comment with any suggestions. If you are a regular reader, drop me a note and introduce yourself.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Like chocolate pudding, scraped across too much ham...
ok, I guess that tag line needs some explanation... It's from the Veggie Tales video "Lord of the Beans" Billboy used that phrase to describe that he was feeling stretched (tired).
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Matthew's toe is healing, although it was a little strange that the dead end fell off last night while he was at the in-laws house. He didn't notice it, and he tracked blood all over their light colored carpet. The good news is that it will have a little bit of a flat leading edge, but should look close to normal when the nail grows back.
Shelly is feeling much better, which is good. She was really in pain over the weekend and Monday night, to the point she was in tears and could barely move. Not good when you have a 4 week old that is nursing... Thankfully our mothers each took a day and stayed here with her so I could go to work.
I make it a point not to mention things about my work on the blog, but lets just say that we're very busy lately and I'm feeling a little stretched trying to balance the increased attention both family and work are needing. Work needs to be done as people are depending on me, but at the same time, things at home need to be done also (and here I am blogging - Katie said I had to...).
Anyway, I just wanted to post that things look like they are going to be getting back to normal pretty soon, thanks to the prayers and support of friends and family.
I need to scram now. Maid day is tomorrow and like always, the house needs to be straight before they can clean it. With all of the craziness over the last couple of weeks, we've had to postpone them a couple of times, and the house could really use a visit by the maids.
Barring any wild happenings, I promise the next post will be more in line with what you are used to from me. There have been a few interesting things and observations that I have in mind as great blog fodder. Stay tuned...
ok, I guess that tag line needs some explanation... It's from the Veggie Tales video "Lord of the Beans" Billboy used that phrase to describe that he was feeling stretched (tired).
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Matthew's toe is healing, although it was a little strange that the dead end fell off last night while he was at the in-laws house. He didn't notice it, and he tracked blood all over their light colored carpet. The good news is that it will have a little bit of a flat leading edge, but should look close to normal when the nail grows back.
Shelly is feeling much better, which is good. She was really in pain over the weekend and Monday night, to the point she was in tears and could barely move. Not good when you have a 4 week old that is nursing... Thankfully our mothers each took a day and stayed here with her so I could go to work.
I make it a point not to mention things about my work on the blog, but lets just say that we're very busy lately and I'm feeling a little stretched trying to balance the increased attention both family and work are needing. Work needs to be done as people are depending on me, but at the same time, things at home need to be done also (and here I am blogging - Katie said I had to...).
Anyway, I just wanted to post that things look like they are going to be getting back to normal pretty soon, thanks to the prayers and support of friends and family.
I need to scram now. Maid day is tomorrow and like always, the house needs to be straight before they can clean it. With all of the craziness over the last couple of weeks, we've had to postpone them a couple of times, and the house could really use a visit by the maids.
Barring any wild happenings, I promise the next post will be more in line with what you are used to from me. There have been a few interesting things and observations that I have in mind as great blog fodder. Stay tuned...
Monday, June 09, 2008
Been a rough week...
Although the surgery for Shelly went well last week, we're not quite up to speed yet. Shelly was feeling better Friday, but by Friday night she was having some pain. She went back to see the doctor this morning, but he doesn't seem to think it's anything other than maybe muscle strain. Whatever it is, she is in so much pain she can barely function. Let's hope this passes soon. I'm in the middle of some busy times at work and really need to be there as much as possible. With being on shuttle duty getting Matthew to and from daycare each day, I'm stretched pretty thin. Luckily, our Mothers are around and able to help out.
Matthew's toe is looking pretty rough, but it is healing. Most of the end that's not viable tissue is now hard and black, and is basically about to fall off. At least what is left will heal well enough. I don't know if I mentioned it last week, but both surgeons that looked at it expect the nail to grow back. Definitely an answered prayer on that one, if nothing than for cosmetic reasons.
Keep Shelly in the prayers this week. Taking care of a 4 week old that wants his mommy to feed him every couple of hours isn't easy when she's in so much pain.
Although the surgery for Shelly went well last week, we're not quite up to speed yet. Shelly was feeling better Friday, but by Friday night she was having some pain. She went back to see the doctor this morning, but he doesn't seem to think it's anything other than maybe muscle strain. Whatever it is, she is in so much pain she can barely function. Let's hope this passes soon. I'm in the middle of some busy times at work and really need to be there as much as possible. With being on shuttle duty getting Matthew to and from daycare each day, I'm stretched pretty thin. Luckily, our Mothers are around and able to help out.
Matthew's toe is looking pretty rough, but it is healing. Most of the end that's not viable tissue is now hard and black, and is basically about to fall off. At least what is left will heal well enough. I don't know if I mentioned it last week, but both surgeons that looked at it expect the nail to grow back. Definitely an answered prayer on that one, if nothing than for cosmetic reasons.
Keep Shelly in the prayers this week. Taking care of a 4 week old that wants his mommy to feed him every couple of hours isn't easy when she's in so much pain.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Success!!!
The pediatrician came through today with a surgeon that was able to work us in at 2:30 this afternoon. His opinion was that it was healing well so far, but he wants to see us again in a week or so to see how the tissue at the tip of the toe is doing. He suspects that it isn't viable, but it should be left on for now as a sort of protective layer over the healthy tissue that is under it.
He did tell me that I no longer should dress it every night with ointment, gauze, and complete wrapping of the foot to keep it all covered and protected. The instructions are a couple of band-aids and a sock on the foot to keep everything in place and protected.
A friend of my parents has a son-in-law that is an orthopedist in Baton Rouge. He spoke to one of his friends here in Houston, (also an orthopedist) and that friend called me tonight. He offered to look at it either tomorrow or Friday as a second opinion if we wanted him to. I think we'll take him up on the offer just to be safe. While we're spending Cigna's money, we might as well make sure we get the best care possible.
We looked up all of the bills submitted to them over the last couple of weeks. Did you know a 4 mile ambulance ride with 2 paramedics in Houston is $1,700 while a 40 mile ride with 3 paramedics from Copperas Cove, TX to Temple, TX is only $1,200? Maybe that extra $500 here is for the honkin' ladder truck that showed up with the ambulance last week...
The pediatrician came through today with a surgeon that was able to work us in at 2:30 this afternoon. His opinion was that it was healing well so far, but he wants to see us again in a week or so to see how the tissue at the tip of the toe is doing. He suspects that it isn't viable, but it should be left on for now as a sort of protective layer over the healthy tissue that is under it.
He did tell me that I no longer should dress it every night with ointment, gauze, and complete wrapping of the foot to keep it all covered and protected. The instructions are a couple of band-aids and a sock on the foot to keep everything in place and protected.
A friend of my parents has a son-in-law that is an orthopedist in Baton Rouge. He spoke to one of his friends here in Houston, (also an orthopedist) and that friend called me tonight. He offered to look at it either tomorrow or Friday as a second opinion if we wanted him to. I think we'll take him up on the offer just to be safe. While we're spending Cigna's money, we might as well make sure we get the best care possible.
We looked up all of the bills submitted to them over the last couple of weeks. Did you know a 4 mile ambulance ride with 2 paramedics in Houston is $1,700 while a 40 mile ride with 3 paramedics from Copperas Cove, TX to Temple, TX is only $1,200? Maybe that extra $500 here is for the honkin' ladder truck that showed up with the ambulance last week...
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
VERY full day...
First off, Shelly is home and feeling better. She's watching TV and eating dinner as I type. Three small incisions and a prescription for pain meds and we're good to go. Hopefully everything on that front will continue to go smoothly.
