It is my habit to pull back the drapes a little and look out my front window, when I get up in the morning. This is what I saw, when I looked out, this morning:
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| Another truck blocking my driveway! |
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| He left just enough room for a bicycle to pass, maybe |
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| No license plates - nothing in the back and just this in the front |
I stood and watched as he moved the truck. Then, not 5 minutes later, I heard another truck! I looked out the window and a smaller, black truck was being parked in the same spot and his truck was also blocking my driveway (though not as much). The driver got out and looked and then, he saw me standing outside my front door, watching him. I shook my head at him and he moved his truck before I said anything.
Right after that, there was the sound of another truck pulling into my driveway! And a knock on my door! But it was friend M who had come to mow neighbor T's backyard, asking if he might park in my driveway (for some reason, he prefers to park in my driveway when he comes to do her garden). I said, yes, but I need to leave by 11:30 a.m. (it was around 10:15 a.m., by then). He left before that, so there was no problem. It was also probably good for the construction guys to see that, yes, there are vehicles coming and going in and out of my driveway!
I spent the rest of the morning, embroidering one of the T-shirts I had bought for my niece's sons, but I wasn't able to finish sewing both. So, I decided to go with Plan B and give them gift cards to a book store, instead. I wrote their names in Sinhalese, instead of English, on the envelopes to see if they'd recognize their names; the younger boy, who is 8, was able to tell which card was his, at once.
We had lunch at a steak house and it was nice to see everyone, again. My sister and her husband, her daughter and her husband and their two sons, and sister's son. Sister treated us all to lunch and she gave me a gift of a set of new kitchen towels and an apple shaped spoon holder:
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| The towels look very spring-like, don't they? |
The restaurant we went to was located in an outdoor shopping mall with several stores and restaurants. After lunch, I went to the crafts store (Michael's), just to look around (didn't buy anything) and to WalMart to buy a bag of cat food. Then, I drove to the pharmacy, to pick up a refill. Except, it wasn't the refill I was waiting for! So, while I was there, the pharmacy assistant called the doctor's office and spoke to the same person I spoke to on Friday; the doctor's office claimed they had faxed the refill order, the pharmacy staff claimed they hadn't received it. The clinic will reissue the refill order and I was told it will be ready in about one hour. Except, I didn't feel like hanging around for one hour, so I asked them to text me when it was ready and I came home. That was about 3:30 p.m. It is now 7:15 p.m. and I haven't received a text, yet. I suppose, I will check with the clinic and the pharmacy again, tomorrow. In the meantime, I've halved the dosage even though I am not supposed to do that, and I will be completely out of that medication in two days' time.
After I came home, I rested a bit, had a cup of tea, emptied the kitchen trash, took the recycling out, took the big trash can, recycling bin, and yard waste bin to the curb, and put water to the front garden. Later, I called cousin V and left a message, then tried to call Aunt T (who is now home from the nursing home) thrice, but couldn't get through each time, so called her other daughter, cousin R to see what was going on. She didn't know that her mother's phone was not working, but gave me her cell phone number. So, I called aunt on her cell phone and spoke to her for a bit.
My friend R called, too (she had seen the pictures of the truck blocking my driveway) and we chatted for a bit. Then, I had some leftover chicken stew for dinner.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Seeing my sister, niece, nephew, and grand-nephews and having lunch with them.
- Being able to give a gift of fresh lemons from my garden to them
- Getting one of my refills done without drama
- Phone calls to keep in touch with friends and family
- Aunt is home from the nursing home
Tuesday's To Do List:
- Bring the trash cans in
- Go to the office
- Drive to locate a parking lot closer to the new office
- Call the clinic & pharmacy to check on my medication refill
- Get my tax papers together
How was your Monday? What are your plans for Tuesday?
While I will agree that you do not own the street, you have every egress right in and our of your driveway. If it means the construction people have to park a little farther and walk a bit, so be it. We have had a couple renovating their house in our neighborhood. We have very curvy streets thought the hood and the construction trucks blocked views. After 3 fender benders the police finally started patrolling the aren and made them park on a straight stretch of road even though they had to walk a bit, or they could have one dedicated person to control traffic.
ReplyDeleteGlad your street was cleared, Anne. I am hoping I will see the neighbor one of these days so I can show her the pictures and complain.
