Solving Problems Today

 Today, I steeled myself, gritted my teeth, then relaxed and put on a voice more pleasant than I felt. I got a woman to whom I have talked before and told her how disruptive this was to my financial life. So, this is the long story of how it happened.

I was at Bank1. They became Bank 2. I was told the free checks were good and free to use as long as I had them. I still have about 100 checks. I use them not often. I have never used one over the phone until a few weeks ago. That is the problem--the routing numbers are changed since it is under a new bank. Now, why couldn't someone else help me figure this out? I was an agent of the solving the problem. However, I had a late charge at Amazon. The local business took off the late charge and something else. So, now I know. Why could all these employees before her figure it out? Also, why couldn't someone have given me new routing numbers to use over the phone. I don't need new numbers if I use a check at the store or at bank. I do not have and have not had one overdraft, thank you.

Tommy just finished a 30-minute call to ATT about why he was not charged for long-distance service. Somehow, his charge was not put on the bill. But, the amount of talking required was too much. At least, his service was not cancelled.

Now, I need to talk with Amazon.,,,if I can find someone who speaks English well enough to understand. People in this country need jobs. I ordered something on sale for $329 and used my accrued points to pay for it. They did not use my points and charged me $449. Needless to say, this does not sit well with me!`

Tonight, we had baked chicken, garlic potatoes with green beans, and Romaine. Tommy had a salad, chicken and garlic potatoes with green beans. 

Additionally, I baked a turkey breast wrapped in bacon and some sort of stuffing. I pulled off all the bacon. Whatever it was stuffed with will keep my mouth and stomach burning all night. I only took a taste! 

A sliced baked ham went into the freezer. I cannot wait to eat it. I need to cook beans and bake sweet potatoes for that. Or, maybe we will have that for Easter.

a funny commercial

Obnoxious Hyundai Tucson "sugar mamma" commercial

My feet are so cold!

Orders

 We still have some leftovers and are enjoying them immensely. I never made a pie, but we will soon. I have pumpkin and pecan pie in mind. I will call neighbor and see if he eats either and deliver some of both if he eats those pies. 

Today, I received several orders from Amazon. My boombox in the bedroom will no longer play my cd. Everything else works! The one in living room no longer has the cord or remote. Remote does not matter. At any rate, I now have another to listen to radio station with Christmas music. 

Plus, I ordered silicone lids for Oui. Tommy loves these little storage glasses. He puts everything in them. I rarely buy Oui, but we still have quite a few.  A friend gave me a blender for smoothies. Somehow, I lost the electric motor blender part. So, I bought another. The whole thing is gone! So, I ordered a Magic Bullet Blender and this one will stay here and together. Tommy and one cleaner have been tasked with keeping an eye out and doing a one-time search. I might misplace something temporarily, but never lost anything, seemingly for good. 

All these things were bought on Black Friday deals. It was money I had to spend. There were frivolous things I deigned not to buy. My much-needed wool blanket and a grounding mat are yet to arrive. The ellipse is so heavy, but we must tackle unpacking and setting it up. 

I am not sure what happened to the turkey breast I cooked several weeks ago and froze. It was watery. It was as if I had soaked it in water and then froze and thawed. The piece we ate after it was cooked was really a nice texture. After freezing and thawing as I do other poultry, this just was wet, not juicy, just wet. Have you ever frozen baked turkey and had it end up wet? Water pours out with each cut of knife and bite.

The night before Thanksgiving sleeping was difficult. The night after Thanksgiving sleep was almost impossible. Hopefully, it will be easier tonight. 

The salesman who came for bathroom remodel left us with a price--over $31,000. Gulp! We have two other companies to contact for an appointment. I love the bathroom I got to design. 

I am ready to put my reindeer in the yard. Halloween and Thanksgiving are still evident! I need help. I also need a new cleaner.

Refunds

 The biggie of the day was getting $49 back on online orders. Now, I only have one more to fix. 

I was awake all night--26 hours and then could only sleep for four hours. I had a bit of tuna salad on sandwich while waiting for dinner to cook--chicken, mixed greens. I will have an apple in a bit. 

When I awoke, my heart was doing something weird for about five hours. Neither the oximeter or blood pressure cuff gave me clues. Finally, things in my chest settled down. 

Just now, I found out the eggs have been boiling for over two hours because "you did not tell me to take them off." sigh He is so good at this cooking, but sometimes....

I also tried Thredup for clothing, and no luck. Well, maybe what I want is there, but the way things were listed, it was hard to find things. Besides, there seemed to be a million things even though I had narrowed my search. 

