Bogieblog

Alcohol Content

92%DRUNKARD

Only used clues on 1 question and took 2 tries for 1 question (world's oldest drink) - but, no, I'm not a drunkard. Instead, I went to bartending school and was actually a bartender, for a very short while. Then realized that I really hate working with people. I also tend to remember really uninteresting little tidbits (not even interesting enough to be called trivia), which also helped me answer a couple of the questions. Thanks to JIm, at Parkway Reststop, for that little quiz.

Breakage

You would think that living out of coolers is easy during winter. After all, just plop the stuff outside and Mother Nature does the work. Well, yes and no.

We've had to rotate coolers in and out of the house to keep them from freezing - even the cooler with beer. I am sure we have lost all vegetables (lettuce, peppers, tomatoes and a bag of salad) from the freeze/thaw cycles they have been in. After I discovered the frozen beer, I checked on the cooler with condiments (I hadn't worried about anything but the veggies previously) and found that everything was frozen. Probably most of it will be okay, but I'm fairly certain that mayonnaise doesn't take to that sort of treatment kindly. Hmm, come to think of it the two cartons of sour cream are probably toast too.

The fridge won't be delivered until this afternoon, so it won't be cooled off until later tonight - so we play the rotation game one more day.

Deliverance

Yesterday morning we got on the road early, in our quest for a refrigerator. Our first stop was Sears. Although there are other places we could get appliances at, our experience has been that their prices are the same as other stores (okay, L*wes and HD may be cheaper, but I've never been able to compare the same brands/models and they have crap for selection unless you want to special order).

The roads were surprisingly light on traffic. The parking lots of eateries and malls were jammed though. After trying to find someplace for breakfast, we gave up and decided shopping for a fridge on an empty stomach was not as bad as shopping for groceries on an empty stomach.

So, we went in and found the appliance department, which was devoid of people. I had been telling WS the reason no one is holding sales on fridges is because no one buys a fridge for Christmas. He didn't believe me until he saw the dearth of people at the fridge/freezer section compared to everywhere else.

We looked at fridges for a while without anyone bothering us. Then, it was like we started a fad - 3 sets of people decided fridges were what they wanted to look at (not seriously, but somehow when we shop for anything, we managed to draw others after us like moths to a flame. It's like they think we know where the good stuff is - seriously, we can jam an aisle full of people and leave the rest of the store empty - strange but true).

After about 5 minutes the 3 sets of people went away, and the salesman finally decided we might be serious buyers and asked if we needed help. After asking about additional sizes for two basic models (no ice makers, no nothing besides shelves and a light), I asked if either one would be available that day, explaining that we had been without a fridge since Wednesday. No, they were in the warehouse. Okay, could either be delivered tomorrow (which would be Saturday)? I would buy one as long as it could be delivered then. After checking, he informed us that either one could be delivered in that time frame. 

Beauteous! I picked one and told him I wanted it delivered on Saturday and the old fridge picked up. No problem. After the transaction was complete, he told us to wait by the phone between 6 and 9 PM for a call to schedule delivery.

We waited, and waited and waited. You know that even things that seem to go smoothly somehow get messed up for us right?

Thanksgiving Repast

We didn't exactly have a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal.

For breakfast, WS cooked up some water for oatmeal and browned up some toast (hey, trying not to make anything that would require refrigerating left-overs; we are out of cooler space and the deck is groaning under the weight).

In the early evening, after WS had loaded up and delivered fire wood to B-I-L, and I had finished fighting allergen beasties for the day, we went visiting. By the time we got home, it was too late to start cooking a meal (I had gotten a bit of ham out of the freezer for dinner), so WS made up some tortilla chips covered with melted cheese and we dipped them in salsa.

No leftovers to clean up, and only 1 plate, 1 bowl and 1 salsa jar as dirty dishes - to wash this morning. Worked for us!

Attacking Allergens

I got lucky yesterday and found a local laundrymat that was open, so spent 4 hours washing and drying blankets, pillows, throws and curtains (to get rid of dust mites). It was great - I had the place all to myself (except the guy who came in looking for a pay phone) and watched football on the supplied TV.

At home, I vacuumed the couch, WS's easy chair, and the drapes for the slider, then sprayed them down with dust mite killer.

Today, besides going shopping for a fridge, I will be vacuuming all carpets and putting down dust mite killer. Once everything is dry, then out comes the allergen suppresser.

Last Saturday, I spent 5 hours scrubbing mold off the ceiling of WS's bathroom as well as scrubbing every surface in that room with mold killer (really healthy for my breathing I'm sure).

My new role in life - allergen killer.

Giving Thanks

Today is the day to give thanks for everything you have. I would list out what I am thankful for, but the list is so long that I would get writers cramp (or carpel tunnel).

So let me just wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Gratefullness

This Thanksgiving I am grateful that we have a separate freezer downstairs. I am grateful for it because that means we won't lose all the stuff that was in the freezer of the refrigerator, which shit the bed this afternoon (I am also grateful that I noticed it this evening and not tomorrow morning!).

Well, at least my list of things I am grateful for is different than the usual stuff you read; family, health, jobs etc.

Earthquake Zone

A couple of weeks ago, I was up in the middle of the night when I heard a rumble, then a bang, the house shook, then a fading rumble. The cat jumped off the bed and the dogs went running. I told WS that it sounded like an explosion down in Hillsboro, or maybe an earthquake. Guess it was an earthquake centered in Hillsboro upper village (notated as 25 km WSW of Concord -here is the map). About a month ago, an earthquake was centered in Bennington (another town that abuts Deering). And a couple of days ago, there was one on the seacoast - during the day so people noticed it.

As long as we don't get as active (or as intense anyway) as California, it's all good!

For Those With Short Memories

Lest you should forget, here is a reminder.

Start of Late Fall Pics

These are probably the last of the flower pics for this year. This is a mystery rose, that was supposed to be Absolutely, but was obviously mis-marked (Absolutely is a yellow blend - the company did replace it). I was amazed that it bloomed after we had had frost for several nights: