Mom

[Tachi]

Wow your friend is in emergency conditions. i hope he has family to visit. Compared to yours our winters are nothing. I hope these next snows are mild and everything can get taken care of.

Looks like ill have the morning light, half the balconey in shade then slowlt going to all shade. In front of my building are a couple large trees and apparently the shade killd the grass. I suggested they just do gravel but they said it rains and washes downhill. Simple to do a terraced area for that and plant some shade loving plants at the top then gravel or even mulch below. It would be near level so easy to retain. They have a corporate office and im sure they will complicate things and make them ugly.

The mortgae compny owes me money for my overpaying property taxes and sent a check on the 9th, supposedly, the escrow papers I got today showed a refund on the 24th, so will give it a week and then file for them to reissue the check.

Hows the weather doing, did you gets buried in snow? I wont tell you about ours, warmer than normal w/ rain over the weekend. I cant imagine snow til may, for us its a sometimes thing that usually only lasts a few days. We're lucky in that, just not the hot summers. 

Panther sounds like he's healing up. At least he knows what he needs to do. Sometimes I think wild animals are smarter than us in some ways. At least they dont overthink.

Church-are people quitting because its small and out of the larger towns? 

George sounds like he was good at everything. I dont know whats good for your climate but i always had success with junipers, honeysuckle, stuff like that. our summers get so hot the yard would be like an oven in the sun afternoons. best thing I ever did was plant for the morning sun and afternoon shade and mulch in well. If it flowers you should post some pics.

The bedroom isnt very big, i just dont need much. dad would camp out rt in front of the TV in the living room and crank the volume. So i'm used to camping out in the bedroom and studying. Besides if I did my work in the other room id need more furniture. I wont be having people over and have my home office so thats all i need.

Kodie and his toys, he really is so smart and never ceases to amaze me. You ever get the impression he understands every word?

Take good care of yourself. Hoping the snow is light and you get a couple quiet days.

 

[kayc]

I don't remember when I last wrote.

Panther isn't sleeping in his basket the last couple of days, maybe the top of the carport, no idea.

I came home and my well head was covered with an insulated wooden box, I painted it...and then it started raining (unpredicted) so I leaned a board up over it.  The next day I removed it and the top was fine but the sides I wiped down and they had spots that hadn't dried.  I just tried another coat yesterday, hopefully it dries better, not daylight yet.  Otherwise I'll wait until summer.  I got a small amount of gravel to cover the top around the wellhead/box.

 

My daughter and her BF survived the ice storm that brought so many cities, Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove, Pleasant Hill, Marcola, Dexter to a screeching halt.  They were able to go back to work after five days of not being able to.  Her BF fixed his truck.  Our internet/phone/cellphones would not work and they seem to have finally resolved, it was hard, feeling cut off from the world.  Cellphones would not give credit for being down.  I wouldn't recommend Spectrum to anyone but it's what I have now.

This whole storm made me see how fragile our lives are, how things can change in an instant and how on our own with it all we are.

I'm so glad you are settled into a place of your own, one someone else has the charge of taking care of.  Time for some "ME" time!  And getting a refund back, yay!  I hope you see the proceeds of the escrow soon.

Kodie seems to understand Jazzy and Iris are gone.  I've explained to him and tried to prepare him and it seemd it took, it's been nine days since he's seen them.

I saw Jack (injured handyman) out walking a couple of times this week.  Praying he makes a close to full recovery within a few months.

Supposed to snow today and most of the week, no idea how much. Their predictions are understated and off and inconsistent.

Aww but I love the Groundhog Day predictions!  Even if they aren't accurate!  America needs something they do for fun...a break from elections and dire news.

Some people at church left because they didn't like the pastor's delivery, wanted a bigger church.  Many died, moved, etc.  We had someone in the congregation step up and volunteer to do the treasury...only one more week with Pastor & Cindy.  It will be hard for him without training but he said he's familiar with the program.  Doreen can help show him some stuff, she was learning with Cindy but wasn't comfortable doing it on her own.

So what are you doing with your time?

 

[kayc]

They changed the snow predictions this morning so suddenly I needed to fix something for potluck, made this:
 

Keto Chicken Nuggets Easy

·       1 can of chicken

·       1 egg

·       1/2 cup of shredded cheese

·       Seasoning

Mix all together and make balls, press to make shape.

Cook at 400 for 20 minutes flipping them half through.

Or air fry 400 20 min.

Double recipe: 28 nuggets @.6 net carbs each

https://www.instrupix.com/easy-baked-chicken-nuggets-made-with-canned-chicken/
https://www.instrupix.com/easy-baked-chicken-nuggets.../
#recipe

 For seasoning I used Watkins Bacon/Cheddar

 

 

[Tachi]

Thx for the recipe, always appreciated.

I answered your email.

Spectrum was the internet company at the house. They lied to me and  charged me for a month they said they wouldnt. Along with a couple other ones. Cant trust any company anymore.

You should have painted that box with a big dog or something. In several cities here we have the electrical boxes on some streetcorners. theyve had them painted as famous persons. on one is J Wayne, on another is the beatles, stuff like that. It looks cool.

Glad they survived the storm. thats some crazy weather compared to here. For the very cold weather we had energy bills skyrocketed. my neighbors was almost $800. No way thats fair. Granted it was down in the 20s for a week but still. I cant imagine if we were up north.

There was so much personal stuff i wanted to do. get back to working out, reading, jump back to 3d artwork and Photoshop. And Ive done so little. Its felt good but now I do have to get going again, plus start studying again.

Up until I moved back home i thought I understood some things about Life. And i thought I knew what would come. But I didnt understand a thing.I had no idea that what we think and what we plan means nothing, changes nothing. Life happens and whatever life wants thats what we get. We are so often wrong. And hat distance between what we understand and the truth is our pain and discomfort. I have been humbled by my last 5-10 years and have been shown that I am a fool and know nothing. My only hopes are to live a few more good years and to go quietly in my sleep and not wate away in a hospital. Seeing how Dad was treated in that first hospital really scares me to go in. 

