All's well

 All's well here.

It rained over an inch on Wednesday (didn't have to run sprinklers).

It is quiet.

Mowed front yard this morning.  Bought a new battery for mower.  It was an amazing new battery. 

Weed Et the front sidewalk.  Used the weed eater that I bought for my wife years back - battery powered.  it did a fairly good job but is made for shorter-than-me people.  Next time I will use my gas machine, known locally as the Terminator.  it is so much better; but, it weighs so much more.  I cannot weed eat the front and back in one day.  Maybe if I take some Geritol.

10 days till the wife turns 84.   I call it  83 and 11/12ths and 3/4ths.   There is a certain age that you list your age as 83 and a half.  83 and three quarters.  Sorta like when you were a kid and you were 2 1/2  not just 2.  

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I know why.  I'll ask anyway.  Why do charities keep sending me stuff.  I'm not rich.  I might send a couple of bucks to some place.  I cannot afford to support every charity that finds my name, which, of course, brings up the question.  How did they get my name?

I know how.  Let's suppose that I give $50 to charity A.  They turn around and sell their donor list to charity B.  Charity B sends me a dun. If I send money to  B, I won't have money to send to  A.  Isn't that how it works.  I suppose they are making more money off selling the list than I give them.  I suppose.

Years ago, a friend of mine taught band at Boys Ranch near Amarillo.  I was teaching and had a bit of cash.  So, at Christmas time, I sent a donation to Boys Ranch (near Amarillo).  Within 2 months I was getting requests from 5 different  groups like them.  There is a boys ranch in Nebraska, a girls thing in the Panhandle, an Indian group up in the Dakotas . . .  So, I quit sending to all of them.  Save my money.  

It would be nice to be able to support the whole World.  When I had monetary problems back in the 80s, nobody show up at my door to help out.  I just worked a little harder.  I don't spend my money on cigarettes and booze.  Nowadays, I do get some diet cokes though.

About 3 - maybe 4 - years ago, I sent $50 to Alzheimer's charity.  I have my reasons.  Immediately, I began to receive request for more.  Some days I would get 3 Alzheimers requests on the same day.  It was relentless.  Flood of mail.   After a spell I started keeping track of their requests.  Using regular postage rates, they soon spent more than $50 writing letters to me.  I don't get it.  Finally, I wrote them and explained why I was not sending them any more money - instead I was just going to give the $50 to the US post office and eliminated the middle man.

It didn't faze them.  The mail continues to this day.  Go figure.  Yesterday I got a grocery type bag from a group supporting some aspect of the military world.  That's nice.  I just don't have the extra cash to support everyone.

I use to pack up the Christmas cards - and other greeting cards - that came here.  Then, I would drop them off with my extra magazines at a certain home for old, poor people.  I was told they were thrilled to get them.  I don't know.  

nuff, see ya, m

quickie

 paper reports that a NFL player just got a new contract and a raise.

His name is Dicker.

And he is their Kicker.

Paper said:   Kicker Dicker gets new contract.

I feel these things should be shared.

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don't miss the whine fest below.  It is worth missing.

Whine Fest

 No, I did not misspell WINE.  This is a "whine festival."  My 2nd choice for a title was:  "When will it all end?"  You may not have noticed in the past, sometimes it never quits.  Something will go wrong - agaon - then, before you recover, another thing will happen - And, it just seems to pile on and on and on.  Tis problematic ya know.   You will see that this writing will turn into a marathon.  Why?  Because it NEVER ENDS!!!!

You bump your toe.  You holler and which causes the dogs to bark.  The barking makes you jump (why, I don't know, it happens all the time) and you trip back falling over the lump in the floor (another dog?).  On the way down you grasp at the tablecloth pulling stuff off the dining room table.  On the table was a container of syrup.  You have to mop the floor.  A dog walks through the syrup...  Where does she walk?  It never seems to end... 

So, I think this is how it goes.

#I  ]   A while back the daughter came home from work with a tire going flat.  She has to have transportation to get to work 30 miles down the road.  We put an air compressor to work.  Poor solution apparently.  She takes off for Discount Tire in Temple to get it fixed "TONIGHT" instead of later.

#2 ]  The tire starts to go down when she is a couple of miles from the store.  She pulls over and calls me.  The wife is loaded in the Flex and we head that way with "Air and a Prayer."  

