Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Time to catch up... again!

Well kids, it hasn't been a very good year. But Life goes on and I'm still praying and thinking positive and doing what I can.

My sales on eBay are going fairly well. I could do better if I wasn't so discouraged about shipping big, heavy items. I have knitting machines to sell because I'm only going to keep one. I have vintage sewing machines I would like to sell and they have to be very carefully packed so they arrive intact and unharmed. I've done it before with good success. I just need to work up the energy.

My Machine Knitting Bookshelf is empty except for a few that nobody seemed to want. I haven't decided how to sell the MK magazines yet. And I have lots!

So where were we? My 60th birthday was quiet. I'm happy to be a little closer to my social security. What next? Ah, 4th of July. Hubby Alex played one of the Benicia Founding Fathers with the Historical Society in the parade. Behold Robert Semple!



Then I spent nearly 24 hours a day recording the Olympics. Most thorough Olympics I've ever seen. Recorded 30 tapes that I dubbed to 27 DVDs. That's a LOT of commercials eliminated!

We had a few heat waves although not as bad as last summer. Cleo found that she likes to hang out in cool places like the bathroom sink and the tub.





Last year my credit union (EBTEL) was taken over by Sterlent CU. This year Sterlent was taken over by Patelco CU. What a pain! They have messed up my accounts SO much! I want to move all my accounts to a nice little local bank around the corner. No more deposits "lost in the mail". The last one I mailed (never again) was 2 weeks late so I was advised to get the check writers to stop payment and write new checks. Case closed right? No! After 4 weeks Patelco decided to post the deposit without notifying me or questioning the deposit slip date of a month before. And when the checks bounced they tried to charge me! I did what they told me to and they are going to try to rip me off? I don't think so! All charges reversed. Now I am trying to refinance my equity loan so I can pay off Patelco and get my accounts out of there.

So let's see, what else has gone on? Hubby Alex turned 73 last month. He is always in such perfect health that we got a new life insurance policy that goes to 120 years and costs a LOT less than the old one. A couple of weeks later I find this massive swelling on him, about the size of a cantaloup, that he should have told me about months ago! It's called a hydrocele (look it up) and will have to be surgically removed in a couple of weeks. I'm really tired of hospitals this year.

Again I am knitting Christmas gifts. A pair of gauntlets for someone who appreciates knights in armor and all that.



A couple of little cabled bags that still need pretty button closures.



And a Bramble tote bag that isn't finished yet. See the boo boos? I might just keep this one.



So that's where I am now. Watching the election returns and dreading the takeover of our country by a man who is not a natural born American, has terrorist and communist leanings and couldn't tell the truth if he tried. Lois, can I come live in B.C.?

4 comments:

Carol in WI said...

Gretchen,

Thanks for having to courage to speak up about the election results. It is downright scary for our future. I just turned 69 and my hubby 72. Am having chemo for my fifth bout of cancer (ovarian) and it has gotten me totally warn down. blood counts were too low today so treatment has been set back a week.

Enjoyed reading your blog and looking for more kitties.

Carol in WI

BB said...

But he *is* an natural-born American, and he doesn't have any terrorist or communist leanings. Even McCain -- who said he was proud of his association with domestic ex-terrorist G. Gordon Liddy -- has admitted his campaign over-exaggerated about Obama.

~Lynn~ said...

enjoy reading your blog. Hope all is well at this date with you and your DH. Your knitting is really beautiful...please post more of your projects when you can.

Unknown said...

Lovely hand gauntlets Gretchen! Beautifully done. I see that your kittens are a part of your life, as you said in your email. Take care.
Afton