A MONEY WIN AND A MONEY LOSS.

 I called the credit card peeps to ask a question about a certain thing on the statement.  At the end of the conversation I asked about the cash back part of the card.  I said I had never seen a cash back deposit.  On my cash back master card I always get notice that I have x amount of credit available to use.  Td? Not so much.

She explained that I have to redeem it.  She showed me how and where to do that.  When I went there the credit balance of the cash back was 530 bucks!!!!!  Holy cow!!!!  I was gobsmacked!!!  And I couldn't be happier.  I am cash starved right now til my next investment pays out...which is very soon.  But in the meantime  the house kitty is pretty empty and has been for a while.  That money will pay the 400 dollar utility bill that just arrived on the doorstep.

Well yesterday the three of us decided to go up to Walmart and No Frills.  I didn't need to go to Walmart but Ange had made mention of going and so did Monte.  So we went then moved next door to No Frills then headed home.  It was hot out and the house is nicely cooled by ac.

When we got home Ange got her stuff and got to the door first.  Unlike Monte and I, she always locks the door.  We have a very expensive awesome keypad door locking device but it isn't working at the moment.  Needs a battery.  She has a house key and so does Monte.  I don't have one.

Well long story short she lost her keys.  And Monte didn't have his car keys with his house key on it.  We used the van and that set doesn't have a house key.

We hunted through everything but no key.  We finally had to phone a locksmith, who arrived a half hour later.  Poor Ange was so upset and she was too hot.  She doesn't do well in the heat and especially under stress.

Well the guy said that with that three hundred dollar keypad lock if he tried to open the door it would destroy it. Well I sure as heck didn't want that.  I can't afford to replace it.  So around the back we go to the basement door.  Well he worked on that dead bolt for at least a half hour or more and simply could not budge it.

Back to the front and with a screw driver and a hammer it took two minutes to destroy my keypad lock.  The door opened.  (shovel list). He is coming back later this morning to put in a dead bolt.  And now my beautiful red door is going to have a white patch where my fave type of lock used to be.  It was much bigger than a deadbolt.  And just like that my found money disappeared.  The utility bill will just have to be added to my exorbitant ridiculous property tax bill.

But to cheer us up I am going to make my all time fave thing to eat.  Chicken and dumplings.  I absolutely love planning it, shopping for it, making it and eating it!!!!!!  And I will try to make Ange feel better about the whole thing.  The poor girl felt so so bad.  Shit happens.  To all of us at one time or another.

Thats it for today...chicken and dumplings comin' up!!!!   TFL&TTYL

ANOTHER TRIP TO NANNYMO..AND READYING A HOUSE FOR LISTING

 Yup...made another trip to Nanaimo.  Monte's friend, another non driver, needed to go to the ferry.  So off we went.  We also made an appointment at the cpap store for Monte to sign papers and get some replacement straps for his ever breaking delicate  mask.

I have had to kind of draw the line, and this is pretty hard to do, at driving people around, especially to Nanaimo with gas prices what they are.

I mentioned to Ange that there seems to be an above average amount of people in this town who don't drive.  It's kind of amazing.  When I commented on that she got a wee bit huffy.  She said it was no different than any other town.  I beg to differ.

  I know waaaay less people here than I have in other towns I have lived in and never ran across people who didn't drive.  Here, when I first moved here I had twelve people to monthly dinners til covid hit.  Not one of them drove except Monte and I.  Thats a lot of people with no drivers license.  Our friend Graeme doesn't have a car, I understand that, but he does have his license.

As I said I hate saying no to people when they need help.  But unfortunately the needy Nanaimo peeps not only can't drive but they can't pay today's gas prices.  And guess what?  Til the next influx of money, I can't either.

Well slowly but surely I am getting the house ready to list.  I might pay for a proper appraisal when I am finished.  It's a matter of prioritizing all the projects.  Mostly judging it by which things wrong will the buyer want to take money off the asking price.  Those things need fixing first and maybe only those things will get fixed. 

 I have let Ange know that this is happening sooner than later.  I don't want her suddenly hanging.  Monte and I will help her move some of her stuff to Chilliwack where her family lives.  She can't take much so the big job for her will be getting rid of her bigger stuff and all the stuff she can't take.  I can't realistically list the house til she has moved.  I don't want to be here too much longer after we move her....I will miss her too much. I am kind of aiming for mid summer to beginning fall.

