The Wonderful World of Wendy: December 2006

Dear Pets:

TO BE POSTED VERY LOW on the refrigerator door at nose height.

Dear dogs and cats:

The dishes with the paw print is yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other Stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, It is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years---canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's BUTT. I cannot stress this enough!!!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

TO ALL THE NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
1. They live here, you don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call if "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, It's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy and walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

DOGS AND CATS ARE GREAT FAMILY MEMBERS BECAUSE:
1. They eat less.
2. Don't ask for money all the time.
3. Are easier to train.
4. Normally come when called.
5. Never ask to drive the car.
6. Don't hand out with drug-using friends.
7. Don't smoke or drink.
8. Don't have to buy latest fashions.
9. Don't want to wear your clothes.
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and ...
11. If they ever get pregnant, you can sell their children.

IGGY Ambassadors collect food for the homeless pets at the Humane Society animal shelter

We had a very fun and festive holiday meetup today, complete with "Secret Santa" iggy gift exchange and a pet food drive to benefit Seattle/King County Humane Society (in Bellevue). It was fun to hear all the jingle bells on so many dogs at once and to see the festive winter outfits. Be sure to check out the Photos in the photo album for the Holiday Meetup at http://itgreyhound.meetup.com/145/photos/

One of our members, Ann, took up a collection to help offset my meetup.com costs. It costs about $180 a year to keep the IGGY Ambassadors site running and utilize all of meetup.com's great features. I have no complaints and happily pay the bill every month but it was nice to see others want to contribute. And I know this is not what Ann intended intended, but I took the $46 she collected from the others and went down to QFC and bought $50 worth of food for the homeless pets at the Humane Society shelter. I hadn't bought my contribution yet and probably would not have spent that much anyway, so it was nice to be guilt-free in spending all that money! I bought a 50 pound bag of dog food, a 22 pound bag of cat food and three dozen cans of Friskies cat food. Sophia lives with three kitties here at home and wanted to be sure the cats didn't get left out.

Everyone brought a great variety in food and treats for the shelter animals. As a volunteer at the Seattle Animal Shelter we are enouraged to bring treats for the animals and use them as training rewards when working with dogs out in the "canine corral". It's nice to be able to support the volunteers by also providing little biscuits and other treats that can used in building good, positive relationships with the dogs staying at the shelter. I assume the Humane Society operates in a similar way and I am sure they will be glad for our donations!

Our group has a lot of fun, and I am always hearing positive comments about how organized and enjoyable our events are. It's nice to be with a group of people who enjoy each other's fellowhsip without any petty politics or other stupid behaviors!

Have a dog of your own? Check out www.meetup.com for your city and dog breed and see if there is a play group for your pooch, too!

We finally found an event worthy enough for our 9th wedding anniversary!

When we chose New Year's Eve as our wedding day in 1997 I thought it was cool because it meant every year the whole world would celebrate with us. Later I discovered what it really did was make it hard to get a table at any of our favorite resturants, have to pay a premium at some places for what would cost a lot less on any other night of the year, and otherwise be limited to a lot of dance parties, of which we don't like to attend since we don't dance.

What are you doing for New Year's Eve?

But today I hit upon a very cool New Year's Eve event that Steve agreed sounded like a lot of fun! The 007 New Years party! http://www.007newyears.com/ It happens to be sponsored by one of the new radio stations in town, Jack 96.5 FM (what used to be my 80s station). When I was without satellite radio in my car for a couple of months I listened to this station more than any other because they still play a lot of 80s material. But I found out about this event in the Seattle Times online. Steve even managed to get tickets to the pre-gala dinner! And I don't gamble, but Fantasy Casino is a lot of fun for me. And Steve is a huge James Bond fan - altho I don't know if he will be going in costume...I don't have the bod of a Bond girl, so I can just dress nice and leave it at that. He's trying to decide Bond or villain? I just bought something sparkly.

McJohn, formerly with Steppenwolf, will be playing “Born to Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride” Alan White from Yes is going to play “Owner of a Lonely Heart”, “Changes” and “Instant Karma”. With musical guests like that, how can you go wrong?

What I got Steve for Christmas

Remember: clicking on photos enlarges them.

Well, this is one way to spend your Christmas
bonus!

We used to have a little Chevy LUV that unfortunately was totaled when a lady ran a red light on Delridge and Steve t-boned her. We bought a Ford Ranger with the insurance money that Steve then spent 6 months working on and never did get it to run right. The third time we had to tow it I sent the tow truck back to the place where we bought it and had them leave it in the parking lot. It's been over 3 years since we had a working pickup, and we've made do with a utility trailer behind the MINI for two and a half years. But it's not the same as hopping behind the wheel of your own little pickup and going off to take something to the dump or haul something big home.

