Finally Friday edition

I keep meaning to say how impressed I have been with almost all of the healthcare providers and staff who we have dealt with the past few months. Other than a couple of instances (and the GI office being impossible to get through to a live person, even the front desk) everyone is so friendly and seems to really pay attention to details, right down to they know we live almost an hour away and without us even saying anything, they are trying to accommodate the distance. They will suggest when he can have tests done here in our town hospital. The surgeon yesterday said since we are in the city, he was calling the GI dr to see if they wanted him to have an MRI, while we were there, rather than come back another day. All the front desk staffs, everyone at the pre-op and post op in day surgery, etc, are all always so friendly and do a great job of making patients feel welcome and calm.

I don't ever remember feeling like that with doctors and hospitals where we lived for all the years before. Always felt like we were just someone they needed to rush through to the next patient. DH was seen quite a few times at a major medical university hospital years ago. We HATED going there. No one was friendly and the doctor acted like we were wasting her time, every time. A pain specialist we got referred to later on was awful. A neurologist he first saw near where we lived was the same way. 

I have not encountered one doctor, whether it was the several I talked to during dh's 9 day stay at our town hospital or the doctors he's now seen in the city, that hasn't been extremely nice and makes you feel like they are listening and have time for you. I was also very impressed that this surgeon called on his own the other day, after hearing from the nurse that we had called in when he wasn't feeling well. He even called the next morning early, before his appt., to see how his night went.

Ever since we've moved here, I've always noticed that about people here, even in stores and fast food drive throughs. Just super friendly. I can remember so many times, going through the fast food drive throughs, near where we lived before, and them handing out the food and not even saying thank you. Maybe people are just happier living here. We sure are.

oh, and the real estate pricing craziness continues. A house a mile from us just listed. For just short of a million dollars! OMG! It's insane. It's a 2 bedroom small log home. Nothing even remotely fancy or upscale about it. In fact, from pics you can tell it's getting run down. No landscaping whatsoever. Weeds in the driveway area in front of the garage. On 10 acres, but it's all on a hillside. This place should be $400k max. But, while everyone around here is listing for ridiculous amounts, most are not selling. Our hvac guy, who listed his place for 2.1 million is not sold, after 7 month or so on the market. Another local couple put their place for 1.7 million, still for sale. I'm seeing lots of "price drops" recently. Dh's very wealthy friend, who listed his very nice place for like 4 million has not sold and it's been (or was) for sale for like a year.

The landline corded telephone I ordered for my mom arrived and I got the batteries installed and mine and uncle's ph#'s programmed in. I tried it out plugged into my phone jack. She just has to push the button next to our name and it dials. Plus, the fact that I will be able to call it, if/when her cell phone isn't charged/ringer turned off/lost. DH and I are supposed to go into the city next Tuesday for his "2 week" post surgery follow up, so if we do, I stop in and plug in the phone for her. If dh is feeling ok, the Dr. said just call and cancel that morning, don't bother making the drive, since he just saw dh this week. Otherwise, I'll try to wait until the next weekend to make the trip to visit mom. I was messaging with dd and sent her a picture of the new landline phone, with just mine and uncle's names on it. She says "hey! what about me?". I said grandma rarely calls you (dd doesn't call her very often either!) and mostly she's still probably just going to use her cell phone to make calls and your in there. I was just trying to keep the amount of names next to the buttons to a minimum. She said "put me on there!". ok.....LOL.

The upholstered bench I have been wanting for our laundry room is finally back in stock. I had put my email in to be alerted when it was back. I had checked last week and it said not until December, so I was happy this morning to see it's available now. Well, let's hope - I ordered it and am half expecting to get an email saying your order is delayed, we are out of stock.

My Canadian living half sister got the other part of the stimulus money in the mail yesterday, so a total of $3200, plus she got $32 in interest added to this last check (from the 2020 payouts). Plus with the exchange rate, when she deposited, she got more. She is going to use it for new furniture for her new house.