TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

The Beast went out with some of his church compadres to pass out invitations to a big rally they are having next Sunday.  He wants me to go with him and Chewlee and I just might because it will mean dinner out for us at one of my favorite places.  I am a bit curious to see if things have really changed much from the last time I went to one of these rallies like he claims.

While he was gone, I pulled down a couple of my old purses (that means I've owned them for a while but haven't used them much) to pick out the one I will bring with me to Chicago.  When I did, I found an old, unopened pack of cigarettes in one of them.  I was shocked.....but very tempted because I was having one of those coughing fits.  I wondered if having a cigarette would really stop the coughing.  It doesn't.  In fact, after just two or three drags on a cigarette (yes, I gave in and tried one), I was dizzy and a little nauseous.  It was just like when you first start smoking as I recall.  Not worth it!  Trust me!  Do NOT do that after not smoking for 17 days.  I'm still feeling a little sick and am trying more than brushing my teeth to get that taste out of my mouth.  I grabbed the newly opened package and poured water into it then hid it in the garbage so my misstep would be known only to me and not the Beast.  Although he may have had his own misstep along the way, I think that was HIS to keep to himself if that is what he chose to do.

At least I now know that I do NOT want to go through that again.  Not the quitting.  That part was easy once you decide to do it.  I didn't want that taste in my mouth or that smell to be on me or my clothes or in the air around me.  You don't notice it when you are smoking but, once you quit, peeeee-uuuuuuu!  It's awful!  I still can' t open the doors to that closet without getting a whiff of that stale tobacco smell and I've sprayed everything in it a few times with several different products.  The only way it will get out of there is to paint the damn room along with the closet and rip out the carpeting and replace it.  I'm going to take down the blinds and clean them while the weather is good.  The windows can use a good cleaning, too.  Guess I should get going on that now while I am thinking about it and before Chewlee gets here.

Love you all.  Talk to you later. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

I can hardly believe it when my KIDS start complaining about getting old to me.  THEY are complaining about getting old and they are saying all these things to the woman who gave birth to them!  I'm astonished, to say the least.  Marcus told me today that he wanted to age like Charlie Sheen but he looks in the mirror and he sees Martin, instead. 

I see not only wrinkles, no...deep crevasses on my face...and I am scarred from my (missing) big toe to mid-tummy (slightly below the belly button area).  I was looking at the scar from the arterial bypass in my right leg and it actually resembles the shrapnel wound my dad had in his leg from World War 2.  I kid you not.  He would feel some real sympathy for me if he saw it.  It's the upper part of my right leg....the inside of the thigh....that is so picturesque.  The rest of the surgical wound has actually healed in a nice, thin line that is almost invisible.

I'm not counting the scar on my neck from having the left carotid artery roto-rooted out.  That looked really ugly but it sure healed well.  I'm going to have to have the other side done in the future but that no longer worries me.  I know  it will heal nicely.  I had to have that done because it was affecting my left eye.  Yeah, I'm just falling apart like an old doll that's had some hard use.

This is the woman that Chewlee thinks just needs a little bit of *her* makeup and looks beautiful.  Gotta love her for that.  How can you NOT love a child that feels like that about you?  I love her to pieces.  She worries about me but she also keeps me moving and prevents me from acting as old as I sometimes feel.  Even when she's chewing me out (yes, she does) for yelling at her for some reason or other, she can still make me laugh over the way she does it.  She's not like other six-year-olds.  Her vocabulary is what is so incredible.  She can surprise us with her viewpoint on a lot of things.  And she DOES have her own view of things....lots of things.  She will tell you all about how she feels about EVERYTHING that comes to mind.  She really would have you rolling on the floor, laughing, in just a few minutes in her company.  And she's not trying to be funny at all.

Chewlee will tell you that she loves two women...her mother and me...best of all.  After that, it depends on the situation she's in how much she loves anyone else.....LOL. 

I also have neuropathy in my feet that can make me crazy some days and on other days, it's just a kind of background numbness.  Falling apart?  Yep.  That's how I feel.  But I'm in better shape than the Beast who often can't remember things for as little as 15 minutes.  I kid you not on that part.  He had to call me the other day because he forgot the second item he went up to the store to get.  Even worse...I hadn't requested either thing he went to buy.  They were two things HE wanted, not me. 

