Bill's No Fail Sleep Solutions... Lincoln, Golf, Idaho & Moses

     Remember those days as a kid when you HATED going to bed? Who would've dreamed, pardon the pun, that when we got older going to bed would be a highlight of the day! But going to sleep or staying asleep just isn't as easy as used to be... is it?

     I have what I think are a few fail safe mind games you can try to either fall asleep or go back to sleep. The key is thinking of something besides the events of the past day or the events you're expecting for the coming day or days. I'm not sure if it's a proven fact, but I firmly believe that it's impossible to think of two things at the same time. So try one of the following if you're a tosser and a turner....

Be a News Person: I am a former news guy. So, this game isn't a stretch. I got the idea after watching the movie "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day Lewis. I loved that movie. That night while trying to go to sleep, I thought "wouldn't it be fun to interview a 19th century leader as a regular 21st century man."
     I asked all the obligatory question in my horizontal prelude. Teresa had no idea what I was doing because she's a sound--SOUND sleeper. Meantime, I bundled around multiple pillows, tried not to roll to the middle of our bed that dips like The Big Valley and stay still.
     That night, I asked #16 all kinds of fun stuff. I specifically remember asking him, "What's your favorite snack." Of course, he didn't answer (that'd be a little weird.)  I also remember asking him, "What's your vice.... What's your unnecessary worry... What time do you get up in the morning... What's your favorite supper?"
     This pretend interview worked, but it didn't. It worked because eventually I fell asleep. It didn't because he was a great interview.

Tee It Up!:  This is my go to game.. for a few reasons. First, I love to play golf. I like to watch golf. I enjoy reading about golf. and because of all the above I've created multiple variations of Tee It Up!.
     This bedtime diversion works best if I've played earlier that day. It works even better if I've played well that day. For example, the day I shot three under par I fell asleep a lot faster than the day(s) I shot five-to-seven(ish) over par.
      Here's how it works. Fluff up your pillows and don't bother the sound, sleep noises making loved one who's perfectly happy next to you. Then, begin re-playing your round.
      For example, I'll silently say in my mind, "Okay, my #1 tee shot went right... My second shot returned to the fairway... I'm 120 out.. I wanna be in front or on the green, but I don't wanna be in that sand... I hit my wedge front center... chipped up.... dropped the putt... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."
     Usually, I don't get past the first or second hole when I play Tee It Up. Then if I awake in the night, I pick up where I left off. In the above scenario, I picked up on the #2 tee box and continued my game and Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Idaho: This is my most intellectual game. I bet if you try it... you'll screw it up when you get to the letter "I."
     In this game, climb in bed & close your eyes. Then, begin putting all the states in alphabetical order. Sounds easy, right? Humpf! Idaho always trips me up.
     And here's the rub, once you realize you missed a state, you have to start from the beginning. Sounds easy, right? Just wait till you get the "Ms" and the "Ns." And, where does Washington, DC go?

Moses: This sleep game began when I was reading the Old Testament... great stuff. I got in bed one night & my mind was twirling. I got to thinking about scripture from my day's reading. I was reading Job at the time.
     I silently asked myself, "Who'd play Job if Hollywood made a movie?" I really don't remember who Tinsel Town cast in the role, but I'm sure they were very patient in their selection. Ultimately, this turned out to be a fun challenge.
     Beware though... I found that many times my thoughts returned to whatever movie I had last seen.  One night, we'd recently watched 10-Ways to Lose a Man with Matthew McConaughy and Kate Hudson. I was reading the New Testament at this time. So, it turns out, all the principals looked like those two.

     We all have a lot going on in our lives. If you can turn it all off at bedtime, I envy you. But if you're anything like me, try one of these games or create your own. No matter how many bills you have, no matter what worries you at work, no matter what makes you sad.... your mind, as complex as it is, simply cannot think about two things at the same time.

Bill Robertson, No Charge.



   

Mr. Brady Was Right! Caveat Emptor!

     My older sister, Laura, and I were huge fans of The Brady Bunch when growing up. We didn't miss an episode.
     I'll never forget the episode when Greg was old enough to take his driver's test. He passed and immediately wanted to buy a car. He found one and paid a whopping $100. And that's when his dad, Mike, said two words that I have not forgotten. Those words are: Caveat Emptor. That's Latin for "Let the buyer beware."

