Always loved this song.
My Tuesday afternoon is literally shitty. The latest development at Chez Money Pit is that we had to dig up our septic system and replace it.
We were afraid something like this might happen and had braced ourselves for financial impact. But the initial inspection led us to believe we might get off more lightly. First, the septic tank dude said maybe it just needed a new pump. Upon further inspection, it turned out a secondary gray water tank definitely needed to be replaced. Then, when the dig got underway, it was determined that the main tank was crumbling too, so that will also be replaced at horrifying cost.
To recap, in two years, our fixer-upper has received a new roof, a new well and pump system, a new A/C and ductwork, a new hot water heater, new washer and dryer, new stove and a shower stall rebuild. I’m tempted to say (while furiously knocking wood) that there’s nothing left to replace, but I suppose the electrical system could blow up, so I won’t go there.
None of this was really unforeseen — we got the place cheap because it needed a lot of work. That said, we’d hoped to space the work out over more time. But then it started raining in the bathroom and all the toilets backed up.
Anyhoo, the septic tank dig will be ongoing for the next few days, so my main focus now is keeping the dogs far away from the muddy mess surrounding that endeavor. It would be just like them to roll in human waste and then run amok, spreading foulness throughout the house.
I hope y’all’s week is going better than mine! Open thread!
catclub
Happy mardi gras!
LuciaMia
Its hard to argue with toilets. What a pain.
********
Re: the Moody Blues. I played that album to death too!
The Thin Black Duke
Darn it.
I wanted to be first!
(missed it by that much)
Still, although it’s cold, grey and rainy, but I’m listening to Lowell George so I’m feeling pretty good right now. I just finished another essay and I like it.
Blessings and virtual hugs to all of the BJ community.
Annie
Best of luck with all this, Betty.
NotMax
Merde, she wrote.
;)
mrmoshpotato
No. Not those two lovable hounds! ?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I don’t know if the name Brent Bozell means anything to you younglings– Sr. made the money; Jr was Bill Buckley’s BIL; III, the one I remember, literally used to watch a lot of TV and report his hurt feelings, then got invited on TV (fairly frequently) to discuss his hurt feelings; now IV….
Ken
I admire your principles. Some people would say “eh, it’s a swamp, who needs a septic system”.
randy khan
That is one advantage of cats – the only thing they’ll roll around in is catnip.
Ken
@randy khan: On the other hand, cats do bring inside any number of dead, mostly-dead, and begging-for-the-sweet-mercy-of-death things. I’ve only had that happen once with a dog.
CaseyL
I hesitate to suggest the next thing that could go wrong with your house, since it might hear me!
Best of luck with the septic replacement. Look on the bright side: you shouldn’t have to do anything else with it ever again (other than routine maintenance).
This is why, as much as I sometimes think I’d like to live in an area with more wildlife and less human footprint, the upkeep on doing so is terrifying.
ETA: Also why I’m wary of fixer-uppers. Ghastly things could be hiding under the floors and behind the walls.
lollipopguild
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: This family is so stupid I wonder how they manage to reproduce.
MomSense
Best of luck with this project. I’ve been there and it wasn’t fun.
Denali
Hang in there, Betty. We were all set to replace our kitchen countertops and discovered that our wall oven was literally hanging by a thread to the cabinet. So the fun project has been diverted to a more costly fix-it. Meanwhile our most exciting travel plans include driving 70 miles on a probably snowy thruway to the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse for our Co-Vid Vaccination. At least we still have power. Which my sister doesn’t in Austin. Are the walls closing in yet?
Brachiator
Wow. Good luck with the repairs.
Just Some Fuckhead
Vonage Enterprise support makes me want to cut myself. I don’t know how they manage to stay consistently awful but it must take dedication and effort.
Keithly
Some days home ownership prompts the question, “Which chapter of Job are we doing today?”; other days it’s, “Which chapter of Revelations are we doing today?” I feel your pain.
Doc Sardonic
@The Thin Black Duke: One thing I like about this place, good taste(mostly) in music. Waiting for Columbus is a favorite of mine, how can you beat Billy Payne on piano, Lowell George and Paul Barrere on the guitars and The Tower of Power horns all in one place. The rest of the band were excellent as well. Days of Future Passed back in the day was always on the get higher than beejeebus stack on the turntable.
Betty Cracker
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I remember the Bozell who meeped about his feelings on TV, but I had no idea he was part of a multigenerational chain of whack-jobs!
danielx
It’s 20 degrees outside but I’m making beef burguignon and having a sample of the wine to be included, so my day is going better than yours, Betty
I feel for those poor folks in Texas without heat and power. However, there was a popular bumper sticker down thataway years ago that read “Drive Eighty And Freeze A Yankee”.
So I feel for them, but not too much.