Tommy and I were enthralled by a PBS special about wild horses. There was a book I thought Tommy would like for $84. After checking Amazon, I found it could be purchased new for $23. I am amazed. It was not here a week later. Finally, I decided maybe I did not order it, just thought I did. No, it was ordered and won't be here until the middle of October. Have you ever purchased anything from Amazon and had to wait so long? 

Cleaner is coming again tomorrow. 

When I decided people were in offices, I started making phone calls. In fifteen minutes, I had completed my business at 5 places, all on the phone. Then, I tried once again to sleep. Of course, as I said, no luck in sleeping department. 

After the doctor tweaking Tommy's medicine, his Dexcom G7 rarely alerts us to high or low blood sugar. Maybe I said that before. 

Sitting here, I saw something flit right by my head. I was a little horrified and tried to find what it was, thinking it might be close by still. Silly me, a floater scared me! I had not seen one in ages. 

Do you have floaters? Has one ever frightened you? 

Have you had any Amazon order take a month? 

Do you see books sold on PBS that are sold more cheaply online? 

It's midnight, and I am fading. Maybe I can sleep.

Amazon Prices

 Sunday night/Monday morning, I ordered a Stihl mini chainsaw, 6". Tommy will use it on a dogwood tree that is half dead. A larger tree fell on it and broke it. The story is hazy. Half the tree is short and bushy, whereas the other half is spindly and lives. Only one half has flowers. It is ridiculous looking. I have no idea how much it would cost to have mower prune it away. But, we have got this. 

Saturday, I looked it up. The price was something like $1,200. You read that correctly. This was the cheapest chainsaw I found. Others were upward from there. I have no idea what happened to Amazon. I had two things in the cart. Both were gone. 

The chainsaw was $59, and I got a discount making it $40. So, we don't have to use this much to get our money's worth. He is strong enough to handle it. It is cordless/battery operated. 

Sunday, we returned a blouse that did not fit, bought paper towels, three 70-sheet college ruled spiral notebooks. Looked for the Stihl chainsaw at Lowe's. Publix--milk for both of us, grapes, two more bags of coleslaw bogo. 

We rarely use paper towels, so this 6-pack should last a year or more. The other day, we had no paper towels, so I had Tommy heat the last chicken nugget on a Kleenex that he folded. Well, the Kleenex was black and the burn smell lingered for hours! He did heat it for way too long. It was like a rock. We often used just a quarter of a paper towel. One day, I had him microwave chicken nuggets on a dishcloth. That seemed weird. But, it worked and we could wash the dishcloth.

In the afternoon I cut up two bell peppers, one bag for freezer and a lesser amount for the refrigerator. Then, while I napped, he ate. He said he used some tomato, onions I had chopped, and bell peppers to make a salad. He will eat things if I have it all cut and ready. Or, he will make a wrap if we have wraps. 

I am still working, albeit slowly, on putting away stuff dug out when we decluttered. With the lamp in the kitchen, I can even see well enough in the kitchen to wash up the Tupperware I bought. I know there is nothing dirty on it to wash off, but I cannot stand and do things in the dark. Call me spoiled, but I like light. 

The forecast this next week is rain every day. Hopefully, some of those days will just be spotty or not for our location. I have things I need to do! 

Dinner--chicken, slaw. I will probably have slaw every day this next week, and that is a good thing. 

Did you look on Amazon and find exorbitant prices on Saturday? I kept trying again and again to determine if I had the right Amazon. This $40 chainsaw was over $1200. 

Wednesday Ads Collected

 

Wednesday was so hot, yet only 90F. Around dawn, though, I opened the door and stuck my hand and head out. It was not hot at all, almost balmy. But, when we left the house around 2 pm, the conditions had changed radically. It was very hot and humid. 

We got the first ad (Pig)and found nothing after a cursory examination. At The Pig, I told Tommy to get bread because it is regularly cheaper than the bread at Publix. The Dromedary pimento in 2 ounce jars was not present, so I had him get two 4 oz jars. I will use half and put the jar in the freezer. We were charged 10% surcharge of $0.72 and discounted $0.38 for being over 60. 

I had a list ready for Publix--milk, bananas, strawberries, coleslaw mix. Since the coleslaw was 2 for $4, I had buy 2. Strawberries were 3/$10. My bread was bogo, so cheaper than The Pig. 

Altogether, we spent about $44. We most likely buy a bit more. 

Dinner tonight for me was chicken with BBQ sauce, slaw, green beans. I will have a banana and strawberries later. 

