Simply Norma

It’s now been a little over a couple of months since we bought our new Ford Escape and during this time we’ve been training ourselves on all the neat features it has, especially the use of the hands free lift gate that is supposed to work by kicking your foot under the back bumper. But, it hasn’t quite worked.

At first we thought our problem was “user error” but after two months we decided we weren’t THAT slow in learning. So, off to the Ford dealer we went. I made an appointment for a Friday morning and was told that it might take a couple of days to fix so they gave me a loaner car. Late Monday morning I called to see if we could pick the car up later in the day but was told that they hadn’t even looked at it yet.

Needless to say, I was not happy with the repair shop. I asked them “Why make an appointment if you’re not going to look at the car on that day?” He didn’t really have a good answer. Later that afternoon they called to tell me that the problem was a “defective motor” and that it would be a couple days for the part to come in.

The following day I received a call letting me know it would be a week before the part would come in because it was on backorder. Hmmm … no parts for new cars?

A week later … well, you know where this is going, right? We took the car in on November 2nd and we’re still waiting. (No, we did not keep the loaner car but instead decided to get our car back until the part came in.)

Last week, I tweeted with the Ford dealer people at headquarters and received a call from a manager who told me she would escalate our getting the part and would get back to me in one week. One week? That’s an escalation?

What’s ironic about this whole thing is that here we are in the middle of the busiest shopping season and the so-called wonderful feature they have to help with putting packages in the car hands free doesn’t work. The hatch won’t open with my key fob either as the lights give a quick blink and then it does … nothing. Well, okay, on occasion it MIGHT work.

The last time I heard from the local dealership was the day after Thanksgiving when he told me that he would contact me this week as that’s when he would get the next update. Yes, you read that correctly. He would get an update not a part.

The manager at headquarters told me she was not aware of any part that was on backorder.

In addition to this problem, the car’s navigation screen and radio turn off as it performs “maintenance” on an almost daily basis — sometimes twice a day and sometimes twice an hour. We don’t know what that’s about. I called and they walked me through re-booting the master system in the car but it still turns off at least once a day. There is an error that pops up before it turns off but it goes away too quickly for us to write down what it says.

In effect, I’ll be using the navigation system and the whole thing will turn off for a couple of minutes and I’m left in limbo as to where I’m going. If nothing else, I’m learning not to depend on the navigation system.

I was told that if the master re-boot didn’t work that I needed to take it in to the local dealership for repair or call them back. I think I’ll wait for the part to come in before making another trip to the dealership though.

For now, I’m thankful the car runs and that this re-boot problem doesn’t turn the engine off also.

More updates later …

Friday mornings, with laptop in tow, I like to head out of the house and spend time catching up on my reading, and sometimes, my blogging. My “normal” place to go is Starbucks even though their hot chocolate is not the best (their white chocolate is not too bad though).

Pulling into the parking lot, I noticed lots of parked cars. Hmmm, I thought to myself, am I going to find a place to sit down inside? Grabbing my laptop carrier, I headed into the store and promptly walked out. Every table and chair was taken.

My options are unlimited at this point. I could head 1/2 a mile to Caribou Coffee, a mile and a half to Dunn Brothers or a mile to Panera’s.

My choice today was Panera mainly because I knew they would have a lot of seating and my chances of finding a quiet corner were higher.

The few times that I’ve been to this Panera I’ve had maybe a couple of people ahead of me in line — but not so today. There was a long line. I wonder why all these people are out today? Could it be that the holiday season brings out groups of people to meet in coffee houses?

After picking up my order of a hot chocolate and egg and cheese sandwich, I sat down, took out my laptop and looked up.

What an interesting phenomena, I thought. What am I talking about you ask?

Looking up I saw groups of people talking and laughing and nary a laptop computer around. I am the oddball here. When I walked into Starbucks everyone I saw had a laptop in front of them. Hmmm … I wonder why there’s such a difference. Then I noticed “it.”

The people I had seen at Starbucks were all young(er) whereas the people I’m looking at right now are all older then I am. A totally different crowd.

Could I infer from this that older people have not forgotten that face-to-face contact is necessary for survival? The older, the wiser? Human contact is not lost?

No, I guess I can’t infer that although it seems like a logical thought pattern to follow. I know plenty of young people who socialize face-to-face with other people.

The older people around me are definitely engaged with each other. No looking at smart phones or computers — nothing is distracting them except the faces of those around them. They are smiling, nodding, listening and enjoying the conversation they are having.

I like it. There is an “aliveness” to it. Perhaps, instead of a cyber Monday or black Friday, just perhaps we should have a “no technology week.” Now THAT would be very interesting.

A normal day might consist of paying bills, cleaning house, etc. etc.Today was almost normal except that I put Musica Navidad on (old old music) and my energy level went sky high. The upbeat Puerto Rican music has always had that effect on me. Played on high volume, the music permeates every corner of the house and every cell in my being.

With feet dancing and hips moving, I finally finished the odd jobs one does in getting ready for winter: removed and cleaned the mesh screens from the windows, cleaned and stored the deck pillows and window washed.

