Some weeks, problems accumulate...
1. Naturally, I had to order more cat food just as the snowstorm struck. 2 boxes of 8 trays total, scheduled to arrive Wed and Thurs. Well, I had the driveway and sidewalk cleared of snow Sunday, but I didn't shovel the front steps. Figured I would most of it melt and shovel the remainder Tuesday afternoon. The first box arrived Tuesday morning. UPS left it at the garage door. So I pushed the box inside the garage.
I forgot about the box when I decided to drive out for some errands Wed. Well, you would be surprised at how many cans of cat food an SUV can crush beyond use... ARGHHH!
2. The outside unit of the heat pump stopped working. I'm getting normal heat via electrical induction from the inside unit (like an oven), and I suspect it isn't costing MUCH more than the usual heating (some normal furnaces routinely operate that way). I have been trying a few things hoping the outside unit will just "start" again. I shovelled the snow from around the unit where air comes in, scooped out accumulated snow inside the unit, poured hot water over the insides hoping some ice was preventing operation, pulled and re-inserted circuit breakers, etc. No luck.
But when the block of ice inside the outside unit finally melts and it doesn't start working normally again in a couple of days, I will have to call for repairs. I didn't call immediately, because I AM getting heat, and I know they take complete failures as emergencies first. Besides, they always want to just replace the whole unit.
3. My automatic garage door openers stopped working. The overhead door light just blied rapidly. That probably means something, but I couldn't find the manual. But it isn't THAT hard to just raise and lower the door manually.
So I checked the power supply, circuit breakers, spring attachments, possible blockages, etc. No luck. Finally, I followed the wiring down to the bottom of the garage door track. Well lookee there! There is a set of safety lights at each side. If the light beam between them is blocked, the system shuts off. One of them had gotten pushed off. Well, I guess when I ran over the box of cat food, I also pushed it into the light beam device. Took just a minute to get it clipped back on and aimed properly.
At least SOMETHING got working again.
4. I mentioned previously that I had set up a regular birdfeeder on a pole on the deck to feed the non-finch birds sunflower seeds during the snowstorm. They emptied it today. The stepladder is still buried under the deck snowdrift, so I figured I would just untie it and set it down flat to refill it, and them put it upright again and retie it. Brilliant but dumb idea!
The instant I untied the last know holding the pole tight, a strong gust of wind hit. So there I was holding the bottom of the pole while the heavy top started to fall over. I couldn't hold it up. The feeder can crashing down on the deck. The wooden feeder broke into 4 pieces! I said a few BAD WORDS. But what is done is done, and you go on from there.
I took the pieces down to the work bench and set about regluing the pieces (with exterior waterproof wood glue). It took 12 bar clamps (you can never have too many bar clamps). The feeder is back together, but it has to set until tomorrow morning. I started to put out a tray of seeds, but even with a brick in the tray, the wind was slowly pushing it around. And even if I clamped the tray to the deck rails, the wind would probably just blow the seeds out. Sadly, the birds will have to wait til I get up in the morning...
5. The trash company didn't show up for regular pickup today. I'm leaving it out by the street. I recycle and compost so much that about the only thing that goes in the trash is used cat litter, styrofoam, and chicken skin. And I out the chicken skin IN the litter bags. So I feel pretty confident that NO scavenger is going to bother MY garbage can! LOL!
BTW, I drove out today and saw a neighbor's TRASH can knocked over and the contents spilled out. It was ALL cans and bottles. All recyclable. Aw c'mon... We get free street-side recycle pickup and you don't even have to sort it. Are they ACTIVELY against recyclying?
6. This one is a bit long... My waterbed sprung a leak. That happens. I have a repair kit. I've probably patched it a dozen times (the waterbed mattress is at least 35 years old). I only noticed when I pulled the sheets up for washing and the edges in one corner were wet. I pulled up that corner of the waterbed. I thought it was wet cat food at first (because there was some there), and thereby hangs a short tale.
Ayla eats only in the bedroom, and sometimes she decides on some odd places. That morning she had decided she would eat on the bookcase headboard of the waterbed. I sure don't argue about it. It's not like she gets to make a WHOLE lot of decisions in her life, so I give her the ones I can.
That afternoon, when I pulled the wet sheets up I found her bowl tucked into that corner. WOW! I sure didn't think there was THAT much water in canned cat food (and it didn't smell like anycat had peed there). But the cause and effect seemed clear. So I cleaned up the spilled cat food, wiped it clean, and stuffed an old towel down to absorb the water.
Well, THAT wasn't the problem. There was TOO much water the next morning and the towel was soaked. So I pulled the corner of the waterbed up (which is not easy - water is heavy). And I found a strange little piece of sharp metal. I can't identify it, but I assume it took a while for it to slowly wear through the waterbed mattress.
I can't get a patch to hold in the corner unless I drain the mattress and remove in entirely. And even that might not work. So, after all these years, I think I will replace it. It's OK, they aren't expensive. $50 to $200 depending on whether you want baffles and lumbar supports etc. But I'm used to the cheap kind with nothing fancy so I will stick with that.
There COULD have been a better time for this. All my hoses are outside and too cold to uncoil without maybe causing a break. But at least the forecast calls for 50F temperatures Sunday, so I can probably get one into the basement undamaged and let it warm up inside. One of the problems with a waterbed is draining them. That can take a couple hours. And then you have to fill the new one. Filling a waterbed takes about 30 minutes from the outside spigot, and it takes all day for the heater to warm the water.
