Oh, by the way.

Well, about the repairs.

And so on Thursday, the plumbing company that the home warranty company uses here in town came over.  Only one plumber came this time.  Usually the company sends two, but in this case, it was one nice young man who had been assigned to make 11 calls that day.  They were that busy.

He was easily able to solve our slow-draining bathtub, and he made it so that we won't have that problem again.  We have too much hair, human and cat, in this house, to have any kind of mechanism in a tub or shower that catches and holds the stuff in the pipe.  Better that it just go on through, if it gets stuck downstairs in the big pipe, we have an outdoor clean-out.  Somewhere, we do.  We'd have to find it, it's overgrown now, but it is there.

We do not, however, have an individual outdoor clean-out for the kitchen sink.  The warranty company requires that kitchen sink stoppages be cleaned out from the outside, so you can't blame them for sink damage.  No snaking it from the inside, which i was afraid to do anyway, concerned i would push the onions further down the line and stop up more stuff.

Anyway, no clean-out for the sink, they cannot do it, not under the warranty.  They can, however, come back this next Tuesday with two people and a ladder and a machine and go through the vent in the roof.  That, and capping off the lines to the now completely irreparable dishwasher so we can remove it (the sink backup went into it and i will never be able to get it clean, and the pump was gone anyway) is going to cost a few of hundred dollars.

Meanwhile we have a big bowl in the sink that all water has to go into, and when it's full it has to be poured into a large pot, and when that's full it has to be taken outdoors and poured out.

Did i mention that Tuesday morning is also when i have an appointment to get some items on the Jalopy fixed?  Kevin has already ordered the parts.  The parts that need replacing would keep the Jalopy from passing inspection, so i'm glad they went out now, two months after this year's inspection was over, but still.  Yes, i could go until closer to the next inspection to get it done, but then the check engine light would stay on all of the time, and if something really went wrong with the engine, i'd never know unless i stopped to have them pull the codes every week, which i am not going to do to them they are already too nice to me for me to be bothering them like that.

Also yesterday, while i was waiting my turn to do laundry (yes, there are 7 adults currently in this house, we have to take turns), i heard a familiar dripping noise with a sinking feeling.  The A/C is stopped up and leaking again.

It's just the start of the leak, barely at all, but we have to get on this right now or we will lose the unit.  Yes, the warranty company would cover this, but for only $25 more than the deductible i can get Sweetie's old friend Kurt from where he used to work to come over and do it today, without having to wait a week to get scheduled, and he will also check over the whole unit and make sure there are no other problems.

The thing is, it could always be worse, and i know that, so i'm keeping up on my gratitude list, and remembering to breathe.  Also, to laugh.

"Mom, I have big plans for the 4th!" Bigger Girl told me.

What's up? i asked.

"I am going to see Jodie and Callie out in the country for a weekend of snakes, fireworks, and home-made redneck hooch!  And I promise all of those things will be had separately."

No matter what is going on, how can anyone not be grateful after hearing that?

Today is:

Adonia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (date approximate, but always in July, a ritual to honor Adonis)

Build a Scarecrow Day -- keep the crows out of that field of freshly growing corn out on the back 40!

Cherokee Green Corn Ceremony -- honoring maize goddess Selu with thanksgiving for the maize harvest; date approximate, as many towns set their own times to celebrate

Distressed Elves' Creditors' Day -- Fairy Calendar

Flag & Anthem Day -- Curacao

Freedom From Fear of Public Speaking Day -- as proposed by Beverly Beuermann-King, because you don't want to blow it when your big opportunity comes because you are afraid to speak out!

Hop A Park Day -- US (several years ago the Colleyville, Texas, Park and Recreation Commission started this celebration on the first Saturday of July, which is National Parks and Recreation Month; go visit a park today, or make plans to do it soon!)

I Forgot Day (the day to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or other special days that you forgot during the first half of the year)

International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship -- Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, Eau Claire, WI, US

International Day of Cooperatives -- U.N.

