Yes, unfortunately I still exist

I've just been out of pocket for another week.  The bad news is that ATT let me down.  No internet through them and my fancy phone.  The worse news is that I guess if I want internet, it will have to be by satellite.  I guess the $50 (plus taxes and all sorts of fees) can go to the satellite that is advertised at $40 (plus taxes and all sorts of fees).  G doesn't like the idea - he isn't even on board for the satellite tv!


We actually returned on Tuesday, but I was too tired to post then, and yesterday I went to Doodle Bug's "graduation" from pre-school.  They were cute.  I will try to post a picture tomorrow - especially since Lady Bug "graduates" from 5th grade.  OMG!  Let's make all these big occasions.  In a way, LB's does mark her moving into a whole new era.  


In other news, I guess technically I am not a great grandmother.  My step granddaughter had her baby yesterday.  Strange family this makes.  I am a grandmother to a 4 month old and great grandmother to a newborn.  


Anyway, M came through it with flying colors.  I was worried about her.  Like every pregnant woman, the last weeks are miserable, and you want that baby out more than anything else.  So it was with her.  Last week she was told her cervix wasn't softening.  But she was given the choice of waiting or inducing (on her due date because of the gall bladder problems).  Guess what she chose?  So she went in on the evening of the 22nd for the Cervadil.  Seems to have worked.  Her water broke about midnight, and Allie Beth was born yesterday afternoon with a fairly easy labor.  Congratulations M.  Now don't follow in your birth mother's steps, who by the way isn't speaking to M.  


Yesterday I pulled a real boner stunt.  We laugh about the bottom step on our steps being the "killer step."  I have fallen more than once, G has fallen, Son fell - holding his son and hurting his foot really badly.  I try to be extra careful these days.  Well, yesterday I was trying to get the suitcase with the fabric I took up the stairs when I remembered Simone had not gotten her pills.  I was coming back down, not paying attention, and missed that last step.  Down I went.  I landed squarely on my right hip.


G, from the other room, asked it I were OK.  Duh - didn't you hear the thud.  Couldn't you have gotten off your dead a** to see?  Anyway, things were all in tact yesterday.  Today I am so sore!


Today I will be working to complete an outfit for Allie Beth and doing two more Baptismal blankets (that I have been asking about since January - our church - no communication until it is really serious!).


Peace.

Is it me?

Since our Women's Group meeting is next Saturday, I thought I would send out the reminder yesterday to give people plenty of time to plan (ha).  I know there will only be the few of us there.  With school ending, sports in full swing, dance recitals, and being the day before Mother's Day - well, you know...

The group has been asked to coordinate the church picnic to be held on May 27.  I assumed most people were aware of this date.  It has been mentioned a lot.  So in topics that we will be discussing, I put we would be working on the planning of the picnic.

I hardly pushed publish before I got an email asking if the picnic was on the 13th.  I know I didn't put the date in the email, but seriously?  This particular woman was even at the last meeting when we were formally asked - again.

That email set off the Director of Education sending one really panicked about that being the date.  Seriously lady?  You are more in the know about what's going on than I.

So I drafted yet another email to go out making a joke of sending one that was clear to me, but obviously not all.  I guess I should have made that date clear, but it has been talked about for months.  It even has the RSVP on the cards we fill out on Sundays.  Geesh!

So from now on, I will make absolutely sure that there can be no misunderstanding of what is in those emails.  I should know better - after all, I taught for 29 years in Public School and about three in an adolescent psychiatric facility.

Peace.

A little time today

For a change, I actually have a bit of time today.  I STILL have been sitting here for a couple of hours, but some of that time was on the phone with Daughter.

JuJu asked me how I managed to get the ridiculous comment verification thingy off.  Honestly, all I remember doing - finally - was going back to the old way blogger used to be.  I knew where that setting was.  On this new look - I have no idea.  JuJu, I will try to find out how again then send you an email!


The biggest news about these parts is the ever-using step granddaughter.  If you don't remember, this young lady (19 1/2) met this fella - slept with him, got pregnant, moved in with him, was convinced to quit her job in SA, moved with him to Alabama where she knows no one, had to go back to SA for court after a shop-lifting charge at Target(??? of all places), not wanting to get married while hugely pregnant,  and now is saying he is not the man she fell in love with, and is thinking of moving away - but NOT to SA (that means to Dad and Step-Mom, Daughter).  Yes, she is a stellar girl.


