THIS AND THAT (October 30)

HOUSE WARS Finally some good news.  After lowering the price we had three offers on the house. On the flip side in the process of accepting one, the water heater decided to take a dump...literally. Oh well. This was right after the OH's brother-in-law figured out how to fix the leak in the 2nd bathroom very inexpensively and we had a moment of relief.

 Although one offer was higher they wanted a payback of 6% and it was that awful FHA type. Umm no. I am not painting crumbling sheds in the winter to pass inspection. The other two were "cash" offers so no brainer-take the higher one. However I did counter that the price would go up if they wanted an inspection (just had one from earlier offer which cost us a month). Risky, but after a day she conceded, no contingencies.  Except, of course, for the water heater that took a crap just as we were negotiating. 

Heading up north to hopefully, remove the remainder of the "stuff". Oh joy, just found out Habitat for Humanity cannot pick up our donation until, oh I don't know, when we have a couple of trips out your way. "We'll call you".  Fine but we live 250 miles away. Have I mentioned how much I hate small towns. Also water heaters and installation cost a heck of lot more when there is no competition.  Well, it's not my money after all.

THE GOOD DIE YOUNG So sorry to hear Leslie Jordan passed away last week. A profoundly good and funny man who had to deal with a lot as a gay, short man in Tennesee. He always seemed to play characters like himself who were warm, witty and real. But one quote that stuck with me relates to his being raised in the Baptist church. Considering he was "different" according to some people's standards he said "we learn to hate ourselves in a pew". Profoundly true.  Perfect example of scripture on their tongue and hate in their hearts. 

WINE/WHINE TIME We had one of our legendary wine tastings with my carefully crafted selections and illustrative descriptions of each vintage...which are promptly ignored as we get rolling. By the 3rd bottle (maybe the 2nd), we are pretty much over the presentation portion and into the snacks, jokes and conversations. After the first half of the Green/Blue we gave up on the football game as well. We finally broached the aged bottle of red that we had paid mucho bucks for that we meant to enjoy on our 50th anniversary. Well a year and a month after that milestone was soon enough and it did taste delicious.

 A little talk of politics though I pointed out if you've lived long enough you have seen the stock market go up and down, inflation rise and fall. In fact when we were buying our first houses we would have killed for 7% interest rates.  Meanwhile the oil companies happily post record profits and people continue to buy buy buy.  Although it seems the only ones getting hurt financially are the single parent families and poor folk, but the number one issue is inflation?  Really. And crime when the GOP is calling for blood when the FBI raided Traitor Dumpf's place and an 82 year old grandfather is almost killed from hateful political rhetoric against his wife. 

CRUSHING Speaking of the horrific loss of life in Korea due to 100,000 partiers, I am reminded how I get a lot of grief over my distate (ok hatred) of standing in line or pushing my way through a crush to get to the front. In college we attended a concert where we stood in a long line (with tickets) before they opened the doors and said "Ok, run for it".  Not fun.  Never again I swore and I haven't. What a waste of a whole generation of young people. 

ALL HALLOWS The boy made his annual trick or treat visit last Friday as he is busy canvassing his neighborhood Halloween night and we head to the lake to hand out goodies to the kids and shots to the parents. He had a big weekend as Mom and Dad took him to his first pro football game.  As his Dad is a Lions fan and Joe's heart belongs to the Dolphins and their young quarterback, someone was bound to be disappointed. Well it sure as heck wasn't Joe...Sigh  Peace out and prayers to Ukraine....💚💙💛

                                                           

WOE OR WOAH (October 23)

 SHOPPING WOES After misreading both the sign out front and, apparently, the sign in front of the product, I believed I was charged more and pointed it out twice to cashiers who were at a loss. As it was only 20cents I said forget it. However when I got home I found I had been charged twice for the item   Arrgghhh 😖Then on further examination I realized I was not charged at all for another items that costs 9.99 a lb, though their sticker said 4.19 a pound. Darn labeling rules. Net gain probably $2.  Karma 😄 

Speaking of customer service (well I was) ever notice how difficult it is to find a phone number online to talk to a "live" person on your issue?  It is practically impossible to find on the website and if you query the "customer service" or "contact us" statement it ususally suggests one contact them via email or, my favorite, robotic Chat rooms; but no direct phone number.  Do you think that is by design? hmmm And I'm talking large companies here. 

