Saturday, August 30, 2008

False Teeth in Albany Water Canal

This is just one reason I am squeamish about drinking Albany city water, that travels through miles and miles of open sluggish canal, once leaving the Santiam River near Lebanon, headed for the Albany water system. Just one reason. The other is the extreme chlorination rates, necessitated by such antics as below, common to water supplies delivered in open gunky canals. On a brighter note, Albany water costs residents more than water in most other Oregon cities! Pay your bill with a smile! And don't drink the water you pay dearly for! Just a healthy living tip!

Albany police

Cleaning teeth — Police got a call at 3:18 a.m. Friday about someone splashing in the Santiam Albany Canal near Canal Avenue S.E.

In the water officers found an intoxicated man, who told them that he had been washing his false teeth in the canal when he fell in and couldn’t get out. Officers helped the 43-year-old man out of the water and gave him a blanket. According to a police log, the man became angry after realizing he had lost the teeth.

Knife call — Police responded Thursday morning to a home in the 1200 block of Elm Street S.W. after getting a call about a woman with a kitchen knife. Police spoke with the woman and a man, who said they were playing around and no one was concerned about getting hurt. The woman did admit to being a little upset at the man for breaking a couple of her fake fingernails, according to a police report.


Well anyhow, that was from the crime report.

I've had a series of setbacks again. Lonliness is a huge one. But, constant exhaustion is another. I know what causes the exhaustion, outside of stress, and that's trying to sleep here, with cats in the house. I am constantly awakened, probably 15 or more times each night, with cats knocking things over, having brief tifts in play, jumping on me, or running across me in bed, or, Deaf Miss Daisy deciding nights' a good time to play and she plays LOUDLY, due to her inability to regulate tone.

So I never really get a decent nights sleep. I don't know how to remedy this. Locking the cats out of the bedroom doesn't stop the noise and would increase Miss Daisys loud deaf yowls of protest. I can't wear earplugs because I take them out immediately, in my sleep. I don't know what to do, but it's like torture, to just get to sleep, then wake again.

IN other news, my only source of exercise, mowing my lawn with my muscle powered mower, is gone. I gave in to the old man's repeated requests to mow my lawn. There's no saying no to him. I thought we had it all worked out, that I would take care of my lawn and he his, but he got his feelings seriously hurt when I told him he couldn't be taking care of my lawn anymore. (due to a lot of criticism he handed me and the fact I like mowing my lawn with my muscle powered mower for exercise).

He doesnt' understand I have to let the lawn get up to three inches at least before that mower of mine will cut it. He likes to cut lawns butch, barely showing grass above dirt afterwards. Shaving them almost. I gave in today. And I'm already kicking myself. The neighbors all think I'm a loser, because I use that old mower, and think he's a saint for mowing it for me with his motor mower. I'm supposed to act grateful and all I am is frustrated to beat the band.

I'm a mess here, no way I can find to get exercise, unable to get sleep, unable to do anything days because I didn't get any real sleep at night and I have figure out some solution to all this, because my life has gone to the dogs with no end in sight. I need to get out of here.

I may go back to one of those options still open, of housing for labor. It's better than things staying the same here. Things are getting worse for me here. My health is going down the drain since moving here and I've been rather severely depressed, too.

I'm taking my car in next week. Don't when yet, or exactly how, since my mechanic is miles from anywhere and does not offer shuttle service. I might be walking most of the day, whichever day it will be. He wanted me to call on Monday, because he wasn't clear on his schedule and now I'll be trapping Monday evening in Marion. I am still hoping to find a ride, someone to follow me to the mechanics and give me a ride home, and then back out in the evening. Otherwise, it's about a ten mile walk home one way. No bus service out there either.

I did find out the timing chain replacement is not needed service, it's as needed, when you hear a rattle on cold start under the hood, it is time to get it changed, is what the dealership told me. I was happy to hear that, because the list price online for replacement is close to $700.

I hear something under the hood on start but I would not describe it is a rattle, more like a metallic whang. It might be one of the belts slipping with wear. It isn't the normal wet belt scream, when you start the car, and it's rained in the night and the belt might be slightly loose, but it might be wearing belt. They look ok to me, except slightly worn flat and shiney. They don't feel like they have any play to them, which is good.

The car has multiple issues but some may not need addressed.

I've got some strut issues. The car has a serious side to side rock, at normal highway speeds. With the right tools available or borrowed, I have changed struts before. One needs a torque wrench and a spring compressor and a decent jack and ramps.

I used to have a decent jack and ramps, but no more. They disappeared in the move. I do not have a torque wrench or spring compressor. I used to have both, but somehow in the move, those things also disappeared. One can use really strong C-clamps however, if need be, in leui of a spring compressor, I hear. You do have to be careful, those springs are powerful and can break wrists or worse.

