It is chilly again this morning. I saw 28 degrees on the weather channel.
Bob and I are going over to Joplin this morning. He wants to stop at the entry store and pick up some brochures and maps for our trip to Branson next weekend. We will not be going as much this year. We will both have to watch our money carefully. But we bought the season tickets last fall before the sale of the apartments and we don't want to waste them.
We are going to stop at Olive Garden and have soup and salad for lunch.
More later....
We did go to Joplin and also picked up the brochures we needed for our trip to Branson on Friday. Then we came back home and Bob went in to take a nap. I vacuumed the house from top to bottom and now I need to dust and shine the mirrors.
Later Bob came over to watch an hour's TV before going home to take a shower and get ready for bed.
It was a big day and we were both tired.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Friday, April 4, 2014
Busy Friday
Yesterday was a blur. I had only had four hours of sleep and finally just got up at 4:00 AM.
In the morning the neighbors all came over and we had a discussion about what we could do about the $50. raise in the rent. Sure enough, two of them have little or no savings just like me. They are in the same quandary.They stayed most of the morning. I sat down after they all left and wrote a note to the woman who is managing the apartments for the one who bought it. I put it on the back of the letter we were to sign if we understood the raise in rent and agreed to pay it. Then I put it in the mail.
Then I fixed dinner for Bob and me. I just fixed some hamburgers and homemade french fries. Bob had brought some Coke over a couple of weeks ago and since I seldom drink soda, I still had it and I also had some vanilla pudding for dessert. After we ate, I lay down in the recliner to try to get some rest. In just a little bit the doorbell rang. I got up to answer it and it was my neighbor across the way wanting me to come over. The apartment manager was at her apartment wanting to have a meeting. We all went for the opportunity to tell our side of it. We spent the afternoon discussing the dilemma. The former landlord had the property under insured and when they went to get it insured at today's prices, it was $2,000 higher then they had anticipated and had a $5,000 deductible. And the taxes were raised another $2,000 too. That was unanticipated consequences.
Bob and I never bought a piece of property without first inquiring about the taxes and insurance. They bought the fourplex first and then had that surprise. Martha called Betty, the buyer, and she came over and explained her dilemma. (She manages an estate for a young man who is unable to do that for himself).
I explained to her that I understood their situation but that the four of us were not the cause of that problem and she was about to take a chance on losing four very clean neat widowers who might be forced to move out of the complex. We knew when we rented these apartments that they were a bargain we wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. That's why we wanted them. All the furniture I had left after I gave away my third bedroom group fit into this apartment. And it has a carport to protect my car. And I simply cannot afford another move. If I could find another part time job that would be the answer to my problem.
They did agree to raise the rent starting June 1st just $25 until December and then raise it another $25 in December.. That gives us some temporary reprieve. They had wanted to put the $50 raise in rent into a fund for repairs. However since we also have the TV in our own names now, that too is an added expense.
The Lutheran church is looking for a part time church secretary and I will try to get my resume' to a member of the board today. The trouble is even if I could get the job, I have a trip to Kansas City to a dinner theater that I paid for before all this came up. It is the 30th of this month...on a Wednesday. Then in July, I am directing the family camp from July 11th until the 15th. Also Bob and I had planned to go to Branson next weekend on the 11th and 12th. We decided this is the last year we can buy season tickets and go and we already had the ticket. I bought them last fall so I could get a bargain. All these extra curricular activities will have to come to a speedy halt this year.
What a mess!
More later....
In the morning the neighbors all came over and we had a discussion about what we could do about the $50. raise in the rent. Sure enough, two of them have little or no savings just like me. They are in the same quandary.They stayed most of the morning. I sat down after they all left and wrote a note to the woman who is managing the apartments for the one who bought it. I put it on the back of the letter we were to sign if we understood the raise in rent and agreed to pay it. Then I put it in the mail.
Then I fixed dinner for Bob and me. I just fixed some hamburgers and homemade french fries. Bob had brought some Coke over a couple of weeks ago and since I seldom drink soda, I still had it and I also had some vanilla pudding for dessert. After we ate, I lay down in the recliner to try to get some rest. In just a little bit the doorbell rang. I got up to answer it and it was my neighbor across the way wanting me to come over. The apartment manager was at her apartment wanting to have a meeting. We all went for the opportunity to tell our side of it. We spent the afternoon discussing the dilemma. The former landlord had the property under insured and when they went to get it insured at today's prices, it was $2,000 higher then they had anticipated and had a $5,000 deductible. And the taxes were raised another $2,000 too. That was unanticipated consequences.
