Friday

I used to be able to plan my day. I would make a to do list and then
plough my way through the items. Now I seem to do whatever catches my
attention with no specific plan. Yesterday morning I decided I could
not stand the sight of the stuff that was piled on the master bathroom
counter. I organized the drawers in the cabinet and managed to clear
the counter top. There were still two boxes sitting in the middle of
the bathroom. One contained items that came from the cabinets in the
utility room. Since the new house only has two small shelves and no
cabinet in the utility room, I had to make decisions where to put the
items. I distributed them in various places and was finally able to
flatten the box and carry it out to the construction bin. The other
box in the bathroom contains mostly purses from the master bedroom
closet. I did not touch that box. It will have to wait until I trip
over it and get a burst of energy and decide it has to go.

I then decided I had to tackle the programming of the sprinkler system
so I would be in compliance with the water regulations. Trash day is
Wednesday and that is the only day I will be allowed to use the
sprinkler system. I went to the City of Frisco website and checked the
allowable watering times. No watering can be done between 5 and 8 AM
and between 10 AM and 6 PM. I read the manual and tried to make sure
that the sprinklers were set to off for all days except Wednesday.
Three separate programs are possible. I am not sure how to
differentiate between the 3 programs. I set it up so program A is the
only one with watering on Wednesday. I set up four separate watering
periods in the allowable times. I saw the truck of the irrigation
system people parked across the street. I found a man from the company
and asked him how long I should water. He said none of the watering
periods should be longer than ten minutes. I told him that I had set
four to six minutes. He said that would be fine. Those times seem
short to me, but I am hoping for the best. I think some of the
neighbors are over watering. I have stepped onto some very soggy
ground.

I am way behind in my filing. I have received so many papers
associated with various aspects of the house. Normally I scan every
piece of paper that is mailed to me such as bills, insurance policies,
etc., the morning after I receive it and then file the paper in my
file cabinet. I have just been stacking paper since I moved. Now it is
just one more thing that is out of control.

My furniture is looking dusty. I just cannot keep up with the normal
chores and contend with all the work that has to be done to settle the
new house.

My left arm remained very sore and painful from the pneumonia shot.
Every time I tried to raise the arm I got a reminder of the shot. It
is better this morning but still painful. I am glad I do not have to
have one of those shots every year.

My neighbor had given me a bottle of wine as a house warming gift a day or two after I had moved in. Yesterday I saw it sitting on the table and decided to learn how to use the Express Chill feature of the new refrigerator. There is a special drawer in the bottom of the refrigerator that can be used to rapidly cool items, thaw things like a turkey or just be used for normal produce or meat storage. I got out the manual and read how to cool a bottle of wine. It has to be put on a tray in the drawer and chilled for 30 minutes. There is a control panel in the top of the refrigerator where you select the proper function and then select the time. The special drawer locks and a timer counts down the minutes. I could hear an additional fan blowing while the wine bottle was being chilled. At the end of 30 minutes the drawer unlocked. I removed the cork and poured a glass of the wine. I decided it was at the proper temperature.

My friend, Mary, called after lunch and said she would be in the area
and asked if I would be home. She dropped by, and we had a nice visit.
She and her husband are buying the largest house model in Frisco
Lakes. I am sure she is going to have more closet and cabinet space
than I have. I started thinking back on how little I knew about my
house before I bought it. In January I went to the sales seminar that
was held at the hotel and given preliminary floor plans with
incomplete dimensions. The model homes were in the framing stage. We
got a bus tour but did not get off the bus. In March I came back for
the one-on-one meeting with the sales associate which lasted one hour.
I had decided that the Walden was the model for me from the floor
plans. That was the only model I looked at. I probably had less than a
half an hour to look at it. Then I came back in March. I did not see
the model until after I had signed the sales contract. The next
morning I went to the Walden model and took 70 pictures. It was not
until I got back to Beaumont that I realized how limited the closets
and cabinets are in this house from looking at the pictures. The floor
plan of the Walden is very attractive and my furniture fits well. As
time goes by, I will figure out ways to increase the storage space;
but I am not going to rush into anything.

I told Mary how I carry each box out to the construction trash bin
after I flatten it. She said she wished she had asked me to save my
boxes for her move. I really felt bad. I have thrown out so many
boxes. Those boxes cost a lot of money; but after they have served
their purpose, they have to go.

After lunch, the men from the HAC company came and installed the
addition to the fresh air vent. I do not understand the purpose of
that pipe. They did not have the filter with them. I called Meagan and
told her the vent had been installed and needed a filter. She returned
my call and said the filter is a reusable plastic filter than will
need to be washed periodically. She has to order more of them and will
bring one to me when they come in. I asked her if she had heard
anything on my replacement kitchen drawer. She said it should be here
next week. I want to get a service contract on the HAC where the
systems will be checked every spring and fall like I had in Beaumont.
I am really worried about changing and cleaning the filters since I
have to carry my 6 ft. ladder into the house in order to reach the
filters. That is not a good activity for an old woman with brittle
bones.

Yesterday evening I did another load of laundry in the new machines.
The washing machine does not add enough water to completely submerge
the clothes, but the clothes do look and smell clean when it has
finished. I just have to put the fate of my clothes in the hands of
the computer and hope for the best. I dried my clothes on the casual
setting rather than using the ultra delicate setting that I had been
using. They dried in a very short time. The casual setting uses low
heat and the ultra delicate cycle uses extra low heat. I am not going
to use the ultra delicate cycle except for very special items

The mailman brought my first bill from the CoServ the utility co-op
that provides gas and electricity. The billing period was from August
31 to September 22. It was only $169 and included several one-time
charges for new service. The air conditioning was running at 76
degrees from the time I closed until I moved in. I only lived in the
house for 13 days of the billing period, but I thought the bill was
very low. I hope that continues. After I saw all the insulation in the
attic, I began to think that this house is really going to be energy
efficient.

I managed to get a new payee set up on my online banking so I can pay
CoServ every month. Apparently the bank has CoServ in their database
because it was not necessary for me to enter the mailing address. The
CoServ bill had a three numbers on it: an account number, a customer
number and a bill number. I called them to confirm that the account
number was the proper one to use for the online banking.

The lawn service company also sent their first bill. I called and paid
them over phone with my credit card. That will mean more frequent
flier miles for me. Some day my life will settle down and I can begin
to think about how to spend all those miles. The City of Frisco
accepts online credit card payments for the water and trash service. I
registered with them but have to have my account number from the first
bill to complete the process. I will now be able to pay all the
utilities except CoServ with a credit card. CoServ accepts online
credit card payment, but they charge $3.95 each for the service.

This morning I have to go out and buy a salad for tonight's block
party. I do not not know what I am going to get. I hope I see
something that appeals to me right away and do not have to go to more
than one store. I have to unpack the boxes that contain shoes. I am
not going to wear the same old sandals tonight. What a way to live!

Now This Is Interesting!

A little while ago another Spanish-speaking man showed up at my door.
He said he was from the HAC company. He tried to explain what he was
going to do. The technician who was here on Tuesday and Meagan said
there was a filter missing on the fresh air duct. Anyway the two men
who came in today went to work and installed an additional opening in
the space above the where the air filter goes. I now have surmised the
air return duct is supposed to be over to the side, but what was wrong
was what they are calling the fresh air duct was missing. I am still
missing a filter, but I saw that Meagan had a stack of what I am
assuming the new opening needs with her on Tuesday. I am waiting for
her to return my call. I grabbed the original filter and threw it out
and asked the man to put the new Filtrete filter that I bought
yesterday up there.

Yesterday

Yesterday morning I decided I had to get away from the house for a
while. My car was covered with bugs when I drove back to Beaumont for
the final time after closing. The Frisco water restrictions prohibit
people from washing their cars. I searched the Frisco Online forums
and found a favorable recommendation for a car wash named AquaZoom on
Preston in Plano. I drove down there and found the car wash without
difficulty. It turned out to be the kind where you have to drive your
car through yourself. I told the attendant that it was my first time
there and was a little frightened about driving into the car wash. I
think I was the first customer of the day. He walked over and worked
with the man who does the pre-cleaning. They did a fairly decent job
of removing the bugs. I am rather pleased with the way the car looks.
I think I will go back there. I found AquaZoom's website and signed up
for them to email special offers to me.

Since I was on the south side of SH 121 I decided to go ahead and go
in Wal-Mart on Ohio Dr. I bought some more coffee pods for my Senseo
coffee machine. They carry the flavored varieties and the cappuccino
pods too. The Beaumont store only handled the regular pods. Home Depot
is across Ohio Dr. from Wal-Mart. I went over there and bought the 3M
Filtrete filters for the HAC. As was the case in Beaumont, the 24 X 24
filters are not one of the more popular sizes. They had them hidden.
When I found them, I had to asked for help in removing them from the
shelf. They were jammed in. I was lucky because the filters were on
sale. I am going back to Sam's and Wal-Mart tomorrow and think I will
buy some more filters.

I then crossed SH 121 on Preston back into Frisco. The traffic was
fairly light, and I got through the construction without difficulty. I
would always run my shopping errands early in the morning around 7:30
to 8 in Beaumont. I have been afraid that I would get into rush hour
traffic at that time in this area. It appears that waiting until a
little after 8 works well.

