repair instead of replace

I learned something today.  There is no need to call the appliance manufacturer to get a good repairperson.  Judging by today's experience using a local appliance repairman, its about twice as expensive to go with the manufacturer recommended repairperson. Of course, it is even cheaper to do your own repairs, but sometimes I either can't figure out what the problem is or can't understand the directions to solve the problem.

Neither my husband nor I are mechanically-inclined.  I've had my daughter help me put together toys and once a piece of furniture because she can follow diagrams and I can't.  My Dad didn't have a lot of training in fixing things, but he managed to repair nearly everything that broke when I was a kid.  If he couldn't figure it out, he got a book.

Here's a good link on when to replace an appliance.

dyi pest control and medical testing

The good news, AZO testing strips for urinary tract infection testing are really inexpensive via Amazon.com.  The bad news, unless I have burning sensation when I urinate, the doctor still performs her own test.  Oh well, at least I knew enough to go in when I had flu symptoms without fever.  That's how my UTI's seem to present.

Amazon also has a lot of pest control products, even for termites.  We have no evidence of termite problems, but I'm thinking of buying a test kit to check for their presence to be on the safe side.  I'm also probably going to get some granules to put outside to hopefully reduce the presence of spiders and ants inside the home.