I promised myself that I would start posting more on here.  I can't believe it's been a whole week.  I blab too much on FB and should save those posts and put them on here instead.
============
There has been a lot of rain and consequently a lot of flooding in the Detroit area.  Big cities are covered in concrete so there is nothing to absorb large amounts of rain and it just builds up.  Plus, there is Lake Erie nearby and the St. Clair river.  People love to live on the water, until an easterly wind drives it into their homes.  
===============
Today, it is sunny.  My Tulips have opened up.  The Daffodils are still being daffy.  Orioles, Grosbeak and Red-winged Blackbirds are back at the feeders.  I put my Hummingbird feeder up, but have not seen any.  They usually come rolling around May 15th, but can be earlier.

My lawn is rich and green and covered in beautiful sunny, yellow Dandelion blossoms.  When I was a kid, our house was quite a ways back from the road.  The front lawn went from house to road.  In the spring, that long lawn was covered with Dandelions and my Mother thought it was the most beautiful "garden".  Perhaps that is why I love Dandelions?

=================

I am finishing up a genealogy that I started the beginning of April.  It has been so interesting.  Research shows great grandfather's fighting in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.  Being captured by Indians in the French Indian War.  

You can always tell in a genealogy if the father went off to fight.  On the family group page, there will be one or two children born, than a gap of a few years, then six or seven more children born.

I've often wondered why there are no soldiers on my father's side of the family.  I know none of them would have enlisted on their own, but............................I can't remember their dates right now, but maybe they were lucky enough to be either too young or too old to be drafted.

My Daddy was just the right age for WWII, but he got a deferment because of a heart murmur and his father was ill, so he had two farms to take care of.  He wouldn't have wanted to go anyway.

=====================

Did I show you the pillow front for Della's pillow I finished?

I also crocheted and stuffed a dog that looks kind of like their dog.

I think I will give her the dog the next time I see her and wait on the pillow until baby brother is born and I get to see him.

Most people rush in to see the new baby.  I've never done that.  I always talk to the older sibling(s) for awhile and then ask them if I can see their new baby.  There is so much attention given to the baby and I don't want the older child to feel they are kind of overlooked.

================

Now I am working on the worded Baby Boy blanket for the new baby boy--arriving in July, and also started x-stitching the wedding shower gift for my grandson Stephen, who is getting married NEXT June.  I won't be in crunch time for this one!!! (like I was with Maddie's.)

 I'm doing this in blue.  The pattern was free!!

==================

As for physical therapy--after 3 weeks, my back felt good.  But...after the Wednesday treatment, it feels worse than it did when we began.  My last session is Monday and then Wednesday, back to the Physiatrist to see what he'll do next.

I wish he'd give me another week of Prednisone, so I could work on picking up sticks and working in my gardens with no pain, but I am sure he won't.

Time flies when you're having fun....and even when you're not.  

I'm doing physical therapy for my lower back issues.  Not much they can do when stenosis, arthritis, degenerative discs are present, but we will give it the old college try.

The first day was all about stretches, exercises to do at home.  That wasn't getting it, so on the second appointment, with a real "hot spot" on my left lower back, I just asked him if he would press on that spot.  I could feel it was swollen and inflammed.

Man--he got right on it.  Deep tissue massage, using his elbow!  It hurt like heck and I kept forgetting to breathe through the pain.  I got up the next morning and could feel the swollen part was "down" and the deep pain was gone.

So...that's how the last two sessions have gone.  I get on the recumbent bike and pedal for 400 steps--the amount of steps it would take me to get up to the corner, a few stretches, then I show him where the pain is and he gets right on it.

I think PT might help--temporarily anyway.
================
Now for some gossip--I try so hard not to gossip, but sometimes it's just too good to not pass on--at least to my blog buddies anyway.

Dar---you remember Dar right?  Hadn't come to visit in weeks, came over and told me that while she was doing her Dad's bedding, she decided to turn the mattress top to bottom and under the mattress--just like a 16 year old boy, her Dad had hidden pornographic magazines!  Her Dad is 96 years old.

She left them there.

"Did you look at them?" I asked.

"Noooooooo!" she answered.

Then she went on with her dusting and for the heck of it, while she was dusting his TV remote, she turned it on.  Up came the last  channel he had watched.  People having sex.

"That's what you get for that expensive 500 channel cable package you have," I laughed.  "Maybe you need to set up some parental controls."
==============
That evening, Dar and her Dad walked in.

"Can we stay here for awhile?"

"Sure.  What's going on?"

"I have a gas leak.  I've called the gas company and they are on their way.  It was making Daddy and I sick and we both have headaches."

20 minutes later the gas company shows up--wouldn't want to hurry.  It's only a gas leak, which could go off and blow up every trailer on that line!

She went out to talk to them, her Dad stayed in with me.  Knowing his predilection for porn, I felt a little creepy.  He just sat and petted Maggie the cat.
YIKES!  Maybe he has a cat fetish?

Dar was back in about 20 minutes.  Not a gas leak.  The underground sewer line is plugged and it decided to pick her house to back-up.

