What A Week I’ve had!

Is it over yet???

This has been (excuse my language) one Hell of a week and I am ready for something good to happen.

Last Wednesday was only my second full payday since I started working again….It is nice to have money, but this week has wiped out even most of what I had already saved.

First, I go to Wilmington to pick up my youngest son who had gone down there for a few days hoping to get his truck back on the road.  I had already sent in my renewal for AAA (a road service) as I haven’t been able to afford it for 3 years and thought I may need this in the future…..I didn’t know how soon the future would be….

When my middle son and I got to Wilmington, the youngest wasn’t ready to leave yet, so my middle son and I went to their local Walmart and did a little shopping….things I needed and had put off buying for lack of funds….you know, simple things like razors to shave my hairy legs, etc.

On the way home, we had a flat tire on my car….Luckily I had one of those “Compact” spares in the car, a 4-way and a jack….and 2 able body sons to change it….When I got back home, I went to the local tire store to get a new tire….They wanted $68 for just the tire (that included mounting and balancing)….Not wanting to be totally broke, I decided to go to the local Auto salvage yard instead….There I got a practically new tire ON the rim for only $45.. Then I went home and put it on the car….

The next day, I received news that my Husband’s Aunt Helen had passed away.  She has had many illnesses over the years and had been in and out of nursing homes and hospitals for the past month….but this was a little unexpected as she went down hill very fast….She was 75. She was the youngest sibling, and the last living sibling in the family.  Of all of my husband’s aunts and uncles, I can say I knew her the best.  I have visited her home and am close to her Daughter, grand-daughter and Great-grand- daughter Emily whom you have seen photos of.

On Saturday, while at work, my cell phone fell from my pocket…..into the toilet!

Sunday, on Mother’s day….I went out as soon as the cell phone store and put the down payment on a new Smart phone. It took me from 11 a.m. until I went to work at 5 p.m. to figure out how to work the darn thing….and I’m still not sure of some things!

Monday was the Viewing for Aunt Helen.  Emily was there and within 5 seconds, she had figured out how to get to the camera on my phone and was taking photos and videos, scrolling through the photos and operating it like she had one of her own!!!  Did I mention she was only 2 years old???!

Tuesday was the funeral…..I had already told all the managers at work that I might be late going in because of the funeral, but I still called the 800 number and got Corporate permission to be late.  I told Joyce and Dawn that I would stop by the funeral home after the graveside service to pick up the flowers and photo collages I had made for them and take them to her home for the wake afterwards….

Almost hours late for work, I finally get back into town…..almost…..I have another flat tire on the other side!!  A man stops to help with the tire this time and lets the car fall off the jack on to the concrete drive where I had pulled off the road….but we get the compact spare back on….Only to have more problems before I get to work…Seams like now either an axle or the rotor is bent from the fall as it’s making one heck of a racket….But I get to work okay and no one is mad or upset at me….In fact, they are wondering why I called in after they already knew I would be late!

The next day, I was visiting with Barb and she insisted on loaning me the money for a new tire…..So I go back to the salvage yard and get the mate for the one I bought the week before…..and put it on in time to go to work again….(the racket is still there)

This morning is my Day off…..

My sister woke me up to tell me that last night MY Aunt Helen passed away!!  She had just turned 76 this year.  She had been in an Assisted living Center because she needed help remembering when to take medications, etc. She was the Youngest child in my Mother’s family.

my Aunt Shirley, Aunt Helen and my mother, Margaret. 

They say it comes in 3’s……I’m almost afraid of who will be next….

One thing I do know is this past week has been very challenging, and I am ready for it to be over…..

Is it Friday yet???

 

Hugs and love to all!

Staying Busy, Keeping up

So Wal*Mart is keeping me pretty busy…..

So far I have been getting between 27 and 30.5 hours a week…I can work as many as 33 and still remain part time…They usually don’t hire any full time people….Keeps from having to pay medical for them I guess….Although I guess if I really needed to, I could have it taken out of my check even if I am only part time.

