Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Spunkygal]

Horrific for St. Vincent now and for the late great Brandy and Soda from years ago. 😭 I hate 2021.

[Netfoot]

Funny how life is. I haven't thought of them for literal decades. 

Now, I've been thinking about all the doggies the family had over the years. Lina was the first I new, a brown Dachshund female. I came into the world and found her there before me. I remember Shylock, a large, Doberman/Alsatian cross that mum said would need a pound of meat a day to feed. Dad was terrified that he would be vicious and hurt us kids, but he was a sweet and gentle lamb... unless you threatened the family. The previously mentioned Brandy and Soda, and there was also Kurt and Wanda, a breeding pair of black Dachshunds. Plus at least 40 other dogs who stayed with us. (We had a large piece of land, and the vet used to call dad and offer him good, healthy dogs that were scheduled to be put down because their owners were leaving the country.)

And a lamb called Henry. That's another story with a dark, ending. 

Then here, we had Iris, a stray mongrel bitch that wandered in one day and stayed. She was named (by my mum) after a publicly well known prostitute from years before. Because she kept getting pregnant. Then came Ludwig Maximilian von Stonk, a beautiful, brown male Dachshund who was not with us long. He leapt unexpectedly from my mum's arms, out the car window and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Another brown Dachshund followed immediately thereafter and ended up called Max or Maxi because he came so close after First-Max. Six months later we got Mini (obviously), the female companion to Max. Mini suffered from a liver condition when she was a pup, and never grew to her full size, so she really was a Mini! She was the only bridesmaid at mum's second marriage

which was in early December. You can see the poinsettias in the background. Mini was Mum's last doggie.

Mum loved all dogs, but are you getting a hint of what type of dog was her favourite? All these dogs, BTW, were mum's. Any dog that came into our family were hers. Here she is, sitting on a bench in her garden, shortly before she passed away at 88 years of age. Too old by then to look after a doggie of her own, but occasionally, people would come along and lend her one for a while. 

What's with all this reminiscing? Maybe I'm getting too old myself, and should begin to prepare for departure. Or maybe I've just been locked down for too long.

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

Mini was the best bridesmaid a girl could have! And how pretty and stylish your mum looked! Loved her dress and hairdo. She would have loved Buddy! Thanks for sharing your memories. I, too, have thought more about my parents since March of last year. I guess partly because of the wackiness of the pandy and knowing they wouldn’t have handled it well with the whole assisted living situation. This may sound selfish but although I miss them like crazy, I’m glad I didn’t have to worry about them during the past year. Speaking of wackiness, we had a dog who kept trying to hump the cat. I had my sister convinced we were going to be rich off the resulting litter; but thankfully no such litter arrived. 

[Netfoot]

Mini was a sweetie. (But I loved playing with Max!) Mum would probably have likes liked Buddy. She really liked Dotty. He spent a lot of time at her house in the years before the end, because I used to go and see her several times a week, and do her shopping, take her to the doctor, etc, and Dotcom would go with me to her house, and stay with her while I did her chores. Then we'd stay with her as long as we can. A couple times I had to travel overseas and he stayed with her for the week. I have several photos of him, taken at her house.

Visited Dr. Kristi today, because I needed her to write me a fresh prescription, and I wanted to talk to her about a couple issues. So, I jumped on the scale, and she was all "So, I thought you said you were done with your weight-loss programme?" and I replied "You never took seriously anything I ever said before..."

I lost back another 5 lbs., but it took a hell of a lot off effort, and I just don't know that I'll be able to carry on for ever.

Going to my other doctor on Thursday and expect/hope he'll reduce my immune suppressants to zero. Fingers crossed!

Edited May 5, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I know exactly where that Chinese rocket is going to land. Those poor Vincentians.....

So, Bud and I went up to the club Wednesday, and I cut the grass. Do you remember the photo of the fool who went cutting the grass after the dustfall a couple weeks ago? I'm a fool too, it seems. It was just as bad. Going east the wind blew the dust away, so bearable, but on the westward run the dust was so thick I couldn't see where I was going, and had to use radar to keep a straight path and turn before running off the end of the strip. Fortunately (?), when I was about ⅓ of the way through, a cold rain began pelting down, which suppressed the dust, but soaked me to the skin.

Afterwards, I walked around the property with a can of red pavement-marking paint, highlighting spots where rocks poke their head up and need to be dug out. Unfortunately, and without my knowledge (and I blame my lack of foresight here) a certain little person was following along 10 feet behind me rolling on each patch of freshly squirted paint! He likes to roll on gasoline spills, which occur when fueling or defueling models, so I should have been on the lookout. If this paint had been black, he would be all tigerish but since it's red he now looks like some sort of canine Candy-Striper. Of course, as soon as he got home, he ran straight into the bedroom and wiped some of it off onto the sheets.....

I'd sell him, but nobody'd buy!

On Thursday, Dr. Sean reduced my immune suppressants to zero... for about 3 seconds. Then he changed his mind. So, I'm now on half a tab every other day. Well, it's an improvement, but I'd really hoped to be done with it.

Oh, and I cut my hair. I have been avoiding the barber, because who wants some guy to touch their un-masked face during a pandemic? But the hair, beard and moustache were getting completely out of hand, so I bought a hair clipper. It cost less than two visits to the barber, so one more use and it will have paid for itself. It wasn't easy though. I sat on the back steps and ran that machine back and forth over face and head until my arm hurt. But there was always another tuft or two than needed further treatment. I got it done in the end, though. But what might help a bit next time, is if I got hold of a mirror!

Budweiser, meanwhile, was quite taken aback by that. He's known me to get haircuts before, but he's never been a witness to the process. And he didn't like what he saw at all! He ran off growling, and hid around the side of the house, peeping around the corner and quarreling, until it was all over. I would actually love that doggie, were he not daubed in red paint. 

 

[Netfoot]

I'm back!  So, put down the champagne and stop celebrating.

My broadband wasn't as broad as required, for the last ten days or so. Some sites worked perfectly (anything Google, Amazon, etc). Some sites didn't work at all (this one, IMDb, anything government, etc). So I was forced to surf on my cell and tablet at $36/month for 2GB, and I hate trying to make serious use of a website on those machines. Anyway, the ISP promised me they would look into it, and this morning, everything mysteriously returned to normal. For how long, I couldn't say; only time will tell.

So what's been happening? Well, I gained four pounds then ate a plate of linguine and plan to eat another one today; got Jab#2; got a boil on my bum (which has now, mercifully healed itself bcoz I don't drop trou for Dr. K. unless it is an absolute emergency); had an awful mug-shot taken so I can renew both of my passports (I'd show you, but you aren't masochistic enough to ask, I'm sure); stuffed the fridge with chicken, beef, vegetables and fowl-guts (for Buddy), rationalized my "favourites" play-list down to 1,423 tracks; had a row over the telephone with not one, but two government officials because Government Directive #9 ended at midnight Sunday night, Directive #10 starts midnight Tuesday morning, and nobody would say what rules were to be followed for the 24 hours in between and made a delicious batch of coleslaw, dressed with mayo and the brine from a jar of Manzanilla olives (try it! You'll like it).

