If i'm going to help, i need a longer reach.

How is it that things can be going so great and so awfully at the same time?

Di and i drove to San Antonio quite uneventfully, even stopping at Buc-ee's.  Meanwhile, on the home front, the A/C situation reached critical mass.

Sweetie called me multiple times and ended up having to sleep at Brother-in-Law, The Mouth's home.  The unit had tripped a breaker when someone didn't turn it off before emptying the drip pan, and it had frozen solid.

Friday i spent tons of time with my portable charger hooked up to the phone making calls to try to get someone, anyone, to schedule a service call through the home warranty company.  We were authorized to get a non-contracted provider, and we couldn't find one, so they got a regular provider who was too busy and wouldn't do it, and by the end of all of it i felt ready to throw away the central A/C and buy a window unit for every room in the house.

Finally the A/C was unfrozen and working if you nursed it along by taking pristine care of the drip pan and i had a promise that someone will come on Monday.

The time i didn't spend on the phone Friday was wonderful  We took one of the boats down by the Riverwalk, and went to the Mexican market (where i bought a sombrero for Pepe to wear when i get home), and had our gumbo feast.

It's one of my favorite things to do when we get together each year, i cook three big pots of gumbo, seafood, sausage and turkey, and vegan.  Yes, you can make vegan gumbo.  As i tell Grace, i'm going to blow up all over the kitchen and use almost every utensil and i promise you will have enough gumbo to feed all of us and all the rest of the family and put some in the freezer for later.  That's how it happened.

Today we are going to Fredricksburg, and i hope the A/C holds.  As i've told Sweetie, i can't fix it from here, and the worst thing that happens is you turn the whole unit off and go stay with a friend or at a hotel until someone comes to fix it.



Today is:

Arafat Day -- Afghanistan; Bahrain; Djibouti; Kuwait; Libya; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates

Big Mac Shoreline Fall Scenic Bike Tour & Ride Across The Mackinac Bridge -- Mackinaw City, MI, US (a one-of-a-kind bike tour; through tomorrow)

Boonesborough Days -- Boonesboro, MD, US (living history, food, antiques, and a celebration of the original spelling of the town's name; through tomorrow)

Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day 2015 -- US (the Saturday after Labor Day, everyone is encouraged to volunteer in cleaning federal land, recreation areas, or waterways, to help do their part to keep these places beautiful)

Chadds Ford Days -- Chadds Ford, PA, US (Brandywine Valley traditional art celebration; through tomorrow)

Dia del Nino -- Honduras (Children's Day)

Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day -- Quincy, WA, US (a fun and tasty way to celebrate and learn how food gets from the farm to your table; through Sunday)

Hang Around Victor Day -- Victor, NY, US (come see why it's a great place to do just that!)

Harvest Home Nibbling Contest  -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)

International Drive Your Studebaker Day -- an official event of the Studebaker Drivers Club Inc. (and i wish i could!)

Little Falls Arts and Crafts Fair -- Little Falls, MN, US (arts and crafts from hobbyists and pros; through tomorrow)

Mushroom Festival -- Kennett Square, PA, US (food, fun, and fungi in the Mushroom Capital of the World; through tomorrow)

Nanticoke Powwow -- Millsboro, DE, US (Native American gathering and celebration; through tomorrow)

National Day -- Gibraltar

Norwalk Seaport Oyster Festival -- Norwalk, CT, US (vintage ships, crafters, entertainment, oysters, and a Kids' Cove; through tomorrow)

Saint George's Caye Day -- Belize (National Day)

Sewing Machine Day -- date of issuance of an early sewing machine patent, to Elias Howe; some sites call this "Sew Be It! Day"

Sheriff's Ride Ceremony -- Lichfield, UK (dating back to 1553, the sheriff and his men ceremonially ride the circuit of the boundary of the city; originally on the 8th Sept. every year by order of Queen Mary, now held on the Saturday nearest)

Swap Ideas Day -- Robert L. Birch of Puns Corp wants people to explore ways in which their ideas can be put to work to benefit all humanity and develop incentives to encourage using our creative imaginations

St. Finian's Day (Patron of Ulster, Ireland)

St. Nicholas of Tolentino's Day (Patron of animals, baby, dying people, mariners/sailors, sick animals; Albi, Italy; Cabanatuan, Philippines; Guimbai, Philippines; Lambuna, Philippines; Mati, Philippines; Tandag, Philippines; Toentino, Italy)

Teacher's Day -- China

TV Dinner Day

Valparaiso Popcorn Festival -- Valparaiso, IN, US (dare i call it a popping good time?)

