Ready to Start a New Year

2006 was a better year than 2005 for me because there were no hurricanes. However, with all that I have been through with the move from Beaumont I would not want to relive 2006. It is time to have some fun and enjoy myself. I hope that 2007 will enable me to do that.

 

Yesterday I went out to permanently mount the sensor for my wireless weather station on the front porch. I used the two screws that were included with the kit. I got them driven half way, and I could not finish the job. I asked a neighbor for help. He soon found the problem. The screws were too long and I had hit concrete. It was good to know I was not as weak as I thought I was. He found some shorter screws and finished the job. The sensor seems to have survived the fall it had when the sticky pad gave way. Later in the day I found I had developed a blister on the palm of my hand from turning the screw driver. I feel rather useless.

 

A representative of Space Saver Cabinets came out and gave me an estimate for installing cabinets in my garage. They offer options such as additional drawers and adjustable shelves. We worked out a configuration that I think will suit my needs. I found they offer a melamine surface on the cabinets that comes in what the rep. called almond. It is really an off white and is close to what I had wanted. The website and ad in the paper had only shown wood grain options. The solid off white is an extra cost option but is what I want. I told the rep. I want to view an installation that they have done. He told me there is one near Frisco Lakes and said he would call the people and see if they are willing to let me see their cabinets. If he keeps his word and I like what I see, I think I will give him the business. I know I should get three bids, but I am at the point I do not want to bother with it.

 

I have heard no more noises coming from the attic. I am afraid Meagan and the other Pulte people will think I was imagining things. They will be here on Tuesday.

 

Another package from LL Bean was delivered by FedEx Home Delivery yesterday. The driver had to call me and ask for directions. He said his office had given him directions that sent him way north of Frisco Lakes. I thought FedEx finally knew how to find me.

The Attic and Other Things

Meagan came by yesterday afternoon to check on my latest problem with noises from vent pipes and the attic. I had not heard the noise from the fireplace vent pipe since early morning yesterday. I told Meagan I would like to have a Pulte supervisor who is most knowledgeable about framing to go up in my attic and give it a thorough check to see if he spotted any problems. I have been rather upset since I found they left the temporary braces in the attic. I want some assurance that there is nothing else up there that will cause problems in the future. Meagan emailed me later that she has arranged for a man who is Pulte's liaison with the city inspectors to come out on Tuesday. She also has asked the fireplace company to come and check on the fireplace vent piping again. Pulte/Del Webb is doing everything possible to correct the problems in this house. They have changed their procedures for the houses that are being constructed now. The problems I have could have been avoided if the work had been more closely supervised during construction.

 

For several days I have been reading reviews on towels. I subscribe to the online version of Consumer Reports. They rated towels in October. I also found an article from the Good Housekeeping Institute which rated towels. For years I bought Fieldcrest Royal Velvet towels. All I had to do was wait for them to go on sale. Life was simple Fieldcrest/Canon went bankrupt four or five years ago. Martex was the only other brand of towels that I would have considered. They are still in business, but their towels are nothing like the ones they used to produce. Two years ago I bought Wamsutta towels. They produce an unbelievable amount of lint. After two years, they still produce a great deal of lint. My laundry room is in the center of the house. The dryer vent runs up to the attic and has a long slanting run to the roof. I have been reading about how clogged dryer vents cause problems with the Kenmore Elite Oasis dryer which I bought. I want to get towels that do not produce so much lint. Consumer Reports gave Wamsutta towels their top rating. They were mostly concerned with how the towels shrink and if the colors fad. There was not one word about lint. The number two towel is a brand called Charisma. I read reviews on the Macy's website that said this towel produces very little lint. The problem is the Charisma towels cost twice as much as most of the other top quality towels. The only places that seem to carry them are Macy's and a catalog outfit called The Company Store. I found another towel that is not included in the ratings which is made by Martex. It is currently on sale at very attractive prices. It is sold by Neiman Marcus and the Horchow Collection. Neither of these companies are known for low prices. I am totally confused on what to buy.

 

I called the company that installs garage cabinets yesterday. The man said he already had an appointment in Frisco Lakes for this morning. He said he could come by and give me an estimate after his first appointment. I asked if he had already installed cabinets at Frisco Lakes. He said he gave four or five estimates, but they were all for houses that are under construction. I definitely want to see his work before I make a commitment.

 

The outside sensor for my new wireless weather station fell off the wall yesterday. I had used the sticky pad that came with it. At the time I put it up I doubted the sticky pad would hold over time. They included screws which I am now going to use. Fortunately the sensor does not seem to have been damaged. I put it on the opposite side of the house from the base unit, and it is giving a reading that is very close to what the base unit is showing.

Again

On Wednesday a framer finally came to my house. The board that supported the dryer and laundry room vent pipes was continuing to crack and was hanging together by just splinters. I don't think I would have been able to sleep during the night if I had known how the split was progressing. If that board had cracked clear through it would have fallen down on the sheetrock along with the vent pipes. The framer said the split board was supposed to have been removed. It was temporary bracing used during construction. Since it had not been removed the HAC people had strapped the vent pipes to it since it was in a convenient location. The framer sawed off the top part of the split board and nailed the lower part of the board to a main vertical structural support. I do not know if this is a satisfactory repair or not.

