Summer Heat and Moving

I have been reading the material that the Mayflower estimator gave me and have been wondering about how the high summer temperatures will impact my move. The Mayflower booklet recommended that you take all of your computer diskettes and CD's with you in the car since they can be damaged by heat. I packed all of the critical software and manuals in a box. The storage unit I rented in Frisco is climate controlled. High temperatures are harmful to electronic components. I am thinking about taking my photo printer, laser printer and scanner to the storage unit when I go up to Frisco for the closing. I am trying to decide if I can do without my laser printer and scanner for approximately two weeks. I also have music CD's, old vinyl records and tapes that probably will not do well in the heat. I want to save room in my car for my important financial papers that I need to take with me on the final trip after Labor Day.

 

Last week I made hotel reservations for my final night in Beaumont and for the next two nights in Frisco. I am hoping that I only have to stay in the hotel one night in Frisco. Mayflower gave me a two day window for the delivery so I do not know at this point if I need a one or two night hotel stay in Frisco. I have not felt sad about leaving Beaumont until I made the hotel reservation for the final night in Beaumont. It hit me rather hard when I started thinking in terms of "the final night."

 

My goal for this week is to get everything off of the shelves in the garage so I can call the Salvation Army and have them remove the shelves. I have been dragging my feet on this chore. I feel like getting the Salvation Army out here is my last major chore.

Frisco Video

This morning while I was reading messages on the Frisco Online forum I found a link to Frisco Video: . I found it rather interesting. The video must be a year or two old. Most of the buildings that are referred to are now in existence.

Update

Another week has gone by, and I did not accomplish very much. The rain slowed me down for several days. The house was so dark during the rainy period that I did not like feel doing any of the cleaning chores. I cancelled a doctor's appointment on Monday morning because I was afraid of getting trapped by flooded streets. The appointment is rescheduled for August 17. The rain finally let up, and I was able to keep my hair appointment on Thursday. Yesterday I went to Sam's Club and now am stocked up for a while.

 

This morning I emailed an alarm monitoring company in Dallas named Smith Thompson. I have read good things about them. Del Webb is having a company named Ranger American install the alarm system. Del Webb tells me I will void the warranty if I have someone else monitor the system. I have read on the Frisco Online forum that Smith Thompson may provide their own warranty. I hope I can work something out.

 

Time Warner is taking over the cable system in the Frisco area starting Monday. I am going to contact them and see if I can get more information on when cable service will be available in Frisco Lakes. I hope a miracle happens, and they are there when I move in. I just do not like the idea of having a satellite dish installed on my roof. I read that the RoadRunner email address for the north Dallas area is going to take the format xxxxx@tx.rr.com. The reasoning for that is more obvious than my current RoadRunner email address xxxxx@gt.rr.com. Most people do not know that "gt" stands for Golden Triangle which includes Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange and several smaller towns in the area.

 

When I was in Frisco, I found out that grab bars could be installed in the bathrooms. My sales associate told me they would be installed as an option only if they were a medical necessity and they required a note from your doctor so stating. I thought about this for awhile and decided that because I have low bone density and take Actonel I could use this as my reason. I felt silly calling my doctor's office and asking for the note. My doctor's nurse said that my request was quite reasonable. He said that I would not believe the things people request. Anyway I got my note and sent it on to my sales associate. You have to be 55 years old to purchase a house in Frisco Lakes. Considering the age of the homeowners I think grab bars should be standard in all the homes. I do not appreciate having to jump through hoops to get one. I do have to pay extra for it.

Frisco Visit - Last Installment

On Saturday afternoon I went back out to Frisco Lakes to an ice cream social. I was the first one to arrive. I have not learned how to judge how much time it takes to drive around Frisco. Eventually other people arrived and there was a fairly large turn out. Del Webb had held a lot lottery for a new section of homes that morning  so there were several people there who had just signed their sales contracts. I am glad that I am not at that stage. I just want to get moved in and get my Beaumont house sold. Then I can settle down to a normal way of life.

 

I talked with a couple who I had met in June at the wine and cheese social. It is good to be able to talk to other people who are having the same experiences. I have only contacted one couple who are moving in before me. They are closing on August 24. My closing is set for August 31. I met another couple from my cul-de-sac who are closing the week after me. I am sure the rest of the people are going to be watching the early settlers very closely.

 

After the ice cream social, I drove to Plano to the Angelika Film Center  to see An Inconvenient Truth. The theater is on Bishop Rd. I had looked it up on Mapquest and printed out the directions before I left Beaumont. Bishop is just off of Legacy. Dr. Legacy is a north-south street in Frisco but makes a 90 degree turn in Plano and becomes an east-west street. I found Bishop Rd. without difficulty but did not spot the theater. Bishop Rd. is a very nice shopping center. I thought it almost looked like a New York City neighborhood; but of course, the buildings are very new. I drove around the area before I found a place to park my car. Most of the street level parking had time limits. I finally found a place to park, but I had to walk a couple of blocks back to the theater. The theater is very modern. You buy a ticket in the lobby and then ride an escalator up to the theater level. The theaters have wide screens and stadium seating. The Shops at Legacy have many restaurants and interesting shops. I will have to go back there and explore it thoroughly.

 

Frisco is getting a new shopping complex called the Shops at Starwood. I looked at the website and it appears to be similar to the Shops at Legacy. Starwood is the parent company of Westin and Sheraton hotels. There is a a big Westin resort in Frisco. I am assuming the Starwood subdivision and the Shops at Starwood are all related to the hotel company. I also read that Starwood is going to be building one of their mid-level, Four Points by Sheraton hotels in Frisco. They certainly have a big presence in Frisco.

 

After the movie, I got a bite to eat and went back to the hotel. I watched TV and went to bed early so I could make an early getaway on Sunday morning. The Dallas streets were almost empty early on Sunday morning, and it did not take very long to get to I45 and be on my way back to Southeast Texas. I arrived home at 12:45.