Randi, Ange's friend (and now mine too) is coming to dinner tomorrow.  I am making a giant shepherd's pie and coleslaw.  I make my pie with gravy and tiny chomped up carrots and onions and garlic.  The potatoes I make with sour cream, butter, Montreal steak spice, bacon on top, and sprinkle green onions when it's out of the oven.  The mashed potatoes end up tasting just like baked potatoes.  It's like magic!!!

For dessert I am making strawberry shortcake.  I am using Pillsbury grand biscuits (which aren't sweet, I just thought of that....dammit),  extra sweet then macerated strawberries from frozen, and sliced fresh ones maybe.  Walmart has just told me they don't have any for delivery (asshats!!!  you have no idea how often that happens with the W).  I bought a litre of whipping cream and a can of chocolate whipping cream.  Like why not?  Stawbs and chocolate go together.  We will see.  Hopefully they will be willing guinea pigs!!!!!

If I remember I will attempt pics here.  Stupid blogspot.  I am just sad that people can't comment.  I would so love to hear people's opinions and suggestions and questions and recipes to try.  Oh well. (shovel list...shame on you blogspot. we can put a man on the moon....haha)

TFL&TTYL

PICTURES TO GO WITH POST...ONLY WAY I COULD GET THE STUPID THINGS TO BEHAVE

HONESTLY YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FREAKING HARD PUTTING PICTURES HERE WAS!!!!  HERE ARE THE GOATS WHERE THEY GO WHEN THEY ARENT ENTERTAINING THE MASSES FROM THE GRASSY ROOF OF THE MARKET 

AS WE WERE LEAVING A MAN AT THE NEXT TABLE SAID TO ME THAT MONTE LOOKS LIKE AN ARTIST!  LOL

THE TRADITIONAL PIC OF A TALL PERSON

MY DESSERT.  A BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKE.  IT DOESN'T HAVE A CRUST AND IS BAKED AT A VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE WHICH CARAMALIZES AND SLIGHTLY BURNS THE TOP, EDGES AND BOTTOM...CREATING ITS OWN CRUST.

THERE WERE TEN MASSIVE PRAWNS UNDER THE POMO...SOMETHING OR OTHER SAUCE

THE PLACE WAS HUGE AND BEAUTIFUL

WAITING FOR MY CAESAR

MY TURN UNDER THE WISTERIA

I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO PUT THESE PICS HERE.  BACK IN THE EARLY 70'S ONE COULD DRIVE TO THE TOWN DUMP AND DUMP THEIR GARBAGE...AND BROWSE THROUGH IT TO FIND TREASURES.  BEING ON WELFARE AT THE TIME I COULD NOT AFFORD A ROASTING PAN.  WELL THIS OLD BEAT UP BUSTER WAS SITTING OVER AT THE EDGE OF ALL THE GARBAGE AND I BROUGHT IT HOME, BLEACHED IT, (YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT PEOPLE USED IT FOR) AND I STILL USE IT TO THIS DAY.

THE OTHER DAY I LOOKED OUT MY FRONT ROOM WINDOW.  ACROSS THE STREET WAS A NEWER NEIGHBOUR WITH HIS NEW DOG.  AND THERE WAS HARRY, ON THE LEFT.  I THINK I HAVE MENTIONED HIM.  HE LIVES BY HIMSELF RIGHT NEXT DOOR AND BLESS HIM, YOU CAN'T BE OUTSIDE TWO MINUTES WHEN YOU HEAR 'WELL HELLO THERE!'  HE SO REMINDS ME OF MR. FLANDERS ON THE SIMPSONS!  HE'S THE GLUE THAT KEEPS THE NEIGHBOURHOOD CONNECTED.

THE SPECIALEST DAY OF THE WHOLE YEAR....TO ME

 Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries...they all pale into insignificance compared to Mother's Day.  I know that at my age and living in a pretty isolated difficult place to get to, I don't see my kids on Mother's Day.  But it is still the most important day of the year to me.

In the past I have had some amazing Mother's days.  One year when I lived in Kamloops after Bill died, about ten in the morning, the door bell rang.  When I opened the door there was Aryn standing there!  I was so shocked I almost didn't recognize her!!!  It was the first MD after Bill had died and she drove all the way up from Vancouver for one hour, she really had to turn around and go right back.  I was so happy to see her for that precious hour!!!

And April and Myles send me flowers frequently and the first year after Bill died beautiful flowers showed up at my door 'love from Bill'.  Brought me to happy tears it did.

