Out With the Old ...

Two weeks ago, on a Friday afternoon my washing machine stopped spinning.  In fact, it was completely seized.  Try as I might to coax another cycle, it wasn't going to budge.  Six weeks ago the same thing happened, so Tom and Peter hauled it out to the garage to check it out.  Everything is sealed up, so replacing a part wasn't an option.  So they hauled it back in, and it started to work again.

Every now and then the spin cycle didn't spin, but I could try again, and it would.  Except, not the last day.

I looked at the cost of new machines, and went "eek!"  We are trying to keep two households running, and money isn't exactly growing on trees right now.  So when Tom returned from his business trip I had to let him know the bad news.

Well, fortunately for us, Tom is always scheming.  I don't know how his mind works, exactly, but I'm sure glad it works differently than mine.  When we first moved to Canada getting a credit card proved to be frustrating, even though our US credit ratings were about as high as they can be.  No good here.  One trip to Sears to purchase some necessity, a nice clerk asked us if we wanted to apply for a Sears card and get 10% off.  For some reason Tom said no, but then said, what the heck.  So he filled out the application, and it was approved.

Since then it has become my card for household items.  And along with that card came Sears points.  That was Tom's scheme.

We found out that Sears does not stock appliances in London.  They have to be ordered, with about a 10 day delivery.  Visions of laundromats flitted in and out of my mind.  Too many years of having to do that made it not an attractive alternative.  But the salesman did say that we might want to check out the Sears Outlet store.  After verifying that we could still use our points, we drove there.  Found a scratch and dent, and after only having to shell out $150 of our own money, had a new washer.

So home we went, and ... it wasn't so simple.  Here are some pictures of how this all ended up costing Tom the entire weekend, plus two more nights of repairs.  The hot water faucet was corroded, and not coming off!

Three trips between Lowes and Home Depot for various parts, and I was finally good to go by Sunday evening.  Monday and Tuesday, Tom pulled the machine out to do a bit more finishing on the wall.  Paint is needed, but you can see the wallpaper in the laundry room.  That will be coming off .. so for now, I can live with the patch.

The Way

Yesterday we went to Livonia, MI (suburb of Detroit) to watch  The Way ...  All four of us enjoyed it.

It is an independent film so I hope you can find it playing in your area.  If it is, go see a movie!

Thanksgiving

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Golfing on a beautiful autumn afternoon:

The Dam Tour

Or, as Londoners prefer to say it, the tour of the dam.  Probably the same reason Canadians say ash-falt for asphalt.  While we regularly get exposed to other, far worse language, it is considered ill mannered to say ass or hell in public.  Go figure!

Yesterday Mary and Peter joined other area home schooling teens for a tour of the Fanshawe Reservoir Dam.  Though they left reluctantly yesterday morning, they came home in better spirits.  They both said the tour was well worth their time, and their guide was terrific.

They learned why it was important to London and folks further downstream.  The 1937 flood submerged houses near downtown London up over their roof tops.  It was constructed in 1950, the first of eight proposed dams.  Three others were built, but remaining 5 have been abandoned.  Instead, authorities work to keep folks from settling on the remaining flood plains.

The dam protected London and communities downstream as late as 2000, 2008 and 2009.  We witnessed the 2009 high water levels in the Thames River flowing through London.  It was pretty impressive.  What would have been more impressive, imho, is if we had realized what was keeping higher water levels from devastating the area.

This dam also hosts a hydroelectric plant capable of providing for 300 households.  Normal water storage for the reservoir is 12 billion litres (3.17 million gallons), full it can contain 48 billion litres (12.7 million gallons).   It might not be large by most standards.  However, having witnessed the destruction of flash floods in the desert, and river flooding along the Mississippi and other river systems, it is good to know we are protected here.

The tour took them from the surface to the lowest tunnel, 100 ' below the surface.  Evidence of water seepage, and calcium build up (the kids mentioned a definite sulfur "rotten egg" odor.  

Back on the surface, to see bright blue skies and geese migrating to warmer climes south!

It has been a year

A little over a year ago our extended Rinaldi family began a roller coaster ride that reached the sudden climax while we were still driving to get to Colorado.  Just before we crossed from Iowa to Nebraska, we got the call we didn't want to receive, but one we thought would come.  The family that was present had a great gathering in Cathy's hospital room, and just after they were leaving to call it a late night, Ray stayed behind to spend the night with his beloved wife.  And, she was gone.  While we couldn't be with them, it was so good that most of the family was able to be together, celebrating Cathy's life before she took her final breath.

One of the legacies that Cathy left us with is a strong sense of what family means.  And in her final act on earth she, once again, brought the family together.  We came together to grieve, try to cope with a sudden sense of lost time, lost opportunities, and missing her famous hugs.  Oh, some of us (me included) felt more than a little guilty at also not missing her sharp criticism, and her raw sense of humor.  But, mostly, we wandered each home in Colorado, knowing she would just be around the corner.  Or she would be coming, but just a little late.  Your presence was palpable, and more than once I just knew if I walked in quick enough, I'd see you weren't really gone.

What I have come to realize was how she showed me the reward of being a feisty, opinionated, compassionate and hard work woman.  Her kids and their families often stood in awe when she turned into the mother tiger protecting her cubs.  We also celebrated so many joyous and other sad occasions under her direction.  The next wedding will be hard without her hovering, and making sure everyone is having a good time!  It can never be said that you could walk away hungry or thirsty when Cathy opened her door.  Plenty of grandchildren joined her and Nonno for games of Phase 10, Rummikub and Farkel.

Lynn Cathleen Rinaldi ... you welcomed me into the crazy Rinaldi clan in your own unique way.  Thank you for believing in us, for being our cheering squad, for offering opposite opinions, but allowing us to make our own way.  And thank for you for never once saying "I told you so" when our choices were not your wiser ones.

We pray for your soul every day, Cathy, and hope that God's mercy has been showering you with some of the love you missed when growing up.  We hope that you are side by side with all your dear friends and family who departed this world before you.  We hope you'll be there when we each come across the veil to join you, waiting with open arms for a much needed hug and gentle "I love you" whispered in our ears.

Any Rinaldi's reading this post, know what we are sending our love out to each one of you.  We'd be hugging and listening to you in person if we could.  Most of all, if you can, give Ray one huge, long hug from us!

Really???

A story similar to this link appeared in this morning's London Free Press.  It really had me scratching my head, wondering how on earth a banana was a racial slur.

I finally made the lame connection about 2 hours later to why it could even be considered racial prejudice.

So, all you folks who really believe in the racial bias inherent with Darwin's theory (used loosely, I might add) here you go.

If you are reading this, know that the folks we rub elbows with here in London are not of this ilk.  Probably someone from out of town (!)

100 Days Later

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

We had to celebrate on Tuesday night, late (ballet until 8:30!), because Tom is playing golf in Vancouver today.  At least, we hope so.  Last night he called to tell me it was raining, but they were expecting sunshine today.

The 100?  Well it turns out that our birthdays are exactly 100 days apart, and now he is at the middle of 50, just like me.

Peter and Mary made the cake from scratch, iced and decorated it while I was busy with my ENDOW study group at the parish.  Here they are lighting the candles to surprise their Dad!