Fortunately, my basement laundry tub faucet has a garden hose screw fitting. But my water heater doesn't hold enough hot water to fill the king size waterbed mattress. So it will be a balancing act to get the heated and cold tub water mixed right so I can sleep on the new mattress the same night as I empty it.
I'm probably not saying this clearly. I have to get up in the morning, drain the old mattress, remove it, pull up the old liner (old and worn out) dry the wood frame, set the new liner in place, set in the new mattress, fill it, get the water warm enough, and put the mattress pads and sheets back on. My recollection from the last time (30 years ago) was that took all day. So I will be in for a very boring (watching a waterbed mattress fill up is like watching paint dry), but dedicated day...
7. I had a mouse invasion. Marley caught 5 mice! I initially blamed the snow for making mice seek shelter, but it might have actually been my fault. Last Friday, when the snow began to fall, I brought a few tubs of planting soil into the basement to thaw out so I could plant leftover Spring bulbs in them for forcing by Spring. There MAY have been mice nesting in them in the leaf litter covering the soil.
I HOPE he caught them all regardless of how they got inside. Probably. There were 4 caught one day, I found a 5th in a bucket the 2nd, and none for 4 days.
Quite a week!
Showing posts with label Recycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recycle. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2016
Friday, December 11, 2015
Another Moderately Busy Day
I'm not busy every day. Some days I just get up late (a privilege of singlehood and retirement) make lunch, putter, make dinner, and watch a few science/nature DVDs. But I usually TRY to do something useful each day. Some days just don't work!
I had yesterday (Thursday) all planned out. I would get up early (for me) at 10 am, use the riding lawn mower to tow the 5'x8' hauling trailer to the street, hook it up to the car, drive the car to the UPS center to drop off 2 boxes, drive the car (filled with empty boxes) to the recycling center, stop at the nursery on the way back to get 2 bucket-loader loads on 1/2 soil 1/2 compost (premixed is great there), stop by the grocery store where the double rows of parking spaces allow for a car and trailer, and get home in time to let the cats out.
Hah! I stayed up til dawn, slept til 1 pm, and ate a fast lunch lunch. Then the riding lawn mower wouldn't start. I hadn't used it since late September. The marine battery I keep in the shed was dead too. So I went back to the house for the Jump-N-Carry JNC660 Jump Starter I bought a couple months ago to help with the car. That worked!
So I drove the riding mower (hereafter just "mower") around front to hook up to the trailer to move it. Oops, forgot the key ring. Back inside to get that. Unlocked the trailer lock, hooked up the mower. It some time to get the mower trailer ball directly under the trailer hitch. The trailer was on a slope and held in place by wheel chocks so I couldn't move the trailer up or down hill. And trying to use the brake lock thge the mower is in position is tricky. It wants to settle back a few inches...
But I got the trailer and mower connected and brought the trailer to the street so I could get the SUV attached. Hmm, I need a rake to spread the soil/compost mix level... Another 200' trip back to the shed and 200' back to the trailer. Oh, and I need a tarp to cover the load so it doesn't all blow away. I thought I had the in the car, but it was a small one that wouldn't cover the entire trailer. Off in search of a larger tarp I go!
Didn't find the one I wanted (later discovered the one I wanted was covering plywood on the deck) but found one "almost" large enough. Put that in the car. Checked to make sure I had the bungee cord tie-downs in the car. Nope! Searched for the bungee cords. In garage, in shed, in workshop... No luck. Re-checked each area. Nope!
I wasn't at the point of checking the refrigerator, but close. I use them for a lot of purposes, so I sat down and pictured them. Couple of minutes later, I said "AHA!" and walked right to them. I had a small basket of odds and ends left over from another project, and there they were! OK, into the car they went!
Darn, I don't have my grocery list! I made a list of all my usual items on a spreadsheet by category and with some blank lines after each for unusual items (and printed off a few hundred copies a few years ago). I don't really need it for most things. I know what fresh vegetables and meats I need, but its the odd items like ketchup or Crisco or minced horseradish I'll forget without the list. Plus, going by memory means I end up with 3 jars of fancy hot gardeniera veggies in the pantry...
So I got the list. Went to the SUV. Noticed the sun was setting. That means it is rush hour traffic, plus I don't want to do all these errands in the dark!
ARGGGHHH!
So I set my attention to dinner and today (Friday). I got up at 9 am, showerd etc, made a quick cheese/bacon omelet and toast, ate fast, and got going. Hurray, I was on the road at 11...
The UPS drop-off was easy, though it is annoying to stand in the place typing information into the computer to create a shipping label. I have my computer mouse buttons reversed for comfort, so using the regular arrangement is awkward. And their mouse pads are sticky so (between the two) it is hard to get the cursor on the spots they want. And they are Windows while I am Mac, so some routine shortcuts don't work.
But the label was made and printed eventually. I brought my 2 boxes to the UPS clerk. One box was a return of a crockpot. My 35 year old one finally died, so I ordered a replacement. I THOUGHT I was ordering the same size but with a removeable inset. OOPS! It was huge (for me). 5 quarts is a LOT bigger than I thought. Well, I have 5 gallon buckets I use frequently, and 1/4 that size seemed right. Nope! Apparently, I had a 2 quart crockpot before. So I had a return from that with a prepaid pre-printed label.
It was the kitchen knife return that took all the work. I bought a set of really great Wusthof-Trident kitchen knives from a Going-Out-Of Business store 10 years ago. But I added a few individually. One had a piece of the handle just fall off while I was cutting lettuce. Wusthof said to return it to then VERY securely packaged.
