December Happenings

My November car accident resulted in two costly prospects for December:

• 1 point against my driver's license for three years
• 4 points to my insurance would increase my rates by 60% for three years

On December 15th, Jeremy Cotten, Attorney at Law, represented my case in traffic court. A wonderful outcome was that all charges were DISMISSED!

The Cotten Law Firm earned very positive reviews on three platforms.

🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙🚗🚘🚙

Three days later, I bought a black 2024 Nissan Sentra. My social life resumed by attending two activities in Selma. "Telling Our Stories" from 1 to 3 PM on Thursday and an Open Mic at the Old Fashioned Ice Cream store on Friday night.

What happened last month?

On November 3rd, I caused a major car accident in Micro. I didn't see a blinking red light or the car that had the right of way.

My car got totaled, I broke my neck (C-2) and suffered a hairline fracture to my left ankle. Also cracked my L-1 rib. I'm hoping the other party fared much better.

At first, I asked to be taken by ambulance to UNC Johnston Hospital. They took x-rays and did blood work, but they aren't equipped to handle trauma cases. 

From there, I was brought by ambulance #2 to WakeMed in North Raleigh. Had to wait another day and a half to undergo two surgeries (by two different orthopedists) to repair the damage. (The place was busy 24/7). I had three vertebrae fused (C1, C2, C3) with four screws. My ankle was patched up with two screws and two stitches. I've been lugging around a large boot ever since (it weighs 2.6 pounds).

I was transferred via ambulance #3 to Liberty Commons Nursing & Rehabilitation Center on November 8th at 8 PM. Two days later, I was moved to the same room my Aunt Martha occupied just the day before. 

Liberty Commons provided transportation to one orthopedist on the 21st. At least that time I was sitting in a wheelchair!

Sadly, Aunt Martha passed; my niece and her husband brought me to her wake in Selma. Then we had dinner at Denny's and visited Spooky before returning to Room 801. 

Thanksgiving 2023 fell on my 70th birthday. My Scrabble friends and I went to a Chinese buffet in Dunn for dinner. The only fixings that were missing were stuffing and cranberry sauce. Then, it was back to Liberty Commons for me.

Finally, I was released on Saturday, the 25th. I've been getting physical therapy at home twice a week ever since.

So, that's my November in a nutshell.

I want to thank all of my visitors, Spooky feeders, yard helpers, family and friends who came to call and wish me well. You're the best!

I'm certified!

I just finished taking an online AARP safe driving course. It took days for me to slog through all the materials. When it was time to print out my certificate of completion, the numbers I entered did not "take." 

Then I called AAA's Customer Service. (Duh). That's why what I entered didn't work. 

I just couldn't connect a safe driving course with anyone but AAA. Silly me!

For any North Carolinian interested in taking the course, be advised that it is not free. But under $30 is a fair price to pay if taking the course means it's going to lower my cost of car insurance.

Now all I need to do is:

• Succeed in court December 15 
• If all goes well, buy a used car.

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PS:  When my auto policy goes into effect next September, the annual price is set to increase by 60%. (Ouch!)

Launch Party

Tuesday night, October 24th, was the launch of Johnston County Creates 2023 held at the Selma Civic Center. My essay, Nana's Porches, can be found on page 148. I shared the table with Dot LaMotta and Dr. Wanda Johnson (not pictured). Author Hope Dougherty is seen on the 2nd picture.

The red-headed lot

As of November 1st, 2011, I moved from Louisiana to my current  mobile home park in central North Carolina. There, I own my house. The lot rent has increased by a WHOLE LOT. The potential fines were raised as well. The current rate for violating any clause in our lease is $275. Don't know how the management company decided on that outrageous sum.

🏡

About two years ago, the management company instituted a "Don't Park on the Grass" edict. If any cars were seen and/or reported violating this edict, renters would be liable to pay a $275 fine.

                                   💲

Therein lies my problem... 

All I've ever had is grass. 