World Suicide Prevention Day -- a great resource is here


Birthdays Today:

Clark Johnson, 1964
Randy Johnson, 1963
Colin Firth, 1960
Amy Irving, 1953
Joe Perry, 1950
Judy Geeson, 1948
Jose Feliciano, 1945
Stephen Jay Gould, 1941
Karl Lagerfeld, 1938
Charles Kuralt, 1934
Roger Maris, 1934
Arnold Palmer, 1929
Rin Tin Tin, 1918
Fay Wray, 1907
Adele Astaire, 1896
Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890
Franz Werfel, 1890
Ian Fleming, 1888
Isaac Kauffman Funk, 1839
Marie Laveau, 1801
Carter Braxton, 1736


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The X Files"(TV), 1993
"Gentle Ben"(TV), 1967
"The Road Runner Show"(TV), 1966
"Gunsmoke"(TV), 1955
"Benvenuto Cellini(Berlioz opera), 1838


Today in History:

The Battle of Marathon takes places between the forces of the Persian Empire and those of Athens, BC490*
An earthquake known as "The Lesser Judgment Day" hits Istanbul, 1509
John Smith is elected president of Jamestown, Va., Colony Council, 1608
Nathan Hale answers the call of George Washington for a volunteer spy, 1776
Simón Bolívar is named President of Peru, 1823
Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine, 1846
George Mary Searle discovers the asteroid 55 Pandora, 1858
Lincoln Highway, the first paved coast-to-coast road in the US, opens, 1913
Austria and the Allies sign the Treaty of Saint-Germain recognizing the independence of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, 1919
20 African-American students enter public schools in Alabama, 1963
Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, is the last person to be executed by guillotine in France, 1977
Switzerland, traditionally a neutral country, joins the United Nations, 2002
The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, described as the biggest scientific experiment in history is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland, 2008

*actual date disputed, but it was the 9th day of the 9th moon on their calendar

Gallivanting to Galveston: Do i or don't i?

Well.

Today i was supposed to be able to post a Wordless Wednesday picture of my packing skills.  Thanks to Grandpa, i have stealth ninja packing skills, and can stuff things in places where you didn't know there were places.

Life happened, as it often does.

Sweetie got laid off from work yesterday.  Then the A/C people came and figured out what the problem has been all this time.  Two months now, and we finally know.

Most of the time, this particular problem is not covered by the warranty company.  After waiting several hours, and calling more than once and holding for about 45 minutes each time, and then getting cut off when someone finally answered so i had to call back and hold again, the verdict was in.

Because it took the repair company three visits to figure out what was wrong, it will be covered, except the freon (or whatever they are using these days).

Yesterday was spent sweating buckshot over whether i was even going to be able to go on my trip, after all the planning and buying gumbo ingredients and everything.  If we'd had to pay for the repair, i would have had to stay home.

So, no pictures of my packing skills, in which i could show you how i can get everything, (almost) including a kitchen sink, into a Honda.

Which Honda, by the way, Sweetie also locked the keys into yesterday, necessitating a call to Pop-a-Lock.

When life happens around here, it's in spades.

Anyway, the repair to the A/C, instead of hundreds, will be manageable because of the warranty company, in spite of how long it took them to determine this and how long it took me to actually get a human on the phone at their company to confirm this fact.

Thus today, i am packed and everything is in Humphrey the Honda, and i'm cleaning the shelter, and leaving when it's all done.

Galveston, by G-d's grace, here i come!

Today is:

Blessed Father Jacques Leval Day -- Mauritius (physician turned priest who lived among and ministered to the poorest of the poor in Mauritius; people of all faiths make a pilgrimage to his tomb today)

Bonza Bottler Day

Chrysanthemum Day or Kiku no Sekku -- Japan

Day of the Victims of Holocaust and of Racial Violence -- Slovakia

Defeat of Jesse James Days -- Northfield, MN, US (a bank raid reenactment, plus parade, races, rodeo, and more; through Sunday)

Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee -- New Centerville, PA, US (steam engines, threshing the old fashioned ways, and fun; through Sunday)

Festivity of Our Lady of Aranzazu -- Oñati, Basque

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day -- spreading the word about the very preventable problem of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders 

Independence Day -- Tajikistan

Karasu-zumo -- Kamigamo-jinja Shrine, Kyoto, Japan (a distinctive local festival where the Shinto priests imitate crows)

Liberation Ceremony -- Petange, Luxembourg

Milk-Bathing Festival -- Fairy Calendar

National Day -- North Korea(1948)

National Sports Day -- Indonesia

National Steak Au Poivre Day

Peach Days Celebration -- Brigham City, UT, US (delicious peaches and family fun; through Saturday)

St. Peter Claver's Day (Patron of African missions, inter-racial justice, race relations; Colombia; Lake Charles, LA; Shreveport, LA; Witbank, South Africa; against slavery)

Synaxis of Ss. Joachim and Anna -- Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches

Teddy Bear Day -- internet generated, but since it's so much fun to have one, celebrate your old friend

Wienerschnitzel Day

Wonderful Weirdos Day -- we all have a few in our lives, they remind us to be true to ourselves, so thank them today; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


Anniversaries Today:

California becomes the 31th US State, 1850


Birthdays Today:

