Cool and damp this am. Didn’t get the batteries changed in my station, so I’m pretty sure 51F is yesterday. It did get nice and warmish, with beautiful clear skies yesterday.
I did manage to get a couple of my other projects done. New style of rat trap was built and installed. If it produces rats, I’ll do a couple more. I haven’t seen any poop in a while, since I vacuumed everything. I did see the rat on the fence though.
Finished pruning the bushes. That is a time definite task and this was as good a time as most. I imagine it is even worse if you are farming or ranching. Stuff needs to be done when it needs to be done, and you don’t have much choice. We’re not quite to “when all danger of frost has passed”, but I will be planting something soon. Not sure what yet, but it’s getting close.
Lots of stuff still going on internationally. And we can’t seem to keep our noses out. As Dr Pournelle often wrote- “There Will Be WAR” here or there or all over the place… it will be ugly.
n
Huh, it really is 50F and it’s probably 90%RH too.
Added to yesterday’s note, regarding rice- the bag says, 50 pounds is 400 1/4 cup servings. So 200 servings per bucket. The cost was $15 for rice, and $8 for buckets, and $9 for one gamma lid and one regular lid. I used hand warmers as O2 absorbers ‘cuz that’s what I have on hand. You don’t need gamma lids (but they make it easy to USE your preps) and you can get buckets cheaper if you look around.
I didn’t mention it yesterday, but daughter one wanted to build a teepee out of the bushes I trimmed. So we did. It gave me the chance to introduce the idea of bushcraft and temporary shelters, and we messed around with the idea. It certainly LOOKS the business, but it is sadly lacking in real structure. Next time we’ll go a little further.
n
Subbing again today, art teacher. I am her favorite sub so she contacts me first. Most of the teachers have their favorite subs. Last minute contact as she forgot about an appointment. I also have scheduled days for that are the way into April.
Supposed to get slammed with about 2″ to 3″ of snow tomorrow. Rain first then a rapid drop in temperature that will ice the roads, then cover them with snow. School will be out all day and probably Wednesday.
Spousal unit is improving. Doctor appointment on Thursday I guess to remove stitches and do a check on the results.
I already paid the hospital $4,500.00. My deductible this year is $2,700.00 so I have that met. Insurance will pay 80% until I reach $7,700.00 which the maximum out of pocket. So I really don’t know what the surgeon charged and I will have to pay. I suspect another $2,000.00 or so. Then the anesthesiologist who is supposed to be in network according to the hospital. That will be another $1,000.00 or so out of my pocket. That will put me close to the maximum out of pocket.
But then there is the issue with what the insurance company does not cover. You know, don’t cover that procedure on Tuesdays that have odd numbered days.
I am also scheduled for some more physical therapy courtesy of the VA. This time it is suppose to involved needles, as in a form of acupuncture. Not happy about that but have to play the game.
Also had a hearing test by an organization contracted by the VA. I am attempting to get the VA to pay for hearing aids. I have letters from my primary doctor and from an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) who is an expert stating my hearing loss is due to my time in the computer rooms while in the USAF. It will be interesting to see if the VA agrees. It will be difficult for them to disagree with independent doctors. If they do I will appeal before a judge.
I also see where Black Panther is winning lots of awards for best movie, best whatever. I saw the movie. It was OK, confusing in parts, nothing special. Thus in my opinion the awards are nothing more than the SAG to attempt to show the world they are not racist. “We voted for a black movie, aren’t we special”. This pattern will continue into the Oscars.
Blacks complain when a movie does not have enough blacks. Why don’t they complain when a movie such as Black Panther only contains black people and no white people. Is that not just as racist?
As I have long stated everything should be color blind. What you get you earn because of your skills, talent and intelligence. Not because of your skin color. To award something based on skin color alone diminishes the accomplishments of those that succeeded, even excelled based on their abilities. It cheapens awards earned in the past.
Waiting for the end of the world tomorrow. Forecast for N. Alabama is for rain late Monday night, rapid drop in temps overnight, and then snow. I am truly shocked that schools have not already cancelled for tomorrow. And Wednesday.
The following article came across in my Google News this morning. It is a limited study, but I would say it is representative. Some of the comments are very good. (Also, check out the mission statement of the site)
https://www.studyfinds.org/survey-half-doctors-consider-leaving-medicine-insurance-company-headaches/
I also see that Chicago is about to be consumed by a polar vortex that will break low-temperature records. I wonder what the wind chill off Lake Michigan will be?