HOUSE WOES Further delays, oh joy.  After tying up the house for a month, and agreeing to fix what was found on inspection or lowering the price, the buyer "booked". Apparently she is within her rights to do so "pending inspections" so no compensation for us and losing 4 weeks of sale time for nothing. I hate FHA loans. But then after getting news we had a showing already scheduled the next day, we got a call there was a water puddle in the basement. Fortunately my brother-in-law is up there hunting and he's a heck of a handyman....so I convinced him to take a look. He found the leak in an upstairs sink that apparently had been broken for some time but we never ran any water in there so news to us. People on house tours love to test out the faucets. As it is a hot water heating system we can't leave the water off too long or no boiler. He fixed the pipe problem but now the faucet is dripping. Hoping he can fix that today or put a new faucet in. We plan on presenting him with a major gift card in addition to his expenses.  Hard to sell a house from 250 miles away! 

DRIVING WOES I used to like driving, but everyone is so much more aggressive and in a hurry these days. As I have had my share of speeding tickets, I tend to set my cruise a few miles above the speed limit and relax. Except I can't as tailgating is constant.  Best case scenerio - magic finger gestures, worst case-bang bang. I reference the bang-bang to Kristen's and my trip to France in 2000. As our marvelous travel guide forgot there were no taxis after midnight on Friday night we had to basically "hitch hike" rides back to the hotel.

 Sandwiched between two characters in the front seat who did not converse with us in english and the girls in the backseat (Kristen thinking we were going to be kidnapped and murdered), I tried to make conversation from my high school french Zut Alors! Just as you imagine, there is much honking, gesturing and yelling out car windows when one is blocked in downtown Paris. Nobody backs up-kind of an honor thing I guess. At the height of the yelling and obscene gestures I said something like "Etats Unis bang-bang allez." (rough translation in "US we would probably be in shooting mode"). It was only after we arrived safely at our hotel did one of the gentleman ask for a reimbursement (more than a taxi but less than mayhem & murder would have cost) in perfect english.  I paid and "Merci".  

ECONOMY WOES Speaking of economics, I find it interesting that the business leaders are promoting recession, etc., while meanwhile the travel gurus and credit card companies (who actually have their finger on the pulse of American spending) claim people are "business as usual" and not holding back on goodies and travel. Also Halloween is back to 2019 levels to the tune of 10 billion! That's a "hell" of a lot of 16 foot skeletons I see gracing the suburban homes around here.  Speaking of which, guess who is going as the devil himself complimented with his best buddy the Grim Reaper. 

It's all about the light-up mask apparently. Not sure if the bare feet will be walking the neighborhood however.

Continuing with economics I suspected as much and then was reading a claim by Congresswoman Katie Porter from California who is known for her famous whiteboard demos.  After her speech she was fact-checked and proven correct. Business profits were around 11% from 1979 to 2019. Since 2020, the number has jumped to 53.9 (despite those new outrageous higher salaries/otherwise known as the cost of living). Inflation is solely due to government spending my sweet Aunt Fanny. Obviously there are other factors in play but we should not be fooled that we are not paying for that 40% increase. Your're welcome stockholders. 

BACK TO BOILERS A funny story came to mind when I realized we were dependent on water reaching a boiler for heating Sherry's house as the gales of November come closer. Our first apartment was the upstairs of a house and heated by a boiler. There were no downstairs neighbors at the time. ASIDE:  Our former neighbors had a "smoking" habit that tended to make one high just going up to our apartment from the aromas wafting from their apartment. Oh the 70's.

