Yesterdays Woes!

Update on Odda!  She is doing well.  Steve will be taking her back to the vet on Friday the 12th to get her stitches out.

 

Don't ya just lover her cone!  With all this snow we have when she goes outside it works as a good scoop!  I laugh at her because I have to clean the snow out when she comes in!  Just a few more days Odda!  Then you'll be able to run around without that thing, and you won't bump into everything in the house.  You'll be able to go EVERYWHERE!  I'll be thinking about her when I'm down south, wondering how all is going.  I'd like to be a mouse in the car and at the vet when Steve takes her there!  I'm sure if she will need to continue to have more ointment put in her eye area, that he'll need to have either Leah or neighbor Connie (Far Side) come help him!

Yesterday I was having a bad day!  It started on Sunday, when I was washing clothes, the washing machine made an awful noise when spinning the water out, and I thought maybe it was off balance due to the load, so I repositioned the clothes, and it didn't help.  I thought maybe I was in trouble, but that was the last wash load for the day.  Had mentioned to Steve, that we might have a problem, but I'd know for sure when I would wash the next load.  Well - that was yesterday, and we were in trouble.  I'm trying to get ready for my trip, and had a load in the washer.  I didn't hear any noise, so kind of forgot about it, but when I went downstairs to check, I found a tub full of water, and the timer said off.  So the timer worked the whole cycle, but the clothes were still there in a tub of wash water.  I called where I'd bought the washer and dryer in March of 2007 (so it wasn't over 3 years old!), and asked if they could send a repair man out yesterday or today, as I was going to be leaving on Wednesday and needed to get caught up on laundry and get ready for my trip.  I emptied the water out by using a cottage cheese plastic bowl, and scooped the water into an ice cream bucket and then emptied it into the drain!  That took awhile.  Wring out clothes - boy I'm not very good at that.  My hands just don't twist wet clothes very well any more. 

The repair man came before 10:30 am and took it all apart and found that the transmission went out.  EXPENSIVE!  darn! It was quoted something over $365.00 for this trip,  part and install.  So we bought a new machine for  just under $600.00.   Now we have a warranty for 1 year again.   Three years ago when we needed a new set, I had wanted to get a front loading set, but where we have the washer and dryer, there wasn't enough space, so I had to get a top loading set.  They have the energy star, so I'll get a $25.00 rebate from our utility.  It's just too darn bad, that these appliances can't be made to last longer!  It just irks me, that the money spent on these appliances and they don't last long.  Like how can washing for two people wear out a transmission in just 3 years.  We've had washers and dryers last 15 years when we had all 5 of us here!   The new machine is exactly the same, the only new feature is that you don't choose the water level you want, it does it automatically (something else to go wrong later!), and if you open the lid after the washer has started, then it adds more water to a higher level.....  That's just down right stupid!  I need to change my way of starting a load now.  Depending on what I washed, I sometimes added the soap first and then the clothes after the tub was started filling.  Can't do that now.  Now put clothes in, soap and shut the lid!   I'm  sure I'll get used to it, and it'll save on water.  I'm sure that is what the feature is for.  Saving water, as I know that each wash load at the regular level uses 40 gallons of water for each the wash and rinse load. Learned that when we sold washers and dryers at work.  That is a lot of water.

I propbably wouldn't be so anxious about having spent this money on a new washer or repair if I hadn't just put new tires on my car for over $600.00 and then Odda's surgery at $292.00!   Dah - my saving for a rainy day is now pretty empty.  And I wanted at least $200.00 for spending money on my trip!  Oh well - we'll eat beans and bacon for awhile after I get home and get that savings built back up again!

I did have a good email yesterday.  I won a gift certificate from a local very nice restraurant (that we haven't been too) from the POWER UP group that Leah and I have joined through the Community Education.  I'll go pick it up today when I go to town for bell practice this afternoon/evening. This is the multi-community wellness challenge that we are doing.  In fact I am doing ok with this challenge.  Just some trouble yet with "Grazing" once in awhile.  I need to pick Grazing for my next week challenge.  I've got the Water down pretty good, drinking over 64 oz every day.  When you drink that much water, you don't even want pop.  Still need to exercise more tho.  My back has been giving me fits the past 2 weeks, so haven't done anything but walk.  I had lifted too much, and couldn't move for a couple of days.  Getting better, but still hurts getting up and down even from the sitting position (especially from the couch, as it's lower than a chair).   Hope I don't have trouble on my trip!