                                                    ⾋⾋⾋⾋⾋⾋⾋⾋⾋⾋⾋

Around the same time, the landlord added gravel to nineteen parking pads, totally ignoring the needs of Lot 20 (my lot). My protests for having been left out resulted in exactly nothing being done. I feel as if I am - or my lot is - being treated like a red-headed stepchild.

⛕

One cannot reach my house by entering the trailer park entrance. My driveway is a semi-circle with two entrances on the main drag.  You'd think that would rate me at least one gravel pad. It is too risky to back out of either entrance facing the busy street.

🙴

So, for over a year now, I've been collecting discarded slabs of (what I assume is) marble to create a driveway into my lot. I could almost fit my sedan in the narrow space.

I bit the bullet this weekend and had my contractor widen the area where I'd had the slabs. The driveway is a bit wider and longer than what I had previously cobbled together. Now I don't overshoot the space when I pull into the driveway (most of the time). The old slabs were repurposed into a walkway to my front door. It's not done yet, but it is an improvement.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Note: I took a bunch of pictures on my phone and shared them to "My Drive," but now that I want to upload them, they can't be found. Even tried to view my RECENT files; they weren't there.

Finally could access the driveway and pathway pics.

Finito!

Accountability Partners

Found an accountability partner to keep me on track with my writing. Ms. K and I had a rocky start, but we finally got going. (YAY!)

Week One - I waited for an hour, but got stood up at Dunn Library for our initial meeting. My partner forgot and went out of town.

Week Two - Mule Days Weekend. I did not leave my house. We agreed to meet next week.

Week Three - This time we were supposed to meet at "my" library in Benson. I forgot to bring my cell phone. Ms. K waited an hour for me at the museum next door. I called her back when I got home, ready to meet her. She decided to go to a Civil War reenactment. (WHY?) 

Week Four - Successfully met at Mary Duncan Public Library. Afterwards, we each had a waffle lunch at Cornerstone Cafe and Coffee across the street.

Future Weeks - Ms. K will work on one chapter of her book each week. Her homework is to review and critique two chapters of Merilee's Journey (my book). Meanwhile, I'm slogging through 41 chapters, trying to lighten the mood in my writing. Right now, it has more of a "Perils of Pauline" vibe. 

Thanks go to my Triangle East Writers critique team whose honest remarks keep me in line. We review up to ten pages of our works each month, so I share only the chapters where I know their help is needed.

It occurred to me that I am more of a mentor to Ms. K in this relationship. It's a unique position for me to be in. I never thought myself to be a font of all knowledge. Guess I learned quite a bit from publishing my first book.

Wet Mule Days

Benson began this year's Annual Mule Days celebration on Thursday, September 21st. Since Friday, this area has been deluged by apocalyptic rains. The National Weather Service has been issuing flash flood warnings since then. The temps have cooled so much that I don't need to put on the air conditioning. In fact, as I write this, my space heater is warming up the office.

How are the vendors, the rodeo animals, and the carnies are going to fare, when it's all said and done? Will some participants await rescue from their submerged cars? Will the mules, bulls and horses become mired in the mud? Will the town take a loss from this week's soggy activities and turnout? 

Now would be a good time to insert the phrase "drowning in debt." 

Just imagine the (human and critter) rodeo participants being totally drenched. Same for the golf tournament players. Might these events get postponed?  

Nope. This is a four-day "rain or shine" event. More power to the hale and hardy crowds!

Photo credit: the Town of Benson.

I'll pay for that eventually

Procrastination comes with a cost.

Not in the monetary sense...

I had a severe case of ennui since someone stood me up on Saturday.

Didn't do anything until yesterday.

Finally emptied and replaced the cat litter (more than the daily refreshing). Also vacuumed the house, which was overdue.

More than 220 Spam messages to glean.

About 30 messages in my IN box.

Caught up reading political cartoons from Daily Kos (identified as SPAM).

