driver, impatient to merge
curses drivers
who won't let him turn
moments later
rushing headlong in the right lane
curses drivers merging,
lest they slow him
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Monday, December 20, 2010
Scott's Ginger Bombs
Ginger Snaps should snap... these have snap...
Scott's Ginger Bombs
□ 3/4 c. shortening (go ahead, use butter - it's better)
□ 1 c. sugar (brown sugar is even better)
□ 1/4 c. molasses
□ 1 egg
□ 2 c. flour
□ 1 tsp. baking soda
□ 1/4 tsp. salt
□ 2 TBSP cinnamon
□ 2 TBSP ginger
+ 1tsp ground cayenne pepper
+ crystallized ginger, diced
Mix together at 1 time all the ingredients. Form into balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar. Place on slightly greased cookie sheet. Top each with a piece of crystallized ginger. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. For a chewy cookie, bake the minimum time; for a crisp cookie bake for the maximum time.
Makes 3 to 4 dozen. (more like 3, I must be making mine bigger)
Notes :
*Sugar / molasses - you can substitue more molasses for sugar 1:1 - moving more molasses is like moving from an ale to a stout.
*for "normal" heat " - omit the pepper and cut the cinnamon and ginger in half
*FRESH matters - that jar that has been in your cupboard for a couple of years won't taste near as good as fresh.
I roll mine into little crescents ("canoes") so they don't get confused with the "normal" ones.
Scott's Ginger Bombs
□ 3/4 c. shortening (go ahead, use butter - it's better)
□ 1 c. sugar (brown sugar is even better)
□ 1/4 c. molasses
□ 1 egg
□ 2 c. flour
□ 1 tsp. baking soda
□ 1/4 tsp. salt
□ 2 TBSP cinnamon
□ 2 TBSP ginger
+ 1tsp ground cayenne pepper
+ crystallized ginger, diced
Mix together at 1 time all the ingredients. Form into balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar. Place on slightly greased cookie sheet. Top each with a piece of crystallized ginger. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. For a chewy cookie, bake the minimum time; for a crisp cookie bake for the maximum time.
Makes 3 to 4 dozen. (more like 3, I must be making mine bigger)
Notes :
*Sugar / molasses - you can substitue more molasses for sugar 1:1 - moving more molasses is like moving from an ale to a stout.
*for "normal" heat " - omit the pepper and cut the cinnamon and ginger in half
*FRESH matters - that jar that has been in your cupboard for a couple of years won't taste near as good as fresh.
I roll mine into little crescents ("canoes") so they don't get confused with the "normal" ones.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Broad River - Alston to Harbison
Paddled the Broad yesterday from Peak (Alston Rd landing) to Harbison State Forest. 8:30am - 3:30pm
About 2,200 CFS on the Alston gauge (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/sc/nwis/uv/?site_no=02161000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00062 ) This was a good level - enough water to slide over almost all the rocks and the take out at Harbison was manageable.
SC Trails (http://sctrails.net/trails/ALLTRAILS/WaterTrails/BroadRiverCanoe.html ) said it was about 17 miles (from the 213 bridge put in) - our GPS registered 15.2, including all the zigging and zagging that goes with a trip.
Pictures : https://goo.gl/photos/cBuizsDgQjk5NojD6
About 2,200 CFS on the Alston gauge (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/sc/nwis/uv/?site_no=02161000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00062 ) This was a good level - enough water to slide over almost all the rocks and the take out at Harbison was manageable.
SC Trails (http://sctrails.net/trails/ALLTRAILS/WaterTrails/BroadRiverCanoe.html ) said it was about 17 miles (from the 213 bridge put in) - our GPS registered 15.2, including all the zigging and zagging that goes with a trip.
Pictures : https://goo.gl/photos/cBuizsDgQjk5NojD6
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A Congaree Adventure
A friend of ours in the YMCA Trailblazers has recently gotten interested in canoeing, backpacking, and the prospect of canoe camping. He has become inspired to try canoeing from South Carolina's mountains to the sea, or at least from the North Carolina border to the sea. But first, it seemed like a good idea to try out the idea on a shorter trip. He asked me for some ideas on an overnighter that we could do over the Memorial Day weekend - we looked at a few including a section of the Santee, the Broad, and the Edisto , but we ended up deciding to try something closer to home and in our only National Park, the Congaree Swamp. The route we settled on was to paddle through the swamp on Cedar Creek, starting at Bannister Bridge, continuing past the normal take out at Cedar Creek Rd, then exiting the swamp into the Congaree River, taking out at the US 601 bridge. This would be between 22 and 27 miles depending on the guide you read which should be a good distance for an overnighter. We hoped to make it out of the swamp to camp on a sandbar the first night.