So with my MINI out of commission and myself staring at ridiculous rental bills for a car so I can work - and the miracle of a great boss and a nice Christmas bonus - I decided to find Steve a new little truck, but one that I could drive while I was waiting for my MINI to come back with a new engine. I estimate anywhere from 4-6 weeks on that, so rather than waste my money on car rentals, I spent the same (well, a little more actually, but close) on a little truck we will keep.

It's actually a pretty cute truck and I won't be embarrassed to be seen in it. It's a 1978 Chevy LUV body with a 1978 Buick Monza V-6 "Fireball" engine. Which means it has a lot of torque and you have to stand on the brakes to slow it down. I just think the air filter is the cutest little thing I have ever seen! (LUV means Light Utility Vehicle)

So, Merry Christmas honey! I hope you enjoy your new truck! After I get done driving it of course!

Buick V6 engine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from GM 3800 engine)

The Buick V6 engine family, sometimes called the Fireball, is a large V6 engine used by General Motors. The block is made of cast iron and all use two-valve-per-cylinder iron heads, actuated by pushrods.

The 3800 was on the Ward's 10 Best Engines of the 20th Century list, and is one of the most-produced engines in history. To date, over 25 million have been produced.

The most-surprising aspect of this engine is GM's 1967 decision to sell the design to Kaiser-Jeep. The muscle car era had taken hold, and GM no longer felt the need to produce a V6. The energy crisis a decade later prompted the company to buy the design back from American Motors (AMC), who had by that point bought Kaiser-Jeep, and the descendents of the early 231 continue to be the most-common GM V6.

Another oddity of this engine is that although it is a 90° V6 it has the GM 60° V6 bell housing pattern when it is used in FWD or RWD applications (pre-3800 series RWD cylinder blocks incorporated the BOP bellhousing pattern). For use in the RWD applications, the bellhousings on both the manual and automatic transmissions are altered.

The engine is produced at the Flint North plant in Flint, Michigan.

Random acts of Mother Nature

MINI 1.0 makes way for MINI 2.0

I worked on having a good attitude, and hope, as I watched my beloved MINI taken away on a very nice flatbed tow truck by Classic Car Courier. It took several days to get into a reputable shop to have it looked at after being caught in the flash flood last Thursday night, the prelude to the massive wind storm that put three quarters of a million people in the dark overnight in the Puget Sound area.

Within just a few hours we heard the news of the worst kind - the engine was hydrolocked and my car would need a new engine. I was hoping beyond hope that the fact I drove it home after going thru almost two feet of water for long distances that it would be less severe than it actually is, but my little MINI probably didn't stand a chance.

Gallows humor from the BMW online board upon hearing the engine is hydrolocked and not drivable:
Sympathetic reader: Wow, that really sucks!
Funny Man: Well, not to belabor the point, but first it sucked, and then it blew! hahaha...sorry about that.

I retraced my route with Steve and confirmed I was trapped by a center median and would not have been able to turn around and avoid the intersection full of water (West Marginal Way at the bottom of Highland Park Way). I was lucky to get it home. The shop confirmed it was probably ruined immediately and I didn't actually do further damage driving it the one mile from the bottom of the hill. So it was safe in my driveway instead of on the side of the road somewhere.

So I am scrambling around trying to find an inexpensive, running, automatic transmission car to drive in the meantime - something that I can resell as soon as I get my MINI back. Or a small pickup truck. Steve really misses the one we used to have (that got totaled, while he was in it!). We would keep a truck. We bought a Chevy Luv for $400 after buying our house and it was a little work horse and always started! It's been over 3 years since we lost it and the utility trailer behind the MINI just is not the same (according to Steve). I don't want to be ambarrassed by what I am driving, it has to have working heat, not have major body damage, and run! I have to be able to work and a rental car from Enterprise at $170 a week is going to kill me!

So most everyone has received an email already explaining what I am looking for and what I can pay. Wish us luck! We eagerly await my MINI 2.0. It will be neat having a 2003 MINI with such low miles. Altho having high miles is like a badge of honor proving how much you love driving your car. It will be strange! But 67,000 miles have just been erased from the engine and so it will last even longer!

What does "hydrolocked" mean?

From wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolock):

In automotive terminology, a hydrolock is the immobilization of an engine's pistons by a liquid (usually water, hence the prefix "hydro-"). Hydrolocking occurs when liquid fills a cylinder on the intake stroke and, due to the incompressibility of a liquid, makes the compression stroke impossible. This, in turn, prevents the entire engine from turning, and can cause significant engine damage if one attempts to forcibly turn over or start the engine. Typically, connecting rods <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Connecting_rods&action=edit > will be bent, making the engine uneconomical to repair. It is relatively common when driving through floods, either where the water is above the level of the air intake or the vehicle's speed is excessive, creating a tall bow wave.

