Freezers on the Fritz and a Summer Celebration

Tammy noticed our freezer in the basement had stopped working and most of its contents had melted and spilled out onto the floor. At about the same time she was telling me of the mess she'd just finished cleaning, I was reaching for a frozen pizza from the upstairs freezer and noticed that it too was struggling to keep the food frozen. Both units had power to them but something was seriously wrong. I had a tech out from Tony's Appliance in Burnsville the next day and he diagnosed the problem as a failed compressor in both the downstairs freezer and our upstairs refrigerator/freezer. I kind of figured as much. Neither one would be worth fixing. We'd had a strong storm come through two days earlier and the tech said it's quite likely that the storm could've caused a power surge that took out both units. We're just thankful it didn't happen while we were away on vacation.

We'll have some new appliances delivered this week and while we wait, we're thankful for the mini-fridge in our downstairs kitchenette.

Our next-door neighbors, Karen and Bob, hosted our annual summer get-together Friday night. It's always a fun time when they host a party. Always! We've got a really nice group of neighbors who usually show up. There was a time a dozen years ago when the neighborhood was definitely on the cliquey side and we never felt comfortable with that crowd. Karen and Bob go out of their way to be very inclusive but even so, there are many who take a pass and I get that. We can be more than a little loud once the party gets rolling.

Thursday's south loop.

I got out this morning for my Jordan loop. It's 43 miles and something I can easily knock out before my late morning shift at the salt mine. Light winds, low humidity and comfortable temps made for ideal riding conditions. I'd take a year of days just like today if I could.

I brought it home in a 19.1 mph (30.7 km) average speed which for where my training is at this year is something I'm happy with.

It's been about 9 weeks since I had my Synvisc injection in my right knee to help alleviate the pain of osteoarthritis. The PA who administered the shot told me to allow 3 to 6 weeks for it to get up to speed and begin helping. He was right. It was about two weeks ago when I noticed that I'm riding virtually pain-free. How amazing is that? It feels like I've dialed the clock back 30 years on my knee. It's that good! I have to be careful not to overdo it which is asking a lot some days. Only time will tell how many months of relief the injection brings me. So far so good.


Comments

Jackie said…
Glad to hear the injection is working. How long do they typically last, and can you overlap them as they wear off so not have the waiting time again? Sounds like you had a great neighborhood party… always fun to catch up with people after these MN winters. Had to replace our fridge and dishwasher last fall as well. Always something, huh?
July 14, 2014 at 6:36 PM
Kevin Gilmore said…
Thanks. Yes, it's working so well but it's not something I can count on long term. From what I've read, others get relief for a few years and then not so much. Others will sometimes have an allergic reaction after having had successful injections. That happened to a friend of mine.

The length of time you get relief from a series of injections (or in my case a single injection) varies quite a lot from person to person. For some there's no relief, for others they may see benefits for up to a year. My plan is to only get the shot in the spring of the year in hopes that it'll allow me to cycle pain free during the warmer months.

Yeah, we're really missing our fridge...first world problem for sure so we try and keep it all in perspective.
July 14, 2014 at 8:01 PM
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