August?

Already?

I can remember sitting here on New Year's Eve and when the ball dropped, I thought, "What a great year 2020 is going to be!"

Well, Gezz Louise!  Guess I was wrong again.

The life interrupted Covid months.  How many now?  Five!  

I have managed to get out to the store a few times,  only getting a few things, because that mask gets hot and I get anxious.  I makes me go back to the feeling I had when my 2nd husband, tried to smother me with a pillow.  I thought I had rid myself of those memories, but....

I have a new genealogy to work on with another two waiting in the wings.  This is the weirdest thing, but at my nephews wedding, I was telling my daughter Karen that I needed a genealogy to work on to cure my boredom and give me a reason to get up in the morning.  That night, during my prayer time, when I was done, I just happened to say, "And oh yes, God?  Could you send me a genealogy?"

Three days later I was notified by, what is now my newest client.  That's the quickest answer to prayer I've ever received!

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I managed to get my grandson Stephen and new wife Carolyn's wedding sampler framed.  They were married June 6th, but their wedding reception is going to be August 30th, unless our governor decides to shut us down again.  I called Karen and asked her if the next time she in near-by, she could stop and pick it up.

Oh my!  Blogger has changed things up.  It took me forever to figure out how to get that photo inserted.

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So--who can I gossip about?  Merle and Pearl--remember them--my neighbors.  Pearl is into year 3 of sitting in her chair doing nothing.  They have once again retained a physical therapist to come out for home visits, but I know Pearl.  She will only do the least she can get away with and not do any of the home exercises they tell her to do during the week.  She loves just staying chair-bound and having her daughter and Merle run and get whatever she wants.

Their daughter lives here in the Park and she stops by everyday to help them get ready in the morning.  She is going back to work this next week.  So Pearl decided to hire someone to come in every day to help her get dressed and get fed.  She wanted someone for an hour.  The visiting nurses minimum time is 3 hours a day, at $25.00 an hour.  That's $375.00 a week!  So now Pearl is trying to get her daughter to quit her job and take care of her.  She hasn't even wondered what her daughter is going to live on with no money coming in from her job.

Merle escapes to his shed whenever Pearl falls asleep in the chair.  He mentioned to his daughter that he wished he had some "little cigars".  So she got him a couple of packs of Swisher Sweets.  He's a much happier camper now.  LOL

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Marilyn, my neighbor across the street, a bit to the right...whose husband died last year...has lost so much weight that as she was walking out to get the mail, her jeans fell right off.  She was doing fine before the quarantine, but now is using her cane and sometimes her walker to walk outside.

Jackie, my neighbor directly across the street, has suffered.  Early this spring she was out working in her gardens, as normal.  Now she is using a walker to get around.

It has affected all of us in the same way.  From not going to the store to walk around or getting out, our calf and legs muscles have become weak and our balance is off.  

Dar--you remember Dar?  Her Dad that lives with her just turned 99 and is in excellent health.  He gets around pretty good and still demands that she takes him out for a Dairy Queen every day!  Dar is the kind of person who had to get out every other day or she said, "I will just lose my mind!"  The quarantine just about did her in--mentally.  She walks 5 miles on her treadmill every day, so she's still in pretty good shape.  The other day, she was walking home from visiting Jackie and she saw a guy walking a dog.  So she rushed over to the dog to pet it and it bit her!  So she has been doctoring with that--antibiotics, steroids, etc.  Doesn't she realize?  You don't rush up to a dog that doesn't know you.  I don't even rush up to a dog that DOES know me--I let them come up to me.

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We did get a much needed rain today and more promised for tomorrow.  I woke up to the sound of rain--lovely--except it was coming in through my bedroom window screen all over the window sill.  It is nice though for the temps to be moderate enough to have all the windows and doors open--when it isn't raining in, that is.

Stay safe my friends in Florida and along the East coast.  There is a hurricane name Ass or something like that, that is coming at ya.

XX OO  Jude

Attended my nephew--my sister Susan's only child, wedding.  They had it out to The Farm, outside under all the 150 year old Maple Trees.  My nephew, Adam, would be 6th generation in our family and nice to have the wedding at the family Homestead.  Very small--about 50 people.

