We have a list a mile long of things to get done. We have been trying to work our way through them. This week and last, we made MAJOR progress!
Last week we had our stufa cleaned. This is our pellet stove that warms our living room. Now we are ready for winter. We also finally got a plumber to come to our house to fix a bunch of things we’ve had for, literally, years. Today the plumber came back. He fixed everything! I am stupidly happy. I have new toilet seats for both toilets. I have a toilet that flushes again. I have a new rain shower and a shower door that no longer leaks. I have a new faucet outside on the terrace. It has leaked for all the time we’ve lived here. First time it will be dry out there. My small table is no longer wet, and I hope the mold goes away now. It makes me crazy happy.
We also visited our primary care doctor for an introductory appointment. And to get flu shots. I really like our new doctor. She is so accommodating. She will email our prescription refills rather than make us return every month. We changed from our old doctor because we were not happy with her.
I also have an appointment with my knee surgeon on Saturday. Looking forward to asking him about my ongoing knee issues.
The only thing not working out so far is mailing our absentee ballots. We have tried twice and so far have not managed to mail them. We want to use DHL so we can track, and also so we can avoid Poste Italiene and USPO. Next week for sure. Piano, piano…
Well, the mechanism wouldn’t close the outlet so the water never turned off, nor did the tank ever fill. In the US I could open the tank and fiddle with the plunger. But here, the works are inside the wall, where I can’t get to them. So that all needed to be replaced. Plumbers are notoriously difficult to work with. They don’t answer their phone. Or if they do, or you go to their office, they say they will be here tomorrow. Never show up. So you’ve got to call or visit multiple times. The plumber we finally got to come was most accommodating. he’s a friend of a friend and that’s probably the only way we got him to come. It is all in who you know here. Anyway. This should explain why I was “stupidly happy!”
Ciao Nancy. So you had a toilet that didn’t flush? That’s not good. Is it difficult to get plumbers and such to make house calls? Understood during covid times, but guess I’m asking about normal circumstances. Good luck with ballots and knees.
Sadly Virginia doesn’t allow this. It must be mailed.
For future consideration you might want to see if you can FAX your ballot. I was in Tuscany for the last Presidential election and wanted to make sure I could get my vote in. I worked with my local office and they allowed me to fax in my ballot. Maybe your area will also allow you to fax.
Hi Sandi. We will pay as well. But our plan is to mail the ballots together using DHL. We will send them to my sister in law who lives in our voting precinct. She is going to drop them in the ballot box at the courthouse for us. Yours were pretty expensive but it’s good to think of it as a campaign contribution. This year is the first year I’ve heard so many people work so hard to get their ballots in! Good sign. I hope all is well in France. Our numbers are going up here but not as much as there…YET.
Hi Matthew! That was a mundane post for sure. But it is life as we live it! I should’ve taken a picture or two…take care.
Hi Nancy,
We drove 45 minutes to the nearest FedEx and mailed our ballots to the US. We did it this week and they should arrive within one week. It is quite expensive but we looked at it as our Biden campaign contribution: 95 euros per ballot!
//////////////////////////Sandi Lane
As always, thanks so much for sharing your experiences. Believe it or not, It is a comfort to hear from you. Best of luck with your knee issues.