Autumn... again..... and time to 'fall back' with our clocks.

This fellow joined the family last year. Seems to be holding up pretty well considering his 'adoption fee' was only somewhere around $5!!! ...and he sits on the front porch - the windy side of the house.

I had to move him this morning though. Last night the wind came in from the west with a big PUSH and knocked him over on his bench, along with the two chairs that managed to stay put pretty much all year until now. I don't think you can see him from the road anymore but he should stay safely upright.

Life moves forward. As usual, life is full of contradictions. I spent a day with my mom this week while Nat & her hubby did yard work for me (her mom) at my house. It was the best day for yard work (no rain for a change) and mom had a doctor appointment as well as multiple errands...

More of those contradictions:

• Social security payments will not increase because the cost of living this year did not increase...
• But... my auto insurance premium increased, even though i'm at the top of their 'insurance rating' system and after comparison with other 'bargains' found my company is still the best bargain.
• Pay on line didn't work because insurance company doesn't accept the one credit card company...
• ...and the other card company refused to pay that insurance company!???!
• After 45 minutes of automatic phone instructions a girl in India told me she would instantly 'take the block off' that payment so i could pay online. (She said they sometimes block payment for no apparent reason?????) ...and tell me again why is Michigan unemployment above 10%?
• I talked with agency in Michigan and they posted my payment... while i wrote a check and mailed it directly to them!
• On a whim i checked 'current activity' on the 'good' credit card the insurance company doesn't accept and found a payment to a company i never heard of for $16.95! Girl i finally talked with sounded American... but not from Michigan..... and told me it's better to try directly with the disputed company first. Meanwhile she formally accepted the charge as disputed...
• ...while the girl at the company... (Indian? or British???)... would not tell me what the charge was for (to protect the customer's privacy)... only that it was for a 'membership' for which i would be charged monthly (!!!) ...and i thought I was the customer!???
• She then told me she would immediately remove that and all future charges.
• FYI: here is the disputed info - 10/25/09 PRO*VAC PASSPORT MONTH 877-349-4840 MN 100546863 1 $16.95 Services (Notice the State is a phone number?) I suggest you read your charges each month... how many times do these thieves get away with it?

We shall see. God bless America!!! We need all the help we can get!

The Week Began with Dear, Deer Visits

Started the week Monday with a visit from Linda...
As we were preparing breakfast, a doe and two young deer appeared under the 'wild' apple tree in the flats of my backyard! By the time i got my camera, the young ones were off into the adjacent cornfield but momma deer was still enjoying her apple appetizer! Here she is:

She looks pretty healthy, doesn't she? She should be! We grow the best corn-fed deer in Michigan!

Yesterday, Wednesday, i attended a RedHat extravaganza with Jacquie and Donna and met a new friend, Betty. The event included lunch at the Horizons Center and entertainment by Three Men and a Tenor. Have you ever seen these guys? They are amazing! We laughed so hard we cried!

Somehow i still didn't get my 50 daffodil bulbs planted. Today is overcast and supposed to be rainy... and expected to continue through the weekend. Maybe i can get them in today??? ... the last 'warm' day for awhile, expected to be in the '50s... and colder tomorrow, etc.

Better get started, eh?

Thank YOU, Patti!

Photo by Patti

(The guy behind me? My boyfriend!)

September 2009 - Dow Gardens

The kittens are really gone this time... at least from my house and my deck. Gotta thank Patti for that!

We walked with Leslie at her house yesterday... a great workout!!! It's so much more fun doing it with somebody, don'tcha know? Later that day i called her about something and we discussed the 'guilty thing' about just putting those kittens out to fend for theirselves. Even though they are extremely feral, they are so tiny and innocent - about 2 months old now.

She volunteered to come over and help me get the kittens permanently out of my life. Wow! Piece o' cake!!! That girl is good! With her majorly help we got them caged... and even got a bonus cat! (So be it; they've all been coming around for a free lunch!) The second kitten was preceded by the cat... not it's mother..... so what could we do?

Patti went home with two cages - two kittens and a sleek black & orange cat. Don't know if it was one of Florence's barn full of 'adoptees' or it really belonged to somebody. He's gone now... there really IS no such thing as a free lunch, kitty.

Patti's plan - take them to animal control in the morning... but she wanted to make them more comfortable in her garage for the night.

One kitten BIT her!!!

They are feral; could it be rabid? I'm praying not. Hopefully they are out of her garage now... and the responsibility of animal control.

Call me Patti.

Awareness

Now that my oldest grandson is in Iraq i'm seeing more news about Iraq. This morning this one jumped out at me:

Iraqi police: Anbar bombings kill 14, wound dozens

Up until now i've been convincing myself that he is 'better off' in Iraq than he would be in Afghanistan. From now until he comes safely home, my life is a prayer for his well-being. I pray that the energy of his Grandpa Frank remain with him and help him make wise decisions.

When i was a freshman at Delta College, an English teacher brought up the question: What is your soul? I use the term 'energy' because i believe our souls are pure energy. Energy does not disappear. When your soul leaves your body, it remains in another form.

Go with God, James Franklin..... and do what Grandpa Frank would do!

