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| We stopped at a park for a little bit today. |
Monday, March 30, 2015
Spring and allergies have arrived
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Drive
A couple weeks ago my son was moved out of the faster lane and into a slower lane during swim practice. He was told it was because he was taking too many breaths and not because he was going too slow. I waited till after practice to verify with him that I'd heard correctly (yeah I was sitting right behind the lane, where he'd dropped his junk into a plastic chair which is way more comfortable than the bleachers). The demotion didn't seem to phase him, but it sure got under my skin.
Later, I did express my concerns with the coach in a carefully worded note, and encouraged her to focus more on helping with streamline breathing instead of decreasing the number of breaths per lap... I couldn't be mad at her specifically, because it's quite common for swim coaches to encourage swimmers to build up this sort of endurance and often taking breath is a bit disruptive to the streamline and flow of the stroke. However, given that my son was already having issues with fatigue mid-practice and he has a hereditary anemia, my feelings were quite strong in that I never wanted him to try and decrease his breathing, but to work on making his respirations mid-lap as efficient and streamline as possible.
In college I was incredibly fortunate to have a coach who thoughtfully worked to help his swimmers to improve their techniques instead of over emphasizing rigorous workouts. My brief career as a high school swimmer ended because the coach was overzealous in his insistence of working hard for hours on end. He demanded we practice before and after school, and succeeded in driving me to burn out. A few years later, finding the drive to swim again, I was so fortunate that quite the opposite in college the coaching was much more balanced and my times and race results were far better. While I didn't know then that I had hereditary spherocytosis, I quickly learned that when I didn't breath enough, I would have symptoms of hypoxia and my body let me know I had to breath more. Instead of breathing less, I learned to breath better. There's a moment in the freestyle stroke, when you're lifting your arm over your head, when the water will dip down, and allow you to slurp a breath of air with just the slightest turn of your head. As long as you're swimming in smooth water, you can breath as much as you need to without loosing any momentum at all.
As you can imagine I get rather engrossed and nostalgic with rather strong views on how things ought to be when it comes to swimming. Given that it took almost 12 years for my son to learn to swim across the pool without touching the bottom, I'm always amazed to see him swimming. What I've noticed though, is that while he seems to look forward to swim more than anything else that he does in his daily life tasks, (that is to say he isn't overly excited about it, but gets ready and attends swim with hardly any effort on our part to get him ready) I don't think he's got quite the same drive I had when I swam. It's not bad, it's just different and I have to work hard to keep that in mind!
When I watch him swim I can see potential... or I feel a desire to see him swim in the way I did. I liked to race, and I liked to win, and I usually swam pretty hard all the time. It was one thing I was pretty good at... intuitively. I never had a swim lesson, and was able to join a swim team when I was in junior high and prove I belonged in the faster lanes (not always the fastest, but never the slow lane). There's something exhilarating about swimming... for me the black line on the bottom of the pool is kind of like the black lined figure circles I'd spend countless hours tracing at the roller rink. Back and forth, around and around...over and over again. Rhythmic, methodic, stroke perfection and stylized cylindrical balance with unwavering edges... perhaps it was my therapy. Something about these activities helped me develop into who I am today.
Personally, of all the things we do, I think swimming has been the best therapy for my son this year. Swim teams around here was shockingly expensive, so that's why we haven't been able to pursue more than he's doing now. I see the most progress and the most promising results from his time in the pool. If I had my way I'd divert all the money being spent on speech therapy and invest it into more swimming opportunities.
Later, I did express my concerns with the coach in a carefully worded note, and encouraged her to focus more on helping with streamline breathing instead of decreasing the number of breaths per lap... I couldn't be mad at her specifically, because it's quite common for swim coaches to encourage swimmers to build up this sort of endurance and often taking breath is a bit disruptive to the streamline and flow of the stroke. However, given that my son was already having issues with fatigue mid-practice and he has a hereditary anemia, my feelings were quite strong in that I never wanted him to try and decrease his breathing, but to work on making his respirations mid-lap as efficient and streamline as possible.
