It All Adds Up

Sarah is being difficult with her math at school. She simply refuses to do it, saying, "It isn't my thing." Yes, I'm sure she's heard someone make that statement. It isn't the first time she's done this sort of thing. I'm worried because how do you get a 7 year old to see that she must learn this stuff, like it or not. She's far better at passive resistance than anyone I've ever seen. Even her father...and he excelled at it.

Math is really important and even I, for whom math isn't "my thing" either, know that it is a necessary skill. People always joke that I know where every dime goes. My husband would get annoyed because I was furious when the bank statement didn't balance to the penny. It drives me crazy. So, I've been worrying over Sarah's lack of incentive. I decided I have good reason.

During my shopping on Tuesday morning (mentioned in yesterday's post) I decided I wanted a Hershey Pie(TM). I haven't had one in a while and it just sounded good. So, since I had to pass within a dozen yards of a Burger King, I decided to splurge. I pulled up to the drive-thru and ordered.

The disembodied, tinny voice drifted into my car. "That'll be $1.72."

They're a bit pricey but well worth the it. "Thank you."

I pulled around to the second window and pulled my wallet out. I had a pocket full of change in there. Large amounts of change in a handbag is useful for two things: as an effective assault weapon and for upper body workouts. It is terrible if you have neck and shoulder problems. I decided to pay with cash... uh... change. I counted out $1.77 in quarters and pennies and waited until she opened the window.

She smiled at me. "That'll be $1.72."

I handed her the money with a nice smile in return. "I'm giving you $1.77. That way you won't have to give me a bunch of pennies."

A look passed over her face and the smile sort of retracted a bit and froze. Her eyes became glassy. "But it's $1.72."

A thousand replies shot through my brain, like confetti during a Macy's parade. They fell with equal impact as I forcibly held the smile on my face and struggled to maintain a calm expression.

"Just give me a nickle back."

She never blinked. She just accepted that I knew what I was talking about and handed me a nickle and my pie. The smile had all but disappeared.

I drove away with a lighter handbag and a heavy heart.  I suppose Sarah will probably be able to get a job at Burger King someday.

It Actually Sucks!

I was out and about this morning shopping for a vacuum cleaner. It is not fun. I've been doing my research, shopping different brands and types. I always read the reviews for each one. I'm no longer optimistic that I'll find an affordable, reliable vacuum. They are oxymorons.

What happened to American workmanship, quality, and reasonable price? You want me to buy American but you want me to pay three times the price for a machine that doesn't work as well as the Chinese brand? Really? And those are just junk, too.

Anyway... I had considered a Hoover bagless machine until I visited my son's house and used the one they have ... exactly like what I was planning to buy. She's had it for a year and says it is awful. It is hard to get the trash out of the plastic container. It spits trash all over the floor and won't suck it up. She told me she's had to work on it several times, thinking that it was something stuck in the machine. It wasn't. I didn't know any of that until I used it. It is awful. So, won't be buying one of those.

The reviews on all of them are equally dismal. All of them. Very negative reviews. Defective belts. Defective casings. Defective dust cups. Defective cords. Heavy. Unwieldy. Seriously. Lots of the folks writing this had to return the original machines to the store or factory for repair or exchanges.

Do your research. I was able to see about three reviews via consumer reports on one but reviews at Walmart and Amazon for the same machine were just terrible.

Next, I researched for bagged machines. They have better reviews. Unfortunately.. the stores don't carry them. I have to order it. I did find an American made machine at a local store. Looked good. Four year warranty, easy to use, bit heavy. $400! Right but that warranty sounded good. About what you'd pay yearly for one of the crappy ones. I researched it. Terrible reviews.

The only thing I can positively say I got out of this is that shopping for a vacuum is the only thing that actually sucks.

An Island of Pink & Green

It is after one p.m. and I find myself here, in a corner of the front porch, behind the moon flower vines and crepe myrtle. It is beautiful weather, just 79 at the moment. My porch faces west so soon I'll have to go in because the sun will shine directly into my corner and warm things up a great deal.

My porch is very inviting in the early mornings. With the cooler temps, it is a nice, quiet place to sit and drink coffee. Most mornings this is where I spend at least an hour. Lately, I've been able to sit out longer but the evenings I'm driven in by hordes of mosquitoes. I've looked for standing water but there isn't any as far as I can find. My neighbors may have some on their property. The house next door is vacant and could have some there. Either way, the pests are really bad after dark. But that's a few hours away.

