Shack Nasty 09

Let’s see…the Shack…hmmm.

I’ll just let you see for yourself.

Are you SERIOUS?

I love this picture.

Right before I decided to take a photo, I realized my face was contorting into something very unpleasant all because of what I was hearing.  Then I looked over and realized my homies each had their very own rendition of YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME faces on.

At this moment we are being told that the kids need to come forward and there is going to be a big Chinese New Year fireworks finale…inside.

For those of you who don’t read the comments

Sometimes people don’t dig into the comments section.  This was so funny I just had to post it.  It’s from our friend Troy who just spent a few days in THE MAD HOUSE I call home.

I just finished listening to a VM Mary left me yesterday – After I got done with her To-Do list – drain pipes eaten away compliments of some acid-wielding crazy lady, a couple of leaky faucets, a storm door closer torn from the door by some crazy lady’s crazy kids (supposedly), etc. I had left her an e-mail and a few notes yesterday explaining what I accomplished and what her family can do in the future to spare her pipes from that acid she loves to buy and use (drain cleaner that is) and hopefully avoid having to turn another snake or two lose in the drain pipes in the oldest part of her house. I started with the little wimpy snake a few days ago and even though my right-hand man KP thought it was really cool, it didn’t solve the problem. So I returned with the long power snake that you connect to a drill – KP thought this one was even cooler and KP, Mary and the cat all decided they needed to see this one in action!

Troy, the sink, the cat and the snake

Anyway, their desire to observe caused a serious dilemma for yours truly. You see rotary snakes are often the only way to clean old drain pipes, but the decision to use them is not free of several risks that can create much more serious problems for homeowners. You see, rotary snakes will almost always go down the pipe, but they don’t always come out. And if they get stuck really good, the drain will never work again. Which means if the homeowner has any intention of using the the sink, toilet and tub that all drain into the pipe that is now plugged with the stuck rotary snake, the only way for them to do so is to hire a carpenter to cut away the floors and walls where the old pipes run so they can be removed and replaced with new ones…

So there I was, sitting with the acid-wielding blogger, her camera, her son, and their cat all focused on my every move. All I could think about was how this situation was tailor-made for a good-hearted guy with considerable handyman skills and the desire to help out a neighbor in need to get a really good lesson taught to him re: why it is so important for contractors to be licensed and to carry insurance…. I could also hear my father’s words of wisdom in my ear – “make sure to take things REALLY SLOW when using a rotary snake as you are really F#@ked if you get it stuck in the pipe and can’t get it out.”

So should I give Mary the “buyer beware” talk that every licensed plumber would give her before proceeding? Or should I try the rotary snake VERY SLOWLY and see what happens??? I have to admit, if KP wouldn’t have been looking at me like I was about to save someone’s life with that damn snake, I would have probably told Mary “On second thought I think you should call a plumber or someone else who has better insurance – make that any insurance – than I do to do this for you.”

But KP was giving me that “your the man Mr. Auth” look that one can never walk away from so I pushed the trigger on the drill and began pushing the snake into the pipe. The deeper it went the bigger KP’s smile got and the more pictures Mary flashed. Little did they know that pushing the snake in is the easy part. Once it busted through the clog, I wiggled it around and then started pulling it out. It actually came out covered with black, greasy sewer pipe grime and the spring on the end was filled with all the crud that does such a great job of clogging drains. I breathed a sigh of relief and told KP and Mary I thought it worked – with produced a “Let me see that stuff on that spring” from KP and another string of flashes from Mary’s camera. I cleaned the snake up, put it back in my truck, put the drain pipes under the sink back together and couldn’t wait to fill the sink up with water and then open the stopper. The water created one of those tornado-like whirlpools like the drains in brand-new homes with brand new plastic sewer pipes do and the water disappeared so fast that Mary exclaimed “that drain hasn’t worked that well in all the years we’ve lived here”. Which made me smile from ear to ear. And then KP said “we need to tell PJ to quit putting her blonde hair down that drain” – which was the icing on the cake.

Who needs insurance when one has great neighbors and customers like Mary and KP…

Back to my hot Podiatrist

Marathon training has officially started for good, today.  And what I mean by that is, today, although not necessarily the first day, kicked my butt.  Moderate (which is a swift) pace for 7 miles with sprints at the end.  Needless to say, I realized today just how out of shape I am AND that I need to head right on back to the Podiatrist.

I can’t even think about my Podiatrist anymore without thinking of a conversation I had with Jen the first time I went to see him.  I got out of the office, picked up my phone and called Jen to give her the low down on the bunion and then I added that not only is he brilliant, he is HOT!

She said, well he’s your type.  I’m all like…WHAT…I have a type?  What do you mean?  I’ve been with the same guy for half my life. I don’t have a type anymore.

She continued on, yeah he doesn’t really do it for me.  You know, he looks just like Adam will in 10 years.

And damn if she isn’t right…my husband is sooo HOT!

Dog Blog

T-odd and his family just adopted a three-legged Pit Bull named Tri-pod…oh excuse me, I mean Apollo.

He insists on not calling it a Pit Bull, you can find his anger here, which makes me giggle inside just a touch.

He also insists that this dog is so smart that it should have its own blog, you can find Apollo’s antics here.

Next thing we know, he’ll be running with it and then we’ll be running with it.  T-odd, maybe you’ll need to switch over to Mrs. Bickerson’s running group…they allow and even encourage dogs over there.

For the love of Dogs!

Chemo can be fun!

All good news today.

Ok, a touch anemic…but who cares.

Today we take what we can get.

Speaking of Birthdays…

A little birthday wish to Mrs. Bickerson today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

And a little birthday story for you.

PJ was at a puppy birthday party for her friend Megan this past weekend.  When I came to pick her up, Ellen (her mom), told me that PJ did not want to have any of the delicious chocolate birthday cake that she had made.

Ellen already knew from past experience that PJ is not a big fan of desserts or chocolate for that matter.  So she asked her, when at birthday parties what would you like to have for a treat?

PJ’s response, “avacodos!”

Happy Birthday Jen!

The Incredible Cake

My friend Jen does deserve a wonderful birthday cake for her birthday.  However I did not have time for that and come up with what might be my best creative use of what we had around the house to date.  All the treats where from the Zodiac Walk at this past weekend’s Chinese New Year Festival at PJ’s school.

Who wouldn’t want all that served up on a pedestal cake plate?

Created with love.

Making your friend feel welcome

KP had one of his school buddies, Big C, over for a play date yesterday.

When we showed up for school this morning, Big C’s mom just had to share a little story that happened at their house last night.

When Big C was being put to bed, he told his dad that he better go lock the doors and make sure they were locked.

When his dad asked why, he said, “I was playing with one of KP’s big brother’s toys.   He told me that I better not because he will hunt me down.  So can you make sure the doors are locked.”

Pee yourself funny

About a week or so ago Mrs. Bickerson posted a video up on Facebook.  I have been talking aout this clip for the past week and my impression, I am sure, can not do it justice.

So, for everyone who has heard about Hope and Hank’s little ditty, here it is.

Thanks Mrs. B.