Shifting through the keepsakes

From The Condo to my garage, I have a lot of "stuff" that I have deemed important enough to tear up my entire house, room to room, to organize it enough to find space for all of it.  "Shifting the shit," my mother called it. That phrase has gone through my mind over and over as I look at things like a plastic bowl with a missing lid that was our "popcorn bowl". I carried it to my house, but forced myself to put it into the Goodwill pile. I can't keep everything.

Coupled with The Condo stuff are the plastic bins in various rooms of my house left over from the hurricane. Since returning from Indiana, I have ignored those walking around them or moving them, the thought of digging through those too daunting among the other stuff. Each day I try to tackle a room or a closet incorporating the bins one by one. My last project involved the closet in Madison's bedroom, the largest closet we have in the entire house, and the one where everything odd is shoved.

Tackling that closet, involved also tackling the hall closet and the large chest in my bedroom to combine items in the bins that would then be shoved back into Madison's closet. A lot of that was stuff I had saved for my kids from their birthing books and stories to clothes and school work. Some stuff had to be tossed due to aging, but I got everything combined and stuffed into two boxes for each of them to one day go through it all like I was doing.

I found quite a few keepers. Above is a book that Darcy made of our family. That is Madison's page, with her name missing a "d". (Although she got it right in the next line) It says, and I have not changed spelling or punctuation, this:

"Maddy is a nice, sweet, and loving sister,

She has been there all the time.

When I'm sad she is always right by my side till it's worked out.

I have and forever will love her."

Wrapped inside this note was a Shrinky Dink. This is one of my childhood favorites, along with the Slinky, Lite Bright, and the Little People's house,  that I just had to pass on to my kids. This was one of my favorites that they liked. It says, "I Love you Mom" with stars on the top and the bottom. The note says:

Dear: Mommy Cara,

This stone is a calming stone.

It's suppost to make you really

calm when you rub it.

We gave this to you to help when you

get stressed with Ghrama.

Love,

Darcy, Madison

Not sure why Madison's name, which is written in her handwriting, is crossed out. Maybe she made me something else? Although the handwriting on the "stone" looks like her handwriting. Either way, I love it!

Each year in school from 1st grade through 3rd grade, the children made portraits of their parents. Above is Madison's rendition from third grade, I think. It's written on the back, but I didn't put that in the picture. My picture says:

"My mom is special because she loves me. She is also

special because she is nice and funny."

Madison

That's pretty much the stuff classmates wrote in my yearbook, "sweet and funny". I like to think I haven't changed a bit since high school!

I think this is Madison's and from the year prior to the other. My hair is still red, a shade I would never say was my color, but obviously to Madison it was red.

These are Darcy's renditions. She had another pair where she wrote about Tom:

"My dad's name is Tom. He likes to play."

Darcy

She saw Tom as a bit darker than we thought he was, but he'd obviously done some tanning. She saw my hair as brown. We both have butterflies above our heads, but Tom also has a bee. Not sure the significance of either of those animals.

Of course, I texted all of this to the girls. Darcy mentioned the misspelling of Madison's name. Madison came back with, "Awwww...". Little do they know that I have TONS more of this stuff in their boxes, including teeth and locks of hair, and that one day they too will be shifting through this shit.

Ah, but what memories it will all bring back. Or, at least bring back childhood. The good ole days!

Office Depot done wrong. Office Depot done right.

Cleaning The Condo was more emotional than I think we expected seeing as it was the fourth such "cleaning". Memories, shared belongings, and the finality of it all affected each of us and manifested itself in different ways through the four days we were together, coming to a head on the last day in, of all places, Office Depot.

We had shredding. Mounds and mounds of shredding that my SIL Susan and I tackled each day. I investigated the paperwork, making piles to keep and shred. Susan did the shredding morning, noon, and night. Any down time Susan was shredding. The machine would get overheated and she would have to take a break before resuming when the red light flicked off. It was tedious and so she suggested we take it to Office Depot where they shredded.

I reminded her that I wanted to watch the shredding take place. While I know that there are a million companies that will haul away your shredding in "locked boxes", eventually someone has to unlock the box and do the shredding. It isn't like they shred the entire box unopened. Having just had to sign up for protection after being one of the many people whose information was stolen, I don't trust anyone or anything no matter locked or not. I wanted to watch the shredding, and since I called a million places after my mother died and couldn't find any place willing to shred while I waited, I poo poohed Office Depot.

Mark me wrong. A phone call to Office Depot revealed they do shred while you wait, and while my Office Depot, the one closest to my house, said up to five pounds the Office Depot closest to The Condo, according to Amy who took the call, said under 50 pounds was "no problem". We took our three file boxes loaded with twenty plus years of paperwork after finishing the cleaning of The Condo in the late afternoon of my brother's last day in Florida.

Rusty: "Now that your selling The Condo out from under me this will be my last visit to Florida. It was nice to spend this time with you. It's been real."

That would be his manifestation. He refused to come in with us, instead dropping us off in front of the Office Depot so that he could park and "take a nap". Susan, holding two of the boxes in her hands, went into the store ahead of me. Entering the store, to the left of us was a long counter with several cash registers and a wrap around line. To the right was the circular counter for Office Depot's printing and all around us was the merchandise. Unlike Staples, there was no service counter, and so Susan and I continued straight into the store our heads rotating from left to right as we searched for a sign of some sort to know where to head.

There was one male at the check out counter standing alone. There was no one in line. He ignored us. There were two females at the printing counter, one older female working with a customer directly at the counter and another younger female working behind the counter while a customer stood waiting. The older female looked up as Susan walked further into the store, made eye contact with her, and stared. Susan, taking that as a sign asking if she could assist in some way, said one word, "Shredding?"

The woman told her that was done at this counter, and that we would need to wait our turn, and so we walked to the right and stood behind the sign that directed us to wait here for the printing service. We were about two feet from the counter and the older female, and as we lined up like we were taught in kindergarten, she commented to her customer, "Well. That was certainly rude, wasn't it?"

That one word question, shredding?, set off a chain of events that went downhill, WAY downhill, from that moment.

We waited two minutes before the younger employee asked if she could help us. Her face was unsmiling as if carved from stone and her attitude was immediately condescending. It was the oddest thing. I stepped up with the file boxes.

Me: "Hi, I need some shredding done."
Her: "Ok, your documents will go into a securely locked box that cannot be accessed. Each week we have a company that comes and picks up the locked boxes and shreds the contents. It cost .99 cents a pound."
Me: "I'm not interesting in that. I want to shred my documents while I wait. I was told that you do that."
Her: "We do, but I assure you that we cannot get into the locked box where we put your documents. The company comes once a week..."
Me:"Yes, I understand all of that. I'm not interested in doing that, thank you. I called earlier and was told you shred while I wait. Do you not do that?"
Her: "I'm trying to explain to you that this is a reputable company. Many of the local banks in the area use the same company. The boxes are locked and no one can get into them. It's very secure."
Me: "So you don't shred while I wait?"
Her: "We do, but that costs $2.39 a pound. The other way is only .99 a pound. No one can get into the locked boxes."
Me: "That's fine. I understand all of that. I want to stand here and watch someone shred my documents."
Her: "Well, that can take a long time. Like, a half an hour depending on the pounds. The other way is easier. I just throw the documents into the locked box."
Me: "So, you don't want to shred my documents? Is that what you're telling me?"
Her: "No, I'm not saying that at all. I'm trying to get you to understand that the locked boxes are totally secure."
Me: "I understand. I don't want to do that."
Her: "Then lets weigh your first box."

