Updates

AC ...


It's fixed, and seems to be running strong. A most handsome young man showed up from ARS around 4pm or so yesterday. (If I'd been 45 years younger, I might have been tempted to flirt with him a little bit, except I noticed that he was wearing a wedding band. Boo! Hiss!!) The thermostat in the hallway read 99 degrees at the time, and I was sweating like a you-know-what pig. Had taken two cold showers earlier during the day, which helped briefly, as I'm sure you can imagine. And, I had positioned the fan to blow directly on the computer in an attempt to save it from being fried.


I sent an extensive e-mail to DD (Darling Daughter) very early this morning. I'm going to quote directly from it.

It was after five when he left, but the booboo has been kissed and all is better now. Not the thermostat. The second he touched it, the AC came on. (Talk about taking your car to the garage with a problem and, as soon as the mechanic sees it, the car decides that it really didn't want to go to the doctor and have that shot after all.) Actually, the problem resulted as a combination of two different things.

1) The drain was slow in the attic. He lugged this big machine up there and suctioned whatever was obstructing it right out.

2) The coils on the outside unit were dirty. He pressure-washed them. Then, after all was dry again, he re-checked the freon levels. A-OK. When he had first measured the levels, he thought he'd have to add some.


I'd tell you what he actually did when he 'touched' the thermostat, but then I wouldn't want you coming back at me later, saying, "Goldenrod said that this would work!" A "by the way" here. AC is working so well that I have decided to 'up' the thermostat to where the AC automatically comes on now when the thermostat registers 85 degrees. (If I'm sweltering, I can always change it, right?)



Dolly ...


I'm glad I did my shopping today. While I don't think she's going to come that close to us, I've lived in the Gulf Coast area for too many years not to be fully cognizant of the fact that these storms have their own agendas.

Her winds are currently at 70mph. I do not one bit like the fact that she doesn't seem to know exactly where she's going, nor do I like it that she's moving much slower. As a consequence, while she's still out over the very warm Gulf waters, she can easily significantly strengthen and veer in any direction she might choose.

Having said all that, however, I really don't believe that she is coming this direction. My hope is that we will get some beneficial rainfall. Certainly, we need it!



Baseball ...


I'm not going to go on, post after post, about this subject. ("Hooray!" you say?)

Just as an interested outsider looking in, however, there are some VERY exciting races going on. I'll briefly recap both leagues, and then leave it at that.


American League

East ... Rays in 1st, Red Sox trail by 1.5 games, and Yankees by 4.5.
Central ... White Sox out in front, Twins 0.5 back, and Tigers 5.5.
West ... Angels, Angels, Angels.

National League

East ... Mets & Phillies tied for 1st, Marlins 1 game back, and Braves 6.
Central ... Cubs at top, Brewers & Cardinals in a virtual tie for 2nd.
West ... Diamondbacks & Dodgers tied for 1st, BOTH teams under .500 in wins.