Two Very Different Letters

Been a successful letter writing campaign around here this week.  A couple of letters were written; one to me and one by me.

When I got home from work on Wednesday afternoon, I found a handwritten letter from the grandson that lives with us. Kaeden is 8 1/2 years old. The letter is so sweet!  It brought tears to my eyes.  Some were tears of laughter, but others were tears of love.  Here’s a copy of that letter:

Isn’t it just the cutest letter?  Apparently his class is learning how to write letters.  I’ll treasure it forever!  It will have it’s rightful place among his other treasures in his “treasure box”.

Grandmas and Moms all have one of those for each kid, right?  Mine’s a flat, under the bed type, Rubbermaid storage box with a lid.  Gotta’ have the lid to keep the dust bunnies out!  I’m thinking it’s about time to get another box.  This one is close to overflowing with the first 8 1/2 years of his life!  Home school, preschool, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade!  That’s a lot of stuff for one little guy!  There’s his little bird’s nest made of mud, complete with little blue eggs; his first hand drawn 3-D picture of a farm, drawn in 3rd grade Art class; his first self portrait also done recently in 3rd grade Art class; a really cute gingerbread man made of construction paper and stuffed with cotton balls, done at age 4 1/2, at pre-school.  Anyway, you get the picture.  Not exactly sure what I’ll ever do with all this stuff, but can’t bring myself to just toss it either.

The other letter, one written by yours truly, yesterday morning, is of great importance because I feel like I beat back the lions!  Long story short, in early November I had to take my 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan into the dealer’s shop for some starting issues.  We’d already spent about a $100 in parts and our own labor in attempting to ‘fix’ the problem.  For some reason, the van simply wouldn’t start if the outside temps were below about 45°.  Well, that’s just not acceptable around here, especially going into late Fall & early Winter.

After beating our heads against a brick wall, we succumbed to letting the local Dodge dealership work on it.  I was extremely explicit in my instructions to them.  I specifically told them to put it on the diagnostic machine to find out why it wasn’t starting in colder temps.  I also told them they needed to do that during the early morning hours before temps warmed up.  This was on Nov. 2nd.  Left the van overnight, so they could test it first thing in the morning.  Did they do that?  Of course not.  Their ever intelligent staff waited till about 10 a.m. to start it.  By then it was about 50° outside.  Of course it started!  It started hard, as it has done for many months this past summer, but it started.

I promised a short story, so suffice it to say, I spent that entire week without a vehicle, telling the shop manager to be sure to test it when it was cold outside, borrowing and begging rides not only to get me to work, Curves, the grocery store & home, but to get Kaeden to school everyday.  Seems the dealer didn’t have a loaner for me.

I paid for the initial work they did, $215.97, that by the end of the week, should have been refunded or credited to the final work they did.  God only knows  how many times I told them to test it in cold temps.  Not that the engine had to be cool, but that the outside temps had to be colder than 45°.  I discovered this little fact over several days of dealing with it prior to calling the dealer.  The one fact that stood out, was that it wouldn’t start with the colder outside temps around 7:45 – 10:00 or so.  When they finally did as I ‘d asked the first time I took the van to them, they actually got test results that told them what was wrong.  And it wasn’t the fuel pressure regulator, it was the crank sensor!  Would someone please tell me whay outside temps would matter for a crank sensor?

By this time, it was Friday afternoon.  I left it one more night, so they could test it again on Saturday morning.  Sure enough, it started just fine.  Of course, before I could leave the shop, they wanted mo’ money!  Another $176!  So, now the van is fixed and starting without any problems, but I’m out almost $400 because they didn’t do what I asked the first time.  I promised to keep this short, so not a lot of detail  here, but I suspect you get the picture just fine.

Side note here; as with most Americans, we’re not flush with funds by any means.  And with Christmas just around the corner, the last thing we needed was more repair bills.  Disabled husband with medical bills, 8 year old grandson living with us and I only work 30 hours/wk.  Our budget is stretched to the max with no room for repairs of anything.