Come to find out, the "cap" that connects house to sewer line had popped off some how, so for the last couple of weeks, every time they flushed, or any water going down the drain has drained out UNDER HER HOUSE--onto the cement slab below and out onto her lawn!
==========================
Men dressed in Hazmat suits came out to inspect.
Other men came out to flush out the under ground sewer lines.
We don't have city water or sewer.  Our "drains" go into lines underground which eventually drain out into a retention pond that is pumped out and carried away in tanker trucks every month.

Thankfully the park is liable for any expense to get this mess cleaned up.

One of the park maintenance guys stopped by yesterday, just to see if everything was working.  He asked her to turn on the water faucets and see if it drained away correctly.

It did not!

So, men came in with hoses, attached to powerful jet-like water and put them down the little sewer pipes that are in the lawns between each house.  In the line between her house and the one to the east of her, they found two large cloth rags.  They have spoken to the people who live in that house, but we have no report if they have been fined or just reprimanded.

Still--she had raw sewage on the cement slab under her house and her lawn.  The park maintenance guys are going to have to clean that up and then spread lime under her house and on the lawn to kill any bad buggies.

Can you imagine what viruses and diseases could result from this mess?  It's like we are living in a 3rd world country.

This park is very nice.  Only manufactured coded homes are in here--no old style mobile homes.  Everything is maintained well, with lovely gardens and the like.

But--who knows what old gas lines, water and sewer lines lie just below the surface.
================
Hey--I'm working on an interesting genealogy and I'd better get back to it.

Life is good--at least on the surface.  LOL

I guess I didn't realize how the whole water heater fiasco was affecting me emotionally.  Stress.

The independent plumber who said he'd do it--did not return 4 of my calls when I told him I was ready.

The bottom rusting and leaking--I kept imagining the whole bottom giving way (as the one did right after I moved in here) and having another 40+ gallon flood in my bedroom.

Knowing the floor underneath, holding up all that weight, could collapse and water heater shift downward, snapping off gas and water lines.

Having to dig through piles of clothes to find something to wear.

Biggest worry about the cost.

I lost 7 pounds in one month.
===================
On Wednesday I went up to Home Depot--having researched and found they sell water heater's for manufactured homes.  They had the one I had found on-line and the salesman and I set down to write up the deal.

However--they could find no plumber contractor's who wanted the job.

After a few calls, the salesman bent toward me and said, "Why don't you just get AAA Service to do it?"

Well--duh!  They put in my new furnace 6 years ago and are very highly recommended in this area.

The salesman called them and let me talk to the receptionist.  Good to go.

The receptionist called my "special daughter" and got her credit card number and I was in business.

It was set-up Friday.  I had attached the hose and drained as much as I could so they wouldn't have to spend time on that.

There was 8" of lime sediment in the bottom of that tank and, come to find out, the one I've had for 13 years, was not made for a manufactured home.  The bottom vent wasn't sealed, so a bit of carbon monoxide has leaked out all these years..whenever the furnace came on and pulled air from the rooms.

It took them an extra hour to modify and get it in place.  They didn't charge extra.  The total price was the same as the original quote.  The guys were great.  They let me watch and explained things along the way.
=====================
I left the door on the closet and the water heater open all Friday night to dry out, although the guys tested the floor and it was stable.

Saturday, I closed up the door on the water heater space and hauled all my clothes, that had been lying in piles all over my bedroom floor, back in the closet--spring and summer clothes toward the front.

Then I vacuumed up everything and decided to mop the hallway and kitchen, which hadn't been mopped since before Christmas.  Cleaned up the kitchen.

Today, I can barely walk!!  

I keep forgetting that everything is okay now and even taking my shower this morning, I kept waiting for the hot water to run out.

It's all going to be all right now.

My son's "numbers" are going back up again.  If you have or know someone with cancer, you know the numbers are critical to watch.  However, tests revealed that none of his tumors are growing.  He did have to have a large Melanoma removed under his arm.   7 hours after they removed the stitches, the whole wound reopened and his girlfriend had to rush him back to the hospital.  I feel sorry for his girlfriend.  She is a rather odd duck, and drinks a bit more than I care for, but I'm sure glad he has her there with him.
===================
Wednesday I went to the new Doc.  A Psyiatrist.  Fizz-i-ah-trist.  Never heard of that kind of Doc. He doesn't just use one method to deal with the back pain/shoulder pain/ whatever pain people have.  He has many methods to try.  Oral steroids, steroid injections, physical therapy, traction, manipulation, or referral to a surgeon.

He has started me out on oral steroid and physical therapy.  He knows I've been the whole injections route and don't want to go there again and he knows I will not have surgery.

I was impressed with the young man and his carefulness in starting with the lowest way to help, instead of rushing into something.

Thankfully, even though I can't take anti-inflammatories because of the blood thinner, I can take Prednisone with no ill effects.  Personally, I love Prednisone..it makes me feel so good and gives me energy.  I hope it works the same this time.  
=================== 
Saturday-----I just can't believe it.  After taking one day's worth of the steroid, I woke up with no back pain.  Just amazing.

Oh--did I tell you the water heater is leaking?
Oh--did I tell you the plumber, who promised to call Thursday or Friday to set up the install appointment, hasn't called?

Trying to find out when he can get to work before I set up my physical therapy appointments.

I think I will just watch the Master's Golf tourney today and Sunday for forget about the problems of the world!!!!!!

Well, it's been fun around here lately.

