Let this be a lesson to you: When you see signs that appliances or plumbing aren't working right, the time to act is NOW. I've learned that before but apparently ignored my own advice when I noticed strange noises and indications that my refrigerator wasn't working correctly. Saturday, I got up to discover that things in the freezer were either thawed or well on their way to room temp. So goes the freezer, so goes the refrigerator.
But first, a word about my refrigerator. When I got it--as near as I can figure--was about 15 years ago. Maybe more. My old second-hand one had given out and wasn't worth repairing. One of my dear radio friends said he and his wife were going to be buying a new one in a week or two, and if I could wait until then, I could have their old one for free. He said his old one was about 20 years old but still worked fine. He even donated his son's old dorm-sized refrigerator for me to use in the meantime. When the time came, he and two of my other radio friends brought over the beige door-in-a-door Whirlpool that had to have cost a pretty penny when it was new. It was a major problem to get it in the house because the guys didn't have all of the required tools. They took off house doors and grunted and groaned and worked hard just to get it through the door, but when they finally did, I was delighted to have it! They also took my old fridge to the street. (We had to remove the doors and the compressor, and I paid $50 for the Solid Waste Management people to come pick it up.) In short, as close as I can figure it, the refrigerator that just died was at least 35 years old or more. It didn't owe anyone anything, and when the neighbor who came to collect my thawing frozen foods to stash in his freezer suggested that I should just call Turner Appliance Repair to have it fixed, I said no. Time for a new one. I hadn't had a brand-new refrigerator since 1988. I deserve a new refrigerator!
Back to the story of my quest to find a new one.
After I sent my expensive meats over to my neighbor's freezer, I started looking online at the usual places to see about prices. I am painfully aware that stainless appliances are all the rage, but I hate them. Had been thinking for a long time about what direction to go when appliances needed to be replaced...and finally decided on black. (Personally, I would have preferred beige, but it's hard to find those now without ordering them special.) I don't need ice makers/dispensers because the fridge is too far from the kitchen plumbing, and since my house is on a slab, water tubing can't be strung under the floor. The only options are all over the ceiling in the kitchen, or up into the attic and down...but I know that it gets cold enough in the attic in the winter to freeze stuff up there. Yet, the only refrigerator models that don't include ice makers/dispensers are the really old-fashioned, small ones that just won't fill the bill.
Have you priced refrigerators lately?? Scary! If you want stainless, the sky is the limit. If you don't, you have to take pot luck. My daughter (who lives 2,000 miles away) knew what I wanted and told me that Lowe's in Mooresville, IN, had what I wanted in stock. (In stock meant, to me, that I could get a fast delivery, right?) So, on Sunday, after church, I transferred some $$ from savings to checking in order to go buy a refrigerator and hope for quick delivery.
The salesman at the appliance department looked at my little note about what I wanted, took me right to it, and said it was on sale. He showed me others, of course, but I knew what I wanted, and this particular Frigidaire was on sale until the 19th. He looked at the delivery schedule and said they were booked clear up until Friday...then said, how about early tomorrow? I'll take it! In very short order, I was on my way to the checkout register to pay for my purchase and go home for a nap. Did it happen that way? Of course not! What was I thinking??
My bank declined the purchase. I assumed it was because it was over the limit of how much could be purchased in one day...so I wrote a check. Lowe's declined the check (which I found out later on was because my bank had declined my debit). The only thing for me to do was go home and call the bank to get them to turn loose of my funds. God bless the manager and cashier, they both suggested I could call from there, but if my bank doesn't recognize a phone number--or even a computer--they get stingy. (My bank doesn't know my cell phone number because I rarely use it.) I tucked my tail between my legs and went home, thinking that if I couldn't get the refrigerator paid for that day, I was going to lose my next day delivery.
Came home and called the bank. Well...of course, they have office hours and aren't open on Sundays. My next call was to the Lowe's watchdog company, Certegy, to see why they declined my check. The gal was very polite, but after several minutes told me, in couched words, that my check was declined because they couldn't confirm that I had the money (because my bank had already declined the purchase). Following me, so far?? Meanwhile, I was sending Megan messages online about everything that was going on. She volunteered, unasked, to cover the purchase by phone, but it would be my job to get the bank to turn loose of the funds so she could be reimbursed. (Truth be known, even SHE had problems getting the transaction to go through her own bank, but finally, FINALLY, it got done!)