It is SOOOOO hot out.  105 maybe in the shade.  Daughter decides that she cannot wait for me to help change that tire in this heat, so she takes off driving on an almost flat tire.  Tire is flat when she arrives at the store.  And, (just perhaps) she might be driving on a rim.  I don't know.

#3 ]  I get to the "calling" place.  She is not there.  Text messages can be so wonderful.  I continue to Discount Tire.  Discount tire operates on appointments.  But, if you get into the store in time, the tire will be fixed before they close and go home.  They conned her into 4 new tires (probably needed for sure).  She had a few hour wait to be finished.  We went and ate Mexican food.

#4 ] got back to store as they finished.  We dumped her off & went home.  An hour or so later I gets this text that she has decided to stop & have oil changed at Ford House.  I rarely do anything at the car dealerships.  Oil changes seem fairly safe.  Wait.  The guy tells her she has several leaks.  Of course there is no oil on our driveway.  He talks her into having the truck checked over.   By the time they are through, they find enough stuff to repair that they quote over $9000.  Yes, $9000.  I tell her pay what you owe & leave.  That would be $175.  No oil changed yet.  She comes home.  I have heard of a local guy who has a shop in his back yard.  He has a day job & does this in spare time.  EVERYONE says nice things about him.  

#5 ] It takes 2 days to get the truck over there and have a discussion.  He has a couple of cars in front of ours.   Today, It has now been 3 weeks without the truck.  Ford house implied truck was going to catch on fire if driven much.  Fear mongers.  Thus, for past 3 weeks, my daughter has been driving my car to work.  I am without a car.  That's okay.  We have no place to go, & we do have my 2003 Mercury Marauder as a backup.  There is a problem.  The Air Cond has gone out on the Marauder.  It is now an emergency backup  only.  It is 105 degrees out.  This is all fine.  It is no problem.  I don't mind.  I have no place to go ---- yet.

#6 ] Later that same week, walking through the house, I noticed that I am sweating.    Check thermostat.  82 degrees in the house.  I can hear the AC running but not cooling.  It is a heat pump.  Big time people love heat pumps.  I'm not quite sure.

I call this local guy who has helped me before.  He can't help me and says, "Call David." I do.  David will be over as soon as he can.  He is in Burnet right now (well over 90 miles away me thinks).  

Just for you, I'm gonna summarize this as best as I can.  Yes, I could make it a lot longer.

Eventually, he shows.  Finds leak in coil.  Needs replacing.  Compressor has been making this 'Gawd Awful' noise for a year.  He gets new coil.  Then, he finds - and demonstrates - another leak in the compressor.  Things go down hill from here.

#7 ] We now have a new air cond system - outside as well as in the attic - It cost more than I should spend.  I trust David primarily because he was suggested by local friend. But, he is over-priced, I am sure.  But, we have a new system that should last 10-20 years.  This is money I'll never get back.   It took S I X full days before the system was fully operational.  Meanwhile we spent S I X full days ranging from 75 degrees to 87 degrees.  

It is over.  We move on.

#8 ] Daughter didn't work on that following Friday.  I walked by MY car and noted that the left tire was wearing.  Yes, I've hit a few curbs recently.  I know it is out of alignment; but I don't want to get it fix today.  She can drive that tire for another week.  No problem.  Research:  found a place who can do an alignment - no openings till next week.  Set the work up for the following Friday & ordered two new tires.

Sat. morning.  The three of us go to town.  shopping for food etc.  When we get home the dot spots a slash on the side of the tire.  The tire has a 3 inch gash on the sidewall.  You don't go anywhere with that type of problem.  Well, most folks don't.  She cannot drive that car to work.   I must do something now.  And

#9 ] Off to Discount Tire in Temple.  Will the tire make it?  Yep.  I arrive at 2:30.  They close about 5 ish.  Remember, must have appointment.  They projected I'd be out by 7:26.  roll your eyes.  

Long story short.  Finished.  Got 2 new tires up front.  following Friday, alignment at a different tire store & put 2 new tires on the back.    All of that was about $1300.  We do have 4 new tires, aligned.   It is over.

#10 ] Repair guy  gets ready to work on daughter's truck.  First of all his grandfather died.  Local, well-loved, I'd say a wonderful old gent.  Sad.  then, repair guy has to go out of town for his company for a few days.  Today, Sept. 1st, parts are ordered and work has begun.  

The three weeks that I wish I had missed.

Tomorrow, Labor Day, I shan't do any labor.

love ya, Mtz