OT: Difficult Times

Ok, He probably wouldn't say anything for some time, and even then he would probably just let the occasional detail out, but Scott (aka Muadib) has had a hard couple of weeks.

Two or three weeks ago Scott had his gall bladder out. That went well enough. He is recovered from that. Fortunately. He needed to be well for what he's gone through this week!

Two days ago his daughter wrecks his secondary transportation. She is fine. A bit sore, but fine. The van is somewhat less than fine. It still runs and drives, but it is a total loss.

The weather has turned here in the DFW area. It has been snowing and sleeting for a day now, and more or less below freezing for more than a full day and that is expected to continue a while longer. Two days ago someone ran over his gas meter. A neighbor calls the police, the police come out and call the fire department, the fire department calls the utility company, and they remove the gas meter. No gas meter, no gas. No gas, no furnace, no hot water, no stove for cooking. Yesterday Scott works all day to dig down, survey the damage, buy parts and tools (I help a bit), and reassemble. It leaks. Today he fixes all leaks and finally gets a green tag from the city building inspection department (and was commended on the quality of his work!:~), finally works his way through to the utility company (he said he was on hold for 45 minutes) and they say they will be out sometime today (it was 6:30 in the evening last time I called him and they still hadn't shown up, but there are still several more hours left in 'today'.) So he sits down to his computer to give ramva a read. Only his router isn't working...

Seems the plug the computer is plugged into is the only one working in that room! Took him almost three hours to track down and fix a minor electrical problem (bad connection at a different plug in the next room!:~) I said it is almost comical. Scott allowed as how that is true, in a hysterical kind of way...

Last night they all came over to use our facilities since they had no hot water. I wish we could have done more.

At least the sleet seems to have stopped. At the moment.

I hate uncivilized weather. Anything under 50 degrees is uncivilized.

-- John Willis snipped-for-privacy@airmail.net (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis
Loading thread data ...

Well, that all sucks. It sounds like everything, except the van, will be okay once the weather warms up. I hope he didn't hurt himself fixing the gas meter. Even with laproscopic procedures, you need to take it easy long enough to heal.

We had a similar series of events (flu/cold all around, backed up plumbing, screwed up Dodge) but I got it sorted out just before it got cold outside.

I've never had to fiddle with the gas pipes or meter - shouldn't the utility company have done that?

Anyhow, wish him good luck! Thanks for being a good friend to him.

/likes uncivilized weather. Except when I want to work outside. :)

Reply to
Michael Cecil

........I just took the garbage out to the curb in just some cutoffs and a T shirt while it was 15 deg with a 20 mph breeze. Us Yankees know how to live the good life........YeeeeeeeHaaawwwww

.........Tell Scott that he's a better man than me though. I didn't feel like doing anything for about 3 or 4 days after I had my gallbladder removed. Also, tell him that it was kidney stones that attacked me the next year after the gallbladder episode just in case he's wondering what's next................lol

Reply to
Tim Rogers

On Wed, 07 Dec 2005 21:15:44 -0600, Michael Cecil scribbled this interesting note:

Everything on your side of the meter belongs to you, not the utility company.

-- John Willis snipped-for-privacy@airmail.net (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis

Last year the city broke the gas line that runs down the street and when the gas company went and tested all house's and found that I had a leak. They cut my gas off and then I found that I had nt turned all of the valves off in the house but I could not get them to do another leak test. They told me that I had to have a plumber check everything over and tell the city that all was ok before they would retest and turn my gas back on. I am disabled and my only income is from S.S. so I don't have all that much money left over after bills and food so it was over a month before I culd get it all done. I almost froze my rear end off since the only heat that I had was an old milkhouse heater. It also cost me 450.00 to have the plumber come in and he changed 3 valves and did his test. He was only here for abut 2 1/2 hours and said that he had to pay the city 200.00 to do the pressure test. I feel that I was ripped off by the city since they were the ones that broke the gas line to start with and I could not get eather the city or gas company to help me in any way. I also live in Tx and it was last year just as it started to get cold. As far as I care it is too cold when it goes under 60 deg. I lived up north for many years and nothing would ever get me to go back up there.

Reply to
Packrat46

You're right, I'd likely say nopthing except bits here and there to a whiner.....LOL. This last few weeks have been the pits, but this too shall pass.

The surgery was absolutely the best (considering the issue) they said my gall bladder was almost dead. almost had to go the 6-8 inch incision. But I must say, I was blessed with a more the ept surgeon. He came highly recommended by everyone that worked at the hospital. Recouperating nicely and feeling like gold.

John is only leaving out one detail that makes things more complex. I ( as some are familiar I think) work at several dealers in our area and my new boss was riding with me for the day as the wreck and aftermath unfolded. I was surprised at his coolness with me having tom spend so much time on the cell phone with my daughter. He may turn out to be a good manager...never know I guess.

this sin't so bad either except no one claimed responsibility for the damage. Even the police eport has no direction as to who did it. although this morning, I went out and could see between the houses across the alley and there's a white over silver S-10 blazer type vehicle with the right front bumper and fender pushed up. This would explain why paint transfer was not evident.silver paint, on the meter and pipes...go figure. I am debating calling the police and having them investigate further. Might not be worth it. I am only out about

116 dollars including the 50 dollar repair permit). New boss is paying me for time off to repair.( like i said, new boss may be OK after all)

The Gas company finally showed up at around 8:15pm. just as it really started to sleet good...The poor guy was aready so cold his hands were cramping up so bad he couldn't get gaskets on the pipe-to-meter connection (compression fitting) so I had to put the gaskets on for him. Got the water heater up and had hot water for bedtime showers!........YAY!!!!