 

Last night at bedtime. I heard a new knocking coming from the attic. The fireplace vent pipe runs up the wall between my bedroom and the living room. I got up and found the noise was louder right above the fireplace. This was the first time I had head this noise. I woke up at 2:30 in the morning and the noise really bothered me. I got up and emailed Meagan about the problem. I want a qualified inspector to come to this house to check out all of the installations in the attic. There was wind through the night last night. It did not seem to be the strong gusts like we had on Christmas day, but it was more constant.

 

One of the neighbors told me she had seen cabinets being installed in the garage of the people at the end of the street. I went down there yesterday and asked about their cabinets. The man showed me the cabinets and gave me some pointers. He gave me the name of the company that installed his. He did not get a bid from the company that is located in Frisco. I am leaning toward doing business with the local company. These cabinets are prefabricated. What I had thought about are ones that are built on site, but I have not found anyone who does that type.

 

My email friend's husband came by yesterday and picked up my remaining moving boxes. Their house in Frisco Lakes is under construction. They have started packing and are busy getting their current home ready for sale. They have a big task ahead. I wish them well.

 

Several people around here have colds and sore throats. It is the season for it. My cold lasted about ten days. I am now completely recovered. I think I caught my cold on my birthday when I went to the museum in Fort Worth. There were groups of school children touring the exhibit, and I am positive that was the source of my infection.

Two Steps Forward - One Step Back

Yesterday morning I called the plumbing company to find out what time the plumber was scheduled. They told me it would be around eleven. That gave me time to go to the brokerage company in Plano. I found their office without too much difficulty and gave them a check. The representative was able to put the money in the fund I wanted without delay. That was a relief to get that money back to work. I was back home in a little over an hour.

 

The plumber showed up right at eleven. Before he started work on the toilet tank I told him about all the noises I had heard the previous day. He went up in the attic and looked around. I went up there, too. He spotted a cracked piece of lumber. It is actually two pieces nailed together that runs diagonally from the center of the attic floor to the roof. The dryer vent pipe and the laundry room vent fan pipe are strapped to it. There is also a run of electrical wiring stapled to it. The upper piece of lumber is cracked more than half way through. If it cracks completely the vent pipes will fall down. The plumber said this should be fixed asap. Meagan was off yesterday. I drove up to the sales office to see if there was anyone who could help me. All the customer service managers were off yesterday. I had emergency contact numbers for HAC, plumbing and electrical. One woman said I needed a framer. The wind was calm yesterday so the lumber was not being stressed. The wind is supposed to return today so I hope someone comes here to correct the problem. It is rather scary.

 

The plumber installed the correct toilet tank. The toilet tank was causing me to be upset last week, but now it seems rather trivial compared to the problem in the attic. My neighbor told me they are also having the noises coming from the attic on windy days. There have been several very windy days since I moved in, but I had not heard the type of noise I heard on Christmas before.

 

Yesterday afternoon I went to Sams and Wal-Mart to stock up on groceries. I had planned to do that later in the week, but since I now have to be home for more repairs I should get out while I had the opportunity. Traffic around Stonebriar Mall was very heavy.

The List Got Longer

I thought I was near the end of the new house bug list, but unfortunately I had to add something new yesterday. Around 11 AM I was in the kitchen and heard a noise coming from the laundry room. I went in there and it sounded as though something was going on with the washing machine which was not running. The noise stopped and then for the rest of the afternoon I heard a banging every time there was a wind gust coming from either the wall or ceiling of the laundry room. My current theory is that either the room vent duct or the dryer vent pipe has broken loose and is flopping around in the attic. The ladder to the attic is too heavy for me to operate so I did not even try to go to the attic to see if I can see the problem. Fortunately the wind died down after dark and the banging stopped. My nerves became very raw from hearing the banging. I did not want to bother anyone on Christmas with my problem. I sent Meagan an email. I got back an automated response from her email system. She is off until Wednesday. Fortunately I did my laundry over the weekend and can get by a few days without using the machines until the source of the problem is determined.

 

The plumber is supposed to be here this morning with the correct toilet tank. After that job is complete I have to drive to Plano to the brokerage company. I realized it is time to pay the alarm monitoring company, but I have not received a statement from them. I have to call them and also call the title company in Beaumont and make sure they send me final copies of the closing papers. Some day all of this will be finished.

Dumb Me

Last spring I was very concerned with making arrangements so I would be able to pay for the new house. I filled out forms so I could transfer money from my brokerage company to my bank. Yesterday I tried to transfer the money from the house sale from the bank back to the brokerage company. Dumb me! I did not set up the paperwork to send money both directions. I called the brokerage company. The representative told me the fastest way to get the money back to them would be to go to their local office on Tuesday and write a check. That is a simple solution. I am so used to doing things online I have forgotten how to do things the old way. I will have to call the plumber on Tuesday and find out when they plan to be here. The brokerage company is open until 5 PM so I should be able to handle both chores. The only problem is I have to drive 12 miles to Plano.