 

 

Frisco - Then & Now

After I left Central Park on Saturday morning, I drove up to Frisco's Main Street. I wanted to take a look at the office where the doctor I found on my insurance company's website practices. I parked the car and walked down the street to his office. My Beaumont doctors have been no help at all in recommending doctors in Frisco. The one I found in Aetna's database is board certified in internal medicine. He seems to be the right age--old enough to be experienced but not too old. What really attracted me is that he is a graduate of the University of Kansas Medical School. I am a K.U. graduate so I know he must be a good guy. I also found several people recommending him on the Frisco Online forums.

On the way to his office I took several pictures on Main St.: Main St. & Frisco Square. I noticed the old City Hall building. The city government quite recently moved into the new City Hall at Frisco Square. The above pictures are of the old and new city halls. The old building is very small and now has a for sale sign on it. After looking at the doctor's office building and deciding the parking lot is adequate, I drove to Frisco Square and took some more pictures. Frisco Square is just off of Main St. at the Dallas North Parkway. Pizza Hut Park is located across Main Street from Frisco Square. There is also a Dr. Pepper Park. One is the home of the Frisco AA baseball team and the other is the home of the soccer team. I am not sure I know which is which. I am not much of a sports fan.

By then it was close to lunch time. I drove to the Ikea store which has a Swedish restaurant. The food is fairly good and very inexpensive. I like their salads and desserts. If my new refrigerator is not delivered on September 9, I may find myself eating quite a few meals at the Ikea store.

Computers - Grrrr!!!

I thought changing my address on the Internet was going to be a breeze - WRONG. First of all there is one investment company where I sold all the stock in my account back in March. I can no longer log on, but they need my new address to send the final 1099. I made a phone call and took care of it--not so bad. I then changed four addresses online with no problem. Great! Then the trouble started.

 

I tried to change my American Automobile Association address online. It could not verify the brand new street. I called the AAA and took care of it. I then found the website for my college sorority. I had never logged onto the site before. I could not figure out how to register. Finally I put in my member number without a password and it let me log on. Some security. Then I tried to update my personal information and this computer balked at the new address. I found a place to send an email to national headquarters. I gave them the new address and asked how to get a password.

 

Then I met my Waterloo. I went to the AARP website. The computer did not like my new address. There was a 1-800 number in a sidebar that you are supposed to call if you are having difficulty. I called and an automated system gave a 1-888 number to call for address changes. I called and got tangled up with an automated system. As I was screaming my new address for the fourth time, a human being came on the line. I said thank goodness. I explained my problem. She took my information and her computer would not accept it. I asked her if she had a way to over ride it. She called her supervisor over and was instructed to call Florida. I was put on hold. She finally returned and said she was now able to make the change. Well she wasn't. Finally with more assistance she made the change.

 

I am going to work on something else. I can't face another address change today. Back in 1987 I made a database on my pc with all the people who needed my new address. I prepared a form letter and let the computer print out a stack of letters and labels. I then stuck stamps on the letters and mailed them. That was much simpler.

Who Said Frisco Is A Cow Town?

The cold front went through Frisco during the night and the temperature was in the low 80's when I got up on Saturday morning. I took my camera and went out to see some of the sights of Frisco. My first stop was Central Park which has the big statues of the cows: Frisco’s Central Park.

Friday in Frisco

Before I tell all about Friday in Frisco I have to do a little whining about the rain in Beaumont. The tropical system seems to be stalled overhead. The rain just keeps coming down. I have not seen the rainfall totals, but the ground cannot take any more. I went out early Monday morning and picked up my mail at the post office, filled the car with gas and got a few groceries. I have not been out of the house since. As long as the flood watch remains, I am staying home.

Friday morning I went to Frisco Lakes at eight o'clock. I had checked out a hard hat at the sales center the previous afternoon so I was all set to spend some time looking over my house and taking pictures. When I got there Gary, the construction superintendent, was standing in the middle of the cul-de-sac and talking on his cell phone. I have a feeling that guy is living in the cul-de-sac. I walked around the cul-de-sac and made note of the house numbers. There is absolutely no logic to the way the houses are numbered. I am sure it is going to be very confusing to visitors and people making deliveries. I took pictures of all the houses on the cul-de-sac. With the the information that is in the directory I was able to match up my neighbors names with their houses and figure out what models are surrounding me.

When I saw the house on Thursday afternoon, the painters were working inside. The kitchen and bathroom cabinets were covered with plastic sheeting. When I went in on Friday, the plastic had been removed, and I was able to get a good look at the cabinets. The finish is darker than I had been imagining, but it is quite acceptable. I think it is neat the way the cabinets are staggered at different levels in the kitchen. I had never seen that done before.

I went through the house and took lots of pictures. The only thing that is concerning me is the location of the cable outlets. I may have to have more added or have long runs of cable strung around the rooms. I went back to the sales center to return the hard hat and headed to Sam's Club.

I bought one of the big 96 oz. containers of liquid Tide HE. The HE stands for high efficiency. My new washing machine has to have the HE detergent. I then went to the storage unit and put the detergent in with my boxes. I will have the Tide on hand and be ready to do laundry when the new machine in delivered.

Since I had accomplished so much on Thursday there was not much left to do. I went to Stonebriar Mall and did a little window shopping in order to kill time until lunch. At 11:30 I went to the Cheese Cake Factory restaurant in the mall. I had the coupon from MasterCard for a free cheesecake serving. I ordered a Cobb salad, passion fruit iced tea and fresh banana cream cheesecake. The salad was luncheon size. I cannot imagine how large the regular is. There was no way I could eat the entire salad and have room for the cheesecake. I saved room for the cheesecake. When the cheesecake arrived, I was amazed at the huge amounts of whipped cream. There was a huge swirl on the plate and a second one on top of the cheesecake which was surrounded with caramelized bananas. I like whipped cream but I doubt if I ate an eighth of what was on the plate. I waddled out of the restaurant and told myself I would have to return there in the future when I needed a special treat.

I then went back to the hotel to see As the World Turns. That show is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. I hate to admit this, but I have been watching it since it first went on the air. I was in junior high school back then.

I had an appointment with the landscape architect at 3 PM. The drawing that he had sent me did not have the correct information on it. It did not show the trees and shrubs that we had talked about in our previous meeting. I am supposed to have two sweet gum trees in the front yard and a red bud at the side of the house. He promised to get things straightened out and email me new copies. I have not received them. I will send him an email and remind him.