Needless to say, Daughter is rather beside herself.  When SGD left here at the ripe old age of 14 after living here for  two years, Daughter was quite relieved because Lady Bug would not have the influence anymore.  Daughter would not take SGD back.  She still doesn't want her - at all, but she is so concerned for the baby.


Today, she even said something about trying to adopt the baby because she can see that it will be as screwed as SGD. I told her that we have known all along that the heritage there will never stop.  I flat told her that if she were to do that, SGD will really be in her life, and she will still influence the baby.


The only time SGD calls them is when she wants something.  For months and months on end, her dad would call her.  She never could bother to return the call unless she needed something.  This is her "way to roll."  She lived with them for a bit because her mom was moving to California, and she didn't want to go.  She made up lies about her mother's current man (there have been several).  She caused such a stink - lying on a legal statement about that guy.


She needs Dad and Daughter (mine) now because her mom won't speak civilly to her.  SGD has followed her mom so well.  Her mom was hoping for better for her, I think.


So now she has told Daughter that her physician there wants $1400 because her insurance won't pay.  Then she also needs about $400 for more court costs.  And really she wants to move here to live off them. This is something that is very typical of SIL's whole family.  Daughter thought she could change that trait in SGD, but looks like it won't happen.  I just want this girl/woman away from my three grandchildren in that house.  She is toxic.  


I guess I am really cold.


Anyway - peace.  Have a great weekend.

I'm married to a saint

At least that's what he thinks he is.

He wants to argue with each and everything I say.  I could say the sky is blue with white clouds, and he would reply that it's azure with grey tinged clouds.  That's the best way I can describe how things go around here.

I knew it would be dicey when he retired.  Those hours of separation are good for us.  Now, unless I go upstairs - which I do daily, we are together 24/7.  Too much.

Even Daughter is beginning to notice he will argue with me for the sake of arguing.  Now that he has the crud, it's a thousand times worse.  She and I were discussing his propensity for argument Sunday when I went over to her house for the Super Bowl.  Obviously he stayed home.

Today was a perfect example.  The first question was the usual - what's for dinner.  I asked for an idea - he had none.  So I went to the freezer.  Now the freezer in our house is a mysterious place.  It is a chest type, so, like an archaeological dig,  it has its layers.  I really try to keep it straight, but that doesn't always work.  In fact just last week HE turned it all over.  I would go to an upright, but I don't like the one in the side by side any better!

That is why this is my subject today.  The most recent of the impending arguments.  I wanted my Weight Watcher Ice Cream Sandwich.  The box, and it is rather large, is no place to be seen in the freezer .  I did pick the entree for dinner off the top before doing a little cursory diving.  I moved a lot of "stuff" and the box didn't peek out from anywhere.

I mentioned I was looking for that box.  The answer was what I expected.  "I haven't seen it."  I wanted to say it was right on top before you began looking for something in there last week and turned everything upside down, but that would have led to an argument.  I don't feel like doing that today.  So I let it drop.

That was a disappointment to him because he countered with "well then, we can spend the rest of the day cleaning out the freezer."  Nope - not in my plans for the day.  Besides, can you imagine the result of that little move.  There is not room in the utility room for the two of us, and I don't want to spend the afternoon being accused  of something like leaving items in there for too long.  You see, everything that goes wrong around here is my fault.

(a little side bar here - Sunday night he actually accused me of throwing out the plastic bottoms of the food storage thingies.  I wanted to bean him with a cast iron skillet.  I replied I didn't do that, and he made some smart, nonsensical reply like  - if I had done it it would all be gone.  Uh - OK??  I do think you have really gone off the deep end now.)

So, two shots across the bow, and still no argument.  I really upset his day!

Peace.

Grrrrrr

I really should just sit and get over this "mad" I have going on right now, but I am still seething.

Our dryer has been working more and more poorly over the last few months.  G was going to dry some towels I had in the dryer, but they didn't dry after two rounds over the weekend.  He discovered that there was a huge amount of lint - behind the filter.  The filter has never fit correctly, and after a million loads, well, it allowed a lot of lint to gather behind it.

He is not the mechanical sort.  He took something and began to dig out the lint.  He got a lot out, and I had the idea that the vacuum cleaner would be just the thing to use.  It would have been, but the space between the front of the dryer and the back of the lint filter holder wouldn't allow the crevice tool to get down there.

I went to the garage to find the largest screw driver I could find.  (note - I was able to salvage some of my dad's tools after his death, and he had some like this, otherwise I would have been SOL)  It worked sort of, but I couldn't get all the lint.