While I was there, got to have our 4 generation photo taken with Madeleine and my youngest great grandson, Benedikt--Beni.  I call him Bug, because he is as cute as a bug's ear.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

FEELING BETTER:

Here, in Michigan, we are trying to break a weather record set in 1954.  Consecutive days in the 90's.  The old record is 11 days...I think we are on day 9 or 10.  I don't remember us getting all upset back in 1954.  July was supposed to be hot and of course, we didn't have weathermen coming on every hour to tell us how hot it was or that we had set a record.  It was miserable, I'm sure.  Just like it is miserable now.  The main difference?  Now I live in an air conditioned house.  Back then, it was, lay on top of the bed and try and sleep while sweat poured off you and made the bed soggy.
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I saw a memory on my FB page this morning.  11 years ago I wrote, "Life is not the way it is supposed to be. Life is the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."

I was a lot smarter back then.  While the statement is true, I'm not coping very well with all that is going on.

I feel restless, but am not motivated to get out and go anywhere.  It's too hot.  I don't want to have to wear my mask.  I need to save the gas.

So, I prowl around the house and then, end up sitting in my chair, watching something dumb on TV and cross stitching.  I have even been know to fall asleep in my chair and take a nap around 4:00.  I am not a napper and don't want to get into that habit.

Tomorrow afternoon I have an appointment to get a hair cut.  It's been nearly 7 months.  I'm hoping that will make me feel like a new woman.  I'm getting awfully tire of this old one!

A high anxiety morning for me.

Karen has been picking up my groceries, these long 4 months and last night I was thinking that I should get back to doing my own shopping.

This morning at 9:15, I loaded up the back seat of my car with 3 bags of bottle returns.
I checked to make sure I had everything I needed. Even some ice water because the A/C in the car only works occasionally, and I knew it was going to be hot.

I prayed that God would protect me and keep me calmed and relaxed. I even had a note at the top of my list that read, "You can do this. You'll be fine."

I got to Meijer and hauled all 3 bags of bottle over to the return place only to find a sign that said they were closed until they got more containers. Oh well, no problem. I put the 3 bags back in the car. The guy behind me was upset and yelled the "F" word three times in a row.

When I got in the store and checked my list, I realized it was "backwards" as I usually go in the pharmacy door and back to the pet food section first. Oh well, no problem I started at the bottom of the list and worked my way up.

No Brownberry 12 grain bread that I like. Oh well, no problem, I just opened a new loaf yesterday.
I thought I was in the Howell store, but I was in Brighton, and everything is laid out differently. I was confused. I did find Koegel's Thick Slice bologna that I like for my noon sammich, Karen hadn't be able to find it the last two times.

I chugged along. My back and legs were already hurting. I am so weak. My balance is off, then I just happened to look down and I was and had been going the wrong way in the aisles. They have arrows on the floor, directing which way to go.

I went out into the center aisle and just stopped for a moment. I checked the "saying" I had written at the top of my list, got my bearings and did manage to figure out how to get to the Pepsi and milk aisle going the way the arrow showed me I must go.

Finally done with the grocery part, off to the more quiet part of the store where the pet food is, then up to the pharmacy area to get some soap and finally plodded along trying to find a check out.
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My Bridge Card had been reloaded last week, so my list was mostly food products and knowing Meijer would rather we use our cards, instead of cash that I normally use, I had put $$$ in the bank so I could use my debit card.

Got it all checked out and loaded, reached for my debit and Bridge card and..........................

The mask was hot. The long, heavy hair on my head was sweating. Tears sprang to my eyes as I explained to Dave the Cashier.

"I forgot to being my cards with me!"

"No problem." he said. "I'll push your cart over there. I'll keep the receipt, you go home and bring back the cards.

I knew right where they were. In the envelope that I carry my cash and Bridge card to pay for groceries.

I may have broken the speed limit getting home, but all the other cars were doing 55-60, so I joined in the fun.

Ran into the house--there were the two cards in the purple plastic envelope with the sticker that says, "GROCERIES".

Back to Meijer, limped in and found Dave. He finished the customer he had and then signaled for me to come forward. He rang up the receipt and the card reader asked me if I wanted to take $6.00 off my order, through my M-Perks.

I thanked Dave several times and told him, "I would hug you, but I know it's against the law right now."