In college I was incredibly fortunate to have a coach who thoughtfully worked to help his swimmers to improve their techniques instead of over emphasizing rigorous workouts. My brief career as a high school swimmer ended because the coach was overzealous in his insistence of working hard for hours on end. He demanded we practice before and after school, and succeeded in driving me to burn out. A few years later, finding the drive to swim again, I was so fortunate that quite the opposite in college the coaching was much more balanced and my times and race results were far better. While I didn't know then that I had hereditary spherocytosis, I quickly learned that when I didn't breath enough, I would have symptoms of hypoxia and my body let me know I had to breath more. Instead of breathing less, I learned to breath better. There's a moment in the freestyle stroke, when you're lifting your arm over your head, when the water will dip down, and allow you to slurp a breath of air with just the slightest turn of your head. As long as you're swimming in smooth water, you can breath as much as you need to without loosing any momentum at all.
As you can imagine I get rather engrossed and nostalgic with rather strong views on how things ought to be when it comes to swimming. Given that it took almost 12 years for my son to learn to swim across the pool without touching the bottom, I'm always amazed to see him swimming. What I've noticed though, is that while he seems to look forward to swim more than anything else that he does in his daily life tasks, (that is to say he isn't overly excited about it, but gets ready and attends swim with hardly any effort on our part to get him ready) I don't think he's got quite the same drive I had when I swam. It's not bad, it's just different and I have to work hard to keep that in mind!
When I watch him swim I can see potential... or I feel a desire to see him swim in the way I did. I liked to race, and I liked to win, and I usually swam pretty hard all the time. It was one thing I was pretty good at... intuitively. I never had a swim lesson, and was able to join a swim team when I was in junior high and prove I belonged in the faster lanes (not always the fastest, but never the slow lane). There's something exhilarating about swimming... for me the black line on the bottom of the pool is kind of like the black lined figure circles I'd spend countless hours tracing at the roller rink. Back and forth, around and around...over and over again. Rhythmic, methodic, stroke perfection and stylized cylindrical balance with unwavering edges... perhaps it was my therapy. Something about these activities helped me develop into who I am today.
Personally, of all the things we do, I think swimming has been the best therapy for my son this year. Swim teams around here was shockingly expensive, so that's why we haven't been able to pursue more than he's doing now. I see the most progress and the most promising results from his time in the pool. If I had my way I'd divert all the money being spent on speech therapy and invest it into more swimming opportunities.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Quiet room
We spend two hours in the waiting room of speech and occupational therapy every Tuesday morning. My eldest son usually slips into the quiet room while he waits for his turn as he doesn't like the ruckus all the younger kids make. For months now I've endured the constant buzz of numerous conversations mixed with the sounds of siblings playing, and I leave speech feeling very taxed. It was getting more and more obvious to me that part of my loathing for our time at speech was the noise we endured in the waiting room during the first hour. While the second hour is not as noisy, by that point we're so overstimulated, that we're still miserable and exhausted.
Yesterday, like an epiphany, I made up my mind that we would all join my eldest son in the quiet room, at least for the first hour. Instead of just sitting or trying to read stories to my younger kids through all the noise, I too would take advantage of the quiet space the center has provided for clients who become overwhelmed.
This tactic seemed to really help. My son was able to complete a vocabulary assignment while he waited (he needs to be prompted, which requires my constant attention, to continue his work or usually nothing will be accomplished). His sisters also exclaimed that they found it easier to complete their assignments as well. Hiding in the quiet room may well be an enduring practice from here on out.
Yesterday, like an epiphany, I made up my mind that we would all join my eldest son in the quiet room, at least for the first hour. Instead of just sitting or trying to read stories to my younger kids through all the noise, I too would take advantage of the quiet space the center has provided for clients who become overwhelmed.
This tactic seemed to really help. My son was able to complete a vocabulary assignment while he waited (he needs to be prompted, which requires my constant attention, to continue his work or usually nothing will be accomplished). His sisters also exclaimed that they found it easier to complete their assignments as well. Hiding in the quiet room may well be an enduring practice from here on out.
Monday, March 23, 2015
He's back...