I remembered that the guy who cleaned the chimney also cleaned dryer vents.  Now I thought this would include the dryer too.  I can see what needs to be done, but I don't have (???) the proper sized screw driver for those little screws that holds the entire thing.  Poetic justice, right?

Anyway this is a long way around to explain why I am still boiling.  We called that guy, and he is supposed to come out this morning.  We are having some of that water that falls from the sky this morning.  He called to say he would like to come later because this involves ladder work.  I replied - uh, no.  The vent just goes out the wall.

I TRIED to explain to G that we probably aren't going to get what we think we are getting - a complete cleaning of the whole thing, and we probably will have to call a repair person.

Every time I try to explain something to him, he looks at me like I am some creature from the planet Xenon who is speaking in some other language.  It is like he thinks I don't know anything.  It makes me so mad I could just spit.  He will argue with me for hours about something that I know is right.  All with that stupid look on his face.

If I hadn't already blown up, although nicely, yesterday about this very thing, I think I would be  in a better mood.  I told him about how he argues with me about everything.  I told him he gives me that stupid look (but I didn't say "stupid") look that is like I am a creature from outer space.  I told him all of this, and yet this behavior continues.  I am beginning to believe he is stupid.  There, I said it!  And right now I MEAN it.

I am just furious.  So I simply held the phone back to him, said to call this guy to get an explanation.  He said no - he thinks the whole thing will be cleaned.  I simply said OK - and walked off.  I have better things to do with my life than argue with a wall.

Thank you for listening!  And peace be with you.  And this is why I don't publicize my blog to the family!  It is my outlet.

Unbelievable part 2

The identity of the witness has been revealed.  They have the same address.  The witness is her boyfriend.  She told G she called him.  Post accident.  And yes, he did come later.

So the insurance company is going to have all the managers sit down.  They know she is lying.  They are looking at holding her 100% at fault.  Guess the car will be repaired!

Can you believe - trying to scam you own insurance company.  I know why - she doesn't want to be dropped or have her rate increase.  But still...

My back - she is a hurtin'.  Just kidding.  Really.

Unbelievable

Remember the parking lot accident that happened Wednesday of last week?  When we left, there were no "witnesses" to this - only boyfriend whom she said she called.

Well, we got a phone call today - suddenly a witness has surfaced.  They said that we were parked on the same side of the isle.  Nope - I have pictures.  The witness said we backed into each other going out different ways, and that WE hit her.

So G gave another statement.  The insurance person - and by the way, she has the SAME company - said the witness' facts didn't add up.  Little Bimbo.  Perhaps I should play the injury card after all.  I can't believe this.

I always knew that accidents in private parking lots were a problem, but this is really too much.  Our question is just where was this witness the day it happened.  No one came out other than boy friend.  Hummm.

When we reported this accident, the agent said that repairs to our vehicle would come from our insurance, so what is the deal with this girl - oh, I know - she wants her car repaired at our expense.  We had already decided that if the damage to ours was more or less the $1000 deductible, we wouldn't have anything done.  The damage isn't that great.

I guess trials and tribulations are the order of the day.  Especially with people trying to shrug their responsibilities.  Sad.

Peace.

More sane - I hope

I haven't gone back to re-read yesterday's post.  I probably should take it down.  I was distracted by G, and wondering if I were really over whatever had taken control of my body.  One should never write under those conditions!

Things have settled down nicely.  I am feeling pretty well with only a few intestinal growls (I know - too much information).  Son called to check on me last night.  It was strange on Sunday night.  He, Daughter and I were all sick.  He had symptoms more like mine, and I would say we caught the same bug.  If we did however, it was from different sources.  Or this is a mighty bug since I last saw him the week before!

This little business I have going is not a money making proposition!  I told a lady at church I would do three little handkerchiefs for her.  She wanted four letters and the year.  Ok.

I did the first one.  I was all finished with it.  And as usual, with it all finished when I was trimming threads on the back - my super sharp scissors - the same ones that cut my foot when they fell on it - cut a teeny hole in the cloth.  Can you believe?  Sure you can if you have hung around here long enough.

I knew where she got these.  They were really pretty with lace around the edge.  She said they weren't expensive, and I already told her that I hoped it would go well, but there was no way I would ask her to buy another because I was so stupid.  So I set out to the gift shop.  Those suckers were $6! There was only about a thousand stitches to it, so the most I was going to charge was $1 per handkerchief.  So $3 supposed profit as opposed to $6 for the replacement, plus my gas out to the shop.

