Thursday, June 18, 2009

Thursday Thoughts


I thought of doing Thursday Thirteen, but can't think of 13 anythings. I finally got 13 comments on my last post! I'll just start with my thoughts and see what happens.
First I think I'll update you on all the stuff that went haywire a couple of weeks ago.


1. The light/fan above the table - the fan wouldn't turn off - and it wasn't warm enough to need the fan. Dear electrician BIL came over, took the part that was faulty, came back with new switches, and now it works. Yay! Just in time for the heat to finally turn on outdoors.

2. The light under the cupboards that I have had for close to 30 years started flashing off and on. It is not a simple matter of changing the bulb. I REALLY miss it. Same BIL, who installed it 30 years ago, discovered the minor problem and fixed it in a few minutes. It was the night we had him over for dinner while my sis was gone on her celebratory retirement trip to see the grands in Idaho.

3. Both light bulbs in my little office burned out the same day - I know, nothing in the grand scheme of things, but just ridiculous. Easy Peasy - go to the store and get a package of bulbs.

4. My cell phone is acting very weird - I keep having to mess with the SIM card and the battery to make it work. Not so easy peasy. DIL, who owns the account, DC, and I spent about 1.5 hours at T-Mobile the other night after enjoying a nice dinner together at the Lone Star. We thought we'd buzz in and out of there - ha! Nothing is simple in technology. The manager of the store spent all of that time trying to figure it out. He changed the SIM card. Still didn't work right. He called Customer Care - they couldn't figure it out. Finally he got the second tier of Customer Care - they "rebooted" my phone from wherever they were - it worked for a day, then the same thing began to happen. He said I could get a new version of this phone by phoning Customer Care myself. He put a note in my account so they'd see what all had happened in the past. As I said before, nothing is easy in technological happenings. We had to call Sema for permission for me to order my own phone. Ridiculous. Thankfully she was on break and answering her cell phone. The new unit is in the mail - I can't get a better phone for another year when our account is up for renegotiation or some such nonsense. Hopefully this one will work or they WILL be hearing from me again. No doubt.

5. My tires on my car are shot . Care Bear went with Grandpa to get new tires (she likes the smell of new tires, believe it or not!). I have not asked how much they were. They are beautiful - well, they look healthy. I hate spending money on tires. But it is a necessity of life. Especially when you're hauling around such precious cargo!

6. The amount I was quoted for the surgery turned out to be only for the surgery center - it doesn't count the original doctor's visit, the surgeon's bill, the anesthesiologist - I hope that's all. I got a notice from the anesthesiologist - the bill they submitted to my pathetic insurance is $1092! I think that's because I asked to go to sleep. But I'm glad I did, since he did so much more digging and artery tying than he expected. Just think if they'd only numbed my arm and I had been aware of all of that. EWWWW! No thanks. This will go to deductible, no doubt.

7. I finally got to the dentist, after working with insurance for months - turns out there's some serious work ahead after years of clear check-ups. Changing dentists is traumatic without the new one finding much more stuff than the previous one. I went in for what I thought was going to be a deep cleaning - seems one quadrant of my mouth has a bit of gum disease developing. Not good. But, to my horror and surprise, I was in for one of three things, depending on how bad it looked when she got in there - a. simple filling; b. a crown; or c. a root canal. Each, of course, was progressively more expensive. We "dodged the bullet" as she put it, and I needed b, the crown. Still more than I can really afford, but much better than a root canal. Been there, done that. I thought I was doing a better job of taking care of my teeth than that.

8. Our grandfather clock has not worked for awhile. We finally got a clock expert who attends our church to come over and take the works for an overhaul - much more expensive than I dreamed. Still at the clock doc.

9. My dishwasher is full of clean dishes that I can't get out - the door latch broke as I tried to open it Sunday morning. Now I'm doing dishes by hand with this left arm I'm not supposed to get wet. I have a fix-it man (also from church) coming over tomorrow to see if he has to order parts and how long it might be before it is usable again. If you keep up with the nail-biting stuff I share here, you know that it took a second visit by the handy dandy handyman from our church, but it seems that the problem has been fixed. I should have him over for dinner!