 

I am finishing off the final loose ends and at last I can establish a normal way of living. I want to have some fun.

Final

Its over. I have the money. Yesterday I watched the progress of the closing papers on the FedEx tracking site. The package did not leave DFW until after 4 AM. They arrived in Houston and then departed for Beaumont. They arrived in Beaumont and were sent out for delivery. Finally a little before 11 AM they were delivered to the receptionist at the front desk at the title company. About 2:30 I received a call from the title company. The woman said she was trying to wire the money to my bank, but the system was not accepting it. She said I needed to call my bank and verify the routing number. My personal customer service representative must have taken off for the Christmas holiday because I could not reach him. I was forced to call the 1-800 number which I think is staffed with idiots. After fighting my way through the menu, I got a man who sounded like he was partaking of the Christmas punch at the office party. He said the routing number for wire transfers is not the same as the routing number printed on checks that is used for electronic fund transfers. He gave me the routing number. I had a hard time understanding him and had to ask him to repeat it a couple of times. I then called the title company. I stayed on the line while she entered the information in the computer. She said it would be a couple of hours before I would see the money in my bank account. It was about 2:45 when the transfer was made. A little after 4 PM I logged onto my online bank account and the money had arrived. Later in the evening I opened my commemorative bottle of Jack Daniels to celebrate.

 

After I confirmed the money had arrived, I called my insurance company and cancelled the fire policy. Then I faxed the form to the Texas Windstorm insurance group to cancel the windstorm policy. I have already taken care of the utilities and paid the final bills. It will be nice to get the refunds on the insurance.

 

I have started deleting Beaumont websites from my Internet Explorer list. I checked the MLS site for the last time. The house is still shown on the MLS site, but who cares. I have the money.

 

The plumbing company called yesterday and said they would be out Tuesday morning with the correct toilet tank. After that is done, all that will be left is to get the base of the fireplace vent pipe painted. The temperature has been too cold for painting. I am going to take a break until after the first of the year from the house tasks. I am going to get garage cabinets and get the garage squared away. I still need to replace the plants that froze in front of the house. I also have to work on getting the homestead exemption on the house with Denton County and with the Collin Appraisal district. Denton County told me to wait on getting the registration on my car transferred until the renewal in date in April. There are stricter pollution control regulations on cars in Denton County than in Jefferson County and my car will have to be inspected before I can register it in Denton County.

 

On Thursday morning while I was waiting for the closing papers to arrive I set up my new wireless weather station. I put the outdoor sensor on the front porch near the roof in a protected position. The base station has a radio controlled clock. The outside temperature and relative humidity are tracking what is shown on Weather.com for Frisco very closely.

 

 

Time to Celebrate

The new house stopped being "the new house" yesterday and now is simply the place I call home. FedEx delivered the closing papers on the Beaumont house. They were supposed to be here by 10:30. I called FedEx. I did not know the tracking number, but they were able to find the record and told me the truck was a little late leaving the ramp. They arrived about fifteen minutes later. I went ahead and ate lunch before opening the package.  Everything appeared to be in order.

 

I took the papers to a branch of my bank. The tellers told me the customer service representative would not be able to notarize closing papers unless the financing was through the bank. They told me to go to the UPS Store. I stuck my head in the office of the only customer service rep. and asked him if he could notarize my papers. He said he could, but there were three people ahead of me. I decided to wait rather than search for some place else. Finally he called me into his office. There was one form that concerned tax reporting information. All the questions were negative statements, and I did not know whether to answer yes or no to them. The notary suggested I call the title company. I called and both the women I had been dealing with were out. I asked if there was someone else that could help me. Finally a lady came on the phone and she told me to answer yes to all the questions. The title company had included a prepaid FedEx envelope so that made things much simpler for me. I went to Stonebriar Mall. I missed the Kinkos/FedEx store when I drove by from the mall side. I went out on the SH 121 frontage road and found it. The parking lot was full. Finally I found a place to park. It was a big place and an absolute zoo inside. I handed my envelope to a man at the counter.

 

I was ready to leave the Stonebriar Mall grounds when my cell phone rang. It was my realtor. The new owner wanted to know if I still had the keys to the mailbox. My next stop was going to be the post office to mail the remaining house keys and garage door keys to the new owner. I told my realtor I was assuming the post office would change the lock and give him new keys. She said no he needed the keys. I headed back home to get the keys through very snarled traffic. As I was driving. I realized it would do no good to mail the mailbox keys to the old house if they were going to be put in the locked mailbox. I called my realtor and asked her if there was some place else I could mail the keys. She now told me she had told him to go to the post office, and now he did not need the keys. I was not too happy about being detoured on my way to the post office for nothing. It is much harder to get from point A to point B in Frisco than it is in Beaumont. I then went to The Colony post office and mailed the keys.

 

I am checking the FedEx tracking information on the closing papers. They are supposed to be delivered to the title company by 10:30. After they are delivered, I will start checking my bank account. Wired money is credited to the account the same day. Back in 1999 I made a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. I went on a tour to the Jack Daniel Distillery at Lynchburg. It was a very enjoyable tour. I got caught up in the situation and spent $37 for a special commemorative bottle of Jack Daniels. I have never opened the bottle. I drink very little and have always regretted spending so much money on something so foolish. I have decided that when the money for the house sale is deposited it is finally time to open that costly bottle.

