what not to wish for

**arbycoffee** · 07-04-2008, 09:00 PM

Living with your parent in laws that are in their 90s.

People in their 90s don't use much light, they read the paper in almost dark room.
The setting sun light is enough.
They fight over one chair that gives the best outside light. I said turn on the lamps, I WILL PAY THE LIGHT BILL FOR YOU.
No don't waste it.

The TV is very poor reception and the picture hurts your eyes to watch it, so one will just listen to it. Well they turn off the TV, beacause no one is watching it.

They complain at supper time that Sherri has cooked to much food, but they eat like truck drivers at an all you can eat.

I brought home a large bag of oranges, and the two of them ate them all in two days.
I asked why they don't buy any fruit ?
I was told it cost to much out of season.

I love my parent in laws, it is like have two new kids in our lifes.

One is deaf and the other is pre altimers, she put things away and forgets where they are, or answers the phone and says they gone home now.

I think we are living in the faulty towers.

The plus of all this is my 36 year old son moved in with his mom, She deserves him.

Being 60ty and starting over is going to be something to write about.

I will add more when I can get on my fater in laws computer.
Oh I forgot to say He 90ty right ? and he goes to XXX web sites all the time.

Faulty Towers Right.

**arbycoffee** · 07-06-2008, 08:03 PM

Well what is new with me . . . . .

I sleep setting at the kitchen table, why because our bed room is the living room floor.
I can't go earlier till my parent in laws go to bed.
Than I can put the air matress on the living room floor and sleep.

I tried doing it when they were still up, they just stared at me sleeping the wife said.
This is spookie old people watching you sleep.

Remember the pod people . . . . I know all I need is more sleep.

This afternoon my wife was sleeping on the air matress in the living room floor and her mom poked her in the foot to see if she was sleeping.

I was on gaurd to keep them away from her and I fell asleep at attechen.
I know she will punish me, I just don't know when.

When I get old will I act this same way ?

**arbycoffee** · 07-09-2008, 06:42 PM

Well you asked for it. . . .

The latest thing, all is going slowly, but on ward. I have to watch not to over do it with this COPD ****. I think I must be in hell for the work looks never to end.

I find it so unbeileve able that so many people on the board has givening me so much. Many have never meet me, the graces of God has been trying at times.

Here when I get a call, Mother-I-L and Father-I-L got to come close and listen. Which is hard with F-I-L, he being deaf so everything need toi be writen down for him to read. It makes the phone convesation go slowly.

If we get a call on their land line my M-I-L will say " they went home now call them there", This played hell with FEMA and DEX phone book.
She means well, it is just a little more than she can understand. Everyday we explain how the water has flooded us out to her.

I think we are the hight light of their later years, something for them to do than sett in the dark reading the paper (I checked last night and they both wear sleeping behind the their papers).

We bring home all the candies and rolls and food bars that Red cross and Salvation Army hand out, They divid them up as kids after holloween trick or treats.

It is very sad to see this, for both were sharp as tacks, My mother in law a accountant and my Father in law ran a weld and blacksith shop for 60 years. It filed for Social serety two years back for the first time.

Problem today was only one double stuffed oreos package - two of them.

Faulty Towers for sure

**arbycoffee** · 07-10-2008, 09:31 PM

Good evening my friends. . . .

Today it is not my parents-I-Laws. No it is AmeriCorps. I call their office in Cedar Rapids two days back to get some help in doing some of this work I need to get done.
"Dig out all the mud, drag out all the boxes, and everything else out to the curb, than strip the walls to studs and tear all carpet out and into 2 foot squares.

Than the work starts it will need to be washed down in bleach and than totaled dried out before the city will give you a permit to rebuild.

Back to my story . . . . Well the called yesterday and set up an appoint to veiw to work to be done. I had told them on them phone what needed to be done and about how many people I needed.

So this morning at appointment time I was waiting for him.

He got there and had 4 other people with him, we had to fill out paper work and sign release for if they hurt something I wont sue them.

All done finally and He Said "well show us your apartment so we can see what needs to be done".

I said "MY APARTMENT IS FINE! it is my business below it, till I get this sterilized, we can not live here. There is no Lights, gas, water - nothing".

This young man said "we don't help businesses, we only help people in their homes".

Than Why, pray tell are you here, I told the woman on the phone what I needed.

