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?

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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..............................

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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.  

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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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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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?

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

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.
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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.