JChase Writes-at 80 if I knew then what I know now...

 You'd think that at 80 years old one would have mastered working with a monthly budget...you would think! Living on Social Security is not for the meek. When I think about it I think well how hard can it be? I get one check every month and it's the same amount every month.  Right? Right! So what's the problem?  Good question, what is the problem Judy? Okay, I'll tell you the problem. The amount of the check never varies. It's always the same and the date I receive it is always the same unless the date it is due is on a weekend or holiday and then it comes on the Friday before it's due. That sound's easy enough! Let me finish. After setting up the due date with my apartment I then make arrangements with the bank. Then the month starts and the auto payments for rent, electricity and all the other regular payments to be made begin hitting the bank. So far so good. Then one of the auto payments is increased from the merchant and you didn't get a warning, or

 Update...Wedding was  great and couple are  now Mr. and Mrs. and all the guests are gone, place is cleaned up and couple are on their honey moon. As for me? Whew, I've had a day of rest and plan on a couple more then hit the floor running toward the Craft Fair...have much to do but not today, tomorrow or the next day. It was fun, the wedding lovely and the reception great with lots of relatives to get caught up with. The couple will come back to their little cottage that's all fixed up and she is moved in for the most part, just her clothes and other personal items. The new life for them has begun, God bless them and their lies together, Amen The painting has nothing to do with the Topic. It is one of the first paintings I actually sold. Painted in the 70's on  3/4" Plywood with Oils. My Mother had it professionally framed. I always liked it! and now... The Wedding My youngest grandson is getting married to his long time girlfriend, fiance on Saturday next.  He is my

  I'm making these reindeer for the October Craft Fair where I live. They will be attached to a big bow to place on a wrapped gift box for Christmas. Hi, I could have named this short blog "persistence"! Ya know what?...I just write and publish, write and publish and sometimes check the stats to see if anyone is reading. AND people are from all over the world. Yippee!  There is a huge "but" in it all.  I have yet to figure out how to find out what I want to know about how to do the right thing to get comments, respond to comments even how to get readers and figure out how to put ads on my blog and make some money if that's even a good thing to do. Just want my readers to know I work on all that from time to time but don't make any headway. I want to have followers and discussions and even others to submit a post from time to time but not there yet.... and yes I've read and read and read...just don't get it. Just so you know!                      

Went to see the nurse and ended up in the ER then the hospital! Who knew? Well of course God knew. At some juncture the thought did occur to me that I was going to hospital, but it was a fleeting thought. Sure, enough one thing led to another and there I was at 10am in bed in the ER at the hospital where I worked a long time ago in the gift shop. The hospital that my youngest daughter spent most of her 30-year career as a nurse. She was who I called when the VA Nurse Practitioner advised me very strongly to go to an ER. We left my car in the parking lot and at about 10 checked into the ER without having to wait as I recall.  The whole protocol has changed since I was in hospital several years back. Now there is an ER doctor and hospitalists who are the hospitals doctors who rotate shifts who call all the shots literally. Specialists consult but it's the hospitalist who writes the orders for everything. He admits and discharges. Any other doctor in your life has not position except

So I've put some pictures up for you to see why I've named this post "Sometimes Life is Just Hard". When I moved into my new apartment there was a flowerbed on the right next to the garage on my way to the front door. It was full of white landscaping rock. Because my frontdoor along with my porch neighbor is an alcove that collects whatever the wind blows the white rocks collect that stuff and it looses it's attrativeness. Sooo, I advertised on marketplace for white landscape rock FREE for the taking. Not too many days after I posted there was a taker. He and his significant other were doing some landscaping and he wanted the rock. And he actually did come and get all the rock (or at least the white rock, there was more than one level). As advertised, he took both mine and my neighbors rock Well then what? I had no plan.So for the last several weeks the flower bed was bare dirt with the second layer of rock revealing itself here and there. So, while I was thinkin

The following are pictures of some of the crafts I am making for the October Craft Fair in my community that will be open to the city. Another picture is of two little blue pots with neat bouquets which will sell as a pair or single and beside them is a writing journas which I made including sewing the signatures (smaller grouped pages that make up the whole boo). This style of journal is called "Junk Journals". Within the pages are little suprises of little pockets to hold anything you want, like cash or pictures, notes, movie tickets. I like to encourage journalling because is can have such a positive effect on the individual. I personally use my journals like a diary but also write prayers out. The next photos are of little books. I call the sall ones "Something to Write On.They are to carry in a purse These pictures are of the crafts I'm making for the October Craft Fair in my community. I', signing off to the sounds of fire works in the night because it