So 800,000 Federal “Workers” are supposed to return to work today. I bet no more work will get done this week than last week. If any work gets done, it will just be because someone flicked a switch or turned on a computer.
Onward through the fog, literally.
12º and cloudy here. Polar vortex my fanny. This kind of thing happens every year here.
Yesterday I ran the snowthrower twice. In the morning because of the 2″ of accumulation overnight, and nothing had been driven on, so a good opportunity to get it done. Then in the evening after 4″ plus fell in a 2-hour period. Eldest wanted to come out & help, but it was getting dark, and an 11-year-old in the dark around moving machinery is not my idea of a smart move.
This morning it was under an inch of fluff, so I did it with just a shovel to push it along. Faster than digging out the thrower, as I can walk faster than the fastest speed on the thrower.
I can understand folks that don’t get this kind of thing regularly not being able to get around. I do this EVERY YEAR, and I have plenty of practice. Yesterday, headed to a birthday pool party, I hit a spot that was slicker than expected, and we started to get squirrely. Kids thought I was just fooling around (as I often do), so they didn’t worry. I hit the clutch & worked on ending the rotation calmly. It was after that was over that I explained to the kids what happened. #1 son, who wants to NEVER do the kind of driving I do, is now re-thinking his position. Practicing what can go wrong and recovering is what kept us out of the ditch. Lots of cars in ditches yesterday.
Same forecast for here. Anywhere from 1″ to 4″ of snow, massive drop in temperature sometime early in the morning. The rain beforehand will guarantee the roads will be impassable. Schools should make the call now to close for at least Tuesday.
However the superintendent is between a rock and hard place. If he calls off school and there is no road problems he is an evil monster. If he does not call off school and there are problems on the road he is an evil monster. He has to make a decision based on weather information rather than looking out the window at his house. Road conditions can vary widely here depending on location and terrain.
I would rather the call be made in error to close the roads. One crashed school bus is not worth 500 falsely called school closures. In addition you have many juniors and seniors who are not experienced drivers driving in conditions in which they have no experience. Plus a few bubbas who see it as occasion to push the limits of their vehicles.
Had an incident this weekend with a person that was driving their 4-wheeler in the Windrock area, a very popular off-road area here. Driving too fast on a gravel/dirt road, lost control, flew the air and crashed. Had to be flown out to a trauma center via helicopter. Face is badly damaged, most of his teeth destroyed, will require major reconstruction on his face.
Idiot was out 4-wheeling, driving too fast, driving beyond his skill level, and most importantly no seat belt. In the crash he face planted the window and dash. Parts broken on his jeep that are not supposed to ever break. In my mind when you go 4-wheeling in this area you are belted in securely, perhaps even a shoulder harness. I have seen video of roll overs (slow speed) where the driver was harnessed in the vehicle and had no injuries. In fact they considered it a cheap thrill. Without the harness they would have several broken bones.
Agreed. Our schools system is pretty good – not overly alarmist and closing at the mention of rain, especially with our new superintendent. An email was sent out earlier this morning stating they are monitoring the weather, and will make a decision after a 2:30 EMA weather briefing.
Lots of fun here. The Great White Mouse Hunter. Been in this house almost 30 years and never had any real pests in the house. Had rats in the garage a couple of times but deploying D-Con quickly stopped that.
Discovered mouse droppings on the shelves next to the washer dryer and looking further found several pieces of dog kibble chewed on behind some boxes. I had been in the habit of leaving a dish of kibble for the dog’s breakfast on top of the washer to give him first thing in the morning. That stopped and now dish up only as needed. No sign of any intrusion into any pet food. Found a nest in a box of re-usable grocery bag on the self above. Damn Whole Foods burlap bag.
First caught a fair sized mouse in a glue trap between the TV and wall at end of breakfast counter. Have since caught four small ones. Thinking s pregnant one got in and raised a brood. Three more in glue traps and one in a snap trap. All on floor level. Built box traps out of small shipping boxes by cutting 1 inch square holes at opposite ends and placed them on edge against walls. Keeps the dog from getting too curious.
None this morning. Keep the traps up and look for new droppings (very small and not that obvious).
Wife acts like this makes us ghetto trash and forbids me to tell others. Please, it’s been cold and this has never happened here. In our old house many years ago we had a rat infestation that was anything but easy to eliminate. Trapping followed by D-Con got that one but she forgets.
