My New Refrigerator/The extended Warranty

I recently had the pleasure of purchasing a new refrigerator. My old one was making a noise and I told the Rancher it might be time to get a new one. He still thinks we have a "NEW" refrigerator. "It has ice and water in the door, and We haven't had it that long." landed on my deaf ears when I observed a picture of granddaughter #1 sitting in the high chair in front of it. She is now 20 years old. The refrigerator is NOT new. It had a good life and it is time to retire it to the utility. I assured him that it would hold all of his Vet supplies and Dr. Pepper and whatever else he wanted to put into it. I would only need it for holidays when I did a log of extra cooking.

Being the patriotic person that I am, we went to Sears. I am told that they are kind to their employees who are in the Guards and deployed. They take care of their families. this is a good selling point to me and I know that they do make a good product. At least I hope that they do.

With the purchase of this wonderful 3 door, freezer on the bottom, refrigerator of my dreams, came a ONE YEAR WARRANTY. Oh well, in all of these years, I have never had to have a warranty honored and I trust that I won't now but......

Today in the mail I received a letter from Sears.....Would I like to purchase their MASTER PROTECTION AGREEMENT for as little as $8.50a month. Didn't I think that I deserved all of the coverage that a Master protection Agreement would provide. What do they mean by this???
Isn't their product good enough that they don't believe it will be running after one year? With this plan, their will be no charge for parts or labor, and they will provide an annual maintenance check at my request. Of course I will have to pay the mileage for the 60 miles that I live from the nearest store or load it up and haul it to town.

To say the least I said a prayer over my refrigerator and declined the offer. Oh but I have 6 more weeks to think about it. Thanks but no Thanks Sears. I may be sorry but you can think of another way to make money off of suckers like me. You see, I am a sucker. I later was in the little hometown appliance, furnitures, flooring and you name it store and saw a Crosley refrigerator. Now what was I thinking, I own a Crosley washer and dishwasher. they are fine affordable appliances. I have had each for several years and no problem. The thing that really ticked me off was what I saw on the door of the refrigerator: 10 year warranty......... Well
I could write a book on the lessons that I have learned from Hindsight.

I do enjoy my refrigerator and I believe it will be okay but, Why isn't Sears proud enough of their product for it to merit a 10 year warranty without purchasing one??????

The Lady who Writes Rhymes

Did you know that I am a poet. Well not a published one, but writing poetry is something that I enjoy doing. Writing a poem is not something that I set out to do, it is something that comes to my mind and if I don't write it down, it is gone in a short time. I have stopped driving down the highway, to jot down words that God has given to me. Sometimes it is about the beauty of the world that I see around me, sometimes about people that I know and sometimes about nothing in particular. I guess that I inherited the ability to write as my grandmother, aunt, and dad all wrote poetry. I have often been asked to write a poem for a certain occasion but it isn't that easy. God needs to be the one to inspire me. Often what I start out with isn't what I end up with so I know that the words really come from God. I am not a talented , rambling writer like my daughters and I not full of humor but God has made my writing special and they are just right for me.

We can't all be rich and famous,
Or be listed in "Who's Who"
But each and every one of us
Has important work to do.

We often do not realize
The importance of our deeds
Or to what degree of greatness
Unnoticed kindness leads.

It's not being rich and famous
In the world of fame and praise
But it's doing kindly things
In an unpretentious way.

The work that God has given
Trifle as it seems
Is what makes our task outstanding
And brings reality to dreams.

So do not idly sit and wonder
Of the great things you can do
Put to use the little talents
That God has given you.

For right here where He placed us
Is right where we ought to be
To take upon our burden
The jobs He has for you and me.

And everyone should brighten up
The spot where they are standing
And each be more considerate
And not quite so demanding

If we use the gifts God gives us
And put each one right to work
If we encourage one another
This will be a better Earth.

Now I don't have much talent
And my light don't often shine
So I guess I'll be remembered
As the lady who writes Rhymes.

So much for that . Someday I will entertain you with another of my inspirations.
Now, I am going to sit and watch the birds at the feeder as they try to fill themselves before the real storm sets in. The snow is falling and I have mixed feelings about it. I know that it is so much work for the Rancher and son but our dry prairie land needs the moisture so badly. Fires in the area in this past week have burned off thousands of acres, Part of the damages were on our son-in-laws family's ranch. Building fence that has been burned out is not a pleasant job. Pray for moisture.

Sarah

Tools of the Trade

Every Rancher must have it, this valuable necessity that he carries in his feed truck, tractor and has a nice pile of it around. This precious tool is called baling wire. It comes in mighty handy for repairing a lot of things. It can hold a wire on the fence when you can't find the clips and the little calves find the grass on the other side more appealing that what is in their own pasture. It is used to hold part of the implement together until you get home to wield it. It will hold a door or gate shut. There are a lot of uses for it. when we quit using baling wire and went to twine, it became necessary for us to find our wire in other places. Karl always had a pile on his truck when he went to the quick stop and we were glad to be there at the same time he was. We have also been know to go into our neighbors parts (junk) yard and salvage some of his. I hope that these men continue using it until we don't have a need for it any longer. I have told the Rancher that he could just go and buy a box of it, but that isn't an option. If we did that Karl would have to clean off his own pick up.

