Thursday and Breakfast with the Girls

This morning at 9:00, three of us will have breakfast together and afterward I will go out to church and clean the upholstery on two pews where someone must have put their dirty shoes...probably my two great grandchildren. I will leave the cleaner there just in case we need it again.

I had another rough night of sleep. I awoke several times and finally just got up at 4:00AM. I ate a small piece of Bob's pumpkin bread so I could take my meds.  I also had one cup of coffee. I don't want to wait until 10:00 to take my meds. Our breakfast is not until 9:00.

My sweeper threw the self propel belt yesterday as I was vacuuming the den. I took it in to Liebert Brothers Electric to have the belt replaced. I tried to do it myself but any more my hands are just not strong enough to handle stretching it. They have done it once before for me.   They say that when that begins to happen, it won't be long until I will need a new sweeper. Consumers Report says the $99 Hoover is a "best buy".   It still has the bag instead of the replaceable filter.  So I will probably buy a new sweeper soon. I can afford that one anyhow. Meanwhile, they will call me when the belt is back on.

Today is the last full afternoon of work at the library for this week. Fridays I only work two hours since the program cut our hours back a couple of months ago. I still make enough money to make two car payments each month. That's the important thing.

Marilyn came over last evening to tell me that Fred, the man who lives in the house across the street, has been doing a lot of loud yelling again. He is cursing at the top of his lungs. She is disturbed about it. She is home to hear all that noise in the afternoon. I contacted the landlady about it. She suggested I call the police and report him as disturbing the peace. He is drinking again. That's what that's all about. She had told him if the police have to come out again, she will have him evicted. They were out a month or so before. This used to be such a nice quiet neighborhood. What a shame she is not carefully screening her tenants.

Marilyn also told me the landlady raised the rent on Robert and his girlfriend who live in the small apartment where Bob used to live in the fourplex.  Now they are paying $500 a month for a 1,000 square foot apartment. When I rented this one which is 1200 square feet, two and a half years ago, those smaller ones rented for $425.  I only hope they don't decide to raise the rent on these Marilyn and I rent again. They raised it $25.00 last year but they intended to raise it $50 a month. We had a tenant's meeting and invited Betty and the property manager, Martha, to come. I explained to them that the four of us (Bob was living here in the fourplex then too) were good housekeepers and they knew we would take good care of their property. They decided to just raise it $25 at that time. Of course, they eliminated the business TV cable then too so we ended up having to provide our own cable. That raised the expense another $30.  Then they also only mow twice a month so the yard only looks good for a week before it starts looking shaggy.

I have gone to a lot of expense to live here. I intended to live here until I die. I bought all new Roman  blinds and also bamboo blinds for the den and living room to replace long drapes that Wayne had in here. I knew Missy would end up messing up his drapes so I replaced them with blinds. I bought an "over the range" microwave oven and John and Jeff installed it for me. I also bought a cabinet for over the stool in the bathroom and John and Leslie put that up and then I bought a new coverlet for my bed. I brought my own frig and range too. I intended to live here as long as I lived. Now I'm not sure. If they continue to raise the rent, I may not be able to afford it.  I looked at the low income places in Caney but they were too small and had no place for my three piece wall unit that is full of books and had no carports.  So I was happy when this apartment opened up and Joyce called and told me about it.

I've rambled on long enough. I'll get back to this later....

Another school shooting with 10 people dead and 20 injured.  How many hundreds of  people have to die before this ignorant gun law is changed.  Anyone who actually reads the second amendment sees that it was a cultural thing with militias to be armed by citizens. We now have a standing army and police forces in communities.  We no longer have militias. We need a constitutional amendment and do what Australia did after just one mass killing decades ago. There are way too many legislators in the pocket of the NRA.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Before I left for work, I called the police on Fred across the street. He stands on his porch and shouts curse words across the street. He also follows the 18 year old girl who lives two doors over in this fourplex and shouts at her at her work. He is drunk. The 18 year old is scared of him. I talked to the police officer and told him what we are dealing with here.  My landlady said if he had another police visit, she would get rid of him.  We will see.

I had another big day at work this afternoon. I stayed busy with all kinds of busy work.

Tomorrow is my two hour day. I am looking forward to that.