Time to go and take my late-in-the-day nap while I can.  Love you all.  Hope you had a great weekend and an even better week ahead of us.  Say a little prayer for Woofie, Bratfink and Sheldon's dog.  The poor little thing is terribly ill.  The vet has no idea how old the dog is but it might actually be dying of old age for all anyone knows.  Be good and take care of yourselves.  Be careful driving. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Today the Beast, besides mowing the lawn like he was in some kind of race, actually emptied the gun safe out.  With the help of Johnnycakes, he got it unbolted from the floor and moved into the cottage.  Now he just has to move all of the stuff he took out and put it back in.

Me?  I am going crazy with the coughing.  Some nights (and days) are worse than others.  They tell me it's due to the little hairs in the lungs starting to grow back.  I'm past the five days of time without smoking that gets the nicotine out of your system.  Now my lungs are supposedly clearing up and those hairs coming back that the smoking originally killed off.  I'm learning more than I care to.  But the coughing...THAT makes me crazy and it's going to last for weeks!  I am NOT a happy camper.  But, having come this far, I refuse to break down and start smoking again.  The Beast's cousin, when he stopped smoking a couple years back, developed allergies due to the fact that these new hairs really WERE new and had no immunity to many of the new things they were exposed to afterward.  I'm hoping not to have anything like it happen to me, TYVM!  Right now, I fall asleep when I can stop coughing long enough to doze off.  But that's only when I am having a bad night like I did last night.

Chewlee, the Princess and Johnnycakes went kayaking today.  Johnnycakes didn't decide what they were going to do until all the canoes were reserved so she rented two kayaks.  Chewlee said that her mother was in the *garbage* boat while she and daddy were in the *party* boat.  At one point, Johnnycakes and Chewlee tipped over and Chewlee thought that was so much fun!  She actually enjoyed it and wasn't scared or afraid.  She just held her breath until Johnnycakes righted the kayak.  Although they were out for 8 hours, I was really impressed by the fact that he had killed a 12 pk. of beer off and was still able to walk.  He just smiled and said, *I'm an Alabama boy.  I was raised on beer.*

Chewlee asked if she could spend the night since she wanted to make sure she got to church tomorrow.  When she was told she could, she whispered to me, *This makes it a PERFECT day!*  She was so sincere that you just had to smile.  She went to dinner with her mother and Johnnycakes and was dropped off afterward.  I asked her what she had to eat and she told me *steak*.  It has to be that she shared her mother's steak because I think that would be the only way she would eat it.

The Princess and I discovered one thing.  Chewlee thinks that because she only dips her chips into the juice of salsa, she is not getting any *vegetables* in her diet.  We told her even the juice has vegetables in it and she looked at us like she knew better than we did.

The Beast bought some salsa verde and I don't think Chewlee is going to like the *juice* of that as much as she likes regular salsa but she hasn't tried any yet so we shall see.  She does like the chili con queso (cheese/salsa dip) that I really like, too.  I'm sure she's going to want some tomorrow after church.  I think while they are gone, I am going to go up to KFC for some chicken.  There's a graduation party for one of the older girls at the church that we got an invitation to.  I don't know the family at all but I have seen a picture of the girl.  I understand the mother is a bit of a mental case but everyone tries to be kind to her.  The graduate/daughter is a sweet gal from all I'm told. Too bad she won't be going to college.  They don't believe in a higher education for their kids.

I found a ring I forgot all about having that I can let Chewlee wear now.  It's not a good one but she likes it.  It has two dolphins leaping (and is adjustable).  As long as she likes it, it will keep her out of my jewelry box.

Time to get this posted now.  Another hot day here for us tomorrow.  Hope yours is great and you enjoy your Sunday. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

The Beast and I actually got a lot of different things decided and taken care of today.  We decided that the Beast has gotten too old and too infirm to be doing some of the work we want done around here.  So, my room and the guest room are going to be getting new carpeting instead of laminate.  He's just not capable of installing it without suffering for days and days afterward.  It's not worth the pain it causes.

The Beast priced carpeting at Lowe's.  He also was curious as to the variety they had (he wasn't disappointed) so I will be going with him tomorrow to make choices and arrangements for the guest room to be done.  It will take 2-3 weeks for the carpeting to be delivered and installed and that works for us.  That room doesn't need repainting but mine does.  I will be cleaning the humidity marks in the next couple of days and then we will start moving stuff out of here so the Beast can paint while I am gone.  I may even help him pull the carpeting up so it can be thrown away and save us over $100.  We can throw it in with Tara's weekly trash pickup since they take everything and not just a special trash container.

