Editor’s Note: One last guest entry from the spouse until NaBloPoMo starts in earnest tomorrow.
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When one lives somewhere 200 miles north of the Northern Exposure set (and 200 miles south of Palinland), it is vitally important to remember some important things to winterize your house. The most important of these tips is to run all of the water out of your pipes before the weather freezes. What is not zesty is leaving your tap on with water in the hose. This allows the hose to split during a freeze, and then spill water everywhere. Of course, what’s really great is leaving this on for six hours, and then discover the water coming into the basement of the house through a small hole in the foundation!
pretty! yet, oh so wet and cold and watery in the basement when one hops in barefooted.
Imagine going to bed at 1 am and then get woken up by the fair author of this blog 60 minutes later telling you “there’s water in the basement!” Two hours of squeegeing later, we had most of the boxes out of the way, and most of the stuff that we had denied existed after the move evaluated for how wet it was. Thankfully, the damage to the goods in the basement was fairly minimal, and the water was fairly easy to remove. We’ve been drying the basement and removing the ice sculptures from the lawn for the last couple of days, and we get to take the crowbars to the old shelves just underneath the small hole in the foundation where all of the water landed. Of course, the only thing better than tearing stuff down is tearing stuff down correctly … maybe we’ll just wait until Jen’s parents come back from their trip …
-MarkB
October 31, 2008
Water Water Everywhere, So Let’s All Have A Drink
October 29, 2008
All Spongebob, All The Time
“Editor’s” note: Mark is writing a couple of posts for me since I seem to be blogstipated. I have things to write about, but I am, well, clogged.
p.s. Also, our basement flooded, i got an iPhone! and my knee is feeling better. AND, I am saving my brain for NaBloPoMo, so there.
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Jennifer has been a little busy over the last little while getting ready for Hallowe’en, enjoying the fact that I’m finally back from my last trip, so let’s catch you up with a couple of things that have happened “chez nous”.
Charlotte has decided that the gang from Spongebob is the only thing available on television. Which is good, because otherwise buying those first three seasons on DVD would’ve been a huge waste otherwise. Actually, it was quite amusing because Spongebob was the first TV show that we have PVRed for Charlotte that actually has commercials during the show (sometimes we force Charlotte to watch the Simpsons with us, but we always fast-forward the commercials). Of course, her little 4-year old brain was no match for the marketing genii at the kids’ TV station. “I want that! I want that!” She saw exactly one show on PVR before we switched to the DVDs. I figure she’ll be able to see commercials by the time she’s 11 or 12.
So, along those lines, this will explain the choice of design for this year’s pumpkins. We did a standard design on one of the pumpkins (simply because my hand was cramped up pretty hard after gutting the two of them). But all of the designs for Patrick and Spongebob looked like they were going to melt my brain. Charlotte makes me draw on her magnetic pad all of the Spongebob characters after we read the Gruffalo at bedtime (the fox has a French accent, the owl and snake have somewhat predictable accents, but Grover is the guest voice of The Gruffalo), and I’ve found the easiest one of the bunch to do is Gary.
- MarkB
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The basement flooded because I forgot to turn the outside hose off and it burst into a cascade of icy water for HOURS before I noticed:
October 19, 2008
Gone Baby Gone
OK, so when we last spoke, my in-laws were here? Coming? I better go read my last post. Ok, they were gone and I was getting work done by my birth control challenged plumber. No, not Joe, I cannot remember his name anymore.
My in-law visit was very civil. I felt awful for my poor mother-in-law who’s mother died less than two days before their visit. A few days after they returned home they had to go to England for nearly 3 weeks for the funeral and a coincidentally planned visit to family. We had no scandalous arguments or disagreements or anything. The loss of Mark’s Grandmother wasn’t discussed much other than me asking if I could see a few photos of her when she was a young woman. I only met her once, but she was a special, feisty, lady who spent most of her life taking care of herself, as her husband died when he was 44.
In-law summary ‘08
It was sort of a surreal visit, which I attribute to the passing away of Mark’s Grandma. I guess some people, MY mother included, can compartmentalize sadness and grief until it feels more convenient or appropriate. I wanted to cry a few times, but felt like it wasn’t the right time.
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I have some giveaways coming up on Tonic
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I am going to New York City! for an impromptu girl’s vacation with my friend, November 6-12th. Let me know if you are in the area and have any desire to see me.
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It hasn’t snowed yet. Huzzah!
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I got an iPhone and have been sleeping with it. Literally.
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We are coveting the heck out of some awesome stuff on wecovet.com and are having weekly giveaways!
October 7, 2008
All plumbed up
We had both heating and plumbing problems this weekend. All fixed up, I hope. No more putting lard down the sink and never changing the air filters! Kidding, seriously, other issues.
Today the plumber came. I resisted the “I don’t need a plumber. You’re that clever shark, aren’t you?” Saturday Night Live reference, which was a wise move. My plumber was 23.
He was telling me that he had a two month old baby and I oooo’d and awwww’d, I love babies! I said. He told me it wasn’t planned, getting his 19 year old girl friend pregnant, but he didn’t “wrap it or pull out”. I am pro-condom, but do people really think that pulling out is a even sort of reliable method of birth control? Did the 1970s call? Dear people who have unplanned pregnancies because “he didn’t pull out”, THAT DOESN’T WORK!
This public service smack down, brought to you by me, looking you in the face quizzically since this morning when I paid $350 for you to unclog my sink.
“Candygram“*
thinking of you Kare’