Directive #10, BTW, reduces social distancing from 6 feet to 3 feet for churches, including funerals and weddings as well as ordinary services. But insists on 6 ft. distancing everywhere else. Because Athletes Foot is devout, and is less likely to infect you during a religious service than (say) in the supermarket.

Gotta go. Got to collect that Passport Renewal Form A to which I can affix a copy of that horrible mug shot. (Can anybody tell me why you aren't allowed to smile? Instead you have to force your face to look like an axe-murderer trying vainly to be unobtrusive.....)

 

[Browncoat]

Glad to hear from you @Netfoot!  And glad to hear that you are (mostly) okay!  I always enjoy reading your posts.

[chitowngirl]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

(Can anybody tell me why you aren't allowed to smile? Instead you have to force your face to look like an axe-murderer trying vainly to be unobtrusive.....)

I know the answer to this one! Some countries use facial recognition software to cut down on passport fraud. Smiling makes it harder for the software to “ read” your face.

[Netfoot]

I absolutely HATE this type of road-kill:

Nobody's pet, maybe, but in a way these should be everybody's pet. Alas, not many seem to care.....

Went to the club and cut the grass today. The dust was horrible again. After I cut the field, I filmed my run back down to the clubhouse. The dust was about half of what it was while actually cutting, and the wind direction had changed slightly, so it blew down alongside the mower, and not back over it, blocking my vision. Here is the silly video, if you want to see (38 seconds).

After cutting, I went into the clubhouse, threw my hat on the table, and sat down to take a breather. Some while later, I picked my hat up again and.....

Honestly, I think I'm going to have to take a shower today...

I've been having a persistent - but intermittent - itching on my hands. The palms, the backs, the fingers, in between, even sometimes encroaching on the wrists. No sign of an actual rash, but an uncomfortable itch, to the point where I sometimes find myself rubbing them on rough concrete to ease the itching.

I realized today, it only happens when I go out and about. If I stay at home, no itch. If I go out, itching for the rest of the day and the following day as well.

What could it be? The only thing I can think of is: Hand Sanitizer.

Which reminds me of a quotation from that excellent, classic 1977 WW-II movie Cross of Iron (James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason) :

Krüger: I stay dirty for a reason. If you've been in the field as long as I've been, you'd know why.
Steiner: Explain.
Krüger: Natural body oils, combined with dirt, can keep you waterproof.

Or, in my case, Itchproof. Just one more thing I'm not allowed to lay at the door of the completely unknown originators of Athlete's Foot. I'll just keep rubbing my hands raw on low-grit sandpaper, while my tax dollars go towards payments for those completely unknown originator's experimental laborotories...

 

7 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I know the answer to this one! Some countries use facial recognition software to cut down on passport fraud. Smiling makes it harder for the software to “ read” your face.

Yeh. Pretty soon Instagoogle Tweetface will require you to tag everyone in every photo you post online. This to make it easier for Law Enforcement to target you, to control what you do, what you say, what you post, and ultimately, what you think. Assuming you are allowed to post at all, and haven't already been banned for Wrong-Think, as many people have been already. (If you think this isn't a thing, they are already controlling what you think.)

 

[Spunkygal]

I clicked like but I am sorry for the roadkill. 😢

[Netfoot]

Yep. 

Thankfully, the only thing I ever killed with a car was a huge rat. Which I don't regret. I side-swiped a dog once, but the dog was bigger than my car (literally. Or nearly. Great Dane vs. lowered Austin Mini 850), and ran off laughing, while my car had a large dent in the front wing! 

But those poor creatures break my heart, because I love to see them gamboling around. And hate to see one dead for no good reason other than carelessness.

[Spunkygal]

I just had a Ring system installed and every morning it captures a possum in the front yard. I love those creatures. They eat bad things and don’t eat or damage my plants. I’ll take them over rabbits or squirrels every day. Rabbits and squirrels do so much damage to my expensive landscaping that I put in myself. When neighbors talk about how cute rabbits are, I laugh. 

[Netfoot]

10 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Rabbits and squirrels do so much damage to my expensive landscaping that I put in myself. When neighbors talk about how cute rabbits are, I laugh.

I'm afraid you wouldn't like monkeys in the flesh, then. They can be horribly destructive.

A monkey enters your mango tree and picks a mango. He takes a bite and throws the remainder of the mango on the ground. When he's finished chewing and swallowing, he picks another mango and takes a second bite, then throws the mango on the ground. By the time he's filled his belly, there are twenty, monkey-bitten mangos on the ground, that are only good now for disposal somehow. Even a small troop can decimate a tree and a larger troop can decimate a small orchard.

The farmers especially hate them. You plant (say) yams, sticking a piece of yam into the ground every yard or so, along the furrow. Or a stick of seed cane. The monkeys walk along the furrow, pulling up the seed crop to eat, and destroying any chance of a useful harvest.

There used to be a bounty on them. The Min. of Ag. would pay $15 (I think it was) for every monkey you killed, based on the number of tails you brought in. That may no longer be the case, but farmers still shoot to kill when ever they come across the farms.

But I just love them. Probably because I have nothing to lose to them. Even when I lived where there were mango, cherry, golden apple or ackee trees, the monkeys would come, take, and go, and there would still be enough for me to enjoy. But of course, I wasn't trying to crop the trees commercially. Or even in particular for my own table.

I found it far more annoying to have the Rastas steal my fruit, then set up a road-side stall 100 yards from my gate and try to sell the stuff back to me.....

[KlutzyCobbler]

18 hours ago, Netfoot said:

After cutting, I went into the clubhouse, threw my hat on the table, and sat down to take a breather. Some while later, I picked my hat up again and.....

Is it just me or does anyone else see the face of a dog with its right ear slightly longer than its left?  Oh, and just behind the dog's left ear is a whitish kitten being pursued by a parrot.

[Spunkygal]

36 minutes ago, KlutzyCobbler said:

Is it just me or does anyone else see the face of a dog with its right ear slightly longer than its left?  Oh, and just behind the dog's left ear is a whitish kitten being pursued by a parrot.

I see the dog but not the kitten and the parrot! 

[KlutzyCobbler]

Kitten facing left, parrot also facing left.  Also, you may have to be on painkillers to see them.😏

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, KlutzyCobbler said:

Kitten facing left, parrot also facing left.  Also, you may have to be on painkillers to see them.😏

Okay, now I do see the kitty but will have to have another tumbler of wine to see the parrot!

