Pumps….. damn pumps and more pumps…..

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We finally got the neon’s gas pump fixed. Wheee!!! Wheels at last.

I should have known better. However, Dan got a job from the Conference and on the 17th, we dropped Morgan at school, drove the back way up HWY 69 to 96 to 50 into Pueblo. It was a lovely drive and we got stuff at the bakery and then I went to the library while Dan went to Denver.

I had a great time at the library and our friend Curtis picked me up around noon. We ran errands and then he took me home. I had a quiet evening and a good nights sleep. Right up until 7:30am. That’s when the phone rang. It was Dan. The job was done and he got paid. Only problem was that the water pump blew. He was at mile marker 188. That is 135 miles from Walsenburg.

Argh!!!!!! So, I got up, called Curtis and arranged for him to drive up to Denver to rescue Dan. Once he got there, they decided it was NOT a by the side of the road fix, and were going to tow it home. Keep in mind that Curtis drives a little beat up old Chevy Luv pickp. Not a real powerhouse. So, they decided to come home via the Easter plains of Coloraod. Yoder, Ellicot, Fowler and then up HWY 10 to Walsenburg. This made for a LONG COLD trip in an unheated car for Dan. Curtis wasn’t much warmer. The two of them got back to the house at 1:30am, and they were two popcicles! I think it took us till almost 4am to warm up and settle down. Everyone piled under various covers and we all slept till 10am. Yawn….. Morning came wayyyy too early! Copious amounts of tea were needed. We decided that this time the car could go to the garage to have the water pump replaced. Dan made enought to take care of that. Phewww!!!

Then of course it was clean up, eat and get ready for the Christmas Train. Curtis left the same time we did. The train was great this time. Expecially the coach group which understood it was a melodrama and really got into the boos and hisses as well as the yeahs!

It of course turned into another late night. At least for Dan. He was doing homework and the Windows side of his computer ate the file. So, he had to start all over again and didn’t get to bed until 5:30am. So, rather than thump around the house, I calld Pauline and we went out to the laundromat where we sat chatting while the washers did their thing. I knitted and she crocheted. 🙂 We had a good visit and got the clothes clean too!

Tonight I’m for an early night. Dinner and maybe a movie and then off to bed. Solstice eve of course!!!

And the copier commits suicide…

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Today was busy at work. Pauline stopped by, as did John Carlson, Carol and her hubby as well as half a dozen people looking for work. At least Shirley was there to deal with them. Oh, and the phone rang. Most of it was hang up calls. Why on earth would anyone prank a Chamber of Commerce? Bored? Stupid? Oh well… I was trying to get two days work done in one so that I could have tomorrow off. Since I get paid by the hour, it doesn’t work to just take time off.

While trying to hunt down information on concealed carry permits, I told one of our businesswomen in town about the Open Source software we’ve been trying to make people aware of for weeks. She wanted a copy of the  disk and a chamber application. So, gathering my stuff, off I went. Dan covered the office. I dropped off the software, new brochures from the chamber, got invited to present this info at the next school board meeting and then stopped by the Huerfano Journal. I had paychecks! Wheee! I really enjoy working for the Journal. It helps that my cousin Gretchen and her hubby Brian own and operate the paper, but I actually enjoy writing the articles.  (hi Brian! hi Gretchen!) I’m starting a history column mid January. I already do three. I picked up a laptop they want Dan to work on as well.

I got back to work with lunch in hand. I was working on getting stuff caught up and almost had everything ready for the board meeting next week in between bites of french fries. Emphasis on almost. Dan went to go copy something and the printer made this noise. Sort of a cross between a cat being pulled apart and one of those really annoying party horns. He cussed and tried it again. Then the tool bag came out. First he threatened it and then he started pulling it apart. Dan worked on copiers and printers in another life, far away in Nashville. More cussing. Then he borrowed the phone. He talked to Gobins and discovered that while the parts needed were covered by our service contract, the labor  wasn’t. $380 worth of labor for a 14 year old copier. Hmm…. I don’t think so. However, that isn’t a decision that I can make. So, I added it to the agenda for the meeting.

It also meant a whole new flurry of emails to boardmembers to let them know what is going on. Wheeee……

Horrid, horrid week.

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The Queen had an annus horrilibus. This has been my horrid week. First the business. Then on Wednesday, Pauline came over and asked us to help her move out to the ranch. Daniel, Dan and I went out and helped pack up the pick-up truck, her car and a full sized school bus. Lots of heat, dust and hard work. By the time we finished, I had the headache from hell. I climbed in bed at 8pm, after a shower and slept for 12 hours.

Thursday morning while I was waiting for Dan to pick me up, I heard Oscar go after a cat. Didn’t know what cat, as I was too late to see that. All I saw was gray fur on the floor. That could have been Tweek, who I had brought in about 10 minutes earlier, or Bubbles. Dan picked me up and we went over to work on 520. We weren’t there even an hour when the kids called me. Tweek was ill on Matt’s bed. Dan and I went over and checked her out. She was the one that Oscar had attacked earlier. We picked her up and brought her over to 520, knowing that she would either pass or start to get better.