When Tommy came out of The Pig, he was saying what took so long. I did not notice he spent a long time. The store is remodeling. The center cross aisle is being eliminated. I hate that. Plus, more importantly was the fact it will now include an Ace Hardware Store. 

When I lived in Cullman, I used Ace. Then, one day it was gone. Later, I tried calling to see where they were now located. I could find the address in the telephone book, but never quite located the building. I would call The Pig for different things. But, when I called Ace. I got The Pig and apologized and said I had dialed the wrong number.  One day when I was in The Pig, I was startled to find a huge hardware section. On further examination, I found it was Ace. So, now I finally knew where was the Ace 'building.'

Tuesday night, I spent time looking at videos of how to make a pool noodle lollipop for my Christmas decorations. What I found was that I needed three pool noodles for each lollipop! I have three in three different colors. We had noticed this last week that there are no more pool noodles outside the three stores we pass. So, this is a problem. These were only $1, but there were ones costing $4. I wanted this to be a really cheap project. 

Last Wednesday, the day before the 4th, I ordered a refill of Singulair. Saturday, I stopped by to get the prescription. I got three. When I arrived home, there was no Singulair. Amazingly, as soon as I ran out before the 4th, my congestion stopped. The pharmacist could find no history/pattern of this happening. Now, I wonder if my problems will start again when I actually get the prescription. Now, I need to consult my allergist. The pharmacist and I did discuss rebounds and such. It is a puzzle.

Tommy had for dinner--chicken, English peas, and slaw. I wondered but just now thought to ask.

Project Tomorrow

Tommy got the guy across the street to cut a Christmas wreath in two piece that was here, probably belonging to his boarder twenty years ago. I will wire the halves back to back to fit over the mailbox. I will take out the elements I don't like and put ones I do like into this saddle. Right now, my problem is the little shards of metal still clinging tightlyto the 1/4 inch wire. So, instead of trying to sand it off or use a rasp, I will cover it in tape of some kind. I want to be safe from this metal. 

Tonight, I took several large things from the kitchen counter. With no light in the room, it is easy to let things stack up, cluttering the counter. Yes, tomorrow, I need to find an electrician who will actually come here. 

We just finished a Nova documentary on China's Terra Cotta Army. I saw the exhibit at The Birmingham Museum of Art when it came to Birmingham. Now, I know more about it. While there, we went to the gift shop. I bought a letter opener with blue and white handle. That was lost in my house. I wonder if they still have those. Tomorrow, I can call.

Before that on Nova, we watched a documentary about the Amazon that revealed amazing facts never known until now.  

School supplies are on sale now at Publix. I need to look at the ad and the ads from other stores. 

If you have been in a Piggly Wiggly, have you seen an ACE Hardware store in there?

Did you see the  Chinese Terra Cotta army? Where?

Tuesday

 Monday night, we put six bscb in cooking bag with too many carrots and six small potatoes. Sprinkled only with garlic powder and onion powder and several slices of onion, they were delicious after baking. I made slaw. A few days ago, I made slaw from a kit that was nasty tasting. Tommy liked it and may eat it. I will probably freeze one or two of the bscb. 

I am having trouble with Amazon. When I order two of an item each month, I keep getting three. I will have to stop the order, I suppose, and start again when I run out of this six-month supply! Is anyone else having this problem? Also, orders are set to be delivered on a certain date, then the order is delayed. This aspect has not caused a problem yet, but it is different than their usual practices. It keeps me looking for packages, keeps me on my toes. 

My toothbrushes are on subscribe and save, too. With the extra percentage off from subscribe and save, I will use that, and then quit when I get a year's supply of toothbrushes. Every 5% helps. 

We need to take recycling to Publix since we have so much stored. Tommy takes care of that, so I am behind on how much we have ready to go. I have a recycling wastebasket by my chair so I don't have to hand him one or two items at a time. This way, I can deposit bottles, newspapers and he can sort it in the kitchen/dining area at his leisure. We try to be efficient and work together. By the way, the recycling wastebasket is just a plain white wastebasket that we have designated recycling as opposed to trash. 

Dinner: chicken, potato, carrots, slaw. Delicious again tonight.

I have had no energy today, just a sloth. My whole body hurts and it is hard to swallow. But, it was a beautiful, hot day. So, all is well. I have been making plans.

How are things with you?

Frustrating Start to Day & 101F

 Two positives from Tuesday have turned to complete frustration on Wednesday. I felt so positive until I opened the mail later Tuesday. I was up to the challenge, but this has turned out to be an ordeal.

