Saturday was slow, and cooler than Friday.
Our electrician friend will be back on Monday or Tuesday to do a better repair than just the patch on the wire. Meanwhile, the A/C is held together with the wrong lug and electrical tape. Figures that would happen in my house.
In other news (insert sarcastic grimace here), I updated my Deathswitch. Nothing like writing final goodbye letters ahead of time to get you thinking. Still, it is something that has to be done.
Today is
Bowdler's Day
Buffalo Bill Day
Feast of Theano, Philosopher, Mathmatician, wife of Pythagoras, patron of vegetarianism
Independence Day -- Mongolia
National Blueberry Muffin Day
National Cheer Up The Lonely Day
St Benedict Day - Catholic Christian (patron of Europe, architects, the dying, farm workers, monks, spelunkers, servants who break things; against gallstones, poison, witchcraft)
St. Pius I's Day
Swimming Pool Day
World Population Day
Birthdays Today:
David Henrie, 1989
Marie Sernehold, 1983
Lisa Rinna, 1963
Richie Sambora, 1959
Suzanne Vega, 1959
Mark Lester, 1958
Leon Spinks, 1953
Giorgio Armani, 1934
Tab Hunter, 1931
Yul Brynner, 1920
E.B. White, 1899
John Quincy Adams, 1767
Today in History
Admiral Zheng He sets sail on his first exploratory expedition for the Ming Dynasty, 1405
Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec, 1616
Jews are expelled from Little Russia, 1740
Halifax, Nova Scotia is almost completely destroyed by fire, 1750
Captain James Cook begins his third voyage, 1776
Jacques Necker is dismissed as France's Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille, 1789
French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons made his first comet discovery (he discovered 36 over the next 27 years, more than any other person), 1801
Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounds former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel, 1804
Waterloo railway station in London opens, 1848
Tijuana, Mexico, is formally founded, 1889
The Lumière brothers demonstrate film technology to scientists, 1895
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, 1960
The first U.S. space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, 1979
Full diplomatic relations are established between the United States and Vietnam, 1995
We went to work as usual on Friday morning, and when we got home I walked in and felt it.
It's funny, but there is a feeling to the house when the A/C has quit working again. Something in the air. I am seldom wrong when I sense it.
Sure enough, the compressor wasn't coming on. Checked the breakers, didn't seem to be a problem. Called the home warranty company. They called the local people who, after begging and pleading, agreed to come out Saturday.
An hour later, we got a call. They could send a technician right now, if we were home. Could he come? To quote #2 Son, when someone asks an obvious question, "Do farts stink?"
Turned out to not be the A/C. We have a problem in the electrical system somewhere. That will be another $60 for the service call.
Because the problem seems to be connected to our generator, we couldn't let the home warranty people call their electrician, who might not know what to do with the generator hook up. We called our Generator Guy, who agreed to drive up from his current job, over an hour away, later in the day.
Much later. It was after 9pm when he arrived, and he saw the problem within a few minutes. He said it was a quick fix, and went out to his vehicle to look for the right sized lug. At almost 10pm he realized he didn't have it. Of course, the home improvement places don't stay open past 10. Using the phone, I talked him through getting to a big box 24 hr. store, but they didn't have the right size lug in their small hardware section.
Back at the house, he tore open every breaker panel in the house looking for a lug to scavenge. Finally, at the small side panel, he found something that would be a temporary hold. It was really a grounding lug, but it would work if he put enough electrical tape around it. We don't even know where that grounding lug came from or why it was in there, but the Lord is merciful.
So, by 11:30 pm we had A/C again, patched together enough to hold for a couple of days until he can get back and do it up to his standard.
Why did an electrical lug go bad and burn up? That is the $64,000 question. Did they put too big a capacitor in the compressor when they fixed it a couple of weeks ago? Was it a bad lug? Did the generator have anything to do with it? Will the patch hold? Is there another problem we just haven't caught yet?
Lets hope not. I'm so tired of broken.
Right now, I'm also so glad for the mercy that let us have cool air.