    I have no idea how I remember Mike Brady's wisdom from an October 1971 episode of The Brady Bunch, but I do. Of course, it was a Friday night because that's when our favorite show came on TV. I bet Laura and I were eating supper. I don't think we had TV tables. I remember a big, round coffee table. I also remember mashed potatoes with ketchup. Laura and I didn't agree on too much back then, but The Brady Bunch was an exception. I don't know if she still likes mashed potatoes, but I do sans ketchup these days.

     That was 37-years ago. Here's what's happened within the last year to prove Mike Brady's a genius. Teresa and I bought two vehicles in the last 13-months. I could have... I should have applied Mr. Brady's sage advice in both instances.
     The first time I remembered Caveat Emptor was when I took our gently used Kia in for an oil change and tire rotation. The oil change went fine, but the tire team at our local car-fixit place called and said, "Bill, we need the key for the wheel locks and it's not in the car."

     "The what?" I think wheel locks are a new thing.. a millennial 'show-off' kind of thing. The tires aren't the big deal. It's the rims. I guess younger people want fancy (expensive rims). So, they get lug nuts that actually lock to deter creepy thieves. Apparently, the rim stealing circuit is so active that now even standard wheels come with the locking lug nuts.
     Who knew? I sure didn't. So when our local tire team told us the news, I called the dealership where we bought our black cherry Sorrento in Lubbock. They immediately apologized and said they could fix the situation at no cost to us. They admitted they screwed up. So in this case, Mike Brady's Caveat Emptor wasn't so abrasive. It was the second instance that really chapped my fanny and drove home the point from 'A man named Brady raising three boys of his own.' He told Greg... "Buyer beware!"

    Our second Caveat Emptor adventure involves a gently used pickup truck we bought for my youngest son Joe's college graduation. We spent ALL day at a little dealership called Casey's Frontier Chevrolet in Livingston, Tennessee. When I say, ALL day... I mean all day.
    The bottom line is/was... Joe was driving home from work in Tennessee last Thursday night. It was cold and wet. He had a flat. He got out on a busy Nashville highway to change the tire, but couldn't remove the deflated tire. Why?! Because of the stupid wheel locking lug nuts. He told me that he looked and looked, but there was no 'key' included in the spare replacement equipment.

     Joe: "Dad, umm. I had a flat. No big deal. But there wasn't a key included for the locking lug nuts. I was able to get my truck towed to a Nashville dealership. But now, they're telling me it's going to be $250-$300 bucks to cut off those locking lug nuts."
     Me: "They have a master."
     Joe: "They say they don't. I also called Casey's Frontier Chevy where y'all got the truck. They pretty much said I'm screwed."
     Me: "What!? They didn't offer any type of help?"
     Joe: "No."
     Me: "I'll call you back."

     Okay, there are a few things to note here. First of all, Joe's 6'3" and 215lbs and 24-years old. So, he's okay. I'm not making that point. But still, once your baby boy.... always your baby boy. My point as I continue is... Customer service and while Caveat Emptor is apparently always applicable the response I got from Casey's Frontier Chevy in Livingston, Tennessee really should put Caveat Emptor in ALL CAPS!

     My first phone call was to the Nashville dealership where Joe's truck was towed. They changed their tone real quick once they realized they weren't dealing with a 20-something. Kudos to them. But the phone conversation I had with Casey's Frontier Chevy in Livingston, Tennessee didn't go as I'd hoped.
     Receptionist: "Hello. Casey's Frontier Chevy in Livingston, Tennessee. How may I direct your call."
     Me: "Hello. My name is Bill. I'm calling long distance. May I please speak with your general manger?"
    I was put on hold and listened to a few minutes of pretty good music. Then, Randy came on the phone.
     Randy: "This is Randy. How can help you?" I gave him the story. Randy didn't waste anytime getting to the point.
     Randy: "Yes, I talked to your son. I told him there was nothing we could do. We haven't seen that truck in a year. How could we know. If he'd brought to us for service, we would've found the issue and corrected it."
     Me: "First of all Randy, he graduated from Tech (Tennessee Tech in nearby Cookeville, TN.) The truck was a gift. He left town. That's why you haven't seen the truck in a year. Secondly, don't y'all check ALL your vehicles for absolutely everything before they're sold?"
     Randy: "We don't necessarily check the tires. If we had, we would've found the issue."
     Me: "Okay. I recommend y'all begin checking all your vehicles, new & used, from bumper to bumper and top to bottom. That's something y'all may want to change."
     Randy: "What are you asking me to do about it?"
     Me: "I want you to pay for the costs of removing those locking lug nuts!"
    Randy: "That's not going to happen."
     Me: "You mean y'all are selling vehicles and not completely checking them before they leave your lot?"
    Randy: "You mean that YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS?" (I didn't put in caps bc he's yelling. I put in caps because of what I consider a ridiculous statement.)
     Me: "Of course, I'm not!!!"

