My Weblog

Surprise?

Yes, I really AM considering moving. It's in the future, but it's possible. That "possible" thing is the biggie. Real estate is appreciating in value. The value I am seeing online for this home is pretty high, much higher than I'd suspected. It's even high enough to pay off the debt on the house and leave a good amount over. That is the first factor that makes this "possible". Prior to this, it seemed that even if I sold, I'd still end up owing because of various factors (like a $48,000 "medical lien" for one thing). Secondly, I would never have left this area as long as my daughter and/or my grandchildren were headquartered here. However, they're now in CA where I will never live and the grand kids are only coming to visit for a week now and then. They spend the week with their father and he allows me to see them. I might get to spend 4 or 5 hours with them 3 or 4 times a year. Can I continue to a) live in this ghastly heat and b) carry this financial load just so I can spend less than 20 hours a year with my grandkids? I don't see how I can do that. My heart says yes, but my head says no.

Believe me, the fact that it is "possible" is a total surprise to me. I have always known that God has a plan for me to live SOMEWHERE for the rest of my life. I've joked about living under a bridge, but that is just a joke, not what I expect. But, I had no idea what God's plan might be. I simply had to trust that there IS a plan. I was like a person who couldn't figure her way out of a paper bag, not because I'm stupid, but because the obstacles were SO big no matter where I turned. I know God does not forsake the righteous, so I wasn't going to be homeless. But the possibility that I could sell at a profit and move somewhere else and purchase something modest just didn't compute. Not until the daughter & grandkids moved and the price of real estate in this area soared.

I am not looking to move to a major city. I am looking more at smaller towns or rural. In those areas, though I cannot move for a while unless God ordains a miracle, prices will not go up like they have around here. And I am looking at buying something smaller, possibly even a manufactured home. This would allow me to reduce my nut by a lot. Why a manufactured home? Well, frankly, this will be my last home. I don't care if it appreciates from now til I depart this world. I DO care that it is "modern". I have seen a LOT of older homes built in the 50's for example. They are in what I would consider my price range, but they don't have a/c or they have kitchens the size of a postage stamp (like the one I have now, which I hate). I don't want to have to do a lot of updating just to make it to passable. I don't think I'll have a lot of capital to make that happen. I will admit, though, that a basement is a plus as far as I'm concerned. No basements with a manufactured home..........

So, I am going to sit back and see how all this develops. If I am supposed to move, there are some things that have to take place and I have NO control over those things. That's where God comes in. I have seen Him work astounding miracles in two very different situations. Whatever He has in mind, it will be different from what I've seen in the past, but the results will be good. I have no doubt of that.

I am home today. My part in all this moving thing is to keep the ball rolling with getting excess baggage out of this house. One thing on the agenda for tonight is canning up a bunch more ground beef. I have 28 pounds of it in my freezer and you know I don't have any HUMAN reason to count on that freezer. It's 40 years old. I promised myself it would be a waystation for what came into this house, not a destination. To that end, I need to can, can, can. I'll work on that tonight after the sun goes down. No need to overburden the a/c by making it fight 75 minutes of steam being poured into the kitchen as well as the heat. I'd like to work my way through about 10 pounds of meat. We shall see.

I have my eye on some books I want to pack up for donation. I also have my eye on getting rid of a certain piece of furniture that contains some old videotapes. Getting rid of those old videotapes is step one toward getting rid of the old broken down piece of furniture............And, of course, there are the tasks that have to be done to keep the place livable. So, I'll be busy today.

You take care in this heat and, above all, be BLESSED today.

A good day and the search continues...........

I spent only about 15 minutes in Lumber today. And, I didn't sit down. But I made it through on two Ibuprofen. Minimal pain. I had one "princess" customer. First came a guy who was just convinced that an item he was purchasing was supposed to be $14.97. Instead, it rang up at $29.97. He left and went back to take a photo of the price tab posted on the shelf. That revealed that the $14.97 price applied to a different item number than the item he had selected. I offered a small discount off the $29.97 but that was the best I could do. One of our guys from the relevant department took him back again to the department, then walked him back up and authorized me to charge him only $14.97. In the middle of all this another customer came up with a different item that rang up at $29.97. He maintained it should be $14.97. The same employee again authorized the lower price. In the meantime the line to check out was building. And, as has been usual lately, there was no one to open a register to help out. However, the register in Customer Service was open and did not have a line. Another employee pointed out to the next two customers that they could go to the other register. The customer in the back of the line moved on to the Customer Service register. The customer in front of him and behind the second $14.97 customer stuck it out. However, by the time I got the other two messes straightened out and processed, she was seething. It was her opinion that the gentleman behind her had been offered the opportunity to go to the Customer Service register and she had not been offered that opportunity. As she left she assured me she wasn't upset with me but she was "going to fill out the questionnaire".

