Ashamed!!!

I am so ashamed that I haven't blogged in a while. It has just been very busy and frustrating these past 2 weeks or so.

My birthday was in August and I thought I had managed to not let anyone know, but while Sharon was here we were talking about it being Dennis's BD and I mentioned that mine had been the day after his. Ooops, that let the cat out of the bag, lol.

So, a few days later what should arrive in the mail but this wonderful package from my sweet friend, aka DDD aka The Papparazzi Princess. I was going to title this post

"Purple Package from the Papparazzi Princess for the Purple Haired Old Lady"

but it has been so long since I got it that I am just too ashamed to do so. However, I loved this package when it arrived, and I love everything in it!
Notice the purple card and wrapping paper!!!!
And, look, a very pretty and feminine box with purple flowers, some purple notecards....I think this is a hint that I should send cards out, lol.... They are just too pretty to use, that is my excuse and I am sticking to it!

A new Rotary Cutter with purple flowers all over it....it works like a dream, and see the cute picture of the dog, looks a lot like Madeleine doesn't it?

Lace Post It Notes in their own little packet that I can carry in my purse!!! That's so I don't have to rely on my memory. Thank you so much Sharon!!! Can I have another birthday this month? LOL!!!

Since the truth is out about my birthday, and I'm not telling my age, I will also show you a picture of the flowers my oldest daughter sent me. They lasted for almost 2 weeks and were just gorgeous.

Now, on to other things, no sewing has occurred around this house. I tried to do some but have had to rip out most of it. I am behind on all projects at the moment. My eyes have been so blurry for close work I could not see well enough to do anything that looked right. So, I just stopped trying.

Had a doctor's appt today and my eyes are healed. They are not perfect like the doc and I both wanted them to be, but they are in pretty good shape considering the Floppy Irises that I have. I got a prescription for glasses that will be ready in a week and then I should be good to go. I still don't have to wear glasses all the time, but what I chose to do was get Transition lenses with bifocals in the bottom so I can use them for sunglasses and to see close. I am hoping this will work, if not, we will try something else. The astigmatisms have come back a little bit in my left eye, but not enough to cause problems, (hah)

I have to think that all of the eye problems I am having will gradually go away. She is going to check them again in 3 months and see where they are, but I am going to just assume this is what I am going to be left with and adjust my thinking and live in a myopic state sometimes, lol.

The thing that has consumed my time lately and what little sense I have anymore is cars. Aud has decided she doesn't want to drive anymore. Ok, that's fine. We will give her car to one of my grandchildren and keep mine. I get mine tuned up, and of course it needs a new battery, and checked out and ready to go. That takes a couple of my days.

Then I take hers, which is a 1992 white Buick Reviera (a true classic) with white leather seats and maroon dash and floorboards, etc.....to have the fluids checked. Aud is looking longingly at the Buick and "it is so much more comfortable than your car", and it is in great shape, we should keep it instead". Hmmm, ok, let me think about this....

Meanwhile, the window washers squeak to high heaven and it is rainy, so I go to AutoZone and get new windshield washers.....and now they don't squeak. I think they had been on the car since she bought it.

She is right about keeping the car, it has a wonderful quiet ride, except the radio squeals a high pitched squeal that drives me crazy. Ok, I don't care, we can give him the Ford, and keep the Buick , but I am going to put a decent radio in it. That takes a day at Best Buy because of course it involves a lot of work. Then I want to get the tires balanced and rotated. That takes a couple of hours and, oh, by the way, some of the lug nuts have been broken off, and that is dangerous, you really need to have them replaced. Oh, and the tires are in great shape.

Ok, fine, so I take it to a mechanic that has worked on this car previously because we have discovered some oil that has leaked out of the car on the floor of the garage. Two days and a nice sum of money later we have all 20 lug nuts replaced on the wheels and I won't have any problems if I ever have a flat. And everything else is ok, the oil is probably from having the oil changed, and don't worry about the "check engine light" that keeps coming on, lol.

Next thing, the lighter doesn't work. I don't smoke, but I need an outlet for my phone and my Ipod charger. Back to Autozone. They are too busy to check out my fuses, so I leave. Down the street to the Buick dealer, will you please check my fuses. Sure, oh yes, the one for the lighter needs to be changed. They change it, how much do I owe you, nothing, but your "AntiLock Brake light" is coming on and you need that checked out.

Great, can you fix it? No, we don't work on cars this old, you will have to take it to Smicklaus, they have the manuals to work on these old cars. Fine.

I call Smicklaus, and yes, they will take a look at it, so I take it down last Saturday and leave it for them so I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn yesterday morning to get it down there.

I get a call about 3 yesterday afternoon....Ms Perry, how much do you want to drive this car?, ....hmmm, that sounds bad....what are we talking about here......"Well, the hot bearings need to be changed or fixed" or something, I don't even know what they are, but according to the mechanic, they are dangerous to drive with...the brakes are fine,,,,but the bearings need changing and that is x number of dollars. And the "check engine light" is coming on because your timing is out of sinc and that also really needs to be fixed, for x number of dollars, and the window that doesn't want to go up sometimes (forgot to mention that one) needs a new module and that is x number of dollars. We are up to a nice tidy sum by now, so I tell him I will think about it and call him back. I am in too much of a state of shock at the moment to try to even talk.

So Aud and I talk it over, and decide not to have it fixed, keep the Ford, try to find someone to buy the Buick as is, and, making a sensible decision, I call him back and tell him we will pick it up in a little while, we have decided not to spend the money.

Good sensible decision made, I go to my room and play some solitaire on my computer and think about what I am going to tell my grandson about him not getting the car.

Aud comes in about 30 mintues later, and after some discussion about selling them both and buying a new car, which I do not want to do, we decide to have the Buick fixed and give the ford to the grandson.

div>So, I call Smicklaus back, and tell them to go ahead and do the work on the car, and the car is still down there. I figure they will have it another day or so. The mechanic promises me the car will run like a top. It only has 75,000 miles on it after all.

You would think that this would be the end of this tale, but no, now I have to find the title for the Ford. Hah!!! I don't have it, would you believe. If you have read this far, you should know by now I am ready to pull my hair out.

I have gone through a lot of drawers of "crap" that I should have thrown away, looked for all the "important papers" that should be together, wrong!!! I do find a letter that says I have the car paid for, but no title. This afternoon I finally get a chance to call Ford Motor Credit and ask them where my title is. Oh, it has been more than 5 years since that car has been paid for, we don't have any records past 5 years. If you want something called a release of lien it will cost you 17.00 to get it!!! I think you probably saw a little steam over OKC about that time. I believe that the person who took my credit card number was in India. No wonder Ford is not in good shape, that was another hour of frustration to get that done, but I should have my "release of lien" in 6 to 7 days. Then I get to go through the State of Texas Motor Vehicle Division to get the title. Unreal..... Eventually I guess I will get it all together. Good thing he isn't in any hurry for it, lol.

And that, my friends, is why I have not blogged in so long.