National Anisette Day

Palio di Provenzano -- Siena, Italy (horse race and pageant, named after the Madonna di Provenzano, whose church is in Siena)

Rebildfesten/Rebild Festival/American Independence Day Celebration -- Aalborg, Denmark (the town dresses in red, white and blue, celebrating with BBQ, American beer, and more; through the 4th)

Remember to Feed the Hummingbirds Day -- internet reminder to be nice to these beautiful creatures

Rockport Art Festival -- Rockport, TX, US (top artists from around the country line the waterfront today and tomorrow, with good music and good food to add to the fun)

Second Half of the Year Day -- because 2016 is a Leap Year, the second half of the year started at midnight

St. Swithin's Day (Patron against drought; of Stavenger, England; Winchester, England)

The Dam Experience -- Warsaw, MO, US (fireworks viewed from land and boat at the Truman Dam)

Tour de France -- through Sunday, July 24

Try to Find Your Slinky Day -- the weird holiday of the day!

Violin Lovers' Day

World UFO Day -- unfortunately, a real day observed by many around the world (on the "anniversary" of the UFO crash in Roswell, if such a thing even happened, which i doubt*) 

*i believe that if there's life elsewhere, it shows its intelligence by staying away from us!


Anniversary Today:

Prince Albert of Belgium marries Paola Ruffo di Calabria, 1959


Birthdays Today:

Lindsay Lohan, 1986
Ashley Tisdale, 1985
Johnny Weir, 1984
Jose, Jr., and Ozzie Canseco, 1964
Jimmy McNichol, 1961
Ron Silver, 1946
Vicente Fox Quesada, 1942
Richard Petty, 1937
Polly Holiday, 1937
Dave Thomas, 1932
Medgar Evers, 1925
Dan Rowan, 1922
Ken Curtis, 1916
Thurgood Marshall, 1908
Jean René Lacoste, 1904
Hermann Hesse, 1877
Thomas Cranmer, 1489


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Andy Williams Show"(TV), 1957
"The Lawrence Welk Show"(TV), 1955
"Finlandia"(Sibelius' Op. 26), 1900


Today in History:

Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine, 1698
Vermont  becomes the first American territory to abolish slavery, 1777
Charles J. Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James Garfield, who eventually dies from an infection on September 19, 1881
Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 rebelling African slaves led by Joseph Cinque take over the slave ship Amistad, 1893
Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi obtains patent for radio in London, 1897
The first zeppelin flight takes place on Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany, 1900
Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight 1937
The first Wal-Mart store opens for business in Rogers, Arkansas, 1962
North and South Vietnam, divided since 1954, reunite to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 1976
The AbioCor  self contained artificial heart is first implanted, 2001
Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon, 2002
Planetoid Pluto's fourth and fifth moons officially receive the names Kerberos and Styx from the International Astronomical Union, 2013

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

Big Day

Today, if all goes well, we get the A/C repaired!  It looks like it may come under the warranty, so it won't cost much.

And, if we can pry the back door downstairs open -- the house has been leveled more than once, but we still don't know if it will open and then close again -- a family that is remodeling may give us a five year old washer and dryer!  We've had old models, and bought well used ones, for so long now, having an almost new set would be delightful.  It's just a matter of that door, and i have a week or so to work on it.

We've had a couple of offers from people who can come look at the roof trouble, and maybe get into the attic to make sure all is well up there.  Not the regular part where we store stuff, but the other part that we don't get into.  The roof probably just needs caps and new flashing around the bathroom vent pipes.

Bigger Girl has started her job as a pizza delivery driver part time.  She wants to earn some of her own way as much as possible, and she's been turned down so often as "overqualified" because of her training at the research lab.  She's glad someone finally took a chance on her.

This week i'm working 3 days, two babysitting Gracie and one cleaning Ms. P's house, as so i'm going to get us a GPS that she can use at work and i can use when i go on my trip next year, or when i deliver flowers.

Then it's just a matter of hoping the cars last a while longer, as i've been saying for a few years now.





Today is:

American Beer Day

Big Bang Day -- London, England

Boxer Shorts Day -- ???????

