and now... the White-Trashians?

Oh for chrisake, now there's an appliance in our front yard:

Recall that Wolfgang is living back at home temporarily?  He and Chaco had to move out of their old apartment, and we're in this lag time until Wolfgang and his friend/new roomie move into their new apartment?

That's all fine, we've enjoyed having Wolfgang around, and I think it's safe to say that he enjoys having someone do the various tasks of housewench for him.  And while I haven't been thrilled with needing to store all of his stuff, we've managed to live peacefully among the clutter.  

But now... NOW, there's a WASHER adorning our property.  OUTSIDE!  A WASHER!

It was the last of the things the guys needed to move out of the old apartment, and they hauled it over to here.  This was precisely the reason I was reluctant to get them the washer a year ago.  What happens when they move out and have to take it with them??  I'm glad I at least talked them out of getting a dryer too.

I called a guy - one of these "We haul Anything!" guys.  He says he'll get it.  Maybe today.  Maybe not.  I've got some other stuff for him too, while he's at it.  Whenever it happens.

So in the meantime, we are of the appliances-in-the-yard ilk.  I don't want to move it to the backyard in case the hauler guy really will come to get it today.

We told Wolfgang to just leave it in the back of his pickup.  What a chick magnet that would be!

He refused.

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Vintage

Got in a quickie sketch today for Illustration Friday where the prompt is "vintage".

So it's an old dial telephone without the tedious details.

Remember the olden days before cellphones?  Dialing and talking on those big heavy phones?  Today's little kids might see one and wonder what it is.

When I was a kid, we had a wall-mounted phone in the kitchen.  I remember the excitement that ensued when my dad hooked up a second phone in our basement. Two phones!  One on each floor!




I called Grandma from the basement.  Because I could.

Now I'm almost ashamed to admit that I hardly have any phone numbers memorized. My phone knows them for me.

Anyway, I had a pretty productive week.  I had fun erasing things off the to-do list.  And speaking of old things, remember our fridge that was going on the fridge fritz as I was getting ready to leave for P.E.O. convention weekend?  We tried to revive it, but it just kept on fading, so we replaced it this week.

Couple of big men came over and hauled away the old sickly one and installed the pretty new one.

They called me "Ms. Baker" *sigh*

I didn't really care though.  Because now I have ice.

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keeping up with the road-rash-ians

After record-setting heat on Tuesday, we've enjoyed nice cooling afternoon rains, and I had somehow managed to get home just minutes before today's storms. Clearly, the stars were aligned in my favor.

A while later, I heard Meego shuffling around the house, freshly home from work. His job is conveniently located within easy bicycling distance, and that's how he gets to and from. It's also nice in that, it's mostly uphill getting to work, and riding back at the end of the day is a calming, gentle, downhill jaunt. The route is a pleasant one that features a serene little duck pond park.

 Except today, it wasn't so serene for Meego.  I found him hunched and gingerly changing out of his wet and irregularly filthy clothes.

"I crashed", he reported.

Apparently, what I think of as "calming, gentle, downhill jaunt" that features a "serene little duck pond park" is more of a "speed ride with a curving obstacle course of water, birds, and trees" in Meego's world.

Normally, that would be okay, but Meego was coming home just after one rain storm had moved through and the skies were gearing up for round 2.   Remember how I blogged about Meego's new skilz after doing the Master Drive course?  Well, maybe he should have done a similar one for bicycling because

1. the roads were all wet
2. his bike had been sitting in the outdoor, uncovered bike rack during the rain storm, and
3. his bike's exposed rims and brake shoes got thoroughly drenched in said rain storm

HAD he done a bicycle skills course, he might have remembered that wet bicycles don't have very good brakes.  Plus, his speedy tires aren't so grippy on wet cement (mixed with a nice coating of wet duck and goose poop...).  Turns out, though, that his skin is quite grippy!  Look at that - no brakes, wet surfaces, downhill, ducks, skin = the perfect recipe for road rash!