 Anyway the boiler had a tendency to run out of water when it got cold-makes sense right? The OH cheerily showed me what I had to do in the unlikely event of the boiler dying while he was up north deer hunting. I woke one night to all the brand-new kittens and their mother huddled with their paws on the heating elements of the electric blanket. Ruh-ro. I still can't believe I went down 2 flights of stairs in the dark to restart the heating system. If it wasn't for the cats.... Little harder to do 250 miles away. Hopefully we sell the damn place before Dale is done hunting up there.  Definitely, Peace Out..✌💙💛

THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE (October 16)

Definite sign of the changing seasons--dragging Madam Pontoon on a trailer heading to her winter abode. The Robel pole barn was graciously offered thus leading to the perilous journey on back roads with what has to be the most gargantuan trailer on two wheels.  We were the guys you hate to get behind on a two-laner. Considering the cost of gasoline these days, it's a good thing we only have to fill it up once every two years- Ouch.

Offered to to pick up the boy from after school Adventure Club leading to an eager tour of his classroom. He commandeers one of two special seats that face a square of four other desks.  Much like the chairman of the Board. His Mother said at the Homecoming parade twenty people must have stopped to say hello to him so the chairman reference is appropriate. I don't know if it's especially crowded or this is the "new" classroom design, but it is all open rooms with bookshelves between.  Not sure how one can identify their particular hubbub from other classrooms or maybe it doesn't matter. Which reminds me...

Had a much anticipated (not in a good way)  dentist appointment for a new crown this week and they also embrace the open concept with no floor to ceiling separation. A liberal application of gas and/or novacain keeps the clients from freaking out those who are merely there for a cleaning.  I warned ahead of time I insist on frequent breaks as my jaw tends to spasm so we had some interesting conversation. Mother always told us to make an impression so we are not just another patient -positively or negatively I assume. She was a master at "small talk" with strangers. Our friends loved her. We would troop home various bodies on weekends from college and she was always open to it. Not the typical Mom, she would much rather host never-ending euchre tournaments or debate politics than hide in the kitchen.

Anyway, I have been a patient of this dental practice so long I am actually being treated by my original doctor's son. I regaled him with tales about his father such as how much he enjoyed reading my newspaper opinions each week though he did not agree with me on any (read too liberal). I also related that I was the catalyst for insisting they wear gloves when the AIDS/HIV precautions were just coming out. Due to my occupation I had to create a program and do a lot of training on the subject. Both the doctor and technician were shocked it was ever an issue. They're both young, so it was the norm for their training. Things change and become routine. Funny how we forget everything had to start somewhere.  We also had a discussion on chemicals (PFAS) as I had just done a podcast interview on the topic (love to educate). 

Somehow we got on the topic of various inspections I had done including the Ionia prison. I told them the conditions for the traveling dentist were abysmal with such close quarters that body fluids were routinely shared. He relayed his own story where he was treating a prisoner (part of their training I'm guessing) and he normally asks the patient to lift a hand if they are uncomfortable.  Then he realized she was handcuffed to the chair (which would have made me uncomfortable). I said did you tell her to just raise a leg? He had to think about whether that was restrained as well. At any rate, I am not sure if it was a compliment but the Doctor said I was extremely memorable. 

The discussion actually made me realize something.  So many people lose their more liberal, saving the world ideals, and start worrying about themselves as they grow older.  It's one thing to get older, but closing one's mind to new ideas and the concept of change is fatal. It will age you faster than your years. I believe working in safety and health for so many years and having to change my thinking, my strategy, what I thought I knew and what I learned, kept me mentally nimble and open to new research and ideas.  I really resent it when folks become stuck in worn-out comfortable concepts or actually regress as change and listening to up-to-date information becomes too difficult.  

Go back to school; learn a foreign language; visit a new city; go zip-lining.  Staying in one place mentally forever is mind-numbing. That was reinforced when I interviewed the VP of Operations from an environmental consulting firm on PFAS. I had to study a bit as I struggled to keep up with his scientific concepts and acronyms -lol.  Made me feel like a student again!