Still no appt for Matthew. I was bounced back and forth all afternoon. Just to save you guys the hassle of reading alll of the details, plastic surgeons and orthopedists apparently don't do toes, and podiatrists and general surgeons don't do anything but refer to one of the others (who don't do toes).
I'll keep trying tomorrow...
It's as if Matthew is the first child ever who had to have part of his toe reconnected.
First off, Shelly is home and feeling better. She's watching TV and eating dinner as I type. Three small incisions and a prescription for pain meds and we're good to go. Hopefully everything on that front will continue to go smoothly.
Still no appt for Matthew. I was bounced back and forth all afternoon. Just to save you guys the hassle of reading alll of the details, plastic surgeons and orthopedists apparently don't do toes, and podiatrists and general surgeons don't do anything but refer to one of the others (who don't do toes).
I'll keep trying tomorrow...
It's as if Matthew is the first child ever who had to have part of his toe reconnected.
Maddening...
I guess I shouldn't complain too much because our healthcare system has worked well for us over the last several weeks. Today I'm running into sort of a roadblock. Shelly is in surgery right now, and that part is hopefully going well. I suppose it's going well as long as no one comes out to the waiting room and looks for me.
The problem is getting Matthew in to see a surgeon about his toe. His pediatrician gave us the names of 4 doctors yesterday, 3 of which are in a practice affiliated with Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). Shelly called their office yesterday afternoon and after explaining the situation, they told her we didn't need them, we need a plastic surgeon, so we were referred to a pediatric plastic surgery practice also affiliated with TCH. It was after 4:30 when she called yesterday, and the lady that answered said everyone was gone for the day and we needed to call back today.
Well, I called them back a little while ago after Shelly was taken into surgery, and after getting the story from me about what happened, I was put on hold and eventually told that toes were not what they did, and I would need to call pediatric general surgery at a certain number - which just so happened to be the group we called yesterday. Great, now we're full-circle...
So, I called General surgery back and they listened to my story and... referred me back to plastic surgery... GRRRR. I "explained" to her that I've had about all of the fun I can stand and I'd like to get off the merry-go-round. She told me that maybe I should call the pediatrician back and ask him who I needed to call, which is when I told her he gave me a printout with their doctor's names and numbers. She put me on hold a few more minutes and said she needed to talk to their manager and would call me back. How much do we bet no one calls back?
I think I'll call the pediatrician's office and see of he will call and intervene on our behalf. Wish us luck... I really don't have time for this BS this week.
I guess I shouldn't complain too much because our healthcare system has worked well for us over the last several weeks. Today I'm running into sort of a roadblock. Shelly is in surgery right now, and that part is hopefully going well. I suppose it's going well as long as no one comes out to the waiting room and looks for me.
The problem is getting Matthew in to see a surgeon about his toe. His pediatrician gave us the names of 4 doctors yesterday, 3 of which are in a practice affiliated with Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). Shelly called their office yesterday afternoon and after explaining the situation, they told her we didn't need them, we need a plastic surgeon, so we were referred to a pediatric plastic surgery practice also affiliated with TCH. It was after 4:30 when she called yesterday, and the lady that answered said everyone was gone for the day and we needed to call back today.
Well, I called them back a little while ago after Shelly was taken into surgery, and after getting the story from me about what happened, I was put on hold and eventually told that toes were not what they did, and I would need to call pediatric general surgery at a certain number - which just so happened to be the group we called yesterday. Great, now we're full-circle...
So, I called General surgery back and they listened to my story and... referred me back to plastic surgery... GRRRR. I "explained" to her that I've had about all of the fun I can stand and I'd like to get off the merry-go-round. She told me that maybe I should call the pediatrician back and ask him who I needed to call, which is when I told her he gave me a printout with their doctor's names and numbers. She put me on hold a few more minutes and said she needed to talk to their manager and would call me back. How much do we bet no one calls back?
I think I'll call the pediatrician's office and see of he will call and intervene on our behalf. Wish us luck... I really don't have time for this BS this week.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Just a short update...
It's late and I'm tired. Funny how when you take a day off work, you end up working almost the same amount of hours by clearing everything up before and after you are out. I left the office at 11:30 tonight (after a brief break to run home for dinner - Mom is here and made a pot roast...).
Anyway, Matthew's appt was ok. His toe looks better, but the doctor said we need to consult with a pediatric surgeon. Shelly called a couple today and ended up being told that what we need isn't a general surgeon, but a pediatric plastic surgeon. I've got the numbers and while Shelly is in surgery tomorrow, I'll be calling to try to get Matthew an appointment with the plastic surgeon to have his toe checked out.
The pediatrician said that more than likely they will look at it and establish a baseline, then have us return in 3-4 weeks to see what it looks like then. Hopefully the dark place on the end of the toe is just bruised tissue that will eventually heal. I guess time will tell.
The good news is that the cut is healing up well enough that Matthew was able to take a real bath tonight with the foot unwrapped and in the tub. I've been bathing him for the last week sitting on a stool in the tub with his foot on the side. That kid loves baths and he was really happy to get to play in the tub tonight.
Shelly's surgery is at 9:30 in the morning, and we have to be there at 8:00 in the morning. This is not supposed to be a major deal, but our current situation with a 4 week old baby makes logistics a little difficult. My Mom came back today to help out with Jonathan. Matthew went down to Shelly's parents house to stay at least until tomorrow night. Hopefully he will be willing to stay there until Wednesday, we'll keep our fingers crossed. Of course, with Jonathan being a breastfed baby, there are other issues to deal with. We think we're on top of it, but it's just a hassle to deal with everything.
Well, off to bed. Let's pray for an "uneventful" day tomorrow. I'll try to post tomorrow night with an update.
It's late and I'm tired. Funny how when you take a day off work, you end up working almost the same amount of hours by clearing everything up before and after you are out. I left the office at 11:30 tonight (after a brief break to run home for dinner - Mom is here and made a pot roast...).
Anyway, Matthew's appt was ok. His toe looks better, but the doctor said we need to consult with a pediatric surgeon. Shelly called a couple today and ended up being told that what we need isn't a general surgeon, but a pediatric plastic surgeon. I've got the numbers and while Shelly is in surgery tomorrow, I'll be calling to try to get Matthew an appointment with the plastic surgeon to have his toe checked out.
The pediatrician said that more than likely they will look at it and establish a baseline, then have us return in 3-4 weeks to see what it looks like then. Hopefully the dark place on the end of the toe is just bruised tissue that will eventually heal. I guess time will tell.
The good news is that the cut is healing up well enough that Matthew was able to take a real bath tonight with the foot unwrapped and in the tub. I've been bathing him for the last week sitting on a stool in the tub with his foot on the side. That kid loves baths and he was really happy to get to play in the tub tonight.
Shelly's surgery is at 9:30 in the morning, and we have to be there at 8:00 in the morning. This is not supposed to be a major deal, but our current situation with a 4 week old baby makes logistics a little difficult. My Mom came back today to help out with Jonathan. Matthew went down to Shelly's parents house to stay at least until tomorrow night. Hopefully he will be willing to stay there until Wednesday, we'll keep our fingers crossed. Of course, with Jonathan being a breastfed baby, there are other issues to deal with. We think we're on top of it, but it's just a hassle to deal with everything.
Well, off to bed. Let's pray for an "uneventful" day tomorrow. I'll try to post tomorrow night with an update.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Remembering...
