Got my walk anyway. It's about 4 blocks to the post office, and the library is right across the town square, which is the only place in town where there is any grass to speak of. It's a pretty little area, surrounded by Spanish-style buildings on three sides that house businesses, a restaurant, and the aforementioned PO and library. 9 a.m. is too late to start my walk, as it was warmer than I liked by the time I made my way home with no mail and two new books. Next time I'll go a little earlier and be there when the library opens its doors.
The DirecTV guy was here by 11 a.m. to replace our aging DVR receiver. After numerous calls over the past couple of years to complain about blank spots in our recordings, they finally agreed that they should replace a leased receiver that isn't working properly anymore. By this time, it was popping to the screen saver while we were watching programs in real time, popping to real time when we were watching programs from a recording that we started watching late but before the show was over (like Jazz games) and still recording blank spots or pixelated images. As I signed the work order, mentioning that I was making sure there was no charge as had been promised, the tech answered, 'Oh, no, there's no charge...you have the protection plan.' Well, we don't, but then I don't agree that we should pay for a protection plan when we pay monthly for the equipment. So I said nothing. After four years, they should replace the receiver at no charge. And it wasn't even a new one, anyway--it's refurbished.
By the time he left I was starving for lunch, and then it was time for my tutoring shifts, so I didn't make it to 'town' for any of the things we needed, including a vent hose for the dryer. Budd came home while I was working with a kid, and passed me a note saying he was going for the things on the list. Half an hour later he called me to say that the Tru-Value closes at 4:30 p.m., so no dryer hose. Unbelievable! I'm going to write some business plans, rent some of these decrepit old buildings, and put some people out of business by providing decent customer service.
Fast-forward another half-hour and I had discovered we were missing an early Jazz game against the Celtics. Tuned in to the channel we had purchased with the SportsPack specifically to get the Jazz games, only to find a message that the channel wasn't purchased. Within seconds, my brother called, Budd kept trying to call on the same line, and the dinner I was preparing started to burn. By the time Budd got home, I was a wreck, and of course it was his fault, poor guy. He must have agreed, since he did the dishes for me later. (Not really--he did that because of what happened next.)
Since the dinner was inedible, I got on the computer to make sure the game wasn't on a different channel and just blacked out on FSUT as had been the case on Saturday, but no, that wasn't it. Then I called DTV to complain that we had indeed purchased this channel. An hour on the phone with customer and tech support finally got us to a person who told us--get this--that the SportsPack channels only work when they AREN"T AIRING A GAME! I was outraged. I had specifically told the customer service rep from whom I ordered SportsPack that watching the Jazz games was my only reason for doing so. He assured me that unless they were blacked out because a national network had purchased the rights to show them, we would be able to see not only the Jazz games, but also any Redskins game that was aired on a Fox regional feed.
Unfortunately, when I'm outraged, I'm not very nice, so I handed the phone to Budd to resolve this situation. By this time, the game was scheduled to be over, and when it hit time for the postgame show, we started receiving the feed. The game still had six minutes to run, so we did get to watch the Jazz finish off the Celtics. Meanwhile, Budd negotiated receiving NBA League Pass free for the rest of this season for all of our trouble. We'll have to pay for it next year if we're still here, but for now I'm mollified.
May or may not get to walk today, as it was pouring rain when we woke up. This is the second day since we've been here that we've had rain, and I think it's a little unusual this late in the season. The first time, though, the rain was done and the sun came out around noon.
Obviously, it's going to make for a beautiful spring and summer with all the desert plants blooming. I learned at the park visitor center that the Sonoran desert is different from the other four desert areas in the US in that there are two rainy seasons, one in winter and the one they call the monsoon season in August. I remember calling the rainy Augusts in Moab monsoon season, but had no idea I was being accurate! Maybe I heard it on the weather reports and internalized it without realizing it. Anyway, when I've learned a little more about the desert flora and fauna, I'll write about it.
For now, I'll just describe our beautifully landscaped yard. We have lantana, oleander and several other flowering vines and bushes that are either in bloom or about to bloom right now, both front and back. In back are also an orange, grapefruit and fig trees. The orange tree had two oranges way up that our landlady hadn't been able to reach when she harvested them in December or January, so Budd picked them for us the day we rented the house, with her permission. Everyone agreed that they would have been better had she waited until now to harvest. The grapefruit tree has buds on it, and the fig is just beginning to leaf at the lowest branch joints. I guess figs are supposed to be trimmed back to the big branches, so they look dead right now, except for the few leaves that are already out.
In front, there is an acacia willow and another tree that C (the landlady) can't remember the name of, also just beginning to leaf out. There are several clumps of decorative grasses with tall flower stalks that she also can't remember the name of, a couple of juvenile saguaro cacti, and a large senita cactus. There are also senita and one saguaro in the back. All of this is surrounded by pale pink granite gravel, and not a blade of grass, for which Budd is very grateful. The yard has winter debris in it right now, as no one was living here, but C brought us a leaf blower and as soon as we have it cleaned up, I'll take a picture for Facebook. I'm also going to try to catch one of the lectures at the library or the park about the local plants, so I can identify the ones that C couldn't name.
C brought me some extra 'parts' for the drip irrigation system, so I will be able to plant flowers or vegetables in containers if I want. I'm torn--if we're only here two months, there isn't much point. But if we're permanent, I'd love to be able to harvest our own tomatoes, squash, radishes, etc. I also learned there is a community garden here, where we can purchase organic produce or even participate in the gardening, only three or four blocks away. I might just add that location to my walks and buy fresh vegetables each day. I guess that will depend on whether they stay open until Budd and I get home from the park once I start working.
Speaking of which, Budd learned yesterday that there will be another opening for someone with my experience, at a higher pay grade than the temp job I'll be taking. The AO wants me to apply for that one, too, and I must admit higher pay sounds good. It would even be sufficient to allow us to stay here in the unlikely event that Budd doesn't get the permanent position. Guess I'll apply when it's posted.
For now, I'd better get out on errands before the sun comes out and heats everything up.
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