Daily Ponderings

My youngest sister gets married tomorrow! Last night was the rehearsal and dinner. My sisters and I went out for a drink afterward, and had a nice time together. This afternoon I'm going with Joan to get a pedicure. Tonight's a dinner with much of my family at my parents' house. And tomorrow is the big event! I sure hope I have the energy for everything! I might need several days to recover!

Today was my 36th birthday! I planned on it being pretty low key, and it was until Mandy asked if we'd want to go bowling after having cake at her house! I haven't bowled in a few years, and I thought it would be rather entertaining to watch the kids play, so I said sure thing! I left the house around 5:30 to pick up a Carvel ice cream cake at Wegman's. I got an Oreo one, which I thought would be the right size for 7 people, and there's a lot leftover. It was tasty! We headed to the bowling alley afterward, and got ready to play one game. The kids got to play bumper bowling. I think my score would've been a heck of alot better if I used it, too! LOL The kids were so funny to watch! H would dance to the music playing while trying to throw the ball down the lane. And S would just run up to the lane and let the ball go flying! The finished their game a lot quicker than we did. We kept having issues with the ball getting stuck in the gutter, and then our turns all got m...

I was sitting in my kitchen earlier today, just playing around on the laptop, when all of a sudden, I heard a music box go off. It was very brief, only maybe like 10 seconds, but enough to make me completely stop what I was doing and stare toward my hallway in shock. I didn't recall having a music box! So I got up and walked near the bedroom, trying to think what I might have in there that plays music. Nothing. I went down the hallway and stood in the entrance to the living room. There across the room sat the snow globe I received from Euan the first time we ever met in person. I went over to it, and turned it upside down, and gave the winding part a turn. It played the exact same music that I heard just minutes before. I haven't touched the snow globe in about 8 months. There was no rhyme or reason for it to go off. All I could think of was that yesterday was Euan's birthday, and tomorrow is mine. Perhaps he wanted to let me know that he was still around in spirit, when so...

In the mail today, I FINALLY got the letter stating that my Medicaid spend down was paid for the month of September. It's about darn time!! I will be sending my check for October a heck of a lot sooner, probably by the end of this week. Talk about stressing me out. I sure hope this doesn't happen every month!! I also got a letter stating that my food stamps will be increased again next month. I guess they really want to make sure I'm eating. lol Can't complain about that, though!! I got pretty sunburned on Saturday from being out in the sun for at least 4 hours at the air show. I admit I forgot to put suntan lotion on, but I used the spray my sister had for the kids twice. The sun won out, though. My arms would look a heck of a lot better if I hadn't been wearing a regular tshirt. Now it looks like I have a farmer's tan, which will NOT look at all good with my sleeveless dress for the wedding!! Today I tried sitting in the sun for about an hour, seeing if I coul...

I had one amazing day today at the Air Show! We got onto the air base after 9am, and explored all the many different air craft that was around. It was really neat! The air show started around 11am with an extremely moving tribute to all the first responders of 9/11. It was rather emotional, and very well done. Then there was about two hours of incredible performances by a variety of planes and jets! I was most impressed by the B2 bomber (stealth bomber), which is the triangle-looking jet pictured down below, and also by the Thunderbirds! They were the main attraction, and the crowd love them!! They are the last several pictures below. Hope you enjoy the pictures!! I had over 100 of them, but I didn't think I should put all of them up in my blog! lol I am just so glad I went today, it was a great day!!

This week seemed to go by quickly, probably because Monday was Labor Day. The weather wasn't all that great, reminding me miserably that winter will be here sooner than anyone wants. I went out to lunch on Wednesday with Renee and Dee, and it was a nice time! We enjoyed our meals at Michael's Restaurant, and then talked forever after. Then we got back to my place and talked forever again! It's always so nice to have such good friends to share so many things with. I'm glad we were able to hang out for awhile! Thursday, Mandy and I went to Wegman's for some sushi, since it was her first day of having no kids all day. Her son was all dressed and ready for school, with his backpack on, at 7am. lol A little bit too early!! I'm so glad he's enthusiastic about going, though! I hope both he and his sister have a great year! Tomorrow I'm going to the Air Show at the base for the first time ever! I've always heard the air shows going on when I was growing up,...

My financial state gets turned upside down last month. I do all of these things to crunch numbers, lower bills, make arrangements for help, and within about a week, I'm somehow able to pay for my bills again, including the medical insurance. And yet, here I am, still waiting on the good old state of NY to actually tell me my first payment to them was accepted, and that I will have my appts and such covered for September. Come on!!! I bend over backwards to make sure I'm not screwed, and yet, it doesn't seem to matter!! My caseworker did tell me on Friday that I should just tell whoever I see that I did pay for my Medicaid spenddown for September so in case Medicaid doesn't cover my 20%, they can submit the bill over again. How friggin annoying! I guess that's what I'll be telling the lab tomorrow when I go for bloodwork. I just don't want to end up with bills for anything, because I DID what I was supposed to do!! ARGH!!!