We didn't get on until 11am. Bannister Bridge to the Cedar Creek landing took 5.5 hours - it was narrow and twisty with lots of blow downs that were pretty easily negotiated, a few were harder. We pressed on thinking there was an outside chance we could make the river by dark, failing that we would camp in the park. The next couple of miles went by quick - the creek widened and we went through two lakes. Then it got hard... We hit several large log jams that required complete portages, many that required climbing up on logs to drag over and a couple of limbo spots. Note that the mud in the swamp is almost as bad as Low Country pluff mud and darned near as stinky. We came to a stop at a decent camp site (high ground, not much poison ivy) and another big log jam. That was just short of 9 hours after we started. Something about being out in the wild (and this sure felt wild) and working hard makes a juicy steak and a cold beer taste like something just short of heaven. We figured out the next day we were within two miles and three more portages of the Congaree - including one big grand finale of a snag...
We got a late start (10:15) after a leisurely breakfast starting off with the portage around the snag that stopped us the night before. By 12:00 we had reached the mighty Congaree River - almost agoraphobia inspiring after the closeness of the swamp. We never did see where Cedar Creek joined Mazyks Gut, so we were never sure when or if we actually got on it, but we must have as that is where we came out (per the GPS and reckoning with map and compass). There is quite a log jam there... We spent an hour at the first sand bar relaxing and rinsing the mud out from between our toes. Per the map and guides, it is just over 11 miles from there to the 601 Bridge and that seems about right - we got there by 3:45 and we had averaged about 4mph. Saw a lot of motor boat traffic and quite a few "encampments" on the sand bars. Someone should alert the Union troops, there appears to be a Rebel force amassing on river right about 5 miles from the bridge.
We had an awesome time - it was just hard enough and it was beautiful. I highly recommend the hand drawn map you can get at the Park visitor center - it is very detailed and helpful. Get it laminated, that really saved it! We saw turtles, snakes, frogs, an owl, a deer, raccoon sign, fish, GBH's, egrets, some bright yellow birds we couldn't name, little spiders, big spiders, and ginormous spiders. The girls (13 and 11) were troopers. We're all glad we did it, but we also agreed we wouldn't do quite that trip again - maybe a day trip from Bannister Bridge to Cedar Creek Rd or an overnighter from Cedar Creek Landing to 601 or maybe just go down the river...
I think we're ready to try that "Mountains to the Sea" trip!
total time on the water 14:15
Here are our pictures in Picasaweb :
An anecdote from after we got back :
Hannah paddled the whole time, thought the knee deep mud was cool, and was only mildly squeamish about bugs. Last night she came downstairs to tell me that a “big black bug” had climbed down from the ceiling and was behind her bed. I asked her why this bothered her but the spider on her nose the day before had not – she said “There are supposed to be bugs in the swamp, not my bedroom!”
We didn't get on until 11am. Bannister Bridge to the Cedar Creek landing took 5.5 hours - it was narrow and twisty with lots of blow downs that were pretty easily negotiated, a few were harder. We pressed on thinking there was an outside chance we could make the river by dark, failing that we would camp in the park. The next couple of miles went by quick - the creek widened and we went through two lakes. Then it got hard... We hit several large log jams that required complete portages, many that required climbing up on logs to drag over and a couple of limbo spots. Note that the mud in the swamp is almost as bad as Low Country pluff mud and darned near as stinky. We came to a stop at a decent camp site (high ground, not much poison ivy) and another big log jam. That was just short of 9 hours after we started. Something about being out in the wild (and this sure felt wild) and working hard makes a juicy steak and a cold beer taste like something just short of heaven. We figured out the next day we were within two miles and three more portages of the Congaree - including one big grand finale of a snag...
