Sometimes the little things that go wrong can hide the wondrous things life has given you. The subtitle of my musings has long been “Life is a Sitcom.” Some days it’s lighthearted, other days it gets far too dramatic. Thank goodness it’s never gone full Eugene O’Neill. (No alcoholics or drug addicts play major roles, at least not yet.)
The great news? I’m alive! Twenty-five years ago, the smart money would’ve bet against it. But the Good Lord and some great doctors kept me above ground. My pacemaker/defibrillator keeps the ticker steady (no AFIB), my monthly plumbing change is working well, and my many doctors are still pleasantly shocked to see me vertical and mobile at checkups.
But even with gratitude in your heart, life’s little malfunctions can test your sainthood. Case in point:
Yesterday.
We had a plan for three simple events—breakfast at Cracker Barrel, dentist, and a vascular checkup for Marjorie. Easy enough. At 8 a.m., we head down from our third-floor condo. Marjorie waits by the elevator while I fetch the car. Key fob in pocket, I press the button…nothing. Dead battery.
I’d love to say I stayed calm and dignified, but if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge for ya. I called AAA and trudged back to tell Marjorie the f——g car won’t start. (She took it better than I did.)
AAA’s first estimate: 9:08. Then 10:25. Goodbye breakfast, goodbye dentist. At least the 1:15 doctor appointment survived. By 10:45, I had a brand-new battery and $300 less in the checking account. Oh well. We made it to the vascular surgeon and walked out with a treatment plan for her legs. Another doctor, another week.
And just when I thought the sitcom credits were rolling, the AC quit. Bought the system a year and a half ago. Big bucks. Two weeks ago it hit 90 outside and 85 inside. “Experts” came Monday, said it was fixed. Tuesday it wasn’t. They came again, fiddled around, pronounced it “fine,” then told me the coolant was low.
So now we’re waiting for yet another “expert” to show up Monday to top it off just in time for winter. LOL
Meanwhile, everything from the closet (the one hiding the air handler) is piled on our dining table. A bit of a mess.
So the car doesn’t start, the AC blows hot air, and our 125+ year old house creaks…but I’m still here. Broken, maybe. But still running.
Enuf.
Aww…that ain’t nothing. This was our August and September. We had a good amount of money saved up for new garage doors, a new metal railing for our front entrance way, and to finish paying for our new landscaping. The savings account was still relatively healthy. And then unplanned things started to happen.
Walter noticed the almost-new upright freezer wasn’t holding its temperature on Wednesday. By Thursday, we emptied as much as possible into our regular fridge’s freezer, then made a quick trip to his brother’s house to transfer our food into their chest freezer. Finally, a trip to the appliance store to order another freezer. For good measure, we ordered a second one for the basement to have a contingency plan in case this happens again.
But then our dryer started to have a dull rumbling sound, which then got louder and louder until we had to scream at each other to talk and be heard. Verdict: We needed new rollers. The repairman called, came, ordered, and installed new ones. Another BUT THEN……. our washing machine stopped working. Just bought a new one. Forget the repairman stage. The story goes on: our ride-on lawnmower stopped cutting grass, got repaired, then stopped again, got repaired, and then yesterday it stopped again.
On top of that, our BBQ smoker went up in smoke. (Got a new one.) A few days ago, some of those fancy reading gizmos were sending off warnings in our car, and the AC compressor broke. Over $2000 later, our vehicle is functioning until the next morning when a different gizmo sent off a warning. I am sure I have forgotten some things. It’s just been one thing after another, and that’s not even counting our health issues! But like you said. We are still here, and we are glad that you both are as well! And our savings account is still limping along.
I can’t top that. Hang in there. Hoping for all the best for you and Walter. New post coming with no whining. I promise.