I was walking along with Matthew today and I thought back to a couple of months ago when we went to the little park in our neighborhood. The park has a lake that has a BUNCH of ducks. A few years ago we had an oriental guy come and remove a bunch of them. I'm not certain, but I'm betting they ended up plucked and hanging on one of the restaurants in the Chinatown area of Houston. He needs to come back because there is a definite overpopulation.
These are not the Mallard type ducks, these are the larger, uglier pond ducks that seem to find their way to all parks. The sort of "other side of the tracks kind of ducks". Anyway, Matthew thinks it's hilarious to follow or chase the ducks until they jump back into the water and swim away. Well, on that particular day, I told Matthew to kick the duck in the butt, with the knowledge that no duck is going to let him get close enough to kick it.
WRONG... I think the only crippled duck in the county was the closest duck to Matthew at that point, and he punted that poor duck. Before it could register in my mind what had happened, he lined up for the extra point... Luckily, I managed to stop him just before he hung his size 10 kids shoe up the ducks nether regions. Just my luck, I tell him to do the impossible, and he gets it done... Thankfully, no one else saw it. I'd hate to have to explain that one to the SPCA... Luckily, the duck didn't seem to have been injured by the butt-kicking he received...
I was walking along with Matthew today and I thought back to a couple of months ago when we went to the little park in our neighborhood. The park has a lake that has a BUNCH of ducks. A few years ago we had an oriental guy come and remove a bunch of them. I'm not certain, but I'm betting they ended up plucked and hanging on one of the restaurants in the Chinatown area of Houston. He needs to come back because there is a definite overpopulation.
These are not the Mallard type ducks, these are the larger, uglier pond ducks that seem to find their way to all parks. The sort of "other side of the tracks kind of ducks". Anyway, Matthew thinks it's hilarious to follow or chase the ducks until they jump back into the water and swim away. Well, on that particular day, I told Matthew to kick the duck in the butt, with the knowledge that no duck is going to let him get close enough to kick it.
WRONG... I think the only crippled duck in the county was the closest duck to Matthew at that point, and he punted that poor duck. Before it could register in my mind what had happened, he lined up for the extra point... Luckily, I managed to stop him just before he hung his size 10 kids shoe up the ducks nether regions. Just my luck, I tell him to do the impossible, and he gets it done... Thankfully, no one else saw it. I'd hate to have to explain that one to the SPCA... Luckily, the duck didn't seem to have been injured by the butt-kicking he received...
Toe news...
We have a follow-up appt tomorrow afternoon to let the doctor check on the progress on Matthew's toe. I'm still a little concerned, but it does look a little better now than it did almost a week ago. We took a few pictures tonight, but they are kind of gross, so I'm not going to post them now (maybe later). Where the two parts are stitched together are healing up, so I know that at least part of the severed part is still "living". The very tip is still a little dark looking. I'm not sure if it is bruised or if the tissue is "dead". I guess we'll know more tomorrow.
Shelly goes in tomorrow for one last appt with the surgeon, and then we go in Tuesday morning for the gall bladder removal. It's an out-patient laproscopic (sp?) type deal, so hopefully all will go well. Keep the prayers going if you don't mind. Hopefully our little string of bad luck will be over soon.
We have a follow-up appt tomorrow afternoon to let the doctor check on the progress on Matthew's toe. I'm still a little concerned, but it does look a little better now than it did almost a week ago. We took a few pictures tonight, but they are kind of gross, so I'm not going to post them now (maybe later). Where the two parts are stitched together are healing up, so I know that at least part of the severed part is still "living". The very tip is still a little dark looking. I'm not sure if it is bruised or if the tissue is "dead". I guess we'll know more tomorrow.
Shelly goes in tomorrow for one last appt with the surgeon, and then we go in Tuesday morning for the gall bladder removal. It's an out-patient laproscopic (sp?) type deal, so hopefully all will go well. Keep the prayers going if you don't mind. Hopefully our little string of bad luck will be over soon.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
On a more serious note...
I know it's a little out of character for me to be serious, but I'm being serious now. Take a minute to say a short prayer for healing for Matthew's toe. I was changing the dressing tonight and he was being a tough little guy, but it's hard to be tough for him when he points to the toe nail on the big toe on his other foot and says when it gets better it will have one (nail) just like that one. That's a rough time for a Daddy.
We're doing all we can, from the time he got hurt until now to do the best we can. He doesn't understand that the reason why we can't play on the playground, go to "school" with his friends or go swimming (we had to quit swimming lessons after just one week). We're just trying to keep him from injuring anything more than it already is. We clean and re-dress the toe every night, and it's tough because it just seems to look worse each time. The doctor yesterday said it looked hopeful, so I'm hopeful also (but worried if it's not obvious).
Of course, on top of all that, we're looking at surgery for Shelly early next week to remove her gall bladder. Thank goodness both our families are here in town and able to help with the kids, but it's still going to be a rough week next week.
I know it's a little out of character for me to be serious, but I'm being serious now. Take a minute to say a short prayer for healing for Matthew's toe. I was changing the dressing tonight and he was being a tough little guy, but it's hard to be tough for him when he points to the toe nail on the big toe on his other foot and says when it gets better it will have one (nail) just like that one. That's a rough time for a Daddy.
We're doing all we can, from the time he got hurt until now to do the best we can. He doesn't understand that the reason why we can't play on the playground, go to "school" with his friends or go swimming (we had to quit swimming lessons after just one week). We're just trying to keep him from injuring anything more than it already is. We clean and re-dress the toe every night, and it's tough because it just seems to look worse each time. The doctor yesterday said it looked hopeful, so I'm hopeful also (but worried if it's not obvious).
Of course, on top of all that, we're looking at surgery for Shelly early next week to remove her gall bladder. Thank goodness both our families are here in town and able to help with the kids, but it's still going to be a rough week next week.
That's my boy...
I came home this evening and was happy that everyone was in a decent mood and no trips were needed to the ER. Bonus that our friends that were going to bring dinner last night brought it tonight instead. Another bonus that more friends are signed up for tomorrow night.
Anyway, we took a walk after dinner tonight just to get everyone out of the house for a little while. I pushed Matthew in a stroller and Shelly carried Jonathan. An older couple (upper 80's) lives down the street and they were out in their yard, so we walked by to chat with them and let them meet Jonathan. Well, obviously Matthew has been paying attention to what and how baby brother eats... He lifted his shirt and pointed to his ninny and said "Baby brother only eats this". I think Mrs Cooke was speechless...
Breaking even - sort of...
Last night, while we were at the emergency room, My Mom was at the house with the boys. Jonathan was fine, but Matthew was a little out of sorts. He wanted his Daddy and was having nothing to do with anyone else. Shelly's parents came up and picked up our Expedition and Matthew and brought them to the hospital. Matthew was happy to be there with us. Of course, the truck was pretty much on empty, so Doc stopped and gassed it up for us (at least until the $75 pump shut-off). I guess you can say I broke even for the night. He refused my money when I tried to pay him, but the ER hit us up for the $75 co-pay. Oh well, a free tank of gas is not a bad thing.
While I'm thinking money, I wonder what 2 ambulance rides will cost? After the last week, we're thankful we have decent health insurance...
I came home this evening and was happy that everyone was in a decent mood and no trips were needed to the ER. Bonus that our friends that were going to bring dinner last night brought it tonight instead. Another bonus that more friends are signed up for tomorrow night.
Anyway, we took a walk after dinner tonight just to get everyone out of the house for a little while. I pushed Matthew in a stroller and Shelly carried Jonathan. An older couple (upper 80's) lives down the street and they were out in their yard, so we walked by to chat with them and let them meet Jonathan. Well, obviously Matthew has been paying attention to what and how baby brother eats... He lifted his shirt and pointed to his ninny and said "Baby brother only eats this". I think Mrs Cooke was speechless...