I’ve been delaying these indoor tasks for days like today when most of the outside work is completed and I can focus on indoor work.

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays … llego llego, llego la Navidad. (it arrived, it arrived, Christmas has arrived).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLnaqyaJYlw

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Arriving in North Dakota for our Thanksgiving family gathering, we were greeted with a drop in temperature and a beautiful site to behold — a red cardinal who was perched lazily on a tree outside the window. How majestic he looks sitting so straight and tall.

We had absolutely no preparations to make for this dinner as the only request was that we drive and arrive safely. Upon entering, the warmth of the house, both in hearts and from heat registers, greeted us. It’s hard to believe that only two years ago we lived on the west coast away from family gatherings.

After all the hugs and hellos, we went to the kitchen where the cook was busy with last minute details.

The uncooked capon sat waiting for the proper time to make its entrance into the oven. Only four hours and this bird would be filling our bellies.

As the North Dakota sun set in the west, our family sat down to a homemade dinner on a table set with china that has been passed down through generations. Traditions are mostly good and this one was no exception as the combination of delicate-looking china with wonderful looking food was a beautiful sight — enough to make our glands salivate.

The table was set and the candles were lovingly lit. As we gathered around the table many jovial remarks were made. Jocularity! Jocularity! So much jocularity!

The feast that lay before us was nothing short of a miracle as each dish was surprisingly good. Normally when a cook makes many dishes one or two tend to “fall short.” But that was not the experience of this day.

The capon was cooked to perfection.

Waldorf Salad, anyone?

I had requested yams with no marshmallows and this dish was delectable. Sliced thinly and fried in butter the yams were both light in texture and taste.

With stomach ready for food, I quickly stopped taking pictures for the evening.

Ahhh!!! I forgot to take pictures of the pumpkin and pecan pies that were served with homemade whipped cream. Oh well … you’ll have to use your imagination.

With bellies full and hearts afloat with thankfulness for the blessings in our lives, we drove to our hotel room with the North Dakota winds and snow blowing across our path.

We woke up to a rather chilly, no, let’s be honest, a rather COLD day and yet visual beauty still found its way to our hearts as the snow gathered on the tree branches who accepted it gracefully with no complaints.

As Sabbath drew near, the majority of the family made their way back home from the movie theatre. We sat around the table again (it’s always nice to sit around the table) and feasted on the pasta casserole our nephew made, pie and more family fellowship.

Soon we’ll be heading back to the quietness of our home where the deer and the buffalo, er, squirrel play. There will be more days in the future to share in family blessings again. Until then, our hearts will store these memories away.

My sister has two of the cutest dogs I’ve ever met. They are cuddly, friendly and lovable. If I were to get a dog … well, that’s a story for another day.

How can anyone resist this cuddly face? They are quite the snugglers.

This next one needs a haircut.

These next two dogs are a lot larger but they are quite friendly. Personality-wise Peanut and Pinto have similar personalities — loving attention. And Peanut is very very strong and obedient.

And lastly is the calm and collected Blue Great Dane — Zeppelin. He likes to be petted and is so obedient — “Go to your bed” his mother tells him, and he goes straight to his bed.

Aren’t they beautiful? And look at this special pose perfect for picture taking.

Yes indeed — an evening with the dogs while watching the Chicago Bears get tromped on (oops! did I say that out loud?).

Dogs are fun to have around but for asthmatic folk one has to be careful not to spend too much time petting them even if they are “hairless.”

Brrr … it’s gotten cold outside — a not-so-balmy twenty-seven degrees. Normally that’s not too cold for me but it feels exceptionally dry and the minute I walked outside the cold seemed to grip my chest like a boa constrictor who wraps himself around a person’s legs.

This is known as asthma-inducing weather — cold and dry. My preparation for this kind of weather is to put an inhaler in every purse and jacket I own so I never forget it. How is this possible for me to have so many inhalers? Ahhh, I knew you’d want to know. (smiling)

When my inhaler expired less than a year ago, I called my doctor and told her I needed a refill and she called it in to my mail-order pharmacy. When I got a large package in the mail I wondered why packaging had to be so large for such a small item until, that is, I opened the package.

Inside were about 10 inhalers. Apparently (although not apparent enough to me) the mail order pharmacies can’t send ONE of anything. They considered this a refill for 90 days, or so the lady I spoke with told me. They weren’t returnable either.

I asked the woman why they wouldn’t call to confirm as I don’t know anyone who uses 10 inhalers in 90 days without having to be admitted into the hospital. She said she would “note” my record for future refills. Uh, no, I’m not planning future refills for one inhaler through your company as you’ve already told me you can’t do it.

The funny thing is that I rarely use my inhaler — perhaps 5 times a year, a day here a day there. I’m an atypical asthmatic who normally gets asthma with today’s type of weather (if I’m unprepared) or if I get a really bad chest cold.

Today I just have to wait for the weather to warm up and I’ll be able to breathe normally again. Thirty minutes have passed and I still have an uncomfortable tight feeling in my chest but have not reached for the inhaler yet as it sometimes goes away by itself.