4th ANNUAL BEAUREGARD WATERMELON FESTIVAL PART II

Hello again, Blogging Buddies!

As promised, I post today in order to complete the photographic journey of the 4th Annual Beauregard Watermelon Festival. Without further ado...

There was a covered (and air-conditioned!) pavilion where some vendors chose to set up and hawk their wares. This pavilion also contained a stage where there was apparently a diverse presentation of local and nearby musicians. Since our attendance was on Sunday, we missed out on the Zydeco and Country and found ourselves regaled with Gospel music during our stroll. Yep. These lovely ladies, surrounded by all things vaguely watermelon, were providing some good ol' Gospel music to the delight of the fairly good-sized crowd in attendance!

Every Festival should have a midway... albeit a small one. There were sufficient rides, however, to likely make the young'uns very happy and the older ones... well, after a sugar-filled evening of watermelon, snow cones, and cotton candy, I can't really imagine how some of the "upside-down" rides went over with the teens. *chuckle* I will state for the record, however, that I NEVER "lost it" on a carnival ride. Of course, I also must state that I knew to quit when I was ahead!!!

Remember that tree-felling picture way back when? Remember how I mentioned the amount of time I had to wait to get that shot? Well, that was nothing compared to the amount of time spent waiting for this one!! This young'un was absolutely bound and determined he was going to ride the mechanical bull!! The bull, on the other hand, while as lifeless as a concrete block wall, was apparently even more determined that the young lad was NOT going to make that 8-second ride to "victory." Each time I stood poised to get the shot, the young'un would roll right off of that bull's back!! Finally, I decided I would snap it just as the operator of the "ride" started it up. It was a good decision. The young'un was off of the bull's back about a half a second after I snapped this!

I have always loved a Merry-Go-Round. It has always been my favorite. Even as a teenager, I would make certain to make at least one trip at the annual Beauregard Parish Fair (you'll see some of that in October!). Heck, I've ridden a Merry-Go-Round as an adult! So, with my eye on the running rooster (who I could relate to as my favorite cartoon character, Foghorn Leghorn!), I tried to entice the spousal-unit to "go for a spin" with me. Alas... he encouraged me to carry on but declined to join me. Well... a Merry-Go-Round ride alone is no real Merry-Go-Round ride. So, I decided to hold out for the Fair in October. (If you are reading this, dear, there will be another opportunity!)

Finally, just in case you think I may have forgotten what this was all about... I would like to present to you the world-famous... well, state-famous... okay, Parish-famous Sugartown Watermelons!! They really are yummy and I wish I could send you each a piece to enjoy. :)

Until next post...

4th ANNUAL BEAUREGARD WATERMELON FESTIVAL

Heidy-ho, Blogging Buddies! Welcome back.

Some of you know the lengths to which I will go to provide you with Blog Candy. Some of you may not yet have a full appreciation of my dedication.

To that, I provide for you the photos taken this afternoon (Sunday, June 28th) between 3:00 p.m. CDT and 4:00 p.m. CDT in the 101 degree heat (!) to brighten your day and enlighten you about the product... watermelons. These are not just any old watermelons. These are Sugartown Watermelons. Now, Sugartown is a teeny little bump in the road with an estimated population between 340 and 440 souls. But the watermelons from there? Sweet sugary watermelony goodness. Honest. Without further ado, let's see how the 4th Annual Beauregard Watermelon Festival looked on Sunday afternoon!

I tried to purchase a T-Shirt 'cuz I just loved the logo... but they were out of my size. That's what I get for going late to a festival around here! The nice lady selling them did hold up the official poster for me so I would at least have a photo of it. Thank you!


One of the few remaining participants in the livestock show portion of the Festival was kind enough to pose for a photo. Uh... well... actually he posed for two but the first one was strictly of his... shall we say "shank" portion since he turned on me just as I was snapping the pic! :) He was VERY personable and VERY good-looking, though.

The Children's Booth was popular... even in the heat! I'm sure the Watermelon Eating Contest was fun to watch... but it had already taken place. There was enough face-painting and balloon-animal-making going on, however, to keep all the young'uns busy.

I had snapped a quick photo of the exterior of the DeRidder Fire Department's Fire Safety House when this young fella' popped his head out of the door and said "Cheese!!" I told him to get his "cheese" on outside to get in a picture. He complained it was hot out there!! I had to remind him he IS a firefighter!!! Hello?!?!?!?!? LOL!! He complied and let me get a good picture of him AND the Fire Safety House.

