Waiting for Godot

It's raining. Really raining. I actually wrapped Maggie in a giant plastic raincoat this morning because I was afraid we would be soaked going down to the bus in the elevator. Mercifully, the downpour stopped just in time to get her on the bus. Now it's started again, but I'm drinking coffee in the warm house and she is safely at school, so it's fine. The sound of the raindrops on the window is sort of comforting

Until you hear water hit somewhere away from the window and you can't figure out where. That is not comforting. I will find it eventually.

I am stuck in the house today and not simply because it's raining. Tim has my car all day. He sold his truck but needs to get to work, so he gets the money from the sale and I don't have a car. Interesting how that works out.  It doesn't matter today, though because and I have to wait for the stove guy AGAIN. I believe this is the eighth scheduled visit regarding the purchase of our new stove on October 26. They didn't show up for all of them, mind you, but I've spent half of November waiting for these jokers.

1) Initially they delivered the stove and could not install it because there was an electrical outlet in the way. That one is on us. Our former stove was duel fuel and this one is not. We paid a contractor $100 to move the 220 electrical line and rescheduled the install.

2) They came out the next week and discovered that the opening was not wide enough for the new stove. (We had the granite installed after the old stove and they cut it to fit instead of making a standard cut. The guy can do it himself, but I had to pay $125. I complained that the guy had not mentioned it the week before - because Steve could have cut if for nothing. They knock $30 off the price and I said OK. Only problem is the guy cut too far and left a one inch slice/hole in my granite. I was not pleased. Steve even less so.

After damaging my granite, they took the old stove down, brought the new one up (16 stairs) and did the install. The guy then noted that the new stove was defective because it was leaking gas. He suggested they install it and I call sears to get someone out here to fix it. I said no. Take it away. I'm not keeping a defective stove and please bring my old stove back up here because I have to have SOMETHING (the stove top worked on the old one but the oven did not.) They tried to weasel out of it because of the steps, but I insisted.

They did not like me.

I was really torn up about that.

And so was my granite.

3) They came back the next week with the new stove and installed it fine, but did not fix the granite. In addition we noted that the drawer on the stove was hanging at an angle. That was not an install problem, I had to get Sears out here. Drawer needs repair and granite needs repair but stove works. Some progress.

4) Sears comes out and fixes the drawer. That works fine.

5) Installer sends someone out to do the granite repair. Nice enough guy. He is putting things together and I notice the stuff he intends to use is bright white. I said no. It has to match. He says, "don't worry, we will go over it with a marker." I just looked at him and said, "you know I do wipe down the counters every day and the marker will just wear off. It HAS TO MATCH."  He leaves promising to call me back in an hour after heading to get the right stuff. He never calls back.

6) They arrange to come back Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I try to time my pies etc so the oven is not blasting hot when they get here. I needn't have worried. They never showed up.

 7) They reschedule for Monday and the guy calls me saying he'll be here in an hour. I ask if he has matching stuff and he says it's clear. Sigh. I am ready to allow it, but call Steve who says absolutely not. We don't have to settle and he's right. Steve calls the owner and describes the exact fix he expects. They call off the guy en route to my house (though I had already waited most of the morning)

SO    now it's number 8. But it's 10AM and I haven't heard a word form them yet. I don't want to get in the shower and miss them. I don't want to do anything. I just want this to be finished.

This stove better last me the rest of my life.
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Update: one hour later.  I called to see where the guy was and found out he can't do it today - AFTER I waited three hours for him to show. No one bothered to call me. He did come by and explained what he needs to do to fix it and he wasn't prepared today. Lovely. So reschedule #9 will be made at some point. I just texted the owner and said I want my $95 back or I will start charging him for waiting time which he cannot afford. My hourly rate is quite high.

Adventures Abound!

One week until school starts. I feel terrible. August was going to be the month Maggie and I had daily adventures. There have been adventures, certainly, but nothing too fun for her. Tomorrow we are heading to the zoo, though, so that will be good. In the meantime we are creating adventures wherever we find ourselves.

Maggie has been asking for various things on her talker and I am trying to comply for a couple of reasons. I want to make her happy and I want to encourage her to understand the power of communication. It's been a learning experience for both of us.

Maggie loves to "cook" as she calls it. That means she hangs out in the kitchen throwing dishtowels and lids to pots while I prepare a meal. When I asked her to point to the stove and she just looked lost. We learn through experience. Maggie sees the stove all the time and knows that I cook on it, but she didn't have any reason to connect the word "stove" to the big box on the kitchen. How often do you actually call something by its name. When I said where is it "Hot" - she pointed to the stove immediately. Of course that makes sense because I always position her where she can't reach it and tell her she can't touch that because it's "Hot".

It's time to start explaining things as I go along. I used to do that all the time when she was little, but sort of dropped the habit. Now that she has a deeper understanding of things, it's time to start again. When I made macaroni salad the other night (because Maggie kept saying "picnic") I had her put her hand in the cold water, and had her feel the macaroni before I cooked it. I told her it was going in the very hot water (which I did not let her touch, thenkyouverymuch). Then I gave her the cooked macaroni to squish in her hands. It was as thought I could see her understanding the process. She thought it was hilarious when at dinner I told Steve and Tim that we were having picnic food because Maggie requested it and that she helped make the macaroni salad. Their ooohs and ahhs were right on the mark.

Today our adventures will have to be close to home. Tim is taking the car all day, so Maggie and I will be forced to hang in the neighborhood. That's fine. Considering we had an adventure in our own kitchen, we know there are plenty of things to explore and learn right here.

We may go wild and head downstairs to the washer and dryer. It's time she started earning her keep around here.