Sunday, April 24, 2011

Crazy Storms

We've had some crazy weather and storms out here.
The other week the tornado sirens went off an hour before any storms came, because the system was moving 80mpg. The wind killed my tulips but no major damage.

This past Fri night at 1:30am, I woke up to some serious thunder and lightning. Lucy gets nervous, so I was checking the radar on my iPhone and saw the image below (you do not want to be the red pin).

Then at 1:45 am, a huge lightning bolt struck very close by and it felt like the entire house jumped. My security alarm and everything went crazy, so I thought for sure me or my neighbor had been hit by lightning. I stayed up for a bit incase a fire started. Things that did not work at the time included, the phone, all lights and ceiling fans that touched the attic. And my sump pump, which I spent most of my time on that night with all the water we had.

After checking things out and no fire I went to bed around 3am. I had reasoned that the lightning must have hit close and traveled in through my phone line since most downstairs light and TVs etc still worked.

I woke up around 9am to look around in the daylight, I was drawn to my guest bedroom to find this in the wall above my window.

And it looked like I hulked out in my sleep and pulled my window frame apart!



So I was directly hit by lighting at the peak of my roof above my garage. The bolt came down popping out the wood, it's hard to see unless you zoom in but parts of the bricks are missing, it shot them out like buckshot into my neighbors siding. Then came down through the window through my drywall.




All in all, I am super lucky, no fire, so far not too much electrical damage. I've had the Fire Dept, Plumber, Electrician, Roofer over. Mostly just the structural, cosmetic stuff left.

The only weird thing is, since then I have had the strangest dreams...

Friday, April 22, 2011

Tulips

Last Fall, I planted some tulips in my front yard.
Here is what they looked like before all these storms and wind got a hold of them.



Sunday, April 10, 2011

New Cat Information!

As a new cat owner, I often look to Tom and Meghan for advice on how to raise a happy cat. They never seem to let their cats outside, so I would follow the same routine with Benson. But after some deep discussions with him and some experimenting, I have come to the conclusion that he might like to spend some time outside!
I would have hoped someone would have mentioned this possibility to me before now.

Here are some videos showing how much he likes being outdoors.
He Loves It!


Off he goes...


And it tires him out...

Monday, April 4, 2011

Animals

To Tom, who needs 2 cats when your one is this busy!




But he does like to relax, notice the curled back paws.


Dog beds...


My spot on the couch, he doesn't care...


On the book shelf...


Seen here with the Crazy Eyes!


All of this tires out Lucy...

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Poor Denver

In my house, I don't have to ask the question...it was Benson.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Tax Return

I generally save all of my tax returns into my emergency funds. However, I do use it as an excuse to buy myself something I'd like but don't really need. If you know me, you know I never buy things and would hate to be caught in a mall on the weekend. Which is why I found myself wearing some sweaters this winter that I know were bought during my one shopping spree in 2003.

A few years ago, I bought myself a hand held planetarium, which I really enjoy.

Last year you could say I used some of my return for an iPad, but that decision was made as soon as it was announced. And I have enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Especially if you have lap dogs and lap cats, you can still browse while they are being needy.

Not sure what I will do this year, although I did just go on my annual (or less frequent) shopping spree with Meghan. It started as a few shirts for my Vegas trip and ended up with stuff for work, running, etc.
I did buy a new cologne. For the past couple years as I work more with perfumes at work I have been interested in finding a new cologne. I don't think my array of Old Spice White Water or Body Sprays truly counts.
After smelling and spraying the entire isle, I chose Swiss Army Mountain Water. Aside from smelling good, the whole water bottle container looks hilarious.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Number 4

I have recently purchased my 4th VW.
1. 1980 VW Rabbit Diesel (1994)
2. 1998 VW Jetta (1998)
3. 2004 VW Passat (2004)
4. 2010 VW Touareg (2011)

That's currently over 135,000 miles driven in VWs.
There was also 2 years from 1996-1998 where I drove a Pontiac Bonneville.
This is my first Automatic VW so I am getting used to that, but a heated steering wheel is helping me move on.
It will be great for trips and taking Lucy around town.