What a blessed day & Tips new friend -

 It has been a good day and maybe what I'd consider Living Large, well actually living blessed, perhaps being intentional about recognizing God's blessings. I had an appointment in a neighboring town that's of good size. I took advantage of that by stopping at, once again, Bulbs and Batteries. I've been going through stuff, moving in to my little studio apartment and one thing I found was my wrist watches. I don't have a fancy, expensive one. Just ones I've bought for a little of nothing - but I've always loved having a wrist watch on....that is until the battery is done. You can no longer get Walmart
to replace them unless you can prove the watch was purchased there. BUT....Bulbs and Batteries will sell and install a watch battery for you. I took a couple in last week and then found another just yesterday I wanted up and running. I returned to the store. The young fellow waiting on me asked for my phone number then said, "No charge." I said, "No, I think your mistaken. I haven't purchased a battery for this watch here." He then assured me on 7/30 I did ..... I insisted that one was for a different watch, or if I had purchased for the watch he had just serviced it would have been purchased in a California store several years ago. I could not convince the young lad that I should purchase the battery from him today. I walked out knowing I had tried and tried hard. The only thing I didn't do was say something like, "Surely you're not believing that the battery your company sold me went bad in, let's see....like one week." And there was the fact that if it showed the purchase being in CA. I have a different phone number now so using my current number wouldn't have shown the purchase of the battery for that watch so many years ago. I should have said all those things I guess and then added "Here's your sign." That was a $22 blessing. But I saved that money cause I wasn't successful in convincing him I wanted to purchased the Lifetime deal that will replace the battery for free forever!

Then I stopped at the Toyota dealership. My check engine light had come on several weeks ago. My local Auto place was confident they had diagnosed the issue but there was some ? so they requested I take my car to the dealership. Also they couldn't reset the check engine light. I know, didn't really make alot of sense but they take really good care of me so I did as they requested. They quoted for me the cost of the part and the charge to do the work if they were on the correct page. A week later I made it to the dealership. They confirmed the issue. Their quote was YIKES! Same part cost but double labor. I chose not to have the work done there of course because of the cost but also cause it was a 3 hour fix. I told the fella I wasn't gonna have the work done that day but I did ask him what I owed. His response was, "Oh we will just leave the ticket open and WHEN you come back (well maybe he didn't actually emphasize that word but my head heard him emphasize it.) to have the work done we will add it into the cost." I asked what that total would be. The reply was $1200 + some. I wanted to tell him I knew what he was doing, leaving the ticket open, thus assuming/assuring I'd be back for them to do work there, but I didn't. I left. Just the other day I had my local guys do it and it cost $800 + some. Today, I decided I'd go by and take care of that open ticket. I did know the open ticket was $200 something. The guy waiting on me couldn't find the ticket. He said, "You're here now picking up the vehicle, right?" I said, "No, I was here the other day and the service department diagnosed an issue I had. The repair wasn't made, but my understanding was a ticket was left open." Couldn't convince him either that I owed Toyota money. So I left.  Blessing #2 - $400 and some. What a day! God is good!

And Tips new friend? (We named him Rocky.) She isn't too impressed. It took awhile but she did finally play a bit with Rocky. Maybe the fact that he didn't run like all the other squirrels have that Tips encountered was just a bit too confusing. We will work on it though. Rocky does squeak and that's something.