Okay. One more pic for today. I'll have to finish this up tomorrow. Had too much fun with the camera and I don't want to bog anyone down while they are online!! There were just SO many shots to take!

So, finally, in case you think watermelon was the only treat at the fair, I submit for your consideration the Roasted Sweet Corn entree' followed by the gourmet Frozen Chocolate-Dipped Cheesecake dessert!! It just doesn't get any better than this! :)

I promise a few more photos including one of those Sugartown Watermelons.

On another note entirely, we have had a wonderful rain shower here this afternoon (after we returned from the Festival). Rain gauges around here reported only 0.59 inch for the entire month of June so far. That's pretty bad stuff in southwest Louisiana. Of course, the local rag today included the "2009 Hurricane Tracking Guide" which included information on Food, Water, and Ice Distribution Sites. Kind of reminded me I had left the relative non-catastrophe zone of Central Texas (hailstorms aren't really catastrophes although they can cause considerable damage!) for an area that provides Distribution Site information. Well... with depressions in the Gulf, we'll definitely have a better chance for rain!! Right? Sure.

So, Blogging Pals... thanks, as always, for your attention. Until next post...

TRAINING SOLDIERS TO KEEP THEM ALIVE

Hello, Blogging Pals!

I have a few minutes to spare today and I have been wanting to bring you some information that I certainly was not aware of before. I'm betting many of you were just as uninformed. It's one of those things that doesn't get press... but it should.

While I don't remember this, my mother always told the story of my brother and I being warned "Don't talk to strangers!" Our entire yard was fenced with a dirt street out front. The soldiers at Fort Polk held "maneuvers" periodically that brought them into the towns and wooded areas surrounding Fort Polk. While WWII had ended (yep... I'm a "Boomer!") and I can't recall there being an immediate threat during 1955-1960, Fort Polk continued training Army personnel for what might occur. After all, Russia was a looming threat (does anyone else remember "duck and cover" under their first grade school desk?) and it's always best to be prepared. Ask any Boy Scout. Okay... I've gone off on another tangent. Back to the story.

So... on a particularly lovely day in southwest Louisiana, my mother stepped out of the house to check on my brother and I as we played in the front yard. She probably had noticed a large group of Army soldiers out on the dirt road walking past the house. As SHE recalls it (I was too little to remember so I'm going to have to go with her recollection on this one), I was animatedly chatting with a nice young soldier through the wire fence. She came out, acknowledged the young fella', scooped me up (I think I was about 4 years old?), and took me back into the house. She proceeded (as good parents do) to calmly remind me about NOT talking to strangers and about WHY one should NOT talk to strangers. She swears I looked at her with a very straight face and stated "But Momma... he wasn't a stranger! He told me his name!" Is it any wonder you should keep an eye on your kids? At any rate, this was my introduction to soldiering and to Fort Polk. I think it was also my mother's introduction to the fact I would never meet a stranger!

My parents were married in February of 1941... 10 months before Pearl Harbor. My father spent WWII doing interesting work in the DC area. My mother actually worked at the Pentagon... BEFORE it was finished. Yep. She said the best part was she would get to escort people OUT as they would be confused about how to depart and this got her away from her desk for a while. By the time I showed up, the war had been over about 7 or 8 years and peacetime reigned. My dad was not a "lifer" in the service and they had returned to Louisiana to work and raise a family. My brother was of an age to be drafted for VietNam but (fortunately!) had a congenital heart condition that garnered him a 4F rating. I tell you all of this so you will know I have NO military background information and the entire military complex is very mysterious to me.

While seeking employment here in southwest Louisiana, I had a high school pal introduce me to a gentleman who is a government employee at Fort Polk. There are a number of contractors there and they have positions frequently I think I might fill nicely... but getting that "foot in the door" can be tricky. The gentleman I met, Tom, was a VERY interesting individual with a very interesting history. His current job at Fort Polk is even fascinating as he is involved in the "science" part of things. I'll tell you about him some other time as I am already running long.

So... during my "tour" of Fort Polk, a number of things really struck me and my understanding of the reality of war and preparations for war was greatly challenged. Without any exposure to this sort of thing, I'm afraid we frequently just go through our daily lives without a real understanding and/or appreciation for what is taking place outside of our very tiny world. That is why I am compelled to let you all in on the very little bit I saw.

