Joe. The. Plumber.

This is Joe:

He is our plumber and we love him.  He is extremely knowledgeable about the entire plumbing profession, which, trust me on this, is a great thing.  People always take plumbing for granted until it doesn’t work, but when you think about it, it was plumbing that really paved the way for modern society.  Without good plumbing we would literally be in deep shit.

So, after yesterday’s clearing of the pipes, Joe came back today with the PipeCam and discovered that from where he put in the easy-out in the back yard, going towards the back of our property and into the alley behind the house, the pipes had shifted.  Think of the join between 2 pipes, where it might be soldered.  One of these joints has shifted enough so that the lip of one pipe is now an inch or so below the connecting lip of the other pipe.  This allows the runoff from our house to leach into the ground, even though most of it still goes into the city main line which is just THAT close to the break.  A few more inches and it would have been a city problem.  As it is, it is OUR problem and now we have to have it fixed.

Thankfully, Joe gave us a proposal that we can live with, even though we did not expect to have to spend that lump of money just right now.  Also, thankfully, the digging will run through the meditation garden where everything is already cleared, and they will take out and put back all the fencing and get all permits necessary, etc.

Joe spent a lot of time explaining the whole proposal to us, and even encouraged us to shop around to see is someone might do it for less, because the company he works for is expensive.  However, this work will have a 2 year warranty on everything, and we know it will be done right.  As far as G and I are concerned, there is no scrimping when it comes to plumbing.

Work begins on Tuesday, and I will definitely take some photos.  Joe even promised G she could drive the backhoe, which is something she has always wanted to do, so at least we will get a little fun out of this.

My wish for today would be that everyone could find a Joe to do their plumbing.

The rampage of appreciation continues!

GG

Back To It (In Spades)

The retreat was a success.  Started off in the early morning by getting into the hot tub in a light snow.  That was heavenly.  Sunday mornings are quiet around here anyway and when it’s snowing (even a dusting), things just seem to come to a complete stop.  There was hardly even any traffic on the highway–just the very light hissing sound of tiny snowflakes falling and an occasional chirp of a bird at the feeder.  Sitting neck-deep in the hot water (no jets) and just letting myself wake up inch by inch was incredible. Then the wind really picked up and managed to blow the shade cloth screen all over the place, so it was time to get out and go back into the warm house.  I made coffee, read a little bit and then headed down to do some meditation, tarot, and work with my mesa and other tools.  It had been way too long and I had to get reacquainted with everything.

I think I was down there for 2 or 3 hours and it just reaffirmed how much I love my little meditation space.  Small, but just right for sitting zazen or doing some yoga, etc.  I even have a hand-painted rocking chair that G bought for me several years ago at an auction we attended.  The only down side is that it can be chilly in the winter, but I brought in my small space heater and shut the door and it was quite comfy in no time–even sitting on the floor.  Also, the MP3 player and docking station are perfect for setting the background ambiance.

The rest of the day was just as pleasant.  I did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it.  I made a loaf of banana bread and roasted some red peppers to marinate for later use.  I browsed through magazines and newspapers that had been lying around for a few days.  I watched a little TV and listened to some music.  It was just a complete day of non-doing and it was great.

Yesterday was the antithesis of that.  We got up with a list of things to get done:  G had a certified package she had to pick up at the P.O, we needed to go visit our teacher and pick up some things from her, we wanted to go to Sam’s Club so I could get my card updated and see if they had these shirts that I had bought a couple of weeks ago in any more colors because I LOVE them and wanted more.  After that, we went back home to unpack the perishables, and make final plans for dinner and mah-jongg with our friends MJ and Peggy, who just had a hip replacement.  She is doing fabulous, and was ready to get out of the house, so we decided to all meet at MJ’s.  She has the perfect mah-jongg table.  G and I were going to see “2012″ with another friend.  The timing was perfect.  We were done with the movie with enough time to swing by the store, pick up rotisserie chickens and deli salads, then pick up Peggy and get to MJ’s at the appointed time.  The mah-jong mavens had a blast–and I even got a mah-jong in one game, which rarely happens.