Now, in reality, there are ALWAYS 2 registers open in that part of the store--the register I was on and Customer Service. Every register has a light above it and both my light and the light above the Customer Service register were on. She ALWAYS had the option to go to Customer Service. It was really no one's fault, but she was hoppin' mad.

After work I had the opportunity to socialize with a fellow employee. It was the other person's lunch break and I was off work. We went to Olive Garden which is very close to the store. Of course, she was on an tight schedule. Our food was her treat. I was served enough food to feed me for two or three meals. So, I brought goodies home with me. I enjoyed it very much. I haven't been to Olive Garden in years! I know it's not gourmet quality Italian food, but it sure hits the spot, particularly when you don't have to cook it!

So, I got home late. I did, however, water outside with the exception of the "garden" which, so far, has shown NO SIGN of anything growing............

I've been researching various areas I consider "possible" for future destinations. I set up a notebook in which I'm going to keep track of how I'm going to go after this project. So far, I've researched state income tax on social security benefits and sales tax on food. That eliminated one state: West Virginia.

My goal would be to get into something cheaply enough that I would not have to work. I've made some assumptions about possible increases in Social Security benefits between now and the time I might be able to make a break of it from here. That looks to me, at best, to be about 3 years from now, so let's all pray I can keep working that long!

Here's an observation that I think is kind of fun. I've always thought I might have some potential as a photographer. I'm not a pro by any means, but definitely, I think, better than average. I live in a decent sized city. I have access to Pinterest and have previously viewed all sorts of TV programs about staging a home for sale, etc. I've also looked at a LOT of professionally done photos of various living spaces. I am amused and sometimes aghast at the photos I am seeing, particularly of interiors of various homes for sale in small towns across the country. In many of the photos, you'd swear they are selling shower curtains! Counters in bathrooms are shown but not what is underneath. I saw one home with superior landscaping outside but, oh, my goodness, I've never seen such clutter and so many plants inside a living space in my life! Clutter and personal items are common in these photos as well as poorly made beds. It's so bad it's almost comical.

Well, enough for now. I'm headed to bed. See ya tomorrow.

 

A Place for Me

I would love to find a less expensive place to live. The popular word these days is "downsize". In particular, I'd like to "downsize" my monthly nut. But, also, I am beginning to think about downsizing my living space as well.

There are many considerations. First has been the question of WHERE would I go? I've checked around here. I cannot rent a decent sized apartment for what I am currently paying for housing. Believe me, I've checked. And with apartment living, there are problems of security and what about Parker and whatever dogs come after him. If I can't rent an apartment for less, you KNOW I can't rent a house for less. So, I don't think Vegas is the place for me.

I have done a good bit of searching via the internet for a place. I've looked at places like Montana and Wyoming. I've looked and looked at Florida. I've no hope of CA or OR or Washington, and I don't think I'd be caught dead living in CA about now. I am not enthused about Utah though I haven't really explored the northern part of the state. Arizona is pricey and just as hot as NV, meaning high power bills.

However, I have decided there are a few choices available. First, there is Pennsylvania. I know I wouldn't love the snow and ice, but if I didn't have to work, it would not be necessary to go out on snowy days. And, yes, there are places available to purchase there that I could manage without working. I've been looking at the small city where my father's family is located. It's an "old" town, as compared to the western US, but it's doable. After all, I'm "old"--I should fit right in. And yes, the company does have a branch in that town. I've also seen some affordable places in western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. I'm going to keep looking, apparently in the east or mid-Atlantic states. Small towns and rural with access to a city.