My water heater went out, AGAIN, on Friday and I didn't notice that I had no hot water until I tried to take a shower Saturday morning--in preparation for grand daughter Madeleine's wedding shower.
Heated up water on the stove to do a wash up of important parts of this old body.  Tried to wash my hair in the kitchen sink, which didn't work out too well, so I just rinsed it in cold water.  I read somewhere it's good for the hair to rinse with cold water.  That very well may be, but it sure isn't good for the head.  Br-rr.
I have to get a new heater--which the repair guy told me last month, but I was hoping for a miraculous cure.
That put me in a bit of a panic, but I couldn't do anything about it then, so............
I did manage to get Maddie's wedding cross stitch done in time and got it framed Friday.  I had a 70% off coupon for framing at Michael's, but of course it was for a "custom" frame and mine was just an ordinary frame, so..................

I got an e-mail from Maddie's older brother Stephen, Friday night, that he and his girl friend Carolyn just got engaged.  They will marry June 6, 2020.  So Grandson Marcus got married last June, Maddie will marry the end of May and Stephen next June.  I already have the pattern for Stephen and Carolyn's wedding cross stitch.  Get them grandkids married off so I can get more great grand babies.  LOL
==================
There were a lot of people at Maddie's shower.  Daughter Karen held it at her home.  Might as well.  Her living room is as big as any hall and much nicer.

So many people and so much noise, it wore me out.  I'm good for about 4 hours in this kind of situation, then...I just droop.  Nice to get home to the silence.

I watched my Spartans lose in the Final Four.  When I watched the Texas Tech team take out the other Michigan basketball team, I worried that we'd have to play against them.  Such was the case.
=================
Sunday, I emptied out my bedroom closet in preparation for the water heater guy to come and check things out.

All my clothes are piled in a corner of my bedroom.  Shoe rack and other things stored on that floor, are also adorning my bedroom floor.  

I had finished up my office of all unwanted, un-needed items and it feels good to have my Swedish Death Cleaning project done.  Now to Spring cleaning with the washing of windows and curtains and the pulling out of furniture to vacuum and dust.  

And of course, my back is giving me all sorts of pain.  I go in this week to a new doc.  A Psyiatrist.  Never heard of that kind of Doc.  They specialize in problems with the spine, muscles, skeletal structure.  I can't see that he will be able to do much for my L2 and L3 degeneration, but I will give it a try.

At least one worry has been taken away.  My Dear Daughter from another mother told me she would take care of paying for the heater.  

I have a roof that is only 6 years old, as is the furnace.  A 2 year old refrigerator and an appliance service plan that takes care of the other appliances.  Once I get the new water heater, I "think" I will be good to go for the rest of my life.  Nothing else in this house should have to be replaced.  
====================
I decided to make a small pillow for great grand daughter Della.  She loves Elmo.  Now, you all know what Elmo looks like.  You all know what color he is.  Picture tiny cross stitch after tiny cross stitch, row after row, of the same color.

I may go blind before I'm done with this!!!

What a fiasco!!

I packed up Elise' afghan to mail.  I didn't look at the mailing box, just found one that the afghan would fit in.  Weighed it, $11.00 for the postage, I scheduled a pick-up at my front door.  The mail man picked it up and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Three days later, I got an e-mail from the USPS, it was a flat-rate box I had used and I still owed $8.95 in postage.  ARRGH!  Paid it and hoped they hadn't delayed the package.  

I checked the tracking the next day and found it was delivered March 22nd, at their front door.  I hope that is true because I have received NO WORD from New Jersey that she had received it. Maybe she is sending a Thank You card by snail mail?

====================

Sister Susan's birthday was Thursday.  Wednesday she came down and spent almost 3 hours here, going through all the extra floss I had and the knitting and crocheting patterns AND all the cross stitch patterns.  We emptied two large plastic storage tubs, she took one home that she had filled, I filled up another one to drop off at the Salvation Army down the road and I threw out a large box of stuff.

Remember the Nativity cross stitch I did last year?

I loved it so much.  I had it stretched on foam core, but I couldn't afford a frame.  Susan gasped when she saw it and said, "That is so beautiful!"  So...I just gave it to her.  

I kind of regret it, but...I still can't afford a large frame for it, so I will never hang it and I have to be decisive in my "getting rid of stuff I will never use", and if it was still here when I die, I'd want her to have it anyway.  So..............................

==================

Grand Girl, Madeleine's bridal shower is next Saturday--they moved it up a month....which means, I will not have this finished in time.

I'm working on the lettering, but then have to have it matted and framed and don't know when I will get the extra $$$ for that.  I do know, somehow, it will be ready for their wedding, end of May.

For her shower, I will type up a card with:

"Something old, something new.

Something borrowed, something blue,

and a lucky penny for her shoe."

and tape on it the penny I saved from the year she was born.

~~ The day each grand child was born, I took a penny from that year and put it in a small white satin pouch I had.  Then on their wedding day, I gave them their "lucky" penny.  Grand son Marcus put his in his pocket.  The girls tape them to the instep of their shoe.  It is under the foot arch and doesn't interfere with them walking--it isn't even felt. ~~

I have already given her my big Kitchen Aid stand mixer, so this all should suffice for a nice shower/wedding gift.

