luminousone
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Everything posted by luminousone
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My son came home on Saturday from summer scout camp, did laundry and repacked, and then was off to church camp in a blink of an eye... Spent some time with a friend whose contractor had bilked her out of a bunch of money. She is taking them to court and the hearing is today. These guys took advantage of an older grey haired lady. And we figured out that the husband had been in prison for check fraud about 5 years ago! I got a call from a friend of a friend and wondered why she was calling. After the chit chat I figured it out. She was inviting me to a free "life changing" seminar. I was honest with her and said I simply couldn't add another obligation into my life, so the answer is no. And then I got curious about it and started asking questions. Turns out it was started by Werner Erhard and is called Landmark Education. It is a cult like group- no thanks!!!
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Got my son off to camp today, which means he is not out and about getting into mischief with other middle school aged kids. He is learning and I am sure he will have a great week. My cat seems to be doing so much better. I have been diligent in giving her the medicine plus they sent some pain killer for her too, so she is not meowing so much. I have been really worried about money this week because my mortgage payment is $300 higher. Money I don't have. Theoretically I would have been putting that much away to pay for insurance and property taxes so I guess it will work out. But it is scary to have that much less to work with. I need to go through my budget to see where I can make cuts and save money. And in the meantime I am job hunting...
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Silver, I am 4 years cancer free since I had my surgery 4 years ago. My doctors all said my prognosis is excellent. That is good to hear about your sisters job as a PA. I would have to go through a lot of school for that since I never took sciences except what was specific to my field. At my age (mid 50s) it seems silly to go back to school but if I have to then I will. Probably good for my brain anyway... Very annoyed tonight with my ex and my son. My ex didn't get him here into after 9 pm and he still had to pack for summer camp. Aargh! We have to be there at 7 am sharp tomorrow. On a different note my cat was meowing a lot last night and kept going in the litter box but only a limitless pee would come out. She was clearly in pain so I took her in to the vet today. They were so nice to fit her in right away and I met the other vet that works there. They wanted me to leave her do they could get a sample but in the end she peed in her cat carrier so they went with that. Poor thing has a bladder infection. So I got the antibiotics and some pain killer for her and she seems so much more comfortable. So glad they got her in today so she didn't have to be in pain all weekend.
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Oh that's cute, Silver! It does capture the essence of the quaint cottages with their roses and flowers. Sadly many of those quaint cottages are being torn down to make way for super mansions. I hadn't been to the island for about 5 or 6 years since my marital split-up and my cancer diagnosis- both of which cleaned out my bank accounts. Since we live on the west coast then it entailed very expensive flights to get there. My parents paid for the rental but I just couldn't afford the $2000-3000 in travel costs. Many of my siblings live within driving distance so they have been able to go every year, at the very least for a weekend or two. Anyway, when we went this year then I found out that the trend is to knock down and rebuild. Some of the quaintness is sadly going away. But- back to reality at my house. It has taken all week to get back onto my time zone. I wanted to really have energy to get a bunch of stuff done when I returned but it didn't turn out that way. So- lots to do today- watering the yard, put away laundry, clean up the house, all those lovely and necessary tasks. As far as job hunting I think I am going to have to go back to school. So I need to figure that out. I just refinanced the mortgage (to put it under my name) and the payment is a few hundred dollars MORE but in the end I think it is the same because before I was saving up for the insurance and taxes on my own but now they want it in escrow. I think the mortgage company saw that I had cleaned my savings out because of the trip to see my parents last December. And some medical bills. Sigh. My cat's vet has not been charging me for her visits which is so generous! The vet knows about my divorce and cancer issues and knows I don't have much money. The good news is that my cat is so much better now! Lets hope it stays that way... Well I guess I had better tackle "mount laundry".
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My cat is soooo happy we are home! Purrr purr purr all night long. Now back to realty - unpacking, getting my kids to their dad's, doctor appointment, laundry, yard work, etc. I am very very thankful for my generous sister who paid for our trip. It is very possible that is the last time we see my uncle and even perhaps one or both of my parents. Hard to think about, but they are all in their 90's. My sister's house is so nice- all fixed up and remodeled and neat as a pin! And then I come gone to major clutter here- aargh! Very inspiring though. So I guess I had better get going with my day now...
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We made it home and my cat really missed us. She has been following me around the house and meowing anxiously. Tomorrow morning I will unpack- I'm just on a different time zone right now and ready for some sleep.