Another fine thing is good old Duct Tape. I will do just about anything. I have even seen some cattlemen have the soles held onto their favorite pair of boots with this elaborate embelishment.
It also plugs the crack in the grain drill, the wheat truck floor and even the hole in the tarp. It is used outdoors, indoors, on the boat, to do a quick fix on the tent, It holds the cords in place at the campsite. I have been very upset at myself for forgetting it one year when we set up camp. That was the first thing on the shopping list. A good camper also has a small roll of baling wire handy to help hold up the light, clothes line and whatever else need be.

My very favorite is WD-40. Who can live without it. You will not believe all of the things that I do with this. I use it to clean off the Bug Grease when washing the car. Clean the sticky stuff off after the label has been removed from glass. It also cleaned the floor after the Nurses new puppy got caught in the Glue trap intended for the mice. They seemed to have invaded my domain this winter. I have cleaned the grease laden kitchen in a vacated house, that was I swear 1/2 in thick. It will loosen about anything and I have even used it on my shower doors to give them a shine. It loosens the water spots on the shower and faucets. The list could go on and on. I know the Rancher has a lot of other uses. I have even heard that it will work for arthritis in the joints when you spray a little on. Oh yes, it will kill the sting of an insect and it helps the campfire to start when you spray the wood with it. Who needs fire starter?

Don't get caught without them. That's all today from the Sand Creek.

What would a Mother do.........

What would I do without my daughters and cell phones. I was almost discouraged to the point of not even doing this when my daughter came to my rescue on the cell phone. You see, here in the isolated area that I live, I still have dial up and when the computer is on, then I have no phone. I was having a pity party over the trouble that I was having when the Librarian came to my rescue. She sensed that I was in dispair and solved that problem for me. I will see what comes up tomorrow. I hope that they don't give up on me. Isn't it funny how the roll has reversed. I will try not to forget, I will do it over and over until I can remember I will......... I KNOW THAT I CAN DO THIS. JUST BE PATIENT PLEASE.

The House that I live in

Today in Bible Study, my friends and I were discussing who we were, who we are and what lies ahead. As I have thought about this I know that I am still the same little girl who hung upside down on the monkey bars (in a dress) and the same young lady who fell in love with my highschool sweetheart. What! You don't believe that? Well I am, I haven't changed one bit, it's the house that this person lives in that has changed.

Over the years, it has had many changes. Some of them are improvements, some are structural changes because of age and some of them are just maintenance. I might add that it just takes a lot of work to keep an older house in shape.

For example: This house has had additions. Building the upper story was God's plan but when it started to expand outward, well things just seemed to get out of control. I haven't cared for all of those additions but they are there and I haven't done anything about them. Another thing is the shingles. They have changed colors through the years. They have been brown, white, brown and grey but they have been the colors of my choice except the white. Oh and don't forget about the new windows that I have to get every so often. It helps me to get a good look at the world around me. I have also installed a stereo system in this house. (the better to hear you with my dear) Occassionally the foundation seems to fall but this is remedied by the Best Forms available. Somethimes the plumbing gets out of whack. The list could go on but I know that you are getting bored with this little story. Anyhow, I am still that same person, my house is just getting old but, someday God will have the perfect one for me and it will never change.

How the Heck do I do this

What have I done and who do I think I am trying to do a blog. My daughters do blogs, my granddaughters do blogs and even my son-in-law can do one, but I wonder what the heck I am doing here this morning. Actually it is almost noon, and I have been trying to get this thing started for hours. I don't know how to set up a pretty format (I don't follow instruction that are plainly printed in the Blog Help site) I am a visual person. Someone has to do it for me actually. I also wanted to print a lovely picture of the Rancher and myself but until my brain comes out of hibernation I guess that this will do.

Actually the only ones who might read this will be my loving family anyway. I love to read theirs.
I have learned things about my daughters that I never knew and probably didn't need to. Most of it comes from Andi and her ramblin's. It is listed in the things my mother never taught me. But then when I think of it, she was daddy's girl and he taught her well.

I knew that she was a true ranchers daughter. She could ride a horse, work a calf, fix fence, drive a tractor, haul hay, just about anything that her daddy asked. It was late in her growing up years that I discovered that she really could not cook. Well... she could fix pizza, a mean pan of spaghetti, and do that sort of thing, but I knew that she couldn't make gravy. What kind of a wife would she make??? All men, anyhow ranchers, thrive on gravy. Luckily she married someone that taught her how to do it. Today she is a great cook, wife, Mom and a Nurse. Way to go.

My other blogger is a reader and writer. I always knew that she would be. She tried to be an English teacher, but ended up in the library where she belonged in the first place. She could not believe that all teenagers did not love english and writing all of those compositions. Now she can advise them and if they don't do their assigned projects, well, it's not her worry. She is great at her job though and I know that she does care. She has instilled the love of books and art in her daughters and her husband is as talented as she is.

Middle daughter, where is your blog? It is a great way to keep up. Of course we know that your brother will never do this and it is probable just as well.

So much for the perils of today. Help!!!!!