This one might be a winner

At least it looks like it is right now.  We made two trips on Monday to pick up a new washer and dryer.  We discovered the power was out in the neighborhood after we got back with the second load (the washer).  So of course nothing was happening as far as hookup was concerned.  I grabbed a book light and headed out to the patio to sit and read where it was a bit cooler than the house.  The power was restored a little after 9PM.  I was happy because sleeping would be better with a fan and I could set the alarm so I’d get up for work in time.

Speed Queen washer and dryer

After work on Tuesday we got the dolly and hauled the washer and dryer into the house and hubby got them hooked up.  We ran our first load in them today and they work as expected.  Yippee!  This set is old-fashioned looking, but I really don’t care as long as they work.  We decided on Speed Queen because it’s the most durable one we could find with the best warranty.  This set is made industrial strength, so everything is metal.  There are no plastic parts or fancy electronics.  I think we’ll be very happy with this and it should last us the rest of our lives, I hope.

Snuggles, my neighbor's cat

As far as other news, I’m taking care of the neighbor’s cat again for the next three days.  This is Sherry’s last trip of the year, supposedly.  The cat, Snuggles, was very happy to see me tonight.

My new laptop

I’ve been saving for months and finally got my new laptop today.  I’m thrilled with it so far, but spent most of the day loading programs and getting to know the computer.  The screen sure is small compared to my desktop.  My other laptop quit working little by little quite a few months ago.  This one came with a nice Office 2010 program so it’s quite different than my old Word 2003, which I loved.  Now I have to learn this one when I have time.  At least this gives me mobility so I can take it when I go to Texas to visit family.

Could you live without your basic amenities?

How much do we all take certain things in life for granted?  I think the answer to that is most of us.  We expect the lights to come on when we flip a switch or the water to come out of a faucet when we turn it on.  But…what if this changed?

 My water meter

 

If you suddenly found yourself out of luck with the usual things like water or electricity, would you go into crisis mode and flip out, or simply adjust and deal with the situation until things are resolved? 

Right now, I’m dealing with this condition at my house.  I had to turn my water off on Saturday morning and we’ve been living with no water service in the house since then.  It’s now late Monday afternoon and I’ve yet to see the plumber show up to assess the situation.

 After the towel mop up, I used the wet and dry vac

 

To make a long story short, I discovered the carpet in the master closet was soaking wet on Saturday morning.  I grabbed towels to start soaking up what I could.  They were wet enough to wring out.  I called my husband who freaks out when things like this happen and he insisted I turn the water off at the street.  What really threw both of us off is there’s no water supply near this closet.  Our first thoughts were a ruptured pipe in the slab. 

 This is my mechanical room.  I didn't think to take a pic of the standing water.

 

Luckily, my neighbor works for the city and was home, so he came over to help me.  I couldn’t get the valve turned using a wrench.  I might mention it was 110 outside.  Both of us had sweat dripping down our noses and splattering onto the ground.  My neighbor has a handy tool just for this purpose.  He got the valve turned in two seconds.  Then he came in to look at my water heater, which he thinks is the problem.  My mechanical room had water standing in it.  He turned the main valve back on and just cut the water coming into the house until we could call a plumber.  Naturally, it was the weekend.  Of course, things this major always happen on weekends and holidays.

 Then I brought in this super-duper fan from the garage and an extension cord and blew it on the carpet all weekend.

 

The last time it was a power outage in July a few years ago when it was 114 and the power to the entire city was out for five hours!  Can you imagine that?  But I think this water issue is almost worse.

With this heat, I had to break down and go to a girlfriend’s on Sunday to take a shower.  One can only use so many wet wipes.  the next stop was the dollar store for lots of bottled gallons of water.

Supposedly, hearing my desperation, the plumber is working me in somehow so I can at least get cold water into the house until he can properly fix the problem.  We’ll see if he shows up later today.  I’m not holding my breath.

In times like these, it makes you appreciate running water.

From a Position of Power



Well we all know that to deal from a position of power we must put ourselves above others (literally), or actually know more than they do. This happens even in the cat world as my neighbor found out while watching my cats while I was away for a week.


When Sherry (my neighbor) reached up to pet Koki who likes to perch in the cat tree, she got a surprise. Her roost was way above Sherry’s head, so of course, she couldn’t see her tail swishing, which she does if she’s not in the mood, or has had enough. Before she knew it, Koki had snagged her good on the hand, despite the fact we trimmed all claws before we left. The other two cats were being friendly, so she figured Koki would be the same. When she told me about this later, I was surprised because usually Koki is mellower than that.

Tootie is the one who knows no strangers. Someone she has never seen before can come to the house and it’s as if a long lost friend has arrived.

My other cat, Comet, walks around with her pistol waiting to take anyone on, so again, I was surprised she was being so friendly; usually she has an ulterior motive.

Thankfully, we’ve both had many cat scratches so all was well in the end.

When I explained about the “position of power,” she knew exactly what I was talking about, just never thought about that in a cat way.

If we all think back, I bet we can remember going in for interviews when our chair was lower than the boss’s was, deliberately I’m sure. After all when you think about it, if you are taller than another is you feel superior, or in a position of authority, to a point. Of course, the interviewers would want to put themselves in this place.