I emptied the first box of papers on to a scale. It came to five pounds. She asked me if I wanted to shred that first. I said sure.

Her: "Just so you know, though, that this could take time. I have to wait on customers."
Me: "Okay."
Her: "So, it could take a half and hour, maybe longer. If someone comes in I have to leave the shredding and wait on them. I want you to understand that."
Me: "Okay."

She picked up my five pounds of papers and walked two feet to the shredder which stood off to the side of the counter against a wall. It was a large shredder and came up to her waist. She took about four pieces of paper and put it into the shredder. She waited for it finish and she took four more pages. Susan and I looked at each other. What the hell? Meanwhile, the older employee, the one who thought Susan rude, had finished with her first customer and moved on to another.

When another customer came in, our girl left the shredder and waited on him. Finished with that one, she shredded a few pieces of paper and then the shredder beeped. She emptied this huge sack of shredded paper, not with my stuff mind you since she hadn't made a dent in my pile, and she refused to shred paper until someone came at her bidding into a device hooked to her shoulder to carry it away. It took ten minutes for someone to haul away the sack. During that time more and more customers arrived, and the two women worked with helping them. One customer came in to make copies which is something customers can do on their own. My shredder girl, however, insisted on spending five minutes teaching her how to copy. It was ridiculous, and Susan and I were getting more irritated as the worst customer service ever continued.

My heart began its rapid beating and skipping. Susan stepped outside to call another company, and returned shaking her head, The copier ran out of paper and instead of just getting the paper our shredder girl checked the machine and then took five minutes getting the paper out of the cabinet. I am not exaggerating, because at this point I was timing everything. So much for the above sign that said, "No job is too big or too small" when it came to shredding.

I finally grabbed her as she moved off to put the paper into the copy machine. I told her that I was done waiting and that I wanted my stuff. I went to get it and she screamed at me, telling me I couldn't go get it for "safety" reasons. At that point, Susan took off to find a manager, and I put my head into my hands on the counter and worked hard at getting myself together because I could feel myself losing it. I started silently crying, trying desperately to rein it in.

Susan, meanwhile, had found the manager and complained. She told him how it had gone down from the moment we walked in. She asked why we weren't customers, why our shredding was put on hold when other customers arrived, and why the five employees standing behind him couldn't help out since they were just standing there. And then she started crying. She told him she had lost her MIL, needed this shredding, and that this store sucked in customer service. As she turned to leave, he offered to do the shredding, the entire job for free, and called over a male employee to do just that. The two of them headed back to me.

Susan gently put her hand on my back and started rubbing it as she explained the job would now be done by someone else and for free, and I lost it. I started sobbing, great gulping, heaving sobs with tears that spilled down my cheeks and wet the entire front of my shirt. The poor male employee didn't know what to do. At this point, shredder girl was paying attention. She offered to keep shredding, but I kept sobbing that I just wanted my paper.

Her: "Okay, but I explained it could take some time. I'll just weigh this again and charge you for what I shredded."

Him: "Uh, no, we aren't charging her at all. And we are going to shred all of this for free."

I refused to let them. By this point I had my money out, and I was shaking so badly that my twenty dollar bill was flying around in the air, and the other employee looked up from her customer and told me there would be no charge. Her face was smirky and her tone condescending, and Susan lost it. She pointed at her and then pointed at the other girl and told them they were rude from the moment we walked in, unhelpful, and didn't belong behind that desk working in customer service. When the first employee asked, "What did we do?" in a shitty tone, Susan walked out of the store.

I looked at the shredder girl, tears still running down my face, and I told her that my mother had died, that my lawyer insisted I shred her paperwork, and that when we called no one told us it would take this long. At that point, I noticed her name tag read Amy. I then told her that we had talked to her when we called earlier and she told us this job would be simple.

Her: "You didn't talk to me. I didn't speak to anyone today about shredding. You must have talked to a computer."

Me: "I hope you never have to deal with a death in your family."

She smirked and said, with absolutely no regret, "Sorry about that."

Me: "No, you're not."

I walked out of the store where Susan waited for me and we both went to the car. When we opened the doors to get inside, Rusty stared at me in disbelief.

Rusty: "Are you crying?"

Susan and I both started talking. We were so angry. We told him the story, and that is when I discovered that Susan too had burst into tears. Rusty just sat in disbelief at both of us.

Rusty: "You cried? Over shredding?"

We told him the story in great detail. He pointed to his clock and told us we had been in the store for over an hour. By the time we were done, he was as annoyed as we were. I mentioned how I had never had this issue with my Office Depot, that I had never had anyone be this rude to me before, and he suggested we try my Office Depot. Since we were going right by it, we agreed to try again, ready to fight back if we encountered any trouble.

Rusty went inside with us. From the moment we walked into the door it was different. The girl at the register to our left welcomed us, offered to help us find something, and directed us to the printing desk where she assured us we would be helped. A girl and a guy worked behind the counter. They both had customers and one customer waited. We got into line, already shocked at the warm welcome.

Rusty: "You do realize that the last store put out pictures of you two in all of the Florida Office Depots warning the employees, right? We're probably on camera right now and the warning is going out all over the store; cry babies are here."

Both customers left, the girl took the next customer, and the guy asked us if he could help us. I went to the desk, explained that I wanted to have the contents of this file box shredded while I watched, and he said, "Sure, no problem." He didn't attempt to tell me about any other shredding. There was no mention of locked boxes and security. He weighed my pile which came to 12 pounds. rang me up, and then said, "Let's do some shredding."

The shredder, the same one with the same sign, was right there behind the desk, and the guy turned his back on the customers in line, took two piles of paper and shredded them both at one time. Susan and I looked at each other in disbelief. Two piles at one time. Why had Amy not done this?

Our shredding guy, Collin, shredded our 12 pounds in six minutes. 12 POUNDS IN SIX MINUTES! TWELVE POUNDS! IN SIX MINUTES! We stood there with our mouths open in disbelief when Collin turned around and said, "There you go. Good?"

WHAT THE HELL? We told both of the employees our story. Susan located the manager of this store and told him the story, complementing him on his well run store and great employees. When told of the other store's location, Enterprise Rd., Clearwater, he nodded as if not surprised. Obviously, that Office Depot store sucks all around enough so that the managers know!

Office Depot reached out to me after I tweeted my displeasure. I responded with my phone number and a request for a phone call to explain my issue. But then I made the mistake of also letting them know that another store stepped up to the plate and handled my job, and they should have that store train the other store's employees. Office Depot responded to that with:"Thank you so much for your feedback Cara, we appreciate it! We will send your feedback to our Customer Service Team!"

