when it rains, it really pours around here

We were told when we moved here that the weather in central TX is a perpetual drought punctuated by period flooding. I thought that was both humorous and so true. Little did I know that the person who mentioned this didn't just mean the climate but also my whole life!

You all know about the flooding in central TX about 2 weeks ago when we got 12-18 inches of rain in one night in our county. Rain up to the chin of one lady who was walking home from her kids' bus stop! Water in the Belton Hospice Thrift Shop (highest prices in town!), water water everywhere and not a drop to drink for the town of Holland because a collapsed bridge, due to swollen river, took out their water pipe too.
Well now it is Corpus Christi's turn.

And my life....well it has flooded as well.

The auction with the potting bench from my past posting was 2 Sundays ago already. The complete gardening auction brought $500, $20 under its retail value. But the "best" part of the story is that while the home made bench was being delivered all. the. tiles. came. off.
So I spent the rest of Saturday regluing tiles and regrouting tiles and THEN setting up the display for the gardening auction. Turns out that while thinset is a perfect glue for floor tiles that are going on floors, it isn't such a good glue for potting benches that will be turned on their backs to be delivered and driven over bumpy roads. Remember that if ever you are gluing down tiles that might get sideways and get bumped along the road.

Last week I was feeling pretty sickly from Tues night on...Fever of 101 with terrible pains in my achy body. Spent All day Weds and Thurs on the couch and in bed. Friday attempted to live life and ended up with fever over 102 that evening. Spent Sat and Sun on the couch and bed and finally today I feel good enough to live again.
But during all of that we noticed some strange bug bites on our youngest's body. Took him to the Dr on Fri and found out that the reason they look so strange is because they are not bug bites at all, but SHINGLES. His oldest brother already made the requisite joke and applying him to the roof, so you all can forget about sending me that one.
Now shingles can be pretty painful, esp. in the elderly---the usual ones to get shingles. but since we recently found out that said youngest child is hypo sensitive (that is he doesn't feel as intensely with his nerve endings as the rest of us) it turns out they aren't quite as painful as they could be. But still we are applying cold compresses of dome burro once or twice a day as he complains.
Oh and did I mention that the same son also has ring worm in his hair---which has to be treated with a 30 day regimen of pills? And just started on a new medicine for another condition that I won't bother you with here and now.
So can you understand the tears that came to my (hot, feverish) eyes on Fri AM when his Dr pronounced shingles to be his problem?
Now fast forward to my own Dr appt on Fri afternoon....
when I am expecting to hear pneumonia (I had it two years ago) or some other equally quick to get over it with a few pills disease and he says MONO. mono? NO! that takes forever to get over. But alas, no phone call today means negative test for mono so merrily we roll along.....all the way to.....
the mechanic who pronounces the transmission in our van dying a fast death and unworthy of travel.
And then pronounces a whopping $4600 bill for said transmission. ARGH!

And that leads me to my newest project of the week. Listing on ebay. trying to make up just a teensy tiny part of that $4600 surprise. Below are pictures of some of the things that I listed. My username is hitransplant, as in we had been transplanted to Hawaii when I started using ebay and I have never bothered to change my name on ebay even after we were then transplanted to Germany and now Texas.



rare vintage pyrex lid

Dionne quintuplets paper fan from Blair, Cochran and Potts in Belton
10 lb mercury jug with rare paper label still attached

one of 2 valentine couples I have listed
Miss USA 1964-65 doll in pristine condition
One of 5 calendar plates, all different pictures, all different years