Friday, March 13, 2026

I will huff and i will puff...


Today we had to sort an issue out at the bank. It was the second time we have tried to sort this issue out. The first time, the young woman who had set it up told us flatly that it could not be fixed. The thing is that we are keeping a lockbox for our executor. When our CDs matured, we rolled them over. When we got home and were going through the folder, we realized that the largest and oldest CD did not have any paperwork. 

The girl was certain she had put it in the folder. She hadn't. She said that it could not be reprinted. We received verification paperwork, but there was nothing about the oldest CD.

So off to the bank we went. A woman walked up to us and asked if she could help us, so I began to explain to her. She was helping another customer she said. 

The question begs an answer: why would you offer to help someone if you didn't have time to help them? I mean, we were headed to take a seat to wait. She was the one who asked if she could help us. 

Anyway, when she came out and called us into her office, I pulled out the folders and explained the situation. All we needed was something that we could put in this folder so that our executor had all the information. I showed her the previous folder which showed the CD, showed it matured on Feb 1st, but that nothing came in the new paperwork to indicate what we did with it. 

To her credit, she agreed that we did have to get that corrected. For whatever reason, the address change was not noted on that. She corrected it. While she could not print out the certificate, she did provide a printout that showed that the CD had been contined for another 7 months, what the interest rate was and when it matured. I stapled that printout to the previous information. That was done. 

We went to the Goodwill. I needed a couple plates that I could put in the microwave. We very quickly found what we needed. Tim picked them out. 

What happened next was all Tim's fault. He noticed a store he'd never been in. They had a lot of stuff. One thing I saw, I had never seen before...windchimes for $750. I touched the striker and it was so lovely. The deep tone reverberated wonderfully.

$750, though. 

I looked at the others. A 59 in set could be had for a bit over half that. Still...it was an awful lot of money. We walked around the store a bit, but I could not get those lovely chimes off my mind. Tim  found something that interested him.

At the checkout counter, I made up my mind. I wanted those chimes. Tim was a bit surprised. I said, 'If you want a truck, you buy a truck. If you decide to build on to an already massive garage, you just do it. I want those windchimes. I am making an executive decision here.'

It is the most extravagant thing I have ever done for me. 



I have them hanging in the basement right now. The winds are blowing at 30 mph, with gusts of 65 mph. We don't have power. Guess I will just go to bed.

Oh...my great achievement was that I gave Fred a pill. I lived to tell the tale. No blood was shed. However, the cat is shunning me.

56 comments:

  1. Sometimes something just speaks to you and you have to buy it. Sounds better than the old truck engines for sure. Linda in Kansas

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    1. As soon as I heard it, I just wanted it so badly. It just felt like the echo of a distant memory.

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  2. There are always ways around problems..lateral thinking!

    I love that..executive decisions..
    and well done..the greatest achievement, even though it does mean being shunned for a while..giving Fred his pill!!

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    1. I have two weeks of this. He will probably kill me in my sleep before it is all said and done!

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  3. $750? Splutter. But then I spent AU$700 on the robot vacuum cleaner, which is a toy really. We all have vices and weaknesses. Your chimes do sound lovely.

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    1. Oh no. I would never. These were just under $400

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  4. Wrap in a towel so claws cannot be used, speak softly and cuddle then in goes the pill. Does are even worse because they have long mouths. Enjoy your wind chimes every time they tinkle.

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    1. I would wrap the stubborn cat in a towel, get the tablet taken, stroke her throat to ensure it had gone down, cuddle her for a while, and then give her a treat, some cheese or cream. She was good at sicking up tablets.

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    2. Fred is challenging. I tried the towel thing. Definite no-go. As soon as he sees you with a bathtowel he is gone. When I pick him up, he has 4 legs spinning in 4 different directions. He throws a hissy fit. Because he is such a stinker, he doesn't get turned loose until I am 100% sure he has swallowed the pills.

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  5. What a gorgeous sound! I like your style!

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    1. I am not sure why, but the sound of them are mesmerizing to me.