Had to make appointments for Thursday and Friday evenings. 😣

I still need to weed-whack the front and south sides of the yard.

Will continue to attend my Scrabble group on Wednesdays.👱

I'm almost overwhelmed by appointments in the next few weeks...and I lost my 2022-2023 calendar. I'm lost without it. Purchased a larger student planner for 2023-2024 today. Unfortunately, it's in a weekly format. Dollar Tree didn't have the monthly pocket calendar.

Labor Day Thoughts

It's September already, as hard to believe as it is. And I haven't done a darned thing to celebrate Labor Day.

In previous (married) years, my family would go to cookouts or attempt to reach the Jersey shore. We'd play miniature golf (yet another sport I suck at).

As a kid, I remember watching the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon over Labor Day weekend. I enjoyed seeing snippets of the era's Broadway shows. Less successful (boring) were the tug-at-heartstrings of everyday MS/MD sufferers. And Julius La Rosa (a 1950s has-been) would tally the pledges in the greater New York area versus the whole telethon's total. 

I don't remember ever donating, but the heart-tugging was effective. Well, I was a kid.

Writers' Meeting

 

Each month Cindy Brookshire holds a meeting for the North Carolina Writers Network (NCWM) for aspiring writers to meet and discuss what we are working on and to share our knowledge with each other. This month, we met at the Dunn Public Library. There were oodles of goodies from Sherry's Bakery, courtesy of the public library.

Pictured are Evelyn P, Barbara C, Connie G and Brionca (librarian).

Publishing Announcement

Today I was notified that my poem, The Estate Sale, will be published in the 2024 edition of Franklin County Art Council's anthology, County Lines.

It's exciting proof that I CAN write.

Thanks to my friends at Triangle East Writers for their continued support.

Release

 Release

When I think of the word “release, the first thing that comes to mind are old familiar lyrics like “Please release me, let me go.” Or Linda Ronstadt’s “Release Me.”

Most people who are hospitalized look forward to being released.

Not having a care in the world is akin to being released from agitation or worry.

Nowadays new songs, books and films are “dropped”, but pre-Internet, they used to get released.

In exercise parlance, you can tighten your muscles before you release them.

“Release your inhibitions” means to let go of typical mores, meant to give one a feeling of freedom.

Certain employers rely on euphemisms for layoffs, Reductions in Force (RIFs) or just getting canned. “Employee X was released from his contract on this date.

As a Scrabble afficienado, I look forward to the latest Scrabble dictionary release. Numerous words are added each year, which gives me an edge over my fellow players.

The end of summer means releasing oneself from crash diets due to bikini-fitting worries. That doesn’t apply to me. I can’t wait for this summer to end.

Bad Day at Black Rock

A tale of three HPs - a brand I've trusted for years.

• Old HP laptop runs Windows 365.
• Newer HP laptop is a Chromebook.
• An HP Envy Photo 7858 is (or used to be) connected to both.

Today my printer experienced numerous issues. It printed 12 of 14 short stories in Chromebook; nothing I clicked on would print the last two stories within the Google docs folder in my HP Chromebook.

Spent hours researching HP's unhelpful suggestions; turning off and re-starting the printer; unplugging it, and running various diagnoses. Finally I spoke briefly with Kevin, an HP rep. 

Kevin said he'd reinstall the printer for Windows for free, but said it's not compatible with Google, which I use 99.44% of the time. The cost for him to upload that fix would cost me $99. I hung up immediately.

There's got to be a better way!

As you might know, I have a hate-Hate-HATE relationship with Windows; my older laptop runs Windows 365. I second-guess myself for automatically renewing my subscription. 

A few weeks ago, the old laptop flat-out refused to open any Microsoft files. Rather than fight to straighten THAT issue out, viewing even more unhelpful suggestions on their website, I raised my hands in defeat. Perhaps someday I'll be in the mood to waste countless hours.

But not today.

Float

Besides the meaning “to float”, the term can also mean “to suggest”. 

