Nat and I sat around for 2 days waiting to hear about delivery of the new shower surround. Being told one thing by one guy (the unit should be delivered the next day) and then being told something else by another guy (not to expect the unit for a couple of days), we knew one of us had to be at home during the day until we actually saw delivery. We took turns going out on errands and managed to fulfill Tuesday and Wednesday as best we could. We both admit, however, that tripping up and down those stairs to use the bathroom downstairs is getting to be real pain in the behind!! And yes, I know we’re only into 3 days of this whole renovation, but the old knees aren’t holding up as well as expected and along with the bathroom down there being smaller and a wee bit colder, it’s just getting to be a necessary nuisance! On the positive side, the bathroom upstairs is only a couple of hairs larger and it shouldn’t take long to renovate once Simon and his crew return.

As luck would have it we received word today that the shower unit would be delivered this morning. Nat was getting ready to go grocery shopping, while I did some more Christmas baking, and we were fortunate he hadn’t made it to the door yet. The delivery van only had the driver and it was going to take two men to get the unit loaded into the garage. For once, something went right!! We’ve now called Simon back and will wait to see when he can return for finish the job. If our luck holds up, he can return by Monday – but we’ve given him two free days and I’m sure he’s in the midst of more jobs in the interim. Again, we’ll wait!

Waking up this morning to about a half inch of snow on the ground was a shock to the system. So after the shower unit was delivered we both headed into Niagara Falls for groceries. We were getting a little house bound and were both glad to break free!! I also managed to do a couple loads of laundry before the reno crew returns and tear apart our little laundry room. And the saga continues …

The crew arrived shortly before 8:30 am. Simon surveyed the area, gave his crew orders for demolition and what was going to be done. Demolition began fairly quickly and before you knew it, the bathroom was but a former shell of itself. The tub gone, the vanity gone, the toilet gone and the little accessories were ripped off the walls. Man, was I glad to see that crap go!!!!

Naturally, with all things renovation, a problem turned up once the interior walls were exposed behind the bathtub. There seemed to be a creature of some kind (and we’re surmising it was a squirrel due to the peanut shells found) that had been inside the actual walls – inbetween the siding and the insulation. The boys also found some small evidence of mould down one side of the wall. After some investigation it was concluded that there’s a problem with the exterior of that part of the house – perhaps a leak under the roof, a small hole from that bloody squirrel that got in (even though no evidence of the same from the inside) or just a leak from the siding. Simon would investigate further once the bathroom was done. So the boys cleaned up the mould they found and prepped for getting on with re-insulating the wall and creating a good moisture barrier. Mike Holmes would be proud!!

Along with the great looking pick-up trucks sitting in our driveway (Simon’s and his crew), we also had Town of Fort Erie workers starting to repair and upgrade pipes under driveways along Pleasant Avenue. When we saw the surveyors around the house a day ago, we were so hoping that they were going to repair, upgrade or just clean out the ditches along Dominion Road, and our little ditch would be cleaned up and retrenched. But alas, we had guessed wrong and our little ditch will remain igglety-pigglety for another few years, or whenever we can afford to get it cleaned up.

While the boys were working, and Nat watching, I started my Christmas baking. Shouldn’t have too much this year, as the freezer already contains a couple batches and I’ll just top those up with a couple of different varieties.

Just because we were getting confident that nothing was going wrong so far, that little brick wall popped up to remind us that nothing runs smooth whenever we’re involved. After things were well on their way, Simon and his crew discovered a crack after unwrapping the shower surround!! They knew right away that it wasn’t the result of delivery or that of the hardware store or ours’. Apparently it looked like the bolts were screwed on too tight and it cracked the seams between the 3 sections. Naturally, Nat and I were discouraged and assumed we’d have to put things on hold until a new unit could be ordered. However, after discussions with our great Home Hardware guy, a new one would be delivered to us at no charge and should be delivered from Kitchener Wednesday or Thursday!! As it also happened, the manufacturer had a delivery van in the area, had just been to our Home Hardware and our guy was able to stop him in Port Colborne, had the van turn around and pick up the cracked unit!! Can’t get much better service than that, can ‘ya!!!

As Simon and his crew cleaned up for the rest of the day – nothing they could do until the new shower surround arrived – we settled in for the rest of the afternoon feeling a little deflated. On the positive side, things were at least well on their way and we really had no other complaints – but then again, it’s early!!

We’re now ready to start the bathroom renovations. Our contractor is scheduled to show up on Tuesday morning – or so we hope! With everything being stored in and around the house, we’re now anxious to get this thing going. Plus, as I’ve said before, I’m so ready for a new bathroom – or at least a sink sitting level in the countertop and not igglety, pigglety, as it is now!

While waiting for things to get started, Nat and I have been biding our time. It’s that “inbetween stage” where you can’t do a whole lot outdoors, not much to do indoors and the golf season is winding down and, in fact, done. Nat’s been trying hard to fill the hours. We’ve struggled some days, but others would find us looking around some area shops getting paint chips, ideas for towel bars and other accessories. We even took a day trip to Limeridge Mall in Hamilton to have a look about, came home empty-handed, but not empty-minded – a few good ideas and nothing more.

