Eat Your Words: Word Counters

Counting my words again. 

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. Each month one group member picks  a number between 12 and 50. All participating bloggers are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we all share what we came up with. 

This month's number is 39. 
It was chosen by Me!

~ Insurance. Being caught without it can be financially crushing. But, as I wrote in one of my earliest posts, "Insurance, Anyone," its current form, requires paying a company that then decides whether or not we'll be awarded any back.

 

~ Imagine my surprise to have found a (car) insurance company that is reasonably priced, is easy to reach, has great customer service, goes above and beyond actually, and does pay claims fairly. No, not in my dreams, for real.

~ An example: College Boy was seventeen and had taken my car downtown. When he returned, the car wouldn't start. He called me, I gave him our insurance information and told him to talk to them and call me back.

~ My phone rang. It was the insurance company telling me we were on a three way call with my son. They had confirmed he was somewhere safe, and wanted me to hear and approve of their conversation with him. 

~ She told him approximately when the truck would arrive, and the company. If he was unsure of who arrived, to call them to confirm. If the car took a jump, drive right home. If not, we'd all talk again.

~ She made sure he had a safe place to wait, asked him to call me before heading home, then told him to say "good bye" to his mom. She then confirmed a few things with me before ending the call.

~ The car took the jump, College Boy came home, and in the end we had to replace the battery. But this (and the few other times we'd needed to contact them) had me singing this company's praises. But wait . . .

 

~ Sadly, this next story isn't about eating Breakfast Nachos, it's about how the same insurance company had me eating my words. And unlike my (delicious, by the way) breakfast recipe, these words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Breakfast Nachos with Buttery Tortillas

 

~ Over Thanksgiving, PurDude's credit card was hacked. Someone tried to charge six hundred dollars to Hertz on his card. Fortunately, his credit card company flagged the transaction, PurDude cancelled the card and the company sent him a new one.

 

~ A few months before, he'd had an accident on the highway. He (and two others) hit a metal bar that was in their lane. He had two (very expensive) flat tires and two (very, very expensive) broken rims.

 

~ The insurance company was great. They towed his car to a tire shop, arranged a rental. The adjuster told PurDude he would not close the claim until the wheels were replaced and the car was checked out fully.

 

~ In January, PurDude received two letters on the same day. One from Hertz, banning him for life. The other, threatening, from a collection agency stating that he owed Hertz six hundred dollars and they were coming after him. Yikes.

 

~ PurDude went to Hertz to explain that the charge wasn't his but was reported as fraud. No, they explained, he'd rented a car in July and had not paid for it, they then charged his card (without telling him).

 

~ The (previously) great insurance company confirmed that the car rental charge had been approved but somehow not paid, they'd pay immediately, but PurDude let them know they would have to make right any hit to his credit rating also. 

 

~ PurDude followed up with the adjuster too. Hertz was paid. After holding on forever to talk to someone at Hertz, they told him the ban had been lifted once the bill was paid. We're still watching his credit rating . . .

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Breakfast Nachos with Buttery Tortillas         
                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 medium flour tortillas

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

4 TBSP butter, divided

4 strips bacon

5 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 of an onion, sliced

1/2 of a red pepper, chopped

6 fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1/4 cup fresh spinach

Directions:

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

*Cut the tortillas into 3rds, then cut each rounded end into 4 triangles and each center piece into 5 triangles. Place individually onto the parchment paper.

*Melt 3 TBSP of the butter, brush onto one side of the tortilla triangles, flip them over and brush the other side. Bake for 12 minutes, until they start to brown. Remove from the oven and arrange on an oven safe serving plate.

*Lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheddar cheese onto the nachos and place in the oven.

*In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until done. Drain and chop.

*Whisk the eggs with the milk, salt, and pepper.

*Wipe the skillet with a paper towel, melt the remaining TBSP of butter, add the eggs and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then until the scrambled eggs are cooked. Place on top of the nachos and cheese and return the plate to the oven to keep warm.

*Wipe the skillet again. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onion, red pepper, and mushrooms. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Drain well.

*To the plate of nachos, add the vegetables over the eggs, the remaining cheese, the spinach, and the chopped bacon. Return to the oven for 5 minutes before serving.