I received my first full pay check last week….It’s so nice to have money even if over 2/3 of it went to buy groceries!  I am having them put so much into a savings account for me every week….which is the only way I have any money now…I filled the car up for the first time in a long time; and because I bought my groceries at the Giant Eagle, I saved $1 per gallon on the gas there….nice!!!  The good thing is, my husband got paid 2 days after I did so I can buy other things I need with cash without having to dip into my accounts…and Tomorrow is the 1st so I’ll have more money to spend then.  By the time I get done paying bills there won’t be much left anyway…maybe $75….which will last until next week when we get paid again.

I have less time to run errands for the lady across the street but I still do her shopping once a week and mow her yard for her as needed….Lately the weather has kept the grass from growing much and kept the yards damp from recent rains….I will mow it tomorrow whether or not she wants it done or not….it’s been 2 weeks! Our yard really needs it as it seams to grow wild sometimes.  The last time I mowed the lawns, I did our yard first and then went across the street to do her yard.  When I came home I found a baby possum in our garden. 

If he looks mad, it’s because we picked him up by the tail with gloves on to put him on the path back to his Mama….He got distracted because the yard next door has a gate he could get under, so we had to pick him up a second time….now I will say he could fit in the palm of your hand if you did decide to take your chances holding him.

Not much time for knitting or crocheting and my quilt pieces are crying out for attention.  My new sewing machine, while managing to be taken out of the box and set up has not even been threaded for the first time…I will want to buy a plastic case for it to keep it from collecting dust. 

I have a new project I just started.  I learned to make “Duct Tape Roses”

…I practiced with the gray tape I had, now I want to get more colors….Duct tape comes in lots of colors now! 

So now I have managed to catch you up on things….My hours are all over the place…I work anywhere from a 4 hour shift to a 9 hour shift (with lunch after about 4 hours).  I have gone to work as early as 6:30 a.m…..and left as late as 11 p.m….so there is no getting used to the hours.  My legs are sore, my back hurts….but so far I really enjoy the people I work with…..except when the CSM decides to wait to send me on my 15 minute break until 20 minutes before time for me to go home anyway!

The good news is, since I have been working, I have heard from my grand children more often.

More later….when things get slow again!

Hugs and Love to all!

 

You can Satisfy some of the people some of the time…..

I think some people just like to make other people miserable.

This is the case with my mother-in-law. No matter what I do, I can’t satisfy her. 

Case in point; I mow the lawn, weed, edge and care for the flower beds….But in her eyes, I don’t do it right.  Every year I go through this.  She doesn’t understand that every so often, you need to dig bulbs up, separate them and bring them closer to the surface to make them continue to bloom and flourish.  Every year I weed out the Hosta beds and after they have bloomed and start to die back, I cut them off and allow them to hibernate until the next spring….They have come up stronger every year and I think much prettier than when they were left to grow wild on their own.  I have grown marigolds every year and when the blooms die, I take them apart and save the seeds for the next year….I planted Four O’ Clocks that seed themselves and come up every year making the front flower bed full of color. 

I carefully mow around plants that have been planted willy-nilly in the yard with no barriers to prevent them from growing where they please….I use hand edgers to get all the weeds and grass away from their bases to make them pretty….But I “don’t do it right”…..

Well guess what? I am the only one who takes the time to work in the yard and to keep it neat and pretty.  I’m not allowed to plant bushes or flowering trees because she doesn’t like them…Not even azaleas, Dogwood or Forsythia…

The 81 year old lady across the street pays me to mow her lawn once a week….$17….I use the mower we have here as Barbara hasn’t owned a mower in 10 years.  And every time I mow, I hear crap about “Doesn’t Barb own her own mower?”  The answer is NO!!! But no one pays me to mow our yard and we do pay for the gas that goes in the mower. 

Yesterday, after I got off work, I mowed Barb’s yard, then mowed and edged our yard.  Do I get a thank you or a “The yard looks nice” from my Mother-in-Law??? No!! I get “The grass is uneven”….because out front where the cars are parked I can not mow right up against the curbs and the ground isn’t level where trees once were….or I hear “That edger needs a guard on it” because it kicks up the grass it clips when I edge. Or I heard how the Easter Lillies that were in the back yard didn’t come up this year…..  probably because we didn’t have a hard winter and they are getting too deep in the ground. 