     The conversation didn't last long after that. I suppose the good news is/was: Teresa and I learned a lesson, two actually, and we were able to explain to Joe to never presume a seller's got your best interest in mind.

     Update: Joe's truck is good. Our Kia is good. Laura and I get along.

     Thoughts: If Mike Brady had such good advice, what'd Marshall Dillon, Arlis & Travis, Kojak, Archie Bunker & Mr. Jefferson, Hawkeye, Bob Hartley and Johnny Carson say that I missed?

Bill Robertson

   

   

   

Tales of the Tumbling Tumbleweed(s)

     Any "City Slickers" fans out there? Remember the 1991 western comedy starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance? Remember? Palance did the one arm push-ups at that year's Academy Awards? There was a song he sang during that movie called "The Tumbling Tumbleweeds.''
    Ole Jack's gone now, but he would've had a lot....a whole lot to sing about today in West Texas. The wind started to blow and then.... Katy bar the door!

     We knew we were in for one of those West Texas days when the breeze started up before 8:00 this morning. The tops of trees began swaying back and forth before it was time to go to work, and that's usually a bad sign in these parts. And sure enough... We went from 'it's gonna be a blustery day to a full blown (pardon the pun) duster buster' out here in Snyder, America.

Hello New Mexico!

     By 3:00 this afternoon, the sky began to take on a color like khaki pants. Around these parts the wind howls so much that we even joke about it. We say things like: "Here's comes New Mexico" or "Looks like Lubbock's blowin' in." Sometimes, we keep it closer to home and blame our dirty sky on Lamesa only 60-miles down the state highway.
     But all kidding aside, a sky that's more brown or red than blue means a big wind's coming. The unusual color you see in the left photo is plain ole west Texas dirt bearing down on us. The best thing to do, if you can, is stay indoors and be thankful you didn't dust your home. It's a well known fact out here that all that dirt somehow/some way goes through windows.

Tumbleweed(s) Station/WRP @ 3:15ish

      I can't explain it, but we've had an unusual amount of tumbleweeds this year. And when the wind blows like it's blowing today, those thorny thistles roll and roll until something blocks their way.
     The picture to the right is the breezeway at the ranch between our kitchen and pavilion. I took the photo only minutes after the wind started. Use that red door in the background as a point of reference.

       I took the photo on the left about 15-minutes later. There's that red door. The wind had just started howling. Teresa and I knew it was only a matter of minutes until this breezeway became 'tumbleweed(s) station. 

     Then it was only a few minutes later until the breezeway really started to get crowded with the dry, prickly tumbleweeds. The weeds are half way up that red door.

   The breezeway will likely fill up even more with the dry, prickly tumbleweeds before the winds stops sometime tomorrow.

     Suffice it to say, I'm not looking forward to clearing our main walkway between the kitchen and pavilion. And, I'm really not excited about clearing the pictured fence that's apparently the ultimate tumbleweed(s) catch-all.

Tumbleweed(s) Catch-All/Windmill Ranch Preserve, 2018

     Just another day in paradise.

Bill Robertson

   

The Great Toothpaste Debate. Am I Cheap or Thrifty?

     I don't use coupons, but I do look for good deals. I absolutely hate to shop, but considering that I'm our households go-to grocery getter I flex my 'thrifty-ness' at our local supermarket and, I flex IT a lot!
     I'm at the store everyday. Seriously!Unless we're out of town, I'm at the store every single day. Take a look at today's shopping list.

Today's Shopping List

     Tonight, we're having wings and burgers as we watch the SAINTS game. GO SAINTS! I bought the 'wingettes' yesterday to marinade in my super secret sauce so today was more about the burgers and necessary accourtrements.
     There's nothing helter-skelter about this list. The tomatoes are to the left as I walk in the store. The cheese and lunch meat are down Aisle #1, the buns are on the left of Aisle #2 and so on.
     I'm in the store so much that I can make a list and NEVER go backwards. The meat throws me off every now and again because sometimes I forget the ground beef is perpendicular to Aisle #5 or the pork chops are closer to Aisle #7. But the point is, I know our grocery store. In fact, I've challenged the kids who work there to find something before I do. Every time... I'm back at the register before they can even find the right aisle. It's a gift.
     I take my grocery shopping very seriously. I figure if I'm going to be there everyday, I might as well search out the best store deals. And, it's that 'thrifty-ness' that is the genesis of The Great Toothpaste Debate.

