Me again Ifinally)

I don't know where the time goes, but it certainly flies by.  Seems like one day becomes the next before I know it.  Couple that with having a Ph.D. in procrastination ...  Well - you know what happens.

I had a profound thought this morning while sitting in church.  I should have been listening more attentively to the sermon I suppose, but I was thinking of what a relative said about our AIM (Assistant in Ministry)  who gave a sermon on Easter.  We kindly let our seats go to the C and E members (you know - they attend on Christmas and Easter), and stayed home.  So we missed that sermon.  A family member made a statement about the sermon.

The statement was brought to mind this morning because she was preaching again this morning.  The statement all centered around one small word.  That word is "but."

Long ago I heard a statement that when that word is used in a sentence the real meaning of the sentence follows that word.  This person said "I love ______, BUT ( and there it is!) she read the sermon, and I was bored by that.

Innocent enough, right.  Nope - not by a long shot.  This person doesn't love _____ because this person was rebuffed by _____ because this person didn't want to follow the rules to join the church.  This person feels above rules a lot of the time.

It did get me to thinking though.  Our AIM delivers very thought provocating sermons.  She hasn't been to formal seminary.  She has had training, but certainly not in sermon writing and presentation.  Even so, she does a great job.  I know I would have to depend heavily on "reading."  Our beloved previous pastor (whom this relative "loved and respected") read his sermons to a certain degree.

Excuse me for a second - gotta put the soap box away.

I finally downloaded the pictures of the tool of terror that used to reside in my catch all utensil drawer.  BTW - the finger is still a bit tender.  Thought I would share.  Actually there are two (with a third somewhere - and that scares me a lot).  So here are the two.  One a bit longer than the other.  Nice little curved, SHARP pieces of metal for turning steaks and chops - and slicing tender fingers

See those curled pieces with the sharp point!!! Sorry about the cutting board that was branded with a hot iron skillet lid!

A closer look of the instruments of doom.  The bottom isn't  focused well because it sticks up so far.

Lesson learned - the hard way

I have complained about having satellite internet here at the SSB since I first had it installed.  It is slow as molasses in January.  I upgraded a few months ago.  It was a higher speed and more gigs per month.  And they were per month rather than per day.  That was appealing to me because we aren't here for a month solid - just a week.

The "new and improved" is a bit better.  It does go faster.  Google loads well and all.  So where am I going with this pitiful story?  Back in the day, I was still teaching.  That was when the infamous OJ Simpson trial was going on.  I had a small black and white television in my storage room at school.  I would usually eat in my classroom at lunch (the whole, whopping 23 minutes of it).  You get in far less trouble if you stay out of the teachers lounge, and I didn't care to join the kiddos in the cafeteria! But I digress.  I would haul the set out to watch the trial at lunch.  I soon had quite a large gathering joining me for "lunch with the trial."

With the series that is on ( The People vs OJ), I have been interested in it.  It is well acted and closely follows the events.  I record it at home.  I wanted to watch it here, so I went to the On Demand section of Direct Tv and began my download of the show.  I never thought of where the show would come from.

That download ate up my remaining internet time.  When we leave now, I unplug the router.  I turn off the satellite box.  When I began using the computer, I noticed that I had something like 80% of my remaining gigs.  There must have been downloading going on.  The download I chose got rid of the rest of it - overnight!  So now I am "Smart Browsing" on my Bonus bytes -whatever that means.  I DO know it means I am back to a snail's pace trying to navigate the internet!!!

I don't think OJ is/was worth it!

This and that

Here we are again at the SSB.  After the last trip, I see the importance of being here frequently, even though I would much rather be at home.  I just think of how badly the house would smell if that refrigerator had gone out completely.  Of course, that makes me think of what will happen when we are no longer able to make the trip.  Our children manage one trip a year.  This place that we have worked so hard on (and poured so much money into) is going to flat fall apart.  Most of what we have done were to make them happy.  Much bigger house than we first thought of and all.  Oh well.  Can't do anything about it.


Katie and Krissi spent last weekend in California for the Olympic Development Program championship games.  Katie didn't go on, but she was actually happy about not making the team.  The next camp will be when the state championship games will be going on.  She is more excited about that experience.  She was approached by many colleges while there, however.  So there was good that came from the time she was there.  I guess she will go back to Junior Olympics this July.

I was going to add a picture of the "instruments of terror" also known as the meat turner that turned my finger into a blood fountain.  I took pictures with the intent of posting them when I posted here.  My mind wasn't into packing however.  Shadow somehow got the idea he was going to be put in the carrier for the trip and disappeared.  I was more worried about him and didn't think of the camera - so the pictures will have to wait

The man who is supposed to spray to kill off the prickly pear cactus hasn't done it yet.  The winds have been too strong.  He said perhaps it would happen today or tomorrow.  I doubt it.  The weather is turning off to be bad again.  I think there are too many clouds.  And if he sprays the herbicide today, I don't think it will do the job it is supposed to do.

Have a great St Patrick's day.  It's my brother-in-law's birthday.  His name is (wait for it)

PATRICK!!!

Where have I been?

This past week, I have been nursing a cut finger.

Last Saturday night, I was looking in my utensil "junk drawer."  These are the little odds and ends that don't belong to any specific grouping of things.  I thought I knew what was in there, but I had a BIG surprise.

I was looking for the pizza cutter that should have been on the top and in front.  It wasn't.  As I was moving things, I had a problem.  So I reached far into the back of the drawer to pull things to the front.

What I didn't know was G (since he does the dishes) had put a meat turner in that drawer.  It doesn't belong there - at all.  It is a long thing that has a curled end resembling a pig's tail and is VERY sharp.

As I drug my hand forward, my ring finger hit that sharp tip, and it pierced the pad from the tip to the joint.  It bled like "a stuck pig!"

It took forever to get the bleeding to stop.  I bandaged it as well as I could.  The bleeding finally stopped sometime in the night.

I have been afraid to remove the bandage until yesterday.  It seems to be OK.  But it is still sore.  SO typing has not been an easy thing to do.

But I am back.  And I have thoroughly checked that drawer and secured all sharps.  I never got an acknowledgement that he messed up however.

Reality hit

The other night, I was watching the late news when a story came on about an "elderly lady leading police on a 100-mile chase."

The story was amusing.  I was thinking of a fragile little old lady - perhaps in her late 80's leading police about the highways.  I could just see her peeking over the steering wheel - the image I have of an elderly woman.  My mind always sees a short, fragile woman.

Then they gave her age.  She was 74.  That's not elderly!  I am 70 - nearly that old, and I am not elderly.  That shook me to my core.

Being an only child, I spend a lot of my childhood around adults.  I was always the young one.  Many of my friends were older than I.  I was the young one.  My mind holds me in that place - the youngest around.

As I have aged, I still feel that way.  In my mind, I am the youngest in a group.  My mind LIES!

What I did this weekend (alert heavy bragging here!)

This was quite a weekend!  Here in Houston, the "social event" of the year is kicking off.  The huge Livestock Show and Rodeo has been kicked off.

It began last week with the trail rides.  There were some unfortunate things that happened on those rides.  Here is a couple that I know of - a horse on a ride that originates around here wasn't properly conditioned and died, and a woman on her horse was run over by a runaway wagon.  She broke her jaw and shoulder. The weather cooperated with the trail rides (for the most part).  Usually is it cold and rainy.  This year they only had a day and a half of rain and high winds.

Between the end of the rides and the parade, was the Bar-be-que cookoff that lasts from Thursday to Saturday.  My son and his band have played this event for ten years.  We don't usually go because it is a mad house.  Parking is difficult, and if you just do the general admission, it isn't much fun and is expensive.  It is $5 to get in, and then if you want food, you pay for that.  To be fun, you need to be associated with a cookoff tent.  Those who are competing for the best food.

