Sunday, November 25, 2007

Oh, What a Good Neighbor Am I

I have city water, but my outdoor taps are still on my well. My neighbor is in the process of getting estimates to tap into city water. Yesterday he called because their well had failed. So we were able to run a hose from my outdoor faucet to his plumbing, and fortunately his pipes are such that the water could run through his softener, too. So now his household (with a teenage daughter) has water... for now. He is hoping that he can get priority with the plumber schedule-wise. Last night the temps dropped into the 20's and the hose froze, but I think it is supposed to stay above 30 for the next several nights. I am always happy to help a neighbor because I know someday (like the next time is snows 12 inches and I'm wishing for a super-sized snow blower) I will need their help. It is odd to hear the well run, though.

Last night my dog was showing all the symptoms of bloat. This is a potentially fatal condition in dogs, but it is highly unusual in a beagle-sized dog. What to do, what to do? We have an emergency vet clinic across town, but as much as I love my pets, I balk at paying extortionist rates for their care. Not only are the clinic's after-hours rates jacked up, they charge even more if the pet is not one of their regular patients. So, you go into their fancy-shmancy building, overly distraught, and they make it worse by hammering you financially. Hence, my reluctance to rush her there. She really was miserable, though, and I could not get any Pepto Bismol down her. She did drink some water and could go out to potty, so I decided to do a wait-and-see. And this morning she was definitely better. Whew! But I'm wishing there were a more economical late-night vet clinic for those scary episodes.

On the knitting front, I have the cuff completed on one of the Trekking socks. The stitch pattern is not the best to show off the colorway, and vice verse, so I'm curious to see what the stockinette sole will look like.

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