Tja Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 9 hours ago, daveb said: I see your location is Carneys Point. Is that anywhere near Somers Point? If you ever get to Portland let me know! Somers Point is 61.3 miles from here. I will let you know. Thanks, @Mz Terry! Gorgeous stuff! 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jetsun Milarepa Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Here, insurers are always looking for a way out of paying, but it's such a shame about leaving the water on. Maybe it'll turn out better than expected though @Tja. That's lovely @Mz Terry. Part is great. Just goes to show , less is more, like a recipe with 5 ingredients, this is a symphony of few notes and it's beautiful. Here, there's a flood defence system @Skycaptain, what a shame that everyone gets increased insurance, when your part of the road might never flood. It's never flooded here, but in the scheme of things, it's a matter of time because it's sea level, flat fen land. I always mention that on insurance comparison sites, just to make sure. Was a great working day today, hardly any homesickness, straightforward orders to fulfil and everyone was relatively cheery for a Monday morning! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Muledeer Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 @Tja I am a bit confused what you mean by leaving the water on. Whenever it gets really cold, I leave the water running a trickle in one of the sinks so the pipes do not freeze. A local business was just flooded because the water was turned off, and the pipe burst below the shutoff valve because the building wasn't heated. Is there something about radiator heat I don't understand? I only have a forced-air gas furnace in my home. I hope your cleanup tasks are going as well as can be expected. How are you heating your home now? 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tja Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 With radiator heat, @Muledeer, the system is always filled with water, unless completely drained. I don't know how to do that. My basement ceiling is full of cast iron pipes, of which, I can't make heads, nor tails. By shutting off the water, the system can fail, but, there isn't a constant feed of water. I didn't shut off the water, so, the water kept running out of the burst pipes, ruining everything. Had I shut it off, the pipe, and radiators, would have drained, then stopped, with little, or no, damage. 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Semisweet Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I once read that water accounts for something like 90% of a homeowner's problems. That doesn't surprise me, but as a homeowner it does make me paranoid. 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Muledeer Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Having my home freeze up is my one of my worst nightmares of home ownership. In the twenty years I have lived here, the furnace has gone off about three times while I was away. Luckily, I came home in time or it wasn't house-freezing cold outside. I employ a device called a "freeze alarm" that will call my cell phone number if the air temperature inside falls below 38 F (3 C). I've had it about 7 years and, luckily, it hasn't activated yet. *knocks on wood*. It was fairly inexpensive. I have also seen the kind that are wired into a home security monitoring system. Interesting stat, @Semisweet. Most other home repairs besides water leaks and damages can wait until you are ready to fix them. 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skycaptain Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Most British homes have central heating with radiators. The water is treated with a corrosion inhibitor when the system is installed and should be renewed occasionally. This is because copper pipes and/or fittings combined with steel radiators can create bimetallic corrosion, especially if the system is drained. The thermostat usually includes a froststat, so if you go away the system powers up when the temperature reaches 3-5°c to stop pipes freezing if you're away. At least a burst pipe just causes fresh water damage. Flood water often contains raw sewage and other contaminants, which results in having to replace timbers and plaster for hygiene reasons. 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tyke Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 It's been a hectic four days since I last posted, and I apologise that I haven't replied to other poster's posts. This is just a bit of a 'Tyke travelogue'. Sorry. So We've collected our RV and headed away into the countryside, visiting Abel Tasman National Park (with so many small 'perfect' beaches best accessed by boat), then over to the fabulous West Coast via the equally fabulous Nelson Lakes. The norther part of the west coast is pretty much one spectacular rock formation and deserted beach after another. There was a tiny bit of cloud preventing a perfect 'sun setting into the sea' moment, but it was still pretty good. And a crescent moon rose in its place. And all at about 21C/70F temperature with a little pleasant wind. Today visited Hokitika gorge with its ridiculously blue waters and watched divers young and old hurl themselves off cliffs into the water. Driving on we have now reached glacier country. But 80% rain forecast for tomorrow suggests that we might have to defer a glacier visit for another day. We shall see. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kazbe Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Anyone having problems with this thread? I can't Like any comments - I get a "Sorry, there was a problem reacting to this content" and I've had to manipulate the URL at the top of my browser to navigate the pages. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