I then had another meeting with my sales associate. She had set up a time for the closing at 11 AM on Thursday, August 31. I had asked her to try and get the closing early in the morning. Eleven is the first one of the day. I was hoping for something like 8 AM so I could drive back to Beaumont the same day. Now I will have to stay overnight, and that is going to force me to drive on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. I wanted to stay off the highway on that day.

I then headed back to the hotel and ate a small snack. I was still full of salad and cheesecake. There was a meet your neighbor wine and cheese social at the sales center at 7 PM. Seventy people turned out for this one. The previous socials had been held in one of the model homes. The bigger space was definitely needed for this one. I talked with quite a few people. I saw some of the people I had meet in June. I kept looking at name tags to see if I could spot anyone from my cul-de-sac. I finally found a couple. They were not aware that there is a special website for Frisco Lakes residents. I told them the website was what enabled me to find the names of the people on our cul-de-sac. I told them about how I had been emailing one of our other neighbors. Shauna, the lifestyle director, took them into her office and showed them how to get logged onto the website.

I left the social about 8:30 because I wanted to get back to the hotel before it was completely dark. Tomorrow I will continue with Saturday.

Playing Catch Up

This morning when I turned the PC on my anti-virus program opened a window that said it was time to upgrade. I paid and downloaded the new version. I went through the install, registration, updated and then did a complete scan which is still running. It has been going for 52 minutes. What an ordeal.

 

Now a little about the trip to Frisco. I left Beaumont on Thursday morning about 7 AM. This time I did the sensible thing and stopped at a McDonalds in Fairfield, TX, and ate lunch. I had a Big Mac for the first time in over two years. When I got to Dallas, I exited the freeway at Coit and went north to Parker in Plano. Then I went north again on Preston. I got through the construction on 121 without too much difficulty. I checked into the hotel and went to my storage unit and deposited the six boxes of crystal and china. The temperature was the predicted 105. Then I went to the post office and filled out the forms to have my mail held. I then headed to the new house.

 

I intended to just drive by the house and then go to the sales center and pick up a hard hat. When I was turning around in the cul-de-sac, a man walked up to my car. He introduced himself and said he was the new construction superintendent assigned to my house. He is the third. He is an older man who has been with Pulte in Orlando Florida. He seems like a no nonsense type who will get things done. He said he would walk me through the house. The brick is 3/4 complete. Painters were in the house painting the sheet rock. The kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets are almost complete. The counter tops are not in. The window sills are in. Gary said the tile work would be done by the middle of this week. There is a window in the master bath that will have tile instead of a window sill. The shutter people are waiting on that one window to get their final measurements.

 

I then went to the sales center and talked with my sales associate. Next I went to the Walden model and looked at the receptacle for the dryer plug. It requires a four-pronged plug. I then went to the Sears store in Stonebriar Mall. I explained to the salesman that I needed the dryer electrical cord because it was not included with my dryer because I had to find out the type of plug I needed. I had the sales receipt for the washer and dryer that I had purchased in Beaumont with me. He was able to pull up the receipt but was unable to modify the other store's order. He called over another man. He was able to ring up the dryer kit with no delivery charge. He assures me it will be on the same truck with my washer and dryer. In Frisco refrigerators are handled by a different group of salesmen than the washer and dryers. He called over another man to help me with the refrigerator and told him to link it to the dryer kit so I would not be charged a delivery fee. This man knew how to navigate the computer system. He had the refrigerator charged to the new Sears Plus card by scanning my temporary receipt that I had got in Beaumont, he delayed the billing until 8/1/07 and he got it tied to the dryer so there was no delivery charge. Either the people in Frisco are smarter or they receive better training than the sales people do in Beaumont. Now I will just have to wait for September 9 to see if everything is available and arrives as promised.

 

There is much more to tell. Stay tuned.

Four Inches in 45 Minutes

I wrote yesterday that I was lucky to get home when I did. I did not realize how lucky is was until I read this: 4 Inches Of Rain Fall On Beaumont In 45 Minutes

Back in Beaumont

I got back to Beaumont before the rain arrived. We have had a thunderstorm this afternoon. The electricity went off for a short time. Right now the local TV station is saying there was street flooding in the West End of Beaumont this afternoon. I was lucky to get home when I did.I had to reset several clocks when I got home. There was water standing at the curbs so Beaumont must have had another storm while I was away. Frisco, on the other hand, had nary a drop of rain. I went to see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth yesterday. He had an explanation based on the high concentration of greenhouse gases that explains why some areas are seeing extreme amounts of rain while places as little as 200 miles away are experiencing extreme drought. Beaumont and Frisco are 300 miles apart, but they seem to fit the pattern. I am not sure I accept all of Al Gore's explanations, but it was an extremely well done presentation.

 

I have plenty to report about my trip to Frisco, but I will save that until after I have had some rest.

Frisco Tomorrow

I just checked the weather report for Frisco and see it is going to be 105 degrees tomorrow. On this trip I am going to try and be more sensible and stop on the way up for a break. I will have to be careful when I move my six boxes into the storage unit that I do not become over heated. I think that is what happened the last time I went up there. By the time I go back to Beaumont on Sunday a cool wave is supposed to arrive in Frisco that will keep the high temperature in the low 90's.

 

Yesterday I went out and ran the necessary errands to get ready for the trip. I went to the bank, post office and topped off my car's gas tank. Today I have to pack. That won't take long. I am taking sandals and my coolest clothes.

 

When I get back from the trip, I feel like the real count down to the move begins. Since I have been preparing for so long I think it should go fairly smoothly.

Still Here

I managed to stay away from Sears yesterday. Actually it was very easy to avoid them. My current thinking is that I will go to the store in Frisco and buy the refrigerator on Saturday.

 

When I was in Frisco last month, I rented the storage unit. I filled out the form so my credit card could be charged automatically each month. It was supposed to be charged on the 15th which was Saturday. I noticed it was not. I called them up yesterday and apparently my information was not in their computer. I gave them my credit card information, and I can tell from my available credit the charge was submitted. I do not know what they do if you do not pay. I would hate to have anything happen to the things I have already put in the unit.