Bob and I never bought a piece of property without first inquiring about the taxes and insurance. They bought the fourplex first and then had that surprise. Martha called Betty, the buyer, and she came over and explained her dilemma. (She manages an estate for a young man who is unable to do that for himself).
I explained to her that I understood their situation but that the four of us were not the cause of that problem and she was about to take a chance on losing four very clean neat widowers who might be forced to move out of the complex. We knew when we rented these apartments that they were a bargain we wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. That's why we wanted them. All the furniture I had left after I gave away my third bedroom group fit into this apartment. And it has a carport to protect my car. And I simply cannot afford another move. If I could find another part time job that would be the answer to my problem.
They did agree to raise the rent starting June 1st just $25 until December and then raise it another $25 in December.. That gives us some temporary reprieve. They had wanted to put the $50 raise in rent into a fund for repairs. However since we also have the TV in our own names now, that too is an added expense.
The Lutheran church is looking for a part time church secretary and I will try to get my resume' to a member of the board today. The trouble is even if I could get the job, I have a trip to Kansas City to a dinner theater that I paid for before all this came up. It is the 30th of this month...on a Wednesday. Then in July, I am directing the family camp from July 11th until the 15th. Also Bob and I had planned to go to Branson next weekend on the 11th and 12th. We decided this is the last year we can buy season tickets and go and we already had the ticket. I bought them last fall so I could get a bargain. All these extra curricular activities will have to come to a speedy halt this year.
What a mess!
More later....
I talked to the retiring pastor at
the Lutheran Church this morning (I know him personally) and he told me to send
my resume' for the job application on by attachment to e-mail so I did. Now
we'll see what happens.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Wednesday Bad News
Sure enough! It was just as we suspected. The new landlady raised all our rents $50.a month! The new rent starts in April. We are all upset because we all have very limited incomes. There's nothing we can do however, except dig into our savings and pay it.
I have been reading my friend Ron's autobiography. It is very interesting and I have downloaded it onto my Kindle. I went to Caney this afternoon for my visual range test. If it comes out correctly, I will have eyelid surgery on my right eyelid. I had the left one done several years ago in Wichita. I will not go back to that doctor. This time I will go to Joplin. I sat in the reception room and read that Kindle. It is very entertaining.
After the test I checked out the low income housing in Caney. They had two openings. Both apartments were one bedroom and very small. There was no protection for our cars. I doubt I will move.
I went to Wal Mart for groceries today. I have spent $58.00 for groceries already this month. Between the electric bill and the cost of groceries, my budget is under water.
I went this evening to my grandson's birthday dinner in Independence. I came home early though because we are under storm warnings.
More tomorrow.....
I have been reading my friend Ron's autobiography. It is very interesting and I have downloaded it onto my Kindle. I went to Caney this afternoon for my visual range test. If it comes out correctly, I will have eyelid surgery on my right eyelid. I had the left one done several years ago in Wichita. I will not go back to that doctor. This time I will go to Joplin. I sat in the reception room and read that Kindle. It is very entertaining.
After the test I checked out the low income housing in Caney. They had two openings. Both apartments were one bedroom and very small. There was no protection for our cars. I doubt I will move.
I went to Wal Mart for groceries today. I have spent $58.00 for groceries already this month. Between the electric bill and the cost of groceries, my budget is under water.
I went this evening to my grandson's birthday dinner in Independence. I came home early though because we are under storm warnings.
More tomorrow.....
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Hairdo Tuesday
Finally! Tuesday has come. My hair is a mess since it's been a week since its been shampooed.
I slept well last night but woke up at 3:00 to go to the bathroom. I got right back to sleep but then I received eight text messages from my son and that may have been an emergency so I got up and looked at them. Turns out he had an unusual experience and just needed to tell me about it. I had had a good night's sleep so I lay there for twenty minutes and then just got up.
Last evening, this laptop computer crashed. I tried for twenty minutes to get it back up but finally just gave up. I have no mail program on the desktop so I had to use web mail to e-mail my daughter to tell my son, the IT. After an hour or so, I tried again and this time it came up. I don't know how long it will stay up. The crash was a bad sign. I think I bought it in 2006 or 2008. It has Quicken 2006 on it and I double check my checkbook there. My son is bringing me a new laptop in May but that's the last of May. I hope I can keep this one up that long. It also has XP operating system on it and they are discontinuing support for XP the 8th of this month. It's always something. I would like to put Windows 2007 on this one but I'm not sure there is enough memory to support it.
I need to buy groceries today. I have quite a list.
