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Post by desposito on Oct 2, 2023 16:44:55 GMT -5
Oh how cute--I love the espresso owl!
Diane
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Post by reve on Oct 2, 2023 18:29:24 GMT -5
I've had a busy but productive day today. I'm really proud of myself because I hate making phone calls and I made no less than six calls today and got a ton of things sorted out. I've managed to negotiate with the bathroom installer that he is going to fit my bathroom probably this week for 1500 less than the installation price I would have been paying. I need to get a bath and wetwall panels myself, but I will probably be paying about half of what I would from the company, and I should also be able to get my deposit back from my credit card company. Fingers crossed this all works out and I might even save enough for some decorating and towards a holiday! It's a weird thing to experience some potential good news?
Done: The Bathroom Situation: Phoned installer Phoned local bathroom supplier 3 times re. my chosen bath and ordered Ordered wet wall panels Phoned finance company re. cancelling finance agreement Phoned credit card company about getting deposit back Filled in necessary paperwork for deposit
Other done: Ordered groceries for mum Achieve coffee table zero Achieve dining table zero Cleared air dryer Folded and bagged laundry Arranged flowers Wiped down kitchen worktops Wiped down sink surrounds Wiped down stove Wiped down pantry shelves Emptied dishwasher Stacked dishwasher Temporary stashing of kitchen worktop clutter Cleaned downstairs bathroom base boards Assembled tea tray of drinks and snacks for installer
To do: Clean laundry taken upstairs Stuffed animals taken upstairs Kitchen trash to be taken out
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Post by danny15 on Oct 2, 2023 19:22:29 GMT -5
mylittlescholar LOVE the Caffeinated Owl Chart!
Plumber and apprentice came back, no problem changing out the uv light. He got all the water stuff back however it should be and pressure is returned to normal. He fixed a pipe that led from the sump pump in the outdoor basement stairwell up the brick wall (the one that needs repairs) and reconnected it where it had separated from the pipe that runs underground away from the house out into the yard. That broken pipe allowed water to accumulate near the brick retaining wall and may be the reason the retaining wall is now damaged. Not his fault, I saw that pipe had separated a long time ago and should have asked him to check it way back when. I am learning (the hard way which seems to be the main way I learn ) about not putting off possible repairs. At least have them looked at right away rather than think, oh no big deal just because it isn't causing an immediate problem.
Guy from new furnace company came out for a second opinion. He sent a text with his pic and a little personal info about himself ~ how long he has been a tech, why he enjoys working for the company, what he likes to do in his spare time (watch sports) ~ and that he would arrive in about 15 minutes. Later I saw I got an email with the same info. I liked that.
He was very knowledgeable and told me one of the problems was not the fan blower (as a tech from the original company said) that was causing so much vibration in some main part and the oil lines running from the outside wall (goes underground to the oil tank) and other lines. He showed me how one furnace/AC unit had been bolted together at installation while the unit with the crazy vibrations had only been duct taped together and was pulling apart. He explained that there should be 1 oil filter on each unit, not just one oil filter servicing both units as the other company had said. To prove that, he showed me that the one oil filter had no connection whatsoever to the second furnace. He said at maintenance the oil filters should have been changed (they were not, especially since one did not even exist!) and the oil nozzles should have been cleaned out (not sure if that happened). He said the cheaper furnace filters were fine and that the more expensive Filtrete furnaces (the kind that filter out all kinds of tiny bits of debis and germs and bacteria) were not necessary. Later this week I will return those to Lowe's. Other stuff, I am getting tired and can't remember.
The original company is supposed to be sending a tech out on Wednesday or Thursday (if they even show up at all) and I will show him the duct taped unit and say I noticed that myself in looking around. I don't want him to know I had another company check the units or that may invalidate my warranty. So, no need to change the fan blower (and risk them screwing up something else). I will show him the line to the one oil filter and ask why I was told that it serviced both furnaces when it has no connection to the second furnace. Won't I look smart?
I am not sure I even want the original company to do any more repairs since they clearly have done shoddy work and are very unreliable. That is really sad in a way because this one tech who should be coming out on Wednesday really did fix a problem last October that was caused by the poor installation and not a problem with the oil tank installation as another tech had insisted. The good tech saved me well over $15,000 in not having to dig up the new oil tank, recheck all the lines, dig up the sidewalk that had just been reset, and then have to redo all the grass that would have been torn up for a second time. He found out that during installation the guy had bent the oil nozzle so that oil was not going into the right area, thus no heat. All this because the original company has been bought out by a large conglomerate and all the smaller companies around here are getting bought out and lost in this black abyss to make more money; quality and customer care be d*mned.