A couple weeks' break from "es-tating" has been relaxing. Finally good news from the insurance company after two months of pretty constant haranging.  Apparently we have waded through a sufficient amount of paperwork, hoops, rings and dust bunnies to receive the payout. Fortuitous as the estate sale money only goes so far. Slight set-back on the house, but hopefully it will be resolved before winter. Do not relish bob-sledding up to Rogers to sign paperwork. So all good.  Peace out...💙💛

WHEN LIFE & MAKING SAUSAGE COLLIDE (OCTOBER 9)

 I know it's been awhile.  After five weeks of sorting, cleaning, phone calls, banks, lawyers, courts, realtors we finally caught a break. I now know the "dump" people by their first names and have discovered just what second hand shops and recycling centers will actually accept when one is disposing of a lifetime. So true, "you can't take it with you" and "dust to dust".  Lots and lots and lots of dust. Through the course of this undertaking I caught the worst virus in my life culminating with a ruptured eardrum.  However, when one lays on the "good ear" the compromised eardrum stifles any extraneous noise and helps with shuteye, when I was unstressed enough to get any shuteye.

I learned the intricacies and inefficiencies of government and the Veterans Administration in this journey. Not that I was surprised at it, of course, but I have sympathy for those who have neither the patience or ability to persevere against all odds and extreme "hold" times.  I found multi-tasking and speaker phone a great way to wait out the inevitable "your call is important to us, bla bla bla".  Hold times are inevitably followed by "you need to call this department and/or these six other numbers".  As I could not hear out of one ear and suffered a record two weeks of laryangitis, compliments of the ear infection, speaker phone was also my friend. I had to draw the line at foreign operators. It was just too difficult to decipher when one's hearing is compromised. Which led to callbacks and fingers crossed in hopes of a straight mid-western accent. Even a southern twang was difficult. I will say though, each operator made a point of expressing sympathy for my loss. 

Also any issue I was able to resolve ala telephone was later followed up by requesting the same information in writing, sometimes followed by another phone call verifying they received the information verifying the information that was provided originally by phone. You follow?  However through my prompt diligence I was able to snag several small refunds which were sorely needed for the Estate fund (funded by us) to pay bills. Another fun rule, credit unions/banks do not give one access to the deceased person's bank account even though the court-appointed rep (the OH) was required to give an accounting of assets and liabilities.  Funny how that works.

Insurance companies, and a niece with special needs and desires, were their own private nightmares.  I now understand why one hires a lawyer to collect after a vehicle mishap. The insurance goal is to keep providing hoops for one to catapult through before dispensing anything of value. Constant bombardment through phone calls and letters eventually breaks through the reinforced walls. I think; jury is still out. Though our lawyer told me we are moving at "lightning speed". To which I retorted, "because it's my money being spent!" 

 After spending three solid days in ICU and after dropping off the niece to "recover" I guess, us old people spent the next several hours cleaning in a massive "person-hunt" for pertinent papers. An almost useless task as things turned out. The joy of finding a locked mini-safe did not yield the treasured paperwork sought. (I should have guessed from the layer of dust on it) Instead it contained ancient and useless documents;  interesting but of no particular assistance.  Imagine trying to re-create a person's entire financial past-present-future from bits, pieces and conjecture essentially. 

One interesting story from that night still has us bemused. I'll preface it by saying several months after my Mother passed I was feeling particularly sad and wishing she was still within a phone call's reach. Apropos of nothing the rock station I was listening to suddenly, mid-song, broke into the Irish Rovers "Green Alligators, and long-necked geese" etc. the very song we played at Mother's funeral as she liked the group and it seemed appropriate at the time.  Fast-forward 15 years. Finally calling a dinner break the night of Sherry's passing the OH went to a local restaurant (there are a grand total of 4 restaurants in town) to pick up a pizza. Important to the story:  he NEVER turns on the radio. As he drove by the Rogers City cemetery, the radio starting blasting out the 60's station.  Hmmm. So at least I know Sherry made it to Rock and Roll heaven and apparently music is the choice for communicating with the living.