Ok lets back up here, the 4 people with him one guy had on flip flops no socks. one guy was putting Vaseline on the inside of his paint mas.

But the girl of the team "Striker 1" (no joke here) was wear a tee shirt so tight a bug could not craw under and I could count the bumps of her aureoles (again no joke), Her shorts were three sizes to small, I could practices gynecology, her camel toe went all the way to the back side. The shorts were a soft tan. So, of course it looked first when they were walking up to me she had forgot to up pants on.

Two of the guys were normal, I think.

Ok I have had my cell phone for two weeks now and other than a few friends and the FEMA and SBA no one had my number.
Last night at about 8 pm my phone rings and she asks for Greg.
You got me, she goes on explaining that she is form coalition one -------

I interrupted her what is this coal. one ?

"Well Greg, it is a collation of Gays and Lesbians to get ----------

I enter ruped her again and told her I was flooded out of house home and business as of late and right now WHO THE HE~LL YOU ARE SLEEPING WITH I DON'T GIVE A GERBILS AZZ, so remove me from your list and don't ever call me again or I will turn you in for sexual harassment.

Durning supper I get a call and this girl wants me to take a survay about my phone company.
I wont repeat what I said, but it was the same to lesbian.

This sat for a bite as I answered the phone 8:10 pm It was SBA the woman was very nice and she asked some questions about my tax return and how I made my living.
When she was done, She nicely said "with you not working, you are a poor credit risk, so I will request we not loan you any money."
I thanked her and hung up.

Tomorrow has to be better.

Before I need to go, my dear Mother-I-L has a new trick, she put away my truck keys and we could not fine them, but Sherri has her set so we are ok. I will sleep with them in my shorts and dream of bumps.

**arbycoffee** · 07-14-2008, 08:17 PM

Well I am in better humor today.

After four hours with FEMA again, they said I might get mony for clothes I worn during cleanning up. I never ask for anything, I was there to see what avenues I had open to any loans to help out my moving to higher ground, and I might get clothing money

.

I am glad I quite smoking about 5 years back ?, it has been so long I forgot when.
Oh well, I was waiting for Sherri to pick me up at the new tempory city govnorment offices (The city lost all there office to the flood) at a mall that was just about going under for lack of renters, they were at about 30% rented beforte the flood. After they are now 98% rented (I wonder if there is a connection between it and the flood, the mall sits on a spring so they are always pumping out water in their basement).

After seeing FEMA there to and going to SCORE there, I am thinking of renting there too!

The city said all their servies were there. Well as all citys lie, I found one that wasn't (of course it the one I wanted),. The water deptment, it is still in their old building, it seem their building was built at the 33 foot mark, so they didn't flood.

I had a broken pipe and called last week to get the water shut off so I could get it fixed.
Well the good people sent me the finial bill, I was not after it being shut off, only turn of for repair. They corrected their error and it didn't cost me anything, I was surprised!

Back to the story . . . . Waiting outside for Sherri to pick me up I was hit on by over a dozen people bumming a smoke, I told them I had quite years back. They wanted to know why I was outside than. I said fresh air, think of all them farts that those city officeals are putting out, that air is toxic.

The pulmber came and capped off the broken lines, I didn't realizes there was 4 lines, so he was very helpful. His bill was under $100 drive time and all!! An Honest Plumber in fairfax IOWA, let the world know.

We have the building almost fully cleaned out, now we are tearing out the lath and plaster and the dry walls, everthing needs to go down to the studs. We should have that done by Saterday morning. Guess what - - - - Give up - - A volinter group called and said they will be down to help me clean out the shop on Sunday. I said sure that sounds great!! I let them do the power washing and spraying the Bleach around everywhere.

I can't get lights back till I get an Elavation cert. this piece of paper cost $450 dollars.
Now the city has Elvation maps, you would think the fools can look at it and say what level you are at. No not our city, just a new way to screw you again.

I started carrying a tube of KY jelly in my pocket and when ever I at an city office getting screwed I ask them to please use the KY , I am an old man and I don't heal fast.

I order a Mac pro and It will be heaven to be baxck on a MAC, thanks guys alot!!!

My mother I-L has a new trick she does, She started throwing away our cell phones, she thinks they are cigarette boxes. So now we sleep with them under our pillows.
Now we have been here since june 18th and my mother I-L is still wearing the same dress everyday. I ask my wife why was she not changing it ?