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  6. Those chimes make a lovely deep sound!

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  7. I can understand your need for the chimes, they look and sound stunning.

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    1. Sometimes you just have to go for it. Life is short enough so grab your Happies when you can!

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  8. I never want to pill a cat again.

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    1. It would not make me cry to never have to do it again.

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  9. Good on you! A good executive decision :) Well done with the pill down the cat's throat. I really struggled to give Alfie his 1 1/2 pills for tape worm recently. Thought I had succeeded, only to find the big one spat out on the carpet. Round two . . .

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    1. Exactly what I was dosing Fred with. I am on to his tricks. Tim holds his feet. I pry his mouth and pop the pill in. Two actually because he is on a 2 week regimen of steroids too. He is cuddled in my arms while I talk to him. He isn't released until I see him licking his smackers. I know for a fact that if he got away and spat the pills out, there would be no second chances that day.

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  10. Those wind chimes are lovely! Good for you for buying them. Think of all the pleasure they'll bring you.

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  11. Those wind chimes have such a beautiful sound, I can see why you would want them. And you're right, Tim buys what he wants. Now it's your turn:)

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    1. He surely does, and for the most part, I think I am fairly laid back about his stuff.

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  12. The chimes are so very nice ... will the neighbors like them? 🤷‍♀️

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    1. Our closest neighbor is the cemetery across the road. I don't think they will complain. The closest house is a quarter mile down the road.

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  13. Oh, Debby! Just a few days ago I was at a nursery buying plants and came across a display of chains of tinkling bells. I admired them, one especially. The price, although nowhere near what really fine wind chimes cost, was more than I really wanted to spend. A little while later, I was looking for plastic markers to write on and stick in the ground to identify what I'd planted (because of course I forget) and they were right next to the bells.
    I ended up buying the string I liked. I am still not quite sure where they need to go but I had the same thought as you- these husbands buy and do for themselves what they "need" and we go along, generally, because it's just easier so why shouldn't we allow ourselves to get what we need now and then? A gift to ourselves. Why not?

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    1. In our house, I really don't care, for the most part. I did plant my foot on two things. He wanted to get some sort of heating thing for the house. He already has a furnace stored in my greenhouse. A boiler in the basement, a brand new woodstove as a back up for the gas stove that is working just fine. So I said no, and while we were on the subject, he needed to get the furnace out of my greenhouse. Today he found a cub cadet riding lawnmower. I reminded him of the three cub cadets he already had. He needed to make a decision about what he was doing with those before he brought another one home. The man drops the subject just as soon as I bring up getting rid of stuff. But mostly I don't have strong opinions on it.

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  14. I've been there with pilling cats. And having them quietly bring it back up behind the sofa. It's usually a several try effort. In that wind the chimes would be jangling like mad!

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    1. These would drive a person crazy in a terrible wind.

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  15. Stubblejumpers CafeMarch 14, 2026 at 10:53 AM

    I bought the same chimes (silver not black) at a yard sale for $5 and had to think twice at that! LOL and then had to hang them in about 3 different places in the yard before the sound was the right distance from my ears to be heard but not irritating. When they chimed within a foot of me (picking them up) they were way too loud! But I love them hanging from one of my oak trees, even all winter. Anyway I must've got an incredible bargain ... I had no idea!
    When my former husband didnt give me a gift for my 40th birthday I went out and bought myself an expensive ($100 27 yrs ago was a luxury for us) a really good purse. Still the best, too; worth it.
    I like to hear that you did something nice for yourself. - Kate

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    1. That will be the trick. They have to be out of the direct wind, which rules out the west side of the house completely. I think the y will go on the east side of the greenhouse.

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    2. See my comment below. The chimes that were $400 were a lot small than the ones for $780, and not black. -Kate=StubblejumpersCafe=BlondiBlathers gee it's almost like i don't know who the hell i am

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  16. Oh those chimes! Good for you, treating yourself to something fun!!! We have the same giant set and I cannot remember what we paid for them but they weren't cheap and we LOVE them. Well, except when it's very windy and they sound like every wedding scene in a British movie! They survived the 50 mph winds here yesterday!

