Dealership couldn't find the noise. Got everything apart and found bad alternator shaft/bearings. Oh joy! These things will try us, no doubt.
"Dealership." noun. 1. A business entity that charges exorbitant prices to consumers for the privilege of owning and operating an inferior product. 2. A mechanics' service masquerading as a sales company for the purpose of enticing consumers into paying exorbitant repair rates for non-essential or basic services, while being unable to actually perform any service other than basic maintenance on an internal combustion powered vehicle. 3. A retail operation at which the first law is "I'm sorry, sir, it's not making any noises now."
Just back from a few days camping with the family. Two of my sisters and the husbands drove up our way which was really nice. Weather was good and bad.
Bit of a surprise yesterday. Got back from a walk around town to hear a pathetic mewling sound. It turned out we had a kitten hiding on the side porch. We thought about what to do for a while and decided that if it was healthy we'd keep it. Sadly it tested positive for feline leukemia, which meant we couldn't have it near our existing cat, so we gave it some food and put it back where we found it. This morning there's no sign of it, so hopefully it had been left there by its mother and she came back for it. It was a cute little kitten, very sweet natured. It liked the chicken we give our cat as a treat.
Little kitten's mama didn't come back for him. Judging by his size my guess is she decided it's time for him to fend for himself. We had to retrieve him from the car's engine before we went to church, so set it free in the back yard hoping it would find somewhere. At church we spoke to friends who own a farm and they said we could drop him off there - they have a few cats around and figured the chances were good they have feline leukemia. So we rounded him up (this time from a dense shrub), put him in a box and took him to his new home. I still wish we could have kept him but as soon as I let him go he disappeared under the piece of old roofing material that is home to at least half a dozen other cats. Hopefully he'll have as good a life as he could ever have there. Our friend lets them hunt and also puts food and water down for them.
2 Job calls in one day. Interviews set up. One position I'm pretty certain of landing: a desk job with permission to persue writing/publishing with the laptop all I want. Site screening, security. Temp, long hours but good pay.
Back to work likely end of July. This means 3 weeks of freedom. Cut firewood, change alternator etc, organize... Get a haircut!!! Have a beer...
Just went to buy some wood. I've been waiting for some weeks now trying to get people to call me back but so far one guy who was going to sell me some wood has failed to call back multiple times, the guy with a kiln who was going to try some wood I'd source elsewhere has failed to call me back, and I'm sick of waiting for them. So I went and bought some different wood. It's not quite what I wanted but it's close enough and it's in my house now ready to be cut to size and stained, so I can get on with finishing off that room.
For good measure I found that my wood supplier also sells wood rosettes. That's handy - I don't expect to need them but have considered using them, and it's neat that I can just buy what I need rather than having to buy a drill press and rosette cutters to make them myself.
So many changes. Good ones. Upgrading my PCs and reinstalling the work station - dedicated to desktop publishing with a large copier in the plans. Vehicle is set up with wifi and a mounted laptop and my job allows for full-time pursuit of whatever. Will utilize my Dreamweaver software and have a sizable webspace with a Christian host. Reinsatalling the Adobe stuff, which I totally enjoy. Intense physical work and long hours, around the clock, have given way to a desk job, days, where I do whatever I fancy (within reason). The physical demands of the last few years have, no doubt, been very beneficial for health concerns and might have even given me a new lease on life, so to speak, and I aim to stay active, but... wow!!!
Seriously idle day today. I'm not sure why but last night was one of those nights where I just couldn't get a decent rest. I stirred about 4, tossed and turned for an hour, drifted in and out of sleep for another 2-3 hours and then, when my wife went for her haircut, told her to let me sleep and wake me when she got home if I wasn't already up. I think it was about half past nine I finally surfaced, still not feeling rested. So aside from our daily walk around town I've spent most of the day in my recliner drifting in and out of sleep. I just hope I can sleep tonight.
Hate it when that happens - a potentially chronic problem for me. I have to do everything exactly right, which means getting up very early, strict limit on caffeine intake, etc etc. Even then, there are those restless, sleep deprived nights. Ugh! You have my empathy.
It's weird, sometimes I sleep just fine night after night and other days I have endless restless nights. Then there are the days I can sleep in my recliner but not in my bed. I guess I'm not as young as I used to be. I had a family member who often said getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative.
Been doing a little reading lately. Currently reading: God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel by Costi Hinn (Nephew of Benny Hinn)