will123 Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 5 minutes ago, Kazbe said: Anyone having problems with this thread? I can't Like any comments - I get a "Sorry, there was a problem reacting to this content" and I've had to manipulate the URL at the top of my browser to navigate the pages. I was just able to like you last post. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobie Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 2 hours ago, Kazbe said: Anyone having problems with this thread? I can't Like any comments - I get a "Sorry, there was a problem reacting to this content" and I've had to manipulate the URL at the top of my browser to navigate the pages. No problems here. 🤷♀️ 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skycaptain Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 @Kazbe, there's no general problems, but sometimes a random individual gets glitches like this 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kazbe Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 It seems to have fixed itself overnight. Thank heavens! 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tja Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 Glad it's working, @Kazbe! I sometimes have similar trouble. Usually, when I use my tablet. Not when I use my laptop, though. Sounds great, @Midland Tyke! Can't wait to hear more. I passed my DOT physical, today. I had some trouble with the eye test, last year, but, my new(er) prescription worked great. My blood sugar was within normal parameters. That was unexpected, as I wasn't keeping track while vacationing. Got most of the wet stuff out of the basement. The majority of things were in plastic bins, so, relatively little damage. 13 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mocha Jo Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Yay for plastic bins! Does that mean you didn't lose some of the paper things you thought you had? And yay for passing your eye exam. (I think I need a new prescription. @Midland Tyke sounds like a great vacation. one of the main things I want to know about a house is how to shut off and how to drain the water pipes. I think the winter is starting to get to me. I find I am having to keep myself distracted from becoming depressed and wondering things like what the hell am I doing with my life, and why do I want to. And then I hug my Maya and things are better until I wonder why I can't just spend my days with my animals. 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Semisweet Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Glad to hear your good news on the physical, @Tja, and on your progress and the relatively little damage in your basement. Re: eyesight, I recently got new contact lenses with an allegedly sharper prescription, but they're still not as sharp as I'd hoped. Then this morning I put them in and my eyesight seemed even worse... until I eventually realized I had the left lens in my right eye and vice versa. Sorry that winter is getting you down, @Mocha Jo. But look on the bright side: It's only 54 days until spring... and about three minutes less far away than it was when I started writing this post. 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
teatree Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 49 minutes ago, Mocha Jo said: I wonder why I can't just spend my days with my animals. Me too!!! My most favorite thing to do after working all day is to just veg out on the couch with the dogs and the cat. Tomorrow will be such an evening, with no other obligations, and I am highly anticipating it! 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spotastic Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I really need to get my eyes checked again. I keep meaning to ask the clerks at the outpatient clinic that I go to regularly how things work to get that done here. I haven't gotten a new subscription in 6 or 7 years now and I've known for a while that I needed to do so. There's always something that seems more important... My eyesight is bad enough that I can only get with 20/40 or 20/50 with corrective lenses. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gentle Giant Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Glad to hear that your physical went well, @Tja and that the water damage wasn’t as bad as anticipated. Sorry you’re feeling down, @Mocha Jo. Hope you feel better soon. We had a huge blizzard on Monday! I had to stay 2 nights at my work place. Glad to be back home. While I was staying there though it was nice to use my new phone to talk to mom and my brother also called me and talked for a while. I forgot to mention a while back that I made a rice bag heating pad for my mom by hand. It turned out nice and mom was so surprised when I gave it to her. About eyes/glasses, I tend to have trouble getting the lens sharp enough for my right eye. I think theres a sort of deformity in that eye that causes it, and probably nothing can be done about it. 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
