Oh my aching back . . . . .part III

Below is the average life expectancy of
Some home appliances etc. in years.

Microwave 10
Garbage disposal 10-12
Water heater, gas 11-13
Water heater, electric 13-14
Smoke detector 10
Refrigerator, side by side 14
Refrigerator, top mount 14
Refrigerator, bottom mount 17
Refrigerator, single door 19
Washing machine, top load 14
Washing machine, front load 11
Dryer 13
Range, electric 17
Range, gas 19
Dishwasher 10
Cooktops 13-20
Furnace, forced air 15
Water softener 20
Water pump 7-10
Carpeting 11
Interior paint 7-10
Vinyl floor 20-30
Wood floor 100+
Bathroom fixtures,
Porcelain and cast iron 50
Fiberglass tub/showers 10-5
Kitchen cabinets
(particle board and
Laminates 15-20
Aluminum siding 20-50
Exterior deck 15
Exterior paint 7-10
Garage door 20-50
Garage door opener 10
Roofing, composition 15-30
Roofing, wood shingles 20-30
Roofing tile 50
Veneer (brick stone) 100+
Vinyl siding 50
Wood siding 10-100
HOT-TUB 8-10

The reason I’m giving this list is that Boyd and I have been lucky and Have been able to suck every last breath from everything we have. Boyd’s pretty handy and can fix or jerry-rig most stuff. (I have a blender that was my Grandma Paxman's and she's been dead for 36 years, this blender is AWESOME) So, this hot tub thing that’s been going on since January 26, is being resolved . . . . . finally. It was fixed a couple of weeks ago, but after looking at water at had been sitting and not circulating for 3 weeks it was very cloudy. So I wanted to “shock” it and get it ready. I didn’t know that you could put so much bromine in the water that when you get out your testing kit it is so strong that it bleaches out all the color. So I kept adding bromine, since I couldn't get a "color" reading until the thing was YELLOW. The bromine levels were so high they “burned out” the new heating panel and the circulation pump. The heating panel had been in for a week – Warren is going to try to get it covered under a warranty, but it was my fault it got fried. The circulation pump should have been replaced about 6-8 years ago. Warren has never seen one that has worked for 15 years, he was amazed. So friends, if everything goes well, it should be up to temperature by Wednesday night. We’ve had to have a space heater down blowing on the parts when the circulation pump wasn’t working to make sure it didn’t freeze. This has been a great hardship on me and my back. (whine whine whine, that's all I'm good for is a good whine) This is a long a tedius post, if you read to the end then you should have gone and put in a load of laundry or something that was productive. (sigh) I'll let you know when my all is right with my world. ;-)

Ah. . . . . bliss

How Happy am I? So very. I have a BoWL of these baBieS, and I love to lick them then
PaINt my lips that disGusTing CoLor, thEn LiCk it off and eat them. I'm currently aLmoSt in a sugar-coma I've eaTen so Many (not quite my body weight) HIpPity HOpPity EaSter's oN it Way!

Mims, Museum & Munchkins

Boyd and I took the Lloyd brothers Saturday afternoon.
We decided to show them
something older than us. . . . . . fossils
at the Utah Museum of Natural History

I had to have the flash on my camera on the OFF mode.
When you add that to the fact that a 5 year-old
and an almost 2-year old never stop
moving, I didn't get very good
pictures. (Can you say blurry?)

Here they are "digging" up bones, they loved it,
what kid doesn't love throwing
dirt around!

( PICTURE DELETED)

This is the 2 of them playing in the tub before bedtime.
(Bummer - ha, I crack myself up)
It was great fun being with them. They are always
so good for us.

Waiting for these beauties. . . . . . .

Tulips

Lilacs

Jasmine

Crocus

I have spring fever. I do love winter, from November to the
end of February, then a little
bitter voice in my head says:
"Hey you, big ole' lump of carb-eating
woman, you need a little
ray of sunshine in your life!"

I do need some sunshine. When the kids were
little I would pack them up in
the car and drive south to Utah's Dixie
just to see the blue sky and to
wash the film off my car. Why don't
I do that now?