Tweek passed about three hours later. Still no idea of what exactly was broken. She had a long scratch and that was about it. Considering how quickly she died, nothing a vet could have done would have helped. We buried her in the back yard at 520.

Then I had to go over to 203 and let John and the rest of the family know what had happened. We also had to tell Daniel that Oscar had to go. This is the third cat he has killed. Plus, he has bitten 5 or 6 people. Nothing serious, but hard enough to draw blood. AT this point, my fear was that Logan would get bitten. So, Oscar had to go. Of course, Daniel has been very upset. I was upset.

Upset, angry, in tears,… everything. He is very angry with me and Dan. No other course of action though, but to get rid of the dog.

This morning, I went to turn my resume in at two different secretarial type jobs. One for the D.A. and one at the local chiropractor. I will have to wait until Monday to see if I get an interview. The chiropractor didn’t know what to think of this middle aged woman who wanted a job. A paying job. He kept asking me questions like I was a 20-something. Honestly didn’t know what to think of someone who didn’t want more education, just a job that paid. Oh well.

After that, Daniel came over and practically threw Oscar at me. The whole, “you get rid of him, and I’ll hate you forever” mind trip. I called all over trying to find a place for him. No luck. So, Dan and Erin took him up in the hills. I’m not happy about this, but it is better than him being dead. Of course, now Daniel wants his dog back, there is no way to get him back and I have to deal with all of that.

Of course, in the middle of this whole thing, my Dad calls. The medical tests came back positive for cancer. Two or three kinds. Bladder cancer, a tumor of some sort and one other thing. Treatable, but still. Trying not to worry. I’ll get more details from Mom tomorrow.

Dan just got back. He told Daniel and I about Oscar. From the moment he got out of the back of the truck, he was blissful. Ignored Dan and Erin, his ball, everything human. He got a drink out of the stream after playing in it and then was hunting a vole and snacking. They called to him and he just went over the hill and out of sight. They waited around for 30 minutes and while they saw him a time or two, he was happy to be out there. He went out of sight and they came home. It may not have been the best thing, but there was no one who would take him. There are no No Kill shelters in this end of the state for dogs his size. (German Shepard and Wolf) No ranchers. All in all, it is the best choice. Our only other one was a bullet in the head. Not even Dan could do that to him.

I’m going to bed.

What a day!

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It started out good. I got three loads of laundry done and a shower. Even got to work on time. That’s when things started to go wonky.

I have been trying to back up the info on my computer. Can I get it done? NO! Why? Because my USB hub keeps acting up. So, I had to take my laptop off of my port and do everything directly. Still didn’t get everything copied, but will deal with that tomorrow. Oh well…

Pauline came by for a visit. She needed computer time which was fine. Plus, she is going to kidnap me on Thursday. That way while she works at the house I can have a long visit with her. Dan will be gone to Alamosa, so Karen may have to watch the office. Wheee….

Plus, I stepped on a nail. I have a small hole in my left foot. Need to get a tetanus shot. Argh…  On top of everything else, my mooncyle started the cramps from hell. So, tonight I am curling up with my book and ignoring the world!

Friday afternoon!

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I am finally getting caught up! Yesterday all I had time for was a quick post just before I went to bed. However, yesterday was a very full day.

First off, it snowed again which made it very cold. Found out later that places like Cuchara got nearly 10 inches of snow. Brrrr! On the 15th of May no less!

Plus, around 5am, Stella started having kittens. By around 7am, she had four little tabbies and one black kitten. She looks to be a very good mom. :> Oh, and Beth was ill with some sort of stomach bug which caused havoc for her. I took her some gatorades and crackers while Dan headed to Aguilar for two jobs. I did some banking and then headed out to pick up Matt and Morgan who went on an all school rollerskating trip to Pueblo. They had a lot of fun in spite of the cold. I brought them back to the office because Beth was sick. They were going to spend the night here.

While we waited for Dan to get home, Erin, Morgan and Logan showed up. With a bit of convincing, they went to the store and I made steak and potato pie for dinner. Half way through cooking, Dan got home. He’d forgotten a part and had to come back here for it.

We ate and cleaned up just in time for Dan to get home. He was too tired to eat so I saved his share for lunch. Around 9:30pm, Erin and family headed home.  Morgan and Matt went to bed and Dan and I finally had a little time to work out some things for today. Oh, and I wrote the first episode of Digitally Challenged.

This morning at 9am, my sister Pauline showed up. She had just come from a job interview and needed a cuppa tea to relax. We all chatted and then I went with her to her house and picked up chairs and a desk. Daniel was suppose to go with her out to Mike’s to unload the bus, but friends of his kidnapped him to buck bales of hay. Pauline left about 30 minutes before they got here. I gave them directions and out they went. With three young men, it only took an hour to move everything. I even got two more chairs out of the deal. 🙂 Wow! We now have places to sit that aren’t desk chairs.

We are suppose to have a business meeting in about 15 minutes. Erin, Karen, Carlos, Dan and I. A first! 🙂

I also took pictures of our furbaby. Brandywine came home today from training. Wheeee!

Brandy surprises Dan with a kiss

Brandy and Morgan in the garden

More later!