A Strange Monday

Today was a little bit strange. After making a few phone calls and dealing with the morning's email, Forry and I headed for Chula Vista to pick up the appliances for House # 2 at Home Depot. Forry bought a few items -- door shims and hose connectors -- and then we went to the Service Desk. They pulled up the order without a problem; checked to see where the appliances were; found they were still by the loading dock in the back (since they had been delivered on Saturday, they hadn't yet been moved into the "will call" pen); and decided rather than have them loaded up and delivered to the front of the store and then reloaded onto our pickup, it would be much simpler to have us just go back to the loading deck area and have them loaded there. The clerk called back to tell them we were coming and signed off the paperwork (that said the stuff had been paid for).

So we drove to the back far corner and sure enough, all four appliances were sitting there with my name on them. I went inside and handed my clipboard with the order sign-off the the fellow inside. Well, he certainly didn't think it was a good idea! He slammed my clipboard down on his workbench; reached for the phone; called someone -- and evidently didn't like what he heard -- and slammed the phone down. He called someone else, didn't like what he heard there either, ripped off his apron and headed back into the store. About 8-10 minutes later, he came back, handed me my clipboard and said that someone would be coming to help us load.

Well, we went back outside by the appliances and waited and waited and waited. And it was HOT out there today... Finally after almost one-half hour with no sign of anyone, I decided to call the appliance department. The lady who answered said she didn't understand why we were calling from outside instead of being in the "will call" area. So, I told her I needed to talk to her manager, she put me on hold and after a few minutes a man came on the line to ask what the problem was. As I was talking to him on the cell phone, a man came outside also talking on a cell phone -- who turned out to be talking to me.

It was a manager and he proceeded to help us load the washer and dryer and stove and refrigerator. He had one of the guys who running a loader come over and lift the heavier stuff on to the pickup, but he climbed up into the pickup to help Forry manhandle the stuff. He also helped put the straps on to secure the load (which none of the guys ever do -- they usually help you load and then leave). He was quite apologetic and told us how much they appreciated our business. He had evidently checked our account before he came to the phone because he seemed to know how much money we had been spending at Home Depot over the past couple of months.

Anyway, before we left he told us to call in a half hour before we arrived to pick up the next order of appliances on Wednesday and they would be "ready for us."

We stopped at camp for lunch on our way back and then took the load on out to House #2. The crew there -- and the plumber -- helped unload the appliances and move them into the house.

On our way back we stopped off at House #1 to get the Job Card signed off as finished and to give the last set of keys that MDS had to Elsie and Steve. I had also framed a picture I had taken of the two of them on the day of the Final Inspection to give to them. It gave me a chance to see their daughter Tammy again and to meet their grand daughter Rebecca who had driven from the Bay area with her mother. They are having a "Family and Friends Housewarming" this Saturday which I am sorry to miss.

I am leaving in the morning to fly to Rochester, New York for a Search Committee meeting on Wednesday and Mennonite Church USA Executive Board meetings Thursday through Saturday afternoon. I'll be flying back into San Diego late on the 18th. I haven't decided yet whether I want to drag along my computer. If you don't see any notes on the blog for a few days, you'll know I decided not to take it!