I can understand THAT! Knives defy most packaging. So I found a flat box 4" longer than the knife. I cut pieces from another box to hold the knife. The handle has two narrow spots, so I punched holes in one cardboard piece to match those and used twist ties to hold the handle in place leaving 2" all around the knife. Then I placed the 2nd cardboard piece on top of the 1st and used duct tape all around it. That knife AIN'T moving.
Then I put the broken handle piece in a sandwich bag (with a separate label inside the bag explaining what it was) and tucked it in between the cardboards and taped THAT in place. Then I wrapped the whole thing in small bubble-wrap. I added a copy of all the emails between Wusthof and I (with pictures) into the box after writing my name, phone number, email address on the copy.
When I was done, was was still some movement of the cardboard knife-holder in the box so I packed the edges equally around with styrofoam peanuts. When I was done, an earthquake could not have made the contents shift around in the box. I am nothing if not thorough!
So I got away from UPS in only 20 minutes. On my way to get rid of the recyclable cardboard boxes...
Naturally, there was a person ahead of me. She didn't seem to have the slightest idea how recycling worked. She had her trunk open and the workers were picking through the contents. She had electronics, boxes, garbage, metal, and some non-recyclable junk in there. Hey, if it is her first time trying to recycle, I'm patient.
So I decided to just carry my boxes from a car-length further away. But one of the guys there took my boxes as I approached the cardboard compactor and said "She comes here every week with weird stuff and makes us take some stuff we really shouldn't accept for free" (actual garbage costs money to dispose of), "but if we complain we get in trouble".
I thanked the guy who helped me empty the boxes from the SUV, and commiserated with him about some of the strange "customers" they get. Apparently some people try really hard to get their actual garbage "recycled" for free when there is a dumspter right there saying "$1 per bag of garbage". And they show up in luxury cars!
People are weird!
If you have read THIS far, you get an A+.
So from the recycling center, I went to the landscaping/nursery at the end of the same street. I needed a lot of good soil to fill the cages of the Tulip and Hyacinth bulbs I am planting in an edged circle in the newly-leveled back yard. I asked the "Loading Manager" if they still had the 1/2 topsoil 1/2 compost mix. I told him I wanted 2 bucketloads and set my covering tarp so that the dumped mix would hold the front of the tarp in place, then went to the office to pay for it.
I went back out with the receipt and waved it to the bucket-loader guy. He dumped one, then the 2nd. I was spreading the load out evenly when I noticed he was waving at me. Apparwntly, He felt the 2nd load had been a bit light. He brought a 3rd! Cool!
He didn't hang around like he was wanting a tip, so I gave him a big smile and a slight salute! And he parked his machine and left.
So I went to use the bungee cords to hold down the tarp over the soil in the trailer. Imagine my surprise when I realized I had set the tarp sideways. So I pulled it out from under the soil/compost mix and set it the right direction. I tucked the front edge under the soil as best I could, and used the bungee cords to lock down the sides and back.
I hadn't driven 1/2 miles when the front came loose. so I pulled over to the side of the road to redo the front. I'm glad I had an extra container of bungee cords in the car. It seemed (and was) secure. But I saw some birdfeathers on the road (some unfortunate crow), and put several in the exposed (uncovered) back of the trailer where the "wrong" tarp didn't reach. A little experiment on how much of the purschased soil/compost mix I might lose driving home.
The feathers were still there when I got home, so I guess I didn't lose any soil mix on the way home. Aerodynamics are weird!
So I stopped at the Safeway grocery store. They have double row parking spaces that can fit a car and trailer. Did my shopping; won't bore you with that. But I needed stamps and they sell them at no markup. I had written on my shopping list "Don't Forget Stamps". I forgot the stamps.
So I got home, unhooked the trailer, covered the exposed part of the soil/compost mix with another tarp. Got inside at 1PM, opened the deck door and a few windows (it was 70F) and let the cats out. They LOVED it.
Next time, the first planting of new Tulips and Hyacinths using the new-built cages and 1/2 soil 1/2 compost mix...
And if you have read THIS farther, you get an A++
Mark
I had yesterday (Thursday) all planned out. I would get up early (for me) at 10 am, use the riding lawn mower to tow the 5'x8' hauling trailer to the street, hook it up to the car, drive the car to the UPS center to drop off 2 boxes, drive the car (filled with empty boxes) to the recycling center, stop at the nursery on the way back to get 2 bucket-loader loads on 1/2 soil 1/2 compost (premixed is great there), stop by the grocery store where the double rows of parking spaces allow for a car and trailer, and get home in time to let the cats out.
Hah! I stayed up til dawn, slept til 1 pm, and ate a fast lunch lunch. Then the riding lawn mower wouldn't start. I hadn't used it since late September. The marine battery I keep in the shed was dead too. So I went back to the house for the Jump-N-Carry JNC660 Jump Starter I bought a couple months ago to help with the car. That worked!
So I drove the riding mower (hereafter just "mower") around front to hook up to the trailer to move it. Oops, forgot the key ring. Back inside to get that. Unlocked the trailer lock, hooked up the mower. It some time to get the mower trailer ball directly under the trailer hitch. The trailer was on a slope and held in place by wheel chocks so I couldn't move the trailer up or down hill. And trying to use the brake lock thge the mower is in position is tricky. It wants to settle back a few inches...
But I got the trailer and mower connected and brought the trailer to the street so I could get the SUV attached. Hmm, I need a rake to spread the soil/compost mix level... Another 200' trip back to the shed and 200' back to the trailer. Oh, and I need a tarp to cover the load so it doesn't all blow away. I thought I had the in the car, but it was a small one that wouldn't cover the entire trailer. Off in search of a larger tarp I go!