daveb Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 2 hours ago, Mocha Jo said: Yay for plastic bins! Does that mean you didn't lose some of the paper things you thought you had? And yay for passing your eye exam. Seconded I made a call to my 401k company today (managed to find a time when the neighbor's landscapers weren't running their noisy equipment! ) and set up monthly withdrawals again. I had put that on hold since last Spring and lived of some of the money from the sale of my old house. In the meantime it allowed the 401k to build up even more. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tja Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 2 hours ago, Mocha Jo said: Yay for plastic bins! Does that mean you didn't lose some of the paper things you thought you had? While in Australia, I thought of you, @Mocha Jo, when I met the neighbor's horse, Mac, and fed him carrots. 1 hour ago, Semisweet said: Glad to hear your good news on the physical, @Tja, and on your progress and the relatively little damage in your basement. 1 hour ago, Gentle Giant said: Glad to hear that your physical went well, @Tja and that the water damage wasn’t as bad as anticipated. 1 minute ago, daveb said: Seconded Thanks, Everyone!!! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), some of the boxes that got wet were holding the paperwork I never got around to shredding. Found a few more books, down there. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skycaptain Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 @Mocha Jo, assuming you have a similar water system to Britain, where the mains supply enters the house there's a shut off valve. To drain pipes there's usually a valve at the lowest point in the circuit. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobie Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 On 25/01/2018 at 1:21 AM, Mocha Jo said: ...and why do I want to... Oh, I am so sorry to hear that 😟. Nobody knows why. I want you to. 🌸 I worry about this statement. Maybe it’s a good idea to just move NOW. Just put it on the market now, without first fixing things. That’s what I did, because the fixing up thing was getting me down, I couldn’t cope with it at all. The stress of selling I found quite invigorating 😀. Being annoyed with the estate agent and the buyers is better than being depressed 😁 I found that moving in my case really helped to make me feel better about everything. Also, we are already at the end of January 👍, the days will start to get longer again and there will be nice new flowers again. 🌺 Well wishes 🍀 and Lots of cake 🍰 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EarthMama Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Good to hear the water woes have a slight upside, @Tja - water-destroyed documents are just as destroyed as shredded ones, no? It's been kinda quiet here. Got cold again, got some new snow, the patterns of life in general march on their same, predictable path. Hopefully this weekend, I'll have some more time to play with the new Rubb...er...maille Ducky pattern. So far, the response to the single photo of the prototype I put up on my chainmailler's forum in facebook has been positive. Everyone seems to like the form, and calls for a tutorial have already come out. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gentle Giant Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I found out that we got a foot of snow from the blizzard the other day! 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jetsun Milarepa Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Good to hear your travelogue @Midland Tyke, you sound like you're having a great time, well done! Glad to hear your bins have done a good job of protecting your papers @Tja, and the horse seems to agree.. Sorry to hear you are feeling down @Mocha Jo, I was keen to sell up recently, but I gritted my teeth, it was a nasty bout of homesickness. Geez @Gentle Giant, that's a proper snowfall. Good for you @EarthMama, sounds like you have the making of a rewarding career with the chain mail. Nearly the weekend again, I'll have more time to go AVENing! (After I've done the housework...) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spotastic Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I haven't been able to take her to a vet yet (can't afford it) but my dog Eileen is exibiting a lot of the signs of kidney failure. She hasn't been eating very much, threw up a lot of foamy mess today, can't stand up, and is shaking a lot. I have an appointment to go to shortly, but she'll still be here with my wife. She is a 19 year old rat terrier. Ì'm worried... 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Muledeer Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Best wishes for your dog, @Spotastic. 19 is certainly a ripe old age for any dog and without excellent care, dogs just don't usually live that long. I hope she makes it through this illness. My 9 year old GSD is getting old and she likely won't be around to see ten years old. In fact, we are going to the vet this afternoon. 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kazbe Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 20 hours ago, Mocha Jo said: I think the winter is starting to get to me. I find I am having to keep myself distracted from becoming depressed and wondering things like what the hell am I doing with my life, and why do I want to. And then I hug my Maya and things are better until I wonder why I can't just spend my days with my animals. Oh, Mocha Jo. I empathise, only it is the relentless heat of summer and unemployment that is getting to me. I hear you about depression. There are days when I wonder whether I'd be better off dead, not that I'm planning it, but still, the meaninglessness of living and seeing days of nothingness stretching on and on does get a bit much. Animals help a great deal - although my cat James is as done with the hot weather as I am! 18 hours ago, Tja said: While in Australia, I thought of you, @Mocha Jo, when I met the neighbor's horse, Mac, and fed him carrots. Mac looks so much like a Mac I once knew! Good news about the plastic bins and the physical, @Tja. 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kazbe Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 1 hour ago, Spotastic said: I haven't been able to take her to a vet yet (can't afford it) but my dog Eileen is exibiting a lot of the signs of kidney failure. 1 Sorry to hear this. 19 years old! That's amazing. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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