Oh happy, joy, joy.

My handyman came over last week to set up the plywood platform he had built for my front-loading washer and dryer. It's very sturdy. His buddy (with a very strong grip/handshake) came over, too, as they had to lift both up onto the platform, which is roughly 15" high. I LOVE the new height. Only problem: the washing machine vibrates QUITE a bit. Having it sit on a concrete floor vs plywood I guess makes the difference? I texted a video to my handyman, and he agreed there was too much vibration. That being said, I had it set to "high spin," which i like becus it really wrings out the water, so less drying time.

The machine is completely level. I told the handyman I'd try out a load on the normal spin and see if I could live with that. Otherwise, he's agreed to return (no charge) to help me put an old 1/2" thick yoga mat under it. (I knew I was holding onto it for a purpose.) I just ran a small load to see how it went, but then I had a different contractor come over, one I've been after since February to do some small vinyl siding repairs, and by the time I was done with him, the load was done. So I need to do another load.

Just out of curiosity, I checked the price of 2 Samsung-sold pedestals and they are still significantly more expensive than what my handyman charged me, plus if I'd bought the manufacturer's pedestal, I wouldn't have gotten the labor to set it up unless i bought them, I guess, at the time I bought the washer/dryer. I passed on them at the time because they just are very expensive for what they are, though the Samsung pedestals do include a storage drawer below, which would have been very nice.

Someone on my buy nothing group was giving away tons of brand new box cutters, each retractable as a safety feature and each with 10 blades stored inside. She encouraged people to take a lot, so I asked for 2 or 3. I figured one in the basement, one in garage, one in the main house would be convenient. She gave me 20 instead! So I gave my handyman, who I really like, 3 of them and he seemed very pleased, so perhaps that helped smooth the way toward him returning to fiddle with my dryer at no charge! Either way, I'm happy too!

Just having the door leading from garage to basement open why these guys were setting the platform in place allowed abou 5 flies in the house, which I hate. I released or killed all but one, who is currently corralled in my greenhouse window with a closed curtain. Hoping it will just die so I don't have to keep chasing after it. Two of my immediate neighbors have sheep or goats, so flies, I've noticed, are in abundance.

Oh, wow. Just heard from the mason who was going to rebuild my outdoor stone stairs.  Another one who ghosted me since April, but now he wants to start tomorrow, at 7 am. Which is actually fine, I have nothing scheduled, but my weather report says morning rain is likely. So I told him that, but he said they have demo to do first and a little rain won't affect that. He just asked me for half the cost tomorrow, so that reminded me I need a written invoice. I assume a personal check is the same as cash to him, but maybe not. May have to make a special trip to bank.

I have an old (male) friend I see every few months, so next time I see him, I'll give him a few too. They do come in handy for opening deliveries from Amazon or wherever.

I made a BJs run this morning so am well stocked with fresh food.

Back to the vinyl siding guy: he offered to do the repair FOR FREE due to the delays. Which is great, how often does that happen?  I told him I would sing his praises on social media. But WILL they show up this time after repeated fails? He told me he has new front office staff to help him keep things straight, so we shall see. He's a super nice guy, and I'd like to have him back in a few years to quote me on a roof replacement.

He told me if I have a shingle come off in a storm, to call him. He seemed to know his way around working with homeowners' insurance companies to get them to pay for an entire roof replacement when you might have just a few damaged or missing shingles, because our state, he said, is one of the few that has a "matching statute" that requires this, purportedly to protect the home property values of others in a neighborhood. This sounded like a stretch to me, but I looked it up and it is indeed true! I wouldn't think that mismatched roof shingles would affect others' property values that much.

I am still a little leery of ever taking advantage of this since we've all heard how insurers will jack up their rates after you file a claim. But isn't this what insurance is for? My rates routinely go up 15% or so every year anyway, and I have never filed a claim. What do you think?