It's encouraging to consider that I could possibly get out from under the burden of this nut I'm carrying around here. For a long time, I have not thought that possible. So, I'm going to put together a plan of action. I have many ducks to get all lined up. It may be more like herding cats. No doubt it will be a many-step process. At the very least, it will motivate me to keep decluttering. Now I can truly ask myself as I go "Would I move this?" I can see lots of things headed to Goodwill or the curb. For financial reasons, I doubt I could accomplish anything for a couple of years but there's hope on the horizon..............

Disappointing, to say the least.........

I was hailed on Messenger Friday night by a co-worker. She asked me what I'd heard about her at work. Well, honestly, I'd heard nothing, but then I am not part of the "in crowd". I don't want or need to be part of the "in crowd". It's my goal to show up when I'm supposed to and do my job as well as I possibly can and treat my customers and co-workers with care and appreciation. Beyond that, I don't need to be in on the gossip, or the complaints about management or customers. She informed me that she'd been fired. I was shocked. There are more than a few employees I'd nominate for being fired, but, not being "in the know", she would not have been on my list. She has had a very tough job; she has been working outside in the cold, in the heat. NOT a job for weaklings, let me tell you. She seemed to need to talk about it. She didn't want to talk about it on Facebook, but wanted to meet face to face. We arranged to get together this afternoon after I got off work.

I hadn't even clocked in this morning when I was asked whether or not I was going to apply for the full time position. I innocently asked "what full time position"? I was informed about the firing and that it had opened a full time position. Well, no thanks. I could not possibly survive taking on that position. I don't think I could handle the exposure to the elements physically and I don't think I could physically handle the additional hours, particularly under such extreme conditions.

So, eventually I picked up the rumors. NOT good. Really NOT good. I have always (since High School) worked in professional positions and been surrounded by professionals. Professionals are a different breed, Short of being on the way to the hospital, we show up when we're supposed to. We show up ready to work. Behavior such as what was being described to me would be unheard of in a professional. Of course, people at any level have flaws and I don't mean to imply that these things NEVER happen among professionals. But, motivating worker bees to give their best and motivating professionals to do their best, well, those can be entirely different animals, particularly given today's ethics, etc. IF the rumors are true, I'd have had to let her go if I were in a management position. I can't disagree with the decision to do so, again if the rumors are true.

By the time I got off work, it had clouded up. It was just beginning to rain up on the hill. I drove for about 40 minutes through the rain and the crazy traffic that comes when it rains in the desert. We had arranged to meet at a "local" casino (a casino that caters to locals). I haven't been inside that place, most likely not in a decade. I parked in the wrong place and had to walk and walk through the place, looking for our arranged meeting place. These days, that is painful for me and it's kind of risky if I'm having one of those days where my balance is whacked out. It was slow going and I had to stop and rest and ask for directions several times, but I got there. She was not there. I waited almost half an hour for her and she did not show up. So, I had to make my way slowly through the hotel area and the casino area to where I had parked and then I had to drive home in the rain in the crazy traffic.

I went because I thought I could be of some help to her. That didn't happen. But, at least I went. I think that's more than a lot of other people would have done. No matter what her problem may be, God loves her and I hoped to show her some of that love. If she contacts me again, I'll try again to meet with her. However, this time, I think I will ask her to go out of her way to get to me rather than meeting her in what I presume is her neighborhood. If she's not willing to make THAT effort, then I am pretty sure she is not willing to make ANY effort.

The day went well. I did the morning in Lumber which allowed me to sit for most of the time. My biggest blessing for the day was that I managed to work the whole shift without either pain pills or ibuprofen. A rare pain free day. What a blessing it will be when those days are less rare..............

Another small blessing. I was almost out of my heart medication. I picked up a refill on my way home. I have been paying around $47 for that medication. Sometimes it's $44. I just never know. Today, it was only $24. I would love if that becomes a trend. It would be a help.

Oh, and another blessing: apparently the crisis in work hours is alleviated. The week of the 11th I am back up to 5 days a week. Or, maybe the crisis is still on and it's just that I've been forgiven for asking for that week of unpaid time off. In any case that's a vast improvement over last week when I only got 3 shifts, and other weeks in the recent past where I've been limited to 4 shifts.

So, I got home more than 2.5 hours late. I don't think I'll get a whole lot done tonight. Well, as Scarlett said, there's tomorrow, God willing.

a trashy topic..........