Didn't find the one I wanted (later discovered the one I wanted was covering plywood on the deck) but found one "almost" large enough. Put that in the car. Checked to make sure I had the bungee cord tie-downs in the car. Nope! Searched for the bungee cords. In garage, in shed, in workshop... No luck. Re-checked each area. Nope!
I wasn't at the point of checking the refrigerator, but close. I use them for a lot of purposes, so I sat down and pictured them. Couple of minutes later, I said "AHA!" and walked right to them. I had a small basket of odds and ends left over from another project, and there they were! OK, into the car they went!
Darn, I don't have my grocery list! I made a list of all my usual items on a spreadsheet by category and with some blank lines after each for unusual items (and printed off a few hundred copies a few years ago). I don't really need it for most things. I know what fresh vegetables and meats I need, but its the odd items like ketchup or Crisco or minced horseradish I'll forget without the list. Plus, going by memory means I end up with 3 jars of fancy hot gardeniera veggies in the pantry...
So I got the list. Went to the SUV. Noticed the sun was setting. That means it is rush hour traffic, plus I don't want to do all these errands in the dark!
ARGGGHHH!
So I set my attention to dinner and today (Friday). I got up at 9 am, showerd etc, made a quick cheese/bacon omelet and toast, ate fast, and got going. Hurray, I was on the road at 11...
The UPS drop-off was easy, though it is annoying to stand in the place typing information into the computer to create a shipping label. I have my computer mouse buttons reversed for comfort, so using the regular arrangement is awkward. And their mouse pads are sticky so (between the two) it is hard to get the cursor on the spots they want. And they are Windows while I am Mac, so some routine shortcuts don't work.
But the label was made and printed eventually. I brought my 2 boxes to the UPS clerk. One box was a return of a crockpot. My 35 year old one finally died, so I ordered a replacement. I THOUGHT I was ordering the same size but with a removeable inset. OOPS! It was huge (for me). 5 quarts is a LOT bigger than I thought. Well, I have 5 gallon buckets I use frequently, and 1/4 that size seemed right. Nope! Apparently, I had a 2 quart crockpot before. So I had a return from that with a prepaid pre-printed label.
It was the kitchen knife return that took all the work. I bought a set of really great Wusthof-Trident kitchen knives from a Going-Out-Of Business store 10 years ago. But I added a few individually. One had a piece of the handle just fall off while I was cutting lettuce. Wusthof said to return it to then VERY securely packaged.
I can understand THAT! Knives defy most packaging. So I found a flat box 4" longer than the knife. I cut pieces from another box to hold the knife. The handle has two narrow spots, so I punched holes in one cardboard piece to match those and used twist ties to hold the handle in place leaving 2" all around the knife. Then I placed the 2nd cardboard piece on top of the 1st and used duct tape all around it. That knife AIN'T moving.
Then I put the broken handle piece in a sandwich bag (with a separate label inside the bag explaining what it was) and tucked it in between the cardboards and taped THAT in place. Then I wrapped the whole thing in small bubble-wrap. I added a copy of all the emails between Wusthof and I (with pictures) into the box after writing my name, phone number, email address on the copy.
When I was done, was was still some movement of the cardboard knife-holder in the box so I packed the edges equally around with styrofoam peanuts. When I was done, an earthquake could not have made the contents shift around in the box. I am nothing if not thorough!
So I got away from UPS in only 20 minutes. On my way to get rid of the recyclable cardboard boxes...
Naturally, there was a person ahead of me. She didn't seem to have the slightest idea how recycling worked. She had her trunk open and the workers were picking through the contents. She had electronics, boxes, garbage, metal, and some non-recyclable junk in there. Hey, if it is her first time trying to recycle, I'm patient.
So I decided to just carry my boxes from a car-length further away. But one of the guys there took my boxes as I approached the cardboard compactor and said "She comes here every week with weird stuff and makes us take some stuff we really shouldn't accept for free" (actual garbage costs money to dispose of), "but if we complain we get in trouble".
I thanked the guy who helped me empty the boxes from the SUV, and commiserated with him about some of the strange "customers" they get. Apparently some people try really hard to get their actual garbage "recycled" for free when there is a dumspter right there saying "$1 per bag of garbage". And they show up in luxury cars!
People are weird!
If you have read THIS far, you get an A+.
So from the recycling center, I went to the landscaping/nursery at the end of the same street. I needed a lot of good soil to fill the cages of the Tulip and Hyacinth bulbs I am planting in an edged circle in the newly-leveled back yard. I asked the "Loading Manager" if they still had the 1/2 topsoil 1/2 compost mix. I told him I wanted 2 bucketloads and set my covering tarp so that the dumped mix would hold the front of the tarp in place, then went to the office to pay for it.
I went back out with the receipt and waved it to the bucket-loader guy. He dumped one, then the 2nd. I was spreading the load out evenly when I noticed he was waving at me. Apparwntly, He felt the 2nd load had been a bit light. He brought a 3rd! Cool!
He didn't hang around like he was wanting a tip, so I gave him a big smile and a slight salute! And he parked his machine and left.
So I went to use the bungee cords to hold down the tarp over the soil in the trailer. Imagine my surprise when I realized I had set the tarp sideways. So I pulled it out from under the soil/compost mix and set it the right direction. I tucked the front edge under the soil as best I could, and used the bungee cords to lock down the sides and back.