Good sign that jack is up and about. hopefully he takes care of himself. Will take him some time. Bet he's pretty tought though.

How bad has the snow been? We have been getting rain and in the 60s by day and 40s by night. A bit warm for us. But i'll take it.

Church sounds like its in transition. hope the new folks are good.

Maybe panther has a girlfriend or something. Or is just hiding in the rafters.

I have to ask myself what i want to do with this last phase of life. I have to survive. Im fine for a few years but if i can get some income that will stretch even farther. So im looking at doing some safe investing and if interest rates hold that could make up half of my shortfall in bills etc, then if i can work some that would pay my livinge xpenses. I dont need a job making tons of money and depending on what i make dont even need to work fulltime. Still working all that out.

Hope the week is nice and quiet without alot of snow. Take good care of yourself and kodie. Hope he doesnt miss his friends too much.

 

 

[kayc]

Re: Spectrum, I was supposed to get my cellphone free the first year, it wouldn't activate so they told me to take it to their nearest store two hours away, so I did. They told me to take it to the nearest FedEx store, 1 1/2 hours away, then another 1 1/2 hours home.  They sold me another phone (another $200) and activated it.  Spectrum counted the unactivated one my one free phone even though never activated!  They'd done something to it before mailing it to me!  I tried to fight them on their charges but the best I could get was 1/2 year in credits the rest they are sticking me with.

They gave me a new landline (after 46 years with the same number) they were supposed to port the number...well I fought and won that battle after quite a fight and they sent someone out to take care of it.  The internet sits and spins sometimes or drops from my laptop so I have to restart it.  It's a pain.

I would not say you're a fool, I'd say you've gleaned some wisdom throughout your life same as I have.  Who would have known they'd have let a virus into our country that would cause a shortage of t-paper and double, triple grocery costs and gas like it did and cause our IRA to drop to the point of no return!  Who could have predicted so much happening!  Corporate greed, I think the president should have been on top of that more, heard him address it...but in speech only.  Who would think thing would get so crazy in Megaland or that we'd be facing it again.  I shake my head at politics and news reporting.  Nothing seems real anymore.

If you've carved out for yourself some kind of a niche where you can be comfortable and enjoy your art, then enjoy it.  None of us knows what life will predict, I never would have known I'd get these hand injuries that would change my life so much and take away my ability to make cards as I did since I was in my early 30s.  Now I'm left with a room full of tools/supplies and can't use them, no one to take them off my hands and can't give them away without literally taking car loads to the valley, that's IF I was able to pack them and drive them there!  No one to help.  So I live with them here, ghosts from another lifetime.

Jack was out walking with his GF yesterday when Kodie and I were out, she has a beautifull dog, merle patterned.  Jack said his back is hurting but he can't take any more t.v.  Goes to physical therapy today or tomorrow.  If anyone will make this comeback, he will.

No way could I paint something intricate on that box with these hands, it's a struggle just to type.  I was a perfect typist, now my mistakes are many and I have to proof everything.  Slows me down.  Old age is humbling.

Snow didn't materialize yet, pushed back to Wednesday, Thursday and beyond.  Doesn't break my heart...maybe Kodie's.

[Tachi]

I guess the almanac was right for us, a warmer and wetter winter so far. Im kind of excited to get a couple pants for the balcony. I need to see if i can attach something alomg the railings for privacy. then i can set a chair out and enjoy the evening. Seems kinda odd to me to sit out there where everyone could see me.

Talked to my old neighbors. The electric company is replacing the pole by the old house. Theyre trimming all the trees back across the entire back. She wanted to cry because they really butchered the trees. They havent looked over the fence into the yard but they said there were so many trash bags coming out of the yard. they must be cutting it all out. they tore out all the ivy ground cover, and with it all the woldflowers my folks got from the hill country and planted, the redcaps my Aunt lena gave them when the house was built. I hope they didnt tear out the mexican petunias and the nandina.

Theyve textured and painted the walls, painted the wood cabinets and trim, The den has one wall thats all bookcase. They cut the middle out and painted all the wood. painted the wood kitchen cabinets. I now doubt their sanity. but not my business anymore, so they do what makes em happy. I used to be curious to see it inside when it was done but I wouldnt step foot in there if you paid me. I wish them well but sheesh.

Spectrum and most large companies just pretend to care to draw you in. Theyre onderful until something goes wrong and then instead of doing whats right they just try and minimize their losses.

My standing prediction seems true. now that business is done bro has no interest in me. Esp since i dont care to blow a large sum on a bootcamp.

I still share texts and phonecalls with my old neighbors. But need to go see the ones from the other side. he is having health issues and I think she has trouble taking care of him. really sweet couple.

News etc...I honestly couldnt say when or if it was ever real. They are propaganda for the State and create the news themselves. Theyve been caught several times that ive seen.

How's the snow doing? Hopefully light. 

How's Kodie doing? Do you ever get him a nice bone or a big rawhide chewie? I dont know if those are still good for them or not. Been so long since ive had a dog.

How's panther doing? is he hiding? I wonder if he likes spring or summer better than this winter. But then his fur is probably a pretty warm coat. 

How have you been feeling? Is anything healing up? Too bad you dont have a hotspring outside the back door. 

Have a good quiet peacefull weekend. Take good care.

[kayc]

I give Kodie bones but no rawhide, best left to bigger dogs with healthy stomachs. I couldn't give Arlie them with his Colitis.  I still have some rawhide candy canes to give away.  Have to run through the pet parent.

Panther doesn't like the cold but he didn't like the smoke either so I'd say he prefers Spring and Fall.

I agree with you about corporate and news!  I hate Amazon's AI.  If I want to talk to a robot I will ask for one, give me a person!  They they to force you to let them send a text only it never comes.  