We got a late start (10:15) after a leisurely breakfast starting off with the portage around the snag that stopped us the night before. By 12:00 we had reached the mighty Congaree River - almost agoraphobia inspiring after the closeness of the swamp. We never did see where Cedar Creek joined Mazyks Gut, so we were never sure when or if we actually got on it, but we must have as that is where we came out (per the GPS and reckoning with map and compass). There is quite a log jam there... We spent an hour at the first sand bar relaxing and rinsing the mud out from between our toes. Per the map and guides, it is just over 11 miles from there to the 601 Bridge and that seems about right - we got there by 3:45 and we had averaged about 4mph. Saw a lot of motor boat traffic and quite a few "encampments" on the sand bars. Someone should alert the Union troops, there appears to be a Rebel force amassing on river right about 5 miles from the bridge.
We had an awesome time - it was just hard enough and it was beautiful. I highly recommend the hand drawn map you can get at the Park visitor center - it is very detailed and helpful. Get it laminated, that really saved it! We saw turtles, snakes, frogs, an owl, a deer, raccoon sign, fish, GBH's, egrets, some bright yellow birds we couldn't name, little spiders, big spiders, and ginormous spiders. The girls (13 and 11) were troopers. We're all glad we did it, but we also agreed we wouldn't do quite that trip again - maybe a day trip from Bannister Bridge to Cedar Creek Rd or an overnighter from Cedar Creek Landing to 601 or maybe just go down the river...
I think we're ready to try that "Mountains to the Sea" trip!total time on the water 14:15
Here are our pictures in Picasaweb :
Here is a google map of our route.
An anecdote from after we got back :
Hannah paddled the whole time, thought the knee deep mud was cool, and was only mildly squeamish about bugs. Last night she came downstairs to tell me that a “big black bug” had climbed down from the ceiling and was behind her bed. I asked her why this bothered her but the spider on her nose the day before had not – she said “There are supposed to be bugs in the swamp, not my bedroom!”
Monday, December 25, 2006
Christmas Breakfast Starts on the 23rd
First get a loaf of bread - a yeast bread is good, french will do, anything light and fluffy. Leave it out on the 23rd. It needs to get stale.
Mix in a shallow bowl (pie pan works well) :
2 eggs (half cup of egg substitute)
1/2 cup eggnog
vanilla
apple pie spice (easy way to get a good mix of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, etc)
Soak thick slices of bread in the mix, 30 seconds + per side (longer for denser bread)
Fry over medium heat till you have the best Christmas morning French toast ever. Serve with sausage.
Mix in a shallow bowl (pie pan works well) :
2 eggs (half cup of egg substitute)
1/2 cup eggnog
vanilla
apple pie spice (easy way to get a good mix of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, etc)
Soak thick slices of bread in the mix, 30 seconds + per side (longer for denser bread)
Fry over medium heat till you have the best Christmas morning French toast ever. Serve with sausage.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Opposites
One weekend in August I competed in a canoe race - the American Canoe Associations Open Canoe Slalom Nationals. The particular race I competed in had two components. The first was a down river component where you go as fast as you can down 4 miles of river. This requires strength, endurance, good technique, and the ability to navigate rapids on a whitewater river while taking on as little water as possible. The second component consists of two runs through a slalom course where 20 or so gates are hung over 200 or so yards of river. The gates, depending on their color, must be navigated by travelling downstream or upstream. This requires skill, precise control, power and, as with the downriver race, the ability to take on as little water as possible while battling the surging currents of a whitewater river, strapped into a boat as long as 15 feet and as heavy as 60 pounds. [Note : high end race boats weigh closer to 30 and can be a bit shorter, they compete in a different class.] Despite our dry conditions, the river had no shortage of water as it is dam fed. I didn't do particularly well but I had a great time.
A week later I took two of our children on a camping trip with the YMCA Trailblazers in Pisgah National Forest. One of our activities was to go tubing on the Davidson River. Tubing, in general, requires nothing more than the occasional splash with your hands to avoid a branch or a rock. Unfortunately, our dry spell did affect the Davidson as it is a free flowing river. The result being that some of the larger of us drew more water than was available and found ourselves sliding, crawling, and walking a lot more than we were floating! This did require strength and endurance... The kids agreed with me - we'd rather be in canoes!