After fuming about this for almost 3 weeks, I finally sat down and wrote a letter to the owner of the dealership yesterday.  Sometimes it takes me a while to get my thoughts going.  It turned out to be 2 full pages, and rather scathing of their shop staff’s performance.  I hand delievered it to the Service & Body Director, Gary Garman, asking him to just read it when he had some time.  I told him I just wanted to vent and let someone know that they had a pretty pissed off customer.  He was upfront apologetic immediately, and I accepted  his apology, then asked that he just read the letter, it would explain everything.  At that point, I left and went to work.

Less than 2 hours later, hubby called from home.  This is how that call went:

Hubby:  “So, I assume you went out to Clemons’ before you went to work?”

Me:  “Yep, sure did, why?”

Hubby:  “Because I just had a visitor.  The Service & Body Director, Gary Garman, hand delivered a full refund check for the initial charges that we’ve been so upset about, along with a huge verbal apology and a hand written letter of apology.”

Me:  “Oh MY GOD!  You’re kidding me!  The full $215.97?!”

Hubby:  “Yep, all of it.”

Me:  “So, sometimes the squeaky wheel really does get greased.  Cool beans!  Now at least we’ll have a little money for Christmas.”

So, here I am today…thinking two things:  One, I need to write a BIG thank you to the Pat Clemons Dodge, Chrysler, Chevy, Buick dealership.  And two, my faith in humanity has been somewhat restored.  Am I thankful?  You bet!  Thank you Gary Garman for taking the time to care and thank you Pat Clemons Dodge, Chrysler, Chevy, Buick dealership for making this situation right!

Now I’m off to do just a little Christmas shopping that I didn’t think I’d get to do this year.

OH, and if anyone needs me to take up a letter writing campaign to beat back your lions, just let me know!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Rules for Kickin' Ass

Got this in an email today.  I love it & hope you will too.  Can’t take credit for it, but I do think it’s worth passing on.  Maybe a bit late for Vets’ Day, but still very timely.

Rules for the Non-Military

Make sure you read #13 !!!
Dear Civilians,

We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation has many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military.  For those of you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas where we would like your assistance:
******1.  The next time you see any adults talking (or wearing a hat) during the playing of the National Anthem - kick their ass.
2. When you witness, firsthand, someone burning the American Flag in protest - kick their ass.
3.  Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see anyone doing otherwise, quietly pull them aside and explain how these veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second.  Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a disabled veteran kicks their ass.
4.  If you were never in the military, DO NOT pretend that you were.  Wearing battle dress uniforms (BDUs) or Jungle Fatigues, telling others that you used to be 'Special Forces', collecting GI Joe memorabilia, might have been okay when you were seven years old. Now, it will only make you look stupid and get your ass kicked.
5.  Next time you come across an *Air Force* member, do not ask them, 'Do you fly a jet?' Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot.  Such ignorance deserves an ass-kicking (children are exempt).
6.  If you witness someone calling the Coast Guard 'non-military', inform them of their mistake - and kick their ass.
*****7.  Next time Old Glory (the US flag) prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart.  Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her - of course, failure to do either of those could earn you a severe ass-kicking.
9.  'Your mama wears combat boots' never made sense to me - stop saying it!
If she did, she would most likely be a vet and therefore would kick your ass!
10.  'Flyboy' (*Air Force*),
       'Jarhead' (*Marines*),
       'Grunt' (*Army*),
       'Squid' (*Navy*),
       'Puddle Jumpers'(*Coast Guard*), etc.
are terms of endearment we use describing each other.   Unless you are a service member or vet, you have not earned the right to use them. Using them could get your ass kicked.
11.  Last, but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen far from home wishing they could be with their families. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our Country would get it's ass kicked.
12.  It's the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.
It's the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.
It's the Veteran, not the community organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate.
It’s the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
AND ONE MORE:
***!!****13.  If you ever see anyone singing the national anthem in Spanish - KICK THEIR ASS.
              They should learn to sing it in ENGLISH!!!
ONE LAST THING:
If you got this email and don't pass it on - guess what - you deserve to get your ass kicked!