It Happened

I waited all yesterday morning for word from Beaumont concerning the closing. I got no calls. At a quarter til one I called my realtor and before she could say anything I told her I was assuming that closing had been delayed again. She told me I was wrong. Closing took place at 1 PM. Today I am supposed to receive the papers. I have to get them notarized and then send them back to Beaumont. I have carefully studied the FedEx locations and decided it is best to go to the Kinkos/FedEx store at Stonebriar Mall. Tomorrow the money will be wired to my bank.

 

I had mixed results with yesterday's repairs. The man from the garage door company secured the weather stripping on the bottom of the garage door. He also installed a keypad on the outside of the door. Now I can go in and out of the door without having the remote control with me. This is nice when I am working in the yard or want to go through the door when I go for  a walk. He told me the key operated openers are no longer used. The keypad uses a 9 volt battery and does not require any wiring.

 

The plumber came to install the new tank on the toilet. Half way through the installation I went into the bathroom and noted they were installing the wrong tank. The plumber apologized for the mistake, wrote down the model numbers from the old tank and said he would be back on Friday. I hope he keeps his word.

 

UPS delivered the wireless weather station I had ordered from Amazon.com. I was too tired to set it up yesterday. I will do that this morning while I wait for FedEx to bring me the closing papers.

 

I was hoping to have everything concerning the houses completed by Christmas. I am not going to accomplish my goal, but I am getting very close. Right after the New Year I am going to start getting bids on having cabinets installed in my garage. I have decided it is best to get the cabinets installed before I unpack my four remaining boxes.

Today?

My realtor says closing will be today. She called to tell me this and that the buyer wants to move into the house immediately after closing. The realtor sent me a lease agreement to sign that will allow him to move in before I receive the funds. I do not like this. I told her Pulte requires that they have possession of the funds before they release the keys to the house. My realtor assured me that it was safe. I signed the lease and have it ready to fax back to her. I called my insurance company and asked if letting the buyer move in would complicate my insurance coverage. They told me it was all right. I called the title company at 4 PM yesterday to confirm that closing will take place today. They told me they had heard from the lender but had not yet received the papers. I asked them to call me as soon as they receive the papers. I called my realtor back and told her I was not going to fax the lease until I had a confirmation from the title company that that closing was going to take place. If closing does take place today, I will receive the papers tomorrow and FedEx them back to Beaumont. I should receive the money on Friday. I really want this to be over.

 

The plumber and garage door people are supposed to be here today. It rained most of the night and is supposed to continue today. That should not stop the repairs. I emailed Meagan and told her the fireplace vent pipe still needs to be painted. I checked the UPS tracking information and it looks like my wireless weather station will arrive today.

 

My neighbor brought a Christmas dinner to me last night. I gather that they are having several Christmas dinners. They had planned to go caroling last night, but the rain killed that idea.

Tuesday

The weather has taken a turn for the worse in Frisco. The temperature dropped yesterday afternoon and sprinkles started. The painter did not come back and finish his work. Today has been very gray with a drizzle most of the day. I am grateful for every drop of badly needed rain in Frisco.

 

This morning I went down to The Colony again. I bought a few grocery items at Wal-Mart and then went to The Colony post office to mail a letter. I had to return a form to the Denton County Appraisal District. The Collin Appraisal District sent out their form shortly after I moved in. It is unfortunate that I have have two taxing entities to deal with.

 

FedEx Home delivered the travel charger for my new Palm PDA. It is a fairly heavy brick. The U.S. only charger that shipped with the PDA is much smaller and lighter. Sony had one charger, but it was the big awkward brick type. According to the tracking information UPS will deliver my wireless weather station tomorrow. I want to find out how its readings compare to my old weather station. The humidity in the house has gone up considerably since the HAC company installed the timer switch on the fresh air vent. I think the house has better air circulation and a more uniform temperature throughout.

 

I received another email from my realtor this morning. She called her friend at the mortgage company, and he still thinks closing on the Beaumont house will take place this week. That will be the best Christmas present that I could possibly get.

Monday

My neighbor has been cautioning me to keep a close eye on my tires. They have had two nails so far. Beaumont still had a problem with nails a year after the hurricane because of all the construction. Frisco Lakes will have the nail problem for several years as the houses are completed. This morning I was in the garage and thought my right front tire looked low. I carefully drove to the Discount Tire store in The Colony. It turned out I did not have a nail in my right front tire. It was just a rock, but I asked them to check all my tires. I did have a nail in my right rear tire. They fixed it. I had a very short wait. On Monday mornings the line winds through the parking lot at opening time at the Discount Tire store in Beaumont. I was very relieved that The Colony store is not as busy. I bought the tires that are on my car three days before the hurricane. So far I have had four nails removed from them. Never before has one set of tires on any of my cars picked up so many nails.

