Watcha doing today?

[Mother]

Jeepers, the house and yard look amazing.  🤞for realtor meeting.  

[Littlesister]

Hope all goes well with the realtor Jeepers. 

 

My DH got called for jury duty. He's been gone for 3 and a half years. What a surprise I got in the mail.  Sending it back to them that he is deceased and the date of death. Hope they don't call me in for it. He had never been called when he was living and now, they want him to do jury duty. 

Had to go to neighbor's house to witness her signing for her loan on house. Then came home to finish cleaning up around house. The weather is really nice outside today. Supposed to be like this all week. 

[Littlesister]

I have a lot of green peppers in the freezer. I was wondering if you could dehydrate them from freezer and how well it worked out for you. Trying to figure out a way to better organize a chest freezer. Nothing I have done has worked that well yet. I have 4 baskets, but I have more things like chicken and such that the baskets won't hold it and the bigger things like a ham, and such is all in the bottom. Once I get into that freezer, I am going to start canning the chicken and making soups and such.

[Jeepers]

The realtor finally left. Sheesh, you think I can talk. She has me beat. She went on and on about her qualifications and what all she will do to sell the house. I do mean on and on. I started to glass over. And there is no where to sit in here so I had to stand for the whole dissertation and I was getting hot. I was just hoping I wouldnt pass out. I didn't. I'm glad she is proud of herself and her expertise, but she was taking me on the scenic route. And she had all kinds of charts and graphics etc. She brought a notebook for me full of things about her and about the past, present and future markets, (Christmas Carol daja vu) with graphs that she explained, in detail. And she had pictures of other houses for sale in my area. Complete pictures of all the rooms inside of about six houses. Everything I can get on Zillow. And to be honest, I'm not going to study, in detail, other people's houses. As I said, I can and have been on Zillow for that. I had one sheet of stenographer paper half full that I gave her of my highlights. No notebook though. 

 

I'm probably being too critical but dang, I wasn't expecting all of that. I will say that she is thorough. I did like her. A lady in her 60's. 

 

We went through the house and she noted a few things. She is a little concerned with the basement. I never noticed but there are cement nails sticking out all over the walls. Neither one of us could figure that one out. Funny that I never noticed them before. It could or could not be an issue. We had a boatload of rain the past few days and fortunately the basement was still dry while she was there. I really like basements less and less. They can be tricky. 

 

There is a new law going into effect. Either now or in September. Can't remember which. It has to do with who pays the buyers realtor. If the buyer pays, then they probably won't offer as much for the house because they will have to pay a down payment plus their realtor out of pocket. If my realtor (me) pays the other realtor, then that let's the buyer off the hook for the extra money. Average commissions around here are between 5%-7% my realtor said if we (me) take care of both realtors, she will charge 3% for her and 2.5% for the buyers realtor. So it's going to come out to 5.5% commission which is low average. That's the way I want to go. 

 

She said she would do some simple staging like a picture over the fireplace  and a couple of things in the kitchen. She liked how I already had the bathrooms. She has a professional photographer who will post pictures and do a virtual video tour to post online. She is on all the social media sites.  I wasn't expecting all of that. I don't really think this house is worth all that but it's part of the package. That's cool. 

 

She needs me to finish cleaning and get the baseboard vents replaced. They are horrible and she is right. I will call a handyman tomorrow. Also my kitchen sink leaks. She didn't mention the chimney cap leaning and neither did I. If it's an issue to the buyer, I'll deal with it. Oh, she said it has very nice curb appeal so no worries outside. 

 

If I agree to everything (I do) she will come back Friday to sign papers and set up a time for the photographer. She said the best day to list is on a Wednesday. So I guess Wednesday after Labor Day it will officially go on the market. Ready or not. 

 

She priced it better than I would so we'll see how that goes. I don't want to scare anyone off but I don't want to under cut myself either. That's where she earns her money I guess. If I get close to the asking price I will be very happy. I still have to pay off the mortgage, the realtor commission, and I totally forgot about closing costs. So, a big chunk will come off the top. 

 

I would really like to be moved before the election. For obvious reasons. Only 3 months away.  

 

[themartianchick]

7 hours ago, snapshotmiki said:

@Mt_Rider. I believe that you can use the milky liquid from some thistles to make rennet for cheese making.  Not sure, but it seems like.

