Category: Humor

¡Si, Se Puede! (Yes, you can!)

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Lately it seems that I have been teaching myself to do a lot of things I never thought I could manage. Over the past year I perfected the art of cutting in paint, fixed my dryer and dishwasher, and most recently my washer.

Sometimes when I am working on a new project I have to admit I’ve lost it.  In my frustration with the unfamiliar task, I found that I cried, swore, and to my chagrin, even stomped out of the room looking and sounding scary enough to make the dogs run and cower, but I didn’t give up!

Yesterday in my mudroom I stood looking at a week and a half of laundry that included a pile of wet and muddy towels from the recent rain and muddy dogs.  I really wanted to just let Bob fix it, but he works all day and I didn’t want to wait.  So, I took matters into my own hands and fixed my washing machine.

This was hard. 

It required strength, unorthodox tools, and an extra bit of shouting to get the job done.  But hey! I fixed my washing machine that two men on the PartsSelect website had said was impossible!  So, you just can’t imagine how good I felt!

This morning after reading a friends post I realized that we as women are given all the wrong messages as we grow up.   We are taught that some jobs are just not possible to do unless you are a man.

We all have this list of excuses for not trying…

  1. It’s too hard
  2. I don’t know how
  3. I can let my husband/boyfriend do it
  4. I can call the repairman

And I counter…

  1. It might be easier than you think
  2. You can learn
  3. Maybe they don’t know how, don’t have time, or don’t want to
  4. The repairman is expen$ive!

Now you have a choice to make.   You can live with the problem or tackle it. What is the worst that can happen?  You might find that you really couldn’t do it?  Well, in that case you can pick up the phone and call in the professional.

It’s time for us to realize what we are capable of and then go do it!   You can find really good instruction for any task or job on Youtube, but beware, some are more brilliant than others, so watch several!

For my task I liked this one best.

A word to the owners of the General Electric Washer (model:  WJRE5550H1WW)  Life is too short, so BUY THE INSTALLATION TOOL when you order the replacement belt!

Now in my case I had to improvise and adapt the instructions given in this video.  If you didn’t purchase the special tool (I should have!) then you will need to do the following to make the job more simple and less dangerous!

  1. Turn off the water, disconnect the power, water hoses and drain tube.
  2. If you didn’t buy the tool, then don’t bother pulling off the front panel.  Put down a rug or blanket and lay the front of the machine flat onto the floor.  This will allow you enough room to muscle on that belt because you didn’t buy the tool!
  3. Remove the bolts holding the bottom panel.  NOTE: the panel will not come all the way off, but you can easily flex it down to get inside. THIS WILL GIVE YOU A LOT MORE ROOM TO MANEUVER!
  4. Now, place the new belt onto the lower shaft.
  5. Pull the belt onto the larger wheel (it won’t go far) and zip tie it into place.
  6. Rotate the wheel a bit further, and feed the belt on.  Add another zip tie.   I had to add a total of three zip ties.
  7. Now comes the hard part!  Keep slowly rotating while watching to make sure the belt does not leave the lower shaft.  If it is coming off, then rock the wheel back and forth while forcing the belt back onto the shaft and keeping your fingers out of the works!  😐
  8. Continue slowly turning the wheel and force the belt to stay onto the wheel.
  9. You will now have to snip the first zip tie, rotate, snip the second zip tie, rotate, remove the last zip tie.
  10. Now you will notice that the belt is not fully aligned into the grooves, so slowly turn and push on the belt to get it to align completely with those grooves.  (Being completely honest, this is where I found that grunting and swearing helped to relieve the frustration of this task.   😳 )
  11. Replace the bottom panel making sure that there are no leftover screws.
  12. Put the machine into the upright position.
  13. Reconnect the hoses and drain pipe, then turn on the water and plug in the machine.
  14. If necessary, re-level the machine by turning the pegs in front (up or down as needed)  I found that tilting the machine back and placing a broom handle under the front was a great assist in this process. 😉
  15. Here comes the easy part.  WASH THAT MOUNTAIN OF CLOTHES!

Start with the small stuff and work yourself up to the more detailed and complicated tasks.  You’ll never know what you can accomplish if you never try!

Now go fix something!

We_Can_Do_It!

¡Si, Se Puede!

~*~

Once Upon a Time in the West: honesty is the best policy

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Many years ago my father helped me to choose and buy my first car.  He tried to talk me into getting a little boxy looking, sensible Toyota.  It was tan in color, had good gas mileage, four doors, the engine was sound, and did I mention sensible?  The list went on, as my dad tried to convince me, but I wasn’t listening, because the tomboy in me wanted a fast car.

We shopped every day after dad got home from work.  It took a whole week, and then I spotted it…

It was a 1967 Pontiac Firebird

Mine was silver, but this is the only picture I could find of the late 60’s car!  Rare as hen’s teeth as they say…

My Silver Bullet I called her and she had a straight 6, 3.8 liter engine, with an overhead cam.  I read this morning that it wasn’t as muscly as the Camaro of the same vintage, and therefore not as fast, but the concept was right out of race car technology,  and driving it made me feel I was all that and a bag of chips!

