Still Here

Still here, just crazy busy.  A grandson whose soccer team is (hopefully) headed to state after tomorrow's game, school conference days so grandchildren home from school, doctor appointments, traveled 3 states away for a wedding, I can't remember what all we have been up to, but I will check my photos. 

My church charity has had record breaking requests. I worked last Thursday and had six families show up who had their electricity shut off that morning. There is a mindset that something will prevent that from happening, but in reality it means we have to had fees to have it turned back on. 

I had a grandmother raising a grandchild who was laid off from her job of 17 years.  I had several single mothers who were cut from 40 hours a week to 18-20 hours. I had a single mother of two with cancer who is on unpaid leave and they found five more spots on a PET scan. We had 28 applications before the board this week, I can't remember the rest of them. 

Our client from a European country, a working resident here for almost 18 years, whose abusive husband neglected to renew her green card - we were able to pay the fees and get the paperwork approved and she is renewed. We paid almost $600 to renew it and a generous volunteer is paying over $1000 to apply for citizenship and a generous attorney is volunteering their legal services to apply for citizenship. She was unable to work when her card expired. So that was good news. 

More good news was a benefactor who sent us an unexpected check for $10,000.  

We picked the rest of our garden yesterday before our first frost. I had a huge box of green peppers which I took to the food bank this morning. There were several "shoppers" our food bank is laid out like a small grocery and at least five or six people waiting for a turn to shop.  I will be seventy years old this year and every person there was older than I am.  

The loss of food stamps in my community will be devastating. Most of our clients use food stamps to supplement their budget. A senior citizen losing the $89 she gets a month in SNAP means the loss of most of her grocery budget.  The working single mother will have to use her rent money or utility money to put food in her children's mouths. It is just so sad. 

We have not gotten our letter about healthcare costs for our Medicare Supplemental. I am very worried about it. 

Anyway.  I will be back. Things have to slow down here someday. 

The Wedding

This Saturday my son, his fiance, his two sons, her daughter and her boyfriend, his parents, her parents and my son-in-law who has a license to marry people gathered at a pond. And they got married. 

There are no photos of me in this post because I did not find any clothing to make me appear taller and thinner.  Actually I wore an outfit from my closet that made me look wider (although I did not believe that could be possible). 

The bride and groom. 

I didn't just gain a daughter - I gained a granddaughter, too!!! 

Most of my children are clowns. Isn't the cake beautiful? The bride ordered the two layers and her mother decorated it with fresh flowers. 

The night before the wedding they were feverishly cleaning their house to host the siblings and their families, as well as the parents, for barbeque.  We have a family group chat and my son was complaining that he was washing the driveway while she scrubbed showers, nothing necessary to the party. 

My oldest daughter checking the shower out with a selfie. I wish I could share the expression on her face. 

The ceremony was held up by the tall twelve year old in the photos who had a conference cross country final in the morning. He placed second overall in the conference and led his school to first place. He will run at state next week. He then got up at 6am today to run in the local 5K for charity and placed first. He had a soccer game nearby at 1:00 pm and then a make up soccer game about 90 minutes away at 7:00 p.m. On a school night.  And that is how the happy couple spent their honeymoon. 

Girls Trip to TJ

 I always share that you know you are an old lady when the excitement of a day out of the house is a visit to the fancy grocery store.  Trader Joe's is almost an hour away. My wonderful friend Pat organized us, we packed our coolers and hit the road at 8:30 a.m.

So bright and welcoming. 

Mr Merry has decided he is allergic to fresh flowers (he is not) but I humored him and didn't buy any.

My cart after the first aisle. 

Got some bags for trick or treaters. 

Then I came home to this. 

So I guess I am making more freezer salsa. 

We "early" voted. 

In other news, the family that I purchase my steer quarters watched me share my goddaughter's (who raises cattle in another state) recipe challenge contest on the Book of Faces and is having her own Recipe Challenge Contest.  Hers is a little more loose, no real recipes, just suggestions from cuts of meat.  

Week one was tacos and I made my taco tarts. 

Week two was brisket. I cooked it in the crock pot for the first time. It was delicious. 