We also decided to get a real pest control company in here to start taking care of our ant problem and the field mouse one that the Beast says we get in the garage.  I only thought that happened in winter but I guess not.  They are also going to treat the house property to prevent termites.  I'm not going to futz with that and what they use will be more effective.  I've been concerned about termites because of the fact that the crawlspace stays wet even during the hottest summer weather and there's also an area underneath the deck that does, too.  The company pays for repairing any damages done by termites while they are treating it.  They inspected it today (no termites) and will start treating it on Thursday.  They have to notify the city that they are starting treatment due to the fact that they will be putting down whatever it is they use 14" below the surface.  They will be treating the house for ants, spiders, wasps, etc. on either Monday or Tuesday.  I'm not sure which only because I let the Beast handle that part of it.  My mistake because his mind loses more information than it retains.  His memory seems to be getting more and more selective. 

I am a bit concerned because he will have to remember that Chewlee will be in HIS trust when I am gone.  I need to let the Princess know about that, too, so SHE remembers that.  Clearing out the rooms will allow us to throw away stuff that should have been thrown away years ago.  Also, the repainting in here will remove all traces of the cigarette smell especially with the added bonus of putting in new carpeting.  We are getting Stainmaster carpeting in here with a 15 year warranty.

Love you all.  Have a great weekend.  Do something fun....and outdoors.  The Princess, Johnnycakes and Chewlee are going kayaking tomorrow.  No rapids to make it exciting (not around here anyway) but it should still be fun for them.  Temps here are supposed to be 86-90 tomorrow and about the same on Sunday only with late night showers.  I hope to do a little shopping for my trip.  That's coming up fast. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

There are times that Chewlee is so funny (from an adult point of view) that we just have to share them.  One example is from yesterday.  Chewlee has, for the past year, been very bad about eating vegetables and especially anything new.  She will wrinkle up her face, stick out her tongue and say, *Ewwww!  I don't like that!*  Of course, this is usually something she has never tried so how does she know whether she will like it or not?

Yesterday, the Princess made a side dish of vegetables (zucchini, squash and onions).  Chewlee ate her baked chicken but had ignored the little bit of veggies put on her plate.  So the Princess told Chewlee that if she wanted to go to the gym with her mother, she had to eat some of her veggies.  Chewlee made an attempt to put a little bit in her mouth and was crying the whole time.  The veggies were half falling out of her mouth with the crying, snot was coming out of her nose.....I'm sure you've experienced something similar if you have kids.  Her mother, not the least bit impressed, told her she had to eat at least TWO mouthfuls.  She finally calmed down and finished eating the veggies.  She then told her mother.....*Mommy, if you had waited for me to calm down and not forced me, I would have eaten it and known I liked it then.  Next time, wait for me to calm down.* 

Today, while she was getting dressed to go to church with the Beast, she told him, *Grandpa, now that I am six, I think I can sit by myself at church.*  The Beast, ever clever, said to her, *Well, how about you sit by yourself and then I will sit by YOU?*  She thought about it for a bit and then said, *I will sit by someone, not you, and then you can sit by THEM and pretend you don't know me.*  He had to come into my room to laugh so she wouldn't see it because she was so serious telling him that.

He told me he let her choose a seat and then went to sit by her.  He left a seat open between them and put his Bible, songbook, etc. on it.  He then smiled at her and handed her a little book of paper with a pencil and whispered to her that she could take notes or draw if she wanted.  She smiled and said, *Thank you, sir!*  and that almost made him laugh out loud but he managed just to have a big smile.  He said he choked out a *You're welcome* before he made himself look busy with his books.

She met one of the guys at the gym and he introduced himself and said to her, *What's YOUR name and how old are you?*  She told him her name and then said, *I'm 14*.  He looked at her and said, *Funny but you don't look 14.*  To that, Chewlee said, *Well, one day I WILL be 14*.  The Princess just shrugged and said to him, *She has a point there* and everyone laughed.

She was all dressed for church and I was horrified to see that she had the wedding band I bought from my daughter (who was going to pawn it) on.  It's worth over $3000. and is NOT something I wanted to get lost.  I took it from her and she started to cry because she had lost her ring that I had given her a couple months ago.  Not expensive but she DID like it and today she wanted a ring to wear so she looked pretty. 

