Saturday afternoon

 I had a nice nap with Cleo and Biscuit.  When I got up I double checked my schedule and it's OK.  

I do get off at 3 pm on Monday.  Have you seen the forecast for Monday afternoon?  

For now it shows temps in the upper 30's, with a 20 mph wind..  If it stays dry I can do that.  Will it stay dry?  

We will see.  I need to talk to Ace as well.  

I am moderately depressed, this morning took a lot out of me.  My power banks are charged if we lose power, I have my battery operated lamps at strategic areas.  I can't do much for heat, I don't have a fireplace.  

Did I ever tell the fireplace story?  In California we were lucky to get 4 walls and indoor plumbing, forget about any amenities.  

Things were much better when we came to Houston.  My first apartment complex was huge, with sparkling swimming pools, immaculate landscaping, on site convenience store even.  It was conveniently located near a grocery store and public transit.  Traffic was always bad, though.  

The second one was more of a dump.  It had a fetid swimming pool you couldn't pay me to enter, surrounded by a metal fence that made me feel like an inmate, pretty run down.  But it did have a fireplace.  Ron and I enjoyed sitting in front of the fire on cold nights.  

The last place we rented, a duplex, was the largest place I'd ever lived.  It was about 1,100 square feet, huge walk in closet, 2 bedrooms (Ron took the smaller one), high ceilings, etc.  It also had a fireplace and was in another terrible neighborhood.  We were renting that for $500 a month back in 2003.  

For reference, a 400 square foot, one bedroom apartment with serious mold issues (the landlord knew but didn't care), next to a crack house, in CA, cost us $1,100 a month when we moved out in 2000.  Pretty obvious choice, huh?  

And the jobs paid the same.  Better weather, too, in Houston.  Easy choice for me!  

So one night in late 2001 Ron and I are sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace.  He is tending the fire.  He liked very high flames and added another log to the fire.  

(My firefighter nephew took out the fireplace when he bought his home, which ought to tell you something)

The flames leapt up and we shrank back from the heat, then relaxed into the couch.  And then.  It came.  Out of the flames like some sort of horrible phoenix.  I jumped and screamed.  

Ron, being blind, had no idea.  "What?   What?!"  I screamed and jumped up off the couch.  Ron's shouting "What is it?" all set to kick ass, then his survival instinct kicks in and he flees to the bathroom, shuts the door and locks it.  I am screaming and running around the living room pursued by this hideous hell bug, a hellacious flying insect that literally flew through flames to harass me.  

It was a giant flying roach.  I killed it eventually but all the poisons were locked up in the bathroom with Ron.  I had to use a shoe which led to Ron's catch phrase "GET THE SHOE!" whenever we had a pest issues after that.  

We didn't use the fireplace after that and told our agent we did not one when searching for a home.