Breaking even - sort of...
Last night, while we were at the emergency room, My Mom was at the house with the boys. Jonathan was fine, but Matthew was a little out of sorts. He wanted his Daddy and was having nothing to do with anyone else. Shelly's parents came up and picked up our Expedition and Matthew and brought them to the hospital. Matthew was happy to be there with us. Of course, the truck was pretty much on empty, so Doc stopped and gassed it up for us (at least until the $75 pump shut-off). I guess you can say I broke even for the night. He refused my money when I tried to pay him, but the ER hit us up for the $75 co-pay. Oh well, a free tank of gas is not a bad thing.
While I'm thinking money, I wonder what 2 ambulance rides will cost? After the last week, we're thankful we have decent health insurance...
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Frequent flier miles...
Man, we're having all of the health luck this week.
After Matthew's appointment today, I scrammed back to the office to try to play keep-up. I'm a little behind and was planning to work a little late this evening to get things squared away. Mom was at the house helping Shelly with things and some friends were planning to bring dinner to us (our Sunday School class brings meals 3 times a week for a few weeks when you have a baby).
About 4:45 I called the house to see how things were going, and Mom told me Shelly wasn't feeling well and I needed to come home NOW. I boogied on home and when I got here, Shelly was sort of laying back in a chair in the living room moaning in pain. She was having back and chest pains, her heart was racing, ans she was a little short of breath. I'm not into being a hero, so I called 911 and ordered up an ambulance. I'm getting good at this...
About 5 minutes later, the biggest honking fire truck in the fleet comes screaming down our street. The ladder truck. No, I didn't report a house on fire, I reported someone in need of medical assistance. Must have been a slow day at the station, so they all took a little ride. The ambulance pulled up less than a minute later, and we were on the way. I grabbed Shelly's purse, her shoes, and a pair of socks for her, and we were off.
Well, thankfully, it wasn't a heart issue. An EKG, X-ray, blood test, urine test, and an ultrasound revealed the presence of several gallstones.
So, that's 2 ambulance rides and ER visits in 3 days, with a couple of follow-up visits and at least one surgery coming up soon. Man, what a week this has been, and it's only Tuesday.
I wonder if the ambulance groups give frequent flier miles?
Another funny thing along the lines of the cop's questioning the other night... The first question they asked Shelly in the ER is if there were ever any incidences or threats of abuse or domestic violence in the home. I started to say "Yeah, she threatens to beat me all the time!", but they were not asking me. I'm starting to wonder if I look like a shady character...
Man, we're having all of the health luck this week.
After Matthew's appointment today, I scrammed back to the office to try to play keep-up. I'm a little behind and was planning to work a little late this evening to get things squared away. Mom was at the house helping Shelly with things and some friends were planning to bring dinner to us (our Sunday School class brings meals 3 times a week for a few weeks when you have a baby).
About 4:45 I called the house to see how things were going, and Mom told me Shelly wasn't feeling well and I needed to come home NOW. I boogied on home and when I got here, Shelly was sort of laying back in a chair in the living room moaning in pain. She was having back and chest pains, her heart was racing, ans she was a little short of breath. I'm not into being a hero, so I called 911 and ordered up an ambulance. I'm getting good at this...
About 5 minutes later, the biggest honking fire truck in the fleet comes screaming down our street. The ladder truck. No, I didn't report a house on fire, I reported someone in need of medical assistance. Must have been a slow day at the station, so they all took a little ride. The ambulance pulled up less than a minute later, and we were on the way. I grabbed Shelly's purse, her shoes, and a pair of socks for her, and we were off.
Well, thankfully, it wasn't a heart issue. An EKG, X-ray, blood test, urine test, and an ultrasound revealed the presence of several gallstones.
So, that's 2 ambulance rides and ER visits in 3 days, with a couple of follow-up visits and at least one surgery coming up soon. Man, what a week this has been, and it's only Tuesday.
I wonder if the ambulance groups give frequent flier miles?
Another funny thing along the lines of the cop's questioning the other night... The first question they asked Shelly in the ER is if there were ever any incidences or threats of abuse or domestic violence in the home. I started to say "Yeah, she threatens to beat me all the time!", but they were not asking me. I'm starting to wonder if I look like a shady character...
Still 10 toes...
Just a short update... We went to see the pediatrician today and the prognosis is a little better than what we were expecting. Last night when I changed the bandage, the end of the toe looked pretty white / gray and not pink like the rest of the toe. I didn't touch it more than necessary to change put more medicine and wrap it again.
When the Dr. looked at it this morning, he pushed on the end and said it was "blanching" a little (think the difference in color when you push on your skin with your finger), so it's possible that blood is flowing into the tip and it will heal.
We have a follow-up appointment next Tuesday to check again. We're praying that all will heal. (the nail growing back eventually would be a good bonus as well.
More later.
Just a short update... We went to see the pediatrician today and the prognosis is a little better than what we were expecting. Last night when I changed the bandage, the end of the toe looked pretty white / gray and not pink like the rest of the toe. I didn't touch it more than necessary to change put more medicine and wrap it again.
When the Dr. looked at it this morning, he pushed on the end and said it was "blanching" a little (think the difference in color when you push on your skin with your finger), so it's possible that blood is flowing into the tip and it will heal.
We have a follow-up appointment next Tuesday to check again. We're praying that all will heal. (the nail growing back eventually would be a good bonus as well.
More later.
Monday, May 26, 2008
ATV, Tractors, and Ambulances...
For the Memorial Day weekend, we decided to head out to the ranch. I know, we're crazy to hit the road with an almost 4 year old and an almost 3 week old, but hey, we live life on the ragged edge.
Shelly has been taking Matthew to swimming lessons each afternoon, and she generally gets home a little after 6:00 PM. Needless to say, by the time they got home, we loaded up, and Shelly got the baby fed and squared away, we finally pulled out of the driveway around 9:00 PM. After running through Chick-fil-a, and making a stop to feed Jonathan along the way, we pulled up at the ranch around 1:30am. Not too bad (I make it in just over 3 hours travelling alone). By the time we unloaded and got the kids in bed, it was about 2:30 by the time my head hit the pillow.
The day was a pretty full day. Matthew had not been to the ranch since late December, so we had to ride around the ranch in the Pathfinder, then the ATV, then ride the tractor for good measure. We went to town and picked up chicken strips for lunch, then hit the rack for a nap. After our nap, Doc (my father-in-law) took him out to feed the fish while I grilled steaks for dinner.
After dinner was when the excitement started...
We were just about finished with dinner when Matthew had to go to the restroom. I went and helped him. When he went back to the kitchen, he climbed onto the bench that my mother-in-law was sitting on - just as she was getting up from the bench. (the table has a picnic table type bench on one side). Well, the bench tipped over and the sharp edge hit Matthew on the big toe of his right foot, which put the whole house into high gear...
I came out of the bathroom in time to hear the crash and Matthew scream. Doc jumped up and said we needed to get to the hospital, and that's when I saw the aftermath. The end of Matthew's big toe was almost completely cut off. Doc and Shelly wrapped it up while I grabbed my wallet, shoes and Doc drove Matthew and I to town like our butts were on fire. (Shelly had to stay back with Jonathan)
It a moment of sheer brilliance, Ron (our quasi care taker for the ranch) met us in town and suggested that to avoid the long wait in the local ER, that we should stop at the EMS / fire station just as we entered town and let the paramedics check it out. It's good that we stopped because the hospital we were heading to in Killeen wasn't equipped to handle the repair, so the ambulance hauled us to Scott & White in Temple. This place is a level 1 trauma unit, so they are supposed to be the cat's meow for medical care.