Oh for sure about a hotspring, only cats don't like getting wet.

Stunned at the changes they're making on your old place.  Best not to look.  I'm wondering what they did with the ramp at Peggy's, it was so nice!  So upset what Fed Ex did to my place a day ago!  They put huge mud ruts at the top of my place, driving off the road, tore up my moss I've been growing here for 46 1/2 years!  Never heard back from them.  Called WM and Amazon and told them NO MORE FED EX!!! I'd rather wait on USPS and have them deliver w/o damage than Fed Ex.  They went way off my driveway one year and tore up my rock planter, it was several feet from the driveway!  It's a miracle they didn't roll their truck!  I told them not to let them drive on my driveway anymore!d  Never heard back from Fed Ex even with a claim #.

[Tachi]

Now when you try and sign up to alot of things they want your phone number so they can text. Email is bad enough but texting is a no, a big no. A company will lose me as a customer over it. Thats a huge intrusion as i will think its important and stop what im doing to check. 

I resubbed my UX study website for a year. Ive taken a bunch of classes and am partway done on some. Its a pain in the keester to get back in to the classes ive done. For a company thats teaching user Experience design they fail bigtime on some things. And if I can see it why cant they.

Panther must like it there or he wouldnt stay. I wonder where he was before and what led him to your door. Whatever it was it worked out well for everyone. 

maybe put a sign up for fedex. They damage the property ideally they should pay to get it fixed. But in reality thy dont care. none of em care. they talk big about customer service and its all hot air. 

Going over to the bank this week and close out the old acct Dad and I shared. No longer anything getting paid from it and little in it so will take the death cert over and have it closed. The bank mgr knew Dad and was always very nice to him and rude to me. When we tried getting the notary to do the Living Will. His doctor had signed it and they refused, notary and bankmgr. They told me the doctor had to sign in front of a notary and all doctors offices have a notary. I talked to a lady at the dept at the state capitol and she aid the doc can sign it before or after and his doctor's office said they didnt know of any offices that had a notary. So i will go in one more time and then never again.

Im dragging my feet, got to get going.

So how are you feeling? How is the snow? hopefully you didnt get too much. 

Been fairly quiet here except for one guy when he gets home from work. But I just put my headphones on. I rarely see anyone, I think many of them work on the road. havent really met anyone and thats ok. 

As I had thought I dont hear from my brother. I've sent a couple email, some of my artwork and some on what I'm doing. But he no longer has need of me and ik refuse to play along with his expensive ideas. So I guess i'm useless and thats fine with me.

In my studies of UX design and compared to how so many large companies have moved away from human interaction and good customer service...just goes to show ya that as always the focus is on their profit. they still dont get that great customer service brings cutsomers and more business. But it seems they are willing to lose business in order to lower costs. very sad.

Well take good care of yourself and Kodie and panther, Stay warm.

[kayc]

I don't want them texting me either and refuse their apps.

Spent the last week trying to close out my Robinhood account, thought I did in 2022 but a fraction of a cent multiplied to 63 + a fraction, can get the 63 cents out (it takes a week) but the fraction they say is too small, so meanwhile, getting 1099s the rest of my life on it!  It's enough to make you want to pull your hair out!  I held for hours several times to talk to chat, it's insane.  No one can walk you through it and everything you try doesn't help.  Costs me more to pay my tax person to claim the 1099.  It's nuts.

Panther was feral and roaming the neighborhood, he and I connected, he talked to me from a distance and I put food out on a ledge and walked a distance away, kept doing that. Finally put it on the edge of my ramp and moved it back closer and closer to the patio.  This took months.  He finally trusted me.  He & Kodie took to each other right away in their dog and cat ways.  Now he has the life of Riley on my patio!  He's switching between the cat house and the basket or sometimes in my carport rafters, you can tell my the cat prints on my car!

Your brother and my DIL.  She ordered me by email to come watch their kids three days in April.  It snows then and I heat by a wood stove only so have to keep the fire going, so doubt I can comply.  She hasn't responded.  She never considers me or shows any appreciation, nor condolences when their dog bites me.  She's horrid to me.

I wish you could just retire and paint, spend your days doing what you like.

Made a huge pot of soup yesterday morning, did laundry, walked down to feed the horse, vacuumed the house, took Kodie to the park (I had to go to the post office) where we walked over an hour, came home.  Good day, got to bed late, woke up by a scammer, took phone off the hook, BS up this morning.  Oh well, today's a new day.  Storm starting today, high winds, snow (hopefully just above us, we'll see).
Take care and stay out of the rains!

[Tachi]

Well i'd say you are blessed by panther as well as kodie. And they by you. I bet Panther eats better than he ever has. And he has that entire patio to scratch too. A dream life for a cat.

I should make some vegetable soup as well. Have some beef i was saving so i'll thaw that out. Im trying to fix my bad habits. Stress makes me want carb comforts like cookie or pretzel but I cant be doing that. I was eating pears but i need to switch out for peaches and cantelope. My problem is that many good things are more expensive and many i just cant stand, like cauliflower. unless its breaded and fried. But I can add more broccoli and do something like oriental steak and broccoli. I enjoy the stirfry vegetables. Can do those with chicken or turkey too. 

Been eating wrong and its messed up my system. Hope i can fix it because the last thing I need is to go see the doctor. They will take advantage of that to run me thru everything they can think of.

So i have to fix my nutrition and get back on an exercise program, wish me luck.

Your DIL seems to think way too much of herself. I know you cant say what you want to say to her. But I'm glad you dont put up with her guff. Some people are just nuts. Does she still have her mom around? If so i wonder how she treats her. if not i wonder if thats why she is lik she is.

IF I can invest this winfall properly and it holds up over the years I wont need to wrk much or make alot. I dont know why my brother thinks i have to make a ton of money, i dont. I'm 66 and no telling how much time I have left. So i think my need after making sure i can survive, is to do those things i want to do. Its now or never. And if all im doing is desperately working to survive then whats the point. I just need to fix my bad habits. I think he just wants to get me all flustered and going crazy. Thats not life at all. 

