Wednesday, May 11, 2022

NOPE

 What is it they say? "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." (translated from the original olde English.)

That is why you will see the word "NOPE" written across most of the days of my planning calendar for this week.

On Monday, wondering why I had not heard from Home Depot about my pending carpet installation, I called the store where we ordered it, and paid for it, the only contact I had. After what seemed like half a dozen transfers I finally talked to a woman who told me that the order had never been filled, that the carpet had never been shipped from the warehouse. There had been a mistake in the ordering process. Apparently no one had bothered to fix it. 

I informed her that I had spent weeks preparing for the installation that was supposed to happen this week and my house was all torn apart. She said she would get more information and call me back. She didn't. When I called her back just before 5:00 I was informed she had gone home half an hour ago. I chose not to leave a message but instead got her extension #. When I called again on Tuesday I got voice messaging and no call back, twice, so finally I said I didn't care if she had to answers yet, I needed to talk to somebody now!. She called me right back. I learned that the order had not been placed correctly and she had just now replaced the order. Now we wait all over again for shipment and then scheduling an installation date. 

Meanwhile my living room/dining room looks like this:

Fortunately our bedroom and office are still functioning. Taking them apart was what got 'NOPED" on my calendar for the first part of this week.

But our plans to travel to Friday Harbor got "NOPED" because of this:

Yep, we have Covid. Suspicious of the negative results we got on the home test Sunday evening, I picked up new test kits Tuesday morning. We were both sick, Tom hit harder than I. I studied symptoms of colds vs Covid and wasn't sure, but didn't know anyone we could have caught a cold from. So I got new test kits, we used them and then we knew what we were dealing with.

I spent most of the rest of Tuesday notifying people we had been in contact with since the middle of last week and then playing internet games to figure out how to save our already paid for and non refundable hotel reservations on Friday Harbor. I had booked through Expedia. Expedia does not offer a telephone number, believe me I looked everywhere, so contact had to be through a "remote agent". Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and it is a slow, clumsy process, but finally I broke through, was able to change the date of our reservations without penalty, although a week later cost more, and then get our ferry boat reservations changed, although we will now have to leave before the crack of dawn to get an earlier sailing. 

Now this is only Wednesday morning but it feels like it has already been a full week since Sunday. We are slowly recovering. We are in isolation for at least five days and then we will have to mask up for five more days, but we are fine with that. We are well stocked with groceries for now. We still have cold like symptoms and not much energy. I need to get out and do some walking to get my strength back slowly while the sun is shining. That's next on my new list for today.


These are the flowers I had on my table for Mother's Day. On Sunday they were standing up tall and perky. I was coming down with what I thought was a cold, so I wasn't very perky, but I was still standing.

Now the tulips are doing what tulips do, sagging and slumping a bit. So are we, but I really like tulips this way. They remind me of old Dutch Masters paintings. There's beauty in aging. We just have to find a way to deal with the not fun stuff, and be prepared for the best laid plans going awry. 


14 comments:

  1. Auwe! That's what we say over here when things are off and not going the way we want it to. I have been having a lot of NOPE days too - I also tested positive last Thursday when I felt sick - just that one day. However, I cancelled everything - Mother's Day, ceramics classes, massage appointment, and any trips or errands. Today I can mask up and go out - finally - with a lot of caution on my part. I would feel terrible if I infected anyone else.

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  2. Good grief, you have really taken a beating. I can't believe how awful Home Depot has been. Think I would leave a review on their site. And now you both have Covid. Not fair. Do take care and be well soon.

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  3. What a lot of terrible news, Linda. I cannot believe the hassles with the installation, but now that you are both out with Covid, maybe it's all for the best (in the worst possible way). I hope to hear from you soon that everything is back on track. I wondered what you were going to tell us, and at least it's not health related in any way that cannot be dealt with! Sigh.

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  4. OH LINDA! This is all such bad news. How frustrating for you. I can’t even imagine that carpet scenario! I would not have been a very happy consumer. I know you were much nicer than I probably would have been with this poorly handled ordered. I hope they find a way to compensate you for all this disruption. We put in new carpet last year, so I know what a huge task this all is.

    Then COVID on top of it all. Get well. I’m glad you haven’t suffered too badly. Here’s to next week and better news.

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  5. Oh Linda! How awful. What a lot of crap to have to deal with over the carpet and then to come down with Covid. To me the most disgusting part of problems like the carpet order is waiting for the return calls that never happens. I'm so sorry you both have Covid. Hope you feel better real soon. Thank goodness for beautiful tulips to cheer you. I like them sagging and slumping a little too. Those colors are so pretty.

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  6. The tulips are lovely. The shmozz with Home Depot--- not lovely at all. I hope it won't be too long until the carpets come in. Meanwhile both you and Tom have to concentrate on getting well. I'm glad you could reschedule your get-away.

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  7. That's a challenging week. It's unbelievable how orders can be completely mismanaged. Try and contact somebody? Dream on. Now getting covid is a real bummer. You've gone through 2 or more years and then it finally gets you. All the best for a speedy recovery.

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  8. Oh , NO on the carpet and the Covid. What a lot of effort and annoyance, especially when you're feeling under par! My boyfriend has had a terrible cold but tested negative on the home test. I urged him to get a PCR which also showed negative. The virus seems to be circulating everywhere so I was shocked that he didn't have it. Sorry that you do!

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  9. Good grief! What a lot to deal with but it does sound as though you are dealing. I would be able to stand the piles in the living room and delaying a trip, maybe even getting COVID -- but all that phone stuff would do me in completely.

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  10. Sorry you have Covid, hope the recovery is uneventful. Seems like this last strain is very contagious. Wow that is too bad about the carpet, I hope it is not too long of a wait. Someone was not doing their job. Were you tempted to go someplace else to get the carpet? I would have been. Your tulips are lovely. Rest and get better!

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  11. You are the perfect optimist. I would have been super angry (wasted energy) about the carpet issue. I am sure I was supposed to gt my new range installed sometime this month, but I cannot find the email or information!!

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  12. What a mess... with the Home Depot order. They really should compensate you in some way... at the least for not getting back with you about the messed up order. Perhaps you could write a letter to the manager? And as for being Covid positive... DH had that too back in January. He had symptoms of a cold, but never felt bad. I never caught it - (or didn't have any symptoms if I did). Hope you are both feeling well again soon!

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  13. I've had NOPES recently with medical and dental insurance claims. I set aside a couple of hours every few weeks to make one more call, sit on hold for 45 minutes and then occasionally get disconnected. Fortunately, I save paperwork to do while I wait. I don't think Art and I have had covid yet - or it was so mild we didn't notice - hope you're through it and back out there pretty quick.

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  14. Oh no!!! One thing after another. I hope for a pleasant outcome.

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