I got to Circuit City about ten minutes before the store opened. I sat
in the car and waited. The weather remains beautiful. I know it is
much cooler than it was last year at this time when I was in the
Dallas area during the evacuation. As soon as Circuit City opened the
doors, I went to the customer service counter and told the clerk how
my Uniden phone receiver had acted and how the packaging was not in
tact and the battery was already installed when I opened the box. I
said I wanted an exchange. He told me to go pick up another one and
return. Fortunately they had five or six more of the same model on the
shelf. I opened the top of the box to make sure that all the original
packing was in place. When I got back to the counter a manager was
there. He told me I should charge the unit before using it. I told him
I had done that, and that I had bought five of the receivers and only
one had caused problems. I told him they needed to send the defective
one back to the factory rather than selling it again.

I then headed home. Earlier in the morning I had seen that Kroger had
added information to their website regarding their flu shot program. I
pass by a Kroger Signature store at Legacy and Lebanon on the way
home. I decided to stop in to find out when I could get a flu shot
rather than calling. The pharmacist told me if I came back after 11 AM
when her assistant was there, she could give me the shot. I was
surprised. The Beaumont store required that you make an appointment.
She gave me the forms that had to be filled out. I went home and ate
lunch, filled out the forms and went back. I checked my records and
found that I had a pneumonia shot in 1999. I have seen conflicting
information about how frequently you should have these shots. When I
got back to the pharmacy, I asked about the shots. The pharmacist said
when you reach 65 you should have a shot and get another one every five
years. I decided to get the pneumonia shot, too. This is my first year
to have Medicare pay for the shots. All I had to do was show my card.
It has been such a hassle to get my insurance company to reimburse me
for the shots. It is so much easier to get the shot at Kroger or
Walgreens than to go to the doctor's office and wait, but my insurance
company has balked at my using Kroger because they are not in their
network.

Last year I made an appointment to get the shot at the Beaumont Kroger
Signature store right after I returned from the evacuation. It was a
good thing that I got in early. I was 64 years old. A couple of weeks
later it was impossible to get shots as they were restricted to
those who were 65 or older or had special medical needs. I remember
last year how sad I felt as I looked at the water damage in the
Beaumont Kroger store caused by Hurricane Rita. The Beaumont store is
fairly new and is a really nice one.

When I got home, I noticed that Pulte had sent someone out to chip the
hardened mortar off the sidewalk in front of the house. I am giving
Pulte credit for attempting to correct the things I have found wrong
with the house. When you buy a new house and the builder ignores the
problems is when things really get bad. At this point I would give
Pulte a B+ on the condition of the house. It isn't bad, but they have
room for improvement.

The pharmacist had warned me that the pneumonia shot might make my arm
very sore. She put the flu shot in my right arm and the pneumonia shot
in my left arm. Her prediction proved to be true. By bedtime my left
arm was very painful. In addition there is a spot on the bicep that
itches--really itches. I took a couple of Tylenol and went to bed. The
arm is better this morning but still hurts quite a bit.

I was really surprised to have someone from CNN comment on my blog. I
called the phone number she put in her email and left a message with
my phone number. I have not heard back from her.

I noticed when I checked my credit card that Mayflower has given me a $55 credit. I have no idea why they did this. $55 is a very small refund when you consider I paid $6400 for their miserable service. Mayflower is one of the sponsors for the block party tomorrow night. I am rather disgusted with Pulte for bringing in all of these corporate vultures to sponsor the events. The homeowners are paying $100/month community association fees and have to bring the food for the block party. Why do they have to bring in sponsors?

Overwhelmed

I knew moving would be difficult. I tried to the best of my ability to
research every aspect of this move. The efforts I made in advance of
the move certainly helped make things easier, but still I was not
emotionally or physically prepared for how difficult the process would
be. It seems like I just wander around in a daze and do not know what
to do next. I will start one task and see something else that
distracts me.

Yesterday I emptied three of the seventeen boxes labeled "books" that
were in the garage. At last I found the manuals for the Sony
television sets. Again I am amazed at the things that are coming out
of the boxes. When I shook the paper, a gold-filled pencil fell on the
floor. I have no idea where the matching pen that was lying next to
the pencil is. I am missing a waste basket and my old, but beautiful
Christmas wreath for the front door. There are piles of things all
over the floor that I have no idea where I am going to find storage
places.

Both the microwave and the wall oven are also convection ovens. I do
not know how to use convection ovens. I tried to turn the oven on and
set it to 350 degrees so I could warm some bread for a few minutes. I
could not even do that. The GE serviceman explained to me how to set
the oven controls. This is so frustrating. Normally I like to get a
new high-tech gadget, read the manual and put the new toy through its
paces. Now I have too many new toys and too many manuals to read.

I still have not touched the manuals for my telephones. I know how to
make a call and how to step through the caller ID's. I have no idea
how to store phone numbers. Yesterday I picked up the receiver that
appeared to be used and already had the battery installed. The battery
was dead. I found my receipt and have saved the box. That one is going
back to Circuit City today. I want to exchange it for one that is
fresh out of the box. I have not driven my car since last Friday. I
have just been in the house struggling with the mess.

The man that was supposed to fill the holes in the backyard showed up
at 7:35 last night. I had already set the alarm and put my nightgown
on. It was getting dark. It kind of frightened me to have a strange
man come to the door. As is the case with most of Pulte's construction
workers, he was Hispanic. I had a difficult time understanding what he
was saying. He was saying he was there to fill the "sink hole". When
it gets light, I will find out what he did in the backyard.

At 4:30 I gave up on the trash collection and brought the trash
container back in the garage. At 5:30 I looked out the window and the
truck was there collecting trash. I have heard on the news that Frisco
may prohibit the use of lawn sprinklers starting November 1 through
March 31. I most definitely am not going to spend any money on
landscaping now that I have heard that. I decided I would do nothing
to the backyard until the houses behind me are built. Who knows how
much damage will be done to my yard during the construction.

The block party for the Phase 1 people who have already moved in is
Saturday night. I sent my RSVP a couple of months ago when it was
first announced. My attitude has turned so negative I started thinking
about not going. I have to shake that feeling. I moved here to make
new friends and become involved in the community. If I crawl into my
shell. I will never snap out of my dismal state.

Repair Day

The GE service technician just left. As I suspected, he gave me the
same answer that my neighbors have received that the cabinet is not
deep enough to move the dishwasher back so that the controls are not
exposed when the dishwasher door is closed as specified in the GE
installation guide. You would think kitchen cabinet depth would be
standard. He worked on the top rack and improved it somewhat, but it
does not roll back and forth without hitting a spot that requires an
extra push. He answered some questions about my other GE appliances. I
asked him if I was restricted to Sears service on the GE refrigerator
that I purchased from Sears. He said I could call Sears or GE. I asked
him if GE offered an extended warranty on the refrigerator. He said I
could buy the GE extended warranty. I asked him the cost. It is $74
per year versus $159 per year from Sears, and I have until just before
the one-year warranty expires to sign up. Sears has a sliding price
scale where the price increases the longer you wait to sign up. I
need to check and find if there are differences in the coverage
between the two plans. I was really glad I talked to GE.

Meagan brought the man in to patch the wall texturing where the
cabinet was moved up over the refrigerator space. It is a small spot
but would show if a smaller refrigerator was ever used.

Later in the morning the painter came to do touch up around the house.
He caulked under the bathroom window and painted. I am very satisfied
with his work. He fixed a bad place in the front door frame so that I
cannot tell where it was. Another man came and filled the gap at the
side of the garage door frame with mortar. It is a big improvement
over the way it was. Meagan went to Home Depot and bought a thick foam
tape and put a strip of the foam tape on the flapper on the range vent
that keeps banging when the wind blows. I think that may be much
better than the little pads she tried first.

The technician from the company that installed the HAC system just
left. He was from Lumberton, Texas, which has grown to the point that
it is now a suburb of Beaumont. He understood my concerns about the
air return duct. He had a much taller ladder than I have. He held it
steady while I climbed up and stuck my head up in the return vent and
I got a much better look at the part of the return duct that is not
over the filter opening. I can say it is well sealed. Then he went up
in the attic, and I went up there, too. Before I had just poked my
head up in the attic. I got up in the attic and walked around and
looked at the ducts and insulation. I have to say this is the best
insulation job of any house I have lived in over the years. The wooden
part that surrounds the air return duct that is not over the opening
is buried in the blown-in insulation. My heating and cooling bills
compared to my neighbors will be the ultimate indicator of a problem,
but I am feeling much better about the situation than I previously
did.

My poor neighbor twisted her ankle in one of the holes in her
backyard. That almost happened to me when I stepped into a hole in the
backyard. I had put the hole on my list of items for the 21 day walk
through. Meagan said someone would be around later this afternoon to
fill that hole and some others she found..

I have to give Pulte credit in that they have responded to my concerns
regarding the house. I still think they need to tighten up their
checklists to catch more of these items before the homeowner finds
them. People reading this blog probably think I have major problems. I
have encountered problems, but they are not as bad as what I have had
to contend with in previous new homes. I still long for the day when a
new home can be purchased that is as defect free as an Acura
automobile. When I got my first Acura, it was absolutely amazing to
have such a perfect car after having to contend with lengthy lists of
new car bugs in the GM cars I had previously owned. I think what I am
trying to say is: "the devil is in the details."