I saw a humming bird flying around not three feet from me, checking out the princess feather flowers and it appeared to be checking out the vines. The moon flower has still not bloomed and I'm getting concerned. If it gets much cooler, they may die before they bloom.

In the distance I hear two dogs barking. One is a small, annoying yap to the northwest. The other is a deep bark to the northeast. I suspect the annoying yap is causing the other one. Perhaps big bark got tired because he stopped. Eventually, so did little yap. Overhead a small plane heads for the local airport.

It feels like one of those days you remember from your past, where life seemed to drift at a slower pace that the world around you. I can hear traffic in the distance, someone using a circular saw a few houses away, a loud car once in awhile up the street. But for the most part, my world has shrunk to an island of green and blue with pink flowers where all of that seems far away.

I need a screened porch. I've been sitting here for a while thinking it through, trying to figure out how to do it. I think I could. The only thing that would present a problem would be a doorway. It isn't framed for that and I'm not confident enough to try it.

For most of the week I've had to keep checking to see what day it is. Suddenly, time isn't driven by appointments, events, and workload. It appears to move all by itself, without telling me. Friday has arrived and it feels like any other day. I got up this morning, a bit later than usual because I sat up later than usual. I went for my walk, changed clothes, made my 3rd trip to the bank and came home to eat toast and drink herbal iced tea.

It is very odd, really. Around 10 p.m. I get this feeling I should go to bed because I have to get up in the morning. The thought that follows is no I don't. I can get up when I want. The next thing that happens is I feel this sense that I'm doing something wrong. I should be getting up, getting dressed, and doing something constructive. Of course, I go to bed and sleep and get up again.

Truthfully, I've been on the run a bit this week trying to get my finances in order. I had an IRA that was virtually worthless so I rolled it over rather than letting them take $400 of it. I  had to take some of the insurance money that is left and put it where it might actually do some good eventually. I had to get medical insurance set up. I spent a lot of time filling out forms, calling people, and running to the bank three times. I've had to shop for another doctor and I have a couple of names. Now to call and see if they will take me. I also have to update my checkbook and see if I can buy groceries. I still have no idea the exact amount of my pension. So, even though it feels as if I just sat around watching mysteries, reading posts, websites, and novels I did do constructive things.

And now, the day has warmed to 81 and that's just a bit too uncomfortable for me at the moment. I don't know if it is better in the house. I've been shutting off the air most of this week. The temps in the evening, night, and early mornings are very mild and I've put it to good use. I'm going to put up a clothesline, I hope, this weekend. Every penny has to count now and there's no sense heating up my house when it is hot enough outside. I'll save the dryer for the winter.

I leave you with a nice bouquet.

A Lefthanded Day

It is amazing how much difference a tiny pill can make. The pain reached proportions I couldn't manage yesterday and something whispered in my ear, "Take an Imitrex." I paused, thought about it, and decided it couldn't hurt. I had to go pick up the prescription at the pharmacy but that's OK. I took one when I got back home, sat down in the recliner with my neck supported and spent the next few hours dozing and trying to watch Hercule Poirot. I woke around 4 and my neck wasn't hurting.

So, this is definately a migraine trigger point. Must remember to take the pill sooner. Take doxepin a few times a week.

I got up at 7:30 this morning... on purpose. I've had my vacation. I've lain around watching t.v. and reading and trying to deal with the pain. Nothing is getting done and I'm now bored. So, I set my clock last night and after my morning coffee, I went to the cemetery for my walk.

First, there was no yellow tape cordoning off the section where I saw the police yesterday. I was disappointed. In fact, the corner looked just as it usually did, still has that hanging branch that a vagrant could use as shelter.

I got half way around the park and realized that two miles is probably not going to happen for a few weeks. All the flareups I've had have left my hip and back in an unpredictable state. I'm not hurting as I was a week ago but the three times I've walked since I got home have shown me that I'm not going to be able to push myself. So, I've fallen back to one mile, more or less. I'm fine with it for now but I want to get my distance back up. I didn't even break a sweat out there today. Of course, the last two days are just lovely so, you have to work to sweat.

