So, for the past 2 weeks, there's been a smell in the basement. It started as a faint odor, and grew from there. At the end of last week, we got our septic tank pumped, thinking that the smell was maybe coming from our tank, which is only a couple feet from the house. Empty tank, smell was still here.
Today, I get a phone call at work from my beautiful bride. One of those "good news-bad news" calls. The good news was, she discovered where the smell was coming from. The bad news was, the smell was coming from our freezer FULL of meat, which had been (for the past 3 weeks) not closed all the way!!! It was my fault. I was the last one to close it, so I take the blame...
The good news is (and I thank God for this!) that we only lost about a quarter of the meat. I guess because of the moisture in the air, most of the meat in the freezer was encased in a block of frosty ice. The meat in the door, and the front part of the freezer, however, was encased in green/black/red goo. Smelly goo. And, the goo was on the bottom of the freezer. And it had leaked out of the freezer door, and was pooled on the basement floor.
The other good news that I really thank God for, is that the meat that we lost was mostly ground beef and ground venison. We unfortunately lost a few venison backstraps (the best part of the deer), and some venison steaks. Although, we just got a quarter of a cow (that's when i didn't close the door all the way), and the prime beef cuts were frozen solid in the back of the freezer (sirloin steaks, rib steaks, t-bones, roasts, london broils, etc), along with the last cuts from the half a pig we got last year (2 fresh shoulder roasts, spare ribs, and scrapple). In other words, the stuff we lost is relatively inexpensive to replace.
So, in the midst of chipping away at a glacier in the freezer this evening, I actually found myself feeling happy, and thanking God that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Yes, I'm bummed about losing some of the BEST ground beef I've ever had (from a local farm), but, it could have been worse. A LOT worse.
And, the smell is gone...
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Where have I been???
Sorry to all 3 of you who check this blog regularly...
The past month has been a little hectic, and I haven't had much time to blog. Here is a quick update of things at our house:
1) The Christmas Tree is up
2) We now have FOUR deer in the freezer, and a quarter of a cow...
3) Thanksgiving was great!
4) I'm starting my Master's Degree in Music Education in January
5) I'm currently in the middle of concert week (3 concerts in 8 days)
6) God is Good. ALL the time!
7) We have decided to live a debt-free life (more details to come later)
8) We have canceled our credit cards. Yay!
9) Pellet stove is great!
10) Danielle is the best wife ever!
There you have it!
The past month has been a little hectic, and I haven't had much time to blog. Here is a quick update of things at our house:
1) The Christmas Tree is up
2) We now have FOUR deer in the freezer, and a quarter of a cow...
3) Thanksgiving was great!
4) I'm starting my Master's Degree in Music Education in January
5) I'm currently in the middle of concert week (3 concerts in 8 days)
6) God is Good. ALL the time!
7) We have decided to live a debt-free life (more details to come later)
8) We have canceled our credit cards. Yay!
9) Pellet stove is great!
10) Danielle is the best wife ever!
There you have it!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
My trip to Kentucky
I got back from Kentucky yesterday afternoon. It was a marathon trip. We departed church on Wednesday at 7:30PM, drove until we reached Staunton, VA at 2:30 in the morning. Slept in a hotel until 7AM, ate at Cracker Barrel, got in the truck, and arrived in Lynch, Kentucky at 2:00PM on Thursday afternoon. Do you think we stayed long?? NOPE!!
We got back in the truck at about 5:00PM Thursday, drove back to Staunton, VA, arrived at midnight, stayed at a hotel, got up at 6 AM, ate at WAFFLE HOUSE!!!! and then arrived back at church at about 3 PM Friday afternoon. So, in 43.5 hours, I drove to Kentucky and back, stopping only for sleep and meals. about 25 of those hours were actual driving time. Woah!
Why all this craziness? Because we're planning a mission trip. Lynch, KY is a coal mining town with a population right around 1,000 people. The mine is the main employer in the town, and most everybody else is unemployed. The work at the mine is not consistent, as it fluctuates with the price of oil. Oil goes way up, people buy more coal. Oil comes back down, people stop buying coal, and the mine lays off the workers. A large number of the houses are in terrible shape, and the people are either 1) Disabled and can't afford to have the work done, or 2) able to do the work themselves, but can't afford to buy the materials. There is also a pretty big drug problem in the town.