I got my first birthday card today, even though it's not until the 17th. It came from the place I had asked to help me with payments for my Medicaid spenddown, and I was surprised to get it. It was a very nice card, and I just wanted to share what it says on the inside: The Wonderful Thing About Your Birthday Is celebrating footprints from afar the magical miles of memories that has made you who you are. Steps that at times seem faded and sometimes full of fear your birthday is a reminder that you did persevere. So as you celebrate your life reflect upon it with a smile because the path that created you was worth every single mile. Gifts that can't be sent for they will be with you all year long as you make your next footprint. *APJ* I admit that I got a little teary eyed reading the card, because the words ring so true. While some people hate the fact they are gaining years and getting older, I relish it. My parents were told they didn't know how long I might live, s...

It's just barely into the 2nd day of September, and I'm already missing the summer. Summer hasn't officially ended by calendar standards, yet to me, whenever September hits, I immediately think fall. Which then immediately reminds me that the dreaded winter is coming soon. Booooo. Tonight I did something I've never ever done before. I went to the movies. BY MYSELF. I checked to see if the final Harry Potter movie would still be playing tomorrow night (well, really waaaay later tonight, since it is almost 1am on Sept. 2nd), and it wasn't. OH NO!! I did NOT want to be seeing this final installment of the series on a much smaller screen at the cheap theater, and I definitely did not want to end up seeing this last movie just on my tv. There was only one time it was playing, and that was 9:40pm. So, I decided to just go on my own! And I have to say, I really enjoyed it! I felt so daring. LOL! I liked the movie, and I won't be giving away any details for those who ...

Only a couple more days of August are left, and most nights are already feeling as if it's fall. I'm really sad that summer is ending. I mostly don't like the thought of it disappearing for another 9 months because for those months, I will be mostly cold!!! I know that soon I will be putting away my summer clothes and dragging out the fall/winter ones. I'll have to encase my windows in plastic to keep winter drafts from coming into the house. I need to figure out ways to keep my place warmer without blasting the heat (which I never do). I really need to find out how to keep my feet and legs warmer, because they are the parts of my body that just get coldest the fastest. Long underwear and 2 or 3 pairs of socks and slippers don't seem to be cutting it with me!! Before long, it'll also be bath season!! If only there was a way to stay in the tub all day so that I wouldn't be cold! The weather changes are bringing me headaches almost every day, literally. Most...

I had purchased 2 paint by numbers in the spring to work on during the summer, since I didn't think I'd be so busy. Well, I was busy! So I didn't start the first one until the end of July. I worked on it mostly outside in the backyard on my new little table set. I finally finished it last night, and I love it! I plan on getting a frame and putting it in my kitchen. I started the other painting tonight, but that one is insane! It's so much harder than the other one, and will take much more time! I do love painting, though! I just wish I had a natural talent at it rather than relying on numbers!

I was at my stove early this afternoon making some grits for lunch when my fridge started making a horrible noise. Now, all summer my fridge has been making noises off and on, sometimes sounding like it's thawing out, but when I check it, everything is fine. But this noise was totally different, and it almost seemed like the fridge was moving a little bit. I stared at it and said out loud, "What the hell is wrong with my fridge now??" I glanced in the computer room and Mittens was on the rug, frozen in the middle of cleaning, and staring at me wide eyed. Several seconds later, the fridge stopped making any noise. So then I thought, oh great, it broke! But when I opened it up, everything seemed fine. Hmmm, oh well. Back to cooking! Minutes passed by, and something in my mind said EARTHQUAKE. And 10 minutes after that, I got an alert on my phone saying that an earthquake had indeed happened, but in Virginia! Whoa! I can't believe it could be felt way up here, although...

I got up at 9am this morning and proceeded to make several phone calls that I realized I needed to make today. The first was the Medicaid office in Lockport, who told me I had to call my caseworker in Niagara Falls to find out the information I need so I can send in a check to pay for Medicaid for September. Give me a break!!! I left a message for my caseworker, and guess what?? SHE NEVER CALLED ME!! I did, however, finally get the paperwork in the mail this afternoon!! I opened it up, read everything, wrote a check, and flew to the post office to mail it! I sure hope that it is enough time to get there, or else I'm going to be royally pissed off!! I swear, I accept this stupid changes, and I still get screwed over because the dumb state is late sending me the info. At least it feels that way!! I did go out to lunch today with my good friend, Erin, and her daughter. We went down to The Silo, which was rather nice! Today felt like fall, which was not nice. Not for me, anyway. lol ...

