Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of
one of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my
lifetime. You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a
week and a half ago.

Those were easy.

Yesterday, we had to call the ambulance to pick Crash up because his
hip was about to dislocate and we were trying to prevent another
painful occurance. The hip was in place until they started to take x-
rays, then POP! Since Left Hip version 2.0 was installed in
Rochester, he was shipped there to get it popped back into place.
Usually fairly routine. But in this case, his heart stopped twice
while he was under anesthesia. They got it going with CPR, but it was
not what we'd call a Good Thing.

Then, he was stranded, 50 miles from home, late at night. After 3
hours, he finally got in contact with the hospital's social worker,
who got him a taxi voucher for the trip. $119 cab fare! But since
the car blew up ....

Still ... easy.

Tonight, I smelled something in the kitchen that got worse when I
sniffed at the top of the basement stairs. Didn't smell quite like
gas, but close enough that I called the gas company. The gas guy took
his little geiger counter out and it started squealing like a stuck
pig. He said we had a carbon dioxide count of 197. I don't know what
that means, but he said, "Get your animals and get OUT of the
building!" Then he started pounding on the door of the people in the
other half of the duplex, and evaculated them, too. We had the
utility truck, two squad cars, and a fire truck in front of our house
for a couple hours.

The Red Cross had us set up to stay at a hotel for the night (which
would be okay if we had a CAR to get there and back), but then the
heating and plumbing guy came and said it was safe to be here, because
the gas was turned off. He just wanted to set up a bunch of space
heaters and get all of our faucets on perma-trickle so the pipe won't
freeze (we have radiator heat - and it's 3F outside). We plugged two
heaters in on the main floor and promptly blew a fuse. No fuses
here. No car. Heating guy tells us that there is a decomposing cat
in the basement. Ick! We're still moving in, and the basement light
doesn't work. We had no idea. Ick! Heating guy said to go ahead and
heat the kitchen with the electric oven, door open. So that's our
only main floor heat.

There are exactly two of those newfangled electrical outlets that can
be reset in this whole house. One's in the kitchen (Crash is using an
extension cord in that one to power his computer that was attached to
one of the dead outlets in the living room) and the other is in the
bathroom. So we have a space heater in the bathroom. But we're
nervous about plugging any into the bedroom outlets, so we're just
gonna sleep in sweats.

We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can
be repaired. Then we find out how long a replacement will take to
arrive if a new one is required.

The cockatiels are visiting next door. We hope that the neighbors'
two Rottweilers will leave them alone until it's safe for them to
return home.

I think that's about it for now. I may have missed something.
Probably have. It's been an interesting year so far. Update tomorrow
after we find out how long we'll be living in an igloo.

ObFood: We had pizza delivered. I didn't feel like cooking.

Carol

Yeah, I did forget a couple things. We could only get the dogs out
when we were first evacuated. The cats were scared and hiding under a
bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. The beautiful 18 year old
girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. A
fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
to come out. He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
to breathe through. He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. Then
she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
flight of stairs. Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
one whammy of a headache now.

Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
dioxide. The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. I don't know,
but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. I don't think it was the
dead cat.

I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
survival mode for awhile.

Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:10:03 -0800 (PST), wrote:

>I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
>capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
>survival mode for awhile.
>
>Carol, whose toes are getting really cold


Geeze Carol! You could write a gripping best seller about your
"adventures". Crossing my fingers that everything turns out ok. What
is your landlord doing about this mess?


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

sf wrote:

> On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:10:03 -0800 (PST), wrote:
>
> > I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that
> > I'm capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> > survival mode for awhile.
> >
> > Carol, whose toes are getting really cold
>
>
> Geeze Carol! You could write a gripping best seller about your
> "adventures". Crossing my fingers that everything turns out ok. What
> is your landlord doing about this mess?

I didn't see the original post.

Damsel and Crash, hope you come out of this ok!

