It's been FIVE months...???? Really?

What's new? Loads!!! Don't even know where to start... but currently wow! Today started with a bang of sorts.

Was chilling out after leisurely breakfast in my jammies when brother, Don, called. Mom was 'sort of' non-responsive and they had called 911. I've never jumped into my clothes so fast... was there in record time.

Saw emergency vehicle still there... slide show of August 29, 2005 flashed through my head... was in the house in record time too!

Sitting in the kitchen... Don, Maxine, and MOM! Three guys standing around getting their job completed (paper work, etc.) How do you spell relief???? Mom woke up this a.m. with blood sugar around 27(?)... her eyes glazey and not moving... sort of dazed! She refused going to hospital... had to sign a waiver saying so... What can you do? She's 94 and still capable of making her own decisions. Anyway, it's really tough on Don & Max.

My bid on the condo is in... should hear by Friday at latest. Need to sell my house. It's been listed since last Friday. Pray... pray..... pray! Stuff happens. Life is good.

...AND..... had a great scrapbooking getaway this weekend! Good fun; good people; and most of all... good accomplishments! 2005 - all done!

Move forward.

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!

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.

Yesterday..... Sunday

Busy busy day for this ol' broad! Weather warmed up to the 40's so all that snow on the decks loosened up enough to be pushed away. It wasn't windy so felt pretty comfortable with a coat on.

i cleared a section on the back deck... took about 20 minutes..... then took a break. Remembered to 'cool down' those upper muscles (the ones i used in pushing all that heavy wet snow). Repeated this method until most of the deck and all the stairs were cleaned off! The stairs are no longer lethal... not until the next freezing rain or snowfall anyway.

The cool downs really paid off because today i'm feeling pretty darned good! Also, shoveling wet heavy snow qualifies for some good, productive aerobic exercise and strength building, and 20 minute sessions are something i can handle.

Did a bit more holiday decorating and helped sister move her big chair into the 'bonus room' so she can enjoy her Christmas tree. That is the new room off from our bedrooms (created during my little renovation completion project two years ago). i've been encouraging her to use the bonus room as her living room ever since she moved in with me in July.

i'm more comfortable in my old 'lived in' living room and this gives each of us our own space. You would think i'd know my own sister but we've both learned a lot about each other in the past five months. i'm thinking our mom's 'too long' stay in hospital and rehab facility was instrumental in the learning process.

Sometimes our bad times together overpowered the adjustment period because we had the added conflict of getting to know each other again... adjusting to two women in one house..... AND having a 93 year old mother fighting a physical crisis.

First of all mom won! She is back home with our brother and his wife. All three of my sisters helped mom until she could do more things for herself, thus relieving our sister-in-law, who is (in my humble opinion) a saint for having mom there. Sis#2 spent two weeks living with them... having weekends off when the other two sisters relieved her. This week is the beginning of life back to 'normal' - whatever that is.

Today i want to finish holiday decorating... just touches here and there..... and put away the containers. Planned to go shopping but the wind is horrendous and weather cooling fast. I'm staying in the house. There's a whole week left to finish my shopping and i'm sure the sales will continue and if anything, get even better.