kernology - where laurie and learning meet - Blog

The Joy of Owning A Home

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:04:51 GMT

Last month as I was preparing to head to school for my final, I spilled coffee all over me. I changed and when I went downstairs to put the clothing in the washing machine I found water all over the tile floor FRACK!!!

I had just prior to this taken a shower and done some laundry; which meant the pipes into the septic were root clogged like they were once before the pandemic. Back then we had Roto-Rooter come out and clear the pipe and tell us the pipe would have to be fixed, eventually. Then the pandemic started and we did not get it repaired. I knew this day was coming.

The water wasn't deep so I grabbed some old towels to keep it away from seeping towards the carpeted stairs. I grabbed the wet/dry vac from my studio and started sucking up the water. After I the floor taken care of I also turned on a fan in the hallway plus the A/C to help dry the tiles and grouts. I then left to school and would call Roto-Rooter from campus when I had calmed down.

Once at school I scheduled a service visit for the next day, Friday. Not only would they clean the pipe, located the intrusion and discuss repair options. After the final was over, several of us from class went to dinner and I had a blueberry mojito cause I need it. Note: I did fantastic on my final project presentation and not only got a 100% on the project but again, a 100% for the class. When I got home the floor was dry and I put all the wet towel in the washing machine to let them drain and dry - I knew I was not going to be using it anytime soon.

When Roto-Rooter came on Friday, they first pulled the washing machine out of the closet so they could get to the drain. Then they roto'ed out the pipe. Next was to put the camera snake down the pipes to locate the issue which was just before the septic tank. The camera has a sensor on it so using something like a metal detector they could locate where the camera was. Then we went out side to determine where along the slab the intersection point would be. Luckily the point in question was about 1/3 of the way in from the left side of the house AND that part of the house is on piers, not a poured foundation. This meant they could trench/tunnel in and under to get to the pipe that had to be fixed. I got a very expensive quote and signed the paperwork to get it all started. The repair would cost more than a year's tuition at State school $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Work was to start the following Monday - 2 or 3 days of trenching then a day to repair the pipe(s) and a day to put all the dirt back. And of course, it RAINED over the weekend into the next week so everything was delayed since the trench would fill with water. Eventually the trenching was almost done but a rather large rock was found right in the path the trench was to go which blocked access to the pipe. Another day was required, and of course more $$$$, to jackhammer the rock out. Then the pipe repair guys came out and repaired the pipe. The following day the guys who did the trenching came out and put all the rock and dirt back in. I was also sent the final bill for all the work.

I could now do my laundry, take a long hot shower and not worry about flushing the toilets!

And guess what... 2 days later I am walking to the front door and I hear the patter of little feet above me. The walkway to the door has an over hang soffit with lights. I stepped out from underneath it and look, there were no animals on the roof so they had to be IN the soffit. FRACK, now what ??!!! I looked and could not see an opening but I decided to go upstairs and walk out onto the balcony to see if the roof had lifted and the little beasties go in that way. Well it turn out the side wall of the soffit was not only rotted, it was GONE. Time to call the repair man. Can we say more $$$$. This will be fixed tomorrow!

Ah, the joy of owning home and now I understand why many older single women rent - you don't have to pay for all of these repairs, your landlord does.

So much for April

Mon, 18 May 2026 17:49:21 GMT

And here we are in May.
The semester is over and I got an "A" in Intermediate Metals so my GPA will still be a 4.0. You can see what I was working on all semester over at The Adventurous Silversmith.

As for me, I am now doing my annual top-to-bottom cleaning, organizing, purging of the house.

Along with that I am having some pipes fixed/repaired which will not be cheap. At the end of April I had a minor flood on the first floor; the washing machine drain backed up. I caught it early and got most of the water sucked up with my shop wet/dry vacuum and then threw down old towels and turned on a fan and the a/c. It was dry in a few hours and the drywall was spared any damage. I called Roto-Rooter to come and clear out the pipe. Turns out there were roots in the pipe - not a good sign. After that was resolved, they pushed a camera down the pipe toward the septic tank and found the pipe was badly cracked from the roots growing in and around the pipe. That pipe from the washing machine into the septic also handles the water from the upstairs bathroom and the sink in my shop so there is quite a bit of water going through it daily. Then add in the drought that we are experiencing, we are in to year 3 if not 4 and so why wouldn't tree roots go after that water. This is something that has to get fixed. Luckily that section of pipe is NOT under the slab but under the extension the previous owner added before we bought it and the extension is on piers and thus the work can all be done from the outside of the house; some trenching will have to be done so they can access the pipe, cut it out and put in a new section. It won't be cheap - let's just say it would cost as much as the tuition for Texas State, full time, for a year plus some. The repair to the pipes starts next week. And as a bonus round, after the washing machine was put back, it did not work, it is getting repaired this week.

