My (perhaps controversial) thoughts as a "newbie" to CA.

I decided it was time I got something done around here today. I picked the pool and it kicked my butt!

I shut the pump down, removed dirty filter cartridge, replaced with clean cartridge emptied about 6" of water out of the pool to get it to a normal level. Cleaned the skimmer basket and the basket from the center pool drain. I got everything put back together, switched on the pump and all I got was just a hum. After several tries and flipping the breaker switch, still just a hum. I got my trusty pliers out that I use to turn the drive shaft thingy but no luck. Honey!!! I broke the pool! Can you fix it please?!?!

I also had to run and pick up some muratic acid to zap the pool filters, maybe they just need to set over night to get all of the tiny microscopic crap dissolved? Who knows?

While at the hardware store a fella behind me asked if I was going to use the muratic acid to make cocktails? A fella behind him asked "what do you care? Your not invited anyway!" When I turned around to see the clowns standing behind me there were about 5 guys and all from my church! And, the girl (Lorie) at the cash register sits next to Mom and I in church! They all gave me gentle hugs and they made my day!! I'm hoping I feel up to church this Sunday! 😎

Oh, I am so in the minority when it comes to ghost hunting shows. When I do watch a bit from them I always wonder why they have to hunt for ghosts in the dark because I think that if ghosts are around they must still be there when the lights are turned on. And all the running about in the dark makes me think that someone is going to twist an ankle.

Lori, I hope you fee up to church on Sunday. As I read I was thinking oh no what are these guys doing? Is there going to be a fight in line at the store?Your friends from church are funny as are you.

Trill, I love the Ghost Adventures guys. They are very entertaining, especially in the older episodes. Their shows can be found on the Travel channel so I watch them on there occasionally. The Dead Files is another show on the Travel channel and it is pretty good. I also liked the older Ghost Hunters episodes on the SYFY channel. There used to be a British show and they would scream and curse (so there was a lot of beeping in the shows) and was pretty funny to watch. The best part of their shows was learning the history of the British places they visited.

Lori, I always used to wish I had a pool - right up until I hear all of the hard work it is to maintain it. My sister has one and it seems like each year there is something to fix/replace, etc. You are a brave soul to dig into that.

JBeans, I always wonder why more of them don't trip over stuff, etc. I know I would be falling over things, running into doors, etc. I know they have the night vision stuff but I would be looking around and not watching where I was going. Lol.

Lori, I do believe as I have had my own minor experiences and have family members and friends who have also had experiences. I just don't think all of the ghost hunting shows are completely truthful. I would love to hear about your experiences. I can only imagine what it was like to grow up in a house that was part of the Underground Railroad.

And sorry to hear about your setback. I sure hope your PS felt bad about that. :-) Hang in there.

Never got into those paranormal shows.

Can’t match the significance of living in an Underground Railroad stop. But years ago, Bob & I lived in the Andersonville neighborhood, in the “garden apt.” (daylight basement) of an 1880s greystone for a year. If you were a fan of the old sitcom “Perfect Strangers,” it was the house used for the exteriors. It was loaded with stained glass and gargoyles. some doubtless raided from graveyards. Our crazy landlord turned them into fountains, planters, etc. He was a high school music teacher from Puerto Rico who played several instruments and practiced constantly at all hours but would never, ever finish a song. It’d drive me nuts. Whenever I mentioned a repair needed to be made, or an exterminator called, he’d bring in one of his students who would do chores to get out of detention--and when that didn’t work, he’d try to distract me by offering to get high (off stuff he’d probably confiscated from his students). He and his North Shore preppy wife Monica (whose nickname actually was “Muffy”) had a yappy little mini-Schnauzer that was afraid of everything (including his master’s flute and clarinet). The canopy over our side entryway had originally been the porte-cochere; there was no garage but rather a carriage house out back. Neighborhood legend was that the place was haunted: the first floor had been the parlor of a brothel, the second the bedrooms, our apt. a clandestine abortion clinic and the attic was where the patients convalesced. But we never heard or saw ghosts, only waterbugs and mice. And our landlord’s tune fragments and Freddy the dog’s terrified yelps.