I sent this to you, not because I didn't want to get my ass kicked BUT BECAUSE  I KNOW YOU WILL NOT BE OFFENDED AND ARE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN AND WILL FORWARD THIS.
THANK YOU

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE! 
               IN GOD WE'd BETTER TRUST!!!

Done, Done and Done!

Fabulous temps this weekend, about 65°, maybe 70°, blue skies, sunshine and slightly cool, dry northerly breezes.  Great time to be outside!  Whether it be to stow away the summer toys, (except the pool), move the snow shovels to the front of the shed (cuz you  just KNOW you're going to need them), or, if you’re really lucky, just a glorious day to sit outside and watch the grass stop growing!  Yep, I think I've done the last mowing this season.  Well, except for the 'east 40' on the other side of the driveway.  Haven't made up my mind whether or not I'll get that done again....OOPS!  Never mind.  It's done!  Talked myself right into finishing it up last night!    The Toro is cleaned up and stowed in the garage for the Winter.     Note to Self:  Must remember to put some Stabil in the mower gas tank for Winter storage.

Kaeden, Gage & Nathan spent most of their Saturday outside playing, helping Papa work on the van and riding their bikes around the neighborhood.    

We tried to replace the back latch on the slider door of the van.  Unfortunately, the replacement latch was a used one, and had the same problem as the one we replaced.  Too old and too worn out.  Hmm.  Sounds like me!  So, after we put the replacement latch in, we took it out so we can return it to the salvage yard.  Guess we’ll have to bite the bullet and put in a new one.  They are a bit pricey considering that van is 16 years old!  I think the age of the vehicle should have an impact on the price of new replacement parts, the older the vehicle, the cheaper the parts should be.

At one point, Kaeden must have decided to ‘work’ on the floor jack.     I think he was trying to see how it worked, but while doing that, he also used the brass brush and some carb cleaner to clean the grease off of it.  That kid has no qualms about getting dirty and greasy.

There’s a rule around our house about being home when the street lights come on.  We think it’s a pretty good rule.  That way no one has to worry about what time it is.  If the street lights are on, you’d best be home.   Last night the boys were running late, and since I didn’t send the spare cell phone with them, I decided to go find ‘em.  Papa thought I should take the van, but I opted for my bike.  Jumped on the bike and headed down the street in the general direction of the old school.  It’s about 2 1/2 blocks away.  Just as I approached the school, I saw the boys heading my direction.  So I rode up to meet them, then herded them back to the house.  Felt like a sheep dog herding my little sheep back to the barn at dusk.

After they got home, Kaeden & Gage begged us to let them sleep outside in the tent.  I setup our little tent a few days ago for them to play in, and it’s been calling their names ever since.  Things to consider here:  beautiful daytime temps, but a bit chilly after the sun goes down….forecast called for overnight lows in the upper 30’s.  But, little or no wind.  So I caved.   After all that’s what sleeping bags, comforters, sweat shirts and pants are made for!  Since Gage hadn’t planned on spending the night, we got the OK from his dad, then the boys got dressed for their night in the tent.  I loaned Gage a pair of Papa’s old sweat pants.  A bit big, but that’s what drawstrings are for.  Unfortunately no pix here.  Camera was charging.  Really need to get a second battery.

They both put on their T shirts and hoodies, while I lugged the sleeping bag and a comforter out to the tent.  They were so excited!  I wanted to leave the moon roof open for star gazing, but figured it’d be best to tarp it to help keep their body heat inside.  As I finished up with the tarp, the boys came out to get snuggled down for the night.

Soon after, they were in looking for Kaeden’s old  Laptop to watch movies with, books to read, and of course the all important flashlight for whatever.  Back out to the tent, they went.

About 30 minutes into their night out, they were back in, looking for something to eat.  This was most likely Kaeden’s idea.  He just can’t seem to go to bed without a bedtime snack first.  I bagged up some nacho chips, carrots and Ranch dressing for them and back out they went.

