Leak update

Well, I gave it my best shot but I couldn't pull it off.
I spent a good part of Sunday and most of Monday trying to get the leak fixed - I thought I had it on Sunday, when I listened to the guy at the Home Depot when he told me that all I needed was silicone tape.
I dug up the yard, isolated the leak turned off the water to the cul de sac and put the tape on the leak. Covered the hole back up and turned the water back on - all was good until I woke up Monday morning to find that the front yard was a swamp.
So, back to the drawing board I went. Or in this case, back to the Home Depot as soon as everyone had left for the day. I dug up the yard again, and turned off the water. Went back to the Home Depot to return the water key I didn't need, and to pick up the part I thought I did.
Turned out to be too big, so back to Home Depot.
That turned out to be too big also, so back again to Home Depot.
Back again, and this time he assures me that this is it... the correct part.
I've also managed to cut a piece of the pipe in question off, to make sure I'm dealing with the right size for the pipe.
Guess what - no matter what I do, I can't get the piece to work. I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong, so I go back again and this time get talked into buying a pricier part, but one that he assures me, will work without a hitch.
You guessed it, wrong again.
So now, I'm back at the Home Depot ready to spit nails. It's getting later and later in the day and I'm dying in the heat; not to mention that I'm working on a deadline of getting through before anyone gets home because in order to do this fix, I've had to cut the water for 12 units.
So, that'll be around 22 people coming for my head on a pole if I can't get this fixed before they get home and want dinner, showers, laundry, dishes, etc.
Little late to make this long story short, but crux of the matter is that I ended up surrendering to the inevitable (especially when the last time, I was sure I had the issue resolved except for a minor leak, tried to adjust it and the connection exploded in my face) ...I gave up. I called the Association's plumber of choice, and he came out and repaired the disaster in less than an hour.
Cost? $193.93
And came to find out that I was on the right track and could have handled the issue myself had Home Depot supplied me with the correct part in the first place.
I did learn a lesson though...there really are some things that you have to pay for instead of doing them yourself.

Delayed update (sorry)

Yeah, it's been about 2 weeks since my procedure, and I haven't posted since the night before.
My bad, you can yell at me about this when you're capable of understanding, Andrea.
Anyway, it went without a hitch, however the only wrinkle is that I've used up all of my FSA (Flex Spending Account) for the year on the previous round of Physical Therapy (8 weeks of hell) so I can't afford to do the PT (Physical Therapy) that I'm supposed to be doing - why can't I afford it, you ask?
Because of this little thing called a co-pay. Cigna considers anyone not my Primary Care Physician (PCP) to be a "specialist" and instead of a $20 co-pay, I have a $40 co-pay.
At 3 visits a week, that's $120 I don't have and can't spend.
So, I have to do exercises at home and pray that my shoulder doesn't freeze again.

On other fronts, my gardens are doing very well. I had a neighbor give me a number of canna lilies , in addition to an iris (exact variety unknown at this point) which I put in the side garden. They're in back of the elephant ear and hostas, and when they establish will provide an excellent backdrop for the plants in front.
Your Aunt Sheba gave me a number of moonflower seeds, of which at this writing I've only been able to get 2 to sprout - (I have high hopes for the next round of sprouting, as I'm trying a different technique - besides, if I get more to sprout, I will be able to trade with a neighbor for a climbing rose (unfortunately, Wikipedia doesn't have a page for them, so no link - but as soon as I get them, I'll put up a picture so you'll know what I'm talking about) )
The mints and thyme plants your Grandpa Don gave me are doing well, I'm really hoping they overwinter this year, as the last patch of mint didn't survive.
I have also started a pot of grape tomatoes, so hopes are that they'll take off and I'll get another huge bush of them this year.
Well, at work so must go for now. I'll write more later, probably during lunch tonight.

February 4th

Sorry, I got a little slack about the posting - but I'll fill you in on last week - it started with a diabetes class on Monday and Tuesday, during which they started with what to expect in the way of complications in case you don't manage the disease on day one and then moved to how to manage blood sugar by label reading and portion control on day two.
All of that made sense to me, however I wasn't happy about learning that I now would essentially be required to eat 3 meals and a snack daily; in addition, the schedule they were proposing was designed with someone who works day shift in mind, not some schlub like me who works 2nd shift.
With a little tweaking, I did manage to get it worked out, however I'm still having problems with the whole "eating at least 3 times a day" thing. I've gotten by for over 30 years on coffee in the morning with my single main meal late in the day. Only rarely did I actually eat breakfast, and that was closer to brunch than breakfast.
Honestly, I am finding it the hardest thing in the world to eat after I get up. My concession to this has been to do yogurt and toast or a biscuit in the morning, since it's light and still fits into the meal plan I was given.
On the other hand, I did get some things done around the house, putting two shelves up in the kitchen to increase my storage space (wonder of wonders, I now have 2 free shelves in the pantry, in addition to increased storage under the kitchen sink for larger pots and pans)
Friday, I went to see the Dr about the results of the MRI of my shoulder - let me tell you, that was an interesting discussion, because when he opened with "I'm not sure how to tell you this..." I was honestly expecting to hear the worst - but then he followed with "nothing showed up...minor degeneration in the shoulder joint, but that wasn't near enough to cause my issues, no bone spur, nothing else out of place...so I'm at a loss to explain why it's happened"
Thankfully, he decided that the best course of action will be to start with a physical therapist, so that's next on that agenda. My insurance is just going to love me.
Then, we got to discussing my diabetes, and based on the average of my blood sugar readings according to the glucometer, he decided to increase my insulin from 10 units to 15, with the goal of getting it to 20 units to see if that will bring my readings into more of a "normal" range. (That being around 100, I'm currently averaging around 150)
I'm sure my insurance is just loving me right now...I've had a sleep study ($2500) that discovered that I sleep on my side and therefore have no problems with sleep apnea, an MRI, (another couple thousand) that discovered nothing wrong, diabetes classes ($2000), and now a physical therapist.
I hate getting old.