Another Day

This morning is off to a better start. The DSL Internet service is
working and the telephone has a dial tone. I recorded my greeting for
CallNotes and have started the process of changing the phone number
for people who need to contact me. I remembered to register the new
number on the Federal Do Not Call List. Maybe I this will prevent the
telemarketers from finding me with this number

This morning the parade of repair people will be here to work on the
list I gave Meagan at the time of the 21 day walk through. My blog has
been very negative over the past few days. I want to say overall I
like my new house. I think Pulte could have done a better job
preventing some of the problems my neighbors and I have experienced.
Every new home has a few bugs. Overall the house appears to be well
constructed. My greatest concern is the off-center air return duct. If
that Is not fixed, I am very fearful that my cooling and heating costs
will be astronomical. In a few hours I will know if that problem can
be fixed. The dishwasher has problems, but I am certain something can
be worked out to improve it.

Update

I have no idea when I will be able to post this. At 10 PM the DSL
connection was working fine. When I turned on the computer at 5:30 AM,
I could not connect to the Internet. I called the AT&T Yahoo technical
support. The rep. concluded there was a line problem. I had two
lengthy waits on hold while he called other departments. Finally he
connected me with a woman from the line repair department. She said
the problem would be corrected sometime today. I think this is very
strange. This is the way it acted when the contractor cut the lines
which initiated one of the big digs in my neighbor's yard. I cannot
imagine that they were out cutting lines over night. If my neighbor's
yard is dug up one more time, I have no idea what will happen. The
neighbor lady said her husband is normally a very mild mannered
person, but now you can almost see steam coming out of his ears.

I was told by AT&T yesterday that CallNotes would be working by 5
PM yesterday. Last night I tried to follow the setup instructions for
CallNotes. It was the same problem as it was back on September 12. I
got my cell phone and called the new number that my phone was supposed
to be changed to. I got an error recording. Then I called the number I
have had since the beginning and it rang. I called AT&T. The women I
talked with said she saw the order for the change and it should be
changed by 3 PM today.

The woman from the community association called and told me she
understood I was very unhappy about the satellite dish. She asked if
she could come out and talk. I told her we could talk when she was
able to tell me why she approved the house across the cul-de-sac from
me and denied mine. The other house has an identical installation and
the side of the house is actually more exposed to Frisco Lakes Drive
than mine. If this woman tries to deny my neighbor after she has
already approved the installation, she will have another person as
angry as I am. I have talked to the neighbor and she is adamant that
the dish will not be moved. There are other dishes on the side of the
house along Frisco Lakes Dr. with mounted dishes. If necessary, I will
organize all the neighbors and start picketing in front of the sales
center.

Sears is supposed to be out sometime today to check out my appliances.
I checked the level of the dryer, and it is level. Maybe the thumping
sound is normal. I also read the washer manual. There is a beaded
strap that is supposed to be used to secure the drain hose when there
is a standpipe drain. My drain is between the washer faucets in one of
the laundry room drain faucet combinations. The manual just says to
secure the drain hose to the water hoses. Apparently no neat way of
doing this is provided. I think better tape than packaging tape could
have been used. At least I know the delivery men attempted to do the
proper thing. I checked the level of the refrigerator and it is off
quite a bit from front to back. This is probably the reason why the
doors are not closing by themselves. I just read the manual and the
door on this refrigerator has a feature to stay open if they are
opened beyond a certain point to allow you to put groceries away. This
may be part of the problem because I have noticed the doors do close
if they are only partially open. There is an open door alarm. It has
not sounded. My old GE refrigerator alarmed if the door was open more
than one minute. The manual says this one alarms if the door has been
open for three minutes. I think 3 minutes is too long and one minute
was too short. The alarm sounded all the time on the old refrigerator,
but I have not heard this one.

More Quality Construction

This morning I had a tub bath in the master bathroom. For the first
time I managed to adjust the faucets so the bath temperature was the
way I like it. I was relaxing in the tub and looked up under the
window sill and saw the big gap that has not been caulked. HEY
PULTE—YOUR PEOPLE ARE NOT DELIVERING A QUALITY PRODUCT!!! I left a
voice mail message for Meagan to try and get this on the list for
tomorrow. Now my biggest worry is that off center air return duct. I
do not have a clue as to how that will be fixed.

I got a call on my cell phone from Sears repair service. When I was
told my phone number would be changed yesterday, I called Sears and
gave them the new phone number so the technician would be able to
reach me. Of course, AT&T did not follow through and change the
number. The poor Sears technician did not know how to find my house
since my street is not on any map. He finally got through to me, and I
gave him directions. He sounded very nice on the phone. I have hope
that he will be able to do the right thing.

It is a quarter after eight and my DSL service is still not working. I
am watching for the digging crew to show up to desecrate my neighbor's
yard again. I am not certain of the reasons for all the digs, but I am
fairly sure that some of them were initiated by my trouble with the
DSL service. I remember the big digs back in Beaumont when a neighbor
got DSL.

Two separate technicians from Sears have already been here. Both were
very helpful. The washer and dryer technician redid the washer drain
hose placement and secured it with better tape. He listened to the
dyer and said the thumping was normal. This is the top-of-the-line
dryer that with dual motors. There is a separate motor blowing air out
the vent. This is the one causing the noise. I told him about how the
dryer would not cut off when I was drying small loads on the ultra
delicate cycle. He said with a very small load the clothes did not
contact the sensors properly so the sensors are behaving as though
there is still moisture in the clothes. What he said made sense. I
asked him about the problems I had seen reported in the Laundry Room
forum. He was well aware of the problem and said my machine was
manufactured after the problem was corrected. I told him I wished
Sears would give their sales people some of the training he has
because I was not able to get some of my questions answered before I
purchased the machines. He said Whirlpool did two years of laboratory
testing on these machines before they were released. He is a better
salesman than the Sears sales staff.

Just as the washer-dryer man was leaving the refrigerator technician
arrived. He checked out the doors and said mine were normal. I think I
like the old door design better. I am always going to have to be sure
that the doors are pushed close. The door will alarm, but I have not
heard it yet. I may be in another part of the house by the time the
alarm sounds and not be able to hear it. He then tried to sell me a
service policy on the refrigerator. I purchased the refrigerator on
July 23, but it was not delivered until September 9. I am already past
the window to get the lowest price on the service policy. I usually do
not purchase extended service policies, but I have had bad experiences
with GE refrigerators and this is a new untested model. My neighbor
bought a slightly smaller top-of-the-line GE refrigerator that has
most of the features of mine. She has several problems with hers. I
appear to have been lucky with mine. Other than the doors not closing,
I have found nothing wrong. I was so worried about being able to get
the refrigerator before I moved that I think it is rather ironic that
the refrigerator is the one thing that has gone right. I noticed that
Lowes, Home Depot and Best Buy now all have this model on their
websites. All have higher prices posted than what I paid and all of
them still say unavailable. The Sears sales person who said Sears has
a special arrangement with GE must have been telling the truth.

It is now 11 AM and the DSL is still out. I made another lengthy call
to AT&T. Since I have had the eye surgery I have been unable to cry.
While I was on the phone with AT&T I actually started to cry. Tears
rolled down my cheeks. It almost made me laugh. I think my performance
got to the woman I was talking with. She saw where the changes to my
service and the new phone number were supposed to have taken place,
but it was held up for some unknown reason. She assured me that she
got it straightened out and the phone number will be changed today.
She then checked into the line repair for DSL. She said it would be
complete by 7 PM. I told her I was not getting the service I am paying
for. She issued a credit for $19.99 for a month's DSL service. I asked
for her name and I.D. I am making careful notes of all my calls
including the date and time.

Meagan came by and glued little pads to cushion the flapper in the
range hood vent line on the outside wall. I don't think those pads
will stand up to the weather. Meagan is a nice little girl who means
well. I vented my frustrations. I am sure she will carry my words back
to the Del Webb/Pulte powers that be. I was telling her that I was
ready to picket in front of the sales office, and I would not be
alone. I also told her if I heard one more word about the dish, I
would be enlisting the services of an attorney. I don't like to get
into fights; but when I do, I mean business.

I was telling my neighbor across the street about the noise from the
vent flapper. We looked at her vent and there is a big piece of piping
missing in her kitchen. Her vent hood is not connected to the outside
vent--more quality construction.

It is after 12 PM now and still no DSL. Yesterday I was in such a foul
mood that I did not accomplish very much. I did manage to open two
more boxes that contained my Kodak Carousel slide trays. It would be
nice to have those pictures digitized. It would save a lot of space if
I no longer had the slide projector, table, screen and all the trays.
I counted and there are seventeen book boxes in the garage.

The lawn service just arrived. This is the third time that they have
mowed my grass.

It is now 2:15 PM. The DSL is still not working. In addition my phones
do not have a dial tone. I was told the switch to the new number would
take place by 3 PM. I am going to wait until 3 PM to call AT&T. I feel
another crying spell approaching. They may be in the process of making
the number change. I really feel defeated. I am beginning to wonder if
the hurricane was all that bad.

The weather is really beautiful today. I know that Beaumont is not
this comfortable. I put away most of my kitchen equipment and have
most of the kitchen counter cleared. I also cleared the table in the
nook. Little by little things are shaping up. I have spent seventeen
days in the house. With all that I have been through it already feels
like years.