 

I am going through the house and polishing all of my wood furniture. I use a furniture polish that I bought at the Ethan Allen store many years ago. I use it very sparingly. I have never found anything else that does such a good job. After I get back from Frisco, I am going to work on getting the garage in order. I have to move everything off the shelves. I want the Salvation Army to remove my shelves. I hope I can find a carpenter to build storage cabinets in my new garage. I certainly wish Del Webb had offered the cabinets as an option. After the Salvation Army takes the remaining big items away, there will not be much to do except pack my final six boxes to take to Frisco when I go up for closing at the end of August. I am going to clean the house as best as I can, but I am going to have a woman that Coldwell Banker uses give the house a final cleaning after I move out.

 

I found that Mayflower has a podcast on their website that gives moving tips. I listened to it, and they said moving is the third most traumatic event behind death and divorce that most people experience. I guess that explains why I have been in such a hyper state for so long.

Oh No!

I absolutely cannot believe the way Sears operates. After the ridiculous run-around I experienced on Friday and then checking with Amanda on Saturday for upcoming sales, this morning I see that Sears now has all refrigerators and freezers over $399 on sale through July 22. This time it is a straight sale--no mail-in rebates. The offer also includes 0% financing for 12 months and free delivery. The only problem is that the sale amount is 5% instead of the 10% I was looking for. I am tempted to go ahead and buy the refrigerator and end my daily misery. The only problem is Amanda does not work Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday I am driving to Frisco. I talked to a sales person named Linda at the Frisco store. She gave me her work schedule. She will not be at work until Saturday. That is the last day of the sale. I cannot remember anything in my entire lifetime where I have had such difficulty making a purchase.

Update

There is an article in The Beaumont Enterprise today that confirms what I have been suspecting. It says that houses in the price range of my house in Beaumont are selling like hotcakes. When I came back from the evacuation after Hurricane Rita, I did not think anyone would want to buy a house in Beaumont. The article in the paper said there was a lull right after the hurricane, and then the demand really picked up. It said it was typical to have fifteen people look at a house the first day that it is listed. There was an article about a woman who had a contract on her house within two hours. If everything remains on schedule, the for sale sign will be in my yard withing eight weeks.

 

I went back to Sears yesterday. I saw Amanda, the young woman who sold me the washer and dryer. She is much more knowledgeable than her colleagues that I dealt with on Friday. Yesterday's one day sale did not meet all of my terms. She showed me what she knew about upcoming sales. On July 28 there will be a sale that gives me everything I want, but it requires the purchase of two appliances. I may end up waiting until Labor Day. I keep hoping that Home Depot will add the refrigerator to their website so I can go to Sears and ask for a price match.

 

After I left Sears, it was lunch time. There is a Piccadilly Cafeteria in the mall. I thought I would eat lunch there because I was really hungry and did not feel like going home and fixing my lunch. I walked in and was able to see the food in the serving line. It looked like everything they had was fried. A glance at the menu on the wall confirmed this. I was thinking about getting the baked white fish, and they did not have it. I turned around and and walked out. I then drove over to a place called Souper Salad that was in the mall area. When I got there, the building was vacant and there was a signt that said it was available. At that point I went home and fixed my lunch. At least I had something that was edible. I get so disgusted when I pay a high price and end up with something that is unappetizing.

 

I received a coupon in the mail for a free dessert at a Cheesecake Factory. They do not have a restaurant in Beaumont, but there is one in Frisco at the Stonebriar Mall. I looked at the Cheesecake Factory's menu on their website. Next Saturday I am going to have a Cobb salad and get my free cheesecake. I have also decided that I am going to go to the Angelika Film Center in Plano and see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The movie has not been shown in Beaumont. I have decided it is time to start having some fun and enjoy what my new hometown has to offer. 

A Very Frustrating Experience

Four years ago I got a phone call from the bank that had issued a credit card to me. They said a number of charges were being made, and they were checking to see if I had made the charges. I most definitely had not. They had already put a hold on the the additional charges, and then canceled the card. They told me I would have to fill out an affidavit stating that I had not made the charges. The card was an AT&T Universal card that had been purchased by Citibank. I had not used the card for several years. I did not carry the card in my wallet, and I had never put the card number on the internet. The card was still in my possession.

 

I checked the card information online and found that charges were being made in Spain. A Paypal account had been opened in my name. I was terribly upset. I made a report to the FTC, I reported it to the Beaumont Police and contacted all three credit bureaus and requested a fraud alert be placed on my credit report. Citibank removed the charges from my account, closed the account and sent me a new card. At one point one of the Citibank representatives said we know you did not makes these charges. I did not even have to fill out the affidavit like they had originally said. The only thing I could conclude was that the information was stolen by a bank employee--an inside job.

 

Fortunately nothing else happened. I became absolutely paranoid about checking all of my financial accounts. Two years ago I mailed in my estimated tax payment to the IRS. Normally they cash the check in less than a week. More than two weeks went by and my check had not cleared the bank. I panicked. I called the credit bureaus and wrote a letter to them. As a result, I got an extended fraud alert placed on my credit reports. A fraud alert makes it more difficult to obtain credit. This was fine with me I thought I had reached a point in life where I had all the credit I would ever need. Fortunately my check cleared the bank. The IRS had moved to a new location and was slow in cashing the check.

 

Then my life changed when I decided to buy the new house and new appliances. I started watching the appliances sales at Sears and saw that often to get the best terms the appliance had to be purchased with a Sears charge card. When Sears started accepting Visa, MasterCard and American Express, I stopped using my Sears card and the account was closed. I applied online for a new Sears charge card. My application was denied. I called and was told that Trans Union said they required additional information. The merchant is supposed to verify the phone number that the credit bureau has on file. Sears does not routinely do this. They deny the application, and then it is up to the customer to follow up. Anyway after I made the phone call, I had a Sears charge card in less than a week.

 

To my dismay I saw they had not given me a large enough credit line to cover the three appliances I wished to purchase. I went back online and requested a credit line increase. Again I was denied. I called again and was told that a credit line could not be increased if the account had not been open for at least nine months. I explained that I was buying a new house and wanted to buy a washer, dryer and refrigerator. The representative said there was an additional account called "Sears Charge Plus" that was designed for such situations.