They have sponsors who cover the huge costs to participate.  It also is a very expensive outing for their cooking team.  All the monies go to the education fund.  But in those tents, the food and alcohol flow freely.  And all of these tents have bands.

We got home on Thursday, and when talking to my daughter-in-law, she mentioned me (us, but knowing G wouldn't) to go with them.  Well, I did!  It was quite an experience.  We ate at a different tent because Brian knows the cookers so well.  We returned to his tent for him to entertain.  And what a great job he did.  I haven't been able to see his band in a long time.  They have really jelled into a great band.

While I was sitting there, I noticed this guy (sooooo drunk) hitting on DIL's friend/boss.  DIL saved her only for this idiot to move to her.  Toward the end of the night, he decided to move on to me!  I was stone cold sober, so I got highly amused.  His lame pick-up line was:"so who are you with here?"  I told him "my son - the singer."  When he told me his age (48), he asked how old I was.  I thought how this would send him on his happy way, and responded 70.  NO!  He stayed.  His chair was trapping my shoe, so I couldn't leave.  Finally, his wife came up to get her inappropriate husband to leave, but decided to hit on the sound man's husband (yes, gay).  That really made me laugh!

Brian is the singer, with him in this picture are just two of the band members.

After the show, we went back to the other tent.  Mainly because I really did need a cart to get back to the shuttle buses to the parking lot.  It was a good mile hike, and my back/knees had failed!  When we got there, my son pointed out a black little person.  He apparently was a well-known rapper back in the 80's.  Guess who ended up with this little man and his friend giving me all the attention.  I became the magnificent matron queen.  This lasted about thirty minutes.

I am glad this wasn't the picture with me, but this is my son, his friend and the "little rapper!"  My son is fortunately kneeling - he's 6'8".  The rapper is standing!'

This was quite an evening.  But I really did enjoy it because my son was SO good!  And we laughed a lot about it at family dinner last night.  Katie was amazed  appalled by the evening.


Saturday I was going to attend two of her high school water polo games.  After getting in at 1:30 that morning, I skipped the 9:00 game.  I knew she would understand.  I think the early game was probably was more exciting.  The competition was a little better, but our girls are magnificent.  The team I watched them play has always been very strong, but our girls beat them 12-2.  Katie was her strong self.  How I have missed water polo.  It was such fun.

And Katie is her usual go getting self!  She is going to take that ball away.  But if you notice, she is probably going to take a smack to the chin!

Phew!

The new refrigerator was delivered without a hitch of any merit.  The driver found us.  That in itself is something rare.  Most of them call us because they are lost.  I have told you we are in the sticks at the end of the world!!!

I was thinking that there wouldn't be any problem at all getting the old one out and the new one in.  When I got mine at home several years ago, the doors had to be removed, and even then I still have gouges in my door frames from pushing it in.  My brother-in-law had a problem getting their new one in a couple of years ago up here.  I thought it was because it had to come through a "regular" door, and we have a sliding glass door to come in.

Well - I was wrong.  The door still is only about 30 inches.  The refrigerators these days begin at a 32+inch  width and 34-inch depth.  So with both units, the doors had to be removed.

I wasn't sure I would really like the new one.  In the store, it was OK.  It fit the size requirement.  There is no way in the world I could have gone with one of the French door models.  Not only from price but size as well.  I have a cabinet on the side, above, and a wall next to the space allowed for it.

I thought I wouldn't have as much space inside. When I began putting things back (and that was so wonderful - everything I needed in the refrigerator rather than in a fourth of the freezer where it was kept at 34 degrees or in an ice chest or an outside refrigerator), I discovered it has a lot of space.  I think it will even be spacious enough when the kids come and bring all their perishables.

So today is laundry and cleaning (ugh).  We head back home tomorrow where it will probably be laundry and cleaning again!

Usually at least one surprise

I guess I need to stop grousing about coming to the SSB once a month.  This month the surprise awaiting us was not a good one!  Had we not come when we did, it would have been a horrible surprise, though.

Our 13-year-old refrigerator was/is going out.  When we went to get ice from the ice maker, there was almost none.  The ice maker is always turned off when we leave because it malfunctioned once while (THANKFULLY) we were here.  We had an ice sheet covering the front of the refrigerator (it is a side-by-side).  And fortunately, our hunter who owns his own appliance repair company was here!  So no harm, no foul.

I originally thought that perhaps the ice maker was broken.  But then I remembered the ordeal my son and DIL went through.  It was the same thing.  Their ice maker wouldn't work.  Then the freezer wouldn't freeze things.  Well, guess whose freezer wouldn't freeze either.

We took most everything out of the refrigerator that we wouldn't need immediately - like salad dressings and the like.  We have access to three other refrigerators on the property.  We have one for overflow during the hunting season in the "barn/garage."  The hunters have one in the cabin and one on the porch.  So we are in good shape for cold space, but not convenient.

Yesterday we had to go into Fredericksburg for groceries anyway, so it included a nice "cheap" trip to the only place in town to get a replacement.  The problem is we can't get it until Tuesday.  And at a delivery charge of $250!  But you just do it when you are at the end of the earth and you want a refrigerator!

I am just thankful that we got here at the crucial time.  I would hate to come home to a refrigerator full of rotten items.  Eech!  Not the way I want to arrive here.

How short is life!

I was reminded of this yesterday.  An old young friend (sounds strange - but she and I have been friends for a long time but she was only about 62) passed away yesterday.

I knew she was in the hospital.  I knew she wasn't doing well.  But she has had health problems akin to this before - and she pulled through.

We haven't seen each other in several years, I believe the last was 2002.  She and husband divorced, and we haven't really seen either since.  But we talked about getting together, and she always going to come to see my grands in their sports or even come to out family dinners.  Never happened.  We just assumed there was time,

There is no time.  She developed sepsis.  She couldn't fight it.



In better news, G has decided that I am the computer guru around here.  Not really, but I seem to do better than he.  He actually asked me to put the virus/firewall I have used for years on his computer.  He had called Microsoft and was told he had a major malware infection.  So I loaded the malware MY computer guru put on mine on his to clean it up.  Then I took the free (from Comcast) virus off and put the one I use on.  So far...

I live with a 72 year old toddler

You can't tell a toddler anything.  When they get "in a mood" you can't reason with them.  The best thing is to send them to their rooms, but I cannot do this with a 72-year-old.

When he was working, I am absolutely sure he caused the IT people great grief.  I am sure he shut the entire system down more than once.  And he was and is oblivious.  He thinks he is a computer wiz.  Sure that he knows all there is to know.

NOT.

I got so tired of listening to him complain about his old computer.  It was running on XP, so there was a lot of problems there trying to interface to new systems.  In fact, when we changed back to Comcast, the technician even said there would be problems.

So for Christmas, I bought him a discontinued Dell.  Its OS is Windows 8, for which I personally have a strong dislike.   I had it taken off my new (now old) laptop and 7 put back on.  But I have valiantly tried to set up his new computer.

The first issue was pop-ups.  Got that corrected, then something else he didn't like came up.  So I changed all the security settings.  I am not sure he is protected.  But I also know he doesn't like any anti-virus or malware on a computer (hence - all the failures they had at work).

I am sure his computer is eaten up with viruses and malware.

Today he tried to simply print a document.  It has come to my attention that the problem has been going on for weeks!  Will he listen to me?  NO!!!

Then it is temper-tantrum time.  Guess what is going on right now.  You probably guessed it.  Now it is up to me to repair his mess.

He doesn't have access to my computer.  At  all.  Any time.

Surprise

Can it be?  Karen is back for another day - in succession!  Yes, it is true.  I am actually here, again!

Tidbits today.  First, Christina (DIL) went back to her "new" OB/GYN yesterday for what is her final visit. She needed to finish up after the TWO procedures.  She will still never return to that doctor, but I can see a little more what is going on here.