Not very satisfying, but other than hiring fifty people with mounds of shredding to descend on that store all at once, I couldn't figure out how to take the complaint further. I truly feel that those two women need help. Not only in customer service, but in human decency. 

And then I heard my mother's voice, "It will one day come back to them. It always does." So, I'm blogging my issue, relying on my mother's wisdom, and never going to set foot in that Enterprise Rd., Clearwater Office Depot again. 

1+1=2

Blogging is like the essay writing done in college, but more personal. Each day I sit to write (alright maybe not each day since I'm a slacker), I find it hard to express what I want to say without too much babble. I'm failing that for sure, but finding new and creative ways to tell a first person account is difficult to say the least. This account I want to share comes in three parts. When thinking about how best to write it, I thought of math. Math is not a subject that I excelled in so me thinking of math was crazy to begin with, but then I thought, "Hey, here is a time in my life where I'm using math!" I only thought that for the entertainment portion of it, but my story is like an addition problem; 1+1=2 and that's how I'm going to write it.

1

I grew up with perfect attendance in school because we had to literally be on our death bed to stay home from education. My mother didn't believe in missing days of school for things other parents allowed their children; colds, periods, and late nights. If on our death bed, we stayed in it tucked between the sheets resting. No television was allowed, although books were, but mainly we slept and rested to recover for school the next day. Her philosophy, told to me as an adult, was "if it was boring to stay home, you wouldn't want to do it."

That mentality stuck with me when I became a parent. School was the importance and illness was not something to be entertained. If my girls had to be home, they were in bed, and that's where they knew they would be. Madison, except for a weird stint during kindergarten, was never home due to illness. Darcy, on the other hand, spent at least three days home a year due to fever which was drilled into us by our pediatrician's office  as a stay at home indicator. We were reminded that others could send their sick kids to school too, spreading the germs to my kids. I began relaxing my on the death bed rule.

Somewhere along the relaxation route I added in television, but only shows that I didn't think my kids would be interested in. No cartoons. No Disney. Rarely PBS. Instead I had on totally inappropriate talk shows. We would watch Regis & Kelly and after that the Wendy Williams Show, a show discovered during one of those sick days. These shows were only watched on sick days as I didn't, nor do I now, turn on the television during the day.

+ 1

Yesterday my SIL Susan and I were lamenting our unhappiness at our children growing up and moving on. For me, our Thanksgiving break was not the norm. Madison didn't come home, and although Darcy did, she was busy with friends, or lopping in her bed on her phone, and wile she did spend some time with us, it wasn't enough for me. All I could focus on was the fact that she went back to school a day and a half early to see the BOY. Yes, Darcy has a BOY. 

SIL and I whined. I knew my mother was laughing hysterically from her spot on the china cabinet as we did because she too lived through this nonsense, especially with my brother and my SIL. My brother reminded his wife of this very fact too, telling her to think back to when they were 18 years old. "We didn't want to spend time with my parents or your parents. We wanted to be alone." Yes, of course, SIL and I know this, but it doesn't make it any easier.

SIL: "I told him this is different because I'm the mom!"

Yep, my mother was rolling around up there as we talked. 

Darcy is my social kid. As she hugged us good-bye on Saturday afternoon, she reminded me of that very thing and said she shouldn't have to apologize for that, and of course, that is true. The kid is doing everything right. She worked hard in high school for four years despite hating it. She scored high on her IB exams and cleared a year of college by doing so. She made the top tier of Florida's scholarship award and got to take advantage of the legislature's paying of the full year of tuition. She was going to class, earning A's, getting her assignments in on time. She wasn't drinking or doing drugs or going to parties. I had nothing to complain about, except I know my kid. 

Sometimes too much freedom for her can be her downfall, and while I watched her thrive in college, I also knew she was off campus in her car as much as she was on campus. She was dwindling her savings account of the money she earned this summer working, buying frivolous things and discussing how next year she would live in an apartment. She was not getting her required eight hours of sleep, and suddenly she was in the emergency room at the children's hospital with headaches and anxiety attacks. I had to put my foot down.

I told SIL that I planned to rein her in over the four weeks I had her home over Christmas break. I wanted to remind her of who she is and what she requires to maintain herself. I wasn't going to let her run freely all over town. She wasn't going to drive miles to see the BOY or head back to college to spend a few days with him. This was a break, and by golly, I would see to it that she took it. 

= 2

Later that night Darcy called just to talk, and that surprised me. While she calls frequently, I hadn't expected it now that I knew she was asserting her independence. She called just to talk. She was with the BOY, but she called to talk to me, just because. She talked about her day, about her assignments, about where she and the BOY were going, about decorating her room for the holidays, about her roommate, and about Maddy and her birthday. It was just a nice talk, and then she told me that despite telling me she didn't want me with her when she brought the BOY home to walk through the city park to see the holiday lights and decorations, she would bring him by for dinner if that would work for me. Mindful of my talk with my SIL and my husband, the one where we all agreed we would have to let our kids live their lives with minimal interference and hurt, I agreed to cook dinner to get that time with the two of them. 

Then as she mentioned aches and pains and stress and restless nights, I told her my plan for her break. The one where she would spend a couple of days relaxing and recovering from her adult college life. The one where I would override her friends, her activities, and constant phone use. The one where I would insist on rest and deep breathing.

Darcy: "I'm down with a couple of days of snuggling and chilling."

Me: "Really? Well, good because I think you need it, and I'm insisting on it."

Darcy: "We can curl up on the couch and watch movies."

Me: "Uh, well, yeah, ok."

Darcy: "NO! We can watch that Wendy Show! Like we use to do when I was sick. Remember? Let's do that!"

I will admit that I sniffled a bit. 

Monday morning NFL recap - week #12

Steelers: Hard to believe it's week 12. I feel we just started.

• Vince Williams and Artie Burns penalties are getting tiring. Just stop it! Two gimmes that gave the Packers first downs and led to their touchdown. No excuse for nonsense in week #12. The Packers had no penalties in the game through the first half, ending with only three penalties. 
• Ben isn't a runner. This was a topic via texts last night with my Steelers buddies. One commented he was "So Slow" and the other made reference to age. I reminded them that Ben wasn't a runner, never was and never would be. Then Ben ran. He had 17 yards rushing by the first half, most of that to get a first down. Always when we think Ben is this or that negatively, he puts up and shuts us up.
• It's interesting to me how second string receivers don't step up and play well when the first string players are sitting on the bench. This is your time to shine. Shine, dammit! Eli Rogers, no shine. Martavis Bryant, he who claims he is the end all be all, no shine.
• Our defense, the one people thought wouldn't do well at the beginning of the year, but who showed those people wrong in the last seven or so games, were a no show on Monday night until the last minute when they stopped the Packers and got the ball back to the offense with .21 seconds.
• Antonio Brown once again came through. Unbelievable catch at the 45 yard line with one foot in bounds and the other dragging through the grass. The man is pure beauty in the clutch. "Pardon me while I clap my hands on that one," Cris Collingsworth said. Amen.
• And give it to Big Ben for once again standing strong and leading them down the field for the final field goal to win the game. "He's a warrior, he's a competitor, and he never give(s) up," said Brown. So true. When annoyed with these guys, you can't help but admire them for hanging in and doing what needs to be done in the end. Whew!
• Kudos to our man, our boss of a kicker, Chris Boswell. He missed an extra point after the first touchdown, and I tweeted that that would be the last miss. The man is pure gold when it comes to the kicking. 53 yard field goal as time ran out. Money. Tied for the longest kick at Heinz Field.
• But I also have to give kudos to Packers quarterback Bret Hundley. If I were a Packers fan, I'd be pumped. 
• Annoying that NBC's sideline reporter Michele Tafoya didn't talk with Chris Boswell. Instead she talked with the three "Killer B's", but the Steelers have a lot of Killer B's and Boswell is one.
• Antonio Brown's smile and twinkling eyes just make you smile, I don't care who you are. He's good TV.