I hadn't driven 1/2 miles when the front came loose. so I pulled over to the side of the road to redo the front. I'm glad I had an extra container of bungee cords in the car. It seemed (and was) secure. But I saw some birdfeathers on the road (some unfortunate crow), and put several in the exposed (uncovered) back of the trailer where the "wrong" tarp didn't reach. A little experiment on how much of the purschased soil/compost mix I might lose driving home.
The feathers were still there when I got home, so I guess I didn't lose any soil mix on the way home. Aerodynamics are weird!
So I stopped at the Safeway grocery store. They have double row parking spaces that can fit a car and trailer. Did my shopping; won't bore you with that. But I needed stamps and they sell them at no markup. I had written on my shopping list "Don't Forget Stamps". I forgot the stamps.
So I got home, unhooked the trailer, covered the exposed part of the soil/compost mix with another tarp. Got inside at 1PM, opened the deck door and a few windows (it was 70F) and let the cats out. They LOVED it.
Next time, the first planting of new Tulips and Hyacinths using the new-built cages and 1/2 soil 1/2 compost mix...
And if you have read THIS farther, you get an A++
Mark
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Moderately Busy Day
Sometimes I slack off a couple of days even when I have work to do. Yeah, busy as I seem to be, I can ebnd up just cooking and watching science/nature DVDs...
But I got back to work today. The tulip/hyacinth cages have a time deadline for planting the bulbs before the ground freezes, so I started with those. I made 6 more before my hand started cramping up. I need 27 cages and I have 20 built now. Tomorrow should finish the remaining 7.
So after that, I started making spaghetti sauce. Nothing too fancy. I use 2 cans of 28 oz crushed tomato, a 1/2 minced green bell pepper, 1 minced jalapeno pepper, 1/2 minced onion, 1/4 of red wine, a tsp of sugar, a tbls of dried italian seasoning, a handful of sliced button mushrooms, and a doz pre-cooked meatballs I get frozen from the meat store. I just let it simmer slowly for an hour, scraping the bottom with a spatula every 5 minutes. It's good enough for me; not like I have an Italian grandmother to answer to... LOL! I have Tupperware containers just the right size for one meal, and spoon the mixture evenly for freezing. But I like a LOT of tomato sauce on my pasta, so my Tupperware size might not be yours... BTW, I spoon the 1" meatballs out first and cut them in half. I like a bit with most forkfuls rather than large meatballs at once. Sometimes I use 3 hot italian sausages, cooked separately, then added to the sauce.
While that was going on (and with the repeating timer set to 5 minutes to remind me to stir the sauce), I took care of some internet order problems.
First, I had ordered a replacement cat tree sisal post for the one that Ayla finally broke using it as a launch pad to the top of the tall bookcases. I thought all those posts were the same, but this one had a 3' bolt that stuck down into the hut below, and surely some cat would have been injured. Since it was advertised as "sort-bolt", I asked them to send me a free return shipping label.
Second, I had ordered a new crock pot with a removable stoneware insert for easy cleaning. I thought I was ordering the same size as my 40 year old 1-piece Rival crockpot. But as soon as I opened the box I was shocked at how large it was. I contacted Amazon.com about a return, and the response was to over me $28.11 for the $49.99 item (as it was a 3rd party sale).
Well, I checked the 3rd party seller's return policy and it stated it followed Amazon.con return policies. Which were (for unused, withing 30 days, and in entirely original packing) 100% refund. After a 2nd email to Amazon.com, I received a statement of not only 100% refund, but a free return shipping label. Bless their hearts...
So while the spaghetti sauce was simmering between stirrings, I reboxed the crockpot in the original retail box in the original shipping box.
Third, I had bought a set of Wusthof-Trident kitchen knives a few years ago from a place going out of business. While using a knife I seldom use, a piece of the handle just fell right off! It was like a piece of knapped flint struck off from a core. I emailed them about it and they replied saying to pack up the knife and broken piece and send it to them packed very carefully.
I did that today, and oh boy did I "package" it carefully! I found a thin box large enough, cut cardboard pieces from other boxes to fit, got my roll of duct tape, and raided my stash of bubble wrap. I wrapped the blade in bubble wrap. I set the knife on one piece of cardboard 3" larger than the knife and poked holes in the cardboard at the narrow parts of the knife handle and ran twist-ties through the holes the attach it to the cardboard. Then I wrapped a larger piece of cardboard around the 1st piece and duct-taped it in all directions. I put the broken-off piece in a plastic sandwich bag (labeled, of course) and duct-taped IT to the cardboard. Then I wrapped the whole thing in more bubble wrap. Then I slipped a copy of their email to me authorizing a return (with my name, address, phone number, and email address) into the box and stuffed what little space was left with packing (leftover from packing the crockpot).
The outside of the box is thoroughly "shipping-taped". If that isn't well-packed, then "well-packed" isn't possible. It may take them 15 minutes of work just to get at the knife inside. No one will ever accuse ME of shipping a dangerous product. :)
I sure wish I had thought to take pictures!!!
And THEN, I had received an order of 8 trays of (24 5.5oz cans per tray) Wellness canned cat food from Chewy.com a couple days ago ago and was unpacking it. I discovered I was one tray missing! So I called them The person I talked to (Patrick) didn't hesitate to immediately order a replacement. But he asked about my cats, then mentioned his, and we talked for 45 minutes. They are either not busy and "Customer Service" or they are extremely friendly.
He has 4 male cats (all former strays who get along great) and he names them after minor mythology gods in various languages (1 each Persian, Briton, Greek, and Egyptian). He said he uses minor mythology names "because there are too many Zeuses and Thors". I was impressed! And he asked for my blog URL, so I might have a new reader.
