Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Scenes of the Day

My day has involved...



furnace repair...  and....



baking pumpkin bread.

Never let it be said that I'm not versatile...

With temps in the low teens, Mary Ann and Jackie's furnace decided today would be a good day to stop working. The gas logs kept us cozy in the living room and the furnace repair guy came out and put the hose back on, which was the problem. But, after he left, and the furnace kicked off, it wouldn't come back on. The hose was off again. We know, because Mary Ann and I went out and took the panel off and put it back on. Only to have the same thing happen.

I told Jackie, "we need something like a clamp that holds a dryer vent on, only much smaller."

The furnace guy came back. And put on a clamp like what holds a dryer vent on, only much smaller.

I loved this man's attitude, too. He didn't charge them for the two visits, saying, "All I did was take out two screws and put a hose back on. And I know when you get ready to replace the unit you'll call me." Now there's a fellow who understands customer service. And how to get business.

Oh that he would share this mentality with the people who work on my house, or give me bids to work on my house - one of which once included a fee of $75 for "replacing the aerator on the upstairs sink." In case you don't know, that's the little thing that screws off the end of your faucet in the kitchen sink. It costs maybe $3 if you get a fancy one - if there even is such a thing - and is probably sold at upscale places like Wal-Mart. You screw off the old one, screw on the new one, and charge the customer $75.

I looked at the guy, laughed, and said, "Do you think ovaries make me particularly stupid, or do you just assume all your potential customers are idiots?" Needless to say, he is NOT my plumber. And I try to warn others away from him whenever I can, but he is doing a booming business, no doubt screwing people over while screwing on aerators.

But... I digress...

This afternoon, I went to Jim's and made him some pumpkin bread. It's one of his very favorite things. His wife, Mattie, is in the hospital, so I wanted to make him something he would enjoy munching on while she's not there cooking for him. I thought of pumpkin bread as I was driving up there.

Mama made him tons of the stuff, and he loves it. Mattie had everything on hand except pumpkin but a quick trip to the store fixed that.

I didn't eat any of it, but I hope it is good. I was liberal with the pecans, just like Jim likes. Fortunately, the recipe was on the blog, so that was mighty convenient. Where, you ask? Right here at this click. You, too, can be making pumpkin bread.