I saw this on Yahoo! earlier today, and it made me cry. And I'm not a big cryer usually!! Sure wish I could find someone this thoughtful and sweet!!

I spent Thursday afternoon on the phone with Verizon and Time Warner. Verizon changed my phone plan back down to 450 minutes (UGH), and also completely blocked texting for me. I am thankful for a smartphone that allows all sorts of apps, because I found a free texting app that actually works pretty decently. So, even if I didn't have to crunch my bills, I would have gotten rid of texting anyway after finding this app! In total, I'll be saving about $30 on my phone, which is good! A friend had told me that Time Warner had a cable modem package called Road Runner Lite. He said he used it for awhile when he had to crunch bills. So I asked the service rep about it when I called, and she said that they never sign people up on that package if they are using wireless service because we would call and complain about how terribly slow it is. What she ended up offering me was an upgrade to what I already had, but for almost $15 less a month. Ooooook, sign me up!! Even though it's o...

I knew that after typing about not receiving information about the Medicaid changes yet that I would probably get it today. Sure enough, when I checked the mailbox, there it was. I don't understand exactly what I need to do, so tomorrow I will be calling my caseworker, and hope to heck she won't take another week to get back to me. Sigh.

My mom had her first cataract surgery yesterday, on her right eye. My parents had to get up at 4am to make sure they were at the place by 5:30. Why in the world do they start those surgeries so darn early???? I'm very relieved that I didn't have to bring her just because I'd be a walking zombie for a few days!!! Everything went just fine, though! I went over to the house after rehab and had some lunch, helped my mom get some things for her lunch, and then she went to lay down in her bedroom. I stayed for a couple hours doing updating on her computer, and I also washed the dishes before I went back home. This morning my mom had to get the patch taken off, and when I called to see how she was doing, she told me how shocked she was that she could see so clearly! I'm really glad that she's able to see so good! So, I'm hoping next week's surgery goes just as well for her, so she can see almost perfectly with BOTH eyes!!

I kind of took the weekend off from really stressing about my finances, and spent a great two days in Lewiston at the annual Art Festival. The festival is one of my favorite things in the summer! At least 100 artists set up booths with a wide variety of artistic ideas, everything from glasswork to paintings to jewelry to woodwork, etc, etc. That's just a whole bunch of talent gathering together!! This year, my sister Mandy actually had a booth!! She had her beautiful jewelry and glasswork, and she really did well with sales! I think she's already trying to plan some new ideas that she'll be able to include for next year if she's able to get a booth again. I'm so happy for her, and very proud that she could participate!! Sunday evening I went to dinner with Joan, my cousin, Ryhan, and my Aunt Jane, who were both in town for a couple days. We went to Applebee's, and Ryhan asked a ton of questions about the wedding, and Joan moving to Canada, and where they were ...

On Monday, I received a letter about my food stamps, and I knew something was wrong. According to the paperwork, I would be getting more money starting next month for food than I thought I should be getting. UGH, it got messed up again?? After reading the letter, the reasoning for the extra money was because I would be paying for Medicare Part B premiums. I knew this was wrong, because Medicaid pays for those premiums. So, I tried calling my case worker on Tuesday. Of course, I had to leave a message with her. Since I hadn't heard anything, this morning I just decided to write a note and send it to her in the mail. I got it all ready to go, and then got a call from her. Wow, surprise! I told her about the notice and what I thought was a mix-up, and she said that she would adjust everything and there would most likely be a change, which I totally expected. So, I went on about my afternoon, spending a couple hours painting outside while it rained around me (I was under the garage doo...

It's 1am here, and I feel wide awake. I had a bad headache after dinner, so I finally took an Excedrin for it around 8pm, which I knew would probably keep me up later than usual. Considering I was pretty tired almost all day, I find it ironic that now I can't sleep. Sigh. Yesterday, I brought Shelby to the vet with mom. Shelby had her laser treatment, but I'm wondering how much it's really helping her. Her back leg keeps giving out often, and I feel bad. I don't know how much pain she's really in when that happens, but I'm hoping it's not a lot. No matter what, though, Shelby always has a cute little smile on her face. I think that makes it so hard to know what to do for her, because that face makes it seem like she's always happy!! By the way, the sister kitties were gone. However, they had 2 more kitties in there! A long haired black kitty and a short haired orange kitty occupied the cage. When I went over to look at them, they were both sleepi...