Santa's Workshop
Burns the Midnight Oil
December 16, 2014
Ron was out of the office all morning and I had a variety of customers. As I have mentioned before, more and more customers buy products "Made in China" and then expect us to repair them or make keys for them. A few we can make keys on but most are not worth the effort even if we had the supplies to do so. So it was one of those frustrating mornings where I was not able to help several people.
During the morning I was able to get our Christmas letter written on Ron's computer while he was out on the job. I need to do the front of the card, but the photos are in my home computer and the dead computer on my desk. I need my computer! Those of you who get Christmas cards from us are obviously getting a late one this year! The writing did go quickly and I got them printed. Now I just need to design and print the outside.
The frustrations seemed to continue. We continue to have computer problems. The new computer Ron ordered for me was expected Monday. It turns out it was only shipped yesterday. When a company advertises 3 day shipping at an added price, I think that if I pay that added price, I will get it in three days. I am learning that it means when they get around to shipping it, I will get it in three days. This is my second recent experience with this happening and I guess I will now know to ask when they expect to ship it. Of course, most ordering is automated so you don't really have the ability to "ask" someone that that question.
In the afternoon, I left the shop early and went to check on Mom. She was sleeping so I left and went by her doctor's office and picked up the form for her handicap sticker. That was another frustration. They seemed to have no idea about it. Ron had taken it to them last Friday to fill in the portions they had to fill in. They looked around a while, found it, then made copies for their files, and finally I was able to leave with it.
There were a couple of things I needed in Harlingen and decided to go on up there and get them. The main thing was a particular type of fabric at Hobby Lobby. I selected it. The fabric area was free of other customers and had one clerk. She was restocking some fabric. She acknowledged me and continued to restock the fabric (about 6 bolts scattered all through the area) before waiting on me. Customer service is not what it used to be.
I finished with my purchases and headed home in heavy traffic. Everyone else is late shopping, too. I got home, fixed supper and started preparing the things I needed to work on. When Ron got home from having supper with his mother, I had him set up my workshop in the garage. I knew the project was going to be messy. I was right! Even with a lot of care to the mess at each step of the way, it was a challenge. I will just say that Ron's car, parked in the driveway, has red fuzz in a spider web this morning. So glad I don't have that red fuzz all over the house and a big thank you to the person who taught me this project for warning me about the mess. I loved the project, but not the mess.
By 1:00 a.m. I had made 9 of the project items and then still had a little to do before going to bed. One reason I was up so late was that it was too hot in the garage to work for too long in one stretch and I kept having to take breaks. It is just over a week until Christmas. Santa's workshop should not be HOT! I could open the garage door and cool it down a little, but that just scattered fuzz. A friend in Albuquerque posted a photo of snow in her yard. None of that stuff here. Trees are sprouting new growth. They think it is Spring.
During one stretch in the morning at the office, a customer came in and asked me how I was doing with my Cochlear Implant. I told her that I was doing well, that I could hear her. She said she had been in the office a week before my implant surgery and had been wondering how it was going. She also said her 80 year old brother had just had the surgery recently and we talked about it for a long time. She mentioned a few struggles he was having and I told her they were all normal, and that surprised her. I mentioned some things we had done to make things easier and she was going to pass them on. I encouraged her to have her brother read the blog and for his wife to read it. It sounded to me like she was getting frustrated with having to make all his phone calls. I told her my husband makes all mine. I mentioned how hard it is to hear in restaurants that have tile floors and wooden chairs. The noise of moving the chairs on Mexican tile is terrible. She said that her sister-in-law was considering putting tile in their house. I suggested re-thinking that.
At Hobby Lobby I needed to ask my sister a question and when she returned my call I was in the car and we gave up on the call because it was too hard for me to understand her with the added road noise. The phone calls probably continue to be my biggest frustration.
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