title explained

Onward and upward! something that you say in order to encourage someone to forget an unpleasant experience or failure and to think about the future instead and move forward.

My e-mail: jjmiller6213@comcast.net

Friday, February 14, 2014

BAH HUMBUG!!

Today's high temperature was:  27 degrees
More snow, and a bit of sun.
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From a widow's perspective on Valentine's Day--Bah Humbug.  It is a day dedicated to lovers and sweethearts and since I have neither--I don't much like the observance.  I will feel the same way in October on Sweetest Day.  

Though, I do hope you had a nice day and got flowers and candy or a nice dinner out.
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I don't have much to post about--you can all breathe a sigh of relief--I have been so wordy lately.  

I keep talking about how I am going to clean up this computer room and yet I don't do a thing about it.  I have no motivation for it and it looks like---well, it is really messy and dusty and the windows are atrocious as are the tier curtains.  I would show you pictures of how it looks, but it would be a huge embarrassment to me--the normally tidy, organized woman.

Today, I feel in grief.  Ralph Waite died yesterday and it saddens me.  He was the Dad on the Walton's and my kids grew up with that show.  All of us learned lessons from watching that program--we could identify with the grandfather (much like my father-in-law), and all the chores that had to be done.  I grew up in the forties and fifties, so it reminded me of my childhood, except--I wish my Daddy had been like Daddy Walton.  For the last five years, Ralph Waite played the role of a priest on the Soap I watch, Days Of Our Lives.  He hasn't been on for the last couple of weeks and I wondered about him.  Can you believe that yesterday morning, I Googled his name and there was the notice he had died.  He once was a Presbyterian minister and later, an alcoholic.  When he was on the Walton's, he was an active alcoholic--you'd never know would you?  I watch the Walton's every afternoon at 4:00 on the INSP channel and today, it just made me sadder.
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I called Comcast today and got a lower rate.  I had it lowered last February via a promotion, for a year, so of course, it went up this month.  So I called and talked to a really nice young ENGLISH speaking man--no promotions, so I went back to the Starter package--which has all the channels I want anyway, plus he threw in a couple more sports channels.  Cool!!
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Pearl came down today--she has a sort of Harry Potter scar on her forehead.  I told her how stunning I thought it made her look!  She refuses to go out anywhere until it heals.  So, of course, I had to tell her, "That scar will never heal girl.  You are going to be walking around looking like Harry Potter's mother for the rest of your life!"    

I wasn't being mean--we joke back and forth like that.

She threw a couple of cuss words my way and then we got to talking about the PCH Million a year for life contest that we both are in.  She sends in the mailers and I do all of my confirmations on the Internet.  The problem is that Pearl swears you have to buy the products they offer in order to have a chance.  I do not believe that because it states right on their credentials that buying a product will not give you a better chance AND a few years ago, a class action suit was brought against them for just that reason.

Pearl has now spent well over $200.00 on products!  One each time she gets the mailers in the mail.  She KNOWS she is going to win--she absolutely believes it with all her heart.  Pearl definitely has a problem with buying stuff--usually junk.  She shops at the Salvation Army store up the road, every week and she always buys something.  She is a sucker for the things sold on TV--she has recently purchased an ice cream maker (that only worked correctly once and now sits in her storage unit.)  She purchased those Ready, Set, Go Express thingies that you can cook stuff in--already she says it is too complicated to get all the stuff to cook in them. 

She now is intent on getting a queen size sleeper sofa for the living so, "I can sleep out there.  Merle drives me crazy with his snoring!"  So, this woman with a bad back, knees, and Neuropathy in her feet is going to pull that out every night after Merle is asleep (because he won't go to bed without her), and then put it all back in place in the morning?  No doubt she will get it.  She says, "It will be nice to have for people that visit overnight."

I said, "When was the last time anyone visited that stayed overnight?"

"Never...so far.  But, just in case."

She drives Merle crazy.  They are suppose to be saving money to buy a newer car--theirs is 16 years old and falling apart!  He has spoken to me about it and I told him that most likely Pearl was lacking something in her younger life and "things" make her feel better.  She did grow up very poor, living with her grandparents because her mother walked away when Pearl was six years old.
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Tonight, there was a story on the local news and I called Pearl to watch it.  A woman near Detroit got a phone call from someone who said they were from PCH and that had won a million dollars and a Mercedes.  She was told she had to pay the tax on the car and they needed $1,500 for that.  So he paid them.  Then they called back and needed a bit more money for the car--which had been loaded on a flat bed truck and was near Detroit.  Her husband wouldn't let her send any more money.  Thank goodness.

She called the police and the TV station and also PCH who informed her that they never notify anyone that they have won, nor do they ever request you BUY anything or send money.  They just arrive at your door and surprise you.

Knowing Pearl the way I do, she would have paid and kept paying!!!!!  When I called her after the piece had run on TV, she said, "Well, you have to pay the tax on the million."

I said, "They will take it out of the million and send to the IRS and you will get around $600,000."

"I want to pay my own tax next year on it."

"You won't enough left to pay the income tax.  You will forget and spend all the million and have no money left."

"Well--that's true," she said.

Lordy!!!
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Now--I have a Dar story!!  I was going to order some Golden Fruit Blend frozen fruit from the Schwan's man.  I love it.  He only stops here if I order something on line.  Tonight, I heard his noisy truck stop at Dar's and about a half hour later, he stopped here.  I went to the door and he handed me a bay of fruit.
"This is from Darlene.  She says, Happy Valentine's Day!"

WOW!!!

I truly am a shallow, critical, gossipy, old woman! Forgive me Lord.



4 comments:

  1. I hate that PCH promotion where they say they will give you a million and then another million to someone you name after you're gone. Can you imagine the family problems, in-fighting and back-biting that would cause? And I'd lay awake wondering if someone might try to murder me so they'd get their million faster. LOL I have tried as hard as I could to figure out who'd I'd pick I keep coming up with no one. How could you pick one and turn the others against you?

    I've always wanted to try Schwan's. I've often joked about it being my back up plan should I not be able to drive anymore.

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  2. My husband wanted to take me out for dinner for Valentine's Day and I told him I much prefer staying inside where it is warm. Yes, I did cook dinner but I didn't care.

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  3. I keep thinking I'm going to win the lottery, but I guess I would have to buy a ticket. I loved The Waltons.

    Dar has a sweet side. :)

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  4. Don't ya hate that when someone does something nice for you? LOL. Dar may be a bit nuts, but she apparently has a good heart.

    I never enter the PCH sweepstakes, once you do you get endless mail! BUT! I'll cross my fingers for you to win :)

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