I really do think this woman hasn't been in practice long enough.  She presents herself as being unsure of herself.  In other words, her bedside manner doesn't exude confidence.  She appears (at least to Christina) very nervous and unsure of herself.  She hums and haws a lot.

Yesterday, she kept saying something along the lines of "I just don't know what happened."  It is true that no fetal tissue was found in the second procedure.  There was just some infection in the second tissue when it was closely examined.  I honestly believe (with my pre-med studies - so I am a real expert here, right) that she had already miscarried before she went in for the regular appointment.  It was late, and I would have thought she would have noticed, but that would account for the fact that no fetal tissue was found.

She was clearly pregnant.  The previous ultrasounds showed a fetus, and the heartbeat was there.  She would get ultrasounds beginning early because she was considered high risk.  She has had other miscarriages, but...  Anyway, she is cleared and on her way.  She will never see this doctor again.  And they are seriously thinking of not trying or allowing another pregnancy.  You know how I feel on this.  Perhaps all will end well.
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I had a strange call last week from one of my dear friends.   It scared me then because another mutual friend had a stroke the month before, and naturally I was thinking perhaps Kathy had another stroke.  But it was not that!  This friend wants me to write an article for the magazine she edits.

Well, ok.  I just wish it were something I knew more about.  I wouldn't hesitate at all, but this is going to be a bit of a challenge.  This is a quilting magazine.  I.  Do.  Not.  Quilt.  Another person submitted a quilt she had done on the embroidery machine.  Sharon and her colleagues know nothing about machine embroidery, and she knows I do it all the time.  So she wants me to extrapolate my knowledge into machine embroidery quilting.

I HAVE quilted on my machine.  It was just small pieces, but I did quilt.  I didn't really know what I was doing, but I did it.  My machine does have stitches that they claim are quilting stitches - a stippling stitch.   I have never used it.  I have other acquaintances who really do more quilting than embroidery with the same machine.

Really there is no deep, dark secret that I can see.  I am afraid that the readers would think it was an extraneous article.  I think the reaction would be something like "so what's the big deal?"  Machine embroidery is so easy once you get the hooping down.  As long as you can secure the fabric that will be embroidered or appliqued tightly, you can do almost anything you want.

But I think I will write something.  A new adventure!

Happy times!

I went to the Retinal Specialist today for my eye injection for Macular Degeneration.  The new drug is working better than any of the others.  There is no leakage, and I am put on a five-week recall rather than four.  I am thrilled.  I have waited years for this kind of news.  I told G that I felt like a kid who had been studying for a really difficult exam and got an "A."

This is especially good news because I was afraid with the new rulings from Medicare that regulate my Advantage plan I would be paying over $400 rather than over $100 for these injections.  I would certainly move some things around because my eyesight is more important than almost anything else in my budget.  I won't really know until the bill from today is submitted to the thieves that run the insurance company, but I am hopeful.  I met my deductible (no kidding!!! probably and the some), so this time, it was back to the $100 range.  I will just keep my fingers crossed.

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Katie had her last swim meet on Saturday, and I went.  If I had not, I would not have seen her swim at all.  Water polo begins now with her first game later this month.

Her expectations for the results were low.  Our school does not have many swimmers who can afford club sports.  So that means that they are not year around swimmers that swim every day - excluding school practice.

I watched her 200-meter butterfly.  In a field of 24, she placed 11th.  That isn't bad since she has only been swimming the fly for five months this time.  But it was the 200-meter freestyle relay the girls were placing their  hopes on.  If they placed 6th or above, that meant they would be going to regionals.  If they made regionals, they would get their letter jackets.  That is the only reason she wanted to make Varsity as a freshman - and really even the only reason she would be on the swim team.  Her love is Water Polo.  Well, they did it!  They are going to regionals this weekend, where they will get their little butts kicked.  But congrats, girls!

Katie is on the left.  Some, if not all of these girls with the exception of Katie are seniors!

Back at the SSB

Yep - here I sit with the remnants of whatever I had last time adding Cedar Fever to it.  'Tis the season for the mountain cedars (junipers) to be sending their pollen out in copious clouds to form the little seeds to spread the vile plant to and fro!  I am very allergic to this crap  stuff,  I get a little emotional around it too!

One of the favorite things to do in this country (since I suppose that's what all the old time Germans did) is to go out into the fields and cut down one of the blasted "trees" and haul it into the houses as the beloved Christmas tree.  I cannot visit those folks.  At.  All.

At this time of year, when the pollen explodes from the things, you just see a smoke like plumb lingering around the bush.  They are laughingly called trees, but really just a bush!

But I am getting some better from the bug I encountered at New Year's Eve.  Now if I can just dodge the pollen for four more days, I will be doing much better.
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When DIL suffered her miscarriage, she had to have a D and C to make sure all tissue was gone.  This was especially the case since the ultrasound that determined no heart beat was done and showed the fetus and amnion there.

It was done, along with some bumps in the road that weren't part of the procedure.   For example, the hospital not telling them where to wait to be called.  But two weeks after the procedure, her ob's office called her to come in.  There was no fetal tissue in the sample that was sent to the lab.  She needed to be checked again.

So they went in immediately.  Another ultrasound was done.  There was "something" there, but no one was sure what it was.  They could recognize what was probably a blood clot, but there was something else.  The technician was using a new machine that she wasn't familiar with (????) and couldn't really read the procedure.  The doctor wasn't sure at all.  (DIL doesn't like her.  Her original doctor retired, and this is a new, young, unsure one)  So they schedule another D and C.

This time, the sample was immediately sent to pathology.  And guess what - no fetal tissue again.  I really hope she changes doctors after her appointment to follow up that is scheduled for next week.  There is something grossly wrong here.  I hope she gets a good explanation.  But I think they don't want to have to face something like this.  Brian indicated he will probably "go under the knife" and that will be that.

Normality

I am getting back to normal (as normal as I could possibly be).  The coughing and all is beginning to decline, but still lingers a bit.

Yesterday was a much-needed trip to the grocery store.  On Thursday, we did go to the meat market to pick up the venison sausages (pan and link) we had made there.  Of course,  I took the opportunity to buy some various meats from them.  It is so much better than the regular grocery packaged stuff.  Included in that purchase were red snapper and shrimp.

Last night, I decided to use the shrimp and fish to make Snapper Pontchartrain.  It.  Was. Delicious.  I found the recipe from my favorite restaurant.  It was quite labor intensive, but it was fantastic last night as well as lunch from the left overs today.  I even have more of the sauce that I will use the next time we have cod or halibut.  But that exhausted me!

Today is Katie's 15th birthday.  It seems like she was just born yesterday.  Our time with this sweetheart is growing short.  She will be flying out of the nest soon.  I rejoice in her growth, and she is maturing into such a beautiful and talented woman, but I miss her as a baby!

The baby in the family, little Holden Gregory, is now 4.  Here he is with Katie, Delaney, and Reagan in the background.  He is such a sweet boy who always can make us laugh.  His family is interesting.  His brother is blonde, you can see Delaney is dark brown, and he is a red head!  I wanted to put in another picture that really shows his personality, but I have no cooperation from my computer.

And from the hospital wing

Not really, but we both are snorting, sniffling, blowing and coughing.  I hate getting anything like this because my body just loves to hold onto it!  Forever it seems.

No real news from this place.  We have almost barricaded ourselves inside.  There was no church on Sunday.  I had already made that decision.  If I still was coughing, then I would be at home.  Well, with G being sick also, there was no question.

My daughter called to see if we wanted to come to dinner.  I could see no reason to infect all of them.  I am already a little worried because Katie, her dad and sister came over Wednesday to pick up her horns that were mounted.  Karrington kept hugging me - which I loved, but I am so afraid she will pick this stuff up!