Toothpaste Choices/Snyder, America

     Take a look at the picture on the right. That's our toothpaste aisle. There are so many choices, but I really think we're all being duped by big business.
     You can't tell it by this photo, but some of those brands on the top shelf go for five to six to almost seven dollars!!! Really???
     Some have SCOPE. Some promise bad breath protection. Others promise that you'll have shiny teeth of steel. I think it's all MULARKY!
     So if you look way down on the bottom shelf... to the far left... you'll see the old standby. You'll see the toothpaste we've used since "Gunsmoke."  There it is.... Plain ole CREST.

Save! Save! Save!

     Plain ole CREST at $2.29 vs something fancier for a lot more. Of course, I bought the plain ole CREST.
     Teresa and I are educated people, but you'd never guess it by our kitchen conversation last night.
     "That toothpaste is terrible," she said.
     "It's the same stuff you used 30-years ago. It's fine," I said.
     "It tastes like chalk and it make me gag," she said as she feigned a gagging pose.
      "You're fine!"
      "No! It makes me gag," again acting like she was heaving on our kitchen floor.
     The bottom line is... We're sticking with the $2.29 CREST until it runs out. Then if I can sneak more into the house, we're using the cheap/thrifty brand again.

     One more thing, I'll always look for a deal on coffee. We like Gevalia, but have you seen those prices. Good grief!!! $8.99!!! We both add stuff to our coffee. So what difference does it make what coffee we buy?
    You can't tell by the above photo but the store brand is $4.99. I bought two. One was from Costa Rica. The other was from Italy. I figured... 'Wow! What a price for foreign coffee. Add a little milk or a little creamer and all's right in the world.'
   

No Skimping Here!

     There is one national brand that  I will NOT under any circumstances consider replacing with a less expensive version.
     I learned a long time ago that, probably before I was responsible for cooking for anyone but myself.... You get what you pay for when it comes to frozen potatoes.
     A bad experience has made me an Ore-Ida man for life. I remember my spud mistake. It was terrible. The price seemed too good to pass up, but when I opened the bag... Oh, the disappointment.
     Maybe you think I'm exaggerating, but just today on Aisle #11.. just at the corner of the frozen potatoes, frozen vegetable and frozen bread section,,, I got my affirmation.
     I ran into an old Snyder friend. She's a singer, a mom, a wife and a grandmother... All credentials for knowing her stuff.
     We talked about everything from the weather to the holidays and then... the question.
     "Do you see any Ore-Ida Hashbrowns with the peppers and onions," she asked.
     "Uh.. let's see... No."
     "Dang it! They stopped carrying them," she said.
     "They have the store brand. Do you want those?" I asked.
     "NO! They're terrible."

     I walked away vindicated.

    Grocery shopping is a chore.😏

Bill Robertson
   
   

Create! Create! Create! Snyder's Young Mad Scientists

     Something new and exciting is going on in the Snyder, America school system and the likes of Amazon are helping foot the bill. That's right, the online purveyor of everything from books to golf balls and more is helping pay for a new mindset.

     "A new mindset," that's what the coordinator for Snyder's STEAM program calls the curriculum still in its infancy.
    The acronym STEAM stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering/Energy, Ag/Art and Math.

TIGER STEAM ACADEMY/Snyder, TX

     The STEAM program in Snyder is about five years old, but the TIGER STEAM ACADEMY is barely in its first year at the Snyder Intermediate School... the old junior high as we call it here in town.

     The information covering everything from the start of the STEAM Lab to who's paying for it to what's its future are long and detailed. So suffice it say that, for this writing anyway, everything is in good hands and many of our local students are willing participants for a new method of teaching and learning.

Tiger STEAM Academy

     Kids learning tasks using Virtual Reality was just one element of the STEAM Lab on display at a Makers Tuesday held this week. I'm not exactly sure if V-R falls into Science, Technology or Engineering. I was told the real point is to get youngsters excited about 'making' things in ways previously not taught in Snyder or many, many other schools.