I wasn't done yet. The man that sold me the refrigerator had called to ask me if I knew the appliance was still "invoiced" (unpaid). I told him yes...there was a problem...but I was working on it. After Meg's payment went through, the gal she talked to still wanted me to call to check on delivery because she wasn't sure it was on the books. I called the salesman AGAIN. He wasn't close to his computer at the time but said he'd check to make sure. Since I didn't hear back, I could only assume that it was all a GO. Morning deliveries are anywhere from 8:00 to noon. Since I wasn't ready, I figured I would be early on the docket!
I woke up at 7:00 this morning absolutely dreading the day. I needed to get things out of and off of the old refrigerator and was considering what else needed to be moved in order to expedite delivery of the new one. I needn't have been concerned. The delivery truck showed up around 9:30, and both of the fellows seemed to know exactly what they were doing. In spite of my warnings that the guys that brought the old one in had problems, the main delivery dude had tape measure in hand and assured me it would be fine. There were two men, Jackie and Rick. They had the right tools to do what needed to be done and knew the drill, right down to timing. They worked together as a well-oiled team but were still personable. Jackie was the obvious leader of the two. He had 15 years' experience delivering appliances for Lowe's. No rookies here! They were done in an hour!!
As it left the house, the old refrigerator dripped rusty water all over the place to the front door, but I got most of that up with a couple of old towels. There is still clean-up to do, but it could be worse.
The new black fridge makes the kitchen look smaller, but at least I have one now. It is cooling. Will put stuff in it tomorrow. I have thrown away a couple of hundred $$ worth of food, but it happens to all of us. Had I paid attention to the signs at the beginning of this saga, it might have turned out better. Mea culpa!
After the delivery guys left, I went to Meijer where there is a branch of my bank. I needed to know why my card had been declined at Lowe's, and why my request for cash at a local ATM "couldn't be processed" earlier in the morning. The gal quickly told me that the declination at Lowe's wouldn't have happened if I had used it as a "credit" rather than a "debit". (I don't think I was given a choice!) The problem with the ATM was apparently the ATM's problem because it didn't even show up on the bank records. I was assured that the card was still viable and that a reimbursement check to my daughter for $850+ would work.
This whole transaction isn't complete until my daughter receives my check and it clears....but what a long, strange trip it has been! Now all I have to do is replace the foods that had to be trashed, clean up the messes that were created, retrieve my meats from my neighbor, and hope for the best. I have known that this day would come for a long time. And now it has come and gone. God bless ME for surviving it!
Monday, July 18, 2016
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Another Fourth in the Books
The scene: Plainfield, IN--just up the hill from Hummel Park.
The date: July 4th, 2016.
The circumstances: Grandchildren visiting from Seattle, awaiting the arrival of IL family.
The players:
Robin and Ryan Heffelman (my grandchildren).
Grandma Judy and Grandpa Phil Heffelman, the paternal grandparents/my friends who live a mere mile from me.
Nathan and Kendra Heffelman, the grandchildren's father and stepmother.
Wednesday Cotton, the grandchildren's stepsister.
The synopsis:
My grandchildren moved to the Seattle, WA, area in late December. They flew to northern IL for a three-week visit with their father and stepmother on the 18th of June (the same day I departed Seattle for home in Indy). Give or take a couple of days, the whole family was camped out at the Hendricks County (IN) Fairgrounds for an SCA event. (Don't ask me to explain SCA! It is a convo of people who experience history through personas and a living situation--dates anywhere from the 700s to the 1700s. I'll have to look that up to be sure.) It was hot that week and weather threatened a time or two. During that week the family came to Plainfield--about 15-20 miles east of the fairgrounds--to take advantage of Judy and Phil's air conditioning, washing machines, and food. One night, with weather threatening, they stayed overnight here because I am the only one who has facilities to sleep them all. Still, they had a good time. Before they left to go back to the fairgrounds, Ryan informed me that he was "out of money"...so...since I had some cash in my wallet, I gave all three kids $10. It was probably just a drop in the bucket, but it made me feel good to do it!
