Oh Dear

No massage for me today because poor Lynn is coughing and had a headache. Sounds like the flu to me. Seems to be widespread in Texas. I'm thankful we have escaped it so far. And it takes about two weeks to get completely over the coughing I think, although Vickie had it for a month. Hopefully Lynn will be able to take time off work and recover. It just lasts longer if you force yourself to keep going.

Incredible

I can't believe I did that again!! I keep entering titles before I write the blog. I am so tech stupid. Maybe I'll get better as time goes by. (Hey, that sounds like a good name for a song.) My washing machine part came in today!!! YAY!!! Now if it is just the right part, and the repairman gets everything right on Saturday.....
And sweet George took the van and got it washed today, and also got a service contract on the washer. And he went to the Asian grocery and got stuff for Pho, and we had a yummy lunch.
And today I got the new towels I ordered because George has been telling me the towels I have been using look like car wash towels they are so frayed and with holes in them. (maybe Saturday I'll be able to wash them and then the ugly towels go to the garage) And when we were at the washateria yesterday, he picked up one of Mom's towels (she will only use the tatty ones she brought from her house because she says all of mine are too heavy for arthritic hands (and that is probably true) and said "What the hell is this? a shammy?" She checked out the new towels, and she thinks they might be light enough to use. So YAY, maybe we can get rid of those ragged ones.

And Ashley got the sofa she wanted for her birthday. We all chipped in and she and some of her friends went and picked it up. So she is happy. She says it is BIG and HEAVY, but comfortable and with room for all of her friends when they get together. A sectional with a recliner at both ends. Tan. She had to put stuff in storage to make room for it, but it all worked out, and here she is bringing the truck back from the storage run.

(Ashley here... I know the whole fam reads this blog, so I just wanted to say, officially, THANK ALL OF YOU! I LOVE YOU! Best 21st birthday anyone could ever have. <3<3<3<3<3)

And now they (Ash and her friends) are all going back to her apartment and sit on the new sofa. lol And have a Corona with lime. Yum!

And tomorrow I get to have a massage!!! and Friday Mom and I get our hair done, and then we go to Ashley's apartment to see the new arrangement. I don't know why I get depressed sometimes, I have a good life! Lots better than many others have. As Martha Stewart would say........

Things May Be Looking UP

But The Weekend Was Fun

We had a good visit with Amy, Scott, Ashley, and Mango this past Saturday. Mango is feeling much better since his surgery, and has curly hair on his shaved parts. He has gained weight, and even went crackerdog when we played stick in the back yard. Had snacks and visited, then Ashley and I cooked fajitas, and we had dinner and visited some more. Cleaned up the kitchen, and then Ash and Mango had to go, and the rest of us played Crimpit. Amy, Scott, and George were the winners.
On Sunday, Dudley and Vickie came over and Vic and I went to Central Market and got the ingredients for Veal and Artichoke Involtini. It was rolled up veal scallopini filled with artichoke heart, asiago cheese, and fresh parsley. The sauce was butter and white wine and shallots. With it we had steamed asparagus with lemon butter, and whipped potatoes and croissants. Had some good Pino Grigio (Gabbiano's) with it. For dessert, we made parfaits with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, and whipped cream. Everything was delicious, and with Vickie and I both working, everything was clean and put away in no time. We used to get together and cook every Saturday, but now our family obligations keep us from doing that. We decided that we would try to cook at least once a month and try out new recipes. We just have to do it here instead of at their house because of Mom.
So looking forward to some good cooking in the future.