Sometimes, I read or see or think of something, and my first thought is to call mom and Dad and tell them. And then i realize i cant. In a way they are always with me. But its not the same. I guess that will never change. Its better now that I dont live in the house. I do miss it, esp that yard. And this apt isnt home. There are people who have lived her for 5 years and more. So maybe its ok. 

Im trying to figure out how to grow plants on my balcony. i dont want the water to flow off the side when i water plants. Ill set them in a round tray to catch the runoff but it may overflow. I think I want some tropicals and try to do pumpkins and some mexican petunias and redcaps. Its way too soon though. Grandma used to say we'd have one more freeze after easter.

Ill see how i feel tomorrow na dmay go run errands. I need to buy some new tires for the car too. Im saving every penny i can. But I did order a couple nice shirts.I had promised myself i would once this was done. 

How did the snow do? Reasonable or did everything get covered?

Take good care of yourself and enjoy the soup.

[kayc]

I understand, I still want to call Peggy and Bert and they're gone.    I want to take takeout to them, can't.  She always kept a 2 litre bottle for Kodie with a treat in it (his favorite toy).  I'll never forget the shocked horrified look on his face when I told him Aunt Peggy was gone...he understood.  He put his paw on me, firmly, again and again as he looked into my face.  So sad.

You'd love my Cauiflower Bites recipe, I love it!
 

Keto PARMESAN CAULIFLOWER BITES

Ingredients

·        3 cups cauliflower florets

·        ¼ cup butter melted

·        ½ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated

·        1 teaspoon Paprika

·        ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1.   Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2.   Toss cauliflower florets with melted butter.

3.   Combine Parmesan cheese, paprika and pepper in a large container or plastic bag that closes.

4.   Add cauliflower florets and gently toss to coat.

5.   Place cauliflower in a single layer on baking sheet sprayed to prevent sticking.

6.   Bake for 20 minutes or until edges begin to crisp.

7.   Enjoy hot from the oven!

Notes

To cook in an air fryer:

1. Preheat air fryer to 390 °F.
2. Spray the crisper plate with olive oil and place cauliflower in a single layer and lightly spray the tops with olive oil to promote crispiness.
3. Cook for about 20 minutes or until desired tenderness. You can gently turn the pieces over with a rubber-tipped spatula halfway through, but I often don't need to do this.

Makes 4 servings, 3 net carbs

#recipe
https://www.dinner-mom.com/parmesan-cauliflower-bites/#recipe

[kayc]

I'm glad you don't have to rush around to land a job, I've made do, my retirement wasn't planned, I do okay, it's the house that kills me, the repairs.

Never did get snow, it was slush that melted, but high winds, branches down.  It's still under hazardous weather predictions, pouring rain, high winds.  A good day to be inside except I have to walk Kodie twice, once down, once to go.  Was going to Bible Study today but only three hours sleep last night so will pass.

Yes, I love Panther too. He has the most beautiful eyes.

[Tachi]

Kodie is an angel. he understands you and he is very very special. 

Glad you didnt get snow altho slush isnt fun. Ours didnt show up either. this weekend is getting down near freezing. Ill be glad when Spring comes. I hope its still quiet so i can open the windows. The balcony has big glass sliding doors and inside are vertical shades. I guess they work fine, never had em in any of my apts. I dont think id want them open so people could see in. Some people here put Christmas lights as a border around their windows and it looked nice. Ive never lived in an apt where there werent a bunch of college kids or partying tradesmen. So far this is really nice. 

Agreed on the repairs and one of the things my bro never undersood. i often considered he did understand things but didnt want to admit it. I still think he wanted me to live in the house so that when i passed it could go to his wife.The old neighbors met the new owner, the husband. The guy told my old neigbor he loves the house and to let him know if he sees him doing anything stupid. They'll get along well and my old neighbor can show him how to do things like he helped me. 

Thanks for the recipe, ill try it next time I go to the store. Am slowly working on stocking the pantry. I do need to make more hpomemade soup, beef stews, chicken stews, etc. Esp with cooler weather. 

Hope you can get some better sleep. I seem to enjoy tossing all night.

I wanted to ask, what kind of plants, probably tropicl, do you think might be good for the balcony? 

Take good care

 

 

[kayc]

I love this recipe!
 

Keto Dump Soup

Chop bratwurst or chicken, vegetables, to chicken broth in Dutch oven, half full of water.  Bring to high, turn off and cover, leave for an hour, then cool and store. I don’t measure the water but about half pan full with 4 tsp bouillon, ½ tsp sea salt.  *Optional: Can add can cream of mushroom soup or homemade before turning off (stir thoroughly), I usually make my own.

I call this dump soup because it’s whatever I have on hand!

Dash pepper & ½ tsp. sea salt,  in small saucepan mix ingredients, add chopped mushrooms, tomatoes, bok choy, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach (optional), red bell pepper, bring to boil, simmer covered on low an hour. Turn off to let cool if making ahead.

* Keto Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 c. HWC
Xanthan Gum to thicken
1 ½ T. Butter
1 tsp chicken bouillon
½ tsp sea salt

Dash pepper in small saucepan mix ingredients, add chopped mushrooms, bring to boil, simmer on low a couple of minutes.

Can use Broccoli or celery instead of mushrooms.
#recipe
 

  

 

I used to plant begonias, pansies, just anything that appealed to me, but I put them in hanging baskets lining the 30 ft patio, also some big on-the-floor pots at each end.  

This is one of my favorites.  It's been a while since I've had real plants, only have one right now, I should get back into that this summer.

[Tachi]

Mmmmm, you hooked me when you aid Bratwurst. Love them. I would boil them in water and beer with chopped up onions until they turn white. then roll in bbq sauce and grill. Those days are gone unless i want to make a mess of my stovetop or over. But i could carefully brown em in the pan then toss em in with vegetables.

