Gloria is feeling the effects of her flu shot. Or perhaps her malaise is due to her fibromyalgia. Perhaps, a combination of the two applies.
Today, the joy of rural living is somewhat less over the top. It’s been threatening to rain all day but hasn’t. We drove into Greeneville for a few groceries and to pick up some meds for Gloria. Three prescriptions, two weren’t ready. The automated call system for the pharmacy fails to announce which prescriptions are ready. Still, the drive back from Greeneville was pleasant, wonderful view.
When Gloria went out to pick dandelions for her tortoise she heard an alarm in the well filter enclosure. It’s one of those alarm frequencies that I can’t hear unless I’m right on top of it and listening intently for it... I was in the middle of prepping dinner. More about that later. Pushed everything back on the counter to keep it out of dog reach and went out to check the controllers.
“Alarm Code 102 Unexpected Stall.”
Push the regenerate button – no luck, same alarm. Disconnect power – no luck, same alarm.
I’m dodging spiders who claim the housing as their home. Puzzled and worried because no water supply problem that manifests on Friday afternoon is minor. Gloria, wisely, calls the well company that installed these filters and updated our pressure tank and valving after the initial filter became useless and the pressure valve plugged with debris. They are great people to deal with. They’ve been drilling and maintaining wells in this state since statehood. So of course, the previous owner hired someone else to drill the well, stopped too soon, and put in undersized filters, too small a pressure tank, and neglected to relay that information to us. Did he know we would rapidly need to replace all this and neglect to tell us?
We had enough sense to ask for a water sample to be tested for microbial pathogens when we bought the house. No one, not the real estate agent, not the home inspector we hired, suggested anything might be failing in the well/pump/plumbing system. This is the first time either of us have lived off a municipal water network. It is interesting, to say the least. The previous owner had the opportunity to have county water brought to his property line. Every house on either side of the road except us has county water. The last meter is 0.1 mile down the road. Because the previous owner chose not to connect to county water when the county offered it to everyone on the road, they will not put a line and meter in for us unless we pay $17,000 for the labor and materiel’s.
The cheaper option was new filters, new valve, and new pressure tank. The men who installed all this, Casey Well Drilling, seem to have decided that we are acceptable as customers and as residents. They talk about something and we make every effort to listen and ask intelligent questions. We don’t complain about the cost of their service or compare it to other companies or to work done in another state. We have a dog, they like dogs. We trust them to deal with us honestly and to not shuffle us to the back of the service queue because we are new in the neighborhood, from out of state, or unfamiliar with wells and their feeding. They have treated us fairly. But they impress me as people who will always try to treat others fairly.
They took Gloria’s phone call, asked for some time to research the problem, and called back about ten minutes later with a suggested fix. It seems to have worked. We’re grateful. I checked the controller about 30 minutes ago and it seems to be functioning as designed. Is it fixed?
While I was prepping dinner, chopping Serrano peppers for a Thai beef salad, I must have trapped a piece of pepper between my finger and my wedding ring. I suddenly noticed my ring finger burning and looking reddish just below my ring. I’ve flooded the area with soapy water and the irritation seems to be decreasing. There is still some swelling that concerns me. If that is the cause, the particle was too small for me to feel or see it. Amazing how hot those peppers are. Even more amazing, I used to be able to chew and eat two of them for breakfast when I was overseas. My tolerance for hot peppers changed markedly when I quit smoking. I’ve shifted my ring to my right hand to allow the apparent swelling to decrease. Pepper contact injury or perhaps an insect bite sustained while working around the well filter housing?
We have made plans to go out to dinner with some new friends. They are new to the area. We met them when one of Gloria’s ETSY acquaintances, who also know them, was driving through and planned on staying with them. We’d been invited to dinner at their home to meet Gloria’s acquaintance but a car breakdown made that impractical. We offered dinner for everyone the next evening at our home. We served Linguini Carbonara and everyone had a fun evening. We’ve been wanting to see them again and to develop the friendship. We’re meeting them tomorrow night at The Whistle Stop in Afton, a local gem of a restaurant open only Thurs, Fri, & Sat. for dinner. The last time Gloria and I had dinner there, I had their cheeseburger. They start that by grinding tenderloin and strip steak.
There was an article in the New York Times this morning which fascinated me.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/us/02land.html?th&emc=th
“THIS LAND
Burlesque Days Again for the Feather Boa Crowd “
There are two related image/video links worth following:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/10/02/us/1002LAND_ready_index.html
A Life in the (Satin) Gloves
The article deals with an annual reunion of burlesque dancers, strippers who are now retired. These aging women were once headliners at theatres across the nation. Some of the imagery compares the faces they wore then with their faces today. Faces fascinate me although I don’t always correlate names and faces as well as I would like.
The article details the rapidly shrinking number of these dancers; replaced in today’s entertainment industry largely by women who lack the grace and dancing skills these mistresses of strip tease once displayed. Having seen both burlesque strip tease dancers and urban club strippers, I’d rather watch the strip tease dancers as they create and offer an image and a dream to the customer, than watch a pole dancer who has removed all she can within 15 seconds of taking the stage. I like the costumes of the burlesque stripper more than the costumes of the club stripper. Glamour vs. role-playing costumes that make me wonder how many men are cultivating fetishes that I don’t share and don’t want to share.
For any man, or woman to be equally as fortunate as I am, there are a few gifts I might suggest.
The sites suggested in this post are of an adult nature. You should approach them with that in mind but I hope they may provide a source and resource of amusement and enjoyment for you and the one you love.
http://www.bijouxindiscrets.com/petits_bijoux_eng.html
http://www.bijouxindiscrets.com/petits_bijoux_eng.html
http://www.bijouxindiscrets.com/coleccion_de_luxe_eng.html
http://www.bijouxindiscrets.com/coleccion_de_luxe_eng.html
http://gothfox.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=17
http://gothfox.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=81
http://gothfox.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=23
Please note that the Goth Fox items require careful measurement in order that they are street legal in all states. Stock sizes are available but custom made items may be necessary. They provide rapid service and exquisite products. Read the FAQ
And no costume is complete without instruction. Dance comes naturally to many but not all. Then there is the professional technique involving tassels and motivation. Again, a site for adults
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXfMaJI7A9E
I will leave this now and let you decide how much of this may provide fun for you and yours.
All the questions left open above may be answered with “your guess is as good as mine.”
I need to finish dinner. “Crying tiger beef salad” is the entrée.
Have fun, we do!
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