Showers; Line Clearing; Car Starting; More Clearing; Mowing; Mother's Debt; More Money Questions; Estate Sale; Outside Kitty; Missing Grae

Last Thursday night's catastrophic, tree-crashing, limb-tearing, window-shattering thunderstorm as predicted by the TV weather bulletins turned out to be about a 20-minute tepid shower.

Again tonight, the weather bulletin was about 10-minutes long. And did definite damage to NCIS. Not a drop have I seen. Nor a squeak of thunder have I heard.

I'm now working on the north side of the property. It's considerably different from the south. The north has closely planted hedge mixed in with other odd bushes. On the south side, the property on the other side was fairly clear, and the neighbors worked on their side.

The property on the other side of the north boundary is a major disaster area. The owner died several years ago, and from what I can tell, the property has sat neglected since then. There are downed limbs everywhere on top of piles and piles of trash, leaves and straw. Since living here, I've seen no effort made at cleaning.

Friday and Saturday, I cleaned a 75-foot section at the front. And Sunday and yesterday, I worked at bagging the debris. I wound up with ten garbage containers and around fifteen 42-gallon bags.

There was an additional section from there to the house, but that's where the Saturn was parked. The battery-dead Saturn. I finally decided I was going to have to buy some booster cables. So after lunch today, I stopped of at the Brandon WalMart. Seems like that several months ago, they were re-arranging merchandise. That was nothing compared to the current activities. The booster cables were in a tiny alcove that leads to the auto-repair shop.

The cables had very clear instructions on the side of the box. Of course, I still managed to screw it up four or five times. The first time, the positive clamp slipped off the battery of the Saturn. The second time, I disconnected the Toyota cables to the battery, so the booster clamps would have a better grip. Duhhhh! One little problem - you can't start the Toyota. I reconnected the cables, but didn't connect the negative clamp to the motor block of the Saturn. Next, I managed to connect the negative clamp to the positive pole of the Saturn. That was certainly colorful - lots of sparks and smoke. Finally, I got the positive connection to the positive connection and the negative connection to the motor block. Voila! It worked! I then disconnected the cables and backed the Saturn up to allow access to the hedge.

I raked and scrapped and raked some more, and got about 60% done. The rest will have to wait for another day.

I was on such a roll, I figured I might as well mow the south side and back yards. It's an electric mower by the way. I did ok until I hit a remaining clump of debris, and the mower stopped and would not start again. I checked the cords - there's a 100-foot cord plugged into a 10-foot power strip plugged into an outlet in the store room. I plugged and unplugged and re-pluuged to no avail. I checked the circuit braker, but there was no problem there. I sat down with the manual and tried to find a solution. I started to give up, and as I moved the power strip, I happened to think of the reset button on the strip. A simple push, and the mower started again.

As I mowed, I noticed a number of small limbs that need to be cleared. I tried cutting through several mounds of leaves, but I see that will have to be raked and bagged. Several times I hit some very low-lying small stumps that need to be removed. When I finished, it didn't look very neat. So I may have to some more raking. Oh me! Oh my!

Yesterday, I sent off notices indicating her death to the two banks with which mother had credit cards. And that I had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. I feel uneasy about this situation, but the lawyer indicated I was under no obligation to assume the debt. Even I did, how whould I pay it off.

In the bankruptcy filing, my monthly expenses slightly exceed my monthly income. So there's nothing there I could use.

The estate was not probated because all the assests were held as joint tenants which precludes the need for probate.

From what I've read, there is an outside possibility, the banks could attempt to file a lien against the house if it is sold.

I got my state income tax return in the mail today. It may or may not go to the banruptcy estate. The lawyer was not certain since it was less than $200. However, the federal return will have to be turned over to the attorney for payment into the fund.

A question I've not asked is at what point will I be able to keep the money I generate from selling items. The lady next door has expressed an interest in the Saturn. And I've told her I'm not sure when I'll be able to sell.

I desperately need to have an estate sale. The old den is full of boxes and containers of glasses, pots and pans, crockery, sewing items, clocks and radios, and decorative potpourri. Not mention two recliners, two chests, a book shelf, a desk, three plush chairs, a storage cabinet. There's mother's bedroom suite and her clothes and jewelry. The carport has more furniture, a treadmill, rugs, old tools, and assorted junk.

My outside kitty has disappeared. I've not seen her in three or four days. But then this has happened before, and then suddenly she will appear. Last year, when mother had been at the first nursing home for several weeks, I pulled in the drive, and there was the kitty.

Everytime, I've let her in, Tiger, Tiger literally has a hissy fit. So she never stays inside for long.

May Bast watch over her!

It has been more than a year since Grae died. And I still find myself missing him. He was such a wonderful friend. Especially at a time when things were very difficult for me.

PAX!