Because I get bored with just one project, I am also crocheting the Baby Boy blanket for my next great, expected mid-July.  I had one all finished and put away, but my next door neighbor finagled it away from me for an unexpected baby shower she had to go to.

It's okay because I have revamped the word placement and the one I am working on will be even better.

They haven't chosen a name as yet.  I like David--nice strong Jewish name.  My grandson-in-law thinks Shamus or Levi would be good.  Isn't Shamus an Irish name?  He named their dog Ruppert, so no telling what he wants to name his kid.  

====================

Of course, with the NCAA Basketball Tournament, sitting in my recliner, working on my hand work, has been occupying a lot of my time.  Plus, I just finished up a large genealogy.

My Michigan State Spartans are still in the Tournament.  They play Duke on Sunday and I'm fearful Duke will take us out.

Oh well.  It's raining here all weekend, so I have time to sit and watch and maybe........just maybe, in between, get more of this office cleaned out.  

Maybe..............

Continuing with my Swedish Death Cleaning process...this computer room is the last room to be decluttered.  My sister is going to come down, perhaps this week, and go through the two huge plastic storage boxes I have of crocheting yarn/patterns and cross stitch patterns.  

I have cross stitch patterns from the late 1970's, when daughter Karen first taught me how.  That box is filled to the brim.

Yesterday, during a half-time from a basketball game, I came in here and hauled that box out to the living room...and pulled something in my right side, just below my rib cage.  I didn't think too much of it, until the pain woke me this morning.  (I was sleeping on my right side).

Last night, when I turned this desk lamp off to go to bed, I banged my shin on a stack of two long plastic boxes containing my two youngest grandkids afghans.  I noticed that this morning too.  Blood and a scabby sort of thing on my shin--the blood was evident on my bed sheets.

It's like an obstacle course in this room, with a narrow walkway to get in and out of this room.  

Plus, my living room is a mess.
I sorted out a big box of extra embroidery floss, into chronological color numbers for my sister to go through to fill out her stash.  It's on the card table, plus the large plastic tubs full of the patterns.

I did empty one long plastic box.  It has my youngest grand daughter, Elise's afghan.  Her 15th birthday was Saturday and I mailed her the afghan on Wednesday.

 I fear this Swedish Death Cleaning process is going to kill me and I'm not even Swedish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
=========================
Other than that, yesterday I watched 4 basketball games.  I must confess, I'm getting tired of it.  I hear squeaky basketball shoes in my sleep!

PLUS--I am finishing up a very large genealogy, so I have to make room in here to lay out my pedigrees and stack my book pages.

Well, you know me by now, so you know I am celebrating all weekend long and especially tonight.

My Michigan State Spartans won, not only the B1G Ten Conference last Saturday, but today, won the B1G Ten Tournament.

What made it even sweeter?  Last weekend and today, they beat our rivals the University of Michigan to do it.

The March Madness Tournaments will start this week and we are placed in the same region as Duke.  Now, to win against the Blue Devils would be a really big deal!

Yes, I love watching college basketball.

Over and out.

Did you hear about this?

Zostavax Lawsuits

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The Lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. Can Help!

If you experienced any of the following side effects from the Zostavax vaccine:

• Shingles outbreaks
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• Other injuries

Contact the lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. to find out if you or a loved one may be eligible for financial compensation.

============================

I got this shot in 2016.Luckily I haven't suffered any of these side effect, but it can cause a more severe case of Shingles!  Now they recommend getting the "new" one, Shingex--two shots, 6 months apart.  EGAD!!!!!!!!!!

====================================

Car in the garage all day today.  Had to have the entire exhaust system replaced.  $391.13--five years ago when I had it done it was $291.18--the price of progress?

Our roads in this area are heavily salted every time we get a few snow flakes.  That's nice because there is no fear of getting into town, but the corrosion that salt causes to the undercarriage of the car is devastating.

========================

I don't suppose you heard that MY Michigan State Spartans won the B1G Ten league. We played our rivals University of Michigan, who were tied with us for 1st place.  The victory was sweeter because we beat our rivals.

The B1G Ten tournament starts tonight and you know where I'll be.  In my recliner, cross stitching or crocheting and watching all the game.

========================

I got an e-mail from grand daughter Helene.  She's the one who was pregnant with twins at Christmas time and one of the babies died.  She had an ultra-sound and this baby is growing normally and.......IT'S A BOY!!!  So, I put down the afghan I was crocheting and back to making another blue one that has the puff stitches that make letters.  Like this one.

Sorry for causing some of you concern.

I am fine!

I've just has so many things worrying me, plus I'm working on a genealogy and a friend whose genealogy I did, wants two more print-outs.  I ran out of ink and can't get any more until end of week.

I need a new water heater, around $1300.00 and a new exhaust system on my car...got the estimate today, $391.12.  

Car insurance went up as did health insurance.  Gas prices around here are high, as are food prices.

My time is pressured and my finances are causing stress and.....that's my excuse for not posting.
======================
My Gosh--here it is Ash Wednesday and we are in a bitter cold system with snow---still---like we've been since January.  I love winter, but this is starting to get me down.

My life-long church has just come through a very (to me) scary time and I've been worried and stressed about it since last fall when I first heard about it.  If you are a Methodist than you know what I am talking about.