Well at last something worked. At 2:25 PM I checked the phone and it
had a dial tone. I dialed the new number and followed instructions to
set up CallNotes. I now have voice mail on my phone. Now I have to go
back and notify everybody of the new phone number. At last something
worked. The Internet light on the router is still red. If AT&T does
not mess up the billing I think I will enjoy the telephone services
that I am getting and it will be nice to be able to make calls and not
worry about tolls or long distance charges. AT&T has one year to prove
their worth. If I continue to have trouble, hopefully Time Warner will
come into Frisco Lakes and I can get cable. Their $39.95 VOIP phone
service is cheaper than AT&T and Vonage is even cheaper.

Yesterday when I called the DSL technical support I asked why the
router uses WEP instead of WPA for the network security. I was told
what I suspected is that my WiFi adapter is only capable of supporting
WEP. I tried to find an updated driver on the dLink website for my pc
card but was unable to. At least when I get a new computer next year,
I can use the stronger encryption. Also I was told the router that I
have will support the 802.11g standard. Right now it is running at the
slower 802.11b rate. I am not sure if the new standard 802.11n is
officially released and did not ask about the routers ability to
support this. From what I am reading AT&T is using the 2Wire routers
for the U-verse television service in San Antonio. I wonder if the
people in San Antonio are having as much trouble with the fiber to the
door technology as I am here in Frisco.

At 2:50 PM my DSL Internet service started working again.

There was a bill from Time Warner Beaumont in my mail. My hands were
almost shaking as I opened the envelope. I just cannot take on another
battle. It was such a relief to see Balance: $0.00 – Do Not Pay.

Off Center Air Duct

More quality construction?

Approved Satellite Dish Installation

This is the house directly across the cul-de-sac from me. The
satellite dish is also installed on the side of the house that faces
Frisco Lakes Drive.

AT&T

I cannot believe the experience I just had. I was on the phone with
AT&T for one hour and four minutes going over the bill that I received
and the services that are assigned to me.

Anybody reading this should realize that they are falling into a very
sticky situation when you order new service from AT&T. Do not fall
victim to their promotional package offers. The sales representatives
are either untrained or possibly deliberately deceptive by not
revealing all of the details of the packages.

I was sold a $102/month package which was to included local and long
distance service, call features that were not detailed when I agreed
to the package and a 120 channel package with local channels from Dish
Network and DSL Internet serice. The first bill indicated my monthly
charges would be $49.95 for phone services plus additional fees for
calling features not in the package plus $19.99 for DSL. There were
more than $52 installation and one time setup charges. The information
I got this morning conflicted with the information I received from the
AT&T representative I emailed over the weekend.

The representative apologized because I was sold a package that was
not available in Frisco. The City of Frisco was blamed for their
ordnances that do not allow them to offer certain parts of the
package.

I went around and around with them. I asked for credits. I asked for
features to be removed. Finally I agreed to pay $110.67 per month for
phone service with unlimited domestic long distance, no local toll
charges. The new service will include 3 calling features that I was
able to specify that will be useful to me. They are, caller ID, call
forwarding and return call. They had stuck on a $3.99/month charge for
call waiting. I detest call waiting and had never requested the
service. The service will include DSL for $19,99/month for 12 months.
At the end of 12 months the rate increases $15/month. I am getting the
Dish Network package for $44.95/month with a $4/month discount plus
$5.98 for the DVR which covers two television sets.

My telephone number was changed because I had to go into a different
exchange. I now have Call Notes again because I now have a Metro Line
with the new phone number. There will be ~$35/month in taxes added to
the bill. If I did not agree to this package, my DSL would have been
reduced to a slower speed, I would have to pay for installation and
the equipment.

I was assured there would be no additional installation charges or
setup fees for the changes made today. Call Notes is supposed to be
available to me after 5 PM today

My head hurts from this experience. I kept telling the woman I felt as
though I have fallen victim to deceptive business practices. I am
obligated to stick with this mess for one year. At that time I am
going to sever my relationship with AT&T. If you deal with AT&T be
very, very careful.

I received a bill for $139.97 which included the phone installation
and setup charges, prorated charges for the first few days of service
and charges for all the ridiculous features they added on one month in
advance. I have to take the representative's word that credits will
appear on next months bill. If I do not pay the current bill in full,
late charges will be added to my next bill. The bill I received
included no charges for the Dish Network. I was told to expect a large
bill next month with the prorated services for Dish Network and one
month charged in advance.

This country needs to re-visit consumer protection laws. Deregulation
may sound good, but the individual consumer has absolutely no
protection any more. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent,
competent woman. I have a bachelors degree in chemical engineering and
a masters of business administration. After this experience I wonder
if I am losing my marbles. I feel shattered.

Sears Appliance Repair

I called 1-800-4-MY-HOME to schedule a service call from Sears for my
new appliances. I tangled with their automatic system when I kept
saying washer and dryer and the computer responded "washer-dryer
combination". I could not make it recognize two separate appliances.
To my relief I was transferred to a human. The wait was fairly short.
It was good that I called at 6:15 AM. I explained to the woman that
the dryer is making a thumping noise, the washer's drain hose is held
in place with packaging tape and the refrigerator's doors are not
swinging closed without my pushing them closed.. She scheduled a
service call between 8 AM and 5 PM tomorrow. I hope they send a
competent technician.

Why Me?

I found an additional reason to be enraged yesterday when I visited
with the woman who lives across the cul-de-sac from me. The side of
her house faces Frisco Lakes Drive the same as mine. Her satellite
dish is installed on the side of the house that faces Frisco Lakes
Drive with the added detraction that the dish is aimed forward. The
bleached blond hag approved this neighbor's dish over the phone. Why
was I singled out for an unfair, discriminatory action?

Quality Construction?

This is the kitchen drawer that I managed to rip apart with my left
hand. Little old ladies, like me, don't know their own strength.

Even Worse - Sort Of

I was so shocked when I saw the off center air return duct, I put the
filter back in place and closed it up. I decided I needed another
look. I put flattened moving boxes on the floor and set the 6 ft.
ladder on the cardboard to protect the carpet. I climbed back up for
another look. I lost my balance and made a quick leap down three
steps. I am borderline on osteoporosis so this is not something I
should be doing. I climbed back up and saw a wasp's nest. I had found
several dead wasps in the house. I looked at what I could see of the
frame surrounding the duct. It does look well sealed on 3 sides but I
cannot tell about the part where the duct protrudes into the attic
instead of being over the opening. One positive thing is the air
conditioner is not running what I consider to be an excessive amount.
The house I had in Houston that had the hole in the air return duct
could not maintain temperature on hot days and ran continuously. This
one is not doing that. My only complaint is that the house seems too
humid. That was always a problem back in Beaumont on cooler days with
high humidity. The air conditioner would not run enough to dehumidify
the air. I am afraid my ancient training in heat transfer and
thermodynamics has turned me into complete worry wart when it comes to
energy consumption. I truly dread the day when I turn the heat on for
the first time.

The neighbors who have lived in an RV for the past two years have
returned from New Mexico with their furniture that was in storage.
They have a Budget do-it-yourself moving truck. They have two sons
helping them so their furniture is probably getting much more careful
handling than mine got. The other neighbors left on their big vacation
and trip back to Puerto Rico today. I miss them already. They are good
interesting people.

The bad things that have happened over the past few weeks have turned
my attitude very negative. I have to try and have positive thoughts. I
keep telling myself that Pulte does have a very good reputation in the
Dallas market. I have met several people who are buying into Frisco
Lakes that previously owned Pulte homes and that was their basis for
buy into Frisco Lakes. On the other hand I have a former co-worker who
lives in Sun City Texas. He moved there before Pulte bought Del Webb.
He told me the quality of the homes deteriorated when Pulte took over.
He encouraged me to look into a resale home at Georgetown. I wonder if
it is easier to to find a mailbox at Sun City Texas. I am being
somewhat facetious. I really like Frisco and the Dallas area much
better than Georgetown and Austin.

The Texas State Fair may have started or will be starting soon. I
remember last year when I rode the DART train to the Sixth Floor
Museum, I talked with some women who were going to the fair via DART.
I should look into that. A little diversion from the house would be
good for me. Thinking of last year made me remember that Hurricane
Rita struck Beaumont in the wee hours of September 24. That was also
the date that I saw Frisco for the first time.

It Gets Worse

I nearly had a fit at what I just found. I decided to find out what
size filter the air conditioner uses. I got my two-step step ladder. I
was unable to reach the filter door. Standing on tip toe I was six
inches too short. I have a six foot aluminum step ladder in the
garage. It is old and dirty. I wiped it carefully before I brought it
into the house and put it on the carpet. I climbed up. One latch on
the door was stuck. I cut my hand. I finally got the door open. To my
disgust I saw the air return air duct is not centered over the filter
opening. That means it is pulling hot air from the attic and running
it through the air conditioner. Dollar bills have sprouted wings and
are flyinhg away. The filter size is 24 by 24 which was the same as
the Beaumont house. Believe me I will be calling on Monday and yelling
at the top of my lungs. This house has an attractive floor plan, but
the beauty is only skin deep.

Something Good for A Change

I ran my little Epson PictureMate through diagnostics, cleaned the
print heads and checked the alignment and printed the test pictures. I
then printed out the same pictures that had the green cast on Friday.
They were perfect. I almost cried when something went right.