Other:

• I find the whole touching the pylon thing confusing against catching the ball, getting down two feet in bounds, maintaining control of the ball. Why not just touch the damn pylon all the time? Having said that, however, Atlanta's Julio Jones made an awesome dive to touch the pylon for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Buccaneers. To catch the pass from his quarterback he had to run to the outside, and knowing as he ran off balance that he would fall out of bounds, he took flight, stretched out his body, and touched the pylon. It was poetry in motion.
• Wrong week for me in Fantasy. Didn't hear about JuJu being out until it was too late to bench him, and then the Raiders, and my fantasy wide receiver, Michael Crabtree can't take the high road and gets tossed out of the game. Crabtree and Denver's bad boy Aquib Talib traded punches on the field and were ejected. Talib ripped off Crabtree's gold chain, something he did previously a couple years back, and the next thing we knew the two were rolling round on the ground and then smacking each other.
• And why can the NFL players even wear jewelry? Seriously, that isn't a rule in the NFL? These guys grew up unable to wear jewelry, why is that not a gimme?
• With 1.07 left in the game, the 49ers quarterback went down and in came Joey Garrapolo. In that time the man went 2-2 for 19 yards, rushed for 4 yards and threw a touchdown as time expired. Hey, San Fran, you switchin' it up next week? Johnny Lynch looking good.
• Hey, have I mentioned that the Rams coach Sean McVay is sex on a stick? This man is definitely going in my next romance novel.
• The Arizona/Jacksonville game came down to the wire. With a little more than three minutes left, Arizona threw an interception, but two plays later Jacksonville threw an interception, and the announcers could not contain their excitement, shrieking and screaming like little girls. Gotta love the enthusiasm. 
• Arizona won it with one second left with a 57 yard field goal. Longest field goal of kicker Phil Dawson's nineteen year career, which once upon a time was with Jacksonville. That guy was so pumped after he made it. Oh, and Arizona's quarterback Blaine Gabbert, starting his second game with the Cardinals, also use to play for Jacksonville. A lot of motivation right there for the Cardinals who haven't done much all year.

NFL picks week #12

Last Week - 10 - 4

Overall - 103 - 60

Detroit over Minnesota - I'm saying right now that the Vikings are going to give the Eagles a run for the Bowl. Unfortunately for me, I came to this conclusion too late.

Dallas over Chargers - And I was not any better with this game either. I went with those two teams because on Thanksgiving Day they usually win.

Washington over Giants - I'd brag about getting one right, but that's hard to do against the Giants who have only won two games all season.

Atlanta over Tampa Bay - I see the Falcons finding their groove this week and racking up the points.

Cincinnati over Cleveland - Who cares? Maybe the Browns pull out a win, but I didn't have enough faith to make that pick.

Tennessee over Indianapolis - The Titans are the better team at least record wise. The Colts can't seem to make up their minds on coming out to play. I went with the Titans Mariota, despite his four interceptions last week.

Kansas City over Buffalo - The Chiefs once again started out well and then faltered, but the Bills are all kinds of messed up lately, or maybe I should say every time I pick them. Toss up.

New England over Miami - The Dolphins win the odd games where they are usually the underdogs, but it's hard to bet on them against Tom Brady.

Carolina over Jets - The Panthers suddenly found their mojo, and the Jets have gone the opposite. I'm betting on Cam.

Philadelphia over Chicago - Nothing here to sway me toward the Bears.

Seattle over San Francisco - I've put a fork in the 49ers, along with the Browns and the Giants.

Oakland over Denver - What happened with the Broncos this year? So much for that talked about defense. Meanwhile, Oakland isn't any better kicking ass one week and looking for their asses the next, but I've got Michael Crabtree on my Fantasy team so I'm a bit biased when it comes to them.

Rams over New Orleans - I'm having second thoughts here, but can Drew Brees keep it rolling? On the road?

Jacksonville over Arizona - I think I've forked the Cardinals as well. The Jags, however, thought to be the worst team this year are mighty little fighters and have made a lot of people eat crow.

Pittsburgh over Green Bay - Always hard to play against a team that tons of my friends back, but it's at home for us and a night game and we usually thrive in those conditions. If we can come out like last week, no worries, but then again the Steelers have issues that still need to be worked out.

Baltimore over Houston - The Ravens always find a way to win and against the poor Texans who have lost a host of players they shouldn't have an issue.

Thanksgiving 2017

As a kid, all holidays were exciting. As an adult, I can take them or leave them depending on the holiday because, as I've learned through my growing years, holidays are way more stressful when you are an adult and the one in charge. Yep, once again I see my mother differently. The change for me is how to work it so that I'm not her when it comes to reacting to the stress.

Thanksgiving isn't one of my top five holidays. Like Halloween, the history of the holiday is odd. I mean, we are celebrating our ancestors stealing the land and livelihood of someone else and then to save face they, and here come the air quotes, "invited them to a feast". Nice of them, huh? Of course, it wasn't proclaimed as such, given instead as a day to to praise and thank the Lord for all of his blessings, but for me each day is a day to be thankful.

Tradition is to have turkey, and while I eat turkey, it isn't one of my favorite. Wasn't beef more prevalent back then? By the third day of eating turkey, and usually by then it is the gross looking dark meat, I'm over it. I don't know how to cook turkey, and frankly, I don't care to learn. I'm more a "if I can buy it already cooked why wouldn't I" gal. I've cooked poultry once in my life because in my grocery I can buy a fully cooked rotisserie chicken cheaper than I can a raw one. I'm all about convenience and it tastes way better. Each year people devise creative ways to dress and cook their turkeys, and believe me, I've had it brined, deep fried, herbed, and smeared in butter and I find that turkey tastes the same no matter which way it is prepared.

What I like about the holidays are the traditions. I like doing the same thing every year, and so I embrace that when it comes to Thanksgiving. The problem with that, however, is that life gets in the way of tradition, and eventually I've had to make tweaks or to start a brand new tradition just to have it thrown out the window as life, well, changes. The one thing I know I can count on is that the Detroit Lions will play football on Thanksgiving day. Other than that, it's all up for grabs.

Our Thanksgiving when I was young started at the farm. My grandmother, and later my aunt, cooked the turkey. The females worked in the kitchen. The males hunted and then watched football. The kids played. As the kids grew, they moved into their roles determined by sex, but luckily for me the kitchen was always too crowded so I got to watch football and take care of the youngsters. When clean up duty came, my mother and I would have to bow out because our tradition was to get back in the car and drive to her relatives for another Thanksgiving meal.