The following week--June 26th to July 4th--Robin and Ryan were left here for both sets of grandparents to take care of, while Nathan, Kendra, and Wednesday headed back to the Chicago area. (Actually, Wednesday went to her Grandma Mary's in Muncie, IN, while N and K went home to work.) Judy and Phil had a plan which included a trip to southern Indiana to visit home-state memorials (Lincoln's Boyhood Home and the memorial to George Rogers Clark, etc.)...and then on to Santa Claus, IN, to do the Holiday World and Splashin' Safari amusement park. It was an overnight trip for them all. The kids had already been to Sky Zone (the trampoline place), etc. By the time they all got home on that Wednesday, everyone silently was begging for a day off. So much to do; so little time! For the next day or two, we didn't do squat...and no one complained!! Judy and Phil no doubt spent a ton of money on that trip, but the kids learned a lot and had fun things to do!
I got a call from Nathan--my former son-in-law--telling me that they would be overnight in Muncie on their way here for the Fourth, and would be here overnight on the Fourth before they all returned to the Chicago area. Much of this was already planned. What wasn't planned was how my back would handle the preparatory work. Thank God this is "family". The house was FAR from clean!
Since I live closest to the park that has all of the Fourth activities, I usually host a picnic-style meal at my house before departure for the park. Judy, once again, decided to provide a real picnic lunch for us for the park: sandwiches, chips, grapes, cookies, and bottled water. My original plan for a cold-cut lunch seemed like too much "picnic"....so I decided on KFC! I ordered a 16-pc. buckets, a half-gallon of cole slaw, and had them throw in 18 biscuits at the last minute. The bill came to about $52, but it was the best money I ever spent! Phil made potato salad and a cake, and brought cubed watermelon. Nathan and crew brought a veggie tray and melons. No one left hungry!
Robin got tired of waiting for the old people, so she got permission to walk down to the park without us, early. Judy and Phil came to pick me up so we could do the handicapped thing for parking, etc. The rest of the family...Kendra, Nathan, Ryan, and Wednesday walked down to the park. Although it was a hot, muggy day, I encouraged everyone to take a hooded sweatshirt. We had enough bag-chairs for everyone, thank goodness...but I also threw in a hoodie for Robin (who had already left), an umbrella, an ancient stadium blanket, and an extra garbage bag. Nathan said he had a sweatshirt (but didn't take it) and Kendra borrowed one of Wednesday's. I was using my rollator to get around in the park. It also comes in handy to carry stuff.
Every summer in Indy, there are weekend events called Symphony on the Prairie. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra plays in a bandshell at the Conner Prairie State Park. For several years, I took Meg and the boyfriend-du-jour to it for the Fourth of July. It was a somewhat snooty event. People from all over brought shrimp cocktail and mixed drinks to share on their lovely lawn chairs and expensive coolers. We just did all we could to survive the heat! When the sun went down, everything was delightful...from Patriotic Pops music to wonderful fireworks. The last time we went, the discounted tix at Marsh Supermarket were $28 apiece. At Hummel Park, just down the road from me, we get the exact same experience for free. The only difference is that we have the Hendricks County Symphony Orchestra instead of the Indianapolis one. It's a delightful trade!
The children, of course, get bored with symphony music. They departed to the playground during the first--and again--on the second set of music. I told the kiddos that I wanted them back with us before the fireworks started. Meanwhile, during the second set, the mist started. It came and went...but then it started for real. It wasn't a lot of rain...mostly just drizzly-mist, but it became relentless. People who had them put up umbrellas. I gave my umbrella to Judy and Phil to share. I put on my hoodie and gave Robin hers. Wednesday and Kendra had theirs. Gave the stadium blanket to Ryan, who was grateful to have it. Nathan was the only one who was totally unprotected. The misty rain wasn't enough to make us completely wet. Just enough to make us damp and chilled. Still, the "band played on" and we stayed.
When the orchestra started the fireworks portion of their program, they started with the 1812 Overture. I kept telling Ryan that the fireworks would start about the same time that the cannon-fire in the overture would happen. He wasn't sure what I meant...and then it happened. BOOM! POW! We moved our seats because the "works" were happening behind trees...but...in spite of the rain and the fact that many people with young children had already left, the fireworks happened...and the orchestra kept playing. And it was glorious! Happy Birthday, America!