The weather has finally gotten cool enough for a fire.  The first one after cleaning the fireplace out.  This year we not only cleaned out the fireplace, we had the chimney cleaned.  So the first fire really just smoldered.  AND it was a lot of work constantly poking, adding paper, etc.  Last night we achieved a good fire.

The fireplace in this house is an integral part of the heating of the house when it's cold.  For some reason, the system really isn't balanced.  We have had the entire thing changed - from the unit itself to the duct work.   The master bedroom gets sauna hot if it is set to have the den/kitchen warm.  In the summer the reverse is true, but I like a cold bedroom!

So we have squeaked through another day.  Perhaps  I will be well tomorrow!

This and that

My mind is telling me to not write today.  But I am a hard headed German.  So here I go.  Some are just statement of fact and some are what I am feeling right now, and those feelings are not shared by all.

First - the crud still hangs on.  AND I have found that the greatly promoted Mucinex (or however that stuff is spelled) does nothing for me.  In fact, I think it made me worse.  Every 4 hours for two days, I religiously swallowed the vile stuff.  I never felt any relief, in fact, I felt somewhat worse (from what I could tell!).  So yesterday I stopped it.  I did feel better.  I don't know if this is just part of the crud running its course or I really benefitted from discontinuing the med.

Second - I consider myself a rather open minded person.  If I had to be labeled politically, I would honestly say I am an independent.  I don't like the concept of political parties.

What brought this up?  We have a web service around here called "Next Door."  It can serve a good purpose.  Ours had sort of degenerated into mostly lost/found dogs and cats.  This is rather tiresome, and with my animal rescue mindset, it also distresses me.  A lot!

Some yahoo decided he would stir the pot with something he deemed important.  He brought up the Primary Election.  Now, the voting demographics of our combined neighborhoods is well known.  Why he decided to list all the candidates on one questionnaire about who would vote for whom, I cannot understand.  But he did.  That post has become a cesspool.

Just the other day, someone suggested that we begin the new year with careful thinking about what and how we post.  That suggestion has completely been ignored.  And so many there are putting things in there (and not about the candidate, but other definitions of ideologies) that are completely incorrect.

This coupled with Facebook has made me want to leave the social media altogether.  I want to write "people - say what you want.  That is your Constitutional right.  But make it factual."  That would be directed to one person especially.  She and I have had a run-in (at her doing), and I have muted her.  But then I get curious and come to the computer to look at what she says.  She. Is. An. Idiot.  Today she blatantly stated confused two forms of government. To me, it made her look really stupid.  This woman is a wolf in sheep's clothing.  She comes across as such a sweet and caring person while in truth she is a vile, hateful person.  She will attack with little provocation.  She is caring only if you meet her stupid standards.  In other words, she is a complete hypocrite.  I am so sick of hypocrites.

Sorry for the rant.  Sometimes it just feels really good to let it out.  I should simply drop that neighborhood "rag sheet."  There are sometimes redeeming qualities about it though.  I just need to consider my action about it carefully.

It hangs on

Here we are - day six of the crud.  I am beginning to believe this is allergy not cold.  For one thing, G doesn't have it.  Also, a cold would have gone away by now, and there is no infection.  There is just plenty of mucus (I know, TMI, sorry! But it is pertinent information)

I had my monthly appointment for my eye injection yesterday.  I knew this was coming - they put a mask on me.  That's ok because I would do the same thing in their position.  I contemplated changing the appointment but I really want to stay on the schedule because the liquid behind the retina has decreased.  The doctor tells me that we may be able to stretch the appointments to every 6 weeks if this new drug is successful.

And that is going to be very important.  There are new co-pays with the insurance.  Guess what - they are NOT in my favor. Because medical costs are sky-rocketing the insurance companies will only pay 80% of procedures like mine (which means the drug that is $2000 a pop) rather than the 95% they previously paid.  We are talking I now pay $422 each month to not go blind.  What a choice.

There are "co-pay assistance" programs out there.  I have tried twice previously to apply.  I will try again, but we "make too much money."  That is a laugh.  My annuity payment has not increased since 2001.  I cannot get my complete social security money because dear Mr. Tom Delay decided that teachers with an annuity (as well as some other classifications of retirees) just didn't need that additional money from Social Security.  I wonder which teacher(s) pissed him off when he was in school?  I guess his previous occupation of exterminator cooked his brain with the chemicals.  But that is neither here nor there - it is something that I now have to deal with.
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Katie is once again excelling.  Her  first semester as a Freshman in high school was good.  She managed all A's and a B in geometry.  Our school district doesn't believe in giving finals in Middle School, so her finals ate her lunch - thus the B.  But with everything else she does, I think she did so great - especially since her classes are all either the Gifted/Talented or Advanced Placement.  Good showing for a 14-year-old!

Her Varsity swimming is going well, but water polo is really going well.  She will be heading to Riverside, California again this year to compete for a place on the National Junior Olympic team again.  This competition is tough for the Texas girls.  We just don't have the coaches that the California girls have.  Last year she was so close, but "close only counts in horse shoes!"  But she is getting well known in the country.

I am off to the drug store.  I am going to stock up on drugs!!  I don't have cough syrup, nasal spray, all that great stuff.  We only had a bit here, and I didn't bring any of it back from the SSB because I surely want it to be there since we are at the end of the earth!

I. Am. Sick

I try so hard to stay away from anyone with any kind of illness.  I especially try to stay away from those with colds.  I hate colds.  I become a sniveling pile of protoplasm when I get a cold.

When we got here Monday, I knew my throat was telling me that it wasn't right.  When I get a cold or allergies, my pharynx right where the nasal passages join gets sore.  Well - it was tingling a little.

This went on for a couple days. That is until Friday.  Then it hit with a vengeance.  My nose vacillates from being completely occluded to running like a garden hose.  Yesterday I woke with a throat so sore I couldn't swallow even liquids easily.  During the night, I pulled the CPAP off after only about three hours because I couldn't breathe.  I have trouble with the stream of air causing my nose to stop up as it is, but coupled with a cold was extreme.

Yesterday I was really absolutely miserable.  I spend much of the day either under a blanket in the living room or in bed.  Last night it was almost each hour on the hour I woke with either a runny nose, a stopped up nose or a wracking cough.

Yep - I get a cold and I become a big cry baby.  I hope it is about to run its course.  I finally found a decongestant tablet (at least I am pretty sure that's what it is by the formulation on the pill packet), and it seems to be working.  I have one more for tomorrow, and then we will be back in civilization where I can find some real medicine that I need!

So I will take my sniveling self back to bed for a bit, take care of the laundry, and stop moaning to you!

Winding down

This year Christmas time has been a flurry of activities.  It is beginning to wind down, and will wind down a lot next week when I am whisked off to the SSB - the absolute stillness there.

The activities began with Krissi's birthday dinner.  I am still thinking of that buffalo tenderloin steak.  It was so good, and I was surprised at the tenderness of that thing. After all - buffalo??

So the whole family (adults) were together for that.  Then it was decided we would have family dinner on Sunday.  Gosh Friday, then Sunday.  G wanted to go to church on Christmas Eve, so that was planned. Steve said he would do dinner on Christmas Eve, and presents family-wide would be opened then.

When we got to church and parked, there was a black truck that was backing into the space next to us.  I was thinking it looked like my son's.  As they got even with us, Christina rolled down her window with the biggest grin.  What a surprise.  The other family went to the 3 pm service that was more for kids.  They didn't realize it was for LITTLE kids.  Too bad they didn't wait for the 5 pm.  But I don't know that we could have found seating for 12!

Christmas morning is traditional for us to go to Krissi's for the kids opening their presents and breakfast.  Mr Scrouge announced on Christmas Eve he wasn't going and didn't care about breakfast.  That sent the youngest of their kids (Karrington) into a tizzy.  She always has a bit of the drama queen in her, but she was tired and it upset her that tradition wasn't going to continue.