A week later I took two of our children on a camping trip with the YMCA Trailblazers in Pisgah National Forest. One of our activities was to go tubing on the Davidson River. Tubing, in general, requires nothing more than the occasional splash with your hands to avoid a branch or a rock. Unfortunately, our dry spell did affect the Davidson as it is a free flowing river. The result being that some of the larger of us drew more water than was available and found ourselves sliding, crawling, and walking a lot more than we were floating! This did require strength and endurance... The kids agreed with me - we'd rather be in canoes!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Busy Weekend
Saturday :
I am able to goof off for the first half of the day.
At 2:30 it is at least 95 degrees and sunny outside. We are moving D’s school stuff to her new library from home and from a storage locker she rented.
To facilitate moving, we take the back two seats out of D’s van – we each would need to haul two kids. Due to operator error it takes 15 minutes of sweating to get the seats out.
We go to D’s rented storage locker and load up the back of my truck, a 4x8’ trailer, and her van. In my truck are H (age 9) and J(age 3). N(6) and L(5 months) are with D. N helps load boxes. I realize that I do not have a tarp. While there, we leaving both vehicles idling the entire time to provide air conditioning for the smaller children still inside.
When we arrive, we find between our truck, van, and trailer and the library an entire lane of drive way with a fresh “tack coat” (imagine dirt and gravel with a light sticky coat of tar – this is an intermediate step in paving). The route available to us is from the parking lot through the main entrance. On the side walk are large wooden crates holding precast concrete columns for the entrance, these are arranged haphazardly and allow passage of a hand truck with a few inches to spare. Blocking the driveway is a large “cherry picker” type lift with the boom a little lower than my head level.
When I wheel the first hand truck load of boxes in, I realize that I am leaving a black inky trail on the tile. Our first instinct is to think that it is tar, but the hand truck has not gone through any tar. We realize that a scrap of carpet at the entrance is soaked by rain and probably the source of this. We clean this up and don’t bring the hand truck past the door.
The older two kids help move the lighter boxes.
I return for an additional load from the storage locker. I decide to take D’s tricycle (grown up sized with a basket), the only way I see to carry it is to put it on top of the camper shell. I get many second looks from people I pass. ¼ mile from the school, it begins to rain.
Hard. There is no place to park out of the rain. I hurriedly take the exposed cardboard boxes under the shelter of the entry archway. When I am done, it stops raining.
D stays at school with two of the children while I take to pick up dinner. It is after 9pm.
Going home, after dark, my battery light comes on and my voltage gauge starts dropping. When at a light, the needle on the voltage gauge jerks to the left in time with the turn signal. I suspect my battery and possibly alternator are bad, or maybe there is a problem with the trailer lighting adding an unusual load. When I gun the engine, the voltage needle moves to the right, so perhaps it is not the alternator…
Sunday :
After church we go to Circuit City to pick up a TV for school. We get there at 1:00. They open at 1:30.
We discover that there is not enough room behind the back seat for the TV (my in-laws’ van). After 10 minutes of moving things (including a car
seat) around in the near 100 degree heat, we discover that the rear seat slides and there /is/ room for the TV
We eat at Sonic.
While at home loading up for a second day of moving, Jonah decides he needed some attention by having a double barreled potty accident upstairs that results in a load of laundry, a bath, and the use of the remainder of a can of carpet cleaner.
We load our van, truck, and trailer again. Our plan is to later come home and get the in-laws' van because we need to drop our van off at the body shop for repairs before Monday morning. My in-laws’ van is the only one that can carry all 6 of us at one time today.
My truck to be jumpstarted. I let it run for a few minutes and try to start it without the cables – it will not start. I suspect a bad cell in the battery – most of my battery failures have been in very hot weather. I jump start it a second time.
We get to school and between us and the front door, in the only path that I can maneuver a hand truck is a guy in a lift pressure washing the entry arch way. He will be here for 2 hours or more. As I am concerned about driving after dark because of what happened last night, I feel we need to empty the truck and trailer now. We carry the bulk of the boxes in by hand.
At one point the pressure washer guy tells me that he has started spraying a chemical (muriatic acid) to clean the masonry and that I will need to keep the kids back. They all happen to be outside by the vehicles. H reads to the two boys while sitting on the sidewalk in the shade of the crates of precast columns.
We plan to take the kids to the pool for some swimming and to check the pool equipment and my in-laws’ mail. My truck has to be jump started again. I decide to go get a battery after dropping off the trailer and my load of kids. The car parts stores are open til 9 – it is only 6.