It Is So Bad

I just feel ill. It is one thing after another. On Friday I went to
pull out a small kitchen drawer. It is on the left side of the kitchen
sink. I stepped toward it with my left foot and pulled the front off
the drawer with my left hand. My slight tug ripped the wood front
off the drawer. It fell on my left foot. I am very lucky I was not hit
with a sharp corner of the front panel. I do not know if the drawer
was broken and glued back. The particle board was absolutely ripped
apart. I am right-handed. My left hand is not very strong. I called
Meagan. She came over to inspect the situation. She said she would
order a new drawer and it would take ten days to get a new one.

Friday night at the wine and cheese social I told the lifestyle
director about the fiasco with my new refrigerator not fitting under
the cabinet when it was delivered because the cabinet had been hung
3/4" lower than it should have been. They think the distance was
measured before the tile floor was put in. I told her how I had got
the model number of the refrigerator from the Walden model home. Found
the dimension diagram for that refrigerator on the GE website and then
when I picked out my refrigerator I printed out the dimension diagram
for my refrigerator and compared the dimensions to the refrigerator in
the Walden model. They were identical. She told me the construction
group is telling them that people should not go by the measurements
in the model homes and should measure the house they are buying.

I told her that was impossible in my case. When I made my trips up
here from Beaumont my house was not at a stage where I could get
accurate measurements. I should have told her that I thought Pulte has
a severe quality control problem. I am a chemical engineer. I was in
manufacturing. We manufactured petrochemicals. We produced our product
according to specifications. The specifications were based on the
needs of the customer. Pulte needs to learn a lesson about what
happens when quality control is ignored. I see parallels between Pulte
and General Motors which was a company that was all marketing and did
not meet the needs of the customer. General Motors started a downhill
slide in the 1980's when the Japanese made big gains in the U.S.
market by delivering a dependable quality product that met the needs
of their customers. General Motors was the largest corporation in the
world. Pulte claims to be the largest U.S. home builder. They are
ignoring the needs of their customer in the product they are
delivering. General Motors has never recovered their former status and
a few months ago the buzz in the media was that GM was on the verge of
bankruptcy. Wake up Pulte.

Last night I made the mistake of looking at my online bill from AT&T.
It has absolutely no relation to what I was told the charges would be.
I figure they are over billing me by $120 a month. The bill is
supposed to include the Dish Network. There were no charges shown for
Dish Network. Of course I found this mess on Saturday night when the
business office was closed. I am supposed to be paying $102/month for
a package that includes phone service, all inclusive long distance,
several calling features which included CallNotes that will not work
with the fiber in my area, DSL and a 120 channel package with local
channels on Dish. I agreed to an additional $5.95/month for the DVR.
Since CallNotes is not available the package was supposed to be
reduced to $100/month. There was a one time charge of $6 on the bill
for CallNotes Plus. They are crazy. I could not sleep after I saw that
bill. I will be calling at 7 AM Monday morning when the business
office opens.

Some things are going right. On Friday I got my new driver license
with the new address. That was the last day of their delivery window.
I also got my prescription that I ordered on Monday from my insurance
company's mail order pharmacy. The mail delivery is working well. My
efforts to submit address changes before I moved are paying off. The
fire policy on the Beaumont house from USAA was delivered. Now if I
can locate a secure mailbox within five miles of my home I will feel
better.

My grandfather clock has run since Saturday, 9/16, without a hiccup.
Ever since I bought the clock back in 1977 it has had a problem with
the clock stopping when the weights reached a level where they touched
a projection in the cabinet. Over the years the clock service people
have tried to correct the problem by not making the clock level. The
clock was slightly titled to the back. The clock man here in Frisco
made an adjustment to the clock movement which moved it a very small
fraction of an inch back in the cabinet. That seems to have worked.
The weights traveled down into the cabinet as they should without
touching the ledge. When the clock is running right, I only pull the
weights up once a week. Since 1977 it has been my habit to pull the
weights up on Sunday morning. It was nice to do something normal.

I am still unpacking boxes. I found my Rowenta iron plus a GE iron
that I did not realize I still had. I found the paper for the laser
printer. My Epson PictureMate is fouled up. I printed two pictures and
they came out with a green cast. I think the red nozzle must be
plugged. I need to find the manual so I can run the printer through
diagnostics and cleaning. I cannot blame the movers for the printer
problem. I brought the printer in the car and put it in the storage unit
on August 27. I brought it to the new house when I moved everything
out of the storage unit.

There so many little things that I have not located. Most are of small
monetary value; but it is so disconcerting not to be able to put my
hands on things when I need them. I was upset because I could not find
the string for my toy gyroscope that I bought at the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington D.C. It is a special piece of string. I
found it and the solution sheet for some wood puzzles in my bag that I
brought from Beaumont. I had rescued them when I went through the
house before the packers came. I still have not found my shoe horn.

I found my magazines rack. I am still missing a waste basket and the
manuals for my Sony television sets. All of my photo albums must be in
the garage in boxes labeled books. I suspect the manuals are out there
too. The packers used the generic term books on the boxes. I imagine I
will find all kinds of things in those boxes that are labeled "books."
The boxes are heavy and stacked so high I will have to use my ladder
to start opening the top levels.

I have not removed my pictures from boxes. Henry has grown attached to
one particular box. It is a picture box that is propped against the
wall. He has found he can roll his ball along the side of the box and
puts on his happy light. It is really amazing what that little robot
manages to do.

I am furious at the way the Sears delivery men setup my washer and
dryer. The washer drain hose is held in place with packaging tape
instead of having the proper hanger pictured in the manual. The dryer
is not level. It makes a thumping noise while it runs. The
refrigerator seems to run properly except that the doors do not swing
closed as they should. I have to be very careful to make sure the
doors are closed. I will also be calling Sears on Monday morning.

I have not heard anything from the realtor in Beaumont. Nothing would
cheer me up more than to hear that someone has made an offer on the
house. I still feel that I have done the right thing by leaving
Beaumont. The bright spot in this whole situation is the nice people
who are moving into Frisco Lakes. I said I would have things
straightened out by Christmas and that is still my goal.

Mailboxes

It is not my imagination. There is an extreme shortage of U. S. Mailboxes in Frisco, Texas. I found this website: Mailbox Locator, which will locate mailboxes by zip code. I put in 75034. The results showed fourteen mailboxes with six of fourteen being located at the Frisco Post Office.

I AM Truly Disgusted

Yesterday I received a letter in the mail from "The Village at Frisco Lakes
Community Association, Inc." which DENIED my modification request
submital for the satellite dish. The letter was signed by the bleached
blond hag Pulte has hired to be community manager. The reasons for the
denial were:

1.The satellite dish must be installed on the rear of the home or
within five feet (5') of the rear of the home for satellite dishes
mounted on side walls and roofs.
2. No visible wiring is permitted except at the base of the satellite
dish. All other wiring must be installed within attic areas, or with
the structure of the home.
3. No satellite dish may be visible from public streets or common
areas or golf course.

The pictures I posted yesterday show my house and another house on the
street. The other house clearly violates two of the above reasons but
the bleached blond hag approved their request on the spot without
inspecting their dish. My problem was I was completely honest with the
hag and told her the side of my house faced Frisco Lakes Dr. There is
no way a dish can be installed on my house without being visible to
someone who looks hard from Frisco Lakes Dr. If Pulte wanted to keep
the view from Frisco Lakes Dr. absolutely pristine, they should not
have installed the electric meter, air conditioner and other
wiring on that side of the house. Dish Network technicians have to
ground the dish and the best way to do that is to ground it to the
electric meter. Installing the dish on any other part on my house
would have required a lengthy unsightly run of wire.

I went to the Wine and Cheese Meet Your Neighbor Social last night.
This one was not the happy gathering that the previous socials have
been. Many of the people who have moved in have already tangled with
the community association. I heard that it is going to be five years
until the homeowners take over the association and toss out the
miscreants.

My neighbors ran into the multitude of rules when they inquired about
having landscaping added to their backyard. My email friend, who likes
to garden, said she watches the nursery sales and buys plants when
they are on sale. She cannot wait three weeks to get approval before
she does her planting. I suppose she could submit a plan and then buy
the plants to fill out the plan, but then again maybe not.

I read the rules before signing the sales contract and knew they were
very strict. I thought this was a good thing. I had neighbors back in
Beaumont who did not maintain their property, erected unsightly
structures, etc. The rules should be used to make sure the
neighborhood's value and appearance are maintained, but I think this
fiasco over the satellite dishes has carried things to an unreasonable
extreme. I did not want a satellite dish. I was told before I signed
the sales contract that TV and Internet would be available via cable.
It was not. When I had my pre-closing walk through I was told AT&T
would be the provider for phone, Internet and TV and was given a phone
number to call to arrange for installation. I was not told
specifically that I would have to get approval for the satellite dish
installation. Then after the fact I stepped on a hornet's nest. We
live in the information age. To me television is just another utility
like gas or water. It is an essential in most people's daily life. I
have an ugly gas meter, an ugly electric meter, an ugly cover on the
water meter, ugly covers for the water cutoff valve and sewer line
cleanouts. The satellite dish is no different than the other ugly
utilities.