[Netfoot]

@KlutzyCobbler, exactly what type of pain killers are you on? And as Brett Anderson says in the lyric to Sleeping Pills "...can you get me some?"

With my head turned to one side and the opposite eye closed, and channeling my 30 year old Ketamine experiences, I can sort of see a birdie.....

I'd call it more a blackbird than a parrot, tho...

I'm trying to force myself to see a cat. The closest I can come is just to the left of the blackbird, just his face, his back to the bird. Bird actually perched on his back? The cat's right ear visible, and his left arm raised over his head. (For protection from the bird?) But I'm stretching. Hard.

No sign of a dog at all, but just soze you know, moments after the photo was taken, Buddy leapt from the floor, used my, uh, lap as a stepping stone and (parkour!) landed smack in the middle of the dust pile, which disappeared into a number of doggie footprints and a cloud of airborne dust which stuck to my sweaty face.

(He's for sale, but so far, nobody is showing any interest.)

[Netfoot]

After Stay-at-Home Sunday, comes... Stay-at-Home Monday! It's Whit Monday, which is a bank holiday, and therefore we are all banned from going out to do anything.

That's not strictly true - you can go to the beach or a park, you can make a reservation to go to a restaurant.... but you aren't free to do what you like, only what's on the short list.

We're down to 26 active cases. From a high of 811. We were down to zero a few days ago (one week, actually) so you'd think it's time to ease up a bit. But Mia has different plans. Only 18% of the population has been fully vaccinated, and I think they want the numbers up a bit more before they start to count on herd-immunity.

Poor Bud is bored out of his mind. He stands on the bedside table and barks at people out the window. Whether there are people to bark at or not! I'm going to have to take him for a drive tomorrow and let him get a run. Some fresh air will probably do me good as well.

Meanwhile, I'm watching TV shows and movies all day or playing mindless games on the computer. What else is there to do? Every time I try to read, I can't get a chapter done without falling asleep.

Anyway my lunch (Corned beef and cabbage) is burning, so...

 

 

 

[Netfoot]

Just heard that Donna, a girl I knew in my youth, was buried today.

She was the little sister of a close school friend. Most of the guys made her aware they thought she was a nuisance, but I always felt it was mean to treat her so. This was perhaps not so smart, because she developed a bit of a crush. Which was difficult to squash without being unkind.

She went to a very posh boarding school in England, and once I went with a friend to visit. We went on a motorcycle in the winter, and were frozen solid by time we got there. The headmistress had to thaw us out with cups of tea and a radiator to sit on before we could talk enough to explain why we had come.

Later, her husband walked out and left her with two little girls to look after. Then some other guy swept her off her feet and married her, only to essentially abandon her by spending most of his time in H.M. Prison Wormwood Scrubs. Before actually abandoning her by vanishing with the housekeeping money.

The girls grew up to be beautiful, lovely, intelligent young women. Alas, one of them contracted BSE when that disease swept Britain in the early 90s. Only 178 people actually died as a result of Mad Cow disease as a result of that outbreak, but she was one of them. By all accounts it is a long, drawn out and terrible way to die. She suffered, literally, for years.

A few months ago, Donna had a hear attack and a stroke simultaneously. An intestinal blockage was then discovered, which resulted in most of her large and some of her small intestines being removed. Not that she knew, because she has been pretty much comatose since December. I got the news of her burial less than an hour ago.

I hate when I find myself thinking that maybe it was "for the best."

And I hate when I've been bitching about having to stand in a queue all morning in the sun, and about how hard my life is, and then hear news like this.

I am well. Buddy is well, and pretending that he is hungry, after the huge lunch he just ate. My ice trays are empty, and even though I'm about to refill them, I'll be drinking room-temperature beverages until they finally freeze. Life is so cruel! 

[Netfoot]

Went to the doctor today. (Not Dr. Kristi, Dr.Sean!) And he said  (and I quote) "Azathioprine! DWD!"

So, DWD.

Took Buddy to the club today, just for the chance to run around and breathe some fresh air. The grass didn't need cutting, which is good, because I have decided not to cut it again unless it's wet, because the dust gets really nasty. As you can see, it was a fairly good day, with a pleasant breeze and puffy-white clouds in a blue sky.

If you look really close, you might find the worlds wickedest doggie, heading off for a wander. If you can't see him... I'm sorry, I have a crappy phone with a crappy camera.

If you look on the right hand side of the image, you may be able to see some white roofs, out near the horizon, with a dark band of foliage in front. That is a large clump of wild tamarinds, about half a mile away. I've seen Buddy run flat out from the clubhouse to, and then into those wild tamarinds, in hot pursuit of a bunny. Back when he had more wind and less belly, of course. No, he didn't catch it, but he had a hella good time trying! Later he came trotting back, with head and tail high, and a proud look on his face. Anyhow, that's why I have complete confidence in him to go as far as he likes completely unsupervised, and return safely.

Speaking of belly, went Dr. K. for a weigh-in, and I've gained more weight. The net loss is now only 50 lbs, which is where I was a couple months ago. I told them to draw a line across the file, and I would redouble my efforts! Starting tomorrow!

Anyway, later this afternoon, three other guys showed up unexpectedly, and some Model Aviation took place. Accompanied by loads of laughter over certain ludicrous world events. Such as Australia passing a rule that police engaged in hot pursuit of a criminal, may not exceed the speed limit. Not so crazy, seeing as the UK has long had a police rule that coppers can't exceed the speed limit when in hot pursuit, unless they have successfully completed their "hot pursuit" training course. Americans need not laugh. Some parts of the USA are implementing similar rules, and some parts are saying that police may not give chase on foot - if someone snatches a bag right in front of a cop, the cop has to let him run away with the bag and may not give chase. In other news, Athletes Foot, which I was suspended for saying came from a certain country (How xenophobic!) is now widely accepted as having come from that very same country (which I still won't mention, because mods aren't known for their common sense).

I'm having trouble with my laundry. I have a bad habit of collecting  dirty tee-shirts until I have a huge pile, and then sorting and bagging them in laundry bags, before dragging them down to the laundry. Last load was 60 tee shirts. Anyway, I'm sorting through some shirts and have several huge piles of shirts sorted on the bed. Next time I go into the bedroom, they are all a giant mess, formed into what appears to be a huge bird's nest! This has happened several times in the last couple of days. Somebody must like the smell of my sweaty shirts, but I have no idea who it is, because I have failed to catch the culprit red pawed handed as yet. What I need to do is sort them out and bag them, all in one session. Sort Now/Bag Later is a process that is fundamentally flawed in this house.

