On Pins and Needles

I am blocking for the first time ever. The “grannie squares” you see pictured are one of my Scotland 2010 souvenirs. I bought all the wool from Shilasdair on the Isle of Skye.

I finished crocheting the 48 squares quite some time ago… I crocheted 80 additional squares for another afghan while I let myself be intimidated by blocking. I’d never done it before and it looked scary.

After purchasing a Block ‘n Roll, about 800 blocking pins, and trying it out, I can tell you blocking is simple and I’m pleased with the result. The basic idea is that you get your piece wet,  pin it into shape, and let it dry. (The exact technique depends on the material and personal preferences. You can do that Google search.) It almost feels like cheating as you take all your squares that are close to the same, but nevertheless contain human variances, and produce a more uniform square. The more uniform squares lead to a finer finished afghan that will also lay better than it otherwise would.

I’ll post a photo of the finished afghan. Now that the above squares are dry, I’m piecing it all together.

Glass Mostly Full

My Rainfall Measurer

I looked out on my deck at my personal rainfall measurer. It’s a cheap glass vase I leave outside that helps me decide whether or not to water my lawn and trees. So I looked at it and I thought, “Well, that sums up the week!”.

People might take that as a bad thing. Some folks had to deal with some major flooding because of all the rain we got. Others had to deal with even more profound consequences. The news anchors complained every day, every time the weather man was introduced.

In fact, I did hit some personal lows this week. I failed to meet some goals I’d set for myself. I failed miserably. I worried all week about an upcoming meeting. I didn’t feel needed at work. I remembered the sadness of 9/11. And the list could go on.

But, as I drove home from church today, I admired all the green trees and the green lawns and the late summer blooms. That’s the way I like to see my Virginia. I relived the victory of having done something that was extremely hard for me on Saturday. I felt thankful for a church service that focused on hope. I looked forward to receiving a piece of furniture I ordered for my kitchen. And the list could go on.

I got home, took a picture of my rainfall measurer, and dumped out the water. Let the new week begin.

Cherry Surprise

Dear Reader,

I have misled you. I didn’t mean to. Now I will try to make things right.

This is not a Kwanzan Cherry Tree. I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of Cherry Tree. Maybe Yoshino?

Not a Kwanzan Cherry Tree

THIS is a Kwanzan Cherry Tree.

A Kwanzan Cherry Tree

This is Willa! She bloomed! Isn’t she lovely?

Willa blooms

Willa Watch

Willa on March 30

Neighboring Kwanzan Cherry Tree on Mar 31

I can’t help comparing Willa to the other Kwanzan Cherry trees in the neighborhood. I think she’s still alive. I hope she’s still alive. I have three reasons to try not to worry:

1. Dave tells me this isn’t unusual (See my question in the comments)

2. Another witness

3. Yet another witness

So, I wait and watch.

Best ever $2 investment!

daffofils

These boots are made for walkin’

I don’t remember when or why I bought these major snow boots. I only know they were perfect for taking a walk after the “Blizzard of 2010″ had blown itself out. My coat kept the top part of me dry and warm. These boots kept my feet dry and warm. I was soaked everywhere in between by the time I got home. Maybe I’ll buy snow pants someday.

Here’s a little bit of what I saw when I ventured outside.

(And if you’ve never heard Nancy Sinatra’s signature hit of 1966, you should check it out. It’s on my “catharsis” play list.)

I didn't write this.

Willa in Winter

This pile is taller than my 5' 4"

I love snow

out back

Do Over

I finished knitting a red afghan about two weeks ago.

It’s just plain knit stitches, super loose.

I decided I didn’t like it.

So I unraveled the entire afghan.

This time I’m keeping my stitches neat and I’m going to throw in a little stocking stitch. Stay tuned (for about two years).

This is one thing I love about knitting and crocheting. You get do overs.

Mine. All mine.

I finally bought hearing aids on Jan 13. I chose the Oticon Dual Mini-7. $4,200. I paid $3,200 to Blue Ridge Speech & Hearing because their understanding is that Kaiser pays $1,000. I’m not going to be surprised if they call back to say they need another $500.

I am thrilled to now know my Medical Flex Benefit credit card really works (at least I can use untaxed money to pay out the $3,200) and that I don’t have to have another hearing appointment until July.

And I like hearing, too.

I made a pie crust! (And, it was good!)