She does, but she don't know it, My father I-L had bought her 9 dresses that were alike so he put out a clean one every night after she was a sleep.
(I don't want to be that old) She made mre toast this morning 5 times, I ate them all and not said a word.

I made front page news in the CEDAR rapids Gazette, but I was below the fold.

**arbycoffee** · 07-19-2008, 03:27 PM

Nothing new to report my friends. . . .

Our blessed city government has not decided to allow any building permits in the 100 year flood area. But no one told Quaker oats company or Cargill Company or Penford Company that. They are all in the flood area and they are rebuilding as I type.

Special rules for those with the gold me thinks, Offically July 26 the disaster is over. All services will be curtailed and all will be well in the land of River City.

We have the building all gutted out and ready to power wash and than spray down with bleach to kill the black mold. I think this mold has already got the city council's brains eaten out.

Nothing new on the parent-I-L front, other that old people don't sweat, not a drop. It can be humid and 90 in the shade and they don't sweat at all. I am flowing like a fountain in the square in Italy.

Heard from a guy at the coffee shop that there were some earthquakes in Japan. I would never know living in Jesup with the TV not ever on, no news, no weather.

They do become pod people i really think.

All Joking aside, we feed them tacos for the first time, nothing hot no spices at all.
It went over like a far~t in church. I warned my wife to don't upset their digesting track or we will suffer. We did, Pod people do smell bad.

No closer to getting the Motel, till I get a buyer for the building in CR. I don't want to get the old girl at the motel all excited and let her down.

Got my Rebuilt laptop mac, waiting for the wireless box to set it up with his DSL so I can get on when I want to in the other room.

It is small for size. Later I think he wants to go check out girls again.

**arbycoffee** · 07-28-2008, 08:43 PM

Well sorry it has been so long for not posting, but life has been a little hard here.

FEMA sent me a nice letter stating that I had insufficient damages so they gave me $0 and $0 on my van it too had insufficient damages too! We never sent in for the van, we had full coverage on it so it took care of it.

Well I could after getting that could have gone over the line and started collecting the left ears of FEMA drones.

BUT I didn't - You can't have A mac in Jail and I didn't want to have to sleep with one eye open the rest of my life.

So I wrote them a nice letter asking them if 9 foot of river water was not enough than what was ?
We wait for an answer, it should be a good one.

The home front, we been buying bananas and the next day they are all gone, so we figured they are eating a lot of bananas.
NO - What was I thinking, My dear mother-I-L was hiding them so someone would walk in the house and steal them (The last crime wave here was the group of kids that put an old out house in the town cops front yard, it was the talk of the town for darn near 4 weeks).
Her purse is left out all the time, unless she sometime misplaces it too!

And she forgets where she puts them, so Her and my father-I-L go out for a walk and we play look for the bananas.

Where we found them
Found two week old ones in a old box addressed to me.
four bananas in her pantie drawer (the wife looked there, not me!)
two bananas under a wool blanket in the wool closet.
There in the dish washer that she won't use, because it not good as a hand washing.
We are still missing a bunch, so I think we will end up following the flies to them.
The wife just found some more in the china hutch.

She does not remember that she did these things - I hope someday my mind goes quick - not slow as hers is.

This HP has stayed up for 30 min so far

The shop is about all cleaned out and tryng to get the city to turn back on the power to the building. A slow task at best.

**arbycoffee** · 07-30-2008, 10:47 PM

**arbycoffee** · 07-31-2008, 05:44 PM

**arbycoffee** · 08-02-2008, 05:31 PM

WE GOT ELECTRICITY in the up stairs appartment. We can now drill a hole in the floor and drop down power cords to run the fans and dehumidifiers to get the water out of the wood.

I am happy, I feel real again!!

and we found Mother-I-L's wallit, it was in the wash cloth drawer and a pair of Sherri's under wear was there too.

**arbycoffee** · 08-04-2008, 09:33 PM

Well Sherri went to see her Dr. for her "Paid for feel up" She lost 30 pounds since this all started, she doesn't know how, I said you cut out all that late night boozing and eating Bon Bons.

I think after it heals there will only be a slite scar. Glad Jesup has a 24/7 Vetertrnarian, he rubbed my belly and fixed me good and got a free dip for ticks. He is 96 years old.

I have come to understand that people living in Jesup, live allot longer, both funeral parlors went bankruped, one now is a pizza parlor and the other is forsale.