Since the kids are older, I (foolishly) expected them to sleep in.  But at 7:30 I got the call.  I hurriedly dressed to go.  Didn't bother to wake Grumpy.  It was good.  Presents were ripped open in a matter of minutes.  We had breakfast and I went home.  We were going to my DIL's mother's house for lunch/dinner at 2.  That is another tradition.  It is nice to see Ginger.  She is a very sweet person, and I enjoy her family.  This year she included Christina's brother's wife's family (lots of possessives there!).  Lovely people.

Being with the kids all these  times had my head spinning.  We have gotten away from this much family time.  But who is complaining.  Not me!

In the meantime, I was anxiously awaiting the delivery of a package for G.  His computer is old and slow.  It is running XP as an operating system, and it just won't download things as it should.  SO I found one on my favorite shopping site.  I even paid the $13 to have the shipping expedited.  That's something for me.  It is a discontinued Dell, but it will meet his needs just fine.  It was due to be delivered yesterday (Saturday).  It was supposed to be here by 12 noon.  At 11:15 I checked my email to see where it was.  It said delivered.  This was important because there have been so many deliveries stolen in this area, I surely didn't want a computer stolen.  The message said delivered at 10:50.  I went to the door, and sure enough - there it was!

I wanted to get more lights for the outside when they went on sale.  Mine were so old they didn't work.  We bought two strings when we put up the display, but they were at regular price (and expensive).  They are sparse.  Krissi and I set out for the sale on Christmas decorations.  She bought a whole lot.  I bought two little trees for the porch, and about 5 strings of lights including some ice cycles.

AND the most surprising thing - they want family dinner again tonight!  We have one dissenting vote - Mr. Scrooge, the Grump.

Tomorrow we head off to the SSB where we will spend a week.  I so badly want to stay home.  I am tired of spending a quarter of my time in the near wilderness.  Steve and Reagan are going for a few days.  Steve still hasn't gotten a deer (we eat what we kill - we all like venison, and there are SO many deer in Texas the herd seriously needs to be thinned some - not nearly enough vegetation for them).  I wish G would just go with them and leave me here.  But "that ain't gonna happen."  Bah Humbug.  Poor ending to what has been a really good holiday season.

Sooooo yummy

Back in August,  we went to one of our favorite restaurants.  It is a steak house (and one of the best) so we don't indulge too often (like IF we are lucky once a year).  But we thought that it would be fun to treat the family on Krissi's 42nd (GASP!) birthday.  So we made reservations for the six of us.  Love the grands, but three wouldn't eat anything there, and the other three - well let's face it this IS a great steak house.  I think you can read between the lines. It is just as well it was all adults last night because the dinner lasted two and a half hours!!  Only the nearly 15-year-old would have been able to withstand that.  But even so she had a Quinceanera to attend.  For those who are not in a Mexican infused community, this is celebrating the 15th birthday of a girl.  It marks her admission to womanhood.  It is just as fancy as a wedding - and costs as much as a wedding!

My son-in-law works for a company that makes commercial kitchen equipment.  Thus, he is expected to spend money in restaurants.  He is a VP, but these days that really doesn't necessarily mean anything, but he is.  SO last night his company provided the birthday dinner.

All of us women had something we would never have ordered had it not been for someone else picking up the check.  We had a buffalo filet with a jalapeno glace!  Talk about drop dead wonderful.

Steve also started the evening with a champagne toast.  It was delicious.  Not the cheap stuff I buy.  Then he ordered a really good wine.  We all had steaks of one kind or another. There were salads and the "complimentary" birthday dessert.  At the price of the steaks, there was nothing complimentary about anything!!!  But is was delicious.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening.  I think we all had a great time, enjoyed wonderful food, and appreciated the terrific company!

Time flies

I cannot believe my daughter has turned 42 today!  I know that's not really that old, but it seems like I just had her.  Then I got to thinking about all the milestones that we have passed.  

My dad used to tell me that time flew by as one got older.  What a sage he was.  Time is just slipping away so fast.  The grands are growing up so fast.  Things I wanted to do with them - that's over.  They don't do things like that.  They think they are grown (at least the eldest three).  Wow!

Yesterday I was really miffed.  I went to the grocery store.  Getting out of the house was a comedy of errors to begin with.  I don't carry a purse this time of year.  I have a little crossbody that I made myself where I carry the drivers license, a credit card and (of course) since I was going to the grocery) - the little card. I got all that together, was trying to get out of the door ahead of G so we didn't have to move cars, and found I forgot to put Clyde in his kennel.  

I went to the refrigertator to get his little piece hot dog (I don't say weinie anymore - the eldest grands erupt into gales of laughter) I put all the associated things I had together down.  Well in that stuff was my shopping list.  That made me rather upset with myself. I was distracted doing my shopping.  I couldn't remember what was on that blasted list, and once on the list - it is out of my mind.  Checking out, I checked cashback on the little thingy, and I certainly don't want cash back - not at those rates!  So once again, I was distracted. When I looked at my cart, I thought it looked a little skimpy.  

When I got home, I didn't unload all my bags at once.  When I began looking for all the cold stuff, I came to the realization that the roast and stew meat I purchased were NOT there.  At this time of year, after about 3 in the afternoon, I do not go back out again.  I wasn't going to fight traffic for even $25 of meat.  I would go today to rectify.

That was a fiasco!  I surf the marked down meat.  The meat I bought was from the marked down meat.  And that meat is just as good as any other by the way.  I save where I can.  Anyway, obviously MY meat was not to be found.  The butcher had no idea what to do, and to cut to the chase I ended up buying fresh meat (and a half pound more when he cut the roast) and paid an additional $16.  I really would have just preferred to have gotten my money back.  

I don't know what the moral to that story might be.  I guess not to go to the grocery by myself so that I can watch what is going on better.  Needless to say, I am not a happy camper right now.  

Today's musings

The most pressing thought is about my son and DIL.  They have lost the baby.  I am going to sound terrible here, but it is both sad and a blessing.  Any loss of a child, at any stage, is terrible.  She has had at least three miscarriages (my daughter says three, but I think more).  Brian put it well last night when he told me "it's happened before, but not this late."

She had finally told the other three kiddos, and they were going to this ultrasound with them yesterday.  But they are so young, I don't think they will fully understand what this means.  So today at 11 am she went for a DandC.  It is sad.

But at the same time, I will admit (and I will admit that it is NOT my life) that I wasn't thrilled about a new baby.   She had just begun to go back to school to become a nurse.  At the rate she was going, it was going to take a long time as it was.  She only took two classes last semester and is looking at only one this coming one.  The youngest will be 4 in February.  This means full-time school for him is just around the corner, and more serious classes could be taken.  

DIL has worked so hard on losing weight.  She is out to make additional income for the family as being a coach with this company that sells workout DVDs and nutritional supplements.  The selling could still be done, but there is always the dreaded baby weight.

I do see this as a blessing to them, but it is still sad.  I hope I don't come across as too harsh on this.  

In lighter news, my daughter's birthday is the 18th.  She doesn't know what she wants for her birthday.  I don't know what she wants for her birthday.  She, like me, buys what she wants when she wants it.  Ugh!  Gift giving gets so difficult!  

I wanted to show you the teacher's gifts.  I used my phone to take the picture, and rather than hook the phone to the computer, I emailed the picture.  So I had to finally go to that email address (not my usual) to download the picture, and so on, and so on.  But here are the hand sanitizers.  Five of them were easy-peasy.  The owl made me question my judgement!  I threw the first front part away because it was so horrible.  I loved the paisley print for them until I thought about her having two male teachers.  The paisley seemed to be too feminine, so I went back to search for other fabrics.  I came up with the brown.  I thought I had purple and I would use gold thread (school colors - purple and gold), but alas I must have gotten too organized when I "organized" the fabrics.   The owl is because one of her favorite teachers loves owls.