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We are done visiting with my parents, who were renting a cottage on Nantucket island near my cousin's cottage. We took the ferry into Boston yesterday and then went to see my niece at an improv group performance. That was fun to see! I am not sure if it was nerve wracking to have family in the audience but I do know she worked hard writing and memorizing her lines (it wasn't exactly improv...) The boys assembled a large grill that my sister had bought 2 years ago but never had put together. It was fun to see them working as a team. They even tested it out and showed her safety tips. We grilled steaks yesterday and some amazing swordfish tonight! (Olive oil, minced mint and basil leaves, minced garlic cloves, fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper.). My brother showed up today on his way to Nantucket to be with my parents, so he stayed at my sisters house too. I am glad we got to see him and we had a discussion on what will be next for my parents, because we can see them going downhill, health wise... Their neighbor put his house on the market and a developer bought it and will tear down the house and build a new one. My sister is urging my parents to do the same, since they live up the street from there. Their neighbor got a good price for it. My dad is so frail, and I think it is hard for him to go up and down the stairs. And my mom apparently has dementia- not real bad yet, but it is certainly advancing. Today my sister and the boys and I drove up to Connecticut to visit my uncle who is in a nursing home due to lung cancer. He never ever smoked, and he actually had spots on his lungs about 15 years ago but they watched it and it never changed until last year. And now we know it is cancer. Anyhow, it was 3 hours of driving today but he was so touched we came to see him. I'm glad we went- because it will likely be the last time we see him since we live on the west coast. Tomorrow is a long day traveling on the plane - home agin home again jiggety jig...
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Today we didn't swim due to thunderstorms, but in between the weather we went for a walk on the beach and a baby seal came up onto the beach and crawled to about 10 feet away! It was so cute and I think it was curious about us. My dad even had energy to walk on the beach for a bit. He and I talked a bit. He is sad that a lot of their friends and acquaintances have died. There are few people left their age (90's). Must be tough. My sons have been so polite and helpful. So proud of them! Last night after we found out the scholarship was discontinued I was up worrying for many hours wondering how I was going to afford my sons college. I'll just have to do the best I can. I made ratatouille tonight for dinner and it turned out pretty well despite the lack of ingredients. My mom, with her dementia keeps telling the same stories over and over again. Today she and I went to the store, and when we got back she said the clerk got her an ice cream cone without her asking. I was making faces at my dad behind her back and then I told him what really happened. She wanted to buy a pint of ice cream so she went to the counter that serves ice cream cones or scoops in a cup. The clerk gestured to the cones or cup and when she heard what we wanted we were directed to the freezer section for ready packed ice cream. She was insisting to my dad that they tried to give her a cone already scooped with ice cream. I better to with my dad about it tomorrow.
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Hope your mom likes her new place, Silver! My parents have a retirement home they picked out where there are even some of their friends. But now that it is clear that my mom is developing dementia I wonder if she will be able to be there. My dad was feeling a bit more energy today and I think it is because I have been making him drink water each meal. It was so hot and humid I think he got dehydrated. Today the boys and I swam in the ocean again. We are on the East coast (US) and the Atlantic is far warmer than the Pacific. At least warmer than the Pacific at the Oregon coast... We saw 2 seals swim by us and they were so cute My son got an answer to his question about the extra scholarship- it was discontinued this year. So disappointed!
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On vacation with my parents and my boys. We went down to the beach today and swam on the ocean. It was so refreshing and the water was fairly calm. Both boys went in too. And even my 92 year old mom. My dad is 95 and he was so tired today that he stayed in bed most of the day. My mom clearly has dementia and it has progressed since I last saw her at Christmas so I can see how they are both going downhill. It is bittersweet- because I suspect this is the last time on vacation with them. I see big changes ahead for each of them- and likely a move to a retirement home and or a nursing home... In the meantime I will enjoy these few days with them. And I am proud of my sons who have had wonderful manners and have been very helpful. I am very very grateful to my sister who funded this trip.
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So excited! My son passed his International Baccalaureate exams and so he will get the IB Diploma. He said that he thinks he qualifies for another scholarship because of that! That would be a true Godsend, because I was worried how we would find the money for his college...
