Death Comes to Pendragon Hold

No, NO; relax.....tis the washing machine I speak of, one of the hardest working "members" of this family, who, with little complaint other than trying to shake this "mobile" home off it's foundations during it's many less-than-balanced spin cycles, performed it's dreary task of washing our clothes day after day (with nary a penny in wages) for more than ten straight years. Now THAT, my friends, is a very good example of dependability. And this was after several years of leaking oil from what must have been the transmission, which seems to be where the breakdown has occurred. At any rate, it is beyond my mere mortal ability to repair, so dearly departed machine now sits on the front porch awaiting it's journey into it's next incarnation, which may be as spare parts for other machines, or to be miraculously brought back to life by the donated organs of even less fortunate washers.

I have already taken the funds I had managed to save up to try and pay our property taxes off sooner than later and invested some of them in a new machine I found on the Home Depot website. Rather than replace it with another cheap machine with the same irritable qualities, I have gotten the cheapest front-loading model I can find, one that is much more energy efficient, using less water AND electricity to do a better job than the old conventional one did. I think I got a pretty good deal on it. It was about a hundred bucks cheaper in total than the cheapest one I could get at the local retail store, and it will be delivered just as quickly (go figure).

Dunkin, the feral kitten we adopted and saved from the pound is now a fully grown and very sturdy cat, who thinks he's a dog, and pretty much sticks around the house he was raised in even though he's been exiled from the interior due to his somewhat ballistic behaviors. He LOVES Shiloh to death and always greets him with enthusiasm, rubbing all over him much to the dog's annoyance. Shiloh tolerates him about as much as your average human big brother tolerates his younger sibling, which means with patience than can be taxed. Already, Dunkin has made a friend of a neighbor cat, an orange animal of about the same age and size, whom we have naturally referred to as "Punkin". Both these animals are healthy and well fed, due probably to them shuttling back and forth between both households and sharing their meals. I just hope they stay friends and don't get into any territorial disputes as older male cats can be known to do. Who knows what will happen when their fancies turn to that OTHER sex..........

As far as the back/leg problems I've been experiencing goes, the first B-12 shot I received has already seemed to have a positive effect, lessening my symptoms to some degree, but I am allowing for the possibility of the placebo effect, and will not make a more-than-subjective judgement concerning these treatments until I have had a few more shots and have felt undeniable benefits that point towards this vitamin deficiency as a real diagnosis. It still remains that my symptoms are relieved with a night's horizontal orientation during sleep, so I still personally suspect a disc/nerve problem, even if the imaging can't pinpoint it. It won't be the first time a diagnosis couldn't be nailed due to the limitations of x-rays and MRI's or the "experts" who interpret them. I'm STILL rooting for the vitamin cause, though.

Oh, and the person who couldn't control their vehicle and took out one of my fence posts (snapped that 4x4 wood post right off at ground level), it is apparent from the piece of your car you left at the scene that you probably suffered more for it economically than I did, so I will settle for what little smug satisfaction I can get from that. Thanks for not leaving a note of apology, you asshole!

But for now, I leave you while listening to Praire Home Companion and abiding some Firefly Mint Tea vodka and coke.  Life could be worse, couldn't it?

That's pretty much what's fit to print for now! Have a blessed day!