But the happy take-away here is that the thymectomy I had (two years ago on the 12th of this month) seems to have done it's job. First the steroids and now the immune suppressants have been eliminated, and only the Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors remain, and we are supposed to start working that down as much as possible, after a two-month break. Dr. S. says he is cautiously hopeful of full remission. I'll be glad because this last remaining stuff is the most expensive medicine I have to take, more than double the next most expensive.

[Netfoot]

(Ever wondered why, periodically, some guy loses their shit and shoots up a post office?)

Trying to renew my UK passport, I made up an envelope with the required documents, including the old passport, and mailed it off (registered!) to England.

Nearly 2 weeks go by, and it has not yet been received. So I visit the post office to discover that they never sent my documents. New rules say "No passports." I was never advised of this, and they happily took my $27.40 and my envelope but then decided not to send it.

They never contacted me. I'd have never known if I hadn't gone in and made enquiries. 

Ok. Well, I'll have to send them via a courier service instead. So please give me back my $27.40 and...

No, you can't get your money back. Because the cashier you paid it in to is on vacation until the 28th. You will have to wait until he returns, and then get your money back from him.

Did he take my $27.40 with him when he went on vacation? Did the supervisor get a share? Who else in the post office helped  themselves to some of the $27.40?

How dare you suggest that one of the employees received any part of the money?

Well, if the cashier didn't get any of it and the supervisor didn't get any of it, and nobody else at the post office got any of it, I guess I must have paid it to the Post Office itself. Which is still here, and not on vacation. So let me get my money back from: not the cashier who is on vacation, not the supervisor, not any other employee of the post office, but from the post office itself who took my money under false pretenses in the first place, by promising to send my registered mail, then refusing to do so.

Nope.

Do you expect to just keep the money?!??

Wait until the 28th.

I need the money to pay for the courier charges to send the documents, which are now late because of you! Waiting 3 more weeks does not work for me.

Then go all the way down to the General Post Office in the middle of the city, where the Post Master General is, (and where parking is a nightmare) and argue your case down there. Where nobody has a clue what you are talking about, and where you will be buried in red tape for hours before you see the slightest hope of getting your cash back.

Now, get lost or we'll get security to throw you out!

 

PS: This morning, three guys arrived at the house, and took away my solar hot water system. To be serviced/refurbished. No, they didn't have any idea how long it would be. Days or weeks? Could be either. So, I'm washing my dishes (and my skin) in cold water until further notice. Which could prove difficult, because while I bathe at any convenient time of day as needed, I also habitually take a last shower before bed. Usually just around midnight. Brrrrr!

 

[Netfoot]

Just watched "The Art of Racing in the Rain". Rewatched, I should really say, because I've seen it before.

I've had it here for several days to watch, but only just got myself to the point where I was able to watch it. Because having watched it before, I knew what was coming.

Why is it that I was able to watch the demise of (the wife) Eve completely dry-eyed, but had to keep swabbing my orbs and blowing my nose throughout those sections of the movie where Enzo was in decline?

Because I'm a dumb-ass, that's why. And that's why if you know the names of any other movies of similar vein, like "Marley & Me" or even "Red Dog", you just keep that information completely to yourself, thank you very much!

It's getting late, and Budweiser is outside barking at absolutely nothing, but keeping the neighbors from getting off to bed. The wicked, wicked doggie! I think I'll have to go in with him and feed him his midnight-snack peanuts a bit early tonight. And I can read an old detective novel for a while.

[Netfoot]

I'll start this silly tale by telling you what Buddy's favourite thing is. (Apart from food, of course.) It is: An Empty Plastic Bottle. Like a Coke bottle or, as I've been banned from drinking Coke, a Sprite Zero Bottle. Or similar. Milk cartons come a close second, but a bottle is his absolute favourite.

But not any bottle. It must have the cap screwed tightly back into place. Bud will wait for you to finish your drink, and toss the bottle into the bin. He will then retrieve it, and make off with it. Sometimes, he will catch it mid-air, between hand and bin. And occasionally, he will literally snatch the bottle from my hand as soon as I've screwed the top back on.

The cap being on is important. Because what Bud does with all bottles he acquires, is take the cap off! You can spoil his day by throwing out the empty bottle and the cap separately. He likes chewing on the top until it comes off. He's good at it and he gets that top off in record time. Then, for the most part, he loses interest in that bottle, and looks forward to the next one.

So mostly, I screw the cap on as tight as I can get it, and hand the bottle to him. I retrieve the bottle and cap later, as and when I find them. Because they end up all over the house. Sometimes, I locate the cap in the dark, painfully, by stepping on it. In fact, sometimes he takes his bottle away and hides them in his secret bottle-storage lair. AKA, under the bed.  Periodically, I remove several bottles, a score or more, from under there, and dispose of them once and for all. (Yes, I'm a terrible housekeeper.)

Every so often, he crawls under the bed and plays with his treasure for a while, before crawling back out. Tolerances are close, so actually he lies down, and scoots under by sliding along the tiles on his side. There is a little more room under there so he can roll on to his tummy, and start playing with those bottles, sounding like some sort of crazy, plastic xylophone. It's one hell of a din, and he tends to do this when I'm taking a nap, which results in what I suppose you could call a Rude Awakening.

But the trouble is, thanks to lockdown, Buddy is getting fat. He can't get under the bed so easily any more. And because the tiles under there are dusty and slippery, he has even more trouble getting out from under.

This afternoon I was napping (actually, I was reading a detective novel) when a racket started under the bed. Louder than the usual rumpus, and accompanied by a querulous snuffling and yipping. My boy had got himself stuck. Not only was he having trouble with the big tummy and the lack of traction, he had also managed to tangle himself up in an extension cord to boot! His head and front paws were sticking out from under the foot of the bed, but try as he might, he couldn't move another inch.

So, of course I had to go and rescue him. Untangle the cord, hold his footies, and drag him clear! He promptly jumped into the bed, put his head on the pillows (which I'd been using) and went off to sleep. Didn't even say thanks!

I'm thinking I'll get some small wooden blocks and raise the bed. It wouldn't have to be by much. This will make it easier for Tummy-Dog to get in and out from under. But first, I have to clear out his treasure-cache. He won't be pleased.

Now, I'll get back to John Rebus.....

[Netfoot]

Went up to the club Wednesday to get some fresh air. No flying by me -- the club has not yet received approval on it's protocols for preventing the spread of athlete's foot. (Today is 3 weeks since we made our submission, but not a fart back from them yet.) Some feel it is worth taking the chance but I don't have $50k to pay the fine, and my arse would never survive a year in HM Prison Glendairy.

Buddy appreciates the opportunity to run around and have some fun, especially when some of his other friends show up and give him some love. Four other friends showed up, some with more money and/or stronger butt-holes than myself. Here he is:

Studiously refusing to look at the camera, no how much "Hey, boy! Look at daddy! Say cheese!" I gave it. Actually I never tried "Cheese!" Knowing my food-dog, it might have worked! Chris Foss Acro-Wot in the background provided by another modeler. Although I couldn't swear this is an actual Chris Foss job; probably a homemade copy thereof.