Well, long story short, they stitched the end of his toe back on, it's obvious now that the repair didn't work and the end of the toe will need to come back off (they told me that they held little hope that the repair would be successful.) The good news is that they said it shouldn't effect his balance or mobility, so we're thankful in that respect
Matthew has been a little trooper throughout the whole ordeal, and I hope he will continue to do well. We'll call his pediatrician tomorrow morning and get an appointment with him, which will likely just be the beginning of the process. I'm sure we'll get referred to someone else (plastic surgeon?) to repair what can be repaired.
Now for a little bit of a rant...
I'm a good parent. I love my family and am attentive to my kids. I try my best to keep them safe. Shelly does too. We spend more money in health insurance premiums annually than we would on actual medical costs if we had to pay 100% for each visit because we want to have the best available in the case of an emergency. We buy good carseats and they are installed properly. Matthew even wears a helmet and is securely strapped to me when we ride the ATV. Why do I say all this? It's because when we were loaded up in the ambulance about to make the trip to the hospital, a cop opened the back door and refused to let them transport us until he had questioned me about how the injury had happened. I found out later that he had already questioned Doc.
OK, maybe there are some crappy parents out there, but here I am in the ambulance with my son, trying to get the best medical care money can buy, and this asshat is questioning me like one of us caused the injury - he literally asked me if any of us had pushed him or otherwise contributed to the injury.
I've calmed down a little about it and I was nice to the cop and answered his questions, but it still burns me a little...
For the Memorial Day weekend, we decided to head out to the ranch. I know, we're crazy to hit the road with an almost 4 year old and an almost 3 week old, but hey, we live life on the ragged edge.
Shelly has been taking Matthew to swimming lessons each afternoon, and she generally gets home a little after 6:00 PM. Needless to say, by the time they got home, we loaded up, and Shelly got the baby fed and squared away, we finally pulled out of the driveway around 9:00 PM. After running through Chick-fil-a, and making a stop to feed Jonathan along the way, we pulled up at the ranch around 1:30am. Not too bad (I make it in just over 3 hours travelling alone). By the time we unloaded and got the kids in bed, it was about 2:30 by the time my head hit the pillow.
The day was a pretty full day. Matthew had not been to the ranch since late December, so we had to ride around the ranch in the Pathfinder, then the ATV, then ride the tractor for good measure. We went to town and picked up chicken strips for lunch, then hit the rack for a nap. After our nap, Doc (my father-in-law) took him out to feed the fish while I grilled steaks for dinner.
After dinner was when the excitement started...
We were just about finished with dinner when Matthew had to go to the restroom. I went and helped him. When he went back to the kitchen, he climbed onto the bench that my mother-in-law was sitting on - just as she was getting up from the bench. (the table has a picnic table type bench on one side). Well, the bench tipped over and the sharp edge hit Matthew on the big toe of his right foot, which put the whole house into high gear...
I came out of the bathroom in time to hear the crash and Matthew scream. Doc jumped up and said we needed to get to the hospital, and that's when I saw the aftermath. The end of Matthew's big toe was almost completely cut off. Doc and Shelly wrapped it up while I grabbed my wallet, shoes and Doc drove Matthew and I to town like our butts were on fire. (Shelly had to stay back with Jonathan)
It a moment of sheer brilliance, Ron (our quasi care taker for the ranch) met us in town and suggested that to avoid the long wait in the local ER, that we should stop at the EMS / fire station just as we entered town and let the paramedics check it out. It's good that we stopped because the hospital we were heading to in Killeen wasn't equipped to handle the repair, so the ambulance hauled us to Scott & White in Temple. This place is a level 1 trauma unit, so they are supposed to be the cat's meow for medical care.
Well, long story short, they stitched the end of his toe back on, it's obvious now that the repair didn't work and the end of the toe will need to come back off (they told me that they held little hope that the repair would be successful.) The good news is that they said it shouldn't effect his balance or mobility, so we're thankful in that respect
Matthew has been a little trooper throughout the whole ordeal, and I hope he will continue to do well. We'll call his pediatrician tomorrow morning and get an appointment with him, which will likely just be the beginning of the process. I'm sure we'll get referred to someone else (plastic surgeon?) to repair what can be repaired.
Now for a little bit of a rant...
I'm a good parent. I love my family and am attentive to my kids. I try my best to keep them safe. Shelly does too. We spend more money in health insurance premiums annually than we would on actual medical costs if we had to pay 100% for each visit because we want to have the best available in the case of an emergency. We buy good carseats and they are installed properly. Matthew even wears a helmet and is securely strapped to me when we ride the ATV. Why do I say all this? It's because when we were loaded up in the ambulance about to make the trip to the hospital, a cop opened the back door and refused to let them transport us until he had questioned me about how the injury had happened. I found out later that he had already questioned Doc.
OK, maybe there are some crappy parents out there, but here I am in the ambulance with my son, trying to get the best medical care money can buy, and this asshat is questioning me like one of us caused the injury - he literally asked me if any of us had pushed him or otherwise contributed to the injury.
I've calmed down a little about it and I was nice to the cop and answered his questions, but it still burns me a little...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day...
Man, where would we be without mothers? Shelly and I are getting quite a bit of help from our moms this week. Both of them helped out with Matthew last week while we were in the hospital, and they have both spent the night with us helping with stuff around the house since we got home. My mom is back today and plans to stay until Friday. Jackpot for us. She's a whiz at laundry and is a pretty good cook also. We will eat like kings this week.
Speaking of eating like kings... I cooked a special Mother's Day dinner tonight. Grilled jumbo shrimp, squash & zucchini oven roasted with a little olive oil, and skillet potatoes. We'll have some pie in a little while.
I was left in charge of the kids earlier today. I left Jonathan alone for just a few minutes, and look what he got up to... Gonna have to keep an eye on this kid.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Katie, this one without the cap is for you... I took another one this afternoon and will upload it when I have a chance. We've been going since 7 AM Monday with virtually no sleep, so that's a priority now.
Here is another picture I'm happy to post.
This is my Grandfather, known to all as Grandaddy. He's my only grandparent left, and he makes it a point to do whatever it takes to be there for the birth of each great-grandchild. He does it because he wants to, but you can only imagine what it means to us that he was up there with us at 4 AM this morning welcoming the newest member of the family.
I'll write more on him later.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Almost Time...
Ok, is everyone still here?
I know it's been a long time. Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging (ironic since my blog is basically just me writing about my life...)
I'm expecting to blog more frequently for at least the next couple of weeks because there is going to be a WHOLE lot happening.
Tomorrow morning at 5:30 we're heading to the hospital. It is time for Jonathan Kyle to meet the family. The due date is 5/8, but as he's estimated to be close to 9 lbs as of last Wednesday's visit, the Dr said it would be good to go ahead and see if we can make him come earlier. Matthew was 9 lbs 4 oz and Shelly isn't looking forward to squeezing out another little pumpkin headed baby.
I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be to have another baby. The room is ready, the clothes are washed and put away (mostly), the car seat is installed, and big brother Matthew is ready to meet baby Jonathan. We've even got one of those storks lined up to put in the front yard.
Funny story... Matthew knows baby brother is in Mommy's tummy and will come out soon. I was a little worried about what to tell him when he asked how baby brother got out. Well, the little genius figured it out all by himself. Apparently Jonathan has a pocket. In his pocket he has a key. When he gets ready to come out, he'll use his key to unlock Mommy's belly button and come out of the belly button. Whew... That's much better than anything I could have come up with...