Waiting

Seems like all I do is wait. This morning I had to take my Boniva and wait for an hour being sure I stayed in an upright position. Then I had to take the rest of my pills, and wait 30 minutes before eating breakfast to give my body time to absord the blood pressure pill. I wait for Mom to get up so I can take her some breakfast. And it seems like every time I need her to be somewhere, I have to wait until she gets out of the bathroom. I'm waiting for the part to come in so my washing machine can be fixed. And I got the income tax done but I have to wait until I get a form from the IRS to send with it. I tried to get my supplemental insurance set up for when I turn 65. Too early, I have to wait until closer to July. Today I needed to go to the washateria, and George said he would go with to carry the baskets. But I had to wait until he got through running with Dudley. But that worked out okay. We got to go out to eat Thai food since it was late enough. It was yummy. Thanks Dud. Now I'm waiting until Mom gets out of the bathroom and goes to bed so I can go to bed, too. Life is frustrating sometimes.

A Real Downer

Yesterday was a really stressful day for George and I. I got up and was washing the second load in my great new machine, and Mom said she wanted to see. So she came into the utility room, and we were standing there watching the last of the spin cycle, and I was showing her how things worked, and we noticed the sound of running water even though the machine was spinning. I said I didn't think that was right. And when I opened the washer after it stopped and started to take out the king size fuzzy sheet that was in there, it was soggy in places!!! So I closed the machine, and said maybe if we do a rinse and spin it will stop the water. But it didn't. So I stopped the machine and called Sears. They said no one could come out until Monday, and in the meantime, George got home and came in a turned the water off at the wall. So then Mom and I went to have her hair done, and when we got back home I walked into the utility room and water had been running out of the bottom of the door for long enough to flood the floor. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. So we did the whole mopping and draining thing while trying to hold the door shut tight enough so no more water could get out. At one point, George thought to wedge the door with a piece of wood against the opposite wall, and wedged the hinge side, causing the door to pop open and water to gush out. Got it closed again, and wedged on the proper side, and then we ran a hose from the drain hose on the machine out the door. That was pretty slow, and since the water was off at the wall, George said we should turn on the machine and see if it would drain. And it did thank goodness. So that finally got the water level below the door. We gathered up all the wet towels and bedclothes that had been on the floor waiting to be washed when the flood occurred, put them in a garbage bag and out to the patio where they still are today since they did not dry. The patio looks like trailer park trash live here, with towels and bedclothes on the furniture and hanging on the windchime hooks. George told me to go ahead and go to the store (which is where we were headed before this all happened) and he would stay and continue to drain and mop and try to generally get things as dry as possible. ( I figure the Pergo will start buckling and generally failing in a few days.) By that time I was getting ready to have a "nervy B" as Ashley called it when I called her on the way to the store and told her about it. And she invited me to come to her apartment and do my laundry. She said how's that for role reversal. lol One little light spot in an otherwise bad day. So I got the groceries, and when I got home George had called the salesman at Sears and he had gotten a repairman to come today. By the time I got the groceries put away and had calmed down I felt like I had been beaten. I'm way to old to deal with this kind of stress. Now the repairman has been here, and said that he has to order the part and will have it shipped here, and to call when it comes in and they will schedule an appointment, and he will tentatively put down an appointment for next Friday. THAT IS SIX DAYS AWAY!!! I'm not a happy camper. So the first time I will be able to go to the laundromat is next Tuesday. I'm sure not going on the weekend. And George is busy with golf on Monday. I'll just have to deal with it. Because I have company coming today and tomorrow, and I think I'll just drink and try to forget about all the problems. I feel like I'm being punished for something. oh well, life sucks and then you die. I forget that sometimes. and then I get a reminder.