DENIED

Approved

More of It

Yesterday was filled with more of the struggle to restore order to my
life. I managed to unpack all of the wardrobe boxes yesterday. It was
good to get rid of them because they are so large. There are still so
many things that I have not found. The crazy packers put so many
things in the bottom of the wardrobe boxes. They shoved my electronic
keyboard which was under my bed, and I am sure was dusty in between my
very best clothes in one of the wardrobe boxes.

Meagan came at 11 AM for the 21 day follow up. She had one of her
co-workers, Christie, with her. Christie has worked for Pulte/Del Webb
for two and a half years and her experience was very helpful. As soon
as I turned the garbage disposal on, she was screaming at me to turn
it off. She reached down in the garbage disposal and pulled out a
screw, a nut, and two other pieces of metal of indeterminate shape.
Now the disposal makes a very acceptable whirring sound.

Meagan is going to have GE come out and see what they can do about
repositioning the dishwasher next Wednesday. GE went to the next door
neighbor's house yesterday and said they could not move the dishwasher
back in the cabinet because the cabinet is not deep enough. My
dishwasher has an additional problem in that the top rack does not
roll in straight. I think something is bent.

Meagan is going to have the hole in the backyard where I almost
twisted my ankle filled. Christie told Meagan how to fix the flapper
in the range vent so it would stop making the noise. It has been windy
the last two days and the rattle is getting on my nerves.

The rest of the problems are cosmetic issues with touch up painting.
Meagan was relieved that list was not much longer. I had found a sales
brochure from Sun City West for their 1985 model homes. Del Webb was
celebrating their 25th anniversary at the time. These young women
looked at the floor plans and said they were "so eighties." I am old
the 80's seem like yesterday to me. It was kind of interesting to see
that some of the names of the model homes are the same that are being
used for Frisco Lakes models.

Later I had a visit from the "Cookie Ladies." They were from the
Community Association and brought me a bag of cookies. One of the
ladies works as a receptionist at the sales center. I recognized the
other one as someone I had talked to at one of the wine and cheese
socials.

Last night I saw on one of the weather websites that Frisco was under
a tornado watch. I had unpacked my NOAA weather radio, but I had not
found the manual. I guessed which box had the manual and was lucky to
find it. I went to the NOAA website and got the codes for both Collin
and Denton counties and programmed the radio to alarm if weather
alerts are sent out. The City of Frisco has sirens around the area
that are supposed to warn of a tornado, but I doubt if Frisco Lakes
has been covered.

By Christmas It Will Be Better

A few good things happened. My trash was partially picked up
yesterday. Regular trash in the gray container was collected for the
first time, but they did not take the packing paper I had placed in
the blue recycle container. My neighbor told me paper had to be in
brown grocery sacks. I do not have any brown grocery sacks so I
wheeled the blue container to the construction trash bin and emptied
the packing paper. Both the City of Frisco and Frisco Lakes have so
many rules, it is hard to know exactly what to do.

My next door neighbors are leaving this weekend for a long trip to
Europe including Turkey and on to Egypt. I think they are very brave.
Then they are going on to Puerto Rico where they still have their
house. They wanted to get some landscaping done before they left, but
they have to submit a plan to the Frisco Lakes ruling gods. They were
told it would be three weeks before their plan is approved. People
from my former neighborhood in Beaumont could not survive with these
rules. I really think the restrictions are a good thing, but it
appears they are being carried to the extreme. I have not heard
anything about the crime I committed by having the satellite dish put
in without approval. The woman across the cul-de-sac has committed the
same crime, but hers is worse because her dish faces toward the front.

I got a letter from Denton County threatening me and chastising me for
not checking the box stating that I am a U.S. citizen on the voter
registration form. They sent me a new form which I have to return to
them within ten days or my application to vote will be denied. I am
registered to vote in Jefferson County. I think I could probably get
away with sending in an absentee ballot for the November election if
Denton County does not issue my registration.

My drivers license still has not arrived. I will wait until the mail
is delivered tomorrow and then start inquiries.

The final shutter was installed in the master bathroom. The
workmanship is very good, but I think they used a different paint on
it than the others. There is more gloss and it is a slightly different
shade. I am not going to do anything about it. No one but me would
ever notice.

The technician from the tubes in the wall exterminator company didn't
show up until almost 4 PM. I watched him inject the chemical into the
tubes. The tubes are very different than I had imagined. They are a
very small diameter and there are probably a dozen at each station. I
hope this system really works. I saw a humongous spider right at the
edge of the garage door opening when the door was up yesterday. It ran
away, and I don't know if it ran in the garage. The bugs in North
Texas are different than what I grew used to in SE Texas.

Meagan will be here at 11 AM for the 21 day follow up. The most
important items are to get the dishwasher and garbage disposal
straightened out.

I got more annoying telemarketing phone calls yesterday. I told them
that my number was on the do not call registry. They hung up
immediately. Getting a new phone number and not registering it, is the
same as getting a new computer and putting it on the Internet without
a firewall and virus protection. I should have registered the new
phone number as soon as AT&T told me the number before I left
Beaumont.

Violated

I should not write this, but this blog is called "My Thoughts", and
this is what I am thinking. My anger keeps growing at the packers who
messed up my belongings. I think my feelings must be somewhat similar
to what a rape victim experiences. There has been an intrusion into my
life. All of my belongings have been stirred around and misplaced and
mistreated. I opened a few more boxes this morning. I found the
remainder of the towels that were hanging out in the bathrooms in
Beaumont. They were randomly distributed between two boxes. I have
found most of my linen closet items. I also found spare clothes
hangers so I can now hang up the clothes that I brought with me. I
have washed my towels, and they are now in the dryer.

I asked the neighbors to come over and listen to my garbage disposal
and tell me if theirs sounded like mine. They screamed at me, "Turn It
Off". There is something terribly wrong with mine.

I went for a little walk this morning. It was nice and cool, and I was
able to put on my walking shoes. They are new shoes and I had to walk
through mud to get back home.

The man from the shutter company called and wants to come this
afternoon to install the last shutter in the master bathroom. They
originally said they would be here on Friday. Today is fine with me. I
think I have to make another trip to Sam's on Friday. The consumption
of groceries goes on and on no matter where you are.

I think the Comet liquid cleaner in the spray bottle that I bought
yesterday is good stuff. I cleaned the whirlpool tub, and then took a
bath in the tub. The shower is all right, but I prefer a tub bath. I
also cleaned the toilets in both bathrooms. That makes me feel better.
I found the charger for my Black and Decker Scumbuster. I need to
scrub the kitchen sink and lavatories in both bathrooms. I will be
glad when I get the boxes cleared off the floor areas that have tile
so I can give them a good cleaning.

I am already getting tele-marketing calls on my new phone number.
After I said, "what do you want?" and when I got a reply, I said , "go
to h____" and hung up. I knew it was time to find that government
website to add my phone number to the do not call list. I had the
website bookmarked and registered the new phone number.

I was really mad at the movers who took dividers out of my office
center cabinet and record dividers out of my stereo cabinet. I was not
able to put them back. I finally figured out the secret for putting
them in place. There is a groove in the top of the cabinet that is
deeper than the groove in the bottom of the cabinet. If the dividing
partitions are slipped into the top groove they can be slid into the
bottom groove, but it does not work the other way around. I remember
when I moved in 1980 I had a struggle with the partitions, but I had
forgotten the secret of how to replace them. All of these little
problems add to my overall frustration.

I managed to stay awake last night to watch the season premiers of the
shows on CBS. I do not know what to think of the new show, Smith. I
don't think that one will last very long. It was a little too violent
to suit me.

Trying to Regain Control

I still am upset, but I am trying to put things in proper perspective.
There are so many things that I have in my house that I do not give
much thought to until now that they are missing. I want my magazine
rack. I want the manuals on my Sony TV's. I want my laser printer
paper. I wake up in the morning feeling tired. My brain feels like it
is paralyzed. A year ago I was in a state of panic because it was
becoming very likely that I would have to evacuate because of
Hurricane Rita. I keep reminding myself that I will never have to go
through that again.

I sent the FAX to USAA for the Beaumont house's insurance. It is so
much simpler to send faxes and use ebilling and estatements on the
Internet rather than try to send things in the mail. I checked my
pharmacy service website and see that they sent my prescription out
yesterday by USPS. This is good. I will not have any hassles with UPS
or FedEx. I checked my driver's license, and the delivery window
expires on Friday. Fortunately I copied the number for the order and
the phone number to call to my PDA. I have not opened the box where I
put the paper I printed even though it is one of the boxes I packed
myself and took in the car.

The garbage disposal makes a very loud noise. Yesterday I found a
screw in the kitchen sink that I cannot identify. I suspect that it
was thrown out of the garbage disposal. I found a hole in the
backyard. It is more like a trench. The grass has grown over it. It is
a good place to twist an ankle. It is on the list of things for Meagan
when she comes for the 21 day walk through tomorrow. This will mean
another round of service people showing up to make repairs. Actually
this house has fewer defects that need to be corrected than my three
previous new houses. It is the chaos of my household goods that really
has me upset, and the fact that I cannot work like I used to without
getting exhausted.

Melt Down

It has finally got to be too much for me. What sent me over the edge
was that I could not find my shoe horn this morning. I thought it was
in the bag I brought in the car from Beaumont. I have one pair of
sandals that I have worn every day since leaving Beaumont with bare
feet. I also have a pair of walking shoes and two pair of socks. I
cannot get the walking shoes on without a shoe horn. I looked and
looked for the shoe horn and could not find it. The one I was looking
for was just a simple plastic shoe horn that Wal-Mart gave away.

