The Skinny On AJ's Groovy Igloo

The following was originally written a few hours ago as a Note over at Facebook:

AJ's Groovy Igloo is what I named my 2002 Pontiac Montana.

It's mostly white on the outside and has been decorated the way a lot of cars and vans were back in the Sixties. 

Since it kinda looks like an igloo decorated in a groovy way, that's why I named it what I did.

Let me say right now that I've had this vehicle for over a decade, and plenty of people have seen me driving it, so they know it belongs to me.

Therefore, I think that you'll find it to be rather strange that certain people who KNOW that this is MY vehicle reported it as an unidentified vehicle that was parked in my mom's driveway.

It has, generally, been down here with me.

However, I had some repairs done on my place last summer, so the people doing the repairs drove it up to my mom's place and parked it in her driveway so that nothing would fall onto it and damage it.

Since I've been housebound, I didn't need it down here anyway.

Even though I've gotten my health back to where I would, likely, not have any trouble driving it, it's still not time for me to drive it for several reasons--all which have to do with money.

It needs:

• Some repairs made on it so that it will be a reliable ride that won't stall somewhere
• To have its liability insurance started again
• A current license plate

I need:

• To renew my driver's license
• To have some things fixed so that it will be safe for me to walk to and from it without stepping on pebbles, sticks, etc. that would not only be uncomfortable but, also, might complicate my lymphedema

Yesterday (late afternoon/early evening), someone knocked at my door.  By the time I looked out the window to see who was there, he was on his way back to his vehicle.  So, I knocked on my window to get his attention and let him know that I was aware of him and on my way to answer the door.


Now, my place has several repairs in need of being made--repairs I've been tending to as I get the money to get someone to do them.

Unfortunately, a good deal of our money and assets have gotten taken over in a scam of sorts.  I won't go into detail here, but let's just say that it has made it difficult to make ends meet.  Don't even get me started on some of the different things going on!

One thing needing repaired is having a door going into the main part of where I live that will close in such a way that it will keep out drafts during cold weather.  I compensate for this by putting several things in place to keep the drafts out, so I removed them all and went out to talk to this person.

Anyway, let me tell you about my visitor.

He was a fresh faced young deputy with the Sheriff's Department who needed to ask me some questions.

Let me say again that most people know that AJ's Groovy Igloo is MY vehicle!  MINE!!!

Yet--according to the deputy--the sheriff's department had been called by certain people to report an unidentified vehicle in my mom's driveway.

It had been parked up there for over six months, and it was just now being reported as unidentified!?!

Give me a break!!!

Of course, this young deputy--while not necessarily knowing ALL of the details--knew enough to know that this has been an ongoing problem.

He asked me my identity, and I told him.  He also asked me if I were supposed to be living in my place, and I told him that I was--that I had lived on this farm for over 59 years and in my home (a converted barn that had, originally, been fixed for my widowed aunt and her son back in 1956) since 1982.

I said that, even if my home sold in a foreclosure action, I would have at least a couple of months to vacate it.

Anyway, he was really nice.

It seems as if, each time somebody calls to report something, people such as the Sheriff's Department and/or other agencies have to come out to investigate even while knowing that it's a crank call.

People who have tried to help us have gotten investigated when false reports of such things as animal cruelty, tearing up our property, stealing from us, and yadayadayada... have reached the authorities.

A report was lodged with Adult Protective Services that we were two helpless, elderly women who had been living in property that should be condemned where we didn't even have running water--with the latter charge coming from how we were (at different times) without water for a short time until we were able to get some problems with our pumps fixed.

In the meantime, we were using jugs of water to take care of such things as filling up our tanks to flush our toilets, etc.

Those problems had long been taken care of by the time that it was reported, and the water at both of our places was running just fine, thank you!

A friend with the means to bush hog our yard after it had been allowed to grow (starting out with waiting to start our warm weather mowing until we could afford to have it paid for to being to the place where it would be better just to have it bush hogged at the end of the mowing season) got his tractor stolen and had to rent the equipment.  He ended up landing on something in the yard that tore up one of the tires of the rented equipment.

This just scratches the surface of what's been going on around here.

I have a whole laundry list of things that never should have been able to happen.