Well, after all that I think I am back on track getting things fixed by good people so I am grateful. Tomorrow the handyman comes. I like him, he does great work but I will be stressed having him in and out, in the basement and on the first floor. He is repairing a wall in the pool house that had extensive termite damage but I still need to be available. He said when he gets in there he may discover more problems. Not a I am about worn out with that level, so just possible bummer. I will keep a positive outlook on that one.
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Post by ohblondie on Oct 2, 2023 19:29:51 GMT -5
So on Saturday afternoon, a local girl was kidnapped from a campground about an hour north of me. It was a stranger abduction which is rare. I am so thankful to report she was found and is alive. And someone is is custody. It has been on national news Everyone is breathing a sigh of relief. It puts things in perspective.
I am giving thanks tonight
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Post by danny15 on Oct 2, 2023 19:31:14 GMT -5
reve I am so proud of you for getting those phone calls made and all the good work you have done getting all the problems sorted out! And saving money too!
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Post by danny15 on Oct 2, 2023 19:33:31 GMT -5
ohblondie DD1 and I were following that story, praying for the little girl and her family and all the good volunteers and police looking for her. Thank God she is home safe!!!!!
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Post by cando on Oct 3, 2023 1:28:35 GMT -5
danny15 thank you for your beautiful response to my post on the weekend thread. You are always so supportive & helpful. I’m sorry you’re having to have so much work done on your home. Just keeping up with the hvac & understanding what’s going on with it, etc almost sounds mind boggling. Then the plumbing & other things you are having worked on. It really is a lot & you are doing great with understanding it all & getting things done. A brilliant mind, I can tell! 🙂👍 Also, thank you for thinking of me re: Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur. Thank you! Today, I remembered to take a couple of Mom’s bills to work & during my lunch break I called about them while in my car. Long hold time on one of them, but once I got to a human being… the call went well. She was very nice & I think that mission was accomplished. . The other one, I got one question answered & left a message for a call back regarding my 2nd question. After work, went to grocery store for only 3 items. Did good with water today. Removed load of laundry from dryer, folded & put it away. Was truly exhausted after work. (have no idea why…). Took long nap on couch until after midnight. G’night, y’all. Cd
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Post by bree on Oct 3, 2023 6:47:59 GMT -5
ohblondie we were praying for that little girl! So overjoyed to know she is safe. danny15 sorry you have so many plumbing and heating issues. You sound so knowledgeable about them. So you have an oil Tank had issues and things were not properly hooked to the AC and a pipe was disengaged leaking water? Yikes. Not that long ago I had all the pipes in my basement replaced. They were old and starting to leak. I have one sump pump down there and it was attached to the main pipe, leading the water out of the house. apparently that is no longer possible according to code -sump pumps have to just drain outside the house. but the plumber said that since I had that set up, I could be grandfathered in which I was grateful for because the idea of a sump pump just draining right outside My house seems like it would definitely cause foundation issues. Yesterday I did the usual: work, home at lunch to take care of puppy, back to work, home, ate a dinner, took the dog for a walk came back. I was proud because I often crash at that point, but last night I vacuumed and dusted and did the dishes Diane I am having a customer service issue I thought you’d be interested in! I got a bill for my trash company for five dollars last month which I thought was odd so I paid it and I called up and it said I didn’t know any money. then yesterday I got a bill, saying my service was suspended because I hadn’t paid for last month! they gave me three options to pay -two phone numbers and a website. I called both phone numbers and they said they were sorry but they couldn’t take my call right now. I tried to go on the website but it wouldn’t show the billing information. so my service is suspended but I have no way to pay and they didn’t bill me last month UGH. I can mail the payment in, but that will definitely take time and I won’t have service. I will try again today. Work is work. There’s a weird thing going on - one department is seen to not be doing what leadership wants, so a consultants been hired to investigate! it’s pretty clear this department isn’t doing what they’re supposed to because they don’t have the staff they need, but I think management hopes that other departments will say oh yeah, we can do that work… so they met with me and I was pretty clear that we are also shortstaffed and it’s not our area of expertise so we really can’t pick up their work… such a Dilbert place at times ! Boycat seems to have something wrong with one eye. But he is eating and drinking, is not pawing at it, and it seems to be getting better. Hoping to avoid a vet visit if possible. Better get ready for work!!