Keep checking back. I'll post pictures from the hospital (they have Wi-Fi available now.)
Ok, is everyone still here?
I know it's been a long time. Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging (ironic since my blog is basically just me writing about my life...)
I'm expecting to blog more frequently for at least the next couple of weeks because there is going to be a WHOLE lot happening.
Tomorrow morning at 5:30 we're heading to the hospital. It is time for Jonathan Kyle to meet the family. The due date is 5/8, but as he's estimated to be close to 9 lbs as of last Wednesday's visit, the Dr said it would be good to go ahead and see if we can make him come earlier. Matthew was 9 lbs 4 oz and Shelly isn't looking forward to squeezing out another little pumpkin headed baby.
I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be to have another baby. The room is ready, the clothes are washed and put away (mostly), the car seat is installed, and big brother Matthew is ready to meet baby Jonathan. We've even got one of those storks lined up to put in the front yard.
Funny story... Matthew knows baby brother is in Mommy's tummy and will come out soon. I was a little worried about what to tell him when he asked how baby brother got out. Well, the little genius figured it out all by himself. Apparently Jonathan has a pocket. In his pocket he has a key. When he gets ready to come out, he'll use his key to unlock Mommy's belly button and come out of the belly button. Whew... That's much better than anything I could have come up with...
Keep checking back. I'll post pictures from the hospital (they have Wi-Fi available now.)
Monday, January 28, 2008
Progress...
We've made pretty good progress around the house in the last week. Perfecto painted most of the inside of the house, and we had the carpets cleaned. The furniture has been put back in place and most of the pictures, paintings, and other wall decorations have been put back in their place. Realistically, it will take another couple of weeks to get things back in order. No real rush now other than we want to have everything knocked out by the time the baby comes.
I took some time out last weekend to help the father-in -law do a little work on the railings on their upstairs balcony. The spacing was large enough to allow a certain couple of 3 yr olds to fall through, so we worked put in some lattice and trimmed it out neatly with treated 1x2's. It looks pretty good if I do say so myself.
We've made pretty good progress around the house in the last week. Perfecto painted most of the inside of the house, and we had the carpets cleaned. The furniture has been put back in place and most of the pictures, paintings, and other wall decorations have been put back in their place. Realistically, it will take another couple of weeks to get things back in order. No real rush now other than we want to have everything knocked out by the time the baby comes.
I took some time out last weekend to help the father-in -law do a little work on the railings on their upstairs balcony. The spacing was large enough to allow a certain couple of 3 yr olds to fall through, so we worked put in some lattice and trimmed it out neatly with treated 1x2's. It looks pretty good if I do say so myself.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Taking MLK day off...
I took a rare vacation day to stay home. Even though we're not moving, we decided to keep making progress on de-cluttering and otherwise sprucing up the house. Perfecto showed up bright and early this morning to start painting. I hate painting, so Perfecto is one of my favorite people this week.
Maybe I'll take some pictures a little later. The house is a complete wreck. Furniture is scattered everywhere, and all of the artwork and other stuff has been removed from the walls and is scattered around the rooms that aren't being worked on yet.
I'm about to go downstairs and help Shelly with cleaning out the inside freezer. I picked up one of the deer this morning that has been processed, and we have to make room for it and the other one that will be ready in another 2 or 3 weeks.
Unfortunately, I've been too busy to go down to the big MLK Parade. Dang.
I took a rare vacation day to stay home. Even though we're not moving, we decided to keep making progress on de-cluttering and otherwise sprucing up the house. Perfecto showed up bright and early this morning to start painting. I hate painting, so Perfecto is one of my favorite people this week.
Maybe I'll take some pictures a little later. The house is a complete wreck. Furniture is scattered everywhere, and all of the artwork and other stuff has been removed from the walls and is scattered around the rooms that aren't being worked on yet.
I'm about to go downstairs and help Shelly with cleaning out the inside freezer. I picked up one of the deer this morning that has been processed, and we have to make room for it and the other one that will be ready in another 2 or 3 weeks.
Unfortunately, I've been too busy to go down to the big MLK Parade. Dang.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Not moving.... Yet.
We met with the realtor last night. After going over comparables, talking about the market, and thinking about what our wants are, we had some decisions to make. This morning as we laid in bed thinking about what was ahead of us, we grabbed the computer and started crunching numbers. Of course, Shelly being the financial guru she is, she quickly built an excel spreadsheet to make the calculations we wanted. There it was, spelled out in black and white. We can afford the move.
The decision? We're not moving... yet.
The long and short of it is that we have a baby due the first week of May and we started thinking about all of the uncertainty in the situation. We have a short window in which to sell, buy, and move, and that adds a bunch of stress to a time that is already a little hectic as it is.
What do we do now? Same thing we've been doing. Heavy duty spring cleaning, organizing, repainting, carpet cleaning, and sprucing up the yard. After that's done, we sit back, relax in our clean, uncluttered home, and enjoy the new baby. I might even get to go camping a time or two and make a spring Axis deer hunt out in Rocksprings.
Maybe we'll move next year.
We met with the realtor last night. After going over comparables, talking about the market, and thinking about what our wants are, we had some decisions to make. This morning as we laid in bed thinking about what was ahead of us, we grabbed the computer and started crunching numbers. Of course, Shelly being the financial guru she is, she quickly built an excel spreadsheet to make the calculations we wanted. There it was, spelled out in black and white. We can afford the move.
The decision? We're not moving... yet.
The long and short of it is that we have a baby due the first week of May and we started thinking about all of the uncertainty in the situation. We have a short window in which to sell, buy, and move, and that adds a bunch of stress to a time that is already a little hectic as it is.
What do we do now? Same thing we've been doing. Heavy duty spring cleaning, organizing, repainting, carpet cleaning, and sprucing up the yard. After that's done, we sit back, relax in our clean, uncluttered home, and enjoy the new baby. I might even get to go camping a time or two and make a spring Axis deer hunt out in Rocksprings.
Maybe we'll move next year.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
What a morning ...
About mid-morning this morning, I sent Shelly an e-mail telling her how the day was going so far. She thought it was pretty funny, and worthy of sharing.
Just as I was about to go downstairs to leave this morning, Shelly called to remind me to take the leftover tamales with me for lunch. Thanks for the reminder. Those babies were good, so having them for lunch was a great idea. Besides, moving isn't cheap, so saving the cost of lunch is good.
A co-worker is having a baby tomorrow and she needed to borrow a carseat from us, so I had gone into the attic to get the carrier. The base to it was in the storage building, so I had to remember to grab it on the way out of the house. Here's how it went...
go downstairs and let the dog back inside...
think about tamales, gotta remember to grab them...
go out to shed and get carseat base...
stop at my counter in the kitchen to get keys, wallet, phone, etc...
remember I still need to grab the tamales...
put everything down to feed the dog before leaving...
pick up everything and head into the garage...
grab carseat with my already full hands...
open trunk of car to deposit carseat...
(Altima has that funny keyless key deal, so you just open the trunk)
trunk full of dry cleaning picked up last night, close trunk...
put everything down to unlock doors to open back door to put carseat in backseat...
notice trashcans out by street from yesterday...
pick up trashcans so HOA doesn't send me yet another nasty-gram about them...