--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://clerkfuturist.wordpress.com
Mirror Journal http://dsgood.insanejournal.com
Mirror 2 http://dsgood.wordpress.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:10:03 -0800 (PST), wrote:

>Yeah, I did forget a couple things. We could only get the dogs out
>when we were first evacuated. The cats were scared and hiding under a
>bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. The beautiful 18 year old
>girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
>ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. A
>fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
>to come out. He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
>to breathe through. He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
>She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. Then
>she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
>flight of stairs. Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
>one whammy of a headache now.
>
>Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
>dioxide. The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. I don't know,
>but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. I don't think it was the
>dead cat.
>
>I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
>capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
>survival mode for awhile.
>
>Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.
Take care and be as well as you are able under the circumstances. We
have a date coming up in the sumer.
--
modom

ambitious when it comes to fiddling with meat

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:


>Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.
>Take care and be as well as you are able under the circumstances. We
>have a date coming up in the sumer.

You have a date with Carol?

I want to hear the details!!

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:50:15 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:
>
>
>>Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.
>>Take care and be as well as you are able under the circumstances. We
>>have a date coming up in the sumer.
>
>You have a date with Carol?
>
>I want to hear the details!!
>
>Christine

Didn't she propose a cook in at her place in june?
--
modom

ambitious when it comes to fiddling with meat

On Jan 29, 12:05*pm, "modom (palindrome guy)" >
wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:50:15 -0700, Christine Dabney
>
> > wrote:
> >On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> > wrote:
>
> >>Girl, you need to be someplace warm. *Well, that's my first response.
> >>Take care and be as well as you are able under the circumstances. We
> >>have a date coming up in the sumer.
>
> >You have a date with Carol? *
>
> >I want to hear the details!!
>
> >Christine
>
> Didn't she propose a cook in at her place in june?
> --
> modom
>
> ambitious when it comes to fiddling with meat

Whoo-hoo! Just hop on I-35 and stop when you get here. We're very
glad that you're coming!!!

Carol and Crash

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:


>Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.

Mine too. An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his house
was barely heated, if that.

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> > wrote:
>
>
>> Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.
>
> Mine too. An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his house
> was barely heated, if that.
>
> Christine
>
>
If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company put
some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he was
apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical bill. The
article I read alleges that no one at the utility explained to him how
this works, with the result that he continued to use electricity as he
always had, reached the limit, and the whole works shut down, leaving
him without heat. The poor guy was found wearing multiple layers of
clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't enough.

flitterbit wrote:
> Christine Dabney wrote:

>> Mine too. An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his
>> house was barely heated, if that.

> If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company
> put some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he
> was apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical bill.
> The article I read alleges that no one at the utility explained to
> him how this works, with the result that he continued to use
> electricity as he always had, reached the limit, and the whole works
> shut down, leaving
> him without heat. The poor guy was found wearing multiple layers of
> clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't
> enough.

That was in Michigan. Poor guy. That was a sad story.

nancy

wrote:
>
> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> survival mode for awhile.
>
> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold


O. M. G. Dams. Of all the shitty luck! I wish there was something I
could say to make you feel better, but I don't think there is.

Does your landlord know about all this? Surely he/she needs to organize
(and foot the bill) for any new gas pipes, boilers and electrical stuff
(or whatever) that have to be replaced or repaired?
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Jan 29, 1:25*am, ChattyCathy > wrote:
> wrote:
>
> > I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. *I'm not sure that I'm
> > capable of either right now. *I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> > survival mode for awhile.
>
> > Carol, whose toes are getting really cold
>
> O. M. G. Dams. Of all the shitty luck! I wish there was something I
> could say to make you feel better, but I don't think there is.
>
> Does your landlord know about all this? Surely he/she needs to organize
> (and foot the bill) for any new gas pipes, boilers and electrical stuff
> (or whatever) that have to be replaced or repaired?
> --
> Cheers *
> Chatty Cathy

Yeah, I called him while things were happening and he came right
over. The boiler has to be replaced. The landlord doesn't have $2800
to replace it, and never heard back from the heating company about
financing, so I introduced him to FreeCycle, and he's trying to locate
a used one. Once we find a replacement, it will take 2-3 days for the
guys to dismantle the dinosaur that just went out and install a newer
one. We'd appreciate prayers and vibes that we find a decent boiler,
and soon.

We're doing surprisingly well heating the house with two space heaters
and an open oven (electric) door. We have to keep all of our faucets
just barely running so the pipes don't freeze. Shockingly, I have not
been washing dishes, but I'm going to have to start heating water on
the stove. There are too many to ignore now.