But the timing was ironic. I had to tell him that I had just posted (in complete error) about receiving a goodie box from Chewy.com and it turning out to be a different company (Purr8Packs). He laughed and said things like that happen but I should correct the past posts to give credit to the Purr*Packs company (which was next on my To Do List), but it sure made me think higher of Chewy.com for not hoping for undo credit.
He said he would make sure to look at older posts to get a good idea of what my blog was like. Is that understanding, or what?
Loaded up the SUV with accumulated cardboard boxes for the recycling center. Too many for my small recycling barrel that only gets picked up every 2 weeks. The free space in the basement is nice.
The spaghetti dinner was great. And now I have 5 more containers of sauce freezing for future use. I don't like to bother making sauce one meal at a time.
So tomorrow, I go off with the car packed with 2 boxes for UPS, the back full of empty boxes for recycling, 4 bags of plastic shopping bags to be stuffed into the shopping bag recycle box there (my county recycling center does not accept "film plastic" (shopping bags). On the way home, I'll do my bi-weekly grocery shopping at Safeway (for the good produce) and the local meat market.
But today was a pretty productive day.
Hope you had a good day too!
But I got back to work today. The tulip/hyacinth cages have a time deadline for planting the bulbs before the ground freezes, so I started with those. I made 6 more before my hand started cramping up. I need 27 cages and I have 20 built now. Tomorrow should finish the remaining 7.
So after that, I started making spaghetti sauce. Nothing too fancy. I use 2 cans of 28 oz crushed tomato, a 1/2 minced green bell pepper, 1 minced jalapeno pepper, 1/2 minced onion, 1/4 of red wine, a tsp of sugar, a tbls of dried italian seasoning, a handful of sliced button mushrooms, and a doz pre-cooked meatballs I get frozen from the meat store. I just let it simmer slowly for an hour, scraping the bottom with a spatula every 5 minutes. It's good enough for me; not like I have an Italian grandmother to answer to... LOL! I have Tupperware containers just the right size for one meal, and spoon the mixture evenly for freezing. But I like a LOT of tomato sauce on my pasta, so my Tupperware size might not be yours... BTW, I spoon the 1" meatballs out first and cut them in half. I like a bit with most forkfuls rather than large meatballs at once. Sometimes I use 3 hot italian sausages, cooked separately, then added to the sauce.
While that was going on (and with the repeating timer set to 5 minutes to remind me to stir the sauce), I took care of some internet order problems.
First, I had ordered a replacement cat tree sisal post for the one that Ayla finally broke using it as a launch pad to the top of the tall bookcases. I thought all those posts were the same, but this one had a 3' bolt that stuck down into the hut below, and surely some cat would have been injured. Since it was advertised as "sort-bolt", I asked them to send me a free return shipping label.
Second, I had ordered a new crock pot with a removable stoneware insert for easy cleaning. I thought I was ordering the same size as my 40 year old 1-piece Rival crockpot. But as soon as I opened the box I was shocked at how large it was. I contacted Amazon.com about a return, and the response was to over me $28.11 for the $49.99 item (as it was a 3rd party sale).
Well, I checked the 3rd party seller's return policy and it stated it followed Amazon.con return policies. Which were (for unused, withing 30 days, and in entirely original packing) 100% refund. After a 2nd email to Amazon.com, I received a statement of not only 100% refund, but a free return shipping label. Bless their hearts...
So while the spaghetti sauce was simmering between stirrings, I reboxed the crockpot in the original retail box in the original shipping box.
Third, I had bought a set of Wusthof-Trident kitchen knives a few years ago from a place going out of business. While using a knife I seldom use, a piece of the handle just fell right off! It was like a piece of knapped flint struck off from a core. I emailed them about it and they replied saying to pack up the knife and broken piece and send it to them packed very carefully.
I did that today, and oh boy did I "package" it carefully! I found a thin box large enough, cut cardboard pieces from other boxes to fit, got my roll of duct tape, and raided my stash of bubble wrap. I wrapped the blade in bubble wrap. I set the knife on one piece of cardboard 3" larger than the knife and poked holes in the cardboard at the narrow parts of the knife handle and ran twist-ties through the holes the attach it to the cardboard. Then I wrapped a larger piece of cardboard around the 1st piece and duct-taped it in all directions. I put the broken-off piece in a plastic sandwich bag (labeled, of course) and duct-taped IT to the cardboard. Then I wrapped the whole thing in more bubble wrap. Then I slipped a copy of their email to me authorizing a return (with my name, address, phone number, and email address) into the box and stuffed what little space was left with packing (leftover from packing the crockpot).
The outside of the box is thoroughly "shipping-taped". If that isn't well-packed, then "well-packed" isn't possible. It may take them 15 minutes of work just to get at the knife inside. No one will ever accuse ME of shipping a dangerous product. :)
I sure wish I had thought to take pictures!!!
And THEN, I had received an order of 8 trays of (24 5.5oz cans per tray) Wellness canned cat food from Chewy.com a couple days ago ago and was unpacking it. I discovered I was one tray missing! So I called them The person I talked to (Patrick) didn't hesitate to immediately order a replacement. But he asked about my cats, then mentioned his, and we talked for 45 minutes. They are either not busy and "Customer Service" or they are extremely friendly.
He has 4 male cats (all former strays who get along great) and he names them after minor mythology gods in various languages (1 each Persian, Briton, Greek, and Egyptian). He said he uses minor mythology names "because there are too many Zeuses and Thors". I was impressed! And he asked for my blog URL, so I might have a new reader.
