My World of Wonders: June 10, 2026

 

What has been on the easel? "Star Spangled" for the upcoming community show, "250 Years of Red White and Blue.  This was a work in progress for a week, it took me three versions to be happy with the product. The first one, I had the wrong number of stripes, the second one I didn't like the way the crystals dried onto the canvas. I kind of like this one. The states are the shining stars.  

Where have I been this week? The treadmill, the indoor pool, a Celebration of Life for our dear neighbor Larry who died of cancer a couple of months ago. Mt Vernon for a long walk. Along the Potomac for a long walk. The grocery store. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen? Something simple fried chicken, coleslaw, and sauteed corn. Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. A simple pasta and sauce, and a rhubarb and plum tart. 

What is happening outside my window? The outside of the building is being painted, at 16 stories this is a rather involved process.  It is the first time in about 20 years it has been painted. The color the board chose if very close to what was there before, but less pink. 

What domestic drama is playing out? The five year old Speed Queen washer dryer refused to start. Service was out, the repair estimate was nearly $900. When I was a teenager (back before the last ice age) my parents bought a Speed Queen washing machine that lasted for 25 years without a service call. This machine was extremely expensive ($3,475.) and honestly was a big disappointment. A new machine has been purchased and should be delivered and installed on Thursday.  

What about car rental company logic?  I am booking some travel to visit family this summer.  I went onto one of the big travel search sites to reserve a rental car.  When the confirmation arrived I realized that the pick-up and drop-off times were wrong, so I clicked on the button to modify or cancel. To modify it said to call the rental company, or click one button to cancel. I cancelled it. I still had the search open, so I changed the times and redid the search. The same options came up and the prices looked about the same (the difference was pick and drop off times were 2 hours later on the same days.) I rebooked, then compared the two confirmations. Booking two hours later on the pick-up and drop-off times, for the same car, from the same vendor, was $10 less money.  Should I keep checking and see if it continues to come down in price?