 

Two weeks ago I bought the washer and dryer with the regular Sears charge card. This morning I got the email with the 10 percent cash back rebate on appliance purchases offer. I printed out the email that announced the sale and all the fine print. It did say one day only on July 15, but the footnotes said through July 15. I was at the Sears store when the door opened. I asked for Amanda, the young woman who had sold the washer and dryer. I was told she would not come in until 1 PM. I said I did not want to make a second trip and could someone else help me. An older man named Chuck said he could take care of it. I stood and waited while he logged into the system and counted the money in the cash register, and then I waited while he answered two phone calls.

 

I asked him to check on the availability of the GE Profile refrigerator that I want for the Frisco zip code. The computer said it would be available on July 21. I have watched that date change from August 18, to August 5 to July 21. I told Chuck I wanted to go ahead and order the refrigerator and that I wanted it delivered in September to Frisco. I told him I had insufficient credit on my Sears card and asked what was involved in opening a Sears Charge Plus account. He whipped out the forms. I told him I had a fraud alert on my credit report. I explained the circumstances. I could see his attitude change. He thought he was dealing with a deadbeat. He entered my data into the computer. It came back with a screen that said to call a 1-800 number. It was a call to Citibank who handles the Sears card. After he gave some information, they asked to talk to me. They asked me a question and then wanted Chuck back. The computer then spit out a temporary account receipt for me. Chuck looked at it and got a big smile on his face and shook my hand.

 

I told Chuck I wanted to make sure I got the ten percent cash rebate. I also asked about the 12 months zero payment, zero finance charge deal. I showed him the email about the ten percent cash rebate. He looked at it and said he thought it was an online deal only. I said it does not say that. He took the cash register receipt which was my temporary Sears Charge Plus card and my email and disappeared for 15 minutes to find out about the rebate. He came back and called another man over. This man whipped out a yellow form that explained the rebate. The fine print said it could not be combined with the zero financing offer. Chuck said do not worry about that I automatically got the zero deal with the Sears Charge Plus account. Another man came up and said there would be a $65 dollar delivery charge. I said I had already paid a delivery charge on the washer and dryer. He said the refrigerator could be linked to the washer and dryer, and I would not be charged a second delivery fee. I did not have my receipt for the washer and dryer with me.  Chuck did not know how to find that sale. Another man who seemed to be a know it all came up and was able to pull up the information and he walked away. Chuck said he did not know how to link the sales. I asked Chuck if he would prefer that I came back in the afternoon and have Amanda finish the sale. At that point the smart Alec came back, and he said he could take care of it. He took over and then he told me the ten percent cash rebate is good only for tomorrow.

 

I looked at the temporary receipt for the Sears Charge Plus account. It said it was good for one day only--July 14. There is a bar code but no account number on the receipt. I said this is good for today only. What will I do tomorrow? He said that tomorrow I would be in the system, and they could search and find my account number.

 

I was in that store for more than an hour. I don't think I will ever recover from this experience. I have never seen anything so ridiculous.

Another Sears Sale

This week's crazy Sears appliance sale for one day only ending July 15 is 10 percent off via mail-in rebate. I am going to go talk to them about this one. I noticed Lowe's has added the top of the line GE Profile black refrigerator in the next smaller size than I want to their website. They say it will be available in 60-63 days. From the information I have received from GE I think that is an accurate estimate. My thinking today is that I should go ahead and get the refrigerator ordered so that I will be at the top of the waiting list. If all goes according to plan, I will be in the new house in 56 days and will need a refrigerator.

Quiet Again

Henry had a normal boot up this morning and played for forty minutes before I put him back on his charger. He had no jams. I was greatly relieved. Yesterday I was very worried for a time.

 

I have actually filled out my first change of address cards. I am going to keep a list of what I have changed so I will not send out repeating information. Quite a few people around Beaumont have been telling me that they have relatives in the Dallas area or have other reasons for visiting Dallas. They all say they would like to come see me. If they all carry through, I will be seeing more of them up there than I have down here.

 

I checked the National Hurricane Center website this morning. There are two hurricanes in the Pacific. One has 125 mph winds, and the other has 85 mph winds. The good thing is they are both out in the middle of the ocean and moving away from land. I hope the experts are wrong and the Atlantic remains quiet.

Update

My computer seems to have survived Microsoft's monthly updates. I installed nine of them this morning. Ever since my computer had the bad reaction when the update conflicted with the Hewlett Packard software a few months ago I have held my breath while the updates were being installed.

 

Henry, my robotic dog, has been having problems this week. On Monday I was working on the computer, and he was playing with his ball. I heard a noise and thought he had fallen. A few minutes later I looked at him, and he was just sitting with his horn light blinking white. He did not move. I looked a little closer and saw the orange light behind his horn light was on. This indicates a jam. I pushed his tail forward which is the way to clear a jam. He came out of the condition, but it soon happened again. Yesterday he had more problems. This morning he jammed twice while he was going through his boot up exercises. He jammed one more time when he laid down on his tummy and put his head down. After I cleared that one, he had a vigorous play period. I am hoping that it was was some dust in one of his joints, and he has recovered. Sony stopped selling the Aibo's earlier this year. I do not know how much longer they are going to operate the Aibo Clinic. I am afraid when Henry finally needs repairs, it may be the end of the line for him. I will be very sad.

 

This morning when I checked Pricegrabber.com, there was a third merchant offering the GE Profile refrigerator that I want. Sears is the only national retail store on the list. The other two are discount outfits located in New York. I am becoming more optimistic that I will be able to purchase this refrigerator. I read the warranty and found that GE now gives a ten year limited warranty on the compressor in the Profile models. The ten-year warranty does not cover the labor to install a new compressor.