Quick note

And I can do a quick note thanks to my new bestie Mike!!!  Wow this thing flies.

I just wanted to help bring a little update to my friends who are like me and falling a little behind in this fast moving world of electronics and internet.

The Fire Stick is from Amazon.  It is a device that will stream video to a "smart tv" so that movies and the like can be viewed.  It required an HDMI (something else I have learned more about!!!) port on the tv - so it has to be an HD tv.  These are only about $40 at Amazon, and if you have a Prime Account there is a world of free stuff out there!!!  It is a whole new world for me anyway!

Now I am "girding my loins" to head out to Costco.  If I were in my right mind, I would NEVER venture out to a store like this at this time.  But then I live with he who is not in his right mind.  He knew we would have to be going fairly soon because we would be needing dog food, but I would not have waited until we were so close to being completely out,

Ah thus it goes around my house!!!

New and "improved"

Had the local computer guru come over today to work on my computers.  He basically pronounced the Dell as terminal, but he worked for quite a long time on this Toshiba.  Well - it at the very least will get on-line now!

While he was here, I got him to work with my Fire Stick.  I am so behind on all this stuff.  It was so easy, I am embarrassed.  It was done in three minutes.

Last Sunday was the Holiday in the Park here. It is a minor festival where snow is brought in for all these kids that reside here in Swampland. and vendors set up.   Usually I make little to no money.  This year was great!!  But when I posted the new items that I had from the show - nada.  Oh well such is life

Katie decided that some of my stuff would make great teachers' gifts, and they would.  But she asked if I had an owl in one of the things.  I didn't.  So I stupidly   gladly told her I would make a hand sanitizer holder that is an owl for that teacher.  I now have several more grey hairs.  But I managed to get that tarnated thing done along with 5 easy ones.  So I guess they went off to school this week.

And that my friends is what I have been doing.  Hopefully I will be able to access the internet more regularily now!

Thankful

That it's over, and we will be heading home on Monday.

Today we ate the last of the turkey for lunch.  This year, I bought two little frozen turkey breasts and a ham.  It was just right.  We had Thanksgiving dinner and a few more little meals, and it's gone.  No messy carcass to deal with, no worries about the roasting pan being too small.  They were just right with two exceptions.  The carcass would have made a good broth for soup, and there was no skin on the breasts.  But they were great!

The house is so quiet.  Five extra people and two more Boxers make for a lively house.  Clyde is still looking for his kids and girl friend dogs.

We had a great time.  Most of you know the family (minus me) are hunters.  We love venison.  It is not so much for the racks, although G got his first 10 point.  The eldest grandchildren hunted for the first time.  G took them out, and both were successful  Katie's was a 9 point buck and Reagan got a good sized spike.  His was most important - got it out of the breeding stock.

The weather has turned really nasty.  Up to Thanksgiving day, it was hot.  Thanksgiving was still rather hot, but rainy.  Friday was cold and rainy with the possibility of flooding, so they left on Friday,   That was probably best - otherwise the kids were going to be cabin crazy, and we would have three wet dogs most of the time.

All in all, it was a good time.  

Technology - snicker

We are here at the SSB for Thanksgiving - as usual.  I think I have mentioned that we are at the end of the earth.  Well - we are in a place that GPS doesn't want to recognize our location!

When I have a service person out - they usually end up calling to tell us they are lost. 

I decided that I wanted to upgrade our satellite TV service.  Our receiver is 13 years old, and it does have features I love, but I want to be able to record shows too.  And I wanted a second receiver.  Since there is a wireless one now, perfect.  I don't have to drill more holes in the house (and make new entrance places for vermin and dust).

The poor guy ended up in town.  That's 35 miles away. 

I gave directions.  He called again.  Gave more directions (felt like I was teaching again - you know, give directions for the activity, then give them again, and again ...).  To cut to the chase, he passed our place after getting out here.  He ended up down the private road at the hunting ranch owned by a distant cousin.

He did finally make it, but geesh!  I always hold my breath when I have a service person come out.  Even our heating/cooling people - if it is a new guy he can't find us. 

We have had to actually go out to  meet people and lead them to us.  And that is funny in a way because there are four houses around here.  It's not like we are really at the end of the earth, or are we?

Weekend

What a great weekend!  We dined on meals from around the world.  Friday night was Indian food.  We have the BEST small, family owned place in the neighborhood.  They are so patient spending lots of time with their customers making sure the food is to their liking.  Yum.

Saturday night we hadn't planned anything until the last minute.  My daughter will squeeze a penny until it screams.  She found a replacement 52" TV for the one that broke previously last week.  We have Beg, Barter, Buy, Sell computer sites around here.  The TV that quit working was purchased from one.  Anyway - she found another on BBBS - for $100.  Good deal I guess, but we will see how long it lasts.

To get to the point, she couldn't get the back row seats in the Tahoe to fold down, so she called me.  At least my little Highlander will happily fold its seats down!  So she suggested to pay me back for that we get Taco Cabana.

I ate such rich foods last weekend that I am still recuperating.  I discovered my old digestive system is very finicky.

Spending the time with all of them was such fun.  Saturday was packed.  They first tried to see if some kittens could be adopted from another of our friends.  It. Was. A. Disaster!  When asked if I thought it would someday work out for all the animals, my answer was simple.  No.

Then we had lunch, and headed to let Katie get her third ear piercing.  Whatever!

There is/was a little used book store that was closing.  I got two grocery bags and one large paper bag of books for $30.  I bought for the girls, but I have enough reading material to last me (probably) several years.  Couple the books with the Kindle, and I really believe I am set for life.

Surely loved the weekend!  It was all good.

Hi, I'm Grandma K, and I am a procrastinator.

There certainly should be, if there isn't, a Procrastinator Anonymous group, and I should  attend meetings daily.  There is certainly a joke hidden there!

I really haven't been putting things off.  I really have been busy.  There is so much that isn't getting done.  I think (rationalize) I am still trying to get over the trip to New England that bloomed with the follow up to the trip to Mason.  There was a mountain of laundry to do and many small details to catch up on.

The real truth here is that I don't know where the time has flown.  Days seem like they are just hours long, and it seels that someone is fooling with the calendar steeling days from it.

I still haven't gotten the book from the San Francisco book ready to be printed, and the photos from New England still need editing.  I bought a new Photoshop (because the discs from the previous program have suddenly disappeared), and it is so time consuming. 

All excuses - I know.  This blog has become the very last thing on the "to do list."   I am finding myself falling into the trap of so many other bloggers - the evil, time eating Facebook.  That application is as addicting as crack - I think.  Never having tried crack, I can only imagine.

There is some news  around these parts.  News that doesn't thrill me and threatened to disrupt family cohesiveness.  I am accepting it, but I still don't like it.  There will be more on this later.  It isn't something to be shared at this point because things may change.  Now that's pretty vague, isn't it?

This weekend I am here alone.  I have so many want-to-do items on my list that I will never get to them all.  Frankly, I am enjoying the peace and quiet with no pressures, etc.  I would say that, but almost as soon as  G got to the ranch, he called me with the news that the TV didn't work.  To cut to the chase he didn't turn on the power strip. But, of course, I was called to fix it from 250 miles away.  I am so glad SIL got there right after he had made an idiot of himself calling Customer Support!

This should become a "girls weekend" like we used to do.  That means all the things I was dreaming about accomplishing will disappear, but I am just so thankful my girls (daughter and two grands) want to include me in their adventures this weekend.

Busy, busy

We have been gone - again.  This time we became "leaf peepers."  We took trains to the Northeast.  We left here, went to New Orleans (for the night for our connection).  Then it was Wilmington, Delaware, Burlington, Vermont, Quebec, back to Springfield, Massachusetts then home.