Today is
51st Sourdough River Festival -- Edmondton, Alberta, Canada; through the 11th
Armed Forces Day -- Mauritania
Bon Festival/Feast of Lanterns, Japan
Clerihew Day
Don't Step On A Bee Day
Galicka svadba -- Galicnik, Macedonia (wedding festival), through the 11th
Hop A Park Day
Independence Day, Bahamas
Intern Appreciation Day
Librarian Day -- Chile
National Pina Colada Day
New Robe for Athena Day -- Ancient Greek Calendar
Teddy Bear Picnic Day
Anniversaries Today
Wyoming becomes the 44th US State, 1890
Birthdays Today
Jessica Simpson, 1980
Arlo Guthrie, 1947
Ron Glass, 1945
Arthur Ashe, 1943
Fred Gwynne, 1926
Jean Kerr, 1923
Jake LaMotta, 1921
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 1921
David Brinkley, 1920
Don "Mr. Wizard" Herbert, 1917
Nikola Tesla, 1856
Adolphus Busch, 1839
William Blackstone, 1723
John Calvin, 1509
Today in History
Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia at the Battle of Dyrrhachium, BC48
The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground, 1212
Lady Jane Grey takes the throne of England, 1553
Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Mackenzie River delta, 1789
The Vellore Mutiny is the first instance of a mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British East India Company, 1806
The United States takes possession of its newly bought territory of Florida from Spain, 1821
Big Ben, the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, rings for the first time, 1859
The eruption of Tarawera volcano destroys the famous pink and white calcium carbonate hot-spring terraces of North Island, New Zealand, 1886
Meher Baba, self declared Avatar of the Age, begins his silence of 44 years; his followers observe Silence Day on this date in commemoration, 1925
In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called "Monkey Trial" begins with John T. Scopes, a young high school science teacher accused of teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act, 1925
Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world, 1938
Telstar, the world's first communications satellite, is launched into orbit, 1962
Boris Yeltsin begins his 5-year term as the first elected President of Russia, 1991
Sweetie went for one of his very expensive haircuts. He claims no one but this one lady can cut his hair correctly. He goes frequently, too.
I haven't bothered to get a haircut since June 1994.
How did we ever end up together?
He spent the rest of the day following me around, until we left for the cat shelter.
The A/C is out at the shelter. Frieda was mad because she wouldn't accept a roomie, and the shelter is so crowded that two others, who will share, were given her room and she is back in a cage. #2 Son managed to get her purring and happy, at least for the time being.
Grady escaped again, as did Mouse, Ginny, and Simba. Mouse and Ginny were easy to pick up and put back in their rooms. Grady hid and had to be flushed out, as usual. Simba is very sweet, but does not like to be overstimulated. Getting out overstimulates him. He got very growly and we had to use the gardening gloves to catch him and keep from getting bitten.
Dustie still needs eye meds, which concerns me. If an eye med doesn't work within 3-4 days, something is wrong and a reevaluation is called for. She has been on this med for 2 weeks.
Then there is Rory. He is beautiful, and getting prettier by the day. The bites are healing, the scratches are all scabbed over, the bruises are fading, he has been cleaned up. No more fleas or ear mites or road debris in his fur. He is standing up to eat on his own, doesn't need fluids any more, and looks amazingly better.
He also is getting spoiled. He wants lots of petting and belly rubs. Everyone is happy to oblige, and he purrs at the least bit of attention.
He is going to make someone a wonderful pet.
