Last week Jeff and I went up to his sister's house coz she was having trouble with her garage door opener. It kept tripping the circuit breaker. Jeff wanted to check things out but found that the circuit was dead! He told Sherry what she needed to buy (electric wire) and how much and to call when she got it. We went up on Sunday coz she needed help getting the right wattage or whatever wire. We went to Home Depot (expensive!) and Lowe's and she got wire and a snake to thread it thru the conduit. Jeff disconnected the wire at both ends and tried to pull it thru...no deal. So he went outside and dug up the conduit by the garage and found that it only went 2 ft before there was only wire..no conduit. He dug up the conduit by the house and found the same thing. Most of the wire was just buried in the ground...and not very deep, either. He pulled the wire out and discovered the problem: it had shorted out, burning about 8" of insulation and splitting the wire. Back to Lowe's we went and got some new conduit. Jeff started digging a ditch to bury it in but the day was over and after dinner we came home.
Monday morning I had an appointment to take my car in for a 'smoke test' since it had failed inspection the week before. I had to leave it at the mechanics and walk 4 blocks to Jeff's apartment. Now 4 blocks doesn't sound far but my lower back started sending SOS signals about halfway. By the time I got to Jeff's I was in such pain all I could do was cry. So I did. After the allotted time Jeff called the mechanic's and got the diagnosis: the car needed a new fuel filler neck. That made me cry even more. The mechanic didn't know how much it would cost...$150 to $300...coz he had to get it from a Subaru dealer. We arranged to have the work done on Wednesday...today. I walked very slowly back to the mechanics and got the car and Jeff and I went to Sherry's. He finished digging the ditch and we girls 'helped'...not a good thing as my back kept reminding me. After he glued the conduit together, we got the new wire threaded thru and when both ends were connected Sherry and I filled in the ditch as best we could. Everything was going well until Jeff wired in the outlet in the garage and the breaker tripped. He tested the outlet and found out that it was part of the problem so he took it out. Everything worked fine without it...the outside light turned on and the garage door opened. When she gets the new outlet we'll have to go up again so Jeff can install it.
In the meantime, Wednesday rolled around and it was time to take the car back to the mechanics. By luck I checked my calendar and realized I had never had the blood work my doctor ordered...and my next appointment with her is Friday! So I stopped at the health center on the way to the mechanics and had the blood drawn. (The tech was so good I honestly never felt anything and was surprised to see her changing vials. I was waiting for her to stick me!) Then, since it had been a 'fasting' test I stopped at Burger King and got a vanilla latte...to be my breakfast along with some of the sugar cookies I had brought with me. I also had my mom's quad cane to help me walk...not that it did much good. I stopped every half block or so and sipped my latte but the pain from my lower back was traveling up and down my right leg by the time I got to Jeff's. This time instead of sitting down and crying, I sat down and fell asleep in his favorite chair in the living room. After my nap, Jeff and I watched a video online about a novel way to garden with mulch. He wants to try doing it in a portion of the garden this year. Sounded good to me...but I was more interested in how much the filler neck was going to cost. Eventually it was time to call the mechanic for the 'bad' news...the bill came to $341 and that included labor and inspection! I was surprised...he had said the car might need time to 'reset' it's computer and I would have to bring it back again but when I got there the sticker was on the window!! (I would recommend Spisak Auto on W. Albany St in Herkimer to anyone!!) The walk back had been the longest of all but I made it. When I see the doctor on Friday I'm going to ask some questions (and get a 'scrip for a handicapped parking sticker.) There has got to be something that can be done for the pain.
Sherry's miniature Schnauzer, Max, and our Fanny had a blast for 2 afternoons. Both dogs were well covered with mud and totally exhausted!
Jeff came home with me today and we cleaned out 2 closets. He's going to paint them and then we'll do the other 2. By then we'll have more than enough 'stuff' to take up to the dump in Utica.
I've been carrying a blue hoodie OTN with me. I'm ready to start working in some fish down the front and maybe one on the back. I'll put some seaweed on the bottom...maybe some sand, too, oh, how about making the ribbing dark like a base? I'm thinking of calling the design 'Tanked' and will post a photo asap.
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