This is the day I take our cakes up to Independence too. I have all but one and Bob has that one. He has to ice it yet this morning. He has a dental appointment this morning so will not be going with me to Independence.
Tomorrow is my grandson's birthday. I have a card but don't know what to get him for his birthday.
More later....
I slept well last night but woke up at 3:00 to go to the bathroom. I got right back to sleep but then I received eight text messages from my son and that may have been an emergency so I got up and looked at them. Turns out he had an unusual experience and just needed to tell me about it. I had had a good night's sleep so I lay there for twenty minutes and then just got up.
Last evening, this laptop computer crashed. I tried for twenty minutes to get it back up but finally just gave up. I have no mail program on the desktop so I had to use web mail to e-mail my daughter to tell my son, the IT. After an hour or so, I tried again and this time it came up. I don't know how long it will stay up. The crash was a bad sign. I think I bought it in 2006 or 2008. It has Quicken 2006 on it and I double check my checkbook there. My son is bringing me a new laptop in May but that's the last of May. I hope I can keep this one up that long. It also has XP operating system on it and they are discontinuing support for XP the 8th of this month. It's always something. I would like to put Windows 2007 on this one but I'm not sure there is enough memory to support it.
I need to buy groceries today. I have quite a list.
This is the day I take our cakes up to Independence too. I have all but one and Bob has that one. He has to ice it yet this morning. He has a dental appointment this morning so will not be going with me to Independence.
Tomorrow is my grandson's birthday. I have a card but don't know what to get him for his birthday.
More later....
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tired Monday
I got home from the retreat yesterday afternoon and from there unpacked and started my laundry. Bob and I went to Marilyn's at 7:00 and didn't back to our homes until 9:30 or so. By the time I took my bath and went to bed, it was near 10:00. Still I was so tired I didn't sleep well at all. It was on and off all night. Finally I got up at 4:45 and fixed a pot of coffee. Maybe that will help.
I stripped my bed this morning and am washing my sheets, underwear and the towel I took to camp. I left my ,moisture cream in the bathroom over there so will have to buy more today. I used my body cream this morning....probably not a good thing for the face but it worked.
We had a wonderful time at the camp. The food was so good that I overate. It will take me a week or two of normal eating to shed the pounds I managed to put on. The speaker was a great speaker. We had small groups where we shared in confidence our brokenness and then later had an opportunity to share our blessings. The closing worship service was very moving and then we had the sacrament of the observance of the Lord's supper.
John, Leslie's husband, met us for lunch at Red Lobster. He had gone to Cassville to go fishing at Roaring River. I had given him a gift card for that restaurant for Christmas and that was the first opportunity he had had to use it. He bought my lunch too. I ate way too much food over the weekend but it was all good.
I just looked and Missy is lying on top of the coverlet which I had piled on top the cedar chest in the bedroom. That cat! She's something else.
I will go to exercise class this morning and maybe that will jump start me for the day. I need to run the vacuum and wash the kitchen and bathroom floors. I haven't decided about lunch yet.
More later...
I decided to have chicken tenders and baked potatoes for lunch with brussel sprouts and cottage cheese. And that worked out well and I sent the leftover chicken home with Bob. There's not much on TV tonight. There are two old episodes of the Big Bang Theory which we may watch...depending on how many times we've seen those .
I stripped my bed this morning and am washing my sheets, underwear and the towel I took to camp. I left my ,moisture cream in the bathroom over there so will have to buy more today. I used my body cream this morning....probably not a good thing for the face but it worked.
We had a wonderful time at the camp. The food was so good that I overate. It will take me a week or two of normal eating to shed the pounds I managed to put on. The speaker was a great speaker. We had small groups where we shared in confidence our brokenness and then later had an opportunity to share our blessings. The closing worship service was very moving and then we had the sacrament of the observance of the Lord's supper.
John, Leslie's husband, met us for lunch at Red Lobster. He had gone to Cassville to go fishing at Roaring River. I had given him a gift card for that restaurant for Christmas and that was the first opportunity he had had to use it. He bought my lunch too. I ate way too much food over the weekend but it was all good.
I just looked and Missy is lying on top of the coverlet which I had piled on top the cedar chest in the bedroom. That cat! She's something else.
I will go to exercise class this morning and maybe that will jump start me for the day. I need to run the vacuum and wash the kitchen and bathroom floors. I haven't decided about lunch yet.
More later...
I decided to have chicken tenders and baked potatoes for lunch with brussel sprouts and cottage cheese. And that worked out well and I sent the leftover chicken home with Bob. There's not much on TV tonight. There are two old episodes of the Big Bang Theory which we may watch...depending on how many times we've seen those .
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