Float around             =     location, situation

Float a martini             =     libation, potation

Float a wild guess             =     estimation. guestimation

Float like a butterfly             =     oscillation, fluctuation

Float on air or a cloud             =     elation, jubilation

Float an idea             =     presentation, speculation

Float a date             =     invitation

Float in water             =     relaxation

Float a kid’s toy               =     exploration

Float a lie               =     equivocation

Float your boat              =     inclination

Float a currency             =     currency manipulation

Float made with root beer     =     summertime celebration

Saving up

This month is going to be expensive. Luckily, I saved up money so I hope my bank account won't fall in the red.

👍 My landlord is changing management companies; hopefully, a good thing.

👎I get the dubious pleasure of paying rent for Sept. and Oct. at once.  (Damn!)

👎 Had to have a bug guy treat my house for roaches, and eliminate the yellow jackets from their underground nest.

👍 It was worth it to pay Hall Exterminating to come out.

 

👍Yippee! I am a contributor to a coffee table book, Johnston County Creates 2023. My story, Nana's Porches, was chosen.

👎Paid $130 for two books. That's the discounted rate.

 

👍 Finally ordered a medical alert in case I fall. If I'm lucky, I won't fall again before it arrives next week.

👎 Had to pay an annual fee of $436.45. 👎

What to Do?

I have been honest with you regarding my latest misfortunes:

a)    Burning my flab with a boiling cup of coffee. Dang - can't sue myself

b)    Falling hard on my keister in the dark

c)    Walking on an unseen yellow jacket nest

Just the TO DO List:

1. Write a story each day through Aug. 20 for author Leslie Waugh's workshop. I couldn't figure out how to share it on her Facebook page.
2. Continue on my novel; it now has a name, Merilee's Journey
3. Catch up with my Membership duties for Triangle East Writers.

Adding Insult to Injury

I'm recovering from a burn I got two weeks ago. Spilled a hot cup of coffee that was resting on my lap. The scar above my navel is fading.

On Thursday, I mowed the front yard. It was too late in the day and still much too hot to attempt mowing the back half.

At bedtime, I became disoriented while heading in the dark for the bathroom. My slipper fell off when it met with the back door mat. I fell - really hard - on my bottom. At least, that's what I think happened. I couldn't figure out where I landed; in the bedroom, bathroom, or hallway. A good five minutes passed before I tried to get myself up.

I realized that the hard, cold surface I had touched was the toilet. Ew! I imagine there's an enormous bruise blooming on my coccyx. Even using a hand mirror, I could not check myself out. (Is mt butt really that big)? Smaller bruises on my right wrist and left hand were quick to appear.

If anyone sees me walking strangely, or getting out of a chair very carefully, that bruise is only part of the reason.

While recovering from the shock of this spectacular fall, I realized that:

1. I have osteoporisis and osteopenia, so this event became a wake up call. I was fortunate not to have broken anything.
2. My phone was in another room. If I had broken anything, how could I call for help?
3. Maybe it's time for me to wear the "I've fallen and I can't get up" people.
4. Even if I could call for help, would I have the presence of mind to tell them where I'd hidden my spare keys? I imagine any help would break down my door.
5. Aging sucks!

On Friday when I ventured outside, I decided I could let the back yard's grass grow for another day or two. I would weed the pachysandra of unwanted vines, pine cones, and twigs. It was going fine until... 

...I discovered a hornet's nest. They stung my hands through my garden gloves and feasted (through my socks) on my ankles. The tree where the nest was located at the base of a pecan tree. Most of the unwanted vines were wrapped around that tree. So I whooped and hollered as I slapped at my feet and at the gloves some bees were stuck in. 

The outdoors is overrated. After I got inside, I glared out the window at the offending area.

I've had run-ins with a hornets' nest once before. Years ago, I noticed bees around my front door, and I let them be. That was, until the day I was stung by five from the hive I could not see. An exterminator removed the hive from behind the house's aluminum siding.

