Chores and Errands
I’m a home body. I can go days without backing the car out of the garage. Therefore, needed errands tend to pile up on my various to-do lists, and I tackle them in batches. Today was such a day.
However, the day first started off with a household chore. Pumping out the septic system. This is something every well-informed homeowner knows needs to be done about every three years. Trouble is we didn’t become well-informed until 14 years in. Fortunately, there were no other problems that first year other than having to have it pumped out in two separate trips.
The other trick a well-informed homeowner knows is that every filter needs to be changed periodically. But the homeowner would also have to know of the existence of said filter. So, we once had a slight flooding situation in the basement. I now know about that filter. And while I was recently cleaning our portable dehumidifier for the winter, I discovered it, too, had a filter. We’ve had that thing since 2002.
The septic pumping went smoothly, and I was on my way. The first stop was a framing shop where I’m having Nicole’s senior portrait framed. All I needed to do was to approve the frame selection someone else had made for me (one of those experts I like to rely on for any and all design decisions). That was quick.
The next stop was Toyota. Somewhere along the line, we have misplaced (I assume permanently) the second key to my car. We’ve been with one key for quite some time, and I have become increasingly anxious about it. When I brought the car in, they told me it was an expensive key ($250) and would require programming, so I was warned it would be a while. About an hour and a half.
That was okay, because I had brought my grocery bags, and there was a grocery store across the street. After planning my menus with my iPad and entering my grocery list onto my iPhone, I headed over.
On the way to the grocery store, I walked by a hardware store. So I ran in and picked up supplies for an upcoming project. Painting the pink laminate desk top in Meagan’s room. Wish me luck. Pinterest says it can be done.
I left the grocery store with my pocketbook and three full totes (two with groceries; one with an iPad, a book in case I had down time, and the supplies from the hardware store), and headed back to Toyota. While walking back, I was in one of my rare good moods. Everything was going well, and I was getting things accomplished. And then the thought occurred to me that whenever I feel like that while accomplishing errands, something invariably happens to smash that mood.
After having lunch in the Toyota cafeteria and at the hour and a half mark precisely, I got a phone call from the service rep.
They didn’t have the key in stock.
I’m proud of myself. I did not yell. I actually managed to convey my annoyance in a mature manner.
I’ll be getting the replacement key next week at half price.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the picture frame was ready by then?