Trust me. I will call corporate and put in a good word for him and he will be in my prayers tonight, asking for a blessing on him.
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All the way home, I argued with God, reminding Him that the least He could have done was remind me about the needed cards. As I pulled into the park entrance, the A/C starting blowing nice, icy air. I guess that was God's answer--giving me a break?

I backed in the driveway, up close to the porch steps and again asked, "Dear Lord, help me carry in this stuff."

So weak in my arms I can barely lift the sack with two Pepsi's in it. Lack of exercise has turned me into a wimp!

I am exhausted. My back and calves are screaming, BUT I did it and I will be fine!!!

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Later----I'm sure you want to hear the rest of the story.

Putting the groceries away, I sat down to look at the receipt. The total charge was $84.49. I thought, "That can't be. The only non-food I got was a Thistle Seed sock for the birds and dishwasher cleaner." I looked further and realized that my Bridge Card hadn't been rung up and $84.49 had come off my Debit Card.
EGADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So, I took a big drink of cold Diet Pepsi, went to the bathroom and headed back up to Meijer customer service.

Credit my Debit Card? Nope had to give me cash--I thought Meijer didn't like dealing in cash?

Ran my Bridge Card for $62.12--the amount of cash they had given me as a refund on my Debit Card.

I decided while I was there, I would speak with the manager about my cashier Dave. I told the manager a brief scenario and he thanked me and told me, for every compliment, the employee gets 500 points---which later turns in a bonus of $$$$$. YAY

Then I decided, as long as I was out, I would stop into the Smoke Shop to get some more E-oil for my Vape thingie and a couple of CBD oil pain patches. I headed up toward Howell. They were closed.

The nearest Smoke Shop? East end of Brighton!

Turned around and back on the road and 6 miles back to that Smoke Shop. They DID have the brand I like, so I was in luck.
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I missed my Soap, which I can watch tonight, but I got it all done and....I AM NOT LEAVING THIS HOUSE UNTIL ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something I posted on Face Book this morning:

I watched a TV show last night about Socialism and Communism--closely related.
So far, any attempt to have a Socialistic government, have failed and failed miserably--especially for the people living under it.
Look at , Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua to name a few.

First, Socialistic governments want to get rid of their old people, who they believe are a drag on their economy. Next comes the elimination of children and adults that are mentally compromised, e.g. Autistic, Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome, any condition that would keep that person from being productive to support the economy. Of course, Christians are eliminated, along with anyone else who is not of the race of that Country. You are regulated as to the number of children you can have. Many girl babies are either aborted or killed at birth. The population needs to be regulated.

Everyone is equal. Everyone works for the good of everyone else. Everyone gets the same amount of food, the same clothing, the same everything. Everyone on the same economic scale, except for the government leaders of course.

Without Capitalism to help drive the economy, it doesn't take long for it to fail.
Everyone still gets the same, which is starvation and loss of more life. People eating the vegetables from the fields where they work, are shot. They are being selfish for taking food from everyone.

As more people escape from the Country, even less people to work the fields, clean the streets, pick up the trash. Killings break out as people rob others to get what they need to sustain their life.
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Now my mind is going into high gear. LOL

Free college, sounds good. Free health care sounds great. Let's pick a medium economic "salary" for everyone. Let's say we all get $100K a year--government benefit of course. You can work at a higher paying job, but you will still only get $100K a year. Your neighbor can sit home, watch TV and drink beer all day and he will get $100K a year.

College is free, but why bother going, knowing that with or without a college degree, you will only get $100K a year.
I can sit here, in my elder years, and get $100K a year. Free health care, so no need to worry about having to pay for health insurance.

If I get sick and have to go to the hospital, of course I've had to wait months to get into the hospital, the shot they give, to eliminate poor unproductive me, will be free.
Hallelujah!

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My friend Helen's response:

 I lived under that system after WWll. We were starving and freezing toward the end of Hitler's Dictatorship. He had to have food for his troops.

We were fed when the Americans entered our city. I don't know how long they occupied our city. Germany was divided among the Allies. We then were occupied by the Russians , Communism /Socialism. The same as far as I am concerned. Again there was starvation, freezing (no coal) and raggedy clothing. Our salvation were occasional Care Packages from America and food and clothing packages from relatives from America. Coffee and Cocoa was coveted by the shopkeepers and richer people, not for money, (money was worthless) we bartered for food. Usually bread and potatoes. Potatoes were the most versatile. We figured out that just a plain potato could be used in about 5 different ways. Jesus was always there for our family. " Give us our daily bread." Not every day but he sustained us.