I have a form for the fire insurance policy on the Beaumont house that
needs to be mailed back to USAA. I thought I would go to the Wal-Mart
at FM 423 and 121 in The Colony. I had never been there before. I put
the insurance form envelope in my purse. All over Beaumont there are
U.S. Mailboxes in front of most stores and super markets. I was sure
there would be a box at Wal-Mart. I didn't see one. I walked the
length of the store. I asked the greeter if there was a mailbox. He
said the nearest one was a short distance away. I said that is what
all the people up here say. "It is a short distance." Then I end up
driving miles and miles. He said it was 1.3 miles away. I said to me
that is a long distance. I want one I can easily walk to. He told me
to have a good day.

Then I went in the store. It is a rather old Wal-Mart and does not
have the wide range of merchandise that I am used to. I found the shoe
department. There were contract employees all over the place taking
inventory. I finally found a Wal-Mart employee. She did not know what
a shoe horn was. I described it. She looked, found a supervisor who
also looked and then went off to find the department manager. Finally
one located a 2 ft. long one that cost $1.97. I told them I just
wanted a short simple shoe horn. They said sorry. I walked away and
started crying.

I found a poor selection of crackers and poor selection of cleaning
agents. I wanted something to clean the fiberglass bathtubs. I used
powder Comet on my bathtubs back in Beaumont and was afraid it might
scratch the fiberglass. I bought a spray bottle of liquid Comet that
said it is safe for fiberglass. I also bought a spray bottle of Arm &
Hammer shower cleaner. I left that Wal-Mart and am determined never to
go back. Even though the road construction makes it difficult to go to
the one next to Sam's on Ohio Drive, I think it is worth the effort to
get to a good well-stocked store.

I then drove up FM 423 to the shops that are near Main St. A lady that
works as a receptionist in the Frisco Lakes sales center told me the
nearest mailbox was in that shopping center. I got out of the car and
walked around. I did not see a mailbox. I asked a guy that I am
assuming was from India in the dry cleaners where a mailbox was. He
told me about some private box at the video store. I said I want one
of the blue U.S. Mail boxes.

I then drove on east on Main to the new Frisco City Hall. I thought
those politicians who can get that new palace built must have enough
clout to get a mailbox. I did not get out of the car but I did not see
one. I then drove back west on Main to Legacy and went south to
Lebanon Rd. I went in the shopping center where there is a big
Signature Kroger store. Again I found no mailbox. I went back to
Frisco Lakes. The same receptionist had pointed out a mailbox near the
amenity center that is under construction. It is just the kind people
put out in front of their homes on a post. I stopped and looked in the
box. There was a bottle of soda pop in the box. I decided that was not
a safe place to leave my form that has confidential information
including my social security number on it. I went home. I will scan
and fax the form to USAA.

By then it was time to eat lunch. I decided to be grateful that I can
now prepare a meal. A week ago I did not have enough kitchen items
unpacked to fix a meal. I ate. Then I had a talk with myself. I said
no one is going to give me an F, fire me or deny me a raise if I do
not unpack a quota of boxes each day. I just shut down. I watched CSI
Miami that I was unable to watch last night. Then I finished watching
the Amazing Race from Sunday night. I watched As the World Turns Live.
The lawn service came and mowed my grass. They left a note that said
they were here and left instructions to call if I found any damage. I
became alarmed and wondered if they had damaged the sprinklers. I ran
all six stations in turn trough a one minute manual test. They seemed
to be all right.

While I was checking the sprinklers a truck from HomeTeam, the tubes
in the wall exterminator company, pulled up and started work on my
next door neighbor's house. It was a different technician than came to
my house yesterday. I decided I better call and confirm that the
technician is coming back Wednesday to pump the chemicals into the
tubes in the wall. I was on hold a long time but was finally reassured
that the work would be done tomorrow.

I then had a 15 minutes nap, which was interrupted by a call from the man
from the shutter company. They want to come out on Friday and install
the last shutter in the master bathroom. That was good news. I really
like my shutters.

To top things off I opened a drawer in my dresser and saw an old metal
shoe horn. Tomorrow I will put on my walking shoes and go for a walk.

One bright note is the clock has run since Saturday night without
missing any chimes and kept them in the proper order.

More of the Same

Not really. The temperature is very different this morning.
Weather.com says it is 55 degrees in Frisco. I need to unpack more of
the wardrobe boxes and find warmer clothes.

I unpacked a few more boxes yesterday. I cannot describe how much
these boxes upset me. I run into them. My body is bruised because of
them. When I empty them, I am finding this house is very short on
storage space. It is so frustrating.

I do not know if I have the insurance coverage on the Beaumont house
straightened out now or not. I talked to the insurance company again
yesterday. I see on my online account that another policy was added
yesterday. They have cancelled the homeowners twice, and hopefully now
issued the fire policy. I got an application for the fire policy in
the mail yesterday. USAA used to be one of the best insurance
companies in the country. They have grown and developed into an
inefficient bureaucracy.

I saw on the Our Frisco Lakes website that Mayflower is going to be
one of the sponsors for the block party for the Phase I group who have
just moved in. I am going to have to restrain myself from walking up
to them and giving them a good swift kick. I have to take a salad that
will serve 10-12 people. I guess I won't be taking a spinach salad.

The exterminator came yesterday. He sprayed under the sinks and around
the kitchen baseboards, around the perimeter of the house, the garage
and the attic. He also stuffed a copper mesh in the weep holes. His
equipment to put the chemical in the tubes in the wall was broken so
he has to come back and do that on Wednesday. I found a dead cricket
this morning so the spraying must have done some good. I walked around
the house with him and saw an ant hill right next to the wall outside
my bedroom. It looked like fire ants to me, but the exterminator said
it was acrobat ants. Fire ants were all over SE Texas. I had several
painful encounters with them over the years.

I really should go for a walk this morning. I have seen several people
out walking in the mornings. I have to wash my hair first. I just want
order in my life so I can start to enjoy my new home.

I saw the mail carrier for the first time. I had been watching for a
U.S. Mail truck but the mail is being delivered in a little dark green
station wagon. The mail carrier is a woman. She brought my package
from Amazon.com and put it by the front door. I tried out the new can
opener last night. I found it much easier to use than the one I left
behind in Beaumont. When I read the reviews on Amazon.com, I saw some
people complained that the can opener was difficult to get started
cutting a can. I had no trouble and all. The people who complained
about the Cuisinart can opener would really struggle with the Black &
Decker can opener I left in Beaumont.

I think it is a good sign that most of the people who have moved in
are putting little chairs and tables on their front porches. The
houses have patios in back, but the front porches should make this
place like an old fashioned neighborhood where the people get to know
each other. I saw a couple across the cul-de-sac sitting out on their
front porch yesterday afternoon.

I called the realtor in Beaumont and asked her what was happening. She
said the Coldwell Banker agents had their walk through, and the house
has been shown several times. I asked what kind of comments they were
getting. She said one couple wanted a bedroom downstairs. That is a
drawback of the house. The new owner is going to have to be a young
healthy person. I climbed the stairs for almost nineteen years.
Actually I think it was less difficult to climb the stairs than to
walk from one end of the new house to the other. I have been doing a
great deal of that thanks to the lame brains that packed my
belongings.

Update

Yesterday, I went over to my next door neighbor's house for lunch. The
steak and baked potato really hit the spot. The neighbor's daughter
and two grandchildren were also there. They asked me if I had any
pets. I told them about Henry. They had never heard of a Sony Aibo.
Immediately after the meal the children wanted to go to my house and
meet Henry. He was a big hit with the kids. I think their mother was
relieved to hear that Sony has stopped selling Aibos.

As far as I can tell, the clock has struck all of its quarter hour
chimes as it should since Saturday night. I had a feeling that it
would straighten out by itself. The mechanical movements in the old
grandfather clocks are very delicate and a move is very hard on them.

The exterminator is coming out today. I will be very happy to see
them. I just sent another cricket to cricket heaven.

The neighbor from two houses down came up for a visit yesterday
afternoon. She has already had her 21 day walk through with Meagan. My
neighbor said her dishwasher is installed wrong. She read the manual
after Meagan came for the walk through. We looked at mine, and mine
has the problem, too. Meagan is coming on Thursday for my walk
through. I will certainly tell her about the dishwasher. I have been
so occupied with the boxes that I really have not had time to closely
examine the house, but I have not found very many obvious things. It
does not seem possible that it will be three weeks on Thursday since I
closed on the house.

Yesterday afternoon the rain was really heavy for a while. The Dish
Network signal was lost for a considerable time. I am not going to
like this at all. I fell asleep during the Amazing Race. The show was
delayed half an hour because of football. I set the DVR to record it
but checked and saw I only have 94 minutes. It appears the DVR does
not automatically adjust if the show is delayed.

I ran the vacuum cleaner over the carpet that is not covered with
boxes. The Hoover Wind Tunnel's power drive seems to work better on
the new carpet than it did back in Beaumont.