Mary G
I’m getting ready to call foundation contractors as soon as my second vaccine shot kicks in. Two plumbers and a termite guy have said the underpinnings are bad and I’m praying an earthquake doesn’t come along before it gets done. I only have a crawl space so I’m expecting a big bill too
ETA: Some Texans are good people. The pictures in this thread are amazing:
Fair Economist
My mother’s housekeeper has a nasty COVID-related problem with some side effects on us. My mother is in the end stages of COPD (idiopathic bronchiectasis and pulmonary fibrosis) and is completely dependent on 24/7 help. Part of that has been her housekeeper of 20 years. Well, her housekeeper’s husband was a light denialist (“it’s being exaggerated, not as bad as they say, etc.”) and kept working at his new restaurant. Predictably, he got COVID. He refused to get tested for a while, during which time he infected his wife who in turn exposed my mother (although she did wear a mask a work), although fortunately my mom didn’t get it.
The husband ended up in the ICU on high-flow oxygen and for a while it wasn’t clear whether he’d make it. He did survive and is now home, but he’s now even more disabled than my mother (and that’s pretty disabled.) So obviously the housekeeper now has to take care of her husband and can’t work for my mother. Of course our problems are nothing compared to theirs because they put most of their savings into the restaurant which is doomed now, and now probably neither will be able to work. But, hey, he didn’t die, so by Republican standards everything is great!
Doc Sardonic
@Betty Cracker: living proof that when great grampa dove head first into the shallow end of the gene pool he shouldn’t have reproduced.
Just Some Fuckhead
Hey, maybe one of you tech geniuses can help me understand my wifi. Sometimes when I connect to my FIOS router 2.4G_50 SSID, it doesn’t have internet. Will connect, Secure, but say No Internet (or whatever it says for no internet.) Other times, it will have internet. The non 2.4G_50 SSID always has internet. Any ideas?
JanieM
I’m sorry Betty, but this just made me crack up. Not that I don’t sympathize — I sympathize all too well. It’s just your way of telling the story……..
One of my offspring just went through a minor version of “raining in the bathroom,” only it was raining from the bathroom into the living room — in a newly purchased house in a first-time homeowner situation. Sometimes I get tempted to buy a little house of my own (I have rented for many years) — but I’m going to bookmark this post to come back to next time the fit is on me.
Good luck!!!
WaterGirl
For a minute, I was trying to figure out how the hell you dig out a septic tank when it’s been zero degrees or less for two weeks, but then I realized that you are in Florida where your weather is significantly better than ours at the moment.
Still, all that work on the house has to be challenging and discouraging, financially and otherwise.
trollhattan
Interesting day.
Good news in Cali, 100% attributable to President Biden.
We’re well over 10% of the population vaccinated. Progress!
Mechanic just called and my “stuck closed thermostat” as self-diagnosed is a borked water pump that will cost me $1400 because it and the t-stat assembly are packed down at the bottom of the engine. Feck!
misterpuff
@lollipopguild:
But they know how to count to Quattuor.
Jeffro
trumpov just dropped his lengthy ‘anti-McConnell’ screed and also fired Ghouliani, if reports are to be believed.
popcorn, rooting for injuries, all that ;)
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@WaterGirl: this morning on the weather channel– yes, I’m that old– they said there was a 90 degree difference between Miami and Bismarck yesterday
I saw the former, missed the latter. I’ve lost hope that these people will turn on each other in a meaningful way, but who knows…?
Just One More Canuck
@randy khan: At our previous house, there was a big patch of catnip at the side of the house, so every cat in the neighbourhood would come by and get high. We referred to our cat (the late wonderful Scully) as the dealer
TheOtherHank
@Just Some Fuckhead: This doesn’t address your problem, but I like to separate my WiFi from my internet connection. I have AT&T fiber. I shut off the WiFi on the router and then plug a WiFi unit into one of the ethernet ports on the router. That way I only have to debug one problem at a time (if the internet is down, it’s the router; if the wireless is down it’s the WiFi unit. It does add another expense, but it eases my mind.
MagdaInBlack
Oh man, Betty, I had to do that shortly after my husband passed……the “best” part was one of the contractors forgot the toilet was disconnected, used it ( and I mean really used it) flushed it…..straight out on to the basement floor…yes, I made him clean it up.
trollhattan
Oh, hell yes.
Keep looking, there’s a pool boy somewhere with a story.
Jeffro
And it looks like Evan McMullins’ Stand Up America group is going to go after GQP terrorists (in primary challenges) like Greene, Jordan, Gosar, etc.
Oh, it’s a goooooooood Tuesday….
VeniceRiley
@Just Some Fuckhead: I would get the model of your router and check forums and reviews – maybe there is a better one or an update to the firmware or something. maybe it’s half busted and you can have the internet supplier replace.
Just Some Fuckhead
@randy khan: Jumbo will roll around with the paper towel roll if it looks at him sideways, I guess. I’ve never actually witnessed the brutality but the paper towel carnage strewn all over the kitchen indicates some serious animus.
TheOtherHank
It was raining (well, dripping) in my bathroom the other day. The lid on the top of a circular roof vent had blown off in an earlier storm (luckily when we found it it in the yard and didn’t know what it was, we just set it aside). A few bolts to fasten it back on and I have I hopes the next storm won’t be making its way into the house.
debbie
@LuciaMia:
Me too. I can’t decide if I’m happy to be reminded of it or not.