Michelle Williams, 1980
Michael Buble, 1975
Goran Visnjic, 1972
Rachel Hunter, 1969
Adam Sandler, 1966
Hugh Grant, 1960
Mario Batall, 1960
Angela Cartwright, 1952
Michael Keaton, 1951
Tom Wopat, 1951
Joe Theisman, 1949
Billy Preston, 1946
Otis Redding, 1941
Sylvia Miles, 1934
Cliff Robertson, 1925
James Hilton, 1900
Colonel Harland Sanders, 1890
Alf Landon, 1887
Leo Tolstoy, 1828
William Bligh, 1754


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Welcome Back, Kotter"(TV), 1975
"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids"(TV), 1972
Imagine(Lennon album release), 1971


Today in History:

William I, The Conqueror, dies in a horseriding accident, 1087
The New England colonies declare war on the Wampanoag Tribe, 1675
The first steam engine arrives in the US colonies, 1753
The first recorded black to graduate from a US college, Alexander Lucius Twilight, receives a BA from Middlebury College, 1817
Charles Durant, the first US aeronaut, flies a balloon from Castle Garden, NYC to Perth Amboy, NJ, 1830
The first plate glass photograph is taken by John Herschel, 1839
California becomes the 31st state and the territories of New Mexico and Utah are created, 1850
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized, 1886
Orville Wright makes the first one hour plane flight, 1908
J. Verdrines becomes the first person to fly at over 100mph, 1912
First actual case of a computer bug being found: a moth lodges in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University, 1947
Hurricane Betsy makes its second landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first hurricane to do over $1billion in actual unadjusted damages, 1965
The four-day Attica Prison riot begins, 1971
The Palestine Liberation Organization officially recognizes Israel as a legitimate state, 1993
At exactly 01:46:40 UTC, the Unix billenium is reached, marking the beginning of the use of 10-digit Unix timestamps, 2001
The "Ophel Treasure", about 1,400 years old, is discovered near the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem, 2013

Grease

Dansig is slowly recovering.  He will be in the vet hospital for a few more days while we see if he needs surgery.  He will be on an expensive diet for the rest of his life, and someone donated a bag of that kind of food to the shelter, and they don't use it, so they gave it to us.  It's enough for us to start with when he gets home.

The sump pump is probably down for the count, and we're not sure what we are going to do there.  Even if i go buy another, i'm not sure how to hook it up to the hose it needs to drain through.  The person who installed it could be called, but we will have to wait until we have the money to do that.

As for the A/C, i called the warranty company, and they passed our name on to a local contractor.  That contractor called me while i was at work Friday for a new client, Ms. R.  They said the soonest they could come was Monday.

Folks, we are facing 100+ degree F days here.  We've lived in this house during the summer without A/C before, it's an oven, and it's not easy or pleasant.  Heat illness happens.  The refrigerators can overheat in such temps.  We've survived a couple of summers with limited or no A/C and my heart and lungs cannot take that again.

When i asked if there was any way to get in an appointment Friday, i offered to pay a bit above what the warranty company has us put up as a co-pay.  (The warranty company has us pay a co-pay on the spot, but that's all we pay, they cover the rest, and at a reduced rate they've contracted with the service company.  The companies always put warranty work last, unless you sweeten the deal a bit, grease a palm or two.  It's still cheaper if you have to have major work done as the warranty company covers the largest portion of the charges.)

Bingo.  For $100 extra, they could come that same afternoon.  It would cost us more than that if we had to put everyone in a hotel for a weekend, which we probably would have to do if we had to go without A/C that long.

The nice lady assured me they would come by between 2-6pm.  That was fine, i said, because i figured i'd be home by then.

She called back at 11:20am, saying the techs were going past our area and this was the only time they'd have to stop.

A panic call to Bigger Girl, and she got her prepared to let them in, show them the thermostat, indoor, and outdoor units, and she even found the checkbook so she could pre-write the check.

Another panic call to Sweetie and he rushed home right after work to sign said check before running his errands.

By the time i got home at almost 3pm, the deed was done and the house was cooling off, which was a huge relief.  (The diagnosis was that it got stopped up again, and in trying to keep working anyway, had burned out two wires.)  That gave me just enough time to empty the dishwasher, feed KidaMosquito, and cram in a quick meal, before Little Girl and i headed out to the shelter for our Friday night cleaning/feeding/medicating of cats.

And they wonder why i spend most Saturdays trying to rest!

Today is

Anti-Bigot Day -- doesn't seem to be sponsored by any particular group, which is good on a day to practice tolerance of all

Bannack Days-- Bannack, MT, US (through tomorrow; explore the territorial capital now turned ghost town and celebrate the pioneer spirit)

Canada's Parks Day -- Canada (showcasing Canada's beautiful parks and historic sites, it's worth traveling to a park near you!)

Celebration of the Horse -- Charlotte's Saddlery, Houston, TX, US (in honor of the human/equine bond; through tomorrow)

Concours D'elegance -- Forest Grove, OR, US (one of the premier vintage auto shows in the US; through tomorrow)

Constitution Day -- Uruguay

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; began sundown yesterday, runs through sundown on the 11th, although local dating and official government observances may vary)

La Festa del Redentore / Feast of the Redeemer -- Venice, Italy (procession of gondolas and other craft to commemorate the end of the epidemic of 1575; through tomorrow)

Lunch of the Forward Goblins -- Fairy Calendar (not surprisingly, attended by Fairies only)

Mandela Day -- UN

National Caviar Day -- no one knows how it started, but even The Russian Tea Room in New York has celebrated it for years and caviar importers know all about it; pair it with ice cold vodka or a Burgundian pinot or unoaked chardonnay, but never with champagne!