A few more things going on around here --

The iris are about to end their reign of beauty in the back yard for this year. I will miss them.


Miss Care Bear is finally getting ready to lose her first tooth - I think she's the last one from her first grade class. This shot is supposed to show you how loose it is with her tongue behind it, but it didn't work out well - oh, well, enjoy anyway.


The old wrist is doing very well - I don't wear the brace any more. It is still a bit weak and at times I have a bit of a twinge. But I think the surgeon will be very happy when he sees it on June 26.






The big girls are going to VBS again this week - a church right down the street from their house. It is the same program that they had at the other church, so yesterday Care Bear got to wear her crazy hat again (posted again just in case you missed it the first time around!) I didn't get to see Feisty's. It is Crocodile Dock from Group Publishing - Group happens to be right here in Loveland. The company began in the basement of the owner, Tom Schultz, about 30 years ago. It now is a thriving entity, employing many people in our town. They do a wild and crazy Bible school every year. The girls don't mind doing it again - it's fun.




Well, I'd better hush for now and get busy on some stuff around here while the littles are napping (other than going out to the patio and read the great book I'm about to finish - more about that next time). Next time I plan to do a post called "Perseverance Personified." Stay tuned! You won't want to miss it.


18 comments:

Mary said...

Dawn,

It never rains but what it pours. Glad you've got most of these things under control.

Hubby bought four new tires last fall. He is on the road a lot with his job and he had to buy front ones again this spring. Then, inside of a month, he got screws in the front and back left tires. Now we have to get those repaired and in the fall it will be four new ones again. That is a $500 price tag. Sometimes I think this job costs him more than it pays. lol

Nice catching up with you. Have a lovely weekend.
Blessings,
Mary

Needled Mom said...

Oh dear, Dawn. It seems as though when it rains, it pours for you. It is all the little things that add up to misery, isn't it?

After our long trip I, too, need new tires. Would Care Bear like to go with me to get some? It is an interesting smell, I must admit.

A loose tooth? I hope the tooth fairy finds it. Does she have a tooth fairy pillow?

It is nice to have all the folks that can help you with the various problems. There is always something.

A lot of those medical bills can be negotiated if you speak with the doctor or whomever. Give it a try.

Did you get those nasty storms this week? I was thinking about you when I saw that tornado around the Denver area.

Susan said...

Glad for the update on all the irritating issues you had happen. I'm like you, it gals me to have to buy tires!!! Lucky, that is not something we have an issue about right now.
Susan

Hootin Anni said...

#4....I so agree with you there. It ISN'T 'easy peasy' for sure.

Your incision is really healing nicely!!!

And of course the flowers....awesome. Cute girls of course, but you don't need to be told that.

Happy Friday Dawn

Izzy, Emmy 'N Alexander said...

haha, that sounds like my house! One thing is never enough, there's always so much to replace and fix! lol!

Glad the wrist is healing so well, it looks good too!

Sounds like you have been busy, but I hope you are enjoying it. *hugs*

Sam said...

Hey Dawn,

I love that you gave such a complete update on your list! Sounds like things are getting taken care of, one thing at a time.

Your wrist looks great! I'm glad it's healed so well.

Care Bear looks absolutely adorable. I know she's going to be so excited when that tooth comes out. It's such an exciting rite of passage for a kid.

Your flowers are beautiful. I know what you mean about missing them. My peonies are gone for the season and I really miss them!

(By the way, I'm almost done with the book. Wow. So much to say!)

Sam said...

Hey Dawn,
Yes, kids are still in school for another week around here! My friends who are teachers are ready for the year to be over! For as long as I can remember we've gotten out at the end of June.

Linds said...

I am now caught up on all your doings. My word. That wrist incision is healign beautifully, Dawn - just as well you slept through it!

And don't get me started on the small things which blight our days. I absolutely agree re the tyres. I can't stand paying loads of money for things which I can't really see. But I do appreciate them, nonetheless! Especially when it comes to safety. And washing machines. Here we have to have MOT tests on our cars every year once they are over 3 years old, and then they are kept off the road if they do not pass or get fixed immediately. Safety checks. I moan about them, but it does mean the car is always roadworthy and safe, which is great.