Yesterday was the last day of "normal" trash pickup in the 'hood. I knew this was coming. It hit my son-in-law months and months ago and I knew it was headed my way. Well, it's here. I received, on the curb, two shiny new blue trash bins. One has a light blue lid, one has a black lid. Here's a key: the lids are attached/hinged. From now on, trash pickup will be only one day a week. Well, mostly that's what I've gone with anyway. I don't generate a lot of trash. But, also, half the time, if I have trash, I forget to put it out. And, you know that with my crazy work schedule, I don't always know what day of the week it is. So, once a week will work for me, if I remember it's Tuesday, particularly in that these bins are larger than the bin I had before and now there are 2 bins instead of one.

They gave us a list of what was recyclable, complete with pictures. If it's recycling, I can just dump it into the bin and wheel it to the curb. If, however, it's "trash" (whatever they deem non-recyclable) it has to be bagged within the bins. I'm pretty well convinced that the trash company hereabouts must have stock in a company that manufactures trash bags.........

Their claim is that this will keep neighborhoods cleaner (because of the lids on the cans and because "trash" is bagged). That may well be true. They will be sending two trucks through the 'hood every trash day. One truck will empty the black lidded containers (trash) and the second truck will empty the blue lidded containers (recyclables). And it appears they intend to do "bulk" pickup every other trash day. On bulk pickup week, they will send 3 trucks through the 'hood...........

My biggest concern with all this is that the bins, empty, are heavy. I had to tug both of them in from the curb last night and that was a much bigger job than my lonely little ole trash bin I've used for years. But that old trash bin was ready to fall apart. At least I don't have to buy a new trash bin.

My second concern is that I'm pretty sure "business" doesn't do anything for free. Now maybe their labor savings will be enough to make up for the bins. But, the possibility exists that a rate increase lurks in my future. And rate increases never get rolled back. So, 20 years from now, if I'm alive, I might still be paying for these same trash bins.........

And, I may have gripes about other things that are part of this system later on, but what torques me off right now is that grocery bags are NOT recyclable.

If NV doesn't soon do something about grocery bags, I may lose my cool at the store. I can't tell you how many times a day folks ask me for a bag when they could easily carry their little package of screws out of the store in their hand or even in their pocket. There is one particular racial group that REALLY wants those bags. If a customer is from that racial group, I may as well just drop their package of screws into a bag without asking. Someone who may have some reason to know told me it is because they are taught to be frugal and they think the bag is something they have paid for. Don't know if that's true but it could be. However, a lot of folks who ask for bags have the mistaken idea that having a bag will protect them from anyone stopping them at the door to check their receipt. That is a total fallacy. First, there is not always someone at the door to stop them. Particularly, with the lower staff hours, our managers are having to spend a lot of time on a register, usually in customer service. Second, it is well known that shoplifters will steal an item, get their hands on an empty bag, and then try to return the item for cash using the bag they found blowing around in the parking lot as "proof" they bought the item for cash in our store. It doesn't work, but they try anyway. A shopper's best defense is a receipt and a cashier who looks them in the eye when they are cashing out. As in, evidence and a witness!

I try to reuse the bags I get. And I try to use reusable bags whenever possible. However, even if I reuse one of those bags, they are still going to end up in a land fill for hundreds of years. I hate to think my grandchildren's grandchildren are going to be saddled with figuring out what to do with a bag I put into a landfill................

Shorts and my day...........

I made it to work today. And, actually, it wasn't too bad, considering. Last night two vertebrae or discs or whatever popped, apparently back into place. Glory be! I did take half a pain pill today but I did not have to supplement with Ibuprofen. And that is really awesome because there was a screwup with one of the head cashiers. She marked me as having taken my break when I hadn't had one. So, instead of working about 2.5 hours and getting to sit down for 15 minutes, I worked 3 hours and 21 minutes before I got a break. And I only got my break then because I asked for it! It did make the second part of my day go fast, but.........

I had one somewhat snippy customer today. Oddly enough, it was a man. (Usually it's the ladies with whom I have a problem (princesses, I guess)). A gentleman approached the register and laid some merchandise on the counter and I rang it up. I noticed, however, that he had a drink can he was holding back and he had it under his wallet, partially blocked from view. Well, honestly, it's not unusual for customers to forget that the drink they've been enjoying as they walked through the store did NOT come in with them. If I see a bottle of water or a canned soft drink, I always ask whether or not they brought it in. ALWAYS. And 9 times out of 10, they did not bring it in. They pulled it out of one of our coolers and simply forgot about it. Well, this guy decided to get snippy about it. "I would have put it on the counter if I got it here." I simply said, "I'm sorry, sir. A lot of times folks will get a drink in the store and forget to put it on the counter so I always ask". Hopefully, he accepted that and decided to get on with his life. If not, I'll hear about it Sunday or Monday..............