I looked at it, but with two steam boiler and 43 rooms, I would not make enough to heat it, I would have to file for three world satus.

The house I think was used in the addams family, they got hidden doors and small stair cases. Comes with a cement parking lot for 40 cars, think shoveling that all winter, if I lived, I would in the spring be pretty buff!!!

A new thing on the home front, My dear mother-I-L "bone dried" my socks, any need socks for a little person ? She said they were wet so she kept drying them. My father-I-L sat looking out the window and not moving for close to 4 hours. I asked him what was so watchable ?
His answer was "watching to see if any rabbits cross my lawn, the town is full of rabbits.
They need a local rabbit hunt and cook off.
What they do here is catch and release two miles out of town. All the rabbits are doing is getting a free ride out of town to visit relatives.

I go outside after I get dress in the morning 5:00am and set out there and watch the rabbit making new rabbits in the grass till Sherri comes out and we go south to River city to clean.
She said I was sick to watch them do it. And I remember her watching the animal channel before flood and drawning me away from the computer to see how Elephant do it. I said that looked like us.

Now that healed well in two weeks and the scar only shows when I smile.

Today the City concel was crying on the news about no money to help any one out, but they bought all new cell phone and lap top computers. None were hurt in the flood.

I told the qween mayor to sell flood mud in pint bottles to other people so they to could enjoy the city of five smells/seasons.

She was not amused, though most of those listing to her was.

My neighbor behind us, has not done anything to clean up her house, she is living there and does not look well, I did a health care call to the police about her.

Don't know if it will do any good. The neighbor wants me to run here a long extionation cord so she would have lights. I can't do that for the lieabilty factor and she needs to be moved away for this black mold, her house was under water to the second floor, so it is real bad, smell like a tipped over out house.

So I ask you to put "S B" in your prayers for the city would help her.

I ask my Father-I-L if he ever saw the bunnies go at it ? He said no so I qued him into the morning in back of the house, I told him to bring his own popcorn.

To bed my friends, till another day

**arbycoffee** · 08-09-2008, 08:15 PM

Hell my friends

The latest news around River city is our mayor has been having little strokes for the last three months. This is why we have not seen her I guess and it would acount for her great words to the news paper "This is going to kill Cedar Rapids" (Meaning the flood) and She turned down FEMA homes for she felt Cedarapiands would be sygmatized if they had to live in them, The Mayor protem asked FEMA for them anywhy. Thought her best was "the desaster is all over" she said in a news confrence on the 26 of july 2008.
She been sleeping at concel meetings.

I been getting alot done on the shop front. New windows (23) will run about $6,400, but a second bidder is still coming in.
Electric contractor price is $2,600, this is all new panels and new breakers for the two store fronts and the apparent above the pachinkos. Now a lope hole in the code, it does not say you got to have any plug in in a comerchial building. So no plug in, but one one each panel.
The Dry wall contractor came and is sending me his cost to just dry wall and mask it and do the floors and replace the three doors in the shop.
I got to call a painter for the flat white painting of all the walls. I am hoping it will be cheap.

I still got to get the two stools reset and the two sinks also and the hot water heater and BOILER, THIS IS what might kill me.

Home front - - - -
I dry out a large set (150) Norman Rockwell first day envelopes (alot of his best work was on post covers), we decided to donate them to the library her in Jesup, no fan fair just a gift, they turned me down. So now I will figureu out something else.

My Mother-I-L has started playing touch you when ever she walks by, it is no big deal to me, but Sherri is starting to lose it herself. Her mother has a little trick to when she messes up. She laughs like a young girl and said just seing if you are watching.

I locked all the hand guns up in a lockable box in the garage for safety reasons.

A air mattress is the devil's punishment I am sure. You can't find that sweet spot like in your own bed at home, so each day you have a new stiff muscle.

Gas round trip now is under $30 with the price drop.

I hope to bring my cost for repares in under 50% of the building value of 144300.00 than I am still grandfathered and don't have to raise the building 5.5 inches and put the boiler upstairs ans the water heater too. Than the basement can't ever be
used for anything. Like thowing away one third of your building.

We had a woman on friday stop down at the shop when we were there, she stoped in to get a tattoo while on hewr way to Boulder CO. I tattooed her when she was in college here twenty years ago.

Twenty years ago

, fast cars and cheap gas and fine women. I regress sorry.