Since it might be wise not to say too much, as the scammers definitely need to have their day in court, and we need to allow our attorney to be able to have the means of presenting an air-tight case, I'm not going to go into any more detail here except to say one thing:

People who repeatedly cry wolf to places such as the Sheriff's Department are creating a waste of time and manpower that should be available to assist in legitimate matters.  Therefore, it might be a good idea for them to be forced to reimburse the Sheriff's Department in cash.

One person touched by this drama in a direct way has actually had a heart-attack.  Perhaps, the people causing all of the drama should help with some of his medical expenses.

Furthermore, these antics haven't been good for my mom's health, so I wish that these drama causers ended up footing part of her medical bills that weren't covered by her insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Perhaps, I'm going too far overboard in saying all of this when it comes to things like medical expenses, etc.

However, I do believe that they should be fined by the Sheriff's Department (and for more than mere pennies) for wasting their time over and over and over again.

I'm getting really fed up with this drama!!!

For more details, please go here: 

http://mrsb1952.blogspot.com/2013/04/like-message-in-bottle.html

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Flower PowerandGoing Viral

glitter-graphics.com

Get your fun solar flowers here!!!

The time has come to go viral!

First off, let me draw your attention to the sentence centered under the happy flowers.  It's a hyperlink, and it will go to an especially meaningful page at Amazon!  (Why it's especially meaningful, I'll be sharing with you on down the page a bit...)

Let me warn you, however, that, by clicking on the link, you'll have me for a shopping pal for 24 hours after doing so--that is, unless somebody else is already being your shopping pal and his/her 24 hours of doing so hasn't run out yet.

Let me warn you, too, that this link isn't a target equals blank setting, so be sure to mark your page here in case you want to return--and, even better, please read the rest of this week's HODGEPODGE, as there has been a lot going on, and I have so much to tell you!!!
UPDATE:  If looks as if it IS a target equals blank setting after all--or, at least, it operated that way for me, so we're definitely cooking with gas now!!!

This week, HODGEPODGE is arriving a little late (just like a certain baby did back in 1972) and is coming out on Sunday instead of Friday.  Hopefully, next week will have it back to Friday (the original day when it came out when it was in its first incarnation as part of my college's weekly newspaper), but I had several things going on and just couldn't put it out on time without rushing it and ending up with less quality when it came to the content.

The reason for this is that I've had so many things going on lately--including a rough patch with my mom towards the end of this week when she was having a difficult time maintaining a safe oxygen level due to being stuffy-headed and having bronchitis.  Last report I got, however, she was continuing to improve.

UPDATE:
I would later hear from one of her nurses that this really wasn't as dire as it sounded--that this was just a kind of thing that would happen from time to time with her.  Even so, I feel much better knowing that she's on the mend...

Lots of people--including myself--have been sending prayers, love, and positive thoughts her way.

She's now on a five-day med program, and she's been able to remain at the nursing home instead of having to go to the hospital.

I'll be checking on her a little later, but I'm going to write this week's HODGEPODGE trusting--but not checking--for another very positive report.

UPDATE:  
She and I had a wonderful telephone conversation tonight, and she sounded much better.  We hadn't talked since yesterday afternoon and had also decided not to do an evening call that night (as well as not talking again until this evening) so that she would have more time for bedrest.  

Although we usually talk twice-a-day (one time during the day--usually, around one in the afternoon--and, again, at around seven in the evening), we've decided to limit our conversations to the evening ones for now--which will be working well for both of us...

As for other happenings this past week or so...

I opened my website to the public while it was still April 6, as I wanted it and my mom to share a birthday.  There is, to date, still a lot of work to be done on its infrastructure, but it's coming right along.

You can click here to take a peek...

Last week's column--Click Here To Read It!!!--was also about what was happening on April 6, 1922 in the Jobe household.

April 11 of this year would have been the 86th birthday of my beautiful friend, Roberto Le'House--taken too soon at the age of 51.  Please click here to read my tribute to him.  You'll also learn that I've just recently gotten back in touch with his son who was only 12 when his dad was taken from him so suddenly and senselessly.

Just in case I'm about to put you to sleep, I'd better get on with talking about what Flower Power and Going Viral have to do with each other.

