Bits and Pieces » Personal

Happy Birthday Mom

Jonco — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:00:10 +0000

My mom would have turned 91 today. She died in 1995 at the age of 74.

I posted more about my mom last Mother’s Day.

Miss you Mom.

We have a little visitor

Jonco — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:06:40 +0000

This little girl wandered into my yard this afternoon. My grandson went up and down the street looking for the owner but we haven’t found them. She’s awfully skinny. One of the people up the street said they saw her and a wiener dog chasing a deer yesterday. Gus and Trixie seem to get along with her pretty well.

She was kind of stinky so she got a bath. She tolerated it much better than Trixie or Gus.

Not sure what the future holds for her but she is really sweet. I’m hoping my daughter takes her home with her tonight.

Update: We found the dogs owner and she has returned home.

Wild Turkeys

Jonco — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:50:28 +0000

These birds (turkeys I think, but I’m never sure) were huge! They were at least two and a half feet tall.

Trixie way laying on the steps this afternoon where she could see out the front door and started barking like crazy when she saw these birds in my front yard. I went to see what she was barking at and ran to get a camera. By the time I got back they had walked across the street into my neighbors yard.

One by one they took off and flew into the trees behind his house..

Faulty Furnace Fun

Jonco — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:02:02 +0000

My furnace has been acting up for the last couple of weeks. At first I noticed that it didn’t come on when it was supposed to. I went down and did a few things that I know how to do and got it working. A few days later the same thing happened. I was suspecting a vent pipe might have become clogged so I spent some time fiddling with that but found it to be clear. A little more fiddling got thew furnace working again. By fiddling, I mean banging on this or that and jiggling wires.

This went on for about a week with it happening more and more often. We got a mild streak of weather and I sort of forgot about it. Yesterday it turned cold again and I had the same problem. Once I got it running it would warm the house to the set temperature and then shut off. It wouldn’t come back on. So I had to keep going to the basement every time it started to get cold in the house. It was just above 50°F in the house this morning when I woke up. I did a little Googling after I did the fiddling and determined that my problem was probably the ignition control panel. When I Googled my furnace model there were several complaints about the same problem and they were all ignition control related. A little more Googling told me that the part would be anywhere from $200–$300.

Luckily I have a relative in the heating and cooling business. I gave him a call and told him my problem and the part number. He said that the ignition controls do go bad and he was sure that was my problem too. He looked into it and called me back and said the part was $140 and he would be here this afternoon. He came about 4 pm and within an hour he had swapped out the part, cleaned my pilot ignition sensor and burners and explained how the furnace worked. I hope there’s not a test later.

He put the furnace back together, including several new screws, as I had vacuumed up the old screws he took out when he first got there. He was done and ready to go by 5 pm. I asked him what I owed him and he said $140 for the part and maybe $10 so he could pick up a bite to eat on the way home. I did a little better than that.

The house is nice and toasty now. Thanks Mike.

The Barn Under Blue Skies

Jonco — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:19:54 +0000

This barn sits on some property my parents owned on highway 67 in southeastern Missouri from about 1970 until 1990. Our family built this barn in the early 1970s. It’s the only building still standing on the 55 acre property. It’s in pretty bad shape but it’s still standing. My parent’s lived in a mobile home and had several small buildings and sheds which are all gone now.

They had recently made the highway a 4–lane divided highway (previously 2–lane) and we were worried that they would take most of the cleared area there, but it appears they added the other lanes on the other side of the highway. The old highway used to go through several small towns but now the new highway bypasses the towns and you have to exit the highway to go to the towns. The economy and the fact that the highway doesn’t go through anymore has meant the death of many of the small businesses that seemed to do well when we traveled that way fairly regularly back in the 70s and 80s.

After stopping at the farm we went on down the highway another 45 minutes to the cemetery where my parents are buried. Their grave rests under this humongous tree.

It was an extremely clear day with a brisk breeze.

Not far from the barn we saw a brush fire alongside the highway. What looked like 6 or 8 firefighters (in pickup trucks) got the fire under control quickly.

You can click the images to enlarge them.

Bella: Something To Dance For

Jonco — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:06:03 +0000

Bella got an early Christmas present. She was recently told that after a 2 and a half year battle she is 100% cancer-free. It took a great medical team, support of family and friends, some good luck, a lot of well wishes and prayers and her unbelievably determined spirit to hang in there through thick and thin in the battle of her life.

More than 4,000 healthcare workers and breast cancer survivors from all over the United States and into Canada perform in this original song called “You Won’t Dance Alone” written and performed by the band the Best Day Ever.

Thanks DJ

Our Christmas Card

Jonco — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 17:15:35 +0000

This is the picture I used for the front of our Christmas card this year. I took this photograph last Christmas morning in front of our neighbor’s house while walking the dogs. I went home and printed out an 8X10 of it and gave it to the neighbor. Click to enlarge

Christmas Open Mic

Jonco — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 06:01:15 +0000

Good tidings to you and you kin.

Christmas – that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance – a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.
- Augusta E. Rundel

What a wonderful little worldly neighborhood we have here. I’d like to thank each of you for making Bits & Pieces what it is today. It would not be the same without your input. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas please know that I wish you peace, joy, comfort and health in all your celebrations of life.

Big-ass turkeys

Jonco — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:36:31 +0000

I took these pictures this morning of a group of birds perched in the trees overlooking the river.

My knees really get around

Jonco — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:39:23 +0000

John sends along a note that my knees are featured on the home page of whitetrashrepair.com today.

I’m so proud!

Thanks John