What I'll do with this current bunch of buzzing menaces remains to be seen. For now, I just won't venture around that area. Maybe we can share the same space through the fall.

So, anyway, today I'm a hurting pup. Icing my extremities and popping Advil. There's nothing much I can do about my bruises except move around gingerly.

As of Sunday, one bite on my left ankle keeps reminding me of the danger of traipsing through the pachysandra. My right index finger still resembles a sausage. 

Nature can be a Mother!!!

Don't Ask...

 "Is it hot enough for you?"

If I have to change my clothes three times to wring out the sweat AND take two showers, what do you think?

🔥

🚒

A Hot Week

I don't know about you, but it's too darn hot to weed outside or work on building a driveway out of marble slabs.

Last week we had so much rain, that the weeds have grown to nearly knee height. I don't want to care for the yard twice a week, but there's  a 3" height limit on our grass that may make it mandatory.

It's taken two whole days to mow my yard (the front on one day, the rear the next). The grass had grown so thick that my mower kept conking out. I skipped weed-whacking to weed a few rows in front of the house. That's not finished either.

When I come inside, I strip off my clothes to wring the sweat out. It's just the beginning of summer, and I'm ready to call it quits. I wonder: will this be a two- or three-shower day?

My perennials are confused by this global warming, too. The chrysanthemums have blossomed already, and my hosta plants are near the end of their life cycle. Most of them have sprouted their flowers which usually doesn't happen until the end of summer.

I never thought I cared too much about autumn. Now I can't wait for cooler weather!

Currently Writing "Working Title"

My second book is in the works, but since I don't how to title it. Therefore, it has a temporary title. Can you please help me? 

The story is about a young girl whose parents suddenly die in a car accident. It covers her bumpy journey through the foster system and the good, bad and terrible foster situations she endures. 

Right now I'm doing research on it. What do you think of these titles? Or should I keep the temporary title for now? If these don't work for you, please suggest your own.

___ From Foster Child to Adoptee     (gives away the ending)

___ Merilee's Journey                         (sounds like a travel log)

___ Opinionated Orphan                     (negative connotation)

___ Perils of Foster Care                     (too generic sounding)

___ __________________________

       Your Suggested Title

Navel Gazing

Most of us have heard of the term "navel gazing," right?

Well, I was sitting in my recliner three days ago. I had my usual mug of cappuccino perched on my lap. Don't know if Spooky spooked me from the adjoining chair or what, but I suddenly jumped up. This was the resulting burn.

"Feel the burn" is another common expression. And I still do.

I'm not proud of my muffin top, but hey ==> what do you want from a 69-year old?

Vision Board

This vision board encapsulates the things I enjoy and what I'd like to have in the future. Note: I am no photographer. This is the best of three shots.

Finding my real voice      Sustainable                         Cruise                          The life you've

Frappe                               Electric vehicle                   Travels                         built looks better

Flower Garden ❤             Bacon                                  Cheesecake    ❤         every day

Exercise / Move                My Cat                                Sing and Dance ❤        

Washington, DC               I'm an Adventure Fan       Unlimited Pizzabilities    

A Puzzling Hack

I like doing jigsaw puzzles. Sadly, I have no surface area large enough, high enough, or far away enough from Spooky to access.

My hospital table folds up down and sideways, but the surface area was far too small. So I duct taped a scrap piece of baseboard to it. (No picture; sorry). On Saturday, it was resting on a folding stool and a coffee table. Still not large enough. 

On Sunday, I went to Ollie's ("Good stuff cheap!") to buy a whiteboard or bulletin board. They didn't have anything near the size I needed. As I was headed to the checkout for other things, I noticed an empty end cap for Herr's Jalapeno Poppers.  (I know - the N needs a tilde over it). The staff let me take the HUGE cardboard base home. How huge is it? 40" x 48". 

                                

Note the side end is almost cat-proofed. Spooky landed on it twice until I scared the you-know-what out of her. There are now two folding chairs boosting the table.