Cernova Tragedy Day -- Slovakia

Cranky Co-Worker's Day -- because we all have occasional bad days; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Feast of Osiris in Abydos -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Good Bear Day -- on Theodore Roosevelt's birthday, celebrating the stuffed toy created in his honor

Independence Day -- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines(1979); Turkmenistan(1991)

International School Library Day

Labour Day -- New Zealand

National Potato Day

National Tell A Story Day -- Scotland (preserving the heritage of traditional stories)

Navy Day -- US (on T.R.'s birth anniversary)

October Bank Holiday -- Ireland

Peniamina Gospel Day -- Niue

Radio Day -- US (US Commerce Dept. issued the first broadcasting license this date in 1920)

St. Frumentius' Day (Patron of Abyssinia; Ethiopia)

Sylvia Plath Day

Tunch Puddling -- Fairy Calendar (a contest of throwing twigs in a pond -- awards are for artistically thrown twigs and throwing style, among other things)

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage -- International

World Occupational Therapy Day -- International


Anniversary Today:

The NYC Subway begins operation, 1904


Birthdays Today:

Zadie Smith, 1975
Marla Maples, 1963
Simon LeBon, 1958
Roberto Benigni,1952
Jayne Kennedy, 1951
Fran Lebowitz, 1950
Carrie Snodgrass, 1946
John Cleese, 1939
Ruby Dee, 1924
Roy Lichtenstein, 1923
Bette Babray, 1920
Nanette Fabray, 1920
Dylan Thomas, 1914
Emily Post, 1872
Theodore Roosevelt, 1858
Niccolo Paganini, 1782
Captain James Cook, 1728


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Lettice and Lovage"(Play), 1987
"Beyond the Fringe"(Revue), 1962
"Walt Disney/Wonderful World of Color/Wonderful World of Disney"(TV), 1954 (the show had several different names over the years, but even when it switched stations, it was still the same show)
"You Bet Your Life"(Radio), 1947
"Nocturnes"(Debussy orchestral compsition), 1901(first performance of all three parts together)



Today in History:

Constantine the Great is said to have received his Vision of the Cross, 312
Founding of the city of Amsterdam, 1275
Founding of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1682
US Navy forms, 1775
Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, which orders all Mormons to leave the state or be exterminated, 1838
R.H. Macy & Co. opens its first store, on 6th Ave. in NYC, 1858
Boss Tweed is arrested, 1871
The first underground New York City Subway line opens, 1904
The first published reference to "jazz" appears, in Variety, 1916
Chuhei Numbu of Japan sets the long jump record at 26' 2 1/2", 1931
"You Bet Your Life," with Groucho Marx, premiers on ABC radio, 1947*
Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force, 1954
Mauritania and Mongolia join the United Nations, 1961
The British government suddenly deregulates financial markets, leading to a total restructuring of the way in which they operate in the country, in an event now referred to as the Big Bang, 1986
The U.S. prison population tops 1 million for the first time in American history, 1994
Gliese 229B is the first Substellar Mass Object to be unquestionably identified, 1994
Stock markets around the world crash because of fears of a global economic meltdown, 1997
The Boston Red Sox win the World Series for the first time in 86 years, 2004
The SSETI Express micro-satellite is successfully launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, 2005


*(Ultimate result of this a few years later is, of course, the funniest line ever on tv, when a man with 8 kids admitted to Mr. Marx that he did indeed love his wife, and Groucho countered with, "I love my cigar, too, but I take it out of my mouth sometimes!")

Generating Interest, Part Two

So, did you think a two hour stint at the new school was my only adventure of the week?

Oh, silly, of course not!  That was the beginning.

Because my phone didn't get reception in the counselor's office, i came out of the building to a voice mail.  It was Blair.  Knowing she only calls for one reason, i dialed her.

"I'm on my way right now to pick up a newborn kitten, just one.  Can you take it?"

Can i say no?

Hurrying home so i could meet up with her, i was barely ahead of the generator guy, who was scheduled to come but hadn't told me what time.  Looking out of the window, i suddenly realized he was there, hard at it.

Eventually he and i ended up on the front porch with Blair coming up the drive, and he was asking me to open the indoor room where the box is (actually, Sweetie's man cave) while she handed me a baby so new the umbilical stump wasn't even dry yet.  It couldn't have been more than an hour or so old.

Blair handed me the baby and left, and i went in, opened the room, turned off the central A/C because i knew the electricity would be going on and off as he worked, and fed the baby.

On and off was right.  He worked, and replaced, and tested, and replaced, and my internet went in and out as the electricity came off and on and as i struggled to answer my dad's emails that were fast and furious, never quite knowing which ones were going out and which were getting lost in the shuffle.

Mick finally came in and said he needed another part, and he would be back.  He left the electricity on, thank heaven, as it took him quite a long time.  In fact, i was starting to wonder what had happened when he showed up again, saying, "A big accident on the Interstate,  Every major artery is locked up."