Damn, leaving the house is a chore some days...
head out, traffic really backed up, so I take alternate route...
crap, wreck on alternate route, really backed up, stuck like Chuck for a while...
finally make it through the accident scene. Dang, car pieces and parts scattered all over creation...
finally get going, log truck exits freeway, cuts across 3 lanes of feeder, straight into my lane...
take evasive action (slam on brakes, hold on, shit pants - not really, but did fart a time or 2 on the way to work)
catch up to truck, roll down window, and give him the finger...
he honks and swerves at me again... I better quit while I'm ahead...
smooth sailing the rest of the way...
Get to work ...
Forgot tamales. Crap.
About mid-morning this morning, I sent Shelly an e-mail telling her how the day was going so far. She thought it was pretty funny, and worthy of sharing.
Just as I was about to go downstairs to leave this morning, Shelly called to remind me to take the leftover tamales with me for lunch. Thanks for the reminder. Those babies were good, so having them for lunch was a great idea. Besides, moving isn't cheap, so saving the cost of lunch is good.
A co-worker is having a baby tomorrow and she needed to borrow a carseat from us, so I had gone into the attic to get the carrier. The base to it was in the storage building, so I had to remember to grab it on the way out of the house. Here's how it went...
go downstairs and let the dog back inside...
think about tamales, gotta remember to grab them...
go out to shed and get carseat base...
stop at my counter in the kitchen to get keys, wallet, phone, etc...
remember I still need to grab the tamales...
put everything down to feed the dog before leaving...
pick up everything and head into the garage...
grab carseat with my already full hands...
open trunk of car to deposit carseat...
(Altima has that funny keyless key deal, so you just open the trunk)
trunk full of dry cleaning picked up last night, close trunk...
put everything down to unlock doors to open back door to put carseat in backseat...
notice trashcans out by street from yesterday...
pick up trashcans so HOA doesn't send me yet another nasty-gram about them...
Damn, leaving the house is a chore some days...
head out, traffic really backed up, so I take alternate route...
crap, wreck on alternate route, really backed up, stuck like Chuck for a while...
finally make it through the accident scene. Dang, car pieces and parts scattered all over creation...
finally get going, log truck exits freeway, cuts across 3 lanes of feeder, straight into my lane...
take evasive action (slam on brakes, hold on, shit pants - not really, but did fart a time or 2 on the way to work)
catch up to truck, roll down window, and give him the finger...
he honks and swerves at me again... I better quit while I'm ahead...
smooth sailing the rest of the way...
Get to work ...
Forgot tamales. Crap.
Still working on the house...
Part of the cleaning out / organizing process to get ready to move involves Matthew's toys. My God, I didn't realize how many toys that kid has. We've managed to whittle him down to what is still too many toys. I packed the rest up into a couple of large tubs. Actually, 4 large tubs and 2 medium sized tubs.
Side note to all... when #2 gets here in May, PLEASE don't buy him any more toys. We have plenty already. If you insist on buying toys, I'll sell you a gently used one for 1/2 price. It's a win-win situation. You get the satisfaction of spending money buying a toy for a child, and I don't have any more clutter in the house. Maybe I'll even promise to put the money into the college fund.
Aside from that, I've hung up the new faux wood blinds, pulled out some clothes and shoes to donate to charity, and a couple of other jobs.
Boring? Yep, but that's life at the moment.
What's coming up? The maids come tomorrow, the realtor is coming by to visit and have a walk-through on Friday night, my parents are going to come help pack up some extra stuff this weekend, and Perfecto is coming to paint next week. This is when things start happening fast. Hopefully we can keep up.
Part of the cleaning out / organizing process to get ready to move involves Matthew's toys. My God, I didn't realize how many toys that kid has. We've managed to whittle him down to what is still too many toys. I packed the rest up into a couple of large tubs. Actually, 4 large tubs and 2 medium sized tubs.
Side note to all... when #2 gets here in May, PLEASE don't buy him any more toys. We have plenty already. If you insist on buying toys, I'll sell you a gently used one for 1/2 price. It's a win-win situation. You get the satisfaction of spending money buying a toy for a child, and I don't have any more clutter in the house. Maybe I'll even promise to put the money into the college fund.
Aside from that, I've hung up the new faux wood blinds, pulled out some clothes and shoes to donate to charity, and a couple of other jobs.
Boring? Yep, but that's life at the moment.
What's coming up? The maids come tomorrow, the realtor is coming by to visit and have a walk-through on Friday night, my parents are going to come help pack up some extra stuff this weekend, and Perfecto is coming to paint next week. This is when things start happening fast. Hopefully we can keep up.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
It's a boy!!!
I think back in October before I went AWOL, I mentioned that we're expecting again. A few weeks ago, we found out that we're having another boy. Needless to say, Shelly was a little bummed. Don't get me wrong here. We're especially thankful for a seemingly healthy boy after what it took to get to this point, but with one boy already, we were hoping for a girl to even things out. Shelly's outnumbered as it is, and it looks like it's only going to get worse. On the bright side, I'll have 2 little knuckleheads to cut the grass for me in a few years.
I think back in October before I went AWOL, I mentioned that we're expecting again. A few weeks ago, we found out that we're having another boy. Needless to say, Shelly was a little bummed. Don't get me wrong here. We're especially thankful for a seemingly healthy boy after what it took to get to this point, but with one boy already, we were hoping for a girl to even things out. Shelly's outnumbered as it is, and it looks like it's only going to get worse. On the bright side, I'll have 2 little knuckleheads to cut the grass for me in a few years.
I'm not good with numbers...
Yesterday afternoon, I was at Home Depot getting the blinds cut to fit the windows. I guess it's asking too much to actually have someone there that knows how to do this job. I went in with the measurement of 42 1/4 inches wide for the new blinds. I went to the blind aisle and punched the little button for assistance. The girl that came to help had evidently just fallen off the turnip wagon. She started with a set of blinds 45.5 inches wide. When I told her I needed 42 1/4, she was completely bumfuzzled about what to do. She mumbled something about not being very good with numbers, then pulled out a tape measure and stretched it out. She then proceeded to ask me which little marking was a quarter inch. Holy crap. How do you work at Home Depot and not know how to read a tape measure? It was very confidence inspiring to say the least.
This girl had no idea. She ruined a set of blinds before she finally let me help her with the measurement and set the machine. For the rest of you that aren't good with numbers, that's 1 5/8 off each end. That's the 10th little black line between 1 and 2 on the tape measure.
Yesterday afternoon, I was at Home Depot getting the blinds cut to fit the windows. I guess it's asking too much to actually have someone there that knows how to do this job. I went in with the measurement of 42 1/4 inches wide for the new blinds. I went to the blind aisle and punched the little button for assistance. The girl that came to help had evidently just fallen off the turnip wagon. She started with a set of blinds 45.5 inches wide. When I told her I needed 42 1/4, she was completely bumfuzzled about what to do. She mumbled something about not being very good with numbers, then pulled out a tape measure and stretched it out. She then proceeded to ask me which little marking was a quarter inch. Holy crap. How do you work at Home Depot and not know how to read a tape measure? It was very confidence inspiring to say the least.
This girl had no idea. She ruined a set of blinds before she finally let me help her with the measurement and set the machine. For the rest of you that aren't good with numbers, that's 1 5/8 off each end. That's the 10th little black line between 1 and 2 on the tape measure.
Movin' on up...
Ok, not really movin' up, but we are preparing to put our house on the market. We're planning to make more of a lateral move. We expect to stay in the same general area of town, but get a few things different in our next house.The main deal will be a master bedroom downstairs, and I hope to get a 3 car garage.
