Having the puppies leave for their new families is rewarding.
Having the puppies leave for their new families is rewarding.
No matter how many times I tell myself this, it doesn’t make it any easier, I miss my puppies! A few days after they went off on their new paths, we had family come to visit. That was a welcome distraction.
Especially when they brought their own cute doggies along.
And of course, I still have this pup.
Who looks all grown up with her new haircut.
We have had one problem after another. So many that they are blending into one another, to form one big blob of problematic messiness. But none too big, just an ongoing onslaught.
I tripped and cracked a rib, one puppy got sick, another got slightly injured, but all are okay. I had a three year old washer break, replaced it with a brand new one that didn’t work, was lucky enough to get that one replaced and the newest one floods my laundry room. I wasn’t shopping for the best deal, or certain options on the machines, I was just taking what the store could get and was glad to get one. But man, none of them were working?
Of course during the pandemic, we are used to shortages and I figure that if my biggest issue is having trouble replacing appliances (I am looking at you, 8 month back order on a dishwasher), I am doing okay.
Our hot tub died on us last year, and one turned up to buy last week. It was not the one we wanted, but it was the one we could get. It worked and we were glad to get it.
I started to climb in the other day for a relaxing soak on my achey rib after pulling weeds in the garden, had my shirt half off when I looked up to see a workman in the tower.
He had a bird’s eye view of a grandma starting to strip. Poor guy.
Our hot tub area is typically private, but a couple times a year, some brave soul climbs the tower to work on it. I am not complaining about that either, that tower has been lucrative to us.
Our desk top Mac needed replaced, I was able to get one, not the one I wanted, but one I needed. iPads were in stock, Rich could replace his along with his broken Rigid drill (whose ID number was blurred and the warranty wasn’t honored). We needed a new microwave, tires for my car, three new outdoor and two indoor faucets replaced. Our camper has developed a weird electrical thing and hundreds of dollars later, is still not right. There are more little broken issues, big issues, sad things, annoying things, but I am trying to look at it from the point of view that somehow it works out and we are lucky to afford the repairs, replacements, and to find something in stock somehow to get that done, even with shortages.
Then, our 7 month old truck broke down in Southern Missouri while Rich was camping. The pandemic shortages became hard to ignore when we discovered it could be up to six months to get the part to fix it. And I spent hours on the phone with rental companies trying to find a way to get a truck to the Ozarks to pick up Rich, Honey, and the RV.
Our local dealership came through and loaned us this shiny, blue savior and I drove 6-1/2 hours to fetch them and scoop them up to bring home.
So far, the GM dealer is treating us very well and we hope to get this solved in a way that we don’t miss the rest of boating and camping season by not having a truck for months.
Except for a sick puppy, who is better, and a sore rib which is getting better, it’s all just stuff right? (Expensive stuff, but just stuff) I know that and have been rolling with it as good as I can.
Believe me, I know that I am speaking from privilege and that my life is good, these are minor things. I’m quick to thank and commiserate with the salesmen, clerks, repairmen, and parts people who are dealing with the brunt of not being able to get the things that are needed. My problems are small.
After losing a son, losing a truck doesn’t seem like much.
But, a series of stresses does add up and I felt pretty dang sorry for myself yesterday. My rib hurt, I’d been in the truck for 13 hours, and I just didn’t want to think about the deeper reasons that there were so many empty shelves and so few choices when shopping. Driving through parts of Missouri where the virus is spreading like wildfire and hospitals are over filled, and seeing that no one is wearing masks was the final straw.
While I work on being grateful for what I have, it is painful to know that the virus is still spreading and the healing our world needs has slowed down and instead things are getting worse again, not better.