He's not too rashed up, just got a hip and a bit inside one elbow.  It's a smaller rendition of Wolfgang's epic road rash incident of nearly two years ago to the day.   Here's a reminder *blecch* of that epicness:

So, luckily for Meego, his is not nearly that bad.  Also, road rash treatment supplies were at the ready since we'd had to keep a hefty amount around for Wolfgang as he recovered.   Meego had a nice assortment of gauze - which had earned the name of "Wolfgang's Maxi-Pads".

After all, what are big brothers for if not to share their stash of maxi-pads?

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:
1. Throwback Thursday: Choose a photo from a previous June and write a poem or a blog post.

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driving miss hazey

First of all, I want to wish a Happy Father's Day to all the good dads out there!

I know it's really another Hallmark holiday, but it is nice to take a moment to appreciate our dads.  I had a wonderful dad and can't imagine growing up without him, but I know that's not the case for everyone.

And my years spent working in a hotel restaurant demonstrated the contrast between Mother's Day and Father's Day.  Mother's Day brunch was a huge affair while  Father's Day consisted of our manager saying "Happy Father's Day!" over the PA system, then handing out cigars to the guys quietly drinking coffee.  So a shout out to good dads!

On another note, y'all know I've been teaching Meego to drive, and we got a gently used manual transmission civic for that purpose a couple of months ago.  He's been doing well, and yesterday, he completed the Master Drive skills course.

This is really a great program, and I recommend it or something like it to anyone who has a new driver in the family.  Chaco and Wolfgang also completed it, and I immediately noticed improvements in their skills and confidence behind the wheel.

The skills course teaches how to deal with unexpected conditions -  obstacles, accidents, bad road conditions, etc.  They learn responsive techniques for steering, braking, and getting out of slides.  They experience what it feels like to lose control of the car during hydroplaning or sliding on ice, and what it feels like when the ABS engages, all under the watchful eyes of knowledgeable, friendly coaches.








The class lasts all day - most of it spent behind the wheel - and culminates in an afternoon "graduation".  Just prior to receiving their certificates, the new drivers take parents for a demo drive.





I made a short video to summarize our ride with Meego.  You can't really see them in the video, but there are lights along the course that flash suddenly and randomly to simulate some sort of unexpected situation, and the drivers are to respond accordingly.  As a passenger, it feels a lot like a carnival ride.

On a side note, Wolfgang and Meego commented that my video editing resembles "an elementary school video project".  Well, I reminded them that I didn't have video projects in elementary school, so I'm making up for lost time.

All aboard!






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acting busy 'cause it's hot out

I'm blogging from the university.  I probably look all studious doing so.  If they only knew...

Summer classes started this week, and I have just one.  It's a leadership class and I like it so far, follower that I am.  Wolfgang has moved back home temporarily.  He and Meego made the bedroom work with a bit of rearranging.  I've noticed my recent tidying efforts being compromised, but I'm managing to contain myself.

It's very hot today so I'm reluctant to head back home since (1) the university library is air conditioned, (2) the tidiness issues mentioned above, (3) my bicycle expects me to pedal it in order to go forward, (4) pedaling when it's so hot out is sometimes not fun, and (5) waah.

As I was riding here, I came upon what looked like a very fresh traffic accident.  There were three cars pulled over just off an interstate off-ramp, all of them with their hazard lights aflash.  There was a young guy - looked to be early 20s - sitting on the ground outside the driver's side of one of the cars.  A couple of other guys looked to be fine and walking around while yet another healthy-looking man was on the phone.

They were signalling traffic to proceed around them, so I didn't stop as it looked like the situation was under control and I would just get in the way.  In hindsight, I could've offered some water to the guy sitting on the ground.

One thing that struck me as strange was that there didn't seem to be any dents, scratches, or whatnot on any of the vehicles.  Nothing.  So I wondered if it was a fender bender or was the kid on the ground in the midst of some sort of health problem?  As I wondered, I heard sirens approaching from the distance, so help was apparently on the way.

In another news update, I've been going regularly to that new gym trying to do strength workouts I've found on Pinterest, and that's not nearly as wimpy as it sounds.  I haven't really done much of this stuff since high school, and it shows.  Clearly

And in other other news, that nephew of mine got hitched.  You can tell by this wedding photo that they're a pretty pompous couple *SARCASM*

Too fun.  Before anyone asks, I have no idea where he got that suit.