When you live in a house for several years and you are a sort of a pack-rat like we are, the thought of selling the house is quite a daunting experience. We're going through, de-cluttering, and throwing a BUNCH of stuff away. I'm also performing a huge list of maintenance items. It's amazing the stuff around the house that you don't see as a big deal until you get ready to start showing your house. Here's what I did this weekend:
1. remove and replace a rotten piece of wood trim around my garage door then caulk around the new piece of wood.
2. clean mildew from top of patio cover, rear of house, and storage building.
3. clean outside of upstairs rear windows and caulk as needed.
4. Clean back patio ceiling fan
5. paint new wood trim listed above and touch up other areas near garage door (hit with trick mirror).
6. replace all toilet seats
7. replace 2 A/C vents that are starting to rust
8. cut out old caulk from master shower, clean with Clorox cleaner, re caulk with white anti-microbial caulk.
9. replace light fixture in downstairs 1/2 bath (project from SEVERAL months ago that never got completed)
10. measure for and purchase faux wood blinds for guest room and Matthew's room. I'm fine with the metal blinds currently there, but Shelly thinks that since all of the other rooms have wither real wood or faux wood, it will look better to be consistent in all rooms. Whatever. I just work here.
There were a couple of other things to do, but you get the idea. Next up, Meet with a realtor, move some items to storage, paint interior (call Perfecto), have carpets cleaned, hire some "guys" to spruce up the flower beds. We hope to be on the market Friday, February first. Wish us luck.
Ok, not really movin' up, but we are preparing to put our house on the market. We're planning to make more of a lateral move. We expect to stay in the same general area of town, but get a few things different in our next house.The main deal will be a master bedroom downstairs, and I hope to get a 3 car garage.
When you live in a house for several years and you are a sort of a pack-rat like we are, the thought of selling the house is quite a daunting experience. We're going through, de-cluttering, and throwing a BUNCH of stuff away. I'm also performing a huge list of maintenance items. It's amazing the stuff around the house that you don't see as a big deal until you get ready to start showing your house. Here's what I did this weekend:
1. remove and replace a rotten piece of wood trim around my garage door then caulk around the new piece of wood.
2. clean mildew from top of patio cover, rear of house, and storage building.
3. clean outside of upstairs rear windows and caulk as needed.
4. Clean back patio ceiling fan
5. paint new wood trim listed above and touch up other areas near garage door (hit with trick mirror).
6. replace all toilet seats
7. replace 2 A/C vents that are starting to rust
8. cut out old caulk from master shower, clean with Clorox cleaner, re caulk with white anti-microbial caulk.
9. replace light fixture in downstairs 1/2 bath (project from SEVERAL months ago that never got completed)
10. measure for and purchase faux wood blinds for guest room and Matthew's room. I'm fine with the metal blinds currently there, but Shelly thinks that since all of the other rooms have wither real wood or faux wood, it will look better to be consistent in all rooms. Whatever. I just work here.
There were a couple of other things to do, but you get the idea. Next up, Meet with a realtor, move some items to storage, paint interior (call Perfecto), have carpets cleaned, hire some "guys" to spruce up the flower beds. We hope to be on the market Friday, February first. Wish us luck.
Long Overdue update...
Man, I thought I sucked before at updating. 2 months later, I'm finally getting around to posting again.
OK, about those pics on the last update.
The first picture is probably the nicest buck I've ever seen while sitting in a deer stand. I don't know how wide his spread is, but people that seem to "know" tell me 22-24 inches. The widest one I've ever killed is 18 inches, which is still quite nice by any standards. The big news is that I let him go. I estimated he was 3.5 years old and he was chasing a doe at the time (it was just at the beginning of the rut), so I elected to pass. Hopefully he bred lots of does and passed those big antler genes on. We'll see in the coming years. I do now have 2 deer at the processors, so it was a good year even if I didn't put my tag on the trophy buck.
The middle 2 pics are just pics of Matthew and I having a good time hanging around at the ranch. He loves that deer hunting.
The last picture is of the inside of my deer stand. It's called "Casa del Marko". It sits on the ground on the side of a hill, which gives a great view of the creek bottom below. Lots of deer come hang out in this area to eat corn from the feeder or oats from the food plot. Here's the rub. I hunt this stand more than any other stand, and have seen more deer here, but I've never killed any of them I see from this stand. Why? I don't know. It's almost like I prefer just watching these deer and taking their pictures.
In the deer stand, I have everything laid out that I need to keep comfortable for a few hours of deer watching. The shelf above the window is for things I don't really need once I get settled in. from the left, binoculars case, camera case, flashlight, range finder case, and wasp spray. Early in the season, we seem to have a bunch of wasps hanging out in the deer stands.
On the bottom shelf, on the left you can just see the blue edge of my snack cooler. I typically pack 2 diet cokes and a couple of Little Debbies. Snacks on the deer stand are a family tradition that goes way back. Next is the Diet Coke, walkman, binoculars, cell phone, and range finder. Cell phone you ask? Set to silent, we send text messages back and forth. The members of our family sometimes hunt a couple hundred miles apart, but we always give the play-by-play via text message (which might explain the low kill rate...)
I should say something about my rifle. It's a Winchester model 70 Super grade. It was a wedding gift from Shelly. Eat your heart out guys. Not only does she hunt, she also bought me a top notch rifle for the wedding gift. (I got to pick it out, but hey, give the girl credit for actually buying a gun).
Hold on, I have a couple more updates.
Man, I thought I sucked before at updating. 2 months later, I'm finally getting around to posting again.
OK, about those pics on the last update.
The first picture is probably the nicest buck I've ever seen while sitting in a deer stand. I don't know how wide his spread is, but people that seem to "know" tell me 22-24 inches. The widest one I've ever killed is 18 inches, which is still quite nice by any standards. The big news is that I let him go. I estimated he was 3.5 years old and he was chasing a doe at the time (it was just at the beginning of the rut), so I elected to pass. Hopefully he bred lots of does and passed those big antler genes on. We'll see in the coming years. I do now have 2 deer at the processors, so it was a good year even if I didn't put my tag on the trophy buck.
The middle 2 pics are just pics of Matthew and I having a good time hanging around at the ranch. He loves that deer hunting.
The last picture is of the inside of my deer stand. It's called "Casa del Marko". It sits on the ground on the side of a hill, which gives a great view of the creek bottom below. Lots of deer come hang out in this area to eat corn from the feeder or oats from the food plot. Here's the rub. I hunt this stand more than any other stand, and have seen more deer here, but I've never killed any of them I see from this stand. Why? I don't know. It's almost like I prefer just watching these deer and taking their pictures.
In the deer stand, I have everything laid out that I need to keep comfortable for a few hours of deer watching. The shelf above the window is for things I don't really need once I get settled in. from the left, binoculars case, camera case, flashlight, range finder case, and wasp spray. Early in the season, we seem to have a bunch of wasps hanging out in the deer stands.
On the bottom shelf, on the left you can just see the blue edge of my snack cooler. I typically pack 2 diet cokes and a couple of Little Debbies. Snacks on the deer stand are a family tradition that goes way back. Next is the Diet Coke, walkman, binoculars, cell phone, and range finder. Cell phone you ask? Set to silent, we send text messages back and forth. The members of our family sometimes hunt a couple hundred miles apart, but we always give the play-by-play via text message (which might explain the low kill rate...)
I should say something about my rifle. It's a Winchester model 70 Super grade. It was a wedding gift from Shelly. Eat your heart out guys. Not only does she hunt, she also bought me a top notch rifle for the wedding gift. (I got to pick it out, but hey, give the girl credit for actually buying a gun).
Hold on, I have a couple more updates.
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