The IRS

Before I could do our taxes, I had some questions about some interest of Mom's which was put on my SS number, and whether Mom had made too much on her house and had to pay taxes (she didn't) and whether we could claim her as a dependent (we can't). So I called the IRS and spent a couple of hours on the phone holding and then talking to a couple of different people. Well, three actually, since the first person I held for was just a person who directed calls. But I did find out everything I needed to know, and they are sending me some forms I need in order to file our taxes, and we are going to get some money back, which is always better than paying more. And the two ladies I talked to were surprisingly easy to get answers from. Thank goodness that is taken care of.
Now on to the health insurance for George and I issue. (I already spent about an hour and a half on the phone getting info on that, but have to wait until closer to July to handle it)

And Speaking Of Funny Driving Problems

Last night after I went to bed I was thinking about the funny driving stories, and remembered when Ashley first started driving. She is one of those people who have no sense of direction. North, South, East and West seem like a mystery to her. So when she first started driving, she was always calling me and asking for directions. (I do know which direction I am going, usually) If I said turn North, she would say "God Granny can you just tell me left or right???" And although I sometimes had to get George to help with directions for someplace I wasn't familiar with, Ash and I could get her where she needed to go most of the time. I laugh when I think of the time she went to the VW mechanic over off of 635, and when she went it was daylight. She called and asked for directions home, and I told her to retrace her steps in reverse. She said okay, and about 25 minutes later she called and said "Wait, I just saw some signs that said Irving." I told her she was going the wrong way (She needed to go to Rowlett) and to turn around and come back. She was not happy because I think her gas was low and she probably had no money to buy more. She did make it back home safely. And then there was the time she was going (I think) to a movie or something in Mesquite and missed her exit and drove a long way before calling and saying I had given her the wrong directions. When she turned around she finally found the exit. She did the same thing when George was giving her directions to someplace on 75N. She called lots of times and got directions to new jobs and stores and etc. So it cracked me up one day when Mom and Ash and I were going shopping or something, and she was in the back seat and asked me if I was sure I was going the right direction. It wasn't very nice of me to go into hysterics, and laugh until I cried, but she did finally see the humor in the situation. For a while after she kept going the wrong way on freeways, we called her "Wrong way Ashley". But in an affectionate way. Now in 9 days, she will be 21, and most of the time, she knows where she's going. But we still look forward to having her call and say "How do I get ----" Hopefully when she gets to buy a new car someday, she can get one with a nav system. They are nice to have.

Hope This Doesn't Happen To Us.

Amy sent me a bunch of funny stories about getting old today, and after reading them and getting a good laugh, I decided to share with friends and family. One of the family responded with a lot of her funny stories. Once she managed to unlock and get into the wrong car, and realized it wasn't hers when she saw a coffee cup and holder she knew shouldn't be there. She and her husband drove the wrong way on Harry Hines and almost got wrecked. She can't remember where she parks her car when she runs into the grocery store, and she said when the bag boy is helping her to the car with the groceries and asks where she is parked, she says "I was hoping you could tell ME". Her daughter and a friend were going to a baseball playoff game, and knew it was either in Mesquite or Grand Prairie, and went to the wrong place and missed almost the whole game. The family went to another playoff game in Abilene, and the same daughter thought they were in Amarillo and told everyone that was where they had been.
This made me think of things George and I have done. Like the time George flew into Love Field, and called Dudley, his friend, to come pick him up because his truck had been stolen and when Dud got there, they found it. George was looking in the wrong place. (Of course, there was the time George and I went to the Kalita Humphreys Theater, and when we came out, the Grand National HAD been stolen. That gives you a sinking feeling.) And then there was the time George and I went to visit Doyce and Shirley in Lake Jackson, and stopped at Moody Gardens. It was really hot, and we had a good time, and went back to the van, and it was gone! I was sure it had been stolen, because it was full of luggage and purchases, and then I remembered that if you push the lock button on the keyfob and the van is locked, the horn beeps. Sure enough we followed the beeps to the van. And felt relieved and stupid at the same time. Just last Tuesday, George and I were going to vote and to Sam's, and I was driving. As we were going down the alley, I was talking to George about something, and when I got to the end of the alley, I turned right, and suddenly realized I had no inkling of where I was going. So I asked George (in a panicky voice) and he said you're okay, just go to Arapaho and turn left. And then it all came back to me. I said it was sad to get old and have CRS so bad, and he said just go with it, because this is as good as it gets. It's just downhill from here on out. So we had a good laugh, and went on about our business. Do you ever suddenly become aware of your surroundings and wonder where you are and how you got there? I do. Have you ever driven into your driveway, and realize you remember nothing of the trip home? I have. It scares me to think there are probably other people out there on the highways and byways who are as out of it as I am sometimes. So all of those things you think are a joke about getting old are based on fact. And you can hope all you want to , but it IS gonna happen to all of us. Eventually. And with those heartening words, I will wish you good night.

