I've Got to Stop Thinking...

OK...it's all my fault. Just the other day, I was thinking how we're in the midst of the holiday season and yet we haven't had any household emergencies. It seems like every year we have some home disaster requiring repair and the spending of money. One year our heater went out just before Christmas; another time our drains backed up big time. And here I was counting our blessings that things were so calm.

So yesterday, Mr. Fairway noticed some water running out from the cabinet under the kitchen sink...never a good sign. Anyway, it turns out the water was dripping from the rusted bolts on the bottom of the garbage disposer. Thankfully, we left a message with our plumber who graciously called us back even though it was Sunday. He told us to go out and buy a replacement disposer and he would come by today to install it.

Now you may be wondering why Mr. Fairway doesn't do the install himself to save some money. Let's just say that, while he is a capable man with many talents, home repair isn't one of them. Oh, he can do the small things around the house but I put my foot down when it comes to anything electrical or plumbing related. The one thing I don't want to do is pay a professional even more money to fix the mistakes a novice like Hubby would do.

Mr. Plumber just left and now I have to call Mr. Electrician. Apparently our home is so old that, while our old disposer was hard-wired under the sink, our new local code requires a simple outlet to plug in the unit. Oh goody...more money and time to spend on the house...sigh.

Back For More...

Hey...wonder where I've been? Me too. I was all gung-ho to start this blog but then, after a few posts (and the election), I suddenly lost my gusto. But I'm back and hopefully I'll find my blogging voice once again.

During this little "hiatus," our country managed to elect a new President (hallelujah) and I managed to survive the wonderful emotions that accompanied this incredibly historic event. Now I'm sorry that we didn't take up our friends' offer to accompany them to Washington D.C. for the inauguration. They had the foresight to book flights and hotel accommodations way in advance figuring they could always cancel should the "other team" win. Now they are going to be there amongst the huge throngs of spectators expected for the event. I am soooooo jealous.

This isn't to say that Mr. Fairway and I haven't been thinking about doing a little traveling. In fact, we just booked a 14-day cruise to the Baltics scheduled to sail in mid-June. I tell people that we're doing our very best to stimulate the economy although, to be honest, I am feeling a little uneasy about spending so much money during this economic meltdown. As retirees, we are on a fixed income and, unlike previous post-retirement travels, I no longer have a part-time job to help supplement our savings.

And when I look around the house and realize how much work needs to be done (new windows, new kitchen, new bathroom, new paint, etc.), I get even more nervous. Still...I keep telling myself that we need to travel while we are still healthy and the economy will surely turn around since it always seems to run in cycles. Am I crazy or am I just doing my very best imitation of Pollyanna?

More Signs of the Times

Yesterday two friends and I went to an annual crafts fair that plays host to a number of small businesses. We've been attending this fair for many years and have come to look forward to buying products from several specific vendors. So I look on the printed directory of booths and, to my disappointment, discover that my favorite "soaps and lotions" person is not there this year. We wandered the fair and I did buy a number of things but nothing that would take the place of the lilac lotion I was hoping to buy for my two cousins. Damn!

I was still fretting about things when I got home so I decided to email the company to find out if they were planning to attend another one of the craft fairs scheduled for early December. Within a few hours I received a response letting me know that they had pared down their attendance at these fairs to the "bare minimum" because of the price of gasoline and their relocation to Northern California....yet another example of how the economy has affected the small business person.

And then this morning I wake up to read the headline in the Los Angeles Times announcing the closure of all Mervyns stores. I'm telling you...soon we'll be down to one department store.

Sign of the Times

In today's mail came a letter from our homeowner's insurance company. Did I mention that it is (or was) an arm of WaMu Insurance Services...yes, that WaMu.

Anyway, the letter was sent to announce to us that WaMu has sold its existing "Personal Lines" insurance policies (oh, is that what we have) to a "leading American brokerage." Why does this scare me? And, of course, this follows the selling of our automobile insurance company a few months ago to AIG...yes, that AIG.

We used to laugh about some day having only one bank, one insurance company, one department store, one supermarket available to us. I'm thinking that day is approaching much sooner than we thought.

Sunday Doings

Hubby and I had our monthly golf lesson this morning. We've been taking lessons from the same teaching pro for maybe 20 years. Hubby's game has improved remarkably over time and he can outdrive young men less than half his age....I still tell golfers we're paired with at courses that I'm a novice which then explains the round of golf they see me play.

We came home after our lessons, read the paper and had our required cups of coffee. Then I went off to buy three CD/DVD zippered storage binders that I'd seen the other day at one of our local discount stores. Hubby is a DVD addict and we currently own more than 300 films which take up more space than we actually have. I've told him that, if he wants to continue his passion for owning DVD's, he has to find a different method of storing them. I'm hoping these binders do the trick! I'll let you know.

Now I'm off to see if I can find a birthday card for our friends' son who is in his mid-20's. I went to a card store earlier today but just couldn't find one appropriate for people our age to give to someone young enough to be our son. You wouldn't think it would be so hard but somehow it is. Sigh...