This was a `12 day trip.  I really have to say that while our color is much later, our trees are really just as pretty in the fall.  I was prepared for temperatures in the 30's, but our last day - in Springfield - the low that morning was 19!!!  On the trip from Burlington to Springfield we saw LOTS of snow in Vermont.  They were even clearing roads.

Both animals are freaky from their stay - their "camp" experience.  Shadow was wild while there, and he hasn't left my side unless I have left the house.  Clyde is his usual exhausted dog, but he is like this even when we go to the ranch.  Any change in the routine just wears him out.  He finally ate this afternoon. 

I have a mountain of laundry to do.  I got better with my packing this time.  The only extra things I brought home were one blouse and night clothes and underwear.  I won't go into reasons for those (other than the blouse) being extra.  If you are over 60, you may understand.  Think I will be talking to my doctor about a little bladder lift soon.

But all is well.  G did have us scheduled to leave for the ranch tomorrow.  Gasp.  At least he put it off until Monday.  I keep hoping there will still be flooding in the Hill Country (not to wish anyone any problems, but ...).  But he also said that if we don't go on Monday, then we won't be home before Halloween.  I don't like leaving this house on Halloween.  Nothing has ever happened, but I don't want it to.

So that it where I am.  I haven't downloaded pictures yet.  I did buy a new edition of Photoshop.  I don't have any photo editing on my computers any more.  Don't know where it went, but I have one now.

I will check in later!

Short dishwasher update

Cross your fingers!  The guy came out on Monday, just as I requested on email.  He replaced both controllers and both heating elements.  As he was doing a final run of the machine, he decided the top drawer was making a noise.  My heart sank.  More time with no dishwasher.  I was in luck - he had the plastic (gasp) parts that are with that drawer (it will take more time to explain what they do than I want to spend here).

Anyway - it works - at least each drawer individually.  It's quiet.  He does clean so nicely.  BUT I haven't had a chance to run both drawers at the same time.

I don't think we will really love this machine.  It is small really.  My dinner plates are too big to fit the way they are supposed to, but apparently this is a problem for all people.  The tech showed me what to do - turn the plates around.  I did - and it works,

Guess I will contact Discover and allow payment to go through in a couple of days.

This and that and pictures

Here I sit waiting for the repairman of the lemon dishwasher.  I am really hoping he DOESN'T have the controller is able to fix it.  I don't like it.  It won't hold all the dishes I want it to hold, and from reading various reviews, it will break again.  And we will begin all this over again.  I want this thing gone.

But to more fun things.  This past week was our high school's homecoming.  Katie was kept busy with all the different "days" they had as spirit days. 

Saturday was the dance, but the water polo team had two games.  The coach managed to get them at 12 and 12:40 so they could get back home to primp.  Those were some tired girls however.  The whole team didn't show, so they only had one sub.  Basically they were all in the water an hour and a half or more playing really strenuous games.

This is their "float" for the homecoming parade.  Katie is second from left.  Her first homecoming parade.

The girls (and Som Choi) getting ready to leave.  Don't know what the hands represent, but the girl sitting graduated last year, and did their hair this year.  (Strange homecoming - only present students attend)

Just for good measure, this is my 11 year old grandson.  Yes, he IS a big boy - probably the biggest on the field.  He is playing the sport HE like - not the baseball his dad pushes,.

 

 

The other four grands, while each being cute as can be didn't have something special going on.  The youngest girl has a birthday/birthday party next week.  Sooooooo.

And the beat goes on

Remember the new dishwasher.  That supposed top line, whiz bang thing.  Well it STILL has washed 4 plates, a pot and assorted glass and silverware.  That's it.  Only now it won't drain the water that resides in both drawers.

The technician came out on the 11th (perhaps that's what was bad).  Stayed for over two hours.  Took the control devices from the drawers saying it hoped they would be over nighted. They. Were. Not.

So on the 15th I sent a complaint to what they laughingly refer to as Customer Service.  The response from them was to send them the serial number and a copy of the sales invoice.  Of course, we weren't home and I didn't have access to a scanner and especially those requested items.

I sent those back to them three days ago.  Nothing.

Two days ago, I filed a dispute with Discover (it pays to use Discover on items like this).  So I have a temporary credit for this bill.  IF the piece of junk worked, I would pay for it.  Since when I called the dealer he dismissed me with the referral to the company, perhaps this will get his attention.  I don't feel I owe him anything more.  He was aware I had used the thing one day.  This action may take about 30 days for it to come to completion.

Today I used their on-line request for service.  Wanna take bets on what will happen????

"Snake-bit"'

That is a saying here in Texas.  I'm not sure any other area uses it, but it is quite descriptive.  And it makes sense since we do have so many poisonous snakes around here.

Anyway, that's how I am feeling just about now.  And here goes with another moan/groan post.

We had a very nice dishwasher that was about 15 years old, but worked well.  But it had a design flaw.  The handle.  It was plastic connected to metal.  There was quite a force exerted on that handle when you pulled it to open the door of the dishwasher.

One of our hunters has become our appliance repair.  That is his business, but we didn't use him before because he is located on the other side of Houston.  He assured us that it didn't matter.  He didn't mind the travel.

So we called him to repair the dishwasher at least twice.  The last time, he said he didn't think he could fix it again.  Of course the parts were discontinued!  He spent quite a bit of time fashioning a "fix."

So the Lord and Master around this house gave the edict that it was time for a new model.  I cringed a bit because I really hate getting rid of something that does what it was meant to do.  Of course, you risked fingers to open the thing to get it to do its job!

I researched and researched.  We looked at some at Costco.  Then I went to the internet.  G called our hunter/friend/repair person.  I narrowed the search to one I liked.  We decided we didn't want to use a big box store because my daughter, who will make pennies scream before she lets them go, has had problems with delivery AND installation.  I don't want to put up with that.  Those stores used to provide great service - all at once.  Now it is a delivery service and THEN an installation service. She has found on several occasions that when installation gets there, they find damage from delivery.  Then the whole things begins over again.  Nope.  Not for me,

SO we went to the appliance store we have been visiting for over 25 years.  I knew I would pay more, and I knew I would pay for delivery/installation.  But I like to support a "local" business.

When we got there, we looked at the model I had chosen.  Then he showed me a two drawer model.  Hey - there is only the two of us most of the time.  We could get by with a smaller unit that has the flexibility to get larger - the second drawer.

I have given up fighting the appliance color wars a long time ago.  I have gone through the Harvest Gold, the Avocado - not it's stainless which I think will be around a long time, but it's more expensive.  So we wanted white - which had to be ordered.

The new (what I thought top of the line) machine was delivered on Tuesday.  And installed by the same guy (who has installed my cook top, oven, vent hood).  I loaded it Tuesday night and ran it.  Beautiful.  The dishes were so clean.  I was delighted, and the pain of spending more than I thought was lessened a bit.

Wednesday night we decided we would use BOTH drawers to make sure they worked.  Well they didn't.   The error message then was a leak had been detected.  

I called the store.  He gave me the repair number for the maker.  I already felt  neglected by the store.  I called the number.  I also knew that this is an international company, but I really didn't expect a 30 (!!!) minute wait for someone to send someone out.  But they did finally answer, and scheduled me for the next day (Friday).

The service man actually came out early.  I must say he is a great ambassador for the company.  He talked about his experience with these machines, and really praised them.  Of course, he had NEVER seen our problem before - both heating elements are bad,  He was here well over an hour.

The parts (of course) have to be ordered.  So Monday will be the EARLIEST for them.  

Right now we are eating as much left overs as we can on disposables to keep dishes at a minimum.  This  morning was an unusual treat (that I love) - we went out for breakfast!

Feeling "snake-bit?"  Simple answer - yes. 

Happy Labor Day

But to me day could be the Labor Day holiday!  And I love it.  Can't understand why people bemoan retiring.  I. Love. It.  It WOULD be nicer if I were younger to enjoy it more!