Bud is in fine form today, after his outing yesterday. I was reading another John Rebus book in bed this PM and he jumped up and came to stand snuggling against my chest.  "Hey, boy!" I said, but he turned his head away and wouldn't speak or even look at me. "Are you going to beat me up now?" Bud let out a quiet murmer, rapidly escalating to a full on grr-ow-rrrr! So, knowing what was coming, I put my book down quietly, and took off my glasses in preparation for the rumble. Soon, he swung his hear rapidly towards me and head-butted me solidly on the cheek bone. I let out a loud "Oooohh!" Putting his head down, he thumped me on the chest, knocking me over on my back. Then, clamping his jaws around my right elbow joint, he began to chew.

It's an old dance, and we've danced it often. Poking his belly with a finger and patting his butt so he knows I could grab him by the plumbs, I kept begging him for mercy. "Please don't beat me up, Bud! I want lovings, not beatings!" The whole thing soon became a giant cuddle-, tickle- and snuggle-fest. He always attacks boldly and viciously, but takes great care not to hurt. He's a sweet boy, really. He can't help being daemon-spawn.

Still no hot water, and we're into the second week. If the unit doesn't return tomorrow, I'll be another weekend without. Must remember to buzz them and find out what is going on!

You may remember the comess with the Post Office and the Passport. (Sounds like a good title for a comic-book movie. Can't help but be more fun to watch than the usual crap they put out.) Well, the documents arrived in the UK and are being processed. I just hope they are tired and just stamp it approved, rather than decide to initiate some red tape on my butt. I dunno I could stand it. I've held that passport through repeated renewals, since I was eight years old and made my first solo plane trip. On a Dakota DC3, as it happens. Yes, I am that old!

Saw Dr. Kristi for a weigh-in on Tuesday. Down eight pounds! But before you begin applauding, the previous visit I was up seven, and the one before I was up four. So still three pounds in the red. Net loss so far is 58 lbs. Only 102 more to go.

Good news is I discussed my medication with her, and we were able to reduce my pharmacy load from $440-ish to $300-ish by eliminating or reducing certain medications. With the steroids and immune suppressants eliminated, some of the additional supporting stuff can go as well. Now down to 16 tabs per day, from 20 and an all-time high of 31. Also, blood sugar testing down to every three days instead of daily. So a box of test strips will easily last three months. As I am entitled to a free box every three months, it essentially means I will not have to pay for strips any more. I haven't even factored that saving into my monthly costs as yet, but it will save ma another 36 bucks each month. Still have to pay for lancets, but I have enough to last me until February, '24. And they are cheap as chips anyway.

I was so pleased, that I went back in today for the sole purpose of giving Dr. Kristi a load of Kisses. (Note the capital K. These are a comestible produced by Hershey.)  They are my default chocolate gift to Dr. K. at Valentine's. Christmas is Quality Street, but Valentine's is Kisses. And I had these left over in the fridge, tempting me every time I opened the thing! So I made up a little gift basket/box from a sheet of paper and a YouTube video, poured the last of the Kisses into it, and popped in to give them to her. I was going next door to buy a roll of sticking plaster anyway, so I took the opportunity.

Anyway, it's late and I am contemplating a cold-water shower before bed.....

[Netfoot]

My new passport has been approved and shipped! Only glad to hear that, because they provided me with a list of documents of which I was to provide ONE. But I couldn't provide ANY! Since I paid £19 and change to have it expressed back to me, I hope it will be here soon. Meanwhile, my appointment to apply for my other passport is on the 12th of next month, with the passport being ready for pickup on the 21st. So, I will be ready to travel for the next 10 years (after which I'll be dead) but (alas) have nowhere to go. Oh well...

Got an aeroplane to collect tomorrow:

Unfortunately, it isn't for me. I bought it for a friend. I'm looking forward to seeing it in flight, but I don't know when that will be -- he now has to acquire an engine, plus all the avionics. But eventually, it should be fun, because it is a good aerobatic aircraft, and he is a good pilot.

Been having trouble getting through my John Rebus novels. A friend who is downsizing gave them to me for the Ark. Buddy is an alumnus of the Ark, so I like to help them when I can, but I decided to read them first. There are 23 of them in the series and I've got 15, of which I'm about halfway through. But I read in bed of an afternoon, and Budweiser comes along and beats me up every 10-15 minutes! It's funny how these beatings always end with him on his back with four feet in the air, and me rubbing his tummy. But it makes for slow progress on the books. I'm enjoying them more the more I read. The use of some Scottish patois always makes me smile, even when I have to look up the meaning of the words.

Today being two weeks I've been without hot water, I called the landlord who told me the repaired system would be reinstalled today. But come 3:00 and no sign of any movement, I called Solar Dynamics. Seems they are coming to reinstall... next Wednesday! So I get to freeze my nuts off for another week+.

Anyway, it's getting on. I had no lunch, and all I've had for the day is a Sprite Zero, so I have to prepare something to eat tonight. It's been quite a while since I had a curry, so maybe I'll curry up some chicken, but what to eat it with? Pasta would work, or rice. Potatoes too. But none of that is allowed, so... cabbage again?

At least now I've eliminates certain drugs, my sense of taste seems to be returning!

ETA: Tsk! having told myself how nice a curry would be and gotten my mouth all ready for it... no curry powder. Why does this keep happening to me?

Edited June 23, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Took Bud to the club on Wednesday. He wanted to spend the entire time sitting in my lap.

Good think he doesn't have halitosis! (No, I really am talking about Halitosis, not using a euphemism for The-Virus-of-No-Known-Origin.) He is a sweet boy with long fingernails which he likes to dig into my thighs, and definite frosting, and he can't help having a ginormous hooter....

Also, my new passport, which was scheduled to be delivered on Monday, was actually delivered today! And wonder of wonders, it is now a somber, dark in colour again, after decades of being a shade of maroon. So, Brexit does have it's benefits, like I always knew! Not that there is anything wrong with maroon - a colour I quite like - but for a passport? I've spent the last month praying it didn't show up with a rainbow pattern all over it! Anyway, free to travel until 2031! 

A friend and I are contemplating the construction of a new plane, designed to facilitate aerotowing his large (5M windspan) glider. I had a 45cc gas engine here that would easily fly something with a 100" span, so a glider tug should be easily within it's remit. So far, we've only spoken about it briefly, but I think it is possible we might actually proceed.