The bathroom remodel contractor that is, called our legal aid folks ranting about the letter they sent months ago, claiming he only just got it. Looks like he's still suspended on Anglie's List, and his Yelp reviews still suck. Legal aid told us today (for the first time) that the letter was sent back to them several times and indeed he didn't sign for it till a few days ago. We had been under the impression that it was sent and received quite a while ago, shortly before the last time the contractor called us. So we figured it was finished. The lawyer doesn't think he has a leg to stand on, but still...
This experience makes military housing look so much more appealing whenever we PCS next.... well, that is if they could accommodate our family wherever we wind up.
This experience makes military housing look so much more appealing whenever we PCS next.... well, that is if they could accommodate our family wherever we wind up.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Yard work
Our front yard garden island never got groomed last spring. Every year gobs of bulb plants come to life, look good for a few weeks, then die out for the fall and winter. Large stalks go from green and flourished to brown and crab grass strewn. The former owner, when asked how to maintain it, stated, "Oh it takes care of itself." This is not the case at all. While the bulbs do indeed return every year, the residual plant product has to be pruned and plucked away from the bed.
Initially, ornamental grass tufts lined the perimeter of the island, but more than half of those have died and are completely gone, leaving the border open to the surrounding grass. I'm thinking it might be better to put in a stone border and get rid of the rest of the ornamental grasses.
However, the most that I'll probably do with it this year has been done. Today I pulled up most of the dead stuff to allow the daffodils, crocus, and tulips room to bloom.
Initially, ornamental grass tufts lined the perimeter of the island, but more than half of those have died and are completely gone, leaving the border open to the surrounding grass. I'm thinking it might be better to put in a stone border and get rid of the rest of the ornamental grasses.
However, the most that I'll probably do with it this year has been done. Today I pulled up most of the dead stuff to allow the daffodils, crocus, and tulips room to bloom.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Long ways off, but just around the corner
The needs of the army list for my husband's area next summer (not this summer) is out. Places we thought would be on the docket aren't, and other's are. Shockingly, I'm kind of excited about some of the places... though not sure if we can or will go to those. So we're in the midst of trying to learn as much as we can about various assignments so we can come up with our list of preferences. Then later this summer we'll get a tentative heads up on where we'll be going next summer. We're not going anywhere for at least a year, but when it comes to selling a home and moving away it seems like it's only tomorrow.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Yummy strawberry preserves
Last weekend my dear husband made strawberry preserves. His intent was to make jam, but the delicious concoction didn't jell as much as he'd desired and the yield was more like chunky syrup. Either way, it's still tasty and we're not going to let it go to waste. On Monday I made oat flour (using my Vitamix) crepes and fill it with his homemade strawberry "stuffing." This morning he made pancakes and added fresh strawberries to his "syrup."
Friday, March 13, 2015
Confession to make
I had to post this chat conversation... mostly to help ease my conscience. Yesterday I purchased an Easter dress for my eldest daughter, who is now a very tall young lady when it comes to clothes. We're pretty much in the same catalog, though I've still got her for girth ;)
info: Welcome to our live chat service. A Customer Service Advisor will be with you shortly. All chats will be recorded to make sure our service is up to scratch (don’t panic, it’s just for training and monitoring).
info: You are now chatting with Samantha.
Samantha: Hello, you're chatting with Samantha from Boden. How can I help you today?
Susanna: I need to send an apology to your chat staff. Yesterday I wrote in to ask about a 25% off code I'd received in the mail that wasn't working. In my enthusiasm for Boden I'd mistook a flyer from Garnet Hill (you are a little similar) for a Boden one. So I surely confused the courteous chat lady in insisting I had this code that wasn't working. She was generous enough to give me the 20% off code for first time buyers. As soon as chat ended I realized my mistake, and it was completely mine. And I decided it would be dishonest to use the code she'd given me and found an ebates code for 15% off instead. I feel absolutely terrible and wanted to send an apology and a thank you for treating me so well even though I was clearly confused. Please send this message onto your fellow chat co-workers and your manager. Sincerely, Susanna
Samantha: Thank you, that's very nice of you. Please feel free to use the 20% off promotion code, that was given to you. I will forward this to my manger. Do you happen to remember who you spoke with?
