Half Ringing

Got my left ear cleared out yesterday at the doctor's. What a big hunk of wax came out! Really quite gross when it comes down to it. He said there was nothing in the right ear, so he didn't touch it. If the ringing persists, he said, I'd have to go to the hearing clinic and get checked. Sure enough, once I was somewhere quiet enough, there's still ringing, now just in the right ear. It's kinda worse almost in a weird way cuz it's only in half of my head now. I think I'll get one of the do-it-yourself kits. He didn't mention a charge for doing this, but I got a call that I owed $20 for having it done. I went back today and paid. (I asked if I only had to pay $10 since he only did one ear, but that didn't fly.) My doctor charges for everything that MSI doesn't cover whereas a lot of the doctors in town don't. One of the insurance policies I got for the Oldest One required the doctor to fill out a form because of the meds he takes for his ADHD. You know what he charged them? $250! Just to fill out a stinkin' form. He gives hubby his flu shot for free where he's diabetic. Everyone else I know who lives in a household with someone who is diabetic all get free flu shots as well. Not our doctor! The kids and I cost $25 each, so I usually go to the VON office when they do it for $5/person. (Enough to cover the cost of the supplies.)

Enough griping about my doctor... (He is nice and good and all that. Just, y'know.) My camera batteries died or I would have a picture of finally finished step-FIL socks, started last year for Father's Day and only ever did one sock. He's away working, and I've been sick, so I finished the other one up last night. My dad is away, too. He was supposed to be home tomorrow, but a second boat came in, so he won't be home til the weekend, so I have more time. He's getting socks, too.

Not to be pictureless, here's one of the Oldest One at the school science fair on June 15. He made a home-made compass.

And here's the little ones of the household. Started off with two, then they found another one in the sandbox. Now they've multiplied to six, and I said no more til we get a bigger house for them. (There's a brook that runs kinda out back but outside of our hedges. The Oldest One found about fifty of them on the cement wall of the brook in the shade. I keep telling him he can't have them all...) We started off with Gary and Larry (thanks to Spongebob), then along came Barry. Now I can't really tell who's who, and we're out of names. (Apparently snails are both male and female, so we could use female names. Still takes two snails to reproduce. Ah, the wonderful info you can find on the net!)

We are finally taking the camper to the campground this weekend, probably Friday around suppertime or Saturday morning. The kids are happy. I won't be, chasing them here, there, and everywhere. The Oldest One can go around pretty much unattended, but I still think the Littlest One is too little, and I don't trust the little bugger. The sawmill where Heddy's hubby works is just down the road, so there are big trucks up and down by constantly, and I don't trust him for not wandering out to the road. Plus he's at the start-to-cross-the-street-then-look-for-cars-if-at-all stage.

The big truck is in the shop. The company has started 90-day inspections (normal for trucking companies, not normal that they didn't make them do it before). Basically what happens is they pay for the inspection, we foot the repairs. The clutch wasn't working, so they put a new clutch brake pad on it, but it still wasn't working. Night shift was going to check it out. Watch us need a new one -- big bucks! Hope it just needs adjusting. Also, they found one of the springs in the back totally broken in half, so that has to be replaced. They make springs there, but since this is a Pete it needs a Pete spring. So while we were there, there were these guys with a fancy diagnostic machine they're trying to get the garage to buy. They put her on it for free. I was in the other truck, working on Dad's sock, wondering what the heck the other truck was doing flopping and flouncing around like she was. They were doing this test on her. Since we got her she's had a shimmy in the wheel, and no one could figure out what it is. And she rocks back and forth a fair bit if it's bumpy. This machine pointed out that the center bearing(?) and the bushings(?) on the four springs and beat out. Not something you see just by looking at it. Apparently the bushings on the springs is an all-day job. The parts aren't too expensive, it's the labour. Tires come off, springs come off, bushings popped out, new ones put in, springs back on, tires back on. But in the end the repairs save money because the tires last longer, springs break if the bushings (?) are beat out, etc, etc. (I'm not sure I've got the terms exactly right -- bushings, bearings, whatever. It all sounds alike to me. I talk in terms of dollar amounts, not parts. They'll say, "It needs this, that, and the other thing." I say, "What's it cost?) Plus with this little slip of paper from this machine giving the truck the "green light" is like a get-out-of-jail-free card. This little paper is good for three months if he gets stopped at a DOT inspection. Show the paper that the truck passed this machine, pass on through, no inspection.

Anyhoo, I must get going. Camera batteries should be ready tomorrow. I lost one of my spare ones. Guess I'll need to get some more.

Happy knitting!

PS Guess who opened an Etsy shop!