Blah. I woke up at 4:30; as I was returning to the bedroom, I heard lots of hamster squeaks [let me preface: they were fighting a lot, we clean their cage with some pet cleaner stuff, separated it w/cardboard, reunited them after five days only to have them fight again, but once the cardboard was back in, they discovered they could tunnel under it to get at each other]. I reluctantly went downstairs, grabbed a hamster and put it in a ball and let it roll around.
complete with demarcation line
Of course I couldn't go back to sleep. So at 5, I went downstairs and read for a bit. A few hours later, I noticed that the ball that once held Tesla was vacant. He had knocked the lid off and was no where to be found. We searched in vain for him, under the stove, fridge, couch, back behind the water heater, etc. Zak set up a little hamster trap in the hopes that Tesla would be hungry and come searching for food.
hamster trap
Fast forward to 10:15, I took Zak to work [another side note: we got our car back on Friday from the shop, fresh with new tires and a power steering system that actually works! the joy] and went to get some much-needed groceries. I won't go into detail about the frustration shopping at Winco with lots of slow-moving people, because it will go on forever. Shopping took a bit longer than I would like, but it was ok. I quickly ducked into the Co-Op for ground beef (it's so amazing), only to discover that my car wouldn't turn over/start.
Zak sent Mat, our wonderful friend who is a car genius, to figure out what the problem was. It turns out it just needed to be jumped (thank heavens), which Mat did for me. He advised me to drive around for about 10 minutes, and let the battery warm up. We didn't drive the car for about two months, so it was probably just sleepy and not very lively. I followed his advice and drove on the highway south for about 7, 10 minutes.
I found a place to turn around in and all of a sudden, the car just stopped working. The steering went out and I luckily, made it to the turn area and got it into park, etc. I got Zak on the phone, and told him what happened. Mat came to the rescue again! He is great. He got it started up, and said the problem was either the alternator or we just needed a brand new battery. He made sure to follow me home.
A few minutes in, I felt the car quit, and thankfully, there was another turnoff (just for me!) to safely turn off into. We got it going again and drove back into town. I panicked at a light, worried that it wouldn't start again after, but it did. And then right as I turned onto the road that is JUST BY OUR HOUSE, it died. Up a hill.
This all took about 30, 40 minutes. Mat started work on the car, only to be frustrated. It turns out the battery is under the wiper fluid ..container thing. I don't know, he is dealing with it. It looks like we just need a new alternator. The guys at O'Reilly's are doing a full charge on the battery. I am a bit scarred and don't want to drive the car for awhile. We are not friends.
I found the hamster. He was making some noise under the stove, so I pulled out the bottom rack and saw him sitting there, calmly. I tried to lure him out with some food, but nope. He kept going into this tiny crack that my fingers couldn't get to. Zak suggested a broom, so I ended up just scaring him enough to get him out from under the stove (after battling with him for about 10 or so minutes).
I found the hamster. He was making some noise under the stove, so I pulled out the bottom rack and saw him sitting there, calmly. I tried to lure him out with some food, but nope. He kept going into this tiny crack that my fingers couldn't get to. Zak suggested a broom, so I ended up just scaring him enough to get him out from under the stove (after battling with him for about 10 or so minutes).
please excuse the utter grossness under the stove; I promptly swept the floor after I caught him
tricky little guy
He is now in solitary confinement. I am not as angry with him as I was initially, but still feel justified in my decision. He has a dish of food and that's all. Stupid little hamster, being a total punk.
So that has been my day so far. Oh, and last night as I was pulling homemade biscuits out of the oven (they were scrumptious), I burned a good part of my arm. Here is a picture because I have to share the pain. It hurts a fair amount, and some of the skin is trying to peel, revealing really tender parts. I apologize for its grossness; you may skip this picture.
yeah this boy hurts like crazy. it kind of looks like an eye...I have to be careful to not let things touch it, etc.
Hopefully the rest of the day will be better!
1 comment:
Dear Rachel,
Burned my arm with boiling water this week. Looks awful, hurts like heck - I'm not into taking and posting pictures, but wanted to share the pain with a fellow sufferer. AND HAD TWO bad car days - popped two tires against a curb one day and had the battery die another day. Last week was not such a good karma week in my life. Thank heavens for missionary emails to cheer one up!!
However, I can't help thinking your Sunday might have been better had church been included? From your nosy Auntie with love :)
PS: Aside from my bad karma, things are going pretty well here. Ali still throwing up every few days, but not EVERY day anymore. That's improvement. We probably will find out if Baby Staking is a boy or a girl later this week - will let you know. Hang tough, cookie!!
Post a Comment