     Granted, the kids are only making Christmas/Holiday related drawings but they're applying a technology that's developing a "new mindset" into how to make things.
     The Tiger STEAM Academy takes up an entire building at the Intermediate School. There's one large, brightly lit room with at least eight smaller rooms around the perimeter.
     For the purposes of the Makers Tuesday, robotics and engineering design applications took up most of the main room along with free eats and drinks for the many students and parents in attendance.

     I don't have this confirmed, but to me it seemed like all the night's activities focused on the season. For example, the duty of this robot was to move a small snowball. Another station included Toy-Hacks where the students took an existing toy and made modifications.

      I had to make sure I checked all the side rooms because something different seemed to be going on behind each door.

Those kids in the photo to the right are making 3-D Christmas ornaments... some using a type of super skinny glue gun while others drew their decoration using a computer for later 3-D print-out.

   
     And what are the holidays without holiday music? To cover the Arts, the evening's Maker Tuesday included a make your own music video booth.
     The room to the left is sound proof. The man with his back to us is handling the video equipment and I'm pretty sure the performers are belting out Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.

     Whatever the kids are making, who knows. Whatever the students are singing, can't say for sure. But what is clear, they're all doing what they're doing with excitement. And even though they probably don't know it, they're all learning with a new mindset.

    If you'd like more information of the TIGER STEAM ACADEMY go to https://intermediate.snyderisd.net/

Bill Robertson

 
     


    

    

Snyder: The 48th Best Place to Live in the USA!

     Snyder, AMERICA is the 48th best place to live in the country. Our village on the plains, our lil' town steeped in western history, our city just 75 miles from anywhere ranks higher than thousands and thousands of metros and hamlets from coast to coast.
     Don't take my word for it. USA Today with 24/7 Wall Street, a Delaware corporation which runs a financial news and opinions company with content delivered over the internet, posted the report this month.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/10/22/americas-50-best-cities-to-live/38207259/

     There is a ton of tiny details to this report but while I hopefully have your attention I have a multiple choice question. Would you A) Read the news and scoff at it? B) Read the news, be happy and move on? or C) Read the news and see it as the GOLDEN TICKET?! I bet by punctuation you can tell that I'm a 'C' guy... I definitely see it as a GOLDEN TICKET to grow and diversify our economy.

     If I were KING for a DAY, here's what I'd do with this information.
     1) I'd convene a committee with representatives from the city, the county, the chamber, the development corporation, the hospital district, the three school districts, the hospitality/retail sector, the arts/history enthusiasts and the energy groups.
     2) My very one-sided KING's speech would be: "This information is HUGE. All of you have one week to develop a plan to get this information to the WORLD!"
     3) I'd add: "After one week, your world-wide attack plan must include answers to the following questions:
     -What did y'all (I'm a southern KING) identify as attractive about this USA Today report?
     -How would each representative like to see their group presented, based on this report, to the WORLD?
     -What is the group's one week plan to deliver this news with substantive support?
     -What is your one month follow-up plan?        
     -What is the plan to maintain momentum?
     -What is the group's six month goal?
     -What are the group's one, five, ten, 25 year goals?

     Readers, please read the report. It's quite flattering. But that's all it is, unless we do something or encourage those elected or assigned to do something to DO SOMETHING! Look to Wilson, Arkansas: https://www.wilsonarkansas.com/
     The report covers the 'crucial' stuff for a community. That's the good news. We have the crucial stuff.. the infrastructure.
     But speaking now as a REGULAR JOE or BILL in my case, don't you want more? I do. Chinese delivery would be nice.

Bill Robertson, Steamed dumplings and Hot n' Sour Soup..... Bring it!
                                                           

The Snake, The Mouse, The Cold & The Heater

     Country living comes with all kinds of adventures and misadventures. Our latest excitement brought about an emergency, late-night evacuation, thoughts of spending hundreds but ultimately a good and hearty laugh at ourselves.

     But what's one paragraph of angst without first giving the other chapters leading up to our most recent country living experience?

     The story begins about two to three weeks ago when the weather finally began to change out here on the Llano Estacado. We had endured another summer of heat and intense dryness when finally cooler days began to dot our extended forecast.

     But who knew that snakes like comfortable temperatures just like we do? I sure didn't. I always figured snakes for the 'hotter the better' kind of creatures. Turns out, I was wrong. We had about two weeks of those perfect temps and in that time I killed two rattlesnakes and saw a third... all in exactly the same spot.