 

The painter came to my door a little while ago and said he was here to fix the things outside that needed to be painted. He painted the cap on the drain clean out pipe the required brick red. He caulked the seam in the patio cover ceiling and caulked around the plate where a future ceiling fan can be installed. He did not have a tall enough ladder to reach the fireplace vent pipe on the roof but said he would return before the day is over to paint it. He did very nice work.

 

On Wednesday the plumbing company is going to replace the cracked tank on the hall bathroom toilet. The garage door people are also supposed to be here. I am happy with most of the repairs that have been made on the house. I just wish that the number of repairs had been fewer.

 

I had not heard from my realtor in Beaumont. I sent her an email today and asked if there are any new developments. She replied that we should close this week. My fingers are still crossed.

Repairs, Etc.

Thursday was an exhausting day. Seven repairmen of assorted varieties were here. The running toilet was repaired, but in the process I spotted some cement on the front of the tank streaming out from the handle. Closer examination revealed the tank is cracked. Meagan came back on Friday and inspected the crack. The toilet tank will be replaced on Wednesday of this week. The electrician spent two and a half hours trying to get the telephone outlet in the master bedroom to work. He even pulled new wire through the walls. Finally he found that some little wires on the outlet plate were loose. In the process of removing the plates the paint and caulk was pulled off and now I have gaps around the plates. Meagan said sheetrock repairs would be left until the 12 month walk through. At least one plate is in the closet and the other is behind my bed so I don't have to see them. The garage door people did not show up so Meagan is going to schedule them for Wednesday, also. The HAC man installed the timer switch on the fresh air duct. I think there is a better circulation of air in the house now.

 

On Friday morning when I first turned on a television, there was a Dish Network message on the screen that said a telephone line must be connected at all times in order to avoid a monthly charge. I thought I might have left the line unplugged when I was checking the telephone outlets. I found the line was plugged in. Then I noted the WiFi router had a red light which meant I had lost the DSL Internet service. I then checked and my AT&T phone service was out. I thought that the electrician might have disturbed a connection since he was working with all the telephone wiring. It was 5:30 AM. I left a voice mail for Meagan and called AT&T on my cell phone. I had a very long wait to get to a human being at AT&T and was getting very irritated because I was consuming cell phone minutes. Finally I was told the problem would be corrected by 7 PM. I still was not sure if it was my wiring or AT&T was causing the problem I waited until after 7 AM to call my neighbor. They did not answer their AT&T phone. I then called their cell phone. Their AT&T service was out, too. A little after 8 AM I noticed the router no longer had a red light. A few minutes later the phones had dial tones. Then AT&T called to check if my service was restored. They said service to the entire neighborhood would be restored shortly.

 

Later in the day the appliance installers arrived to move the dishwasher back in the cabinet the way it was supposed to be. For three months I have been told the cabinet was not deep enough, the electrical connection would be crushed, the pipes would have to be moved etc. The installers arrived, removed two screws, pushed the dishwasher back, replaced the screws and left. The dishwasher is running just fine. There are no leaks.

 

Then the window people came to repair the broken latch on the sliding screen on the patio door. The man said he could not repair the latch. I said get me a new screen. He left. I thought I had another battle on my hands. A little while later they returned and had a new screen door. This one latched on the first try. Every time I tried to latch the old one I would have to try and try to get it to catch.

 

I have not heard a word from Beaumont since Monday when my realtor emailed and said closing would be before Christmas. She said the buyer has been approved by the lender in Beaumont. I have my fingers crossed that the closing will take place this week. I will be calling the realtor tomorrow.

 

While I was sitting around waiting on repairmen, I managed to do a little online shopping. I took advantage of a twenty percent off offer from Palm on accessories and their free Christmas shipping offer to order a travel charger for my new Palm PDA. The Sony PDA charger covered a world-wide range of voltages, but Palm supplies one that is only for U.S. voltages and makes you spend more money if you plan to travel. Amazon.com also got the wireless weather station that I wanted back in stock. Their price is considerably lower than their partners had been offering. Amazon.com promised to have it delivered by December 22. They have not shipped it yet, but this morning there was an email from them that said they are on schedule.

 

I still have my cold. I think it will be gone in three or four more days. There is a small chance that my problems will be resolved by Christmas.

 

Feeling Better

Well at last the mystery of what I have caught has been solved. It is
just a common head cold. The sneezing and runny nose have started, but
I am over the miserable part that I have had for the last few days. I
seem to have recovered some of my energy and won't be spending another
day sitting in my recliner.

I did go out yesterday to buy some groceries. Several emails arrived
from the woman who heads the community association saying that
corrected statements will be mailed out next week. She blamed the
"Accounting Department" for the error. We all know who is responsible
for the error.

I talked to Meagan yesterday, and she has several repairs scheduled
for today. She does not have anyone coming to move the dishwasher back
in the cabinet. My neighbor's was finally fixed last week. The door
sticks out too far. This is something that is not right and really
annoys me. The latch on the screen door on the patio fell apart
yesterday. Someone is coming out on Friday to fix it. I think the
Beaumont house will close before the repairs on the new house are
completed. I am very weary from all of this.

A Lost Day and A Lost Voice

Yesterday was a complete zero. I did nothing. I did not go to the
community association meeting because I did not think I should expose
the other homeowners to my virus. It has not developed into a cold so
maybe it is just going to be a lingering sore throat.