January 25 - one day old

You're now one day old - and probably being subjected to being kicked out of the hospital because insurance will only cover one day. Don't worry, it gets better.
I went through merry hell trying to find pink candy cigars so I could play the doting Great Uncle, but found that they don't actually make those things any more.
I settled for cupcakes with pink icing. Not exactly what I'd call primo substitution, but given my alternatives were cigars in glass tubes at $6.50 each (not that I don't think you're worth it, but since noone here at work smokes, that would have been an incredible waste of money), cupcakes it was.
I realize I'm babbling, but I'm trying to keep my promise about writing down something daily so you'll have an idea of what's going on.
I still haven't heard anything about where you were born - I'll yank some chains about that tomorrow, I know your mom's going to want your chart done ASAP.

Biologicals, part 2c

In kicking off this search for my biologicals, I have tried to ensure the success of this venture in every way I can think of.
To this end, I have gotten a quote of $1350 from a search agency to find my birth mother.
Since I've only recently requested the information in my file, I have no way of knowing whether there's a no-contact order in place, whether she's registered with the program and is looking for me, or exactly what the situation is.
In speaking with the sales person/case worker for the search service, I did glean more information however; things such as my biological mother's age at the time of my birth was probably between 14 and 19, that indeed, based on my mother's age at the time of my adoption, it had to have been "private".
Infants, especially white infant males didn't get put in households with 50+ year old women as first children, even in the 1960's. And then to follow it up 2.5 years later with a baby girl.
I can remember when she was brought home, and how she was still bleeding from the umbilical cord - Jolene's adoption will have to remain a mystery, since I'm not legally allowed to persue that.
Mine, on the other hand, you'll see unfolding before you.
I guess this is what they mean by a blog evolving.

The Accident

At various times in my writing, I've referred to my sister and alluded to the fact that she died at an early age without going into detail.

To further clarify, she died in 1979 at the age of 15, I had just turned 18 a few months prior. I had not been living with the parents for a few months, having moved out due to a basic incompatibility between my burgeoning sexuality and spirituality and my parent's belief system which did not allow for either.

This left my sister at home to deal with the parents - who apparently felt that since they had failed with one child, they certainly weren't going to fail with the second. Things for her proceeded from tolerable when I was there to be the fall guy, to intolerable when I moved out. The straw that broke the camel's back was when she ran away with her then boyfriend Glenn and planned to go to California. She showed up on my door on a Thursday afternoon, and begged me not to report her location to the parents. I honestly thought that I could help her, and so I agreed.


The machinations of Fate intervened, and over the course of the next couple of days, not only did I come out to her, I managed to convince her that dropping out and running to California wasn't in her best interests, and that she should at least stay in school and graduate; I even volunteered to let her stay with me some weekends so she could at least have some time away from the parents, something I was sure I could manage to implement.

At this time, I was a student at Ravenwood Church and Seminary of Wicca, and had been for a number of months. One of the things that Ravenwood did was to host an Open House on Friday nights, and my sister attended one that Friday night. There again, Fate played a hand, as she met the people that would play a significant role in the rest of her life.


Jumping ahead to Sunday, the night of the accident; we (my roommate Barbara, myself, my sister and her boyfriend) went to dinner and then to Ravenwood, where I had been working on a poem to be used as an invocation to the Moon. Lady Sintana was downstairs, as were David and Barbara, and we were all around the dining room table. My sister was her usual self, flitting around, emptying ashtrays and helping straighten things up. There were also a young couple in the living room, who had encountered some problems with travelling and been recommended to Ravenwood by Traveler's Aid. The other people in the house at the time were Peggy and her boyfriend who were upstairs in her room, and Sintana's daughter Sybil and her boyfriend Harry. Sybil and Harry decided to go out for ice cream, and so weren't in the house when everything happened.