An hour down the road we would stop at the house that she use to rent from a lovely couple when she was teaching. I was expected to sit, answer questions politely, and not ask when we were leaving. From there, we drove another hour to my Aunt Helen's farm where my cousin and her family would be and we ate all over again with our traditional milk gravy and persimmon pudding.

I loved it all. But life intervened, and I moved, and as the years went by I realized that keeping traditions are only kept if the adults in charge are willing to continue it, and eventually the adults in charge die, and if there is no one willing to step in then the tradition ends. Having kids, makes adults want to start their own traditions, and I've been guilty of that too, and so my next Thanksgiving traditions included eating fruit salad with my group of adopted grandparents, then having dinner with my in-laws, and finally having it at my own home with my friend or my husband cooking the turkey.

This year, as I write about this, and dread the preparation, the mess, and the heat, missing my eldest daughter who chose to stay behind in North Carolina and saddened by a friendship going through hard times, I remind myself it is one day. I tell myself that I am so very thankful for so much, and I embrace the friends who will share our meal. I will pray that we remain healthy for the next year and for the turkey to be demolished in one meal. I will love the family that I can touch and Facetime the ones that I can't, and take time out to remember the old traditions and the family who use to be a part of it all. And a part of me, will sneak away to relive that child inside of me, and I will read a book and watch some football.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Monday morning NFL recap - week #11

Steelers: I spent the first half watching from Room 23 in the ER of a children's hospital. There was no sound and no HD, and the entire situation made the anxiety level greater, but my boys came through for me as I drove home, and I got to watch the second half on my DVR rewind.

• I kept waiting for the offense to click and for some reason, whether it was the rumors of OC Todd Haley's soon to be departure or being at home and playing a night game, they did, starting out on the first play with the big throw from Ben to Brown for the touchdown.
• Ben ran the night and the show with the no huddle. Maybe that's been the answer the Steelers were looking for all along?
• The defense did another great job vying for the top five with five sacks, a blocked kick, and four interceptions.
• Big Ben finally threw long again and again and finally connected with all receivers. He ended up with 299 yards, 10 rushing, and four touchdowns. Know he had to feel good about that.
• It was great to see the love the players have for former, now the Titans, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. After the game, Steelers players made a bee line for their former guru to hug and talk to him. I never understood what happened there, but the man will always be a legend in the eyes of the players and the fans.
• I never worry when we play the Titans because of the Terrible Towel curse. They disrespected the Steelers legendary towel years ago and they haven't been the same against us since. 
• Now the talk will start about how the Steelers are the team to beat and the game against Brady's Patriots. Please. One game does not make a championship team. The Steelers still have work to do in the coming weeks. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Other:

• Boom, boom, boom. The first ten minutes of the early games were interceptions, interceptions, interceptions with six of the eight games throwing to the opposite teams.
• How gutsy was Redskins coach Jay Gruden's call on their on fifteen yard line on fourth and one to pretend to punt and go for it? It worked, but whoa, that could have been costly. I like taking chances though...when it isn't my team.
• Ugh. The tackle on Kirk Cousins in the third quarter also caught running Chris Thompson who went down with what looked like a brutal leg injury. He was carted off the field and maybe that's why Gruden said the hell with it, go for it.
• Dolphins QB Jay Cutler went out with a concussion and in came back up Matt Moore. I like that guy and said aloud, "Bucs, better watch out. It's a different game now." Sure enough, Moore threw a bomb to tie the game. Luckily, however, the Bucs went ahead with a field goal with 4 seconds left and then iced it on special teams with a touchdown when the Dolphins tried to play hot potato.
• Weird statistic - The Browns did not have a penalty called on them during their game. Hadn't been done since 1962.
• The Giants/Kansas City game went to overtime and the Giants ran the ball on first and second down, getting nowhere. What? You have Eli Manning and you try to run the ball? They obviously heard me because they went for it on fourth down and Manning threw a hell of a pass to Lewis who made a hell of a catch and 
• How crappy must it be when scrambling in a pile for a fumble? I bet all sorts of poking, prodding, and punching goes on.
• The Redskins might just be worse than the Chargers in nonsensical mishaps. Defense let a 31-16 lead go, messed up in the last few seconds, went into overtime and went dropped pass, sack, dropped pass, and then lost the game.
• Drew Brees is as cool as Tom Brady when it comes to quarterbacking. The Saints have won 8 straight and that too is a record in modern day.
• What's with the NFL playing in Mexico City?
• Yikes. 54 points for the Chargers? Who lit them on fire?

NFL picks week #11

Pittsburgh over Tennessee - Back at home, wearing the new color rush uniforms instead of the retired bee outfits, playing a night game. I knew we had it.

Detroit over Chicago - I've been disappointed by the Lions this year, but I'm holding on that they will find their rhythm.

Jacksonville over Cleveland - Surely the Browns won't go without a win this year, but I didn't have enough faith to pick them against the Jags.

Baltimore over Green Bay - The Ravens are not a team that I think will lie down and die. They just are too mean to do so, and without Aaron Rodgers I couldn't go against them.

Miami over Tampa Bay - This is the game that wasn't played during the hurricane, and I gave the Dolphins the edge at home.

Rams against Minnesota - The Vikings are hot, but does anyone want to bet against this Rams team?

New Orleans over Washington - The Redskins are like the Lions. They have the talent, aren't given enough credit, and always seem so close, yet can't seal the deal. I went with the Saints who are sizzling with a streak of wins.

Kansas City over Giants - When a team is 1-6 you tend to think they won't win.

Houston over Arizona - I like what I see with the Texans who have had injuries galore this year and they're going against a team that hasn't quite found their footing this year.

Chargers over Buffalo - Yeah, yeah, I said I wasn't going to bet against the Bills, but they screwed me over last week.

Denver over Cincinnati - Another toss up? I keep thinking the number one defense will find a way to win a game.

New England over Oakland - Drew Carr could come out slinging, but how do you bet against Brady who has thrived now that his nemesis Manning is out of the league?

Philadelphia over Dallas - The Cowboys sucked last week, and maybe they pull it together this week against a division rival at home, but the Eagles are flying high, and I didn't see enough from the Cowboys last week to make me think they can clip the Eagles' wings.

Atlanta over Seattle - Not sure what is happening with the Falcons, but like my own team, I think they eventually will find their groove.

All clear

My yearly exam, which had been canceled twice, came just after my trip to Indiana where I returned with some type of shoulder/arm issue and a racing heart with fluttering. The arm started to hurt after a Sunday of watching Steelers football via my computer while playing cards all day. I thought it was from having my arm bent since I hold my cards with my left hand. I didn't think much of it, despite it being quite painful, until it didn't go away. The pain that is. I made a few comments about my arm hurting, kept stretching it out instead of keeping it bent, and after a couple of days of that I realized that my shoulder was also bothering me.