National Woodie Wagon Day -- paying homage today to this great American symbol of freedom and the casual lifestyle

Prince Lot Hula Festival -- Moanalua Gardens, Hawai'i

Rath Yatra & Bahuda Jatra-- Puri, India (the first is the Chariot Festival, pilgrims pull huge chariots across the city, and the second is 8 days later, the Return Festival; one of the most awaited Hindu festivals in the state and country)

Route 66 Summerfest -- Albuquerque, NM, US (a free celebration)

St. Theneva's Day (Patron of Glasgow, Scotland)

Toss Away the "Could Haves" and "Should Haves" Day -- write down all the "could have" and "should have" things in your life, then toss them in the trash! Resolve from this day to live in the present, not the past.

Vitulatio -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Vitula, goddess of exultation, joy, and life, is given the first fruits of the earth)

Wienermobile Day -- celebrating the creation, in 1936, of the now iconic vehicle by Oscar Mayer's nephew Carl

World Listening Day -- here for information http://www.worldlisteningproject.org/

Wrong Days in Wright, Minnesota -- in honor of "Wrong Way" Corrigan (through tomorrow)


Anniversary Today:

Timothy Verner Taylor marries The Lady Helen Windsor, 1992
Bobby Brown marries Whitney Houston, 1992


Birthdays Today

Chace Crawford, 1985
Priyanka Chopra, 1982
Kristin Bell, 1980
Vin Diesel, 1967
Elizabeth McGovern, 1961
Ricky Skaggs, 1954
Richard Branson, 1950
Steve Forbes, 1947
James Brolin, 1941
Martha Reeves, 1941
Joe Torre, 1940
Dion DiMucci, 1939
Paul Verhoeven, 1938
Hunter S. Thompson, 1937
Yevgeny Yevtushenko, 1932
Dick Button, 1929
Screamin' Jay Hawkins, 1929
John Glenn, 1921
Nelson Mandela, 1918
Harriet Nelson, 1914
Richard "Red" Skelton, 1913
Hume Cronyn, 1911
Clifford Odets, 1906
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa, 1906
George "Machine Gun" Kelly, 1895
Charles E. "Chick" Evans, Jr., 1890
Vidkun Quisling, 1887
Margaret "Unsinkable Molly" Brown, 1867
William Makepeace Thackeray, 1811
Gilbert White, 1720
Robert Hooke, 1635


Today in History

A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome, BC390
The Great Fire of Rome begins in the merchant area of the city, 64
King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews (numbering about 16,000) from England; this was Tisha B'Av on the Hebrew calendar, a day that commemorates many Jewish calamities, 1290
Matthew Flinders leaves England to circumnavigate and map Australia; it was he who gave the continent its name, 1801
The First Vatican Council decrees the dogma of papal infallibility, 1870
Britain introduced voting by secret ballot, 1872
Marie and Pierre Curie announce the discovery of a new element and propose to call it polonium, 1898
Adoph Hitler publishes Mein Kampf, 1925
The Intel Corporation is founded in Santa Clara, California, 1968
Nadia Comaneci became the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics  at the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1976
Beverly Lynn Burns becomes first female Boeing 747 airline captain, 1984
On the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the Soufriere Hills volcano erupts; over the course of several years, it devastates the island, destroying the capital and forcing most of the population to flee, 1995
Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River, beginning one of Quebec's costliest natural disasters ever, 1996
Phoenix, AZ, US, is hit by a dust storm of the kind known as a "haboob", 2011
King Jong-un, son of King Jong-il, is announced the official Supreme Leader of North Korea, 2012
The 'immediate and severe' fiscal emergency declared by the U.S. city San Bernardino, California, allows it to declare bankruptcy without negotiating with creditors, 2012
Investigators on the case of the October 2012 Kunsthal gallery theft of paintings by Picasso, Matisse and Monet, discover paint, canvas and nails in the oven of a woman whose son has been charged with the crime, 2013
Detroit, Michigan files the largest municipal bankruptcy in history, 2013

What a Drip

"Uh, mom!  I hate to tell you this, but I just went down to the laundry room, and there's a dripping sound coming from the A/C closet again."

Yeah, i thought, i hate for you to tell me that, too, Little Girl.

Out loud, i just heaved a sigh and said, okay, and headed down there.

Sure enough, the A/C was dripping again.  The drain had reclogged.  So i bailed out the drip pan to make sure it wouldn't turn off, and called Kurt, the guy who works with Sweetie whose former job was in A/C repair.

It was a Saturday, so i didn't expect much.  Most single guys in their 20's, i figured, had weekend plans, so i was surprised when he answered and said he had nothing going and would be by in about an hour.  Monday after work would have been my best guess for the next time he would be available.

