The end is near-----

Five years ago, this month, I mentioned to Fred that I had always wanted a fireplace in my home.

Of course, impossible here. But a few days later he came home from getting groceries and said, “I found a fireplace we can use in here.  It is electric and you can put your TV on the top.  They have them at Walmart.”  So, I hopped in the car and he took me back to look at them.  Hm-mm, not quite what we wanted.  So we drove over to Lowe’s and looked at theirs.  Too expensive and a bit too large.  He checked on-line and found one we both really liked.  “Free shipping,” he said.  “I can put it together.”

Then, over the next two months, he was in and out of hospital a couple of times, and then on New’s Year Day, he passed away.

Any thought of getting a fireplace or anything else left my mind.  I was in survival mode.

6 weeks later, I had to buy a new furnace.  4 months later, a new roof, the next month, a hip replacement, the cost of which was not entirely covered by Medicare and Supplemental Insurance. .  There was hardly enough money in my (now) decreased budget to buy food, let alone think of buying anything new for this house.  Then $3000.00 worth of repairs on my old car, over the next two years, then dental work, not covered by insurance at all.

A friend hired me to knit or crochet her designs to see if they fit, before she put the patterns up for sale. I put half my “pay check” away and used the other half to pay off my debts.  Then, just for fun, I did a genealogy for a friend.  I mentioned that I loved doing genealogies and by word of mouth, I got more clients.  I paid off my debts and started socking away the money from the genealogies.

This early spring I was ready to finally get my electric fireplace, BUT—my walls and ceilings had needed painting for 7 years.  So I got that done.  My carpet was covered with small scatter rugs to cover up the “worn down to the jute” places.  I got new carpeting.  My old recliner had broken, so I went shopping and got a new recliner AND a new couch to take the place of the broken down, faded, 20 year old one I had.  Then, of course, the dark Cranberry curtains I had, looked terrible with my new clean and bright living room, so new curtains were obtained.  You know how it is.  You do one thing and it leads to another and another.

So--this re-do all started with wanting an electric fireplace--just that, is all I intended.  Crazy, BUT---

Now, I am ready for my electric fireplace!    I will get it Wednesday!!  The end of the re-do is near.

Of course, there is still one very important item missing in my living room, but it can’t be purchased.

This “re-do” hasn’t been quite as exciting, without Fred here to enjoy it with me.  In a way, It seems all for naught.
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I got my mammogram and chest x-ray today.  I will probably get called back for a second mammogram--it seems I have the last two times I had one.  I have very dense, cystic mammo's.

Got an e-mail from my little sister--with a picture of the Devil's Tower.  They had just completed the walk around it.  She told me they were only going to S. Dakota and the Black Hills.  Devil's Tower is in Wyoming!!!  Glad they are seeing all the sights!!!
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I did not watch the debate tonight.  Well, that's not quite true.  I just didn't have the emotional fortitude to watch the yelling, screaming, lying "match", so I watched HGTV and every commercial break, I clicked over to the debate.  GEEZ LOUISE!  Every time I saw Hillary, she was looking down at her notes and every time I saw Donald, he was talking about what a "beautiful" plan he had.

In my humble opinion, neither one of them is good enough to be OUR President and I sooo dread the next 4 years!!!!!!!!