AnotherBruce
A slight coinkeenkydonk I heard the song “Question” playing at the grocery store. Crazy huh?
debbie
@Doc Sardonic:
It’s Fat Man in the Bathtub or go home!!!
The Thin Black Duke
@Doc Sardonic: Lowell George breaks my heart. I’m sorry he wasn’t able to figure it out before his addictions killed him. Next to the Dead, Little Feat were my favorite jam band.
trollhattan
After bitching about my car repair I should bitch about also just replacing the washer and dryer, except they’re a lot better than the 21YO old set. Dryer is ventless electric that uses heat pump in lieu of resistant heat and is efficient enough to use 120V instead of 240. Now I can get rid of a 4-inch hole in the outside wall. Washer also drops from 240 to 120V, so hoping we’ll see lower electricity use. Take that, Ted Cruz.
Cameron
@LuciaMia: Well, yes. Arguing with toilets is kind of shouting into the void, isn’t it?
trollhattan
100x this. Was only a couple years ago I encountered the “Under a Falling Sky” session with Bonnie Raitt and John Hammond, which expanded my appreciation for Lowell George beyond Little Feat, which had been a favorite band. What a talent.
Lapassionara
@The Thin Black Duke: This is good, and I enjoyed the other one you posted too. Thanks.
Cameron
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I believe there was something like a 50 degree difference between Miami and Galveston, Texas.
To be Frank
About to start a major remodel of lower floor of split level house. The contractor did our kitchen, so we both know what we are in for. I showed the sig-o a very nice wooden bath tub before I saw the price, oppsie.
cain
I started a grand remodel of the kitchen and bathroom and added a deck and a covered patio. I got the deckand patio within the first two weeks of starting and then everything came to screeching halt – and it’s all been trickle work. I had to stopped the kitchen remodel the bathroom remodel + tiling took about 4 months to complete and it’s still not done. Apparently finding contractors that won’t ghost you is difficult. I hired a general contractor who hasn’t proven to be very effective at getting people to show up.
Tomorrow I will have most of the niggling things done with two items left – carpet replacement and replacing the countertop and sink in the guest bathroom. I’ve been sleeping in the guest bedroom now for over 6 months now.
WaterGirl
OT, but does anyone have the scoop about the fellow that was fired from the Biden administration. Jen Psaki was asked about it this morning, and I didn’t catch the name, so I can’t google.
Something about how he treated someone?
raven
My friends sister was the Moody Blues flute player a while back.
Cameron
Since it’s an open thread, here’s something for everybody who’s dealing with the Big Storm:
https://youtu.be/O2dE93nPy6Y
prostratedragon
And yet we persist:
raven
@The Thin Black Duke: Here’s a shot of him at Lowell and George in Chicago.
Just Some Fuckhead
@VeniceRiley: Wouldn’t that just give me a whole ‘nother router to have to troubleshoot?
Sister Golden Bear
I feel your pain. Last I ordered a new range and refrigerator to take advantage of the President’s Day sale.
But because the order was a large dollar amount my credit card company texted me to check if it was fraud. Unfortunately they did so at 6 am while I still asleep — and because I didn’t respond right away they declined the charge.
Call up Home Depot’s customer service. No problem they said, we’ll mark the order as pending, you can reorder online, and then cancel the pending order
Go online and now the range is not deliverable — it was back ordered and I’m guessing they ran out of stock. So now I gotta go into the store and yell at someone (Unfortunately, Home Depot was the only one who had it stock, so I can’t go elsewhere and I want this particular model.)
trollhattan
@WaterGirl:
This guy.
First learned his name when he resigned, so….
cope
I’ve been trying to dig-proof our backyard fence against the voracious ditch witch-like ability of our newly rescued terrier pup to move dirt. She was going under the fence to the left-side neighbor to play with his dogs. Then she started going into his house through his dog door, stealing dog toys and bringing them home and pooping and peeing in the neighbor’s house. Embarrassing to say the least. We are very lucky to have a neighbor who is cool with that.
I bought several sections of a product called Dig Defence (basically closely spaced steel rods combined into two foot sections) that gets pounded into the ground but is hellish expensive. The way cheaper alternative is foot square concrete patio stones. By the time this ends, I suspect I will have to put down another fifty or sixty pavers to seal her in. She’s been out there testing my latest efforts and has been strangely quiet so I had best go see what she is up to.
azlib
We went to a Moody Blues concert 4 years ago and it was quite amusing to see the 70+ year olds dancing to the beat with their walkers. The Moodies are one of my favorite rock groups. I think their best album was “Every Good Boy Deserves Favor”, but their later music was always pretty solid.
different-church-lady
HOLY GOD, TRUMP JUST TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT SOMETHING!
cain
@The Thin Black Duke:
#2 is the real target followed by #100. :)
brendancalling
Just had to go upstairs with my neighbor to defuse a potential DV situation. Next time I hear noise, I’m calling 911.
HinTN
@trollhattan: Tell me more about this heat pump, 120V, ventless dryer.
Also,
Say what? I’ve had washing machines for over 40 years and I have never encountered such.