Reason to get outta bed. . . . . . .

Big Beautiful San Francisco. A trip to this fabity-fab-fab-fabulous city is being planned with my Mom and Dad and all the sibs. I can't wait. I need to have some reason to drag my bones outta bed in the morning and this is it.

Muir Woods, should we go, should we not, what do you think? I think YES - maybe a little "group travel event" with a knowledgeable guide.

Crazy Lombard Street, I've driven this and I was sorta sick when it was over. I think it may be closed now, is anyone up for a "walk"?



Ghiradelli Square. . . . .need I say more. Love the shopping this this snobby-ish place. I'd be snobby too if I was able to work here.

Alcatraz, been there, done that, but I think I might do it again. . . . if I can get the tix.

How about a walking tour of Chinatown?

Could we possibly walk across the Golden Gate Bridge (that would be a bad-hair experience, and maybe a "change your pants" sort of experience as well)

What about a tour of the Wine Country. We did that about 13 years ago and it was fascinating - loved it, should we do it again?

How about a trip across the bay to Sausalito, we could maybe spy a "celeb" or two!!

If you have a favorite "lookie-loo" to seen San Francisco let me know. If you want a loaf of Sour Dough bread, I'm starting a list. . . . . .

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

A quarter of a century (sounds soooo long ago) a wonderful thing happened to the Ashworth-Lloyd household. A new daughter/sister was born. What a great valentine give she was to us all. She is sweet, like a Valentine should be, and she is loving, like a Valentine, and she is the tie that binds us as a family, and has done what we named her for, our Harmony brought us harmony and a sense that we all belong to her, hence we belong with each other. Thanks sweet girl, I love you

My Back hurts - Part 2Letter to my “spa-guy”

OK, Mr. Spa repair Guy!!
(hence forth known as "little weasel")

You come to your home to look at our spa.
You couldn’t figure out what was wrong,
so you called another “spa-guy” and
between the two of you, you determine it is our circuit.

We changed the circuit breaker you said was causing
our problems!! (It cost $140.00) and guess what – not
the problem. We turned off the power
to our home, Boyd risked life and limb (well not exactly)

After Boyd confronted "little weasel"
about his bogus diagnostic skills, things
got heated (according to Boyd- I'm assuming
it was a typical "pissing match")
"little weasel" retracted his diagnosis and said that it was
only a “recommendation” that he really didn’t know
how to “trouble shoot” the problem.

SO. . . . . . .

I call to set up another appointment- I request that
"little weasel" (I don't really call him
that, I call him by his given name)
and spa guy #2 (who also has a name) not be sent out.
So . . . today “SPA GUY #3” was dispatched. His
name is Warren. Warren is good. Warren
Diagnosed the problem. Warren will help us
get our spa working.

My Back is saved!!!

Warren will be getting a fine "atta-boy" when I write a letter stating how great

he is. Warren will forever more be
on the request list. I love competent people.

My Back Hurts . . . . . .This is why!

This is no longer useable, and hasn't been since last Tuesday. I get in this baby EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. When I tried slinking into it last Wednesday, I said to myself "self, this bad-boy isn't up to temperature" So I checked the readout and sure enough, there was no readout. So un-slunk by wet self out and trudged downstairs to trip the breaker.
Well, it kept turning off. So sad.

This is the culprit. I need a new breaker (according to the spa-guy) So I say to Boyd: "So. . . I guess we need an electrician" and Boyd says to me: "No, I'm going to do it myself, first I'll turn off the power to the house, just to be on the safe side, then I'll remove the breaker, then I'll go to the "electric store" (he really didn't call it that) and I get one EXACTLY like this one, there's a green, a red and a white wire, I'll wire it back up. . . . it's not rocket science, and you'll be back in soaking mode again."

So, dear friends and family. I hope you're not attending funeral services for your deceased, father, brother, friend, uncle, nephew,
step or in-law (what-ever Boyd is to you) because of a
sad "electrical mis-hap"