He ran by BigBoxHardware to buy a few things, and came prepared to clean the coils, the outdoor unit, and replace some of the drain to make any future clean-out easier.

While he worked, i dealt with the 13 kittens we have in the house.  They are a mess, with at least a few needing to be fed about every hour or so during the day.  Once you finish with some, it's only a few minutes until others start to beg.  It's a help that a few of them are starting to nibble the dry food and try to drink from the bowl.

Bigger Girl was running errands when it all began, and came home to give me my laugh of the day. 

"Mom, after seeing Miss Lizzie in the hospital this week, I've decided if I ever end up in a mental ward, I want to go to this one.  Their food looked really good, and it looked like it would be really easy to break out of!"

When i gave her an odd look, she said, "Oh, come on, mom, don't tell me you've never dreamed of breaking out of a mental hospital!"

As i laughed, Kurt came in.  He only asked for $80, but he had come on a Saturday when he could have been doing anything else, and he went to the store and bought supplies, and he saved me from having to try to deal with the warranty company again, so i gave him $100 that i scraped out of the food budget and scrounged from under the couch cushions.

All in all, it's been a week, and a new one starts today, and it's going to have a lot packed in, including an internal plumbing inspection.  That's right, i get to go for my first colonoscopy on Tuesday.

Depending on how this all works out, i might be the one hoping the food is as good at the hospital as Bigger Girl thinks.

Today is

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Sacrifice Our Wants for Other's Needs Sunday

Birthday of Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Discovery of the Runes/Odin's Ordeal ends -- Ancient Norse Calendar (date approximate)

Independence Day -- Uruguay(1825)

Kiss and Make Up Day -- a day begun by Jacqaueline V. Milgate to encourage people to make amends and repair relationships if they need to

National Banana Split Day -- some sites have it as Aug. 10

National Park Service Day -- US (legislation creating the National Park Service was signed this day in 1916 by President Wilson)

National Second-Hand Wardrobe Day -- pull out the hand-me-downs or thrift store purchases and wear them with pride!

Notting Hill Carnival -- Notting Hill, London, UK (through tomorrow, the 2nd largest street festival in the world)

Opiconsivia -- Ancient Roman Calendar, Vestal Virgin Festival in honor of Ops

Pony Express Festival -- Hollenberg Pony Express Station, Hanver, KS, US (reenacting life in the 1860's, including a real Pony Express ride)

Rumpleskunkskin's Bride Escapes to Heewigoland Anniversary -- Fairy Calendar (Fairy celebration, Goblins get grumpy)

Soldier's Day -- Brazil

St. Genesius of Arles' Day (Patron of notaries, secretaries; against chilblains, scurf)

St. Genesius of Rome's Day (Patron of actors, attorneys, barristers, clowns, comedians, comediennes, comics, converts, dancers, epileptics, lawyers, musicians, printers, stenographers and torture victims)

St. Louis, King of France's Day (King Louis IX; Patron of barbers, bridegrooms, builders, button makers, construction workers, Crusaders, difficult marriages, distillers, embroiderers, French monarchs, grooms, haberdashers, hairdressers, hair stylists, kings, masons, needle workers, parenthood, parents of large families, passementiers, prisoners, sculptors, sick people, soldiers, stone masons, stonecutters, tertiaries, trimming makers; Québec, Québec; Saint Louis, Missouri; Blois, France; Carthage, Tunisia; La Rochelle, France; New Orleans, Louisiana; Oran, Algeria; Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin, France; Saint Louis, Missouri;`Versailles, France; Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis; against the death of children)

Whiskey Sour Day



Birthdays Today

Claudia Schiffer, 1970
Rachael Ray, 1968
Billy Ray Cyrus, 1961
Ann Archer, 1947
Regis Philbin, 1933
Sean Connery, 1930
Leonard Bernstein, 1918
Walt Kelly, 1913
Ruby Keeler, 1909
Clara Bow, 1905
Hans Adolf Krebs, 1900
Ludwig II, "Mad King" of Bavaria, 1845
Allan Pinkerton, 1819
Ivan the Terrible, 1530


Today in History

The Council of Nicaea ends with the adoption of the Nicene Creed, 325
The Children's Crusaders under Nicholas reach Genoa, 1212
The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed, 1537
Galileo demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers, 1609
Hundreds of French settlers arrive in New Orleans, which had been founded only a few months before, marking its true beginnings as a city, not just an outpost, 1718
James Cook begins his first voyage, 1768
Alice Meynell becomes the first female jockey, in England, 1804
British forces destroy the Library of Congress, which then contained about 3,000 books, 1814
The New York Times perpetrates the Great Moon Hoax, 1835
Captain Matthew Webb becomes the first person to swim the English Channel unassisted, 1875
Kitasato Shibasaburo discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet, 1894
The United States National Park Service is created, 1916
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly nonstop across the US, 1932
US Army officer and missionary John Birch is killed by the armed supporters of the Communist Party of China, considered by some as the first victim of the Cold War, 1945
Zimbabwe joins the United Nations, 1980
Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Saturn, 1981
Tadeusz Mazowiecki is chosen as the first non-communist Prime Minister in Central and Eastern Europe, 1989
Mayumi Moriyama becomes Japan's first female cabinet secretary, 1989
The Tli Cho land claims agreement is signed between the Dogrib First Nations and the Canadian federal government in Rae-Edzo (now called Behchoko), 2003

Service?