Figures.

He worked more, and i fed kittens and finally got my dad the information he wanted and Mick finally said, "I've put in a call to my Supervisor.  We're going to get this!"

Great, i thought, what now!  No, don't tell me, i'm not sure i want to know.

Eventually, though, i did know.  The Supervisor showed up, and they went through the turn it on/turn it off again a few times, and the Supervisor figured out the problem.  He had to look very closely, but there was one wire loose.  In replacing the relay, it had been knocked ever so slightly askew.

"Do you know how much I want to flip you off for finding that so fast when I thought I had checked everything!" Mick said to his Supervisor with a grin.  "You are lucky she is in the room, so I can't!"

We all laughed.

New control board, new relay, naughty wire back in place, and finally, the last test.  Success.  The generator will once again come on automatically when the power goes out, and cut off properly when it comes back on.

"I'll have them send you an invoice," the Supervisor said.  "Cost of the two parts, plus the truck fee and only one hour of labor.  That's all it should usually take to change out those two parts, so that's all I'll charge you for."

Since it's $95 an hour, and the parts will be around $300, and the truck fee is $100, only having to pay for one hour when it took so many trips and several hours more than that is a blessing. 

Meanwhile, i'll be up nights again for a while.

Today is:

Air Guitar World Championships -- Oulu, Finland (through Saturday; "The purpose of the Air Guitar World Championships is to promote world peace.")

Aquino Day -- Philippines

Buhe -- Ethiopian Orthodox Church (Christian remembrance of the Transfiguration.)

Cadillac Day -- the first Caddy was built this day in 1902

Chung Yuan Festival -- China (Festival of Hungry Ghosts; according to legend, during this 7th lunar month the souls of the dead are released from Purgatory to wander the Earth, and so today is the day to appease those spirits with joss stick burning, prayers and food, "ghost money", and other offerings; dates of this vary in other countries)

Consualia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival of Consus, god of grain and silos)

Corn Palace Festival -- Mitchell, SD, US (harvest celebration and redecoration of the world's only Corn Palace; through Sunday)

Crazy Day -- go crazy, in honor of Patsy Cline recording Willie Nelson's song Crazy on this date in 1961

Fete de la Jeunesse -- Morocco; Western Sahara (Youth Day, on the Birthday of HM Mohammed VI)

Gospel Day -- Kosrae, Micronesia

National Pecan Torte Day

National Senior Citizens Day -- US

National Spumoni
Native Wild Rice Harvest -- Northern Cree, Ojibwa, and Algonkian Native Americans (celebrated during the August full moon; if there are two full moons, it is during the second)

Poet's Day -- a day to celebrate the poet in you, and share special thoughts about poets and poetry

Raksha Bandhan -- Hindu (festival honoring the loving ties between brothers and sister in a family; local observances date may vary)

St. Pius X's Day (Patron of first communicants, pilgrims; Des Moines, Iowa, US; Great Falls-Billings, Montana, US; Kottoyam, India; Santa Lucija, Malta; Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO, US; Zamboanga, Philippines)

Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration -- Shelbyville, TN, US (an 11-day festival celebrating the world famous Tennessee Walking Horse and crowning this year's World Grand Champion)


Anniversaries Today

Seminole Tribe of Native Americans is legally established and recognized, 1957
Hawai'i becomes the 50th US state, 1959


Birthdays Today

Ozma, Queen of Oz, year unconfirmed
Jackie DeShannon, 1944
Clarence Williams III, 1939
Kenny Rogers, 1938
Wilt Chamberlain, 1936
Shimon Peres, 1923
Christopher Robin Milne, 1920
Friz Freleng, 1906
Count Basie, 1904
William Murdoch, 1754
Francis de Sales, 1567


Today in History

Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shogun and therefore de facto ruler of Japan, 1192
Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe from Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt, 1680
James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales, 1770
The Nat Turner slave revolt in Virginia leaves 55 dead, 1831
Mighty Casey (Dan Casey) is struck out! In a game against the N.Y. Giants, 1887
William S Burroghs patents the adding machine, 1888
Oldsmobile is incorporated as a division of General Motors Corp., 1897
Arthur Rose Eldred becomes the first Boy Scout to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, 1912
Physicist Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the Demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1945
James Anderson, Jr., posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine, 1968
Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. is assassinated at the Manila International Airport, 1983
Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometer range, 1986
Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses, 1991
The Red Cross announces the famine in Tajikistan and calls for international aid there and in Uzbekistan, 2001
Hurricane Dean becomes the first storm to make landfall as a Catagory 5 since Hurricane Andrew, 2007

Generating Interest

The other day, after another fruitless attempt to get through some school system red tape, i came home to the electricity off and the generator running.

