Monday, March 7, 2022

 Monday, March 7, 2022

  

   I woke up around three and was distressed and angry. Yuck on that feeling. My body was just fine and dandy on the walk. I had a coughing jag during the night and then felt like something was coming on. It had been freezing cold in church yesterday, even with a jacket on. I had a one pm appointment with the Kaiser doctor to get my every fourth-month Botox injection to raise my left brow off my eye so I could see better. I canceled it. They'd send me home if I was coming down with something.

  Yvette called to say good morning and tell me there was another leak in the sprinkler system. I wonder if it's worth it. Josh had heard the leak before he went to bed and turned off the water at its source. They turned it back on in the morning because that pipe feeds B's shed. Yvette directed me to the spraying sprinkler head. It looked to me like it was just the head that was faulty. Josh called to say he thought it was the valve. As I was getting into the shower, he knocked on my door. I quickly threw some clothes on and followed him down the driveway. He showed me that all the sprinkler heads were spritzing. He showed me the valve which controlled the lines. I could hear the leak coming from the valve. He turned the valve to the fully open position. The hissing was gone. He turned it off as far as he could; it was back.  

    I called Farm and Garden this morning to see if they sold sprinkler equipment. No. They gave me the names of three companies. Before Josh had made it clear the problem was with the valve, I called Diamond Sprinkler. He said the sprinkler head was easy to replace. Just unscrew and replace. I called again when it was clear it was the valve. He told us to find the brand name of the valve. Josh knelt down but couldn't find it. I messaged a picture of it to Justin at Diamond Sprinkler. He recognized it and said he had it. 

    I waited until after my Reading &Writing Office Hours to head to town. Two people showed up. They both knew nothing about their student's reading ability. The guy asked if it was okay to just listen to the student read and correct him when he made a mistake. I told him honestly, this is what most teachers did. They know nothing about how to teach reading. Since he was working with a student individually, it would be better if I had some information on how the student functioned. Then I can advise him on what to do. Otherwise, he was asking me to present a semester course on reading in half an hour. He thanked me and hung up.

    A woman came to my Zoom office hours. She also had never met with her student. However, she did know the 5th-grade girl was reading Wonder, a chapter book. I looked it up. It was appropriate for grades 4-7. When I learned this was a book the whole class was reading, I knew that all options were open. The girl could be a complete nonreader or be reading three grades ahead. Since I had the name of the book, I found a guided reading lesson plan for it online. The woman asked, "What if I need help after I meet with her?" I told her to email me, and we could discuss it.

  After that session, I headed to Diamond Sprinkler to pick up the valve. I figured it would be easy to drop off a Kona Trans to pay for the crating and then stop off for the valve on my way home. 

    I called HLM engraving this morning to ask questions about the process. Veronica didn't have an estimate for me yet. The manager would be in this afternoon, and she would text it to me. Given that it is really the only company doing gravestone engraving in Hawaii, I had no choice. I had other questions: 1) what was their address? She texted me her business card. 2)how would the crate with the granite slabs get to her from the dock in Honolulu? They would pick it up. 3)  What did I need to do to get the granite slabs crated for their return trip? Their company would do that and deliver the crate back to the dock. 4) How would I pay for the return shipping? It would be sent COD.

  I also told her the crating cost the most of any other grave expenses, $400. I didn't have to pay anything to have the grave dug, vault to hold the urns or burial. Because Mike was a deacon, the church covered all those costs. The two granite slabs cost about $700. The shipping there and back will be around $200. The engraving costs will be about $200 per slab. The two cement wedges will cost $200. The base for the gravestones is also free. If I had cement slabs poured, it would have been several thousand. Lio didn't want that done because it would have been too difficult to move that huge slab to get me in the vault when I died. (His plan was to mark the gravesite only after I died. Hmmm!) We settle on two $100 prefab slabs, giving me a 3' by 4' base. Perfect. Veronica from the engraving company was shocked about the crating cost. She told me to check if that was accurate.  

   It was. That's what the printed bill reported. I complained. I was still upset about whatever bothered me from the beginning of the day. I did a little acting out. My tone was punishing. I pointed out she had never given me an estimate, which she had promised. Even more, I called when I didn't receive one asking when I could expect it. She said she would call. She asked me if I had checked with other companies. I said no. Someone recommended it. "Didn't they tell you we were expensive? We usually charge $500 as a minimum cost." Shouldn't I have been told that upfront and directed to go somewhere else? In addition, I did ask one clerk to give me a ballpark estimate. She gave me $100 to $200 max and said it would be less. She obviously didn't know the company minimum payment rule.

    I asked if I could pick it up on Thursday. Yes, but no later. Otherwise, they would have to charge me rent. Really? Could you put it in my car now? This time I didn't have to move my car. A worker drove his forklift over to my parked car. I heard someone yell," Watch the door!" The forklift guy backed up, rearranged the pallet on the fork, and then came closer and dropped it in my car.

   The next step was driving to Diamond Sprinklers to pick up the valve. I made a right at Matsuyama's and went up the hill. My GPS said the shop was on my left -now. I couldn't find it. I pulled over to call for directions. 

   I found the number for Diamond Head Sprinklers on my phone and called to ask for directions. It took a few minutes for the guy who answered the phone to get what was going on. He told me he was on Oahu. That would be a drive and a half. I finally found the number for Diamond Sprinklers in Kailua Kona. The GPS gave directions for a location they hadn't been in for three years. The clerk remained on the phone until I got there. I found Justin, and gave him my name; he knew what I wanted. Fifty dollars later, I was out the door with my new valve.

   I texted Scott early in the morning, asking if he could fix the sprinkler head. Now the question was could he replace the valve. He said yes to the sprinkler head. He said he had another sprinkler problem to work on by the plumeria trees. These systems are difficult to maintain.

    As I drove home, I got a call from the clerk at Kona Trans. She had spoken to her manager and reduced my fee to $200. My guess is they felt bad they hadn't given me an estimate. I was thinking of calling the manager myself and complaining. It was lovely the clerk thought of doing it on her own.

   I spoke to Shivani. We agreed that she and Sidney would come to visit in May. I miss Damon, Cylin, and August like crazy. I would love to have them come and visit in May, but Damon's life is just too busy to count on it.