I drive to my inlaws and unhitch the trailer. I then drop the two kids I have at the pool with D.
I go to buy a battery and due to an electronic “communication failure” I cannot use a debit or credit card. The clerk thinks my “what we have heah is a fay-luh to communicate” quip was a Guns n’ Roses reference. When I say that came from a long time before GnR, he says they must have covered a song. I describe the movie “Cool Hand Luke”. I don’t think he appreciates it. The battery and other supplies will cost me $100. I cannot leave the store without being jump started or buying a battery.
I walk to a Nations Bank ATM where I plan to withdraw about $125. The “fast cash” option has a max of $100, when I hit “cancel” the machine spits out $30 (there was no option for $30) and a receipt indicating a $2 transaction fee. With no alternative, I try again and am able to withdraw an additional $100. I incur another $2 service fee.
We install the battery and test the alternator, it is bad. It is not generating the expected amperage and a “leaking diode” is allowing AC (alternating current) to leak into the circuit and could damage my computer. The alternator came from the same store chain and had a lifetime warranty. I do not have my receipt. The clerk says that even if I did have it, their thermal printouts are notoriously bad and it would be unreadable by now. The clerk suggests that I call the store I bought it originally (their computers are apparently not networked) to get the information he will need to provide me with a free replacement.
I had purchased that alternator in Fredericksburg, VA and replaced it in the parking lot of a Food Lion while on a road trip two years ago. I call directory assistance. They tell me of two stores of this particular chain in that town and I take both numbers. On the first try I find that there is a third. My second try is the right one. They are able to look me up and see that I made a $217 purchase but cannot provide any “history”. 20 minutes or so of hold time and a conversation with the manager in Virginia later the clerk at the local store says that it is obvious that I have a lifetime warranty based on the price and that they are the only vendors of that particular brand of alternator. He says he will replace my alternator, however he cannot place the order because their computers are now down completely. He suggests that I call back tomorrow to place the order. He won’t be working that day, but they can call him at home. This has taken 1 and a half hours. I revise my plan and head home to get the in-laws van and look for the receipt.
At home I cannot find the receipt and receive a call from D’Etta that we need to feed the kids something. I gather loose items in the kitchen because I cannot stomach feeding them another meal at Sonic. I leave the truck and take my in-laws' van. The van is partially loaded, leaving room for two passengers.
I decide to take a chance and call the auto parts place back at 8:45 to see if their computers are up and if the guy who knows what is going on can place the order. I am on hold for 15 minutes after which he places the order and assures me it will be in at 7:30 am Monday.
I rendezvous with D and the kids and we proceed to school to unload the items currently in the vans. The pressure washer guy is gone. I assemble a cart for the TV. We leave the library and drop the van at the body shop. We load up all in my in-laws’ van and go home. D takes the kids and preps them for bed.
I have to move the remaining items from the storage locker to a friend's shed. I unload my truck completely to head back to the storage locker.
Even with an empty truck bed the futon, the two tables, stack of 12 kids sized chairs, rocking chair, two pallets, and a Lazy Boy will not fit. I put the rocking chair in the front seat, this allows me to shift gears if reach from beneath the steering wheel. I leave the tail gate down and lash the Lazy Boy on. [By the way, moving a cotton ticking futon rolled up in plastic sheeting is probably very similar to moving a body.]
I arrive at about midnight. There are no lights and I don’t have a flashlight. To unload, I have to back up to the shed, meaning I cannot use my headlights to illuminate the shed.
On the way home I stop at Sonic.
Monday :
At 8:00am the car parts place does not have my alternator. They are to have it this afternoon. Apparently the order had been placed after the “cut off”.
My battery light comes on while driving to work on the interstate. I back into my space so I can be easily jump started if need be.
D’Etta says that her library cards have not been shipped. The supplier says design was never approved. School starts in a week.
The phones in school (even the principal’s) cannot call long distance.
There are no phones or network connections in the library.
To get the library card order moving, they need to send a fax. There are no fax machines. The number is long distance.
There is a moisture problem in the library and the brand new books are warping.
Today is registration and they are completing the paving at the entrance.
Note :
I left out a lot. I left out all the stuff D was doing when I was not there. All I did was heavy lifting and driving around. She is the one who has to figure out where all that stuff will go.