The fireworks ended before the symphony did. I feel bad about that. They were playing the second-to-last selection on their program when the fireworks finale happened. I'm sure the lack of syncronization was weather-related...but I have to tell you, I have never seen a more fantastic fireworks exhibit! The finale totally lit up the sky in a way I hadn't viewed before. Ryan captured it on his ipod and sent it to his mother. Honest to God...I cried! It was that beautiful!
As quickly as it ended, we needed to head home. Everyone was damp. I knew I had a dry spot in the Heffelman truck, but suggested that we could drive Nathan home so he could go back with his truck to pick the rest of the family up...but no. They ALL, including Ryan, said they would walk back to the house. Judy, Phil, and I were dry in the truck, but the walking family beat us home by many minutes! Kendra already had several loads of damp clothes in the dryer.
July 5th, everyone was up for the trip back to northern IL. I was on call for breakfast but didn't have many takers.
Today, the grandchildren flew from Milwaukee to Seattle on their own. They are back home now. Nervous grandma that I am, I can relax knowing they are safely in the arms of the family again! Who knows if I will see another Fourth of July? Still, I'm happy with the way things went. I did what I could. I hope the children enjoyed themselves. They are teens and tweens. Who knows???
The date: July 4th, 2016.
The circumstances: Grandchildren visiting from Seattle, awaiting the arrival of IL family.
The players:
Robin and Ryan Heffelman (my grandchildren).
Grandma Judy and Grandpa Phil Heffelman, the paternal grandparents/my friends who live a mere mile from me.
Nathan and Kendra Heffelman, the grandchildren's father and stepmother.
Wednesday Cotton, the grandchildren's stepsister.
The synopsis:
My grandchildren moved to the Seattle, WA, area in late December. They flew to northern IL for a three-week visit with their father and stepmother on the 18th of June (the same day I departed Seattle for home in Indy). Give or take a couple of days, the whole family was camped out at the Hendricks County (IN) Fairgrounds for an SCA event. (Don't ask me to explain SCA! It is a convo of people who experience history through personas and a living situation--dates anywhere from the 700s to the 1700s. I'll have to look that up to be sure.) It was hot that week and weather threatened a time or two. During that week the family came to Plainfield--about 15-20 miles east of the fairgrounds--to take advantage of Judy and Phil's air conditioning, washing machines, and food. One night, with weather threatening, they stayed overnight here because I am the only one who has facilities to sleep them all. Still, they had a good time. Before they left to go back to the fairgrounds, Ryan informed me that he was "out of money"...so...since I had some cash in my wallet, I gave all three kids $10. It was probably just a drop in the bucket, but it made me feel good to do it!
The following week--June 26th to July 4th--Robin and Ryan were left here for both sets of grandparents to take care of, while Nathan, Kendra, and Wednesday headed back to the Chicago area. (Actually, Wednesday went to her Grandma Mary's in Muncie, IN, while N and K went home to work.) Judy and Phil had a plan which included a trip to southern Indiana to visit home-state memorials (Lincoln's Boyhood Home and the memorial to George Rogers Clark, etc.)...and then on to Santa Claus, IN, to do the Holiday World and Splashin' Safari amusement park. It was an overnight trip for them all. The kids had already been to Sky Zone (the trampoline place), etc. By the time they all got home on that Wednesday, everyone silently was begging for a day off. So much to do; so little time! For the next day or two, we didn't do squat...and no one complained!! Judy and Phil no doubt spent a ton of money on that trip, but the kids learned a lot and had fun things to do!
I got a call from Nathan--my former son-in-law--telling me that they would be overnight in Muncie on their way here for the Fourth, and would be here overnight on the Fourth before they all returned to the Chicago area. Much of this was already planned. What wasn't planned was how my back would handle the preparatory work. Thank God this is "family". The house was FAR from clean!