Perhaps one of these days I will become proficient.  I did learn a lesson here.  I know how to probably not do that again.  You DID notice the "probably."  That's because I know me too well.

All's well that ends well however.  I am only $1 out on this deal (well plus the $3+ for a gallon of gas).  She paid me $5.  One of these days things may go well, and I will make a profit!  But for now, it keeps me off the streets and mostly out of stores.  But I did find Christmas presents in that shop - they have some really cute earrings for the girls.  Probably $50/pair with another $50 for the charms that can be put on - but cute!

Peace.

Not normal

Usually the time change wears me out, especially when we "fall back."  My body tells me that it is bedtime early.

That isn't happening this time.  I attribute this unnatural state to my Daughter and SIL.  I am still steamed about Angelica.  I am still steamed that they are planning to bring the other little Boxer girl, Princess, to the SSB.  She is untried around Simone AND Shadow.  I foresee five days of sheer hell.

There is no place to move around.  Someone (somedog ??) is going to have to be isolated.  G will not be happy about that.  If we have to put S and S in our room - he will not like having to be sure they are both cooped up while he makes his million and three trips to the bathroom or whatever.

If Princess is the one - she loves to sneak off and poop and pee.  At least we have solid surface floors everywhere.

It is just the fact that - again with the lies - we were never asked.  SIL would say that he wanted to see Princess with SImone.  He would add he wanted to compare sizes since Princess is a rather smallish Boxer.  Liar, liar, liar!  He wanted to see if they got along.  Why not just SAY THAT?  Gad - that man is pathological, and they wondered why his daughter from a fling lies all the time?  Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Anyway, I am still upset about Angelica.  She is the one who is losing in this.  I tried to get Daughter to let me turn her back to the rescue.  No - she wanted her.  She is "thinking" about adopting her.

In the meantime, I am worried about this whole thing.  I know there is  no good coming from it.  Of course, it may just be Daughter's way of not coming to the SSB.  G is really angry about this.  He does need SIL's help - what there is of it.

Last time we were there, we talked about who we were leaving the place to when we are gone, not that it really matters.  We won't know.  But we know SIL won't take care of it.  He thinks he is a handyman.  He messes up more than he can do.  He had damaged the place already, and we watch him like a hawk.  Son and DIL don't come.  She, like a daughter, is wrapped up in her family.  This is especially true since she and her dad have reconciled.  We thought of just selling the place to our neighbor.

Another gripe session.  Sorry.  I hope to get out of this soon.  It doesn't help that last night I got the update on Previous Pastor. Doesn't look good.  He had surgery, and the tumor was larger than expected.  It was wrapped around some blood vessels.  They took the head of the pancreas, gall bladder, some stomach, and some intestine.  There will be chemo and radiation.

Also a dear friend who lives around the SSB was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  G's aunt who lives up there had ovarian cancer the year before I was diagnosed.  She is still doing well, so there is hope for Pat.  I hope she can get the same type of treatment Flo got.  So my label has gone from the little c to the big c.  That's how I feel right now.

If you are of a mind - please include these folks in your prayers or thoughts.  Wish them well.  They need it.  I guess I do too to get over this funk I am in!

Peace

Can we talk here?

We're all friends, right?  And friends shouldn't feel self conscious when admitting absolute stupidity, right?  Well, that's what I am getting ready to do here.  Right here in the blogosphere.

Remember when I said that I made the mistake of getting on the floor to treat Simone's incisions?  Remember when I was stuck there on the floor - not being able to get up?  I am also the woman who doesn't get into the pool because I am afraid that I cannot pull  myself up the steps.  Well, last night I was absolutely, positively insane.

My feet and legs were killing me.  I wanted a hot bath more than anything else in the world.  I haven't immersed my body in the tub in about a year - perhaps less.  I do remember it being rather difficult to get out, but I could.  So - I got in the tub.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Now I don't know how to accept help in getting up (or out).  G wanted me to take a bell or something to ring if I couldn't get out.  That wasn't going to happen - regardless.  I thought I had a plan.

Well - you know how things like that go.  But here's what I thought.  I would put a bath towel in the bottom of the tub.  It would give traction.  That would be the answer.  So the towel went in, the water was begun.  Then I was going to lower myself in.  That's when the traction held.  I plopped with a splash.

But I drew the hot water.  I sat there for a while.  I was in heaven.  Then I was going to get out.  Right.  It wasn't going to happen.  In the time between the last time I was in the tub and this time, I apparently have gotten weaker.   Even the loss of weight wasn't going to help me.

