I almost forgot--- I have four family members to whom I want to send out birthday greetings!
Happiest of birthdays to my Uncle, Steve Acock, and to my cousins Nick Russell, Alyssa Smith and Katy Delavan! May your life be full of joys beyond measure and support for your sorrows. I love you all, and I'm so glad you're in my life!
*hugs*
Friday, July 17, 2009
Beating the heat on a budget... can we do it??
My one and only complaint about my state is that it gets damned hot in the summer--- especially in the Willamette Valley, where I live with my fambly.
Okay, to be fair, it usually doesn't get hotter than 103 degrees Fahrenheit at the most. I've lived in hotter circumstances when I lived in Las Vegas--- the hottest I remember was 113 degrees F, and I was working in a cabinet shop. But THAT was a dry heat, whereas we're rather humid here in Oregon. No, I know it's not humid like it is in Texas, or Georgia, or the like... but it's humid to us native Oregonians!
Anyway, I'm getting off-track. I am now forty years old, nearly 41, and I just can't take the heat the way I used to when I was much younger--- heck, even just when I was in my twenties! And my husband has Multiple Sclerosis, which is aggravated by the heat. Today it is 91 degrees F (I have a thermometer on my desktop), and we're practically melting right now, even though we're both inside where it's air-conditioned!
Late last night, around 11pm or so, I noticed an ad for a free Softub--- that is, a hot tub that's got foam-rubber sides and is fairly portable in comparison to normal hot tubs. I dashed off an e-mail requesting it, but by morning the ad was pulled and I had no answering e-mail. So I figured it was gone, and moved on with my life.
Fast forward to this afternoon.
I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. It turned out to be the person who'd placed the Softub ad. Apparently the first person to answer the ad never showed up this morning to pick it up... and I was next in line!
(Insert happy dance here)
I got the address, loaded the boys into the car (daughter was at a cheer fundraising car wash), and took off.
As soon as I got there, I knocked on the guy's door to let him know I was taking the tub, which was waiting in the driveway. He pointed out the various places where the liner was split, and said he wasn't sure what was wrong with the motor. He was kind enough to help me load it on top of my van, and we secured it with the line from my Sailfish. Then I slowly drove home, barely topping 25mph at most. (Wonder if I should have turned on my emergency flashers?)
So now we're the proud owners of a used Softub, complete with motor and lid. It needs scrubbing out before I try to repair the liner, but that won't be a problem--- I'm sure the boys would be glad to help! I figure if worse comes to worse, I may just put in my own liner. It would be nice if I could get the motor to work as well, so that we can actually use it for a hot tub sometimes... but right now, I just want it to hold water so that we can cool down during the hottest part of the summer! *fans self frantically in anticipation*
Wish me luck! I can't wait to use it as a tub for the first time! (I say that, because my boys are right now dancing around on the covered tub--- I had to employ my 230 pounds to force the lid securely into place!)
Okay, to be fair, it usually doesn't get hotter than 103 degrees Fahrenheit at the most. I've lived in hotter circumstances when I lived in Las Vegas--- the hottest I remember was 113 degrees F, and I was working in a cabinet shop. But THAT was a dry heat, whereas we're rather humid here in Oregon. No, I know it's not humid like it is in Texas, or Georgia, or the like... but it's humid to us native Oregonians!
Anyway, I'm getting off-track. I am now forty years old, nearly 41, and I just can't take the heat the way I used to when I was much younger--- heck, even just when I was in my twenties! And my husband has Multiple Sclerosis, which is aggravated by the heat. Today it is 91 degrees F (I have a thermometer on my desktop), and we're practically melting right now, even though we're both inside where it's air-conditioned!
Late last night, around 11pm or so, I noticed an ad for a free Softub--- that is, a hot tub that's got foam-rubber sides and is fairly portable in comparison to normal hot tubs. I dashed off an e-mail requesting it, but by morning the ad was pulled and I had no answering e-mail. So I figured it was gone, and moved on with my life.
Fast forward to this afternoon.
I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. It turned out to be the person who'd placed the Softub ad. Apparently the first person to answer the ad never showed up this morning to pick it up... and I was next in line!
(Insert happy dance here)
I got the address, loaded the boys into the car (daughter was at a cheer fundraising car wash), and took off.
As soon as I got there, I knocked on the guy's door to let him know I was taking the tub, which was waiting in the driveway. He pointed out the various places where the liner was split, and said he wasn't sure what was wrong with the motor. He was kind enough to help me load it on top of my van, and we secured it with the line from my Sailfish. Then I slowly drove home, barely topping 25mph at most. (Wonder if I should have turned on my emergency flashers?)
So now we're the proud owners of a used Softub, complete with motor and lid. It needs scrubbing out before I try to repair the liner, but that won't be a problem--- I'm sure the boys would be glad to help! I figure if worse comes to worse, I may just put in my own liner. It would be nice if I could get the motor to work as well, so that we can actually use it for a hot tub sometimes... but right now, I just want it to hold water so that we can cool down during the hottest part of the summer! *fans self frantically in anticipation*
Wish me luck! I can't wait to use it as a tub for the first time! (I say that, because my boys are right now dancing around on the covered tub--- I had to employ my 230 pounds to force the lid securely into place!)
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