Pictures......and other Thoughts

Before and after:

I think it turned out great!

In other news, today is the 1 year anniversary of my dad passing away.  A very sad day, to be sure. Filled with lots of memories of this day.  My brother and I were with him when he took his last breath. I can vividly remember how he looked.  I miss him very much.   The memories of our whole life are both bitter and sweet.  But thank God, we have these memories as a family.  Sometimes I think it's all that gets us through.

I've been spinning - still working on the burgundy.  And knitting the poncho.  Which appears that it's going to present a problem.  I'm running out of one of the colors.  Have no more to spin up.  I'm gonna have to come up with Plan B.  But I think it'll have to be put aside for a while until I do.  Oh well.  Guess I'll have to start something else.  Not so frustrating right now, because there's other things to get done around the house.  No major knitting marathon.

I did finish the "ugly socks"!  Thank goodness.  I managed to get rid of this superwash Merino thats been hanging around for years.  Am not a fan of superwash!  However, I do love to ply it with other wools.  So, needless to say,  oh yeah.  I have lots of superwash.  I just can't resist the feel and the striated coloring in the roving.  Yep. Sucker.  But I will never, ever spin a yarn of strictly superwash!

Well, what would a rainy, cold day be without a few gripes.  So here goes:

We purchased a new A/C a couple weeks ago.  The tail end of winter was still with us, so there was no need to hook it up right away.  Did this last week.  It is not the same make as the one we already have.  BIG mistake.

We have a Haier that we bought about 5 yrs ago.  It's one of those big ones you can roll around (I can not understand the concept of "rolling around" an A/C!)  Never had a lick of trouble with it. Love it!  Ah, but this time, BH wants to buy the same type from the big box home improvement store.  Because we get a year to pay it off with no interest.  Okey dokey, then.

Unfortunately, it is not a Haier.  It's a name that is just now coming onto the marketplace.  And it's half the size, but a 1/4 more BTU's.  The salesman assured us that it is a top-notch machine! No problems, no complaints.

Not exactly.  First, the window piece to connect the exhaust hose comes in 3 sections.  If it doesn't fit your window, you need to cut the extension piece down.  No problem; done.  Ah, but it's too low in the window; can't connect the hose.  Take the cut off piece, add it to the other extension and create a 2-level connection.  But now there are gaps where the 2 pieces don't quite sit level on top of each other.  No problem.  Get out the duct tape.  Done.  Connect the hose.  But it's fashioned like a clothes dryer hose, and you have to make sure the wire is in the 2 little grooves and then twist it around until it's set; do this on both ends.  Except, when you get the one end secured and start twisting the other, the set one pops out.  Aaarrgggghhh!(This is not the word I used. Let your imagination run wild!)

Finally done.  Whew.  But later that evening, we're watching tv, go to turn the channel, and the temp reading on the unit goes up.  Hit the tv remote again, and a different function on the A/C is engaged.  WTF!!  The tv remote controls the A/C!!  Let me say, the unit is not facing the direction of the tv remote.  A little while later, it doesn't seem like this thing is blowing enough cold air.  The temp is set at the lowest - 61 degrees ---- because it's 98 degrees outside!  AND it seems the condensor is not staying on.  Therefore,  later that evening,  the "Full" light is on.  Which means the water tank is FULL!!  WHAT??!!  Read the manual.

"If the 'Full' light is on, you need to empty the tank.  Place a pan, no deeper than 1" under the drain plug, open plug and let the water drain".   You think so?  There is no room under the drain plug!  It is like 1/4" off the floor!! Shit. Shit. Shit.  Our Haier sits in the hottest part of the house, and in 5 yrs., we have never, ever had to drain the tank!  And the air flow is great! Very powerful.

The tank has not yet been drained and the unit has been off for the last 3 days.  I want to take it back to the store.  I want my money back!  Despite the big tag attached to the unit that read "DO NOT RETURN THIS UNIT TO THE POINT OF PURCHASE".    Yeah.  Right.  You don't know who you're messin' with!

Oh, and one more little glitch to this saga.  The box.  The unit is packed in the box with 3" of styrofoam all around it and a 2" very hard cardboard frame on top and bottom.  You can't get the thing out of the box without ripping apart one side.  And the cardboard frame on the bottom of the unit? Is also the bottom of the box.  There is no bottom to the box.  This makes it a bit difficult to pack it up and take it back to the store.  There is no box left.

I should have stuck with my 17 fans!