The fatigue factor was high as constant cleaning, sorting and phone calls took over our lives. (We have dedicated our dining room as the Enlow annex). Three estate sales yielded enough to keep the proverbial wolfie from the door in paying essential house bills. Amazing the stuff people will buy, though the positive stories about my late sister-in-law were comforting. She touched many in that town.

BEFORE  

                                                                                 

AFTER

  

 As I said we were constantly sleep-deprived, suffering a viral infection and making a 500 mile round trip every week so a couple of stories emerged. One night after a particularly brutal day, we searched high and low for the hotel room key as we were checking out the next morning. Harsh words were exchanged on who lost what when I flung open the door to find the key sitting securely, and unsafely, in the door lock on the outside...all night - oops.

Pretty much on a first-name basis with the various folks at the local hotel. Though them spinning off my credit card number from memory was a little disturbing. However our "chuminess" led to special services. This hotel is not high on luxury but nice view of Lake Huron. However there was a comfy little wrap-around chair one week in our room. The next week-no chair. When I mentioned it, they assured me they would do some discreet checking of other rooms and lo and behold, the little chair appeared in the room that night! They also knew my phone number by heart as they needed it when we left, get this, a pair of shoes and a swiss army knife in the room which I just had them hold until the next week, because of course we had to come back.

One high note. Real Estate people work any hour of the day or night. After two people mentioned this agent's name. I took it as an omen and put a call into her voice mail. She called that night and asked if she could meet with us the next day, Sunday. I had gotten used to the little town closing up on the weekend so I was beyond thrilled. House listed four days later and offer made the first weekend. Though nothing is certain until it is, I give high marks for the real estate hustle she demonstrated. Much better impression than the appraiser we were required to hire whose first words were "who's gonna pay me", who proceeded to lowball the appraisal and did not notice there was an unexpected extra strip of beautiful forested land behind the house. To be honest, the house has its "issues" but it is offered "as is" as part of an estate.  After the realtor finished the pictures (highlighting the back forest & us shuffling furniture around to make it look better) I was reminded of the old saying "you really don't want to know how the sausage is made"....  Peace out  💙💛

LAKE HURON SUNRISE 

(AUGUST 15-AUGUST 22)

 Been a sad and exhausting time as we have dealt with my sister-in-law's sudden death. After three days in the hospital and another several sorting out her affairs (which will be ongoing) I am hanging up the pen for a bit until I can catch my breath.

                                                           

Couple of thoughts -- Watching someone softly pass is not scary; she was so happy the week before with all of her dreams coming true; most people are compassionate (nosy but compassionate); but some are selfish showing who they are;  and finally, for your famiy's sake, take care of things now and dump all the extraneous items in your life that do not bring joy. We come into the world with nothing and leave the same way; except someone has to sort it all out at the end 😞🙏. Peace out....💙💙💙

CARTWHEELING (August 8)

CAN YOU NOT SEE ME? I am not sure if car wars are worse in the summer, but the overall popularity appears to be growing. They normally center around "do not let yourself be passed" regardless of courtesy or, heaven forbid, safety. Even on surface streets there is definitely a "me first" attitude even if one has to exceed the speed limit to win. When you inevitably meet at the same destination seconds apart one is apparently declared macho driver and can take a bow.  Especially alarming is the "stick in my lane" folks who, no doubt, tentatively climb on the expressway, pick a lane and will not be dislodged for love or money. This is especially noticeable when others try to squeeze onboard with a small window of extra lane and the hoggers rigidly avoid eye contact, refusing to give ground oblivious of potential mayhem. Which then leads to the second person angrily tailgating the non-mover and then racing by with choice words or gestures delivered. I try not to keep score.

