Mission Accomplished!

     The furnace with an installer arrived at 9:00 this morning and it was in place by 1:00. It's a bit of an upgrade from the old one. It has both a two stage burner and a two stage blower. The circulating fan, when the furnace isn't heating, provides a gentle breeze.

   So what went wrong last week? How did a 80,000 btu furnace get installed where a 60,000 btu one was ordered?  It was mislabeled at the factory. The installer didn't discover the mistake until after installation.  When the furnace was started it vibrated because it was too large for the filter. With careful inspection the installer discovered the discrepancy.

   Perhaps I mentioned in a previous blog the humorous part. It comes with a ten year parts and service warranty. Think about how old I'll be in ten years.😃When I retreat to the OFH for winter I'll drain the pipes and put anti-freeze in the traps. However, with a brand new furnace the chances of the house freezing up is minimal. 

Takk for all,

Al

Any guesses about this photo? It's a structure familiar to most from an unusual vantage point. It's the Eiffel Tower looking up from inside. 

Accurate!

    Weather forecasters for some days have been predicting rain. It's raining. That's a good thing because currently it's bordering on drought. The one tree in the yard of The Little House is a large fir. It's good that it, and other trees, can have a drink before freeze-up. In the past this probably would have been snow but with the warming atmosphere it's rain on the 17th of November. I'm a rain wimp, much preferring to stay dry.

   So it's snug in The Little House with the borrowed furnace. That furnace is scheduled to be replaced tomorrow. Let's hope that this time is a charm.

Takk for alt,

Al

Any guesses?  If either of you said Dracula's Castle, you'd be correct. Our tour guide for our group of three was a young Romanian man who spoke English well. He said he learned by watching American TV. With just three of us in tow he took us up secret stairways and through secret passages that larger groups couldn't use. Sighisoara, the nearby city had a "Dracula's Pizza." 

Not all bad...

      The phone that turned 'Marine' into 'Maureen' isn't all bad. With Lisa's visit she was keen to see her cousins and other extended family. Convening has fallen to me and that's where the phone comes in. Mid-week I sent a group text announcing a time and a restaurant. Invitees text back if they're coming and I phone in a reservation.  Five cousins and a spouse attended plus two aunts and an uncle. All told there were 10 of us, who sat long at the table in conversation. A good time was had by all and Al, too.

Takk for alt,

Al

I've been losing weight!

Old dogs and new tricks!

      Card games have not been a large part of my life. In the Marines, and especially aboard ship, many Marines would play for hours. Not Ed and Al. However, lately, in my dotage, I've taken up cribbage. Why would an old duffer do that? There was an external motivating factor. That factor is named Tom. Tom's a friend and a cribbage enthusiast. He asked if I play cribbage and when I said no he was disappointed. He was disappointed because he didn't have a cribbage partner. 

    Well...in that case I could learn and he's an excellent teacher. So, when I'm at the OFH he comes over for lunch and then we play cribbage. The cribbage is okay but the friendship is priceless. Anita heard us talking about it in church and was interested in learning so we included her in the lunch-cribbage scenario. 

  Lisa's here for the weekend and also learning cribbage so.......

Takk for alt,

Al

Nicolae Ceausescu, former dictator of Romania bulldozed much of Bucharest to build this "People's Palace". 

What's a few more days?

       Something happened at the shop so the new furnace didn't come today. They offered to bring it Monday. However, because I have house guest Monday, I opted for Tuesday. The one they installed, mistakenly, Friday, is working fine. In the life of retired geezer what's a few more days? They are offering some compensation for the mix-up. 

   This is what passes for excitement and that's a good thing!  I'll post a random picture and call it good.

Takk for alt,

Al

I've been doing some of this.

     

If—

• 
• 
• 
• 

Rudyard Kipling

1865 –

1936

"If you can keep your head when all about you

   Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

   But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,..."

     In my travels over the years I witnessed much impatience. Travelers frustrated and irate about something not meeting their approval. It seems such a waste of energy.  Today's installation of the new furnace didn't go as planned. Essentially a service person's error. He worked hard to correct the situation, was apologetic and promised to return tomorrow to fix it. There is heat tonight. Not hard to be patient!

   I'd rather focus on the blessing of 60 degree weather when a furnace is being installed. There is so much to be thankful for which includes the resources to pay for a new furnace. In the grand scheme of things a bit of delay will not matter.

Takk for alt,

Al

Mt. Fuji after a snowfall, 1961.

"A rose by any other name...

          “What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” is a famous quote from William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. This quote came to mind Monday. (Modern roses don't smell.)

      Monday was the 250th birthday of the Marine Corps. Two Marines, Ed and Al, are both early risers. So, Monday at 7:00 a.m., while I was out walking Kaia, Ed called to wish me a happy birthday. When I didn't answer the phone he left me a voicemail.

    Here's where modern technology gets involved. A modern phone not only records the actual voice message it goes a step beyond. A gift to the hearing impaired such as I, the phone gives the message in print, at least as best it understands it. This is what transpired. The recording of Ed's voice: "Happy Birthday, Marine!" This is the phone's transcription; "Happy Birthday, Maureen!" 😀  I was called a lot of things in the Marines, including by a drill instructor, "A petrified piece of buzzard puke." But, being called 'Maureen' was a new one. 

Takk for alt,

Al, also known at Maureen

Standing in formation, Okinawa, 1962.