Waaaaaaaaaay Behind!

I am not in the mood and haven't been thinking about it, therefore, I am waaay behind in my outdoor Christmas decorating.  I just realized that Thanksgiving is less than a week away.  I always have my outside lights up, even though I don't turn them until December 1st.  Of course, this last week's weather was not conducive for being outside trying to hook up lights.

I have downsized a lot in the last couple of years, so my entire outside light show consists of two large multi-color light balls, a lighted garland around the porch railing and a wreath on the front of the porch.  That's it!  Takes me about half an hour to get it up and another 15 minutes to get the extension cord from the porch, along the side of the house, along the back of the house and along the other side to reach the plug in.  Then I have to wrap all the connections against rain and snow.

When I lived in my farmhouse--I had over a hundred strings of lights, plus spot lights, plus a large garage sized door cover of the nativity that I had on two sheets of plywood with a blue spot light on it.  Yeah--back in the day when I could climb on top of the roof and ladders and haul heavy stuff around.  I even made the local newspaper once with photos of the house.  It was gorgeous.

The inside was all shiny and gleaming with clear lights on a mirror and twined around my crystal glassware.  Chandeliers swagged in greenery and lights, a reach the ceiling real tree, candles and lights and on and on.

Back in the day, when the salary was high and the cost of decorations was low.  It was fun.  

One main reason I can't get into the spirit for decorating--it seems like it isn't that time of  year.  Yes--we have snow and cold, but...I still feel like I am waiting for summer, which never quite arrived in it's usually hot and humid way.

Perhaps Jimmy Carter had it all right and we ARE headed toward an ice age.  
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I had a productive morning, working on my How To manual/book.  It is easy for me to write the words, construct the sentences, do the manuscript and edit it.  What I am having a difficult time with is getting in the correct format required on the "build a book" site I am using.  For some unknown reason, the type font keeps wanting to change on each page!  What's up with that?  So I copy and paste from Word to the formatted page and then I have to check and make sure the font size is correct.  Then to add photos--I have to draw in a photo box and hope my photo will fit inside it AND that it has good resolution to print.  

It shouldn't be this hard and it probably isn't this hard--it's just that I am not very familiar with doing it.  It would be easier for me to use html code, like I did on my website when I put in my stories.  Oh well--I will figure it out!!
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I did something today that is making me nervous and shaky.  I hope I have done the right thing for me and...unfortunately, I won't know until I get into the new year.

I called my dental office this morning to move my cleaning appointment from December up into January.  I usually get my teeth cleaned every four months, but knew I couldn't afford it next month.  I asked the office girl if they worked with MediCAID because my welfare case worker told me if they did, Medicaid would pay $300.00 toward the crown I so badly need.  She said they didn't.  Then she said, "Have you checked a Medicare Advantage Plan?  A lot of them have dental insurance and vision insurance.  Everybody seems to be jumping on them now."

I said, "Medicare doesn't cover dental or vision."

She said, "Medicare Advantage Plans are like insurance and they pay for part of those services."

Hm-mm.

I took out a Medicap Health Insurance policy 10 years ago.  It was cheap ($40.42) a month and covered all I needed, until I had hip surgery, then I had to pay $1,200.  I have never thought of changing that insurance.  Never looked into anything different, but...after what she said.  Perhaps it wouldn't hurt for me to call Blue Cross and see what they had.

I spent 90 minutes on the phone with a lovely young man who went over three different plans.  They include health insurance, hospital, dental and vision, some even help with hearing aids.

I said, "John, if I was your Mother or your Grandmother, what plan would you recommend?"

He knew my medical history by then and seeings as how I don't make many doctor's visits and am quite healthy, he suggested a plan.  

I enrolled. 

I will have to pay $25.00 for each doctor's office call.  $60.00 to a specialist.  My maximum out of pocket is higher, but, I get dental cleaning, examination, x-ray for 0.  They pay 50% of any procedure like extractions, fillings, crowns, bridges.  I get $200.00 toward a pair of glasses, once a year, and I pay $20.00 for my ophthalmologist visit.  I would have to pay $70.00 for an ambulance.  

My premium is $19.90 a month.  

It just seems to me that there has to be a gimmick somewhere in that.  John assured me there isn't.  I can see that if I suddenly need a lot of medical treatment, or hospital stay, I am going to run into trouble, but then, I can always work with the hospital on their plan, where they pay part of the cost because of my low income level.

Like I said, I am stuck in this for a year and only time will tell.  I'm just geeked to get half my crown of $1,140 paid.  I can take the $30.00 I send to them now, put the extra I save from the premium cost and send them the $50.00 each month for 10 months.  My dentist will let me do that because I am so good about paying ahead so I have a credit with them.  Plus I need new glasses this year and didn't know how I was going to do that.

I hope I've done the right thing.  

I might be able to drain and flush my water heater, but when it comes to stuff like this--I'm kind of lost and of course, no Freddie to discuss with an think it through.
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Dar was over this afternoon.  Four doctor's and the ER doc have told her she has a hernia.  The surgeon that she went to said it's not.  She isn't going to get another opinion from a different surgeon.  She wants to go back to work because she can't stand being in her house.  We have had blizzard-like conditions off and on for the last 4 days and she has gone out in her car everyday.

I parked my car Monday, after I went to the food pantry and I haven't moved it since!  Today and yesterday, I didn't even unlock my front door!  I sure do enjoy my "hermit" personality. :-)

Tonight, at 6:30, in the pitch dark, I walked up to Merle and Pearl's.  

Their house is so dry, I kept getting shocks.  

Pearl said, "I've been getting shocks all week.  How do we stop that, Merle?"

I said, "Use a humidifier."

Pearl:  We have one...back in the bedroom."

Judy:  "Yeah--it's small and your bedroom is four hundred and fifty-two thousand feet away from your living room."

Merle: "I think we need to get another small one for up here in front."

Judy:  "Great idea, Merle.  Get right on that.  Okay?"

and we all had a good laugh.

Plus, they have the gas log insert Pearl insisted they have to save money on their heat bill and keep their living room toasty.  It has cost them about $80.00 more a month, it dries out that end of the trailer just awful, it gets way too hot, she turns it off and 15 minutes later, they are freezing.  

I suggested they use the ceiling fan to push the hot air down from the ceiling.  At 5'7" and 5'2", neither one had a chance of ever reaching the chain without a ladder.   After I got the blades rotating the correct way for winter and pulled the chain for low---it seemed to be working well.  We could already feel the warmer air.
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I have made myself a promise--the weather is suppose to warm up this weekend--I am going outside, get my snow shovel out of the shed and up on the porch, put the leaf rake in the shed and...put up my meager outside Christmas lights.

I'll let you know Monday if all goes according to MY plan.