DeleteWhat a nuisance those trucks are. Common sense should make the drivers realise your driveway is probably in use or at the very least to knock and ask. At least you have some photos now if you ever need the evidence.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed a lovely meal and yay! for Aunt T being home once again. X
Yes, but a lot of people seem to lack common sense, these days. Anyway, the pictures are helpful. This morning, I saw my neighbor (the homeowner of the house under renovations) and showed her the pictures. She and the two guys with her (have no idea who they were - whether construction people or her family) got the message right away. She apologized and hugged me and said she'll tell the construction guys not to block my drive way. I hope that will be the end of that particular problem! Pictures to the rescue when language is a bit difficult. :)
DeleteI think expecting your driveway to be clear and to be allowed access to your house isn't unreasonable. I think it's only common courtesy that someone not park in front of the driveway but sometimes people only think of themselves and think they are the only ones that matter.
ReplyDeleteI met my neighbor, this morning, and showed her the pictures. "No bueno", I said, in my limited Spanish. "Sorry", she said, in her limited English and gave me a hug. Then, she said something in Spanish, which I gathered meant she will talk to the construction guys. But the picture definitely helped to get the message across. I'll probably be known as the cranky old lady, nextdoor, but that's OK. There have been times when I've come home and found my driveway blocked so that I couldn't go inside and had to go looking for people to move their trucks, but I didn't think to take a picture on those occasions.
DeleteHope you get your meds straightened out. I'm worried about you halving what you have. It's time for some cages need to be rattled. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Live and Learn. I'll call the pharmacy again, today (and they'll probably tell me they haven't received the reauthorization from the clinic!)
DeleteI was feeling very frustrated for you by the time I finished reading your blog post. I would have been hard pressed to come up with a list of gratitudes of the day. Yes, you got to talk to and visit with family, but the rest of the day was maddening. Why is it that some people are so inconsiderate of others that they feel they have the right to park anywhere that doesn't inconvenience them. They can't ALL be sociopaths. Yes it was very fortunate that your friend asked to use your driveway....not that it matters, but it negated the assumption that nobody was going to use your drive and you were only complaining because you were the cranky old witch next door. I am feeling the burn. *laugh*
ReplyDeleteWhat is going on with that pharmacy? And yes, I believe it is the pharmacy and not the doctor's office. Even if I were to assume it is the fault of the doctor's office, someone at the pharmacy should have been on top of this. I've never heard of anyone having such problems getting their medication as you have with yours. I am sorry I am not feeling very magnanimous right now.
Thank you for your empathy, Susan. I appreciate it. :)
DeleteI spoke with my neighbor, this morning. I showed her the picture on my phone and said, "No bueno" and she immediately apologized and gave me a hug and I believe she will talk to her construction guys. Or, maybe the two guys who were with her might talk to them. Yes, I am the cranky old witch nextdoor! You gave me a good idea! I am going to look for that witch's hat I had bought for one Halloween and wear that the next time I see a truck blocking my driveway! Maybe carry a broom, too! And then go and demand they move their truck! :D
No idea what's happening with the pharmacy. They are overworked and understaffed, I think. There are lovely people working there, but, they are overwhelmed. Either that, or I have too many medications for them to keep track of! I called the pharmacy this morning and they said they will have it ready for me, later this afternoon, after 5:00 p.m. I might just swing by on my way home and check with them, in person.
Well it is a shame about your pharmacy! Always a mystery as to who goofed up the order huh! I sympathize with you regarding your blocked driveway! That used to happen to us. It's like your driveway must be invisible! Pretty spring towels, etc! Andrea
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andrea. In the past, the doctor would give a written prescription and I'd take it to the pharmacy and they'd fill it; I'd call in the refills and everything was fine. Then, they improved the system - automatic refills, the doctors had to submit the prescriptions electronically (to prevent abuse of prescription medications, I was told), and suddenly, automatic requests for reauthorization don't go through, the reauthorization faxes don't go through, and the prescriptions don't get filled! Anyway, I've been told that the prescription will be ready this afternoon, after 5:00 p.m. We shall see!
DeleteAs for the driveway blocking, I complained to the homeowner this morning and she will talk to the construction guys she said - at least, I think that's what she said! LOL. My understanding of Spanish is very basic!
Thank you for all the lovely blog posts to read after the weekend.
ReplyDeleteWill you be using this same pharmacy that you now get your Rx from once you retire? It may be time to see what other options are open to you close to home for getting your medications. You really do not need this run around each time a Rx is to be filled.
How did you get on with locating somewhere to park once your office moves?