More Spring Break Fun ??

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 17:39:24 GMT

Over on The Adventurous Silversmith blog I wrote, today, about the fun I am having in the studio. BUT in my personal life I have had fun at the dentist.

Yes, or should I say Periodontist. Two weeks a go I the crown on my lower left molar. The original crown was almost 20 years old and it came off and was cracked so it was replaced 2 years ago. A year ago this new crown came off and was put back on. Two weeks ago not only did it come off again but it took the support post with it. This meant that not only could it NOT be put back because there was nothing to attach it to.

My choices were pull the molar or pull the molar and have an implant put in. The first choice cost about $900 and would take an hour or so to do and the second choice was just over $5,000 and would take several visits over 9 months. Since it's not visible I chose the former option.

The molar was extracted and bone matrix put in the socket and the gum stitched closed this past Monday. It came out easily and I was home within an hour. I was to eat soft foods for 3 day, take antibiotics 3 times a day for 7 days, rinse with an antibotic mouthwash 2 times a day, and go back for a follow up next Monday. I did not have a large amount of pain. Now it is just a mild ache.

Ahhhh, the joys of getting older!

Another Good Deed

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 16:01:01 GMT

I went to school early, on Thursday, to work on my wax carvings as needed the wax files I don't have any wax working tools in my studio. Note: Nor do I plan too.

I was making good progress on carving a ring/band that will be made from the gold from both of our (the Shop Elf's and mine) original wedding bands. I will also flush set three small round faceted topaz in the band. Two will be Imperial, brown, topaz - for our birthdays and then set in between the two will be a London Blue topaz. This will be for our wedding and the engagement ring that Erich gave me was a blue topaz.

Anyway... back to the good deed. I was there during the beginning metals class and suddenly a girl screamed and ran to the sink; which was next to where I was working at a bench. The teacher and TA ran over and apparently she had sliced her finger open with a spiral wax saw blade (those things are nasty sharp and much thicker than a regular jewelers saw blade. She was bleeding but not pumping blood and had her hand under cold water and the teacher was trying apply pressure but the girl was shaking. I suddenly volunteered, quite loudly, as I went over, that "I KNOW FIRST AID". I asked if she felt faint and her response was yes. We got a chair and I made her get her head between her knees while I kept pressure on the finger. Someone else got her some water. During this the teacher retrieved some gauze and band aides. We verified that she was not allergic to latex and I wrapped the finger in the gauze and used the band aides to tape it shut (see below as to why there was no tape). The TA walked the girl to the campus health center where they cleaned and re-dressed the wound.

I should tell you that there is NOT a full first aid kit in the studio because years ago a student cut herself and gauze and tape was applied only to find out that this student was allergic to latex (it is unknown if she knew) and the taped used had latex in it! The family did sue and thus this is why there isn't one in the studio.

I made the suggestion that the Teachers and TAs get First Aid training!

Damn, February is almost over

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 16:36:00 GMT

Yes, school is in full swing and I am glad I am only taking one class as I now have time to take care of me, the house, and do fun stuff.
I spent all day, yesterday doing the laundry, vacuuming, putting the dishes from the dishwasher away, changing the bedding, and cooking roasted veg and a full side salmon filet so I have dinner for the week, alternated with salads and sandwiches.

Fun stuff for me has consisted of:
* Me, joining the Tye Preston Library Maker Space club. We meet for once a week to discuss projects, issues, and successes and afterwards we go to dinner where we talk movies, tv, road trips, and more.
*Going to dinner with friends.
* Making stuff, for me, for use in the studio, on my 3D printer I bought in December as my birthday present.
* Finishing purging my clothing and other stuff in the house I no longer use.

Here's a picture of my new flex shaft bit holder I printed over the weekend. It took 22 hours!

Milestone

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 16:21:06 GMT

It's now 2026.
I am getting ready for the Spring semester to begin next week.
I have also reached MY milestone of finally shedding the weight that I put on due to various reason which are:
* stress eating
* thyroid cancer
* taking Prednisone due to an allergic reaction to a medication
* various other reasons

After the Prednisone adventure almost 2.5 years ago, I fully committed myself to getting rid of the weight. Because I don't have a thyroid and take a low dose of a synthetic, my body does not like to give up the weight. My doctor, said years ago that no thyroid combined with the muscles I developed as a youth, playing sports would mean that I could probably get back to my college weight but going below that and staying there would be difficult. And back in the 80's I got close but he was right, it was not possible to get to or stay at my high school weight. This was a bit upsetting for me because I was focusing on the weight - NOT my body composition which really was/is more important.

Once I made the decision to finally get the weight off and work on the body composition. In October 2023 I contracted with a nutritionist who set a macro and exercise plan for me. My exercise plan was to go to the local gym and lift weights plus doing lots of walking. Which I did. I did take the occasional break when I went on a road trip or it was a holiday without going overboard. I also tracked my measurement and purchased a body composition scale.