Ten years later we went to see the B’way revival of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” starring Nathan Lane and Mark Linn-Baker (Cousin Larry of “Perfect Strangers”) in the Zero Mostel & Phil Silvers roles. Afterwards, we hung out by the stage door to get autographs. When I told Linn-Baker we had lived in that greystone, he gasped, “Crazy Ron was your landlord? Wow!” Ron & Muffy split when Ron came out and he lived with his partner for many years. Recently, he died--and we just found out Muffy owns the house and is renovating it. Apparently, they never divorced.

Lori, the underground railway??? Wow!! I was a biography freak as a kid and Harriet Tubman was one of my hero's. Sandy, I loved Perfect Stranger's. That's quite an experience!

I am starting to feel like myself again, Hooray!

Lori, I wanted to mention that it would be highly unusual for you to have exchange surgery so soon after rads. Every PS I have heard of insists on a minimum of six months post radiation before exchange because it takes months for the tissue to heal internally. That's why I have had lefty since September. Now that I will have to wait for righty to heal from the additional surgery and hematoma it will probably be several weeks before he will start fills. My mid October exchange will most likely be January. I ordered knitted knockers for righty so I won't be lopsided going back to work.

Anyone catch Michael Phelps last night?? I was up late watching. So exciting!!!!

Trill, Id have to say that you are 100% right about me. I take my sense of humor every where I go even at home. Never a dull moment around our house! My younger brother is my hubby's besttest buddy as he has an even more hilarious sense of humor than I do. You get the two of us together with a margarita or two and your face will hurt for weeks afterwards! We'd be up to all hours of the morning laughing, singing and just telling stories about all the old haunted houses we used to live in.

You asked for it!

The Underground Railroad house... The basement was a dirt floor with four walled areas and a big 10" solid oak door with 3" iron bars in the small window separated the two sections, 2 rooms in each section. At the base of the stairs you'd go left and it lead to what they called a water cistern that collected all the rain water, (a young boy climbed into the cistern and drowned just before we moved in) Ok, to the right of that was an area used as a cold cellar for vegetables (very cold!!). You'd cross the main room over to the big door, go thru the door and to the right was a deep sandy area where I used to play with my brothers with my horses and their trucks. On the wall was cast iron donuts imbedded in the walls with chains hanging down. We were told to never dig in that area as we might not like what we found! We NEVER dug!! You'd cross another section and it would lead to a barred door in the wall that we were told lead to the underground tunnel that was filled in years ago. That tunnel lead under a series of gullies to get to what is now the Canadian border.

There was 3 ways into the basement, 2 ways out of the hidden passages that circles the upstairs bedrooms and 4 ways to get out of the house. Talk about hide and seek games! We had the best playground! There were also places Mom called cubby holes placed randomly in the walls.

Alan is my younger brother by 2 years. He was with me when we both saw a Union Soldier for the first time of many standing at the top of the stairs. Alan ran and left me there standing by myself! Well, I guess I was the oldest one there at the time. I was frozen in place! Mom would take me to the library and we'd do research on the house together. We found a story of a union soldier named Jeremiah who was looking for his sweetheart, he was killed before he got to her so the story said. I wet myself when I saw his picture in the article! It was him alright! Can you imagine? 13 years old and wet my pants in the middle of a busy library?! My poor Mom felt so bad for me! When everyone asked what happened my Mom just said, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you". She turned the article we were reading so the people could see it. Then she took my hand and we proudly walked out. The word was out! Lori's a sensitive! Everyone wanted to be my friend... I don't think so lol

If it weren't for my Mom I think I would have ended up in the funny house years ago! She always believed me.

I had a treasured matching, cast iron parade horse book ends my Dad got for me just cuz he loved me. I had them on my dresser in charge of all my horsey books. We'd hear scrapping on wood, Mom looked at me and say "Did you hear that?" I'd say "hear what?". She'd say "That!" I'd tell her it was just her imagination. (How you like it?) After several scrapping sounds we heard a very loud crash. My cast iron book ends were on the floor with legs broken off and all my books still on my dresser. Unfortunately now Mom and I both had lost our minds according to Dad. No one else was in the house.