I don't know how long I sat there evaluating my dilemma, but it was a while.  Finally I came to the conclusion there was going to be one way and one way only.  So I wadded up the towel that was already there, added another to make padding.  Then I managed to get my right knee on the "padding" but it was at an angle.

Up I went - threw the left leg over the edge of the tub and  - fell back.  Well.  Isn't this a situation.  I did it again, and I was free.  But then and now, the right knee is hurting.  I don't believe I did anything to the knee cap.  I think it may just be soft tissue injury, but it does hurt.

So, since this is the week we will have to go to the SSB, I will see what happens with the knee.  If it isn't better - I will call the Ortho.  This is also the side that I landed on when I missed the last step on the "killer stairs" in our house.  We all have fallen on those steps - even my sure footed son.

Stupid.  I cannot believe how incredibly stupid I was last night.  I guess it was the rain that we finally got (hurrah), but something certainly short circuited in my brain.  Invincible I certainly am not.  I guess I forget that I am getting old, fat and out of shape.  If I ever have that wild desire again to get in the tub, I hope I have the sense to come back to this (if I haven't destroyed my knee) and remember what I cannot do!

Peace

Odds and Ends

There are some things I really don't address here anymore, and cancer is one of them.  I know it is in my information section, but I just don't really write about it.  That doesn't mean that the thought isn't always in my mind.  All I have to do is take a shower or otherwise change clothes.  I see the scars.  Yesterday, I was changing clothes and got a terrible cramp in the muscles in the area where the mastectomy was and reconstruction took place.  Reminder?  You bet!

Then I have an appointment with Dr Death in September.  That always brings you back to the reality that regardless of the fact you are getting close to the "magic five year survival,"  it might come back.  With the other things that are going on right now, I have to wonder.  My headaches - withdrawal, sinus (since Texas is turning to flying dust), brain tumor ...

There is pain in that right side of the thorax.  One of our dear friends had her breast cancer return and that was a symptom.  But then I think there is some nerve damage from the muscle being pulled from my back to my breast.  But I will bring it up in a couple of weeks.

I sound like such a whiner.  But these thoughts live in the recesses of my mind.  G went to the bank to try to deposit some of the monies from his mother's estate.  They pulled out an actuarial table.  He was told he has 18 1/2 more years.  I wonder how many I have?  Do I really want to know?  Aren't there far too many variables in my life?

OK _ enough gloom and doom.  I really believe if I don't think about the Little C it will just go away. (Dreamer!!)  G is still wandering around here mumbling "global warming" with every news cast.  I have tried to explain to him that we have a variety of factors involved with the weather, and yes, we humans have done a really good job of ruining our environment, but he is absolutely sure the high that settles over  Texas in the summer (last for sure and apparently in the future) is caused by coal burning electricity plants.  Now it would make more sense for us here in Texas, where there is an abundance of clean burning natural gas, to use that gas for powering out plants.  But that would mean the politicians ( and I don't care if they are Democrats, Republican, or Tea Partiers - all want the same thing - re-election) would have to use some COMMON SENSE.  That is lacking in each and every one of those jokers in political offices from local school boards to the White House.

Oh, right - I don't become political here.  Forgot. But I do think they are all clowns, and when you cut through the outer BS, they are all the same.  Just deeper BS.

So I sit and listen to him complain about global warming and ranting that he will not stay here next summer.  He will go somewhere else.  I finally told him the other night that I wasn't going.  I didn't add that I wasn't going to come home to find the house falling down on our heads because the slab dried out and cracked into 50 million pieces, the pool was the Black Lagoon - at least the four cups of water that would be left, and the pool equipment burned up because there was no water going through it.  Stupid!

Oh - here come the men in the little white jackets to pull me off my soap box.  Sorry!  Sometimes I get a little wound tight.  This is one of them.  Time to go play nice again.  That means three loads of laundry before I head off to sew dresses.  Yep - still put that baby off.  What excuse can I find today?  Gotta go look for one. Later ...

Peace be with you.

What else?

Well, here I am again. Still dressed for church ( and that's another story), finally getting the spaghetti on since it seems to be an unsaid thing that dinner will be here, still no pictures that I want to post because the computer put them in at least five different folders, and G wandering through. So much I want to say, but ...