I waited about 15 minutes, then decided to try to scare them.  I went out the front door, around the house, and tried to sneak up on them.  This was a bit tough to do, as our yard is full of crispy, dry leaves that crackled and crunched under my feet.  Fortunately, the driveway doesn’t have too much leaf cover.  Took my BB with me so I could record my little adventure.  No visual cuz it was 0:dark thirty, but the audio is great.  This was one of those priceless moments.  Uploaded it to YouTube.   After all Halloween is just around the corner.  What better time to upload a slightly scary, but funny video clip.  Be sure to turn your speakers up as there’s a lot of whispering on the way to the tent.

Haha!  I’m such a mean ol’ Gramma!  Gotta’ love it!

I have to admit, the boys did stay out much longer than I thought they would.  Finally about midnight they wandered back into the house.  Not sure why, but Gage woke Kaeden up to come in.  Apparently Gage didn’t want to stay out there, awake, all by himself, while Kaeden slept?  I told Gage he should have left him sleeping.  Oh well, maybe next time little buddy.

That pretty much wraps up my Saturday.  Sunday’s here and it’s time to start all over again.  Dishes to wash & one load of laundry to finish.  But I think I’ll make some Banana Bread for breakfast first.  Got 3 reeeeally ripe bananas that need to be used up.

Hope everyone has a grrreat Sunday!

Making the Move

So, Spaces is abandoning us. They're leaving us in the woods to fend for ourselves. Guess I'll be doing more blogging here now. I'm also looking at WP, but so far, it seems a bit more daunting.

I've been trying for a week now, to download my past blogs, almost 6 years worth, from WLS to my hard drive so I'll have a backup of them BEFORE I make the move to WP. Unfortunately, Spaces' download speeds are insufferable, even for my system. They're less than any dialup I've ever seen and the download keeps dropping the server connection. Grrrr. Good thing MS is giving us 6 months to get our files downloaded! We're going to need every minute of it!

Did manage to download all copies of all my hundreds of pictures that I've posted over the years! So at least those are saved. I did that because I noticed in some of the WLS information that our photo albums will NOT transfer to our new WP sites. Take notice, anyone that hasn't already transferred your WLS site to WP, you may want to download and save your albums from WLS.

Anywho, that's about it for now. It's Saturday morning and we've got gorgeous Fall weather and I've got TONS of stuff to do outside before the cold winds of Winter hit me square in the patoot! Stuff like: take down the pool and store it (somewhere); rake the backyard where the boys have been playing with every stick they can find; water my newly planted hostas & blackeyed susans; hang out the laundry (assuming no one close by is burning leaves), and cleanout the van. That should do for starters.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Today

Today is the first anniversary of the worst day of my life. This date is deeply engrained in my brain and on my broken heart. If I could have a re-do it'd be to re-do that last hug on that fatal morning and NEVER let go. My heart aches everyday. There's a big hole in my heart where you belong. I miss you every waking moment, Cameron.  RIP my beloved son.  Oct. 4, 1979-Sept. 30, 2009.

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Another Very Special One Missing In Our Lives

Sadly, I’m here again, to add yet another very special someone to my wall of tears. My niece, Crystal, died this week. She was just 2 years younger than Cameron. She suffered a severe asthmatic attack complicated by a respiratory infection. Crystal will be sorely missed especially this time of year. Christmas was her favorite holiday, as it was Cameron’s. This year, and for all Christmases to come, they’ll be celebrating it together. We know they’re together because Tammy and Talbot watched Cameron’s hawk come get her Thursday morning as she passed. Below is Crystal’s obit as it will appear on the funeral home website at: www.walter-schroederfuneralhome.com. It should be posted either later today or tomorrow. Please feel free to stop by and leave your condolences & support for my brother & his family. Thank you.

Crystal Dawn Wilson, 27, of Boone, died Thursday, December 17, 2009 at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Visitation with the family present will be held on Wednesday, December 23, at the Walter ~ Schroeder Funeral Home at Fifth & Story Streets from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon.

Graveside services will be held at 1:00 P.M., Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at the Lincoln Cemetery near Polk City, Iowa.