 

I had never heard this and had to look it up:

 

https://culturesforhealth.com/blogs/learn/cheese-make-thistle-rennet-cheesemaking

 

https://blogs.cornell.edu/weedid/bull-thistle/

 

 

Edited August 21 by themartianchick

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, Glad you found a realtor. Praying all goes well and you get your asking price. 

 

 

[Mother]

Cultures for health is a great site.  Lots of info and their cultures are supers. 
 

Congratulations on your realtor meeting, Jeepers.   Hope it all works out well and the house sells fast.  

[Littlesister]

Mother I will check that out. Thank you.

 

Chopping up onions this morning to dehydrate.  Just stopped a bit to rest my hands as they are hurting from the cutting up. Will get back to it in a few minutes. Needed my cup of coffee. Didn't get one when I first got up this morning.  Don't function as well without my morning caffeine. What can I say, I'm hooked on a morning cup of coffee. 

Will be putting a freeze on DH's credit this evening. 

[snapshotmiki]

I'm glad all went well with the realtor @Jeepers!

 

Good morning!
Already walked and walked dogs.
Froze credit with all 3 credit companies.
Will cook some sausage and eggs for breakfast burritos.
Put away some canned goods in shed.
Decide what to can or dehydrate next.
Water roses tonight.

We were at 69 this morning, so a little better. Still supposed to hit 91 today with sun all day.

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, hope all goes well with the realtor and your house sells fast. 

 

Miki, I thought about moving some canned goods to my shed but no electric in there and it is too hot during the summer. How do you keep your cans cool in the shed? 

 

Onions are done and in the dehydrator. A full 9 trays. Going to catch up on a few things and then get carrots to dehydrate. That should hold me for a while. Those onions are starting to smell really good which for onions is not bad. They are the sweet Valeda onions and putting out more of a sweet smell than other types of onions do. 

[snapshotmiki]

We have  electricity in the  shed @Littlesister. 

[Littlesister]

I've been thinking about running electricity to my shed and putting a small window air conditioner in there. But thinking about it is as far as I got. Something I should do when I get the new outside lights and a couple of outlets in garage replaced. I could organize everything better in that shed. Most of what is in there now is about to go to Goodwill. 

 

I pulled out my kindle fire this afternoon as I wanted to read a book just to find out my GS got hold of it and wiped it out for his use. It was under his name and everything with his games and movies. I wiped him off of it and he is very lucky that after I reregistered and put everything back in and changed the password that he had changed when he wiped me out, that I was able to get all my 1,423 books back on there. Just another thing I have to hide around here. As it is I have to had car keys, wallet, and have changed passwords on a lot of things to keep him off of my stuff. He does mess things up and I am not a computer Savy and all that mess. 

 

Onions are still going and will be all night. Hope they will be done in the morning so I can start on carrots and maybe the green peppers after that. Those onion choppers do save a lot of time cutting those onions up. 

[Becca_Anne]

Jeepers the house looks great! I hope you get it sold quick. Sounds like the realtor has a good sense of the comps and will price your house well so you don't end up missing out on money. 

[snapshotmiki]

Already walked.
Put stuff away in shed.
Next, will make deviled eggs and then cook sausage and eggs for breakfast burritos.
Have Bible Study tonight and then water roses.
Easy day!

[Littlesister]

Was supposed to go off with neighbor today but she forgot that she and another neighbor had hair appointments. So, we are going tomorrow and that is iffy. She is talking about her granddaughter having to start school early as it seems VA decided school should start before Labor Day. So not sure if she is taking her to buy school supplies or not. yet. Or if she is just keeping her for the weekend before school starts. 

 

So, I am cleaning house today. Got the onions put away this morning and then ran down to pick up a prescription. Picked up a couple of sale items while there and back home to clean up some more.  Tired now though so trying to get another burst of energy. 

[Littlesister]

Took GS out for lunch this afternoon to celebrate him finally paying off his car. It was long overdue getting that done. Missed payments and such. Nope I would not make his payments for him.  Only did it once and that was when he was transitioning from Washington state to VA. He had gotten a job here before moving back but there was a two-week waiting period to start the job and then they hold back a week for first paycheck which would have made him late. 