Athlete's Foot Directive #11 expires some day next week, and the PM has been on the box exhorting us to stay vigilant, but she also promised to end the curfew! Things have been going quite well, so it seems we are going to get a bit of a break. I would love it if we were free to go to the club on Sundays/Bank holidays again, but I'm not sure how to take her words. Directive #11 (and the ones before it) give a list of all the days & times on which curfew is in effect. But in a separate paragraph, it lists the days which are to be treated as Stay-at-Home days. So it is entirely possible we will lose the curfew (which is midnight to 5:00 AM and doesn't affect me at all) and yet still have Stay-at-Home days. I would ask somebody, but I don't know who to ask to receive a definitive answer.

Also, July and August are the months we usually have our Kadooment parties and fêtes so she has promised that we will be allowed limited partying from the middle of next month. But again, I'm not sure whether this means we are just allowed to visit the professionally organized tents or whether we can have a fête of our own. We've been wanting to hold a BBQ/Picnic for a while, and I dunno if this will cover that or not.

Anyway, Shnozz-Boy is hiding. Because earlier when I was reading, he beat me up, stuck that big, pink tongue in my ear (yeeeech!), then rolled over and demanded a tummy-rub, and then went spelunking in the garbage bin for an empty tuna tin. Scattering all the remaining trash on the floor in the process. So he knows he done wrong and he is avoiding a smacking. I don't know why he thinks he will get one... it's not like he did last time. Or the time before. Or the time before... So, I have to find him and let him know it's OK to come and have his dinner. Which is only a tin of dog food, not like Tuesday when he got himself a whole ham-hock.....

I have to figure out what I'm having for dinner as well. Lunch was that can of tuna, mixed with some olives and eaten with a spoon. I could really go for a decent meal, but weigh-in is barely three days away!

[Netfoot]

Yesterday was a Weigh-Day. Down one single pound, after struggling for two weeks. Oh well. Went and  had a form printed then bought groceries. The form was for getting a "roadworthy" for my car so I can pay the insurance. 

After lunch, climbed into bed and read several chapters of my book with some music playing (Chicago: If you leave me now). There was a lovely breeze coming through the window, cool and sweet. It was stirring the hair which grows all over my body (except my  tongue, eyeballs, and -- of course -- the top of my head). After a while I put down the book and 'dozed', not quite asleep but enjoying the breeze and the music (Tubeway Army: Are 'Friends' Electric?).

Eeeeeeep! Something cold/wet got jammed into my butt-crack, and my boxers didn't really help. Buddy's level of curiosity is as big as his concept of boundaries is small. (Bowie: Aladdin Sane).

Eventually managed to return to that state of restful 'doze' with the breeze still blowing sweetly and the music playing (Everything But The Girl: Mirrorball)...

Somebody is sneaking up on me. My eyes are closed but I can feel each footstep as it depresses the mattress a bit. Pow! A head-but to the cheek! And another to the chest! I'm on my back with somebody chewing on my elbow joint! (Manic Street Preachers: S.Y.M.M.) A brief battle ensues. There is no bloodloss on either side. The fight ends how it always does. With a certain someone on his back, getting his tummy rubbed. (Jimmy Cliff: The Harder They Come)

A very lazy, restful, afternoon spend with Buddy. I finally whispered in his ears "This is quality time, baby!" and after one more song, (Supertramp: From Now On). I roused from the bed, fixed meals for us both, and spent the evening watching rubbish TV programmes.

In the wee hours of this morning, it began to rain. I had to shut the window lest rain actually blow in and fall on the bed. It rained solidly with few (and short) breaks for the remainder of the night and all morning. It's still raining now. Had to go get my roadworthy test (they provided a free form, so yesterday I wasted time and also a buck twenty.) Due to the inclemency of the weather, they had to test her indoors, but ye olde TownAce passed with flying colours. I took the test results and a cheque (1,058.15 dollarettes) down and paid for Fully Comp for the next year. And back home.

Probably won't visit the club this afternoon as originally planned....

It seems Tropical Wave #17 is on approach, and Friday is predicted to be very wet and windy with gusts in excess of 50 MPH. And I don't like where it is. When weather form so southerly (9.2°N at 11:00AM today), they are much more likely to pay us a visit.

 

In other news, the latest directives (in effect from yesterday) state that curfew is discontinued, and does NOT list any Stay-at-Home days, Sundays or otherwise! Which is good for Bud and I since it increases our opportunities for getting out and about and having some fun in the country! Lets hope the wave doesn't become a TS or worse, so we can go take advantage of it. 

Edited June 30, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Well, it's now TS Elsa. And still located in a nasty spot at only 9.6° North Latitude. Here is the Advisory (but note a Warning has already been issued):

https://www.barbadosweather.org/BMS_V2.0/IBFs/Alerts/Wind/Wind_2_Alert.pdf

It doesn't sound good. If you wish to hear the details instead of reading them, listen to this 2 minute announcement. The little image doesn't show our location too well, so I grabbed an overhead from zoom.earth and added a red circle that shows where we are:

Here's hoping my nimble island home can jump out of the way of the storm, like it has so many times in the past!

The rain yesterday prevented the reinstallation of my solar heating system, which was postponed until today. But there is little chance they will come out today, given all the excitement. And tomorrow is obviously out of the question. So, early next week, presupposing my roof is still in place. Therefore, four weeks without hot water. And I could really use a good shower..... But I guess it's better the system be in Solar Dynamic's workshop rather than on my roof exposed to Elsa!

[Browncoat]

Stay safe, @Netfoot!

[Netfoot]

Thanks, @Browncoat! 

The 11:00 bulletin (Advisory #4) indicates the new position of TS Elsa and also indicates a 12% increase in circulatory speed and also speed over ground, but a 14% reduction in size. Otherwise nothing new. Still predicted to pass 40 miles to our south.

Here's hoping she doesn't edge north a bit!

Next bulletin is due at 2:00PM (in about 40 minutes) but probably won't appear on the Met. Office website for a while thereafter. The link I gave above (for #3A) has been updated and now links to #4 and presumably will also be updated to link to what ever comes after 2:00PM.

A friend is claiming we can expect 25' seas tomorrow, but I can't locate his source or any other that claims this. The local Met. office Small Craft & High-Surf advisory is saying 2-3 meters (7-10'), but that is "open water" swells.

Meanwhile, there isn't much I can do but sit and wait. I will refill my water cans tonight, and I've got plenty of dried/canned food, as well as a worrying amount of stuff in the fridge/freezer that will spoil if the power goes out for too long. I might decide to sleep in my boots, depending on what the news has to say later this evening. Winds are expected to start picking up around 2:00AM, with the rain starting around 5:00PM this evening and to become really heavy between 2:00AM and 11:00AM tomorrow.

 

[Netfoot]

Advisory #5 (see link above) says TS Elsa has maintained the same rotational speed but is now slightly faster over ground. The center now expected to pass only 30 miles south of us, and with storm-forced winds extending out to 90 miles, it seems we will be getting a bit of a blow, no matter what. Otherwise, all else the same.