Friday night, our cat-rescuer tried plugging in a space heater in the
kids' room. Blew out all the overhead lights in the whole house,
along with all the upstairs outlets. The fridge, stove, heaters, and
computers stayed running, so that was good. The landlord came over
yesterday and replaced every fuse in the box, and picked up the very
dead cat. Crash said it was reduced to bones and fur, and was
completely flat, like roadkill. I never saw it, thank goodness.

I paid one of our son's friends in advance for gas money to get the
final stuff brought over from the other house this weekend. She spent
the money and refuses to help. However! One of the guys in the other
part of the duplex is gonna take us over and help us finish the job as
soon as the Super Bowl is over. Whew! The bank is taking the
property back from the landlord tomorrow, and what we don't remove, we
don't keep. (He got caught up in the ARM debaucle, which combined
with depreciating housing prices, left him owing more than the house
could be sold for, and paying 13% for the priviledge)

Hopefully, I'll have some good news to report in the next couple of
days.

Thanks all!
Carol, Crash, and Crew

> wrote in message
...
On Jan 29, 1:25 am, ChattyCathy > wrote:
> wrote:
>
> > I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> > capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> > survival mode for awhile.
>
> > Carol, whose toes are getting really cold
>
> O. M. G. Dams. Of all the shitty luck! I wish there was something I
> could say to make you feel better, but I don't think there is.
>
> Does your landlord know about all this? Surely he/she needs to organize
> (and foot the bill) for any new gas pipes, boilers and electrical stuff
> (or whatever) that have to be replaced or repaired?
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

Yeah, I called him while things were happening and he came right
over. The boiler has to be replaced. The landlord doesn't have $2800
to replace it, and never heard back from the heating company about
financing, so I introduced him to FreeCycle, and he's trying to locate
a used one. Once we find a replacement, it will take 2-3 days for the
guys to dismantle the dinosaur that just went out and install a newer
one. We'd appreciate prayers and vibes that we find a decent boiler,
and soon.

We're doing surprisingly well heating the house with two space heaters
and an open oven (electric) door. We have to keep all of our faucets
just barely running so the pipes don't freeze. Shockingly, I have not
been washing dishes, but I'm going to have to start heating water on
the stove. There are too many to ignore now.

Friday night, our cat-rescuer tried plugging in a space heater in the
kids' room. Blew out all the overhead lights in the whole house,
along with all the upstairs outlets. The fridge, stove, heaters, and
computers stayed running, so that was good. The landlord came over
yesterday and replaced every fuse in the box, and picked up the very
dead cat. Crash said it was reduced to bones and fur, and was
completely flat, like roadkill. I never saw it, thank goodness.

I paid one of our son's friends in advance for gas money to get the
final stuff brought over from the other house this weekend. She spent
the money and refuses to help. However! One of the guys in the other
part of the duplex is gonna take us over and help us finish the job as
soon as the Super Bowl is over. Whew! The bank is taking the
property back from the landlord tomorrow, and what we don't remove, we
don't keep. (He got caught up in the ARM debaucle, which combined
with depreciating housing prices, left him owing more than the house
could be sold for, and paying 13% for the priviledge)

Hopefully, I'll have some good news to report in the next couple of
days.

I hope your landlord pays all the electric bills.

Debbie

On Feb 1, 8:57*pm, "Debbie" > wrote:

> I hope your landlord pays all the electric bills.
>
> Debbie

He's got financial problems of his own. I don't see the point in
kicking someone when they're already down. Chances are, we're saving
money by using a couple space heaters instead of keeping miles of
water pipes hot with gas. I do, however, plan on demanding a CO2
detector from him. I think they're mandatory in Minnesota rental
units in April, but I want one SOON! Like, this week.

Carol

Okay, guys. Crash couldn't stand it anymore, so he bought some WiFi
cards, and we're back in business!

A friend from FreeCycle had me register with
http://www.wishuponahero.com/
and she's trying to find us a boiler. She's found furnaces for people
in the past. Let's hope her connections and gift of gab pay off.

