Well... Finally! Earlier this week, Little Juvat and LJW returned from their usual San Antonio Excursion with a bit of good news. LJD's Care Staff is starting to use the word "Release" in discussions about her condition. Again, I'm not a doctor, nor...but apparently most of the issues she incurred with a premature birth are up to acceptable parameters. The remaining long pole is Oxygen support requirements. She's down below the 2.5 flow rate goal (she's been at 1.5 lately) that she's been working toward all along, Which is good. She's probably going to be on supplemental Oxygen for a while, but that does not require hospitalization.
Unfortunately, that will also mean LJW and she will be staying in the Great State of Texas for a few more months while Little J returns to Honk Honk. Still....Good news for a change.
As Mrs J and I were driving down to visit her last week, I got to doing some "ciphering" in my head to stay alert. It's 75 miles from Rancho Juvat to the Parking Garage at the Hospital in San Antonio. 150 miles round trip. Little J and LJW have been doing that trip 6 times a week for 20 weeks and change (as of this posting). That works out to 18,300 miles or almost 75% of the circumference of the Earth (24,901.461 mi).
Yes, I get bored. However...
I think they're going to make pretty darn good parents.
Switching subjects, I had mentioned previously that this past weekend was being referred to as "The Gathering of the Clans". BLUF*, it was a great success. The Rev, with MG and MBD, his parents, two brothers, their wives, 5 kids, and two dogs all came for a visit.
| Waiting for the Parade to kickoff with MG's Paternal Gramma |
No, Beans, the Partridge in the Pear Tree had other obligations and couldn't make it.
Arrival was planned for 4PM on Friday as the 'Burg's annual lighted Christmas Parade started at 6:30. My Pickup was parked on Main Street at 3 PM on Thursday in one of the TWO remaining spots on either side of the 1 mile long parade route. And that required a turn across 2 lanes to procure. The evening of the parade, I dropped the spectators off at the truck and went to find a place to park. Closest place I could find was about a half mile away. Yes, a 4PM arrival was overly optimistic as the guests had to transit Austin. But, we were in position prior to parade start.
| Chili Kitchen open on the back of the truck |
| My Counterpart Grandpa and one of MG's cousins |
Yes, Beans, Main Street was crowded. As an aside, Folks, if wearing dark clothes, one should not jay walk in the middle of an unlighted block in the dark. Fortunately, the brakes on Mrs. J's car were fully functional. Dumas! (No, I'm not talking about a town in Texas north of Amarillo.)
A good time was had by all, the Parade went on for a little over an hour. My Chili was well received and the Holiday Season is off to a good start.
| Post-parade wind down AKA "Fading Fast" Both of them. |
Had a bit of excitement a couple of weeks ago. Mrs. J, being the kind hearted soul she is, was cooking my breakfast. I was sitting at the counter reading one of Sarge's blog posts and getting ready for another fun-filled day. I happened to hear a bit of a hiss from the direction of the stove followed by a Whoomp! Glanced up and saw a blue and yellow fireball rising up towards the Vent.
Fortunately, Mrs. J, being the Fighter Pilot's Wife she is, was backpedaling faster than a politician caught in a lie. Also fortunately, the fireball went out almost immediately. I calmly (yeah, right!) went over and turned off the stove (I thought). I could still hear gas hissing. Called the Gas Company and was told where the emergency shut off valve should be. Found it and turned it off.
For those of you, like me, who had no clue that such a thing existed, safety codes require a gas shutoff valve within 6 feet of a gas stove. Ours is in the back of a cabinet immediately beside the stove. There is now a pair of pliers hanging from a screw right next to the valve. Something to consider.
Turns out that the knob for that burner didn't completely turn off the gas. The plastic nob had cracked on the connection to the stove, so even though it looked like the gas was off, it wasn't.
Have I mentioned that our less than 2 year old new construction home was outfitted with all FRIGIDAIRE appliances? We replaced the dishwasher within 6 months of use. The Oven temperatures do not match the dials and the fans therein don't vent any cooking smoke. Now this...
Well, Today our replacement Stove will be arriving. No, it is not a FRIGIDAIRE. It will be installed tomorrow.
Suffice it to say, you could hold a gun to my head and order me to buy FRIGIDAIREand I'd still say no.
Just in case you want my appliance purchasing advice. As far as I'm concerned, FRIGIDAIRE delenda est!
And...to end on a lighter note.
Got up early-ish the morning after the parade. I was the only person stirring so was trying to be quiet as I made my cuppa. Blood sugar was a tad low so vision was a bit off. When this happens I see something similar to bright colored lights. Around the edges of the "lights", I noticed a bag on the counter with what looked like my own blend of Trail Mix.
| Iced Coffee and Trail Mix will tide me over until the rest of the gang wakes up, right? |
Decided a bit of calories would assist my vision, so grabbed a handful and munched it down.
Who knew that dry dog food was tasty? Woof!
Peace out Y'all!
*It's an Army thing, and one of the first things I learned at Army Command and Staff. Bottom Line Up Front. AKA Don't waste the General's time, tell him what he needs to know...First!