The Day Before Our Country's Birthday, Our 232nd!

Happy Day Before the Fourth of July!

I'm sure most Americans today are getting ready for that celebration in spite of the economy. Logically, we still have to eat.
And the entertainment, fireworks; are usually free!

That is when a community is doing them not you in your own backyard. Please America be careful, more deaths, lost limbs, burns etc. are caused by well meaning parents trying to have fun with their kids only to have these horrendous tragedies occur! My warnings come from me, a wife of a retired fireman and police officer and his horror stories that were relayed to me, and that is why I have mentioned them. Stay safe, but have fun!

Hot dogs and hamburgers the traditional menu are still not all that costly an expense. Although, according to all reports they are 16% higher in price.
Watermelon too is a mainstay for this time of year, and now supposedly an aphrodisiac. /:-) The rind, that is. All those delish salads, Cole slaw, potato, and macaroni! Red, white and blue desserts... strawberries and blueberries on a shortcake with whip cream, and you have a wow!

Anyway, when I was a child I thought the nation was celebrating my birthday, but just a few days late; since mine is on the first.I must admit, I was a very, very young child at the time.

Our youngest son was born the year of our bicentennial, and received a birth certificate that commemorated that!

So this is one of my favorite holidays, summer, eats, and loud beautiful colors in those sky displays!
Watch out for your four footed friends too, those noises seem to give even the most loving creatures the willies.

Celebration

Thinking about life...
And death...
Too many die too young, too soon, but never too old so we say. The older the better.

Although, with recent news accounts of Tim Russert's passing,just two months older than myself, hit and runs, hospital waiting room deaths all this proves to me we should celebrate each day! Not to mention all the other deaths of loved ones, two and four footed, in my past that I still remember.
One never knows, does one?

We should aim to be congratulated by Willard Scott and Smucker's on our 100th!

Yesterday was my birthday, but today I am still alive so that is a good thing!
Getting older has always been my goal in life, no really.
I have quit smoking,on July 11th it will be two years, and I do not drink even wine anymore. Some do feel it is good for you, but every week it changes.
Exercising at least three times a week for a half an hour or more, and eating plenty of vegetables and fruit. We have been told those things helps ward off heart disease and cancer. Just remember to wash those eats well to remove fertilizer and Salmonella!

Just think if we didn't get any older... we would get dead.
So hurray to getting older! And I am on a mission to become as old as I can get!

The only thing that slightly annoys me is at this time of the year is that my husband and I are the same age for the next four months until his birthday when he once again will be a year older than me, TA DA!
But that comment alone is ridiculous because it obliterates my previous one about getting older.
Theoretically I should be competing on the getting older part, and wish that it was me not him that had another birthday coming up.
But in reality my wish for him is for he too to get as old as possible!

We should live each day like it is our first on this planet with the open mindedness and the sight of a new born babe, curiosity should never end, finding good in all things, people included; should be part of our nature. Saying to live each day like it is your last seems to me to live with abandonment of concern for others. I prefer to try and think of others, and forgive ourselves as well as them. Life is too short for otherwise.
In other words see the glass half full not half empty. LOL. What an old cliche, sorry!
Now that I'm older she/me thinks I am wiser...NOT!
A work in progress is what I am like all of us, oops another stupid cliche.

PS Lunch yesterday was only fair, not that great! But we did go to Baskin Robbins for a real treat after of delish ice-cream cones, mine was Jamococa Almond, and my hubbies was Cherry Vanilla, and that was sooooooooo good! It was months since we had done that.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOps You IDIOT!!!!

Good morning!

And a weird happy birthday to me.
I basically started this momentous day fairly normally until I read my emails...
One was from my cousin who just so happens to share this birthday with me, wishing me a happy birthday; hers is the same day and same year would you believe?
Anyway, the next was my usual horoscope, and the last one was from Blockbuster telling me that my Sears MasterCard expires this month.
I have been with Sears since 1976, and they have always sent me one before it had expired!
I of course ran to get my wallet out of my pocketbook, and sure enough 7/08 that expiration date loomed up at me.
Quickly I wrote to MasterCard online, at their site that I did not have my new one and where is it? Blockbuster did not have it for billing our movies at home account.