Ken
@trollhattan: How nice for the reporters. Now they can pull out those “failed Biden administration” boilerplate stories they wrote back in November. Just have to fill in a couple of blanks with “Ducklo”.
Just Some Fuckhead
The scorpion is trying to murder the turtle after the turtle so graciously transported the scorpion around conviction.
Ken
Any hint of the seas turning to blood, or the moon being eaten by a wolf? I think those are the next signs in the apocalypse of John.
MisterForkbeard
@WaterGirl: He basically threatened a reporter when they reported on the fact that he had a (public) relationship with another reporter that was covering Kamala Harris. There’s a small wrinkle in that he threatened a woman (“I will destroy you”) when the reporter that initially asked about it was a different male reporter.
Basically, he was way out of line and went on administrative leave immediately after the Admin found out it happened. Then he officially quit/was fired late last week. That’s the whole story.
germy
@different-church-lady:
Let them fight!
dmsilev
@HinTN:
Miele T1. I have one (and the matching W1 washer). Works great, built like a tank (they claim a 20 year design lifetime), somewhat more compact than most w/d sets (and correspondingly less capacity).
Brachiator
@The Thin Black Duke:
Read your commentary. Very well written.
I kinda dissent. Singers sing songs. What most matters is that they do it well.
germy
@brendancalling:
Be careful!
SiubhanDuinne
@WaterGirl:
His name is T J Ducklo, and until Saturday he was a deputy WH Press Secretary.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/13/tj-ducklo-resigns-white-house-press-aide-after-threatening-reporter/4478936001/
Just Some Fuckhead
I feel your pain. I have to regularly order large ticket items for my company and they screw me over every time with the fraud alert.
JMG
Dear Ms. Cracker: I know you tried Massachusetts some years back and didn’t like it (in February I don’t blame you) but we do have a law that a house with a septic system can’t be sold by the owner until it’s inspected by a licensed inspector and that if it’s not up to snuff, the owner is on the hook for the cost of upgrade/replacement. House can’t be sold until it’s fixed.
germy
I saw a priest on the news explaining how he won’t be thumbing ash onto his flock’s foreheads this year. Instead he’ll be sprinkling the ash over their heads.
dmsilev
@Just Some Fuckhead: The turtle was just re-elected and could probably not care less about the scorpion’s mewlings.
germy
@SiubhanDuinne:
When we go high, they ducklo.
Just Some Fuckhead
Does the magic still work if you perform it differently?
Dan B
@mrmoshpotato: My brother’s dog got into the “Match Ponds” from Wadsworth’s Ohio Blue Tip Match Company. They pumped the – three shades of blue – waste into three ponds in the woods across the street from our house. Top half of dog black, bottom half three shades of blue and turquoise.
Same puppeh in Batesville, Arkansas discovered the giant delight behind the giant hatchery. He was shocked when our father threw him into the frigid White River.
Deceased hatchlings mixed with baby chicken droppings and eggs is memorable!
Best of luck keeping the dogs out of the pit.
NotMax
@WaterGirl
Here’s the skinny.
germy
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Yes. The magic still works fine with this new method.
Origuy
Is any of this covered by your homeowners insurance? I had to replace my electrical panel after my lights were flickering because of sparking in the walls. My townhouse neighbors had the same problem. The panel was not up to code; it had copper attached to aluminum and it opened out into the bathroom, just to name two issues. The electrician opened it up and saw that the sparking caused burning. That was enough to file a claim with the insurance, which he did for me. You may need someone who knows how to read a policy and the building code.
ETA. Not only was the electrical work covered, but so was painting the wall where the panel had been. They moved it to the other side of the wall, in a hallway.
cain
That really heartbreaking and all it took was a bad decision and it affected so many things. I hope the housekeepers husband will think deeply on his role in all this and consider listening to medical experts. I hope he recovers though and lives to build his restaurant again.
Sorry to hear about your mother though as well.
Just Some Fuckhead
@germy: Makes sense. The eruv in Manhattan, as an example, indicates Gods are generally pretty easily fooled.
germy
Kelly
Our quest to replace our 30 year old refrigerator has broadened into some kitchen cabinet work since few new refrigerators will fit in the existing spot.
Roger Moore
@Ken:
The dead and dying things aren’t the worst things a cat drags in. The really bad ones are the very much alive and ticking ones that they release so they can hunt them again. I remember visiting my parents for Christmas one year when their cat brought in and released a very much alive mouse who proceeded to climb into the Christmas tree. I think she caught and ate the mouse by morning, but it was an adventure. And my least favorite memory of my cat is when he spat a big, live, fluttering moth onto me in the middle of the night. The battle between Mothra and Jakezilla was epic, but not conducive to human sleep.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Redshift
We had our aging furnace die a couple of months ago, and we chose to waste a chunk of money on a repair we hope will last until spring. It really needs to be replaced, but the prospect of surviving with no heat for several weeks until that could be done was not something we wanted to deal with in the middle of winter.
cope
@JMG: That’s what happens in reasonably run states but Florida legislators are all either lawyers or realtors. Our laws reflect that.