Not so unusual, especially in this neighborhood, unfortunately.  The usual hoopla followed, call the electric company, report the outage, get on the list for a text message back when the electricity comes back on (because sometimes it is supposedly on but not for us, and they have to be alerted to that).

What became unusual was the generator kicked off, but the electricity wasn't back on.  A moment later, the generator came back on, so i went out and checked the oil and looked for any lights that signal trouble.  Nothing.

Then it shut off again.  The electricity still wasn't restored, and the generator isn't supposed to shut off unless the electricity is fully restored.

At that point, i went out and manually shut the switch so the generator wouldn't come back on, because i realized something was really wrong.

A call to the generator people wasn't very comforting when i was told it could be up to two weeks before they got to me.  Ugh.

Thank heaven, a few hours later, the nice lady called back, a cancellation had come up and i was on the list for the following day.

Mick showed up over an hour early, unusual for such work, and i told him what had happened.

We discussed how it could have been the electric company repair that caused the malfunction, because sometimes they turn the electricity on and off several times in one repair, but somehow i didn't think so.

Mick checked the outdoor unit, putting it through it's paces.

"I'm going to simulate the two things that will shut it down like that, low oil pressure or overheating,"            
 he said, "and we will see what happens."

Both of those things checked out.  If it registers low oil, it shuts down and won't restart.  If it registers overheated, it shuts down until it cools off, then comes back on.  The oil level was also exactly where it should be.

"Now for the big test," he said.  "I need to come in and simulate a power outage from the breaker boxes." 

As is standard, i asked him if he was allergic to cats.

"Nope!  Cats, dogs, and kids all love me.  It's the adults I tend to have trouble with!" he laughed.

Well, i don't seem to be having trouble with you, i noted.  You seem competent and capable.

"Yeah, well, that would be the 24 years as a staff Sergeant in the army." he noted.  "I got good at instilling confidence in my men in battle."

Thank you for your service, i said.  Were you trained as an electrician for the military?

"Nope. When a congressman serves one term, he gets full retirement and benefits for life.  When I got out after 24 years, i got 50% and some benefits, and I had to learn a trade so I could support myself.  And I was the one out getting shot at!"

It certainly does seem backwards, i noted.

That's when the test with the indoor equipment went wrong.  As the electricity for the house went off completely, i was so glad i had shut down the A/C and the computers for the time being.

"This isn't right.  It's supposed to go right back to full power," he said, groping for a flashlight.  Once he had it, he flipped the switch that should go automatically, and power was restored.

"Let's try it again," he said, but it was the same result.

"Okay, let's look at the fuses," he said.  All three fuses, two in the box and one in the generator outdoors, and still the same result.

"Well, I'm the senior tech, and I'm going to figure this out!" he said.  A few tests and calls later, he had it pinpointed to a board that's gone bad in the generator itself.

"The part is at the shop," Mick told me.  "I can come back early next week to install it."

Meanwhile, i noted, if he electricity goes off, we have no back up.

"Well, yes, you can.  Let me teach you how to do it manually.  

"If your electricity goes off, come out here and flip this switch," he said.  "It will kick on and run the way it usually does.  Then, once you know for sure electricity is restored ... do you get the alerts?" he asked.

Yes, i said, and not only that, but the whole house isn't on the generator.  So i can go to a room that's not on it, and if the lights come on, that means it's on but the generator area is down.  That happened before.

"What did you do then?" he asked.

Well, the guy who installed it taught me to use the rubberized tool you had when you were in there and flip the yellow switch, i told him.

"Exactly," he confirmed.  "When you know the electricity is back on, go outside, manually turn the generator off, then come in and flip that switch.  Make sure you use the rubberized tool or you will be electrocuted!"

Yes, Sergeant! i told him, and i wasn't being flippant, as he knew.

