Friday, February 26, 2016

Friday: Hydration, Injection, a Near Scam, and Roses

Friday morning I went in for hydration and another immune booster injection.  Stopped on the way home to pick up some Japanese fast food - teriyaki bowls that are a favorite of ours.  Of course, I could eat only about a quarter of my bowl, but that's OK; daughter will have the rest of it for her dinner or tomorrow's lunch.

I was resting in the afternoon, when the knock came on my front door.  A gentleman in a uniform, flashing his company badge, telling me that he's from Company X, my house qualifies for a water conservation meter, and he's here to take the specifics and install the meter!  Excuse me?  Who are you?  What are you trying to do?  He assured me he was there to save me money on my water bill!  The municipal water I receive is metered and I am billed every 2 months, along with electricity and sewage treatment fees and solid waste collection fees.  The gentleman claimed that by installing their water meter, I would see a savings on my City water bill.  How?  It's a water conservation meter, it conserves water.  And there is no charge for installation.  Because my neighbor down the street has one and they are in the neighborhood to install his meter, so they can install my meter free of charge.  But there is a fee to pay later on?  Oh, yes, a monthly fee of $19.99 which can be paid from the savings I'd be making on my regular water bill when I install the water conservation meter.  What happens if I don't install the meter?  Your water bill will go up next month because they are raising the rates.  And if I don't install the meter by this weekend, the state will start charging for the installation, starting Monday.  Oh, my!  The pressure to decide on this matter right then and there!  Can I have some literature to read about it?  He left me a piece of paper, preprinted with a website, on which he wrote his name and phone number; not quite the literature I was wanting to read about the program.  Daughter called the municipal department of water and power and they agreed that it sounded like a scam.  Anybody tinkering with the water meter needed to have a permit to do so, etc.  I called my neighbor to warn her and she said the person was already at her door, talking to her husband.  They too, asked for literature to read about the program and declined the gentleman's pressure to have the meter installed right away.  He did admire my copper pipes, so now, I am wondering if he'll be back to steal my copper pipes away!  

Later in the afternoon, my gardener friend stopped by and planted the 5 new rose bushes he had bought earlier.  They all went in the front garden rose bed, filling in the holes where earlier plants had died.  I am supposed to water these roses until they take and water them more once they have taken.  They are burgundy iceberg roses, so hopefully, they'll do well in that location where they'll get full sun most of the day.

Newly Planted Roses

Another View of the Rose Bed

And just because I couldn't resist the pop of color:


The Lantana Border


Close Up of the Lantana

Today, I am grateful for:

- The hydration and the injection
- A little bit of an appetite
- Avoiding getting caught to a scam!
- Newly planted roses
- The front garden landscaping is almost completed

12 comments:

  1. I'm glad you were able to warn your neighbours about the "scam". Stirring up urgency to sign is a typical method to catch people unawares. My DH always gets very angry about this when he thinks of his Mom in her final years with dementia. Fortunately she never got seriously caught out, but did once sign for something unnecessary that DH was able to get reversed as he knew the people involved. Those with early dementia are very much at risk from crooks.

    So glad to see you have your rose bushes planted, and the Lantana are so pretty and appreciated by this Canadian. It's at least -15°C here tonight but the moonlight is so lovely on the snow!
    Bushlady

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, this guy was very good. Very smooth. When I told him no thank you, he said he wasn't a salesman, he wasn't selling anything, etc. He sounded so concerned about my water bill! He almost had me! I blame my chemo-fogged brain for that! Fortunately, I had my daughter backing me up and she's recently had training to recognize the signs of a scam artist at work, so she was able to ask the questions I was struggling to ask. Fortunately, I didn't sign anything. So humbling to know that one can so easily get caught up in something like this.

      Glad you appreciated the lantana and the moonlight on the snow. Soon you'll be having flowers of your own to admire, once the snow melts and spring arrives.

      Delete
  2. For a while there were lots of people in the UK knocking on doors 'just to see if the meter is compatible'. If you let them see your gas or electric meter then you would suddenly find yourself with a different electricity or gas provider, often at a higher rate - they had forged your request to go to the new provider! I don't know how people can live with themselves doing those things. I'm glad you were clued up enough to ask the right questions. Your garden looks beautiful. Take care x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad I didn't get taken in by this guy! I get calls on the phone about being qualified for energy upgrades but I am pretty good about saying no, thank you and hanging up the phone. But having someone in your face and talking to you in person can be a whole different experience! They make it sound so genuine! I shall go back to my old policy of not answering a knock on the door unless I am expecting someone!

      Thank you for saying the garden looks beautiful. Some grass on the lawn area would be lovely, but I am conserving water so, watering only the flowers. One of my neighbors dug up her whole front lawn and planted flowers which looks lovely. Another planted succulents. I am going for a combination with room for grass if ever it rains enough.

      Delete
  3. I love your pictures, Bless! Beautiful color!
    I am glad that you are able to eat a little bit and get some rest, as well as enjoy your daughter's company this weekend. :)
    I'm also glad that you avoided the water meter scam. Hopefully if it is not legitimate, the guy will be caught. Maybe the water company can report him or have him checked out if your daughter or your neighbor can pass his information on, such as the phone number he gave you.
    Praying that you have a relaxing, enjoyable weekend and are feeling ok. ((HUGS))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Dawn. There are so many scammers out there, these days, there's not much anyone can do; the authorities are overwhelmed and all they can say is be vigilant and careful. Easier said than done as my experience shows - I came so close to being sucked in! And I am a fairly intelligent, educated woman! Who ought to know better! As I said before, I'll blame chemo-fog for coming as close as I did, yesterday! I really sounded like a little, old, uncertain lady, yesterday. Fortunately, my daughter was there to ask some questions of her own and back me up. I will not answer a knock on the door anymore and will ask for literature in the mail as my neighbor said she and her husband do.

      I woke up feeling a lot better, today, and even had a cup of tea. That's my first sign that I am back on the road to recovery. Hopefully, I'll get back some energy and then, I can do some things around the house. Or, even work on my projects. Surely, I can sew a bit, today?

      Delete
  4. Do door-to-door salesmen need to show you a license from the city?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As far as I know they do not. But, maybe next time, if there is one, I can ask them if they have a city license and demand to see it before I talk to them. :)

      Delete
  5. So sorry about the near scam.. This is so sad. So happy you handled it so well and also helped your neighbor.
    proud your feeling better.. Hope the next few days, finds you feeling better and better.. Praying for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Judy. I felt much better today than I have felt all week. Even had enough energy to do the dishes, wash a load of laundry and hang it up to dry, knit a bit and sew a bit, watch some TV, etc. Even played the piano, a bit! Hopefully, tomorrow will be an even better day.

      Delete
  6. Glad you didn't get scammed and that your daughter was there! And that you were able to warn your neighbor also. I never open the door unless it's someone I know, you just never know. Scam artists, people that would force there way inside to steal/cause harm. Plus because I really just do not do well dealing with people. Luckily, it is very rare for anyone to show up here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jess. I am glad you don't open the door unless it's someone you know. I think I will go back to not answering the door when there is a knock. One tends to get complacent and then, something like this happens and you realize just how vulnerable you are. I got a phone call, yesterday, similar type of thing but about energy conservation, and I hung up. These people are very persistent.

      Delete

Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. Your comments are much appreciated. Please comment in English. Thank you.