**arbycoffee** · 08-12-2008, 07:36 PM

Well I got all the lower windows to be replaced, the best cost was a few cents under $6,000.00. So I need to get it done and the electric all repaired too that is being done by a friend and it is comming in at $2,600.00. Both are really not bad price the windows, there are 23 of them to do. And the Electric, I need three breaker panels replaced for the two downstairs shops and the other apartment across the hall for ours.

My big drag is the boiler, one company quoted $22,000 to replace it, I think it is alittle out of line, at least I hope it is.

The Drywall contractor bid is stall not in and I got a painter stopping to price a dull white on everything. And no job is done till the plumber is done, their in the $2,000.00 range.
Prays please so I can slide under it.

I know you will love this little tid bit. The mayor said she is fine now and all will be fine in town now that it is all over. Our last guy was a little short guy with no pants on most of the time, I don't know which would be better.

On the home front . . .
My dear Mother-I-L has started hiding the Toilet paper, she is now worried that someone will sneek in and steal it. I was in the bathroom and doing my duty and she walks in and hands me 9 sheets of paper and said that is all you get to use till you get a job and buy your own.
I didn't know what to say with my pant down around my shoes and sitting there, I calmly asked her who does she think bought all the TP that is in the house now ?
She didn't know, but she thinks brian did from FL. I said ?(still with my pants down) that Brian didn't buy them it was Sherri and I that has been buying these items and others.

She grabs the paper in my hand and walks out of the bathroom looking for Sherri.

Now I don't have any and my legs are falling asleep. Next Vern stuck his head in and asked what I said to his wife that she now is piling all the TP in their closet ans looking for a lock for the door.
I said I don't know . . . . .

15 mins later My wife walks in and asks me why I am still setting there, I said I was wait to see if the neighbors were coming over to meet me too!!

Before she walked out I asked her to get me some TP, so I can get up or at least craw out of her, she did. Latewr she wanted to know what I said to get her mother akk worked up.

She had forgot me and the stool, she saw Gas men putting a new meter next door and thought they would come over and take the paper.

I asked her about the bananas, she said she would go look for them later.

I will stop at the gas station before coming home now and take care of my chores and see if Father-I-L will let me install a look on the bathroom door. And will carry my own TP in my travel bag from now on.

Yes I did fall on the floor after tring to stand up before my legs woke up.

At least I was not in the shower!

Back at the shop, it is drying out slowly with the humitifiers running 24/7, I think I should buy another one tomorrow.

**arbycoffee** · 08-16-2008, 02:06 PM

Well we have progressed to the waiting game; wait for the bids to come in, wait for the city to issue building permits, wait for the floor to dry good, wait for the window guy to get the new windows in, wait for them to be installed, Wait, Wait, Wait.
I have found using the bathroom at the Kwick Star (gas station) before going to the in laws home works great.
I will just remember not to play footsie while using the stall. I tell the wife I am stopping for a cup of coffee and do the rest. I wish they had a shower too!

We went to the Hookies (Amish) dented can store and bought a load of can goods (9 large paper sacks) for $23.78.
I also got a USB fan for my mac for 50¢ and brand new still in the package. New toy for me. Got a bunch of cans of Wolf Gang pucks soaps for 25¢ a can, it seemed that everything was around 30¢ on a dollar from our stores. I always wondered why the cans in our pantry had a lot of dents, but I never said anything.

Also went to the Hookie (that is what they are called around here, not a bad name, it because of no zippers in their clothes.) candy store, now here I fell in love, the candies were the old kind and a lot of it was home made and some real stuff. As I remember as a young lad. There to the prices were in the 25¢ to 30¢ on a dollar. So not wishing to waste anything I bought some of a lot of stuff and only spent $7 dollars even there.

I have real Black lickerish, Anise bears, Rock candy, taffy, Coconut covered chocolates, etc.
They had over a 100 different kinds of trail mixes for hiking or dry snaking. The young girls all work in the stores, but they never look at your face when they talk to you, they are very polite and all wear white bonnets on their heads. One girl had a large hickey on her neck, so we know they are to strict on their kids.

I watched two men full beards and straw hats loading a farm wagon with rail road ties (about 11 foot long), they filled that wagon in less than 10 minuets, they never stopped for any break or talk. Pick lift and load, Pick lift and load, Pick lift and load, Pick lift and load, that is all they did. The men are called Ox-men around this area too! and I see why.