Where this kid gets her ideas, I am clueless.  I had to tell her that she never, ever went into my jewelry box and took a ring, necklace, nothing..without asking ME first!  She looked me right in the eye and said, *But you will tell me no, Grandma.  I already know that.*  To which I said, *Then don't ask and don't go into the jewelry box if you already know the answer.  When you get older and bigger, I will give you a ring of your own.  I promise.*  She hugged me and said, *Thank you, Grandma.  Which ring are you gonna give me?* and her eyes were really wide with interest.  I was glad the Beast came in and distracted her and she didn't get back to that question again.  I know which ring I am going to give her but I would like it to be a surprise when the time comes.

I made split pea and ham soup tonight and Chewlee said, *Oh yuk!  Green soup!*  I told her it was a whole lot better than green eggs and ham.  She looked at me and said, *Can we talk about this in REAL LIFE, Grandma?*  I guess she didn't get how funny that joke was to me.  I always liked Dr. Seuss. 

Well, time to get this posted.  Love you all.  Stay cool and safe.  Lots of dangerous storms were around today and more will be around tomorrow.  Pay attention to any and all warnings. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

The Princess decided to believe Chewlee so she had her bathing suit on when she went to school or else she had it in a bag she took with her.  It was wet when she got home today so they DID play in the sprinklers.  Chewlee told me that there were 16 of them and they were HIGH.  She had a lot of fun running in and out of them.  So much fun that she fell asleep on the bus coming home.  I had to walk up to the bus to help the bus driver get her up.  It was really funny.  He had this strange look on his face like he wasn't sure what to do to wake her.  But I called her name and he gently shook her shoulder and she got up.  She had that *not quite awake and aware* look on her face so I held her close until she regained her total senses. 

The Princess wanted me to call as soon as Chewlee got here and I had called her when I saw the bus turn the corner.  She told me not to feed her because she had dinner ready.  When she got here, she asked Chewlee if she wanted to go to the gym with her.  Ha! Ha!  Chewlee LOVES to go with her.  That was a no brainer. 

The Beast got a bug up his butt and decided it was time to get new curtains in the house.  He was tired of the sheers.  The problem is that the stores around here just don't carry much in the way of curtains.  But he was determined.  I let him go, knowing that if I really objected, he would back down and make it MY job then.

So far, we have new curtains in the guest room, our room and the living room (front) window.  He bought a selection of curtains for the kitchen window (three different patterns).  He has a valance that will work on the window over the sink since it's the smallest window we have.  The Beast thought all the windows were the same size but he knows now that's not true.  All he had to do was look at it.  Sheesh! 

It was an incredible 95 degrees earlier today.  But the humidity wasn't bad.  The Beast was miserable but I spent some time outside, working on the garden (pulling weeds, checking for strawberries, etc.).  My radishes are getting really big and I wanted them to because I saw a program about how the Chinese prepare the huge radishes they grow.  I want to try it.  The Beast just shrugged his shoulders so he's open to trying it.  I think we have some tomatoes ready to be picked and I will have green beans in a few more days.  The cucumber vines are climbing the trellis and the Beast's squash looks great.  When I get back from Chicago, I'm definitely going to have to think about canning stuff.  But I'm ready for that.  I will probably need more Mason jars but they have them at all the stores around here.

Love you all.  Gonna get this posted early for a change.  Be careful in this heat.  Stay cool.  If you must be out and about, wear a good sun screen. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

It was bad enough that Chewlee's bus was late yesterday but the same shit happened today only no phone call to warn us about it.  When the Princess finally managed to get through to someone, she found out that this is probably going to go on all week because of the buses being late.  I gather the buses are being used for field trips for other schools so they don't show up to take the kids home from Chewlee's Summer Camp until 4pm.  That means she won't get home until 5pm.

The only good part of it is that Chewlee gets home tired.  But when 4pm came and went today, I was beginning to panic.  By the time it was 4:45pm, I called the Princess and told her I was going to call the police if we didn't get ahold of anyone quickly.  I went in the house to try to find a phone number for the transportation department for the schools here.  The Princess finally got ahold of someone and got the answer we were looking for.  Sure enough, Chewlee got home just before 5pm, none the worse for wear but hungry.  Her mother got here less than an hour later to pick her up.  Chewlee was eating some chips and salsa at the time and didn't stop eating.  Her mother joined in the snack and pronounced the salsa some of the best she's had.