One Mother's Day here there was a knock at the door.  Standing there were a man and woman I had never met.  They each were holding beautiful hanging flower baskets!  It turned out that she was a friend of April's who, with her husband had just moved to Port.  There are zero flower delivery places here so April had commandeered her friend to go to a nursery and buy the flower baskets and deliver them to me.  I was floored....and in tears.

But when I can't be with them I always get phone calls from every one of them. And that is awesome too.  We share our latest newsies back and forth and it is enough to know they are thinking of me that day.  This will be Myles's first Mother's Day since his mommy died.  It's going to be hard for him and his dad I think.  I will call him today or ask to speak to him when April calls.

But, and here is the goodest part.....I LIVE WITH ONE OF MY KIDS!!!!!  And I figured this year I am going to start a new tradition.  I love traditions.  They are the glue that keeps the continuity of the family alive.  (I feel that c word I just wrote makes up for using goodest with the big red line under it). 

As I was looking through a massive photo album book I have (see Cookie...I save pics in books too...sometimes) I came across a pic of Monte and I sitting on a street sidewalk makeshift patio outside a Greek restaurant on the Main Street downtown Kamloops.  It was Mother's Day and he took me out for dinner!  I was thrilled.  We got hit on continuously by street people...which was totally okay with me.  I love them.  In fact when I knew where we were going I loaded my purse up with ten dollar bills for the white people and twenties for the indigenous folks.  And that made that dinner special and most enjoyable.  It was the best!!!

When I saw that picture I decided to ask Monte if he would like to do a repeat at our lovely Greek restaurant here in Port.  It doesn't have a patio but it is by far the most Greek looking restaurant I have ever been to...including a bunch of them I have been to in Greece!  And it is run by a Greek family.  So as long as I am alive and kicking and we live in Port, every Mother's Day you will find us there...keeping up the new tradition.  My biggest hope is that one day as many as possible of my other kids will be there with us!!!

Now I have a bedroom to go regulate, as Voltaire puts it.  I have resolved to be brutal.  I have to have at least two massive garbage bags before I am done.  Maybe three.

I will take pics tonight and tomorrow before I post this post, I will attempt to put them here.

Well it didn't work out the way we planned.  This town is such a loser back water hole.  All the stores and restaurants close down from Sunday to Tuesday.  WHY??????????  And even on Mother's Day Orestes was closed.  Stupid me!  I should have known.  So Pivot time...and pivot we did.  We went to a much better restaurant...in Coombs.  

The place is called Cuckoos and it is just behind the market, the one with the goats on the roof.  We have been there before and loved it.  It's a traditional Italian trattoria.  The food is amazing, a little pricey but well worth it.  We actually had a lovely time!  I shall post pics now...Ohm willing and the creeks don't rise. Thanks for listening and talk soon. TTYL

DRAWBACKS. (WARNING: THIS IS A GREAT BIG WHINE)

 Okay I will just simply put it out there.  There is definitely a downside to being old, toothless, blind. dizzy and having unexpected explosive you know what attacks whenever they feel like it.  I used to be, not all that long ago, a reasonable size, not skinny but you know 2x not 4x (or 8x on Asian sites) (SHOVEL LIST), agile as a gazelle, able to find my coffee cup which is a dark brown and not brilliant red with freaking flashing lights.  I am not used to being half blind and not balanced and not able to be more than 30 seconds from a John.  It's like perpetually prepping for a colonoscopy.  And on top of that very unfairly being a type 2 diabetic.  I cannot comfort myself with more than five carbs at a time, four times a day.  Thats the equivalent of taking a normal size brownie and cutting in four and eat a piece every few hours. (shovel list)

So given all that one of the things that happens fairly frequently is falling.  I have mentioned this before on here.  I fall.  Mostly it's because I am either a) have no depth perception, b) dizzy and lose my balance with no reason or c) rushing too fast for the loo.

This morning is a good example.  In my bedroom it looks just like the hoarder rooms on that tv show.  In my defence it became the throw room as I have cleaned out other areas in the house.  So there are boxes and rubber maids and other containers all covered with draped over clothing and very nasty grabbing your feet rug under it all.  

Well I was changing out of my pj shorts to put on a pair of proper be seen by the public shorts.  Do you think the gd shorts would get off my right foot?  I finally got mad and gave it a mighty kick and, yes the shorts went flying, but so did I.  I managed to fairly slowly go down backwards, busting a full  brittle rubber maid on the way down and landed squeezed between that container and my suitcase, still full of my summer clothes from my Cancun trip.  And there I lay, flapping limbs like a beached whale.

