Exciting Days Ahead...

 Not to mention BUSY!!!

I've had a bout of illness this week. It wasn't COVID (I took a test), but it might have been a nasty case of the flu- or possibly a tummy bug that has been plaguing this area for a couple of months now.

So, I went back to work Friday and then had yesterday off to ease back into my work routine again. Today I go in for my 12-hour shift from 6p tonight to 6a Monday morning, then come home, catch a few hours' sleep before having to return to work at 2pm on Monday afternoon until 10p that night. 

 I'm doing these extra 12 hour shifts here and there because I have a plan.

As some of my friends know, I have been looking for a place of my own. Not to RENT, a little patch of land to buy and own.  I thought surely I would have that by this stage of my life, but it seems my exes had other goals in mind. 

#1- he never grew up- he wanted to squander his money on partying with his friends (his treat, of course) rather than provide a future for his little family. I put his belongings out and told him it was over. My kids were not going to do without while he and his friends lived high on the hog. I mean when you have to resort to stealing(but is it REALLY) most of what's left out of his wallet after he staggers in drunk and high on Sunday night and passes out, just so you can feed and clothe your kids, I think the dream is over.

#2- he couldn't have children and after marrying him I realized that he resented mine. Sorry, but he knew I had kids when we married and that was a dealbreaker. I walked away.

#3- he was a very secretive control freak- had loads of money thru a trust fund but was so bad at managing it he had to go thru his mommy to do anything with it. He did manage to have us a home built on our first anniversary. We both had good jobs and split the bills, he only had to pay for the house mortgage, and his auto insurance (his car was paid off) and any weekend trips we took instead of a long two weeks vacations. I paid for my kids everything (I didn't get child support at my own request for reasons), my car payment and auto insurance, groceries, utilities and all gifts (B-day and Christmas except his to me) ... had the house a year and a half and then came home early while he was at a staff meeting and my kids handed me a piece of paper that the sheriff had delivered just before I walked in the door. I had actually passed by him as he left the subdivision as I turned in 3 minutes before. It was a foreclosure notice- a FINAL NOTICE stating we had 10 days left. I guess he had managed to intercept the two before it to keep me in the dark. So that was the end... he refused to let me see any financial records nor would he discuss the situation, so I chose to walk away. 

#4- Although he said differently for the first 5 years we were married, he had ZERO interest in owning his own home. There was always a 'reason"(excuse) it wasn't obtainable. The real reason was he didn't want the responsibility of home ownership. Not for that reason alone (there was a few others I won't mention) I left the UK and moved back home to the USA. No animosity(mostly), just a clean cut... irreconcilable differences I suppose you could say. 

I have given up on the idea of love and being a couple who works toward a common goal. I'm lucky to have witnessed many of my friends and family achieving that very thing, but it has alluded me and I'm done waiting.

Well, I've been working towards that goal on my own since moving back home. I thought that I would get a plot of the family place to put my home (my ultimate dream) but even though my Daddy had it set up in what he had been told was an airtight ironclad will/trust, somehow my mom managed to have it changed.  We've thought about and discussed contesting it, but none of us are up to that kind of long drawn-out battle at this stage of our lives, so my sister-in-law rules the estate. I would say my brother, but it's not him...it's all her. 

Anyway, I digress, I've been busting my butt to be a better person, to keep my eye on the goal and it seems to be working.  I have a legal thing to take care of with #4, but then it's going to be full throttle ahead to realize my dream. It's in the works now, I'm just not wanting to jinx it by talking about it before it's a done deal.  And what a deal it is!!!! 

So anyway, all the OT hours and then the illness is why I was away for so long. As I said- I'm managing to read and sometimes comment on my blogger friends' posts, but I find it difficult, if not impossible, to write a post for here on my tiny little keypad on my phone. 

Yall please pray for me and my last Bucket List item. 

And Happy Fall Yall!!!!

Sad State of Affairs.....

 Alas, it's a sad state of affairs that today couldn't be enjoyed properly by sitting wrapped in a long cardigan on the back deck sipping a warm beverage and enjoying the long-awaited cool weather and autumnal colours beginning to show up in the foliage.... (FINALLY!) It's only in the lower 60s today and supposed to be in the lower 40s after the sun goes down. Happy Days once again- my favourite time of year!!!!

I'm going to enjoy at least a month of not having to run the A/C nor the Heating before actual cold enough weather sets in. Feeling a bit chilly? Put on an extra layer or put on a hoodie. Do NOT turn on the heat before November 1st!!! I'm not even joking.

Anyway, I digress- Instead of the long-awaited back-deck scenario, I had to complete what has turned into a three weekend deep clean and rearrange of my bedroom to accommodate a slim Christmas Tree- which I am still waiting to acquire.