When we went to far away UPS store, Tommy was turned away as they needed a QR code. So, this morning I was going to call and see what happened. Now, I realize I received two emails from Amazon. One is for a scheduled pickup. The other is to take the package to UPS store. As I looked at the pickup notice, I found I must pay for pickup. Not happening. 

I made a call to the same number I called for the return. I got one of those messages--If you are over 50, press #1. If you are under 50, press #2.  Since I have made the mistake of pressing #1 before and have been subjected to a sales pitch, I pressed #2. That backfired since I got ten minutes of sales pitches. Then the sales pitch hung up on me. 

So, I decided to call Verizon. I had the bill reduced to $25 instead of the almost $75 per month we pay now. Well, they raised the amount of our bill. How does that happen? Now, it seems my calls to rectify this won't go through. So, we will drive to the phone store! 

This is not how I wanted to spend Wednesday. We did plan to go to Cullman, but it is so hot and we don't want to be out if the predicted storms catch us on the interstate. 

Tommy has been on the front porch for thirty minutes shucking 6 ears of corn. He does it the hard way and then completely removes all the silk by hand. I have told him to use the vegetable brush. Maybe he enjoys removing the silk this way. The sun has not reached him yet, so he will just shuck and silk how he wants. He reported worms in the last two ears last week, so these must be okay since he is still working on them. Good! I want corn and tomatoes and slaw for dinner. He just came in and said the sun was about to get to him. He had been sitting in shade of porch

The pizza is still bothering my stomach. So, my stomach medicine will have to calm my stomach before I eat.

Today's plans are to make tuna salad, make pimiento and cheese, mix the slaw. Maybe I will cook a protein. I want nothing to stand in the way of watching every second of the debate on Thursday night. So, I will at least have leftovers to heat in a hurry. 

Yesterday, after the pizza about 5 pm, I only had a small apple the rest of the night. It is 2 pm on Thursday, and I still have had nothing except water! I hurt and am not hungry yet. 

We went out to get the ads but came home before going to phone store. A bad storm warning was for this afternoon. The clouds were so dark and there were sprinkles. We went to park for a bit and came home just as the sprinkles were starting. I found a return label for the return that Tommy had not seen, but I have no idea when it was left. 

It was very hot and humid when we left the house, but actually cool when we returned, even before the sprinkles. At least Tommy won't have to water the flowers. I just found out that after all the rain in the area, my flowers only got a mist of rain. However, without my asking him, Tommy watered all the flower. The purslane blooms are so beautiful and prolific. 

Oh, the dogs are still next door. We think they retreated to the back of the yard under trees to escape the torrid conditions where they love to lay. I am sure the close proximity to Tommy's brick house and the full sun where they lie and where dog houses are located keep them hotter than normal. We have not heard one bark. They just sit or stand, never play, and look sad. 

Dinner--country fried steak and gravy, cabbage, potato bit, carrots for both of us. 

It's a bummer to have a day of accomplishments all turned on end the next day. Right? 

Great Thursday

Today, I had a very good doctor's appointment. I had an appointment with my gastroenterologist. However, a text said I was going to have a np. That frosted me. But, I went. 

When she came in, I told her I like getting an np because they were smart, listened, and always helped me except for one witch. I told her I was sure she could help me. Then, I told her I was expecting the doctor since that is who I was told I would see. She explained that she thought she would not be there, and was trying to lighten his load. She said I could see him when we were through. 

I have had pain in my right flank that gets worse over time and makes it hard to move and walk. Since I had this in 1968 after a kidney infection and sepsis after the birth of my son, I knew the feeling. 

Plus, I have had a knot under my ribs on the right side. It is visible and can be easily felt most of the time. At one point, I could see it. I did tell her it started hurting about 5 days after the fall over the walker. Plus, pain is now up in right collarbone.

This appointment was scheduled to discuss the scope of my esophagus and stomach. So, not just for pain. 

Now, there is an appointment for CT on knot in soft area under ribs and to check pancreas. My father and his mother both died of pancreatic cancer at head of pancreas. I look most like that side of the family, allergies and all that includes.

Plus, I now have an appointment for colonoscopy. There is no liquid to drink, just pills to take with water. 

Hopefully, I never have the woman push me who did today. She ran the wheelchair into everything. She tried to creep around the door facing and hit the other side of the door every time. She did not seem to understand that she was making the wheelchair longer by it going in at an angle. She also disagreed that going in straight forward, not at an angle would work better. She stressed me! 

I took Tommy string cheese, a little stick of meat and a peeled tangerine. He did not argue as usual. He even took the cheese out and ate it while we were waiting in the exam room. 