Chewlee announced that she had to wear her bathing suit under her clothes tomorrow because they were going to play in the *big* sprinklers (whatever that means).  The Princess said she didn't know whether or not to believe her since they didn't send a note home.  I told her that they didn't send a note home about the museum trip either and she had to agree about that part. 

Now that they are doing more than just coloring or writing outside with chalk, Chewlee is having more fun at school.  She said she had to wear shorts and her gym shoes today because they were going to be playing games outside.  I think she's started to learn how to play hopscotch, too.  She showed me her boo-boo on her knee where someone pushed her down and they weren't supposed to use their hands!  I gather they were playing soccer at the time.  But Chewlee likes being included (what kid doesn't?) in the games so she kind of passed it off as minor.

The Beast is definitely losing it.  He went to Lowes for two items.  Two.  He gets there, finds the first item then goes blank.  He calls me to find out what the second item was that he was supposed to get.  I tell him and he has a *duh* moment.  I laughed almost until he got home.  He's got all the window AC units installed and it suddenly occurred to him that he might not be strong enough to remove them when winter hits here.  I told him that someone around here must know a handyman that we could hire if such a thing happened.  He looked horrified at that idea but at least it's an idea planted.

It was 91 today when I checked on it.  It could have been higher but I really don't care.  It felt great to me, even the sweaty part...LOL.  How was your day?  Love you all.  Stay cool or at least comfortable. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

It sounds to me like today was the most fun Chewlee has had at Summer Camp so far.  They went to a museum and I think it was an *interactive* one.  She said there was a dinosaur skeleton there that asked for it's bone back.  She said it was really funny and fun!  I just know that they got back late and then they had to reload the buses properly so the drivers had the kids on their own routes.  So, instead of getting here around 3:30 or so, Chewlee didn't get here until almost 5pm.  I was frantic at 4pm when she hadn't shown up but stayed outside for an extra 10 minutes....then I called the Princess and she tells me that the school had called her and said they were late getting the kids on the buses so they would be late.  And she never thought to call ME?  I'm the after school caregiver and she doesn't even think that *I* might be worried sick?  Sheesh.  And there is no way that I would have thought they would be over an hour late!

At least I got to talk to the driver and tell him that he should pick up Chewlee every Tuesday HERE.  He wrote it down on his schedule and then broke the news to me.  He will be picking her up right around 6am...maybe a little earlier.  I looked at him in disbelief but...what can you do?  It means an early bedtime for Chewlee and me since I will have to get her up at 5am.  I'm glad it's just for a few weeks.o

It was 88 degrees outside today and 78% humidity even with the sprinkles we had earlier in the day.  It's 78 degrees right now and the heat index is at 80.  I'm glad the Beast put the AC unit in the window of the guest room.  I have it cooling down the room now.  I'm ready to tuck Chewlee in, take my shower and then join her in bed.  She wants to go to school tomorrow because she was told they would be playing outside most of the day.  I have some good lotion I will put on her in the morning that will protect her most of the day, I hope.

Love you all.  It's past our bedtime here.  Be good.  Stay safe and cool!

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Chewlee spent the weekend with her paternal grandfather.  Usually, after spending even two days with him, she comes home and it takes us a week or more to get her attitude adjusted.  This time, it wasn't as bad as usual because she got to go swimming and she showed him just how good she had become.

She dived in the water without her *floaties* on and swam underwater across the pool.  She even swam in the deeper water both holding her breath underwater and then swimming like a big girl on top.  All without her floaties and she was so proud of herself.  When he dropped her off, he verified her story and said that was why he took her to the Water Park.  He said he stayed close...just in case she got herself into trouble.  She even went down one of the water slides a couple times.  All-in-all, she had a good time there.

Her grandfather bought her an Ipad and opened an account for her so that she can call him on Skype when she wants to.  She showed me that she has access to different movies, even Godzilla!  I saw about five or six internet apps she has but, know what?  She was underwhelmed by it all.  The Princess said he thinks that SHE keeps Chewlee from talking to him on Skype on Sunday but Chewlee hasn't wanted to talk to him in a couple months.  In reality, I think that after going to church and then going to Birdie's house until around 7:30pm, she's too damn tired to want to talk to him.  But he will discover that soon enough.

