Meandering

Somewhere between Atlantic City and Park City, UT sits the little town of Cambridge City, IN. Starting out just south of home, my friend Cindy and I head east on Rt. 40, making our way down the National Road to this little city.

It’s my favorite way to spend a beautiful Saturday. This road takes you past small town America in action. Yard sales, tractors, cows, ball fields and clothes lines all stretched out for miles. The sights along the way instill a feeling of joining forces with a different style of living. Spending the day on Route 40 is therapeutic for me in a way I can’t quite explain.

Not a serious antique hunter, I am in love with the little shops along the way of one of the earliest highway projects in the United States.



Walking down Main Street in small town USA, I can remember walking downtown in my own little hometown as a child. I can remember pausing at store windows and feeling a nostalgia I didn’t understand then either. My antique store affection comes more from those childhood memories than any serious search for matching Waterford glasses and decanter set. My love is for the plundering. Spending the night at my grandmother’s house always included plundering a drawer or two in her bedroom, a cabinet with my Aunt Brenda’s old dolls or going through those old books on the shelf. Those nights filled me with appreciation for small treasures and anticipation of finding something that was once meaningful in someone’s daily life. It helped me understand that something doesn’t have to be valuable to be valuable.
.


On the trip I touched items from a different time, like the vintage baby bonnet from 1832. And some not quite vintage items like a Starsky and Hutch lunchbox. There were rusty old tools, glassware in every color, and rustic tables. I found several scales (my favorite) with chipped paint, wooden bowls and pre-prohibition barrels.



These shops are testament to the adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.



All this pillaging leaves one ready for lunch and this old trail doesn’t disappoint. The Hilltop just above Cambridge City offers a “walk up to order” window for the best burgers around. Sitting on the bench facing the road, waiting for the hand patted burger to cook, is just another treat the day has to offer. Sipping a vanilla coke-another favorite-and eating without feeling rushed at the old stone picnic tables, makes for some much needed time off your feet. There is something small town café’s and eateries offer that you can’t satisfy at McDonalds, Applebee’s or Olive Garden.


Enjoying the wares of one antique store my friend states; “I would love to have lived back then, wouldn’t you?” “No” I reply, “I like cell phones and microwaves.” And indoor plumbing for that matter, but there is something about the ancient that makes my soul feel at home. There is some connection or joy my heart feels among all these items from another era.



It’s the simplicity of a different period. It’s the opportunity to walk down the street with a friend and feel like you are steeling away a few moments in Mayberry. The calm of the pace, the friendliness of the townsfolk…it's a darling way to unwind your mind.

*some photos were found via google search and not the property of any Figley

The Beauty of it All

My annual visit to the beach reminds me of many life lessons:

The rhythm of the tides reminds me that there is a time of giving plenty and time for retreat.

Wait with patience; the ocean must deliver that beautiful shell to the shore.

You really don’t need a lot of things. You can spend an entire day with just a towel

and sunglasses.

Creating memories will last longer than any gift I can give my children.

There are a lot of lessons being at the beach can teach us, but this year, family watching was especially sweet to me. The beauty of the ocean is obvious but I found so much beauty in the people around me. They were all very different, but all so beautiful. And I believe there were life lessons in seeing them all.

The elderly couple out boogie boarding with each other-no grandkids in sight-beautiful

The five year old boy trying for an hour to get the skim board to do what his older brother's did-beautiful

Hearing the grandparents of a divorced daughter telling their grandson that “no matter what your daddy does, he’s still your daddy”-beautiful

The father from NY trying to get that one perfect picture of his sons and taking 100 pictures in the attempt-beautiful

The long haired guy sitting alone just looking out into the ocean-beautiful

The young girls with perfect bodies-beautiful

The old gals in bikinis-beautiful

The young couple with twin babies sleeping under the umbrella-beautiful

The thirteen year old boy who wouldn’t take his shirt off-beautiful

The bunch, just over 21, singing karaoke-beautiful

The baby who tried shaking, wiping and rubbing, but couldn’t get the sand off his hand; the confused look on his face-beautiful

The little boy who looked back at the ocean in disgust when it swept away his sand castle-beautiful

Such simple moments, yet they were all beautiful beyond just seeing them. We live in a wonderful world, with wonderful people. We are all in different stages, and we all come in different modes and models, but it is all beautiful.

Dell Stole my Money!

Customer Service is the second most important thing a business can have. (Quality, pertinant products/service #1) Dear Every Business in the World….if I am spending my ever fleeting time and spending my hard earned dollar on your product/service; appreciate that effort.

Recently (Friday) Emily notices her laptop adaptor is not working. I log on to Bestbuy.com to see if they carry one to replace it. They offer a universal adaptor for about 78 bucks. Thinking perhaps it would be better for the computer if we use the adaptor from that brand (Dell) I check their website before driving all the way out to Best Buy. Dell has the adaptor for $65.99.
Great!
With the non-working adaptor in hand, I verify the numbers/type are correct (don’t want to mistakenly order the wrong thing…you’d never believe the variety of adaptors that exist!) Got it! I proceed with the order, placing said adaptor in my virtual shopping cart. Hmmmmm, shipping and handling….Express/overnight delivery? Just know I justified in my mind the $23.99 S&H because, well, Emily is my baby girl and if I can give it to her I do.
Send!
Within minutes I receive an email from Dell to “acknowledge” my order number 784144226.
About an hour later-another email to “confirm” my order number 784144226.