Susanna: No, I can't recall the name. So please just let the manager know and surely s/he will remember. Thanks again for being so awesome!
info: Welcome to our live chat service. A Customer Service Advisor will be with you shortly. All chats will be recorded to make sure our service is up to scratch (don’t panic, it’s just for training and monitoring).
info: You are now chatting with Samantha.
Samantha: Hello, you're chatting with Samantha from Boden. How can I help you today?
Susanna: I need to send an apology to your chat staff. Yesterday I wrote in to ask about a 25% off code I'd received in the mail that wasn't working. In my enthusiasm for Boden I'd mistook a flyer from Garnet Hill (you are a little similar) for a Boden one. So I surely confused the courteous chat lady in insisting I had this code that wasn't working. She was generous enough to give me the 20% off code for first time buyers. As soon as chat ended I realized my mistake, and it was completely mine. And I decided it would be dishonest to use the code she'd given me and found an ebates code for 15% off instead. I feel absolutely terrible and wanted to send an apology and a thank you for treating me so well even though I was clearly confused. Please send this message onto your fellow chat co-workers and your manager. Sincerely, Susanna
Samantha: Thank you, that's very nice of you. Please feel free to use the 20% off promotion code, that was given to you. I will forward this to my manger. Do you happen to remember who you spoke with?
Susanna: No, I can't recall the name. So please just let the manager know and surely s/he will remember. Thanks again for being so awesome!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
It's like a brand new machine!
My sewing machine, my oldie but goodie, Bernina 731 is finally home from the shop. It's like a brand new machine. New light bulb (the switch had got jostled so it didn't work anymore), new power cord (the old one had a short and was causing power fluctuation), felt pads in the thread holders (fancy smancy), and brand new motor drive belts. Thankfully, the motor is still in tip-top shape and all the stiches are functioning back as they ought to.
Everything came back except my service manual... which makes me wonder if perhaps the shop enjoyed working on my machine a bit much given it's vintage. All the other machines in the Q were more modern looking contraptions. It caused me to recall how excited the mechanics would get whenever I took my 1967 Ford Mustang in for work. Its like they enjoyed it a little too much. Older machines were easier to work on and built to last. There's something to be said for simplicity.
I'm really eager to get back to some of my projects and revamp a couple of my previous completed baby carriers.
Everything came back except my service manual... which makes me wonder if perhaps the shop enjoyed working on my machine a bit much given it's vintage. All the other machines in the Q were more modern looking contraptions. It caused me to recall how excited the mechanics would get whenever I took my 1967 Ford Mustang in for work. Its like they enjoyed it a little too much. Older machines were easier to work on and built to last. There's something to be said for simplicity.
I'm really eager to get back to some of my projects and revamp a couple of my previous completed baby carriers.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Thoughts on next assignment
One of the possible placed we could one day go is Florida. I've always been a touch afraid of alligators, and have always insisted I'd never want to live in Florida. That is until our trip to FL this summer where the only alligators we saw were fake ones at Disney (dh swears they were real, but I'm certain the gators at Disney were fake). Anyhow, I was beginning to think my fears were indeed silly and that my dh's assertion that gators don't even grow that large in Florida was true. I really hate it when he lies...even if it's out of ignorance. Clearly Florida alligators do grow large enough to eat a person!
Till I saw this article; Florida Golfers undeterred by large Alligator on Putting Green, which included a picture of a 12-13 foot alligator.
Sure, they've never attacked anyone....yet!
And I was just starting to think I could be comfortable in Florida... well minus the heat and humidity half the year...
Till I saw this article; Florida Golfers undeterred by large Alligator on Putting Green, which included a picture of a 12-13 foot alligator.
Sure, they've never attacked anyone....yet!
And I was just starting to think I could be comfortable in Florida... well minus the heat and humidity half the year...
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
No bath today
In fifth grade I was selected to play the leading role in our class play, "No Bath Tonight." I'm not sure why since it's a story about a little boy who doesn't want to take a bath. Perhaps I was chosen because I was really good at making ornery facial expressions and pouting.