I've been de-cluttering my house and got stalled.  I only have this computer room left, but I have no motivation to get to it.
=====================
What can I tell you that is good news?  Physically I am well.  My blood test was great--as usual.  My lung CAT scan showed the nodules had not grown a bit, still the size of my little fingernail and at -1% of ever becoming malignant.  I do have some gall bladder "gravel" which causes me a bit of pain in my right side.

The cats are doing well, as are my kids and grands.  Family being well is all that matters to me, so I should be happy.

BUT--the depression runs deep and lasts long.  I've fought it since I was 31 and the financial stress just makes it worse.

I tell myself that my faith is deep.  To just give all my worry to God and everything will work out.  I do believe that, but when all this stuff hits me and I see no answers, because I'm one of those people that needs to figure everything out, than I know my faith isn't as deep as it should be.

I try and try.  Everyday I wake up with the resolve not to worry, to make it a good day, to trust and believe and by the time evening gets here, I'm just tired and worn out.

Plus--this Sunday we leap forward an hour...................that alone puts me in a confused state for about 2 weeks.

But--I'll be fine.

Tuesday I had blood drawn in preparation for my doctor's appointment yesterday.
Wednesday, I jumped on-line, into my Patient Portal so I could see the lab results.
You know me.  I like to know BEFORE I go to the doc, just so there are no surprises.
I do have control issues.

The nurse did all my vitals.  I am still 5' 9 3/4" tall--no shrinkage in the last few years.  Then the doc rolls into the room, holding my lab results in his hand and says, "Well, there's nothing I can do for you.  You might as well go home."  He is always so jaunty--personally, I think he has a touch of hyperactivity.

So I asked, "Did you find a cure for Tinnitus.....arthritis...or this hand tremor?"

"Nope," he says.

"Well then, I guess I might as well go home."

He was half-way out the door before he remembered,  "Guess I oughta check your heart and lungs, right?"

He did and I came home.
=========================
While this is all well and good--my blood results always are, I wonder about what is going on inside.  Yes, the blood results show that my kidneys and liver are functioning as they should.  My Thyroid is perfect, as is my Pancreas and Glucose levels.  My Cholesterol is nice and low, but.....................none of this shows why, every once in awhile, I get a sharp pain on my right side, where my gall bladder is located, or on my left back, right over my kidneys.

What causes that?  He told me once that as long as the pain doesn't last, there is no problem.  He predicts I will live into my 90's.

What does he know?  He's just a primary care doc and nowadays, they don't know much.  If there is a problem, they ship you off to a specialist.

This whole idea of me completing my 80th year in mid-June has me freaked out--as if I can do anything about it.

I've never considered a person elderly until they are in their 80's.  So, in my mind, on my birthday, I will officially be elderly.

It's all my sister's fault.  Last June on my 79th birthday she said, "Just think.  You are in your eightieth year."
Ever since then, when someone asks me my age, I say 80.

ARGGH!!

When I turned 70, I requested from this doc and got an abdominal ultra sound.  I wanted some sort of reassurance that my internal organs were okay.  I'd like to get another one.  BUT--nowadays, the doc has to come up with a good reason because Medicare doesn't want to pay for these types of tests unless there is a suspected problem.

Maybe if I complain about the pain in my right side, which isn't there now and hasn't been in a few weeks, I could get the ultra sound.  Then I would know that everything is all right with my innards.

If they found something wrong, what would I do?  Freak out!

Maybe I am better off not knowing?

Hi there.  This is Nanook of the North.

Like a few others, we had snow, then freezing rain, then more snow and then more snow.  Dan the Snowing Clearing man has showed up to my house each of the last two days and I have told him, "No!"  I have no where to go and today, it is supposed to be 45 degrees and rain, which I figured will clear off my car and a lot of my driveway.  Besides, I don't have $20.00 to pay him.

He goes to Dar's every day.  She insists he comes if we get an inch of snow.  She wants her car and her driveway cleared, even if she isn't going anywhere.  He makes enough money off her that he shouldn't miss by not clearing mine.  

My dental appointment for this afternoon was canceled, YAY--so I have no place I need to go until next Tuesday for my pre-wellness check, blood work.  I am running out of food, so I might run down about 1/2 mile to get a Subway, as I have a gift card there.

I'm just having a great time working on a genealogy, so I don't care if it snows a foot--I can sit inside, work and watch it falling outside my windows.
=============================
The sun came out and when I hauled my garbage out to the street for pick-up, I swept all the snow and ice off my car and pushed the snow shovel along to make a path from my porch to my car.

Then I sprinkled some Ice Melt on it and by the time I took off, around 3:30, that path was clear.  I drove on down to get a Subway for supper.

Dan the Snowing Clearing Man stopped by around 4:30 and wanted to know if I wanted him to clear off the other side of my driveway.  I told him, "No.  It will be melted in a little while.  At least by May first."

HAH--that kids wants money, but I don't have any to give.

Tuesday, I got a beautiful e-mail from Jennifer.
It was very newsy and upbeat.
She told me about her jobs (4), working 64 hours a week, but mostly from home.
Told me a bit about progress on their new house.
Told me about what each grand kid is doing, where they are all going on their Spring Break.
It took up the whole page.
Everything I've been wanting to know.
I can't tell you how glad it made my heart.
She is now sending me $100.00 a month to help out. Which does help as my health insurance and car insurance both went up.  
There goes that $100, with nothing left over for fun.
But I am so grateful.