Just Some Fuckhead
lol
germy
@Roger Moore:
I’m lucky we don’t have these problems as our cat is strictly an indoor cat.
Ohio Mom
WaterGirl:
The fellow who resigned from
the White House after losing his temper is in a fairly new relationship with another journalist, and he just found out he has stage four lung cancer. So there is a lot going on in his life.
The object of his affections asked, and received a reassignment from her boss so she would never no longer have the conflict of covering the White House that her new beau worked at.
The she story is very inside beltway stuff. I don’t know who said what to the now jobless, terminally ill fellow but I suspect he was a schmuck of the highest order.
It’s a sad story except apparently to the sharks who inhabit the land inside the beltway.
Patricia Kayden
Just Some Fuckhead
No doubt and probably McConnell’s secret kink is ritual humiliation.
germy
Any word on Rush Limbaugh? Last I heard, he was taking some sick days from his radio job.
Spinoza Is My Co-pilot
@LuciaMia:
Bought “Days of Future Passed” at the record store (what’s that?) when it first came out (well, a little later in ’68 when I first heard about it). One of a few albums I had back then that I needed to replace eventually cuz I played it so much. Have only listened to my digital copy a handful of times in the past 30 years, though.
Steve in the ATL
@trollhattan: ventless? Please elaborate!
germy
Speaking of mice:
germy
cain
One video outlet described it as the first scandal in the Biden administration. I’m like jeezus, an aide has a relationship with another reporter and I’m what.. supposed to be concerned? I can’t figure though why the aide blew up?
Just Some Fuckhead
@Roger Moore: We were sitting in the dimly lit living room watching tv all evening and I had noticed something large and lumplike on the floor in the corner and as we were picking up to go to bed, went over to take care of it and it was a large, dead rabbit.
zhena gogolia
@germy:
It’s not magic.
debbie
@different-church-lady:
One of these sentences is not like the others.
One of these sentences just does not belong.
Can you tell which sentence is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?
Link
Baud
@different-church-lady:
He’s just trying to get back on Twitter.
a thousand flouncing lurkers was fidelio
@Just Some Fuckhead: The paper towel roll shouldn’t have looked at him that way.
satby
Pretty much had done almost all of that work Betty, but not the septic because it was fine, at my old house in MI when I still had the good job. Should have been able to live there another 20 years without having to do much of anything else. Then the giant sugar maple landed on it after I had lost my job and was only working a minimum wage one. Oh well.
At least I like my new really old house. Saving for the soffit repairs this summer, after the nesting birds move out.
raven
@Redshift: We worried endlessly for three years because our Lil Bit had laryngal paralysis and cooling was a real issue for here. We finally decided to go with a hybrid system that is a gas furnace with a heat pump. We had it scheduled to be done while we were at the beach but she hit the wall and we ended up staying while they did the work and lost her while they were installing it.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Ohio Mom: the Politico reporter he teed off on– not to excuse what he said*– was Tara Palmeri, the ex Washington Examiner/NY Post hack now at Politico, who a week or so earlier had accused Jen Psaki of “harassing” reporters because she was asking them for previews of their questions, and later made some kind of vague charge of harassment (something like, Oh, you’re one to talk) at O’Bro Jon Favreau when he made fun of her on twitter. I was just curious about whatever backstory she was hinting at
*he said she was jealous of his relationship because she was unfuckable
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: oh, yikes. I had read about the relationship a week or two ago, and it seemed like they had been very forthright about their relationship and had told all the appropriate people, and she had resigned from covering Biden so there could be no conflict of interest.
I didn’t realize that was who had been fired
If only Politico reporters had gone after some of the Turnip’s people (to use Betty’s name for it) on kids at the border or something that actually mattered. thanks for filling me in on who this was!
Gravenstone
New roof, two furnaces (plus the utility room floor when the first furnace shit the bed), new AC, new water heater and softener, new dishwasher, new windows throughout. One of these years I’ll have to scrape up the money to reside the joint. The previous owner had to replace the well pump or I’d be sweating that too. Believe me, I feel your pain…
Roger Moore
@trollhattan:
That’s very good news, because we’ve finally ramped up our vaccination capacity to the point it outstrips supply. There wasn’t much point to sending us more vaccines if we couldn’t inject them all, but now we can.
As far as the water pump, they’re frequently nasty to replace. As an example Honda apparently loves driving them off the timing belt, so replacing a cheap little water pump winds up being ridiculously expensive. I found this out the expensive way on my previous car. On my current car, I’ve been good about replacing the timing belt on schedule, and I’ve naturally insisted they replace the water pump at the same time, whether it needs it or not.
debbie
@Ohio Mom:
He said he would “destroy” (literally) the reporter. That was a bit much.
zhena gogolia
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Hmmm . . . the name Tara . . . rings a bell
lowtechcyclist
Holy shit, you guys really have been hit by everything! Good luck in getting through this one. Do I want to even know what you’re doing while your septic system is out of commission?