My mornings start early, and yesterday was no exception.  It's no fun to start a morning by stepping into the laundry room, where the A/C unit is in the utility closet, and feel water.

It's happened for years, for many reasons, but i knew rain was not the cause, as it hasn't rained that much and i could hear the water dripping in the utility closet.

Ouch.  We live in a swamp, and summer can be awful without cool air.  Yes, people lived through summers here for years and years without it.  Yes, i'm pretty heat tolerant (until even i get so hot that my heart trouble bothers me).  Yes, we have limped through a couple of summers with only the one small room with the room unit A/C working and no central.  It's still not pleasant, and we are just not used to it.

So i put in the call early to the home warranty company to get on their list.  They then contact a local contractor, who is supposed to call me.

Only, the local contractor never called.  Not even a call to ask for information, much less to set up a service call.

We are blessed that Sweetie's work has an in house guy who used to work with an A/C company.  He comes each summer and cleans the outdoor unit, and tests it, and makes sure we are good for the summer, and for a lot less than a regular company charges.  When Sweetie told Kurt what was going on, he told us it had a simple solution, and offered to come by after work to fix it.

Now, i rather knew what the problem could be, or might be, because our old unit used to do this.  It meant a drain was clogged, and that it needed to be blown out and have some bleach poured down it to keep it clear.  When the old unit used to clog, i would dig out the garden hose, hook it up to the drain hose, and turn the water on.  That would clear it out every time.

With this unit, though, i'd never been shown how to access or clear the drain, which is a PVC pipe and not a hose, anyway.  So i decided to wait for someone to show me.

By the time Kurt got off work at 3:30pm, i still hadn't heard from the service contractor, but i hadn't canceled the call.  He came over, showed me how to clear the drain, put in the bleach, we changed the filter, and in under 20 minutes i had cool air again.

While bailing out the drip pan into the sump pump, we also managed to test the pump, and it worked great, also.  At least i now know it's still in good shape, if we ever do need it.

Instead of a deductible for a service call, i gave Kurt the $20 he asked for and told him that Sweetie will also treat him to lunch one day this week at work.  It's worth it, the deductible is much more than that.

Then i called the warranty company and told them, politely, that their contractor never even bothered to call me, and that i was not best pleased with their service.  Also that i no longer needed the service that day, and that it was a good thing, too, as i was not enjoying the symptoms i was beginning to have.

Today, i am very grateful that, although i spent a most unpleasant afternoon being so hot that i couldn't even cook, our A/C is working again, and i now know how to clear the drain myself, and keep it clear.



Today is

Always Live Better Than Yesterday Day

Cotton Candy Day

Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola -- (Founder of the Jesuits, especially revered in Spain; Patron of retreats, soldiers, and the Society of Jesus which he founded; Basque country; Bilbao, Spain; Bizkaia, Spain; Gipuzkoa, Spain; Guipuscoa, Spain; Guipúzcoa, Spain; Spiritual Exercises (by Pope Pius XI); Vizcaya, Spain)

Friendship Festival -- Lathrop, Missouri, US (this year's theme is "Mule Dynasty"; through Saturday)

Hachinohe Sansha Taisai -- Hachinohe City, Japan (one of the most elaborate neputa festivals, through Aug. 4)

Halifax International Busker Festival -- Halifax, NS, Canada (with  action packed, mind blowing shows from around the globe; through August 5)

Jump for Jellybeans Day

Ka Hae Hawai'i Day -- Hawai'i (State Flag Day)

Lammas Eve / Lughnassad Eve

Lithasblot -- Norse harvest festival with a "blot", or offering, to the gods, celebrated through tomorrow

Loki and Sigyn's Day - Asatru / Norse Pagan (aka Devoted Couples Day)

Maine Lobster Festival -- Rockland, ME, US (more fun than a lobster can shake a tail at; through Sunday)

Make Homemade Ice Cream and Invite the Neighbors Over Day -- summer's almost over, make the most of the days we have left!

Moby Dick Marathon -- aboard the last US wooden whaler, the Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (through tomorrow, from noon to noon, a marathon reading of Moby Dick in honor of Melville's birthday)

Mutts' Day -- because mutts deserve a day as much as purebreeds do!