I did manage to install Microsoft's Patch Tuesday updates onto my
computer. I got my first bill from the Frisco Lakes Community
Association. Par for the course, they billed me for the fourth quarter
of 2006 which I had already paid at closing. I talked to a couple of
other homeowners who closed at the same time that I did, and they were
also billed for the fourth quarter. Why can't people do their jobs?

Tomorrow I am assuming that there will be a parade of repairmen
arriving to work on my 90-day list. Meagan has not called yet to
confirm that she has them scheduled. I sincerely hope my list can be
taken care of in a short amount of time.. I am so tired of having
repairmen come into my home.

Henry Is Ignoring Me

Note: I wrote this yesterday but again Gmail and Blogger are not
working together.

I have lost my voice. When I whispered good morning to Henry this
morning, he made a very puzzled sound, and I could tell from his body
language that he did not understand me. I think I am developing a
cold. It will just have to run its course. The first Frisco Lakes
community association meeting is this afternoon. I am not going to it
because I do not think I should expose other people to whatever it is
that I have caught.

I did nothing yesterday but watch TV and read. I am reading Michael
Connelly;s The Lincoln Lawyer. So far it is a very good book Michael
Connelly is one of my favorite authors. This is the first book I have
read since the move.

My latest order from L.L. Bean arrived around 10:30 yesterday morning.
FedEx Home really surprised me. That was two days before the estimated
delivery date. They must have added extra people for the Christmas
rush.

I am going to spend another day reading and trying not to think about
the sale of the Beaumont house. My realtor seems confident that the
sale will be completed. I am never moving again.

Oh Good Grief

I just got an email from my realtor. She said the buyer is so
frustrated that he has applied to another lender in Beaumont and is
already approved. The part that upsets me is she says we will close
before Christmas. That is only two weeks, but I was hoping it would be
this week. I noticed over the past week that three houses in my
category in Beaumont have sold. That is the first up turn in activity
that I have seen since I moved.

Warmer weather has arrived in Dallas, and I am very glad. I have not
experienced the type of cold weather we have had for the last two
weeks for many years. I have found that it is stirring up old aches
and pains. I woke up this morning with a slightly sore throat. That is
usually the first sign I get of a cold. It has been several years
since I had a cold. In fact it is so long I cannot remember the last
one. I hope I can fight this one off.

Yesterday afternoon was dark and gloomy with some rain. I did not go
out to the nursery as I had planned to buy pansies. Today I am doing
nothing since I do not feel well. I am not touching the four remaining
boxes in the garage.

Four More Boxes

That is the number of boxes in the garage that I have not unpacked. I
better hurry if I am going to meet my goal of having everything
unpacked by Christmas. I finally found the courage to unpack the large
wardrobe box. It was packed with many missing goodies. I had finally
convinced my self that I had given my old Christmas wreath to
Goodwill. Wrong! It was in the wardrobe box. A few of the items I
unpacked included my dustpan and whisk broom, all the missing tools
for the shop vac, the garden watering can, plastic buckets, lawn
blower, several shrub trimmers (electric and manual), two garden
hoses, two soaker hoses (items needed to keep the house slab from
cracking), a crowbar, a saw, a metal pipe that I put in the sliding
glass door track and my electric drill. It goes on and on.

Now the tidy garage is a mess because I have no shelves or cabinets. I
saw an ad in a mailer I received this week for a company in Frisco
that installs custom cabinets in garages. I am going to post a request
for recommendations in the Frisco Online forum for companies that
install cabinets in the garages. I think that will be my project for
right after the holidays.

I want to buy the pansies and plant them in front, but I have not
located my garden tools. The little hand spade and other tools must be
in the four remaining boxes. I have two sets of tools, but so far they
are amongst the missing.

I have been wanting to find the electric drill so I could drill a
little starter hole in the back of a kitchen cabinet door so I could
install my dishtowel rack. I still cannot do that because none of the
heavy duty shop extensions cords have been unpacked. I had not touched
the garage boxes. I had learned to ignore those items. I had most
everything I needed inside the house, but now I am experiencing those
feelings of frustration and anxiety that I had when I was unpacking
the boxes in the living quarters. I will never move again.

Yesterday

Yesterday was my birthday. As planned, four of my neighbors and I went
to Fort Worth to see the "From Queen to Pharaoh - Hatshepsut"
exhibition at the Kimbell Art Museum. According to the driving
directions from AAA the museum was 44 miles from Frisco. We were under
the impression that the museum opened at 10 AM. That is correct for
most days, but on Friday the opening is not open until 12 noon. The
Kimbell is located in an area with a number of museums so we walked
over to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and saw an exhibit of
black and white photographs by a Japanese photographer, Hiroshi
Sugimoto. The photos were interesting; but frankly if my camera
produced some of his pictures, I would send the camera back to the
factory for a complete overhaul.

We went back to the Kimbell and saw the exhibit. A number of museums
from across the country contributed to the exhibition. My neighbors
recently went on a cruise with stops in Egypt. They said there were
more artifacts in the exhibit in Fort Worth than they saw in Egypt.
The exhibit will be at the Kimbell until December 31, and then it will
move to other cities.

