Subj : flood stuff was: Vacation To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Sat Dec 21 2019 09:39:00 Hi Nancy! BM>>> Just got a refill on on my coffee and heard this announcment on the BM>>> radio: "Thanks for listening to KIIK ["kick"] one-oh-four-nine at work BM>>> -- that means you haven't been fired yet." Obviously tongue-in-cheek. NB>>> Cute... And the second-thought kicking in... but, I'm listening NB>>> at home...... BM>> Heck, I'm retired! Hope I can't be fired from retirement!! NB>> Nope.... and that's one less thing to worry about... :) BM> Wasn't all that concerned when I was working, though sometimes the BM> corporate-speak did seem to go overboard for generally minor BM> infractions: punishment for being late had "up to an including BM> termination" tacked to it. NB> If one isn't likely to be committing such infractions, there's NB> not much to be concerned about.... :) Agree, no, not likely to happen, just I tend to take it a little literally and so as a threat. There's an accident, road blocked, don't make to work on time and so fired. There were some people who lived on the Illinois side, so always had to use the bridges to get to the store on the Iowa side. One of the problems is the current I-74 bridge is only two lanes each direction and no breakdown lanes -- even emergency responders have to come from the wrong direction to get to the accident site. Next bridge downriver is the Government Bridge which is a swingspan: that could be open to allow river traffic through. Next bridge is Centennial -- that one doesn't move but still could have traffic issues. Next bridges outside the immediate area are miles of detour. NB>>>> That's the sort of thing that the local history library might have NB>>>> the information on... :) BM>>> Are you trying to get me off my computer chair?! It'll probably end BM>>> up being something boring like a part of the sewer system. OTOH.... :) NB>>> You'll not know unless you check it out.... :) Schedule a trip to NB>>> the library with your errands some day when there's a little more NB>>> time available... :) BM>> Let's see: is that the schedule on calendar hanging or the electronic BM>> one....? I think about that over a nap! Actually might be a BM>> useful project for later when Autumn needs to go to the Library and I BM>> need something to occupy my time. NB>> Now there's an idea.... probably even a good one... :) BM> Now just to have her learn to read: she can recognize her name -- had BM> to not write out her name on the box with her Christmas presents in it! NB> She's making progress.... :) You could be taking her to library NB> already... there's plenty of picture books in the Children's NB> Section that she could spend time with.... ;) She still separates her time depending on where she is: Pop-Pop time (here) originally had nothing to do with school/learning. Recently a few times when she is the teacher (and a slightly mean one!!) teaching the stuffed animals their letters, easy words, numbers and some simple math. So in the past going to the Library from here wasn't really a play option; things are changing so might be some time next year -- play by ear. BM> NB>>> Yup... :) I'm also curious now as to whether or not you actually do NB>>> have anything that really is equivalent to our party houses.... Some NB>>> of the ones here only do the big parties, but there are some that NB>>> bill themselves as a party house and restaurant.... and would also NB>>> serve meals there to individual smaller groups like families or NB>>> couples or such, and have a party room or two off to the side.... :) BM>> I'm thinking what you have in New York as a Party House doesn't exist BM>> as such out here. Closest equivalent would be renting something the BM>> lodges at Duck Creek or Credit Island Parks, but as a pot luck or BM>> catered. There are of course banquet rooms, AFAIK generally part of a BM>> hotel, but that's different from your Party House. NB>> The banquet rooms are getting closer to what we have.... If you had NB>> something like that not part of a hotel (or a convention center), but NB>> with its own kitchen and staff, that's pretty much what I'm talking NB>> about... You might have something of the sort, but never run across NB>> it yet.... or maybe there's less need for that where you are... :) BM> Or I'm just less of a partyer! I'm pretty sure we have something BM> close to your "party house" out here. NB> I'm not much of a partyer, either... but have managed to notice NB> some of the places around here... :) Might be advertised for holiday functions. BM>>> I don't recall a predicted depth other than less than this year's but BM>>> still going to be flooding. NB>>> Less than is at least a hopeful start.... ;) But they'd better get NB>>> their coping with flooding plans well into place in the meantime... :) BM>> Definitely!! Just because it happened last year and probably not next BM>> year doesn't mean it won't happen again. Some time back (early BM>> 2000's?) there were two "100 Year Floods" back to back. People were BM>> complaining how they could be called a 100 Year Flood when occurred in BM>> much less than 100 years. They were taking the name literally; really BM>> meant on average only flooded like that once a century. So yes, even BM>> though the flooding is done with for now it will come back and they need BM>> to be prepared. NB>> Yup. Besides, a lot of things aren't really totally predictable, NB>> much as we could wish they were.... :) BM> Right: Mother Nature likes to give us those surprises every so often. NB> Feast or famine, drought or flood... never know for sure what NB> might be coming when... ;) Just try to be prepared. BM>> I've seen the moving down the road part and the preparation part: house BM>> ready to be dropped (bad word choice!) to the new basement but never BM>> the actual transfer: neighbour's house diagonally across the street BM>> from where I grew up was moved, I think from where a shopping center BM>> was created. Missed the move as had to go to school; no such thing or BM>> never thought of home video recording. NB>> Probably at least the latter... although also possible that it was NB>> before home videos were common at least, or even available yet.... BM> About a little over a decade before: "Sony released the first consumer BM> camcorder in 1983", Betamax format. The house I'm thinking of was BM> moved in probably the early 70's. NB> Ah, good guess on my part, then... :) You did do guessing about stuff I wasbn't certain about and I was there! NB> ... I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe place NB> somewhere. I've been half-looking for an older UPS. For some reason there has been a concern of if the power goes out for an extended time and the need for a battery-powered TV. "Have to get one that runs off batteries!" "Just use one we have with a 12v input and one of the spare UPS batteries...." So I need to get that little project together. Relatively simple but as I have had a cold this past week not all that interested in 'chilling' in the cold basement. Sort of 'geekin' it' by thinking of using that old UPS to charge the battery and use as a container -- the 120v output didn't work which is why I pulled it. Instructions indicates there's a fuse on the circuit board but I haven't found. Then I'm thinking may be just as easy to use a solar cell I have downstairs as the charging source - plug and unplug -- could charge another battery.... ¯ ® ¯ Barry_Martin_3@ ® ¯ @Q.COM ® ¯ ® .... Who sings "Love Me Tender" & makes Christmas toys? 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