I have been here before and suspect I'll have to endure another traumatic week/month/ hell, maybe even a year I guess. The good lord will only give you troubles you can handle. I am learning all the time how much more I can do, as long as I have good friends and family to work with.

I am not real good with the "uncivilized weather myself either. But I got by with those little ceramic heaters and some patience.

I must give a big thanks to John, and his father ( for helping me with some tools and even a spare heater) John would likely have come over and done the whole fix If I had begged him to ( or maybe even for askin nicely), but I gues he helped out more from being there for me to unload my issues from my brain and organize them enough to complete all the tasks at hand. Some of it ( the electrical stuff ) I can generally handle pretty well. I haven't much experience with the plumbing stuff though, and John and his Dad are more like family to me than my own, and seem to know how to help me do a lot without actually doing things for me. The indication of more friend than most people know in a lifetime. not enough thanks for them.......not nearly enough.

I hope all of us have a friend in their life ( or a spare family of 'em ) as the Willis's have been to me.

enough huggin now, and y'all get back to VW's.

Thanks John. I'll thank your Dad this weekend when I return the tools.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

formatting link
If A Quiz is Quizzical, What is a test?

The Peacemaking Meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

Reply to
MUADIB

Tim, taking out the garbage is nothing, even at the temp mentioned. It's waiting for the garbage man to get there ........LOL

Hey, I survived. Could be worse I suppose.

"I cried because I had no shoes, til I met a man who had no feet."

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

formatting link
If A Quiz is Quizzical, What is a test?

The Peacemaking Meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

Reply to
MUADIB

Glad it went ok and see you back here, Scott. Remco

Reply to
Remco

Where in Dallas do you guys live?I grew up there and went to Lake Highlands High School but now live in Houston. Are there a lot of VW related activities there now?

I too have had a pretty rough past two years but as you say the Lord only gives you what you can handle. Things are starting to improve and I might even feel like getting my Chopped 6 back on the road soon.

Glad you are doing better!

Merry Christmas too!

Mike West/chopped 66 Bug

Reply to
Mike West

John Willis & I live in Garland. If you remember Dallas very well, you'll remember where that is. There is actually a pretty good Bug meet out in Ennis at the texas motorplex ( drag strip) and another General swap meet or two out in Arlington during the summer months. Nowadays, there seems to be a leaning toward Garland for the Bug Swarm. It's been out here for a couple of years now. Basically at NW highway and LBJ. Beside a VW dealer and in the parking lot of a theatre.

Improvement is good. I hope things work out for you to get that project rolling. My personal "project car" has been relatively slow going. I've heard that anything worth having is worth waiting for.....LOL... Mine's been a project without much progress for a span of almost 6 years now,.......or is that almost seven.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

formatting link
If A Quiz is Quizzical, What is a test?

The Peacemaking Meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

Reply to
MUADIB

I remember Garland well. I dated a girl from Garland high school for a while,even married her...for a while,but that is another story. I am now on my 8th bug since then and finally the one I always wanted CHOPPED 4 inches"

66 with a 1776 and single weber carb, Rancho performance tranny, 1200 watt stereo a lot of fun to drive but it has been laid up now for almost a year.

Funny how I drove my first bug all over Dallas county and then some, now I am afraid to drive my chopped car to Dallas or anywhere else very far. Go Figure!

Mike

Reply to
Mike West

On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 23:28:37 -0600, "Mike West" scribbled this interesting note:

Anyone with any kind of sense is afraid to drive in the Dallas area. It used to be bad. Now it is worse...

-- John Willis snipped-for-privacy@airmail.net (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis

Yeah,.......Dallas is as bad as LA when we were there 7yrs ago.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

formatting link
If A Quiz is Quizzical, What is a test?

The Peacemaking Meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

Reply to
MUADIB

But does LA occasionally have snow or ice? We never had either when I lived north of LA in San Jose. The problem with bad drivers here really becomes obvious when you through drivers who think that gunning the accelerator or that their anti-lock braking will make them safe on snow and ice.

Reply to
Michael Cecil

We too have had some difficult times... for the last 3.5 months. Recovering from a hurricane that wiped out 70 miles of MS coastline. Something like 65,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Looks like a nuke went off in some areas.

Reply to
dragenwagen

Yeah, sorry to hear about how bad it was for you. That really sucks alright.

Ever since I first visited New Orleans 20 years ago and learned about how it was situated I watched hurricanes heading that way with a felling of dread. I wonder if it will ever be the same? Not much incentive for lots of folks to return. Maybe in addition to redoing the dikes and seawall, putting houses up on stilts or something like Venice would be better.

Reply to
Michael Cecil

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.