So, we're partnering with a small organization whose purpose is to minister to the people of this part of Kentucky. We visited some of the potential houses that we'll be working on. There is no building code enforcement, so a lot of the houses that have had work done are substandard. For example, a lot of people don't have indoor plumbing, but if they do, many of them drain into the river that flows through the town. Some houses just have a hole below the bathroom, and some still have outhouses. At another house we saw, the daughter built a house right behind her parents' house, and until recently, didn't have power at all. She didn't have water either. She now has a garden hose that runs from her parents' house to hers so she has some water.
In the past 10 years, we've been told, the town has made some improvements, due largely in part to church groups and mission groups that have come in to help build. We're hoping to bring a group of 15-20 people to do some work. We'll see what happens...
Highlights:
1) Driving through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. I've driven there a couple times, and it is just about one of the most beautiful places in the Eastern US. Especially when it's November, and the leaves are still in their autumnal glory!
2) Climbing Black Mountain on the VA/KY border. It's the highest point in KY (about 4,300 ft.), and the road that goes up it is full of switchbacks and no guardrails. The view at the top is awesome!
3) Waffle House!! OK, so it isn't the finest in cuisine, but every time I've been south, I've wanted to go to one. I finally got my chance. How was it? In one word...GREASE! It was great. The best part were the hash browns. They come plain, or with you choice of the following toppings: cheese, ham, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, chili, or jalapeno peppers. Or, you can get them "all the way". That means "all of the above". Which do you think I got??? That's right, ALL THE WAY!!! No regrets!
Add a generous portion of grits and sweet tea at every food stop, and i'm a happy guy!
And now, here's a video that has absolutely NOTHING to do with this post. It's a tribute to John Williams. He's the guy that wrote the music to Star Wars, Superman, ET, Jaws, and many others.
We got back in the truck at about 5:00PM Thursday, drove back to Staunton, VA, arrived at midnight, stayed at a hotel, got up at 6 AM, ate at WAFFLE HOUSE!!!! and then arrived back at church at about 3 PM Friday afternoon. So, in 43.5 hours, I drove to Kentucky and back, stopping only for sleep and meals. about 25 of those hours were actual driving time. Woah!
Why all this craziness? Because we're planning a mission trip. Lynch, KY is a coal mining town with a population right around 1,000 people. The mine is the main employer in the town, and most everybody else is unemployed. The work at the mine is not consistent, as it fluctuates with the price of oil. Oil goes way up, people buy more coal. Oil comes back down, people stop buying coal, and the mine lays off the workers. A large number of the houses are in terrible shape, and the people are either 1) Disabled and can't afford to have the work done, or 2) able to do the work themselves, but can't afford to buy the materials. There is also a pretty big drug problem in the town.
So, we're partnering with a small organization whose purpose is to minister to the people of this part of Kentucky. We visited some of the potential houses that we'll be working on. There is no building code enforcement, so a lot of the houses that have had work done are substandard. For example, a lot of people don't have indoor plumbing, but if they do, many of them drain into the river that flows through the town. Some houses just have a hole below the bathroom, and some still have outhouses. At another house we saw, the daughter built a house right behind her parents' house, and until recently, didn't have power at all. She didn't have water either. She now has a garden hose that runs from her parents' house to hers so she has some water.
In the past 10 years, we've been told, the town has made some improvements, due largely in part to church groups and mission groups that have come in to help build. We're hoping to bring a group of 15-20 people to do some work. We'll see what happens...
Highlights:
1) Driving through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. I've driven there a couple times, and it is just about one of the most beautiful places in the Eastern US. Especially when it's November, and the leaves are still in their autumnal glory!
2) Climbing Black Mountain on the VA/KY border. It's the highest point in KY (about 4,300 ft.), and the road that goes up it is full of switchbacks and no guardrails. The view at the top is awesome!
3) Waffle House!! OK, so it isn't the finest in cuisine, but every time I've been south, I've wanted to go to one. I finally got my chance. How was it? In one word...GREASE! It was great. The best part were the hash browns. They come plain, or with you choice of the following toppings: cheese, ham, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, chili, or jalapeno peppers. Or, you can get them "all the way". That means "all of the above". Which do you think I got??? That's right, ALL THE WAY!!! No regrets!
Add a generous portion of grits and sweet tea at every food stop, and i'm a happy guy!