Fort Polk has a very long history and you can read about that, if you're interested. My new friend, Tom, told me it currently consists of about 300,000 acres and they are working to acquire an additional 100,000 acres. I remember driving through it with my parents when I was little and it was just a lot of pine trees, hills, and two-story white barracks... LOTS of them! That has changed. There is a massive amount of construction occurring there even now. But what really caught my attention was the "scenario training" (I don't know what they really call it) that takes place there.

Tom drove me through a couple of "villages" that are set up in the piney woods. There are apparently a number of these set up throughout the vast acreage. The audio/video setup in each of these areas is amazing. We also visited a "city" that was originally designed as a European city but has been somewhat "updated" to resemble more of a Middle Eastern city with a covered marketplace, multiple buildings and streets, and people. Same audio/video setup. There are even tunnel systems set up to challenge the trainees! Whenever a group of soldiers is brought in to experience what might occur when entering an Iraqi (or Afghanistan) village or city, the entire exercise can be captured on film. The entire scenario can be run then revisited for the training purposes. Here is where things were done right. Here is what you missed. Here is why this soldier "died" during the exchange. Here is how you might have done things differently.

Apparently, the soldiers (not just Army but some others as well) are flown into Alexandria, La., where they are boarded on buses and driven straight to the "middle of nowhere!" in the woods to barracks without windows where they will remain until their training rotation ends. They do not see the Fort, the people, or any area other than where they are to train. It is nearly the same as they will experience when they are really flown into Iraq or Afghanistan or wherever they are deployed. Okay... there aren't many pine trees in the Middle East... but that's the only REAL difference! *chuckle*

The people. This is what I really want you to understand. It isn't just a bunch of guys in camo playing soldier with invisible enemies. There are hundreds of civilians from the surrounding towns (Leesville, Pitkin, Rosepine, DeRidder, etc.) who are employed to portray the people of the country the scenario is about. Fort Polk has an entire "barnyard" kept full of animals to be used in the villages... goats... donkeys... chickens... whatever a soldier might see when deployed is what that soldier will see at Fort Polk. The civilians are all dressed in appropriate attire... burkas... headdresses... whatever that soldier might see when deployed. This is nearly a Hollywood-level production in the Army's attempt to make the scenarios as realistic as possible for those brave young men and women who are willing to die for our freedom. Do we owe them any less? HELL NO!!!!

I apologize that I cannot write eloquently enough to allow you to fully realize the scale of this training and the VALUE it holds for these young'uns. I wish I could help you understand not only what I saw but how seriously every single individual involved in this, from trainers to role-players, takes his or her mission... keeping our soldiers alive. About all I can really offer up is a huge God Bless Them All and Keep Them Safe to return to us. Next time you see a service person, just thank them. If you haven't been there/done that, you don't have a clue. I know I still don't... but I realize a little more now... and I'm grateful for that.

Until next time... your newly-educated Blogging Pal...

JOBLESS IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

Hey there, Blogging Pals! Welcome back.

Sorry for the delay in posting. Not a lack of caring on my part as you know I love you all! :) Just so many things to be done and so little time in which to do them. You know the story. It's yours, too.

So... let's talk about job-hunting in Southwest Louisiana. Not that any or many of you will need to do this anytime soon... but thought I would share what I am finding.

Most of you know I have a BBA in Marketing and an MBA in Business Management. Few of you know that I have nearly a decade of running State Farm Insurance agents' offices, nine years of combined Customer Service and IT Deployment with AT&T Wireless (before it was Cingular then AT&T again!), and five years of selling Real Estate as an Independent Contractor. All of this was in Austin, Texas. There were some other things of interest in between all of that but those are the "big ticket" experience items.

Thus... I scan the local paper and a couple of job sites on the web every day. There have not been a plethora of opportunities asking for an MBA, I have to tell you. Just for some examples, the local rag has opportunities such as:
1) Bodyguard and Apprentices
2) Avon Representatives
3) Child Care Workers
4) Clerical Position
5) Director, Health Information Management (I'd apply but don't have an RHIA, RHIT, or CCS)
6) Elementary School Principal (don't have a teaching certificate)
7) Financial Manager
8) and a whole lot of nursing/home health care positions.
These are not the only ones. There are others. I either do not have the certifications or the jobs are entry-level. I did apply for the Executive Director of BeauCARE and hope to make it to the initial interview stage beginning in July. I'll let you know! :)

So... I have explored other sources including JobsInLouisiana.com and Indeed.com. Both provide some postings that might be of interest and I have submitted resumes for a few. No responses or the "resume-reading" software apparently doesn't like my choice of words. *chuckle* I've got some words for resume-reading software, folks!! That's a whole 'nother post.