Things were always moved in the basement and Dad always blamed me. He had this big tub he'd use for odds and ends and it would always get moved. One Sunday before our Sunday drive up into the Adirondack Mountains which were a few hours away. He made me stand at the top of the basement stairs, he'd drag his tub over to where he wanted it, he came up the stairs, took my hand and we walked out to the car. Mom and the other 6 of us were already in the car. Dad was the last one in the basement. Came home 8 hours later, tub was moved back where Dad had moved it from. There were no tracks in the dirt, no drag marks NOTHING! Lori was off the hook!

We always heard walking, the passageway doors opening and closing. The big heavy trap door that lead to the basement through Dad's wood shop would squeak open and slam shut! My siblings would end up in bed with me on those nights. Why? Our ghost likes you more! Me?!?! Then why was it always my stuff being destroyed?! LOL

Sandy, I don't believe everything in the ghost hunter shows either, I've seen to many real things to fall for fake stuff.

I can drive by a house and tell you I'd never set foot in the place. If out walking or driving I'd walk or drive on the wrong side of the street to get away from certain houses.

My cousin wanted to buy this big beautiful cheap house in PA. She asked me to check it out while we were visiting family there. I asked Dad to park down the road aways and let me out. I got out, I looked at the house, got back in the car and said the house was not "settled" and I refused to go in it! She didn't buy the house.

My hubby and I were looking for a house about 20 years ago. The realtor showed us some cute homes. One of the homes I refused to go into. My hubby came out all excited and said "Babe, you have to see this!" Ummm "NO I DON'T!" They talked me into it! My hubby went first, me second and the realtor stayed at the door. I walked in, was taken over by this horrid stench, hubby said its dog crap. I said like "HELL" it is! I turned, ran out of the house just in time to hear the realtor say you look awfully green! Which I proceeded to throw up on his nice shiny shoes! When I say NO, I MEAN NO!!

Search for Dewy Tavern in Champlain NY. We lived there from5 to 7 years old, Yeap haunted. We moved from the tavern to the railroad house. Dad always liked the old places lol

Trill, Wow! That would have freaked me out too! Except my version would have been more embarrassing than yours... I sleep naked. Can you imaging me running into someone's bedroom in the middle of the night naked? So glad I haven't had an experience like yours!

One of two of the most physical experiences I ever had was having my foot pulled on in the middle of the night! My hubby thought I was crazy the first time I told him about it. We had agreed to weave our legs together if I ever had it happen again. It did, we did and it did. My hubby jumped out of bed turned the light on and all he could say was "What the F**K?!?!?! Over and over again! He used to say he wished he'd known about my "senses" before he married me. I asked him if it would have changed any thing? He said absolutely not but at least he would have been warned!

Hmmmm maybe I should start a book myself? Even if I have a few copies made for my kids. Thankfully nothing ever messed with them. If you'd ask them about our bell experience they'd get all excited and tell you step by step what happened. My hubby walked in on that experience! He loves to go to old ghost towns. He's ok until tears start streaming down my face (not crying just rivers of tears), it's time to get out of Dodge! Strangest thing you'll ever see.

Storms are here, our internet will be down for awhile but I'll be back when they've passed

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A little about heat waves in Texas:

(In 1980) In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, high temperatures exceeded 100 °F (38 °C) a total of 69 times, including a record 42 consecutive days from June 23 to August 3.^[3][4]Dallas/Fort Worth reached an all-time high when the temperature hit 113 °F (45 °C) on three consecutive days on June 26–28. In all, the Dallas/Fort Worth area saw 29 days in which the previous record high temperature was either broken or tied. Dallas also had 28 days above 105 and five days above 110. Hurricane Allen helped to end the heat wave in early August. The 2011 North American heat wave would ultimately surpass the 1980 heat wave in terms of number of days with highs exceeding 100 (with 71 days)^[5] and the highest ever low temperature for a single day (86 degrees), but only had 40 consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 100 (two short of the record) and the 113 degrees remains a DFW all-time high. ^[6]

IHGJAnn49-

We want to welcome you to out community here at BCO! We're so sorry for the circumstances that have brought you here, but we hope you find this community to be a place of support as you begin down this road. Please keep us posted on how it goes with the surgeon once you know more!

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DisneyGirl, one of my former coworkers grew up in Massillon. We used to argue about who grew the best tomatoes. She would always bring some back when she went up there during the summer. My guess is Ohio, since our growing season short circuits so many years. If it starts hitting 90 in May they stop setting fruit almost before they start-at least the big slicers do.