De-Fragging

Wow...What a week!  So here's the re-cap.  (I'm thinking if I can get all of this out of my head, it will be like I'm de-fragging the computer.  Maybe I'll sleep good tonight.)

Update on Sam.

Sam is a jumper.  Up and over my fence he went.  He came back that night and we took him in again but he went up and over again the next day.  This time a neighbor caught him and took him to a no kill shelter.  We were asked if we wanted him back but unfortunately there's not a lot you can do with a dog like Sam.  (Other than annoy your neighbors.)  Once dogs learn how to "escape" they never "un-learn" it.  And I'm not into electric fences or tying him up.  Hopefully someone with a farm will adopt him.

A friend of mine bought a Shark. 

You know...the floor steamer.  She loves it and encouraged me to try it.  Not impressed.  I've had my sponge mop for a few years now and it does the same job.  (Sorry...but I won't be spending my $100 to stimulate the economy with that.)  

Same idea with a "Swiffer".  I used to have one and liked it but it seems silly to pay for all those cloths that you have to buy and then throw away.  My broom works just as good.

Now my Dyson Animal Vacuum cleaner is worth the $$$.  I bought it about 5 years ago and was astonished at what it picked up that my old Hoover didn't.  And NO BAGS!  Yeah!

Its time for my company's 2011 Benefits discussion.

I carry the health insurance for our family since SM is self employed.  I had a traditional "buy-up" PPO for over 5 years now.  Well...the times they are a changing.  Our company is no longer offering PPO's but going to CDHP and HSA's.  (Consumer Driven Health Plans and Health Savings Accounts)

So I'm doing my homework online and will be attending a conference call Monday night.  (SM and I can listen from home.)  Not like I have a choice, unless we want to jump ship and go with a private plan.

I guess I'm glad I got all my health issues out this year.  My out of pocket?  Probably around $600 total.  (With this new CDHP I would probably have had to pay out around $4,500 out of pocket.)

Health care is really going to break every ones back.  Kiss your savings goodbye.  Or do without.  Move to another country?  Yuck.  I just can't think about it...depressing.

After 3 loads of laundry today our 30 year old Kenmore Dryer has finally bit the dust. 

We've nursed it along with repairs the past few years but as SM points out, we could have bought a new more energy efficient dryer for all the "moula" we've put in to it. 

I teased him that all we need to do is go to the dollar store and pickup a clothes line and some pins.  SM says he lived with stiff clothes growing up and vowed he'd always have a dryer.  Well, all-righty then!  (I called my neighbor and she said "come on over" so I could finish my last load.)

I'm working my way through "The Pillars of the Earth". 

It's OK.  I find that I'm able to put it down and not come back to it for a day or two.  This tells me that I'll be lucky to finish it.  The really good books capture my attention and I just suck them down. 

That's all I can come up with for now.  Hopefully something more interesting will happen tomorrow so I can keep Y'all entertained.