Worry List

I keep a little list on my PDA of outstanding items that I call my
"worry list". Yesterday was a very good day because I was able to
check several items off the list. My new drivers license came in the
mail. Surprise! Surprise! I like my picture. My backordered item from
L.L. Bean arrived. My oil company stock sold on Tuesday. I did not get
quite as good a price as if it had sold on Monday, but the stock price
fell yesterday so I am happy. My prescription refill order finally
showed up on Aetna's website. They say they are running behind because
of all the new Medicare prescription business. My Del Webb sales
associate confirmed that they had received my check for the balance
of the down payment on my new house.

I worked on the storage closet under the stairs yesterday. I had
really forgotten how big that area is. I was dismayed at the amount of
stuff that I took out of there. I found my first little canister
vacuum cleaner. I did not realize I still had it. My old floor
scrubber/polisher was there. A little Hoover handheld vacuum was also
added to the stack to go to Goodwill.

I was greatly relieved to find the extension leaf for my dinning room
table was in good shape. When I lived in Houston, I was able to keep
both leaves in my table, but my current house had a smaller dinning
area so the second leaf has been stored. The leaves for my breakfast
area table are still in the original wrapping. I have never used them.
I had table pads for the dinning room table custom made when I bought
the table. A lady from Joske's department store came to my house and
measured my table and ordered the pads from the Ohio Table Pad Co. My
mother and my grandmother had Ohio Table Pad Co. pads for their
dinning room tables. Theirs were felt backed and lasted throughout their
lifetimes. I purchased mine in the mid 1970's when everything was made
from new synthetic materials. Mine had a polyurethane foam backing.
When I pulled the pads out of the box, I was dismayed to find the
backing had turned to a powder. My hands were gray from touching it.
There is no way I could put them on the highly polished surface of my
table.

I Googled Ohio Table Pad Co. and found their website. I
was surprised to see they are still in business. They say they have
been in business since 1923. The pads can now be ordered directly from
the website. I found an 800 number and called and asked if their pads
had a warranty or guarantee. The rep. said they had a lifetime
guarantee. I told her about the condition of mine. She said the ones
with the foam backing had a 15 year guarantee. I asked her if the pads
could still be purchased through department stores. She said yes. She
said J. C. Penney's now carries them. After I get settled in Frisco, I
may look into ordering new ones.

My Christmas tree and ornaments have been in the storage closet since
I moved into the house. I had forgotten how big the Christmas tree box
is. It will not fit into my car. I will have to let the Salvation Army
pick it up. I had 12 strings of 50 bulb lights. I am going to take
them to Goodwill. My handmade ornaments have not aged well. They are
going too. Looking at the decorations and deciding to discard them was
a very painful experience for me.

A friend of one of my neighbor's asked her if any houses ever go on
sale in our neighborhood. A friend of the friend lost her house to
Hurricane Rita. My neighbor told her about me. It turned out I am also
acquainted with my neighbor's friend. She called me up a little after
two yesterday afternoon. She asked if she could bring her friend out
to see my house. I told her things were in a mess because of the
closet cleaning. I also told her my new builder has a 60 day window in
the contract, and the earliest date for my move is mid July. She said
she believed her friend could accept that. They showed up at three
o'clock. The lady seemed to like many things about my house, but the
big drawback is that I do not have a bedroom on the first floor.