However the superintendent is between a rock and hard place. If he calls off school and there is no road problems he is an evil monster.
We went through something similar in Vantucky (Vancouver, WA) a couple of times a year.
Calling a snow day with open roads creates a problem for K-8 parents who are often stuck without fallback resources for childcare, and, as a result, they have to call in absent to their jobs/school.
In my particular case, attending a branch campus of WSU, snow days got decided in Pullman, and they would hold classes with *feet* of snow on the ground out there.
you can’t fix stupid.
@dadcooks, I had a question about something, and I would normally have asked RBT. Something to do with food or cooking… but I CAN”T REMEMBER. Dang it, if I remember, I’ll ask.
City picked up the huge brush pile from my yard today. Wigwam is still standing, as two little girls that didn’t get to play in it yet would have been distraught….
ebay stuff this morning
n
Same issue in my house. No real rodent problems in 27 years then about three years we had a major problem. In the course of five or so days managed to catch almost a dozen rodents. Over the course of the next three weeks that total climbed to 22. All it takes is a couple to take up residence in some hidden space and within a few weeks there are a couple of dozen.
Spent time sealing every little intrusion space we could find. Apparently still missed a couple somewhere as we occasionally trap another mouse. But the number has subsided substantially and I think for the most part we have it beat, for now.
I did go out to the mower shed and saw a couple of mice running. I managed to smash one with a shovel, the other got away. The doors fit fairly tight and there is no food in the shed. The mice were using it for shelter, behind a board stacked against the 2×4 frame. Found the nest. Little bastards had chewed a hole to outside. The shed is sided with 1/4″ cement fiber board. The mice had chewed through the exterior wall, a hole about 1/2″ in diameter. This summer that hole will get sealed. I will also install some poison traps and some entrapment traps, the kind with a sealed box and a door that drops to trap them. If the die and stink I don’t care in the mower shed.
Last Friday marked the 20 year anniversary of the last big snow in the southern San Joaquin valley. We had about 8″ at out house. Big event for many here. It really shouldn’t be that odd as 30 mins will get up to snow elevations most winters.
The sheer increase in people and lack of sense have changed the way it’s dealt with. I5 over the Grapevine used to get chain restrictions when it snowed, now the CHP just closes it. Far too many idiots. The schools up there usually close as well. I used to drive the mountains quite a bit when young as I liked skiing. Always had my chains in winter. Used real chains, cables, and plastic studded belts. I liked the plastic belts as they worked pretty well and were easy to install. Real chains for real ice. Those dark shaded corners up in the Sierra Nevadas are no fun with black ice.
Little bastards had chewed a hole to outside. The shed is sided with 1/4″ cement fiber board. The mice had chewed through the exterior wall, a hole about 1/2″ in diameter.
I’ve seen holes chewed through cinderblock by citrus grove rats in Florida. If they’re sufficiently motivated, they’ll get into a place.
1/4″ cement fiber board? Easy.
@Nick, welcome to my world of half-heimers. I’m only forgetful half the time and the other half I don’t remember.
Apparently. You would think with no food involved it would not be worth the effort. I don’t see the motivation other than a dry shelter. There is no heat. I would think there are better choices but I am not a mouse. Perhaps my house is now known as a death zone so alternatives were sought.
Fire drill at school. Supposed to be a substitute folder in each classroom so the sub knows where the students are supposed to gather. It may be in this room but with the mess no one knows where. So I just swept the room and went outside. I have no idea where the students gathered as there are three different locations. Used to be everyone gathered in the football stadium stands. Not anymore. As long as my room is empty that is good enough for me.
Some classes use the visitors stands close to the building. Bad idea as being 20 feet from a building that is burning is never a good idea. Some gather in one parking that is a safe distance away, unless the band and football room is burning. Another group of classes gather in another parking lot that is right next to the building but at least the students gather on the far end.
Some of the decisions of the school administration are puzzling. The safest spot is not used and everyone winds up spread out over three locations.
Dilbert: documents on chairs
https://dilbert.com/strip/2019-01-28
I never do this !
Snicker.
Spousal unit is improving. Doctor appointment on Thursday I guess to remove stitches and do a check on the results.
Excellent ! Rejoice now, you can worry about the money later.
My dad maintains that 50% of back surgeries are failures. Here is hoping that the spousal unit’s surgery beat that odd.
Shoot, she gets healed up and you can drive her over to Misery City to see her mother.