It's freaking COLD in the house, yesterday and today. It's currently
zero degrees F outside. Windchill is -12, which is better than
yesterday's -22. It's supposed to get back into the 30s by Thursday,
and we'll be comfortable again. One more day of sleeping most of the
time to keep warm. Upstairs is significantly warmer than the main
floor, and almost all of our windows face either south or west, so
God's helping us out, too, with plenty of sunny days.

We went to the Mayo Clinic today to talk to Gene's orthopedic surgeon
there about the possibilitiy of a new hip. The doctors here have been
telling us for months that he'd have to have a new hip put in. The
guys at Mayo weren't impressed that our doctors were making their
decisions for them. At any rate, he won't need surgery if he takes a
couple extra precautions so he doesn't dislocate anymore. If he does
dislocate again, he's getting a new hip. We'll just have to see what
happens.

Things are definitely on the upswing.

Crash has been talking about submitting an application to the RFC
Cabal (TINC) once we get online, so you might be seeing him posting in
the near future.

Carol

--
Change "invalid" to JamesBond's agent number to reply.

"Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
...
> Okay, guys. Crash couldn't stand it anymore, so he bought some WiFi
> cards, and we're back in business!


Glad to see you back Carol!

>
> A friend from FreeCycle had me register with
> http://www.wishuponahero.com/
> and she's trying to find us a boiler. She's found furnaces for people
> in the past. Let's hope her connections and gift of gab pay off.
>
>
I'm sending prayers and good vibes your way. I sure hope they help you get
a boiler. I know what it is like to be without heat and it is not nice.

>
> We went to the Mayo Clinic today to talk to Gene's orthopedic surgeon
> there about the possibilitiy of a new hip. The doctors here have been
> telling us for months that he'd have to have a new hip put in. The
> guys at Mayo weren't impressed that our doctors were making their
> decisions for them. At any rate, he won't need surgery if he takes a
> couple extra precautions so he doesn't dislocate anymore. If he does
> dislocate again, he's getting a new hip. We'll just have to see what
> happens.
>
> Things are definitely on the upswing.


Glad things are looking up. You've had quite a go of it.

>
> Crash has been talking about submitting an application to the RFC
> Cabal (TINC) once we get online, so you might be seeing him posting in
> the near future.
>

There ya go... help in the kitchen! Woo hoo!

Debbie

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> Okay, guys. Crash couldn't stand it anymore, so he bought some WiFi
> cards, and we're back in business!

Glad to see you back. I hope you get a furnace soon. In the meantime,
I'm sending warm thoughts your way. Hope Crash's hip stays in place, too.

Janet

The landlord stopped by this afternoon with some more fuses to replace
the one (it's just one) that keeps blowing. He is buying a boiler
from a Craigslist posting that was sent to me yesterday. Now, we just
need to find out when the plumber is available to do the job.

What do you bet the job doesn't start until Monday? I can't see my
landlord paying overtime. At least it's gonna be WARM.

It's 30F now, and we're very comfortable inside again. It should be
in the 20s and 30s for the next several days. Whoo-hoo!

Carol, for whom it is nap time

--
Change "invalid" to JamesBond's agent number to reply.

I just heard from the landlord, and our Little House on the Prairie
days may soon be over.

I posted on our local FreeCycle, then on their sister group, about
needing a boiler, either as a gift, or an inexpensive used one.
Someone from FC forwarded me a couple of Boilers for Sale ads from the
Twin Cities CraigsList. There's one that's very reasonable, and the
guy will deliver. The plumber has to check tomorrow to make sure that
it's compatible with what's there already.

Dear Son plugged a second space heater in upstairs this morning and
once again, we have no overhead lights anywhere in the house, and no
working outlets on the second floor. I'm posting by kerosene lamp.
ROFL!!! Landlord will be over tomorrow morning to put in new fuses -
again. (I foresee problems with window air conditioners this summer)

The weather should be improving over the next few days, as well. I
see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I don't think it's a train!

ObFood: Fried some Hickory Spam for dinner - better than nothing

Carol

--
Change "invalid" to JamesBond's agent number to reply.