I make all my health appointments in February.  Got my glasses, got my hair cut, went to my yearly pulmonologist appointment.  Next week dentist, then blood work and yearly wellness check-up.  I need to make an appointment to see a dermatologist--haven't been in 5 years.

By then, it will be March and spring will be on the near horizon.

If I had money, I would hire a companion.  Not to live with me, but near me.  Preferably a male companion.  Someone around 65-68, who didn't drink or swear.

Someone who would drive me to the grocery store, let me out at the front door, put all the pop bottles through the bottle return, while I shopped, push the cart out to the car, load the trunk, drive me home, haul all the groceries inside and put them on the kitchen counter.

Someone who would come over and watch a basketball or football game with me.  Preferably a Michigan State fan.  Play a game of Backgammon or Cribbage.

Someone who would haul all the stuff out of my cupboards and closets so I could go through it...deliver the donations to Salvation Army, haul out the garbage can, mop the kitchen floor, trim the bushes, weed the gardens, clean the ceiling fan, wash the windows, mow the lawn, and plant the Purple Redbud tree I want to get.

Someone who, in May, would drive me to Nag's Head, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I would rent the same cottage on the beach that Fred and I stayed at, but for a month, instead of a week.

Someone who, in September, would drive me to Vermont and then back along the Canadian border to Niagara Falls.  I've been to the Falls 7 times, but I want to see them one more time.

Someone who, next June, would drive me through the Canadian Rockies to Alaska.  On the way home, I'd want to drop down and see Mount Rushmore, one more time.

While I was traveling, I would hire someone to come live in my house and take care of the cats.  Preferably a female.

If I had money, that's what I would do for the next 16 months.

January 31, 1994.  It was a Monday.  The outside temperature was -20 degrees.

Mail delivery was made.  Businesses were open.  Colleges and Schools were open.

I went to work that day, dressed in a winter dress and heels.

It's not that cold today and yet.................the weathermen keep talking about the Wind Chill factor, so everyone is afraid for their lives 

I wish they'd keep the Wind Chill factor to themselves.  It's cold outside.  All I have to do is look at the thermometer and know that it's too cold to be outside for any length of time.  I think we are all smart enough to know that if it is -12 outside, that it's cold.  We don't need to hear that the Wind Chill is -35--what's the difference?  It's too cold be to outside!

=============

My thermostat is sitting on 72 degrees--I don't change it for summer or winter...72 all the time.  The gas company had told everyone not to use their programmable thermostats.  To set their thermostat on "Hold".  I've known this for years.  I used to have and use a programmable thermostat and found, that if I had it set to go up in temperature before I got home, it took more gas to heat it back up than if I had just left it on 72 while I was gone.  Same with cooling in the summer.

Furniture, drapes, floors, walls--everything in a house cools or warms up.  When the thermostat changes, it takes longer to cool or warm those things in the house and thus uses more gas, than if the temperature held at a certain degree.

==================

Oh well...as you've all heard...the Polar Vortex decided to take a vacation from the Arctic Circle and come on down "south" for a visit.  No mail delivery.  Government offices shut down.  All colleges and schools closed.  Our Governor advised us to set our thermostats to 65 to conserve natural gas.

Then a doctor came on the news to say that low a temp in a house could be harmful to young children and the elderly.  That it is possible to get hypothermia inside!

I wasn't about to turn my thermostat down to that anyway.  I did set it on 71 and that was comfortable and my furnace didn't come on all that much.

So tonight and tomorrow, the Polar Vortex is going back home.  It is predicted to be in the 40's this weekend and 50 on Monday--some 80 degree shift in temperatures.  We'll be getting our flip-flops and shorts out on Monday.

Then this summer, the weathermen will start in again.  "Today it is 85 with the heat index at 110."  It all just makes us feel worse!!!

=================

I am continuing with my Swedish Death Clean (that is a real thing.  You can Google about it.)  Another 3 bags and the garbage pail of stuff I will never use again in my life and 4 medium boxes to take to the Salvation Army--when they re-open.

Kitchen and living room are done.  The bathroom is half done--I ran out of allowable space of what the waste management people will pick up.  HAH!

Then I start in here and this room will be the most time consuming.  I have 5 plastic storage boxes--1 of cross stitch patterns, 1 of crochet and knit patterns and 3 containing afghans for Jennifer's kids.  I think I am going to get 3 zippered plastic sweater bags for the afghans and UPS them all to Jennifer.  I was going to wait until each grandkid turned 16, but am ready to see them gone.

My sister wants to come down and go through the cross stitch patterns and when she is done...I am throwing all the patterns out.  I have a 3-ring binder with my favorite baby afghan patterns in it and if I want to do a cross stitch--I will just buy the kit.

I used to have an extensive library.  I had every copy that Danielle Steele wrote, Nicholas Sparks, Stephen King.  I cleared them out a few years ago and donated them to the Salvation Army of sold them on E-bay.  Now I have about 20 books and I need to weed through them again.