I came home, got out the weed trimmer and trimmed all around the house. Mike was going to come do it this weekend but I've got something else I want him to do and it will take him hours to do the trim work and he won't be much use after the fact. So, I've got it done all around the house and walkway. It looks good but I have to say Mike did a better job than me. And I cut down some flowers. Fortunately, they weren't that big a deal. They were Four O'clocks that just have been so stubborn to grown. I didn't create a bed for them, just dug a hole and put them in it. They've not grown well but they're on the south side of the porch, where nothing I have ever planted has grown for some reason. I don't know if it is the soil or what. I have decided to cover the are with a ground cover, put mulch or gravel on top of it and forget about it. It is just too much of a pain to deal with and you can't even get the lawn mower in that area.

Once I finished with the trimming, I was tired but surprisingly, nothing hurt. I've always found that certain activities, like rowing, actually make my shoulders and neck feel better. I have no way to get that same effect but using the trimmer seemed to mimic it a bit. Now, tomorrow... we'll see if I can even move.

I had no idea it was International Lefthanders Day. I'm a lefty and you'd think I'd know these things. I just don't keep up with it much. I mean... that's just how I write.

It has been a week of terrible loss. Robin Williams killed himself. Such a tragedy. As usual, the papers and blogs and television shows are all pumping it for all it is worth. I do hope someone remembers to point out the fact that depression is a murderer. It will kill its victim unless recognized and treated. I find it the ultimate tragedy that a man as public and well loved as Mr. Williams has become the victim of this disease. How sad he lost all hope. How sad that he hid behind his clown face so well.

The impact of Mr. Williams death totally eclipsed the death of Lauren Bacall. I had no idea, until a Facebook friend posted it, that she died yesterday. If you've ever seen To Have and Have Not, you'll know Bacall. If you haven't see Bogie and Bacall together, you really should.

Now, I've spent most of my afternoon doing nothing again. I did apply for a job through Manpower. It is 2-3 days a week, which is just what I want. So, we'll see. I'm probably over qualified but I can't help that. We shall see.

The Mystery in the Cemetary

I went for a walk this morning, around 9 a.m. The day is sunny and mild so it seemed like the right thing to do. I did not get in two miles. I barely got one mile. My hip and back were bothering me. I'm still having problems with my neck. I woke up with a headache and I think that was caused by dehydration. I promptly drank a couple of glasses of water.

As I said it was a beautiful morning to walk but as I finished my walk, the police were driving in to a corner of the cemetery, behind the lake. I didn't take this photo today but you can see the bunch of trees in that corner in the center of this photo. One of the trees has branches now hanging like a curtain, to the ground. The officer got out and went behind that. There was a city vehicle, an SUV, and a police car back there and there's no road in that area, just grass.

I have no idea what they found. Could have been a homeless person sleeping there but I think the three vehicles was overkill. Could have been a dead body. I guess I might not be the only person who sees the cemetery as a good place to dump a body? I'm very curious and I hung around a bit but I finally just got in the car and came home. I wish I'd stayed a bit longer. May ride over there and see what's transpired. If they've cleared out it was probably a derelict. If the cops have the site cordoned off... well, it could be interesting.

With my back and neck acting up I'm not able to do much of anything. I am going to go out and cut the yard I think. I can ride the mower to do that. Mike is working but I can handled the riding mower alone. I probably could do the trim work but I'm a bit scared to try. Using my shoulders and upper arms tends to aggravate the neck. However, I've reached a place where I'm "damned if I do and damned if I don't".

I have a lovely tomato  plant in my garden. It has had numerous tomatoes on it but I have not had a single one. Something is stealing them just before they get ripe. I think it is a squirrel. So, will not try that again. I mean out of nearly a dozen tomatoes, not one. I'm so angry about it. I'm ready to rip the thing out of the ground. You simply can't grow them in this neighborhood. Nothing keeps the vermin away. I've had no bugs of any kind, just pest. And the tomatoes are the only thing getting taken.

I do wish I could find some relief from this pain. I'm at the point of asking for pain killers. I've never been there before. I don't want to do that. I have problems at times remembering which pill I've taken;there are so many of them now. I use a minder but pain meds are a different thing.

Must go now. I need to get up and move around.