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> I just heard from the landlord, and our Little House on the Prairie
> days may soon be over.
>
> I posted on our local FreeCycle, then on their sister group, about
> needing a boiler, either as a gift, or an inexpensive used one.
> Someone from FC forwarded me a couple of Boilers for Sale ads from the
> Twin Cities CraigsList. There's one that's very reasonable, and the
> guy will deliver. The plumber has to check tomorrow to make sure that
> it's compatible with what's there already.
>
> Dear Son plugged a second space heater in upstairs this morning and
> once again, we have no overhead lights anywhere in the house, and no
> working outlets on the second floor. I'm posting by kerosene lamp.
> ROFL!!! Landlord will be over tomorrow morning to put in new fuses -
> again. (I foresee problems with window air conditioners this summer)
>


"Problems" of blowing fuss is a lot less troubling than the thought
of starting a fire because of overloading an old inadequate wiring
system.

BE CAREFUL!

gloria p

>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
>>> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
>>> survival mode for awhile.
>>>
>>> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

Aw shit, Carol! What a nightmare you two are going through, but what a sense
of humor you have retained in the telling!

Felice

In article >,
"Felice" > wrote:

> >> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> >>> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> >>> survival mode for awhile.
> >>>
> >>> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold
>
> Aw shit, Carol! What a nightmare you two are going through, but what a sense
> of humor you have retained in the telling!
>
> Felice

Carol is a tough lady. :-) She's amazed me how well she seems to deal
with what life dishes out sometimes...
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

Damsel wrote tales of catastrophe and danger:

YIKES! All that really sucks! This is the time of year you read about people
DYING from bad air in their houses, so it definitely could have been
worse...but it sure as hell could have been BETTER, too!

(Wait -- You're not trying to one-up Jill with a tale of woe worse than
hers, are you?)

Thanks for the update; you and Crash will be in my thoughts.

*hugs*

Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> Damsel wrote tales of catastrophe and danger:
>
> YIKES! All that really sucks! This is the time of year you read about
people
> DYING from bad air in their houses, so it definitely could have been
> worse...but it sure as hell could have been BETTER, too!
>
> (Wait -- You're not trying to one-up Jill with a tale of woe worse than
> hers, are you?)


Nope...Jill's tall tales are "manufactured" to curry sympathy, Damsel's are
all too real...and Dams *never* embellishes or seeks sympathy, either.
That's because Damsel has a good and strong character...unlike Jill The
Grade A Foney - Baloney.

I wish all the best to her...it's a raw deal to have all this krap happen in
the dead of a harsh winter...


--
Best
Greg

On Jan 29, 1:47*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> Damsel wrote tales of catastrophe and danger:
>
> YIKES! All that really sucks! This is the time of year you read about people
> DYING from bad air in their houses, so it definitely could have been
> worse...but it sure as hell could have been BETTER, too!

I have noticed that, while a lot of awful things happen to us, they
always happen the best possible way. Might just be my glass half full
of looking at the world, but I believe that. This isn't the first
time we should have been killed, but were spared. And you'd better
believe that we realize and appreciate that. I'm a big believer in
Angels, and I think we have some of the very best!

> (Wait -- You're not trying to one-up Jill with a tale of woe worse than
> hers, are you?)

I wish! LOL!

> Thanks for the update; you and Crash will be in my thoughts.
>
> *hugs*
>
> Bob

Right back atcha, kiddo!

Carol

wrote:
> On Jan 29, 1:47 am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> wrote:
>> Damsel wrote tales of catastrophe and danger:
>>
>> YIKES! All that really sucks! This is the time of year you read about people
>> DYING from bad air in their houses, so it definitely could have been
>> worse...but it sure as hell could have been BETTER, too!
>
> I have noticed that, while a lot of awful things happen to us, they
> always happen the best possible way. Might just be my glass half full
> of looking at the world, but I believe that. This isn't the first
> time we should have been killed, but were spared.


I've reached the age where I kid that every day we wake up on this side
of the grass is a GOOD DAY.

gloria p

wrote:

> Yeah, I did forget a couple things. We could only get the dogs out
> when we were first evacuated. The cats were scared and hiding under a
> bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. The beautiful 18 year old
> girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
> ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. A
> fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
> to come out. He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
> to breathe through. He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
> She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. Then
> she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
> flight of stairs. Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
> one whammy of a headache now.
>
> Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
> dioxide. The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. I don't know,
> but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. I don't think it was the
> dead cat.
>
> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> survival mode for awhile.


