Brenda and I have placed a bid on a little house in Bowie about a mile from where we currently reside. It keeps the children in the same school district and keeps us in the little town we've grown to love. Closing is set for a month from now on Friday of Labor day weekend so it gives us three days to move furniture and settle in. There are a few things outstanding yet in order to settle even though that date is in place. There are a few things that came to light during the home inspection that we would like addressed. The house was advertised as being sold "As Is" which we took at face value but you have the right as a buyer to make requests for repairs if they involve hazards related to the structure and safety of the home. Although there were several things the home inspector cited in his report, the ones we requested addressed were a missing flue cap to the furnace which should be on the roof, a large squirrel's nest in the attic we would like removed, and to have the water heater and furnace serviced under the existing maintenance contract to repair a poor flame output in the water heater and the water damage existing in the furnace because of the missing flue cap. The sellers are balking a bit because of their "As Is" qualification even though their listing agent has advised them that our requests are more than reasonable. They are still under no obligation to fix anything except we retain our recourse to withdraw our bid. We should have an answer to all this in the next few days.

I've started therapy for my MS. Initially with a home visit from a nurse who hooked me up with a catheter in a vein in my arm in which I inject steroids followed by heparin. This is a three day course of medicine as a preview to the other medicines I will self-inject once a week three months from now. This appears to be a course that I will have to follow for the rest of my life similar to what diabetics and other similar folks do. Enough about that, though. Geezers talking about their medical conditions has always been a pet peeve of mine so I'll stop here.

Olivia is losing another tooth and she can't understand or express her feelings about the pain except through tears. So Brenda cries with her. Ora-jel can only do so much. I try to comfort Brenda by reminding her of the normalcy of losing baby teeth but secretly I'm complaining to the manufacturer.

I want to thank those who have sent me private messages of hope and love, especially you JM (You. Are. Awesome.). And lastly, this poster of Smokey the Bear. I suspect he is talking directly to me.


click image to zoom


Five Replies to Stuff Happening

Scott Hardie | August 8, 2011
Before you get too hasty, a squirrel nest in the attic does have certain upsides: They make ready pets, if everyone is fully vaccinated. "I have a few squirrels in my attic" is a convenient shorthand answer when you misremember or miscalculate something. And think of all the money you'll save on buying nuts when you have an in-home delivery service.

Steve West | August 9, 2011
Anyway, like I was sayin', squirrels is the fruit of the attic. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, squirrel-kabobs, squirrel creole, squirrel gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple squirrel, lemon squirrel, coconut squirrel, pepper squirrel, squirrel soup, squirrel stew, squirrel salad, squirrel and potatoes, squirrel burger, squirrel sandwich. That- that's about it.

Steve West | August 9, 2011
Update on house: The sellers agreed to all of our requests including ridding the attic of any varmints (sorry Scott). Closing is closing in!

Scott Hardie | August 9, 2011
Bah. Once in a while, I'm still going to say "Steve has a few squirrels in his attic, if you know what I mean."

Lori Lancaster | August 9, 2011
[hidden by author request]


Web Junkie

Steve West scours the Web searching for interest or absurdity and then shakes his head ruefully when he finds it. Read more »

Dumb Celebrity Quotes

Anyone can say something stupid every once in a while, of course. But the celebrities featured on this website sure seem to make a habit of it. Only one quote per customer but they probably make up the usual suspects in the dumb quote hall of shame. Go »

Public Service Announcement

For those of you who will be pulled over by the police and asked the inevitable question, "Because I'm smokin' hot" is not the correct answer to "Do you know why I pulled you over?" Live and learn. Go »

Christmas Post # 18: It's The Force, Not An Empty Box

My brother is a collector of sorts. He has various bits of Civil War memorabilia, Washington Redskins gear, and science fiction flotsam from Star Trek and Star Wars. If these toys actually existed, he'd be one of the first in line. Go »

Just In Time For Voting

Although I'm partial to the Aaron v. Steve Dunn tête-à-têtes, it seems ironic that UOAS took the opportunity to push for a vote. Despicable. Go »

Cool Kleenex Dispensers

My daughter brings crafts home from school. I'm sending her teacher a picture of this Easter Island-ish tissue dispenser for their next craft project. Hey, they can learn about Easter Island and the Moai statues. Go »

Christmas Post #7: Coloring Crime

This website has some hilarious sections (most times intentionally, I think) offering many odd items for sale. My favorite is the Law & Order coloring book. Check out that connect the dots page - I wonder who that could be? Go »