Hope This Doesn't Happen

New Appliances!!!

The new LG washer and dryer were delivered today, and right in the middle of the 1-3 pm window. Of course it had been raining, so the delivery guys made dirty foot-tracks in the entryway and then decided it would be best to come through the back, so there was a dirty path from the back door to the utility room. But I had expected that. Angel and his non-English speaking helper got everything installed and did a test run of both. Looked like everything was working, so he packed up to go. He said call if you have any problems, and I jinxed myself by saying "Okay, if water starts pouring out onto the floor I will be calling! hahaha" They had been gone about 7 minutes and I walked back into the utility room, and that's right, water was pouring out onto the Pergo. I immediately went into panic mode, grabbed towels and turned off the washer. After putting two big towels to absorb the water, I sent George in to mop up while I called Sears, and after being on hold for a few, the operator told me Angel was on his way back. I went back to work on the wet floor, and noticed water running out of the little door where the drain is (for removing objects that you leave in your clothes, like coins, etc.) and when I opened the door, I could see water coming from the drain plug. So I tried to tighten it, and it turned. I kind of figured that was the problem, and continued getting every surface as dry as possible, and then Angel got back and they pulled everything out and sure enough all of the connections were dry. So they moved the washer around enough for us to get the floor dried off, and checked the drain plug again, and then he said it looked like it was not leaking and we restarted it, and it was okay. So I called Sears back and said the connections that Angel had made were not leaking, but that it would be a good idea if they warned their installers to check that drain plug every time before they started the washer. She went over the reason for my call, said it had been recorded, and that it would go to the managers. Hopefully it won't happen to someone else. Then I spent a couple of hours getting everything organized and put away, and mopping the floor.
On the plus side, they are beautiful and quiet, and I did three loads of laundry after it was all over. And clothes do come out of the dryer with less wrinkles and no static cling. And it is fun programming them. (And I made sure I dried the rubber seal in the washer door after I was through, and left the door open)
What fun! And to think of the past, when my Mom had an old wringer washer and we had to hang over the bathtub and rinse the clothes and then take them out and hang them on the clothesline, and then go get them in, and iron everything. Of course, that was a big improvment over the rub-board. Or beating your clothes on a rock out at the creek (which would have been a problem since there was no creek around my childhood home). I tell Ashley about that when she gripes about not wanting to take the time to do laundry, and she tells me since she never had to do any of that, the washer and dryer seem like just as much work to her as the rub-board does to me.
Wonder how laundry will be done by the time she is my age? Maybe like the Jetsons do their hair. And she can tell her grandkids about having to (horrors) sort laundry and put it in a washing machine, and then into a dryer, and then put it away. And they will say "Well we never had to do that, so throwing them into the automatic cleaning room seems like a lot of work to us" lol

HD and Blu-Ray

Okay, so I just got the blu-ray player in time. Now Toshiba is going to discontinue making the HD players. So that means everyone will have to go to blu-ray. Could that mean that there will be really inexpensive HD discs out there soon? hmmmmm....... Now Sony needs to buy that HD tech and build a player that plays both formats. Or not. I know that HD was always much more reasonably priced. As usual, the consumer gets screwed. oh well.