Now she is telling me she wants to take up the landscape timbers and bricks around the flower beds to replace it with plastic fencing.  Well Plastic fencing will allow the grass and weeds to take over the flower beds….and if that happens, I will quit weeding…Plastic fencing also cracks, breaks, fades, etc due to weather conditions or age….It would need replacing probably every year….

She complains about only having $12 left until the end of the month, but she spends at least $20 a week on lottery tickets….so far she hasn’t won anything near what she has spent in the 20 years she has been playing it….

Maybe I am wrong, but if you are that poor in the middle of the month, shouldn’t you be doing anything you can to save money???  Landscape timbers are generally pressure treated and made to last a long time….I have been in this house for 4 years and the timbers were here long before that….If she is that concerned about how everything in the yard looks, why doesn’t she get off her butt and get out in the yard and do the work herself….

I know I’m on a tirade and it’s not Wednesday, but Heaven help me…..I do what I can.

There is a saying about Pleasing some of the people some of the time; "You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time."   But she is one person I can never please….no matter what I do and I am tired of trying to live up to her expectations….

My Daddy always taught me, “If you don’t like what is being done, change it, or do it yourself”

I think it is time I gave up trying to please her and let her do it herself.

Hugs and love to all!

Working Stiff

I have officially been employed now for 1 week.

I work at the Wal*Mart here in town as a cashier….I have worked for 2 other Wal*Marts in the past.  The first I started in the photo lab and the second I started as a cashier and ended up in the photo lab….I don’t want to end up in the photo lab this time as there never is anyone back there whenever I go past there.  They have to work several other areas and you have to hunt them down if you need help.

Wal*Mart has changed since I worked there 3 years ago.  First, you have to wait 90 days before you can get your employee discount card.  Then they no longer issue paychecks every payday. The issue your first one….which usually is only for your 4 hour orientation day, and then you MUST set up direct deposit.

This means I received my first pay check yesterday….after taxes $25… I went in an hour early so I could go to the bank inside Wal*Mart and set up an account.  They have other means you can get paid…They have a money card you can use or you can use a pre-paid credit card (which is what I did in the past). But I decided to see what the bank could do.  An hour later, just in time to go to work, I had a new checking and savings account….with no money in either….

Next step was either on my break or before or after lunch, I would have to go to their computers and set up the direct deposit….Do you see where I am going here??  The employee has to do it all now where as the personnel representatives used to do this for you.  But I’m not done yet….I had to go on-line when I got home to the bank’s website, watch a Powerpoint presentation and print off a certificate to get $25 deposited into my savings account.  Then I had to set up on-line banking….Whoooo! It’s a good thing I have a computer!!

Another change is they no longer print schedules and post them in the store on a schedule board….You guessed it!  I have to get that on-line, too!!  For this I had to go to personnel and get my 9 digit employee number…Then it’s back on-line , fill out more profile data, set up my employee site and print the schedule….

At least I am working….which means less time to Facebook….

But I am only part-time which means no benefits and no more than 32 hours a week….

But it also means I am one sore person right now…I am not used to standing on my feet for an 8 hour shift yet.

So if you don’t see me for awhile, I am probably at work or sleeping….

Hugs and Love to all!!

Every Little Bit Helps

Earlier this year, my husband got bad news….Actually, I’m surprised it took so long as I’ve been expecting something like this….No he’s not sick….He didn’t get fired….None of his relatives died….The IRS caught up with him.

You see, I started filing taxes separately over 15 years ago.  I was tired of paying taxes all year long and everything I paid in going to pay what he owes because his employers and the Government (through his retirement) weren’t taking enough out of his check.  I had tried to explain to him over and over that he needed to claim 0 deductions on his W-2’s so they would take out more money….He stubbornly decided he wanted more money every pay day….