Tornado

Well, this week just seemingly flew by.  How is it already Saturday?

And it's starting to feel like real summer now:  hot and buggy.  This week's prompt at Illustration Friday is "Tornado", and I'm thinking about summer storms.

When a lot of people think of Colorado, they think about the Rocky Mountains.  But really, that's only half the story.  The western half.  The eastern half of the state might as well be Kansas Junior.  It's flat and tornado-y out there.

I was trying to think of what to draw for "Tornado" other than a tornado.  Then I thought of Kansas.  Then I thought of "The Wizard of Oz".  Then I realized that the Tin Man wears a funnel on his head... like in funnel cloud!  Eureka!

Okay, maybe it's not that exciting of a revelation.





Anyway, it gave me a fun subject to play with this morning.  Chaco is moving to a new apartment today and I'm wanting to look busy so I don't get roped into lifting heavy things.  He found a place that's nicer than his college apartment and closer to where he works.

Wolfgang and a roommate found a new place too, but won't move in for a while due to roommate's current lease.  I warned Meego that Wolfgang will probably be moving back home temporarily.  I looked around Meego's room - which was formerly also Wolfgang's room - and contemplated where Wolfgang will sleep.

It took Meego about a half second to say, "couch".

See, Meego has successfully made that room his own, filling it with guitars, and most recently, a keyboard he bought with birthday money.  It looks like a band room in there.  And there's no longer room for another bed.

OH well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.  In the meantime, I'll just try to look busy and let things fall where they may, like waiting out a storm.

girls-gone-wild weekend at Philanthropy Con!

I got back today from lovely Loveland, Colorado and the annual State P.E.O. Convention.  I was our chapter delegate, and Running Sue accompanied me as she explained that she's a "convention junkie!",  and we had a great time.

At final count, there were about 600 total participants in the shindig.

Chaco asked me last week, "Just what do you DO at a P.E.O. convention??"

I explained to him, that aside form taking care of some organizational business, it's really like a big pep rally.  So I've just returned and am all P.E.O. pepped!







I've been to state P.E.O. conventions before, and one thing that's really nice about them is that representative recipients of our various philanthropies come and speak and tell us their stories.  Plus, there are various displays throughout the convention talking about how much money we've given with more examples.

We own our own college!

Award recipient at 
Harvard Med school!

High schoolers off to college!

... and lots more.

And some of those speeches - real tear-jerkers, I tellya.   So it was a good weekend.  

P.E.O. is a women's organization with only women members.  The Saturday night banquet is really the only gathering where men are present if invited.  It is there that the recipients give their speeches, and the spouse of the state president also gives a speech.  

I noted, when the president's husband got up to speak, how strange it seemed to hear a man's voice coming from the speakers after being with all these ladies for so long.  

While Sue and I traveled and roomed together, we each had separate "delegatory" duties at times.  I met lots of wonderful P.E.Os from all over Colorado. And of course, Sue is always fun.  She has bundles of energy and tends to talk a lot.  Sometimes, I wished she didn't talk quite so much so I could get to know the other Colorado P.E.Os better!

The organizational business side of things isn't quite as fun, but a necessary thing for such a large philanthropic organization.  So thank goodness for Happy Hour! (where I learned that Sue likes scotch!)

So, good times!  Good charity, good results, good getaway.  

in time, you slipped away

Meego informed me this morning that his phone is on the fritz.  My usual fix of "turn it off and turn it on again"  is, surprisingly,  not working.

I also noticed this morning that the fridge seems to be just going through the motions of a fridge.  Running, but not fridging like it should be.





In addition, caring mother that I am, I leave sweet little daily missives for Meego that force let him answer a fun "question of the day" (QOD) during the summer to keep the brain from going into hibernation.








Throw in the various pets and their various needs, and it's the little things like this that keep me secure in my position of House Wench.  Somebody's gotta oversee and manage this complex infrastructure.

But not this House Wench.  Not today.  I've got a weekend away planned without the guys.  Just me and several hundred of my closest friends.  We are set to launch shortly.

So, is my refrigerator running?  Why yes.  Yes it is.  Somebody else better go catch it.

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