So it was a good thing that Nat and I had purchased tickets to see Stephen Kabakos at the Greg Frewin Theatre for Friday night. An Elvis impersonator who has won awards for his impersonation and Nat and I could certainly see why. At first, the day turned out to be a damp, rainy one and sitting in our easy chairs after supper we always get to thinking “do we really want to be bothered this time of night?”. Turned out there were no regrets on our part for getting out!! We knew it would do us good (we’re getting a little stagnant), we’d be entertained and we’d also see Thamazine, Daryl, Claudia, Darby and Michele there and how bad could that be??

The theatre is set up Vegas-style with tables and chairs, along with booth seating. Drinks and popcorn could be purchased while you enjoyed the show in a close-knit atmosphere. Needless to say the show was fabulous!!! I certainly had the feeling that Elvis was alive and well and performing in Niagara Falls (despite the fact that Stephen is a Milton boy). What the hell, he’s Canadian – and that’s a good thing!!!!

Before the show began, during intermission and after the show ended, Nat and I managed to chit chat with Thamazine and the others in their booth just a couple of seats over from us. The actual performance was Elvis’ best – some rock ‘n roll hits, some Christmas songs and even a gospel tune. A good range of songs, great costumes, great back-up band and singers and the night was complete! Stephen Kabakos is truly the best Elvis impersonator I’ve ever seen. His vocal range was right on, and I believe Elvis himself would be proud. It doesn’t hurt that Stephen has a great body and looks like Elvis Presley did in his 1968 Comeback Special – at the peak of his career.

After Friday night’s excitement the rest of the weekend was a bit of a let down, quiet and uneventful. Back to looking a paint chips and deciding what colour the bathroom should be was about par for the course this afternoon. I also managed to set up a few Christmas decorations and we’ve decided to forego the Christmas tree this year. Not to be Scrooges about the whole matter – but we’re not hosting any parties or dinners this year, not exchanging gifts with each other and will probably be on the road Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and evening. We’ll save ourselves the set-up, decorating and clean-up which can take a whole day each time, and maybe rethink things for 2010. Besides, we’d rather see family – his, mine and ours – on and around Christmas. We prefer that to presents anyday!

Hubby and I finally did it – we cancelled our satellite subscription. November 18h to be exact. Our 3 year mandatory term was up and with much research we knew we could save a few bucks each month by switching to cable. We also knew that our reception would be so much better – no interference, disruptions and total blackouts whenever a snow storm was about or, in fact, right in our own backyard. Not to mention cleaning off black ice from our receiver in the wee hours of the evening! Our account with Bell Satellite would end on the 4th of December but with 30 days notice we would be disconnected on December 18th.

During our research we had also realized that our Bell account (satellite, internet and home phone) had increased $20.00 a month over this past year alone. We have to start cutting corners, as dear Hubby’s GM pension will be reduced starting in January and if we think things are tight now, then 2010 is going to be even more of a challenge. We’ve done pretty good in most things – the hydro, water and gas bills have been reduced as best we can by using cost-saving measures – so it stood to reason that we’d have to look at our viewing habits. We knew right away we were paying for all kinds of channels that we never watched, and after a lengthy call with Bell we were able to reduce our satellite bill to a certain extent – albeit not by much. Trust me, that telephone call with Bell was like pulling teeth in trying to get them to reduce or delete one of their “theme packages”. We were at least able to reduce our monthly bill by about $13.00 and more than willing to take what we could get.

Naturally, the discussions then started about switching to cable and after a lot of research, price checking, and consultations with the cable guys at the Mall, we were satisfied that we could save close to $60.00 each month for the first year and then close to $40.00 each month the second year. (Cable gives you a one year price reduction and the second year you go to their regular rates.) We signed up. A no brainer, I think – comparing a $13.00 monthly savings with Satellite to a $40.00 monthly savings with cable. That’s money in our pockets – not theirs’!!!

Well, wouldn’t you know it, but the calls then started. God Bless Ma Bell – she was on our case 3 days later. At first they wanted to confirm the reasons why we were leaving – the bad weather in our area – but naturally tried to convince us to reconsider our decision. We stood our ground while on the phone for close to 8 minutes and insisted we still wanted to have our service disconnected.

The 2nd call came 3 days later on a Saturday afternoon. Someone a tad bit higher in the rankings. Yes, he understood our problems with the weather, but he was ready, willing and able to send out a technician (for free, mind you!!) to re-align our satellite dish. They were pretty sure this would fix our reception problems. Again, stood our ground and insisted on the disconnection. Time on phone: approximately 8 minutes.