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Post by ohblondie on Oct 3, 2023 7:19:27 GMT -5
My goal last night was to deal with the books on the stairs. I grabbed bags and sorted through them. I only ended up with 4-5 to donate. I really think I read more in the pile than I realized. but they are bagged up and off the stairs. I will read again!! And I am doubly proud that I avoided the library book sale this past weekend!
tonight is a meeting so I will drop off my dad's clean clothes then head to the meeting. I told my son to bag up his dirty clothes and leave them outside his room and I will run a load tonight or tomorrow. Tomorrow is dishes!
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Post by desposito on Oct 3, 2023 9:03:18 GMT -5
Good morning!
Reve, that would be wonderful if you could get your bathroom renovation straightened out to your advantage, I hope it works out!
Danny, you have a balancing act now with your furnace--I will be very interested in what happens when you point out the problems to the original company--but what if they lie and say you're wrong and everything is fine? Ugh--I hope the tech that comes out admits the issues and starts fixing them. And I hope your handyman visit today is painless (except for the cost, of course, that is never painless!)
Yeah, both my handyman and the repair guy I knew in my old neighborhood, both of whom I trust, say the cheap air filters are fine.
Cando, I hope your mom is doing better. I'm glad you got to see your MIL, but wow, you have so had so much going on for such a long time now, I hope things can calm down for you.
Ohblondie, are you saving those books for your upcoming retirement? You will finally have time to do some reading!
Oh bree, that issue with your bill is so typical of what's going on now--I hope it can be fixed with a minimum of phone time and aggravation!
The dog is finally ready to go out, so I will venture into the already hot back yard and hope there are no mosquitoes!
Diane
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Post by danny15 on Oct 3, 2023 9:20:35 GMT -5
Handyman texted to say he'd be about an hour late which was great; gave me a little more time for my eyes to open.
Last night I had to deal with a couple problems with bills. Later I need to go to the post office to cement that stuff with a paper trail.
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Post by desposito on Oct 3, 2023 9:47:25 GMT -5
So I got all the way to the back door, opened it, and the dog decided she didn't want to go out after all! So, still waiting on that.
It's already warm upstairs, it will be near 90 again today. Then 83 tomorrow, 75 the day after, and then an entire week of temps between 55 and 70! So I just have to get through the next few days, and I'm sure the mosquitoes will be gone and the weather will be pleasant.
Last night I repotted one of my two upstairs Norfolk Pines. These are the ones I bought the 3.5 gallon buckets for, so it was kind of a major job, it needed a lot of potting soil and of course, I made a mess doing it. I have a second one to do today so I didn't bother cleaning up the mess since I would make another mess today. I love Norfolk Pines--being able to have evergreen trees IN your house is so cool. Of course, the larger the pot they're in the larger they will grow...the one downstairs, which was my sister's, really shot up with the last repotting.
I'm in a weird state right now of just wanting to sit and do nothing until the heat goes away. Just a few more days--I'm pretty sure there will be no 90 degree days after this.
Diane
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Post by def6 on Oct 3, 2023 10:38:31 GMT -5
It's 78 degrees and climbing here in P'cola, we have 86 degrees forecasted high. It will ruin your shower if you've already had one. Good morning all! I made great strides in my bathroom yesterday going through and getting rid of makeup, toiletries and various/ sundry other items. I came up with a half a bag of stuff to throw away. So now our bathroom vanity is cleaned off and items kept are placed back (hopefully) in an efficient way , that makes some sense. Probably too many to stay neat...I will revisit that at another time. Going through that many items at one time does the same thing to my brain as going through paper clutter does...It scrambles my brain! I want to make great strides in my room today too. I could lock myself in here for a prolonged period of time....The organizer "Beth" from Destination Declutter, says Just pretend the bars come down and you can't get out of there until the specified time is up... So you might as well do the task at hand. I'll try it.
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Post by desposito on Oct 3, 2023 10:56:55 GMT -5
Just pretend the bars come down
If I pretended that I would probably think it was a chance for a reading break! Unless there was no book in the room.
Next:
Send another email to insurance agent Check library website and adjust holds Put phone on charger Delete 10 hard emails
Diane
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Post by desposito on Oct 3, 2023 12:04:30 GMT -5
Okay, this insurance email produced a new policy--I have to look it over and compare to the other policy though, he said we can talk tomorrow.
Next:
Check again to see if dog wants to go out Check for mail and packages 10 minutes PEEPing on first floor Look in basement for staplers, I know I have some!
Diane
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