My mother-I-L has been real good the last day, I told Sherri, I think you should keep her busy so she doesn't think what goes where. She does thinks fine if she doesn't think about it. Though she does still poor to many cups of coffee for the meal (9 cups for 4 people). I said in my reading on the net, it was best not to point out her errors, just work around them, that way she becomes less confused and wired.

I have been slowly increasing her caffeine amounts to see if it helps her out. Anyone have any pointers in this area, please Email me arbycoffee@hotmail.com . Even tough I get hit with the odd stuff, the wife carries the larger burden with her mom. It is funny to watch, she will go down to check the washer and after her goes the cat and her mom, follow the leader. We lost her at Walmart and I asked a employee if they seen her, she put out a white hair alert for emy. White hair for older women and gray for older men, she was found in automotive, was after something, just not what. We can get it next time if she likes, I told her.

This Sunday WILL be the last day of the power washing, I told the crew, I got to get it back to the True value store.

Oh a news item. My father-I-L is building something in his garage, he wont tell anyone what it is. So as a nosy Son-I-L I went out in the night and checked it out. I have good reason to do this, for forty years he had a live artillery round in his weld shop and after the auction her didn't know what to do with it ()that is when I found out it was alive. I called the sheriffs office and ask them the proper way to dispose of a WWII live artillery round. We had a officer there in ten minutes and a bomb squid there to pick it up later that afternoon. It was blown up in the Rock quarry the next day and left a 12 foot crater in the rocky ground.

So I have reason!

I looked at the plans, he didn't lock them up, He is building a water cannon Like firemen have.

Well I got to go hurry up and wait . . .

**arbycoffee** · 08-19-2008, 08:20 PM

Well all the work is done.

Now we just watch the Dehumidfiers run and move the fans around every other day or so.
A vollenteer group call and were willing to help clean out the shop. I said all done thankyou! (the short version)

Well all is quiet on the home front, my Mother-I-L is not talking much. I asked my wife is I said anythink I should be sorry for ? She said no, mom just hide her teeth last night and can't find them this morning. Then she takes me out side to the van and precedes to tell me that her mother didn't find her own, so she took Sherri's teeth and was tring to fit them in, she told Vern (Father-I-L), she needed to go to the denist and get her teeth adjuster.
(Now remember I slept through all this)

Sherri asked her mother if she saw her teeth and her mom said no, but her teeth kept falling out of her mouth when she spoke, Sherri said Mom are them my teeth ? Mom said No, Then she said let me see them, be cause here name is in laid in each plate.
Sure enough them were Sherri's, boy she was mad as a hatter.
I said can't you share them with her ? (Wrong thing, not fully awake yet, that is the only reason I am still here I think.)

So we made a trip to have her teeth sterilized for her.

They oiled the street infront of the home and than put down a fine gravel to bind the sealer to the road. Not knowing the road was done it was like slip and slide all over, no pnes hurt, but I needed to go back and change my pants, i said it, than did it!

I hope we find her teeth some day soon-my day of rest wasn't one

I told you I was living in the Faulty tower, I am not far off.

**arbycoffee** · 08-22-2008, 08:57 PM

Well,you aren't going to believe this.

We got up at 5:ish am this morrning and progressed down to River city to work on the paint scraping. We get there and I start scraping away, old 100 year paint taste great, kind of leady, I think.

After about an hour Sherri takes off to the book store.

I am alone, I sat down on the floor and cried for ten minutes and than wiped we eyes and got back to work. That was my break down, not much to it.

At 11:13 am (I looked at the clock on the phone) a guy from the chamber of commerce said that I a lowly tattoo artist has been granted a forgiveable loan.
I asked what be the catch on this ?

15,000 was because of the flood
5,000 more because I owned the business
5,000 more because I own the building.

25 grand of this the catch was I got to stay three more years here or I would have to pay back only 7,500 to them.
That means I still get 17,500 damn near free.

So now I don't know what to do, I really don't wish to stay there and if I don't get the buildings sold I stuck there anyway, it would pay the taxes (6,000 a year) for the three years and leave a grand over.
If I put a boiler in (23,000) and this happens again next year (it could the weather patterns will be the same). We just won't get 6 inches of rain at the same time as the water is flooding.
So in stead of 9 feet of water in the shop, it might only 6 feet.

