Saturday, February 8, 2014

Just Do Your Job

Granny here,

Had some experiences this week that sent me into the state of frustration which doesn't take much but none the less not a place I enjoy going. With all the cold weather we've been having lately the last thing you want to happen is your heating system going on the blink. Voile! not once but twice in less than thirty days. Yes, twice in a month, now if that isn't enough to send one over the edge I ask you what is?

This heat pump seems to love to run on anything but normal. Last month it didn't heat at all for days and I had to use space heaters and the oven to keep us from freezing to death and with a 95 year old in the house, one can't fool around with heat. Boy, did we pay for that to the tune of $472.00 to Cleveland Utilities. This month a repeat of the same thing and so calling the insurance company again for the fourth time since buying this house is becoming commonplace.

I gave them a call and waited, and waited and waited. So I called the company that they had told me would be doing the repairs and they informed me that they had not received a work order from the insurance company and so therefore they didn't have the authority to come out. So I called the insurance company again and discovered I was speaking to someone in California so I'm sure they were concerned about the cold in Tennessee. She informs me that a glitch had happened and the work order had not been sent but she would see that it was taken care of.

Finally an email arrives stating that the work order had been sent to the heating repair company at 11:41 a.m. Then the wait began again, twelve o'clock, one, no repairman, finally around 2 p.m. two men from the repair company arrived and worked until around 3 and finally determined that the thermostat was the culprit and decided to replace it.

Now with some cold weather still in our future I can sit on pins and needles waiting to see if the system is going to function properly. Nothing like sitting on the sidelines waiting on the black cloud to fall again. But until that happens I'm thankful that I had the money to pay my bill last time and so thankful for the insurance that keeps picking up the tab.

But I still have a dream that when you call and put in a request that those on the other end of the transaction would do their jobs so that the process can progress as needed because sometimes these situations could have dire consequences for those having the difficulty.

Granny here, just saying!

Friday, January 24, 2014

The Chills

Granny here,

I've lived in places where the snow would meet me when I opened the door. If I raised the window I could reach out and get snow to make snowballs without any trouble. I didn't like it then and I can't say that I like this Tn. winter we're having either, just a little too cold for my liking. My chill bumps have chill bumps.

Although this winter in Tennessee is cold, very cold it's still better than the rest of the country which is layered under blankets of snow.  I just want to be layered under blankets don't you?

Spring will be so much more appreciated this year because we will have something to compare it to. We'll enjoy that first 70 degree day with the sun beating down and the breeze blowing through our hair.
We will soon forget the chill bumps on our bodies and how we hate to come out from under the good warm blankets that God has so graciously granted to us. Let us not forget those who aren't so fortunate.

Well, another cold night here in Tn. but another blessed day is coming tomorrow. God is so good no matter what the weather. So until spring comes around and the flowers lift their heads, pull that blanket up a little closer and kiss the one you love good night. 

Granny here, just saying!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Oh, Sleep Where Art Thou?

Granny here,

It's 4:50 a.m. and here I am wide eyed and bushy tailed as usual, awake doing nothing, longing for that "normal" good nights sleep which I haven't had it seems since I was a teenager, (no not really) but in all honesty it has been way too long.

I've been up since 2 a.m. went to sleep around 12 so I only took a nap which is what I usually do then I'm up for 4-5 hours reading, watching T.V., playing games, crocheting, whatever my hands can find to do to keep myself from screaming. I really feel like jumping off a cliff but give up on that idea, too messy.

But I do long for a good nights sleep where you lay your head on that fluffy pillow and drift off into dreamland around 11 p.m. and don't open your eyes until around 8, wouldn't that be like heaven. Does a night like that exist anywhere in the world today. I don't really think so not in my world it doesn't.

I steer away from artificial aids such as pills etc. After watching pills take the world to _____ in a hand basket I've chosen to stay as far away from them as possible unless absolutelyyyyyyyyyyyyy necessary. So I guess this battle of sleeplessness is mine to fight in whatever way I can and so far I hate to admit it but I'm loosing. But it's not the only battle I've lost in my life and I seem to be doing fine.

My 95 yr. old mother has an old saying that she quotes "the bags around her eyeballs are red instead of white" and boy is that true for me. You know what I'm more than ready to unpack these bags and get me some sleep!

Granny here, just saying!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Attention! Chivalry is Dead!