Unfortunately it never occured to me to take a picture of the heavily laden truck and trailer or the obstructed entrance to the school. However, I did take a picture of the intermediate school whose campus adjoins the elementary school's. This was after the rain on Saturday when a rainbow had come out.
I am able to goof off for the first half of the day.
At 2:30 it is at least 95 degrees and sunny outside. We are moving D’s school stuff to her new library from home and from a storage locker she rented.
To facilitate moving, we take the back two seats out of D’s van – we each would need to haul two kids. Due to operator error it takes 15 minutes of sweating to get the seats out.
We go to D’s rented storage locker and load up the back of my truck, a 4x8’ trailer, and her van. In my truck are H (age 9) and J(age 3). N(6) and L(5 months) are with D. N helps load boxes. I realize that I do not have a tarp. While there, we leaving both vehicles idling the entire time to provide air conditioning for the smaller children still inside.
When we arrive, we find between our truck, van, and trailer and the library an entire lane of drive way with a fresh “tack coat” (imagine dirt and gravel with a light sticky coat of tar – this is an intermediate step in paving). The route available to us is from the parking lot through the main entrance. On the side walk are large wooden crates holding precast concrete columns for the entrance, these are arranged haphazardly and allow passage of a hand truck with a few inches to spare. Blocking the driveway is a large “cherry picker” type lift with the boom a little lower than my head level.
When I wheel the first hand truck load of boxes in, I realize that I am leaving a black inky trail on the tile. Our first instinct is to think that it is tar, but the hand truck has not gone through any tar. We realize that a scrap of carpet at the entrance is soaked by rain and probably the source of this. We clean this up and don’t bring the hand truck past the door.
The older two kids help move the lighter boxes.
I return for an additional load from the storage locker. I decide to take D’s tricycle (grown up sized with a basket), the only way I see to carry it is to put it on top of the camper shell. I get many second looks from people I pass. ¼ mile from the school, it begins to rain.
Hard. There is no place to park out of the rain. I hurriedly take the exposed cardboard boxes under the shelter of the entry archway. When I am done, it stops raining.
D stays at school with two of the children while I take to pick up dinner. It is after 9pm.
Going home, after dark, my battery light comes on and my voltage gauge starts dropping. When at a light, the needle on the voltage gauge jerks to the left in time with the turn signal. I suspect my battery and possibly alternator are bad, or maybe there is a problem with the trailer lighting adding an unusual load. When I gun the engine, the voltage needle moves to the right, so perhaps it is not the alternator…
Sunday :
After church we go to Circuit City to pick up a TV for school. We get there at 1:00. They open at 1:30.
We discover that there is not enough room behind the back seat for the TV (my in-laws’ van). After 10 minutes of moving things (including a car
seat) around in the near 100 degree heat, we discover that the rear seat slides and there /is/ room for the TV
We eat at Sonic.
While at home loading up for a second day of moving, Jonah decides he needed some attention by having a double barreled potty accident upstairs that results in a load of laundry, a bath, and the use of the remainder of a can of carpet cleaner.
We load our van, truck, and trailer again. Our plan is to later come home and get the in-laws' van because we need to drop our van off at the body shop for repairs before Monday morning. My in-laws’ van is the only one that can carry all 6 of us at one time today.
My truck to be jumpstarted. I let it run for a few minutes and try to start it without the cables – it will not start. I suspect a bad cell in the battery – most of my battery failures have been in very hot weather. I jump start it a second time.
We get to school and between us and the front door, in the only path that I can maneuver a hand truck is a guy in a lift pressure washing the entry arch way. He will be here for 2 hours or more. As I am concerned about driving after dark because of what happened last night, I feel we need to empty the truck and trailer now. We carry the bulk of the boxes in by hand.
At one point the pressure washer guy tells me that he has started spraying a chemical (muriatic acid) to clean the masonry and that I will need to keep the kids back. They all happen to be outside by the vehicles. H reads to the two boys while sitting on the sidewalk in the shade of the crates of precast columns.
We plan to take the kids to the pool for some swimming and to check the pool equipment and my in-laws’ mail. My truck has to be jump started again. I decide to go get a battery after dropping off the trailer and my load of kids. The car parts stores are open til 9 – it is only 6.
I drive to my inlaws and unhitch the trailer. I then drop the two kids I have at the pool with D.