Our muster point at work is ~100 feet from the building. A bit close, in my opinion, for a 5 story office building.
Related, I guess, is that I never seek out the close parking spot. Not at work, the supermarket, or anywhere. I tend to park ~1/4 of the way into any parking lot. It has always been my way. If something bad happens I don’t want my prime escape route (car) to be involved.
Not only do I want to be able to just drive away from a bad situation, but my car also has a lot of “stuff” in it that can help me in many, many situations.
Breaking Cat News: new break room
https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2019/01/28
Gotta have a break room before going on the air.
I guess we can reset the “Days since a Muslim terror attack” counter—
“ISIS SUICIDE BOMBERS Attack Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Philippines — At Least 20 Dead”
n
Not only do I want to be able to just drive away from a bad situation, but my car also has a lot of “stuff” in it that can help me in many, many situations.
Amen. I went over to Subway the other day and forgot my wallet (this was not the first time !). My cash stash in my truck got me out the door with my sub even though they said I could pay the next time.
I carry lots of good stuff in the truck such as water and tools.
ADD: @nick suggested adding a cash stash to vehicles and I agreed.
Forgetful? Me? Never!
You know what they say: memory is the second thing to go. I, um, forget what the first one was…
Sunday I was getting the attic above my work garage cleaned up after the air compressor project. I ran a new data line for that garage. I had to abandon the old one when I redid the data closet in the house and the old cable didn’t have enough slack. While I was at it, I ran a cable for a future IP camera. I may keep procrastinating on getting the camera system, but at least I have one cable in place now.
“I secretly charge $20 per hour for driving my mother to doctors’ appointments and the grocery store”
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-secretly-charge-an-hourly-rate-for-caring-for-my-mom-2015-02-06
I may have mentioned this article here before.
I’ve been telling the wife that she should pay herself for taking care of her father’s businesses and finances. It takes her about 10 to 15 hours per WEEK.
I’ve been telling the wife that she should pay herself for taking care of her father’s businesses and finances. It takes her about 10 to 15 hours per WEEK.
Dunno about Texas, but Florida Medicare gets all weird about the families taking money from the oldsters, even if it is clearly documented as payment for help.
Things get really bad if the oldster was into anything illegal, especially defrauding the government at any level. If the government can establish a money trail from a crime, the beneficiaries are held just as responsible as the oldster even though they may be oblivious about the criminal activities. Prosecution, lawsuits, and asset forfeiture all go on the table at that point.
Dunno about Texas, but Florida Medicare gets all weird about the families taking money from the oldsters, even if it is clearly documented as payment for help.
Is that Medicare or Medicaid ?
BTW, the man has assets. Three rental properties, several residential lots, a home that the wife is thinking about selling, many stocks (those quarterly dividend checks are a pain), a six figure IRA, quite a bit of cash, and a 100% disabled vet payment. His income and outgo is balanced at the moment even though his nursing home just upped their monthly bill to almost $6,000/month plus filed bankruptcy.
BTW, the wife has killed off three of his five timeshares. Two are left to kill. She is very unhappy about this as am I, he paid an average of $10,000 each for these in his 70s. He is now 86.
At least one of the businesses should pay her. She is doing a bookkeeper or AA job, she should be paid to do so. also helps transfer some tiny amount of the estate to her…
The only plus side, she’ll be fully aware of his financial state when she inevitably and un-enviably will need to be.
n
Is that Medicare or Medicaid ?
Medicaid. Oops.
BTW, the wife has killed off three of his five timeshares. Two are left to kill. She is very unhappy about this as am I, he paid an average of $10,000 each for these in his 70s. He is now 86.
The timeshares will be your problem if he dies before she gets rid of them. Maintenance payment obligations continue with the estate of an owner unless paperwork gets filed in a very narrow time window. I trust a lawyer is already on the job.
She is very unhappy about this as am I, he paid an average of $10,000 each for these in his 70s
You watched “The Queen of Versailles”, right? Timeshares came up here before.
That woman is finishing the house now that the economy and Westgate have recovered. She wants to sell it and build something bigger.
If nothing else, watching the flick will motivate your wife to get rid of the remaining timeshares, especially if they are from Westgate.
If you want to avoid being broke and destroyed, Fellas, don’t put your d*ck in crazy….