Septic systems are failing all through my neighborhood; a number of homes have already had to switch to holding tanks. Ours is at a point where it backs up roughly every 4 months, but that means it’s still handling ~30,000 gallons between pumpings, which is still a lot more than a holding tank can manage. The town’s planning to bring sewer in here, but that’ll probably take 3 years or so, between the planning and the doing. So we’re hoping to hang in there to when the sewer becomes operative, and not have to have a holding tank installed just for a year or so.
Still, that’s a manageable situation, really, nothing like the mess you’re dealing with at the moment. Good luck!
trollhattan
@HinTN:
Howdy. Old and new kit are from Miele. The now-departed washer had two water heaters and could reach…180? degrees as desired–effectively sterilizing the load. Very importantly for anybody with a daughter doing sleepovers, it could kill head lice no matter what one’s water heater is set at.
New drier is the T1 model. I can vouch that it doesn’t put much heat into the room, something I was concerned about once summer returns. The old one (standard vent) sucked as much as 3,700 watts running on high. This one is rated at 1,000, so can take a 15A outlet.
HTH
satby
As to the Moody Blues, saw them in Chicago in 1969 (I was a freshman in HS, one of my first concerts). Double bill with Humble Pie, another band I really loved.
japa21
@germy:
The Archdiocese of Chicago is doing it differently. Tomorrow I will have ashes applied with a Q-tip or similar cotton swab. Each person gets a different one.
trollhattan
Appreciate the commiseration. Yep, accessory belts have a thousand possible problems to throw at you. Water pump, idler wheels, tensioner, whatever else is connected short of the alternator should be part of the service. Doubly for timing belts.
This pump has an electric motor. Germans….
lowtechcyclist
I still have their first seven albums from back in the day when 12″ 33-1/3 RPM vinyl was state of the art. My favorite album of theirs was On the Threshold of a Dream, and I still consider “Never Comes the Day” to be the quintessential Moody Blues song.
germy
@lowtechcyclist:
Which album is the one with the weird intro, the conversation between a man and a Great Computer?
KSinMA
Nice essay. Thanks! @The Thin Black Duke:
Brachiator
@Spinoza Is My Co-pilot:
People in their 20s who claim never to have heard these songs before are posting reaction videos to Nights in White Satin on YouTube.
I guess that it would be like someone in 1968 talking about a song that was popular in 1915.
Kayla Rudbek
I am scheduled for my biopsy a week from today. Now I have to figure out which type of specialist to make further appointments with after the biopsy (my primary care doctor? An oncologist? A surgeon?) Maybe I will call the coordinator back tomorrow morning to get some guidance; it seems yesterday that they wanted to set up the surgery appointment within a short time after the biopsy.
Weirdly enough, I was able to concentrate much better today than last week. Or maybe not so weirdly, as 1) I was right that something was wrong, and 2) that the scans found the something wrong so that it can be treated.
And in updates to the Catholic tradition, there’s a proposal for a patron saint of modern oncology breast surgery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4596427/#__sec1title
Ruckus
@Betty Cracker:
It takes effort to walk away from money and prestige, even if the latter isn’t really prestigious. Thinking of Reagan’s son.
Martin
@trollhattan: Yeah. The state could improve it’s distribution efficiency a bit, but so long as they aren’t falling behind it’s really just a 1-time cost that will eventually zero out.
That we’re struggling to get over 250K per day is concerning. We should now have enough infrastructure to easily do that but by all indications the supply just isn’t there.
So, a little slow out of the gate, but we’re catching up.
Ruckus
@Kayla Rudbek:
Good luck.
satby
@germy: had to look it up it’s In the Beginning
JPL
@Kayla Rudbek: Thinking of you.
Martin
@trollhattan: Glad Ducklo is out. That was utterly uncalled for. Sad that Alexi is caught up as a victim in all this. I think she’s a pretty good reporter. She covered Kamala a lot.
Hopefully everyone can regroup and get their careers back on track.
satby
@Kayla Rudbek: ?? keeping good thoughts.
LurkerNoLonger
@WaterGirl: I posted the link to the People magazine article about their relationship. I thought it had the makings of a romantic comedy/drama. Now, the writers will have to leave this part out…or they can use it as a second act complication on the way to a happy ending.
NotMax
The determined hollowing out continues.
KenK
A great album by a great group. Betty, sorry for your and Mr. Cracker’s ordeal.
A year ago, Mrs KenK and I, just weeks prior to selling our house, dropped some serious $$ on (locally mandated) sump pump and a new furnace. Older dwellings, charming, but a money pit.
Good luck.
Patricia Kayden
Because he’s not a cold hearted prick.
The Thin Black Duke
@Lapassionara: Thank you.
Denali
@Kayla,
I went through this experience last summer. Not easy-but I had a good outcome. I went first to an surgeon who specialized in breast cancer- she explained my options, which were a masectomy with no additional treatment or a lumpectomy with a series of radiation treatments. I opted for the lumpectomy and after that met the doctor who was in charge of radiation. I also met with the doctor who prescibed medication to prevent reoccurence. I did not start the medication until after the radiation. Everyone was very kind and answered my questions fully. So although I did not get a second opinion, I was satisfied with my treatment. I will still go for the usual mammagram in May, which was delayed last year by Co-Vid(thanks, CoVid). I have had minimal side effects from the medication, although some people need to try several before finding one that they can tolerate. The medication is to be taken for 5 years. I know you have many questions- do not hesitate to ask.
