Tuesday, December 23, 2008

A Christmas Ghost?

We finished up shopping yesterday. I had a special project that I was working on and "The Ghost of Christmas Past" must have taken up residence here this past week. My project has been put on hold, anytime you count on certain pieces of equipment to work as advertised..they don't. It is just a long line of many irritants lately.

First there was a thermostat that wouldn't shut off, It was a balmy 85 degrees in here. Then the "New" one would not turn the furnace blower on. So I froze to near death.

Then there is the water circulating pump that brings the warm water from the wood boiler outside, it began to make funny noises. Some special stuff that only cost one arm was added to the boiler water. A replacement sits at the ready all warm and toasty to be rewired and installed if need be.

Far Guys Bunn coffee maker sprung a leak, not all the time, but intermittently..sometimes it would leak and sometimes not. ( I did not try any stop leak either) Often the counter top was full of clear water. We went to town and since he is the coffee drinker, he chose a different kind of coffee maker, one that dispenses a cup at a time, no carafe to break..and this one does not leak ..yet.

One morning last week the "Ghost" got my computer monitor. It was fine at 2 AM and black at 6AM. We hooked up Far Guys monitor to my computer and it was definitely a monitor problem (Sylvania). I got a new HP 19 inch, it is OK, takes up about the same amount of space as my old 17 inch monitor. Far Guy nearly put out his back trying to load the last one on the shelf into a cart..they are wired down. It seems some people grab them off the shelves and run out of the store.

Far Guys Christmas gift ( the one I wanted him to want), might be coming on time..hooray! At 7:30 this morning the phone rang, it was the mailman "You have a package ! What should I do with it?" Luckily I got to the phone before Far Guy, I replied "Deliver it!" HA! That's what the Postal Service is supposed to do! Our mail man is lazy, he would rather we pick up the offending package at the Post Office. Fooled him!!

Then I checked the email, it was from the company that I ordered the what I want him to want gift. It follows :
Thank you for shopping with us.
Due to a technical error, the wrong item was sent out to your address.
We have since corrected the error and reshipped the item out to you at ***.You will receive it by approximately some time next week, or very latest the week after.
Our sincere apologies again for this error, please let me know if youhave any further questions on this order.

My Reply: What am I supposed to do with the item that YOU sent in error? Is it Like a Merry Christmas thing? The Mail Man just called and he is delivering the wrong package this morning. End of message, nope no Christmas Hugs and Kisses or Wishes from me.

People not doing what they are supposed to do irritates me to no end. Equipment that must be disposable and not working when I want it to work irritates me. If I were a drinker I would be three sheets to the wind today. What kind of throw away, lazy, good for nothing society have we become???

On a lighter note, I am baking, Pumpkin Bread cause my Grands love it, and I will wrap some up for the neighbors and smile this afternoon when it is delivered. Oh yes, It snowed again..another four inches to add to this wonderful winter wonderland we call Minnesota.

Pumpkin Bread : A wonderful recipe from Joyce! 4 eggs, 3 Cups of Sugar, 2/3 Cup Water, 1 Cup Oil, 2Cups Pumpkin or a 15 oz can ( I like Libbys), Mix and add 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1, teaspoon Nutmeg, 1 (plus, I like cinnamon and use about two ) teaspoon Cinnamon, 2 teaspoons Baking Soda, 3 1/3 Cups of Flour..Mix well. Bake 350 degrees for one hour ...will fill two loaf pans. Will also fill 7 small loaf pans..bake time is decreased to about 35 minutes with the smaller pans. Try to remember to spray your pans before you fill them..if you don't then sometimes they stick to the bottom of the pan.. and you are left with half of the loaf in the pan..that's what happened with my first batch..the Grands won't mind..I tried my best to put the bread together like a big ole puzzle.

Now IF I could just get everyone to tell me what time they are coming and going, and for what meals they will be here for..I really could smile and enjoy the rest of the day. Oh ya, I am just the Mom, I am supposed to know this stuff.:)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poor you - sounds like Christmas stress! But I do agree with you - our consumer society is based on throwing away equipment after a short time of usage. Still, with the environment very much in focus, perhaps businesses will realize what a waste we are creating and go back to making products that last!

The pumpkin bread sounds delicious!

Enjoy your winter wonderland and Christmas with the family!

Sorry about Far Guy's pressie - same happened with my Dad's present - out of stock although they told me it was in stock... Kind of difficult to fix when I'm in Sweden and he's in England...

Still - managed to get him something else!

RURAL said...

Thank you! I really needed a good chuckle. And what a hilarious post man you have. At least yours calls or shows up. Ours seems to be taking Fridays, and Mondays off lately. Oh well, the bills still make it through.....

Funny how all things seem to go wrong at the same time, I like that you reference it to the Christmas Ghost. I was thinking more along Murphy's Law. Hope that Far Guy enjoys his new coffee maker, did he get a tassimo. Best cup of coffee I have ever had came from those kind of machines.

I am just hoping to get to work today, the driveway and the lane are barely passable, but we must persevere right? And besides they like it when we show up.

Relax, drink some hot chocolate, and enjoy the snow. Merry Christmas!

Jen

Andrea said...

Sorry to hear about your gift for Far Guy...that's disappointing. But the pumpkin bread sounds delicious!!!

Lattice said...

Okay, we're having similar experiences here--I can't get NUTHIN' done the past few days! And I'm praying things will somehow miraculously work out for you to receive Far Guys' gift (that you want him to want) when you want it... AND I'm not "everyone," but I'm willing to help get the "Happy Far" bandwagon started, so here goes: I will NOT be coming or going for ANY meals, okay?! ;~) In fact, as our eldest seems to possibly have contracted chicken pox, we prob'ly won't be going A-N-Y-W-H-E-R-E for awhile!

Jeanne Estridge said...

You sound a little frazzled -- very unlike the usual everything-under-control-Connie I've grown accustomed to. Glad to see you're human like the rest of us!

Have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends!

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Love your blog, it reflects my life so well. Will be visiting often during the coming year.
Jo

linda m said...

Merry Christmas!! Your Christmas "Ghost" sounds just like "someone" we all know and love that lives in our house here in "snowy" WI. Love your blog. I plan on visiting it a lot. Have a wonderful Hloiday Season; I just know everything will work out. After all you are "mom" and as everyone knows moms can do everything. :) LOL!

Coffee with Cathy said...

So sorry for all the havoc your Christmas Ghost has been inflicting on y'all. Can you send it (nicely) to somebody else's house -- preferably someone you don't like? And when you figure out how to get everybody to tell you when they'll be at your house and how long they're going to stay and what meals they might require, please let me know. With a workaholic husband and two grown daughters with their own families and friends coming and going, I can't get a straight answer out of anybody!

The Wife said...

I just wanted to stop by and wish you a Merry Christmas!

flydragon said...

Holy cow!! What the hecks' going on at your house? I'm sorry, but, thanks for the laugh you gave me.