On our way back home again, it took about one and a half hours to get home. Bad wreck.  Traffic backed up for miles from Nansemond Pkwy all the way down Bennett's pasture rd. This is really getting out of hand. Can't go anywhere around here without traffic backing up be it from a wreck or road construction. 

 

GS went outside to smoke a cigarette, and he was sitting in his car. A white truck kept driving really slow past the house and then parked next to the house and GS started walking down the driveway in hopes he would leave. He took a picture of GS as GS saw the flash of the camera. He then drove to other side of driveway and sat there for a few minutes. Then drove down toward back of neighborhood and came back again twice. Seems we are being cased. Not sure if he was casing the whole neighborhood which is not that big and just saw GS and decided to watch him or what. GS got a description of truck but couldn't get the lic. plate no. 

Yep, crime is moving up this way more and more. Someone tried to rob the 7-11 and parked the getaway car behind what used to be the Bennett's Creek market. The more housing developments and new businesses are being built the more the higher the crime seems to be. 

And I love these phone calls.  Someone just called me a few minutes ago saying they were a company that can lower your debt. How nice. The number came up as Secret Garden. Don't think a secret garden has anything to do with lowering your debt. Nice try but a scam just the same. 

[Jeepers]

Congrats on GS getting his car paid off.  

 

Sorry you seem to have a stalker in the neighborhood. Especially scary when they start taking pictures. That was pretty bold. Head on a swivel friend. Hope it doesn't get worse! 

 

Secret Garden sounds familiar. Didn't you use those very words to me when we were talking about permaculture just yesterday in another thread? I could be very mistaken but if not...that is eerie. 

[Mt_Rider]

Wow, Little Sister.  Having GS there with you certainly has it's advantages (lurking person knows you aren't alone) and DISadvantages!  I'd a clobbered him for invading MY KINDLE!!!!    HUGE violation, in my opinion.  (or is it just cuz it's my books? )    

 

We had DH's sisters + child/children live with us for some months each.  The kids, we could handle but the "adult's" behavior was  UN-BE-leiveable!  Guess they cheated in kindergarten when everyone else was learning how to use your own things, not take from others.  But....glad to hear you could restore it back to YOUR KINDLE!!   

 

Jeepers!  You're almost there, gal!  The realtor sounds like an over-achiever, right?   So....sore ears notwithstanding, hope all her energy will mean a bidding war!!!      Pull up your last remaining energy and get the baseboards and vent things done.  

 

Thistle renet  - who knew??    Thanks for the notion Miki and  links Martian. 

 

 

Hmmmm.....today, I had one of my verrrry seldom asthma attacks.  AND my brain wasn't processing   1) what was happening 2) what to do about it.    First I had real trouble swallowing liquid.  Odd.  Wasn't choking but...clogged.  Then within a few minutes, I was getting more and more clogged up in sinuses.  Tried clearing them but didn't really help.  I was realizing that this is bad sinus season and ...due to our lovely summer of regular rain....we've an over abundance of plant life out there.  Shedding their parts and bits.   

 

So I'm trying to think - what I can take to clear my head, ear, nose, throat....  Already took the mild 'script pill (don't really know if that works or not)....but what else do I usually do???????  Brain dead.  Kept getting harder to force air ...  Finally I called R's house where DH is his home health aide.  Told DH the issue and 'What do I usually do.....?'  He said, you have that ...thing...

 

THEN I remembered.  Inhaler.  Albuterol.  OK, thanks.  I'll do that.  He said: call me back if that doesn't work.    It worked.  Of COURSE it worked!  That's why I do keep it near me.  Even when I ride the horse, it's in a hip pack.  So WHY did I not even think of that???   Oye...my brain is SO unreliable!   

 

Anyway, I did have to take two shots of it - spaced apart.  Then I was fine; a bit jittery for a while.  But it went on to be a normal day.  With crashing thunder/lightning/electric blinking-dimming-off, then back on again.  Then sunshine after weather was done having fits over our neighborhood.  Meanwhile DH had come home in the middle oft that.  He didn't even try to get out of the car...up 15 stairs and across the porch.  Wind was blowing the rain nearly horizontal so when I opened the door to see if he was coming, I got a face full of rain.  Wow....rarely blows like that.  It passed over fairly quickly tho.  Not gonna complain about rain! 