We had such a nice time on Easter Sunday. Following morning service we enjoyed a late lunch with daughter and family. Heard all about trip to France and enjoyed a card game. We had been forecast wet snow flurries with perhaps small accumulation on grassy areas. Instead we got ice and daughter had a slow dangerous journey home. Monday I spent putting holiday dishes etc. away, catching up on laundry. Today Tuesday I got my hair cut/colored and picked hubby up more jelly beans at 50% off.
You are welcome, Sandy. I was in a blogging mood! :)
DeleteI don't know if I'll use this same pharmacy once I retire - the pharmacy I use now is CVS. I know I have to switch to a difference insurance when I retire, and I need to see if they require me to use a different pharmacy. One of the insurance choices we have as employees is Kaiser, which is a big hospital system, and they require you to use their pharmacy. I don't know if Kaiser will be what's available to me when I retire - I am hoping the seminar I will be attending will answer all these questions! The current pharmacy is the one that is close to my house - I switched to it, from the one I was using that is located closer to my current office, when I started chemo, because it was easier for my daughter or anyone else who was picking up my medications for me. They do try their best, I know, it's just that they are so busy!
I am still looking for a parking solution! There are a couple of options, including taking the subway - I put in an application for the transit pass, today, and received a temporary pass I could use until the permanent one arrives in the mail. I also located another building, where I can park for $4/day (according to the sign I saw when I was driving past it) - it is not too far from the new building, but I might be able to take a bus from there to the new building (not the downtown shuttle bus)...or, I am wondering if I might be able to walk! It is perhaps a mile or so - I can get my exercise, walking to and from! :D Whether I'd be up to it, is something I will have to find out - it goes under the freeway overpass, etc.
Glad to hear you had a good Easter, Sandy. I'm sure you enjoyed hearing about the trip to France (hope they took lots of pictures to share with you) and your husband enjoyed his treats! I love jelly beans, but don't dare to get any because I can't stop eating them!
I am so sorry you are still having trouble with communication between the pharmacy and the clinic and that you have such rude construction workers that are blocking your driveway. If they continue to block your driveway, call the police and they can have them towed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie. Persistence paid off and I have my medication, today! :) They get it right most of the time, but the few times they don't tend to be a bit annoying.
DeleteI was able to speak to the homeowner this morning and show her the pictures of the truck blocking my driveway. She apologized and said she'll talk to them (at least, I think that's what she said!}
I just can't understand anyone thinking that it is okay to block someone's driveway! When a group of us are visiting anyone in town, it is just natural that even if it means you have to walk a bit to get to their house, you don't park in front of anyone else's driveway. I'm glad your photo alerted your neighbour and that she was nice about it.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you soon get your prescription. I guess I'm lucky living in a small town area as I can just phone in the number if there is still a refill available and then I go in and it is ready for me. This happens every few weeks until the refills are done and then it's time for the doctor to decide if the meds. are still okay and write a new prescription.
We have a big storm warning and expect a lot of snow, possibly rain or freezing rain. At the moment we have light rain. Tomorrow may be a good day to hunker down and find things to declutter!
Some people are just inconsiderate, Bushlady.
DeleteI got my prescription, today, thank you! I used to phone in when it was time for a refill, but then, they switched to automatic refills and the doctor's office submitting the prescriptions by fax and things apparently don't work how they should, all the time!
Hope you don't have any damage from the storm! Yes, I agree, a good day to stay home and declutter or knit!
We have many prescriptions in our family that need to be filled each month. They never all come up at the same time. So, we go frequently. We choose to keep going to our old pharmacy, which requires a drive of almost an hour for the simple reason that there is a wonderful pharmacist, who keeps it all sorted out for us. It's worth a lot in this day and age. He figures our the refills, the insurances, and has done extensive searching for us in the past when a certain med was hard to find. One child has a patch she wears for ADHD which is not common, and there have been a couple of times that they just quit making it for a while. He always found some, no matter where, and sent us to that store to get it. So, we drive, and are happy to do so.
ReplyDeleteBecky, a good pharmacist is worth his/her weight in gold! I called in on my old pharmacist, who is one of those good pharmacists. The only reason why I changed pharmacies was because this one I go to now is closer to my home and it was easier to go to when I was not going into the office. I'm glad your pharmacist was able to get the medications your family needed, even when it was not readily available.
DeleteThough it would be a hassle, perhaps you could place orange cones on the street right beside your driveway opening? If it works to deter them from parking there, it might be easier than having to stand guard to catch them in the act. Just a thought. So inconsiderate of them. Reminds me of episodes of Parking Wars.
ReplyDeleteI doubt if that would work! They'd probably just move them aside and park, anyway! LOL!
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