Another Year

The end of the year is upon us.  And it has been a year of change for The Fuzz.  Probably the biggest change has been retiring from his job of 33+ years with the city.  And what may have seemed a simple thing, is really not so simple.

The Fuzz is still dealing with this.  Before, his life was pretty much planned out for him.  But now...

Not to get the wrong idea here, he has plenty of things to keep him busy.  He has taken on a few more things around the house, notably- the laundry.  This has been a learning experience, he didn't realize it could get so complicated!  And of course there are the usual things, yard work, firewood, etc.  There has been more time for Motorcycling as well.  And there is that ongoing project of the Shed. 

And there is more time to spend with His Sweetie, which has necessitated some adjustments on her part as well.  But all in all, this has been a good thing.  As the Good Book says*, "Iron sharpens iron".

And so another year passes, and we look forward to the adventure that will come to us.

*"As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." (Proverbs 27:17)

Christmas Travel

One advantage of going north for Christmas is a better chance for that illusive, (in North Carolina) White Christmas.

But When The Fuzz and all woke Christmas Day, here it was.  Of course we're not talking blizzard here, but it was a nice touch.

The Fuzz and His Sweetie had a pleasant morning walk in this winter wonderland.

And besides, who actually wants a blizzard, especially when they are a long way from home?

The Fuzz had traveled north though the mountains.  This avoided most of those unpleasant cities with their nasty traffic.  But with winter storms imminent, The Fuzz bit the bullet and headed home on that infamous

I-95.

It was snowy-slushy-icy at Washington.  So it was not a good time to visit the zoo, and The Fuzz continued on southward, hoping to get out of this mess.

At Richmond, traffic came to a standstill, and there was plenty of time to admire this cool looking bridge.

And then, many hours later, there was this welcomed sight.

There was still a good bit of driving left, but they made it home safe and sound.

All in all, it was a good Christmas visit.

White Christmas?

This year, The Fuzz, His Sweetie and the Young Daughter are visiting family a bit further north then their Home in the Woods.

And it looks like this could be a White Christmas.

Here's a shot of the situation late afternoon on Christmas eve.

The Fuzz would like to wish every body a

Very Merry Christmas! 

40 Years!

The Fuzz and His Sweetie 40 years ago on this special day!

"Equipment Failure" Revisited

You may remember how things were not going well for The Fuzz in the laundry room.  Well, the part that he was waiting for did come in.  And so it was installed.  this was a surprisingly simple procedure.

Of course the The Fuzz would have to get in to the "guts" of the thing this time.  

But no problem!

Notice how these simple clips can be removed with a screwdriver.

This enables the whole cover to be tilted away from the "guts".

Here's a look at the old and new together.

Installation was simply a mater of slipping the new water inlet valve's tabs into slots in the back of the machine.  And then hooking up the water hoses.

The machine is working, even now at this moment.  But The Fuzz (ever the pessimist) couldn't help wondering if he had replaced parts unnecessarily.  But then His Sweetie pointed out that this view of things only robs one of the joy of having an operating washer again.

And of course, she is right.

The Christmas Tree Thing

The Fuzz used to be a purist about this Christmas Tree thing.  One just did not put it up until Christmas Eve Day!

But over the years they have worn him down.

So, here it is.

"Equipment Failure" in the Laundry Room

So what's that Fuzz been up to lately.  Well, really not that much.  But sometimes stuff happens.

Since he has given up the Garbage Business, at least on the previous scale, he's been involved in the laundry business- at least on the private level.

Unfortunately laundry equipment is also prone to "equipment failure".

But of course Our Fuzz's Motto is "I can fix that- Let me get my tools".

So here is a pix of the current situation.

Things started out with the thing quitting in mid-cycle.  It would fill, wash, drain and spin.  But then nada, zip, etc.  Our resourceful Fuzz managed to rinse that load by recycling into "wash", with no soap.  But then the thing died completely.  Various checks were made, and The Fuzz reluctantly concluded that the timer (A) was dead.

So a new one was ordered.  And the next afternoon installed.  
(Which was actually a piece of cake, thanks to You Tube*.  This thing was well designed for repairs.  Unfortunately, it needs them!)  

The Fuzz watched happily as the washer, with it's brand new timer, went enthusiastically back to work.  Unfortunately his joy only lasted till the rinse cycle.  

With the clothes piling up, The Fuzz and His Sweetie were forced to resort to the Laundromat. 

But now, a brand new water inlet thingy (at B) is on order.  It may even come today!

The Fuzz promises to keep all posted on these exciting developments.

*A great tool!

Zero Tolerance

"An AutoZone worker who stopped an armed robbery by retrieving a weapon from his truck said he was fired by the company for violating their gun policy."

Does this make any sense ?