 

MtRider  ....I MAY get to bed early.  Afternoon appt tomorrow so no EARLY morning.   

[snapshotmiki]

Another easy day.
Will walk first.
Work at cafe.
Local grocery for sweet potatoes to dehydrate for dogs.
Not sure what else.

[Littlesister]

cleaning house today and taken boxes to Goodwill. Neighbor that bailed out on going off yesterday due to hair appointment, said something about going out today. But I just can't do it today and she has her GD with her today. I really need to get somethings done today as it has been a long week of doing this or that. So, playing catch up today. 

DD texted last night and said they will be coming in tomorrow morning. Her DH needs to take his parents shopping for shoes and whatnot. He is trying to get them into a nursing home. Both have dementia and really should not be living on their own. He has to take them to court to get that done as his parents didn't give, Ok Mt. Rider I know how you feel. I forget what it is but now it is a court thing for him to be able to get them into a nursing home and get the house sold later down the line to help pay for the home. 

 

DD has had the baby since Tuesday so she must have taken the week off. We are going out after the lady comes for me to sign the papers for my refinance in the morning. DGD is not doing as well with this baby, emotional and still feeling very tired and sick. It's got to be a boy this time. 

 

Mt. Rider, having GS here with me at times can be an advantage in those situations but he really does have to go. Half of my cleaning today is cleaning up behind him. I just need to wake up a bit before getting started on that part of the house. I think I will be getting those cameras installed sooner rather than later. That truck hasn't been seen last night and no one else saw it. But it was in the middle of the night and no one other than GS who goes outside to smoke saw it. He has said things like this before and nothing ever comes of it. He has said things like this before and was making things up trying to make me feel uneasy. Knowing that I am putting my foot down on him about the coast guard and not studying, he might be starting this mess up again. I talked with a few neighbors last night and they said nothing showed on their cameras. So, taking the truck with a grain of salt but will keep my eye out for a few days. 

[themartianchick]

Family can be complicated... I have always known people who go out of their way to share things that aren't necessarily true. Some were related to me, while others were acquaintances. The ones I knew in high school seemed to project a fantasy because their lives weren't how they wanted them. They were pretty unhappy for various reasons. At some point in their lives, they must have used those fantasies as a blueprint and turned their lives into almost exactly what they had lied about. All of the other habitual liars seemed to just want to be the center of attention. I would hope that your GS is simply projecting himself into the role of your protector. However, if you get those cameras installed, you will be able to determine exactly what is going on...Cameras don't lie.

 

[Jeepers]

Congrats on getting your house re-fi!!!

 

Supposedly rates are about to drop again sometime in Sept. Maybe by then I'll get this place sold and will be able to re-fi the Indy house and get the mortgage paid down, soon. Mortgage payment went up over there a few months ago due to property taxes going up again. I don't care about paying it off. I like having the property tax and insurance paid every month instead of one or two big yearly bills. I just need to pay it down to get the monthly payment down. It's killing me over there. I mentioned it to my realtor about if we should wait a couple of weeks to list it and she said to not worry about it. New buyers could always re-fi this house too. 

 

Whatever profit I make from this house, I need to divide it up into different things. Sort of like the Dave Ramsay method. I don't follow him but I've seen where he has different envelopes for different things. I think that would help me keep track of any money I might get. Like divide it to re-fi mortgage, home repair, new car, savings etc. Not real envelopes necessarily but do it on a computer. Or use monopoly money to represent real money. There's a thought. That way I won't over spend in one area. I already have a home repair list running. 

 

Littlesister, I remember GS pulling that on you last year trying to scare you. Tell him to keep his phone on him at all times to get pictures. That guy in the truck didn't seem to care about GS being there walking toward him. Either very brazen or he knows your GS or he didn't exist. Not good.  

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, that truck supposedly parked right at the curb of my house and my neighbor across from there didn't find anything on her camera of a truck. So yes, I am questioning GS as he does this trying to make me think I need him to live here. He knows his time is very limited now and what will happen if he fails the Coast Guard test again. He is not needed here, and he has to go. I shouldn't be spending my time cleaning up behind him and repairing things he breaks. It's why I have stopped doing things on the house such as buying new furniture and a few other things. I don't want my stuff torn up and not wasting my money for him to be so rough and hard on everything. But I am getting over that and really need him out of my house so I can get it back like I want it again. Guess I just need my life back again. I shouldn't be having to deal with this type of stuff at my age. Yes, I love him but there is a big difference in visiting and moving in.  He wanted me to door dash for food for him. That was a big fat NO. He was not a happy camper. That crap is very expensive to do that. 