I suppose it was just as well that the car wasn’t as fast as the V8 Camaro, or I might have found myself in bigger trouble than I did at 2:30 in the morning…

The following, though a bit embarrassing, is true.  I include all the particulars because otherwise you wouldn’t understand my urgent need for speed, and besides, you just can’t make this stuff up.

~*~

I was working a graveyard shift at a plastics factory and had already been given a warning about being tardy.   So that night when I took my lunch break, I was devastated to find that I had gotten my period and needed to go home.  Finding  the foreman I explained my problem, and said I would need to go home to change.   To which he replied:

“You should have been prepared.  If you are late, then you are fired.”

Not exactly the empathy I was expecting or looking for!  Running for the door and out to my car, I got in and sped for home.  Now I grant you I knew I was going too fast, but I needed that job.  Checking for the police in my rear view mirror I suddenly realized there actually was one behind me!  I took my foot off the gas and tried to coast down to a more reasonable speed.  After all, I didn’t want to be obvious about it.  Well, it all took too long.  I hadn’t decreased my speed sufficiently, and so it was, that when I pulled into the left turn lane to stop for the light…

MY CAR SKIDDED ON SOME WATER AND INTO THE INTERSECTION.

Still trying to “be cool,”  I back up into the turn lane and notice that although the Policeman was still there, his lights were not on.  Far out! I thought, He’s gonna let me go!

Not so fast.  As soon as the light changed, I pulled forward, and on went his lights.  Completing my turn, I did the only reasonable thing I could do, I cruised up to the curb and stopped.  Suddenly, I realized that there was another patrol car in front of me going the wrong way on the street.   It pulled right in front of me and blocked my path!  I was terrified.   I was going to be arrested!

I quickly turned off the engine, rolled down my window, and waited for the officer.  In a very cool voice, he said:

“Do you know how fast you were going?”

Me:  No, but I know I was going too fast but my speedometer is broken and it was broken when I purchased the car and I have been back three times to get it fixed only they won’t fix it and I am on my lunch break and I got my period and I had to get home to change and if I am late one more time I’m going to get fired!  (Need I mention that I was crying at this point?)

The Officer:   Well, I clocked you at 110 miles in a 50 MPH zone.  I have already called for backup, because I didn’t know the particulars, and therefore I will have to give you the ticket.  However, since you have been so honest with me, I will write it for 65 in a 50 MPH zone, and I won’t have to take you to jail.

I was mortified.

Well, my court date came and I was prepared.  I had my paperwork from the purchase of my car, and the repair tickets that were denied by the car lot stating they wouldn’t fix my speedometer or my squeaky breaks, because I purchased the car “As-is.”

When the judge called my name I went forward, knees knocking, answered his questions, told him my story, and then added the bit about trying to get the car dealer to fix the speedometer and brakes.  I held up the receipt for the purchase of the car, and the work orders they had repeatedly denied.

He asked the bailiff to bring the paperwork to him.  Quickly reading it over, he looked up and said:

“This is clearly a safety issue!  Your ticket is dismissed, and I am ordering the Dealer to fix your car!”

To which I heard several exclamations from the men in the room, but I didn’t care.   Not only was I not fined, but my car was going to be fixed!

I grew up a little bit after the incident, was always “prepared” at work,  and have since taken a less reckless approach to driving.   I also realized that whatever the circumstance, it is always best to tell the truth when you get pulled over.  No matter how embarrassing it is!

~*~

A special thank you to Julie of Wings and Things for her post that inspired me today.

~*~

NOTE:  For the gearheads, car historians, or just the just plain curious souls in the group, you can read more about the genesis and evolution of the straight 6 overhead cam engine  HERE .   Apparently, it was the brainchild of John DeLorean.  Who knew?  I didn’t till this morning.  😉

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I recounted this story two years ago, and because it is one of my favorites I am sharing it with you again. Besides, some of my newest friends haven’t seen it yet.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
(Is is cheating to reblog yourself?) 😉

In the dark with Georgie and Frellnick

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Tonight, as every night after the sun goes down, I went out to put away the chickens and geese.   As it often happens, there is no photo-op to capture the moments that happen at “Duck-butt Thirty” of an evening, and so I am left to tell you what happened tonight in the dark…

As stated, each night after sunset I grab a flashlight and head out to put everyone to bed.  I start on the north end of the property and work my way south.  First I put away the girls using my torch to light the way into their goose chalet.  Lately this has been a battle because for some reason Georgie and Frellnick run opposition and chase the girls away from the entrance and into the paddock.  So usually I have to chase them out first, and then guide the girls to bed.

Tonight I had little resistance from them so went about getting the girls in and then walked away to pick up a few things that had blown about in today’s high winds.  When I turned around the boys took off and began dashing at, and biting, the side of the well house!  I had seen this behavior before but never really caught on to what they were doing.  That is until tonight…

They are trying to chase away the big, black geese that are invading their territory!  I turned the light away from the walls and then back again to see if I was right in my theory.  Well, sure enough!  They stretched their necks, and ran at the walls hissing and trying to bite those big black geese again!

So now I am wondering…

Are they seeing their shadows and mistaking them for interlopers?   Perhaps  this is the reason they have been “chasing” the girls at bedtime?   I will have to pay closer attention tomorrow at Duck-butt Thirty and report back in my next post.

😉

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