Here it is – less than a month to Christmas and 2009 is almost over.. We have a tiny bit of snow on the ground, but the temperature is expected to get back over 0C in the next couple of days, so we may just go into December without any snow.
I had an expensive week this week. A few days ago, my toaster died – just completely died. So, I bought a new one. That wasn’t too bad – just $13. Then, my fridge has been acting up for a few weeks now – water keeps filling up the vegetable tray. I often see water dripping down the back of the fridge – and it must be coming from the freezer – but the freezer appears to be just fine. I had the same problem several years ago and it ended up costing me $500. before it was fixed, because it seems there are several things that could cause it. The repair guy started with the most common and cheapest fix, but that didn’t do it and neither did the next fix, which cost more. The 3rd replacement part, which cost even more, finally did it and by then, it added up to almost what it would cost for a new fridge.
So – this time, I decided to go right to the new fridge. I took a drive out to Lockport Appliances and for $599. I got a nice one. It is a better size than the old one and will fit in the spot without quite so much trouble. Being new, it will also save on energy costs.
At about the same time, I got my monthly phone/cable/internet bill from MTS and after having made 2 previous calls to remove an extra charge and 2 assurances that it had been done – the same charge was on there without any credit for the 2 payments that I made, expecting to have it removed.
So – Shaw has been making great offers to switch over and my next call was to them to make arrangements for the switch. They gave me a great price for a year – but unfortunately, MTS needs a month notice, so I still have to make this last payment to them. My official move to Shaw will be on December 28th.
When I talked to MTS to cancel, they of course offered a reduced price to keep me – but the price was still higher than the one I’ve got with Shaw. She apologized about that extra charge still being there too – but then, so did the other reps from MTS.
I asked the lady from Shaw about going wireless and she told me what I needed to do that and she also told me that Future Shop had the router I would need on sale this weekend. I had already spent a lot (way too much) this week, but I decided I might as well go and get the router now too. With wireless, I will be able to sit out on my deck in the summer with my baby laptop.
I just put my new article up at BellaOnline – it is called Starter Birds
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the Bald Eagle I saw a few days ago when the dogs and I were walking along the Red River one morning. Unfortunately, he was too far away to get a picture. I did not even realize he was an eagle right away – due to the light at the time. He looked like a large black bird, but when he made a turn, I could clearly see the white head and tail. He was following along the river and heading for downtown when I saw him.


