Got home at 9-ish and thought I was going to write, but I was just pooped.  So, I headed to bed with “Drood” (I’m a bit more than half-way through), and was off to dreamland soon.

Today started with a load of laundry that brought water bubbling up into the tub and then back into the washer right after I got the clothes in the dryer.  We went through this earlier this year, so it didn’t seem like it was right for it to be happening again.  I had heard some “glugging” over the weekend and had done the soda/vinegar/boiling water down the tub, and things were calm for a day or two.  But, there was nothing for it but to call our plumber, Joe, back to the scene.  We love this guy.  After snaking everything out and finding, again, that there was NOTHING between the house and the easy-out in the back of the yard, we are all seriously thinking this has to be a problem with the city lines.  But the trouble is, we have to prove it.  Oh, boy, a fight with city hall, just what I want to do.  At least we have the plumber on our side!  He’s going to come back tomorrow and do another pipe-cam, so maybe I’ll get a pic of him on here.  He really is a doll.

When life goes to the trenches, it’s good to have a plumber you can count on.

GG

Retreat

Tomorrow I am taking a retreat.  I’m turning off the phone (or not answering it) and doing some “me” things that I’ve needed to do for a long time.  It’s going to be cold and winter-y here in Pueblo and we might even get some snow, so I picked a good day for it.  So many times, I get up on my weekend, and I have good intentions of setting aside some time just for my own breathing space, but then G and I get involved in projects, going to breakfast, catching up on house stuff, etc. and next thing I know, the whole day is gone and I haven’t read that article, or done that meditation or worked with my tarot cards or any of the spiritual things that really give me great solace and reconnection with my inner energy.

Especially recently, with me kind of being “on alert” since G has been dealing with her knee and all of it’s accompanying setbacks, pain, and other good stuff, I have felt pulled in about a thousand different directions.  It’s also the dark moon on Monday, so this really is a perfect time for some contemplation and energy work.  I am looking forward to waking up when I’m ready to stop sleeping and taking it from there.

I also plan to keep  up the word count on the growing novel, and maybe get some of my shaman notes in order.  There is just so much to do that I have let go over the last few months!  Time management, where are you when I need you?

So, getting a head start on tomorrow, I will sign off and wish you all a warm, cozy and safe rest of the weekend.  Be sure to take some “me” time if you need it!

GG

The Great Debate (quick)

The same-sex marriage debate at CSU-Pueblo was very interesting last night.  The 2 debators were a professor of philosophy from Wayne State U (for) and an author and former (or current) employee of Focus on the Family (against).  They spoke and then each rebutted the other a couple of times.  They do this regularly across the country.  They managed to keep things very civil (so did the audience) and really not bring “God” into it at all. They were clear that they were speaking in terms of civil, legal marriage versus anything that happens in a church.  After they spoke, they opened up the floor for questions.

The audience contained a good number of students, but also folks from the community including a recently-elected county commissioner which I thought was interesting.  He didn’t ask any questions.

As might be expected, most of the questions were for the guy who was against same-sex marriage.  All his speech was really quoting from various scholarly texts about the “stabilizing” influence of marriage on men, because of women, etc., etc., blah, blah.  I don’t mean to make light of him (well maybe I do) but I mean, quoting works from 1962??  Please.

Anyway, in the question section, one young man came forward and asked a telling question, saying that if this man thought marriage was such a stabilizing influence in humanity, why was it BAD if 2 HUMAN BEINGS decided to enter into a marriage relationship.

“Well, it’s not,” said the anti-gay-marriage speaker.

“So, are you then saying that gay and lesbian people aren’t human?” asked the young man.

Let me tell you, there was dead silence in that ballroom.  I vividly remember the other speaker turning his head to his opponent and looking at him like, Let’s see you get out of THIS.

And, you know, he couldn’t.  He was totally stumped for a good 3 or 4 beats, and then started hemming and hawing and, well, if the PEOPLE are male and female…etc.

But the underlying thoughts had been revealed.

To him, I and any other gay members of society are not considered human and thus do not deserve or require human rights.

Karma is coming and it’s going to run over the dogma big time.

GG

Whew!