==================

I also have to update my funeral plans--for the umpteenth time.  The funeral home I wanted to use has burned down and not going to rebuild.  I wanted my funeral held from my hometown Methodist church, but now that the Methodist Church is destroying itself from the top down, I don't know if I want my funeral from there.    I could have my funeral from a near-by funeral home, but the nearest one does not do very good "work" and since I want a whole lot of singing, it needs to have a piano.  At my funeral, I want more singing and less preaching.  At least I have my grave stone all set out at the cemetery, so no worries there.

===================

Now, we get to face, what is to me, the longest month of the year.  February.  Up north, February can be and usually is gray, dark and dreary.  The snow melts away to uncover everything dead and dirty.  It can be very depressing and bothers some people.  That used to be.  I felt I might not make it through February, I was always so depressed and lethargic.  Seems to help that I now have an Ott Daylight Floor Lamp that I sit under to do my handwork.  I don't get depressed anymore, but still......the month seems awfully long.

When I picked up my new glasses last Friday and couldn't see through them, Miss Snippy at Walmart inferred I didn't know how to look through progressive lenses. I told her I have been using progressive for 20+ years. She told me to take my glasses back to my eye doctor because his prescription might be wrong.

Wednesday I went back to the Ophthalmologist--an eye doctor M.D. and they checked my glasses and found out what was wrong. The area used to look at computer and for reading were too small. They wrote her a note and back up to Walmart I went.

I got Miss Snip again--she remeasured my eye placement and said the lenses were exactly as the prescription read. I asked why everything was blurry unless I lifted the glasses up higher on my face.

She then decided I needed to come back, with my old glasses and my new glasses and they will check to see if they need to make new lenses.

I thanked her and smiled a lot, but she is a cold one. Probably hates working with old crotchety people--even though I did not complain and honey was dripping out the corners of my mouth.

So, to soothe my soul I bought myself a nice hot hamburger for supper....and French Fries.

Thursday I had to pick up a prescription at Walmart so I also went back to the eye glass section. Miss Snippy was busy with another customer, so I got a new guy named Joe.

He looked at the new glasses. He looked at my old glasses.

He had me try on each pair and he proclaimed: "The frames are too big. They rest on your cheek bones and that places your sight lines at the wrong position for your eyes."

So Joe trots over to the frame display, brings back 4 styles, which I try on and he and I decide on a frame style.

When I took a closer look, I realized it is nearly the same style I have been wearing for the last two pair--8 years.

Gold wire across the top, rimless on the bottom with adjustable nose piece. Only the ear stem pieces are a different color.

HAH on me!

$300.00 for new glasses and no one will even notice.

It's okay. I only wear glasses in the house, so it doesn't matter--just be nice to have a bit stronger lens the better to see you with, My Dear.

Joe solved my problem in less than 35 minutes.  I will get new frames and lenses and it won't cost me anything.
=====================
We didn't get our Indian Summer warmth in October and by the looks of it, we have missed the January Thaw.  I am thoroughly convinced the Wood Chuck is dead in his burrow and we will miss out on his spring prediction.

It is bitter cold here--air temperatures and with the wind chill--hypothermia can set in as quick as 10 minutes.  It is predicted that next week will be dangerously cold.  Below zero air temps with the wind chill bringing them down into the -30 degree range.  Plus a foot of snow predicted to fall on us next Monday.

I don't mind being snowed in.  With the bitter cold, I won't be going out with my car anyway, so I might as well stay inside.  I fear things like a power outage--although we have only had one that lasted 2 hours since I've lived here.  All our lines are buried in this park...however, if a big transformer out on the highway went out--we'd be in trouble.  So glad my sister and son Mark have whole house generators.
===================
I don't want to get political, but I am sick at heart with the new abortion law that New York state passed.  A child can be aborted and killed up to the time it is born?  They say it is for the sake of the mother--if she had a problem delivering, they could take apart the baby inside her.

That simply is not true.  At that stage, every gynecologist in the United States says they would do a C-section and deliver child and mother safely.

You know, if this was a law, having to do with dogs/cats, the animal rights people would be up in arms.  I bred my dog, but a week before she was to deliver, I changed my mind and wanted the vet to remove those puppies and kill them.  I'd be put in jail for animal cruelty!!!!!

I can see the future....your child is 8 months old.  You discover they have Autism or Down's Syndrome.  You don't want to be saddled with that, so you just make arrangements to have the child put down.  The Law will state that it is okay up to the time a child celebrates his first birthday.
===================
You don't see that?  Too Dystopian for you?

A child is as much alive at 8 months in the womb, as he is at 8 months in the cradle.  What's the difference?

Our society is becoming barbaric and more and more evil.

KAREN WITT
PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT THE ADDRESS ABOVE.

I'm glad you found me again, Jody!

I rode up to the funeral with Karen and Mark.  So glad I didn't have to drive!  It was so good to see my ex siblings and nephew, niece and cousins.  They all were very warm in their greetings and hugs.  Especially my nephew.  He and I were close when he was little.  I saved his life when he was 3 months old. He saw me when I first came in the church and came right over.  He's 6'4" now and 53 years old.  

On the way home from the funeral, Karen read me a text she had received from Jennifer. Apparently Jennifer had been checking assisted living places here in my county.  She had found a government housing apartment that would "only" cost 1/3 my income.  She wondered if, "Judy would be interested."  So now...she calls me her Mother, Judy?  That sorta knifed my heart.