The 3rd call came 3 days after the 2nd. I’m sensing a pattern here!! This time someone even a little bit higher up on the corporate scale – a “Senior Agent”. He was nice. I was nice. Again, I explained the weather. Again, he was ready, willing, and able to broker us a deal we couldn’t refuse, along with sending out a technician to re-align our dish. Suddenly there was a 40% reduction in cost on the table for a year, if we wanted it. Again, I explained the weather, my husband’s pension reduction, my limited income and the fact that they couldn’t guarantee this savings beyond a year. Sorry, fellas, no deal!!  ”Always leave with the door open” my mother use to tell us, so in my best voice I thanked him for the offer but was declining. He was going to “leave the offer on the table” and should we change our minds to just call!

The 4th call came 1 day after the 3rd. Whoooaa, a real Senior Agent !! We could tell – the first three calls were only showing an “800″ number on the call display. This guy was showing up as “Bell Canada”. I’m curious as to what he’s got to say, but getting close to loosing it!! Giving him the benefit of the doubt I listened intently. He was confirming our satisfaction with the home phone service (our last connection with Bell). “Yes, no problems there”, I replied. He then begins to inquire regarding the other services available for our phone, but just being the two of us, I advised we had no interest in anything except call display. I could sense something else coming on. I interrupted him before he could get past the words “I understand …”.  ”I’m going to save you the time and effort”, I said. With that, I began to explain our whole entire situation from beginning to end – the weather, the pension reduction, the channels we pay for but don’t watch and so on. I was nice!!!! (My family knows all to well that I can get excited and go off on a tantrum – but again, I was cool, calm and above all nice!!) With that he stopped in his tracks. He asked if there was anything else he could help me with or any other questions I had. God knows, I was good to go!!!!

It amazes me that suddenly there are all kinds of offers on the table when leaving a satellite or even cable company. This same scenario happened when we moved and decided to switch from Star Choice to Bell Satellite. However, Star Choice wasn’t as intrusive. They only offered a whack of deals the day we tried to cancel. The fact still remains that there are deals out there – only for those customers that want to leave. Why aren’t these deals available to those customers that are struggling with their cable/satellite bills now – especially some seniors and retirees that struggle to make ends meet?? The satellite guys wonder why their signals were being stolen in the beginning, if not  still. Like the internet services, the greed is at the corporate end!!! Don’t even get me started on internet services – downloading and bandwith restrictions, or even the music industry and their long arms reaching into peoples’ computers!!!!

Sorry, Ma Bell, but the time has come. Our money is low and your rates too high. BUT the door has been left open should we wish to pay the $50.00 fee to re-connect – or was that going to be waived in one of your offers, too??

Awhile back Nat read an article in the Fort Erie News about a local lad that was returning to town to do a benefit concert. Tickets could be purchased from local merchants for $10.00 each and all proceeds would go towards building a new pool at the Kinsmen Park for the kids. “I’d like to see that”, he says. “Yeah, okay”, I replied, thinking how bad can it be. The article summarized his career, the numerous competitions he’d won as a youngster, along with a recording contract from Nashville and an audition for Bravo television.

Elton Lammie’s concert was Saturday mid-afternoon and much to our surprise it was great. The performance was being taped for television and aside from an electrical glitch at the beginning, the concert was most enjoyable. Mr. Lammie explains how he came into singing as a child, the contests he’d won in British Columbia (his birth province), his eventual recording contract in Nashville, right up to his Bravo audition and winning $20,000 for professional opera lessons. Sounds a bit off-beat, but trust me, this man can sing all genres!! Along with a great turnout from the good folks of Fort Erie and Ridgeway, his fans also travelled from as far away as London, Windsor, Kingston, Sudbury and beyond. Now that’s saying something about this man’s talent!

After his stint of a few country songs, he took a break and then came out with his Roy Orbison look and again, he was brilliant. If you closed your eyes you could swear Roy Orbison was in the room! He did a few Roy Orbison hits, had the audience loving it and singing right along, and then after a second intermission, he reappeared in his tuxedo along with a small orchestral trio. We were awe struck at this man’s talent. His opera arias were a treat!! Nothing over the top, just a few down tempo arias that left the audience wanting more. I love opera, Nat not so much, but even he was impressed and recognized this man’s capabilities. It was obvious why he had received a chance to do some arias with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and, in fact, one of the Orchestra’s violinists was in Mr. Lammie’s backup trio.

The whole afternoon performance was wonderful and Nat and I both felt uplifted the rest of the evening. After being in the doldrums for some time, we needed some inspiration, and Mr. Lammie provided it.

If you’re interested Elton Lammie’s web site it can be found at  - http://www.eltonlammie.com/.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised and may even become a fan yourself.

So after a nice evening, this morning Nat and I awoke to the usual chores. He wandered outside to take care of that year-old problem of clearing away the leaves from the eavestroughs, and I tackled the house cleaning. After a small lunch break, we continued on and once finished settled in for the rest of the afternoon. Now the rest of the week can be ours’ and ours’ alone. If only we had somewhere to go or something exciting to get up to!!!