 

Got most of the house cleaned up. Lots of GS's clutter and mess everywhere. It is all in one good size box now. And not all over tables, the floor, counter the TV stand and it goes on and on. It all best remain in that box. 

 

GD is coming in tomorrow morning. The lady will be here at 11am. So, we are going out to eat after she leaves, we will go mess around doing whatever she wants for her birthday. It was the 18th but she wanted to wait till she came in so we could go do things together. She did that for my birthday, and it was fun. So, she wants to do it again. This time Lunch is on me. 

 

What I was trying to think of for my SIL's parents was power of attorney. They wouldn't sign the papers for him to do that, so now it has to go through court. Otherwise, he will have to call in social services to take over and he really doesn't want to go that route. His mother is something to deal with. I know because she kept calling my DH to come do things even the day he got of hospital. She went down my throat when I told her he couldn't come fix her fire logs as he just got home from hospital, and she didn't care and made that very plain. I can see why DD won't let them come live with them. She would have to quit her job to take care of a very demanding MIL. 

[Ambergris]

I don't have access to my inhaler any more, so I just use black coffee, or sometimes a caffeine tablet.  (Remember Goody's?  Or Stanback Powders?  I miss those.)  Mostly coffee.  It has limited effect, but it's all I usually need.  I think my asthma is pretty mild.  My mom always said I was mimicking my brother's very severe asthma to get a share of the attention he was getting for it.  I heard that so often that I kept telling my doctors no, they were wrong, I didn't have asthma.  It was my brother who had it.  

Yeah, the things we let become part of our personal reality.  

Have you tried hot black coffee to relax your bronchi and clear your head?

 

I talked to my real estate guy today.  The people who want to buy my Florida place accepted a low-ball offer on their old place, so they want me to lower the price they need to pay for my place.  I want to sell it more than I want a good price for it, so I agreed.  

Edited August 24 by Ambergris

[Mother]

13 hours ago, Littlesister said:

Guess I just need my life back again.

 

 I’m so sorry you are still going through this with your GS. It has to be so very hard for you, not having your life and your energy back to do the things you want and need to.  I know you love him but sometimes love does have to be tough.   

 

 Knowing how much his being there is wearing you out I am surprised that now that your weather is moderating you haven’t at least relegated him and his box of belongings to his car again. Not only would that show him you were serious this time but would also get him prepared to find another place to park his ‘living quarters’ when you finally do lock him out.  Hopefully before the weather turns cold. 

 

DH and I camped all our lives and in that time I have seen hundreds of people who chose to live in their vehicles.   They weren’t derelicts or vagrants just people deciding, for whatever reason, to live that way. My great niece and her husband and mentally deficient daughter have lived that way for over twenty year and are healthy and happy.  Did you know there are hundreds of videos of people living willingly and comfortably in their cars, even small ones. I understand there is a sort of online community of people living that way.    DH and I enjoy watching them as it could be a bug out option if needed.  They talk about places to park, safety, and  how to arrange things so they can cook and bathe even.  Perhaps you could watch some of those videos about living in a car just so YOU know he could easily do it.  His manipulations will fall on deaf ears then.  It also wouldn’t hurt for him to know you are watching them so he can see you really are serious about him moving. 
 

You really have been tired and just not feeling well recently.  While it is true that you, like the rest of us, are aging, I suspect you really ARE being worn out with all the work and mental energy and stress you have with your GS.  Not to mention all the canning for yourself and the great grand daughter and watching her and still trying to get house and yard work done. You certainly can’t do all that and not get ill. I am concerned for you.  
 

Your GS is old enough to be on his own. And despite the mental insufficiencies you have mentioned him having, he seems capable of manipulating you and is certainly capable of using those same cognitive processes to manipulate someone else to take care of him.  . He has many choices.  He can join the CG, he can get an apartment or a room, or he can live in his car.  
 

 Little Sister.  I understand your need to be there for everyone but you can’t do it all.