We then had lunch at a restaurant operated by my neighbor's son. He
treated his parents and their friends to lunch. We arrived back home a
little after 3. The temperature had climbed into the 40's by then.

As soon as I was back home, I called my realtor to find out the latest
on the closing for the Beaumont house. There was no change in the
status. She said they were still waiting on the paperwork from the
lender. She implied that some paper shufflers are not doing their job.
I want to get the money deposited and put it to work. The buyer is
very upset. He wants to move in. He is already paying the utilities
since we had them transferred to him last week.

Then the mail carrier added to my discontent. When I went to my
mailbox, I found the mail for three others houses mixed in with my
mail. I am not talking about a letter or two. I did not count, but I
am guessing there were at least ten pieces of mail that were not for
me. I even received mail for a couple not on my street. I then
delivered the mail to the three houses. I think I should bill the U.S.
Postal Service for my labor.

Update

On Tuesday afternoon I got good news from my realtor. She said my
buyer's lender now has all the needed documentation. She said the
closing would be scheduled for later in the week. I hope I get another
call today. All I want is my money.

The clock repairman brought my mantel clock back on Tuesday. It was
knocked off the mantel in Beaumont several years ago when a picture
that was above it fell off the wall. I thought it was hopeless. Mr.
Hopson said a piece of glass broke off the right corner but is behind
the frame and does not show. The glass lodged in the clock mechanism.
The second hand was also knocked off. He was able to get the clock
working again. I was delighted to get it back. That was a lucky day
last July when I was given his name by the Frisco Ethan Allen store.
The wall clock and the grandfather clock all benefited from his
services.

The Home Team pest control people came out and put the insecticide in
the tubes in the wall in my house. The technician also put some sticky
boards in my garage to trap mice. I will just die if I see a mouse on
one of those boards. I have a totally irrational fear of mice.

My order from L.L. Bean rode around on the FedEx delivery truck for
two days. It was after 8 PM last night when I looked out the door and
the doormat was out of place. The driver had put the package under the
doormat, but he did not ring the doorbell. I placed another Internet
order with L.L. Bean yesterday. I then called them and asked them to
use UPS. I have had enough of FedEx Home Delivery.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I am supposed to go to Fort Worth to a
touring Egyptian exhibit. We planned to go on the DART light rail
train and connect to the Fort Worth train. It may be too cold to
attempt the trip via public transportation. I also may have to stay
home and wait for the delivery of the closing papers.

I have checked the weather report and see that it is supposed to warm up again. The flowers in front of my house froze during the last cold front. I am thinking about buying pansies to replace them but want to wait until after the current cold snap.

Fireplace Passed Test

My neighbors are busy, and I could find no one to come and witness my
fireplace test. Tomorrow is my 90-day walk through, and I wanted to
give the fireplace a 45 minute test before the walk through. I wanted
to have a witness in case the limit switch tripped so I would not be
accused again of imagining the problem. Well, I turned the fireplace
on and began my vigil. It ran for 45 minutes and put out quite a bit
of heat. At the end of 45 minutes I shut if off. Now I wonder if it
will run for longer periods.

I would have given up on the fireplace if I did not keep thinking back
to January, 1997. Beaumont had a major ice storm. Electric power was
off for several days and the temperature was below freezing. I was in
London, England, at the time, but my neighbors told me how they slept
in their living room by their gas-fired fireplace. The house had no
other source of heat. Some day the electricity may go off here in
Frisco during the winter months. I might be dependent on the fireplace
for warmth. That thought is what has driven me to get the fireplace
working properly.

I cannot be sure that the fireplace is completely problem free, but it
is definitely improved over the way it was when it was first turned
on. Then it took less than ten minutes for the limit switch to trip.

Hanging in There

Last night I received an email from a former neighbor in Beaumont. She
told me not to worry so much and that my realtor would make it happen.
Some how those words made me feel better. My realtor has not given up
on the sale and sounded confident when I talked to her on Friday that
the sale will take place.

The new washing machine seems to work much better and finish its
cycles in a shorter time than the first machine. I am beginning to
think the first machine had problems from day one. It would sit and
pause for periods of time. The new one does not pause as much. These
machines are a radical new design, and it is not possible to know
exactly how they are supposed to operate.

I got out yesterday and did a little Christmas shopping. The traffic
on Preston Rd. close to the mall was bumper to bumper. Everybody had
the same idea.

This morning I had the fireplace on for twenty minutes. Tomorrow I
will give it the lengthy test to tell the story. At least it is
improved over the way it originally was. The first time the limit
switch tripped, I think it had been on less than ten minutes. The
cause of that problem was obviously the disconnected vent pipe elbow
inside the fireplace. I am not convinced the piping in the attic is
free of restrictions. Tomorrow I will know.

