Smoke Signals and other news
As I grow older and become less able to do for myself, I become more appreciative of the help I’m offered and receive from others. On Tuesday, I had to make another trip to Home Depot for supplies. I have to use the electric carts if I shop for very long. This would be an extended shopping spree to locate a number of items throughout the store. Several employees were very helpful. Preparing to leave, I noticed the light was yellow on the cart, but was sure I could make it to the car. The cart stopped in the middle of one of the lanes of traffic as I was trying to locate my car. The basket was full and included some heavy items. As I tried to think what to do, several customers came to my rescue, found an empty cart, transferred all the items, loaded everything into my car, and moved the nonfunctioning cart to a safe location. All could have just gone on their way and left me stranded but were certainly kind to an “old lady” in distress. On Wednesday I returned to the same store to find the batteries on all three handicap carts dead and not plugged in. I tried to plug them in but could not quite accomplish that. I reported this to two different employees but did not see either of them make the effort to plug them in. If I return to the store and this is still the situation, I will be asking for a manager. I have spent a great deal of money at that store the last couple of weeks and hopefully they can provide this much needed service for those unable to walk long distances.
This week has included a dental visit for a cleaning, an orthopedic visit for a painful shoulder including a cortisone injection, some physical therapy, two meetings, multiple trips to Home Depot, a visit to check on a cousin who was not doing well, supervising the ongoing work on the house including a plumbing leak and an electrical issue, ordering of Christmas presents, preparing the ball fields for winterization, and a few stops at Byhalia Nutrition. Don’t forget to drop off your new unwrapped toys/gifts at Byhalia Nutrition or other locations around town for the Byhalia Fire Department’s Christmas Toy Drive.
I called the IRS this week to assist someone in resolving an ongoing tax issue. I was pleasantly surprised with the professionalism/knowledge of the agent. Together, I think we just may have figured out the issue and it will hopefully be resolved soon.
I’m not big on tv watching but my service has been out a couple of weeks. As soon as some of the work on the house is completed, I will probably have to call for repair. We have seen a critter of some large size running inside the soffit and apparently, he/she may have had a snack of some of the wiring.
I’ve seen an increasing number of complaints about misdelivered/mishandled/poorly placed packages as Christmas nears. I know this happens and have fallen victim to such incidents; however, many of these drivers do make the effort to get it right. The Byhalia area is blessed to have at least one awesome UPS driver. If he is your driver, you know who he is! I also had a Fedex driver this week who came to my house two days in a row to deliver the same package that showed being on his truck, but he could not locate it. When my son went out to tell him who the shipper was, he was able to locate it and was so relieved.
The second missing cat turned up this week demanding to be fed. This time he is not injured. Another beautiful gray kitty has appeared but is very afraid of humans at this point.
Just a reminder that you do not have to tolerate domestic abuse. There is a way out. I am sorry to report that one of the ladies I have tried to help has let her abuser back in her life. This is her choice. Nothing can be done if she refuses help. The second one has taken measures to free herself of her abuser. Hopefully, she can stay strong in this choice. A couple of years ago I was instrumental in helping a lady escape while her abuser was sleeping. I had never even met her at the time but she showed up on my front porch begging for help. She later stopped by to thank me and has moved on with her life.
I would love to report your news, activities, etc. Please share your news with me either at jchwagg@gmail.com or text or call 901 246-8843. You can message me on Facebook as Clair Wagg.