The battery tale . . .

When the temperature outside was cruising around 25° in the northern portion of the state, the silver Camry's battery gave up the fight for existence. With Tripple A's help, I took it to Mr. Roebuck's partner and bought a new one. The facility where I waited, while it was being installed, was not heated. Not.

Everyone in there was complaining about waiting in a deep freezer. With all that hot air, one would think it would warm up the place. Again, not.

Yesterday, in warmer parts, the gold Camry's battery died, the copycat. Again Mr Roebuck's partner was consulted. The words pro rata were spoken. The replacement battery turned out to be less than half the quoted price.

Honor thy guarantee. Not a commandment - just a suggestion. Heh . . .

Just a litte question . . .

I telephoned the insurance company to ask if hurricane shutters are covered for theft under our policy. Turns out they are. It would be just our luck that the shutters are the only thing left standing in case of a repeat of an Andrew type storm.

Too strange to happen? During Andrew, our garden shed was lifted off its foundation, laid on its side against the corner of the fence and peeled open like a grape. The contents were not removed and were left in situ by a caprice of the wind. But large Seagrapes next to the shed were twisted off at the base like a wrung washcloth. Plus, the fence was undamaged.

A repeat of that experience would not be fair, anyway. No one should have to undergo that experience twice in a lifetime. Not if I were running things.

But, I'm not . . .

The sky better not fall . . .

We are in roof replacement mode. This is much more painful than contracting new car fever. It's not exactly something one can point to as innovative. Or is it?

Perhaps a new material? Top sheet? It gets hot-mopped, either way.

We are in pre-hurricane season and hoping rains will hold off - plus no freezes, either. Our young mango tree has about decided to move further south for the winter.

Me, too. And I have about as much chance of going south as that as that little tree does . . .

RV on balance . . .

Our nearby CVS seems to have suffered a sea-change during my absence. New faces staff the pharmacy. One recent afternoon, I took a prescription in and asked if I might wait for it to be filled. She told me it would be just a few minutes. It actually was just a few.

Yesterday evening (bad timing because the evening crowd was ahead of me in a long line) I went to pick up a couple of refills that had been called in. Also, an additional order was to be dropped off and kept on file until needed. Sounds simple, no?

The woman behind the counter gave me our refills and then said I should take the new order to the drop-off window.

"You won't take this?" I asked, holding the prescription out to her.

"They prefer them at the drop-off window." She answered and left it dangling from my fingers.

Fuming, I asked BigEd to make the drop off and went to Publix to shop.

So far, there have been offsetting, good and not-so-good, experiences at the CVS pharmacy counter. The balance is about even.

One would think that the balance arm of a customer service scale would be tilted in favor of the customer. Would not one?

This morning, BigEd's car was left at RV Auto to have brakes done. Roly just telephoned to say that it does not need front brakes, only rear ones, and it should be finished before 10 a.m. He will call me when it is ready.

See, CVS? That's how it's done!

Check out has a new meaning . . .

I have to tell you about my newest favorite device. Since I am commuting between the southern and mid-northern ends of the state, my visits to the library are curtailed. I can not, in good conscience, check out and take library books with me as I travel. Too cumbersome, in any case.

I have a Nook Color, as I may have mentioned once or five times. Electronic books from the library travel well and expire rather than having to be returned.

I received a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas. Happy doesn't begin to describe my reading condition, right now. I have discovered Lisa Scottoline's books and am in the process of soldiering through the list - gratis through the library.

I recently told 01 Doc that I had finally been able to side-load library books from the laptop to the Nook without calling for tech support. It isn't complicated, just scary having to delete a couple of files that sound important. Those files get re-created every time you download, so it isn't as drastic as it seemed that first time.

And, you want to hear another plus? The operating system on the Nook Color upgraded itself and I didn't even know it had.

The little dickens . . .

News from the front . . .

Home for a bit. This has been an extraordinary last quarter of 2010/first month of 2011. We celebrated Christmas in our hearts but without much outward display.

New Years Eve was not observed by our staying up to see the new year in. We probably went to bed by 9 p.m. On New Years day, Zeta and Mark along with Steve-the-computer-guru plus his wife, Elissa, came to see their Grand/Great-Grandmom. They were a breath of fresh air straight to the heart instead of the lungs.

The following day, Zeta and Mark came back to see us before embarking on the long trip back home. This was especially good of them because they both had to be at work the next day - no matter how tiring the trip would prove to be.

I am back at the homestead to get the eyes treated and to see BigEd through his operation. If J's mother did not have such a devoted friend in Mrs. Whittaker, it would have been impossible, almost, to come home. She takes care of the personal attendance that was my job. Helen comes over to do the PT that I was doing, also. Between the two of them plus J who is feeding, responding to requests for assistance, and pushing fluids, I feel relieved about the care J's mom is getting.

We find out on Monday what the details will be for BigEd's coming surgery. Until he is back on his feet, the Orange Park contingent will have to soldier on without my presence.

I wish I were twins . . .