Today is
Call of the Horizon Day
Caprotinia -- Ancient Roman Calendar, feast of Juno Caprotina
Constitution Day -- Palau
Edmonton International Street Performers Festival - in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; through the 18th
Fashion Day
Independence Day -- Argentina
Lindenfest -- Rhineland, Germany, through the 11th
Martyrdom of the Bab - Baha'i
National POW/MIA Recognition Day
National Sugar Cookie Day
Nunavut Day -- Canada (Inuit)
Pictou Lobster Carnival -- Nova Scotia
Turkey Rama -- McMinnville, Oregon, through the 10th
Birthdays Today
Mitchel Musso, 1991
Kiely Williams, 1986
Fred Savage, 1976
Jack White, 1975
Courtney Love, 1964
Kelly McGillis, 1957
Tom Hanks, 1956
Fred Norris, 1955
Jimmy Smits, 1955
John Tesh, 1952
Chris Cooper, 1951
Mitch Mitchell, 1947
O.J. Simpson, 1947
Richard Roundtree, 1942
Ed Ames, 1927
Today in History
Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed emperor of the Western Roman Empire, 455
Henry VIII annuls his marriage to Anne of Cleves (his 4th wife), 1540
In Versailles, the National Assembly reconstitutes itself as the National Constituent Assembly and begins preparations for a French constitution, 1789
The Act Against Slavery is passed in Upper Canada and the importation of slaves into Lower Canada is prohibited, 1793
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law, 1868
Queen Victoria gives royal assent to an Act creating the Commonwealth of Australia thus uniting separate colonies on the continent under one federal government, 1900
Johnny Weissmuller swims the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds breaking the world swimming record and the 'minute barrier', 1922
In a seminal moment for pop art, Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans exhibition opens at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, 1962
Margaret Thatcher begins her second term as British prime minster, 1982
South Africa is readmitted into the Olympic movement after 30 years of exclusion, 1991
Only really woeful because for the third day in a row, I couldn't hang clothes on the line because of the rain. Cloudy, gray days get me down, and I feel that depression creeping up. I also hate having to dry clothes on racks and hangers and draped over the backs of chairs indoors.
Usually in summer I can hold out for a sunny day and get my generally lighter disposition back. It is in winter that I can't fight it. So if the rain disperses for a few hours, I'll get outside for as long as I can stand the heat without melting.
(Took a break here and looked up the Bible verse of the day on a favorite website. It was Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. (Isaiah 49:13)
and the thought of skies and mountains singing in praise made me smile. Back to it!)
Meanwhile, Sweetie arranged to have lunch Wednesday afternoon with a friend. I spent the morning taking #2 Son to the school he will attend this year (first year since preK that he has not been homeschooled -- it's time), so they could test him and set out his courses. While he took the test, I went to local MallMart for groceries and cat litter and other things my family swears they can't live without.
When I got home, Sweetie went to lunch and I gave him an errand to run that would keep him busy until he could go get Bigger Girl from work. Our flood insurance payment is due, so he took it in, along with the letter our very concerned insurance agent sent us. It is about our lack of earthquake insurance -- in south Louisiana. I told him to ask Miss Lisa, our agent, if she really thinks this is a problem (tongue planted firmly in cheek, of course).*
*Her answer -- a quote for earthquake insurance! $106/year with a 5% deductible. Since the closest fault line to our house, on the highway up the road, only moves about 1 inch per 10 years, I can't see any damages over time costing more than the deductible, and they would want us to prove the moving earth caused the problem to begin with, which we couldn't. I believe we have better places to put our funds.
