Efthree

The next time he woke, all was quiet. It was dark, there was no TV. There was some light from the window. It must be the moon, he thought. But why were there no streetlights? And why was it so quiet?

He found that he could move again. And he was thirsty. He got weakly to his feet and stumbled toward the kitchen. The apartment was dark. When he tried the lights, nothing, but he found the refrigerator in the dim light from the window. The bottled water inside was warm, but he drank it thirstily. The power must have been off for a long time already.

He wanted something to eat and found some bread. But he was afraid of the ham he found in there. There was no telling just how old it was, and it was warm too. At least his appetite was returning. He found some cheese, and gave it the sniff test. It passed, barely.

He seemed to be getting his strength back, somewhat, and made his way to the window. The whole neighborhood was dark, and the street was empty. It was like the whole town was deserted. He wondered what time it was, or even what day it was. He looked at the clock on the TV, but with the power out, it was dead too. His cell phone was dead also.

He would just have to wait it out until morning. In the distance he heard a dog barking. At least there was something alive, somewhere.

Eftue

He became aware of the TV first. It was still on, but there was nothing but white noise and a blank screen. He was still on the couch. Indeed, he couldn't move at all. He wasn't even sure if he was still breathing. But he must be, assuming he was still alive. And he thought he was, even if he didn't feel like it.

Then, he became aware of the voices in the other room.
"A man and woman in here"
"And?"
"They're gone."
He heard someone enter the room, but the door was behind him and he couldn't see.
"And one in here."
The voice seemed familiar somehow.
"He's about gone too. Let's go."
Two men walked around the couch and toward the door. As they passed in front of the TV, Finster was shocked to recognize Mr. Porter. He wanted to call out, but even his voice was paralyzed. But in a moment he was glad for his silence, as he heard the men in the hallway.
"It's all going according to plan. Let's check the other apartments."
I must be delirious, he thought.

Efwon

No, he was not Ok. He woke with a nauseous feeling. His breathing was shallow. He was afraid to move, sure that he'd vomit if he tried. Lying on the couch, he could hear the TV newscast. It made no sense to him, but he didn't care anymore.

He heard a woman's voice though the ringing in his ears. It was Cheryl, his roommate's girlfriend. "Here, drink this she said". He opened his eyes slowly, and she handed him a glass. It was orange juice. Finster's hand shook so bad that he spilled half of it out, trying to reach his mouth. The TV droned on.

He had called in sick, yesterday, but couldn't even use the phone today. It must be that "Bug" that was going around. It seemed like half his coworkers were out with it already. Whatever it was, it was no joke. The supervisor was worried. They were already down to a skeleton crew, and somebody had to run the water plant. But the department head, Mr, Porter, seemed unconcerned.

He managed to catch a few words of the newscast. People were being advised to stay home if they were ill. The hospital was already becoming over crowded. It seemed like everybody was catching it. It had happened so suddenly. You had to wonder if it was a terrorist attack or something.

But the talking heads had assured all, that it was just a simple flu outbreak. The government was working on a vaccine which would be ready soon. There were rummers of some fatalities, but these were being blown all out of proportion it was said. Finster didn't know about that, but he did feel like he'd have to die, to feel better, himself. He drifted off again.

Motorcycle Repairs

The Fuzz's motorcycle has been off the road for a few months now. About the time the weather turned for the winter, his tag went dead. There were some issues involving State mandated inspections and such. He had a new tire waiting under the trailer. We hate to admit it here, but That Fuzz actually went outlaw for a bit and rode with a dead tag! Finally, one chilly morning, his clutch lever tore up. At that point, he gave up and parked the thing.With the new work schedule, and warmer weather, it is making more sense to get this machine back up and running, even legally.
And so, he went on over to the Motorcycle Dealer's Place, and ordered a Brand New Clutch Lever! Today, whilst enjoying his new Three Day Weekend*, he picked up his new lever, and made the swap.
There were some other issues to be dealt with also. I'm sorry to relate, that this time That Lazy Fuzz, elected to take it over to the shop. This required another "outlaw" ride. But the weather was beautiful, and he was able to avoid any unfortunate legal issues. It was a nice ride. Now all that remains is a wait. And no doubt a bill to pay. We'll let y'all know how this comes out.