I told you a couple of weeks ago that they "updated" the time-keeping software. It has NOT gone smoothly. I know I have tomorrow off. And, I know I work on Sunday because I confirmed that before I left the store today. However, I haven't been down in Lumber all week and that's where I ALWAYS check my schedule when I'm at the store. I've tried multiple times to sign in from home and it is just NOT working. I sure hope they get it functioning properly soon. Checking my schedule day by day doesn't sound like a very efficient way to handle things. I'm concerned that something will be missed and I will inadvertently not show up for work on a day for which I am scheduled! A) That would be frowned upon, no matter how good the excuse, and B) I need the money!

About shorts. I have a group of shorts that I bought used on e-bay, years and years ago. I bought them before Joe died, and that was in 2011. So, you can guess they are looking worn. I've worried about that for several years and I've bought a few pairs of shorts here and there. But I haven't been able to buy enough to replace all those e-bay shorts. It's becoming situation critical. I've relegated one pair of denim shorts to being worn only at home. They are in sad shape. Decent sized holes have developed where the pockets attach to the front of the shorts. The hem area is completely frayed out. And there are several areas in the waistband area where the fabric has worn through so much that you can see the drawstring enclosed within the front of the waistband. And, in the back, below the elasticized part of the waistband, there are multiple small holes from wear. None of the other pairs of shorts are quite so bad as far as wear is concerned. The white shorts, even when bleached, are becoming pretty discolored and the fabric has worn thin. The khaki shorts and one pair of denim shorts are in the best shape and, honestly, the khaki fabric feels "thin" too.

I think it's finally time to get serious about replacing shorts. I will be wearing shorts everyday for the next 2 months. And I'll be washing them. And we all know that washing clothes helps make them wear out sooner. I don't have enough $$$ to buy a bunch of shorts at once. But, I'm going to buy at least 2 pairs in the next day or so. I may not wear them this summer, but.......... They sell out. And I buy them from QVC. I've had really good luck with their shorts and pants. Really good luck. And I know what size to order. I've bought from them for years so there's no guesswork as to whether or not what I order will fit. I figure I have probably been wearing the QVC shorts I bought used off of e-bay for about 10 years. I think their shorts are worth the price given how long they last. If I wait any longer I will have to wait at least a couple of months into next summer before I can get more. Summer in the Philly area comes a lot later than the beginning of summer in Vegas. Yes, I think it's time...........

So, I'm off tomorrow. And, typically, I'm a bundle of energy tonight. This has to be some sort of psychological phenomenon. In any case, all the watering, both inside and out has been done. I've stripped my bed and I have the sheets washing. And, I've folded and put away the last load of clothes which were on the indoor hanging rack. I'm still feeling pretty good. So, I'll see what else I can get done tonight. I hope you had a BLESSED day today. I certainly did!

 

I've gone and done it again..........

Right now I have 2 cell phones. One is pretty much strapped to my body all day. The other is beginning to be something I carry most of the time. But last night, I was not carrying phone #2. Instead, it was on the counter in the bathroom where I'd emptied the pockets of a pair of shorts in order to throw the shorts into the washer. So, it was bedtime, I bent over to look at the phone and my back popped. Oh, Lord............ I am so grateful that this stuff, if it has to happen, happens on my days off. But I surely do wish it didn't happen at all. So, my plans for today have gone by the wayside.

I made myself some biscuits. I figured I could manage that in that I really didn't have to slam that rolling pin around to achieve thinly rolled dough. Instead, I just wanted dough that was about 1/2 inch thick. I can darn near achieve that with my hands. So, not much bending, not much work with the rolling pin. And my biscuits were yummy.

And, I think I have been vertical as long as I can be (if I'm in the mood to be sensible). I don't really want to go lie down, but I HAVE to be well enough to go to work tomorrow. So, I'll go lie down knowing that I've accomplished next to nothing today. Well, there's always tomorrow............. And I have Saturday off.

