Horse Manure Park

Ugh. 'Twas a windy, wet, cold October day.  It rather reflects my mood right now. No, it has nothing to do with the Vikings getting shellacked by the Packers last night.  I was expecting that.  I was prepared, and being prepared is a good thing. That leads me to my news of the day. Over the last couple of winters, we've had a few problems with our furnace.  It has had several parts replaced, including last winter.  In fact, it was one of those brutal -35°F nights last December when our furnace simply stopped working. Luckily, a technician came out in the middle of the night and fixed it.  All seemed to work fine during the remainder of last year's painful winter. Then a couple weeks ago, after running for a day or two when it was chilly outside, the furnace went kaput again. This time we weren't so lucky. Two days, two technicians and five hours of diagnostics/processes of elimination/new parts later, including checking the vents ...

If you have a child with a relentless cough, rub Vicks VapoRub on the soles of their feet, then cover them with a pair of socks. It really works .   I don't know why it works, and perhaps the better question is why anyone even think to try it?  But it works. Anyway, more about that later. It would appear it is time for what seems to be my monthly installment here at "The Park."  Don't get me wrong, I write frequently, but that's all done over at my other site, The Lone Pylon . And if you aren't interested in football, that ain't for you. I should at least write something  weekly , like an Andy Rooney piece.  Except I'm not Andy Rooney.   Heck, I'm not even Mickey Rooney.   I'm much taller.  And I'm not dead yet. ~ Since last time I joined you, school has started and the Boy and the Girl have entered yet another new chapter in their lives.   The Girl is now in third grade and the Boy has sta...