One thing I have learned from falling all the time is to just go with it and stay there a while til you are mentally ready to grasp what has just happened.  No matter how many times I bite it I still get shocked, which then makes me puky (shovel list is way too mild an expletive for pukiness).  So I have learned to just relax and think of a new recipe to try and make a mental shopping list.  But then as I am giving myself much needed care and love, I feel a certain very familiar and dreaded gurgle in what intestines I have left.  If there is anything that would motivate me and give me STRENGTH in my feeble arms and back and ass and legs is that feeling.

You see my biggest problem of falling is getting back up.  OMG!!!!!  When you are old, fat and feeble and have useless limbs, getting up is almost impossible.  I managed to turn over by shoving the suitcase over as far as I could, then put a hand up on the bedside table, shuffle onto my knees and then with herculean strength, motivated only by the dreaded noises, I pushed with my other arm on the nasty rug and I actually got myself very painfully up.  Success!!!  I was so proud ..... and ashamed.

Needless to say getting my room to a safe place is next on my list.  I kind of joke about falling but if I hurt myself then I become someone else's problem...collateral damage.  And to me that is the biggest hugest most dreaded SHOVEL LIST of all. 

Gotta jet....hmmm maybe waddle!  Have a great day and TFL&TTYL 

FUNERAL AND DEATH TALK EVERYWHERE (NOT A RANT...I LOVE FUNERAL TALK)

 I have noticed amongst people around my age, the talk turns to dying, prep for it and funeral plans.  I have a feeling that a lot of it is bravado.  I have noticed because the thought of dying basically isn't a scary or taboo thing to me, I appear callous in these convos.

  Many people I either talk with or read articles written by, are quite disturbed at the idea of dying.  I know when you see that rainbow bridge in the near distance it is a big event to swallow.  But in my humble opinion, MAID is helping people realize really there isn't anything to fear.  Although I think people who choose MAID are very very brave people (or possibly desperate).  My hat's off to them!!!!

The only people, again this is MY opinion and not something anyone else would believe, who have a real reason for being concerned about exiting this world are people leaving vulnerable people they have been responsible for behind.  What happens to them now?

  If you are well off financially it isn't too big a problem physically but there is still the emotional void when you are gone from their life.  And if you are not well off financially, well frankly it's kind of a nightly, awake at three am, heavy, round and round rat hole of thinking and worry.

Also the talk frequently turns to how many people do you estimate will attend your funeral.  Now, these conversations are so funny to me.  Especially the people that take it seriously.  At mom's we made a game out of it.  For a dollar or so you could write down on a grid how many you estimated would attend.  The one closest of course would win!  I do remember one member of our extended family was pretty horrified!  And then that evening after dinner we all ended up out in Kathy's garage playing a wild and crazy version of beer pong!!!  It was so much fun and the sad thing was Mom missed it.  She would have LOVED it!!!!!

I personally counted 12 people who would attend my funeral....more out of familial obligation than anything.  Bill called me Blister for a reason.  I have very few filters and put my foot in it all the time.  I know one member of Bill's family hates me.  I am not sure why and really don't give a dam.  I don't think I was put on this earth to make a million friends.  I know that when Bill died I didn't get one sympathy card or one bouquet of flowers...not even a grocery store one.  What does that tell ya??  LOL!!!!  So my funeral won't need a ton of egg sandwiches.

One day on a cruise a bunch of us ladies were standing around complaining about how intrusive our newly retired home bound husbands were.  All of a sudden they seem to think they know how to do the laundry more efficiently or how to arrange the linen closet in a more ergodynamic order.  So completely disrespectful and asinine!!  I wasn't aggrieved by Spod at all in this regard and I was getting bored with the convo.  So I just casually threw out there the question 'so have any of you made your funeral play list yet?'

Well it's like I had dumped a bucket of cold water on their heads (and us MS bucket experiencers know what that is like.. shovel list).  One lady, keep in mind the average age of Holland America's, otherwise known as the 'Floating Senior Home' age group is, says 'Play?  We don't plan to play at a funeral!!!' in a most indignant tone of voice.  Sigh.