One of my goals in life is to be able to make pie crust as well as my Mom makes pie crust. I have not been diligent in working towards achieving this goal, but I did take advantage of having my Mom at my house for Thanksgiving and I asked for a pie crust tutorial.

My Mom instructed me to make the crust under her supervision rather than just show me. We used our family recipe that Mom says she got from Aunt Colleen. And the crust turned out perfectly! I made a good pie crust! I need to do it again soon to see if I can replicate the feat without Mom’s supervision.

Gathering Hearing Aid Price Quotes

I felt like I needed to get more hearing aid price quotes after I discovered what I perceived as a significant price difference between the two dispensers I’d seen thus far. I now have a fair amount of data and am almost done with my survey. I’ll update this post as I gather the rest…

I sent out the email note below to all the northern Virginia dispensers on the list my Kaiser Audiologist gave me. I wondered what the response would be given that pricing seems to be a sensitive issue in the hearing aid world. Most responses were forthcoming. Two dispensers wanted me to call to get a quote rather than send a quote via email (Isn’t that interesting? I bet a log of hard-of-hearing folks prefer email over the phone…) I got long, warm answers and short, to-the-point answers. Overall, there doesn’t seem to be a significant difference in price. I summarize the responses in the table below.

This past July I was diagnosed with mild-to-moderate hearing loss that is permanent. My Audiologist recommended I get hearing aids. My health care provider, Kaiser Permanente, does not dispense hearing aids but I was given a list of hearing aid dispensers in the DC Area that included you. I am checking with various dispensers to decide what might work best for me. I’m using two questions to help me:

1. What brands of hearing aids do you sell?

If you sell the Oticon Dual Mini-5, what is your price for it? What does that price include in terms of batteries, cleanings, follow-up visits, warranty, etc? What doesn’t it include?

Obviously, there is much more to buying hearing aids than brand and price. I feel a little overwhelmed by all there is to learn as a first time hearing aid buyer. I’ll appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions.

 

Dispenser	Contact	Method	Brands Sold	Price for 2 HA	Price Includes	Misc
Fairfax Hearing Center – Annandale	Dr. Gena Marino	Email	I work with several different companies however the one that I favor is Oticon.	$4,000	Batteries for the life of the hearing aids All follow up visits 2 year warranty that covers loss, damage and repair	N/A
Fauquier Hearing Services – Warrenton	Diane Markva, Au.D.Doctor of Audiology/Owner	Email	Didn’t say.	$3890	$300 dispensing/fitting/follow-up fee Initial fitting Real ear measurement Follow-up visits thru the first 3 months Warranty is 2 year repair 1 year loss and damage but can be extended if you wish.	First appointment is $50. That investment can be applied to the purchase price of the amplification.
Hearing Solutions of Fairfax PC – Fairfax	Vivian Muccio, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA Audiologist	Email	I dispense hearing aids from many manufacturers including the top five manufacturers of hearing aid that do most of the research and product innovation and development in the field. They are Starkey, Oticon, Phonak , Widex and Siemens.	$3,700	FREE batteries as long as your are a client of the practice. You can come in every 3-6 months and pick up a supply or call us and we will mail them to you at No Charge. 3 year warranty from the manufacturer which includes repair and loss and damage coverage All follow-up visits and cleaning are No Charge	N/A
Lesner Hearing Center – Alexandria	Leslie Lesner, Au.D., Doctor of Audiology	Email	Oticon, ReSound, Widex, Phonak and Unitron. Experience with Starkey and Siemens	$3,400	Two year warranty One year of loss insurance Batteries for several months of hearing aid use, and I tip you off to the best places to buy batteries All office visits are included	I teach you about maintaining your hearing aids to keep repairs to a minimum. There is a 60-day adjustment period. If we cannot achieve our hearing goals during that time we will exchange the aids for others and start the 60 days again; or refund your money less a $150 service fee per aid.
Professional Hearing Aid Service – Reston	Chandra	Email. Please call for quote. (703) 478-9898	Sells Octicon and “all major brands.”	?	2 years of repair warranty 1 year of loss and damage warranty 1 year of Audiological services (cleaning/repair/follow-up visits) 2 boxes of batteries (80 batteries)	N/A
Sonus Hearing Care Professionals – Fairfax	Jamie Clark, AuD, CCC-A – Doctor of Audiology	Email. Call for pricing. 703-204-1123	Phonak, GNResound, and Siemens	?	?	See www.phonak-us.com the Audeo Mini CRT (receiver in the ear), this instrument would be an equal to the Dual Mini from Oticon.