Quickly I will tell this one on myself. My bedroom is not known for its lighting. My closet definitely not. My vision - getting really poor. I decided what I wanted to wear. Black pants and if I don't like the other blouse I picked out it will be the black t with black beads on it. Got dressed. Didn't look at my pants in the light of the den. We went out for breakfast since neither of us wanted to go to the store yesterday. Whoo hoo! Breakfast out!

We get in the car. We pull away and out on the highway. I finally look down. I have on my navy pants with my black blouse. It was then I realized that these felt different in the closet. But after my month of living in a suitcase for 16 days, then turning right around to the SSB for a week - I just didn't pay attention to the slacks.

And I still have this outfit on?? Am I trying to make sure it is pressed into my memory. No, I am just very lazy today finally getting the spaghetti sauce on to cook. Finally called DIL with that fact. Poor actions today!

Peace!

PS And my ridiculous stuff continues. When I was ready to look for labels - I realized that I was over there in The K Design. Sad, sad, sad.

Thumbnail sketch

Here we are in Portland, Oregon which is, as I was told, the bicycle capital of the world. I also read "Keep Portland weird" which also happens to seem true. I always associated that phrase with Austin, Texas, but I suppose there certainly be more than one "weird" city in the world.

Also I am being charged $9.95 for the privilege of getting emails, read your blogs to catch up, and write this little ditty. But you are worth every penny of the fee.

We arrived yesterday and I flopped on the bed. I didn't rise for the free happy hour nor going to find a place to eat for dinner.

I wanted to catch you up on some of the things we have seen and done since we have been gone. I still plan to write them. I am going to try to write them in office and then move them over. I will just bet that won't happen though. The new office and I don't like one another! And I am finding writing anything on the train is difficult at best. It is meant for looking out windows and sleeping.

The thing this blog is the train. Ah, the train. This is the one that hugs the Pacific Coast all the way, but is really close from about Malibu (I think) until there are more mountains. We saw scenery that would be difficult from a car, although there were campers, trailers, bus RV's down there along the beach. What a beautiful place.

When we got on board and into our bedroom, there was a little welcoming gift on the sink. Everything in that room was new. It was just outstanding. The food was, as I imagined it, Amtrack food. The menu was basically the same, but this train puts a little more into it. We found, too late, that there was a meal served in the Lounge car. This car is the one that has swivel club chairs and then the booths like the diner.

In the diner you most always meet some interesting people. That is for another visit with you.

The afternoon, there was a complimentary wine tasting. That was really interesting. It was wine and cheeses to sample. That's when we discovered that those booths are made for the mini people in this world, to we didn't pursue eating dinner in that car. The food was the diner food - but fewer choices, but done "fancier."

The train really was great - it even got us here to Portland AN HOUR EARLY. That may not seem unusual or something, but when we travel Amtrack, it is usually very late!

So now I am off to see what you guys have been up to. And I haven't had the latest from DIL - things seem fine. She goes to the doctor on Thursday. So we will see how far I get reading!

After I take this post from the other blog. Train brain - must be

Peace.

Habit

I have forgotten how long it takes to quit an activity that has become a habit. When it comes to the bad habits I have - it seems like I can never lose that thing. Try as I will, I fall back into that activity. Thank Goodness I never developed the smoking habit. I know how hard that one is to break. I only know of a few folks who have been totally successful.

Blogging each day had become a habit. I found myself always thinking of topics. It wasn't too unlike when I would talk to my dad on the phone every Saturday at 5. That was another habit, and all during the week I would try to remember something that had occurred that week to "tell Daddy." It's been a few years now, and I still find myself thinking about remembering something to "tell Daddy when I talk to him."

Now the blog IS on my mind a lot. I am always running topics by that might be developed into something interesting. I know, I know - I am still looking for those "interesting" topics! But I keep trying. Usually when I come in to write, they vanish like the money in my pocket!

It is interesting that in just ten days without an internet connection, I have lost my habit.

I really believe one reason is that I can't remember anything. When I think I would certainly remember something, I don't. Days of the month mean nothing anymore. Hours of the day can slip by before I know it. I am happy as a pig wallowing here in the non-existent time zone. I am happily ignorant. I do keep my day runner close by though. So far I haven't missed an appointment.

I will set my mind to being more aware. I miss being here. So until I once again have to depend on my "hot spot" cell phone, I'll be here.

Peace be with you.

Taxing situations

As you know - it is Income Tax time in the land. Everyone is gathering up paperwork from the previous year. They are possibly finding out they have lost some important documents as well as some non so important. That is where I stand right now!