The Thin Black Duke
@Brachiator: True, singers sing songs, but Shelton is successful enough so he doesn’t have to sing every song offered to him. Don’t get me wrong, for what Shelton does he does very well, which is why I was uncomfortable with the message he was amplifying.
Jeffro
I just wonder what the MAGA faithful think, with their orange god-king reduced to sending out…memos…from his bedbug-ridden residence-in-exile.
No I don’t. I don’t wonder what they think at all. LOL
Immanentize
@Kayla Rudbek:
If you are wondering in earnest, it may depend a bit on your insurance. But in the vast majority of cases, go to your PCP first. If there is no issue. Done. If there is, you will next see an Oncologist who will use her expertise to determine whether more tests are needed or if not, what the best treatment might be. It will be your oncologist, in consultation with a team, usually, who will decide if surgery is even an option.
It sucks that I know this. But I do.
MomSense
@Kayla Rudbek:
will keep you in my thoughts.
BigJimSlade
@Betty Cracker: This would seem to be the comic for you today. Sometimes a little Red Meat is the only thing that makes sense. Somehow.
Brachiator
@The Thin Black Duke:
I don’t really know much about Blake Shelton. But from the lyrics you noted, it seems he was just singing a song. I don’t see that he was amplifying any particular message, or that his personal wealth is relevant to anything.
I note that I enjoyed your essay because it made me think about the issue. Good stuff.
different-church-lady
@Kelly: All homeowners eventually discover an unavoidable truth: every piece of the kitchen is attached to every other piece of the kitchen.
Patricia Kayden
Ken
ADVISER: “What are you, five years old? Let me rephrase….”
Patricia Kayden
@Jeffro: They’re sad.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Jeffro:
Well, my right-wing aunt was ecstatic about Trump opening up his office in Florida. “He opened up an office in Florida!”
I have no idea why that made her so happy, but there you go ?♂️
Nukular Biskits
@Betty Cracker:
Just now seeing this …
I’m probably too late to offer any useful advice but, given that the water table in your neck of the woods is anything like here on the MS Gulf Coast (3.72 inches down), a traditional septic system with a field line simply is not gonna work. In fact, I don’t even think they’re allowable by code here now unless you live where drainage/”perc” is excellent, which is usually in the northern part of the coastal counties.
My house is approx 40 years old (built in the early to mid-70s, based on the original harvest gold kitchen appliances and the avocado green bathrooms) with the traditional 1000-gallon concrete septic tank and approximately 200 feet of field line (perforated 4″ pipe in a gravel bed). About 7 years ago, the field line failed (sediment and roots had completely clogged it). I couldn’t find anyone interested in digging new field line (nasty work and I’ve done enough plumbing and septic work to know I sure as hell didn’t want to dig up the old stuff) and what was recommended was replacing it with a secondary tank and spray system.
Put simply, a secondary multichambered concrete tank is installed on the downflow side of the original tank. About once a week, I put 3 or 4 calcium hypochlorite tablets in it to treat the outflow. An air pump aerates the mix to help aerobic bacteria break things down and the final chamber (approx 300 gallons, if I recall) has a pump that kicks on, running the treated water out a 1″ line to regular lawn sprinklers in the back yard.
I’ve had the pump fail once (that was about $400) but, other than that, it works. The downside is that the system can’t pump if I lose power but, if I don’t have power, I also don’t have water (I’m on a well).
On a side note, when I had the pump replaced (I could have done it myself but, nearing 60, I’d much rather pay someone else to do it), the septic guy said their calls had increased DRAMATICALLY since COVID-19. Seems more people staying at home, using more toilet paper, etc, was overwhelming the septic systems that were designed for a max of 3 – 4 people occasionally using the system, not continuously.
Ken
@Kelly: Probably a conspiracy between the appliance manufacturers and the kitchen-cabinetry industry. “Every three years, we make the refrigerators an inch wider…”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Patricia Kayden: Because I cannot now find the tweet that passive-aggressively posed the question to Mr Hillbilly Elegy, I can neither confirm nor deny that Vance has some kind of advisory (which I take to mean money has changed hands) role with Parler.
Found another one, with a link
Just Some Fuckhead
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Trump attacks McConnell in fiery statement but it could’ve been worse: An earlier draft mocked McConnell for having multiple chins. Trump was convinced by advisers to take it out
It is kinda relevant since McConnell is a consummate chin stroker.
Brachiator
@The Thin Black Duke:
I meant to add that the few artists I have had the privilege to know perform the material that moves them, that they think works for them, that they think will have an impact on an audience.I have also heard about artists feeling that they simply had to sing a certain song, almost as though something impelled them to do it.
I have never known an artist who chooses a song based on their current material success.
Why in the world would they?
gbbalto
@Kayla Rudbek: Best of luck!
