Thanksgiving Is Over - Christmas Is Coming

Thanksgiving was a quiet event this year - and for that I am thankful! Just me, Shawn and Andrea for a Noon feast, then Andrea headed to her family's annual Thanksgiving Day Disaster at Karen Carroll's. She came up a bit upset but then, she ALWAYS comes home from Family Time a bit upset.

Tom and Kathy are apparently fighting nonstop - I had to go mediate a family meltdown on Monday which started with Michael throwing a hissy, Kathy calling the cops on him, Michael choosing to go to juvie rather than face the wrath of his parents and ending with Tom telling Kathy to be gone from the house by the time he got back from juvie with the littlest troublemaker. She was packing, too, when they got home. Fortunately (?) Tom had calmed down and Kathy ended up not leaving. I would have left. Michael was walking around the house smug as a bug in the knowledge that he had created such havoc. He didn't even get punished for any of it. He got 'anger management' sessions. Brats - the lot of them.

Not to be outdone, Ana has announced she is pregnant and expecting in July. She plans on keeping the baby and Tom and Kathy have agreed to let her continue to live with them. Is it wrong to hope for a miscarriage?

Good news is they don't think they can afford to rent that particular house again next summer so they are planning a move in May! Hopefully they will move out of the city and the Hunt family name can again prosper around here.

If they don't move, I just might.

Gearing Up

Trying to get ready for the holidays. I've been listening to Christmas music on my longer walks with Bailey, watching Christmas Hallmark Channel movies and writing up Christmas gift lists. I am still inclined to just not do any of it this year but - I know if I skip one year, I will skip them all. And that would make me sad on my death bed. So... Andrea has said she will help decorate the house and George has said he will come by and put up the house lights. I am just going to have to make it a team effort this year.

Shawn's drinking has gotten the better of him - he drinks every day, he drinks a lot every day and he is oblivious as to how much he drinks. He is now 'sneaking' drinks by leaving his glass on the kitchen counter and sipping from there, hoping I don't notice the glass behind me. And by 'going to the bathroom' at restaurants and the casino and slamming a drink at the bar before returning. He has lost control - yesterday he had five drinks that I am aware of (and probably a drink before hitting the highway after work and enough time to slam a drink at the casino bar before I found him) which would be seven drinks - in four hours. I think that's a problem but he doesn't. I know that's a problem. And now I have a problem - how do I deal with it? Stick around for life, wait till retirement then go our separate ways or call it a day now? I don't know.

SOLD

Sold the house to George! Hooray! Put the check ($83,000) in the bank and did the Dance of Joy! I also dropped off all the tax stuff I've collected with Jennifer - she is going to get the trust all straightened out. Hopefully by March, I'll be writing checks! I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Shawn and I have been having some issues - well, one issue really; his drinking. I have told him I will no longer go out to eat with him because he gets drunk and I get embarrassed. Shushing him as he talks smack about races, cleaning up his drunken spills and turning red when he says something embarrassing is no way to spend a meal. So, I am not dining out with him until he gets some help. He is too far gone to be able to pull back on his own; unfortunately, he doesn't see that he needs help. I really have some serious thinking about my future. I'm not sure how much longer I can go on living like this - neither one of us is happy.

Started my Christmas shopping. Fun - not really.

Happy Halloween

Last day of October - Halloween! I did not decorate; I was doing well to get trick-or-treat candy. Maybe I will find the spirit to decorate next year.

New Orleans was fun but I have no desire to return. Been there, done that. Check it off my Bucket List and move on. Still thinking of hitting Disney in January but the cost might not work - not with Hawaii in October 2013. I'll have to see what happens with the telecommuting decision and if I will need to start covering the cost of gas to and from the office three times a week. That will put a huge dent in my budget and not only Disney but possibly Hawaii will have to be put on a back burner. We shall see.

Complicated Niece

So Andrea decided she didn't really want to spend the weekend with her family (since she can't stay here as we are leaving town and after last June, we do not feel good leaving her here). So she took too many pills, called the ambulance and went to the pych ward for a few days. Again. She's just returned home - not sure what she is planning for the weekend but we aren't changing our minds.

We are giving her one more chance at getting her act together and being a responsible person when it comes to managing her meds, her school and her life. If she decides to hide from reality with another 'respite' at a local medical institution, she will not be returning here. Although she is calm (for the most part) and polite and all while here, her drama is starting to wear on us. We avoid drama - she thrives on it. This is her final chance to get a grip on things and succeed. I get to talk to her about it tomorrow I guess. Fun.

I also find out tomorrow what the verdict is on the telecommuting program at work. There is a big meeting for the afternoon - if they've decided to do away with it and expect us all to report to the office, I will need to put together my resume and start job hunting for something closer. Driving to the office would be like taking a 10% pay cut (with gas and car wear-and-tear) and that's BEFORE taxes. In take-home pay, we're looking more at a 20% pay cut. And I just don't have that kind of money.

The house is still in limbo. Everytime we accomplish one demand from the lenders (remove the mold, replace the roof, paint the exterior) it seems they come up with another one. They've demanded two appraisals - tomorrow I guess George finds out if they were happy with this second appraisal and will OK the loan. I am just waiting to hear what they expect next. This is insane.

I miss my Tucker Martini.

Another Shattered Heart

I held him in my arms and sang to him. He died at 10:50 a.m., Thursday, September 20, 2012. He will be in my heart until I meet up with him again.


Tucker Martini Hunt-Weissenbach



End of Summer

We are heading to the Weissenbachs this afternoon for the Close-The-Pool Party. I can't believe another summer has come to an end. I didn't make it out to the pool nearly as often as I had planned - maybe half a dozen times. I'm not really sure why - maybe it's because when I go, I see all the little kids who are no more; either all grown up and gone or taken away from me.

Looks like George is going to be able to buy Dad's house - after a few stumbling blocks it all looks to be in step. That will be a huge relief off my back (and a big burden on George's). The inspector found mold (no kidding?) on the roof in the bigger basement bedroom. The Moldinator was suppose to go out yesterday to replace the paneling but I guess he never showed. It has to get done before the appraiser goes out and he's due maybe Tuesday. Heck, maybe if we have to we can spray paint over the spot for the appraiser and then see what is taking the Moldinator. I wonder if that would work???? In any case, the mold spots were the ONLY things the inspector found, which really kind of shocked me. Oh, I also have to get to City Hall to see if the house is on septic or sewer. Both George and I can remember Dad hooking the house to sewer back in 1980 or so (can't forget the huge hole in the backyard!) but the water department is saying we haven't been charged for sewer. So if we ARE on sewer and haven't been charged in over 30 years, can they come back and charge all that NOW? Gulp - that will put a dent in the inheritance.

Tucker Martini is still hanging in there, though he is staying behind the work computer. I have been walking around with a pit in my stomach - it's just a matter of time. I pray for him every night, first thought in the morning and all throughout the day. But God isn't going to grant me this one.