How hot is it?

There are two answers. First, the Weather Channel says it's 113 at 5:30PM. Second, it is so hot that the COLD water coming out of the COLD water tap feels warm to the touch. Unless I'm mistaken, for water to feel warm to the touch, it has to be warmer than body temperature. Now, I realize that this can be a symptom of some diseases, but it's not. It's just that I am darned sure my pipes are not even marginally insulated and the ground is HOT. The pipes are likely under the house and, so, not as hot as say the back yard. But warm enough to warm the water flowing through them.

I have a white shirt on which I splashed a combination of milk, coffee, and chocolate. I know I don't want to wash that in warm water as it may well set the stain. So, I decided to pre-soak in "cold" water. Trouble is, I can't get "cold" water. Maybe if I added ice? And, yes, I added ice to the drink I am currently drinking and the ice felt cold so, again I say, this is no symptom of some dread physical condition............

Trusting my gut.....

I decided I'd make some turkey and dumplings, or what my family calls "pot pie". In the past, when I've made this, I've had bones and a bit of meat, made a nice broth in a big pot, and then added in the dumplings. But I had some turkey broth I'd canned when I made a turkey in November. I decided to use that. So far, so good. However, I had recently heard that when making the dumplings, you add as many cups of flour as you add cups of broth. Well, I had 4 cups of broth. I couldn't figure out what I was going to do with such a big batch of dumplings. So I cut the flour to 3 cups and worked from there. Honestly, as I began adding the raw dumpling dough to the broth, I still felt like I had too much dough/too many dumplings. But I pressed ahead.

Tasty, you bet! BUT, I ended up with a mass of dumplings that more or less all stuck together. I've since used some chicken bouillon and increased the liquid. I've also eaten several helpings of the dumplings. And still I have this big mass of stuck together dumplings in the pot.

When I first started cooking, I knew nothing. And, if I turned out something edible and managed to get everything to the table at relatively the same time, it was a cause for celebration. But, I've been cooking now for decades and more decades. I'm not a novice anymore. Over those decades, I've learned a lot. Yet, I trusted someone else's judgement more than I trusted my own. And that was a mistake. My judgment has developed as a result of experience and there isn't a better teacher...........

So, I have two days off. I stayed up last night very late. And I slept in this morning. And, now I'm about ready to take a nap!

I have not done a nebulizer treatment since yesterday morning. I'm keeping a close eye on the oxygen level per my little meter. It's not up where it should be, but it's still up 3 or 4 percentage points over where it was yesterday morning. So, I'm doing better. I guess weeks and weeks of high pollen counts together with the dust and sawdust at the store finally caught up to me.

We're under another "excessive heat warning" and there is still a high pollen count. I won't spend the money on gasoline, but I sure would like a trip to Mt. Charleston to get a bit of a break in the heat. The forecast is for 111 degrees today and the temperature on the mountain is normally about 30 degrees cooler. I kick myself often remembering that I was once given the opportunity to buy a cabin up on the mountain for $30,000. I'll bet that place would easily sell for a quarter million now, if not more. And I could have been enjoying cool summers up there for many, many years.

Oh, well. I'm going to give it up for a while and sleep some more. Then I'll get up and hit it hard this afternoon and evening.

Sometimes you just have to..........

nebulize! Yup, I gave up the bare knuckle fight and the brass knuckle fight and pulled out the big gun. I've used my maintenance inhaler faithfully. I've dosed myself with the albuterol inhaler. But, this morning I've pulled out the dreaded nebulizer. It DOES help the breathing. Within about 10 minutes my blood oxygen popped about 4%. I have color in the palms of my hands whereas before they were very pale and washed out. Yup, doin' better. Now all I have to do is look out for the side effect that it has on me--muscle cramps. I was just putting on some makeup and noticed completely involuntary twitching in certain muscles in my face. That does not bode well, but I will try to limit myself to two nebulizer treatments today and maybe I can sneak by............

And, of course, the pollen level today is "high" again. Add that to the dust and the sawdust floating around in the air in the store and things get really "interesting". However, when I'm getting so few hours, staying home sick is not really an option unless I'm hospitalized or something.

I did NOT sleep well last night. Not even after I added a second pillow. I think I finally got about 4 hours of sleep, maybe 5............

That's all for now.........