So I explained what a play list is and proceeded to tell them mine...House of the Rising Sun, AC/DC's She's Got The Jack, Mony Mony etc....Fortunately none of them knew the songs.  But they all agreed that it was inappropriate to pick your own music.  That should be left to the people who know and love you.  And that's the rub.  I don't have enough people to gather and make appropriate choices on my behalf.  I saved them the trouble!!!!

 The list and plan for my funeral is on my computer in NOTES under the heading FUNERAL PLANS.  My few loved ones can do what they want but I want to be cremated and jewelry made out the ashes!!!!!!  Due to my size there will be a ton of leftovers and if possible I would like them dumped on my mother.  teehee!  I get the last word that way!!!!!

Gotta bounce.  Have a great time period between this post and the next post!   TFL&TTYL 

THINK BEFORE YOU REACT....(SHOVEL LIST)

 Well let's see...this is what happened.  I have had a pile of donations and boxes of food ready for the Bread of Life.  The BOL is a place here in town connected to a shelter or housing of some sort, I am not sure.  This pile has been sitting in the living room at the end of the couch so long I fear some of the food might be outdated now.  Dammit!!!!

The other day I finally snagged Monte and asked him if he would take it down to the BOL.  He was happy to do it.  The first couple of donations he took in were welcomed with grateful open arms.  It is such a good feeling to be part of that.

At Xmas I bought an extra turkey and some fixings and again had him take it down to them.  The BOL is the main place here in town that feed the vulnerable....meals and food.  

So he happily loaded up the car with the food and a couple of boxes of items.  Down he went.  About fifteen minutes later he suddenly slammed back into the house, and yelled " I am effing never going back there!!!!!  SHE YELLED 'WE DON'T WANT YOUR GARBAGE!!!!!'  OMG!!!  He was beyond humiliated and upset.  He wouldn't talk about it.  He flew into his bedroom and slammed his door.  I did go down and try to get him to talk but he wouldn't.  He was beside himself.  

Later I took him out for supper and got him to add a few extra details.  I guess they had a bit of argument about how he had brought stuff in before and he was actually told by the Sally Ann to do just that.  She said he was lying and that he had never been there before.  This establishment is part of the Sally Ann, which is very staunch Christian.  He yelled back at her that she needed to find Jesus and  packed it all back out to the car and came flying home.  He still won't talk about it.  I put the whole episode on Facebook on our town fb page, without names and the reaction was amazing.  People were so upset on Monte's behalf and had all kinds of alternative solutions.  And it was amazing just how many people in this town super dislike that place for much the same reason.  One lady privately messaged me and asked me to describe her.  She was going to discuss it with the guy that runs the place, who by the way apparently is a fantastic person.  All I could pass on was date and time it happened and monte said she was grey haired, short and dumpy.

Now here is the crazy part! Remember in the last post I mentioned we stopped at the 7/11 and I got a slurpy?  Well as I was struggling massively with a too small lid for the damned slurpy, Monte came over and bent down low and whispered in my ear, 'the lady that yelled at me is at the till working.'  What??????  She is a seven elevener!!!!!  And due to his height and the strange clothes he wears plus hat, she would def remember him.  So I made sure to be with him and talking to him so she would know I was also with him.

When I got to the till I wouldn't look at her, I was brief and snappy with any answers I had to give her, refused an offer to donate to something (believe it or not) with a sharp clipped NO and paid, walked out of there, no good bye no thank you or have a nice day.  She was being extremely nice and helpful. lol

As soon as I got home I messaged the person who was going to talk to the boss and told her that the lady worked at seven eleven....that would help identify her.

But now I feel bad.  I feel I should have waited a day or two before reacting.  I know this.  I know when I am feeling super strongly immediately about something I need to wait til I can think clearly.  I was feeling so hurt on Monte's behalf and I was not thinking in a very balanced way.  So I let her rip on Facebook.

Which now I totally regret.  As much as I expect people who work with the public to be careful and understanding, so must we the public.  I was pretty upset that this lady was yelling and she doesn't know if that person is fragile or not.  Well the same responsibility goes the other way from the public.  I remember teaching my little kids that.  That person could have just suffered domestic abuse, or lost a close person or just be having a stressful day.  

I told Monte this.  I told him that for someone to behave in such an extreme manner, something has to be wrong, either with her or with her day.  Doesn't mean it's right, but it does mean there is a reason.

Anyway the joys of living in a small town.  What are the odds of seeing the lady elsewhere that quickly.  Anyway, I added this message to my original post on Facebook.  Kindness and understanding are what makes the world go around!  TFL&TTYL