So the appointed time for the new washer delivery was slated from noon to 4p today. We had to leave by 11am so I could get the oldest to his Occupational Therapy appointment, and my dear husband was going to come home and be at the house at noon till I returned (since we missed the reschedule option, which wasn't offered in the automated confirmation call). In my usual Tuesday morning hustle (which usually starts earlier, but today speech was canceled as that therapist was out...so yeah, I slept in a bit), I'd started the oatmeal, roused the children, and after I'd delegated pot stirring to the eldest daughter, I began to get into the shower, which I'm apt to do almost last thing so I don't dawdle in there.
Can you guess what happened just as I was about to step into the hot refreshing stream of water? "MOM, the washing machine men are here!" Seriously, they arrived early. So it was no bath for me today, and I'm certain I was more than adequately pouty with the delivery men.
Happily I discovered that my new machine does indeed have a soak option! The first load was regular clothes, but the second load I did today was diapers. With the old machine I used to run a heavy duty cycle then a quick wash with warm water (instead of added rinses), which required I run downstairs to reset the diapers for the second wash. BUT now, I can set it up on bulky bedding (which is what's recommended if washing anything water resistant like PUL diaper covers and diaper bag), set with hot water, extra dirty, added water, and additional rinses. This all took about two hours, but I only had to set it once saving me the extra trip downstairs. Thus far, I like the improvements! Diapers came out nice and clean.
So the appointed time for the new washer delivery was slated from noon to 4p today. We had to leave by 11am so I could get the oldest to his Occupational Therapy appointment, and my dear husband was going to come home and be at the house at noon till I returned (since we missed the reschedule option, which wasn't offered in the automated confirmation call). In my usual Tuesday morning hustle (which usually starts earlier, but today speech was canceled as that therapist was out...so yeah, I slept in a bit), I'd started the oatmeal, roused the children, and after I'd delegated pot stirring to the eldest daughter, I began to get into the shower, which I'm apt to do almost last thing so I don't dawdle in there.
Can you guess what happened just as I was about to step into the hot refreshing stream of water? "MOM, the washing machine men are here!" Seriously, they arrived early. So it was no bath for me today, and I'm certain I was more than adequately pouty with the delivery men.
Happily I discovered that my new machine does indeed have a soak option! The first load was regular clothes, but the second load I did today was diapers. With the old machine I used to run a heavy duty cycle then a quick wash with warm water (instead of added rinses), which required I run downstairs to reset the diapers for the second wash. BUT now, I can set it up on bulky bedding (which is what's recommended if washing anything water resistant like PUL diaper covers and diaper bag), set with hot water, extra dirty, added water, and additional rinses. This all took about two hours, but I only had to set it once saving me the extra trip downstairs. Thus far, I like the improvements! Diapers came out nice and clean.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Drawf Lemon Tree
On the washing machine front, after scanning through all the reviews on the various machines my friends and relations mentioned, as well as other's I've wondered about, my husband found the most recent edition consumer report on washing machines, which confirmed my conclusion. My 5.2 cu ft. LG TurboWash is still the most highly rated machine in it's class, topping the consumer reports for top loader machines. No other machine is performing better in the ranks. While many HE machines are reported as not utilizing enough water to adequately clean the clothes, this has not been my experience with my LG. Indeed, I can attest that the machine uses a LOT of water. The drum is the largest one on the market, even when taking front loaders into consideration. While I was open to the idea of a front loader, since they are getting better ratings now then they did four years ago, I found that the added cost, and bulk of the machines weren't going to be worth our while. My laundry room space for machines is a little tight, and while we might be just fine squeezing the front loader into the space without the optional pedestal, would make them very inconvenient to access. A fully positioned front-loader on a pedestal would protrude into our laundry door swing space and completely block the shelf on the wall. Plus, I was having a hard time imagining being able to dump dirty diapers into them without possibly having to touch them while pushing them in.