I am now at my goal weight. All my composition numbers are in the Average or Better range. What is interesting is that my metabolic age started at 73 which was 5 years above my actual age and now it is at 69, which is a year below my actual age which is excellent and rather amazing. So, how much weight did I loose??
I lost FIFTY POUNDS
This past September is when I really began to notice that my pants were starting to fall off my hips. I then set aside a weekend and tried on every piece of clothing I had. The nice go to the day job clothing went in a pile to be donated to Dress for Success. Jeans and other shirts were going to Goodwill. Clothing I sewed were going to be put in my memory (camp) trunk. I did keep 2 nice outfits and several shirts that fit me again - in other words they did not fit me for a long time due to the weight but they now fit me again. I also kept some pants that were not what I wore to work but they were not jeans and are slightly loose. These I will have taken in. My closet is over half empty.

I am no longer tracking my macros, I stopped doing that last summer. I decided to see if I could eat well, loose weight, and make progress without being fanatical about it because life goes on and I don't want to spend the rest my life worrying about my weight.

This IS a Roman milestone, outside of Bardon Mill, UK just before you enter Vindolanda which is a Roman Fort along Hadrian's Wall. The Shop Elf and I actually saw this milestone when we visited Vindolanda and a few other places along Hadrian's Wall on one of our trips to the UK in the 1990's.

Happy December & etc.

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 15:39:42 GMT

The year is almost over and a new year is about to start and life goes on.

I had a quiet birthday which is what I wanted and now I am on semester break, from school. I have many things planned with all my free time and yet I have, at the moment, no desire to to any of them. I am enjoying just sleeping in, staying in my jammies, and watching lots of show on TV and playing with my new toy - a 3D printer.

BUT I know I will soon tire of sitting on my butt and will eventually address that TO-DO list.

See you next year.

Another Trip Around The Sun

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT

Yes, today I my birthday.
A few days ago it was our anniversary
And a few days before that it would have been the Shop Elf's birthday.
Between it all was Thanksgiving too

Now a-days, November is a difficult time for me.
It is getting easier but I doubt it will ever be normal again.

I stayed home for Thanksgiving and watched some movies and made myself a nice steak dinner with a baked sweet potato, brussel sprouts, and wine. I also spoke to my cousin and Elisa of Scotland; it was a guiet day.

Health Scare and More

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 14:56:50 GMT

Last weekend I found that I was getting dizzy with spinning when I stood up or laid down and when I bent over to tie my shoes... Not just a small dizzy but to the point I fell over twice and had to stay on the bed or floor for a good amount of time before the spinning would stop. I questioned if I was experiencing vertigo! It continued into the beginning of the week too. Luckily my classes on Monday/Wed don't start until 2pm so I had time to make sure I was OK before I drove to campus - very slowly.

I researched my symptoms and looked into my antidepressant side effects as a possible cause due to the reaction I had to my (ex) heart medication 2 years ago. Sure enough, it can result in Orthostatic Hypotension: Low blood pressure, especially when moving from a sitting or lying position to a standing one. This can lead to feelings of lightheadedness, faintness, and dizziness. So I called the doctor and went in for a quick appointment and he said that combined with my weight loss (43 pounds so far and just 2 more to go) and being a bit dehydrated resulted in a perfect storm! I was to move slowly and drink LOTS of water and even salty foods and no sudden moves up/down until everything was under control. WHEW!

And why was I dehydrated.... I normally drink upwards of 2+ liters of water a day, one while at school and another and more when I get home in the evening. When I am not in school, I carry a liter bottle with me where ever I go - running errands or around the house. I can't drink or eat anything while in the metals studio at school and so by the time I get home from classes I have only drunk half the bottle and so I finish that before I go to bed. This means that over the course of the semester I have been slowly dehydrating myself because I was not drinking that missed water the other days.

This happening was on top of TWO big projects, one for each class, at school which of course stressed me out even more and I was not having fun working on one of them. As I said before I am taking these classes to learn and have a fun enjoyable time! The project for metals was the one I was not enjoying and I understood the project process was so the youngins would learn but it's not how I roll; added to the fact I was not thrilled with the topic idea we were supposed to use as a starting idea. Wednesday, while still not feeling well, things took a U-turn on what I was making and I was ready to not only get a big-fat zero on turning in a finished item but actually NOT going back to class for the rest of the semester. Well, after a good night's sleep I felt better and came up with an alternate idea I knew I could finish by the due date on Monday; I emailed the teach and got approval. The other decision I made was to take only a single class next semester - Intermediate Metals to give me more time for big projects and to allow me more time to play in my studio.

Yes, this picture represents the original project gone bad.

No Much is Happening

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMT

except that school is keeping me busy... go look at the posts over at the Adventurous Silversmith