Today is
Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Omelet Day
Feast St. Sunniva -- Ancient Norse Calendar
Lailat al Miraj - Islam (The Prophet's Night Journey)
National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day
Old Crafts Day
Olive Branch Petition Day
SCUD Day (Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama)
St. Aquila and Prisca's Day
St. Kilian's Day (patron of Bavaria, Austria, whitewashers)
Video Games Day
Worshipful Company of Vintners (Winemakers) of the City of London Annual Procession
Birthdays Today
Jaden Smith, 1998
Sophia Bush, 1982
Kathleen Robertson, 1973
Beck Hansen, 1970
Toby Keith, 1961
Kevin Bacon, 1958
Christopher G. Moore, 1952
Marianne Williamson, 1952
Anjelica Huston, 1951
Wolfgang Puck, 1949
Raffi, 1948
Steve Lawrence, 1935
Marty Feldman, 1933
Roone Arledge, 1931
Billy Eckstine, 1914
Nelson Rockefeller, 1908
Alfred Binet, 1857
John D. Rockefeller, 1839
Ferdinand von Zeppelin, 1838
Today in History
Vasco da Gama sets sail on first direct European voyage to India, 1497
Charles II of England grants John Clarke a Royal Charter to Rhode Island, 1663
Battle of Restigouche – British defeat French forces in last naval battle in New France, 1760
The Olive Branch Petition is drafted by the Second Continental Congress as the Congress' last attempt to get King George III of Great Britain to reason with them, 1775
The Declaration of Independence has its first public reading, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Liberty Bell is rung, 1776
Chippewas turn over huge tract of land in Ontario to the United Kingdom, 1822
Commodore Perry sails into Tokyo Bay, 1853
The initial force of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police begin their March West, 1874
The first issue of the Wall Street Journal is published, 1889
St. John's, Newfoundland is devastated in the Great Fire of 1892
The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, bottoming out at 41.22, 1932
The United States Air Force accepts its first female recruits into a program called Women in the Air Force (WAF), 1948
He got cranky, because his back is starting to hurt. We really need a new mattress, but with the flood insurance due, not to mention the car repairs, well, anyway.
He also took a trip to Whole Paycheck...er, uh, Whole Foods. Six cans of soup cost more than two movie tickets.
I'm not sure which I hate more, the cost of food or the cost of movies.
Meanwhile, I found out I can't set up the wireless network the way I want it. First of all, it must be men who decide where outlets are going to be positioned on walls. No woman wants all the outlets behind the center of the furniture, but off to the edge where we can reach it. I can't position another computer desk for the old computer we had from his brother anyplace logical that would reach an outlet.
Then I found out he had that computer destroyed. He says the guy was going to fix it for free, but the net results are the same as if he had it purposely destroyed.
Oh, well. We'll see what adventures await tomorrow.
Today is
Bonza Bottler Day
Chocolate Day
Double Seven Day -- China
Earth at Aphelion
Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day
Great Gatsby Festival
Independence Day -- Solomon Islands
International Cherry Pit Spitting Contest
Macaroni Day
National Strawberry Sundae Day
Saba Saba Day -- Tanzania
St. Cyril's and St. Methodius' Day (Apostles to the Slavs, created the Glagolithic alphabet and translated the Bible into the Slavonic language)
Take Your Webmaster To Lunch Day
Tanabata -- Japan (star festival)
Tell The Truth Day
Birthdays Today
Michelle Kwan, 1980
Cree Summer, 1969
Shelley Duvall, 1949
Ringo Starr, 1940
Doc Severinsen, 1927
Pierre Cardin, 1922
Robert Heinlein, 1907
Satchel Paige, 1906
Marc Chagall, 1887
Today in History
A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death, 1456
Raid of the Redeswire, the last major battle between England and Scotland, 1575
United States begins first military draft; exemptions cost $300, 1863
Sliced bread is sold for the first time by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri; it is described as “the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped", 1928
Alleged and disputed Roswell UFO incident, 1947
In Canada, the Official Languages Act is adopted making the French language equal to the English language throughout the Federal government, 1969
Sharia is instituted in Iran, 1980
The Western Black Rhinoceros is declared extinct due to poaching, 2006
Yes, I'm going to need something to get through the week. Stamina. Prayer. Valium. Something.
Sweetie is bored. When he is bored, it costs money.
Yesterday, it was take the kids to the zoo, and out for lunch, and then to a movie for the evening.
Heaven only knows what he will want to do to occupy his time today.
When he is not occupied, he is a chatterbox. That's fine when we are sitting and just spending time together. It is difficult to deal with when I have to get a lot done and need to concentrate. He wants me to sit and "take a load off." Then he wonders why dinner is late.