Crystal was born July 27, 1982 in Des Moines, Iowa. She attended school in Boone, following school she worked various jobs in Boone. Crystal’s last job was with Heinrich Envelope Company of Boone, for 2 years before the company closed.

Crystal was taking liberal arts classes at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone.

Her hobbies and interests included looking for artifacts, boating and camping. She enjoyed spending time with her two brothers, Cody & Talbot.

She is survived by her mother, Tammy S. Wilson and stepfather, Tony J. Martz of Boone, Iowa; her companion, Brandy Otis of Ogden, Iowa; her two brothers, Cody L. Wilson and Talbot L. Martz of Boone, Iowa; her three aunts, Teresa Lehman (Jeff Bolton), Twila J. (Martz) Ingham (David) of Boone, Iowa, and Teresa J. (Martz) Fogg of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, an uncle, Thomas J. Martz of San Francisco and numerous other relatives.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.walter-schroederfuneralhome.com.

Memorials may be given to the family, to be used at their discretion.

Walter ~ Schroeder Funeral Home at Fifth & Story Streets in Boone is in charge of arrangements.

(Picture(s) to be added soon.)

One more thing….this is enough! I simply won’t allow anyone else, near and dear to my heart, to die before me! And I’m not leaving this earth anytime soon….I plan to stick around for a very long time, just to make everyone else’s life miserable! That’s it…no more!

Something Special is Missing

Something special is now missing in our lives. Cameron Nickolaus Tuhn died unexpectedly, on Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Funeral services for Cameron, age 29, of Roland, were held on Monday, October 5, 2009, at the Cornerstone Church in Ames.

Cameron was born in Ames on October 4, 1979. He spent his grade school years at Madrid Elementary school, and his high school years at Boone High. He grew up playing Little League, Babe Ruth and high school baseball. He also loved playing music and stock car races. He spent many Saturday nights pitting for crews at the Boone Speedway. Cameron was also an accomplished, self taught drummer and guitarist. He spent many evenings jamming with his friends and family.

During his early twenties Cameron worked in the construction industry doing roofing, drywalling, painting and basic home improvement projects. By his mid twenties, he started his own business, First Choice Painting. He loved working with his hands and being able to see the results of his efforts.

In September 2004, Cameron was baptized and became a member of the Cornerstone Church in Ames. That was one of his proudest accomplishments.

Cameron married April Barden in Des Moines on February 1, 2007. They made their home in Roland with April's 2 sons, Zachary and Shannon.

Cameron is survived by his wife, April; two sons, Kaeden Tuhn, 7, of Ft. Dodge and Aaron Nigro, 13, of Ogden; two step sons, Zachary and Shannon of Roland; his mother, Twila (Martz) Ingham and his step-father David Ingham, both of Boone; his father, Charles Michael Pruden; his sisters Angela (Tuhn) Pritchard, Kristina (Pruden) Nelsen of Emerson, Nebraska, Breielle (Pruden) Washington, and Teresa Pruden, and a brother, Michael Pruden. He is also survived by his Uncle Tony and Aunt Tammy (Wilson) Martz of Boone; his Uncle Thomas Martz of San Francisco; and his Aunt Teresa (Martz) Fogg of Pittsfield, MA; Uncle Gordon (Danny) Jacobson and Aunt Rachel (Ingham) Jacobson of Poyner, TX; Uncle Ladislado Adamé and Aunt Ruth (Ingham) Adamé of Athens, TX and Uncle Michael Mitchell and Aunt Rebecca (Ingham) Mitchell of Rock Ledge, FL; and many cousins who will also miss him.

Cameron was preceded in death by his grandparents, Milton LeRoy and Iva Mae (Weyer) Martz; Delmar Henry & Betty Ruth (Spidle) Ingham; great grandparents, John and Ferryl (Yeager) Weyer and Samuel Milton and Mary Elizabeth (May) Martz and his Uncle Timothy (Tim) John Martz.

A memorial fund has been setup at Bank of the West in Boone. Anyone wishing to contribute to his sons' futures may do so by sending their donations to: Cameron Tuhn Memorial Fund, Bank of the West, 715 8th St., Boone, Iowa 50036.