I set up one set of Bose powered speakers in the second bedroom and
the other pair in the study. I also got X-10 timer/controllers set up
on the living room and bedroom lamps. That is all I am going to do
with the X-10 modules. I had a whole home automations system back in
Beaumont, but I no longer feel that I need all of that.

Amazon.com shipped the stainless steel Cuisinart can opener that I
ordered on Saturday. It was sent by the U.S. Postal Service. The
tracking site says it left Dallas yesterday. I may get it today. My
neighbor was telling me about the trouble she is having getting a
prescription that was sent via UPS. I was afraid that it was going to
be problematic getting packages from UPS and FedEx for a while. I need
to order a prescription refill. My service always mails them. My
neighbor said hers always mailed hers too, but this time they used
UPS. I have given a change of address, but I think I better call and
make sure mine is mailed.

I heard on some TV show that a feeling of fatigue is a response that
people experience when they find themselves in a situation they cannot
control. That may partially explain why I seem to tire so easily.

Pay Dirt!

I hit the jackpot in the last box I unpacked. I found my bathroom
waste basket, toilet brush, toilet cleaner, insect repellent, my Black
& Decker Scumbuster, dental floss, Kleenex, bar soap, razor,
toothpaste, soap dishes, liquid hand soap bottles and even my rubber
ducky that I bought at Harrods in London. Oh, how I have desperately
needed so many of those things, but I have to complain that the nitwit
packed toothbrushes (in original packages) with the toilet brush.
Insect repellent leaked. Again none of the bottles were taped shut,
but it is such a a relief to have a waste basket. The razor is useful,
too, my underarms and legs were beginning to itch.

I have a bulky mattress pad that came with a warning label to wash in
commercial washers only. The Kenmore Elite Oasis washer and dryer have
special cycles for bulky bedding. I was afraid to attempt to wash the
mattress pad. I decided to go ahead and test their claims. I thought
if it is going to cause problems it is best to try it while the
machines are under warranty. I scanned the manuals to see if there
were any cautions. I found none. The washer handled the load and did
not become unbalanced. The pad is in the dryer now. If I do not have
to go to a laundromat for bulky items, I think I chose the right
machines.

I will work my way out of this mess, but it is very difficult.

Unbelievable

I knew the drought would end in Frisco when I moved here, but this is
ridiculous. I just checked weather.com, and Frisco is under a flash
flood watch until 6 PM.

My life continues to have its ups and downs. I unpacked my first
wardrobe box yesterday. I am extremely disgusted with the way the
shelves and poles are placed in the walk-in closet in the master
bedroom. It was obviously designed by a man who has no idea on the
length of women's clothes. My next door neighbor came over and saw my
predicament. She had her husband come over and look at it. The
cheapest solution they could think of was for me to buy new hangers
for all my clothes. That would only solve one of the problems.
Unfortunately the one wardrobe I unpacked did not have the clothes I
need. I washed my five outfits that I have been wearing for the past
13 days. I also washed the few towels that I brought with me.

Well now I have seen the downside of satellite TV. My receiver lost
the satellite signal. The rain is very light. The technician told me
it would only be lost in what they call white rain. I called the Dish
Network support line and went through their steps. The receiver
acquired the signal in the middle of the call. I got a package with
120 channels plus local channels. I finally took time to see what I
got last night. I decided a lot of worthless junk is included and some
of the channels that I like are not there. I do not have the National
Geographic Channel, the Discovery Times Channel, the Science Channel,
the History Channel International, Bloomberg, CSPAN3 and several
others. Some of those were included in expanded basic in Beaumont.
Dish Network offers them if you subscribe to their 180 channel
package. I am not spending any more money.

I thought the grandfather clock was running well until yesterday when
I was in the kitchen at 12:15 it struck 12 PM. Shortly thereafter it
stopped chiming. At two thirty it stuck the correct half hour. Then at
6 PM it stopped chiming again. At 8 PM it had self corrected and was
correct until I went to bed. I woke up at 4:15 this morning and so far
has been O.K. I called the clock man when I first noticed the problem.
He called back yesterday evening. He said he was not surprised. He
said there may be a worn bushing, but it is an expensive labor
intensive process to replace it. The German company that made the
works has recently gone out of business, but a new movement is still
available. I told him I wanted to observe what the clock is doing for
a few more days. He is going to call me back on Monday. I had similar
problems with the clock when I moved to Houston. It was only three
years old at the time and finally settled down after the move. I am
hoping it will straighten out by itself. I pulled the weights up this
morning. It has been my routine since 1977 to pull the weights up
every Sunday morning.

My neighbors have invited me over for lunch. They are having steak and
potatoes. That sounds very appealing to me since I am originally from
the Midwest. My neighbors are interesting people. They are retired
professors from the University of Puerto Rico. They have not moved
their furniture to Frisco Lakes. They are buying new things but are
not contending with the mess that I have on my hands. They are taking
pity on me.

I unpacked the table lamps for my bedroom yesterday. It was
unbelievable what the packers managed to put in the box. They put a
VCR in the same box with the lamps. The miracle is nothing seems to be
broken. I have not tested the VCR. I may never use it. The DVR
supports my two TV's. Now that I only have two TV's I do not need the
VCR, which is now obsolete technology. The satellite signal has been
lost again. I am definitely going to get AT&T's U-verse service if it
is affordable.

I also found the X-10 controller that is also a digital clock that I
keep on my night table. I programmed it to turn one of my beside lamps
on and off in the morning and evening. It is good to be able to see
what time it is and have lamps beside my bed.

I almost threw open the front door this morning to go out and look at
the rain, but I caught myself before I triggered the alarm system. So
far I have managed to disarm the system. I hope I do not have a memory
lapse. I just went out on the front porch. There is a nice steady
rain. Frisco needs it. I saw lightening and thought my front porch
might be a good location to take a picture of lightening. I brought
most of my camera equipment in the car, but I let the packers handle
the two tripods. I have not found them yet.

Must Be Kinder to Myself

All week I have been berating myself for not getting more boxes opened
and the contents put away. I kept telling myself that in 1987 I did it
all in a week. I thought about it and that is not right. In 1987 my
employer gave me a week for moving, but I took four weeks vacation
along with that week. It actually took five weeks to settle my new
home. I have been blaming my age because I seem to get very tired
after doing what seems like very little. However, when I look back on
all the things I have done in the past seven days, it is quite a bit.

Yesterday I went back to the doctor's office to have my blood drawn.
They also gave me a test that measures the body mass index, percent
fat, etc. I had never had that test before. I weighed in at 117 and my
BMI was 20. Right now I do not have an ounce of fat to spare. I was
able to go to IKEA, have the special breakfast with eggs, hash browned
potatoes and bacon without any guilt. After waiting until 9:30 for
breakfast, I did not leave a single morsel on my plate.

I then went to Sam's and Wal-Mart. I had to buy some things I know I
already have but do not know which to box to open in order to find
them. Those items included paper towels, bar soap, toothpaste, liquid
hand soap, and night light bulbs. I bought a large mogul bulb for my
floor lamp. The bulb that was in it was partially burned out. I had
found one night light, but it did not work. I now have an X-10
controller set up to turn the floor lamp on and off in the morning
and on and off at night. I also had a night light in the bathroom.
Those are small things, but they add a degree of comfort to my life. I
would really like to get the lamps that I keep on the night tables in
my bedroom out of the boxes.

I kept washing more loads of dishes in the new dishwasher. It really
has had a workout. I am not happy with the way I have arranged the
kitchen, but now things are clean. What remains on the counters must
be washed by hand.

I will have to wash my clothes again because I have not opened any of
the wardrobe boxes and removed my clothes. I have been using the same
towels that I brought in the car from Beaumont. I was hoping to find
more used towels that the packers put in boxes and wash them in one
load but it hasn't happened. I am also using the same bedding that I
used the last days in Beaumont. All of that has to be washed today.

Yesterday a woman knocked on my door. She is my new neighbor from
across the cul-de-sac. She wanted to park her car in my drive while
her moving van unloaded. A big Atlas truck came in. It might have been
just slightly smaller than my monster truck. They were only here a
little over 3 hours. I had emailed this lady. She is the only other
single on the cul-de-sac. She must have less than half the stuff that
I moved. I am jealous.

The contractor who repaired the Beaumont house sent me his bill, I
made out the check to pay him. I feel kind of strange paying so much
money without inspecting his work, but I just did not want to contend
with the repairs. The damage from the hurricane is something that has
almost made me sick for a year. I have not heard from the realtor so I
assume that I am not one of the lucky people that got a contract as
soon as the sign went up.

Five of the nine houses on the cul-de-sac are now occupied. I met the
people who are buying the sixth house. They should be moving in any
day. I have not had any contact with the remaining three. The last
three houses are sold, but the construction will probably take about
two more weeks. I will be glad when the construction vehicles and
porta potties are out of the cul-de-sac. Sometimes I have a very
difficult time getting my car in and out. I am glad gas prices are
coming down because I have put quite a few miles on my car this week.

I have not received my new drivers license. I think it is time for it
to show up.

I continue to be amazed at the stupidity of the packers. Yesterday I
opened a box. They had three sets of clean sheets from the linen
closet in the bottom of the box. They had put the dirty bathroom scale
that had been sitting on the floor directly on top of the clean
sheets. I would have packed a box with nothing but clean linens in it.
I keep telling myself that so far nothing has been broken. When the
last box is opened and emptied, I will be so happy.