In previous years, this was a dark and stormy time around these parts. The main tax man was in a terrible moon beginning about February. Every living soul in this house would find some place else to be when dad entered the "tax preparation place."

Recently the time has been less stressful for the most part. The part that is stressful is when I have to find things like my medical, and other miscellanea about this house and the rental. That's when I am wanting to become invisible and wishing that I really had been more careful in filing my stuff.

The biggest loss this year was information about the insulation that was put in here and the rent house. Important? Oh yes! There is the energy tax credit on this house, and the expense on the other house.

I have torn files apart looking for all my things. As far as medical, my doctors are not giving statements when I go. Even if I paid for service at the time, I used to get a nice page stating what was done to me, and what I paid. Now I get a small cash register tape. I can't find those as soon as I get home! The pages with the medication is better, but I don't open those in the study - by the files.

I have torn this house apart looking for the nice little folder I had with the insulation stuff. I searched all the checkbooks looking for that information. Was't there. So today, I put my price far, far away and called the company. They were so sweet. They will be sending me a copy of the papers tomorrow. My life was saved.

So the taxes are ready. My flub from last year didn't cause too big a stir - I just forgot to put a rather large sum into my IRA. That will cost some this year to file an updated form and pay the penalty, but it has been a rather easy time this year. Hope you got a huge amount back!

Peace be with you.

I'm freezing

I know this doesn't elicit sympathy with most of you. But I am so cold. I am lucky the warmest place in the house is the bedroom. Since we had the entire system replaced, I would have expected more warming throughout the whole house. It is strange. As I walk through the house, there are warm spots and very cold spots. If it weren't so cold outside, I would swear we live in a haunted house and that explains the cold spots.

Now I will have to launch a "we need new windows" campaign with G. When it is normal around here, the window situation isn't an issue. These are the 35 year old windows that were put in the house. They leak like crazy - of course no one has caulked then in forever.

Our generator had a real workout yesterday with the rolling blackouts. Strange, we got it for hurricane season. It proved its worth yesterday.

And on the rolling blackouts - the news talking heads told us what caused them. Are you ready for this? They were because at least two generation plants that didn't winterize some water pipes - so the water lines froze and broke. Hello?? Don't they watch news programs.

In further news about the blackouts, the generation plants tried to explain why no one knew this was going to happen because email addresses were no longer correct. Apparently there had been retirements ... You know, I didn't realize the phone systems no longer work!

More blackouts are a possibility today if we Texans use too much electricity. I don't see that happening.

Peace and warmth be with you.

Here's a new one

I wanted to begin this post as a story, but there really isn't a good beginning because it never really begins nor ends. It is a true segment in these people's living. So here is just a free standing story that you, at first glance, won't believe. But it is true, sadly.

Poor SIL's dad called. He did his usual hemming and hawing. That's trouble. It means he wants money.

So he went on talking, not really getting to the point, but then it came out. Yes he needed money. He needed money to pay his AT&T UVERSE BILL of $150. Uhhhhhh - excuse me, but just when did cable television become a life need? And this isn't BASIC cable. They have more extras than we do! And our cable bill includes internet.

The more I spoke with Daughter, she said they haven't even had to pay rent yet. He has been able to (supposedly) do enough odd-jobs on the house to pay the rent. Has the owner looked at the house to see these things completed?

The real kicker tho this story is that they put out the plea for money before Christmas. So Daughter and SIL decided they would give them money ($150), and they wanted the other siblings (3) to give the money they would buy for nieces and nephews to the parents. Don't know if that happened or not, but the fact is they were given money - not even a month before.

So here is SIL between Daughter who will squeeze a penny until it yells, and parents who believe it is perfectly ok to ask for money for things that aren't absolutely necessary. With us being gone, and then the day we returned she left for a conference, I haven't heard what happened. All I know is that everyone who hears this request is first completely shocked, and then they laugh at those people's gall.

His family is so very jealous of that Daughter and SIL have. They have said it is because we bought it for them. They have called Daughter a pretentious B*tch, so I can only imagine what they call us. That family knows that Daughter and SIL make really good money, but then they have no real concept of what good money is. They know they have money saved, and certainly have that kind of money available - which they do.

So it appears that truth is really stranger than fiction. These folks will always give me a subject for my blog. G swears he is going to write a book about them, and I haven't even begun to disclose the idiocy of their actions. My, my.

Peace be with you (and Daughter too)

We're back - and to a mess

It was a fairly quiet weekend at the SSB. G shot a doe, and he is finished until it is Spike season. We have some mighty long spikes running about. Those will never sprout a full blown rack, and they are three or four years old. We don't want them entering the breeding there. That will mean none of the bucks will have any horns.