It will take the city and the corp of ingians, they said about three years to decide what to do to prevent the level of flooding here. I don't want to go through this again.

So I will just put the monies in the bank and see what is going to happen, I might be shutting down the building till spring, turning off the water and drain the pipes so they don't freeze.

I really want to get the motel so we will see.

On the home front.

My Mother-I-L was her old self, and it was grand.

My Father-I-L sat the whole day in the front watching the grass grow (the neighbor told me).

A reall strange day

**arbycoffee** · 08-26-2008, 09:55 PM

Well a lot has changed in the last day.

This is good. . . .
A heating contractor my Electrical contractor said to call, came over and he did a lot of looking and measuring. His idea is to put two forced air furnaces in on the SECOND floor. The above 97 and the other above 99. That way they will be in the appartments.

Upside down and put all the duct work in the false ceiling on the first floor for both the store below and the appartment above.

A Lennox G51, this furnace can be mounted even on it side and work the 92% rating.
His price, he thought would be goodly under $20,000 for it all, how much will depending on after he does the duct work pricing out. Each will be two zoned so each level will have their own thermastat. So both appartments ans store fronts will all be in their own zone.
These units will be set up so Air conditioning can be added at any time.

This is good . . . .
Went to my Doctor's yesterday and after all the testing, I have a strong 33% capacity on my lungs left. And holding well. My Lung Degenaration of the thingys that change the air into your blood stopped scaring. A thing that goes back to the blood clots in my lungs after the pneumonia two years back.

Maybe the black mold was good for me!!

Also very good
Mom-I-L was acting a lot like her old self, every good day is a great day I figure.

On the city front . . . . Cedar Rapids . . . . .
The damn fools are really screwing up badly, Diamond Vogel paint company wanted to start rebuilding and the city said no, you will have to wait. They said back to the city, If we can't rebuild right now, we will leave Cedar Rapids. No permit, so they are gone and I talked to the store manager, he said they will be razing the brick building and all that will be left is a vacant lot, this is not the first business to leave, Twin optical left too! under the same reason.
THe paint store employed 25 all out of work now, the optical employed 80+ all out of work.
It will be a damn ghost town if the city keeps this up.

The concel resended the mayor emergency power act, (where she could make any new ordances with out a vote or reading).

I hope to sell this building and get the flock out of river city forever.

A side joke . . .
The paper I got coming to jesup, comes in the morning and my Father-I-L can't wait till I get home so I can read it first (since it is my paper he said).
He reads the paper and refolds it back like it came and it is here waiting for when we get home.
Ofcorse after I read it, I give it to him to read, (I so want to stand there and watch him have to reread it, but I don't). By the way I have told him many time to go ahead and read the paper when it gets here, vand he says, no, I wait to read it after you.

**arbycoffee** · 08-28-2008, 07:26 PM

A large bird (city government) took a dump on me yesterday, Zone Deptment said that I can't do it the way the heating contractor wanted to do. I would have to add 4 furnaces, one in each unit.It doesn't make any sense, it is like they wish to close all of the czech village area. The cost for 4 units would bee $32,000 installed.

Well I think the building will be closed up for winter and the water drained out.
Damn I wanted to get out of that town!

kind of slow at the home front too everybody is acting normal, or as can be expected.

**arbycoffee** · 08-30-2008, 06:58 PM

The heating and cooling companies are going to get ri$h

.

I got one company that sent a three page quote for just heat.

three 80% (this is the very cheapest furnace, found them on the e-net for under $400 apiece) furnaces and use the cheapest prefab duct work, and put a heater in the newer Air conditioner unit up stairs in our apartment. Total cost $22,000 Plus all sales tax and permit fees and their insurance cost for the work they do. Also Gas line at $20 per Linear foot.I figuared the footage at, for the four installs at 1,500 feet, = $3,000.00 for just figing gas line!!
Their total cost would depending on the insurance cost would be $27,000 on up.
I will use their quote in the out house out back!! I have nothing agaist making a living and a fair profitt. Figure 2500 Homes will need furnaces and new duct work (city said it all has to be replaced, not just cleaned), boy what a racket

, no wonder we got heating contractors from as far away as Texas woking up here.

I am thinking of a corn cob burners for heat! I can get them at $145 apiece!!!