Until early next week, the generator is switched off, to be used manually only, and i'm just glad it can be fixed.

What will be interesting is the price tag, which i won't know until then.  Ouch!



Today is:

American Quilter's Society Quilt Exposition -- Grand Rapids, MI, US (their largest show; through Saturday)

Anniversary Day -- Tristan da Cunha

Assumption Eve -- France; Holy See

Crayfish Premier -- Sweden (crayfish may be sold and served in restaurants, the day after the season opens)

Day of Peace between Horus and Set -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Faradda di li candareri (Descent of the Candlesticks) -- Sassari, Sardinia (beginning of the celebration of the Assumption)

Festival for Fortuna Equestris -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Independence Day -- Pakistan(1947)

International Nagging Day -- ignore this one if you have any sense, the founder was smart enough to leave no trace

International Tango Festival and World Championship -- Buenos Aires, Argentina (through the 27th)

La Torta dei Fieschi -- Lavagna, Italy (this city on the Italian Riviera comes to life with dance and music every year to commemorate the wedding, on this day in 1230, of Bianca de Bianchi and Count Opizzo Fiechi, as he had invited everyone in town to share the 30ft. high cake he had made for the occasion)

Liberty Tree Day -- Massachusetts, US

Mantoro Lantern Lighting -- Kasuga Taisha, Japan (through tomorrow; 3,000 lanterns light the shrine, and the main hall is open for visitors, with Bugaku and Kagura performed in the apple garden)

National Creamsicle Day

National Financial Awareness Day -- can't find the history on who started this for which country, but it's wise to become financially literate no matter where you live

National Navajo Code Talkers Day -- Navajo Nation; US

Oued Ed-Dahab Day -- Morocco; Western Sahara (celebrating the recovery of this area from Spanish occupation in 1979)

Pramuka Day -- Indonesia (Scouting Day)

St. Maximillian Kolbe's Day (Patron of families, imprisoned people, journalists, political prisoners, prisoners, recovering drug addicts, the pro-life movement; against drug addictions)

St. Werenfrid's Day (Patron of vegetable gardeners; Arnheim, Netherlands; Elst, Netherlands; Westervoort, Netherlands; against gout and stiff joints)

Wiffle Ball Day -- the wiffle ball was introduced this day in 1953



Anniversary Today

V-J Day


Birthdays Today

Halle Berry, 1966
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, 1959
Gary Larson, 1950
Danielle, Steel, 1947
Susan Saint James, 1946
Steve Martin, 1945
Lynne Cheney, 1941
David Crosby, 1941
Alice Ghostley, 1926
Russell Baker, 1925
John Ringling North, 1903
Doc Holiday, 1851
H.C. Oersted, 1777
Emperor Hanazono of Japan, 1297


Today in History

The young Emperor Antoku and three sacred treasures are taken by Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan, fleeing to western Japan to escape pursuit by the Minamoto clan, 1183
Kublai Khan's invading fleet disappears in a a typhoon near Japan, 1281
Three years after Gutenberg, the oldest known exactly dated printed book is published, 1457
Queen Elizabeth I refuses sovereignty of the Netherlands, 1585
Great Britain annexes Tristan da Cunha (remotest occupied island), 1816
Second Seminole War ends, with the Seminoles forced from Florida to Oklahoma, 1842
Oregon Territory created, 1848
Magazine "Field and Stream" begins publication, 1873
Construction of Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, is completed, 1880
Japan issues its first patent, for rust-proof paint, 1885
A recording of English composer Arthur Sullivan's The Lost Chord, one of the first recordings of music ever made, is played during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph in London, 1888
France begins requiring motor vehicle registration, 1893
The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21, 1901
Mt. Rushmore project first proposed, 1925
United States Social Security Act passes, creating a government pension system for the retired, 1935
British troops are deployed in Northern Ireland, 1969
Longest game in softball history begins, as The Gager's Diner team takes on the Bend'n Elbow Tavern; the game was played to raise money for a new softball field in Monticello, NY, went to 365 innings over two days, and the Gagers won 491-467, 1976
Lech Walesa leads strikes at the Gdansk, Poland shipyards, 1980
Widescale power blackout in the northeast United States and Canada, 2003
As a sponsored event of the IOC, the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, first ever Youth Olympics for athletes age 14-18, officially starts in Singapore, 2010