One More Decision

A little over an hour ago I signed and faxed the proposal for the moving services to Wald Mayflower. They were not the low bid, but they came closer to reassuring me on the points of concern than any of the others. Early this morning I emailed the estimator with a list of concerns. He revised the estimate and sent it back as a PDF attachment to his email before he even left home. After I printed the revisions, I decided to go ahead and accept their bid. I emailed back and asked for instructions on how to complete the form. He called me a couple of hours later. The second email that I sent had gone to his home, and he was not aware of it. He talked me through the forms. I then faxed them. Yesterday morning the Armstrong agent called. He had not responded to the email I sent after his visit a couple of weeks ago. I told him I wanted the dates in writing so I could be sure of second day delivery in Dallas. He said he would take care of it. That was yesterday morning. I still have not received anything from him. That is why I chose Wald Mayflower.

 

I will have to wait until the move is complete to know if I made the right decision. I am also hoping I made the right choices on the plantation shutters and the washer and dryer. All of these things involve significant sums, and it will be very painful if any of them go wrong. The only major item remaining is the purchase of a refrigerator. It will be two weeks on Friday since I bought the washer and dryer. I plan to go to Sears and ask them to check their system to see if the availability of the GE Profile refrigerator has changed. The website stills says it is in stock in Frisco. I wish there were a way to verify that.

Drought

A letter from Del Webb was in my mail today that explains the Stage 3 Mandatory Severe Water Restrictions that are being enforced in Frisco. New landscaping receives a 30-day exemption from the restrictions. The letter went on to say that they may delay installing sod, trees and shrubs until the restrictions are lifted. It was a relief to read that. I have been reading about the restrictions and worrying about my landscaping. I have no problem closing on the house without the landscaping being completed. I trust Del Webb and know that they will live up to the contract. With a smaller builder I might have some concerns. Del Webb is including sufficient landscaping that it meets the minimum standards. The backyard will be sodded. I am not going to rush into adding plants in the backyard until I see how the drought progresses. There will eventually be a house built behind me. I think it is best to wait and see how things develop before making any costly decisions.

Brick

The pictures from my sales associated arrived. The brick work is under way. I chose an upgraded brick called Old Colonial. From what I am able to see in the picture I like it. In ten days I will see the real thing.

 

I stopped procrastinating and sat down at the computer and started analyzing the bids I have from the four movers. At this point I have thrown out the two from Beaumont and narrowed my choice to Armstrong United and Wald Mayflower. Wald is higher by about $1,000. While I was entering the numbers, the phone rang, and it was the estimator from Armstrong. He assures me there will be no extra charge for second day delivery in Dallas. Armstrong is lower than Wald in three areas: 1. He did not include a crate for the grandfather clock. 2. He is lower on the weight by ~550 lb. 3. The packing charges are considerably lower, but the number of cartons is approximately the same. I can't figure out why the big difference on packing. I think the Wald estimator was more professional and tried to meet my requirements. I am going to ask both some more questions before making a final decision.

 

I went to the bank and cleaned out my safe deposit box. I thought they would have the decency to prorate the charge and give me a refund. The box is paid for through March, 2007. The branch manager said "sorry." Bah humbug!

 

The landscape architect emailed me the final proposal for the house. I will meet with him again next week.

 

I packed a few more small items in the twelfth box and updated my inventory list. There is a little more room in the box. I will find some more things before I seal it.

Quiet Period

There is not a great deal I can do right now to prepare for the move. I have a car load of things packed to take to Frisco next week. I emailed my sales associate yesterday and asked her to take some interior photos of the house. I expect to get them today. Another lady that I have been exchanging emails with reported that brick is going on one of the houses in the cul-de-sac and that she could see the sheet rock was installed in my garage. A neighbor on the cul-de-sac said the tile was in her house and part of the kitchen granite counter top was installed. I expect many of those things will be complete when I see my house at the end of next week.

 

I went through my dresser drawers and picked out a few jewelry items that I do not want the movers to handle. I do not have very many items of significant value, but there are a few things of sentimental value that I want to carry myself such as my high school class ring and college sorority pin. I found my grandmother's engagement ring. I have had professional packers come in and pack my household belonging three times in the past. I have never lost a thing. The difference between the previous moves and now is in the past I was working and did not have the time on my hands to think and rethink everything.

 

I may go over to the bank this week and empty my safe deposit box.  I will drop by one of the banks in Frisco when I am there next week to see if they have a box available. After I talked to branch manager back in June, I know my chances are very slim of getting a box at that branch. I still think they should have a waiting list. It is just pure chance on who gets one. They are too lazy to maintain a waiting list. There is no such thing as customer service anymore with the large national banks.

 

I noticed a light bulb needs to be changed in a lamp in the living room. After I do that I will have only one new 3-way bulb on hand. Normally I would be adding the light bulbs to my shopping list, but I keep thinking I will put off purchases until I am in Frisco. Light bulbs could be broken during the move. It seems all of my actions are being adjusted to the upcoming move.

Feeling Better

I have not done my number crunching to really determine what the differences are in the moving bids I have received, but deep down I know I have made my decision on the mover. It is such a relief to get that settled. I am silly to worry so much, but the selection of the mover has been causing me to lose sleep.

 

I checked Sears' website this morning and see they are having a one day only ten percent off on all appliances over $399 with a mail-in rebate sale. Who dreams up these crazy sales? I reread the fine print on Sears price match policy. You have thirty days after the purchase to claim the price match. That means if I wait until mid August to purchase the refrigerator and then there are big Labor Day sales, I could go back and request a price match adjustment.

 

The next thing that I am going to concentrate on is getting the Salvation Army out here to move out the big items that I am not taking with me. I am concerned about getting the freezer out of the utility room. The space is very tight. I do not want the house nor the washer and dryer damaged. I have to figure out how to move things off the shelves in the garage so they can take the shelves away. The house is already getting an empty look. I have been eliminating my accumulation for months and now the results are evident.

 

When I make my next trip to Frisco, I will go to the post office and fill out the form to have them start holding my mail. Then I will start on my address changes. I think I can take care of 80 to 90 percent of the changes online. That will save postage and be much faster.