My cousin and her husband always seem to know what to get my mom to make her life better--and that goes for me, too, along with many, many more!

I'd mention their names here (at least, their first names), but I know that--while they've been pillars of our community--they're also very private (and she's just retired) to where they might or might not like the idea of going viral.

If I find out that they've read this and they wouldn't mind, I'll be sure to include them in my blog called Fifteen (Or More) Minutes Of Fame in the near future.

Anyway, my cousin's husband discovered these delightful items called Solar Flowers (even though some were flowers while others were other things like bees, butterflies, etc.).  The sunlight makes them do lively dances in-place.

They've been bringing them to my mom and putting them in her window at the nursing home where she's staying so that the sunlight will put them into motion.  She just loves to watch them.

So, herein lies the story of coupling Flower Power with Going Viral.

Even though nursing home care is what she needs at this time, both my mom and I would like for the day to come when she can be cared for at home--but, first, we need to make sure that the place that we've called home for almost sixty years (farm for almost 60 years and the home my folks and I designed together with the father-son architect duo of Russell & Paul Byrum for over 45 years) will still be in our possession.

What turned out to be some very bad decisions on our part (trusting people who turned out not to be worthy of our trust) ended up putting us into a position to where my mom will have to have her care covered by Medicaid, and, for that, there will have to be a spend-down.

In time, I believe that things that led to our being put into this situation will be righted, but will it be done in time for us to be able to keep our farm--a place where I, too, would like to live out the rest of my years?

The clock is ticking, and I'm going to need to be put into an income bracket where I can buy everything at fair market value and own it all, and we can become debt-free and ahead.

Depending upon the kind of income that I can generate, this will, at the very least, get my mom to where she can use Medicaid without losing everything--and, hopefully, where we can go to private pay and back to insurance and Medicare again.

I'm a writer--but being a writer doesn't necessarily mean laughing all the way to the bank.  Because I have lymphedema, I qualify for SSI.  Likely, I qualified several years ago but didn't start taking advantage of it until the first part of 2012.

Then, I began to come up with this really neat idea.

I had already decided to streamline my Internet life in order to become more effective at the things I try to accomplish online.  When everything really comes together, I'll be able to better navigate to the various places where I'd like to be at one time or another.  Already, I'm experiencing a very positive difference with this, even as I'm continuing to tweak and build it.  If you return at different times to my website and explore it, you'll be able to see it improve in the time to come!!!  I'm really excited about it!!!

One of the things I've been sure to add to it are a number of portals that will lead you to let me be your Amazon Shopping Pal (my name for this and not the company's--which simply calls it being an associate) for, on average 24 hours at a time.

And this is where my very special Flower Power and Going Viral campaign comes into the picture.

If you enter the Amazon site using the hyperlink sentence at the top of this week's HODGEPODGE (right under the happy flowers), you'll be landing right in a wonderful garden full of them!!!  WooHoo!!!

Even if you don't buy a single one of them but still sign into your account and shop in other areas, I'll still be your Amazon Shopping Pal for the next 24 hours unless somebody else is having his/her 24 hour time with you.  This means that I'll receive a percentage of anything that you buy just so long as it's on the Amazon site instead of going off site from there and, then, buying.  Of course, you can always return to shop anytime in the 24 hour period, and you'd still have me for a shopping pal.

To my understanding, this is how it works.  Let me make the disclaimer that I'm NOT an employee of Amazon nor do I own any of the company.  All I do is to provide portals into Amazon, plain and simple...

But I'd like to make a shopping suggestion--and that's to purchase one or more of the Solar Flowers.  You can keep one or more for yourself, as they do have a way of lifting your spirits, but, also, why not buy one or more to give to other people who might enjoy them!?!

If you like to contribute things to nursing homes, for example, these would make wonderful prizes for people who win BINGO games, etc.

They're wonderful gifts to give to a friend who could use some cheering up.

Who knows!?!  You might even want to leave some on park benches with notes reading something like:

If you're the one who found me, 
that means it's okay to take me home with you!

Get creative and find wonderful, positive things to do with these for both people you know and people you don't know.  They're perfect for committing random acts of kindness!

On this note, I'm going to close and get this message going viral.

