Landing with a Thump after Two Weeks Abroad

[fruzicle]

After traveling the world to expand my mind and experience about the Middle East, I landed with a thump at home in sunny Southern California to find:

• The furnace won't come on. Fortunately this is SoCal, so the house only goes down to about 62 at night. The bad news is that inside it only climbs to about 65 during the day. Time for permanent sweat shirt/pants wearing! Tobin has said that google makes a nice thermostat and that he is going to get one for us. I do know our thermostat is on the blink. What I'm not sure about is whether the furnace is really functioning properly, too.


• The garbage disposal is busted. This is especially inconvenient as there are several items that got fuzzy in the fridge while I was gone. Now we've resorted to tossing them into the trash, or toilet if they are too liquidy.


• Oscar said that our new front door handles stopped allowing him to lock the door. He solved this by removing a plate which covers the point at which the deadbolt enters the opposing door.  The dealer has promised us that the electronic locking mechanism (which also has never worked) will be replaced for free. All I have to do is send them a check for the correct amount to cover their expenses in case we never return the defective one. Unfortunately, HE has never informed me how much the check should be written for. I talked to him about this once before we left on the Israel trip, and again as soon as we returned, one week ago now. Still waiting. All this is after having the installers mount the door handles one side 1/4 inch higher than the other. They came back and "fixed" it, but it probably led to this newer problem.So much for investing in "nice" doors.


• Not as much of a bother, but Eric, who constantly rails against us for having too much clutter, has moved much of his own stuff into our house in preparation for moving out of his place while he house hunts. Good thing I did some important clearing up before Meredith arrived. Now there's more room for Eric's clutter! Consequently our living/dining area is filled with military memorabilia, flags, model helicopters and space shuttle, and a shrine to fallen Marines in the form of a small table set with a USMC plate and silver. The backyard is now a Stonehenge of large exercise equipment. And his room upstairs has a large array of guns. (I've become a little paranoid about "Big Brother" reading things I post on Facebook. Not sure if they'll pick this post up too. If so, I'm screwed.)

Our weather here has been glorious. On my return last Tuesday, I noted that the entire country all the way from Philly to the Rockies was coated with snow.

Now focusing on Thanksgiving. We'll be going up near Lake Tahoe to visit the whole fam at Mike's gf's Victorian house. It's over a 10 hour drive, but it should be fun and actually what I've always wanted to do, that is, go somewhere for Thanksgiving. Looking forward to seeing all my brothers, their families, and especially our son who has very recently returned to California after living several years in Germany. Oh, and of course snuggling with his Little Dog! (Advice, approach cautiously with doggie biscuits, an enticing voice, and don't attempt to pat her suddenly. Next thing you know, she'll want to sleep somewhere under your covers down near your feet. But that's only if her one and only, Tobin, is not available for the same service.)

Happy Holidays Everyone!