One of my Louisiana pals did introduce me to a gentleman who works out at Fort Polk. He took me on a tour of the place (which I had not visited in over 35 years!) and it was a real eye-opener. That is material for another post and I promise you it will be relatively soon. Anyway... he is a government employee but knows some of the contractors out there (Raytheon, Cubic, Northrop Grumman, etc.). He took a few resumes and told me he would hand them over to some of the contractor managers he knows. True to his word, he clearly did! I received a call from a very nice lady who was "impressed" (her word, not mine) with my education and experience and was really HOPING I had some Finance in my background. Nope. Sorry. Really don't. She had received an excellent promotion to Florida with Raytheon but was unable to take it until she backfills her existing position at Fort Polk. I laughed and told her we have the same problem from opposite sides of the fence!! She needs someone who is going to be hard to find and I need a job that is going to be hard to find!! We laughed and wished each other luck and success.

So... I remain unemployed for now. That has certainly been a good thing for my front landscaping... but somewhat detrimental to my checkbook. Sigh.

If anyone out there has any insight for me regarding my job search here, please email me!! I am willing to look at just about anything that pays more than minimum wage!! :)

Thanks to you all for still reading! Take care... and until next time...

YAHOOS AT YAHOO

Hello, Blogging Pals!

This will not be a funny post. If that's what you are looking for, I suggest you bail now and find one elsewhere. This is a rant about Yahoo!

So... as time goes on, I have come to expect less and less from "customer service" departments. My expectations have not only been met, they have frequently been exceeded. This little debacle really takes the cake and I am writing about it to inform any of you who do business with Yahoo! about their complete lack of concern for you or your account which is replaced with a HUGE concern about making money from you.

Long story as short as I can make it:

As a Realtor in Austin, I had an individual put together a web site for me which included obtaining five domain names I could use to direct traffic to that site. He purchased the five domain names for me in late 2004, billed me for his work including the domain name charges, and everything was good to go. I did not ask anything about the domain names or the account he had used to purchase them as I was led to believe he would be handling that for me.

In early 2007, I was making some changes and checked on the domain names. None of them led to my web site. Further investigation revealed the domain name registration had expired in late 2006 as they were 2-year registrations. I contacted Yahoo! customer service in an attempt to get these domain names back. They would not even TALK to me since the account was not in my name and I could not verify the credit card number used to purchase the domain names in 2004. DUH!!! I explained verbally and in writing (email) what had taken place, etc. No help. I finally tracked down the individual who I THOUGHT was going to take care of this to find he had left town, apparently let everything go, and seemed surprised to hear from me. He (allegedly) attempted to renew the registrations through his account with Yahoo! but Yahoo! (allegedly) would not accept his credit card. He emailed me with his username and password, suggesting that I go into his account and enter my credit card information in order to get the domain names renewed. This is where I clearly made my error.

I entered his account, renewed each of the five domain names using my business credit card, then attempted to delete the credit card information from the account. The Yahoo! system would not allow deletion of that information. I requested that the individual whose account it was attempt to delete it. He was (allegedly) unable to do so. Since I was led to believe it was a 2-year renewal, I wasn't too worried about it. I asked him to notify me when the next renewal came up and would place it on my calendar for April of 2009. Easy enough.

Things changed, as you all know, and my real estate career pretty much ground to a halt in September of 2008. During the move to Louisiana, I received a credit card bill with (you guessed it) five charges for $34.95 each for the five domain names. I don't think so!!! I immediately disputed the charges via the credit card company. They were removed and the games began.

I received a letter from my credit card company this past week advising that Yahoo! was disputing my dispute and asking if I wished to continue my dispute or recognize the charges as valid. There was an amusing letter of length from the Yahoo! folks to the credit card company pointing out all of the things that made their "automatic renewal charges" to my credit card valid. I sat right down and put together my OWN letter of length pointing out all of the reasons their reasons were NOT valid. One specific point of contention between Yahoo! and me is their statement that I should have contacted them first, before disputing through my credit card company. *chuckle* I did have to laugh at that one.