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6639301/Kelsy-Karter-gets-Harry-Styless-face-TATTOOED-cheek.html
Take the tattoo as equivalent to the warning from huge fangs on a predator- run away!
n
“Mexico is starting to look like Venezuela”
https://www.sovereignman.com/trends/mexico-is-starting-to-look-like-venezuela-24466/
“But oil thieves have been drilling holes in Mexico’s extensive network of oil and gas piplelines across the country to steal fuel and sell it on the black market.”
“State-owned oil company PEMEX found more than 12,500 illegal holes in the pipelines last year.”
“The work is also incredibly dangerous… more than 80 people recently died in a pipeline explosion north of Mexico City when they were trying to siphon off gas.”
“You’ve got the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, who wants to centrally plan housing. He wants to tax people and let the government dole out houses.”
Just ignore the Sovereign Man’s advertising. He does bring up very good issues.
The timeshares will be your problem if he dies before she gets rid of them. Maintenance payment obligations continue with the estate of an owner unless paperwork gets filed in a very narrow time window. I trust a lawyer is already on the job.
The wife is working on killing off the remaining two timeshares. She may have to go the legal route but has not done so yet.
We now expect her dad to live to be 95. The wife is in no rush.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6639301/Kelsy-Karter-gets-Harry-Styless-face-TATTOOED-cheek.html
Take the tattoo as equivalent to the warning from huge fangs on a predator- run away!
Good night, that is definitely crazy.
I’ll do that one better. I fart in my chair. Paper left there gets unceremoniously dumped in the trash. That’s why I have an inbox (my door, and magnets).
Just one? If I go to the trouble to scramble in a not-so-easy location I run twice what I need.
“Just one? If I go to the trouble to scramble in a not-so-easy location I run twice what I need. ”
I did this professionally for a number of years. If it was hard to get the cable pull, then put in extra… cable is cheap compared to breaking up a slab, or coring, or working under supervision…
Whenever I haven’t done it for one reason or another, it’s always come back to bite my donkey.
n
Take the tattoo as equivalent to the warning from huge fangs on a predator- run away!
My wife sees at least one patient a month inquiring about tattoo removal. Most show up under the impression that medical science has made removal as easy as getting rid of a wart, and they aren’t prepared for the multi-step process with an imperfect end result.
I normally pull 2 cables if I need 1. For this spot, it’s not hard to access, it’s just very close to the spot I was running another cable. So I actually did run 2…one just ends 15 ft further than the other. Good point nonetheless, and also good practice.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6639301/Kelsy-Karter-gets-Harry-Styless-face-TATTOOED-cheek.html
Take the tattoo as equivalent to the warning from huge fangs on a predator- run away!
I can just see that when she is 80, if she makes it that far. That type of behavior tends to be a mark of early self elimination. Anyway, her cheek by 80 may hang down to her collarbone.
The wife is working on killing off the remaining two timeshares. She may have to go the legal route but has not done so yet.
If she hasn’t done so already, she wants to discuss what I believe is termed “rejecting the bequeathal” of the timeshares with the lawyer in case her father dies before the timeshares are unloaded and they end up as part of the estate.
Everyone in Florida it seems tries for the “free” Disney tickets at Westgate once. Most end up with a lifetime obligation which end up being a burden to their families. FL law has an escape route in probate, but it is a very narrow time window. Dunno about Texas.
Bruce Williams used to cover timeshares and estates in his show about once a year, but, unless things have changed significantly in the advertising market, sadly, Bruce retired his show permanently in 2013 and called it a career without any successor.
Thank you Facecrack and Google. We’re going to reap what we’ve sown over the past 15 years or so.
Whenever I haven’t done it for one reason or another, it’s always come back to bite my donkey.
Just about everything comes back to bite my donkey nowadays. We are now fighting with the former employee who quit last September. She filed for unemployment and has been denied. She got married and moved 45 miles away so that she does not want to work in our office anymore. I let her go for not showing up to work. The TWC agreed with me. She still thinks that we owe her unemployment.
Thursday morning she has an telephone appeal that we have to call into also. Plus my office manager just faxed another 20 pages of “evidence” to the TWC. Sigh. This is costing my business a lot of money and time.
The wife is working on killing off the remaining two timeshares. She may have to go the legal route but has not done so yet.
If she hasn’t done so already, she wants to discuss what I believe is termed “rejecting the bequeathal” of the timeshares with the lawyer in case her father dies before the timeshares are unloaded and they end up as part of the estate.
There are so many timeshare exit companies nowadays that I wonder if any of them are legit. I have read quite a few stories of “they took my money and did not kill the timeshare fees”.