If he ever retires and is home full time ... well, I'm not going to borrow trouble. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Today is
Constitution Day -- Cayman Islands
Day of the Capital -- Kazakhstan
Independence Day -- Comoros; Malawi
Ivan Kupala Day -- Poland; Russia; Belarus; Ukraine
Jan Hus Day -- Czech Republic
Ludi Apollinares -- Ancient Roman Calendar, first day of games in honor of Apollo
National Fried Chicken Day
National Pickle Festival
Nothing Day
Old Albums are Frisbees Day
Rememberance Day, Luxembourg
San Fermin Festival -- Pamplona, through the 14th
Statehood Day -- Lithuania
St. Maria Goretti's Day (patron of teenage girls)
Webmaster Day
Birthdays Today
Matthew O'Leary, 1987
Gregory Smith, 1983
Tia and Tamera Mowry, 1978
Jennifer Saunders, 1958
Geoffrey Rush, 1951
George W. Bush, 1946
Sylvester Stallone, 1946
Burt Ward, 1945
Ned Beatty, 1937
Dalai Lama, 1935
Della Reese, 1932
Janet Leigh, 1927
Pat Paulsen, 1927
Merv Griffin, 1927
Bill Haley, 1925
William Schallert, 1922
Nancy Reagan, 1921
Sebastian Cabot, 1918
Laverne Andrews, 1915
Frida Kahlo, 1907
John Paul Jones, 1747
Today in History
Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) is crowned King of England, 1189
Papal bull of Pope Clement VI protecting Jews during the Black Death, 1348
Jan Hus is burned at the stake, 1415
Richard III is crowned King of England, 1483
Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River, 1484
Sir Thomas More is executed for treason against King Henry VIII, 1535
Córdoba, Argentina, is founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera, 1573
The dollar is unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States, 1785
In Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the United States Republican Party is held, 1854
Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies; the patient is Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog, 1885
David Kalakaua, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is forced at gunpoint, at the hands of the Americans, to sign the Bayonet Constitution giving Americans more power in Hawaii while stripping Hawaiian citizens of their rights, 1887
Dadabhai Naoroji is elected as first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain, 1892
The British dirigible R34 lands in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship, 1919
The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played in Chicago's Comiskey Park; the American League defeats the National League, 4–2, 1933
The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany are closed, 1939
Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse, 1942
The Hartford Circus Fire, one of America's worst fire disasters, kills approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut, 1944
Davis Phinney became the first American cyclist to win a road stage of the Tour de France, 1986
Sweetie gets two weeks of vacation every summer.
The first he took when we all went to Florida.
The second week he will take this week, and stay home.
So this week, I get to study first hand the age old question of women whose husbands are retiring -- What do I do when he's home all day long?
It should be interesting to see if I get anything done.
Today isAnxiety DayCaricom Day (first Monday) Barbados, Guyana & St. VincentChief Taholah Days begin -- Tahola, Washington, to commemorate the 1855 treatyConstitution Day -- ArmeniaIndependence Day -- Algeria; Cape Verde; VenezuelaFamily Day -- LesothoNational Apple Turnover DayNational Work-a-holics Day (always celebrated on a holiday, for obvious reasons)Peace and Unity Day -- RwandaSt. Anthony Zaccaria's DaySaints Cyril and Methodius Day (Czech Republic, Slovakia)St. Rosalia's DayTynwald Day -- Isle of ManBirthdays TodayDolly the Sheep, 1996 (first cloned mammal)Huey Lewis, 1951Warren Oates, 1928Georges Pompidou, 1911Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., 1902Jean Cocteau, 1889Cecil Rhodes, 1853P.T. Barnum, 1810Today in HistoryScotland and France form the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England, 1295John Guy sets sail from Bristol with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland, 1610Isaac Newton publishes Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, 1687The Salvation Army is founded in the East End of London, England, 1865Police open fire on striking longshoremen in San Francisco, on Bloody Thursday, 1934Spam, the luncheon meat, is introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation, 1937Highest recorded temperature in Canada, at Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan: 45°C (113°F), 1937Larry Doby signs a contract with the Cleveland Indians baseball team, becoming the first black player in the American League, 1947National Health Service Acts created the national public health systems in the United Kingdom, 1948The Knesset passes the Law of Return which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel, 1950William Shockley invents the junction transistor, 1951The BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin, 1954Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title, 1975
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