*The Fuzz's Department is now working 4, 10 hour days, with Fridays off!

Still Here

Yes, The Old Fuzz is still living. But his health hasn't been quite 100% this past week.
He did manage to make it into work though. He's still fighting this cough though.
Last weekend he wasn't really up to working on the firewood situation. Fortunately, we were far enough ahead that that was not an issue. But that sort of thing doesn't last for ever. So, he did have to go out and work a bit on that this week.
This week we go onto a new schedule, 4 10 hour days. The Fuzz will have to get up a little earlier. And he will be later getting home. But those 3 day weekends should make up for it.
Here's a pix of the moon the other morning. The Fuzz keeps trying to make pix of it. It is a bit frustrating.

More MAINT REQ'D

It may be recalled, from our previous post, how That Industrious Fuzz revived from the depths of disease to preform that dreaded "Required Maintenance". It was also hinted that there was a bit more to this tale.
After his success at the oil change, he stepped inside to wash his greasy old hands.
Not having that fancy waterless hand cleaner, The Fuzz relies on that old standby, Dish Detergent. One drawback to this method is, that as a general rule, it requires water. As our hero was about to apply the stuff, he had a sudden flash of insight, and decided to see if there was any of that water available first. When he discovered a deficiency in this area, he slipped down under the house to investigate. It is not uncommon at this time of year, to turn off the pump, as a precaution against freezes.
The pump was, indeed cut off. But it had also, somehow, lost it's prime. Since The Fuzz's Sweetie has plans to use the house this week, he thought it best to address this situation as well. As he drew some water from the well, he discovered that there was a hole in the bucket. But since Eliza wasn't there, he said nothing about it. It was only a small one, and he was able to easily draw the necessary water to prime the pump.Happily, it only took a few tries to get things right. He was finally able to wash his hands, and His Sweetie will have water this week!

And don't forget about
Your Sweetie
today!

MAINT REQ'D

That dreaded moment had arrived. The Fuzz had ignored that little light long enough. Actually, he had been planning to take care of things this weekend. But then, he was struck down by disease. And it kicked his ass.
But, even an expert procrastinator, like The Fuzz, eventually has to face up to things like this.
He was beginning to feel like he had a bit of life in him again. So he headed off to town for the necessary supplies, oil, and a filter.
The Fuzz prefers to do this sort of thing back at the Old Home Place. Most of the appropriate equipment is there. And the ground is packed solid enough to support the necessary ramps. Out here in the woods, they would slowly sink down into the soft earth, lowering the vehicle on top of The Fuzz. This would make it difficult for him to breath. Perhaps, in his younger days, The Fuzz could have simply picked the car up and tossed it away in annoyance. But he has had to finally face the reality, that those days are gone.
The actual oil change went off without a hitch.
There is a bit more to this story, but we'll get into that later. Suffice it to say, that The Fuzz made it home intact. And with enough energy left for this post.
It looks like it's back to work tomorrow. There has been talk of switching to a 4/10 schedule here. But they keep putting it off. We'll just have to wait and see how that comes out.

Sickie

The Fuzz has been feeling a bit puny lately.
But this has given His Sweetie an opportunity to take on the roll of Nurse Stimpy.
It began at the start of the week with a scratchy throat. Tough guy that he is, he decided to just, "tough it out".
Even though he was starting to feel like crap, that loyal Fuzz still went in to work on Thursday.
But by Thursday evening, he felt more like this little guy.
We did feel it best to cancel our planned family gathering for tonight.
It was out of the desire to not pass this around any more.
We are glad to report, that as a result of this TLC, he is feeling a little better now.
He even felt up to this brief post.

Tequila

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Slow Day

A gloomy day.

The Fuzz is having just a bit of trouble with the old back again. Nothing serious, but he requested a day off to give it a bit of a rest. So here he is at home in the woods just keeping the fire going so it will be warm when His Sweetie gets home. He's mostly OK. But if he's up for long, he gets a bit sore.
He walked up to the Mailbox, but the flag was still up. So it looks like he'll have to try again later. Not a real exciting day. And it's only the First of February.