Rattler Alley/Windmill Ranch

     See this breezeway in the picture? I've renamed it "Snake Alley at The Windmill Ranch."
     Rattlers (plural, you see) apparently live beneath the decking that goes into that dark hole. See the white door on the left and the red door on the right? Teresa and I go in and out of those doors at least a dozen times per day. It was just to the left of the bottom left corner of the red door that the rattlers like to lay.... or lie... I never get that right.

     Teresa spotted the first rattler before she ever opened the red door.

Snake #1/Rattler Alley-WRP

     "Oh Bill! Snake!"
     "Where?"
     "Right here!!!"
     "Where?"
     "Right here!!! OUTSIDE THE DOOR!"
     "Ok. Get a video."
     "WHAT? GET THE GUN!"

     Bottom line is: I got the snake. Teresa did NOT get a video, but she did take the picture.... from as far away as possible I might add.
     But that wasn't the last snake. It wasn't a week later that I was in the kitchen, which is inside the white door on the left. I was talking on the phone to my sister-in-law in Albuquerque.
     I think Regina and I were talking football as she's a huge Broncos fan and I'm an over the top SAINTS fan when....
     "Uh, can I call you back? I gotta go kill a rattlesnake." I remember the sentence pretty clearly because I know I've never before said such a thing to someone on the phone. I hung up. I didn't have time to grab the gun. So, I grab a shovel and started pounding this snake just behind it's head.
     The good news is, both snakes are dead. The bad news is, the decking has a chunk out of it from not one, but two shotgun blasts plus the holes my shovel put into the wood as I pounded snake #2.
     Snake #3 showed his head through a crack in the deck just day before yesterday. I think he saw the gun and the shovel because he retreated back under the wood. We put a brick over the hole. Problem solved!

     Moving on...The wonderful weather in west Texas did not last very long. It never does, but we're used to it.

WTX Weather

     The likelihood of the snakes returning gets less and less the closer we get to fall and winter, which in WTX is separated sometimes by a few days or even a few hours.
     But last night we found that other interesting, borderline scary situations come with the colder weather. Here's what happened....

     It was after 11:00. We were asleep. I woke up and smelled something different.
    I suspect about now, you're probably saying: "You had turned on the heat and it had that first time burn smell."
    "Ah, not so fast my friend."
    No, we knew cold weather was coming. So, we had turned on our heat a few times already to get rid of that 'first time smell.' This time, the smell was strong. T & I both said, "It smells electric-rubbery."
     It was dark except for a tiny restroom ligh. T's out. She sleeps hard. I shouldn't say anything more.
     But I'm awake and something stinks. I first said to myself, "Something's burning."  Then after another good whiff... "SOMETHING'S BURNING!"
     I bolted out of bed. T bolted out of bed. I ran downstairs sure I'd left on the stove because the stink was severe, but different.
     No, I hadn't left on the stove. The dishwasher wasn't hot. T laid hands on every electronic appliance in the house. Nothing was hot. It was a mystery. We turned off the heat and decided to leave for an overnight at The Windmill Ranch. So at 11:30 in a howling wind and temps dropping by the minute, we packed up our pillows, our phones & chargers and for some reason a bag of chips and styrofoam cups and came to the ranch.

     Fast forward to this morning... We got up early thinking that we needed to call someone and since it was Monday (10/15/18,) we'd better get on their radar early.
     We packed up everything but left behind the chips and cups and went home to shower and brush our teeth. We turned on the heat but within minutes the weird smell returned and this time it generated enough smoke to set off our smoke detectors. Immediately, we decided it was an HVAC issue. So, we turned off the heat and began texting the most reliable HVAC friend in Snyder, Landry Mathies of Landry's Heating and Air before 8:00am.

Landry's Saves the Day!

     Landry replied almost instantly. We were going to get to the bottom of the smelly problem.
     The heat didn't work without smelling, but the shower did.  Make no mistake about it, you can get dressed faster than you ever thought possible when the inside temp at your house is 50-degrees!

     Finally, I'm at the purpose for the lead paragraph of this blog. Landry and his team came and went within a span of about 20-minutes. I told him the issue. He ordered a couple screw drivers, pulled off a couple panels, pulled out a pair of needle-nose pliers and....
     "Yep. Got it. It's a mouse."
     "A what," I asked
     "A mouse. It got on your heating strips. He's a goner!"

     So, the smell wasn't electric or rubbery. It was mouse. But in my defense, burning mouse at 11:00pm is a pretty scary smell.

Bill Robertson