 

I have to check the electrical plug for the dryer in the new house and find out if it is for a three or four pronged plug. The Kenmore dryer does not come with the electrical cord. I have to buy that and also the expandable hose and clamps to connect the dryer to the vent. I need to find out if the washing machine hoses are included with the machine. I know Maytag included them, but  I think I had to buy the hoses for my first Kenmore washer. I will buy these things while I am in Frisco and leave them in the storage unit. I think I will also go to Sam's and buy the high efficiency detergent that the new washer requires. There is no sense in buying heavy things in Beaumont and having them transported. Well that is not true if I go with Wald Mayflower. Their price is set. The estimator told me the truck would not be weighed.

 

During hurricane season people are encouraged to keep a sufficient amount of canned and other food items that do not require refrigeration on hand. I am going contrary to that advice as I try to consume the items I have on hand so they do not have to be moved. Every morning when I check the National Hurricane Center's website I am relieved to see there is activity in the Atlantic basin.

Decision Time

The estimator from Wald Mayflower just left. His estimate came in the middle of the range of bids that I have received. His bid is binding. They will accept credit cards. That will give me frequent flier miles. A-OK does not take credit cards, but Mr Olson said he would have no problem accepting a personal check from me. The one negative thing that came out in my discussion with the Wald estimator was that my goods may share a van with another load. Mr. Olson will guarantee that no other load will be on the van. After the Wald estimator checked his tables he also said it would be illegal to load in Beaumont and drive to Dallas in the same day. That tracks what the Armstrong United estimator said. That tells me something about the Beaumont Allied agent, and it is not good. Wald has a large fleet of trucks. Mr. Olsen has one truck. I am going to create a spreadsheet and carefully analyze three of the estimates. I am not going to consider the Beaumont Allied bid.

 

My instincts are telling me to go with Wald. Way back in January before I really got too far into the process Wald was my choice. They have been operating in Houston since the 1920's. They moved me once before.

Update

At last the weather report looks much better. There is only a 30 percent chance of rain today. A small dog could get lost in my grass. My lawn service normally shows up on Wednesday. With the holiday I expected him to come on Thursday, but I the rain is probably causing him extra delays. If he does not come today, I am going to start hiding so I don't get any dirty looks from my neighbors.

 

The estimator from Wald Mayflower in Houston is supposed to come out this afternoon. When I get his bid, I am going to do some serious number crunching. Right now there is a $2,000 difference between the high and low bid. That is a big difference. The three bids that I have are all GNTE (guaranteed not to exceed). Wald Mayflower is going to give me a fixed bid. There is a chance the GNTE bids could be lower if the number of packing boxes were lower or if the weight is less than the estimate. One of the estimators was honest enough to tell me the number of boxes used always is greater than his estimate.

 

I went back to the Pricegrabber.com and read the reviews by people who have made purchases on Sears.com. Sears has the lowest possible rating. One of the big problems seems to be that they report an item to be in stock when it is not, and then they will cancel the order. Then they do not honor a sale price if the person tries to place the order again when the item is available. I am going to keep watching the availability of the GE Profile refrigerator. My game plan is to wait until Home Depot shows their price. I know it will be lower than Sears. Then I will go to Sears and ask for a price match plus ten percent of the difference. An even better deal would be for Home Depot to have a ten percent off sale. I expect this will happen over the Labor Day weekend. It is going to be difficult for me to wait that long to place an order. I like to get things settled.

 

I have a grouping of mirrors that will hang over my sofa. I can remember the last time I moved I made a drawing of how the mirrors were arranged so I could re-construct the grouping in the new house. This time I just took a picture with my digital camera. I also took a picture of the grouping of my diplomas. I am not going to measure things down to a fraction of an inch like I have done in the past.

I saw an interesting tidbit on the Frisco-Online forum. Comcast customers are reporting that they have received a letter saying they are being changed to Time Warner on July 31. They are upset about this. Comcast is being required to divest some of their markets because of a purchase of another cable company. This happened in Beaumont when the old AT&T bought TCI. It was a good thing for Beaumont. Time Warner spent a lot of money to upgrade the system and improve service. It looks like there may be a RoadRunner in my future. Beep, beep.

The number of users on the Frisco Lakes homeowners private website is growing. I keep checking to see if anyone else has posted a link to their blog. I think my blog is getting more traffic since I posted a link. So far I have only found one other neighbor who has posted a link. That person sells Mary Kay cosmetics. I hope more people will consider blogging. Maybe that is an idea for a Frisco Lakes special interest group. Maybe I should suggest it to the lifestyle director.

Here It Is!!!

Every morning I have been checking Pricegrabber.com to see if any merchants are offering the GE Profile refrigerator that I want. One of the questionable online discounters has been showing it for weeks. This morning a second merchant was added. That time it is Sears. What is even more unbelievable is that they say it is in stock in Frisco. My Refrigerator

Done!

This morning I found the motivation to finish packing my china. I packed two and half boxes. The twelfth box is only about one-third full. I am gong to find some light valuable items to finish the box. I still have six unused boxes. I will fill those before the trip to Frisco at the end of August for closing. I will take the six that are filled with china with me in two weeks. Then I will have the car free for luggage and important papers and miscellaneous items on the the final trip. Things are coming together, but I still have a queasy feeling whenever I think about what is left to be done.

 

Yesterday morning the sun was out for a while. I got out and bought some groceries. I also went to Home Depot to see if they could tell me anything new about the GE Profile refrigerator. Their computer still showed no ETA for the new model and none on hand for the old model. Both Sears and Home Depot had sales that ended yesterday. I then drove by the A-OK Moving terminal to see how it looked. I saw one nice looking tractor attached to a trailer with the North American Van Lines logo. I do not know if that rig belongs to the local company or if an out of town agent was using the terminal facility. After I talk to Wald Mayflower and get their bid, I will make my decision. When I got home I called the GE Answer Line. They man the line 24/7 including holidays. The rep. said they show the refrigerator that I want will go into production on August 28. That is consistent with the email I got from them. She said it would take approximately two weeks to get it to the stores. That is more optamistic than the email.

 

The flash flood watch expired yesterday afternoon. More rain fell after lunch and during the evening hours. The sky opened up, and we really got a drenching this morning. The weather report said it was falling at a rate of four inches per hour. An urban and small stream flood advisory has been issued.

