A Bit of This and That

Well, it seems like I eventually end up saying it every year, and this year I was trying really hard not to say it, but yesterday was the day for me.  The words came out, even though I'm the only one that heard them, as my husband wasn't in the room at the time.  But I muttered it to myself -- "I Hate Summer."

I felt like a real grouch for saying it, but yesterday was not fun, folks.  Our air conditioner started acting wonky on Monday afternoon, but by dinnertime, it was working and the house was cool again.  Thankfully, we were all three able to get a good night's sleep that night.  Then on Tuesday, the house started heating up really fast.  Our regular guy that we've used for years wasn't available, so we called one of the really big companies in town.  They couldn't even think about seeing us until Thursday at the earliest.


On to Plan B -- we called a local company that we found online; they sounded good so we gave them a call.  I was pretty sure really hoping our system just needed some coolant, and it would be a quick fix. Long story short, the compressor was gone, and we're getting a new system.  We just replaced the compressor about three years ago (it had a two-year warranty) so we figure we got a bit of a grace period.  In addition, our system is really old; it was the original system from when the house was built.  Unbelievable isn't it?

We honestly aren't destitute, we've just been putting it off, hoping to get some other things done to the house first.  We'd been nursing it along, but it performed beautifully last summer, so I really thought it would probably be fine this year.  I'm truly thankful that we have the means to pay for a new system; I realize that some people have to do without.  Coincidentally, my sister had to have a new system installed yesterday.  What are the chances of that, right?

Yesterday was a long hot day, and we spent the night at my in-laws' house, as they're out of town.  Again, we were fortunate to have a place to stay and cool off.  The system was supposed to be completed today, but it was a real pill of a job.  Our house was built in the 70's, and the blower unit is in the attic.  It was huge, by the way.  Those poor guys arrived at 8:15 Wednesday morning and left at 7:00 that evening.  My husband went up to the attic one time for just a minute, and he said it was unbelievably hot.  We kept them supplied with cold, bottled water all day, but I still felt so badly for them.  The guys had a temperature sensor up there with them, and they said it was reading 140 degrees!

My sweet husband stayed at that hot house all day while the men were working and let Will and I stay at our in-laws' house with MacDuff.  But we checked in with him periodically and brought him lunch and a milkshake.  I tanked up the car and ran errands, as we were trying to get ready to go on a short trip.  The a/c guys told us it should definitely be finished by lunch time today.  This has given me a whole new appreciation for people who do this kind of work every day, year round.  I don't think I would have been able to breathe in that attic after 20 minutes.  In addition, there are the people who work on the roads and in building construction.  For all of their sakes, I hope it cools off soon!

On a completely different topic, congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!!  I'm so excited for Kate and William and their cute little Prince George.  :)  Maybe I'm naive, but I think they're a nice family.  I was so impressed that Kate and William made a special point to thank all the staff at the hospital for the good care they received, and they thanked the other patients in the maternity ward for being patient and understanding while the Windsors were there with all their security people.  I think they're two well-mannered and gracious young people.  It's such a pleasure to see that kind of story, as opposed to the other stuff that's been in the news 24/7 for months and months.

I apologize that I haven't been able to visit for the past week or so.  We're had so much going on, but I hope things will get back to normal soon.  If you left me a comment during the last week or two and I didn't reply, please know I'm not trying to be rude.  I do appreciate your visits and thank you for your comments!

I hope you're all staying cool during these dog days of summer.  Thank you for reading me!

Denise