Okay, it’s official.  I’m tired.  Was going great guns today, and then had to stop and take G to her PT session because she didn’t feel safe driving.  I don’t mind, but I ended up getting a 30-minute file right as I was only lines from the finish when I got back.  However, I’ll take the extra 300 lines, for sure.

So, it’s time for a few pictures.  Here are the much-discussed bike trainers:

And here are the bikes:

In fact, I shall be riding the front one of those in just a few minutes.  Need to work out the kinks of sitting all day.

This morning, I got out side a little after 6 a.m. and got some great morning shots:

Such a beautiful time of day, and so ethereal.  If you blink (or snooze) you miss it completely!  Our little cherry tree turned so pretty this year:

And the last few leaves on the peach tree just glowed:

Finally, here is the result of some of our SIL’s work.  This patch of yard on the north side of the house gets virtually no sun, and has been a struggle to figure out what to do with.  Now, we can plant some shade-loving ground cover to wind amongst the flagstones:

The low plants at the top left of the stones are our strawberries.  We hope they will extend down into that bare patch on the left.  Directly left, we have planted 2 thornless blackberry bushes, so we are hoping for a BERRY good summer next year!

And on that note, I feel some nachos calling me, then a bike tour while I watch NCIS.

C YA!

GG

Pueblo Joins In

Did you know that Pueblo has its own college?  Yes, it’s true.  In addition to the well-respected two-year Pueblo Community College PCC), there is also a 4-year college here, University of Colorado-Pueblo (UCP).  The local PBS station has its offices and broadcasting facilities there, and on Wednesday, the college will join in the same-sex marriage debate with these two fellows going head-to-head on the issue.

G and I are definitely going and I am really looking forward to it.  Hopefully, I will be able to report back with optimism.

In other news daughter and SIL just showed up to hopefully finish some cement work that he had started a while back.  We ran out of cement, then the weather got nasty, but we’ve had a spell of warmer days and yesterday we hauled in 10 more bags of cement, so with luck they can finish today.

I also want to get my bike fixed so I can pedal to Dancing With The Stars, then I have to do the next installment on the GAN.  It went well yesterday, nearly 4000 words at a pop.  Plus we hope to get some kind of a walk in since the weather is nice.  In the mean time, I am doing laundry, wheee.

I tried to update the photos on the blog in Flikr, but I don’t like how they are ordered, so I will have to go play with that now.

Hope everyone has a happy Monday.

GG

Wiped (with update)

Saturdays wipe me out.  I finally just reached my daily line count (a bit over), but will still probably need to work for a little while tomorrow to make the weekly count.  The boys were over last night, because it was step-dad’s birthday, so nothing got written on the Great American Novel (GAN), and we are going to a potluck tonight so nothing will get written tonight.  I have much to catch up on tomorrow and Monday.  Plus I still haven’t gotten my flat tire fixed.  On my bike.  Did I even write about that?  Well, I have a flat on my bike and I need to get it fixed.

Last night was good.  The boys are getting older and don’t have to be watched 24/7.  GS2, who never wanted to go into the basement by himself, asked if he could play on the computer down there.  G’s old computer is now set up for them with games, etc.

G brought home a beautiful pork loin roast and I cooked it slowly in the oven, basting often.  GS2 (who is a very picky eater), nevertheless LOVES to help do stuff in the kitchen.  He helped me peel carrots for steaming, and when I took the roast out to slice it and put gravy on it (yes, I made gravy), he said, “Gramma that looks DELICIOUS!  I think I could eat that whole thing!”  This from a 7 year old!  I steamed broccoli and carrots, made mashed potatoes and sliced the roast, and it was so warm, we ate outside on the back patio, since the living room is still full of bicycles.  Afterwards, G washed up and I put the food away and then the boys and I played Monopoly.  They LOVE Monopoly.  I got our game at the ARC thrift store for $1.00.  All pieces included.