Dan B
@trollhattan: I would jump in and proclaim the virtues of a near-zero maintenance EV but…our leased Nissan Leaf is going to the car doctor again to find out why the 12 Volt battery (operates the e- key, on button, gouges, climate control, etc.) is failing to charge. They just installed a new battery and it’s doing the same thing. But, it’s a lease so only cost is driving 15 miles to the dealer each way and again when it’s “repaired”.
Also, snow tires would have been good this past weekend.
Ohio Mom
Denali @137:
Very similar to my experience eight years ago.
One thing you may want to look into when your five years on the estrogen blocker are up is the Breast Cancer Index test. This test analyzes the genetics of your tumor to see if you would benefit from a second five years on the hormone blocker (apparently the hospital stores your tumor, encased in wax, for many years, just in case).
My onc thought it unnecessary because my Oncotype score had been extremely low — a 3! — but the BCI (which looks at different genes than the Oncotype) said I had a high risk of recurrence without continuing on the hormone blocker. So I still take it,
Jeffro
@Patricia Kayden: LOL
Yes, JD Vance…Democrats should totally stop what they’re doing and take up the cause of…trumpov’s access to the social media network of his choice. Like, yesterday.
L to the OOOOOO L
Shut the F up, JD Vance.
Jeffro
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): “he has his own ‘Office of the 45th president* stationery and EVerything!”
sad, man
Ohio Mom
Immanentize:
I’d forgotten the part about the tumor board taking a look at my case before my surgery.
It was reassuring to me that it was a team decision, though looking back, mine was a very standard case, nothing “interesting” (IMO, one of the scariest words a doctor can use) about it.
I saw a surgeon first, and did not meet the onc until I’d recovered from the surgery. But that might be a protocol unique to breast cancer.
lowtechcyclist
@Patricia Kayden:
There are plenty of social media out there. He could start a freakin’ blog if he could string enough thoughts together to post something intelligible. But he can’t.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
In case anybody isn’t aware of it and might want to check it out, Biden is giving a Town Hall in Milwaukee at 9:00 Eastern on CNN.
Info page.
lowtechcyclist
@satby:
That’s the track, alright. The album is the aforementioned On the Threshold of a Dream.
On the whole, I thought their albums that started with those talking tracks would have been better off without them. A little too “let’s be heavy, man” for me, even back then.
RobertB
Our septic tank’s leach bed needed replacement, but the newer rules in the county would not let us replace it, nor let us put a new one anywhere in the yard below ground. We had to have a serpent mound-style raised bed installed. That was not cheap.
frosty
I liked Tuesday Afternoon so much I made a movie for a senior project in high school using it for a soundtrack, where cuts in the movie were timed to the music.
I had to drop the needle on the right groove at the perfect time to make it work.
Geminid
@Patricia Kayden: trump could get as many TV, radio, and print interviews as he wanted, but now he would sound like the small man he is. Without Twitter, trump is kind of like the Wizard of Oz after Toto pulled the curtain back. But not at all as likeable.
Jay
@Sister Golden Bear:
just reorder on line. Then call Customer Service. If they are out of stock, they are out of stock, but CS may be able to track one down in another store and get it transferred to your store with your name on it.
If all the Despot Stores are out of stock, hang on, it could be a bumpy ride. Covid is blowing up supply chains left, right and centre.
In some cases, it’s taken almost a year for me to get repair parts and don’t get me started on sandpaper.
ghost cat
Betty, maybe vids of birbs diving for snacks underwater will help cheer you up a bit? From Coral City Camera, about 10′ beneath the surface on the east end of PortMiami. They were ID’ed as anhingas by the cam moderators, and I think they are the first birds to visit their coral neighborhood since the cam was set up about a year ago. The cam is also on the manatee superhighway.
boatboy_srq
Something about Florida and real estate.
I moved Mum into a house that at least had central HVAC, and set up with a new kitchen, new bath and (critically) RO for whole home water treatment. All went well – for about two years.
That was all the time needed for all the development further inland and upstream – complete with wells for each new home – to suck the old shallow aquifer dry and cause salt intrusion. The old aquifer, incidentally, fed the house.
The water professionals advised there were three options. 1) A new well, at $10k an attempt and each attempt a crapshoot to get to clean water deeper than the old well. 2) A full desalination plant, at $20k to purchase and install, with comparably-priced ongoing maintenance. 3) Wait the projected 6 months until municipal water was delivered to the neighborhood.
I should point out here that the utility had been promising public water “within the next six months” for the preceding ten years.
Option 4 was to abandon the house, theoretically until water supply improved, which meant moving Mum to an ALF and me into whatever housing I could find.
Time and DCF conspired to prevent either of us moving back.
In the meantime the value of the home sank $200K, mainly from the water supply issue but also in the general real estate trough of those years. It eventually went to cover Mum’s spiralling eldercare bills.
People ask me why I left Florida. I usually lack the words to adequately explain what a shytestorm my time there was. This is but one small vignette.
Kayla Rudbek
@Immanentize:
@Denali:
@satby:
thank you and all the other commenters above who are wishing me well! I’m sure that I will have further questions and updates as my treatment progresses.
WaterGirl
@Nukular Biskits: Your first comment has to be manually approved, but after that they go through without human intervention. Welcome!