The Wild Ones Are Outside......where they belong!

The cold, windy autumn rain ended overnight - finally! The sun is shining. There is no wind.

This morning i fed my furry family/aka/'the girls,' turned on the weekend CBS morning show, and fixed my breakfast. I had a grilled cheese with Canadian bacon... a fancier word might be something like Canadian Swiss Panini. Made it with 35 calorie/slice Aunt Millie's Whole Wheat bread, so it was even good for me! Yummy! I will make it again... and again... and maybe for breakfast, lunch, or even supper!

I sat at my 'kitchen table' to have the sandwich and morning coffee. The wild kittens sat at my feet... waiting for theirs. They are so adorable you would expect to be able to cuddle them. You can NOT cuddle them any more than you could cuddle any other, larger, baby cat... or for that matter a baby skunk! I have the scars to prove it... and if there's enough room, they run off if you get too close! So.....

...when i finished my breakfast i got out the cat food. I went over to the door near the place where i had been feeding them - near the back door. I put food in 'their' dish, opened the door, and placed the dish about 18 inches away from the door - outside!

The bravest went first; the scaredy cat followed. When they saw me approach the door, they ran off! I closed the door. They came back to their breakfast. When it is gone i will not put out more food. They are outside where they belong. The girls and i are inside where we belong. The sun is shining. Life is good!

Addendum: I learned it is not my job to 'fix' everything that needs fixing. If they survive crossing the road, they will probably move into the neighbor's barn where she feeds so many cats she can't even count them. Of course we know they will continue to reproduce!

Brief Comments... okay?

Wondering why i haven't been around here lately? For an ol' broad with 'nothing to do' i've been pretty busy, actually. Sometimes we make our own situations, don'tcha think? Like:

• ...the kittens under my deck. Was it 2 weeks ago already? I had help trying to catch the mom and remaining 2 babies. Result? Mom disappeared, never to return. Since then i've been feeding the little ones.
• They would come when i called 'kitty kitty.' They took up residence on my deck. They would sleep in the kitty carrier i put out there for them. They acted like they wanted to come in the house.
• Yesterday i invited them in and... they did! Long story short - they are wild! You have no idea what a really real feral cat is like. They sit and wait patiently to eat. They use the kitty litter. They hide where i cannot get at them when they feel under pressure. When captured in the entry room, one of them literally hit the ceiling in it's efforts to avoid me.
• Today i will attempt to lure them outside. If successful i will not feed them or in any way try to rehabilitate them.
• I promise!

Other than the kitten dilemma, life just happens... like:

• ...taking my wonderfully strong-minded mother out grocery shopping. What's that all about? ...coupons and sale items! Oh yeah... !!! Me? I'm swearing off coupons totally!!! ...unless they fall in my lap right when i need them.
• Mom & i also go out to dinner... or sometimes lunch. I have to learn about NOT eating everything on my plate.
• Some days WiiFit and i are friends; some days i walk with Leslie Sansone.
• I bought a few new electronic items... learned that when i install them and read the book, i know how to use them!!! Believe me, this is a big accomplishment!

I quit bundling... think i mentioned that last time...

• TiVo works like a charm!
• Moved my 'big' tv into my newest cozy living space but two of the channels were not high quality like they were in the other living space. Cable guy replaced that cable. Now i have a beautiful picture on all channels... Basic Plus works great! Who needs more than 70 choices for tv viewing???
• My only 'landline' is Magic Jack. Was having minor problems with it. Turns out the one phone just needs a new battery. The other - 3 phone wireless - seems to be working okay right now... again. Maybe with Charter phone gone, it will be better. After all, both services were voice over internet. That might have been part of my problem. We'll see...

Other updates...

• Spring & summer are gone in my house. Autumn accents surround me beautifully.
• Goober moved on... no more stinky male habit cleanups. This brought stability to the remaining 3 furry friends, all female, even with the temporary kitten situation.
• If it ever quits raining before the snowy season begins, i will plant the bag of daffodil bulbs i bought a few weeks ago.
• Attended a beautiful concert at a small church. Thank you, Jacquie for introducing me to the DeepRiver Choir!
• Visited Dow Gardens again... this time with Patti! What a delight! We both enjoyed every minute.

And business-wise...

• I formally protested to Medicare for not paying the bill from MMC for my knee exrays. Was told by a 'real person' that none of the denial was ever seen or touched by a human... except me of course. After they reviewed stuff from the hospital Medicare determined i do not have to pay the bill. The hospital is responsible. Get that!!! ...and do we really need more government health insurance plans?
• Just received new car insurance bill. Insurance company has a new reason to charge more as your car gets older. Remember how i told you i've been buying a few new electronics? It seems the Home Owners Insurance Company got a report from a company called ChoicePoint Services, Inc. They have determined i opened too many revolving accounts in too short a time!!! I pay all these accounts when i'm supposed to and they will be paid off before the final dates when the accrued interest would take effect! This is NOT a credit rating! It's apparently just another way for insurance companies to make you pay more and get less! Can you believe this?
• I will change my insurance company - for the house and my car - before this 'new' policy takes effect.