Have You Heard of UMPQUA Bank? Good Luck Dinah and Elaine!

I am sorry to admit that last month was the first time I heard of UMPQUA bank. My oldest daughter, Dinah, had been offered a position she can not refused at UMPQUA Bank in Portland, Oregon. This will be her first time to relocate from California to Oregon. She is very excited since this is a Promotion. The company has offered her a good salary, bonus sign up and help in her relocation expenses as well as a prestigious title of Assistant Vice President. Your Mom and I wish you luck and success in your new position. Elaine is relocating with her. The following three photos were taken during their visit last week. The other photos were taken during the Farewell Party for Dinah by Friends and Relatives in Concord.

The following are some information from Wikipedia about UMPQUA bank.

Umpqua Holdings Corporation, d.b.a. Umpqua Bank, is a financial holding company based in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Headquarters are in the Umpqua Bank Plaza, formerly the headquarters of Benj. Franklin Savings and Loan. The firm has three principal operating subsidiaries: Umpqua Bank (the Bank), Umpqua Investments (formerly Strand, Atkinson, Williams and York (Investments)), and Pivotus Ventures.

The company’s main operating segments are personal banking and lending, business banking and lending, and wealth management. The bank serves consumers and businesses in the community. As of 2015, Umpqua Bank had $24 billion in assets and $18 billion in deposits and was ranked among the largest 60 banks in the nation. Its parent company, Umpqua Holdings, is publicly traded. As of 2016, Umpqua Bank was the largest Oregon-based bank, and had 350 branches in Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Idaho.

Today is moving day for Dinah and Elaine. Have a Safe Relocation to Portland, Oregon!

Not Dependable Service from Clarke and Rush

Two Years ago I purchased a new Carrier Furnace 80% Boost from Clark and Rush for total cost of $4439 including installation. I Have a 10 year warranty for manufacturer parts.

Last week at the middle of the Ten Day Heat Wave here in Northern California, our Air conditioner failed. The AC is humming outside- but no cool air is coming ( appeared the blower is defective). I immediately called my installer Clark and Rush. They answered they are fully booked for three weeks and do not answer emergency calls even from customers. I was so upset, I started calling 10 other cooling and heating service companies in The Sacramento area. Of the ten I called only one( Jaguar) had an opening within the next couple of days. The rest are booked for weeks ahead. While waiting for the service from Jaguar, Macrine and I stayed at the Mall in the afternoon when the temperature outside were over 100 and inside the house was 90. One night we stayed at my daughters house in Mid town Sacramento.

Jaguar diagnosed that the problem was indeed the blower and to replace it will cost $1536. The technician suggested to call our local Carrier Dealers and verify that the part is available locally and if not it has to be ordered from the manufacturer, since we still have the warranty on the parts. The diagnosis cost us $79.

There are several Carrier Furnace Dealers in our Area. The problem is not the part but the time availability for service. Most of the Cooling companies are fully booked. Luckily, I was able to talk to a Carrier Dealer, Comfort Master. I was told the blower is not available locally. It has to be ordered from the manufacturer and a service charge of $65 for a 2-day delivery window is required.

Since Comfort Master did not diagnosed the problem, they are hesitant to order it ahead and wants their own technician to diagnose it for an additional cost of $99. The earliest they can re diagnose the problem is two days from this writing date. I was told it would be the first week of July when we will have central air conditioning again. I hope the weather will cooperate in the next 10 days.

In the meantime, the heat wave is gone. High temperature during the next couple of days are in the low 90's. We have a Wall AC unit in our bedroom, so we can sleep, but the afternoon from 3 to 7PM, the whole house is hot, even though we have electric fans in the Kitchen and Family room, we still have to go to the Mall to cool off.

Lesson Learned: Not all Cooling Service Companies are Dependable, in spite of their Claim of superior Client Service.

Philippines Love Songs and Tourist Spots

Do you love Kundiman and Pinoy love songs? Here's one of my favorite video.

Arthritis of the Knee and Me

About 6 months ago, I was diagnosed with arthritis of the knee based on the X'ray taken of my left knee. My physician prescribed an anti-inflammatory/analgesic-Naprosin. Relatives and friends recommended I take Turmeric Capsults -a dietary supplement. The pain ranged from 3-4 to a tolerable 1-2 from a Pain scale of 1 to 10. My experience showed that turmeric helps but the pain is not completely gone and often times I am still limping and my activities are limited. I have a hard time bending, so my gardening activities are limited also. Here's some information about knee arthritis from the Internet.

Arthritis is inflammation of one or more of your joints. Pain, swelling, and stiffness are the primary symptoms of arthritis. Any joint in the body may be affected by the disease, but it is particularly common in the knee. Knee arthritis can make it hard to do many everyday activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. It is a major cause of lost work time and a serious disability for many people.

The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but there are more than 100 different forms. In 2012, more than 51 million people reported that they had been diagnosed with some form of arthritis, according to the National Health Interview Survey. While arthritis is mainly an adult disease, some forms affect children.

Although there is no cure for arthritis, there are many treatment options available to help manage pain and keep people staying active.

For more details read the following:

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00212

If you know of any dietary supplement good for arthritis besides turmeric, please let me know!

The Bataan Death March Memorial Marathon in New Mexico

Just in case you were not able to watch 60 Minutes at CBS last night. This subject has touched my heart and is one of the saddest event in World War 11 in the Philippines.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bataan-death-march-survivor-60-minutes/

From Wikipedia: The Bataan Memorial Death March is an annual commemoration of the Bataan Death March attended by many of the survivors of the march, along with thousands of supporters from around the world, held at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Held annually since 1990, this is a full marathon, with a 15 mi (24 km) route for those who do not wish to complete the full course. Covering paved road and sandy trails, it is regarded by Marathon Guide as one of the top 30 marathons in the U.S.

The race is open to all members of the public, though a significant portion of the participants are members of military units of the U.S. and foreign armed forces and their families. Civilians usually run in the full marathon, which is timed with awards though not certified by USA Track and Field. Several surviving Bataan prisoners usually await the competitors to congratulate them on completing the grueling march. Many injured veterans including some amputees attend to march as well. The race continues all day, with the slowest marchers taking over 12 hours to complete the course.

In 2011, a record 6,300 marchers participated in 2011 in both the marathon and the 15.4 mi (24.8 km) course. In 2012 over 7,000 marchers competed and due to the heat and conditions 2012 became the most medicated march yet. In 2013, conditions were such that a weather advisory was put out to the 5,800 participants to reconsider running the race if they had not trained in the heat or at higher altitudes and that officials were considering altering or canceling the event.

Flowers in My Garden-Have a Safe Memorial Day Weekend

The 3-day Memorial Day weekend is coming. A few of our neighbors are driving out of town. However, Macrine and I are homebound and will enjoy the flowers in my garden. Have A Safe Memorial DAY Weekend to All!

My Miniature Rose Bush in Full Bloom-Source of My Flower Arrangement All Summer

Strawberry-Guava Shrub in Full Bloom

Drought Resistant Ice-Plants in Bloom in the Front Entrance-welcoming Visitors

My Pineapple Plant survive the winter season- Front Entrance Décor