The solar hot water people surprised me by coming around and reinstalling my system. They were finished at 5:00PM, but obviously, nightfall is upon us. These systems can get scalding hot even with overcast skies, but tomorrow the cloud cover is expected to be 100% for most of the day, so I dunno I'll be taking a long, steamy shower much before Saturday. Which is better than anticipated, because I didn't expect the system to be back before Monday next week! (I could turn on the immersion heater, but the electric bill would take a serious hit, and I've been managing without hot water for 3+ weeks now, so...

Had to rescue Plump-Puppy from under the bed again this afternoon. If he gets stuck once more, I will have to chock the legs of the bed up a couple of inches.

Next advisory 8:00PM. The rain might have started by then, and the wind picking up. The worst of it (according to the forecast) will be at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Providing all these forecasts are worth a damn, of course.....

Edited July 1, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

They have changed the link to the advisories for some reason. It is now Wind 1 advisory.

https://www.barbadosweather.org/BMS_V2.0/IBFs/Alerts/Wind/Wind_1_Alert.pdf

Basically, circulation speed is up to 50 MPH, forward speed down a couple, point of nearest approach down to only 20 miles. 

So far, no wind, no rain, and there are still large areas of the night sky where the stars are clearly visible. The heavy stuff is supposed to start around 2:00 AM, just in time for the next advisory. That's only 2½ hours from now, so I don't understand why we have not begun to see anything yet. The worst is supposed to be around 9:00 tomorrow morning. 

Just to make things interesting, I have developed a stomach ache, so I will be in my bed soon. But I think I will take a (cold) shower first. 

[Netfoot]

https://www.barbadosweather.org/BMS_V2.0/IBFs/Alerts/Wind/Wind_0_Alert.pdf

Electricity is off, Bud and I are in bed, and it's blowing outside. Occasional thump or rumble from the roof. Wind max now 60 MPH, storm force wind extending 140 miles. Peak expected here in about 1 hour according to forecast.

Trees are all dancing like they are on acid and amyl nitrate combined. Will try to get a video but don't want to open any windows or doors.

Hope Bud can hold his water for the next couple of hours. The moment I get out of bed he will get up and head for the door to be let out and that ain't happening in this. 

Also hope that power outage is deliberate and not because of a tree down on a line or a pole sleeping on the job.

Another noise from the roof. Gonna end here and shout again in a short while....

Uh-oh... TS Else is now officially a Hurricane, with wind speeds of more than 74 miles per hour. Next bulletin at 11:00; which is after the expected peak. Will try shout you again then.

Roof very rumbly. 

Later.....

 

[Netfoot]

LOL!

Had to get up (meds, etc) and Bud went to the door. I opened it a crack. Everything wet, but not too blustery in the garage. Opened it wider so Bud could go out. 

He took one look, turned around and went straight back to bed!

And so shall I as soon as I take my meds. John Rebus will have to sustain me until the power is restored.

 

[Spunkygal]

I am holding good thoughts for you and Bud, @Netfoot, as well as the crews working on the condo collapse. My heart is so heavy thinking about the victims, their loved ones and the storm impact on the efforts of the crew and search dogs.

[Netfoot]

WC 130J weatherbird just did a flyover.

Opened the door into the garage in case Bud needed to pee. He took one look and went straight back to bed!

I am going to get a Sprite Zero and some ice and join him.

[Netfoot]

Pretty calm right now. The eye, I suppose. 

Bud decided he liked bread and cream cheese after all, so we had breakfast in bed together. 

Telco gave us a free gigabyte (and 100 minutes) to stay in touch during the storm, but their network must be getting hit by every cellphone in the country right now so access is spotty.

Friend sent photo of his yard which is suddenly full of mangos. Bud just found empty Sprite bottle from breakfast and is removing the top. He will probably stash it under the bed when he's done. I'd take a nap to help pass the time but I only just got up, so where is my book?

Will post again if anything happens.

[Netfoot]

Ok, looks like it's all over bar the shouting.

There is still a very brisk breeze out there, and the occasional drizzle down your neck. But otherwise, it is nothing to worry about. Bud and I have been out and given the place a butcher's and I've left the door open for him to come and go as he pleases.

We're back in bed because with the power still off, there is little else we can do so I'm sticking with the book.

No idea when the power will get turned back on again. I guess they shut down as a precaution and will have to eyeball the entire network before powering up again. And they aren't going to start before the official All-clear has been given.

Hopefully there isn't any damage to repair. KEVIN sent a picture of a tree down near his house. (He also lost the roof off his garden shed and part of his workshop.)

Our noisy roof turned out to be the downspout from the guttering, half of which is lying in the driveway and the other half of which is still on the roof, lying on the permaclad sheets. I'm glad it isn't the sheets themselves, or the recently replaced solar water heater!

Next bulletin at 2:00 but doubt the All-clear will be given that soon. It is still quite windy outside, and there is the (very unlikely but always possible) chance she could do a 180° and come back to visit us again! Remember the one that hit Cuba three times? It won't happen, but TPTB can't tell us to come out and play until they are sure it won't happen.

Mean while, I'm getting a bit peckish. Bud and I ate the last of the bread for breakfast but thankfully I'm cooking with gas, so I'll make something to last for two meals and by tomorrow all should be 100% back to normal. I just wish all of my ideas didn't in some way rely on the microwave.....

 

 

[Browncoat]

Glad all is (mostly) well, @Netfoot!  

[Netfoot]

Thanks, @Browncoat! Biggest problem right now is a house-fly and a mouse that sneaked in to shelter. The fly is driving Buddy nuts. And the moment he hears the mouse down amongst his secret bottle-stash, it will be hell and hot pepper while he sorts the pesky rodent out!

The fly is starting to drive me nuts as as well.....

Edited July 2, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

The all-clear has been given.

PM says 7 houses collapsed, 177 roofs damaged. 17 main roads blocked by fallen trees. Several utility poles down.

Barbados Light &  Power says they did NOT shut off the power, but 75% of the island is without electricity due to damage. BL&P say it will take a significant while to get everyone powered up again. Dunno if that means hours, days or weeks.

Civil twilight in 28 minutes, full dark in 95 minutes. I got torches and plenty of batteries but no way to recharge them, other than with the car.

Sky still overcast but no rain, dead calm. 

So, Buddy and I are fine, with food, water and a dry house. Thanks to those who sent well-wishes. Always helps to share the experience.  With power out I have no phone or broadband (fiber router out due to power cut) so maybe best if I preserve this phone which is now at 48%. 

Will stay in touch, but won't post so often until power is back.

Again, thanks to those who kept Bud and I company. And thank goodness it was only a Cat1 blow and only barely even that!

