Dec 22/23 - spoiled ? me ?

Stef figures Cassie is spoiled.  I don't know why :).

It was a whirlwind trip.  We got the major things done but not all the shopping.  We never got to Costco; we only stopped at the HD in Parry Sound, which has limited stock of anything; Sandy didn't find any boots ...

BUT -- we did get to Oakville; I did get the new crowns installed -- turned out to be a 3 hour appointment rather than 1/2 hour because I ended up going to the lab to have the colour adjusted and one made less bulky.  The lab is close but it all takes time. 

On the way there we tried to stop at HD in Barrie and aborted that because the traffic was backed up getting onto Mapleview.  We stopped at Sherway and had lunch then Sandy looked for boots.  Sherway has reinvented itself with expansions and relocations of stores and the food court.  Now you need a map.

We had dinner with Joyce, but it was later than expected so I didn't get to her place to hang curtain rods.  My drill came back unused. 

The next morning we drove to Barrie, picked up Kylie and Lauren, dropped off Cassie and then drove back to Toronto, parking at City Hall.  The skating rink was busy but we were on our way to lunch at The Mercado and then the Nutcracker.  It's the first time that I've seen the newly choreographed version by Kudelka and my first time in the new venue.  The new version is pretty busy; lots of dancers on the stage all the time.  I love the music.  It was great.

Back on the road, lots of traffic, we got to Barrie around 5pm and stopped at The Bulk Barn by Stef before picking up Cassie.  The dogs were somewhat calmer than when we'd dropped Cassie off ... well, not much.  She did immediately crash in her crate.

Our plan had been to then stop at Costco but Sandy was too tired.  I figured that HD and Canadian Tire would be quieter in Parry Sound so we headed straight north.

By the time we got to PS, they were rolling up the streets.  The LCBO was closed (we have wine awaiting us), HD was empty but open; CT similarly quiet; they were about to close Sobeys; we squeaked into Harveys/Swiss Chalet before they closed.  We were back to the cottage in the Great Brown North around 9:30.  Cassie was happy to get out of the car but not running crazy as she'd had lots of exercise with Mya.

Right now it's 55F.  Crazy.  It's also crazy windy.   The weather says gusts to 57 kph and I can believe that.  I see from the forecast that a deep freeze is coming but that won't be in time for any ice on the lake, unfortunately.

Aaron got home just in time to see Cassie but David was still MIA.  Perhaps he was picking up his new car, due that day.

In other news ...

I'd still been working with Generac but the documentation needs kept evolving.  I'd typed up the entire run log in case more of it disappeared before it could be read by a tech.  I was browsing on Amazon for a replacement battery, checking on the price, when it occurred to me that I could post a review.  You don't actually have to have purchased from Amazon to do a review.

Naturally my review was pretty mixed, more negative than positive.  Although they have replaced the motor under warranty, even that has cost me as I've had to pay Mr. Electric in Parry Sound for some labor not covered by Generac, travel time, and it will cost me a new battery.   

Well, within a couple of hours there was a reply from Generac on Amazon and after some back and forth, that prompted them to send the review to my "resolution specialist" who went on the defensive saying that it was mostly my fault because I've been away a lot.  Well, I have been away, but there were always delays at their end that pushed any info requests into a period when we were away.

Bottom line ?  They've now offered to extend the warranty and pay my entire fuel bill and never mind the log business and calculated usage.  They're supposed to be sending me a release -- I can only guess at what that might include -- probably no bad reviews / non disclosure ? 

I guess that companies care about reviews on Amazon ...

At the end of the day they are stepping up to the plate.  Prior to them receiving the bad review they apparently had come up with a resolution but hadn't communicated that to me.  I don't know what that solution might have been. I will always be curious.  It seems that they want to do the right thing.   I'm still curious as to what the no-load propane usage is; they don't have an official number for that.

Today ... Sandy may go into Sudbury to finish up what we didn't do yesterday.  Our next opportunity would be the 26th, boxing day, but she figures that there won't be much on the shelf the day after Christmas.  That would certainly be true of some perishables.  I'll stay put with Cassie.

Onward !