disaster averted
Jun. 20th, 2008 11:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chelidonPreparing for Feri Camp, and the arrival on the land (now in less than a week) of 45 people or so. There are plenty of things that have to get done, but it's all fairly well-organized, with different people doing different things, and some critical bits along the way. For instance, the plumber is here today and has just about finished installing the hot/cold outdoor sill faucet, basically a frost-free hose bib that allows you to mix hot and cold at the valve, which I'm using to run warm water to the outdoor showers. I'd originally planned to put in a stand-alone propane-fired hot water heater, but besides all of the extra expense, hassle in setting it up, and having a heavy, ugly pile of equipment to look at outside, I really didn't want to add any more petro-based stuff -- we've been seriously moving away from that, so why add more? This way, the hot water comes from the same wood-fired system that heats and provides hot water for the rest of the main house. Simple, economical, less manufactured gear to buy, and carbon-neutral, all good things.
But one of the other "critical path" steps is the arrival of a load of new camp mattresses from the company I usually use -- good folks, reliable, nice products (good quality high-density foam, waterproof but breathable anti-microbial covering, etc). I mean, I'd love to use all-natural mattresses instead of foam, but the price puts it way out of reach, and the big disadvantage of foam (it does not degrade, etc) is an advantage here -- once bought, these last basically forever.
So the shipping company (stuff this large has to be freight/truck shipped) was supposed to call me to schedule delivery, so I could be sure to be here when it arrives, and...intuition pokes me, hard -- hmm, so far no call, and it's the Friday before the event begins. Wisely listening to intuition (almost all of my big unhappy experiences in life have resulted from not following this simple rule ;>), I call the company to check in on the order, and find out they have it scheduled to ship...the same day I need the mattresses, the day everyone arrives here next week. Um, no. People can sleep two to a bed if they choose, but I don't want to have to mandate it...
I make it very, very clear to the company rep how unacceptable this is, and they go off to call their production line/warehouse and see what they can do to make it right. Thirty somewhat tense minutes later (during which I feverishly brainstorm Plan Bs), I get a call back -- the order will ship Monday and be here on Wednesday. Okay then. Whew.
Not stress I needed to have today, but as far as near-disasters go, this one is mild, brief, and most importantly, over. As in so much of life, all's well that end well.
But one of the other "critical path" steps is the arrival of a load of new camp mattresses from the company I usually use -- good folks, reliable, nice products (good quality high-density foam, waterproof but breathable anti-microbial covering, etc). I mean, I'd love to use all-natural mattresses instead of foam, but the price puts it way out of reach, and the big disadvantage of foam (it does not degrade, etc) is an advantage here -- once bought, these last basically forever.
So the shipping company (stuff this large has to be freight/truck shipped) was supposed to call me to schedule delivery, so I could be sure to be here when it arrives, and...intuition pokes me, hard -- hmm, so far no call, and it's the Friday before the event begins. Wisely listening to intuition (almost all of my big unhappy experiences in life have resulted from not following this simple rule ;>), I call the company to check in on the order, and find out they have it scheduled to ship...the same day I need the mattresses, the day everyone arrives here next week. Um, no. People can sleep two to a bed if they choose, but I don't want to have to mandate it...
I make it very, very clear to the company rep how unacceptable this is, and they go off to call their production line/warehouse and see what they can do to make it right. Thirty somewhat tense minutes later (during which I feverishly brainstorm Plan Bs), I get a call back -- the order will ship Monday and be here on Wednesday. Okay then. Whew.
Not stress I needed to have today, but as far as near-disasters go, this one is mild, brief, and most importantly, over. As in so much of life, all's well that end well.