I forgot to check the home voice mail Sunday afternoon/evening. It was our renters. They had a sewage backup. I found the message Monday morning, and began calling. We had to leave the house, so that meant cell phone. We had cell phone + hills = no service.

Before we left, I got the voice mail of the renter. I left a message. On the road, I finally got the plumber in Llano. I kept calling the renter and leaving messages.

I got home, and renter called. She is really not the sharpest knife in the drawer! She hesitated, and I asked if they had gotten with the plumber, and had it come to fix the problem. No - she just got home. That phone was at home. She sees I have called multiple times. So talking top the plumber. She said they did a stop gap - the sewage is flowing into the back yard. Gasp!!

Then the way she does things, she adds that the heater "isn't putting out a lot of hot air." Ok - I gave her the HVAC people's number to call. She calls it in that evening as an emergency. That is an additional $78 thank you very much!

I am going to send an email, as I promised, but with all my numbers, not the contractors numbers as I had said before. They were so concerned before signing the lease that we would just enter the property without notice. I was trying to respect their privacy. So I have tried to let them schedule meeting with the contractors. Well that is OVER. I am no longer careful about their privacy except to give them notice. You either be there at that time or I will. Simple. Like the apartments do it.

This just in!

I got a response from the company about my problem.  I have copied and pasted it below:

We recommend that when placing the USB cord into the machine, that it is placed in carefully to prevent any of the prongs from becoming damaged.  If you are experiencing a problem with the cord, please contact your authorized Janome dealer for additional assistance.

We appreciate your interest in Janome America, Inc.

Well I thought I would just ram it in from below, above, or from a side with enough force to move the blasted machine (which is in excess of 50 pounds).  What a help.  I really can’t believe it.  Bury your head in the sand.

Mixed bag

Today was another nice day. We did our part to help curb the financial standing of the community. We decided that we were getting too old to see the 26 inch regular tv at the SSB. It is really noticeable when we come home and enjoy our big digital one, so off we went to the "Big" Buy store - which in itself is comical. You see - G swore a long time ago when he had a problem with them that he would never set foot inside one again. Well - this is twice. This time we walked out with a 42" plasma. If I had known before about the real difference for us between Plasma and the other, I wouldn't have gotten the plasma. It has to ride upright, or the plasma will break the glass, and that isn't covered by any type of warranty. So Merry Christmas to us - - and the family who will be around to help break it is this weekend.

Speaking of warranties, I am going to have to take the sewing machine back to the dealer - again - for the broken USB fitting. This will be number three. I JUST got it back last Wednesday, and it has to go tomorrow. I hate, hate, hate to take it to this dealer. I know they are saying bad things about me behind my back. I know they think I don't know how to work the machine. But, unless I want to just use the built in stitches and the very few that I loaded on it, I am dead in the water. I cannot get anything to load on it.

I went to the local computer big store. I bought a little plug to change the USB ending into a different kind. The machine is supposed to be able to be loaded by a computer. Not using Win7 or even XP. The old laptop lives up there with the machines. It still works, although slow and limping along. I thought this new method I dreamed up would work to read from the CD reader. No. Such. Luck.

I have made a mission about finding an ADA card that is 2"x2". They don't exist. That would be another way to load designs. I am out of luck there too - so tomorrow I will have to face the music. I would rather take a beating. The only other dealer is about 20 miles past this one. It would be really foolish.

It was completely my fault the thing happened, but upon closer examination of the little adapter in the machine and other USB ports, there is a design flaw. Those little fragile connections are just sitting there - there is no protective plastic around them. Look at any of your USB things and you will see the points are protected. Not here.

Back to my responsibility. Every time I have a machine serviced - cleaned, etc - it comes back screwed up. It makes thread nests on the back of the fabric like no tomorrow. It was doing that. I spend three hours on one little project - that by the way turned out like sh*t - and I hit the machine about six times. It is on a cabinet that has the place for the machine that goes up and down. Well, one of those blows, well, you can guess the rest. Now I have to pay the piper, face the music, and all those other phrases. I really don't want to. Really, really. Anyway...

Today was a good day. We went to a local theater group for a play. It was really cute, and gave a good afternoon of entertainment.

Pray for me tomorrow. That is weighing so on my mind. I don't mean to be sacrilegious, but this is going to be really bad. Can't keep my mind on the good, happy things!

Peace be with you.