But the timing was ironic. I had to tell him that I had just posted (in complete error) about receiving a goodie box from Chewy.com and it turning out to be a different company (Purr8Packs). He laughed and said things like that happen but I should correct the past posts to give credit to the Purr*Packs company (which was next on my To Do List), but it sure made me think higher of Chewy.com for not hoping for undo credit.
He said he would make sure to look at older posts to get a good idea of what my blog was like. Is that understanding, or what?
Loaded up the SUV with accumulated cardboard boxes for the recycling center. Too many for my small recycling barrel that only gets picked up every 2 weeks. The free space in the basement is nice.
The spaghetti dinner was great. And now I have 5 more containers of sauce freezing for future use. I don't like to bother making sauce one meal at a time.
So tomorrow, I go off with the car packed with 2 boxes for UPS, the back full of empty boxes for recycling, 4 bags of plastic shopping bags to be stuffed into the shopping bag recycle box there (my county recycling center does not accept "film plastic" (shopping bags). On the way home, I'll do my bi-weekly grocery shopping at Safeway (for the good produce) and the local meat market.
But today was a pretty productive day.
Hope you had a good day too!
Monday, February 17, 2014
All That Trash
Re-reading the Wednesday post about the tubs of used kitty litter and bags of trash, I thought I should explain a bit.
I don't pay for weekly trash pickup service because I have so little. I used to pay $40/month for weekly trash pickup, but since I only accumulated enough to bother putting it out once a month, they tended to forget I was on their pickup route. THEY said to just put out my little one bag each week and the driver would remember I was a customer. Still, that was only a 5 gallon bucket per week, and seemed not worth it.
I have so little "regular" trash other than the used kitty litter. 50% of my "trash" is recyclable. Another 20% is "film plastic" (shopping bags and shrink wrap) which my grocery store recycles to make new bags. Most of the rest is compostable (almost nothing goes down my garage "dispose-all"). The remainder is styrofoam that nobody will accept, and that gets collected in bags in the garage for months.
That leaves the used kitty litter. I keep a half-gallon lidded plastic container lined with a plastic shopping bag near the litter boxes and scoop everything in there. When filled, I tie the bag up tight and set it into one of the tubs the litter comes in. So I have a tied bag, in a tub with a tight lid, in the garage. You can't tell its there even after several months. And just to be a "little" more environmentally friendly, I'm looking for small biodegradable bags to use for the litter.
The landfill charges a flat rate of $5 for all "household trash" you can fit in your car. You can pay by weight, too (they weigh the whole car going in and then leaving and charge you by the loss in weight), but I found that after 143 pounds, flat rate is cheaper. I usually accumulate about 300-400 pounds in used kitty litter every 4-5 months, plus about 4 large bags of styrofoam and other odd stuff I can't recycle.
So basically, I got rid of 500 pounds of trash for $5 (plus gas) by driving 10 miles to the landfill, instead of paying $160-200 for weekly trash pickup I seldom used and got skipped over most of the time.
I don't pay for weekly trash pickup service because I have so little. I used to pay $40/month for weekly trash pickup, but since I only accumulated enough to bother putting it out once a month, they tended to forget I was on their pickup route. THEY said to just put out my little one bag each week and the driver would remember I was a customer. Still, that was only a 5 gallon bucket per week, and seemed not worth it.
I have so little "regular" trash other than the used kitty litter. 50% of my "trash" is recyclable. Another 20% is "film plastic" (shopping bags and shrink wrap) which my grocery store recycles to make new bags. Most of the rest is compostable (almost nothing goes down my garage "dispose-all"). The remainder is styrofoam that nobody will accept, and that gets collected in bags in the garage for months.
That leaves the used kitty litter. I keep a half-gallon lidded plastic container lined with a plastic shopping bag near the litter boxes and scoop everything in there. When filled, I tie the bag up tight and set it into one of the tubs the litter comes in. So I have a tied bag, in a tub with a tight lid, in the garage. You can't tell its there even after several months. And just to be a "little" more environmentally friendly, I'm looking for small biodegradable bags to use for the litter.
The landfill charges a flat rate of $5 for all "household trash" you can fit in your car. You can pay by weight, too (they weigh the whole car going in and then leaving and charge you by the loss in weight), but I found that after 143 pounds, flat rate is cheaper. I usually accumulate about 300-400 pounds in used kitty litter every 4-5 months, plus about 4 large bags of styrofoam and other odd stuff I can't recycle.
So basically, I got rid of 500 pounds of trash for $5 (plus gas) by driving 10 miles to the landfill, instead of paying $160-200 for weekly trash pickup I seldom used and got skipped over most of the time.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Getting Stuff Done
I try to do something useful around the house or yard every day. I don't mean routine house duties like daily/weekly cooking, cleaning, laundry. More like some specific project, and it doesn't have to be major; like cleaning out a whole closet, washing all the windows, organizing the basement workbench, inventorying my garden seeds to order replacements, weeding a section of the flowerbeds, etc.
Being retired tempts one into an "I'll do it tomorrow" attitude, and I found myself slipping into that 2 years ago. And I will admit then when I get a really major thing done, I may take the rest of the week off (like when I had a new roof put on one week and new siding the next week).
A good example is when I collected stem cuttings of my butterfly bush, my Catnip plant, and a Wave Petunia last month. Most of them are growing and I will have some great replacement plants this Spring.
So I was pleased to get projects done yesterday and today.
