u/Evening-Anteater-422

I own a house 2 hours from where I live. It's currently between tenants.

I got a call early this morning from a neighbour letting me know that a) the house wasn't on fire and b) the smoke alarm was going off

I decided to go for a nice drive to check the house out, change the battery, and run errands in the area.

On the way I realised I would need a ladder. I stopped at a hardware store and selected a nice aluminium step ladder.

I got to the house, changed the battery, petted the neighbours dog, then went to Ikea for meatballs.

It was a pleasant day.

Some years back I had a neighbour who had some large potted trees on her patio.

One day we were talking. She had her back to the trees and I was facing her with a clear view of the trees.

A tiny person, about 2 foot tall, peeked out of from behind one of the pots and then darted behind the other pot. It was all black, like a shadow rather than having like black skin and clothes.

I didn't say anything to her because she would have thought I was nuts.

Another time, I was house sitting. A tall, thin shadow person wearing a hat came to the screen front door, opened it, came inside, and vanished.

I didn't tell the home owner that either.

Oh and another time I was walking alongside a large derelict building. There was a wire mesh fence along the footpath and it was quite a bit over grown with trees and vines. As I was walking along, I became aware of a human like creature about 4 foot tall, naked but hairy all over scurrying along beside me, kind of hunched over with its arms kind of pulled up to its chest. It was just a few moments then it disappeared into the over growth.

I wasn't drunk and I don't take drugs. They all happened in broad daylight. They all happened in within a few months of each other in 2006.

I got a new mattress and when it was delivered, the guy said that the warranty wouldn't be valid because I had the wrong bed base. The correct bed base needed to be "solid with even support". The one I have has thin metal bars. It was free so I didn't mind replacing it.

I live in a regional town and have few options for buying furniture. The cheapest bed base was $500. I looked on FB marketplace but there was nothing.

So I went to bunnings and got some plywood which I laid over the thin metal slats.

So my question is, is that a decent long term solution?

I don't really care about the warranty because what can go wrong with a mattress, but I don't want to damage the pocket springs or whatever with the wrong base.

Has anyone dealt with MLC for these things?

My friend (54) had an out of the blue stage 4 cancer diagnosis. She has zero assets, rents, and lives pay day to pay day.

Does anyone know the process for insurance claims or early withdrawal?

She is not doing great and isn't really up to navigating the whole thing so I am trying to get some idea of the process and the right questions to ask.

Appreciate any guidance.

During the party fireworks scene in Chapter 1 of TFOTR the sound the dragon makes is described as being like an express train.

Am I tripping? How did they know what an express train sounded like?

I have no idea where to ask this so hopefully someone here has some info

My friend has just been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The hospital has been great but obviously they are super busy my friend has been left hanging with some questions.

Does anyone know what resources the hospital will link her up with? Are there any non hospital services she could look into regarding support through the process of chemo and frankly, preparing to die

She has limited local support and I am 4 hours away and have health issues which mean I'm not always able to drive to see her

We have no idea what comes next now she has the diagnosis.

I'm also thinking about practicalities like she is a few months into a new lease and now can't work so can she access super to pay her rent? Will she be able to get DSP?

I don't even know what we don't know so any input appreciated.

If she is eligible for chemo she wants to have it.

She also has a number of birds and cats we will gave to rehome. I just feel sick about that.

Ok so this is pretty low stakes but it gave me pause.

I have 5 potted plants on a table on my patio. I can see them when I am standing in the kitchen.

Yesterday I watered them and they were fine.

This morning I was looking at them, and at one of them particularly. It didn't quite look right. Too much water? Not enough sun? Something was just a bit off.

I turned away to make coffee, amd when I turned back, that plant was lying on its side.

No one else was around. No one was on the patio. There was no wind to knock it over.

So now I have a haunted plant and it's time to give it away 😅

A few months ago I got out of my car and saw a big yellow sign that said "Beware the Water Man". After looking around to check I wasn't in a Stephen King novel, I read the sign again and it actually said "Beware the Water Main".

Now, every time I park there I get the creeps thinking about the Water Man and how he appears when there is a storm coming and what happens when he does.

Thanks a lot, Steve.

When we were kids my cousins sat their little brother down and told him he was an alien baby given to his human parents by his alien parents to raise as a human baby.

He wasn't supposed to know because if he found out, he would be sent back to live with his alien parents on their home planet. They made him watch E.T. to understand more about aliens on earth.

Then they convinced my aunt to throw him a surprise UFO themed birthday party.

40 years later, we still call him E.T.

Last year a dropped my Samsung phone and one of the camera lenses got damaged to the point the lens didn't work and the glass was broken with sone slivers missing.

​

I kept procrastinating on getting it fixed but today I headed to the phone repair kiosk in my local shopping. I took my phone out of my pocket and turned it over to look at the broken lens.

​

It was completely intact.

​

I tested out taking some photos and everything was fine.

​

The lens broke nearly a year ago and at least up until a few weeks ago I still couldn't take proper photos with it.

I am looking to buy The Silmarillion and wonder if anyone knows which edition has the largest print?

I had my front door open today bringing groceries in. My neighbours dog walked over to see what I was doing and followed me into the house.

His paws made cute lil tippy taps on the hardwood floors as he followed me around the kitchen while I put the groceries away.

He is deaf so when I heard his person in the driveway I got his attention and guided him back.

I then realised this is the first time I have had a dog in my house. No reason. I love dogs but have never had one.

I hope he comes back for a visit soon.

I just finished listening to these long form investigative podcasts and highly recommend them.

Toil and Trouble

The Mayor and the Mystic

They both involve elements of the occult and psychic fraud.

Any recommendations for long form podcast series in the same vein?

For the last 2 years I just opened the door, threw things in and hoped for the best.

Today I took EVERYTHING out and put it in the driveway.

I filled a small skip with trash and packed up everything I am donating. My buddy will pick up the donations tomorrow in his van.

I thought about getting storage shelves but decided that getting rid of stuff was a better idea than spending money to store crap.

I put up a couple of old folding tables and stacked clear storage totes three high.

Now my family mementos, vintage china, family documents, and photos are organised and in totes.

All of my art supplies are purged, consolidated, and in totes.

I expect to move to a larger home in the next year or so and I have packed and labelled all the things that will go there.

I sorted through the items I kept from my late mothers home and donated the things I was ready to part with, which was most of it

Cleaning supplies and household items like tape, stationary, small tools etc are sorted and visible in clear totes so I no longer need to buy duplicates because I can't find. Now I can just shop my garage first 😅

I feel very productive and satisfied.