Sintana decided to go upstairs to bed, and Barbara mentioned having to work in the morning, so Glenn volunteered to take Barbara home and come back for us, since I was still working on my poem. About 20 minutes passed, and Glenn came back; since I was still working on my poem, Glenn sat down at the table to my right to wait for me to come to a stopping point; meanwhile, David, who had been sitting at the table across from me, got up, left the dining room and came back with a bowling bag.

He proceeded to open the bag and pull out a gun. To this day, I can't tell you what kind of gun it was aside from the fact that it wasn't a revolver and I think that makes it an automatic. He proceeded to eject the clip from the gun and pulled the bullet out of the chamber. I was watching this with some interest, since this was the first time I'd ever been this close to a gun. He blew in the chamber, and proceeded to clean it. Then, he put the clip back in the gun, and it was at this time that my sister walked around to him and said "I dare you". I looked up at this exchange, and thought that my sister was crazy, but just fooling around.

David looked at her like she had just sprouted 2 extra heads, and she repeated herself - "I dare you" - David looked at her again, and picked up the gun, holding it in a relaxed grip, and pulled back the hammer ... then the gun went off.

The first thing that went through my head was "okay, it was a blank and she just fainted..." but then I saw the blood and knew my life had been forever changed. My first reaction was to pick up the phone and dial the Operator (this was before 911) - to get the police and an ambulance-but for whatever reason, the phone didn't work immediately. I tried again, and managed to get through, giving the information to the Operator, and managed to get police and an ambulance dispatched.

Meanwhile, David (who was an unemployed EMT) was trying to do First Aid on my sister, and Glenn picked up the gun off the table and was acting like he was going to shoot David. I don't know what came over me, but I distinctly remember saying "NO! There's been enough Death tonight, put down the gun!" - thankfully, he did. I then turned and walked out of the dining room, to find Sintana flying down the stairs and the couple from Traveler's Aid coming to see what had happened - I stopped them and said "my sister's been shot", and broke down in tears.

The immediate aftermath was a blur, however police and emergency response times were nothing short of miraculous. I kind of believe that was due in no small part to the location of the accident, but that's irrelevant now. As it turned out, one of the emergency responders happened to be not only a Judge, but also the father of one of my former High School and Hebrew School classmates, and who knew me. Having brought myself under a degree of control, I asked him as he exited the dining room if my sister was alright, and he shook his head. The only thing I can remember at that point is grabbing a pillow and shoving it in my mouth before throwing myself into the couch and screaming from the very pit of my soul.

Immediately afterwards, I went to find Lady Sintana, and found her in the kitchen with David and a couple of policemen. I immediately went over to David and hugged him as Sintana and the policemen looked on in disbelief. I said "it was an accident... a horrible horrible accident"... then the policemen put David in handcuffs, as I said ... "you don't need to do that, it was an accident". As David was taken away, Glenn and I were taken down to the police station for our statements - while there, I realized that it was my responsibility to tell my parents that my baby sister had gotten killed under my watch.

Which they didn't know about because they had no idea where she was at the time.

So - from the police station, I made a number of phone calls - first to the Cantor at my parent's Synagogue, because not only had he known the family for years, his wife had been one of my teachers at Hebrew School. I called him because I needed him to call the Rabbi, to warn him that I was going to be calling and needing a house call due to the immensity of this emergency. After that, I called my mother's physician and got him to make a house call, because I knew, just absolutely knew, that this was going to kill my mother. I then convinced a City of Atlanta cop to drive us over there, because when my mother keeled over with a heart attack, I wanted a police officer to make the call for an ambulance because it would have been a quicker response.

We gathered outside my parents apartment ... me, the Rabbi, the Cantor, my mother's Dr, the Atlanta City cop, Barbara, and Lord Colin from Ravenwood - and I rang the bell. My father answered the door, and when he asked who it was, I had to say "It's me, and I've got some bad news ... there's been an accident and Jolene's dead. "

When he opened the door and saw all of us, I think he knew without my saying anything more that this was really happening - every parent's worst nightmare, the death of a child. We then went into the apartment to stand in the living room while my father went to get my mother.

When my mother came in, I had to repeat the news to her - that there had been a horrible accident, and Jolene was dead. What happened next remains permanently etched in my mind - my mother looked at me and said "Why wasn't it you? Why couldn't it have been you? We gave her everything, why wasn't it you?" - before breaking down in tears.

To this day, I cannot describe what I felt hearing those words - I did the only thing I could do, which was to excuse myself and go outside for air. When I got outside, I was walking in the parking lot and happened to look up and see the full Moon - and it was then I swore, on my sister's life, that I would be the greatest Witch in the world - [ that's something I've never before revealed, and something I honestly feel I've made great strides in achieving - not from a Power standpoint, but from a Spiritual one. ]

Next, sitting Shiva with the relatives and how the whole situation with the gossipy Aunt got started. I've put down enough for now, and need a break to regroup.