After completing that task, (again-FINALLY), I am taking a short nap before I have to get dressed and head off to work a 12-hour shift at the site. I'm hoping it will be an easy shift, and no one should be there until about 5am. I've not worked a weekend shift since changing companies, so I don't have a clue what it will be like. I agreed to two Sunday shifts before Halloween; we will see how it goes after that holiday.  My side hustle of helping create holiday settings usually starts about that time of year and I'm waiting to see how many of my former peeps will call me for a repeat job since I'm back in the States again.

I'm going to do whatever it takes to get to the place I want to be in my life. Right now, there is only ONE thing left on my Bucket List- and come Hell or High Waters I'm going to see it done- unless God has a shorter timeline for me.

I reckon we will see!!!

In other news, COVID is alive and well and running rampant at work.  Lord Protect us all.

Not Too Shabby

 Well, another busy week in my life. 

I'm taking extra shifts to get some legal stuff out of the way. Then on to the rest of my life.

I'm reading on how my blogger friends are doing and following their life adventures, and I will be back soon, but for now, it's a case of Sleep, get dressed, go to work, go home, eat, shower and sleep... wash rinse, repeat...lol. Saturdays are my only day off at the moment, so maybe I can get a few minutes to write a proper post then. But that will end soon because the holidays are fast approaching and my little side hustle of helping others get their spaces dazzling for the holiday season will soon take over the weekends of my life for about 6 weeks. 

Life is wonderful and I'm slowly reclaiming the ME I once was. 

One victory at a time!!!!

Dirty Deeds and God's Gifts

 Hmmm...it's been a while. Life has taken some strange turns. 

The new job I took to become a bit less stressed is trying it's darndest to become exactly what the one I left was. I've been in Security or law enforcement in some way, shape or form since 1984. I have very useful knowledge to share. And I'm perfectly willing to share it to make my workplace a smoothly oiled machine.

My employers want me to take on a supervisory position and I DO NOT WANT... I will gladly share my insights, but I will NOT put myself in that position again. There is no extra money nor title in it- they just want someone to be responsible for the site. 

Again- I DO NOT WANT. 

I took this job on second shift- 2p-10p because I wanted a more laid-back phase in my life going forward. I will gladly work extra shifts now and again when needed (of my choice), but I won't take responsibility again for making sure the shifts are covered by being REQUIRED to go in if no one else is willing to do so- I'm sorry, but that seems more like a DEmotion than a PROmotion. 

I will gladly take lead when the company that employs us asks for help with solving an issue, but I won't be anyone's YES Man.

In the words of the Great Danny Glover- I'm getting too old for that ?%#*!!!!!

Then I'm still looking for a new place to live. As before when we were looking- so many scammers!!!!!

When Tax season rolls around again, I'm going to be making some decisions again.

I took in a lodger. I swore when we moved away from the other place that it wouldn't happen again, but one of my son's friends got done DIRTY by his roommates. They trashed the place, didn't help with the bills and then moved out leaving him a huge problem which got him evicted for the crap they did to him.

I felt bad for him- so I had a discussion with him and told him he could stay with us until he got back on his feet IF he helped out with the utilities... I thought $40 a week should be fair. (My power runs about 250-350 a month, water is around 35(jumped to 57) internet is 75 a month... That it- 

I got $90 the first month and nothing the past 2 months. I had a discussion with him 2 weeks ago and told him I needed that money by no later than Sept 27th. He came up with a reason (he needed to pay his auto insurance so he could continue getting back and forth to work. I took that into consideration and said fine- and gave him an extra week. That's the night he disappeared. And we haven't seen him since, so I'm assuming he isn't staying here anymore? But his stuff is still in my basement.  Although before cold weather hits it most certainly won't be. My granddaughter and I started clearing out the basement this weekend in anticipation of decorating for the coming holidays and we have a load of stuff for the recycle center and also for the donation center. If he doesn't come back and get his stuff, it's going too. 

My house is not a storage unit for people who do ME and mine dirty. 

God has Blessed me and he will help me provide what I need. I have Faith.

Other than those few things- life is going well.

I do love being on second shift. It gives me time to spend alone time with my two kids every day before I hie myself off to work and it gives them time away from mama when they do their thing in the afternoons and early evening. 

I pray- a lot. Well, I say I pray- it's more Like I have several conversations with God every day. I don't go to church regularly, my church of choice is about 60 miles away, but I do watch church services online with my daughter who told me about the church she went to... It's the same church I go to when I can. The pastor brings the Word of God to life. I wish all pastors did that. At the end of the service every Sunday, you feel disappointed that the service is over because you want to hear more. 5Point Church in Easley South Carolina. Pastor Dean Herman. Non-Denominational. If you don't (or do) have a church- go...just once. Or watch the service online- just Google 5Point and it will take you to the live service on Sundays.

That's all I got for now. Life just got really busy for a while.