MORE SEARS SAGA

The Kenmore refrigerator, delivered in August, seems to be working all right. We agree that it’s better than the previous one, which we believed wasn’t cold enough. However, the cooling seems inconsistent.

Actually, we had another Sears event relating to the new dishwasher. In loading it one day, I pushed the top rack into place and a thingamabob fell off the runner. (They call it an end cap, but it’s really a thingamabob.) I discovered this little plastic piece is very important. It keeps the rack from sliding off the runner.

 

So, Mike called the customer service number and was referred to the parts people who readily agreed to send a replacement thingamabob. A couple days later I found it in the mailbox.

Subsequently, I received an email asking me to complete a survey with regard to this transaction. “Your experience is important to us,” read the message. “Please tell us how we did.” I had to laugh. For weeks Sears had shown no concern for our satisfaction with the $2000 refrigerator, while the parts division wanted to know if we were satisfied with a little $10 plastic part. Clearly, the parts manager and the customer service manager are not the same person.

 

No, I didn’t complete that survey, nor did I complete it the next time they asked. As for the end cap, it wouldn’t stay on. Mike suggested a service call, but I was afraid it might count against us if we need other service within the year. So Mike crimped the arm a bit to keep the thingamabob in place. So far so good. But again, although it’s a small issue, it’s still a new appliance with a problem. KW

A WALK ON THE NORTH SIDE

How quickly the time slips away! I took the pictures posted here on Thursday, Sept. 24, which is now more than a week ago. Seems like yesterday. Much has happened since then, though. Mike spent two days packing for a hunting trip to Montana. Now he and Bess are enjoying said trip while Nellie and I are staycating.

One wonderful thing about autumn is that we can walk in the fields, so while Mike was off on his bicycle, the dogs and I walked down the lane and into the fields north of the house and above the draw. I love to see and take pictures from places I don’t ordinarily access. Our destination was the top of the grassy patch you see in the center of this photo.

Of course, the dogs had a blast! Bess ran and ran with the energy of the pup she is, while Nellie ambled and sniffed and pondered the meaning of life. They both seem to enjoy getting off the road as much as I do. Nellie prefers walking in dirt to walking on gravel.

Here you can see the lane which lies on the boundary between "June's place" (left) and ours. This is behind the burned pines which sit where the road turns into the lane. Note the haziness -- smoke from controlled burns.

 

 Here the house and grove are tiny in the center of the picture above the north field. The trees are in the draw.

 A closer shot of the burned pines. Something will have to happen with those, but they aren't on our land.




And below perhaps you can spy Nellie as she investigates one of her favorite spots among the pines.

An interesting point is that while the house appears to sit on a hill from this angle, the bigger view from the south east shows it's actually in a bowl. One neighbor called it "that Dobson hole." KW

AND THE FAVORITE PILLOW IS . . .

When daughter Hallie and Nick visited over Labor Day, Hallie was concerned that old dog Nellie didn't appear to be comfortable on the worn out old dog pillow. She said she had seen a memory foam dog pillow and wondered if Nellie would like it. So, I ordered one from Amazon. 

Two days later, Jeff (the UPS guy) delivered our memory foam pillow. Shopping by price tag, I had purchased one that wasn't big enough for two dogs at one time, but both Nellie and Bess tried it, depending on who got there first. As temps cooled a bit, Nellie began to make herself comfortable at the foot of the bed where I keep extra pillow in shams, leaving Bess to stretch out on the new dog pillow.

Yesterday it occurred to me that Nellie was really saying she didn't care too much for the memory foam pillow. It just doesn't have that cozy "give." I suggested to Mike that we bring down one of the big Costco pillows in storage. We did that, and Nellie immediately curled up on it for a nice long afternoon nap. Last night, Bess got to the pillow first and Nellie was a little put off by that, but eventually she pushed on, too. There's really room for two dogs on the big pillow.

This morning, Nellie opted to nap again on the big pillow instead of going for the morning walk.

So, I think it's clear that Nellie prefers that big Costco pillow. 

[The picture shows Nellie napping comfortably on a large Costco pillow. Also shown are the new memory foam dog pillow and one of the memory foam rugs the dogs used during the summer.]

ENCHANTMENT

 

There’s something about the old homeplace that sparks the imagination. Perhaps it’s the remote location, the old trees, or the abandoned barn. Or maybe it’s something left of the personalities that shaped the place or the bustling activity now swallowed up in quietude – quiet like a house after people leave. Or maybe it’s the landscape, essentially the same after hundreds of years, give or take buildings and trees.

The fire burned the area I call “the park” -- the head of the draw just off the lane. Mike and I have cut some wood there. It’s a lovely area, but I don’t explore it because of tall grass. The fire made it accessible, and for now, it’s been wonderful to investigate the enchantment there.