But Chewlee loved going to the water park.  It was all she talked about for about an hour after he dropped her off at the house.  Then she got involved with playing with little Sammie and avoiding the rain we had here today.  She went to the store with the Beast twice and even bought herself some gum that she is keeping here at my house.  She will be spending tomorrow night here and I don't know what we have to do about the bus on Tuesday morning.  I'm hoping that the Princess sends a note with Chewlee for the bus driver who DOES know where we live.  He drops her off here almost every day.  During the regular school year, he picked her up from here every Tuesday and Wednesday morning, too.   But since it looks like Chewlee will be spending every Monday night here, it's the least the Princess can do is let him know that.  It's not fair that the Beast has to get up that early to take her to the school.  That's where Summer Camp is held.

It was hot today but we got tons of rain this afternoon.  According to the weather people, the next week will show us with little rain but temperatures in the 90's.  The Beast was unhappy about that but knew *I* was happy.  I love the heat.  It's 70 degrees outside right now and the humidity is 100%!   Fun, fun, fun!  It won't be great tomorrow but I'll survive.  I still know how to turn a hose into a cooling *rain* on my head and body.

Love you all.  Keep cool. 

TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

Bratfink reminded me of something today that I said I would talk about.  It was about Class Action Suits.  Over the years, I've received letters about some company or other being sued for some kind of liability or other.  You are sent the letter due to information the attorneys involved having been given a list of names that included yours.  All you have to do to be included in the suit, if you want to participate, is provide receipts, or information, or dates.  There's always something required.  Like me and many others, you read it, figure it's a kind of scam that only the lawyers will benefit from and you throw away the letter.

About a year ago, I received such a letter but this time I was in just the right frame of mind.  I was really pissed at the company involved for extorting money from me.  It claimed to be a regular insurance company for people like me that needed affordable insurance but had a pre-existing medical condition.  Although the premium was high, I didn't dare not have any until my Medicare kicked in.  After paying for this *insurance* for almost a year, I finally had a couple medical bills that were submitted for my regular doctor, an expensive blood test and an MRI.  They paid $0. and it had nothing to do with any deductible because the papers I had received from them raved over the fact that they didn't have one, just a copayment.  I ended up having to pay for them all on top of the payment I was having taken out of my checking account regularly each month.

I ended up having to write a letter to the Insurance Commission showing a CC to my bank and hand-carrying the letter down to my bank to get them to stop paying that money out every month.  So, when I received the letter regarding the class action, I took the time to fill out the information and I sent along a copy of the letter I was forced to give to my bank to stop the financial drain.  I sent it off and promptly forgot about it.  I was just happy to see that the company was going to be forced to pay attorneys fees at the very least.

A year passes and I receive this letter and it seems kind of long (longer than 8.5X11) but I start to read it and my eyes widen and I unfold the very bottom and....it's a check!  The amount was for over $2,000. and I almost choked.  It didn't repay everything that was spent but it sure as hell was way more than I ever thought I would get back.

So, the next time you get one of those letters regarding a class action case, take a few minutes and see what you need to do to take part in the suit.  The only other case I remember getting anything from was from another suit involving an insurance company.  But that one only got us some stocks that were pretty much worthless for years...well, they were only worth about a dime each when we first got them.  Years later (around 12 or so), they were worth about a dollar each.  Not a whole lot for that particular company and the crap they pulled on us but it was slightly better than nothing at all.

The nice thing about this particular check was that I was told I had to cash it before the end of July, 2013 or it would bounce because that particular account would be closed after August 1.  So, when I went out to lunch with Tara last week, I cashed the check.  The Beast knows nothing about it and I don't feel guilty since it came out of my SS money.  Besides, he spent a damn fortune on all the crap he's bought during the past 8 years.  He's spent over $50,000. on stuff we really didn't/don't need.  So I have the money put aside (aka hidden) for things I might want/need in the future.

And a footnote on a totally different thing.....after all the rain we've had the past week, our garden has taken off.  The tomato plants are almost all over 6 ft. tall and we have tomatoes on them.  The Beast brought in our first green pepper to my shock.  My radishes are really big now, the Beast's squash plants have flowered and are starting their development.  The cucumber plants have almost tripled in size and have climbed the trellis nicely.  My bush beans are huge and the Beast says we will not put them around the tomato plants next year.  They are much bigger than we remember them being and taller, too.  The jalapeno pepper plants look like they're going to be very productive for us.  I will have to can and freeze some of them once they get to a larger size.

We had a nice day today and we are supposed to have another nice day tomorrow.  I will have to get outside and pick any strawberries we have tomorrow because then we are due for more rainy weather for the next couple of days.  Hope you have nice weather going for you, wherever you live.

Love you all.  Have a great Sunday.