Hydrolocking is often a concern when consumers modify their engines with aftermarket intake systems (e.g. Cold air intake <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_air_intake > ). A cold air intake typically locates the filter near the bottom of the engine compartment to gain access to colder air, which can also increase its chances of ingesting water should it be submerged.

Another reason for it to occur is in the event of the head gasket cracking or "blowing", which causes the radiator coolant to mix inside the combustion chamber.

Riding the storm out

Our power was out from 12:35 AM Friday morning until 3 AM this morning (Sunday). We fared well, with our fireplace insert, and kept warm and were able to cook. We had a shower Saturday AM at a friend's house, a mile away, who never lost power! We even entertained my side of the family for holiday brunch on Saturday. Steve cooked bacon and hash browns outside in Dutch ovens over coals (like we do when we camp in our teardrop), and I fried eggs and heated apple cider on the stove. We bought a battery powered radio Friday afternoon so we were able to keep in touch with what was going on in the area.

Our big Western red cedar split and most of it fell in the yard and some of it on the neighbor's house. PIctures follow. Our other incident is flash flood damage to my MINI Cooper - I got caught in the rain part of the storm Thursday night and went thru some very high water in my car. I limped it home but it is scheduled to go into a shop this week. I have rented a car to be able to work this week.

I will put in some information from emails I sent from my pocket pc while sitting in the dark. But for now this is a photo diary of our last few days! We charged our cell phones/pocket pc's while driving in the car running errands.

Storm Watch Coverage in the Seattle PI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/stormwatch/

The best summary article with statistics: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/296213_windpower16.html

Steve is finally able to clear some ground in trying to sort out the mess in the yard (Sunday)

Keeping warm before the fire.

How we stay warm during the power outage.

Email from the "front"
Sent: 12/15/06 9:24 AM
from my Windows Mobile device (pocket PC)

I got caught in the flash flood last night at West Marginal and Highland Park Way. I managed to get the car home but probably should have left it somewhere since the water level has damaged it. It sounds like a thrown rod or a bent valve. I was going to have it towed somewere today but the news I saw last night showed so many stranded cars needing tows I will wait until tomorrow. I will need to rent a car until I can get it fixed. I am very sad about it but I really had no options with the traffic and not being able to turn around and park it somewhere else and walk home.

So the wind, strong all night, did kick up a few notches when we went to bed around 11 pm. It was hard to goto sleep but I was so tired. I woke up at 12:30 am because the dog door was banging in and out (the dog had refused to go out earlier - she hates wind more than rain.) I was going down the stairs to the back door to send her outside in a jacket when the power went out. It is still out this morning.

I stayed up and sat for awhile and watched the sky from the living room. With the street lights out I could see stars in between the clouds roaring by. The noise was so loud, I found it impossible to sleep.

I went back to bed because I got scared sitting in the living room. I was right in line with the cedar tree outside the dingin room window and I have a very active imagination.

About 2 am we were awakened by another crash-much louder than earlier ones. I was sleeping in my clothes and shoes but Steve had to put on his robe to investigate. We prowled all around the house shining flashlights out the windows to see what it was. We finally discovered the massive cedar tree in the backyard had split and come down in the vicinity of the shed. We snuck out to see but there was so much tree it was hard to see how far it extended.

Now that the worse had happened I went back to bed and slept.

I woke up at 4 am and the wind had lessened in ferocity. I unlocked the dog door and Sophia took a trip outside. This time I got undressed and went to bed.

We got up around 8:30 am and Steve went out to check the damage. We are very lucky. Part of the tree is resting on the shed but does not appear to have damaged it. Part of the old fence between us and the house next door got smashed but Steve says Sophia can not get out. Unfortunately the tree clipped the neighbors house and took off a corner of their roof. Hopefully no one was sleeping in that room. Steve says it looks open to the sky. He is calling our insurance agent now to talk about the car and the tree.

So the kitchen is a lot brighter this morning. I hope we don't have to take the rest of the tree down. It `makes` our place and is the reason we bought the house. We have lost a lot of our summertime shade. Also, both plum trees, where we hang our hammock during the summer, have been so heavily damaged they will need to be removed.

Well my thumbs have gotten a workout typing this on my mobile device. The wood stove is perking along and it is warm here and I am going to cook breakfast soon. We have a pot of water hot for tea and coffee.

Steve tries to figure out how to undo the tangle.

This becomes an action shot is the branch falls just as the shutter clicks.

From the street

Lots of broken trunks and branches.

One of the trunks rests on the neighbors house.

Civilized Camping Update
Sent: 12/16/06 9:22 PM
from my Windows Mobile device (pocket PC)

It is 9 pm Saturday and we are still without electricity (almost 48 hours now). . We had hot showers at my friend Katie's house, a mile from mine and she never lost power. Good thing, too, since she has a 2 month old baby and no alternate heat. Thanks for the water, Katie!