And week three, beef stew. 

The challenge coordinator said she adds a can of tomato paste to her recipe and I tried it. We liked it. 

I really like that for at least two or three nights a week (we are only a family of two so lots of leftovers), I don't have to think of what to have for dinner, lol. 

Tomorrow I am in the charity office all day. I will get home in time to get the kids off the bus, take them to their other gramma and Mr Merry and I will hit the road for two hours to attend a high school play. 

Friday my daughter has a free day in exchange for evening parent teacher conferences all week. We are going out to lunch and shopping for a dressy shirt for me.  

Saturday my middle son is getting married in a casual ceremony.  The mother of the bride and I are wearing black slacks.  I need something that makes me look about 6" taller and much much thinner. And maybe younger?  I'll let you know how shopping goes. 

Size Matters and Taylor Swift

 50% of American Women stand 5'5" or less.  The average height for American Women is 5'3".  

Why can't women 5'5" and under find slacks, pants, or jeans that are short enough? 

I wanted to clarify I did order "short" jeans. I believe that, since I am also "wide", they make short jeans longer.  And most stores do not even carry the short length in stock.  Some of the jeans I purchased were 6" too long which means the manufacturer is making jeans for women almost 5'11".  

Boo. 

Meanwhile.  

It was Taylor Swift Saturday!!!

We all had our accessory bags! 

Everyone took photos of each other.  These two tied their boas together because they are BFFs. 

A mom with two daughters took our photo and we took the photo of a couple who were even older than me! 

Everyone of all ages was exchanging bracelets. I had extra headpieces (since I bought them in sets) and passed those out too. 

These two sang along with the lyrics on screen even though they did not know the music. No one cared. We all applauded and cheered at each scene and track change. We would like to thank Taylor Swift for using family appropriate lyrics in the movie event. 

We had a fantastic time at the show!  The girls were so excited that we spent almost two hours at lunch after the show. Gramma is tired!!! 

Life in a Small Town

Still here.

I needed new jeans. My well loved, well worn, jeans have begun to split horizontally in the legs and I look either like a hipster or homeless person. I hate shopping.Our local Walmart is small and never has my size AND I am uncomfortable trying on clothes in the tiny dressing room and trying to see how they look. The only store that carries women's jeans in my town is Walmart so I ordered 4 pairs of jeans in the same size. I ordered at Walmart in case I would need to return them. 

Keep in mind that they are all exactly the same size. 

Pair one was so tight I could not get them up enough to zip them and they were about 12 inches too long. 

Pair two was way too big; big enough I thought they could fall down if I tried to walk. 

I can live with pairs three and four.  

Today I went to our local Walmart where I can return them. There were seven people in line and one clerk. The person in the front had a issue. We waited about fifteen minutes. Then the other five went through the line. Then it was my turn. She processed the return, asked if I wanted the credit on my credit card or a store credit (credit card) and I left the desk. 

Soon I hear people yelling my name all over the store. I have an unique name (it's not Miss Merry, but close). I was mortified. I walked back to the front - everyone is saying "Miss Merry, they are calling for you at the desk" and see the clerks waving.  Supposedly half my return went back to my credit card and she had to give me the other half in cash. This sounds fishy to me so I will check my bank online to see if I scammed them or what.  I don't think this is what the receipt says. 

It turns out that the clerk noticed something was wrong and asked if anyone knew me. One of the people in line was the grandmother of a girl who was in my 4H club maybe 15 years ago and knew my name.  This is what it is like to live in a small town.  

I hope I don't have to go back to Walmart anytime soon. 

Meanwhile - I have four tickets to the Taylor Swift movie tomorrow at 11:30 am and we are ready to go! 

My granddaughter has invited a new friend from school and is very excited for the movie and the restaurant lunch after.  My dolls are modeling our accessories. 

My Indivisible group has planned a last minute protest against rising healthcare costs tomorrow during the movie. I am lending them my portable speaker with my playlist. I have spent WAY too much time today explaining how to use it to several people via text message.  It isn't that hard, I figured it out without instructions on the side on a road by Cracker Barrel.  I am regretting offering to lend it to them.