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

We got current, boys and girls!!! 😁

[Netfoot]

Unfortunately, while we have power, we don't have water. And my computer refuses to power up. So I am surfing the net via my crappy phone... which I hate doing. 

No idea when the water will get turned on, so my hot shower that I've been looking forward to for over three weeks will be further delayed. The sun can't heat water you don't actually have!

One takeaway from this is that information dissemination has been piss poor. Met. Office website has been sluggish and unresponsive, yet the only source of info in that they published the periodic bulletins. As soon as the threat passed, the bulletins ceased. The all-clear was to be announced by the Department of Emergency Management but their website was offline for the entire time!

Neither Light and Power nor the Water Authority websites were much use, but I will say the lights came on much faster than expected, even though they went out in the first place due to storm damage. Water is still off, even though they shut off the pumps on purpose, so as to prevent damage.  There is no way to find out when the water will be back on again because their website still has nothing useful to say.

I suppose if you were lucky enough to be in the 25% that didn't lose power the local TV station might have been useful, but the rest of us were reliant on battery powered smart phones. Some reliable source of info that was easily accessible would have been a big help, rather than having to jump around from website to website, most of which were unhelpful or offline anyway.

And I don't actually own a TV anyway! So even I my power never went out...

Don't mind me. I'm just bitching because I can't flush the toilet, because my PC is US and because I WANT A HOT SHOWER !!!

[Netfoot]

Just paid for a new motherboard which required a new CPU chip which required new memory. $596 in total. Now the system powers up but does not recognize any drives as bootable. Not even the DVD! So, still not operational.

No water. No info forthcoming as to when I might expect to get water. Water tankers may visit my neighborhood but they don't know when so I will have to stand at my gate and wait all day until they do. If they do. And how much water could I carry on my back, even if I was able to catch a water tanker?

Plus, my back is hurting. 

I am not a happy camper!

 

[Netfoot]

Constant companion helps keep it sane. He don't care where you going; he going with you. 

Really not feeling too great, so I think I will go to bed for a while. And I know who will come and keep me company.

Maybe there will be water when I get up.

[Netfoot]

Remember the mousie that had sneaked into Buddy's bottle-stash to shelter from Elsa? 

I just caught him by the tail, sneaking back out. And just as I was deciding how best to dispose of him... a bolt of brown lightning shot off the bed, snatched mousie cleanly in midair, and vanished down the passage. 

Pandemonium. Brief, but intense.

Then Bud swagger back into the room, sticks his head out the window, barking loudly at nobody, swishing his tail vigorously, before curling up and going back to sleep.

I guess I'll find the mortal remains in the morning. As I have many times in the past. 

 

[Netfoot]

I'm starting to get fixated on this water issue.

Still not back to normal. There is just a tiny trickle, enough to refill the WC, but only s.l.o.w.l.y. Good thing I don't need to flush often! But it is a big win to be able to flush when I need to. 

In the kitchen, the cold tap does not work, but the hot tap does! And the water is even hot! So I can wash dishes and cook. So an end to cheese/ham/tomato sandwiches, which won't have done any good to the weight loss effort. The only reason I'm getting water out of the hot tap is (I think) because the hot tank up on the roof must have had a chance to fill before BWA cut the water off. It might be refilling ultra-slow like the carzie,  but right up on top the house? Who knows?

In the shower, the hot tap produces only the tiniest sprinkle. Barely enough to wet your skin, and not hot. The pipe run from the solar runs right to the end of the roof, all the way back to the kitchen and then across to the shower. Usually, this means you wait half a minute before the hot water reaches the rose. But with such a tiny trickle the best the pipes can do, I guess you'd have to wait 10 minutes before anything hot reached you, and since it wouldn't be enough to shower properly anyway...

So, coming up on two days since the all-clear, and still no water, essentially. I may call up tomorrow, and have a few polite words with them.

Oh, and it seems more than one mousie may have moved into the house (as if we didn't have enough already). Buddy is hunting through the bookshelves even as we speak.....

[Netfoot]

After waiting 26 days, I finally got my hot shower!

I noticed that the WC was refilling faster than before, so I tested the shower. Both hot and cold running well! Water pressure still a little low, so Deluge mode wasn't available. But more than adequate enough for a good, 10 minute sluice.

Normally, that solar heater produces water too hot to touch. It steams when it comes out of the pipe, and will literally scald you to the point of causing a blister. You have to  mix in some cold for it to be bearable. This evening I was able to stand under the hot with no cold, but it was a close thing. Tomorrow or the next day I'm sure everything will be back up to temp.

I stood under the rose and just soaked up the heat. Then I scrubbed all over. Then I did I all again. The only thing I didn't do was shampoo my hair (what little I've got). I never like to shampoo at night for some reason I don't understand. I don't mind getting my hair wet, but not actually shampooing. So I'll save that for tomorrow. Some time in the later afternoon when the sun had had a chance to work on the water some more.

I realise I've been making a mountain out of this particular molehill, and I'm sorry about that. There are people who lost their roof and some who lost their entire house! So I've been lucky, really, and should be counting my blessings. I guess the weeks when the heater was away getting serviced  were compounded by the arrival of a hurricane at just the right moment to force me to wait another 3 days.... At least I won't have to give the BWA a bollicking tomorrow.

Budweiser has become very affectionate these last few days. Normally he sleeps down by my feet, or curled up against my back. Doesn't curl up against my tummy much, and never for long. Last couple days he's been different. I woke up last night to find him sleeping stretched along my arm, with his butt in my armpit,  his tail down my side and his head in the palm of my hand. This is something old, sweet Dotty used to do all the time, but Bud has never done it before. Later he had reversed himself, with his tail along my arm and his back down my side with his dead on my hip. Today, as Olay I lay on one side reading my book, he plonked himself down in front of me, curled up against my tummy, and went off to sleep.

Tomorrow, he gets a ham hock for his lunch, and Tuesday he gets to see his Ark ladies!

His birthday is next month. He will be 8/56, depending on your point of view.

Hot shower! Yeah!

Edited July 5, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Computer running again, thank goodness. Parts bought Saturday are completely useless -- I don't know why -- and I will see if I can get the shop to take them back again, but don't hold out much hope.

So, electricity good, water good (and hot!), computer running again, all well with the world.

My buddy Austin still has no power at home, but he is cooking with gas, and friends are helping with cold storage. 

My English friend Lynn who now lives in SF (poor baby!) says she had no knowledge of Elsa until she read the UK Guardian.

Just finished the last of the John Rebus novels that I have (13). Will try to acquire the remainder and read them (There are 23 total in the series so far) but I'm not going to kill myself to achieve this. So, what to read next? I'll be scanning the shelves of tent tomorrow, when Bud goes to meet his ladies.