Open Sesame, close----------------

whatever. As long as the garage door will go up and down. We have had the local "experts" work on the door, at a cost of considerable $$$, several times in past months, and as usual, they would get it adjusted and working long enough to get their tools loaded, and get out of the driveway, and then it was back to it's old tricks. Mainly, that it would go down, the door would stop, bit the chain wouldn't, and then it would go back open again. We have been dealing with it, for a while, by waiting, with finger on button, until it got to the end of the travel, and punch the button the second time to stop it in place.
Except, it only did it part of the time, and then when you hit the button in anticipation, you started it back up yourself, and had to stop it and start all over. On one of the 'experts' last trips, they concluded that the 'eyes' that are required, (HA,) were defective, and sold Carol a new set, (which are mounted up at the ceiling, on the back of the drive, and totally non-functional,) which also did not correct the problem. (They have to be somewhere, to make the computerized controls think the area is clear.) I have adjusted the limits, down-force, etc several times, and within a day or so, it would act up again. Finally, Tuesday morning, when I tried again, the circuit board turned to toast, and the dorr would go down about 8 inches, and back up about 4 inches, each time the button was pushed. The particular opener model is only marginally serviced any more, a new board would have been $60-75, IF it was available at all. Ended up at Lowes, and got a new, screw-drive Genie, for about $200, a model with external limit switches, making adjustment much easier, and mechanical, not digital. Of course, buying it around 4 pm, and getting it installed before dark, (well, almost,) was a challenge, and it was 94 degrees in the carport. Also had a break in the control wire, between the unit and the wall switch, that was a bit of a challenge, but finally sorted that out. The drive is quieter, but not silent. (Never going to be silent, opening a steel door, with steel rollers! Think shaking a piece of sheet metal backstage, to make thunder sound for a stage play. Same effect.) But it is working!! Unit also came with a radio-type opener that mounts outside, with a numerical code, in case you don't have your clicker, plus our previous clickers, used in our vehicles, also are able to operate the new opener, so we have an abundance of clickers now. And I hope not to be climbing up and getting chummy with the opener for a long time!
Never would have gotten it all done so easily, except Princes the cat stayed close by, to supervise and answer questions, during the whole process.

One down and one to go, I guess

Well, we managed to get our flu shot today. But not without some hassle, of course. This was the regular old, run-of-the-mill type flu preventer, not the super bug H1N1 Swine flu variety. The H1N1 stuff is here in the county, but we don't qualify for consideration for that, at least yet.

Seems to super stuff is reserved for kids, (don't qualify,) pregnant women, (don't qualify,) health care workers, (don't qualify,)------do you see a pattern showing up here? Just like in Obamessiah's health plan, us older folks seem to be expendable. (Hang on while I have a senior moment.) Maybe eventually, if they get everybody else inoculated, and have vaccine left over to throw away, we will get an opportunity to get stuck with a needle again. (Also too old to use the inhalable variety). Glad I am assured of the future and ready to go.

Getting the regular variety was not nearly as easy as it was supposed to be. We had gotten a coupon from our HMO provider, to cover the cost of the shot, an annual occurence. Several of the pharmacy chains actually began giving shots in early September, but because the coupon happened to mention "after Oct 1", we had not tried earlier. Carol went this morning to the CVS pharmacy walk-in clinic that we had used last year, and which seemed to be included in the HMO mailing, and after doing all of the signin procedure, was informed that they were not giving the shot to BCBS subscribers this year! She made a couple of calls, to no avail, and finally went online to BCBS to get a list of places to go, and the scattered times that they would be operating. So we went to a Costco warehouse, and were taken care of there. It has been a bit (bit???) confusing, to say the least, but is done.

Now we have to avoid contact with anyone carrying the swine flu bugs, to see if maybe we will get the second variety later.

Think I will go have another senior moment.

Cold up north already???

Leaves falling? Hint of autumn in the air? Frost on the pumpkin? Must be something like that, as we just got in from a short shopping trip, i.e. a quick lunch at a Steak-N-Shake, a trip thru the local BJ whse, and an even quicker stop at an office supply store, and the streets, eating establishment, and the warehouse store all gave evidence of an upsurge in people and traffic. Seems a little early to be noticing the buildup, usually into November, like the middle or almost Thanksgiving, before it gets quite so noticeable. Wonder if the 'season' is going to be longer along with earlier, more intense, or both this year.

Perhaps things are so slow and discouraging up north that anyone with the place to stay, and the ability to get away, have decided to just get started sooner than usual. Maybe a number of the usual seasonal parties, fairs, Octoberfests, etc, have either been dropped this year, or downgraded to the point of not holding the normal crowds attention.

Of course, we have had a very mild hurricane season so far. (Read---NONE.) And being on the downside of the 'normal' season, with nothing brewing out in the Atlantic, any worriers may feel safe to come south early this year. It really has been a quiet season, so far. Not that I am complaining, you understand, just an observation. Apparently El Nino has seen fit to disrupt any depressions that have formed, and swung them to the N and NE long before they could make landfall, and sent them to the cold upper Atlantic where they fizzled out. Several did give
the NE some wind and rain, but certainly no major damaging storms. Hope the rest of the season stays the same. We can do without this year, thank you.

Talk about a switch--------------

Was just reading an online news article, stating that they White House is calling the Fox network liars , for their reporting and protesting the trip to Copenhagen, for a right-at-the-minute example. Claims being made that Glenn Beck is not
telling the truth, at least the way the WH wishes to have the truth told.

That would certainly seem to be the pot calling the kettle black, to use a very ancient comparison, but it would seem like a good indication that Fox and Glenn Beck at hitting upon a sore subject, which makes one wonder if they are not right. It would seem like the WH would tend more to ignore minor irritations, or should it be minor irritants, in favor of expending energy on more important problems.

Maybe Mr Beck is more of a problem than they care to admit. Life is like that sometimes. Guess things can't always be smooth and irritant-free in the Oval Office. Welcome to real life, Mr Prez.