Heavenly Sunshine, Heavenly Sunshine, filling my soul with Glory divine.....................

Today, I am grateful for Minions

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I woke up at 7:45!!  Felt great--although my joints were a bit stiff, but that is normal.

At 9:30, Pammie called me to tell me she was "taking Consumers Energy for a ride!"  She signed up with their service plan on her furnace and water heater in December.  She had them come out to fix her furnace in January--it needed a new circuit board= $400.00.  Today, they came out to fix the inductor/capacitor = $350.00.  The service plan costs about $140.00 for a year, so it has already paid for itself 5 times over.  She and I just chuckled about it.  

"Thanks for telling me about the plan, Momma."

"Your welcome Sweetie.  As long as you don't get a hole in the fire box, you can get new parts on that thing and it will last forever!"

We yukked it up and laughed a lot.  I love that girl!!
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Then I jumped into my clothes and trotted up to Pearl's.  Thirty degrees this morning--it was a bit breezy and cold with only my sweatshirt on.

I handed Pearl her "script" for when she calls Comcast.  I have to write out a script for her to know what to say when she calls them or the computer repair place or she gets confused and just hangs up mid-way through the conversation.  Of course, it doesn't help that the Comcast people all speak with an East Indian dialect.  

Then, I asked her if she'd would come into the kitchen and I started off with:

"I got to thinking about your Crock-Pot last night after I got home.  I think I know the problem."

"What!  Tell me."

"This dang thing is so fancy--it's another fancy-schmancy electronic device that drives us crazy.  See here?  It has two, four and six hour times on it.  See?"

"Yes.  I put it on high for six hours, but it didn't really start cooking until three hours.  You know--cooking when you can here the top dancing?"

"I think those timed settings mean that it is how long it will cook before it is ready to eat.  You put the corned beef in at two and hit the six hour button--which means it wouldn't be done for six hours or at eight o'clock.  It cooks real slow for a couple of hours and then kicks in and cooks hotter and faster."

"Oh...you're saying if I wanted to eat at six, I'd put the stuff in at two and hit the four hour button?"

"Yeah.  I'm pretty sure."

"No wonder the corned beef was tough and raw!  This damn thing is just like my computer!  It's more than my brain can handle.  I just don't get how these electronic devices work!"

"I know.  Everything today just seems so complicated...not easy like the things we used to use.  My Crock-Pot has low and high--that's it.  Pretty simple."

"Well, my daughter thinks I need all this new fancy stuff--like that lap-top and smart phone she got me.  I never could figure out how to work them and she just got mad at me when I gave them back.  She got me this Crock-Pot.  I should have just cooked it all in the oven--I know how that works!"

...and we both chuckled.

At least she wasn't mad or upset with me showing her--I wondered if I should say anything at all about it, because I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but on the other hand, I didn't want to be invited up for roast beef dinner and have to eat raw and tough meat again!!  HAH!!
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The last week or so, I have been working on the completion and editing of my How To book.  It's pretty good actually--helpful and humorous.  I don't have any idea if there is a market for it, but I can always give a copy to my girls and friends and the like.
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I did manage to get up to Wal-Mart this afternoon and got some hamburger and cabbage to make Crock-Pot cabbage rolls.  I also got a nice supply of Diet Pepsi at $1.00 a jug AND I got a small can of white latex paint.

Did you know you can paint fabric and upholstery with latex paint?  Me neither!  They have You-Tube videos on how to do it and blogs of different people who have changed out an old, stained covered chair with latex paint.

I have a hanging lamp over my kitchen table.  It has a shade purposefully made for that lamp and I cannot find a replacement anywhere, including on-line.  The white shade is of course, after 17 years, rather golden from the smoke and cooking.  I have been hitting it with 409 and washing it down in the shower for years, but............so..............this latex paint says, "for any surface" and I am going to paint that puppy and see what happens.  Got nothing to lose, right?

I almost succumbed to purchasing a pretty bookay of spring flowers--Lilies and roses and a few of those "painted" flowers, but at $15.00, I figured--no way!  I miss getting bouquets like I did when Freddie was here.  He'd bring back a bunch every month for me.
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I got home and unloaded and noticed that Dar's car was parked and hadn't moved in two days and I knew, she was supposed to be working.  I sat down to rest up from the unloading groceries and called her.

"Hello?"

"You sound weak, are you okay?"

"I've got some sort of stomach bug.  I've had diarrhea for over twenty-four hours!"

"Well, I noticed that you hadn't been out since early yesterday morning, so I thought I'd better call to see if you were dead."

"Not yet, but it might be soon.  I think I might have to go to the ER if it doesn't stop."

"What are you taking for it?"

"I had Shelia get me some water and Ammodium on her way home.  She got the liquid Ammodium--God it tastes terrible!"

"Is it helping?"

"No.  I've taken the maximum amount and nothing.  Too bad this didn't wait until the twenty-ninth when I have to prep for my colonoscopy."

"Are you dehydrated?"

"No--I'm drinking tea and water."

"You might need some Gatorade to replace your potassium--your electrolytes."

"I never thought of that.  I'll call Judy L. and have her stop and bring some home for me."

"Okay--let me know if you need anything."
<me who had just been to Wal-Mart and could have picked up some for her there.  I should have called before I left>

On the one hand, I should have gotten back in my car and ran up to the store to get her some Gatorade.  On the other hand, I'm so grateful she has other minions to help so I don't get near her germy self.

I truly am not a very nice person!