We are beng teased by a street lamp on the corner, which came on about 2 hours ago. A few minutes ago 3 City Light trucks were up there, probably observing the tree leaning on the wires. They drove away a few minutes later. Oh well. There are lots of trees across streets, it is going to take time.

We had a wonderful dinner. Steve cooked a roast we had been aging for a week in a cast iron dutch oven on the back patio using charcoal briquets. He put in carrot, onion and celery and a splash of wine. I prepared a package of Toasted Pine Nut Cous Cous. We have it made with our new wood stove fireplace insert. We are warm and are able to cook on it. Between that and all we have learned from teardrop camping, we are more capable than many of taking care of ourselves. We have lots of candles and oil lamps and we are listening to a battery operated radio we finally bought yesterday. It much better with some music. I wish it was bright enough to read.

We even prepared brunch for 6. We had my family over for Xmas. I cooked eggs in small cast iron fry pans on the stove while Steve did bacon and hash browns outside in dutch ovens. We had hot apple cider and coffee and tea and enjoyed coffee cake from a local bakery.

I have some good pictures of the cedar tree(s) that came down in the back yard but I can't update my blog until I have power. We'll need a pro to take down the part leaning on the neighbors house. Tomorrow we will be going by Katie's again to use her internet access to find a rental car for me. The MINI goes in to a shop on Wednesday. We still hope it's not serious damage.

We don't drive around much since finding fuel is such a problem. Tomorrow Steve will work on the trees in the backyard and I will be washing a whole dishwasher full of dishes. Unless we get lucky and the power comes back on!

Note: The power came on at 3 AM, and we started the dishwasher at 7 AM and went back to bed! I was very happy to not have to wash all those dishes!

It came THAT close to taking out our nice new fence.

The wind knocked over large potted plants and a picnic bench.

The animals spent the first day without power the same as all the rest - lying before the fire and keeping warm.

Celebrating the Season amidst the disaster
We still made it to the Bells of the Sound concert on Friday night. The church where the concert was being held had power. It was a wonderful holiday concert, and they have a new CD out, which even includes "Route 66" - on handbells. Can you imagine?? I can't wait to hear it!
Web site: http://bellsofthesound.org/

4 of 6 trunks, all coming from the same main trunk, split off from the main trunk and came down in the yard and across the fence. Part of the tree hangs on the neighbor's house.

If you don't know our yard well it is hard to appreciate just how much tree came down - and how much it did not damage! (Other than the neighbor's house)

Some of the tree trunks glanced off one of the plum trees and then hit the corner of the neighbor's house. If it weren't for the fruit tree, it would have done a lot more damage.

Tree branches resting on our new shed. Good thing it was designed the way it was, with only half a roof!

Season's greetings from our house to yours

Our family holiday photo - complete with Santa hats and Sophia in her Santa coat.

The new "Best Place In the House"

The best place in the house used to be in front of the heater vent in the living room or the bathroom. Now it is in front of the fire. There's a lot more room, and it's a lot warmer. Sophia now has a bed in front of the fire.

What the kids do all day while we are gone to work

Sophia, Imp, and Sprite all lounge in front of the fire, Sophia moaning with contenment. Sprite is giving Imp a head bath. Since having the fireplace insert/wood stove installed last Friday we have had a fire nonstop. The house is a lot warmer than I am used to (73-75 deg avg) - well, until you leave the great room and go down the hall (70) into the office (68) and the bedroom (66). And once you head downstairs it is righteously cold. The laundry room is normally toasty warm since the furnace radiates excess heat into this space. I guess I will get used to it. The yoga studio/guest room has an electric space heater for when in use (and the bathroom has a heat lamp). I also run a separate electric heater in the upstairs bathroom so I don't freeze when getting out of the shower. Steve heats the bathroom with steam (he takes VERY hot showers).

A Writer's Muse

Havana dozes on the printer while I write my 2006 "Now That's a Wrap" newsletter.

Havana has the most amazingly long whiskers...

outandabout : City Views

Downtown Seattle seen from the Admiral Way viewpoint (Sat. 12/9, after seeing/hearing the Christmas Ships off Alki Point)

Cuddle kitty

Imp wants to be "in your face". She likes sleeping up on your chest (making you hold her in position of course) and most nights she comes in and sleeps like this next to my face on my pillow.

Columbo kitty

Sprite checks out the stove that's being swapped for the "cooktop" version

@home : Holiday-ready!

The finished effect! I guess I should have loaded my pictures in backwards like I normally do - oh well! Enjoy!

Imp inspects her gold garland up close and personal

Here you can see how much Sprite looks like Persi, who we lost to a car in August of 2005. Now you know why we came home with 2 kittens that day this August, not just one.