MRI week so valium and a lot of self-hypnosis was involved. I chose MSU health center as I believed they might be on top of the game equipment-wise. Turns out they had the "big ones" and a little flutter of linen gently caresses your face as you are rolled in offering a cloud-like experience if you, against better judgment, open your eyes.  Plus I rode the table in feet first so managed not to freak and push the emergency bulb they hand you on your way into the cave. Earphones were clamped on but, trust me, the "Mickey Mouses' "  do not muffle the banging and slamming magnets performing their merry little dance.  They tried talking to me throughout, but total lost cause on my end, due to the dancing magnets, etc....

WASHINGTON WEEK Interesting week political wise.  Everybody signed off on the climate/medicare bill win-win. And Velveeta's mansion was "raided".  Though with a legal warrant I do not believe that was the proper description. It is interesting that all the repugs and maggots were screaming about searching an ex-pres' personal quarters, yet not one seems concerned that "ahh, taking and keeping classified documents is illegal".  

That's the gambit. Don't mention any alleged crimes up to and including espionage, but just the outrage over the "legal" search itself which indicates they know what it really means. How ironic that the dude signed legislation that made it a felony with jail time for holding classified materials, H.C.s emails, and who gets caught with their paws in the pussy jar?  Also "the mob takes the 5th as they're guilty" and who took the 5th 480 times during his deposition. Keep to the lies, bombastic BS and don't blink.  Oh yes, Alex Jones blinked. In fact he was sweating right into his expensive blue shirt. Interesting that the "support the blue" crowd is threatening FBI officers. Though it should be noted the cops are armed and will shoot back, not run.

In trying to understand where the other side is coming from, I realize that there is a large group of Americans who feel they are being ignored and not listened to, but I don't think the "pseudo-patriot right" encouraging violence is actually speaking for them. Government has the ability to help protect and provide for the people in ways that we as individuals cannot do on our own. However, it is only as good or corrupt as those we trust with our best interests. Push-back and accountability are absolutely necessary. When we let ourselves be led by conspiracies and promises of power and greed the whole pyramid collapses. 

One final thought for the enraged. We are treating DT with kid gloves compared to Nixon who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator who then had the decency to resign.  He just had knowledge of (or directed) a break-in. Mr. T may have been providing nuclear or classified information to the enemy. Something to ponder.

LAKE TIME Enjoyed a couple of days with sister and b-i-l this week at the lake with a twilight boat ride, succulent steaks and much good wine. They were contemplating a Great Britain trip and were quizzing us on ours from a few years ago.  I blogged several chapters on the trip at the time. We said Scotland was our favorite. First I surprised myself by tasting and enjoying scotch whiskey. Usually I can't get past the smell, but over there it was fresher, single malt and just better. Like tasting a Guiness at the Dublin brewery. It just doesn't taste the same over here. 

 For our whiskey adventure we actually stopped in a public park and the tour guide whipped out bottles of scotch and fig newtons. Amazing combo. Followed by near disaster when our driver could not get the bus back up the hill to the road.  We weren't feeling any pain so volunteered to get out and push. Thankfully it did not come to that.  Big bus and narrow roads. You literally cling to the mountainside and pray a lot when passing.  Fortunately most Europeans opt for small cars. We also enjoyed a boat trip on the infamous Loch Ness (no sea monsters spotted) and while in Edinburgh were able to purchase authentic Tartan scarves from our Grandmother's (family name - Pringle) factory. There was a whole adventure getting back from the store that finally resulted in a cab ride in one of those big, black ones they show on old movies. However I think the whole trip became worthwhile for the OH when we made a stop at St. Andrew's Golf course. His St. Andrews cap totally outclasses his Treetops version.  Peace out.....💓  💙💛

 

COUPLE OF WINS FOR THE PEOPLE (August 1)

APPLIANCE UPDATE   For the stunning conclusion to the broken dishwasher epic. I know, riveting saga...

Highly paid and anticipated electrician arrives; tears the machine front apart; lays on the floor and reaches in to.......put the plug back into the outlet-ARRRGGHHH.   I know, I know we're paying for him knowing what to do first.  The biggest hassle was reseating the dishwasher, with it's insulating coat wrapped around it, back into the teeny tiny space. He then says, so what else can I do for you today?  Fortunately we had an outside light that needed to be replaced so that huge bill felt a little less foolish. 