If you're reading this, please share a link to it with one or more friends.

I'm just curious re: how fast this kind of thing will spread!!!

One more thing, you don't always have to have me for a shopping pal--even though I hope you'll do it at least the first time you see this (and, also, at least occasionally in the future) so that my mom and I can finally get on solid ground again.

If you look at different websites you might visit, you'll also see portals to Amazon on them.  Pick different ones at different times to be your shopping pals--and, when you do, don't forget to stock up on some Solar Flowers!!!

That's all for now.  Will meet you back here this coming Friday, God willing and the creek don't rise!!!

glitter-graphics.com

Three Brothers & A Baby In A Bag

Once upon a time in a little country village there were three brothers (ages 7, 5, and 2).

If you were to ask any of them where babies came from, they would have told you that, when a family decided that they wanted another baby to be delivered, they would call the doctor, and he would come to the house carrying a bag, and the baby would be inside of that bag.

The oldest brother had seen this happen twice, so he'd shared it with his two younger brothers.

Although he had been sent outdoors to play when the doctor arrived, he knew that this was what had happened, because, both times, his mom and dad had called the doctor to say that it was time to deliver the baby; the doctor came to the house carrying a bag; and, when he was allowed to come inside again, there was always a brand new baby in the house.

He had been quite satisfied with both brothers, so he was sure that he would also like the latest baby who would be arriving in the doctor's bag this time around--and, no matter what, there was going to be a new baby in the family, so he wasn't too concerned one way or the other.

However, the two younger brothers were--and they were on opposite sides of the fence when it came to how welcome this new baby would be.

The five year old brother was happy to have a new playmate coming to stay in their house, but the two year old brother had reservations.  After all, he was supposed to be the baby of the family, and he wasn't ready to turn over that position to another baby without a fight.

There was only one thing for this little tot to do:  lock the door so that the doctor wouldn't be able to get in and deliver that intrusion into his life.  So he did.

When his older brother saw what he'd done, he hurried to unlock the door again, because he really wanted to have another playmate.

The youngest went over and locked it again.

The older brother unlocked it.

The baby brother relocked it.

The older brother unlocked it.

And on and on and on.

The oldest one just watched the two of them and shook his head in amazement.  He knew that, no matter what anybody thought, that doctor was going to get into the house in some way--even if he had to come down the chimney like Santa Claus--and drop off that baby.

Before long, the three brothers were sent outside to play.

When they came back in, they were told that they had a brand new baby sister.

The seven year old had no problem with that.

The five year old not only had no problem with that, but he was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.

The two year old still wasn't too keen on the idea that he was no longer the baby of the family, and he didn't know why everybody was making such a fuss over this new arrival.  He guessed that having another baby in the house was okay just so long as there was always room for him, too.

One thing he noticed was that she was making this little squeaky whimpering sound, so he observed that she sounded like a rabbit.

He and his baby sister would soon become fast friends who, in the years to come, loved to go outdoors and chase butterflies together.

Besides those three brothers and their baby sister, the children in the family included a boy who was born far too early to survive (who would have been nine had he been born when he was supposed to have been), and another brother and sister who would arrive a few years later.

Sometime tomorrow (April 6), this story will have taken place exactly 91 years ago, because the baby rumored to have been in the doctor's bag just happens to be my mom, Lillian Ainsley (Jobe) Phillips, who will be celebrating another birthday.

The three brothers in the story grew up to be my uncles:

George Willard Jobe (Uncle George)  June 8, 1914-December 6, 1998
Owner/Operator of Cloverdale Garage in Cloverdale, IN

William Henry MacDonald Jobe (Uncle Donald)  September 18, 1916-February 19, 1941
Did some barbering and worked at Guide Lamp (Division of GM) in Anderson, IN until Bright's Disease made him no longer able to keep working there.

Finley Ralph Jobe (Uncle Finley) July 16, 1919-May 7, 1993
Served in Navy and became a Navy barber in time.  Eventually was a barber at Nameless Barber Shop in San Francisco, CA.

I'll be sharing more about my family in future columns, but, for now, I'll sign off.  It will soon be April 6.  I'll let you know what all takes place when I write here again next Friday...