Christmas this year…

We had our Christmas with my family here in FL on Christmas Eve, and it went rather well, I think, considering…

Considering?

Considering that dinner was planned at 5 p.m. and I was still shopping for gifts at noon.

Considering that dinner was planned at 5 p.m. and at 1:30 I was broke down in the Auto Zone parking lot (thanking God for small miracles that I was already there when it happened).

Considering that the money I had set aside to get The Man’s gift from last Christmas installed on his car had to be spent on a new car battery… remember the days when they were only $50 or so…yeah…those days are gone.

Considering that dinner was planned at 5 p.m. and I was still shopping for gifts at 2:30 …

Considering that dinner was planned at 5 p.m. and I finally got home at 3:30 with the last of the ingredients that I had forgotten for dinner..

….that I still hadn’t wrapped a single gift.

….that I did not get the tree finished until 4:15.

I was pleased. I think everyone else was, as well.

The plan had been to have Christmas Day here at home and go to the In-laws in GA the day after.

However, my sister works at IHOP, and they are open on Christmas (one of their busiest days of the year, at that)  and she had to work, so we decided to ‘do’ our Christmas on Christmas Eve, and then go to GA a day early and surprise The Man’s family by getting there on Christmas.

Yeah. Well…

I was exhausted by the end of the FL Christmas. We used, as we rednecks do, paper plates and disposable cookware, so all that we had to wash was a crockpot and a few small things that could not go into the dishwasher. I put them to soak and went to bed – leaving everything for Christmas morning to be cleaned.

I know – sounds crazy – leaving the mess of 10 adults, a toddler and an infant – to clean the next morning, before we leave to go out of town, knowing we also still have to pack. I work best under pressure and it could have been done. The Man wasn’t feeling 100% yet (or even 80), as he had been sick, so far, 5 days of his vacation. So, we decided to wait until the day after to leave, as originally planned.

Christmas Day..was AWE-some! In our 20 years together, we have only spent 4 at our own home, having lived out of state all but 3, so it was kind of nice.

I took the dogs to the dog park, and they had a blast. I refused to play ball with Princess Dixie so she had to play with the other dogs (she doesn’t usually play with other dogs – being obsessed with the tennis ball and all). Not having to throw a ball every ten seconds, I was able to sit and relax … well, as close to relaxed as I can get. I parked my fanny on a swing next to a man who owned one of Dixie’s playmates and we started talking about, well, what else? Dogs.

I usually only keep the dogs at the park about 30 minutes. Having begun talking to this man, came to discover he was from GA, too, and had even lived in one of the towns The Man and I had lived in, though, many years before us. So, we talked and reminisced about small towns growing to big towns, traffic and such…

Two hours later, the 3 Stooges and I headed home. It was nice, to have someone to talk to there. I usually go alone in the morning, and there aren’t many dogs at the park on rather chilly December mornings. Floridians having that thinned out summer year round blood and all. Sixty degrees and they want to turn on the heat and light a fire. When there are groups – they are usually youngin’s who have created their own little cliques. So it was nice, and well, get me talking about my kids or my dogs…..

Today is the day after Christmas ( wait – it  is 2 a.m. so I suppose it was yesterday) ANY-who…

We were putting our bags into the car to leave (running an hour late as usual) when The Man’s father called.  Mom has the flu. So we decided to stay home.  “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Getting the flu, that is. Glad we were running late…

I admit though, I am a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing everyone. Health and well being come first though! I am praying she feels better soon.

So, this Christmas is being spent at home. The entire holiday, vacation, etc.

Yeah. Vacation.

The Man has had his vacation, now, it is time to start on my Honey-Do List…

 

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday! Wishing you a very happy new year – as I say every year – may it be a darn sight better than the last…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things that make you go…GRRRRRRR..

(as always, this is the way it is in the world in which I live…)

Between the racist basketball owners, who can technically say what they want – freedom of speech and all – let them be racists if they want – and I agree – ban these idiots from the NBA – but you can’t  force these idiots to sell their teams – capitalism and all. You know? The American dream type thing?…

The insanity of Oblowme Care..

Common Core turning our children gay…

We are still trying to figure out what happened in Benghazi (like we all don’t know at least the general gist of it)..

Then the VA Hospitals – unbelievable! Our soldiers deserve the absolute best we have to give them and there are people who have no problem allowing them to die for the all mighty dollar?

I am certain the world is going to hell in a bucket – at least our part of it..

Then there is the guy I heard about a day or two ago..

…from Texas…

“Teen faces life in prison over hash brownies”

http://news.yahoo.com/life-in-prison-pot-hash-brownies-texas

(Not sure I have ever mentioned it – I am anti-pot, however, I think this is insane!! A pedophile doesn’t get this much time..I won’t go into why he has the possibility of this sentence, because it is not the point here…)

ANY-who..

After I saw this, I started thinking…

It costs $10k a month – which is $120,000 for my mom to be in a skilled nursing facility, and I am having to jump through so many hoops I should go for the Olympics when we are done.

So I looked up how much it will cost to keep this man in prison, not necessarily his whole life, but per year. It is $17, 338. 

Six figures compared to five. The five being for people who have broken the law – stolen, beaten, abused, sold drugs, raped or killed people.

 

*The Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNiF)  generally take a residents entire social security check (well, in my mother’s case and most of the other residents of her facility) – they leave her with $35 of it a month, bringing me to the *phone – which they charge an extra $20 a month for – so, if they have to get their phone through the facility, the are actually left with $15 a month.

*The Day room with TV/Cable  and TV – the SNiF has TV in a Day Room where all of the residents can watch television together…and the nurses control the station..and the other day..these seniors were stuck watching Sponge Bob Square Pants.. Inmates also have a Day Room with a TV in it also controlled by someone in charge (instead of nurses, the guards).

While the residents of the SNiF do have televisions in their rooms, some inmates do as well, have small TV’s donated that they can have in their rooms.

Yes, rooms – as many are in dormitories, not cells. So they are even there, to an extent.

They all have access to medical care and dental care and church. 

So…here is my question? Why don’t I bring my mom some hash oil brownies, call the police, have her arrested and then the government will pay only $17,338 for something it already pays $120,000 for ….

Medicaid (AKA the government and tax payers) pay for the (very very ) large portion that mother’s Social Security does not.  Remember I said $10k a month? Her check is $953 a month..

 

(Inmate info is for FL Dept of Corrections)

You want fries with that..?

December 10th was our 17th anniversary, so The Man and I took a weekend trip to Daytona Beach to celebrate.

We got into the hotel around 9, set the air and headed to bed. Once the music from the pavillion below ended, I thought it might be nice to open the patio door and listen to the ocean. The sound was nice, but being still 80 degrees outside, was too hot. So, I closed the door.

About 5 a.m. I got up, as it was stuffy in the room, and realized the air wasn’t running. So I opened the door to let in the morning breeze, and went over to check the a/c. Crap. It wasn’t working. Nothing. The screen was blank.

So, back to bed, tried to rest until The Man woke up, and told him the a/c was broken. We needed to let the front desk know to send someone up.

So, after we showered and dressed, he came to me giggling…

Took me to the door…

and showed me …

 

Hey – Ya’ll want fries with that?