And now, here's a video that has absolutely NOTHING to do with this post. It's a tribute to John Williams. He's the guy that wrote the music to Star Wars, Superman, ET, Jaws, and many others.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Deer Season Scorecard
Well, the first part of the bow season is done, and yesterday began the extended permit bow season. The extended season is basically a money grab conducted by the state of New Jersey. Your regular bow license ($27) is good for hunting in Sept & Oct. If you want to hunt Nov & Dec, it's an extra $28. Oh, and if you want to shoot a buck, you have to now buy a $28 buck tag. Oh, and if you want to hunt in more that one hunting zone, you have to buy a $28 permit for each zone. Then, some guys go pheasant hunting ($40), or muzzle loader hunting ($28 for each zone permit, $28 for buck tag). Wow! That's a lot of money the state gets! The only permits I buy are the buck tag (you never know when a big one will walk by), and one or two zone permits. Some guys spend a fortune just on permits & tags, and don't get much chance to get out hunting.
So, anyway, so far, my deer hunting season has been productive. I have 3 deer in the freezer so far. One big doe, one small doe, and a button buck. Then there was another doe that I shot at, and missed. Just as I released the arrow, my left arm (holding the bow) dropped, and I saw the arrow go right under her. Oh well. A missed deer is better than an injured deer.
So the score is Jeff 3, Deer 1. We'll see how the rest of the season pans out. I'm hoping to get 2 more big deer in the freezer, which will get us through a good part of the next year. I've only blogged about one deer this year. Here's the post if you want to read it.
So, anyway, so far, my deer hunting season has been productive. I have 3 deer in the freezer so far. One big doe, one small doe, and a button buck. Then there was another doe that I shot at, and missed. Just as I released the arrow, my left arm (holding the bow) dropped, and I saw the arrow go right under her. Oh well. A missed deer is better than an injured deer.
So the score is Jeff 3, Deer 1. We'll see how the rest of the season pans out. I'm hoping to get 2 more big deer in the freezer, which will get us through a good part of the next year. I've only blogged about one deer this year. Here's the post if you want to read it.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Finally, a new post
So, I've been busy lately. All 3 boys have had pnuemonia, and I've had a ton of stuff going on. With Election Day right around the corner, here is a clip for your consideration. This is a "Man on the Street" type interview, done by the Howard Stern show. now, i don't listen to Howard, but I saw this clip on Reepicheep. It's staggers the mind that the people interviewed are blindly supporting Obama, and have absolutely NO IDEA what he stands for. In fact, the interviewer asks them questions about Obama, and puts McCain's platform positions in the questions, and they don't even realize that they are McCain's ideals. Listen to this...
Saturday, October 4, 2008
A Great Saturday!
Today was a fantastic day. Some of the highlights were:
1) Getting to sleep in until 7:30
2) My breakfast - 2 eggs, perfectly over-easy, wheat toast, and cafe con leche from our espresso maker, made with Cafe Bustelo.
3) Mowing the lawn with the boys
4) Getting other yard work done
5) Laying on the couch with Ryan & Kevin, watching hunting videos while Sean slept and Beautiful bride was grocery shopping
6) The super awesome cross rib roast with delicious homemade mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner, made by the loving hands of my spectacularly beautiful bride.
7) The pan gravy that she made along with the meat.
8) The smell of the roast in the oven when i came inside from yard work and playing with the boys all afternoon.
9) The caramelized onions that were atop the roast (I really liked dinner!)
10) Picking up worms and caterpillars with all 3 boys.
11) Getting my voice back (sort of...)
12) A feeling of accomplishment
13) Having a day that was Blessed by God in every way!
1) Getting to sleep in until 7:30
2) My breakfast - 2 eggs, perfectly over-easy, wheat toast, and cafe con leche from our espresso maker, made with Cafe Bustelo.
3) Mowing the lawn with the boys
4) Getting other yard work done
5) Laying on the couch with Ryan & Kevin, watching hunting videos while Sean slept and Beautiful bride was grocery shopping
6) The super awesome cross rib roast with delicious homemade mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner, made by the loving hands of my spectacularly beautiful bride.
7) The pan gravy that she made along with the meat.
8) The smell of the roast in the oven when i came inside from yard work and playing with the boys all afternoon.
9) The caramelized onions that were atop the roast (I really liked dinner!)
10) Picking up worms and caterpillars with all 3 boys.
11) Getting my voice back (sort of...)
12) A feeling of accomplishment
13) Having a day that was Blessed by God in every way!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