I hesitate to say that I have "fair to middlin" internet service these days.  The little guy from ATT came out and put us on a sort of back channel where there aren't many others with the hopes of increasing speed.  It is kind of like being at the end of a line where not much of anything gets there.

We had to make a quick (and I mean QUICK) trip to the SSB.  We were finally scheduled for September 4 to get the internet upgraded.  On the second, we got a call right about noon asking if we could be there on the third since there was an installer in the area.  Fortunately it was before 1:00, so we hurriedly threw what we needed for a few days together and left.

We were there until Saturday.  Normally we don't travel at all on Labor Day weekend, but this was important.  Shadow got to stay home, and Clyde was buckled in.  He had his food there awaiting our arrival a day later.

So far that service seems good.  I was on for several hours after the (poor) guy left.  I get 10 Gs a month, and all the time I was on didn't even use 1 G.  Hopefully it will support the mob that will be there Thanksgiving.

I say "poor guy" because we are so far away from his home.  The company is around Waco (general area).  After he left us, he had to go to Abilene.  He left our place after 3.  He must work LONG days.

So perhaps with my servers in place, and the modification to my laptop (paper over the built in mouse) I may be around more.

Fresh from the wars

As if having computer problems here in Jersey Village wasn't enough, we have had them at the SSB.  To refresh your memory of that place, it is at the end of the earth.  There is one family that lives past us, but they get to their place a different way - they don't pass our road at all.

We have to have satellite internet there.  Now, satellite internet is a small  step above dial up.  But it is better than none.  It went out last month.  I still believe since the dish is in reaching distance from the deck, my grands who were there (you know the WILD ones) managed to pull it even though G said he really didn't believe so.  I didn't call them last month.  This month (last week) I did call them

This is Hughes Net.  Lousy company and here's why:

They could determine that the dish was out of alignment.  The cost to have someone out to repair the positioning - $30.  This is the first company I have come across that would charge that much to repair their equipment.  I was flabbergasted.  To say the least.  So, since I had been thinking of upgrading, I asked if a technician had to come out to do that.  Why yes.  Well hey, saved a bit there.  But, alas this isn't the end of this story.

Of course the call center is in India.  They try to make it seem like it isn't.  These women must work hours to get rid of most of the accent (didn't work really), and use "English" names like Susan Smith.

I was working with one who simply couldn't find the service zip code.  I gave her the county and then the mailing one.  (We are so far from Mason that our mail comes - if we had a box -  comes from a different town in a different county),  To cut to the chase, after about 30 minutes we got to the billing address.  She put our home zip code down, and sent the installer to our house in Jersey Village.

This happened on a Sunday.  I called the Customer Service number back.  I was told they couldn't help me with this.  I had to talk to the dealer.  I was frankly pissed at this point, but called the dealer.  He told me HE couldn't help me.  Now I was beyond words.  I had to call CS back.  Again, and very snottily I  might add, they couldn't help me, call the dealer.  I was ballistic.  I  wouldn't have taken my blood pressure at that point because it would have broken the machine!

To get to what I hope is the end, the dealer who is in Conroe managed to get to the dealer that services Mason County (based in Waco??).  He was going to try to fit me in on Wednesday of last week.  I knew that wasn't going to happen.  We are just too far apart.  When asked when we would be back in Mason I told him the 16th to the 22nd.  Those were the exact dates he was on vacation - flying in fact to and from California.

We set the 4th as the installation date.  So we get to be on the road for another 11 hours to go back.  But if these guys had not gotten together to work for me, I would still be out of luck.

It is time to bring our Customer Services back to the States.  I don't think the people I spoke with realize just how BIG the country is, and especially Texas.  I have to also say that Hughes Net has no Customer Service.  I have to remain with them for a year (contract), but I will spent this year searching for another supplier of satellite internet.  I know I will never get cable internet out there.  Everything has to be satellite.  But I am going to be looking.

Today I called ATT because I am sick of the lousy internet I have with them.  I do have to say, I got service - after I had to call twice because the computer wouldn't give me a real person the first time.

By the way - have a good rest of the weekend!

Trying something different

I am going to try something new here.  I am writing this in Word and will paste it into Blogger.  For some reason even when I try to avoid the built in mouse that is located in the center of  the laptop, all the text will disappear.

So much has been going on I doubt I can remember it all, but here are some highlights.

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The day before Father’s Day, we were sitting at the SSB.  The grass was high and we had no working lawnmowers.  This is a problem because of the snake issue.  G was going on and on about how it seems the kids don’t care about the place and he cannot keep it up by himself.

So I intervened,   I sent both a text.  To cut to the chase, Brian (son) felt he was pushed out by Steve .  He thought  Steve was the preferred.  Got that straightened out.  Brian and family spent the next time we were there with us.  Our relationship with them has blossomed again.  Misunderstandings were straightened out.  He doesn't feel shunned and we don't feel shunned

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Before Krissi’s people left for Junior Olympics and Disneyland, they were at a water polo tournament.  Three kittens were located – no mom found.  Both of my kids are rescue animals.  They waited until the next day  - went back and one had died.  So they picked up the two remaining living kittens.   Krissi and family were leaving for Junior Olympics and Disneyland in a little over a week.  She got a friend to care for the kittens.  They left on Friday, and Monday night she called in in tears.  Her friend had one of the kittens at the Emergency ER.  He was fine, and two hours later limp and almost dead.  Treatment would have run $1500 with no assurance he would survive. With calls to and from California and from me to the vet then to California - the decision was made to euthanize.

The next morning, I took the remaining one to our vet.  I wanted testing for feline leukemia.  While they said he was negative, it was not absolute because he could have still had some antibodies from mom.  There was concern about his clotting factor, and his distended stomach, but he was sent home with some glucose paste to use if he seemed to become too lethargic.  Keep him warm and remember he is so fragile was it.  He thrived for two weeks.  She called me this past Saturday once again in tears.  The second one crashed.  It was euthanized 

  Saturday.  His life ended like his brothers – in the same kind of time frame.  Sad times here.  They were really so cute.  But finding kittens that are two weeks old is a total uphill fight.  Since they were both males, with their deaths so the same, and the reading I have done – I really they had a congenital bleeding problem.  Probably it was hemophilia.  Kittens with hemophilia usually die at birth.

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Katie’s team lost most of their games, but they simply are not as good as the California teams.  Water Polo is serious business there!  It is beginning here.

She didn’t make the Junior Varsity in volleyball at her high school (yea!), but she will be a varsity swimmer and water polo player this school year as a freshman.  That’s going to be interesting at least.

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The 26^th I turned 70.  Difficult birthday for me.  I now realize that contrary to my opinion,  my days are numbered on this earth.  Even after breast cancer, I thought I was invincible.  But guess not!  This birthday was really depressing.

Yesterday was our 47^th anniversary.  Can’t say we are as we were 47 years ago.  But we have made it this far.

Using Word to do this has been different – but at least I haven’t had my text completely deleted (as many times).  Now the next thing will  to see if I can get it posted!!

Still kicking

But still have the lousy internet.  That makes it difficult to do things.  One computer doesn't but up with it at all, and that is the one that is best set up for typing.  So that's one reason I haven't been here.  This computer will delete everything if I am not careful.

Plus - I consider myself a middle of the roader.  I have been reading some blogs that infuriate me, so I  have just not been rthe blogosphere  much.  Hypocritical and narrow minded people have gotten to me, so I have just stayed away..

I will try to get back.  I need a new mind set and get away from some of the bloggers about.  There are several blogs I really like, but I am finding myself on Facebook much more of the time.

One month and one day!

Wow!  No, I am not dead nor maimed.  Things have been hectic.  Computer problems.  Travel.  Family.  All these things are eating my time like crazy.  I will try to get back soon.


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