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    1. Our winds were awful. A lot of downed trees, the power was out for 12 hours. We got off lucky, comparatively speaking!

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  17. Hey, sometimes you just have to splurge, right?! Though I'd be afraid to hang those chimes outside for fear someone would take them! Glad you got the CD situation sorted out. Banks, like doctors' offices, seem to struggle with customer service.

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    1. It seems like this bank wants to promote the illusion of customer service. A woman in very high heels tippy taps around greeting everyone and asking how she can help. It is a small bank with just one teller. It seems to me that it would be more economical, timewise for her to just deal with the customers one by one . Or to say, 'i will be with you as soon as i am done here.' Hugely annoying to have someone ask how she can help you, only to cut you off to say she is helping someone else.or maybe I am a batch. I don't know.

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  18. Well done, and may you have much joy of them.

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    1. I think I will. The trick will be finding the right spot for them.

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  19. I love windchimes too and many people don't realize the huge difference in tones. There are some I wouldn't want and others I'm crazy about. I wonder if my neighbors appreciate my chimes as much as I do. :) Especially on windy nights.

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    1. In town, we simply put a rubber band around them.

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  20. Any time you can pill a cat without bloodshed is a good thing! Cheers!

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    1. Especially this one. He has an alarming growl. He has never bitten though.

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  21. Debby, I love the tone of the chimes. I find it calming.
    As long as we’re confessing, I bought myself a Le Creuset Dutch oven. I like to cook, make soup, roasts, and bread, so I know I will treasure it. I couldn’t satisfy my decision with a knockoff. And my niece can claim it in the future. I know it will be loved for decades. But my eyes watered at the price!
    Bonnie in Minneapolis

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    1. A good cooking pot is practical. Wind chimes are not practical.

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    2. I gifted myself the large Le Cruset brasier. I absolutely love it.

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  22. Sometimes you must buy the thing that the heart wants. It will be lovely on a summer evening bonging away. We used to have CDs with USAA. Once they lost one of them for almost a year, it didn't show up on the monthly statements. We kept thinking there should be another one, eventually it came back. That was it for USAA.

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  23. It was just dumbfounding to me that we were simply told that there was nothing to be done. They had a large sum of money. We had nothing in hard copy stating that they had it.

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  24. That is the most beautiful sound, you would have regretted not buying them.

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    1. I really wanted them, but I sure did not need them. I don't think I will regret buying them.

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  25. You deserve those lovely chimes! You will get that much in enjoyment from the sounds. And they don't need electricity to work! Sometimes you just have to treat yourself!!!!
    We have had horrible winds but are on a lucky street that still has electricity. So many trees and poles down.

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    1. Down the road from us, a tree fell on a car and damaged the house too. I am sitting here now watching another windstorm move in. The power is already flickering. Going to be a long night, I think.

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  26. Shoot, I can't get the video to play. I have a lovely set from the windshield factory where my sister worked. Their tone is just so melodic. Wish I could hear yours!
    Here's hoping you come through this current storm safely. Winds just got crazy here.

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  27. I do love wind chimes - unfortunately we have too much wind here in general and I hope that my neighbours (and family) appreciate that I don't have chimes - but those chimes look (and sound) beautiful

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  28. Debby! I went to a store today in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and guess what I saw: the chimes you saw for $800. They were $780! and the ones I have, the exact same, were $400. That's crazytown, both of them: I'd love to know what's so expensive about making those. Anyhoo, thought of you! -Kate

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  29. It sounds like you handled a tricky day with patience and humor. The windchimes story is wonderful and shows sometimes we just need to treat ourselves. I hope the winds die down and Fred forgives you soon.

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  30. I, also, LOVE the sound of those chimes. Could readily understand your reasoning in getting them, too. You only live once. Some things touch your soul. So if you can afford them...yes...jump on it! ;) Enjoy!

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