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Archive for the ‘Friends & Relatives’ Category

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Gentlemen, start your engines

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

I have a good friend who lives in Minnesota, whose husband drag races as a hobby.  Now I don’t mean he takes the family car to the race track on Sunday, I mean he really has a car that is specifically for drag racing.  Actually, he has two of them.

I remember one summer, back in the late 1990s, when he actually made it to the division semi-finals.  He went to Indianapolis motor speedway for the weekend to race.  And, being such a close family friend (his wife is my best friend, even though we live very far apart now), I was invited to come along for the weekend.

It was a weekend full of camping (right there at the track) and a lot of fun!!!  We sat around the campfire at night, which is one of my favorite things to do, cooked breakfast over the campfire, roasted marshmallows, had a few beers.  Just good old-fashioned fun.  And during the day we watched all the races.  I think that it is one of my favorite memories of my entire lifetime.  Good friends and a good time, there is no better combination.

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Emergency trip

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

I received a phone call a couple of days ago from a good friend, who lives in Minnesota.  Her aunt was seriously ill and in the hospital and she was told that she needed to get there right away.  I knew that her aunt was aging, but I had not been informed that she was ill.  My friend didn’t know what to do to get the money she needed to travel all the way to Texas, and it was the weekend and none of the local places where she could normally go to get a loan were open.  She needed a loan because she anticipated that she would be gone for several weeks.

So, I suggested that we start searching the Internet for ways to get a loan.   We came across a website that talked about getting easy payday loans.   We did a little reading and researched the site.  They specialize in cash advances, installment loans and title loans.  Most of the time you can get your cash the very same day, which is what she needed to do.

After she filled out the short application form, she found a store not too far from her, in Wisconsin, so it would  be convenient for her as well.  She got her money that same afternoon and was on her way to Texas.  I am happy to say that her aunt has recovered and is doing well.

Posted in Finance, Friends & Relatives, Health, Life | No Comments »

Great playmates

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

I have three children that live near me.  They are the greatest kids I have ever known (other than my own, that is….).  They come to play with my new puppy on  nights when I have to work late.  I could not ask for better helpers!!

Last night they came to my home and took Roo out for a walk and, as I found out later, they even picked  her “potty pads” up off of the floor and put fresh ones down for her.  They definitely went beyond the call of duty.  They are also helping to train her to sit and to not bite when she is playing.  

I plan on rewarding them well for their efforts.  Again, these are a great bunch of kids, their mother has done a great job of raising them and teaching them to be responsible people.  I think Roo will do well with a little help from her great playmates.

Posted in Animals, Friends & Relatives, House/Home, Life | No Comments »

Coffee with friends

Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

Last week I stopped by to visit a very good friend, Teresa, and have coffee.  We do this on a weekly basis so we can catch up on what has been happening in our day to day lives.  With both of us working full time and with her children, time seems to slip away quickly, so we figure if we make a “coffee date” each week, and set aside the time, it will allow us to keep in touch.

While we were having our weekly “date”, her telephone rang.  After checking her caller ID, she did not pick up the phone, and let it go to the answering machine.  Whoever it was, did not leave a message.  After about an hour, her phone rang again.  Again, she did not answer.  I asked her why she was not answering the phone and she replied, “It is just a debt collector”.  They  call here at least 5 or six times a day.  I got tired of the calls and just quit answering.  She said that they even call her at work!!!

She then explained that for the past 3 years either she or her husband had been unemployed (which I knew about) and had fallen behind in credit card payments.  They had actually quit paying altogether.  It was a choice of either paying the rent, utilities and putting food on the table, or paying the credit card bills.  She asked me how to stop debt collectors from harassing her all the time.

I told her about a story that I had caught a glimpse of one day on the news, and told her to visit the website.  The story was about unfair debt collection practices.  So, we looked it up together on the Internet and found out that under the law, a debt collector cannot call you repeatedly, call you a inconvenient times or places and several other things that neither she or I were aware of.

Posted in Finance, Friends & Relatives, House/Home, Life | No Comments »

Puppy love

Sunday, September 18th, 2011

I just got a new 6 week old puppy.  She is sooooo cute!!!  She is a cocker spaniel and I have named her Little Roo.  I now have Poohbear, my adult cocker spaniel, Tigger, my parrot and Little Roo.  I am just missing Eeyore, Piglet and Rabbit to complete my 100 acre woods!!!

She is so adorable, I have never had a puppy this young before and am totally in love with her after one day.  She whines quite often (missing Mommy and her brothers and sisters I am sure), but she is getting better adjusted.  Poohbear, does not particularly care for the new puppy, as she has been queen of the house since I got her in 1997, but she is adjusting slowly.  Pooh will snap at Roo, but has not outright attacked her yet.  But, Pooh is old and not the playful type anymore, so she just has to learn to tolerate Roo.

Earlier today, Roo was playing with her new toys I bought her at Pet Smart.  She particularly loves this little one that looks like a squirrel.   It has no stuffing that she might swallow and a squeaker at the end of the tail.  She will take it in her mouth and shake her little head back and forth and growl.  It is so adorable to watch her play.  She loves to attack newspaper and rip it to shreds too.  She is just full of surprises all the time.

Now, for the potty training……that will take awhile I am sure.

all tuckered out

All tuckered out

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