National Raspberry Cake Day

St. Germanus' Day (Patron of Auxerre, France)

St. Joseph of Arimathea's Day -- Eastern Orthodox Church (Patron of funeral directors)


Birthdays Today

Eric Lively, 1981
Dean Cain, 1966
J.K. Rowling, 1965
Jim Corr, 1964
Wesley Snipes, 1962
Bill Berry, 1958
Michael Biehn, 1956
Evonne Goolagong, 1951
Barry Van Dyke, 1951
Geraldine Chaplin, 1944
Ted Cassidy, 1932
Curt Gowdy, 1919
Milton Friedman, 1912


Today in History

Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide, BC30
The oldest recorded eruption of Mt. Fuji, 781
Thessalonica falls to the Arabs, who destroy the city, 904
The Jews are expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree takes effect, 1492
On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus
becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad, 1498
Aurangzeb is proclaimed Moghul emperor of India, 1658
The Treaty of Breda ends the Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1667
Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers, 1703
The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Marquis de Lafayette  "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions[sic], he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States," 1777
First U.S. patent is issued to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process, 1790
Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city, 1856
The first narrow gauge mainline railway in the world opens at Grandchester, Australia, 1865
The radio mystery program The Shadow is aired for the first time, 1930
Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius in Persepolis, 1938
First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio, 1954
At Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the first All-Star Game tie in major league baseball history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th inning because of rain, 1961
The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy, 1970
Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover, 1971
NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, 1976
A rare, class F4 tornado rips through Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people and causing $330 million in damage, 1987
Georgia joins the United Nations, 1992
Fidel Castro hands over power temporarily to brother Raúl Castro, 2006
Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end, 2007

Unfiltered

Things had been relatively quiet at the shelter -- too quiet to last, i knew.

And i was right.

First, a bit of backstory on one of the current situations.  A couple of years ago, every rescue and the animal control center and everyone else began to lose kittens.  They would appear fine, then throw up a couple of times.  Within twenty-four hours, they would become lethargic, sometimes have seizures, and die.

The diagnosis was panleukopenia, which we vaccinate for, but at that time not normally until they are about 4 weeks old, then we vaccinate every 2 weeks after that until they are 3 months or adopted.  When i got the news, i and others began a program of vaccinating the moment we got them in, even if they were newborns, giving them only half a dose if they were under 4 weeks, then re-vaccinating every week.

The virus can live on surfaces for up to a year, too, unless you bleach the tar out of every surface and steam clean and sanitize carpets.  Because of the decrepit condition of my house, i could only sanitize and bleach and steam clean so much, but i did everything the kittens go near as much as i could, pouring bleach in cracks and crevices,  and i implemented the early vaccinations and the deaths stopped.

So i walked into the shelter to do my regular shift to find out that two kittens that have been returned from a pet store adoption area have died of panleuk, one other was returned for crusty eyes that are healing but has probably been exposed, and one came back with ringworm which wasn't noticed until he had been in the kitten room for 3 days.

Also, a lady had come in and returned a cat, claiming she adopted it from us two years ago.  Because her name was in the database as someone who had adopted from us, it was taken.  Come to find out, the cat she adopted from us was gray, and that was six years ago.  This one's microchip identified it as an animal control adoption, two years ago, and it is orange!

Her story was interesting, and distracted the intake person into not noting the discrepancies until it was too late.  It seems the first cat she adopted was when she lived with her father, and we believe he still has it.  This one, from two years ago, ran away a year ago.  It was found about a week ago, and she got it back, and took it home, where she and her husband now have custody of five children under age five from his negligent sister.  The cat apparently doesn't like little children, which was discovered the hard way.

He does, however, love adults, so despite the fact that he should be returned elsewhere, we will find him a good home, with only older children or none at all.

And to top everything off, the air conditioner wasn't cooling, and the sewer is backing up and one of the loos, at times, smells like it.

That pet store adoption area needs to be emptied and bleached within an inch of its existence, but these kittens have all been more than fully vaccinated, and with the modified live vaccine, too, which is supposed to be the best one there is.  So we have a dilemma, we aren't sure we can adopt any kittens out right now, because if this is a new strain or some of them didn't develop immunity, we are doing to end up with them getting sick and dying in their new homes.

In fact, one family called today to say the perfectly healthy kitten adopted on July 5 died after throwing up once, then getting lethargic, then having a seizure, and all within just a few hours.  They are going to be allowed to pick out another kitten at no charge, of course, but we want them to wait until we can be sure this isn't going to happen again.

The sewer problem is going to have to wait for Monday, because it's not enough of an emergency to warrant calling someone in when rates are higher on a weekend.  As long as nothing is actually coming into the building, it can hold.

The A/C is a cat of a different color.  We can't have the cats in that kind of heat, so the HVAC people were called in.  They found and fixed the problem while i worked my shift.

It seems that someone had forgotten to check the date on the white board and follow the schedule for changing the filter, which was filthy, as were the condenser coils.  As many cats as we have in that place, we sweep up enough hair every day to knit ourselves a litter of kittens if we ever needed one, the filter needs changing every two weeks at least, and it had been over two months.

As i noted, with the A/C guy standing there, it's cheaper to replace filters than pay for repairs.  He nodded and said, "Absolutely!  I agree with that, it's cheaper to replace them than hire me!"  So i hope they take it to heart.