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So today I went for a walk by the river. A friend brought her dog and borrowed a life vest for it. Her dog is a lab and she is afraid of the water! Usually labs love the water! Anyhow, she didn't mind getting her feet wet to go retrieve a stick, but if it was thrown too far out there was no way she would go out there to get it. So my friend went into the water to reassure her and eventually (with lots of treats) she got her dog out into deeper water. Only for a little bit- and then she would come back on the shore. Speaking of pets, my cat is hiding under the bed right now- too much noise from area fireworks- including some after the baseball game (the stadium is not too far away). As far as my sore muscles, I already have had offers from 2 friends to go bike riding with me! So that ought to take care of those sore muscles. Eventually... Tomorrow I will be working on the yard to cut down more blackberry vines - I need to fill up the yard debris bins again... I have ingredients to make a blueberry peach pie for the boys to celebrate the holiday. I made one last week for the church bake sale and everyone raved about it.
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Lol I think I needed to proofread my post a little better... Sheesh! Good to see you here, Silver- so sorry to hear about D's cancer. Hope he is as comfortable as he can be today. He is so lucky to have support from you and his daughter to help him through it all.
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Definitely feeling a few sore muscles today... It has been in the mid 90s here each day and right now it is stool above 80 in the house. For some reason my car wants to be in my lap. It's too hot for that!
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Tonight my son and a bunch of boys his age went for a bike ride in the park by the river. It was so hot today and I was hoping that it would be cooler- and it was, slightly... Anyway we went 8 miles and it was so hard for me to keep up! But I did it! To give you an idea if how out of shape I am- my bike was stored in the garage and it had two flat tires and spider webs on it! Time for me to start riding again!
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VBS program is done! We did some classes for adults too - and I heard they did a great job. We didn't publiciseit very much at our church so we didn't have a lot of participants. But everyone that did come had a great time. Well except for one lady. After we finished the celebration dinner and we were cleaning up this lady came up to ask for our evaluation form because she has some feedback. No complements, no comments or gratitude for all of the work we did, just "feedback". Well we were just parent volunteers and this lady is a newly retired professor. So of course she had "feedback"... My answer to her feedback is- I am appointing her to the committee for next year! Sheesh My son stopped by to unpack his camp gear. He had a great time at camp- and it was youth leadership training! He did so well that they asked him to be a staff helper next year! Yes! Keep that boy busy and out of mischief... My older son has been sleeping the day away at his dads. So mad that his dad has not pushed him to get a job...
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Haven't had time to write here much- I've been very busy co- running our church vacation bible school program. It ended last night and I think everyone had fun. Otherwise not much else going on here-the boys are with their dad this week- and my youngest is actually at camp this week. It finally got hot here today- it's been cool and rainy up until now. Now I need to make sure I water the two new trees we planted in the front
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My son asked me if I would drive him over to a retirement home so he could apply for a dish washing job - hooray for him! Hope he gets the job... I'm going to put in an application for a job at a preschool. Hope they feel I am qualified... Oh - on the way home from taking my son to apply for that job- I took him out to an empty parking lot and got him to drive the truck around the parking lot. He has been avoiding learning to drive for a year!
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Well the last thing from our divorce is done- I put the mortgage in my name today. The refinance didn't quite go as well as I had hoped, because in the end I had less equity in the house than we had all thought. But- the rate is the same as we were paying before. I could have gotten better if I had more equity but I guess I am thankful they refinanced it at all. So my payment will be the same. I really need a job...
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So happy to have my boys home with me for the week!
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Pulling myself up by the bootstraps and applying more places. Good luck to me!
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I am in low spirits today- my fears are confirmed- I didn't get either job... Even though I was pretty qualified, they found people that were even more qualified with more experience. I'm so disappointed- I had so much to offer. Now I have to figure out what to do...
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I have a sinking feeling I won't get the job. I am bummed... They arranged for me to sub today and it was partly so the teacher could leave the classroom to interview candidates for the position I applied for. A bit insensitive on their part... First the refinance issues, now this. Can't get a break these days! If I don't get this job then I will have to start job hunting more intensively. So difficult to find work around here since it is a small town and a college town.
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Lord help me! I have a very determined and rebellious 13 year old in the house! Sheesh!
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My son went to a graduation party last night, another one this afternoon, and he's been invited to three parties tomorrow and at least one on Sunday! Somewhere in there he has to get his final schoolwork done or he will have to take a class this summer...