I wonder if i can get away with hooks and hang flower baskets on the balcony. Id just hate it if the watering drained and stained or hit the balcony below. But definitely a couple big ones in the corners and some planter boxes with floers along the bottom of the railing. Those flowers have really nice colors. I love how the darker outlines the petals, looks really delicate. Some people dont appreciate flowers but nature does an amazing job.

The cable company sent the refund to me, on a giftcard in Dads name. Even tho I told them he passed. its only $5 so i threw it away. Guess that was their joke because I left. Told em ATT was the only one we can use but I guess they dont need me in the future.

My bro called today. he had some heart flutters or something. Went to the clinic and they didnt find anything but he's doing more testing. Asked me if my money was holding out. Like im going to go spend it all. Im really not spending much at all. 

Theyre painting the complex on the outside. Pretty good job. They painted our doors and need to do the doorframes. Its an odd feeling going from a house to here and hearing all the cars come and go and the painters on ladders just outside my windows. Guess i'll get used to it.

This will make you sick, we're supposed to be in the upper 60s and 70s for next couple weeks. I'll take it and i hope winter is passing for us. Im ready for spring.

Hope you're not covered in snow again, crossing my fingers you get a break. Take good care and stay warm.

[kayc]

We've had our break the last month, now they're predicting snow here next Monday on. 90% precip so I guess we'll have some, said 2,000 and above, we're 2,365.  

I always cooked my brats in my electric skillet, then chopped up with vegetables and put in the soup pan, brought to a boil with bouillon and covered and turned off.  So good!  Still eating on it.  I threw some bacon chopped up in mine too.  Doesn't take much for a LOT of flavor!

So guess who showed up yesterday to do my burn pile and blow off the roof and gutters?  Jack!  I was stunned!  I asked if he was sure and he said yes, the blower only weighs 10.6.  He's allowed to lift 20 at this point.  This was the first job he'd done and it made me want to cry!  We talked for a couple of hours while we tended the fire.  He told me it's not going well with his GF and he can't take much more.  His partner of 17 years reached out to him before she married and wanted to come back but he had no $ at the time.  Now I understand the FB msg I got from her after his accident.  Seems they're still carrying a torch for each other.  I told him I'd given up having someone in my life 13 1/2 years ago.  Weird how life goes.

I hope your brother's situation turns out okay.

And I hope you figure out something for your flowers...a big pot or two on the deck with room for overflow should work for them w/o spilling down to the balcony below you.

[Tachi]

Yikes more snow. I hate to say it but we hit 80 yesterday and today. Would like some rain but i think we're out of luck. Hopefully your snow is mild. 

Now i need to get some brats. I never thought of cooking em in beef bouillon, will have to try that. There is a bbq grill or two here but dont really care to sit by it for a few hours. Ill try boiling it then browning it, chop it up and make some soup or something. Toss in onions and some beans or veges. 

My brother... Everytime we talk he always tries to toss a wrench into my ideas, but it doesnt work. I already know he doesnt understand the value of money and his solution to things is just spend spend spend. He suggested I get a book by some money guru. I watched a few youtube videos and what hes talking abput either doesnt apply to my situation or im already doing it. 

Tell ya what Jack is one tough man. I bet it was driving him crazy tat he couldnt get out and work on things. Sounds like he's healing well though. I hope he finds happiness. I think he really deserves it. 

I decided at one point that i just wasnt going to be a success and have money. It seemed that single women my age either needed someone rich to take care of them or had tons of money and wanted to travel and party. I knew that i would never have anything to offer either one. My initial plan was to pursue animation and be free of attachments so i could find a job anywhere. Well, nothing ever worked out anyway. The time in my life for relationships is past and i guess thats ok. I took care of my parents. And although its being difficult to transition to the next phase I want to spend the next few years pursuing dreams of creativity before i start losing my faculties and health.

Flowers...I thought a couple tall tropicals for the corners and a couple long planters for flowers and maybe a couple round ones for pumpkins. Maybe a watermelon.

Tomorrow theyre coming to spray for bugs, no idea why, or if a neighbor has bugs, or if they just do it every month. How sad is my life lol. Next week i'll get errands done and go visit the neighbors. They said the electric company put in a new pole cause the old one leaned. they cut all the trees waaaaay back from the lines. Sounds crazy but it needed it.

take good care of yourself, scratch Kodie behind the ears for me and toss Panther a cat treat. Stay warm.

 

 

[kayc]

4 hours ago, Tachi said:

Tell ya what Jack is one tough man. I bet it was driving him crazy tat he couldnt get out and work on things.

It was.  He thanked me!  I told him it hadn't needed done right then, it could have waited a couple of months.  I think I finally unclogged the porch downspout!  Haven't put the piece back on that flares out as it makes it too low to the ground which is why it clogged.

They're saying 10-19" snow Sunday afternoon/Monday.  I think they're full of it, NOAA shows way different and shows it starting Monday morning on.  We'll see, what will be will be, I'll have my work cut out for me, shoveling.  I just hope it doesn't continue into the next week.

Will go get Jazzy today, a little nervous, she's not the most well behaved dog in the world, also I do NOT know how to operate Iris' car!  Pray for me I can figure everything out and she's well behaved.  She's out of her element with Iris gone.  I think Iris is nuts bugging me to do this.  Finally got a hold of her friend, she never did call me!

Panther doesn't like treats, not even cheese!  Strange, my other cats did.  Kodie looks like he's put on weight since Jazzy has been gone and he's been begging ample treats, I know I need to slow it down.  He knows how to work me.  Took him on three walks Tuesday!  One was 1 1/2 hours, one was 1/2 hour, another 45 min.