Granny here, 

Just had an experience that blew my mind but being 72 years old it doesn't take much. I went to Home Depot to look at over the range microwaves for my kitchen since the first one I bought developed a loud noise that was very annoying. Over the range microwaves are not a small item to say the least. I found one that fit my budget and ask a female clerk to help me with it, she was very nice and went and retrieved a cart to put it in. There was a man looking at waves too and he was talking to me and then another man came over and they were talking about the microwaves. 

Well, when the lady came back with my cart, the two men stood there and watched her lift that huge box by herself and put it in the cart. I was flabbergasted to think how thoughtless these two men were. This is just one example that shows how far down the ladder of chivalry that man has slid. Then when I got to the check out the clerk ask if i wanted some help loading it in my car and I said yes, well here comes two big men to load it up. Go figure, it took one woman to load it in the cart but two men to put it in the car. I told them about what had happened inside and they said that happens a lot here, I said "that doesn't speak well for you men folk does it," they just laughed and went on their way. 

You know I can see on one side of the coin where women have done this to themselves, you know women's right and the NOW organization and all that foolishness of the 60's and 70's, the women ask for it and now the men are giving it to them with both hands. They can do it themselves, you can go to war, be on the front lines, work for your living we're not looking out for you anymore so the women of this country have cut their own throat. I don't believe in women's lib in the sense that I don't want my husband or my man to be responsible for me, to open doors for me, to do the heavy work for me, to see that I am taken care of and treat me like a lady. Yes, I do want those things but thanks to all the women out there who didn't have the sense to know a good thing when they had it I now have to try to do all those things for myself. 

Well Ladies, I liked Chivalry and if I could I would bring it back from the dead, luckily there are a few "gentlemen" out there who are still gentlemen and aren't afraid to show it but they are few and far between. 

Granny here, just saying!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Appreciation

Granny here, 

Well folks I'm here to say that I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. It's been three weeks now and I've had something like a sinus infection or upper respiratory and then I got better for a day or two then I took a bad cold and snotted and snorted for days and then it moved down in my throat and now that's on fire. 

What's up with this stuff, I'm over it and ready to get on with my life. I'm learning that to appreciate something there is no better way than to lose it. We too often take our health for granted but I'm here to tell you that I appreciate the blessings of God and for the most part I do feel good but here lately that has not been the case so when I do get my health back believe me I will appreciate it more than ever. 

 Granny here, just saying!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Great Day-Great Food-Great Family

Granny here,

Just had to write and fill you in on all the exciting things happening in the new year. First my grand-daughter Shaylee receives her diploma from Cleveland State in web design which she is excellent at so if there is anyone out there in need of such services look her up online at www.ShayleeSmith.com She has worked hard and I hope she goes far in her chosen field. Had a lovely day taking the family out to lunch to celebrate the graduate.

We made a return trip reluctantly to Outback Steak House, our last trip there was somewhat frustrating, we waited 45 minutes for our food, then some of it was cold had to be sent back so it wasn't the best visit but we were compensated with free desserts. But the best part of the day was just being with those I love the most, my mother, my daughter and my grand-daughter and an added bonus her boyfriend and two other friends so it was a great day.

If the rest of the year follows the pattern being set so far I will not complain, it's going to be a good year. God is still good, He is still my Savior, He's still in control and He will never leave me nor forsake me what more can a girl (old woman really) ask for.

 Granny here, just saying!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Resolution? What's That!

Granny here, 

You know what time of year it is don't you? Resolution time. What in the world is a resolution anyway? My definition is a lie to yourself, that's what a resolution is. You know it's true and so do I that it is a waste of good time to even consider making one of those. We only lie to ourselves and then when others hear that we have made them they began to keep watch to see if we really keep them. Most are kept for approximately twenty four hours but I doubt any longer than that. 

So you see it's just a waste of time. Really when the new years rings in we need to pull ourselves up by our boot straps, the new ones we got for Christmas and say I'll do the best I can, I'll try to do better or find some good motive for doing whatever it is that we have set our heart on accomplishing in the new year. The new year is just a time to rethink things to turn over new leaves and see if there is something new under them that will encourage us to become better people. We all have room for improvement and areas in our lives that could use some overhauling so the new year seems a good time to get a grip on them and see what we can do to turn things around. Setting goals is always a good thing if they are kept in perspective and not so far out of reach that it becomes discouraging trying to reach them. 

So we need to be careful when making resolutions that we don't make it so absurd that it becomes a stumbling block to our success. So Dec. 31st when the New Year is hovering over your head be ready to step into it with a new determination not to keep resolutions but to become the best person you can be and if you keep true to yourself one year from now there will be a new you to welcome in the coming year. 

Happy New Year 

Granny here, just saying!