My husband wakes up, and I tell him my dilemma.
He tells me his is good till 7/12, how can this be?
It's my original account, under my name that is; I should also be good till then!
He then says since the old one was still good when these arrived you put the new one somewhere else?
Damn!
He was right, and not that far either just in the back of my very same wallet.
All was well, and I could notify Blockbuster of my simplistic faux pas, and correct my mistake, and everything would be A-OK, right?
Wrong.

Next email came in from Sears MasterCard: "Thank you for reporting that your credit card was Lost, Stolen or never received. We have closed your account to prevent any further use. If the missing card is found or returned to you, please destroy it. There is no need to contact us. We have assigned a new account number, and your new card(s) should arrive within 10 business days. Balance Transfer checks and convenience checks will transfer accordingly.
If you have merchants that automatically bill your account, be sure to notify them of your new number.
Thank you for using our website." And yes, I do know this was done for my safety, but so fast? But what is my NEW NUMBER????

I didn't believe what they said, and foolishly tried to correct my mistake by going back to their website.
And I really did try to go back to their site and fix this mess, but the dye was cast, so to speak, and there was no turning back.
They wouldn't even let me enter their site!
But left me a 1-800 # to call, and so I did.
And was told by a human voice that it was too late, and that they would be sending me new cards and new numbers.
I asked about what to do about Blockbuster and they said they didn't know since they cannot get involved with a third party billing.
Now Blockbuster will probably discontinue our program because they have no billing info they can use!
Damn!

I could always try contacting them again, and tell them what has transpired, and ask them to be patient and wait for the info.. but would they?
Who knows.

And it is so ironic to me that this has happened, and that the human at the credit card company tried so carefully to explain it all to me, in terms a simpleton should understand... and I really did have to laugh since I did inform him that I was a retired credit manager from way back. LOL

Today will not be lost totally, silly to harp on things which we have not much control over is my motto.
My husband has promised to take me out to a new place for lunch, not new itself, but new to us, since we have not been there before.
It's always busy, means it is good, right? This should be fun!

The Day Before My Next Year Begins

Hello again!

Today was a mundane day.
Errands were run, shopping done, and bills paid easily online.

Already we are losing a new neighbor directly across the street from us!
Never got to know them, they consisted of a single male parent and child combo, both young around 25 and 3.

Sad how jaded we have become over the years; even when the economy was good we live in a very transient state. None of our neighbors seem to stay very long.

I should talk... this is our third home in this state, and our longest place that we have called home. Smallest too, but no kids in this one, due to our sons being grown men on their own!
Just right though; a 1100 square foot little gem for us a 2/2/1 on a saltwater canal, and we have a a pool, and a fish pond. All renovated to our specs in these last years preparing for retirement.

This home had the bare minimum when purchased way back those ten years ago. An overgrown 2/1 with a carport, and painted all blue, now I do love that color but not on everything including the walks, floors and driveway! Couldn't even find the canal back then; it was a jungle back there, no rhyme or reason to any of the landscaping! The house had been a rental for 8 years with obviously not much TLC; the price was right.

We are one of the old timers on this block, not just by age, but with not quite ten years in this home we have actually lived here longer than most! Although, our neighbor on the very end of the block actually may taken that honor, living here 30 years!
We moved in December 31 of 1998, New Years Eve.
Our intentions were seen in its potential as a retirement home.
So here we are, and here we stay longer than the others.
Till death do we part or hurricane destroys the land...we can always rebuild but it is waterfront, and who knows if the land would ever be destroyed; falling into the canal by storm surge. So we have been warned.
We bought because it had been through Hurricane Donna back in 1961, it was built in 1958. The fact it survived was a great selling point in my book. We are five minutes by boat to the harbor.
Fast forward 2004 August 13th, a Friday; Hurricane Charley was a direct hit, the eye, 140 mph winds, neighbors home destroyed,their roof hits our guestroom window causes our roof to fly off damaging inside our home, but still standing with us in it, block and stucco. Trauma. All new now!
Seems incredible to me to think that it was nearly four years ago, but our county is still rebuilding/recovering.
New buildings and homes are still a constant in spite of the economy.