My computer would NOT work Wednesday!  FB, internet, and Windows 11 all combined to bring me to a screeching halt, NOTHING worked!  Slower than slow, freezing up, windows start button did nothing, neither did end task!  Yesterday it was great, today seems fine.  Weird!  And other people's was acting up too!  Almost like a global attack!  Then yesterday people's cellphones/internet was out AT&T but it affected most major networks according to downdetector, yet here it worked.  Both Lynne and George's wouldn't work so I was alone in monitoring the diabetic group.

Your idea for your balcony sounds good, when you have them growing, send me a picture!

Keeping an eye on the window sill in my son's room...saw it coming out again so put something thicker in there, hoping it holds, we're to have 50 mph winds along with the snow!

[Tachi]

I read there was a wide cell outage, may have affected the internet as well. Feds are looking into it and no comment yet. But many are saying providers got hacked.

Things have been bad for about 7 years and i thought it would end, things going wrong. I got my 1099 for the sale of the house. It listed the entire selling price of the house, which is proper. My brother called tonight and said he got one for half the sale of the house. The house was in my name only, I sold it. When the Title company asked how i wanted it disbursed i asked for half to be sent to my brother for convenience. Otherwise i would have had it all paid to me and I send half to him as a gift so he pays no taxes. Ill need to call my escrow officer because i have no idea what is going on or why. If theyre sending 1099s based on who had money sent to them then why did I get one for the entire amount instead of just half. We are being 1099'd for 1.5 times the sale price of the house and that cant be right. So tired of this and need it to end. I shouldnt be paying any taxes on the capital gains from the house but im afraid my bro will have to pay taxes on that income. *sigh* the way i had it figured out he would pay nothing and I would pay nothing, no one talked to me about tax implications of paying out that way. 

This is why I dont spend money and am holding off doing anything. Stuff always happens, always. 

Panther...I guess they dont have cheese in the wild, he just never picked up a taste for human food maybe? Maybe better for him.

Jack-I think these fellas are fewer and fewer. My dad was that way as well as my uncles. And my helpful neighbor is in his 80s and works every dy on the house or yard. I think he really appreciates your friendship. 

Crazy crazy weather, we're supposed to hit 96 today...96? Where does that come from. Tomorrow the high is 54 and it seesaws tween 50s and 70s for a couple weeks. I wish I could send some warm air your way. Hope this doesnt mean a hot summer, i'd like to order a mild one. No nights below the mid 40s and im tempted to start getting some plants. but Grandma always said (and Mom) there would be one more freeze after Easter.

How is the snow progressing? Hopefully not too much.

How did things go with Jazzy. You're very nice to help with her. 

Was thinking about your computer. One thing I see in mine that drives me crazy...when Windows needs an update it starts prepping. Doesnt matter if its during the time I set for tht it does what it wants. And it uses all my disk and I cant do anything else. If its trying to do too much it can mean you cant do anything else. Next time it gets that busy try looking at the Task Manager...if you havent done this before I go Ctrl Alt Delete keys at the same time. If you tend to leave the computer on for many days at a time you may want to restart it every couple days. And of course be sure to scan for viruses and have protection running 24/7. And if you know this and do this my apologies and never mind :).

Windchill sounds very dangerous. Ive seen strips you can get on amazon that are good for window corners and clear film for the panes of glass. 

Hope the snow and cold isnt too bad, stay inside and stay safe.

[kayc]

Typed a reply, didn't take.  Friday we had an internet/phone outage, whole town. It fried my modem.  Yesterday a tech came out and replaced my modem. Then we got a power outage, whole town, so went to bed early. Got woke up middle of the night with bright lights and it came back on. Did some catching up. Bank site had been down yesterday so caught up my budget which apparently many entried I'd made weren't saved when the power went out so had to repiece it all back together. Woke up at 3 am and shoveled a path to the firewood (100 ft) and the front porch steps, both sides.  
Friday was horrible, Windows wouldn't respond, it's like it was a picture, same with task manager only if you started it, the computer would freeze up.  It was HORRID!  Took 3 hours to do 1/2 hour's work, gave up finally.  I woke up at 3 am and shoveled 100 ft path to the firewood.  Didn't want to run the snow blower, so will wait until it's worse.

I would go see a tax person for 2023, maybe they're sending 1099 all to you because your dad left it in your name?  They could let you know if you're exempt.  Since your brother got half, it doesn't seem right.  I know a certain amount is supposed to be excluded.

It's hard to fathom 90s, when it's 20s here.  Panther amazes me how he keeps alive finding places warm to sleep.

I think you'd be amazed how I do here, it's hard but beautiful.  And I'm in great shape other than my hands.  Also the arm injury I got over two months ago is nearly non-existent now, blood clot gone.  Haven't seen the doctor since last summer.  I try to do all the crap they send me to in the summer (mamogram, bone density, would like to skip that, they want me to do a colonoscopy this year, eye doctor, dentist, you name it they send me there).  

Enjoy your weather!

[Tachi]

I had a Qol drug my surgeon prescribed me and he stopped refilling it and nothing from them as to why. No, 'well talk to your pcp'. Thought about that tonight and i wonder if ive been ignored from the network and I wont be able to get medical care. Which makes me very angry because ive been lied to, sent things I didnt know about, set up for tests i didnt know about. I feel like i cant get medical help now. I'll have to see about changing providers but I 'think' theyre all in the same network so if teyve blacklisted me id have to change my provider.

Talked to my escrow agent at the Title company today, very unhappy with them. They totally dropped the ball with negligence on several points. 

Mom and Dad were on the house Deed. When Mom passed Dad said he didnt need to do anything. But we couldnt make a ladybird Deed to pass the house to me with Mom on it, she couldnt sign it. So we went to court and did a muniment of title. That effectively probated the Will for the house only and took her off the deed. Then Dad and I set up the ladybird deed. 

Escrow agent admitted that in any case they shouldnt have sent bro a 1099-s form and she said she voided it...I dont trust her. 