Since so many Germans were fleeing a wall was built to keep them FROM fleeing.No one left and many died trying.
When my cousins turned 65 they received permission to get a passport and Visa to come to America to visit us. They were here for maybe 2 months. Not allowed to go to Canada. They wanted to see Niagara Falls so we took them on the American side. We took them so many places. They drew a crowd at Bill's Food Market in Durand. They became highly excited when they saw all the different kinds of pickles. This was an impossibility under Communism/Socialism. The were fascinated that people could have garage sales. 

Yes every one was the same. No matter where you went to buy your food, the price was the same. No specials or sales. You had a job, most times it didn't matter what your education was. Since all incentive to do better for yourself was taken away all were poor. My relatives were allowed to come because they were 65 and the government didn't care if they never came back. They would be less of a draw on the state.

If you became a Communist you had some more privileges such as traveling to other Communist country, even the Black Sea.

They had collective farms, crop and dairy. They didn't do well since the government owned them. The workers didn't care and worked their required shift whether they were finished or not and walked off . There was no incentive or reward, monitary or other wise.

After 29 years of poverty and locked up to keep you from leaving the WALL came down. Another cousin went to West Berlin and said " I stood in front of the store windows and wept uncontrollably." "What fools we've been." They had no idea of what they didn't have.

Our kind of government is the best in the world. You have the opportunity to make something of your self. That is why so many come to America. The people that hate America and seem to want to destroy her should go and live in a Socialistic / Communistic country.

I am sorry for my rant Judy. This just fired me up. I don't have time to read what I wrote so let's hope it makes sense.

Blogger and I were in a fight.  For some reason, it wouldn't let me post photos, which ticked me off, so I didn't post.

Grandson Stephen and Carolyn's little wedding was just lovely.  I think I liked it better with just 50 of us in the church.  It seemed more intimate.  I don't have many photos of it as yet, just the ones Karen took.  We had a nice late lunch out at her place afterwards.

Yes I hugged him.  I hugged all of my grandchildren and didn't wear a mask.

 Grand Daughter Helene, holding the great grand babies and cousins.

Della, Harrison and Benedikt

I got to hold Benedikt, for the first time, and whisper his blessing in his ear.

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Last Friday Karen took me for my first pedicure as an early birthday gift for me.  I did wear my mask this time.

I just about slipped when I got up out of the chair with those slippery little flip-flops on.

It is sort of a tradition that daughter Pam paints my toenails on my birthday, but since I wasn't going to see her, Karen took care of it.  My feet still feel smooth.

Pammie called me Saturday because she had to work Sunday, on my birthday.

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Tomorrow is going to be my first real day out.  I am going to the Print Shop to get a genealogy to barter with the hair stylist for a hair cut.  She is the best, but I can't afford $40.00 every 5 weeks for a trim so I will give her the genealogy and get a free cute.  As long as it took me to do it, it should be worth 3 hair cuts. LOL

Then I am going to Michael's.  I need to make arrangements to get the kids wedding sampler, stretched on foam core and framed.  Their Big Do isn't until the middle of August, so I do have time.

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Well, how do you like the way the world is operating now?  BLM who I understand is an extreme left-wing instigators who don't really care all that much about black lives, they just want to cause more division and riots and anything that will mess with the election.

Tearing down Statues?  Although I am wondering why the Statues of FDR and LBJ are still standing, as they were big time racists.  Back in the day, some chuckled when LBJ signed the Civil Rights bill because he really disliked blacks, but he was forced into signing the bill.

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The Virus is still with us and probably will be for months or another year.  We have had only 28 people died in our County.  All in nursing homes, because our Democrat Governor, like Democrat Governor Cuomo, decided it would be a good thing to put recovering hospitalized people in a nursing home for rehab.  Although those recovering people were still contagious.

I am wearing a mask if I have to go out to pick up a prescription and I will wear a mask tomorrow to go into the stores.  One of these days, I will have to get over my slight case of agoraphobia that has settled in from not being able to go anywhere, and force myself to start getting my own groceries.  I kind of dread that first trip and if I am in the cat food aisle, picking out different kinds of wet food and NO ONE is around, I am sure I will pull that thing down under my nose so I can breathe!!!