I thought back to what I had done previously to this time, and the only thing I could come up with was a day at the gym when I decided to use the rowing machine and to lift free weights directly after rowing, using two pounds more than normal. I figured I must have strained it at that time and then aggravated it sometime later. The pain was never consistent. Sometimes it was just the shoulder. Sometimes it was my elbow. Sometimes it was my forearm. Sometimes it was all three.

I turned to the Internet medical world, and after researching my symptoms I decided I had golfer's elbow, computer elbow and radial tunnel syndrome.

My heart began its premature ventricular and atrial contractions at the end of my trip to a point where I felt my heart was racing at a rapid speed for a person on beta blockers. I had been diagnosed with the PVC and PAC's several years ago, wore a holter monitor, had an ultrasound of my heart, and was sent away with it all within "normal" range. Periodically, it acts up to a point where I feel it, and I usually find that my blood pressure is out of whack as well and proceed with that, but this time the BP was great. Because I have the Apple watch, I am able to check my heart rate, and finding it above normal at various times I added it to the list of things I would need to discuss with my physician.

My doctor did an EKG in the office which took longer to hook me up then it did to run the test. It all came back normal, but of course, my heart was behaving by then despite racing earlier in the morning. She told me to keep an eye on it and maybe keep track of what triggered it. She examined my arm and my shoulder, ran me through a few tests, ordered an x-ray, and gave me exercises for bursitis and tennis elbow. The x-ray came back clear with nothing between the joints and blah, blah, blah, clear. She offered to send me to physical therapy, but by then the exercises she had given me, along with icing both the arm and the shoulder, seemed to be working so I told her I would keep on trucking.

Meanwhile, in Indiana my SIL was having back issues and a few other aches and pains that started while I was there. She happened to be coming up on her six month appointment with her oncologist so she did the same and laid it out for the doctor. He was sure it didn't have anything to do with cancer, BUT he sent her for CT scans and an MRI and we had some tense weeks waiting for the results which came back clear. Blah, blah, blah, clear. No cancer. No signs of any back issues. He recommended exercises, although he didn't specify which back exercises she should do for what he called "muscle strain".

Then this week my youngest called me from college to tell me she had had a headache for five days and had made an appointment to see the doctor at the student health center. I interrogated her and discovered the headache was worse at night and upon first awakening. A 10 our of 10 on the pain scale, but she was "dealing".

By the time she called me to tell me what the health center doctor said, I'd run through all sorts of scenarios in my head. For some odd reason, brain aneurysms never popped as a possibility in my brain despite the fact that my husband's sister had several more than ten years ago, but this doctor mentioned it as a possibility to my kid who, like her mother, forgot the family history. As soon as my daughter told me that, I did what I usually do when health issues hit my children...I freaked out.

In the end, after various phone calls to the professionals I keep on my phone list, my daughter and I met in the ER of the closest children's hospital. Because of the pain scale, the awakening with headaches, and the family history, a CT scan was ordered. They started her on an IV cocktail to deal with the headache and after the results came back blah, blah, blah, clear they shot in another IV medication and the headache was knocked out. She was sent home with instructions to rest and to keep taking ibuprofen for any headaches.

Three out of three on the clear scale. Three of us keeping on, grateful, although the issues are still present. I'm thinking stress might be the trigger for all three and so we are holding on for another month when children will be home, semesters will be over, and family will surround us. Here is to a stress free holidays for all.

Out of the mouths of my babes

My garage is full of stuff from The Condo. Some of it was mine to begin with because once I realized I had a second "storage unit" I hauled up containers of my kids' long forgotten toys that I they wanted to keep. Now those containers are back in my garage along with several more containers of my mother's stuff, and for several days I've attempted to go through the stuff, making more of a mess than anything. Today I decided was the day to finish up at least the containers of toys.

I sorted through baby dolls and clothing. I bagged Barbie furniture and threw away parts that had no mates. I got rid of the Light Bright that I loved, but my kids really could have cared less about. I gave away the Little People "modern" house and all the things that went inside of it. I packed away the Nerf guns for Darcy to use next year during her college's Humans vs. Zombie week long contest. I went from five containers of stuff to three, and was patting myself on the back for making a clearer path through the garage from our kitchen to the outside world.

The last thing I did was the Barbies. We had BAGS of Barbies, about fifty of these beauties with the body I'd kill for right now. Because Darcy had mentioned previously about certain Barbies she wanted to keep, I came up with the greatest idea. I lined up six Barbies and put numbers under the feet. Then I texted Darcy:

Me: "Okay, so I'm sending 7 different pics. Using the numbers below, tell me which Barbies you want to keep. Here are pictures #1 and #2

Darcy: "I feel like a dirty politician ordering a prostitute."

Monday morning NFL recap - week #10

Steelers: Had to watch the delay online while watching the NFL Network's Redzone Channel. Not ideal, but purchasing Direct TV doesn't make sense when you still have to purchase your cable too. Of course, online was delayed, the radio broadcast was off from the Redzone, and my Steelers buddies texting me were ahead of all that I had. It was crazy. Someday I'm just going to travel everywhere with the team and watch it all LIVE.

• Le'Veon Bell got through a nice hole, tripped himself and fell, and then instead of getting up and continuing his run since he hadn't been touched, he gets up and quits? This isn't the first time I've seen this lately in the NFL. What the hell? Do we know the rules? If you haven't been touched, the play is not dead.
• Penalties in the first quarter by the Steelers had us punting three times in one series. Seriously?
• Have I mentioned how much I hate the shovel pass? 
• The Steelers have the longest active streak in not allowing a touchdown on an opponent's first offensive possession. Who sits around keeping track of this nonsense?
• My Steelers buddy calls us stale. While that is true, I still believe that our problem stems from situations outside of the football field. Tomlin, or the organization, needs to address all of that. Either that or the guys put on their big boy pants and say the hell with all of the crap, let's play some football and deal with the rest afterwards.
• Defense, sluggish in the beginning, dug deep, pulled it together and once again won us that game.
• Chris Boswell missed the FG earlier, but when it came down to the winning FG he did what he had to do. He's $$. Love our kicker and our punter. Two stellar guys!

Other:

• I suppose I should discuss Dallas owner Jerry Jones' threat to bring a lawsuit against his own. Jones has taken exception to extending commissioner Roger Goodell's contract. While I agree with Jerry that maybe all of the owners need to be involved in the decision of Goodell and his antics, I don't believe him when he says he isn't doing it because of Goodell's handling of Jones' running back Ezekiel Elliot. Jones, who will be responsible for paying the bills for both sides if he loses, is annoyed because Goodell doesn't agree with him. Bully for him that he has the money to blow and the ego to go against the other owners. Ugh.
• Cracks me up when teams are on the one yard line, play call the run, and then both teams play push. The defense pushes against the runner and the offense pushes the runner forward. I always feel for the poor running back who is in the middle.
• It was nice to see Minnesota's quarterback Teddy Bridgewater back in uniform after 1,000 games of sitting on the sidelines. He got emotional after the anthem and cried, and I felt it. Hell, he wasn't even sure if would ever play football again. He didn't start, but this was a huge step forward.
• In the Browns/Lions game with .10 seconds to go before the half, after the Browns screwed up their play, the Lions defender kept lying down on Kizer so that the Browns couldn't get up and play a snap. Hmmm...delay of game? Apparently, there isn't a rule for that and so the Lions played that well.
• The Packers keep racking up injuries, both running backs were gone from the game, and yet they just kept on trucking. That's a team.
• Cincinnati's Vontase Burfict was ejected from the game after making contact with an official. He didn't go quietly, leaving the stadium while taunting the fans. How about Jerry Jones shove that in Roger Goodell's face? How much more do we all have to put up with from this guy, NFL, huh? He's a danger.
• Scary moment in Buffalo when New Orleans player Daniel Lasko got hurt on a kickoff. The ambulance came on to the field and the game shut down due to a spinal injury. Word is Lasko has feeling, but just another situation where you wonder why parents want their children to play this game.
• Great early games once again. Minnesota vs. Washington, Jacksonville vs. Chargers, Tennessee vs. Cincinnati, and Detroit vs. Cleveland. Close games. So much fun to watch.
• In the Jacksonville/Chargers game they traded back and forth all game until the Jaguars recovered a fumble and headed down toward the end zone. Bortles threw a pass into the end zone to Lee who drew a pass interference flag, but then instead of keeping it together, he performed a little shimmy dance and got the taunting flag. Fifteen yard penalty and the Jags two plays later throw an interception. That was bad enough, but THEN THEY DO IT AGAIN. In overtime. After getting an interception and running a million yards to the five yard line. Fifteen yard penalty. Different guy, but Holy Mother of Football. I get that players get excited, but the strongest players hold it together. That shows WAY more class and strength than the other nonsense.
• Luckily, for the Jags their kicker Josh Lambo tied the game in the fourth and then won the game in OT for them. Against his former team. Kudos to that guy for holding strong. Now he should teach his team mates what it is like to hold it together.
• I have a huge crush on the Rams coach Sean McVay. Yowser!

NFL 2017 picks week #10

Last Week - 8 - 5

Overall - 83 - 50

Seattle over Arizona - Yep, think the Cardinals can put a fork in it.

Buffalo over New Orleans - Even here. Said I wasn't going against Buffalo and they are at home.

Green Bay over Chicago - The Packers always seem to find a way to win despite their injuries.

Detroit over Cleveland - I think the Lions score tons of points today.

Tennessee over Cincinnati -

Pittsburgh over Indianapolis - I hate when the Steelers are the buzz. We aren't there yet, far from it, and today's game will be a big one in terms of knocking out the "we can't well against poor teams" talk.

Tampa Bay over the Jets - Oh, boy. Going out on a limb here, but Tampa's quarterback is out and lucky Fitzpatrick, once the Jets quarterback, is in.

Washington over Minnesota - I don't know why I went with this one, but I did.

Jacksonville over Chargers - Why not? God love the Chargers.

Rams over Houston - I mean, these Rams are jut killing it!

Dallas over Atlanta - I can't keep abreast of whether or not Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliot is in or out, but either way the Cowboys seem to be on fire right now. The Falcons can't yet decide.

Giants over 49er's - This could be the day.

New England over Denver - The Broncos defense was suppose to be huge, yet so far they are anything but that. Don't think that changes today.

Carolina over Miami - I really wanted to go the other way, but I fell to the census.

The Pillow App

I have an Apple watch. I asked for a Fitbit. For those who have stumbled upon this blog by accident or by word of mouth or by my business card and as a reminder for those who faithfully read me (THANK YOU PEEPS), I am married to a tech guru who doesn't believe in rewarding himself with the latest and greatest, but instead insists we need it. He bought me an Apple watch a couple of years ago for my birthday.

One of the main reasons that I wanted a Fitbit was to record my sleep pattern. I use to be a great sleeper, but that was BC...before children. Now I sleep with one ear cocked like my dog, ready for anything or anyone who might need me. Menopause and its hot flashes and weight gain didn't help matters either, and since I now snore (a real sore point that just might be the motivation for getting the weight off) I've become concerned that I could have sleep apnea. I swear my husband has it. My Steelers buddy has it. My good friend Robin has it. Recently, another friend of mine went through the study and was diagnosed with it, and right after she told me that I saw an article about the best sleep apps available for Apple products.

I don't remember where I saw this, but the first app on the list was called Pillow. Because the purple in the app was purple, and because a few big name newspapers endorsed it, and because it worked with the Apple watch, I downloaded it without hesitating. The app works with either the Iphone or the watch or in conjunction with one another. I've only used it with the watch so far. I figured it would give me a better read since it was attached to my person and not just residing under the pillow I lay my head on which is how it works with the Iphone, although it does say it can be close by. Using the two together, it can pick up the sound of your snoring and play it back for you, but I haven't taken advantage of that because my husband snores WAY louder than I do and surely it would pick up his snoring over mine.

I've used the app now for eleven days. It's making me crazy. Each morning when I shut the app off, it analyzes my data using "an algorithm based on body mobility and sound input during sleep drawn from the device's sensors" and sends it to my Iphone where I can then read each time I was Awake and Asleep. The watch then shows a beautifully, brightly colored graph and gives me a sleep percentage. That is the part that is driving me nuts. My percentages the first three days were 58%, 65%, and 68%. Those are F's and D's!! I'm failing sleep.

The app also shows me how much deep sleep, light sleep, and rem sleep I get. I've learned more about sleeping from this app then I ever knew! It also keeps my heart rate and shows a nifty little graph on that. When the information is sent to my phone, it gives me exact times when I'm awake and when I'm asleep. Most of it has been spot on, and now each time I wake up to go to the bathroom I note the time to make sure my app is correct.

Tom downloaded it too after I had gone a week using it and his percentages have not been any better so now I'm convinced we both have sleep apnea. He just quit using his, but I'm obsessed. I'm thinking about paying the $4.99 charge to upgrade the app because it works in conjunction with my Health app and will give me all sorts of data based on my steps, my calories, etc. I haven't done that yet. Right now I'm working on getting a higher percentage, and last night I did just that.

After not sleeping but four hours the previous night and after hauling bags of crap up and down The Condo stairwell, I was pooped last night and felt like I slept really well. My percentage when I woke up this morning was 71%. I came running out into the kitchen pumping my fists. That's when I discovered the husband had already given up. He thinks it isn't accurate. Pfft. I'm not a quitter.

Here are the cons as I see it from a user's standpoint for anyone interested in getting the app.

Cons:

• The light on the Apple Watch comes on anytime I turn my wrist, and when I'm turning over from one side to another it shines in my eyes and maybe causes me to wake.
• The times I'm awake, according to the tracker, don't always coincide with my getting up to go to the bathroom, and I'm not sure if that is when I'm tossing or turning or what, but surely I'm not awake for 16 minutes during the middle of the night.
• The graph data doesn't move from the watch to the phone. I want to analyze my graph and my heart rate data on a bigger device.
• I don't believe that I can check my previous days graph information from my watch, and since it doesn't transfer to the phone, it's just lost. Maybe that's a user error, but I've yet to figure it out.
• I think if you are like me and don't fall asleep right away that that time in bed might just be a part of the calculation. Last night I waited until I knew I was close to dropping off before I hit the start button.
• My obsession with the app and what it is tracking might actually be hindering my sleep. Or at least that is what my oldest daughter thinks. 