The doctor is even going to get me in to a someone for my thyroid surgery. Many doctors say they are not allowed to recommend anyone. I doubt that. One doctor said he was new in the area and did not know anyone to recommend. Well, his father had an office upstairs that he could ask and let me know later through a nurse. I fired him. 

Today was fruitful. We came straight home and then went to grocery for a few things. I needed to get CLR to clean jets in commode before the jets starting closing up. I bought something else that should work fine. I wanted strawberries but they only had them in clear, plastic, heart-shaped clamshells. They were too expensive, but I will count them as part of my Valentine. I bought Pepsi b2g2 and then watched the guy load regular Pepsi instead of the Diet Pepsi. I was tired and had told him Diet. So, that means a trip tomorrow. I forgot bbq sauce and Oxyclean. 

It was annoying to get home and the walker was not here. But, I heard the guy come at 8:30. Tommy does not want my help putting it together. I have had deliveries not come when promised. And, that was okay, but this was for a walker. Tommy is dribbling food all over my walker. His is streaky and filthy. Mine is spotless. Now, he can dribbled olive oil all over this one. 

EDIT: Tommy successfully assembled the walker. I knew he could. He struggles so to get parts and pull the walker around assembling it. I neglected to say, but it is a dark green, much darker than the picture. It looks black! He said the 10" wheels did help to push it in the grass. The ones he has had were very difficult to use in grass, especially St. Augustine grass. I forgot to say all this. 

Dinner: chicken breast and bbq, green beans for me. Plus, beef from a kabob. Tommy had the rest of my kabob. Tommy: 2 kabobs of beef and onion, plus other vegetables, don't really know. I will have salad in a bit. 

This morning I told Tommy to get me up at least by 10 am. I awoke about 5 minutes until 11 am. That put me in a bind for time. He swears I told him 10 am. The reason he wakes me is my alarm is so tiny, it is difficult to set the time. Plus, he needs/wants to get up and shower before he gets me up since we share the bathroom. Plus, he will get variable water temps in the shower if I start using water in the kitchen. I figured someone would wonder why I cannot wake myself with an alarm. 

Wednesday night, I actually was sleepy early, so at 2 am I went to bed and slept until 11, so 9 hours sleep, making up for too few hours sleep the last few nights. 

Today was a very good day! This doctor is absolutely the nicest doctor, well him and gyno guy.

Tomorrow will be rainy and all the way to Tuesday.

Tommy is struggling to assemble this walker while sliding off his walker with parts all over. He cannot sit up and has no lap. 

Do you find some doctors much better people than others? He has good bedside manners, answers questions, just all around nice man and good doctor.  

Bone Dry and Chilly and Tommy Falls

 That sure beats the frozen precipitation and frigid predictions of the past few weeks. So, it is mid 50s and will be in 60s, so we are doing well in the weather department. 

Today, when we went out to collect ads and milk for Tommy, the wind was mild and temps warm, especially as I was sitting in the car in the blazing sun, thinking I had ac on. 

Last night, I was sitting in my chair while Tommy searched for a can of corn for the taco soup. I heard what sounded like cans falling and falling and falling. It takes me a bit to get up as I wait for the lift to lift me. I was terrified. Tommy was lying face down across boxes and spilled cans. After I asked him if he was hurt and what he wanted me to do to help him, I noticed something else. He was holding onto a file cabinet that was in danger of falling completely on its side. 

Plus, lots of canning jars and boxes of rings were spilled all over. My Excalibur dehydrator was lying where it fell off the file cabinet. 

Finally, he told me to straighten him up by pulling his shirt. I did and he righted the file cabinet as he came. Then, his feet were crossed. He cannot uncross his feet at all once they get that way. So, I did that even though it hurt him. Then, I tried to help by grabbing waistband of his pants and his belt and pulling him. Well, that hurt me. Finally, he had me get two canes so he could lift himself by putting hands on top and lifting himself up. All this was excruciating to me. I hurt for what he went through. 

Then, he got up and said he was fine. He was not hurt anywhere at all. ME? My back hurts twice as bad as ever. Now, my spine hurts further up than my injuries cause it to hurt. Arms, shoulders, neck, and especially my hands. Over my objections he spent a long time righting everything. I wanted him to sit and relax a bit. I hope the Excalibur is not broken.

This is an opportunity! I have not told him, but we are getting some sort of furniture with doors for the far end of the dining room. Maybe he will allow a lot of the junk stored there to be tossed. There are too few cabinets in the kitchen, and we cannot access stuff we put in the bottom cabinets. Then, he insists on keeping the tiny table there on a long wall. So, doors in the other end of the dining room will not be handy because of the distance. But, it beats having to unload boxes of 100 cans to see into the box underneath. I noticed that this unwieldy situation has allowed some food to become very old. 

