I Have Been Busy

I have been up to my grommets with doing stuff the last couple days and thus--whipped by the evening and not in the mood to post.

My Social Security check hit my bank account yesterday in the a.m. and as soon as I saw that, I jumped into my car, up town to fill up my car with gas--$2.75 (this morning I noticed it was $2.69), but when you're driving on fumes, you gotta get gas no matter the price.  I allow myself $40.00 a month for gas.  Yesterday I filled up for $28.00, so, when I got home, I called and made an appointment to get my hair cut AND--I got a brow wax/pluck/arch!!  (It hurt!  Glad I don't have to get one of those Brazilian/Bikini wax thingies!)  YIKES

This morning, I was up at the crack of dawn (8:30) and soon on my way to Wal-Mart to forage for food.  This past weekend, I had popcorn and milk 3 nights in a row because I had no other food.  I love popcorn and milk so it was not a big deal, but I would have liked a bit  more protein in my diet, LOL.

I spent more at Wal-Mart for food than I have in several months.  I usually spend the same amount of money each month, but this morning, I bought practically a month's worth of food at one time.  I even got a small turkey breast to roast--still missing the turkey/stuffing that we didn't have for Thanksgiving.  I don't particularly like turkey, but I do get a yen for it a couple times a year.

I got some good ground round to make my last batch of spaghetti sauce.  And fruit--and a tiny cake!!  and that macaroni salad I like, and tuna to put in it.   When I go to the food pantry in a couple of weeks, I will try and get some hamburger--and they have tomatoes and stuff so I can make a huge batch of chili and freeze.  

On the way home, I stopped and got myself a Subway for lunch.  I still have $2.00 left on my gift card.

In between all the running, I have been creating and making my Christmas cards.  I bought a coil of 100 stamps last summer and because now, I pay most of my bills on-line, I won't have to buy stamps to send out the cards.  I ALWAYS buy Christmas stamps, but just won't be able to this year.

I make my normal cards for people I send to and them I make personal ones for my family.  I created a really cool one for Baby Evan--last year he was into Elmo--this year, it's Curious George.  It turned out so cute.

Pammie called.  She has made 50 medium sized afghans and 100 ski hats.  Jennifer has a connection in Detroit and she and Pam are going there to distribute them to the homeless.  The neat thing is, the kids got up one morning last week when it was so bitter cold and couldn't find their hats from last year and were running all over the house yelling "I need a hat!"  So Pam had them come down to her room in the basement, opened up her storage tub, filled with hats and let them pick out one for themselves.

When Andrew got home from school, he told Pam that a lot of his friends want a hat just like his. So he and Pam worked out a deal.  Andrew takes the hats to school and his friends pay him.  Then, he gives Pam $2.00, which is all she wants--just to buy more  yarn, and Andrew keeps the rest.  At $5.00 a hat, neither one is making any money, but they are having fun with it.  Andrew did have a friend that could not afford a hat, so four of his friends chipped in and bought him one.

I love these grand children of mine--all of them are so kind and giving and wanting to help others.
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Karen called and invited me over for Christmas Day--she mentioned that I came last year (I had totally forgotten.)  I of course, will go and we will have fun!!!  All her kids are home for the Christmas holiday.

Jennifer's birthday was yesterday.  I made this collage to put on face book.  No mention of her name or age.  I don't think she looks on face book anyway.

I vowed to myself that this year I would not feed the squirrels, but..............I couldn't figure out what to put their feed on so I could see them from my recliner.  Two days, I thought and thought and then, it came to me.  I took one of my railing flower boxes and put it up on the railing and put some corn and peanuts out for them.  Now I can see ALL the activity.

and, Maggie The Cat has a ring-side seat!

Speaking of Maggie, I told her if she kept destroying Jesus' birth place, when she died, He will not let her onto the Rainbow Bridge!

The easiest solution, pack the nativity away 

and let her

enjoy her favorite spot to nap.

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Tomorrow I am making spaghetti sauce and getting my Christmas cards in their envelopes.  Saturday, I have to run up to The Farm and help my sister.  Sunday afternoon is the Nutcracker to watch Maddie dance again--11th year in a row-  ARGGH!

Karen had an extra ticket--row C, seat 107 and 108--really good seats, she gave it to me to ask one of my friends.  So, I asked Pearl.  GOOD GRIEF!!

"Pearl, Karen gave me an extra ticket to the Nutcracker.  Would you like to go with me?"

"When is it?"

"This Sunday, at 2:00.  We'll leave here a bit after 1:00."

"I don't think so.  I can't walk that far."

"Oh--it's not a difficult walk.  We can park right by the back door,  We walk in on ground level, stop and go potty, walk up two steps to the door to the theatre and walk over to our seats.  It's much less walking than you do at the grocery store or the Salvation Army store."

"No.  I better not.  You know I hurt when I walk."

"Okay.  Bye."

This afternoon I stopped into their house on my way home from my hair cut, just to say Hi.

"Did you guys go shopping?  I noticed your car was gone."

"Nope.  We went to the movies."

"The movies--in Brighton?"

"Yup."

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Now--this ticks me off.  They go to the movies all the time.  Nothing wrong with that for sure.  BUT--for her to get into the theatre, she has to walk from the parking lot--then she has to wait in line for her ticket--then she has to walk to the ticket taker, which is probably 70 steps, then she has to stand in line again to get popcorn and, depending on which room the movie is in, she would have to walk another 70-100 steps, and then up the steps to get to her seat.

She has just walked over twice the amount she would to go with me.

I get really ticked off at people that complain and moan and gripe about their physical problems, but won't do a damn thing about them.  Doctor has told her she needs to walk or she is going to lose all ability to do so.  Doctor has told her she needs to go to physical therapy to get strength back in her back and legs.  Doctor has told her she needs to lose fifty pounds. She refuses.  

Just sits in her damn chair, munching on potato chips and chocolate and gets fatter and fatter and complains that her legs and feet hurt.

Of course they hurt!!  Yet, she can walk just fine to get to a movie or if she wants to go out to eat, but makes Merle go across the street to get the mail, makes Merle vacuum the living room.    I am not real sympathetic to her complaining.

So--an hour later Dar stopped in, very calm, still dealing with the mess she is in with her doctors/surgeons/worker's comp, trying to get released so she can go back to work and...I asked her if she wanted to go with me Sunday.

She has never seen a live presentation of the Nutcracker and she is thrilled to go.  It might be (too) interesting an afternoon for me, but, at least I won't have to drive over and back all alone.  I might live to regret it, but...we shall see!

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Oh--I almost forgot.

Merle now brags about "taking care of my ladies."  We have garbage pick-up on Thursday--Thursday afternoon, around 1:00.  Some people put their garbage pails out the night before.  Most of us wait until Thursday morning.  I put mine about around 11:00.  Merle goes around and hauls the garbage pails out to the street and after the pick-up, he hauls the empty pail back to their houses.

This morning, I am sitting in here at 8:30 and saw Merle--he was hauling Dar's garbage pail out to the street.  Then he did the same over at Jackies.  Then, he heads over here and gets mine out.  Nice--sweet--generous.

I would have been a lovely gesture IF MY PAIL HAD BEEN READY!!!  I was NOT about to go to the door and tell him to bring it back as...I wasn't dressed appropriately to have a conversation with him!

So, at 11:00, I had to walk out to the street, haul my pail back up to the front steps and carry my trash out and then, haul it back to the street.

As soon as the garbage guys picked up, I ran out and got my empty pail and hauled it back myself!!!

I do not want to be one of "his ladies"!!