Saturday 4 December 2021

Done like dinner

Phew...I'm going to be happy to see this week reach it's end. It has been busy, tiring, emotionally draining, but with enough fun to make getting through it bearable.

Funny story to start. On Monday morning, I took the garbage out to the bin, and when I came to the front door it was locked. Thankfully, I have a pin pad on my garage door and was able to come through there. Another blogger, Carole had something similar happen to her and wasn't quite as lucky as I was. Happy to report she was able to get back into her home though.

I had a long list of things to do on Monday, and in between tasks I called a locksmith and was able to find someone to come out that afternoon. Upon arrival, he immediately pointed out that the door handle was backwards, and when he took it apart he discovered the latch had broken into several pieces. Since he was here (and a service call costs $80), I asked him to re-key some of the locks. We've lived in this house for over 11 years, and never had the keys for the door handle, only the dead bolt. When he went to back door, he noted the handle was also backwards and even better, the key for the front door dead bolt didn't work in the back door dead bolt. Good thing I never came in that way! He wasn't able to match the keys from the dead bolt to the handles but in about 90 minutes he had the lock fixed, the door handles facing the correct direction and re-keyed the garage door to the dead bolt key and provided keys for the two door handles. One more much needed task off the list of to-do's. I guess is was serendipitous that the latch broke when it did.

It was an expensive morning. I've been fighting with my range for several months but Sunday I reached my limit. Over time the heat elements weren't working properly and even on low heat, the temperature would be high enough to burn things in just a few minutes. I had made breakfast for dinner and after turning the one burner off, I was horrified to see that the burner was turning red though it turned itself off quickly. The stove was here when we moved in, so it was at 15-20 years old. Time for a replacement! Home Depot had a Cyber Monday sale, so I was at the store at 8:45 a.m. and 20 minutes later I had ordered a new stove to be delivered sometime between Dec 6 and 18 (hooray in time for Christmas). The stove was on sale, but better still I didn't have to pay for delivery and haul away. They also had an option of using their credit card and paying it off over 18 months with no interest. While I could have paid immediately for it, I always take the option of using someone else's money and simply make monthly payments so it is paid off within that period.

Groceries, gasoline, and gift cards were also on the to-do list that morning. At home I finished the envelopes for the gift cards, and except for our Christmas meals everything is now done and I can stay home and away from the maddening crowds.

On Wednesday, I headed out in the morning to visit D and Eli. She is having a particularly hard time right now, mostly because she turns 40 this Sunday. Her life is not what she dreamed of as a young woman, and she's finding it difficult to reconcile that the life she has now is most likely better than those dreams may have been. Eli's current struggles add to her feelings of inadequacy. We did have a good visit though and she was able to get her hair done on Friday morning before I left. Something to lift her spirits a little bit.  

Eli and I had fun, as always. He is such a character! He really didn't want to go to school on Thursday morning; he would have preferred to stay home with mom and G'ma, but I asked him to make green choices at school and he did. He even told his teacher at the end of the day that he'd had a good day.  We had a few hours to ourselves on Friday morning while his mom was off to her appointment. Here's a couple of photos of the two of us.  

I was expecting a kiss but I got a zerbert!

This child really dislikes wearing clothing. He does wear his "underwears" when I'm there though. He does run warmer than most people do. On Thursday, I ran out to the recycling bin with some cardboard and plastic the new sofa came in and he came out without a jacket with me (he did put on his winter boots). I foresee a teenager who wears a light jacket and running shoes, no gloves, no toque, even in the coldest weather. Not surprising as my son is the same.

Speaking of my son, he too is having a bit of a rough time. I cannot share the issues he's facing but suffice to say, this momma's heart is aching that he is having to deal with what is happening in his life. I often wish I had a magic wand and could make all that is wrong in life right for my family (and for that matter, the whole world). Thankfully he has some wonderful friends who support him wholeheartedly and were there for him when I was not home.

The drive back home was tense as it was very windy. My little Toyota was buffeted by the winds, and I was exhausted by the time I arrived home. Traffic heading into the city was heavier than normal too, I assume because it was mid-afternoon. The highways were mostly clear, though the passing semi's sprayed dirt and moisture onto my windshield. That reminds me, I need to check my windshield wiper fluid level and make sure I have winter grade in the reservoir.  

Today I'm relaxing; there are couple of curling events being streamed, and the Saskatoon Huskies football team are in the Vanier Cup (Canadian University Championship). I've got a bit of crocheting to work on too. Beyond that I intend to do nothing until it is time to put dinner on and battle with that darned stove again.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Take care!

10 comments:

  1. Sounds like things 'worked out' on the home front. Happy to hear that. The handles on my security doors have always been upside down!

    Sorry the kids are feeling down. Oh, to be 40 again! I hope they both figure things out and life is happy for them once again.
    What a cutey guy you have there. I bet he is a ball.
    Have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You did have an educational and expensive time. That was probably good luck you got locked out. Enjoy your new stove.
    Eli is so darn cute. He had to be a real bright spot.
    Agree with Cheryl, your kids have youth on their side and nothing is impossible. Easy for me to say having passed 40 a few years years ago:) Some day she will look back on the 40's as the best years of her life. I sure do.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It can make one melancholy when one thinks about what was dreamed and what is real. They rarely match. Life is usually crappier than what was hoped for, but better than what could be. I try to live with that thought. My best wishes to both your children.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We never stop being Momma Bear do we?
    We need to get our door knobs replaced too. Well, the dead bolts on all the doors are okay, but the knobs are 30+ yrs and showing their age.

    ReplyDelete
  5. First, the locksmith was worth the cost! I'm glad he was able to fix all the issues--and that you were able to get back into your house via the garage!

    Second, I'm sorry for your daughter's and son's problems. As John wrote, life rarely matches our expectations. I know very few people, possibly only one person, who live the lives they hoped for. It's harder when one has mental health struggles, as I know from personal experience. Not everyone's brain is wired to be happy happy la de da unfortunately. So it can take a lot of daily effort (and mental health tools) to stop that in its tracks, so to speak. I hope your daughter has a lovely birthday regardless. (I remember turning 40; I had "issues" around it, but it turned out to be the BEST birthday ever!)

    I hope the week goes well for you all; take care.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That problem was with the infinite switch in the stove. I went off leaving spaghetti boiling slowly and when I returned not 2 min. later, the electric stove eye was red as the end of a poker in the fire! The food was ruined. It happened again. And again. Took a minute or two for it to go wrong. I had to switch the stove off. I called the appliance store I bought it from telling him what happened and that I had googled the symptom and found it was the stove infinity switch. That cost some MONEY to get corrected. About $100.00 to replace it.
    Eli is so adorable it ought to be against the law. He is truly adorable So is my James at 6 yrs of age. He has, as I mentioned before here, autism as well. His mom may feel overwhelmed at times, but it does get better when they are in the school where expectations are in place and the children learn quickly. There usually are teachers especially trained to assist the autistic child in the learning curve.
    Love to Eli. Regards to the family. I understand how you feel about both children. Me too, with mine. Even though they wish I wouldn't.

    ReplyDelete
  7. iPhone Spell guesser! . Infinite switch, not the infinity switch that it put in later.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes, as Mom's we want to smooth our children's way.

    Eli sure likes when you come and visit!!!

    Glad you found a stove so quickly.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cute photos of you and Eli! Our children have to work through some struggles on their own...that way they make better choices...in my opinion! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. After that week, I'm so glad that you're relaxing now. You deserve it.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by!