I go to buy a battery and due to an electronic “communication failure” I cannot use a debit or credit card. The clerk thinks my “what we have heah is a fay-luh to communicate” quip was a Guns n’ Roses reference. When I say that came from a long time before GnR, he says they must have covered a song. I describe the movie “Cool Hand Luke”. I don’t think he appreciates it. The battery and other supplies will cost me $100. I cannot leave the store without being jump started or buying a battery.
I walk to a Nations Bank ATM where I plan to withdraw about $125. The “fast cash” option has a max of $100, when I hit “cancel” the machine spits out $30 (there was no option for $30) and a receipt indicating a $2 transaction fee. With no alternative, I try again and am able to withdraw an additional $100. I incur another $2 service fee.
We install the battery and test the alternator, it is bad. It is not generating the expected amperage and a “leaking diode” is allowing AC (alternating current) to leak into the circuit and could damage my computer. The alternator came from the same store chain and had a lifetime warranty. I do not have my receipt. The clerk says that even if I did have it, their thermal printouts are notoriously bad and it would be unreadable by now. The clerk suggests that I call the store I bought it originally (their computers are apparently not networked) to get the information he will need to provide me with a free replacement.
I had purchased that alternator in Fredericksburg, VA and replaced it in the parking lot of a Food Lion while on a road trip two years ago. I call directory assistance. They tell me of two stores of this particular chain in that town and I take both numbers. On the first try I find that there is a third. My second try is the right one. They are able to look me up and see that I made a $217 purchase but cannot provide any “history”. 20 minutes or so of hold time and a conversation with the manager in Virginia later the clerk at the local store says that it is obvious that I have a lifetime warranty based on the price and that they are the only vendors of that particular brand of alternator. He says he will replace my alternator, however he cannot place the order because their computers are now down completely. He suggests that I call back tomorrow to place the order. He won’t be working that day, but they can call him at home. This has taken 1 and a half hours. I revise my plan and head home to get the in-laws van and look for the receipt.
At home I cannot find the receipt and receive a call from D’Etta that we need to feed the kids something. I gather loose items in the kitchen because I cannot stomach feeding them another meal at Sonic. I leave the truck and take my in-laws' van. The van is partially loaded, leaving room for two passengers.
I decide to take a chance and call the auto parts place back at 8:45 to see if their computers are up and if the guy who knows what is going on can place the order. I am on hold for 15 minutes after which he places the order and assures me it will be in at 7:30 am Monday.
I rendezvous with D and the kids and we proceed to school to unload the items currently in the vans. The pressure washer guy is gone. I assemble a cart for the TV. We leave the library and drop the van at the body shop. We load up all in my in-laws’ van and go home. D takes the kids and preps them for bed.
I have to move the remaining items from the storage locker to a friend's shed. I unload my truck completely to head back to the storage locker.
Even with an empty truck bed the futon, the two tables, stack of 12 kids sized chairs, rocking chair, two pallets, and a Lazy Boy will not fit. I put the rocking chair in the front seat, this allows me to shift gears if reach from beneath the steering wheel. I leave the tail gate down and lash the Lazy Boy on. [By the way, moving a cotton ticking futon rolled up in plastic sheeting is probably very similar to moving a body.]
I arrive at about midnight. There are no lights and I don’t have a flashlight. To unload, I have to back up to the shed, meaning I cannot use my headlights to illuminate the shed.
On the way home I stop at Sonic.
Monday :
At 8:00am the car parts place does not have my alternator. They are to have it this afternoon. Apparently the order had been placed after the “cut off”.
My battery light comes on while driving to work on the interstate. I back into my space so I can be easily jump started if need be.
D’Etta says that her library cards have not been shipped. The supplier says design was never approved. School starts in a week.
The phones in school (even the principal’s) cannot call long distance.
There are no phones or network connections in the library.
To get the library card order moving, they need to send a fax. There are no fax machines. The number is long distance.
There is a moisture problem in the library and the brand new books are warping.
Today is registration and they are completing the paving at the entrance.
Note :
I left out a lot. I left out all the stuff D was doing when I was not there. All I did was heavy lifting and driving around. She is the one who has to figure out where all that stuff will go.
Unfortunately it never occured to me to take a picture of the heavily laden truck and trailer or the obstructed entrance to the school. However, I did take a picture of the intermediate school whose campus adjoins the elementary school's. This was after the rain on Saturday when a rainbow had come out.
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