So when we sold the house, from what she said, they didnt see the muniment of title records online so they approached it as Mom and Dad were co owners and the muniment served only to pass to me dads share. So bro got Moms share and hence why, supposedly, they sent him a 1099-s. yet they sent mine for the entire payout on the house and him for his half. 

I explained that you cant do a ladybird w/out doing the muniment of title. The opening sentence even says that the named is sole owner. They never asked me or mentioned the issue. She admitted today the issue was they didnt have the muniment of title. Its a matter of court record. And if they had we never would have had problems. i was not told of any of these issues. they just dropped the ball and tripped over it. This 'should' mean my bro doesnt have to include his share as income because it was my house and my income and what he got was a gift from me. Anyway, thats next years taxes so will worry then. But very dissapointed with them. They couldnt even admit they screwed up. I trust no one anymore and in the future will explain things in excrutiating detail so it doesnt happen again, take nothing for granted.

Talked to the apt mgr and am allowed to do plants, planters, hanging baskets. Yeay.

Ive read this many reputable places online but will verify with taxguy. That because i lived in the home for at least 2 of the last 5 years as primary residence i get  250,000 dollar exemption from capital gains, meaning id owe no taxes on sale. But thats next years taxes. 2023 is my social security and the estate auction income, which I should only need to pay taxes on capital gains and the auction company said i didnt have any, everything sold at a loss. But I need to talk to taxguy to make sure I dont need to file forms and will ask about my brother's form for next year. I hope he's still working. if not they have several others.

The house was indeed in my name so showing all the proceeds on mine was correct.

I visited my old neighbors yesterday and they are well. I peeked over the fence and they really have been working. Theyve cleaned out all the ivy groundcover, a big grill and furniture on the pation and in the corner where I had cleared it out they have two chairs and a small table. Theyre really going to enjoy the yard.

The power pole in the corner of the back yard had been leaning for years. The power company had come and put a new pole in, but havent taken the old one out yet. The new one is alot taller, so the lines are high above the trees. because they chopped all the trees waaay back from the lines and way down. My old neighbors said they almost cried. theres a huge tree in their corner that got chopped but it needed it.

My old neighbors on the other side i also talked with. they are very sweet and are starting to have issues. they have one son and some grandkids in town who say they'll help but are always too busy. I may run over when it warms up and help them plant some flowers. They always would want to pay when id help but nah, I dont do it for money and never will. Those two couple should get together sometime, but both have bad mobility so its hard to do. Would be fun to get everyone together and go out to lunch.

It was 70s or 80 today, real nice. 54 tomorrow and then back to normal. I know when summer hits we're supposed to have a hot one so my elec bill will go way up. 

Honestly, im always amazed at how tough you are, all the work you do, alot of it out in the cold. I figure you dont have any choice and have to do what you have to do. yes you must be in good shape for all that. i just wish it werent so tough sometimes. 

I guess i dont have doctors anymore. I always thought a doctor was there when ya needed help, got sick. But seems like im here to serve them and jumpo at their beck and call and if i dont they get mad and send me letters saying 'last chance'. It shouldnt be that way. they shouldnt just ghost me without saying anything. if they now refuse to help me they should sned a letter so when I need help i can have a new doctor set up. I just really feel cutoff and alone now. I just hope and pray i dont ever have issues.

Went to close my dads old bank acct. There was a long wait so i left. Banks dont seem to serve us either, we live to give them our money. Chase, Ill get the acct closed then will never use them again.

Ill send prayers your way for decent weather, no outages and nothing crazy. maybe a few days of peace and quiet and rest. Panther is a survivor and it sounds like he has found ways to stay alive/warm. Take good care of yourself. Toss kodie a treat for me.

[kayc]

Kodie should be on a diet.  I say should because it's hard to resist those eyes!  I'm sure he's gained while Jazzy has been gone.  He keeps begging treats.  I try to tell him he needs dogfood not treats.  He looks like I'm beating him.

Such a sweet baby!

The doctor should leave you on their role or notify you if they're dropping you! 

Re: Chase  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-12973967/JPMorgan-warns-hacking-attempts.html

Getting snow tomorrow on again, only today some respite.

Panther has been gone daytime lately.  Not sure where he goes.

Lately I am doing a second trash load of stuff to get rid of, ought to take a few years at this rate, but hey, I'm getting there a little at a time.  Stuff I've ignored for years.  Today I cleared out my prison ministry work and Prism Weight Loss stuff (I did both back 20-30 years ago).  
When I got my first divorce, we owned a house I paid the payments on (I had to divorce, he was a horrid monster, beat and cheated on me the whole marriage), he sold the house and they were to divide the $ both ways and he went down to the escrow dept and talked them out of all the $!  They said they don't do that and I told them the hell they don't!  I got zip.  I don't care for escrow companies.

Not very fair if you got all the work, your brother gets half the $ and you pay all the taxes!

[Tachi]

The reason i set up the house the way i did and i hope my brother appreciates it. I owned it and sold it. So the tax burden is on me. but...if you live in the home as primary residence 2 of the last 5 years before the sale you get a 250,000 dollar allowance on capital gains. There was an increase in value but way below 250,000...so there will be no taxing the money from the sale of the house. The half I sent my brother was a gift, no tax for either of us. I talked to a nice lady at our tax attys office today and she verified this and checked and i dont need to file this year. But I will for next year. 

Kodie knows he has a good mom who loves and spoils him. Lol. He needs some treats because he misses his friend. And its winter so he doesnt play as much? I wonder where Panther goes. he must have a place thats warm. maybe a small crack that lets a bit of heat out. he'd love the dryer vent.

The dryer vent on the old house...there was a vent hose opening in the wall behind that was filled up. the dryer vented into the garage. they put pantyhose over the opening in the garage to catch all the lint. The new owners had a hose run up throughthe roof. Apparently they had a ton of work done, so they must have some money. nice people I think.

Im sorry for all the abuse you went through. That man must have been crazy. But you survived and found peace. For all the troubles you've had in life you turned out to be a really good person. 

