It’s been a heck of a summer. Or maybe just a heck of a
couple of months.
8. It all started with a series of severe thunderstorms
back in July. At some point in the last half of the month, I went out to treat
our hot tub, only to realize that it wasn’t running. I figured maybe the
electrical had been zapped during one of the storms. After some discussions
with Husband, we elected to drain it, then get it serviced and buy a new cover.
But life got in the way, so while we did drain it before it became a massive
mosquito breeding ground, that was as far as we got before things really got
bad. But really, it’s kind of good, because we really needed a new cover, and
it’s summer time so we’re not using it anyway.
7. Next up was our thermostat. We were watching TV and
realized it was quite stuffy. When I checked the thermostat, the display was
blank. Not surprising, as I think this may have been the original unit from the
early 1970’s. I opened it up and slammed it shut again and everything came back
on. This kept on happening until just last week, when, after dealing with other
broken appliances (more to come), the thermostat went blank again and I
couldn’t slam it back into working order. So we bought a shiny brand new
thermostat which promptly took 24 hours to start working, making us wonder if
we needed an AC check as well. On the plus side, now we have a cool
programmable thermostat that we can control using a phone app.
6. My car finally got a death sentence. It’s been in and out
of the shop for the last 2 years for various repairs, but this last issue
finally became the ultimate straw. My mechanic told me not to repair it because
I was considering buying a new car in the next year or so. I’ve hit 200,000 miles
and it’s basically worthless, so I feel pretty good about replacing it. And now
I can possibly get an electric car!
5. A couple of weeks ago, our refrigerator stopped cooling.
It made a strange repetitive humming sound, kind of like a bird song that says
“I’m breaking down … I’m breaking down … I’m breaking down.” And the
temperature slowly went up. By the time I realized what was happening, it was
too late. The milk and eggs were ruined. The loads of pre cooked meals in the
freezer were also mostly unsalvageable. I made a repair call, but in the
interim it started working again! Turns out our compressor has a flat spot, but
if you bump the fridge just right, it’ll start back up again. I started
researching new options, but was interrupted by life again when …
4. Our microwave magnetron (we think) broke. The convection
bake and roast still work, as do the clock and timer, but the microwave
function no longer heats anything. Clearly, a new microwave is a priority, as
our fridge is currently working and can, we suspect, be kept in running order
with strategic kicking. So just 2 days ago we took advantage of a Labor Day
sale and got a microwave. No convection oven this time. I hardly ever used it.
So the good news there is that we saved a little money. Another good thing:
when we got to HH Gregg, they told us that it’s very hard to find appliances in
the color “bisque,” which is the color I used for all the appliances when we
bought them 10 years ago. But then, in a stroke of luck, the very microwave we
picked out ONLY came in bisque!
3. The very same night that our microwave broke, I dropped
my phone, which happens all the time, but this time the screen shattered. It
was so bad I could hardly read anything. I took it to the discount screen
repair place and spent $110 on a new glass screen, but they didn’t connect the
speaker correctly so I had to go back the next day. They were very nice about
the whole thing, but if this happens again, I’ll spend the extra $40 and just
go straight to the Apple store for a repair. Lesson learned!
2. Wait, wait, I’m not done yet! Back before all this got
started, my beloved cat died, of old age. I’ve covered that in a prior post.
But I have wondered if, in some strange way, my cat was holding our house
together the way David Bowie was holding the universe together…
1. And worst of all, one of my dearest friends discovered
she has breast cancer. She’s started chemo and things are going well, but, you
know, wow. I don’t even know what to feel or think about this. I’m not worried
about her life – I’m convinced she’s going to get through this and live on for
many years. But I know there are … feelings there.
With the pass by of Hurricane Hermine, we’ve had three days
of glorious autumn weather. And while I know next weekend we’ll be back in the
90’s with insane humidity, I’ve loved this little refreshment. I’m looking
forward to going back into the yard and picking back up with the work I paused.
As an ESFP, I like to change things up. The last few
mornings I’ve had my morning tea outside, watching the sun rise. And I’m going
to spend the next two weeks getting up super early and watching the sun rise
daily. It’s time to let go and move on. Despite everything, I feel good. I’m
blessed beyond my wildest dreams.
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