As a rule, I always had extra taken out of my checks.  I wouldn’t miss $10 a pay day if it meant I’d get a bigger check in the spring…

We moved to Ohio in 2002….and my husband has not filed his taxes since….So the government has decided he owes over $14,000 in federal taxes.  (He owes probably close to that in State, local and school taxes; too!) 

Now my husband takes all his mail , unopened, and piles it on a table beside the couch….I’m not allowed to open it or know anything about his income or bank account….But after 32 years, I think I am entitled to know….So one day I opened every piece of mail of his I could find…..and there it was; a letter from Cleveland with a garnishment applied by the Federal IRS for $252 per month beginning in March!

Well…..that’s a big bite out of our monthly income!  I also found out later that the state of Ohio has been garnishing his Target pay check….(I don’t know how much they get).

After talking to several knowledgeable people, I called the IRS.

Of course they wouldn’t speak to me because I wasn’t the “Taxpayer” but I put my husband on speaker phone so I could help him with things he didn’t know…..We were transferred to 4 different people before someone finally gave us what we needed…..They are sending us 6 years of tax papers (everything we need to file) for “him”  to fill out and return….Now you know who will be doing the “filling out”…..ME!

So here sometime in this next week, I will be getting writers cramp…..He also has to fill out a promissory note to pay anything back he does owe….If he is due refunds, they will probably apply to what he owes….but the good thing is they will stop the garnishment….at least on the Federal side….

Each year has to go in a separate envelope, and then all 6 can go in a larger envelope….and hopefully all, or at least some of our money woes will be over.

When I heard we were going to lose so much money each month, I made adjustments….I went down and changed my cell phone contract to a cheaper rate….I moved everything from a downstairs storage unit into a smaller upstairs unit for half the price, and thus saved about $75 a month.

This past week, Barbara, the 81 year old neighbor lady I run errands for asked if I would like to cut her grass for her this year.  She pays $17 a week…..there’s another $68 a month….

And on Tuesday, another neighbor, Arlene asked if I would take care of her 2 cats while she goes to visit family in Arizona for 2 weeks…..She paid me $40….I have to go over twice a day to give them their “treat”, (which includes medication for one of the cats) make sure they have dry food and water, and clean out their litter box….

Now in case you weren’t following along…..I made up $183 of the $252 we lost on the first…..

What has my husband done to help? You may ask…..

NOTHING!!! 

He still maintains his selfish ways….eating more than his fair share of food and not worrying about whether or not anyone else has anything to eat or not.  For instances, I went to  the cheapest store in town and using my “kitty” fund, bought bread, some of those packages of ham that cost 49₵, cheese, margarine, etc….I could make grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for the entire family…..He waited until after he had already eaten dinner, and then made 3 sandwiches for himself using up an entire package of the ham in less than an hour!!!  I had been to church that evening and paid $2 for dinner there, so I didn’t even eat any of what I had fixed at home for the 3 of them….and he made sure there were no leftovers!

 

“Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those I had to kill and the strength to resist the desire to choke the living shit out of some asshole who desperately needs it.”

P.S.….. I thought you’d enjoy these pics of the kitties getting a drink of water…..

Hugs and Love to All!

 

Hey Look! I finally wrote another Blog!!!

Do you Believe?

Some people believe in Reincarnation….

They believe that they have had past lives and that you continue to be reincarnated until you “get it right”.

I’m not so sure about that…..But I would like to believe there has to be something better than this.

If I were to live another life, there are many things I would like to change.  First of all, maybe I could be born an only child of a prominent family…..Maybe born as a boy….

I’d grow up doing things I couldn’t do in this life.  Learn to play musical instruments, play team sports, go on vacations around the world or even just in my own country…. have a family that always did things together and the words “I Love You” were spoke every day.

I’d be popular.  I’d have lots of friends who wanted to be around me. I’d go to the movies and amusement parks with them.  I’d go to dances and proms.

I’d graduate with my class and go to college. 

I’d own my own successful business, own my own home and own a new car.

I’d be single; and happy.

