November 28, 2004

  • Well, the holiday is winding down. But it was a good one, spent with family and friends. Saturday I went to coffee in Neb City at Kim's (Mom's house) and visited with Betty and Mary Ann, Kim and Bill for a couple hours. Went to Auburn, stopped past Orscheln's and got a replacement hydrant for the horse barn. Then on towards Beatrice, stopped past the house I inspected last Tuesday, gathered some more information about the plumbing (not good) and the Electrical (also not good), headed to Tractor Supply and returned that bad tank heater. Then back home to dig up the hydrant. Got home and started in on the hydrant, dug for an hour and uncovered it, to discover the drain port was plugged. Unplugged it and it worked fine. So I repacked it with gravel and filled it back in. At least I can return the new hydrant for a refund. Worked on the pickup a few minutes, replaced a headlight retainer ring. Then repaired the jumper cables in the Explorer. Headed in, and finished the reports, watched Scrooge, and got my banjo, guitar and mandolin out and polished them, did some tuning on them. Started to remember a few licks on the banjo I used to play. Perhaps I will get enough practice time in to be able to play again. Ran into Lincoln to Walmart, photocopied materials for the Citizenship Merit Badge Class, came home and sorted and stapled, got things ready for it. Maureen came out about midnight, and we visited a minutes and hit the sack. We got up this AM, I practically drug her out of bed, fed her scrambled eggs and kiolbasa. We fed Willie, played with the cats, loaded sandbags in her trunk, and loaded the rest of her things to go to Kansas. Then we went into Lincoln for church, left the last service a few minutes early, headed to the Elks Lodge to put on the Merit Badge Class. John showed up, fortunately, so it made it much easier for all of us. We got out of there about 3:30, headed to the acreage, Anita called Maureen on the way out, growled at her for not leaving early, beating the storm. Maureen was annoyed with her, I resent her doing that, as it frightens Maureen, and she is somewhat tentative about driving in bad weather anyway. Allen loaded two sandbags in his El Camino. Maureen said goodbye to her horse, played with the kitties a few minutes. Then she headed towards Emporia. She called when she was near Auburn, said she ran out of snow past Palmyra, and had dry road and no snow. She called again at the Sac-Fox Casino where she got gas, said it was about 45 degrees, clear and no snow. I anticipate a call in an hour from Topeka, and she should be in Emporia by 9. Allen and Kyle and I threw a pizza in the oven for lunch, and Kyle started on his homework. Allen and I played three games of Scrabble, then I washed a turkey up and put it in the roaster, and we came in and are watching Scrooge, with Reginald Owens. Turkey will be done about 10 pm, but it will be worth the wait. More later....