Even though my machine has only lasted us four years, it hasn't left us stranded, not even now. I can still run it and the clothes are still getting clean. Instead of spending a few hundred on a repair (which they can't do anyhow) I'm getting a completely brand new machine, with another five year warranty of course. It's not ideal, but not a bad deal either. We used our machine very heavily, an average of 2-3 loads just about every single day. This comes out to about 2,920 loads washed, (I can't even factor in water and electricity cost, 34 cents, 17 cents if you factor in that I can wash twice the amount of clothes in the 5.2 cu ft drum per load for the machine) This is still much cheaper than going to a laundry mat (nearest facility charges $2 a load for a small top loader $2.75 for a 20lb front loader, so over $8,000).
Friday, March 6, 2015
Oh, no...
So thankfully, the second technician sent to look at my washing machine did due diligence and investigated the issue. Unfortunately, he said the machine requires parts that are no longer available. Yup, hardly four years old and it's a dinosaur. Who knew!
Home depot is offering me about a third of what I originally paid to replace the machine. I'm not even sure that's what they promised, as I recall I was told the service protection plan covered total replacement...not replacement of lesser equivalent machine.
Wow, I'm so not impressed. What a rip off, these service contracts are...
Spam me with your favorite high capacity washing machine recommendations!
Update: So a few friends of sent me some recommendations, and I've spent some time pursuing the current inventory of the local big box home improvement store. The shocking thing is that the current model of my present washing machine is still one of the highest rated machines on the market. Just about everything my friends have suggested, while having anywhere from marginal to decent reviews, does not rank as highly as the cumulative ratings of my current washer.
And I have to eat my words on my refund, as it seems a brand new model of my current machine is just a little over $100 more from what I'm going to get in my warranty (not including tax of course), and it would seem the overall price for the machine has dropped since 2011 (or it just so happens that all the retailers are having a sale this weekend).
I'm really torn. I hate that my machine only lasted four years, but up till very recently, it has been a dream. We've packed a lot of washing into those four rapid years, and I can't help but wonder if any other machine would have faired any better. It's tough to say.
So I'm certainly going to sleep on it... after all, my machine isn't totally dead, but it is on it's way out for sure. Even with the mechanical death sentence, it's still serving us, just not at the peak performance it used to, that's something to be said for it I suppose.
Home depot is offering me about a third of what I originally paid to replace the machine. I'm not even sure that's what they promised, as I recall I was told the service protection plan covered total replacement...not replacement of lesser equivalent machine.
Wow, I'm so not impressed. What a rip off, these service contracts are...
Spam me with your favorite high capacity washing machine recommendations!
Update: So a few friends of sent me some recommendations, and I've spent some time pursuing the current inventory of the local big box home improvement store. The shocking thing is that the current model of my present washing machine is still one of the highest rated machines on the market. Just about everything my friends have suggested, while having anywhere from marginal to decent reviews, does not rank as highly as the cumulative ratings of my current washer.
And I have to eat my words on my refund, as it seems a brand new model of my current machine is just a little over $100 more from what I'm going to get in my warranty (not including tax of course), and it would seem the overall price for the machine has dropped since 2011 (or it just so happens that all the retailers are having a sale this weekend).
I'm really torn. I hate that my machine only lasted four years, but up till very recently, it has been a dream. We've packed a lot of washing into those four rapid years, and I can't help but wonder if any other machine would have faired any better. It's tough to say.
So I'm certainly going to sleep on it... after all, my machine isn't totally dead, but it is on it's way out for sure. Even with the mechanical death sentence, it's still serving us, just not at the peak performance it used to, that's something to be said for it I suppose.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
He's two
Yesterday was his birthday, and now he is finally two years old. So this means my husband will begin referring to him as the three year old. It's just how it seems to work in our house, ages become more advanced than they actually are.
Yesterday, before our back to back service calls, I'd found a splendid back wrap carry with my size 7 girasol diamond weave wrap, which allowed me to handle all the issues going on in my basement while keeping the birthday boy happily sleeping and out of the way. However, today I couldn't quite get it together. After wrestling with the wrap for about 10 minutes I decided to hang it up and suffer the lower belt of my soft structured carrier (which I just can't seem to get comfortable with now days.
