edgiese/me

No Picture Provided, Thankfully

Details

Saturday June 30, 2012 9:28 pm

We started smelling something bad in the laundry room a couple of days ago. At first we thought it might be something bad in the drain. We cleaned everything, but to no avail. The smell worsened.

I was sure it was under the sink, but Ricki opened the drier to put in some new sheets we had bought and smelled it really strong from the drier. I got out my screwdriver and we pulled it out. It was gross (as always) behind the drier—how often do you clean back there?—but no source of a smell. I pulled the back off of drier and looked inside. It smelled, but it was hard to see. Cleaned out some dust and scraped around, and turned the thing on its side.

I was about to give up. Maybe some of all of that accumulated lint had gotten wet or something. Then I spotted it: some of the dust was moving. It was a maggot in the dust. Ricki retreated, gagging. I knew there was something in there.

It was a little trickier to turn the drier on the back (I didn’t want to damage the vent exhaust) but I got it to work by using a furniture dolly.

Some large clumps of dust fell out, and wrapped up in one of them was a mouse crawling with maggots. Sicko that I am, I almost got out the camera, but you are spared—it just went into the trash.

We’ve been using poison for mice for years. Living in the country, it is impossible to keep them out. Usually, the poison acts slowly enough that the mice have the decency (translate: instinct) to move outside to die. But this one decided the inside of the drier was far enough away. I hope it’s a while before we have to do that again.

An Unexpected Pleasure at the Hospital

Details

Thursday December 22, 2011 9:37 am

I serve on the bioethics board at the Hill Country Memorial Hospital where we have quarterly meetings at 12:30. They usually serve us lunch from the cafeteria. Big treat, yes? Well, I have to say I was surprised to walk in yesterday and find something I’d never seen before.

I snapped a picture of it. Monika, our secretary, didn’t know what it was. She said, “I always just take the ‘chef’s choice’ when I request the meals.”

Alan, the chaplain and head of the committee, called and found out a little more. Turns out it’s called a Caprese Salad, and it’s something I’d never heard of before.

I’ve gone out to restaurants before and been delighted by something new I’d never eaten before, but never at a hospital. My compliments to the chef!

Another Great Trip

Details

Sunday November 6, 2011 11:32 pm

All praise to God, who kept us safe on our trip to New Orleans to pick out a place for David & Tinsley’s rehearsal dinner. We had a great time, ate (too much) good food, and had a lot of fun walking around.

My friends at hotwire fixed us up with a hotel just a couple of blocks from the French Quarter for a great price. It was also practically right on the St. Charles trolley—just the perfect place for us, especially on this trip.

We got our goals accomplished for the rehearsal dinner (see here), but we also had a lot of fun playing with our new toy: a Nikon D5100. I’m still learning the camera, but I got a couple of really nice shots, like the one of the gull to the right.

Bats in the Bedroom

Details

Tuesday October 25, 2011 8:18 pm

We were startled last night to find that there was a bat flying around in our bedroom.

For the life of me, I don’t know how it got inside.  Early in the morning, Ricki saw a bat flying around outside.  It looked disoriented; it kept trying to fly up against the soffit at the peak of the roof, but it kept flying into the side of the house.  We’re both pretty sure that this is the same winged rodent that lent so much unwanted excitement to the late evening.

Fortunately, it flew into the bathroom and I closed the door.  Then, with a little prodding from a broom, I was able to get it to fly out of the window.

There’s a first time for everything.  I really hope this is the last time for that experience.  I should have grabbed a camera, though.  Bats look interesting up close, but they smell terrible.

New Kitchen Table - Finally

Details

Thursday October 6, 2011 11:15 pm

We’ve been wanting to replace our ugly particle-board kitchen table for years.  We finally got it delivered today.  We decided on a non-extendable table that barely seats six.  Most days, the “six” is just symbolic.  I’m guessing that during the times we’re all together, six won’t be enough.

This table is the perfect size to extend with a folding table.  It will just need a piece of plywood laid over the top.  It’s another project to do.

We had our first dinner on the table:  steak.  And… Andrew was home for an evening!  Fun—and now we’re watching football.  Good times.

George's Fell off a little This Time

Details

Monday October 3, 2011 2:04 pm

Ricki doesn’t like to eat at George’s, so even though it’s one of the kids’ favorites, I haven’t eaten there in a while.  So, when I found myself alone with Adam in Waco (for the first time in I don’t know how long), I thought it would be a good chance to try them again.

I remember the place being packed every time I’ve been there.  This time, no.  There was room in the parking lot; no wait; and tables available.  That was just before noon.  When we left at 12:30 or so, the place seemed dead.  So maybe I’m not the only one who noticed.

Noticed what?  The rolls are still great, and they’ll give you all you want, but they’re smaller rolls.  This really isn’t a complaint, just an observation.  But my old favorite, the “crazy wing salad” was a real disappointment.  George’s crazy wings really are crazy—a piece of breaded chicken wrapped in bacon and deep fried.  It’s deadly for a diet because it’s so good.  Correction: was good last time I had them.  This time, I don’t know if the cook goofed up, but they were fried to a crackly crunch.

Adam, though, had a lip-burnin’ burger that looked great, and he said it was great, too.  Maybe I just picked the wrong thing today.  I hope so.  A place like George’s seems like some kind of landmark.  You want it to stay great.