The governor himself decided not to call a speacial session, all it can wait till late January or Early Febuary to get fund for the cities and Farmer that lost due to the flood and the three tornado before the flood. One torndo just about totally destroyed one town called parkersburg. The tornado leveled 3/4 of that town.

So our sweet Demacratic governor knows best - One azzhole.

Got all the paint scraped off the brick walls, down to the first paint pn the brick, a very sick looking green, the bank must of loved green to paint all the walls a sick pea green color.
Even the valt is the same color inside.

Mother-I-L birthday tomorrow, she will be 96ish Me thinks. The father-I-L gave her a large Chocolate Cake tonight at supper for her birthday and she want to know what was the speacial occasion for cake . . . . . three time trough out the meal . . . . . She is a dear lady, in her dancing days she was called "Legs Ladage" for my mother-I-L had the shaplist legs in the three closest counties. She and Her husband would go dancing two or three nights a week back in their 20s and 30s and 40s too!

It is so unfair what time steals from all of us, just like a river it wears us down to the bone and leaves cracks and crevaces on our faces and hands.
Bad enough it steals our minds it destroyes our bodies too!

Apart of her therapy I read on the net was to get them to talk about their younger days and get them to see the pictures in their minds. My father-I-L gets the softest look of day gone by in his eyes as he tells about the first time he meet her and how this just out of the army into blacksmithing guy fell for this beatiful brunette that worked at the drug store fore 45¢ a day, but it encluded the blueplate special also!
He described her curls around her face, like a love story I was listening to. I saw it in his eyes.

When one door closes, another one wll open . . . . .

**arbycoffee** · 09-01-2008, 07:57 PM

I am in a nice frame of mind, today. I worked for 6 hour on cleaning the hall steps going upstairs, I scrubbed walls, steps, everything down with bleach and soap water. Than I just hosed it down and out the door, it looked a normalcy of the old days. I used some Duct Tape to hold a drop light to light the hallway so I didn’t work in the dark, Duct Tape.

I have spoken of the Amish before, here in Jesup we live on the edge of the Amish community and get to enjoy their bakeries and other stores they have.
I found out something about the Amish, There has only been one time that they have used “Duct Tape” ever. They try to live in a simpler life style.

Back in the seventies, that is 1970s, the Amish were presented with a problem. The reflector triangle was required on all farm and slow moving Vehicles, wagons and buggies too!
amish-1.jpg amish-2.jpg amish-3.jpg amish-4.jpg amish-5.jpg

Well the Elders of the church, decided that the reflector triangle was to darn flashy and they would not use them.

So the Amish were head to head with the Governor on this, test case would be needed.

One of the Elders of the Church drove his buggy on a county road and the Sheriff wrote him a ticket. Almost didn’t get that done, for the man had no state license or any license, nothing with his name on it.
The Sheriff had to call the state patrol office to find out what he needed to do, so he ended up writing him a ticket and he signed it to appear in arraignment court at a later date to plead Not Guilty or Guilty.

The day came and four Elders all climbed into one buggy one very early morning and off they left to go to court. It was a Sept. fall day and here in Iowa before the corn is cut we get a lot of fog in the mornings, it burns off quick, but it is still there early.

They left early for the county seat and alone the road a milk hauler was tearing along and he came over the rise in the light fog and clipped the wheel behind the buggy driver.

The great driving skill of that horse man is still talked about today, he stood the horse up and jumped the rain run off ditch with all in the buggy and keep it up right and brought it to a stop. The milk tanker ended up in the rain run off ditch on the other side of the road wrecked.

The wheel was not hurt much at all, the Elders were well set back, but decided to go on. At the court house all four went straight to the restrooms post haste (They said it, than did it, I thinks!).

In the court room all ‘ell was going to break loose, Church against the state. The Elder was call to plead his charge.

The place was stone quiet.

He stood up and said “I am guilty judge, where do I pay the fine to, and How soon can we get a couple three hundred of those reflector triangles”.

Outside the court room in the hallway a bailiff gave the Elder a reflector triangle and in the parking lot the Amish Elder used “Duct tape” from the same bailiff to tape it on for the trip home.

This is one only time that they have used Duct tape in Iowa.

I will have to tell you someday about The Amish fire proof vault, they don’t have checking accounts and don’t trust banks either. So everything is in cash.

After I got all the paint scrapped off the walls, I am thinking of painting the wall a off white so it looks nicer for after I list it for sale. Now it is a awful sick green color.

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