The kids running stir crazy in this snowed in day, an idea struck me, and a way to utilize this extra long woven fabric came to fruition. It's not my idea, but something I'd seen elsewhere before, and it was a hit with the three youngest restless people in my home. We used to have a hammock in our backyard, but it was rendered totally destroyed a couple years ago. I think the big kids are going to lobby for a replacement come spring time.
Yesterday, before our back to back service calls, I'd found a splendid back wrap carry with my size 7 girasol diamond weave wrap, which allowed me to handle all the issues going on in my basement while keeping the birthday boy happily sleeping and out of the way. However, today I couldn't quite get it together. After wrestling with the wrap for about 10 minutes I decided to hang it up and suffer the lower belt of my soft structured carrier (which I just can't seem to get comfortable with now days.
The kids running stir crazy in this snowed in day, an idea struck me, and a way to utilize this extra long woven fabric came to fruition. It's not my idea, but something I'd seen elsewhere before, and it was a hit with the three youngest restless people in my home. We used to have a hammock in our backyard, but it was rendered totally destroyed a couple years ago. I think the big kids are going to lobby for a replacement come spring time.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
That did not just happen!
So our appointment for the washing machine service was a window from 8am to noon. Of course the service tech didn't arrived till about 1145am. He walks in and promptly asks how I was planning on paying without even hardly venturing into the issue. Highly unusual.
I reminded him that this service was under contract with Home Depot under an extended warranty. Then he looks at the side of the washer and claims the serial numbers didn't match those on his work order, and so he couldn't service my unit, because Home Depot won't pay if the numbers are incorrect. After waiting around all morning for this guy he was going to leave without even peaking into the machine to see what was up?
My immediate response was, "hold on I'm going to make a call to clear this up." Kid you not, as I ran to get my phone, the guy took off and drove away.
While I was waiting on-hold with this (third party) contractor, my boiler service tech arrived and all I had to do was wave him in, and he fixed our boiler burner leak...And get this... he helped me pull the washer out so I could find the serial numbers (which were not on the door but the back of the machine). He had my boiler repaired before I was even finished on the phone with the Home Depot service contractor folks.
Now I have to wait till Friday for someone to come back to look at my washer, causing Home Depot to fall even farther out of my favor. However, my oil company has just won a very loyal customer! I gave him a whole package of Oreos, as a small way of saying thanks... had I beer in the pantry I might have offered him one. But washing machine guy... isn't getting no cookies from me!
I reminded him that this service was under contract with Home Depot under an extended warranty. Then he looks at the side of the washer and claims the serial numbers didn't match those on his work order, and so he couldn't service my unit, because Home Depot won't pay if the numbers are incorrect. After waiting around all morning for this guy he was going to leave without even peaking into the machine to see what was up?
My immediate response was, "hold on I'm going to make a call to clear this up." Kid you not, as I ran to get my phone, the guy took off and drove away.
While I was waiting on-hold with this (third party) contractor, my boiler service tech arrived and all I had to do was wave him in, and he fixed our boiler burner leak...And get this... he helped me pull the washer out so I could find the serial numbers (which were not on the door but the back of the machine). He had my boiler repaired before I was even finished on the phone with the Home Depot service contractor folks.
Now I have to wait till Friday for someone to come back to look at my washer, causing Home Depot to fall even farther out of my favor. However, my oil company has just won a very loyal customer! I gave him a whole package of Oreos, as a small way of saying thanks... had I beer in the pantry I might have offered him one. But washing machine guy... isn't getting no cookies from me!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
What is that?
Our boiler had a tune up yesterday and appeared to pass with flying colors... Last night I noticed a wet spot under the burner box (which I only knew as the orange box on the front), which seemed to have dried up this morning. So I assumed perhaps it was just a little spill from the tune up. However, later this afternoon, I noticed the spot was back and bigger than before. That was no earlier spill, but a leak, an oil leak.
So I called up our service provider, and was taken aback when they said a tech would be right out, tonight! And I was like...but I have to take a child to dance class... before realizing that oil leaking is probably...kind of... serious. But I let them know I'd be out for about 20-30 minutes all the same and they were okay with that. Even so I still left a note on the door promising to be back at such and such time and rushed said child to dance.