I told Karen that I didn't like living in an apartment because I like living in a single unit that has windows on all four sides, and no neighbor's noise on my outer walls and that the rent at 1/3 of my income, would be more than I pay here!

Then I said, "You could let Jennifer know that when she gets the mother-in-law suite finished in her new mansion, JUDY would love to move in with her."
========================
Monday I had taken everything out of the bottom kitchen cupboards and had the things I had put aside for Karen and Mark to take home.  A big electric griddle, 4-slice toaster, bread machine for Karen and the mixer for Maddie.  It has all the attachments and should last her the rest of her life.

It must have been more of an emotional time for me than I realized, because after Karen and Mark left, I kicked back in my recliner and woke up 3 hours later.

===================

My house is still a wreck.  It looks like I am either moving in or moving out.

Slowly, and I do mean slowly, I will get it all back together.

========================

Toodles

I made my "cleaning out" list.  I pictured each room and what needed doing, and visualized what I needed to get rid of.  Then, while I was at Walmart on Tuesday, I accumulated a bunch of large boxes they were going to throw out.  I figure the boxes will hold my mixer and toaster and the other appliances I am going to give to Karen and Maddie.

I was in Walmart because, after a month since my eye examination, I finally took my prescription in for new glasses.  Over the holiday season, friends had sent me some extra money and I had enough saved to get my glasses.  Plastic frames are back in style and I am glad, but it seemed all the styles were dark.  Browns, blues, red.  When I put them on, all I could see was glasses.  My skin is fair and with my gray hair...the frames stuck out like glaring headlights.

Then the clerk suggested that I look at the men's frames.  Well--why not?  My head is as big as most men--I have a wide face and big ears.  The first ones I picked up and put on were perfect.  They are a nearly clear plastic frames and almost invisible against my pale complexion and gray hair.  

Then we sat down for the measurements and when all was done, she gave me the price: $295.00.  Well I know, comparatively, that isn't a bad price for progressive lenses, but all I had was $200.00. So I will have to go back when I get the 95.00 scrounged up.  I finished the big genealogy I was working on and my client owes me $84.00, so that will get my glasses ordered.

==============================

Went to the Old School Gal Pals lunch.  Our Senile Sister was not there, but the Professor was.  She rapped on the table with the handle of her knife for our attention.  Then she regaled us with a story of her and the new Roomba she bought herself for Christmas.  The first 15 minutes of her dissertation were funny....the next 30 minutes got to be a bit much.  Some turned to the person sitting next to them to engage in conversation and when the Professor saw this, rapped the table again with her knife to bring all attention back to her.

We were all finished eating.  She was still taking bites as she had talked so much, her plate was still full.

I left kind of early...my eyes glazed over...and napped on my drive home.
=========================
There was an e-mail message from daughter Karen.  My youngest sister-in-law (ex) had died.  Apparently she had laid on her apartment room floor for 2 days before her landlady noticed she hadn't seen her and her mail had not been picked up.  Her twin sister, her older sister and her brother, my ex, are all in their Florida homes for the winter, so they will have to fly home to make the arrangements.

By far, she was the sweetest sister-in-law.  Married at 19, her husband left her, after two years, when she was 8 months pregnant.  She had a beautiful baby girl that I used to baby sit.  When the little one was 13 months old, she died suddenly from an enlarged heart.

She has had a hard life for sure.  She took care of their mother, who had a stroke, for seven years.

I don't know the details, but I am thinking my sister-in-law probably had a stroke too.

The big fear we women who live alone have.  Dying and not being found for days.
==========================
Dar has quit work.  We all wondered why she ever went back to work.  She sure didn't need the money, after a big settlement from her car accident.  We suspicioned that she wanted a few hours away from her Dad.  

She always checked on him before she left for work.  He usually got up an hour after she was gone.  One day, two weeks ago, after she got to work, she realized that she had left her purse at home.

She came home and noticed her Dad wasn't up.  She checked his bedroom and he was laying on the floor, struggling to breathe.  She called the ambulance and got him to the ER.  He had an AFib attack and a severe case of bronchitis.

He stayed in hospital for a week.  The day after she got him home, she fell and thankfully Dad was there to call the ambulance for her.  She bruise three ribs and her aorta.  Dad is 97 and Dar is 75.  

For the last week there has been a steady stream of delivery trucks and repairmen coming and going.  Pearl can see Dar's front door better than I can and reports that Dar has new carpeting, a new couch and two new chairs, 2 new beds and mattresses, a new refrigerator and yesterday, a new washer and dryer appeared.
======================
Tomorrow, if we don't get a snow storm--we have had only 3.5" of snow as yet--weird...I am driving up to The Farm.  A cousin from our mother's side is driving down to The Farm and we are going to go over questions she has on genealogy.  Her mother and our were sisters.

I'm not in the mood, but.............................
===================
I gave Bethie her BIG genealogy yesterday before lunch.  The information she gave me was extensive, but I still managed to find some ancestor's she didn't know about.  We only had a few minutes to go over it before the other Gals arrived, but I think, when Bethie has the time to get into that 160 page book, she is going to be real happy.