Doctors..I agree, before they drop someone they should send notice. my GI doc got a order for a colonoscopy for me from my PCP right in the middle of the house sale. I ignored it all and it made me mad. The GI office sent a couple letters asking me to make an appt but i ignored it. The third letter said 'last chance'. I wasnt told about it, I didnt ask for it. That was the PCPs fault and not mine. But im probably not welcome there anymore and thats fine. 

I really like that doctor. But when my other PCO thought my test results were gall bladder sludge the guy just ignored it. then later he wanted to do an ultrasound. I didnt see the point when he ignored it in the first place. I'll need my PCO eventually and if they wont see me i'll file a conplaint and find a new doctor. I understand the preventative medicine idea but after 7 years of bad things i just want to be left alone. 

I also notice they are only concerned about what they care about and not what i am concerned about. my last blood tests my old PCP said i should be concerned about my sugars and something else. But then didnt explain nor talk about how to make anything better. maybe because when she asked if i ate fish twice a week i said i was a fishstick kind of guy. Anyway, I cant trust them.

At least you started cleaning, established that momentum. That year will pass before you know it and you'll be done.

Im the opposite of my folks, i dont keep alot. I have many boxes now but when I think its safe to do so alot of records are being shredded. 

We're cold tomorrow with a chance of rain. i think i'll stay in and make some chili or tacos. Im trying to avoid cheese but i have some Pimiento to put on my tacos. Mom grew up eating Pimiento cheese sammiches. i never reallygave em a change until a year ago. i really like em. Wish i had figured that out while she was here. Tragic how I wish i could go back and do things over the right way. But theres no do overs in life. 

I think you have one advantage over alot of people here. If you lose electricity you still have heat. Many folks here would be very cold. 

There's at least a couple dove here and some crows. i hear them sometimes. At the old house there were alot of both. Then a couple hawks started flying the neighborhood and the doves hid. The people across the street had a huge tree where alot of crows lived. The folks next to them complained its roots might be ruining their foundation. It wasnt even close to the property line. Then mysteriously that tree died and was cut down. Alot of crows had to move.

What kinds of birds do you get up there?

Take good care, stay warm and hopefully a nice quiet end of the week.

 

[kayc]

9 hours ago, Tachi said:

And its winter so he doesnt play as much?

He does when Jazzy is here.

I see, you explained it well (taxes/house) and smart move on your part!  Is this exemption only in your state or is it federal level?  I got my OR taxes back but won't hear for the IRS for two more weeks if they've accepted the return.  They can take their time about the refund, I just want to know they're okay with it, you know?  Maybe the well bill won't come until after the refund comes.

Panther goes in the carport rafters or maybe under the house/patio, he has his basket and cat house on the covered patio but only goes there if it's above freezing.  I wish I had an outdoor outlet so I could put a heating pad in his house like I did for King George all those years ago (he had cancer and was incontinent, 19 years old), he died a year after my George did.  I remember George complaining, "How come HE gets to be King?"  To differentiate between the two of them and we all know how cats are!

My dryer vent just goes outside, the lint that escapes disentegrates quickly, I clean the trap every time I use it.

9 hours ago, Tachi said:

For all the troubles you've had in life you turned out to be a really good person. 

Yeah, all of us turned out really well in spite of my parents, husbands, things I've been through.  I credit my sisterhood for that, we always supported each other, no matter how different our lifestyles, husbands, whether we chose to see our mom or not, etc.

10 hours ago, Tachi said:

That year will pass before you know it and you'll be done.

Haha, I'll never be done!  I will hang in here until I can't shovel anymore or get my firewood in, it's a hard life, but beautiful here, I love seeing the deer...and the neighbors.  We're all getting old now.  I just ordered trashbags from Amazon.  Can't do subscribe & save and use my gift card balance so forewent it, got 250 of them, that'll last a few years!

Screechy Stellar Jays mostly, some pigeons (not on my place though ) Robins, once a year a migrating Owl, once a year a migrating NW Tanager, Hummingbirds in the summer, I have a feeder.  I can hear the Jays squawking at me to feed them now.

I love my wood stove, wouldn't be w/o it, although it needs the rope replaced, will see if my son can come next fall and do it before the first fire.  It was where the corners came together, didn't hold and then it spread on top.  It will be two years by then, was hoping it'd last longer.

Waiting for Jack's son to come finish up my firewood, needs to bring the splitter and stack it but looks like it'll wait until Spring now.  Also there's some trees to cut down.

We weren't to get snow last night, started in the wee hours, HEAVY WET STUFF, it hasn't stopped.  Just keeps on snowing...

 

 

 

[kayc]

Over 36" of snow in the last week (Over 5" in the middle of the night) and I have all the paths dug, mailbox dug to so the driver can get to it, car sort of unburied, will finish cleaning it up later.  Not bad for an old lady!

Yesterday I had two mishaps, I'd made Keto Brownies and took them out of the air fryer and it slid right off the rack and kept flying...onto my marble floor.  Nothing stands a chance against the marble.  The 8x8" glass dish shattered into shards all over the kitchen floor and even into the next room.  I yelled at Kodie NOT to come in and put up visible reminders for him.  I swept and swept and vacuumed and lastly went over it all with wet paper towels.  

The other was I spilled coffee on my laptop, yes, the keyboard.  I was in shock but I acted quickly and turned it over, not caring where else it went, just get it off of THERE!  I grabbed a dishtowel and started soaking it up from underneath it, shook it so it'd come out of the cracks.  I was finally satisfied I got it all, nothing else was coming out even when I put the edge of kleenex in between the letters.  I wanted to take the battery out and clean it but couldn't see a way into it.  My old one had a way to open it and change the battery if needed, this one appears sealed.  So here's hoping...so far it seems okay.

This may not sound like a positive but it feels good to have all of it behind me!  Hoping for a more mundane day today.  We just got back from feeding the horse her apple.