Sistah Pat

Slept until 9:00 this morning!  DH is off and he got Andrew off to work and let me sleep.  Good thing.  I took some Nyquil last night and it knocked me out.  Started getting a raggedy throat yesterday afternoon along with muscle aches and pains and a headache.  Hope it’s just a cold.

As soon as I get some coffee going through my system, I’m heading to Frankfort.  I promised myself I’d look into retirement options this summer and it seems like a good day to do it.

Updates on the home front:  DB called last night to let me know that he sent me a check for the car rental.  He didn’t seem the least little bit perturbed by the cost and said the amount was about what he thought it would be.  I’d told him I would only put the cars on my charge card if his kids took out full insurance coverage on them and he said he thought the amount would be about what it was.  He was really surprised when I told him DIL had been a bit upset at the amount.  Said he didn’t know why.  Okay, water under the bridge…

DS had a rough time with DIL’s mother yesterday afternoon.  She called him again and he told her she couldn’t take the kids Sunday.  Said she got pretty nasty about it and said that was ridiculous.  She called back a few minutes later to assure him that DIL would not be there.  He told her she still couldn’t have them because the EPO said they couldn’t be around her or her family.  Not that we believed for a minute that DIL wouldn’t be there…  She got pretty rude so DS decided to call the social worker just to let her know what was going on.  The social worker said, “I don’t see any problem with her having the kids for the day.  That’s between you guys.  There’s certainly no reason that she can’t.”  Hello!  We’re beginning to have some serious doubts about this social worker.  She’s given us different answers on several things and I’m beginning to wonder if she’s new at this.  DS called his attorney and was told that the EPO strictly forbids any contact between her family and our family.  He said for DS to save the phone calls and messages and not to let her have the kids under any circumstances.  He said to let her have the kids would be a direct violation of a court order.  That’s what we thought.  I haven’t gone into details here but there have been several things that have given us pause with this social worker.  She didn’t know that DIL had been married before and lost both kids, she says there’s no record of DIL’s arrest for prostitution, and now this.  Is this not the same woman who cautioned me in the beginning when oldest DS left a message for DIL that she needed to return DS’s phone that there was to be absolutely NO contact between the families?  It makes us a little bit worried when she makes mistakes.  Btw, for those who have asked, yes, DS has changed all the locks and told the post office DIL doesn’t live there anymore.  He didn’t bring up the issue of DIL’s belongings to her mother last night but I think I’ll help him pack everything this weekend and he can tell the judge on Monday that she needs to have someone pick it all up.  Yes, he goes back to court Monday on her THIRD request for an EPO claiming that he’s a danger to her and the kids.

Mom is still in the hospital but it’s mostly because she needs rest and physical therapy.  My mother has always felt that physical exertion is a big no-no.  If you start breathing hard or getting sweaty, you’re supposed to stop.  No pain, no gain?  Not according to mom.  If it’s uncomfortable, it’s too stressful.  That means you’re overdoing it.  I remember how she used to get upset when I’d jog and warn me that I was going to have a heart attack if I didn’t stop.  The doctor says she just won’t do the physical therapy he ordered after she broke her ribs last spring and it’s causing her to deteriorate.  She doesn’t want to walk around or move anymore than she has to.  I think he’s going to send her to rehab in a few days.

Okay, time to get my shower and go check out Frankfort.

2:00 - Okay, if I give up eating and promise never to get sick, I can retire.  If I want a decent amount of money and full insurance, it’s going to be three or four years.  Three is feasible but four is a lot better.  That’s not bad.  It gives me something to aim for and allows me to glimpse some light at the end of the tunnel.  Really, chickies, how many of you wish you could retire in four years?  I just wish I hadn’t spent twenty years as a dental hygienist before going in to teaching.  Of course, I have social security from all those years but let’s not forget the Windfall Elimination Provision that states: “If you didn’t pay Social Security taxes on your government earnings and you are eligible for Social Security benefits, the formula used to figure your benefit amount may be modified, giving you a lower Social Security benefit.”  that’s just fine and dandy for people who didn’t pay into the damn fund for twenty years but I DID.  Really pisses me off that I don’t get the benefit of paying all those years.

DS said MIL left another message on his phone that says “David, I talked to the social worker and we need to talk!”  He called his attorney and was told not to take or return her calls.  We’ll deal with it in court.