Anticipation

George and Dudley just left for Ashley's apartment with my old washer and dryer. Wow, was it ever linty and dusty under those things. I just finished cleaning the floor and walls and baseboards in my utility room, and now it is shining clean and smells great, just waiting for the new washer and dryer to be delivered tomorrow. Sears hasn't called with a time yet. And it is supposed to rain tomorrow, but maybe it will hold off until they are installed. Ashley said she didn't want to do anything today except wash. I really will be happier that she can wash in her own apartment and not have to go to the laundry. It doesn't seem safe to do that. Especially since she probably wouldn't be going in the middle of the day. I guess we will both be washing fools for the next couple of days.
George plans to play golf tomorrow, I think. Hope he doesn't get rained out. The weather is certainly warm enough for outdoor activities. Although we DO need the rain.
Went to Sam's today and got HE detergent, and I was going to get more avocados to ripen since Mom loves them so much, but they didn't have any. Pooh.

OMG WHEEE

I have been wanting a new LG Tromm Steamwasher and Dryer, and George got me some!!!! He saw an ad in the paper for some on sale, but not the ones I wanted, so I got online and started looking up prices at different stores. He said he would rather buy them from Sear's if we could, so I called our local store and negotiated with them about a middle of the line white set, because the pretty colors are also a higher price. We came to an agreement, and the sales guy said I'd need to come in and pay unless I was using a Sear's card. Since I was using cash, I told him I'd be up in a few. So George gave me his checkbook, and I set out on appliance safari. I walked into the store, went to the proper section, and there on an aisle end was a navy top of the line 2007 set marked way down because they were floor models. I inspected them carefully and determined that they looked just out of the box. About that time, Gerry came over and asked if I was Helen, and I said yes, and what about this set. The price seemed too good to be true. He said they had just marked them down that day, and he hadn't mentioned them to me because I seemed set on white. I decided it was meant to be, and called George and told him what I had found, and he said get what I wanted. So....now I will have a beautiful midnight blue washer and dryer delivered and installed next Thursday, (and Ashley can have the old ones I have-she is excited about that) with the pedestals. At a savings of about 1184 dollars. WOOT!!! I am going to be a washing fool. OBOY!! Before they come, we are going to get the old ones out, and installed in Ashley's apartment, and I am going to put down a rubber mat for sound absorption and also to give them a good non slip footing. That was a recommendation I read in a review of the LG's. And I know to be sure and get the gaskets good and dry, and leave the door open, and run a cycle with bleach so I don't get mildew.

Australia At Last!!!

I finally got Ken in Australia and confirmed Linda's new address!! Linda is Scott's mum. I called at 4:30 in the afternoon on Friday, and it was 9:30am on Saturday there. So 17 hours ahead this time of year. Ken was going out to play golf, so I was lucky to catch him. After talking to Ken, I realize Scott has lost a lot of his Aussie accent. Linda had already left the house to go to Scott's sister Nicole's house to take care of her grandbabies Jack and Chloe while Nic went to the doctor, so I didn't get to talk to her, but now that I have an inkling of how to call, I'll call again sometime. Linda is a lovely person. When she and her sister visited a few years ago, they were loads of fun, and I was sad when they had to go back home. Now I can mail their package.
Ashley called and she has the flu. I told her to call the doc and see if he would call in a scrip for her, but who knows if she did. She hates to take medicine.
Amy has found a solution to her neck and shoulder problems. She went to the chiropractor and found one who knows what he is doing. She said that her neck and shoulder didn't hurt at all today, and usually it starts as soon as she starts working at the computer. And she hurt her wrist about 8 years ago, and he worked on it and it had a better range of motion after one adjustment. She was really excited.
She plans to work on the bathroom remodel some this weekend, but she also has to do some things for her real job (since I caused them to miss some work days this week) and she thinks Scott has some make up work to do also. But perhaps George will go over and do some repair work for her on the bathroom sheetrock.
So no company this weekend, but that's okay. It's supposed to be pretty weather, so I think I may do a little work on the front flower beds.
Hope we get the rain they have predicted for Monday but I'm not holding my breath.