The position of the cat tree is near Spooky's food table. She doesn't like to jump, almost as much as I don't like to bend. Spooky has trouble getting her belly off the ground. Yes, she's on a diet. She meows constantly until she gets a second or third helping. She's onto my skimpy extra servings. We're going to the vet tomorrow to get her flea medication. I can't wait to see if reducing her intake has made her slimmer.

The picture below shows the ersatz puzzle table had another boost from Spooky's cat tree, plus a thick coffee table book ("Hamilton," which I have yet to read).

See under the box's circled 17 oz. words. Spooky's cat tree enabled my fat cat to reach her food. I since replaced the cat tree with a rocking chair.

I don't mean to brag (it ain't bragging if it's true), but I'm getting good with my creative hacks.

I'm about 3/4 of the way finished putting the puzzle together. A few puzzle pieces have fallen out of the box. 

Yuck; I have to get a flashlight to look under furniture. This is when living alone sucks. There was a time (over ten years ago) when I could hand a nasty task over to a roommate. 

           Spooky . . . have I got a job for you!

                                        

Bedroom Cat-Proofing

Spooky rules the roost. Wherever I put my earring trees, she always knocks them down, scattering everything. Here are three views: in plain sight; a t-shirt slipcover; and a pizza box.

Then there are my bureau drawers. I removed the old fashioned handles from my tall dresser, replacing them with quiet, static drawer pulls. 

Spooky likes to open my long bureau and nightstand. Just plain nosy with the latter; I connected my two-drawer nightstand by putting an elastic book strap over the drawer pulls. 

The long bureau was fun for her to open, with the bonus feature of the bottom drawer becoming an ersatz bed. (Yes, we girls like our comfort)!  To stop her opening any of the six drawers, I created a custom connector by cutting a second hole in a Dollar Tree door sign. 

And below is my little terror darling, Spooky, thinking, 

"Curses! Foiled again!"

Identity Theft

It happened again...someone tried to order electronics in my name.

This happened in 2010, when I was living in Texas. My shady roommate went to Best Buy and was allowed to order a laptop when he applied for a store credit card in my name. Luckily for me, my credit card company called me because they flagged the expense. I evicted the thief immediately. 

There were additional repercussions from this event: my anxiety level went through the roof, affecting my temp job performance, so I was terminated. 

Yesterday's news was a kind of refresher, and not in a good way. It began when a Spectrum rep called me and claimed to have just spoken to me (which she hadn't). The woman went on to say "The cell phone you ordered. . ." 

I stressed that she had not been speaking to me. . . I don't want mobile service with Spectrum. . . The only thing I expected to receive from her company was a new modem, per my discussion with a male Spectrum rep two days before.

At 5:30 PM, I received email confirmation that this phone was on its way.

New Order Details

BARBARA's Device (New Phone Number Not Yet Assigned) Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Silver 512GB     Device Payment Plan $38.88   Unlimited $29.99/line/mo $29.99   One-Time Activation Charge $10.00   New Order Subtotals* $78.87     *The following taxes, fees, and other charges are included in the price of the applicable service:

Many details deleted. . .

Grand Total                                                    $173.37

As soon as I received Spectrum's email, I emailed them back,  but that didn't leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. I called Spectrum to nip this matter in the bud (or is it butt?).

At first, I thought the cable company had screwed up. Towards the end of our phone call, it dawned on me that maybe Spectrum was not to blame. I wondered to myself, "Who would steal my identity?" 

The first solid candidate was Miss ___, a former roommate whom I evicted from my North Carolina home a few years ago. Then I considered some neighbors who have my business card. That card names every means of reaching me, listing everything but my SSN, blood type, and next of kin.

I may never know who to blame for this incident, but perhaps it's my fault for being so open, Luckily, Spectrum cancelled the order before they shipped the phone.

Lesson learned? Not really. I am naive, too trusting, yada-yada. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes I do get bitten on the butt, but I wouldn't want to be any other way.