Now Hear This

NEWS BULLETIN: We finally crossed the line and purchased hearing aids yesterday!  We happened to already in Prescott, Arizona, when the local COSTCO there called with a cancellation for hearing tests.  Normally, there's a 2-3 week wait for the tests.  We zipped right in at 2:30 and were out the door by four.
The hearing aids will arrive before our March 7th appointment for fitting and fine tuning.  They certainly aren't cheap--this pair cost $1880--but there comes a time when it's time to do the right thing.  We sure hope they work out OK.  We are very tired of struggling to hear what people are saying.  Naturally, one of the reasons we purchased them at COSTCO is a new 90-day "trial" period.  If we don't like 'em, we can return 'em for a full refund.  It's the best return policy in the hearing aid industry.

Our last hearing aid test was in July 2010 at the Pocatello COSTCO.  Back then there was no "trial" period and the devices weren't waterproof.  The current models are waterproof and, as you might suspect, that's a real big deal for people such as ourselves.  The photo shows the thing they stuck in our ears when they filled up the outer ear shell with fast-setting silicone.  Trust me, allowing someone to stuff a glue gun in your ear is a giant leap of faith in another human being's ability to "do it right."

We were in Prescott to check our a Dillon 650 progressive reloading press with case feeder.  We spent two hours with the seller patiently going over all the details but balked at the last second.  Long story, of course.  We also managed to squeeze in a pleasant and productive visit with a county Assessor's official.

Somehow, we managed to get back to Second Chance Ranch with plenty of time to split some wood and build a nice fire.  The weather here is as perfect as it can possibly get for late February.  It supposed to take a turn for the damp, cold and windy this weekend.  After all the nice days we've been enjoying, it might actually be fun to have some normal winter weather for a change.

Today, we are heading down to North Phoenix to check out another used Dillon RL550B reloading press.  Chances are pretty good we will buy this one.  It's priced at only $350 compared to yesterday's $1000 unit.  Since we're down there, we will run all sorts of other errands as well.

We need to get our own progressive press up and running here in Arizona so the local "experts" can help us understand all the fine tuning aspects of such a piece of machinery.  They are akin to a Swiss watch in many ways.