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Borrego Springs, CA

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Taking care of business

Time is winding down here at Alligator River NWR, so I had to get busy today and take care of a few things that needed to be done before I move on.  About a month ago, my debit card was denied once again when I tried to purchase something, so I stopped in at the Manteo Wells Fargo Bank branch to get that taken care of.  Well, the result that day was that I would be issued a new card that would be delivered to that branch within a couple of weeks.  Since I had received no call, I decided to stop into the bank once more and see what was up.  My temporary card was close to expiring. 

To make a long story short, they had to order another card that will be delivered by Friday via Federal Express.  Not sure why they couldn’t have done that in the first place, but a talk today with the bank manager seemed to garner faster results.  We’ll see what happens when I go in on Friday.

After talking with my friend Diana last night, I decided to find a FoodSaver brand vacuum sealing machine in time for the arrival of my ten pounds of shrimp in a couple of days.

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Diana had packaged up several portions of shrimp for me while we both were volunteering at Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR, and I was impressed with how that has worked out for me.  Since K Mart was several miles closer than Wal Mart, I stopped there and found a pretty good price on this unit.

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For those of you like me that haven’t ever seen one of these units, here is what you get in the basic setup. 

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Little did I know that I had the unit upside down until I looked at the photos.  I’ll be testing it out Friday night after beheading my load of shrimp.  Confused smile  Some how I doubt that I’ll save $2700 per year on my food bill using this equipment since I don’t spend too much more than that each year for groceries.

On the way back from K Mart, I decided to stop in at the only Walgreens in the area and get my annual flu shot taken care of.  This is the first time in over 16 years that it didn’t cost me anything out of pocket to do so.  Medicare took care of it.  I have to say that the pharmacist that gave me the shot caused the least amount of pain I’ve ever had with an injection.  I thanked her for that.

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Now my final piece of business for the day might not impress many of you, but it gave me a good sense of accomplishment.  I finally installed the new Carbon Monoxide alarm myself, and I only had one screw fall down through the floor heating vent while I stood on a stool to reach up with my portable drill above the sliding bedroom door.  Open-mouthed smile The good thing about loosing the screw was that I figured out how to remove those floor vent covers so I can clean out all of Emma’s hair that seems to fall down through them.   I do so enjoy learning something new each day, and having these small mechanical victories!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

28 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a good day!

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  2. Have drill, will fix! Good for you on getting that flu shot out of the way. We have been saying we were going for ours but haven't yet.

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  3. You bought a really great food sealer. Now you can cook one meal and seal extra portions for later use. All in all a time and money saver. Congrats on the installation of the carbon monoxide detector.

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  4. You were just one busy person today and getting the carbon monoxide alarm installed is a real feather in your cap.

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  5. I have had a "foodsaver" for several years now. I don't use it as often as I thought I would but it has been very helpful and done what it's suppose to do. I especially use it in the summer when there is alot of fresh veggies. I would and probably will buy another when needed. You can use it for sealing anything that you want to keep dry, clean or fresh.

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  6. Almost time to move on down the line, huh? Where to? (or did I miss that post?) Always chores to do before leaving.

    I'll be ready to hear how you like the Food Saver. I don't have one, but it might be on my radar.

    (ps: I don't like those stinkin' shades either!)

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  7. Can't believe your time there is coming to an end already. It seems you were just deciding whether to head in that direction or elsewhere.

    As I said, we had the food saver. Loved it. But I must be tough on those things. Went thru two. Thinking about getting another.

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  8. I think you will like the Foodsaver. I don't use it as often as I did in the house but when I need it it's there and does the job!

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  9. Dealing with most banks is frustrating, but it would be hard to function with out them. I can understand how they got us all in soi much trouble after having to deal with them for so many years:)

    Have never used a vacuum food saver, but sounds like a good idea.

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  10. Guess I've never needed a food saver..... I have Bill ;-)

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  11. I really like my food saver. The bags are kind of expensive but it sure keeps frozen meat from getting freezer burn.

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  12. Small victories & accomplishments every day is what keeps us moving forward!! :)

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  13. Yes, Ma'am! learning new things, even little things, keeps those brain cells active! Even if its only turning a machine right side up ;-) Just kidding.

    I however learn so very much from your blog! Lovin' it!

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  14. Congratulations on installing your carbon monoxide alarm. I have two smoke alarms that I bought when I moved in here a year ago, still in the package! I have a difficult time working overhead, and it's too dark in the hallway to see well. I'd lose the screws forever!

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  15. Very smart on the food saver! And yay for the victory!

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  16. I love my foodsaver - I have the same model. I get my bags and rolls on ebay - there's a seller who sells non-brand-name ones at prices that are a fraction of the brand-name. I use mine all the time.

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  17. I am impressed that you were able to install your new detector all by yourself! In no time, you'll be overhauling your engine... ;c)

    You go, girl!

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  18. Accomplishing things is a great feeling.

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  19. Congrats on your mechanical victory!

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  20. I love my Food Saver, it's perfect for shrimp.

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  21. Wow, you made lots of tracks and got lots done!! Hope Mr. Banker is right about getting you yur bank card!!

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  22. Lots of accomplishments in one day. We've been thinking about a foodsaverfor a while, but haven't purchased one yet. We'll see how yours works for you before committing. Banks!!!! UF,DUH!! Isn't that how you spell it? (:>)

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  23. We've often thought about getting one of those Food Savers but never have - just too many other doo-dads in the kitchen, I guess.

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  24. You've GOT to have something fall into the floor vents every once in awhile, or they'd never get cleaned!! Congrats on the new carbon-monoxide detector install.

    Mark

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  25. Our camper fridge is so little we couldn't begin to get all that shrimp in there...Yep, I clean out those floor vents once a year, and we don't have a dog...but then, I have OCD.

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  26. Not only will that keep your food longer I would think it would help
    with storage, make the package smaller. Good information...thanks!

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  27. If your up this way.....we have a carbon monoxide detector needing installation.

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