Struts are expensive and installation is really expensive. That's why I learned how to do it myself, but now I've got the tool issue.

I need brakes done and this also is not a difficult task. I should do that myself at least.

What I"m not good at, is bleeding the brake lines alone. Not good at doing that alone. One little trick I learned, is putting a golf tee into the line, to minimize fluid loss and air bubbles after disconnecting it. They work perfect as plugs. This isn't an issue when replacing pads, just calipers.

Radiator system needs flushed and the radiator checked for dings and leaks. Transmission fluid and filter need changed. I need a new battery, too. And I"ve got a problem with the ignition.

I suppose the air conditioner needs recharged. That's no issue now, however, with winter coming on.

The CD player is in the process of quiting, but I don't really need a CD player in my car. The player has skipped since get go. I wish I'd known it is an issue with that year of Scion and maybe I could have had it replaced for free then. I figured it was scratched CD's. I don't have many CD's, all home made, given to me, made by people I know from theirs. So it'd start skipping after a few songs would play and I just always figured it was the CD, then I find out it isn't and that it was an issue with that year of Scion. But I found that out too late to be any use to me. But lately it not only skips but suddenly will shut off or one speaker will start roaring and then it will shut down.

I know how to replace the CD player in a car too, have done that. You just buy the wiring tree at a sound sytem store, and there's really nothing to replacing the player. But, they aren't cheap either.

And I haven't heard any ticking sounds, when turning, like axle bearings going dry. I tried checking the axle boots for holes and didn't see any, but it's hard to check them without jacking up the car for a good look. I knew this one guy who had a grease pump rigged to like a big syringe and he'd inject grease into the axle through the boot, with that syringe, so as not to make a hole big enough for the grease to leak out of.

So the car is going in to be checked out by a mechanic I trust. A 60 point check up. Then he'll tell me what needs done and I'll decide what needs done that I can afford getting done and that will get done. I hope the steering rods and everything are ok, too. They'll check engine compression and everything like that, give it a good check out. It's got over a hundred thousand miles on it and has had zero maintenance except for the oil changes I give it.

All I have to do is figure out the ride back once I drop it off and then to pick it up again. That shouldn't be too hard, you'd think.

I tried getting a Chilkoot manuel on the car, so I could do repairs easier, just following the manuel instructions, but according to the Auto parts store I checked with and they looked it up, it isn't out yet. They don't put them out until somewhere after the car's been out five years, he said, which is this year. So he said keep checking back that it should be out and available on this model real soon.

Those manuels are worth every penny. Makes it so easy for a non-mechanic like msyelf to do routine maintenance, some stuff fairly complicated, by just following instructions. They have pictures, too. I love them.

Radiators now are also targets for metal theives. I read radiators on two farm vehicles got stolen a few days ago. It's not enough they go after catalytics, now they're after people's radiators, too. These no good theives are costing people so much heartache and money.

The people in the house with the junk yard where Sammy comes from, they got set way back when the woman's husband had his catalytic convertor stolen off his vehicle at the park and ride on Highway 34. He carpools to work in Salem. Replacing it cost them $700. They used money they'd set aside to replace their failing roof. Now that won't get done.

2 comments:

  1. Oh Jody, why do you care what the neighbors think. Just because their lazy and think it's to much work to cut a lawn without a motorized lawn mower. Tell the old guy again, just the way you told us, that you do it for the exercize and that you will do YOUR lawn yourself.~Donna in Wisconsin

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't care what the neighbors think, not for most things. I do care lately to be out front working in the yard because my pants sag down in back, exposing my butt or slide almost off.

    You know what I did? I thought I was getting the right size jeans this time, 16's, but messed up due to my bad eyesight and got 18's. I didn't realize it for two weeks, lost the receipt by then. Today, now that I have taken a nap, I'm going to go get some right size jeans, so at least my pants aren't hanging off my butt like those teen boys.

    I have put off yard work, for very good reason, public nuisance type reason, due to my pants situation. This is one reason I gave in to the old man today, probably be the last time the grass needs mowed for the season and its not the grass at all, it's the dandelions shooting up. My mower won't cut those off.

    I do not know what the attraction is for youngsters to wear the falling off jeans look, because it's very hard to function when your pants don't fit. Impedes walking or doing anything. Really hard.

    I hope to find someone with a sewing machine who will let me use it to alter my jeans I have now, to fit. I've been watching thrift stores and garage sales for a working sewing machine that's reasonable too.

    ReplyDelete

Round Up

Today is cat round up for tomorrow's five spots.  Two more came up from the vet student in Harrisburg late this morning.  Over 60 fixed ...