Last night, I went to bed at 9 pm and slept until 12 pm. Then, I could not sleep until 9 am and slept until 11am. I also started feeling really ill. Not sure if it is reaction to covid vaccine or uti. 

Through all of this, we have cleared out more Christmas items, baked cookies, gotten taco soup in refrigerator, and I am ready to cook chicken and vegetables in a bag. The deer are still in the carport. 

Amazon tossed a box over the ramp. What is the problem? Maybe others are happy with deliveries in the shrubs and all over, but this is not getting it for me. Amazon has made it clear to me that this is not how it should be. 

Supposedly, prisoners have the choice of execution method in Alabama. I wonder if they can choose a firing squad. Some people who die in prison are sent to relatives without organs. That is creepy. 

Did say that I finally was able to reach someone at cardiology after the phone answerers not giving them a message? So, I have a day of tests scheduled which I am not looking forward to attending. 

Okay, Tommy wants me to come and put stuff in the cooking bag. It's done, and he is washing dishes. He uses vinegar and Dawn to wash dishes now. I suppose I finally got 'germ theory' across. Once I teach him how to do something, he does a superb job! 

Today, he washed and I trimmed a quart box of strawberries. I had him use the ground meat chopper on them and he made them mush. I was commenting and he said it happened suddenly. It will be fine. 

I am still recovering from the horror of Tommy's fall and a slight temp, chills, and general malaise. I suppose by morning I will be better from the covid vaccine or worse from a uti. 

I found a dirty penny Monday.  

Tonight, we baked two small breasts and a few vegetables--carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, celery. 

Tuesday, we talked about making a trip to Cullman just to shop for a car at the place where he bought his Rogue. It was a good shopping experience. So, we will try again. Maybe they will have two vehicles we like.

Okay, it is 8:30 pm and I feel awful, so going to bed now. 

Did you feel ill when you had a covid vaccine? 

Do you dread shopping for a car? 

 

Not Much Happening this Friday

 Today, I went to Publix for apples and bananas. They were out of Red Delicious Apples, yet I came out with $90 worth of groceries. Toilet paper was on sale. We needed it. Somehow, we/managed to run out of AA batteries. I have about six packages of AAA because I buy both at the same time. We are going heavy on the AA usage. I suppose that is because of the pillar candles and tapers. One of the two remotes we got this year do not work. Maybe it is just the button battery inside.

Of course, I will remove all the batteries from the candles and put them in the bag with all the AAAs when we take down the decorations. 

Last night, it barely rained here. I did not miss much by not putting it outdoors. Tonight, the trees are outside, and the weather is mild. 

I bought two more 1-pound bags of pecans for freeing. Everything else was a necessity, not just nice to have. But, it was stuff that could not be found on Amazon because they were out of stock. So, my regular order from Amazon will be less. 

After sleeping 2.5 hours and being awakened by incessantly barking dogs, I need a nap in the afternoon. We had leftovers for dinner. I had turkey breast, rice, collard greens. Tommy had turkey, blackeyed peas, and collards.

Today, I received four boxes and two bags from Amazon. This is in response to my complaining about the hair color and something else always being squashed with the box destroyed. They could have put the three little shipping boxes and the two bags into the one large box that another large box in it. Plus, all the little air pouches could have been eliminated or used inside the large box. 

I know these Amazon items are shipped and go through a lot, but when the hair color box is so smashed it won't sit up and contents are threatening to spill out, Amazon should be worried, too. The glass supplement bottle was in a mangled box, but the glass bottle had not broken, thankfully. 

The lemon and lime tree shed all over the house when taken out. The lime tree was still bright green, but the lemon tree looks dead. Maybe the rain and the sun and the grow light will revive both. 

Saturday, the plan is to mail a package and buy apples. I need to work that around Tommy's plan to watch Alabama and Georgia. 

I think the fall two weeks ago did more damage to my already injured back than I thought.

How does your lemon tree grow?

Do you receive Amazon bags and boxes with the contents mangled but still usable?

I Cracked the Code with Amazon

 I placed an order with Amazon and somehow I ordered something that came in a set of 2. The resulting order was $55 more than I expected. And, I wanted to complain about a thrown package, and my hair color was crushed once again. Another item was ruined from the factory. 