Since I live closest to the park that has all of the Fourth activities, I usually host a picnic-style meal at my house before departure for the park. Judy, once again, decided to provide a real picnic lunch for us for the park: sandwiches, chips, grapes, cookies, and bottled water. My original plan for a cold-cut lunch seemed like too much "picnic"....so I decided on KFC! I ordered a 16-pc. buckets, a half-gallon of cole slaw, and had them throw in 18 biscuits at the last minute. The bill came to about $52, but it was the best money I ever spent! Phil made potato salad and a cake, and brought cubed watermelon. Nathan and crew brought a veggie tray and melons. No one left hungry!
Robin got tired of waiting for the old people, so she got permission to walk down to the park without us, early. Judy and Phil came to pick me up so we could do the handicapped thing for parking, etc. The rest of the family...Kendra, Nathan, Ryan, and Wednesday walked down to the park. Although it was a hot, muggy day, I encouraged everyone to take a hooded sweatshirt. We had enough bag-chairs for everyone, thank goodness...but I also threw in a hoodie for Robin (who had already left), an umbrella, an ancient stadium blanket, and an extra garbage bag. Nathan said he had a sweatshirt (but didn't take it) and Kendra borrowed one of Wednesday's. I was using my rollator to get around in the park. It also comes in handy to carry stuff.
Every summer in Indy, there are weekend events called Symphony on the Prairie. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra plays in a bandshell at the Conner Prairie State Park. For several years, I took Meg and the boyfriend-du-jour to it for the Fourth of July. It was a somewhat snooty event. People from all over brought shrimp cocktail and mixed drinks to share on their lovely lawn chairs and expensive coolers. We just did all we could to survive the heat! When the sun went down, everything was delightful...from Patriotic Pops music to wonderful fireworks. The last time we went, the discounted tix at Marsh Supermarket were $28 apiece. At Hummel Park, just down the road from me, we get the exact same experience for free. The only difference is that we have the Hendricks County Symphony Orchestra instead of the Indianapolis one. It's a delightful trade!
The children, of course, get bored with symphony music. They departed to the playground during the first--and again--on the second set of music. I told the kiddos that I wanted them back with us before the fireworks started. Meanwhile, during the second set, the mist started. It came and went...but then it started for real. It wasn't a lot of rain...mostly just drizzly-mist, but it became relentless. People who had them put up umbrellas. I gave my umbrella to Judy and Phil to share. I put on my hoodie and gave Robin hers. Wednesday and Kendra had theirs. Gave the stadium blanket to Ryan, who was grateful to have it. Nathan was the only one who was totally unprotected. The misty rain wasn't enough to make us completely wet. Just enough to make us damp and chilled. Still, the "band played on" and we stayed.
When the orchestra started the fireworks portion of their program, they started with the 1812 Overture. I kept telling Ryan that the fireworks would start about the same time that the cannon-fire in the overture would happen. He wasn't sure what I meant...and then it happened. BOOM! POW! We moved our seats because the "works" were happening behind trees...but...in spite of the rain and the fact that many people with young children had already left, the fireworks happened...and the orchestra kept playing. And it was glorious! Happy Birthday, America!
The fireworks ended before the symphony did. I feel bad about that. They were playing the second-to-last selection on their program when the fireworks finale happened. I'm sure the lack of syncronization was weather-related...but I have to tell you, I have never seen a more fantastic fireworks exhibit! The finale totally lit up the sky in a way I hadn't viewed before. Ryan captured it on his ipod and sent it to his mother. Honest to God...I cried! It was that beautiful!
As quickly as it ended, we needed to head home. Everyone was damp. I knew I had a dry spot in the Heffelman truck, but suggested that we could drive Nathan home so he could go back with his truck to pick the rest of the family up...but no. They ALL, including Ryan, said they would walk back to the house. Judy, Phil, and I were dry in the truck, but the walking family beat us home by many minutes! Kendra already had several loads of damp clothes in the dryer.
July 5th, everyone was up for the trip back to northern IL. I was on call for breakfast but didn't have many takers.
Today, the grandchildren flew from Milwaukee to Seattle on their own. They are back home now. Nervous grandma that I am, I can relax knowing they are safely in the arms of the family again! Who knows if I will see another Fourth of July? Still, I'm happy with the way things went. I did what I could. I hope the children enjoyed themselves. They are teens and tweens. Who knows???
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)