I missed this. 50 cents to 55 cents for a forever stamp, that is a 10% price increase.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/01/09/forever-stamp-price-increase-among-us-postal-service-2019-changes/2510932002/
” First-class mail letter (1 ounce) will go up to 55 cents: The nickel increase is the largest percentage rise since 1991, when postage increased from 25 to 29 cents.
Additional letter ounce costs will decrease: Each additional ounce will drop from 21 cents to 15 cents. Mailing a 2-ounce letter, a wedding invitation’s typical weight, will cost 70 cents instead of 71 cents.
Postcard rates will remain the same: Mailing a postcard will run travelers 35 cents.
Priority Mail prices will jump: A small box that previously cost $7.20 will rise to $7.90, while a medium box will jump from $13.65 to $14.35.
Priority Mail Express fees will increase: Those looking to ship an envelope ASAP can expect to pay $25.50 instead of $24.70.”
I wish that I was surprised.
There are so many timeshare exit companies nowadays that I wonder if any of them are legit. I have read quite a few stories of “they took my money and did not kill the timeshare fees”.
The rejection of bequethal is a legit way for the family to escape the responsibility in probate, but, again, you have to talk to the lawyer.
I don’t know anyone who had to get out from under a time share. My ridiculously cheap partner at Death Star Telephone went to the Westgate seminar once for the free tickets. He succeeded in getting the passes without signing anything, but he said that it took him all day and they worked him with a woman who must have been a high dollar hooker pre real estate bubble.
The rejection of bequethal is a legit way for the family to escape the responsibility in probate, but, again, you have to talk to the lawyer.
One wonders if one would have to reject the entire inheritance then. I would be surprised if you could accept part of the inheritance and reject part of the inheritance. Especially if the rejected part had a financial obligation.
No, the wife needs to take care of these timeshares before he passes. And, the residential lots in Missouri (what was he thinking ?).
Stamps? So quaint. 🙂 I bought a roll of Forevers when it cost $48 and I’ve used perhaps six.
Tattoos? Other than my Dad telling me when I was 12 or so that only trash and criminals have tattoos, I don’t think about them. Sure, some look nice. Some. I thought about getting one for a while. Superman logo on shoulder over a vaccination scar or where it would be covered by my Speedo… where it would be a distraction from why one would see me without a Speedo. Meh. It’s been done and really, who puts bumper stickers on a Ferrari?
Pay for toting the old folks to the doctor? Never even crossed my mind. I did use Mom’s debit card to buy a battery for her van. Ditto for tires. And a few (as, like, maybe six) tanks of gas. It’s her money. The nursing home takes all but $60/month which is just enough to cover her property taxes, electric and water bills, and her haircut fund.
From what I saw of the Weather Report on TV this morning, we are all about to freeze to death.
Wunderground says 30F tonight. 55 or so for tomorrow’s high. 35F tomorrow night. And it’s going to be a couple of days of Cloudy and then some Sunny with the highs in the mid-sixties. Maybe some rain.
Not bad at all.
February is the nastiest month. The first three weeks, anyway.
Today was sunny and /almost/ sit in the sun without a shirt. Big Red, AKA DayStar, is getting stronger. 68F. The cold front arrived and after an hour or so it’s down to 57F. Breezy, too.
Added: I have a few daffodil bulbs planted around the Arizona Ash. One clump of what I’m guessing is four bulbs has five inch tall leaves. The clump on the other side of the tree, maybe three bulbs, has three inch tall leaves. I might get a flower or two this year.
Pay for toting the old folks to the doctor? Never even crossed my mind. I did use Mom’s debit card to buy a battery for her van. Ditto for tires. And a few (as, like, maybe six) tanks of gas. It’s her money. The nursing home takes all but $60/month which is just enough to cover her property taxes, electric and water bills, and her haircut fund.
Your mother is on Medicaid, right ? If so, I am very surprised that they have not seized her property that she pays property taxes and utilities on. Usually the state (Texas) is very diligent about that. Or does that not happen until they pass on ?
My wife is handling two to four transactions a DAY for my FIL. It is tiring to watch all the crazy as she uses the dining table with all three leaves in it for sorting. She has the number of bank accounts down from eight to five (he grew up during the Depression, he is paranoid about banks). Dealing with the ten ??? properties, dealing with the 20+ stock dividends of size $10 to $100 each quarter, dealing with getting the maintenance performed on the rental properties, his nursing home monthly bill plus the additional add-on charges (single occupancy room charge, special this, special that), etc, etc.