One thing I have learned after many years is to keep any/all documentation that MIGHT come in handy in the future. Fortunately, I had retained ALL of the correspondence between the actual Yahoo! accountholder and myself as well as the correspondence between the Yahoo! "customer service" representative and myself. Yup. Enclosed copies of all that fun along with my letter of length.

So... my letter was received by the credit card company on June 12th. I'm not certain what the next steps are other than their probably sending copies of MY stuff to Yahoo! for Yahoo! to review and plot to further try to collect the monies. It's pretty interesting, really. This is a firm that refused to talk to me at all... but apparently they have no compunction about taking my money even though the credit card name (mine) and address (mine) did NOT match the accountholder information they still have!!! Hmmmmmmmmmm. At any rate... I will await the next barrage. The response I receive will indicate whether or not Yahoo! is a business with ethics or whether Yahoo! is simply out to make a buck. I will keep you all posted.

Oh... and I can't put the exclamation point behind Yahoo! in the title as that character is apparently not allowed in the blog title. My apologies to Yahoo! for my inability to appropriately depict the firm. Uh-huh.

The worst part of this is how upset this situation has made my cats. It wasn't enough that they had to endure a 6-hour ride between states. Now there's this. Sigh. I hope they can manage to get over it all.

Until next time...

FREE AND ENTERTAINING!!!

Howdy, Blogging Buddies! Welcome back!

Alright. There was a list of things I mentioned I would be posting about but I have to tell you about the free and entertaining evening I spent this past Saturday.

There is a place of business here called Dance Stop Dance Centre. It occupies the old City Savings Bank building which is a big ol' red brick 2-story structure on the corner of Washington Avenue and West 1st Street. I honestly don't know how long Dance Stop has been there (and their web site is apparently under construction so there is no help forthcoming from cyberspace!) but trust me when I say it's been a while.

So, one of my high school-era pals has a teenaged daughter participating in dance at Dance Stop. She indicated an upcoming recital and invited those of us who were interested to attend. Well... of COURSE I would attend! I can't remember the last time I attended a dance recital... if ever... not even one of my own. Another high school bud invited me to ride along with her so at 5:35 p.m. sharp on Saturday, I entered her vehicle and off we went... for the 5-minute drive to the high school where the recital was taking place in the auditorium. No... the recital did not begin at 5:40 p.m. It actually was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Here is the deal on that.

Apparently, due to the overwhelming popularity of these things, seat-saving is a sport that is only valid until 5:45 p.m. After that, individuals caught attempting to save seats will be subjected to a 24-hour clogging session (one of the dance types taught). I'll tell you that even the "emcee" of the evening popped up and called any remaining open seats as "fair game" for anyone who was still seeking a seat. This is serious business, folks. This is clearly a democratic business that is only willing to provide preferential treatment for so long!! :)

Okay. So we sat around in those amazingly comfortable auditorium chairs (I may have discovered what to blame for the back issues I have encountered in my old age!) and chatted for a bit until the "emcee" returned to provide us with some additional information regarding the performance, etc. I was on pins and needles!! (Now that I think about it, that may be related to the circulation being cut off to my legs while in that amazingly comfortable auditorium chair.)

Before I provide specifics, let me just tell you there are four clogging groups at Dance Stop. They are the Dixie Darlin's, the Bayou Babes, the Kajun Kuties (I think I misspelled that right), and one more incredibly cutesy alliterative name that I can't remember. (I gave my program to my aunt who enjoyed reading through it and I did not remember to retrieve it. Sorry.) Anyway... the Dixie Darlin's and the Bayou Babes are the more advanced groups. Both have earned national recognition so we're not talkin' small potatoes here, folks.

Alright. You all know I was really waiting for those little tykes to show up. You know there will be something amusing when teeny little dancers in adorable costuming arrive onstage to perform. I was not disappointed. Oh my gosh! There were several little groups of teeny ones to amuse me throughout the evening. The following is only a miniscule desciption of events that took place during these teeny ones' performances.

"Lady Liberty" (a grown woman in Statue of Liberty garb) was on hand to make any adjustments or corrections necessary for the wee ones in the event (and there were a few events) someone didn't quite "hit the mark" onstage. She came out a few times to point out the correct spot for a given wee one to stand for the performance. The look on each tyke's face when "Lady Liberty" strode onstage was priceless. "Is it me?" "Who isn't where they should be?" "I am so embarrassed." You could hear the thoughts pouring from the meticulously groomed little heads!! But those who had erred were quick to be corrected and "get on with the show!"

