Packing to go away is becoming a chore for an old lady. I was noticing how many tubes of crap I was taking with me, "just in case". You know, the hemmorroid cream, vaginal itch cream, the hydrocortisone cream for itchy legs, Orajel (just in case), Gold Bond healing hydrating cream with aloe (that I always forget to use daily), Clinque face lotion, oodles of bottles of daily medication, acetaminophen for sore back, tylenol, Melatonin.
I was away for a week to watch my friend's dogs and decided to binge-watch Downton Abbey. That was days of entertainment. Plus feeding dogs and that was about it for a week.
For my friends who live alone ... it is a little different being alone with my silence and thoughts for days. I forget how quiet it can be. And of course this house if pure chaos, the kids fighting, the dogs barking, the parents yelling ... it is pure life. The grandkids have taken up to hanging out in my room, on my sofa. Until they start fighting, when I remind them ... it's my room LOL.
Today I ordered an extra banking card for the kids. They do most of my shopping and we are always confused about who has the card. I am also going put them on my account. I was on my mom's account when she I was her age. We also took a look at my mortgage. I want to see if I can get a senior discount of some sort for interest. I read somewhere you could. Thinking about making an extra payment to see if we can pay off mortgage a little early. I guess I could pay it off, but I would be nervous about spending that money with all the repairs we need to do. Bri just opened an envelope with a Escrow surplus check that I had not seen ... almost a year old. I hope they let me cash it.
The next big expense is painting the house. Trying to pick a color, left that up to the kids. We all landed on a greenish version of what we have now. Matt is busy trying to make repairs that will need to be painted. Some scrapping will be required.
Bri's mom passed away a couple of weeks ago, suddenly. Although she has been ill, we were all pretty shocked. She was a young woman in her late 50's. Bri collected her ashes today and we had a little sneaker that we can put her with my mom and David... and some day we can all be buried in the backyard. I mean, didn't donald a tax break by burying Ivana at his golf course? It is better to laugh about us all being together in death than be sad. Because, no matter what, it is going to happen.
Bri is taking her boxed-up mom outside to eat lunch and lay in the sun.
And speaking of death. My father died not long ago. We had a strained relationship and him being a member of the trump cult made it worse. So you probably know, I do not speak to my Texas family because they are staunch members of the cult. I received my "inheritance" from my sister the other day, a check for $100. I never got too much from him in life, certainly did not expect anything from his estate. The reason my sister always gave for her trump support was to abolish abortions. Being the good Christian she is, although her family members have sought out such service before. SO, I donated that very generous inheritance to Planned Parenthood and had them send a thank you card in the memory of my dad.
To say I am angry with today's hypocrisy, the GOP, the trump cult, the trump grift, the trump crypto scam, the people who support this criminal ... is an understatement. It takes a lot for my head not to explode daily. I find myself more sad about the state of our country. But my anger and disgust, keeps me strong. I only wish David was here so we could talk over the nonsense.
Anyway, I am happy to be home with the dog hair floating around and the chaos.
Zoey Frank's work feels more architectural than oil painting. It is a beautiful combination.
