Not much movement on either the car or the couch, but we have been otherwise consumed with shopping for new windows. We have nailed down the particulars of what we want. Four new windows, two in the master bedroom and two upstairs. We want them made of vinyl (white), with a tilt out feature for easier cleaning and they must be Energy Star certified, so that we can get the tax credit.

We booked appointments with four salesmen and could have had more, but why would you want that? The first guy showed up a day early or an hour late, depending on who was correct about the appointment’s time. His outfit was Mad City, a Wisconsin based firm. I assume out of Madison. They have recently opened an office in the area. He all too soon dropped a price that blew him out of the water. $7,000 per window was an order of magnitude higher than what I had expected. He was a talker and it seemed like forever before we could get him out of the house. As we had edged him to the front door, he launched into yet another story. This one set in northern Wisconsin. He and a partner were talking up a dairy farmer. They were still at it at midnight and this poor farmer had to get up at three to milk the cows. I felt for that farmer.

The next morning, we first met with “Glinda” the good witch. She represented Home Depot. Her spiel was much lower key as were her prices. She had PowerPoint slides and 3D models. From her I learned about virgin vinyl, not that I would have sex with a window, but apparently it is a selling point over recycled vinyl. Next up was Mike. Mike was Amish. Lapsed I think now. We got off topic and discussed our interactions with Amish communities both in Missouri and Michigan. Mike was easy to get off topic. He told us about a group of Amish who live in Sarasota. Among the Amish, it acts like their Las Vegas, “What happens in Sarasota, stays in Sarasota.” He had called earlier, while we were still meeting with Glinda, asking if he could move up his appointment. She overheard the conversation and told me later that he would not be able to meet her price. This was true, but only because she dropped her price once again in her proposal. Mike had an exact copy of the model that Glinda demoed, but naturally his was better.