Holy crap, Carol! If the issue was indeed carbon monoxide your young
roommate could have died. That particular molecule binds to hemoglobin,
preventing uptake of oxygen. First aid is hyperbaric oxygen.

Been there, done that, although as part of a volunteer healthy control
group for a study at the hospital I worked at. The tube made me feel
somewhat claustrophobic so I distracted myself by watching the O2
monitor and playing with the readings by modifying respiration and heart
rate, at least until Dr. D noticed and told me to quit screwing around.
I did but I still wound up getting kicked out of the stats for the
study because my baseline body temp was routinely a full degree above
normal.

On Jan 29, 2:34*am, Kathleen > wrote:
> wrote:
> > Yeah, I did forget a couple things. *We could only get the dogs out
> > when we were first evacuated. *The cats were scared and hiding under a
> > bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. *The beautiful 18 year old
> > girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
> > ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. *A
> > fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
> > to come out. *He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
> > to breathe through. *He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
> > She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. *Then
> > she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
> > flight of stairs. *Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
> > one whammy of a headache now.
>
> > Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
> > dioxide. *The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. *I don't know,
> > but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. *I don't think it was the
> > dead cat.
>
> > I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. *I'm not sure that I'm
> > capable of either right now. *I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> > survival mode for awhile.
>
> Holy crap, Carol! *If the issue was indeed carbon monoxide your young
> roommate could have died. *That particular molecule binds to hemoglobin,
> preventing uptake of oxygen. *First aid is hyperbaric oxygen.

We kept sending her outside for fresh air, even after the house was
cleared of fumes. She felt like crap for a couple days, but is just
fine now. Our cats are important to us, but not so important that we
want to lose a good friend trying to save them.

> Been there, done that, although as part of a volunteer healthy control
> group for a study at the hospital I worked at. *The tube made me feel
> somewhat claustrophobic so I distracted myself by watching the O2
> monitor and playing with the readings by modifying respiration and heart
> rate, at least until Dr. D noticed and told me to quit screwing around.
> * I did but I still wound up getting kicked out of the stats for the
> study because my baseline body temp was routinely a full degree above
> normal.

You're a brat! I knew I liked you! LOL!

Carol

On Jan 29, 1:10*am, wrote:
> Yeah, I did forget a couple things. *We could only get the dogs out
> when we were first evacuated. *The cats were scared and hiding under a
> bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. *The beautiful 18 year old
> girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
> ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. *A
> fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
> to come out. *He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
> to breathe through. *He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
> She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. *Then
> she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
> flight of stairs. *Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
> one whammy of a headache now.
>
> Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
> dioxide. *The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. *I don't know,
> but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. *I don't think it was the
> dead cat.
>
> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. *I'm not sure that I'm
> capable of either right now. *I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> survival mode for awhile.
>
> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

Oh, Lordy! You've had one heck of a great time, no? I'll light a
candle for your luck to turn to the better.
Get the dead cat out of the basement asap. That's bad Karma if I ever
saw it!

Glad you're alive and well. Stay safe.

maxine in ri

> wrote in message
...
> Yeah, I did forget a couple things. We could only get the dogs out
> when we were first evacuated. The cats were scared and hiding under a
> bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. The beautiful 18 year old
> girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
> ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. A
> fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
> to come out. He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
> to breathe through. He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
> She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. Then
> she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
> flight of stairs. Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
> one whammy of a headache now.
>
> Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
> dioxide. The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. I don't know,
> but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. I don't think it was the
> dead cat.
>
> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> survival mode for awhile.
>
> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

Carol, you guys should be in a movie of the week. All the writers in
Hollywood couldn't make this stuff up! I hope things improve for you...and
quickly! Please take care.

kimberly
--
http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:45:59 -0800, carol.56007 wrote:

> Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of one
> of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my lifetime.
> You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a week and a
> half ago.
>
> Those were easy.
>
> Yesterday, we had to call the ambulance to pick Crash up because his hip
> was about to dislocate and we were trying to prevent another painful
> occurance. The hip was in place until they started to take x- rays,
> then POP! Since Left Hip version 2.0 was installed in Rochester, he was
> shipped there to get it popped back into place. Usually fairly routine.
> But in this case, his heart stopped twice while he was under anesthesia.
> They got it going with CPR, but it was not what we'd call a Good Thing.
>
> Then, he was stranded, 50 miles from home, late at night. After 3
> hours, he finally got in contact with the hospital's social worker, who
> got him a taxi voucher for the trip. $119 cab fare! But since the car
> blew up ....
>
> Still ... easy.
>
> Tonight, I smelled something in the kitchen that got worse when I
> sniffed at the top of the basement stairs. Didn't smell quite like gas,
> but close enough that I called the gas company. The gas guy took his
> little geiger counter out and it started squealing like a stuck pig. He
> said we had a carbon dioxide count of 197. I don't know what that
> means, but he said, "Get your animals and get OUT of the building!"
> Then he started pounding on the door of the people in the other half of
> the duplex, and evaculated them, too. We had the utility truck, two
> squad cars, and a fire truck in front of our house for a couple hours.
>
> The Red Cross had us set up to stay at a hotel for the night (which
> would be okay if we had a CAR to get there and back), but then the
> heating and plumbing guy came and said it was safe to be here, because
> the gas was turned off. He just wanted to set up a bunch of space
> heaters and get all of our faucets on perma-trickle so the pipe won't
> freeze (we have radiator heat - and it's 3F outside). We plugged two
> heaters in on the main floor and promptly blew a fuse. No fuses here.
> No car. Heating guy tells us that there is a decomposing cat in the
> basement. Ick! We're still moving in, and the basement light doesn't
> work. We had no idea. Ick! Heating guy said to go ahead and heat the
> kitchen with the electric oven, door open. So that's our only main
> floor heat.
>
> There are exactly two of those newfangled electrical outlets that can be
> reset in this whole house. One's in the kitchen (Crash is using an
> extension cord in that one to power his computer that was attached to
> one of the dead outlets in the living room) and the other is in the
> bathroom. So we have a space heater in the bathroom. But we're nervous
> about plugging any into the bedroom outlets, so we're just gonna sleep
> in sweats.
>
> We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can be
> repaired. Then we find out how long a replacement will take to arrive
> if a new one is required.
>
> The cockatiels are visiting next door. We hope that the neighbors' two
> Rottweilers will leave them alone until it's safe for them to return
> home.
>
> I think that's about it for now. I may have missed something. Probably
> have. It's been an interesting year so far. Update tomorrow after we
> find out how long we'll be living in an igloo.
>
> ObFood: We had pizza delivered. I didn't feel like cooking.
>
> Carol

What to say to all that?!?
All I can say is I hope things improve for you

Or perhaps emigrate? I doubt anywhere else could be much worse for you
and your partner. I sincerely hope you've seen the worst of it.

OMG, Carol! I'm sending a little way-the-heck-south Texas warmth your
way and some virtual hugs 'cause you really need a lot of hugs right now.

I think you need to call the board of health on the landlord and maybe
the local TV station????

Sheesh!

Rotten luck all around!!!

Hardly seems fair!

Get well, Crash

Best,

Andy

wrote:

> We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can
> be repaired. Then we find out how long a replacement will take to
> arrive if a new one is required.

Ya... but... who's gonna replace that poor cat!?

I put a 'housewarming' package in the mail last night. Unfortunately it
will do nothing to actually warm your house, physically. But it can be
used as a weapon in case you find out your house is infested by man-eating
vines or otherwise haunted.

-sw

On Jan 29, 6:50*am, Sqwertz > wrote:
> wrote:
> > We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can
> > be repaired. *Then we find out how long a replacement will take to
> > arrive if a new one is required.
>
> Ya... but... who's gonna replace that poor cat!?

I suppose if one of our cats dies while we live here, we could just
fling it down the stairs. NOT!

> I put a 'housewarming' package in the mail last night. *Unfortunately it
> will do nothing to actually warm your house, physically. *But it can be
> used as a weapon in case you find out your house is infested by man-eating
> vines or otherwise haunted.

Thank you for the Ulu! It arrived obscenely early yesterday morning.
It's not something I'd have bought for myself, but now that I have
one, I can see a ton of possibilities. I think it'll get a lot of
use.