One of my particular favorites was the little one who arrived with her group of about 7 or 8 dancers (and I use that term loosely in this age group). They couldn't have been more than about 4 years old. They were all outfitted in incredible sparkly costumes that were appropriate to the number they were to perform. Heck... it was fun just watching them come onstage! They rolled out, one at a time, skipping to the "mark" they were supposed to hit, then placed their hands on their knees and bounced their bottoms up and down (somewhat in time to the music) until the entire group was out. The music would then stop briefly and restart for the number to be performed. Anyway... this one particular little dancer was concerned that her group do well, apparently. She was alternately counting and describing the action to be taken. ("One, two, three, four, slap, slap.") This was amusing enough... but as she realized the music was loud, it obviously dawned on her that she would have to SHOUT to be heard by her fellow dancers!! Well, she got louder and louder... and louder... until she could be heard in the back row of this 1000-amazingly-comfortable-auditorium-chair-seat audience!! The second half of the number was totally lost on me as I doubled over, tears running down my cheeks, with laughter. It was worth the price of admission, I tell ya'!!

Okay. The entire recital went well. The numbers followed each other with military-drill precision (although it still took nearly two hours to get through them all!). There were no injuries or faux-pas that were obvious to the audience. My sincere kudos to the folks who made the costumes. There were a LOT of costumes (think about approximately 300 dancers all performing in at least ONE number and many performing in as many as 6 or 7 numbers!) and those who participated in making those costumes deserve much more than a simple line on the playbill. All-in-all, it was an entertaining evening with a couple of pals and enough humor to get me through!!

Oh... and my friend's daughter? She did a fabulous job in every number in which she participated. As I watched her perform, I realized she was truly enjoying herself up there and that was great to see. There were several who appeared to be there only because someone probably pushed them to do it (Mom? Dad? Stage Parents are not good!) but she appeared to be having the time of her life. That was indeed good to see and I congratulate her for a job well done.

Until the next post...

$32,652.54...

Welcome to DeRidder, blogging pals. Try not to flush unless absolutely critically necessary.

As most of you know, Louisiana is graced with a plethora of water! Oh yes. The entire Gulf of Mexico is to the south. The Sabine River (and Toledo Bend Lake/Recreational Area) is on the west. The Mississippi River is to the east. The number of lakes, creeks, bayous, swamps, and other liquid items probably comprise a good percentage of the entire mass of Louisiana.

You can imagine my surprise, then, at how expensive water is around here. I know we may have used a bit as we moved in but the bill I received today for the period 05/01-05/14/2009 was pretty astounding. A selected excerpt for you all to review:



Okay... perhaps I underestimated the town's need for money? How could this be?!?!?!?!? Now that you have had the time to absorb this (and it took me a few minutes, for certain!), I will tell you the follow-up and outcome.

I called the Water Department. A VERY nice young lady answered the phone. Those of you who know me well can hear the tone I had in my voice when I said, "I need to chat with someone about my $32,000 water bill." She just started laughing and asked, "What is the account number?" I provided same and we both had a great time discussing WHY my two-week water bill was quite so "off-the-chart." I told her we could limit our flushes if that would help. She told me they billed in advance... for twenty years worth of water. We continued our bantering with each exchange getting wilder and wilder. The final result: She is sending someone out to re-read the meter (DUH!) and I can call on Monday to get the "correct" amount I owe. Yup. A little bit of fun, a painless phone call, and the issue was resolved. Oh... and she did tell me they TRY to catch these before they go out (obviously I am not alone in my multi-thousand dollar sticker shock!) but they don't always manage to do so. She also mentioned the lady who called in and told her that the Water Department "might as well come and take my house" since she clearly did not have the funds to cover her multi-thousand dollar billing. *Chuckle*

Does this let the Water Department off the hook for the weird encounter I had when trying to establish service? No. What it does mean is that I have great blog fodder for today. I even told my very helpful Water Department lady that I would be blogging about it. She found that amusing! Gotta' love it.

So... I will visit those other things I mentioned at the end of the last post... but not as long as these wonderful blog-worthy events continue to occur!

Until next post...