Then we wanted to have a fire, so off we went to the fire pit.  I am SO happy we closed off that little area behind the garage.  It’s just a great little private space.  We got our drums and rattles and the boys were happy to make music as the fire lit up the night.  I could tell GS2 was about to nod off, but he kept up a surprisingly good rhythm with his drum.  (I believe he is 1/6 Comanche through his bio father). He seemed to really be into the drumming and watching the fire.  It started to get a little cooler and I asked GS2 if he wanted a bath (he loves being in the water) and he said yes, so we closed the fire, and get the boys their baths and I laid out their pallets in the living room.  GS2 was asleep by the time his head hit the pillow, but GS1 remembered we had mentioned “popcorn, mabye” so he wanted some.  We flipped around and found a movie to watch, and he ate his popcorn and pretty soon he was in dreamland, too.

I had planned to get up early and work before they woke up, but I just couldn’t.  I was too pooped, so I got up normally and had JUST signed in for work when down trooped the boys wanting breakfast.  I had promised GS1 an omelette, so had to make good on that.  Again, GS2 had to help me with every little thing in the kitchen, and I had to explain why I crack each egg separately in a little cup first.  He’s just the most curious kid.

After breakfast, I did get to work and G took the boys outside to help her with projects.  She took them home and I think they were going to go fishing.

I had a brief, frustrating conversation with my daughter, who was “done” with her husband for the Xth time.  I guess “some bitch” is texting him, or what ever.  I just do not have time or energy for that kind of drama.  I don’t know if that makes me a bad mother, but then I’ve never thought I was a particularly GOOD mother, so what else is new?

I just couldn’t talk to her about it.  She knew this guy for years before they got married.  She knew he was a cheater because he cheated WITH her.  Granted, he wasn’t married, but still.  I want to feel bad for her, but my perspective is, your eyes were open, you can’t pretend to be outraged, and people don’t change just because they get married.  They just find sneakier ways of doing what they always did.

Anyway, I’m sure it was not as bad as she made it seems because I am where she vents.  Time will tell.  I can’t worry about it because it’s not my life (THANK GOD).

So, now I have to go get ready for this potluck that I don’t really want to go to, and I DON’T feel like cooking, so I think I am going to go by a lemon pie from a local restaurant and call it good.

Mas tarde,

GG

*G just came downstairs (she can do that now), and since I am cross-eyed tired, and she is hurting like a bitch, we called and begged off the pot luck.  I think our hosts were disappointed, but I am just too tired to be a good guest.  Maybe a dip in the hot tub later.  Now…the weekend begins!

Gifts of Love

I’ve mentioned our Friday night “dinner group” a few times.  G and I haven’t been going quite as often as before, what with surgery, rehab, being out of town, etc.  However, this month 4 of our members all have their birthdays within a day or two of each other, November 26 or 27.  And even more special, 2 of them will by 75 fabulous years young, and the other 2 will be 74.  I think that is amazing!  They are all 4 still incredibly vital and attractive woman, and one was instrumental in advancing the cause of women’s college basketball both in the state of Colorado and nationally.  So, this is a big deal.

Two of our other members are hosting a potluck/party in their honor on the 21st.  They have a fabulous “party house” complete with an indoor pool and karoke set up.  They are what you would call “sport dykes” as they have every sporting “toy” known to man (or woman) and use all of them frequently and happily.

Gifts of course are not mandatory at this function, but G and I wanted to do something to show these ladies how wonderful we think they are.  They are fortunately at places in their lives where they don’t really need a lot of THINGS, so my sweet G came up with what I think is one of the best ideas ever:  We are going to Heifer International and we are going to buy a flock of chickens and several shares of trees to be sent in honor of our friends.  I don’t know about you, but I think knowing that someone had received chickens to lay eggs for their family or trees that produce fruit, etc. in my name, well, I would be thrilled.  I hope they will be, too.

G often talks about how she can’t think of good gifts for people.  I think this time she has really proved herself wrong in that regard.

Heifer International is a great organization that really helps people become self-sufficient and less dependent on foreign aid.  If you ever need to send a gift but don’t want to clutter up the world with more “things”, this is a great option.

Pass it on!

