Wednesday, August 9, 2023

A Refund


Another rainy day yesterday -- I mostly stayed inside reading except for a brief trip to the grocery store. Every time Dave goes away I make it a challenge to eat mostly what we already have in the flat -- it's my opportunity to clear out, for example, our three opened bags of rice, or that jar of clams in the back of the fridge that Dave bought ages ago for chowder but never used. But no matter how resourceful I am in the pantry, I do occasionally need milk and fresh produce. And dog food!

Great news from Lufthansa -- they agreed to refund the fare for the flight I was unable to take to the USA last month. Remember how I bought one ticket and then couldn't change it, and had to buy a second one in order to get there earlier? Now I'm not losing the money on that first ticket. A huge relief! They required my mom's death certificate but once they had that they processed things pretty quickly.


Yesterday was rainy, but Monday wasn't too bad weather-wise, so I got some laundry done. I washed all my shirts in preparation for school starting. Of course I wash them throughout the school year, too, but I tend to wear them a few times before laundering them (because I sit at a desk and never get very dirty) so I like to start the year fresh with everything clean.

I also bought some new pants and new shoes. I bought "relaxed fit" pants. Even though I still have a 32 waist, just as I have pretty much my whole adult life, I am at the age where I don't want my clothes to be too tailored. No more skinny jeans for me!

I've started watching a show on Apple TV called "The Crowded Room" with Tom Holland. I was a bit ambivalent about it at first but I'm four episodes in and it's getting better. Apparently it's based on a Daniel Keyes book, "The Minds of Billy Milligan," which I don't think I ever read but I remember hearing about. I'll let you know if the show lives up to expectations!

(Top photo: A bee on our Agapanthus, Monday.)

27 comments:

gz said...

That sounds like Lufthansa are a good one to deal with.

Pre school washing....summer over already?

Moving with Mitchell said...

Glad you got that refund. I'm surprised Olga doesn't lie down in the shade under the drying shirts. That's where the cats would be. The striped shirt in front is my colors!

River said...

Nice shirts. I prefer relaxed fit for clothes though these days it's more "circus tent with elastic waist" fit. I really need to make more effort if I am ever going to wear jeans again.
I'm glad you got that refund.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

When I was working I wore a clean shirt every day. I guess that librarians generate less body odour than teachers. Have a sniff of Dave some time to register the difference.

Ed said...

I do the same with my church dress shirts. They are in rotation and get washed every three or four times.

Andrew said...

Good to see you wear collared shirts and not polos. In winter I wear shirts for three days, in summer two days.

Pixie said...

You still have a 32" waist. I hate you. I envy you, although to be fair, you weren't pregnant three times:)

The Bug said...

I usually wear my stuff multiple times too - sitting at a desk doesn't mess my clothing up very much!

I was looking forward to a description of the weird food you're eating while Dave is gone (in solidarity with MY weird foodness). So I expect some details tomorrow. Ha!

Ms. Moon said...

I, too, have been wondering what strange things you will eat while Dave is gone.
I really do like the picture of your shirts hanging in the sun.

Sharon said...

You captured that bee perfectly. While you are enduring the rain, I got a bit of a sunburn yesterday. My dermatologist will not be amused.

NewRobin13 said...

I'm so glad that Lufthansa agreed to the refund request.
Nice to see your shirts hanging in the sunlight there.

Red said...

Sense came to somebody's head when they returned your airfare. That takes a lot off your mind.

Michael said...

That's so great that you got that refund! I am shocked as that doesn't seem like the norm with airlines nowadays.

Kelly said...

I think we launder a lot of things far more frequently than we really need to. Love the photo of the bee in the flowers!

Boud said...

I guessed that clothes drying pic would please Mary! I agree on not needing to launder outer clothes obsessively. Unless you have an encounter with coffee, or mud, or a jumping puppy, or something.

Great on the refund. I expect you can use it.

Linda Sue said...

Crowded Room started out as a predictable sleeper, but, yes, has become a bit more interesting. I have read that Tom had to go on hiatus in the middle of filming because he went a little bit mad doing it. Method?

Allison said...

When we were living in the RV and had to rely on laundromats, our frequency of washing things dropped. Bike clothes got worn once, the rest could go a little longer. Great shot of the bee.

Margaret said...