Later than usual

Good evening!

Today it has been another in the 90's degrees day with threatening storms most of the afternoon; humidity out of sight!
Best reading in air conditioning type weather, in my book. LOL
So that's where I've been... finishing three books in three days!
Back up to my old reading speed. Good for the old brain, but not for the old bones.
All that sitting that is gets an old body slightly stiff.

Must get to the library this week again.
I almost said tomorrow but ours is closed Sunday and Monday, and has diminished/shortened its hours the rest of the week.
Trying to save us taxpayers some money, so we have been told.
You have to have a program to keep up. And we do with a magnet to our frig.

Stores locally have been closing down too, shortened hours.
So sad to see that so many of the oldies but goodies Mom and Pop types have gone out of business entirely. Some that were around for 25 years or more.
This economy and the food and gas prices are most likely to blame.
Depressing.

I used to walk around the neighborhood daily, and will again too when the summer heat and humidity ends in the Fall.
Many homes are empty, for sale or for rent, not a great way to cheer up...

Good news!
One house that sat empty for a very long time had people moving in today.
On our block alone,which is a circular drive, at one time we had over a dozen homes that stood without being loved and that did seem like forever, but now we do have many new people around us moving in.
Hustle and bustle is coming back.
And I do suppose that is grand... when it's been too quiet for too long.

I do know that we are NOT alone with all these things...foreclosures, gas and food pricing skyrocketing... has anyone out there seen any sign of a minuscule change?
All any of us have left is hope; nothing else.

Rats!

Or hopefully just one rat.
Remember that noise in my bathtub? I should say under the bathtub, in the wall,ugh! Seems to belong to a four-footed rodent; not a ghost after all.
We thought he/she was in our garage, and so we bought a live catcher from our local supply store for such things. We had killer bait, but the thought of it dying behind something we couldn't get to was not a pleasant thought, or aromatic one either.
It is a clever little thing too.
Ratty has been able to gnaw through the enormous bag of dog food, and the two plastic containers that were used subsequently after. and yes it has found it's way back into the garage through the only hole left into the main part of home that did not get that solid foaming. Now the delemma is, we must wait to close it to make sure he is out!
Since that much dog food is too large to bring inside my husband has come up with the brilliant idea of locking it in the car in that now infamous garage! With car windows rolled up of course.
I suspect now it is pretty much a waiting game. The trap is set where the dog food used to be. Hope for success!

Scarey Possibilities

We have been told our home could be haunted, and I am telling you this because of what happened in the wee hours of this morning.
Scratchy noises emanating from my bathtub, but nothing to see with the naked eye.
My husband awoke too at 3:51 A.M. and will confirm these said noises if necessary in a court of law, LOL.
Anyway, before you think I am crazy as a loon I will supply you with the basis of my haunting concerns:


Hello Tobi,

Thank you for sharing your picture with us.
There are so many questions that have to be asked first to kinda get an idea of why you received the anomaly in the picture.
First we would need to know the condition when the photo was taken, for instance was anyone smoking.
Second...is this the only evidence that there may be a spirit in your home or have you had any other paranormal activity take place.

The most important thing that I can share with you is that your home was being remodeled when the photo was taken and there is a known fact that paranormal activity seems to be more prominent or only noticeable when remodeling takes place. It disrupts the spirits environment in which it was used too.

There is cases where a spirit is seen only from the knees up because somewhere in the past the floor of the home where raised up a foot during remodeling. So they are basically still walking on the old floor.

We would like to hear more about your activity and we are always here for you if you have any questions.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Sprout

Scott and Sprout
Peace River Ghost Tracker ~(")~
peaceriverghosttracker@comcast.net
www.peaceriverghosttracker.com

-------Original Message-------

From:
Date: 10/31/05 07:14:50
To: peaceriverghosttracker@comcast.net
Subject: What do you think?

After Hurricane Charley; this was our kitchen gutted.
Originally my husband said the image/spirit(s) were not there when he took it.
Is there anyway to find out who our spirits might be and what they may want? Our home was built in 1958, but rebuilt in 2004. This was taken last November 2004.
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