Good News-we now know how to tear the front off the machine and put the plug back into the outlet.  Expensive week as I asked him back to re-situate an oddly placed light switch in the garage. Using it always forced one to edge around the screen door in the dark to reach the switch on the opposite wall tempting a tumble down concrete steps. 

PEOPLE WIN What a good couple weeks for the good guys. Passed the Vet bill to cover their service related medical issues; chip bill passed bolstering domestic production (which rankled McConnel no end); successful slice and dice of al-Qaida leader Ayma al-Zawahiri; passed the first gun reform laws in decades and passage of a medical/climate/tax bill (which rankled all Repubs no end). I always wondered why Medicare, as the biggest payer of prescription drugs, never used it's buying power to obtain better prices. Businesses have created group policies forever for the same reason, not to mention other countries providing health care. Big duhh there. One also has to wonder why the repubs constantly stand against anything that helps their own constituents (all but the wealthy).  They are certainly making hay over the infrastructure bill which is happily funneling money into their districts even though NOT ONE republican voted for it. Again duhhh.

To show how far the crazy has gone. Election deniers running for office are claiming victories before the votes are counted; claiming fraud when they come in fourth forcing recounts and my own relation warning us not to be conned at the recent drop in gas prices. In her reasoning, it was $2 cheaper two years ago - you know during the pandemic...when no one was driving. It runs deep.

 VIVA LA DIFFERENCE Back to Medical costs.  I had a lot of exposure to local doctors when performing workers' comp duties and was privy to the avarice (greed) that some doctors and employees were not ashamed to reveal in benefitting from a work-related injury. One already degreed person wanted us to fund a Doctorate so they could become a lawyer (to fight for further bennies I guess). This was along with the demand for a hot tub prescribed by the doctor-I'm not kidding. You want to know why medical insurance is so expensive? Claim an accident or injury as work related and see how high the bills climb. There are literally different cost charts for work-related incidents compared to other causes of injury. That is why I became the Queen of locating light-duty assignments.  One emp was such a frequent injury-flyer he wanted me to make him supervisor of the injured workers I had assigned to light-duty jobs. Now that is what I call chutzpah. I have paid for shoes, chairs, alternative therapies, weight loss programs, masseuse', etc. in the quest for return-to-work. I just hated to give in, which some folk did not find especially laudable. 

MORE MEDS! Running out of my anti-inflam script I got from the meanie surgeon consultation I requested it from my personal doc. I get an answer back within minutes that I needed to go to the person who prescribed it. As meanie surg was a one and done and my personal doc and I had spoken about the pill's effectiveness I knew the person who answered had not even talked to my doctor.  I wrote one of my famously (read between the lines) complaint letters and got a response within minutes that my script had been called into the pharmacy. Pays to complain "constructively". Was someone trying to save the insurance company from paying my script? But then again my medical issue is not work-related.

AUGUST RAIN DOTH NOT HAVE THE SAME ROMANCE Both the OH and I have had our deluge moments this week. The August weather has been bizarre going from brain-boiling heat and humidity to monsoon. No gradual build-up. As the OH was in Home Depot when one hit, he happily perused the aisles until the all clear was imminent. Upon returning to the truck (which unfortunately was parked next to a drain) he was forced to wade through six inches of water. You know it took three days for those shoes to dry out. My own moment came shortly after I realized  my sunglasses were no longer necessary as the fluffy white had turned to black and funnel shaped. Unfortunately I needed to use the ATM and the 20 foot run to the door was exhilarating to say the least and wet t-shirt competitive to say the worst. Note:  Curly hair gets frizzy when wet without benefit of hair products and dryer. Oh well, bad style is better than no style I think.  

Also, though only at the Lake for 24 hours, Fisherboy Joe managed to catch six channel cats, two nice sized bluegills and an "amost" legal bass.  PEACE OUT....💙💛💙💛