Yesterday, I managed my new seed order. I have a system for storing seeds. Years ago, I obtained plastic vials to store seeds in. I drilled holes in a piece of plywood to hold them, and wrote numbers on the vials with a marker. A sheet of paper identifies all the vials by number, seed, and year. I keep the tray of vials in a basement refrigerator (along with bulk foods and beer). So, yesterday, I took out the tray, added the new seeds to empty vials, and updated my list. I nearly lost my list one year, so now I print three copies. One goes in the seed tray, one in a looseleaf garden journal, and one in the index card box that has my planting/transplanting schedule by weeks from last frost date.
Today, I heard a weather report that suggested we would be getting 3-6" of snow tomorrow. Three Winters ago, we had 3 major snowstorms adding up to almost 4'. That Spring, I bought a good snowblower (on sale cheaper then). I assembled it, added gas/oil and tested it. It ran well. Then it sat. Never got any snow worth even removing since. But I left the little bit of gas in there...
So I was doubtful it would run today. I had to re-read the manual, added new gas, checked the oil, etc. It took a few tries, but it started. I ran it 5 minutes to make sure it was working well, turned it off, let it cool down, and set it in the garage ready for use.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow... I'm ready (so I bet it doesn't snow, LOL!). But it was a good satisfying project for the day.
Tomorrow, the project is all errands. New fish for the aquarium, a few hardware supplies, pick up shortened pants from a tailor, bring unliked catfood to a donation center, etc. Friday will be a recycling day. I have 300 pounds of used kitty litter, boxes and newspapers, uncompostable trash, and bags of plastic.
I figure that getting one useful thing done each day adds up, and I intend to make this a productive year!
Being retired tempts one into an "I'll do it tomorrow" attitude, and I found myself slipping into that 2 years ago. And I will admit then when I get a really major thing done, I may take the rest of the week off (like when I had a new roof put on one week and new siding the next week).
A good example is when I collected stem cuttings of my butterfly bush, my Catnip plant, and a Wave Petunia last month. Most of them are growing and I will have some great replacement plants this Spring.
So I was pleased to get projects done yesterday and today.
Yesterday, I managed my new seed order. I have a system for storing seeds. Years ago, I obtained plastic vials to store seeds in. I drilled holes in a piece of plywood to hold them, and wrote numbers on the vials with a marker. A sheet of paper identifies all the vials by number, seed, and year. I keep the tray of vials in a basement refrigerator (along with bulk foods and beer). So, yesterday, I took out the tray, added the new seeds to empty vials, and updated my list. I nearly lost my list one year, so now I print three copies. One goes in the seed tray, one in a looseleaf garden journal, and one in the index card box that has my planting/transplanting schedule by weeks from last frost date.
Today, I heard a weather report that suggested we would be getting 3-6" of snow tomorrow. Three Winters ago, we had 3 major snowstorms adding up to almost 4'. That Spring, I bought a good snowblower (on sale cheaper then). I assembled it, added gas/oil and tested it. It ran well. Then it sat. Never got any snow worth even removing since. But I left the little bit of gas in there...
So I was doubtful it would run today. I had to re-read the manual, added new gas, checked the oil, etc. It took a few tries, but it started. I ran it 5 minutes to make sure it was working well, turned it off, let it cool down, and set it in the garage ready for use.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow... I'm ready (so I bet it doesn't snow, LOL!). But it was a good satisfying project for the day.
Tomorrow, the project is all errands. New fish for the aquarium, a few hardware supplies, pick up shortened pants from a tailor, bring unliked catfood to a donation center, etc. Friday will be a recycling day. I have 300 pounds of used kitty litter, boxes and newspapers, uncompostable trash, and bags of plastic.
I figure that getting one useful thing done each day adds up, and I intend to make this a productive year!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Doing Useful Stuff, 3
Biannual Trash Dump:
I visit the landfill twice a year. I recycle and compost so much that I seldom have anything for the trash collectors to haul away. Maybe 1 bag per month. And since I have to pay private trash collectors at least $40 per month, that's not a good deal.
And since what IS trash isn't organic, it doesn't smell. So it can sit in bag in the garage for 6 months.
The kitty litter is the bulk of my other trash. I can't compost THAT! But with the scoopable litter in plastic bags in the plastic tubs the litter comes in makes a good storage. I can wait on that too. Seriously, the scoopable litter in the plastic tubs it comes in DOESNT cause any odor. To me anyway.
So I filled up the car with the tubs of used kitty litter and the bags of clean trash and drove to the landfill.
I can't BELIEVE I didn't take pictures of the SUV all filled up this time... This isn't the picture from THIS year, but it is about the same amount.
The difference is that I learned that if I could put it all in the back of the car, I could pay just a flat fee of $5 for the whole load. A trailer MUST be paid by weight (and that weight cost $10-$15) So I do that by carload now.
Now I start another 6 months kitty litter and uncompostable, unrecyclable trash collection in the garage. LOL!
I visit the landfill twice a year. I recycle and compost so much that I seldom have anything for the trash collectors to haul away. Maybe 1 bag per month. And since I have to pay private trash collectors at least $40 per month, that's not a good deal.
And since what IS trash isn't organic, it doesn't smell. So it can sit in bag in the garage for 6 months.
The kitty litter is the bulk of my other trash. I can't compost THAT! But with the scoopable litter in plastic bags in the plastic tubs the litter comes in makes a good storage. I can wait on that too. Seriously, the scoopable litter in the plastic tubs it comes in DOESNT cause any odor. To me anyway.
So I filled up the car with the tubs of used kitty litter and the bags of clean trash and drove to the landfill.
I can't BELIEVE I didn't take pictures of the SUV all filled up this time... This isn't the picture from THIS year, but it is about the same amount.
Now I start another 6 months kitty litter and uncompostable, unrecyclable trash collection in the garage. LOL!
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