Month: January 2022

A post a day APAD Day 11 Putting the kids (my parents) on the bus for the first time

~ msgracefulnot ~ 3 Comments

The county I live in has this wonderful transportation service that provides Bus rides to all residents of the County regardless of age. Door-to-door service and connections with other transportation services are available.  Donations are accepted for those age 60+ and low-cost for everyone else.  Drivers will assist riders over 60 and those with disabilities by unloading groceries and carrying to the door.

I think I mentioned before that my mom has dementia, but I don’t think I have ever mentioned that she had polio as a child and as a result has always walked with a brace or a cane. She falls alot and hasn’t been able to climb stairs for many years. My father is losing his eyesight, and while he is still legally able to drive I don’t believe that will be the case for much longer. When I was in the wheelchair a couple of years ago, I needed to use this service to get to and from my infusion etc. When you live in the boondocks like me, owning a vehicle is a must. Even physically fit people don’t walk to the store or out for dinner etc. There are no bus lines, taxis, or trains in the country.

My parents and I were supposed to take the bus to a senior center last week. Last minute circumstances prevented them from riding the bus with me to the center, but I did and they met me there. This week they rode the bus themselves!!!!! I was there to put them on the bus and answer all their questions, but they did it…and I was so proud I had to take a picture!

A post a Day (APAD) APAD Day 10 Squirreling

~ msgracefulnot ~ 1 Comment

Oh, Look a squirrel!

As I Was looking for a picture of a school bus to use in a blog post, I got distracted when I saw an ad from a company that was selling them. This is an excerpt from the ad

Our entire inventory is available to you at your fingertips if you choose the Used Inventory tab at the top of the screen. Then, you can click on any of the links to your liking from the drop-down menu to start browsing. We even carry buses that are under $10,000 if you happen to be on a budget. As you’re looking around trying to find the one that will suit your needs, you will be able to see some photos as well as a brief description of the features that are included and how many miles it has on the odometer. Not just that, once you click on an image, you’re going to be taken to a page that shows a breakdown of all of its specs along with green score information and crash-test ratings.

THAT’S ME!!!! I’m on a budget!!!!

hmmm maybe I could sell my house for way more than it’s worth, buy a bus and live in that?!?? ( I mentioned I do feel like I live in my car) Since the temperatures are less than freezing in Illinois, now would be a perfect time for me to head back down to Florida for the Winter. I wouldn’t even have to rent a moving truck.

On second thought, maybe I don’t sell my house. I let my roommate have the whole house for the winter ( along with the bills) and I come back when Florida is too Hot during the summer. Maybe I’m on to something?!?!? These random thoughts continued for the next hour or so and eventually I ran out of the time I had allotted myself to write for the day.

One post a day… APAD Day 9 Gone but never forgotten

~ msgracefulnot ~ 3 Comments

Remembering Snuff and D.O.G.

We purchased D.O.G in 2008. I was very depressed. My step daughter that I had been raising for the last 5 years decided to move across the country to live with her biological mother. I was in and out of the hospital having MS exacerbations every couple of months. I was in A. Bad. Place. Adding D.O.G. to our family was just what I needed. She was my constant companion or copilot. The MS exacerbations continued to occur every two or three months finally landing me in a wheelchair almost full time and having to use a Foley catheter. Again, I. was. DEPRESSED. I was put in a rehabilitation center for 3 months to learn how to walk again. (That is another story though) D.O.G. also became very depressed. She would not eat unless she could visit me or hear my voice on the phone. Did I mention co-dependent? My ex-husband and I decided to get a dog for D.O.G.

Buying a dog for your dog

Yes I bought a dog for my dog. I have always loved German Shepherds. They are hands down my favorite breed. A friend of the family’s German Shepherd had puppies and she said I could take my pick for $300.00. If you have ever purchased a purebred dog, you know that $300.00 is a hell of a deal. (more on that later) Thing One, Thing Two and I went to meet the puppies. Out of 12 of them we were all able to agree that Snuff was the one. The fact that we were all able to agree, MADE her the one. That and she kind of picked us.

Getting two dogs was one of the few Good Decisions that I have made in my life. Over the next few years I learned the importance of training your dogs to be “Good Citizens” or in Layman’s terms “not to be assholes”. Again that’s another story though.

Losing a pet is devastating

Snuff died in June of 2019

Time of Death 10:30 pm 06/15/2019

and I lost D.O.G. in January of 2021

I didn’t write a post about losing D.O.G. I COULDN’T write. I couldn’t sleep. I just couldn’t…well anything.

Both of these girls will always be in my heart!

A Post a Day APAD Day 8- thrown under the bus

~ msgracefulnot ~ 1 Comment

Thrown Under the Bus

Before you try to throw me under the bus, make sure you know who’s driving it. I have been thrown under the bus so many times, I have permanent tire tracks on my head, I’m sure of it.

Last year was a pretty rough year for me in many ways. At one point when I needed help I reached out to someone I normally would not have. I HATE asking for help, absolutely hate it. But there it is I did. As a result, when the person that helped me reached out to me asking for help, I felt obligated to help when normally I would not have gotten involved.

I got involved.

So I got involved. I took care of shit that H, should have handled on her own. A couple weeks later I get a call from T, her boyfriend, asking why I got involved. I responded, because “H asked me to”. She did?!?!? YES. I’m not surprised that H didn’t tell T. I am surprised and a little hurt that she tried to pin it all on me though. I guess oh well, my “debt” is paid. I didn’t do anything wrong, illegal, or unethical, I just got involved in something I normally wouldn’t and while I “fixed” the problem, trying to throw me under the bus created 100 new problems for them.

I know this post may seem a little cheesy, but I wanted to ” get it out of my head”, but I don’t need to throw someone under the bus to do it. I don’t need to air someone else dirty laundry, but I do need a reminder to continue to mind my own business. This is that reminder.