On Sunday night I tried to rectify these and complain. However, the Amazon agent could not find my telephone number or my email connected to any Amazon account. She insisted! I gave up. 

Monday night, I tried again and was told the same thing--twice. Finally, I decided on a new strategy.

Anything I was asked by the automated agent who said he could understand me, I only had one response. 

My response--"United States agent" It worked, sort of. The guy was in Colombia but a citizen of the US who was working for Amazon. That call saved me $74. And, he commented several times that I was a nice person.

Since I have not been able to find someone to clean who does not demand to know the square footage of the house or wants to bring a team of four people to get it done in one day, I decided on another tactic. I am going to call a church and see if there is anyone who will help. And, I will make it clear I will pay, want to pay, and insist on paying. I will just keep calling churches and make it clear I do not want it done free or someone with a business.

I want to pay a good price and the person cleaning to get it all. One woman was so efficient, good cleaner, and all around good worker that we gave her $18/hour even though she came for $15/hr. Of course, Tommy will pay for it. I don't want a woman to work and get $7.50/hour, if even that. 

If they live too far away, we will pay $10 for the gas. We will not take advantage. 

On Monday night we had our first rain of more than hundredths of an inch in a couple of months. I am not sure this will end our drought. Maybe it will lower the odds for fires. Wow, maybe more than two inches of rain. That will be a novelty around here lately. 

Usually, November is dreary, damp, and depressing. I suppose we had 19 days of pretty weather, so I cannot complain. 

Tuesday

It is dreary and dry. This kind of dreary depresses me and makes me groggy. I have a list of calls to make, so I better slog through that. 

Okay, Tommy made the roux for gravy. Only, I called it white sauce and then had him brown it. The only thing not made is dressing. We may just have Stove Top Dressing. 

Tonight, I took two casseroles large enough for two huge bscb each. I added 'no salt added" Cream of chicken soup to Tommy's and cream of mushroom soup to mine. The soup is so bland. I added a tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder to each, broccoli to both, and jar of pimiento to mine. I forgot to put cheese in mine, so I am slicing it thin for my portion, Tommy hates cheese on chicken, hates cheese in rice! 

Each casserole had to be put on baking pan. We had to use a pan for each since they were so heavy.  In an hour we can eat. Yum. And, there will be another meal, most likely for Wed night since we have a daylong chore on Wednesday. Actually, we will probably get four meals from each casserole because the breasts are huge. 

I have garlic and onions. But, it is so much easier spoon in powder. I never did this before the last two years. 

It seems that there is lots of drama next door. Dogs bark incessantly. I think I talked about a huge fire in the carport during a burn ban. Yesterday as we pulled into the driveway, Tommy said there was a detective in one vehicle and a policeman and police car in front of their house. Well, it appears on of the fathers was picking up a child for visitation. On Monday? The father had his arms crossed and looked grim or angry. The policeman did not interact with anyone and stayed right by his car. Obviously, there is a problem. I would prefer to think the father was causing a problem, but that would be unfair. 

The two children ran to the car and put their things inside. Then, a child still in the house who was obviously not leaving came out to hug one of the children leaving. Then, the mother twice hugged her children as they left. Of course, we will never know the particulars because we would never ask. That mother is hostile to us. 

She is the mother who made her child run for punishment until he cried and was begging to stop. Plus, she pushed his face forward and pushed him along and would not let him speak to me in Publix. Mean woman. 

AND, their cat has always sat and walked all over my car. Well, since it is cooler, it warms up on Tommy's car. Plus, it has decided sitting on the table on the front porch is the thing to do. Grrr...

Dinner should be done in less than an hour. It will be interesting to see how the lack of sodium affects the taste. We are saving over 800 mg of sodium in each dish of two meals, so over 400 mg in the meal.

The rain that covered the state missed this county. We had less than half an inch while north part of the state had over two inches, and south part of state had over four inches in some places. 

It seems things are more difficult with Amazon. At least, I figured out the system even if late. Have you found the same and had problems? 

Do you have a neighbor who seems to attract or cause drama? 

BOGO Groceries and Amazon Order and Treadle Sewing Machine

                                                                        not mine

On Tuesday night, I went over the ads online for the three stores in which I shop. One store had two things I needed, one store had one thing, and another had a dozen bargains. 

I slept little, got up and went back to bed. Since I needed to get up by 1 pm and Tommy woke me at 1:20, I was rushed and hurting. I rushed and had a tuna sandwich for lunch. My friend was coming by to help with the grill. It seemed there was nothing wrong. I just did not know it was on. 