Upon my return it was a relief not find the boiler guy waiting on us, and I had just enough time to scrap the ice off our walkway. The hasty application of salt was just complete as the boiler service van began to back into our drive. Wew!
Turns out, indeed, just so happens the little piston like part that opens and shuts to allow oil to flow into the burner is allowing oil to leak. Since they don't usually carry this particular part on their trucks the tech is planning on returning tomorrow to replace it. I'm sure glad I called, because now I'm smelling the oil in our bathroom upstairs, as the vapors are wafting upward and into the room directly above it. My eyes are itching like crazy. Praise and thanks for the exhaust fan we had put in several months ago, as it will be running all night at this rate.
Oh and my washing machine is going to be serviced tomorrow too. The drum hasn't been working as it used to, and things aren't getting adgitated like they used to. I can just tell there's a problem with it, so I'm trying to be proactive before it really breaks down full stop. For now the machine still runs, but just not like it used to.
And I almost forgot...well not really, but since I'm on the subject of home repair woes, our kitchen faucet sprung a leak last week. We replaced it ourselves nary a year ago. While Moen is suppose to be the best, it seems springing a leak in the fixture cartridge is par for the course. Unfortunately, the replacement is out of stock right now and they won't be able to ship one to us till the middle of the month...two weeks! Good grief... so we picked up a cheap, and I mean plastic and no metal parts faucet from Home Depot to get us by for the next few weeks. So far it's only cost us about $17 and a couple hours. If this had happened and we were landlords I can imagine how this would have cost us a great deal more. I'd guess anywhere from $500 to $700, and the cost of a brand new fixture, or else we'd have had to pay for the plumber to return again when the cartridge arrived. Unless we were to find a property manager with a handyman on staff I don't know how we could possibly afford to be landlords. Whenever we get marching orders for a PCS move I'm praying we'll be able to sell this house.
So I called up our service provider, and was taken aback when they said a tech would be right out, tonight! And I was like...but I have to take a child to dance class... before realizing that oil leaking is probably...kind of... serious. But I let them know I'd be out for about 20-30 minutes all the same and they were okay with that. Even so I still left a note on the door promising to be back at such and such time and rushed said child to dance.
Upon my return it was a relief not find the boiler guy waiting on us, and I had just enough time to scrap the ice off our walkway. The hasty application of salt was just complete as the boiler service van began to back into our drive. Wew!
Turns out, indeed, just so happens the little piston like part that opens and shuts to allow oil to flow into the burner is allowing oil to leak. Since they don't usually carry this particular part on their trucks the tech is planning on returning tomorrow to replace it. I'm sure glad I called, because now I'm smelling the oil in our bathroom upstairs, as the vapors are wafting upward and into the room directly above it. My eyes are itching like crazy. Praise and thanks for the exhaust fan we had put in several months ago, as it will be running all night at this rate.
Oh and my washing machine is going to be serviced tomorrow too. The drum hasn't been working as it used to, and things aren't getting adgitated like they used to. I can just tell there's a problem with it, so I'm trying to be proactive before it really breaks down full stop. For now the machine still runs, but just not like it used to.
And I almost forgot...well not really, but since I'm on the subject of home repair woes, our kitchen faucet sprung a leak last week. We replaced it ourselves nary a year ago. While Moen is suppose to be the best, it seems springing a leak in the fixture cartridge is par for the course. Unfortunately, the replacement is out of stock right now and they won't be able to ship one to us till the middle of the month...two weeks! Good grief... so we picked up a cheap, and I mean plastic and no metal parts faucet from Home Depot to get us by for the next few weeks. So far it's only cost us about $17 and a couple hours. If this had happened and we were landlords I can imagine how this would have cost us a great deal more. I'd guess anywhere from $500 to $700, and the cost of a brand new fixture, or else we'd have had to pay for the plumber to return again when the cartridge arrived. Unless we were to find a property manager with a handyman on staff I don't know how we could possibly afford to be landlords. Whenever we get marching orders for a PCS move I'm praying we'll be able to sell this house.
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