I did the same thing with my school clothes! They really didn't get dirty unless I spilled some lunch on them. :) It's rainy here too today which is kind of nice after many dry sunny days. I feel lazy!

Colette said...

Congrats on the refund! I like your shirts.

ellen abbott said...

I love your colorful taste in shirts. I basically wear the same clothes all week unless I'm going somewhere (I do put on clean clothes for SHARE) because I don't do anything but sit in the house these days. or if I'm working in the studio or shop, no point in getting more clothes dirty when no one is going to see me or be near. I gave up tight fitting clothes long ago and mostly I wear skirts in the summer because they are cooler and not binding anywhere.

37paddington said...

Love the paisley shirts!

Damselfly said...

Wonderful capture of the bee visiting the agapanthus!
Glad to hear you received a refund from Lufthansa.
Olga looks like she was enjoying the sun while your shirts dried.
Love the smell of clothes dried in the sun!
Stay safe & well.

Jim Davis said...

Good for Lufthansa! Pleasant surprise for sure.

John Going Gently said...

A 32 inch waist

I was 12

Jeanie said...

Three cheers on the refund! And I like seeing the shirts drying in the sun. That's just lovely. Good all the way around!

Librarian said...

Hello Steve, Meike here - Rachel told me about your post with the picture from Waldkirch.
Waldkirch is about 170 km from where I live, but I know the area a little bit. It is about 60 km from where my partner lives, and we sometimes drive through that part of the Black Forest on our way to a holiday destination.

You were indeed lucky with the refund from Lufthansa! They are not known for fair or quick processing.
In 2018, my sister and I had booked flights to the UK but then did not travel because our Dad was taken to hospital and nearly died. It took my sister MONTHS to obtain a refund.

Steve Reed said...

GZ: Summer officially ends for me on Monday, when I go back to work!

Mitchell: Olga usually opts for sun over shade, until she gets too hot.

River: Well, maybe you don't need to wear jeans again?

YP: I am not a sweaty person in general. Dave sweats more readily than I do so he does indeed do laundry more often!

Ed: Especially if you only go to church in them! That's just an hour or two of wear.

Andrew: I have a couple of polo-type shirts but yeah, mostly button-downs by far.

Pixie: Ha! Yeah, I'm sure pregnancy transforms a body!

Bug: Ha! It's so far not too weird. We are so overstocked on some things that I can eat pretty normally!

Ms Moon: I knew you'd like that picture! :)

Sharon: The bee was a lucky shot. I was focused on the flower and it was close enough that it was in focus too. It's so hard to focus on a moving insect!

Robin: Yeah, it's a HUGE load off my mind to know that money is coming back.

Red: It definitely does. I guess they can't really argue with a death certificate.

Michael: I guess they have to weigh the ticket cost against the price of all the bad publicity if I tweeted that they wouldn't refund my money despite my mother's death! (Not that I ever tweet, but they don't know that.)

Kelly: I do too. There's no need to wash things (aside from underwear and socks) every time they're worn.

Boud: Yeah, exactly -- if there's visible dirt, that's different!

Linda Sue: I'm through the 5th episode now and I'm liking it a lot more. I just tumbled in episode 4 to what's really going on.

Allison: Yeah, if I didn't have a washer at home I'm sure I'd wash things even less!

Margaret: My grandmother told me years ago that washing clothes ruins them, and she's right. Ever since then I've done laundry less frequently. (Despite the fact that I'm always talking about doing laundry.)

Colette: Thanks and thanks!

Ellen: Yeah, if I were home all day, I'm sure I'd change even less often!

37P: I've always had a weakness for paisley. It's my '60s hippie side coming out. :)

Damselfly: When I lived in Florida I used to dry everything on a clothesline, and I loved it. It all smelled so nice!

Jim: It was indeed! I thought I might really have to talk them into it but they didn't make me jump through too many hoops.

John: My dad was always pretty skinny too. It's genetic!

Jeanie: I love a good outdoor drying day!

Meike: Thanks for stopping by! Yes, Rachel told me you're familiar with Waldkirch. Do you recognize that building? Is it still there? I couldn't find anything that looks exactly like it on Google street view. As for Lufthansa, we'll see how long it takes them to actually send me the money. They've agreed to it, but that's just the first step!