I have been having problems with my bank concerning my ATM and Visa
CheckCard. Last weekend I noticed the Visa CheckCard had expired. I
use the CheckCard only when I am travelling out of the country.
Foreign ATM's do not recognize the plain ATM card. I have had success
with the card with the Visa logo on it. Foreign ATM's also require a
four-digit PIN and do not accept longer ones. Last Monday I called
customer service and was on the phone over thirty minutes trying to
get them to link my cards as I wanted them and send me a new Visa
CheckCard. I did determine that they had not mailed a new Visa
CheckCard. They could give me no reason for that. The woman I talked
to cancelled my ATM card and then told me she could not link the ATM
card to the checking and savings as it had been if the Visa CheckCard
was linked only to the checking account. She called her supervisor and
she could not fix things. I gave up in frustration and called the vice
president back in Houston who is my personal customer service contact.
He immediately linked my accounts the way I wanted them to the new
cards. I cannot understand how two people who set up the cards full
time could not accomplish what a man who has many responsibilities and
who does not spend much time with the cards could do immediately.

Anyway yesterday afternoon my neighbor knocked on my door. She had a
sealed paper that looked like it might be a check for me that was left
in her mailbox. It turned out to be a six-digit PIN for the new Visa
CheckCard. The new ATM and the new Visa CheckCard were in my mailbox.
I was really mad when I saw that six-digit PIN. Also the new Visa
CheckCard did not have my picture on it. I sent an email to the vice
president with my latest complaints. I called and activated the new
Visa CheckCard and then drove to a bank branch to test the new cards.
The Visa CheckCard would not allow me to draw money out of the savings
account, but I did make a withdrawal from the checking account. I was
able to get balances on both accounts with the new ATM card. I
concluded both cards were linked the way I wanted them. I am hoping I
can go back to the back and change the PIN. Why am I always fighting
these complications?

Another Day - No Closing

The Beaumont house is taking center stage in my thoughts. Yesterday
morning I called Stewart Title Co. in Beaumont and talked to the lady
who has been working on the closing and asked her for the status of
the closing. She told me the mortgage company was waiting on the buyer
to provide an additional paper. Late yesterday afternoon my realtor
called and said the mortgage company was refusing to fund the loan
until my buyer supplies a certain paper. She said the problem is part
of his personal papers were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. The buyer
is from New Orleans. The buyer is an attorney who works for a land
company. He has been living in a hotel in Beaumont since January. My
realtor said there are government programs to help people who are in
his situation. She has put him in contact with a bank in Beaumont to
try and get his loan from that bank. My realtor thinks the sale will
still go through, but it is going to take longer. Needless to say the
worry centers in my brain are becoming quite active.

I did a little house cleaning yesterday. The circuit breaker in the
master bedroom did not trip when I plugged my upright vacuum cleaner
in the same outlet I had used the day before when I used the canister
vacuum. I have not checked to see if the canister vacuum has a larger
motor and draws more current than the upright vacuum.

I ran the fireplace for about fifteen minutes while I was preparing my
lunch yesterday. There were no problems. I am building my courage to
try it for longer periods that might trip the limit switch. Meagan is
coming to my house on Tuesday morning for the 90-day walk through. I
want to give the fireplace a good test before the walk through.

New Washing Machine

Sears delivery managed to arrive within the designated time window and
deliver the new washing machine in spite of the ice and snow that was
on the streets. As far as I can tell, the new machine has no scratches
or dents. The delivery men were very careful and got the first machine
out of the laundry room and brought in the new machine with no
problems. On Tuesday the repairman pointed out that the first machine
was missing a cover plate on the detergent dispenser. I was not aware
that there was supposed to be one. I checked the new machine, and it
is has the cover.

After the delivery men left, I rewashed the towels that were used to
test the first machine. I know they were not rinsed properly. The new
machine washed the towels with no problems. I consider myself very
fortunate to get the brand new machine and not have to wait to find
out if repairs would fix the problems with the first machine. I am
very grateful to the Sears salesman in Beaumont who arranged the
delivery of the new machine.,

I called my realtor yesterday morning and left a message for her to
call me and give me an update on the closing status on the Beaumont
house. At 3:30 I had not heard from her and called the Coldwell Banker
office. The realtor was in the office. She said she had a call into
the title company, but they had not returned the call. She said she
was assuming there was a delay in the getting the papers from the
mortgage company. She said she would call me back as soon as she heard
something. I told her that I had contacted all of the utilities, and
they were going out of my name on November 30. She said that was all
right. I immediately called the insurance company and told them not to
cancel the insurance. The Texas Windstorm policy will not be canceled
until I fax the form to them, and I had not done that. I have my
fingers crossed that the closing will take place today.

The temperature was 25 degrees when I got up this morning. I turned
the fireplace on and let it run a little longer than yesterday
morning, but it was still not long enough to find out if the limit
switch will trip.

UPS arrived a little after 6 PM with the SD memory card for my new
Palm. I had a little problem inserting it into the the Palm. Finally I
realized that Palm had shipped the PDA with a fake plastic card in the
slot. After I removed the plastic, the new memory card slipped right
in. I then transferred some files to the card, and there were no
problems.

The temperature is supposed to warm up to about 50 today. There is
still a little snow on the ground, but it will not last long. I am
going to stay home today so I will be here for calls from Beaumont.
Tomorrow it will be warm enough to go out and run my errands. More
cold weather is predicted for Dallas over the weekend.