GG

Back In The Water

I figured it out.  The culprit for my recent doldrums is nearly 100% the abhorrent and dreaded daylight savings time.  In which we cut 2 inches off the top of the blanket, sew it on to the bottom of the blanket and call the blanket “longer”.  Since DST went back to plain ol’ TIME, I have been waking up at 4:30 in the morning, without an alarm.  Why?  Because I’ve been waking up at 4:30 in the morning all along, only the clock said 5:30.  And I’ve been dragging around, moping and half asleep all day, waiting for the light to come in before I head down to work, and it was killing me, just killing me.

Today, I woke up at 4:30 and realized that it was Tuesday and swim practice was out at the county high school at 5:30 and man, I had plenty of time to get there!  So, I did.  And I actually swam better than 20 laps in 45 minutes, and even did a few sprint laps.  I discovered a really need a new swim suit which will be harder to find than the Holy Grail, as not to many places make swim suits, by which I mean a suit that one can actually SWIM in, for tall, fat women.  That is a bathing suit without “fat panels” and shirring and deep V-necks and tie backs and all that.  I just want a plain suit with a racer back that holds up/mashes in my flab and wont fall down when I’m on lap 50.  For under $200.00.  Is that asking too much?  No, I don’t THINK so.  (Channeling John Leguizamo in “To Wong Foo”).

Anyway, the bike trainers work great, and when I have a few extra moments, I will post a photo of our converted living room.  (How’s THAT for a non sequitur?)

The writing is going.  If I can keep at it at this pace, all will be well.  So far, I’m not running out of things to say.  I think that’s good.  Oh, and Ms Walhydra, no one has died–yet.  And why aren’t YOU taking this challenge??

I put the pedal to the metal at work today and did over 40 reports!  That is a new personal best, and the line count was good.  I also got my 4th quarter quality review and had a 99% accuracy level.  Woot!

So, maybe I’ll even go swim on Thursday as well, and see if I can keep this up.  It all boils down to just needing light in the mornings.  I NEED that for my well being.  My body craves it.  I can manage the DST in the spring because it’s just a set back–the light comes back as the season progresses.  But after the summer solstice, when the days start to get shorter…it is just too DARK for me to make any sense in the morning.  Now, when I get up I feel like I’ve been let out of a cage.  Then, after winter solstice, the days lengthen and the light comes back and we’re on the next cycle.  So, now I know what to watch out for from late August to the end of October.  Maybe next year I’ll be better prepared.

Here’s to continuing education, even if it’s only about why you can’t get up in the morning.

Oh, and is anyone else going to watch the series premiere of “V”??  I loved the old show in the 80s!

Happy writing, riding, swimming and viewing,

GG

So Far, So Good

I’m actually off to a decent start.  I love this about writing:  You have an idea, which seems to be pretty straightforward.  You start to write.  THINGS happen.  PEOPLE happen.  They do more things–all by themselves.  Seriously.  They DO things, you just write it down.

Imaginary friends, gotta love ‘em.

G had her 6-week check up today in Denver.  We saw a 4th year medical student.  Gotta love teaching hospitals.  However, he was very attentive and answered all our questions, so maybe that was a good thing.  I’ve reached that age where many doctors are now young enough to be my children.  THAT is scary.  Guess I’ll just continue to stay away from doctors. 

We got out of Denver and stopped at REI in Colorado Springs because G wanted to buy one of those things for her bike that you set the back wheel in and turn the bike into a training machine.  REI didn’t have one–well, they DID but it was in a box and the woman really didn’t seem all that keen to show us how it worked.  She TOLD us how it worked, but I couldn’t quite visualize it.  So, we passed.  I did find an ExOfficio shirt and a pair of shorts that I can wear on our trip to Australia next spring (more on that later).  Men’s sizes, of course, but WTF, men’s clothes are better made than women’s anyway, sad to say, but true.  The sales girl was such a ditz, I mean a total space case, I was just in a rotten mood when we left, so instead of our usual going to lunch, etc, I just wanted to come HOME.  Then, we went to a local bike shop near our house and got INCREDIBLE service and lots of advice and came home with TWO bike-holder-thingies, so now our living room has become a bike gym.  In fact, I’m signing off now and going upstairs to ride my bike while I watch Dancing With The Stars.

Maybe I’ll start my own cable show–Biking With The Grannies!  I think it has a nice ring to it, myself.

Pedal to the metal…

GG