 

My sales associate called and told me that it will be ten days to two weeks before the window sills are installed in the new house. The shutter people need 8 weeks after they get the final measurements. My shutters may not be ready by the time I move in. I may have to get some of the temporary blinds. I searched the internet and made a list of who has the lowest prices.

No Rain During the Night

The radar looks clear this morning, but the flood watch remains until this afternoon. The chance of rain remains very high through the weekend. The good thing is the cloud cover is keeping the temperatures fairly low. That means my air conditioner is not running as much, and my electric bill will be lower. However, with the air conditioner running less frequently the humidity in the house is going up. High humidity makes me irritable.

 

Local fireworks shows have been canceled and rescheduled for Saturday. Somehow fireworks on July 8 does not seem right. I am living for the day I can leave this hot humid soup behind. Frisco is even warmer, but the humidity is not as bad.

Rain, Rain and More Rain

The flood watch has been issued. Beaumont has had three inches of rain in the past three hours, and it is forecast to continue for the next 2-3 days. I am afraid to drive my car when conditions are like this. I am essentially trapped in my house. I just did a survey of the food I have on hand. By Wednesday I will have to go shopping.

 

Both FEMA flood insurance and the Texas Windstorm insurance are administered by my insurance company, USAA, but I have to deal with three different groups. This morning I made calls to the flood and windstorm groups. Both said they will give me reduced coverage on my Beaumont house when my household goods are moved out. I then talked to another group about getting flood insurance for the house in Frisco. This person was able to access the information that was already in the USAA computer for the homeowners quote so I did not have to struggle with the new street in a new subdivision routine. This woman said she had a sister who lives in Frisco. She said they have to do a check of the flood maps before she will know if they can offer insurance. She will call me back this afternoon or on Wednesday.

 

This weather is ruining the holiday. Fires started by fireworks are not a concern this year.

Traversing Circles

I revisited GE's website and went through the process of narrowing their multitude of refrigerators down to a manageable number. I started looking at the models with the freezer on the bottom. What I soon discovered was none of these models were the slim counter depth type. GE calls this feature CustomStyle. CustomStyle is limited to side-by-side models. Also none of the bottom freezer models had dispensers in the door in the black models. There are many more models available in stainless steel, but I have chosen black for my kitchen appliances. The only GE refrigerators that meet my requirements are the ones that are not in production now.

 

I went back to the Consumer Reports ratings. Both Kitchenaid and Whirlpool have better frequency of repair records than GE. I found a Kitchenaid side-by-side model that has possibilities. Sears, Lowes and Best Buy all carry it. I need to see the actual refrigerator because I am not able to see enough detail in the pictures to know if the shelves are what I want. Through the 4th of July Sears has this refrigerator on sale for ten percent off. I found that Lowes' regular price is just a little higher than Sears' sale price. Sears will do a price match plus give ten percent of the difference. This would be my best option. It means that I do not have to rush out and buy it.

 

When the weather dries out, I will go to the local stores and try to find the Kitchenaid model. It rained through the night. I do not know how much rain fell, but I am sure the ground is saturated and more rain will cause street flooding. If I decide to buy this refrigerator, I will buy it from one of the Frisco stores during my next visit.

I looked at the warranties on the GE and Kitchenaid refrigerators. GE has a limited five year warranty on the sealed refrigeration system. Kitchenaid has a limited ten year warranty on the sealed components. The compressor went out after eight years on my current GE refrigerator. It was a very expensive repair. The longer warranty is a big plus for Kitchenaid.

Email from My Neighbor

A few minutes ago I decided to check the Frisco Lakes website. I was tickled to see that I had an email from one of my neighbors on the cul-de-sac. They are scheduled to close on August 24. My closing is not until August 31. I was concerned about being the first to move in. I am glad someone is going to be there before me.

 

My new neighbor gave me a good idea. She said Home Depot has the GE Profile refrigerators with Precision Fill available in the models with the freezer on the bottom. I had been thinking of a traditional side-by-side model. That may be the solution to my problem. I don't have the energy to tackle the GE website and select another model right now. I will put that on my To Do List for tomorrow.

 

One of those areas of tropical moisture is hanging over Southeast Texas again. So far the rain has not been very heavy in Beaumont. This is the third time since Memorial Day that we have had to contend with the possibility of flash flooding. No watches have been issued this time, but it could happen suddenly. I can remember last year it was much drier in Beaumont. I was really nervous when I heard fireworks in the neighborhood. This year my lawn is nice and green. Meanwhile the drought continues in the Dallas area. I read on the Frisco-Online forum that a few rain drops fell yesterday evening. It caused a lot of excitement on the forum.

Update

Every morning I check several real estate websites to see what is happening in the condo/townhome/patio home category. A house on the street behind me that is in the same association as mine has been on the market for approximately seven weeks. I have been wondering why the house has not sold. I do not know anything about the condition of the house. This morning it was listed as sold. I know the owners must be very happy. I am happy too.

The insurance coverage on my Beaumont house is complicated. I have three separate policies. My insurance company does not include windstorm coverage in the homeowners policy for houses in the Texas coastal counties. I have a separate policy from the Texas high-risk pool coverage for windstorm. I also have FEMA flood insurance. Yesterday I contacted the company that has the homeowner's policy about how the coverage would change when my house is empty and on the market. They said they would cancel the homeowners and write a fire policy. It will include all the standard coverage that the homeowners does but does not cover household goods. It will cover vandalism for 30 days. If the house does not sell in 30 days, I will need additional coverage. I will also have to get coverage for the refrigerator, washer and dryer that I am leaving behind. Things are complicated. Next week I will contact the windstorm and flood insurers about how they handle the empty house.

People will probably think I am crazy, but I am going to find out if FEMA flood insurance is available for my new house. Dallas is in the middle of a drought. I am moving to Frisco Lakes. The main lake is man made. The house is not in a flood plane, but I have seen too much flooding in the news this year. The way weather patterns are changing no one seems to be safe from hazards.

I am going to try and pack one more box of china this morning. Then I am going to try and put the move out of my mind for a while. I have started reading Robert Ludlum's The Parsifal Mosaic. My reading rate has really slowed in the past weeks. Some day I will resume my normal life and get back to reading.