For reasons of dust, dander, and fur, as well as being able to isolate sick animals, that is one place that doesn't need to go unfiltered.


Today is

Art Fair on the Square -- Madison, WI, US (one of the Midwest's largest juried art fairs; through tomorrow)

Bald In - Bald Out Day -- sponsored by Bald Girls Do Lunch; if men can be bald and brazen, then women and children who cannot grow hair should bring bald INto their lives, and never feel on the OUTs!

Barbershop Music Appreciation Day -- anniversary of the founding of Sweet Adelines International

Beans and Franks Day

Bohemian Club Annual Rites begin -- Bohemian Grove, CA US (if you are into conspiracy theories, this is supposedly when and where the male movers and shakers of the world meet for two weeks and decide the fate of the world for the next 12 months; the members of the club, including former presidents and other high level officials, do meet for a couple of weeks this time of year to have, among other things, a Cremation of Care ceremony)

Carver Day -- George Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, MO, US

Circus City Festival -- Peru, IN, US (did you ever want to run off and join the circus?  This is the week kids age 7-21 get to do just that, so go watch and have fun with them!  through the 20th)

Embrace Your Geekness Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, celebrate your love of online dungeon games, comic books, or dressing up like a vampire

Fairfest -- Hastings, NE (a parade today, and starting on Monday a full week of traditional county fair fun plus world class stage entertainment)

Feast of Kalimat (Words) -- Baha'i Faith

Fool's Paradise Day -- a day to figure out how a fool can achieve paradise?  or how it can be paradise if it is full of fools?

Galicnik Svadba -- Galicnik, Macedonia (wedding festival, when one lucky couple gets to be married in a traditional "Galichka" style wedding, through tomorrow)

Go West Day -- commemorates Horace Greeley's "Go West, young man, and grow up with the country."

Gruntled Workers Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; those of us who are gruntled, as opposed to the disgruntled, should unite and pass along some "great work" compliments to those doing a good job

International Puzzle Day -- some sites say Jan. 29, but today is Erno Rubik's birth anniversary

La Retraite Aux Flambeaux -- France (night watch, before Bastille Day)

National French Fries Day

Obon (Ulambana) -- Buddhist; Shinto (Festival of the Lanterns, a time of honoring the ancestors, a reunion of them with the living; through the 15th, although Obon festivals are held on various dates in July at temples throughout the world)

Omaha Railroad Days -- celebrating all things track and train, through tomorrow

Pori Jazz Festival -- Pori, Finland (a major international music event with world class performances; through the 21st)

Sodbuster Days -- Fort Ransom, ND, US (learn how rural North Dakotans lived in the early 1920s; through tomorrow)

Sourdough River Festival -- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Float Fest and a big water fight! through tomorrow)

Statehood Day -- Montenegro

St. Henry the Emperor's Day (Patron of childless people, disabled people, dukes, handicapped people, kings, people rejected by religious orders, physically challenged people; Bamberg, Germany; Basel, Switzerland; Benedictine Oblates; against sterility)

St. Joel the Prophet's Day (Old Testament prophet of the Book of Joel)

Stone House Day -- Hurley, NY, US (tour of several 250+ year old stone houses within 150-yards of each other)


Birthdays Today

Cheech Marin, 1946
Erno Rubik, 1944
Harrison Ford, 1942
Patrick Stewart, 1940
Jack Kemp, 1935
Bob Crane, 1928
Dave Garroway, 1913
Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1821
Julius Caesar, BC100


Today in History

Capt James Cook begins 2nd trip (Resolution) to South Seas, 1772
William Wordsworth, on a walking tour through the Wye Valley, visited the ruins of Tintern Abbey and a few miles further on composed a poem about them, 1798
Greek War of Independence: Greeks defeated Ottoman forces at Thermopylae, 1822
Henry R Schoolcraft discovers the source of the Mississippi River, 1832
After 9,957 unnumbered patents, the U.S. Patent Office issues Patent No. 1, for locomotive wheels, 1836
Queen Victoria becomes the first British monarch to live at Buckingham Palace in London, 1837
First day of the New York Draft Riots in response to President Abraham Lincoln's Enrolment Act of Conscription, 1863
Horace Greeley publishes his editorial advising young men to "Go West, young man, go west and grow up with the country," 1865
PT Barnum's American Museum was destroyed in one of the most spectacular fires in New York City's history, 1865
Gold was discovered near Cochrane, Ontario, Canada, 1909
The British airship R34 lands in Norfolk, England, completing the first airship return journey across the Atlantic in 182 hours of flight, 1919
Alexander Butterfield reveals the existence of the Nixon tapes to the special Senate committee investigating the Watergate break in, 1973
The Live Aid benefit concert, a telecast fundraising concert for famine relief in Ethiopia, was held in London and Philadelphia, as well as other venues such as Sydney and Moscow, 1985
American Thoroughbred racehorse Cigar wins his 16th consecutive top-class race, the first horse to do so since Triple Crown winner citation, 1996
Researchers reveal two studies showing the antiretroviral drugs prescribed to treat AIDS can also prevent HIV infections, 2011