Author Archives: Andy

Jul 14 2007

Cheap

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So when I have some free time, I like to browse (mostly the forums) on Fatwallet and Slickdeals. Usually for Staples coupon codes for work (everyone likes free gifts) and the ‘free stuff’ forums.

I really like the free stuff ones. Walmart is always mailing us samples of things, and the toiletry ones are the perfect travel size. And munchies from different places. But the most impressive so far was a ‘short survey’ I filled out for Barilla. Except it turns out the short survey took about 20 minutes while I was watching tv. Recently, we received the reward – coupons for 12 free boxes of pasta and 12 free jars of sauce!

It’s little things like that which make me happy when I get the mail.

Jul 14 2007

It smells a bit like wee

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Tonight I started prepping our basement for painting (well, the floor, anyways). The basement is scary. It’s embarrassing. It’s why I don’t want people to visit.

Ever since we moved our bedroom upstairs, we’ve pretty much given it over to the cats. It had this horrible pinkish carpet remnant on the slab. Not tacked or glued down, just sorta of spread across it. We hated it. And the cats have done quite a number(s) on it since we stopped caring.

I cut it up tonight and hauled it out (there are no before pictures, since it was too icky to want a keepsake). Fortunately, the dumpsters for our area are just down the street, so two trips with the pickup and it was gone. Now the basement floor is airing and drying out. Tomorrow I will go over it with a cleaner, and maybe some kitty ick before I start priming. Yippee. At least I’m not tearing out walls yet like Andrea!

Jul 9 2007

Gentle Ben

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Today we were heading out to work, drove up our little street and turned onto US 221. We hadn’t gone very far when we saw what looked like a large dog running towards the road. Then we realized it wasn’t a dog, but a black bear. Which don’t run so much as lope, and not all that fast, as it turns out. I slammed on the brakes and barely stopped in time to avoid stocking our new freezer with bear meat. It seemed rather small to me, so I don’t think it was full grown. Probably it was picking through somebody’s trash.

Of course, now I’m all paranoid we’re going to come home one day and find it munching on our beehives. :(

Jun 16 2007

Cheep Cheep Cheep!

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It’s happened again! The d’Ucccles have given birth to 6 little chicks so far (although there are still a lot of eggs left in their house,

and this time the Japanese gave birth to two chicks!

The cochin mommy has been sitting on her nest for awhile too, and still is, so maybe she’ll actually hatch some this time.

Need to build a ramp again for the d’Uccles so they can hop back into their house and don’t get stranded in the cold night again. Although it’s not as cold as last time, I’d still feel bad if any got stranded away from their mothers.

Anyone want to buy some chickens? :)

Jun 9 2007

What’s the point?

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Today I saw an ad on tv for Hormel Natural food products. They were serving pre-sliced ham, and ‘there are no preservatives!’ Um, isn’t the whole POINT of making ham to preserve the pork? What is the salt, if not a preservative?

Now, I’m the sort of guy who likes a big salty country ham. And it worries me somewhat that folks are more concerned about the preservatives in their preserved meat than, I don’t know, where the actual meat is coming from and how it was raised annd processed.

Jun 8 2007

Shoes

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I finished spray painting one of the sets of lockers this evening to store our shoes in. Only took 4 cans of spray paint! And look how well it matches our recycle bin…almost like we planned it.

May 20 2007

Buried Treasure

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My wedding ring has been lost for, I dunno, 4 years or more. It has been a very sad thing. I put it in my pocket one day, and then it was gone. I always assumed it rolled out in the couch or something, but we could never find it. We searched all the cushions and stuff, and came up empty. I had this theory that it was in the couch somewhere, and before we finally trashed it we would have to take it apart to be sure.

So today, Cabol’s mom was digging under the cushion of our brown chair for something, and said ‘Wow, no one must have vacuumed here, there is so much stuff! What a neat ring!’ Yes, that’s right, she came up with the missing ring. Someplace we’ve looked repeatedly over the years, and vacuumed periodically as well. I’m not sure where in the chair it was hiding that it managed the survive for years and not get sucked up, or fall out the bottom where the bunnies have pulled the chair apart, or roll out during the move…but there you go. I guess I’m married again.

May 11 2007

Peppers

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Our pepper seedlings didn’t grow very well, so we stopped by Slaughter’s and got some plants there. Of course, the day after we planted them, the temperature promptly dropped to freezing two nights in a row. Today I finally had a chance to go check them out, and it looks like about half of them have died. I suppose if the rest do ok, we’ll still have more than enough peppers for our needs (after all, we’re still using the frozen ones from two seasons ago).