My hubby has been gone overseas for over a week, and he will return home on Wednesday evening, barring no issues with any of the four flights he will have in a 24-hour period that day. While I am used to his frequent travels, he is typically not gone over one weekend, much less two weekends in a row. So, I am ready for him to be home once again, for sure. I think he is more than ready to be home as well, especially to eat what he describes as “real food” with “real eating utensils” again.
So far, though, it has mostly been a good time here at home for me. My goals for this time were to get a few chores done around the house and in the yard, while enjoying some quality reading time, watching some of my favorite movies, spending more time with friends and family, and just giving myself a little “staycation” break of sorts. It has been a productive time as far as the chores, and I am feeling quite good about what I have accomplished. It has also been a fun time of dining and visiting with some good friends, my mom and my son. I really am blessed in so many ways, and I have truly enjoyed their company over the past week, spending a day with company followed by a day to myself each day last week.
I also splurged just a bit and bought my first tablet. It is actually a smaller, older model tablet, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 with an 8″ screen, and it is just perfect to use while around the house, as it is very easy to hold in one hand while I’m sitting in my comfy chair. Our Costco had a large display of them for only $199, and they are all new, not refurbished units. That is a great price for a tablet, to be sure. Even though this tablet was preloaded with an earlier Android version, it quickly updated to Android 4.4.2 – Kit Kat, which was nice to see. FYI – I cannot find this unit on Costco’s website for sale, so it is likely only found in stores now. I did find them for sale on Target’s website for $219.99.
Before I bought this tablet, I did just a bit of research online, including reading a comparison of the Galaxy Tab 3 to a comparable version of the iPad Mini. While the review is from June 2013, I found it to be a good comparison of the two units. Comparison of Galaxy Tab 3 to iPad Mini – Gizmag Neither of these units are the most recent versions in their line, but I did not want to pay $400 or more for one either. Finding the Galaxy Tab 3 brand new in the box was a great find, especially for only $199. In fact, I’m tempted to buy another one for hubby for his birthday in October. I especially like the fact that the Galaxy Tab 3 has a slot to expand memory with a Micro SD card, which I also bought at Costco for only $47. The iPad Mini did not have a slot to expand its memory, which is a big negative in my book, for sure, and one of the main reasons we have not purchased any iPads to date.
Having this 8″ tablet at home is a perfect solution for most of my daily internet and computing needs, and I can now leave the laptop turned off most of the time, except for the times when I need to use it for typing or to work on photographs. I am so frustrated with my laptop right now, and having this tablet will be a huge blessing for me. It’s time to either upgrade my laptop, wipe it clean, or just resign to only use it when absolutely necessary. For now, I am selecting option three.
Of course, something “challenging” always seems to happen when my hubby is gone for a long period of time, too, and last week was no exception.
On Friday, I took both of the dogs to the grooming shop that we have used for over twenty consecutive years. Over the past few months, however, we have not been pleased with the job they have done on our dogs, especially when one particular girl works on them. She is fairly new, though, and I have tried to give her the opportunity to improve, talking with her each time I take the dogs in to let her know exactly what our expectations are. However, this time was much worse, as she cut our puppy on his stomach area pretty badly, and no one informed me of the cut when I picked him up. It was well hidden on the inside of his leg, and I did not see it until the following afternoon when I was petting him while he rolled over on his back. The cut was surprisingly large and looked quite bad.
I rushed Red to the emergency clinic for animals on Saturday, and he ended up getting five stitches. I had to leave him there for a few hours, so after I left, I drove straight to the grooming shop to discuss this matter with the owner. The owner immediately admitted fault and said that even she knew about the cut. The owner had apparently told the other girl to inform me of it when I picked up the dogs, which she did not do, and the owner gave me a check to cover the full medical bill before I left. I’m glad that she did not attempt to argue this matter with me, as I really like her so much. After all, I have known her for over twenty years.
Despite my personal feelings for the shop owner, I suspect we will now change grooming shops in September. I have the name of a lady that our vet recommends for this breed, so I guess we will give her a try. It will break my heart in some ways, especially after doing business with the other shop for over twenty years, but I think it is a move that must be done now. The owner could have simply picked up the phone and called me right away when she saw the cut for herself, and I could have taken Red to our regular vet on Friday afternoon before they closed for the weekend. She did not call me, and that is the reason we will now switch groomers. It was a poor and disappointing decision on her part.
Except for this incident, my little “staycation” has been a good one. With three more days left until my hubby returns, I will hopefully get a few more little chores done and a few more good movies watched, all while keeping a watchful eye on Red and his injury.
Red will have to wear this awful contraption for the next ten days, when I can finally take him back to get the stitches out. Poor little guy. 😦
My Five Fs 