My horoscope the other day promised that the sun was finally in my house (whatever that means) and that for the next few months things will be rosy in my life.
Since 2007 has, so far, been kind of a bummer - the job loss, the dog with chronic diahrrea, the revelation that my cheap junky watches turn my wrist green - I was reassured. Relieved even. After all, who can argue with astrology?
Then ... and you knew this was coming ... Then my just-three-year-old air conditioner's whatchamacallit's thingamabob sprang a leak and allowed Freon to waft up into the already depleted ozone layer - Freon that my Carrier air conditioner needs to cool my tiny little house. Without Freon, the air conditioner blows air but not COOL air. By the time I called Larry, the air conditioner guy, it was 84 degrees inside.
Larry, the air conditioner guy, understood my angst and in a span of just three hours found replacement parts and installed them.
There was a but, though. A big BUT.
Turns out, the warranty on my Carrier air conditioner doesn't cover the whatchamacallit's thingamabob - just the whatchamacallit, thingamabob attached.
If I wanted to replace only the thingamabob, the part would cost $600. The whatchamacallit AND the thingamabob cost about $1,000. So it was penny wise and pound foolish - not that I care about money in the least - to replace the thingamabob without replacing the whatchamacallit, as well, which is what Larry did.
I haven't yet gotten the bill.
Well, whatever it is it will just have to go on the card on which I charge all of Baxter's vet bills. A visit on Tuesday cost $386. That's the fourth or fifth pricey trip to the vet in the last couple of months.
But this morning, as I drove to the Animal Coalition in Tampa, I thought about how lucky I am. I have a card on which to charge all this stuff, the air conditioner is now working, my horoscope says life is going to be all thumb's up for the next little while, at least - and Baxter no longer has diarrhea.
I enjoyed this smug high until I got home.
Then ... and you knew this was coming ... I discovered Baxter's bad poopies are back.
At least the air conditioner still works - at least for the time being.