This tree, apparently a chokecherry, sits in the middle of the park. Mike thinks it will survive the fire damage it sustained. I hope so. Other choke cherry trees were not burned. Last year I discovered cherries on these trees, but not being certain of identification, I didn’t use them. Now that I know they are chokecherries, I regret missing the opportunity because they often don’t bear, probably because it’s too cold in the draw during the spring. Now that I’m reassured as to identification, I’ll watch them more closely.

 

Here’s another sight that lends enchantment – a fir tree apparently growing out from the trunk of a downed tree. Interesting. We aren’t sure where its nourishment came from, and it’s probably over now since the host tree is cut on both ends. Too bad.

Something in us loves a wending pathway disappearing around a bend. The fight against the fire caused new trails to be built and old trails to be revealed. Before they disappear again in undergrowth – because they will – I want to walk along them. It won’t be far.

And sometimes I just make my own enchantment. As we were fertilizing the trees at the pond last spring, Mike suggested we should string a certain pine with solar Christmas lights. We could see it from the house, he said. (Now he tells me he doesn't remember saying it.) I found the idea inspiring and couldn’t wait until Christmas to try it. Taking advantage of my newly fenced garden, I purchased “fairy lights” and strung them along the fence. [You can just make them out in the picture at the top of this post.] Then I established “Pixieville” inside the fence in a couple of old pans we found at a dumpsite on the property.

 

And here’s a picture of the top of the old pine tree that fell, all decked out for Halloween. KW

  

"One less bell to answer . . ."

It’s true. We have joined the ranks of those using only cell phones for voice communication. Please remove our “4500” number from your contacts list.

Actually, we’ve contemplated this move for some time. The land phone seldom rang, and when it did, it was usually not a personal call. Some months back we removed long distance service, and we only needed a little push to be finished with land service altogether. That came three weeks ago in the form of a buzz on the line. An appointment for repair was scheduled, but CenturyLink failed to show.

The only problem is that we don’t have great cell service at either house. The farm sits where service is marginal and the gully location in town isn’t good either. 

By the way, it was unbelievably difficult to unsubscribe from CenturyLink's service. KW

SEARS SAGA

Let’s see – where did we leave off in the saga of the Kenmore Elite refrigerator that wasn't cold enough? I’m not sure, so I’ll just start with late June. I answered the phone one evening and a young-sounding female representing Sears congratulated me for having purchased Kenmore appliances and mentioned the recent successful refrigerator repair.

“Just a minute,” I said, “there was no repair." I explained that the tech said there was nothing wrong with the refrigerator and did not install the parts. "The refrigerator still isn’t cold enough, and we don’t know what to do.”

“Oh!” she said, “I’m sending an email to my supervisor about this right now, and someone will call you.” She assured me that they would call me. I was impressed. At last, someone at Sears was listening. I was sure a resolution would be forthcoming. Wrong!

We waited for the call through that week – and the next – and then it was the Fourth of July. And then Mike settled down to deal with Sears. He learned the outreach call had come from the extended warranty division. Not owning the extended warranty, we didn’t qualify for the services of this division, they said. And besides, they never initiate or return calls to customers. He was advised that the rep who promised a callback from her supervisor would be put on report. They referred him to the general customer service number. So, Mike called that number – and waited on hold – and no real progress was made that day.

The next day he called customer service again. Finally someone agreed to exchange the refrigerator on the grounds that we had initiated complaints within 30 days of purchase. The call took a long time while the rep completed paperwork. She advised us to call back the next day for further info on the exchange, including delivery date.

Mike called again the next day. This time he reached a male who said the agreement to exchange was in error. “Look,” I heard Mike say, “I just spent over $4,000 on Kenmore appliances. Do you mean to say you just don’t care about my satisfaction?” That seemed to be a turning point in the conversation, and with more waiting on hold, the rep agreed to an exchange. They would call us on July 14, he said, to provide the delivery date. (They would call us???)

July 14 came and went with no call from Sears. We weren’t surprised.  Mike and I agreed that we were stuck with the fridge. I turned it down to its lowest setting again, and we enjoyed cooler – if not cold – milk.

Wyoming landscape

Fast forward to July 31. We were stopped for the night in Rawlins, WY, on our way to Denver for a 10-day stay. Checking my email, I found a message from Sears announcing that my new refrigerator would be delivered Monday, Aug. 3. “Arghh!” I screamed. I couldn’t log into the website, but eventually we reached Sears through the customer service number and were able to change the delivery date to August 17 -- not without considerable discussion, though.

As arranged, the new fridge was delivered August 17. It’s just like the previous fridge – cooling issues and all. But – we think it's better than the previous model. It seems these new fridges just aren’t as cold as we’ve come to appreciate. It also makes ice s-l-o-w-l-y, which I believe is a design flaw, and it dispenses water that isn't cold.

Bottom line: If your present refrigerator does a good job for you, don’t be in haste to buy a new one. KW