The app also has a nap feature, but I haven't had time to use that one. I'm going to try it out soon. I'm also going to start documenting my food and exercise to see if that makes a difference. I'm determined to conquer my sleeping and raise my score to a 90%. If that doesn't happen in a month or two, next year's resolution is going to get a sleep apnea test done.

Moving on

Due to circumstances, I convinced baby bro to sell The Condo. It's for sale starting Friday. He had visions since our mother's death of using the property for fun, sun, and relaxing, but it hasn't worked out that way and so we are going to see if someone else might want it and use it accordingly. Baby bro didn't think he needed to be here physically to do that, but I reminded him that I'd already cleaned out The Condo on several occasions, and while it is less cluttered, it is still full.

Baby Bro: "Please. We'll have it cleared in two hours."

It took us two and a half days. It was an emotional experience. Maybe more so than I expected, at least on my end. I've never really been attached to The Condo and the last five years of my mother's life changed that in a more negative way so I didn't expect to feel some of the things that I did while working along side my family to sell the place. My brother doesn't want to sell, and he made a few comments regarding that along the lines of "selling The Condo out from underneath me". Since I use that phrase regarding our Indiana home, I recognized it, hated it, and reacted accordingly as siblings do, or at least as I do where he is concerned.

Despite its size, The Condo was full of stuff that once filled a 3,000 square foot home. This was my fourth pass in clearing it out. I've probably already made twenty trips to donation sites in the past. This time we made four. My home is full of the stuff. Now my garage is full of it. My husband is avoiding entering it.

We are leaving the furniture. Our realtor liked the staging of it and also reminded us that in Florida buyers use these condos as second homes. She thinks maybe a buyer might want all of it. Fingers crossed that is what happens because that would be the simplest route. We removed personal items, reminisced over them, and made multiple trips up and down the stairs that for some reason replicate descending and climbing a steep, steep mountain. My brother did most of those trips, although my SIL did quite a bit despite her ailing back.

Midway through we took the day off and played Florida tourists.

Today they headed back to the cold. The Condo is ready for potential buyers. I have a few weeks worth of work in rearranging my house to stuff the stuff now residing in my garage. As I left The Condo with the last load today, I felt relief among the sadness in shutting another door to my mother. I'm hopeful that someone will find as much happiness in the place that my mother did and that it brings much joy.

A reprieve

The Steelers had their bye this week, my brother and SIL arrived from IN during the early games, and our dinner reservations were during the later games so I had to forgo football for the week. I'm sorry all of you non-footballers have nothing to discuss around the work water cooler this morning.

My brother is here to deal with The Condo. We will be working hard so blogging will be sporadic, but I'll slip things in when I can. Otherwise, follow me on social media to keep abreast of our activities!

10 month 2017 resolution check

I tried to consciously remember and perform well with these resolutions the past two months. I think I did fairly well.

I grade from 1-10. I have yet to reach 100% in keeping my resolutions. Already in just reading the first one I know that isn't happening this check in either.

1. To cut down on my use of the word “fuck” - My almost three week trip to Indiana helped with this one. I can tame it when I need to and being around smaller peeps had me cracking the whip on my mouth. I've done fairly well since being home. I call that improvement.  Grade:  7
2. To be better in touch with family, especially those who live locally. - SnapChat is the bomb for this one! Check and check. I snap daily with cousins, aunts, brother, inlaws, daughters. Well, on my side of the family. I check in via phone with my MIL. My SIL Julie always checks on me. I think I've conquered this one. Grade: 10
3. To lose weight…any amount. - Yikes! This is the one that gets me every year. I need to move on. Or keep it until it is the only thing left? Grade: 0
4. To Rent/Sell The Condo and the Wyndham: Yes! I am still on this one, at least where The Condo is concerned. Brother arrives Sunday and we have a meeting with the realtor on Monday. I've already met with her and we have crunched numbers and done research. That's pretty stellar! Grade: 8
5. To write a romance novel. - Still rolling with this one. I have entered a contest where I was given feedback and scores from three judges; 100%, 98%, and 68%. I took some of the advice and have entered another. I'm researching like crazy because I think I lack quite a bit, but I'm still trudging through this resolution and am still determined!  Grade: 10
6. To find my next chapter, by trying new things, and by learning to deal with whatever is going on in my head. - I did well with this in the beginning, but I've slacked some since then. My trip to Indiana should count since I flew by myself, paid for it with free points that I figured out all on my own and dealt with, and put up with family all by myself. Tee Hee. That was a joke, family. I'm also going to add Hurricane Irma in here because I feel I stepped up on that one too which was new. But I truly have not found my next chapter yet, a groove so to speak, and my head? Yeah, I'm beginning to think there is no cure for that. Grade: 8

Total:43 out of 60 - Better than last month! Better than fifty percent! I'll take it. Two more months of conquering! Go Me!

Halloween 2017

Last year Halloween defeated me. Our annual neighbor-sit-in-the-driveway routine made me miss my old neighbors who have left us in death and/or moves, and then as the evening was coming to a close we were robbed of our belongings left in our driveway as we went to exam our neighbor's Halloween haunted house. This year I cried, "Bah Humbug!" despite it being the wrong holiday.

The text messages began arriving a few days before Halloween asking me if we were sitting in the driveway. I replied with my above motto, but when the texts arrived again yesterday morning I got the idea people thought I was kidding. I wasn't. I was done with Halloween. It's a weird holiday especially in this day and age, I'm the last person who should be around candy, and my kids are grown and gone. Bah Humbug!

My charges, SueG's children, were disappointed. They joined our little group of trick or treaters about ten years ago, and while the rest of the gang is off to college, little Sydney is still of that age where walking the hood to ask for free candy is still a thing. If they weren't going to take part in that, they thought they would get to sit in my driveway and take part in handing out the candy and just be a part of what has become a tradition for them. My Bah Humbug did not sit well so I compromised. I told them to come over and we would play cards, or I would walk around my neighborhood with them if they wanted to trick or treat. They took me up on the walk.

For once, in Florida, the weather was fall-ish at 68 degrees, and I got to wear long pants and not sweat as we walked. The neighborhood wasn't as full this year as in the past. Perhaps everyone is feeling the Bah Humbug blues? But we had fun talking with the neighbors we knew and with the ones we didn't know. Some of our neighbors still go all out, and some involve creepy real life people that you get fooled by when walking past.

We never found the house pouring red wine for the adults, but we had a few houses that gave out whole candy bars and one who passed out coins that we later learned were foreign and worth some money. She told them as she passed them over to, "Go out and buy your own candy." This was a concern to me after we left her house. I was worried she might have some dementia, was digging into a stash of stolen money from years ago, and wondered about any repercussions. And that was before examining the coins!

Afterwards we returned to my house, examined the loot, had some dinner, watched the World Series, and then called it a night. Both of my girls put pictures of themselves dressed up for Halloween and attending whatever they were attending at college so I did get to see them. Still not the same, but their replacements kept the holiday and tradition alive and another Halloween makes into the books.