I’ve learned that being a part of a big family isn’t always a good thing.  It isn’t always a happy life but more often than not, it’s a sacrifice.  If I wanted to do anything growing up, I had to work to pay for it.  Although it taught me a valuable lesson; “Nothing in life is free”, it left a lot to be desired.  This left little time for friends.  My clothes were bought from the discount shelves; very rarely in style….my cars were always used clunkers.

There wasn’t money for music lessons, vacations, college……I often felt like I was missing out on something.

Then I got married and had children of my own…..and the circle continued…..no money, no friends, used cars, no real “home” of my own….just a long line of places I either owned for a short time or rented…..and no love…..

Now I’m old…..The children are grown with children of their own and once again I am alone….Oh, I have a husband….but no love….

I don’t know who said “life is no bed of roses” must have been a lot like me.  First of all a bed of roses is painful…all those thorns….but the smell is sweet and leaves you longing for something.  Something I don’t know if I will ever have or experience…But it has to be better than feeling this alone and unloved.

If I do have another life coming; I hope it is a happier one.

Hugs and Love to all!!!

So Much for That Idea!

For my 55th Birthday last year, Barbara, the 80 year old lady I run errands for paid for my yearly membership to the local Senior Center….(You have to be 55 to join.)

I have been attending Photography Club meetings there and had seen some of the things they offered there; heated pool, fitness center, clubs and classes of all sorts, Waffle Breakfast every Thursday…..I thought it would be something to do to get me out of the house.

Shortly after she paid, I received my membership tag, a monthly calendar and a brochure of all  the activities offered there.  They have ballroom dancing classes, Zumba, trips, etc.

One of the things they offered was a club called “Quilt Charms”….for quilters.  I decided to attend one of their meetings and just see what was going on.  A lady I had met at the  Knitting class at the church, Mariam, said she goes to the quilt club and was a member so I would know at least 1 person there.

The first meeting, I was introduced, given a pack of information and met several of the ladies, I was told to try the club for a few meetings before I paid the $15 a year membership dues.  They are working on a spring Quilt show in May and their project is what is called a “split 9 patch”.  You sew your chosen fabrics into a 9 patch block

and then split that 9 patch into 4 blocks by cutting horizontally and vertically through the middle….then you simply turn the squares to create new patterns….

 

Now first I should say that I have quilted before…

.so this is nothing new for me.  I just thought it would be something to keep me busy and make new friends.

I went home after the first meeting and spent hours digging through boxes in my basement to locate my quilt rulers, rotary cutters, cutting boards, and fabric…Some of which is obviously stored in my storage shed at “U-Haul.” 

The next meeting I went to, I even went early to get the waffle breakfast.  I  talked to a group of ladies who were sitting together crocheting and knitting, and to the group of men in the whittling “class”.  The ladies I talked to in the quilt club were sewing and trying to decide how they wanted to put their split 9 patches together on the tables set out large enough to spread an entire quilt on.

I had just about decided this where where I should spend my Thursdays morning.  I went home, found some fabric big enough to make something and set about cutting and sewing…

At my third meeting, I got the shock of my life!  I was told if I didn’t pay the dues that day, I could not be in the club!  I tried to explain what had been told to me the first meeting about “waiting” to join and the fact that being unemployed, I would not be able to pay until my husband gets paid next week….Didn’t matter!  Pay up or else!

So I left the meeting after only about 10 minutes in tears.  I was more furious and hurt than anything else.  I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.  I felt like I was told I wasn’t good enough to be a part of anything.

The ladies had all seamed so nice at the previous meetings.  And I felt like I was making new friends.

But I didn’t let that discourage me.  I went home and quickly jotted off an e-mail to the staff at the Senior Center and let them know how disappointed I was in this club.

It won’t stop me from quilting.  I am determined now to make the best quilt I can and enter it in the Fair this year….Hopefully to win a ribbon and show these “Old Cronies” that I may not be good enough for their club; but I can quilt and it is their loss.

I’ve decided to limit my classes to the Crochet/Knit class at the church where I know I am welcomed, and to the photography club….

I’m waiting to hear about the results of my e-mail as the director of the Senior Center did write back and say she was also disappointed in how it was handled and will make “general”  inquiry into this problem.

Hugs and Love to all!!!