FIL’s girlfriend is handling the doctor appointments. Those are somewhat rare thank goodness as he has to go in an ambulance. Maybe once a quarter. And getting his hair cut and teeth cleaned in the nursing home (she has one of his checkbooks).
All of us vultures are hanging around waiting for him to die. Except for the girlfriend, she “does not want to bury another old man” (that is a real quote). She hopes to go first and soon (she is 94).
“residential lots in Missouri (what was he thinking ?).”
— he saw the billboard ads, or the magazine ads, or the tv ads… they appeal to the same people who buy timeshares. The lots are always near a lake or pond, and are ‘selling out’.
— if a magazine has ads for zoizaa grass, harbor freight, and branson, it probably has the homesite ads too.
five houston cops shot while serving a warrant. not by me. (or near me for that matter)
narcotics warrant. I probably heard some of the surveillance on this, but I don’t know
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6642285/Multiple-Houston-police-officers-shot-encounter-suspect.html
I was grocery shopping when it went down. Scanner is full of encrypted traffic at the moment.
n
five houston cops shot while serving a warrant. not by me. (or near me for that matter)
Sounds like they killed one of the three suspects.
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/HPD-responding-to-report-of-several-officers-shot-13568491.php
It is time for the War on Drugs ™ to end.
So wait, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell is ALAN GREENSPAN’s WIFE?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6641065/Alan-Greenspan-uses-cane-brunch-Warren-Buffet-Colin-Powell-Wilbur-Ross-Vernon-Jordan.html
vipers, it’s incestuous vipers all the way down, isn’t it.
n
(it’s a small club, and you ain’t in it.)
Your mother is on Medicaid, right ? If so, I am very surprised that they have not seized her property that she pays property taxes and utilities on. Usually the state (Texas) is very diligent about that. Or does that not happen until they pass on ?
I don’t know what happens when she dies. An adventure awaits.
She has both medi things and she has Tricare. The nursing home nails the medi whatever…. Tricare pays maybe $100 a month for what medi doesn’t want to cover.
From looking at the various statements, none of it makes much sense. Seems scammy to me.
I know I had Dad removed from the deed to the house and I put myself on. Because she saw no reason to probate his will. Because with her on the deed, it is still Homesteaded and over 65 locked for taxes. If she live another four years, I’m going to be 65. Dad would be 92 now and I’m certain he was at the tax office on his birthday to freeze the taxes on the house.
The latest tax bill had the place valued at a 50 grand or so. It’s just a little 60 or 80 wide and 300 feet long lot. Other than installing the septic system and pouring the slab, they built the house. Heck, they did the iron work in the slab. It’s all “up town” now…. no more septic tank, paved road, and the county or whatever installed sewer lines. San Carlos (seven miles northish of Edinburg) has gone “‘uptown”.
Same for her van. Which has a Bluebook of all of $400. So I’m a co-owner with my Mom on the house and the van.
I never expected an inheritance. Getting one when I sell the house would be nice. Just because the insurance from my motorcycle wreck funded a good part of the house.
Heck, my sisters got theirs and moved away and mailed me Mom’s car keys. Dang house looked ransacked.
Don’t even bother. I had to deal with my aunt. Between statements from Medicare, then private insurance, then Medicaid it was impossible to reconcile any of the amounts. If any company balks at the amount paid and wants more money from you or your mother tell them to bill Medicare and Medicaid again. Not your problem.
If your mother is on medicaid I suspect there is already a lien on the house by the state. When your mother dies and you sell the house Medicaid will get whatever they have paid over the years and you will get the rest, if any.
That happens as soon as they go on Medicaid. The state will look back five years for any money.
I was fortunate that I sold all my aunt’s stuff three years before Medicaid. Back when she went on Medicaid the look back was only three years. Thus Medicaid had nothing they could claim. Regardless, I got nothing because I used the proceeds to pay for her assisted living and when the money ran out Medicaid was needed.
I did. I paid $4,500.00 for the timeshare back in 1992. Over the years I got my money’s worth as I exchanged several times and stayed in the place on many occasions.
What I did was just deed the timeshare back to the timeshare company. Got a lawyer to draw up the papers. I signed them and registered them with the courthouse. Sent them to the timeshare company. Since they were not paying anything they did not need to sign. Basically I just gave it back to the timeshare company.