While it was on, I decided at to grill the two hamburgers I had left to grill. Then, it smelled so good, I wanted to eat right then. We both had a burger on bread. Since I pulled off all my crust to eat less bread, I knew I was not going to need a lot of dinner. We both had a huge salad for dinner. 

After the burger we went to three grocery stores. Food Giant had chicken tenders for $1.99/lb. I think the two packages had six pounds. Tomorrow, we go back for rolls of sausage 2/$5--Jimmy Dean. We can have sausage balls for a festive treat. 

The Pig had salad greens cheap, so Tommy bought two bags. We will probably eat these two bags and get two more before the sale goes off Tuesday night. 

Publix: Del Monte Fruit Cocktail bogo, Eagle Brand Milk  2/$4. Pint ziplocs were bogo. Planters jars of peanuts bogo. The Cheerios Tommy likes were bogo. I will get two square snaplock storage containers to use as a sandwich box or food containers to take with me in the car. The glass ones are too heavy and too dangerous. Plus, they often have food in them when I need them. Plugra butter is on sale. 

Plugra butter is on sale. I have never heard of that brand. Have you? Stuffing is 2/$5--not impressed. There were lots of items on sale, stuff I have bought much more cheaply earlier. 

When I received an Amazon order today, I was puzzled. I had ordered Halloween candles, but not two packages. Plus, I had ordered another set of three candles that run with batteries and have a remote. Why did I get two. They can send me more than I order, but just don't charge me! lol The price for the whole order is almost twice what was showing when I placed the order. Now, I have to straighten this out. 

Besides the candles, I bought a leather thimble. It is too stiff, so I will take it to a cobbler friend's shop to fix it. Also, I found a book about working on treadle machines. This will be my bible for a bit as I work on my treadle machine my mother gave me. She no longer had her grandmother's treadle, the one on which I learned to sew. However, she bought each of us three girls a treadle at yard sales on year and gave them to us at Christmas. It was a wonderful gift for each of us. 

Now, I won't have to depend on someone I don't trust entirely to work on my Singer Treadle if the work is beyond my skills. Some unscrupulous repairers take parts from customers' machines to repair their own machines or to repair machines of people who will pay exorbitant prices in order to have their machines repaired.  Mostly, the repaired machines to sell. Now, I know exactly where to oil and what kind of oil. Plus, there are special tools I need. 

I have a treadle machine sitting in the carport with a modern electric machine in it. The plan is to sell the machine head, sell all the wooden drawers, and make a table out of the iron base. This is apart from the Singer treadle machine Mama gave me. I would never take it apart. 

Mama made very nice dresses for us when I was little on a treadle machine! A treadle machine holds a special place in my heart, heritage, and thoughts.

Have you ever sewn on a treadle sewing machine? Did you learn to sew on one? Do you own a treadle sewing machine?

Did you find good deals on groceries this week?

I Forgot the Best Part

 As I approached the electric cart the clerk brought me, I was shocked. There by the back wheel was a shiny, new dime. 

I did not sleep well or long Monday night, took an early nap from 10:30 am to 1 pm, got up and just quit running at about 6:30 pm. 

We cleaned out lots of leftovers for dinner. Tommy had the last thigh I thawed last week along with slaw, black-eyed peas, potatoes, carrots, and Brussls sprouts. I had the last pork chop, half a carrot, 1/2 small potato, Brussels sprouts, slaw. I suppose the only difference in our dinner was he had a thigh and I had pork chop. 

Tommy's car is making a huge sputtering noise and shaking. He said it might be trash in the gas tank that was now in the engine. The car shook me until I was exhausted. I don't know if he is going to take it in or just wait until something is ruined or until it quits running. My whole body hurts from the jarring thar lasted three hours. 

Amazon or an Amazon pretender emailed me, asking if I had placed an order while near Washington, US. It seems the order was cancelled. I hope so. I had ordered something not an hour earlier. I ordered something two weeks ago. I wanted two items. However, each box had two pieces, so, essentially, I have four when I wanted two. I did the same thing this time. Thankfully, it is something I can use two. 

Tommy was commenting yesterday that there are no birds. Usually, we see so many when sitting in the car. I suppose they all flew south. When he put my lemon tree out, he said three pollinators were happy to see it. 

I was in a big box store and made a shortcut that just happened to go by a 20' display of birdseed. There were a dozen flour moths or kitchen moths fluttering about the bags. Anyone who buys a bag of birdseed will take home pantry moths. Be careful. Freeze the whole bag first or leave it outdoors. I suppose you could empty the bag into gallon freezer bags, freeze it for three days and then bring indoors. 

Are there birds still at your house?