But wait. Estimated delivery date of June 25th? Standard shipping would have gotten it there by that date. I just paid an extra $23.99 to get it before the standard 5 day delivery.

I call Dell Customer Service. After going through the automated responses, half of which they could not understand my response; I am connected to a rep. I explain my question. “I just placed an order and selected express/overnight delivery, yet my confirmation email estimates a delivery date of six days.” Yes, let me connect you with someone who can help. (?) Second rep-you know the kind-ah, they’ve transferred me to India. Now I have nothing against any group of people-but God it’s frustrating when you can’t understand someone due to their accent-perhaps they feel the same way about me (I am from KY you know) I repeat my concern. This rep (I think) explains that picking the order, possible assembly, etc are all factored in and the express/overnight part is counted from the moment it leaves the warehouse. I don’t like this (I paid extra!) but how can you arguer with that? Fair enough. I’ll wait.

Saturday morning I am dashing through my to-do list for the day. One more item-check bank statement online-and I am done. Next up-lounge pool side. Wait what’s this? Under pending charges: $96.28 charge from Dell at 12:39pm (okay) and $96.28 charge at 1:38pm (huh?) I call customer service.

I explain the problem three times to three people before they forward me to “a rep that can assist me”. Once to my fourth person, I recite the customer ID number (an eight digit number I can repeat with looking at this point). The line goes dead. Hello? Damn. I call back. Same routine as five minutes before-they hang up-I call back. Fourth person-third try-“Please don’t hang up on me!” I explain my dilemma-I request the second (mistaken) order be deleted and my $96.28 refunded. Sorry-you must wait and when you receive the adaptor we will arrange a return.

What is your name?
Shanks Hall.
Let me speak to your supervisor please.
No one else can resolve this any differently.
I know you have a boss-let me speak with them please.
I’m sorry Madame-it is the weekend. No supervisors here.
Then you are in charge? Then YOU fix this. It is YOUR mistake-not mine.
We don’t try to blame the customer, but adaptor was ordered.
You’re saying this is MY error? MY mistake?
Well, Madame, why would company like Dell, do this?
Then why did I not receive an acknowledgement email, or confirmation email for a second order? You really think I would mistakenly log back on to your website and order the exact same adaptor and pay ANOTHER $23.99 for express shipping-an HOUR LATER?
We would be glad to arrange a return once you have received the merchandise.
(this exchange has been shortened to protect the weak and faint of heart. It was NOT pleasant)

Unbelievable!

Fast forward to Sunday. I am really upset over this. I was so very careful about placing the order, ensuring that I had the right product. How did this happen? Perhaps I should get the order number, purchase ID number and verify what email address the acknowledgement and confirmation emails went to for this “mistaken” order. I call Dell customer service. Blah, blah, blah, here’s my customer ID number-call ends. Yes, they hung up, disconnected the call, let me down. I call back. Blah, blah, blah…can you give me the order number? Got it. Can you tell me when and to what email the order acknowledgement and confirmation was sent? They don’t have access to those records!
Whatever-I hang up.

I am at their mercy. I have resigned myself to the fact that Dell is NOT, regardless of all the information I have provided, going to expedite the refund. Shameful!

Today (Monday) at 1:05pm FedEX rings the doorbell and I answer the door to two boxes. Great. I bring the boxes in, select the one with the tracking number provided in the email for the adaptor I order and call Dell to arrange a return for the “mistaken” adaptor.
I am put on hold so the rep can “review the details of the order”. I am certain he is reading Indian curse words about the crazy woman who claims she only ordered one adaptor.

Returning to my call, the rep will send a shipping label to my email address…let me verify he says…m-a-d-r-f-i-g-@aol.com? No, m-a-“T” as in Tom-r-f-i-g-@aol.com. Yes, he says, m as in mike-a as in alpha-d as in Dome-r as in…no,no,no I interrupt…T as in TOM. Yes, D as in Dome….yes I say. Now, when you receive this shipping label, you will need to take the package to the nearest UPS store and drop off. Once we receive the merchandise, we will refund the amount within 31 days.

Great, I tell him. What’s the use in arguing anymore?

My summary is this: Dell stole $96.28 from my account WITHOUT my authorization and WITHOUT sending me an acknowledgement, confirmation, verification or acceptance.
When I called Customer Service; immediately after noticing this, they blamed ME for the mistake. I am assured that most refunds do not take the full 31 days…but Dell has now had MY money for 3 days too long.

$96.28 isn’t the end of the world-but it’s the entire principle of the thing. Imagine if I had ordered that laptop that Mark needs for work….how much of a banking error would THAT have been?

I will purchase another laptop this year. It will NOT be a Dell. Anyone of you who may be in the market for a computer (or even a computer accessory) please BEWARE.

Customer Service is EVERYTHING.