I had paid a company to get rid of the timeshare but they screwed around and did nothing so I lost the money.
Yeh, I got scammed. Don’t use a timeshare selling company, go to a lawyer.
“residential lots in Missouri (what was he thinking ?).”
— he saw the billboard ads, or the magazine ads, or the tv ads… they appeal to the same people who buy timeshares. The lots are always near a lake or pond, and are ‘selling out’.
— if a magazine has ads for zoizaa grass, harbor freight, and branson, it probably has the homesite ads too.
FIL and his girlfriend were driving to Branson, Missouri about once a quarter from 2004 to 2014. We had no idea. At some point in 2006, he bought two incredibly overpriced lots way outside Branson for $55,000 each. On the way back to Dallas, FIL told girlfriend that he bought the lots and was going to build them a house or two houses. FIL is very unclear on this, he has says he has no memory of doing this. No, he does not drink or do drugs. After FIL got back, he sold a couple of residential lots in Texas to pay off the loan on the two lots. He does not remember doing this either. He has problems remembering things where he was an idiot.
My wife has been trying to find a realtor to sell the lots for $5,000 each. Yes, 1/11th of what the FIL paid. No takers, realtors say that construction in remote areas around Branson got terminated after 2008. The entire subdivision does not have a single house on any of the lots according to google earth. Very unusual, FIL really got snookered.
Dilbert: documents on chairs
https://dilbert.com/strip/2019-01-28
I never do this !
Snicker.
I’ll do that one better. I fart in my chair. Paper left there gets unceremoniously dumped in the trash. That’s why I have an inbox (my door, and magnets).
Heh !
https://dilbert.com/strip/2016-09-02
I looked at some lots like that north of Houston. They are actually on a lake, in a development, but it never got built out. The lot came to my attention in an auction. I thought, eh, throw a thousand at it, it’s gotta be worth a grand…. but upon some actual cursory research, I found that there were dozens of lots for sale for $1, and going unsold. The development was sold to older folks as a place to build their retirement home, but most never made it. The developer went broke. The HOA is struggling to maintain any of it. I’d have looked at buying a bunch of the lots for a dollar, but the HOA was $1500/yr. I told the wife that $100 a month for a lot was pretty cheep, and maybe it would end up developed…. the deal breaker was ‘no mobile homes.’ You couldn’t park something out there to use until you decide to build. And no one wants to build because of the uncertain future. Oh, and none of the actual lakefront lots were a dollar.
n
(someone else actually did bid it up, and won the auction for a couple of grand. Even at that, it might have made sense to not have any past due tax issues.)
The two lots that my FIL sold were lake lots on Lake Livingston (Houston) and Lake Travis (Austin) that he bought back in the early 1970s for pennies. He sold two awesome lake lots to pay for two junk lots way outside Branson. He was chasing a woman and thinking with the other …
Ouch.
n
Wind is really picking up. Not supposed to get down to freezing tonight. Supposed to be well clear at 38F. I guess we’ll see. It was a gorgeous day.
and I’m beat so I’m headed to bed.
n
yuck, raining too.
Wind is really picking up. Not supposed to get down to freezing tonight. Supposed to be well clear at 38F. I guess we’ll see. It was a gorgeous day.
It is pouring down rain here. And a very cold wind coming out of the north. Was clear when I came in the house 30 minutes ago where the wife had HOT MEAT SPAGHETTI waiting for me. No walk tonight.
Speaking of real estate: This ‘doomsday prepper dream home’ in the Nevada desert is on sale for $900,000
So wait, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell is ALAN GREENSPAN’s WIFE?
*Old* news.
Greenspan used to play house with Ayn Rand IIRC.
The two lots that my FIL sold were lake lots on Lake Livingston (Houston) and Lake Travis (Austin) that he bought back in the early 1970s for pennies. He sold two awesome lake lots to pay for two junk lots way outside Branson. He was chasing a woman and thinking with the other …
My FIL had four confirmed active sex partners when he died with two more possibilities.
He was finally bumped off by a nurse from UT Southwestern, shortly after he signed over all of his life insurance to her. Things that make you say hmmm …
Long story which I can’t do justice here. Just keep loved ones out of the transplant program at that hospital if possilble.
And, yes, it was legal in Texas at the time for the nurse to be involved with her patient to that extent. The law drifts back and forth in the state depending on the mood of the Legislature.