Carol

In article
>,
wrote:

> Thank you for the Ulu! It arrived obscenely early yesterday morning.
> It's not something I'd have bought for myself, but now that I have
> one, I can see a ton of possibilities. I think it'll get a lot of
> use.
>
> Carol

They're handy. Practice cutting the green tops of scallions (or the
whites, I suppose) using a rocking motion, not lifting it from the
cutting board. Pretty slick. One more thing to clutter my counter. :-/
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller

> wrote:

> Thank you for the Ulu! It arrived obscenely early yesterday morning.
> It's not something I'd have bought for myself, but now that I have
> one, I can see a ton of possibilities. I think it'll get a lot of
> use.

I told Fed-Ex that it absolutely, positively needed to be there
between 6 and 7am. And to knock really loud in case they were
half-comatose from carbon monoxide.

But in my defense, I did check the box, "No Signature Required".

-sw

wrote:
> Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of
> one of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my
> lifetime. You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a
> week and a half ago.
>
> Those were easy.
>
> Yesterday, we had to call the ambulance to pick Crash up because his
> hip was about to dislocate and we were trying to prevent another
> painful occurance. The hip was in place until they started to take x-
> rays, then POP! Since Left Hip version 2.0 was installed in
> Rochester, he was shipped there to get it popped back into place.
> Usually fairly routine. But in this case, his heart stopped twice
> while he was under anesthesia. They got it going with CPR, but it was
> not what we'd call a Good Thing.
>
> Then, he was stranded, 50 miles from home, late at night. After 3
> hours, he finally got in contact with the hospital's social worker,
> who got him a taxi voucher for the trip. $119 cab fare! But since
> the car blew up ....
>
> Still ... easy.
>
> Tonight, I smelled something in the kitchen that got worse when I
> sniffed at the top of the basement stairs. Didn't smell quite like
> gas, but close enough that I called the gas company. The gas guy took
> his little geiger counter out and it started squealing like a stuck
> pig. He said we had a carbon dioxide count of 197. I don't know what
> that means, but he said, "Get your animals and get OUT of the
> building!" Then he started pounding on the door of the people in the
> other half of the duplex, and evaculated them, too. We had the
> utility truck, two squad cars, and a fire truck in front of our house
> for a couple hours.
>
> The Red Cross had us set up to stay at a hotel for the night (which
> would be okay if we had a CAR to get there and back), but then the
> heating and plumbing guy came and said it was safe to be here, because
> the gas was turned off. He just wanted to set up a bunch of space
> heaters and get all of our faucets on perma-trickle so the pipe won't
> freeze (we have radiator heat - and it's 3F outside). We plugged two
> heaters in on the main floor and promptly blew a fuse. No fuses
> here. No car. Heating guy tells us that there is a decomposing cat
> in the basement. Ick! We're still moving in, and the basement light
> doesn't work. We had no idea. Ick! Heating guy said to go ahead and
> heat the kitchen with the electric oven, door open. So that's our
> only main floor heat.
>
> There are exactly two of those newfangled electrical outlets that can
> be reset in this whole house. One's in the kitchen (Crash is using an
> extension cord in that one to power his computer that was attached to
> one of the dead outlets in the living room) and the other is in the
> bathroom. So we have a space heater in the bathroom. But we're
> nervous about plugging any into the bedroom outlets, so we're just
> gonna sleep in sweats.
>
> We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can
> be repaired. Then we find out how long a replacement will take to
> arrive if a new one is required.
>
> The cockatiels are visiting next door. We hope that the neighbors'
> two Rottweilers will leave them alone until it's safe for them to
> return home.
>
> I think that's about it for now. I may have missed something.
> Probably have. It's been an interesting year so far. Update tomorrow
> after we find out how long we'll be living in an igloo.
>
> ObFood: We had pizza delivered. I didn't feel like cooking.
>
> Carol

Egad, Carol! What a horrific nightmare--or series of nightmares.
I really hope things improve for you and Crash ASAP!

--
Jean B.

> wrote in message
...
> Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of
> one of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my
> lifetime. You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a
> week and a half ago.
>
> Those were easy.

It's almost February. We will say it is a January thing and now must stop!
:-) So sorry you are having to go through all this. I really hope this is
the end of it all and things start looking up for you and Crash!

Debbie