Thurs. Tree Work PWYC

[lucylee]

I can't remember how much we paid for clean-up of a tree that fell during high winds a few years ago. It was (IMHO) expensive, but the tree was very large and the guy did a good job.
DS has sooo many HUGE pine trees around his yard. We all say we don't know what possessed Grandma to set out all those pine trees. Pine needles cover every inch of ds' backyard and get on the windshields of the cars and leave pine sap on the vehicles that can't be parked in the garage... it is such a mess. But DS doesn't want to pay to have them all cut down.
I don't even know where I'd find an actual arborist. Hmmm...
I wish I could come into a boatload of money and fix everything that needs fixing at my house and his!

Re: my own vehicle troubles -- I'm not seriously considering trading cars at this point. If dh were alive, he would definitely want to keep this Tahoe till the 2028 models come out. I don't know that I will be able to afford a new Tahoe at that time, but I'm not really worrying about it right now. Repairs so far, even at the cost of $1400, is less than $200 per month. I'm "saving" more than that much in my checking account each month and I haven't had to get into that savings yet, so I think I'm managing okay.
It IS nerve-wracking to be the only person responsible for the checkbook, you know? I wish I had dh here to rely on to make the big decisions. My dmom is a retired banker/accountant and I still think I can trust her advice re: financial matters... but it's not HER money. (I KNOW I can TRUST my dmom, I mean I'm just saying that her MIND is still clear enough that I trust her wisdom.) I want to do things like dh would do... but what would dh DO if suddenly our income had been cut by 40%? That's a constant question I deal with.

And groceries are getting sooo high, aren't they? Maybe I'm buying more, maybe I'm spending more time on the non-grocery side of the store, but for the second time in a row, I have spent over $180 at Wmart! Of course, I'm not just buying for myself, I'm buying a lot of stuff that dgrands like to eat also... and thank goodness they are back in school and I'll only be feeding them on weekends for the most part! LOL... ddil offered all summer to give me money to help pay for their food, but I didn't let her.

Well, today, I took the shirts to the lady to make teddy bears. She showed me a couple she had made, and they looked really good. She has not done the embroidery on others, but she said she did have an embroidery machine and she thought she could do this.
After that, I went to the ambulance service office to sign a check! Dmom called while I was with the teddy bear lady, and she said they had called and told her she sent them a check but failed to sign it! Well, turns out, she apparently let her housekeeper fill out the check and instead of signing it, she just put it in the envelope and sent it on. (My name is on her checking account, so this was easy for me to do, and the ambulance office is very close to Wmart, where I was when she called.)
THEN, I went to church and addressed envelopes with the pastor and a couple other ladies (for the 200 year celebration).
After I got home, I fell asleep on the couch and took a very long nap.
When I woke up, I was hungry and decided I had put off Wmart SHOPPING long enough, so I went back there. (Didn't have time before church to buy groceries this morning.) I know it is not a good idea to shop for food when one is hungry, and I did buy a bunch of junk food. Stopped on the way home to get a hamburger and cheese sticks, because I could tell I was having a low blood sugar attack, and I really didn't think I could unload the car till I ate.

Now it's time for bed and I am still tired, so maybe I will catch up on sleep tonight. I don't think I have anything I have to do tomorrow until 5:00 -- DS called and said it is "Meet the Team" night at our school -- an intrasquad game for the varsity and introduction of all the players, including dgs' junior high team. So I'll go to that and bring DGD home with me.

Harriet, my ddad and my dmil also LOVED cornbread in milk! (Personally, I cringe at the thought of it!)
Does HRH need (want) the caffeine? I'm just wondering if he will replace coffee with tea or Cokes. I can't get by without my Diet Coke/Dr. Pepper. I really don't know if the caffeine even helps me. I drink so much -- too much, I know -- that I think I've built up a tolerance to it. I'm a little bit scared of the popular energy drinks. I don't drink coffee because I just don't enjoy hot drinks for the most part, and I don't like the taste of coffee -- although I LOVE the smell of it.
When I was in high school, I worked in a drug shop where a bunch of men gathered to drink coffee every day. It smelled sooo good.

That's a good tactic, Nancy -- give the spammers a taste of their own medicine, making them listen to something they are not interested in too!

Hmmm... four teens in a mini Cooper is going to be a very tight fit, isn't it? It is so good that ds17's boss trusts him so much, LadyM! I bet they'll have a ball. I would hate to have to drive 4 hours and back for a car. Oh to be young again...

Blessed, I was wondering how you were doing! How are things going with your mom? AND your dh? AND your ddaughters?

Harriet, there is another blended school in our area -- actually about an hour away -- but one of my dfriend's children attended it. They had to go to class once a week, and the rest of the time, their assignments were done on the computer. It was so great for them. Their dad is a musician and the family travelled with him a lot. They ended up going back to the traditional public school for their senior years, I think because they wanted to be more involved in extracurricular activities.
The one in my town requires a certain amount of hours in the school building, but I think the kids can do this on their own schedule.
I'm pretty sure neither of these schools has buses, but I think they are both part of the public school systems in their counties. I know the one in our town is. Up until this year, students returned to their "home" school districts for graduation, but the faculty is very excited because this year, they will have their own graduation ceremony.

Well... I guess I better sign off. Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow.