must belong in a song somewhere. I woke up around 3a.m. to hear the rain hit the roof of the coach, a nice gentle patter, I fell back to sleep knowing I wouldn’t be hiking or biking today. I had been chatting the Hack yesterday and she said the wind and rain was unbelievable at her place and without even looking at the wall, I could see the writing. My little section of desert has inherited the watery blow.
Tomorrow will be a Vegas venture, I’ll meet Marie and Carole for lunch and then Marie and I – possibly Carole too – will venture off in search of a poker game where we can hone our skills at gabbing and catching up with whatever tickles our fancy at the time.
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First some business to finish up in the northwest before lunch, to do with my 16 year history with Community One FCU which recently became a division of America First Credit Union. It’s my intention to close my checking account and withdraw everything from my savings with them other than the $25 mandatory amount that is required to have an account with them. I have had a CC with them for years, paid off two auto loans with them, my truck is financed through them, I have never been late on a payment and I always prepay on my accounts with them. Last month I received a letter stating I had paid my account so well with them that I didn’t have to make a payment on my CC – I did anyway. This month I received a letter telling me CC was due to expire and they wouldn’t be reissuing it due to credit history. Of course the old digs are awaiting foreclosure. DOH! I called them anyway. The Las Vegas branch found no problem with my payment history, etc. so they called Salt Lake and got back to me. For sure my CC would not be renewed but I could reapply…gee…thanks. I asked if I could close my checking, leave $25 in my savings, and just continue to pay off my accounts…of course, what else are they going to say? I wasn’t snotty, I simply stated that the days of personal banking were over and my business had been in excellent standings with them for 16 years and they apparently could care less – the person I spoke with gave me the half assed, “Uh-huh!” through most of my statements which did irritate me. I told her that I knew she was listening with half an ear as she’d probably already heard it from 1M other customers that they did the same thing to. Instant denial. I politely left the conversation. I will politely leave as their customer as fast as possible.
I often marvel at CC companies. They offer you more and more credit and then change up their policy or jack up their interest rate and you are now supposed to dance a jig to carry their little piece of plastic that comes with a nose ring, handcuffs, and leg irons to keep you working the rest of your life. I had a specialty CC that all of my dental work had gone on last year, they sent out a notice over a month ago that any charges after a certain date in January, the interest rate would go to 26.99% – and I don’t think I’m the only one that received that notice. I cut the card up and mailed it in with a polite bow-out. Kee-Rist! These companies are vampire pirates in business cubicles.
*****
I started the dig yesterday to move the 3 cedars…the rain today put a stop to that for a bit. Damn! Just when Mz DigDug was gearing up to move some earth and shrubs. I also destroyed more mistletoe. Another day or so of destruction and I’ll have the trees cleaned for a year or so. Hiking the desert shows the dismal fate of some of the old mesquites in the valley, many are completely dead, other young ones are so laden with the parasite that they won’t survive to grow old. This one is by the sink hole:
And speaking of the sink hole, I did send an email to BLM about it, I haven’t heard from anyone there so…who knows if they even care. I will have to check it out after this rain, when the silt-glue dries out again.
*****
Monday I have a hiking date in Calico Basin. He asked that I not take him anywhere that he can slide or fall off of…hey, I’m right there with him in that thought. See ya Monday Steve!