Your granddaughters are so cute - I can imagine the wobbly tooth excitement!

I hope you get to enjoy your sun now. I do believe ity is about to rain here. Sigh.

Carole Burant said...

I always say when one thing breaks down, you can expect others to follow. I'm telling you, it's Murphy's Law! lol Thank goodness for friends/family who know how to repair some of these things:-)

I know what you mean about hating to spend money on tires, anything for a car is so expensive. Makes you sometimes wish we'd go back to the horse and carriage! lol

Your wrist really looks great, you've healed beautifully and you're right, I'm sure your doctor will be pleased with how it's healed. Isn't it a shame, though, how expensive it is for any kind of medical or dental procedures? Ugh!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, dear Dawn:-) xoxo

Unknown said...

Your little Snaggletooth will be so happy to see the Tooth Fairy come visit her.

And I have to say, Dawn, you seem to be just falling apart. I think you need to find a sturdy chair and sit down and take it easy for awhile. And my goodness, don't touch anything :)

Thanks for sharing your Colorado facts. They were so fun. I could identify with many of them. I wrote you a reply email and sent it before I realized it was a no-comment blogger address. Oh, well.

Diane@Diane's Place said...

It does seem that once things start going on the fritz it seems to snowball. I never have just one light bulb blow at once, it's always multiples at once. I'm replacing my regular bulbs with compact florescent bulbs as they go bad. Sure cuts down on changing bulbs so often.

I wish you could open up your blog again. I just plain forget to check for new posts from you because I depend on my Bloglines so much. I have one other private blogger that I read and I forget to check her blog for new posts too, so don't feel slighted. It's not intentional, I assure you, just a bad memory on my part.

Glad to hear that your wrist is much better, but I don't envy you dealing with the insurance and doctor bills. I may be facing that myself soon, and I dread it.

Hope you have a good Father's Day with your Dad and hubby. Enjoy your ribs, they sure sound good.

Love and hugs,

Diane

Sharon Lynne said...

Oh my...it sounds like your dealing with alot of annoying (household) things!

We just got new tires too! I was VERY excited about them, because I can now drive on the freeway and go to the beach or to other exciting places. I had banned myself from the freeway until I had better tires. (although I rarely have time to go to exciting places--it's nice to know I COULD if I wanted.)

Isn't it amazing how our skin heals. Your scar is looking good...like its going to "fade into the woodwork". Hopefully so!

A Hint of Home said...

Hi Dawn, Glad to see your wrist is doing so well. I hope you get a good report at your checkup. I hope your dishwasher gets fixed soon. That's a pain you don't need. Have a good week.

Linda said...

That's quite a list Dawn! It really does seem that once one thing goes down lots of others follow suit.
Your wrist is looking really good. I'm so glad.
I can't believe she likes the smell of tires. It bothers me so much I feel slightly nauseous when I go into a tire store - or perhaps that's just absolute boredom setting in?
Have a blessed week Dawn - no more "excitement."

Just Call Me Grammy said...

Glad the things on your list are getting some good resolution. Especially glad your wrist is doing so well and that you escaped the root canal--been there, done that, have the horror story to tell:o( Will never let them do that to me again!

Unknown said...

Eleanor is so excited to lose a tooth, but none are even a little bit loose yet. Both Zoe and Emily lost their first tooth in Kindergarten, so I expected the same to happen with Eleanor, but no such luck.

nannykim said...

ohhh...glad to see your wrist is continuing in improving!

Midlife Mom said...

Oh my! Things do seem to fall apart all at once don't they but you really had more then your share! Glad you have friends and family that can help in these situations as repair people charge so much just to walk through the door even if it is a five minute fix!

Your wrist looks wonderful, I agree your doctor is going to be more then pleased. I would have wanted to be asleep too.

It's raining here again today. Kev must think that's all we have here in Maine, rain and blackflies. lol! Come to think of it this year that is about it! :o( They are saying some better weather is ahead for the weekend so there is always hope.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your week. I hope the tooth fairy is very generous with Miss Care Bear! xoxox