thank goodness only the battery!

i've had a semi-productive day, in-spite of the "detour". i scrubbed down the shower/tub, changed bed linens, cleaned out expired pantry & fridge items ... and then headed out for a few errands (speciality light bulbs, gas, a few groceries).

my first stop was for the specialty bulbs, at the local home & improvement store.

it was lightly raining when i got there. i found the bulbs i needed (and, btw, one came with the filaments already disconnected!) --- and spent more time waiting in line (what?! ... a big box home & improvement store, with only 1 checkout line open?!).

the guy behind me was laughing about it, and said, "maybe you should buy your bulbs online"  ;)

maybe?! ... i have used the ship to store service before for Ace Hardware, and it's quite convenient.

anyhoo ... i came out of the store and got back in my truck and turned the key.

nothing.

then the wipers moved.

then nothing.

i tried again ... nothing ... and then the wipers moved again and my CD popped out of the radio.

fuck.







so, i  kept my cool and was saddened by the thought that i had not packed any emergency knitting.

NOTE TO SELF: KEEP A KNITTING PROJECT IN THE TRUCK! ALWAYS!

lesson learned. and water. gosh, i really could had used a bottle of water --- it was hot & steamy.

the strange part was that i could hear some really "animal" sounds coming from the area of the ignition/steering column ... little chirps ... i thought, "holy shit, i hope there's not some kinda rodent in there that has eaten my wires as a snack".

i had chatted a bit with punk (bff!) --- and he was at least an hour away (and AAA was coming anyways) ... here's our convo:

punk ... did you raise the hood?

me ... i did ... but i couldn't "see" anything ... no critters!

punk ... did you leave the hood up?

me ... uh, no .....

punk ... then no one will ask you if you need help if your hood is down.

me .... ooooooh!

i put the hood back up, and i swear, in a instant, a hispanic couple had doubled around to come assist. the girl said her husband always works on her car, and he checked my battery. he didn't speak english, but she did.

he wiggled the wires and made a face at the connections. she talked about pouring coke on the connections. i think the word he would had said is "sucio".

AND, after he did that, it did start!

i thanked them, and after a bit, did turn it off. i wanted to wait for AAA, as they would test everything.

about 10 or 15 minutes later, AAA arrived.

AAA showed up, tested my battery, alternator, etc. his recommendation was to have the battery checked again from the place i purchased it from, and possibly have it recharged. everything else checked out okay.

Tom checked everything, and cleaned all the parts ... and you see his test results above.

so, off to advanced auto i went (not even 1/4 mile down the road) --- and that took awhile. i had purchased my battery from a different store (same chain) ... so it took more time because their computers don't connect.

the good news is, Gabriel was a great help --- and my battery was replaced free of charge.

and then, about 2.5 hrs after i'd left my house, i was able to do the rest of my errands.

so now, i just want to work on my sweater or a crochet project. i'm kinda "done" for the day.

though, it's been a rather quiet & peaceful sunday.

i'm glad it was only the battery, and nothing costly --- or more time consuming.

odd day 2

we had a big race here in town today. a 1/2 "ironman" ... for me, it meant a bit of planning. i'm so glad i caught the story on the news as drove home friday night.

this morning, i woke up with the sun, played on my iPad, and then thought ... "hmmm ... i wonder which streets are closed and when?!"

i soon realized that if i wanted to do my grocery shopping before tonight, that i had to get going asap. the roads closed at 9am.

i got up, cleaned up, and headed out & back. on my way home, the city was already blocking off streets and setting up port-a-johns.

later, after putting things away, i spent some time outside on the porch.

i noticed a man that had come around. he waited here. he crossed over. he came back across.

then, i realized ... i hadn't seen a bus today.



(he was sitting in that bare patch near the smaller tree) ... i went downstairs and asked him if he was waiting for the #11.

he was.

i had looked up the bus info on my ipad and told him, " i don't think it'll come this way today ....."

the buses had been re-routed due to the race. the detour would take him a block south, and across a very busy street.

he picked up his stuff and started walking.

i hope he got to where he was headed today.

i was fortunate enough to discover the event on the radio friday evening. i don't think he had access to radio/internet/tv.

3's better than 1

paper stars

i was out with a friend monday night, and the second place we went to had these wonderful paper star lanterns.






i probably looked kinda silly taking pictures of the lanterns, but ... i just really like them.

so of course, what comes next, is the power of google.

i found this website with loads of stars. they are SO pretty! they don't include the wiring kit (it can be purchased separately). and, they are BIG --- so, they are for "some day" --- when i can hang at least a few, in an area where the paper wouldn't be compromised, and where no one would bang their head into them.

what's cookin' ?

apparently, i'm grateful for the plethora of emails i get from various websites --- with ideas for cleaning, organization, and recipes. (i don't really organize or clean, but i do like to read about it :p   )

i'm also now especially fond of websites that i can link their recipe offering via pinterest. it's a paperless way of keeping a recipe box.

the most recent recipe is now in the crockpot.


i found this recipe yesterday for slow cooker pepper steak. but better yet, it had a video! for me, that's especially helpful, as i can easily botch a recipe or technique.

rocket

when i got home this evening, i of course spent some time with mr. fishy (his name is rocket), but, i still call him "hey fishy!".

he loves to eat. he sees me and literally wags his tail, begging for food.

so, i give him a few pellets.

it was so cute when i looked down into the hole in the  upper corner of his tank, and i saw him looking straight up with his mouth wide open.


i couldn't capture a picture of that, ... since it's hard enough trying to capture ANY pictures that aren't "action shots".


... see what i mean?

forgotten

yesterday i was taking my rings off to wash dishes, and i wanted a place to put them ... so i looked up in my cabinet and found a small bowl.

sometimes, things are "out of sight, out of mind", as were these mini bowls/dishes.

they were a gift, probably more than 10 years ago, from a friend. the rest are still stacked up in the cabinet, but i did pull them out for a photo =)

they are little japanese bowls.

lights

i learned something valuable recently, regarding my decorative lights.

apparently, when these lights go out, they must be replaced with 12 volt bulbs!

this goes for any of the decorative 10 light strings. i had tried replacing them with some other mini bulbs, but the ones for a strand of christmas lights doesn't have enough voltage.

here's what i bought at Ace Hardware (i purchased online and had ship-to-store for free).

see in the top right corner, "For 10 & 11 light sets/tree toppers" ? ... yep.

so, this afternoon, i got out my little ladder, and replaced an old bulb, and it's glowing like all the others =)

pot roast

i'd never done a pot roast before. heck, i had to ask the butcher at the grocery store which cut of meat to get (i showed her my recipe, and explained i've never done this, and had NO idea).

she graciously walked me over to the cooler and showed me exactly.

the recipe i had found online, via an email list of the allrecipes website.

which made it even less daunting was it had a video!

looking at the video now, i see how their cut had a lot less fat. oh well ... the recipe did deliver. it was easy to do, and the meat just fell apart.

so, it looks like i'm going to be eating a ton of beef this week.

st. patrick's day !!!

i almost forgot to turn my lights on last night, as i was so enamored with my old/new lamp!

these are my shamrocks. i keep them indoors in the winter, and out on north facing porch in the summer. they are much healthier in the summer, and sort of limp through the winter.

if they were planted in the ground, they would be dormant right now, and come back each year.

a couple of years ago, when i first planted the purple ones, i gave one of my bulbs to mom. i took it to her in a pot. later, she got lazy, and combined it with her pot of green ones, so hers look like a hybrid of the two (green leaves with a tint of purple on the underside).