Bang Bang

I worked all weekend. 

Yesterday was truck day.  I was pretty exhausted when I made it home, but I should have adequate inventory for a while.  I did forget the crackers. 

I forget what I did when we came home, hopefully got a nap.  I did watch a few movies on TV, including the Grumpy Cat one which was pretty cute. 

Today I wanted to go to church, but Ron said no because "It is supposed to rain".  It didn't of course. 

I slept in as late as I could (7 AM), did my God Time, and helped Ron with various accounting aspects for a couple of hours. 

Like I told him "If you're self employed you had better love what you do, 'cause you'll be doing it!"  I do enjoy most aspects of my job, so I consider myself blessed. 

I have found it pretty funny.  Ron and I, years back, designated "his" and "my" counter top, sink, etc.  His ongoing gripe, every time he's gotten drunk, is "my" sink.  Well,  my sink has been empty for days - and his full of dishes!   He's trying to get me upset about it.  I just tell him I'll send the roaches to his room. 

I made a point of showing it to my uncle.  Ron has gotten so bad on a few occasions I had to stay with my aunt and uncle for a few days.  Every time, Ron made the excuse "I have to drink, she's so awful, look at her sink!" 

I just asked my uncle to look at my sink.  "What's this?" looking at Ron's.  "Oh, that's Ron's".  I think, on some level he "bought" the whole "I have to drink to excess because Heather is a bad housekeeper".  He also saw Ron pretty loose on Thursday. 

On the way to their house: yes, he's like that every day.  He drinks every day.  No, I don't know how many drinks, he chugs from the bottle.  No, he won't see anyone or admit he has a problem.  He has been OK lately, to me.  Yes, I will call if I need to get out. 

Ron has been very appreciative lately.  He has made a point of telling me he appreciates all I do for him, that I do it well, etc.  He is also well aware his life would be destroyed without me.  He cannot run the business on his own.  He can't even get groceries. 

He has also complained about the housekeeping.  Well, I finally got the computer room nailed, and kept it nice.  I moved the couch 90 degrees, from one wall to the other, taking out the toe-breaking aspect of room entry.  Ron can also now fit his wheelchair through the door (he couldn't before, but I didn't know).  He rolled in and talked to me, listening to Youtube videos today, as Torbie lay on the couch.  He petted her, told her how much he loved her, and we all had a good time. 

The front room is fairly consumed in evangelism.  I have it all off to one side but that's about all I can do for now. 

Regarding my bedroom, I have a queen bed.  I have had it longways to the wall, because I'm the only one using it.  Ron has his own bed, which times has proved to be a good idea. 

The bed has been horrible.  Well, the frame is OK but the supporting slats kept falling down in the middle of the night, literally collapsing the bed.  Ron did a fix on that, but when the house was robbed the thieves broke some of the slats, trying to find "my treasure" (cough drop wrappers, seed catalogs, and garden books?).  I couldn't fix that.  They were toast.  So I got out the cinder blocks.  Remember at this time we were poverty level.  I believed a new bed would cost a couple hundred bucks and require a lot of assembly. 

At 1200 mg of lithium a day, I seriously doubt my assembly skills.  As Ron says at work, "sticking a can in a hole" is not rocket science.  Even troubleshooting isn't hard.  But assembly makes me quiver. 

Ron kept offering (not knowing just how I've rigged the thing, this is the last move it could make) to buy me another one, putting it on the credit card. 

I have had 3 credit card purchases.  One, a $15 purchase while manic, several years ago, with Ron's permission.  Frosty's last vet visit.  Bubba's last vet visit. 

I just figured I would have to suck it up.  The bed is somewhat lumpy (cinderblocks under a 4 inch mattress will do that!), but surprisingly comfortable.  It's just shredded.  I had such a hard time moving it last time, because all the slats fell out.  I swore I would just leave it in the current location. 

Then I found this the other day.  Cheap.  Easy set up.  Delivered.  Comfortable - or so say thousands of reviews.  I love my current foam mattress, so I can just slap it up there. 

Win.  "Tell me how much it costs and I'll pay you back" Ron told me.  He's pretty skeptical I can get a decent bed online.  Or a bed base.  Whatever you want to call it. 

I prayed about it and I still feel good about the idea. 

I'll be happy to get that behind me. 

I told Ron I'm not so happy with #6 right now.  They have a new baby.  I get it.  When he turned his garage into 2 bedrooms (it still looks like a garage to fool inspectors, I think his construction business does this a lot), he complained "It's getting tight!" 

They had another baby.  Why?  Ron had an operation in the 80's.  No kids, ever.  Or no more kids, for #6.  I have to think their church has some kind of weird teachings about birth control being a sin, etc.  Either that or they are the unluckiest people in the world.  If he didn't want #5 I can only imagine what he thought of #6. 

Some kids are going to have to double up. 

In our house, you could put 2 bunkbeds in the master, a bunkbed in Ron's room, and a full sized pull out (which I have done) in the computer room.  So put all the boys in the master, double up the girls, Mom and Dad live in a smaller bedroom.  They have a 5 bedroom now, they aren't going to find a bigger house. 

Yup.  I did a search on har.com.  A 7 bedroom house in the general NW area (I selected 3 options) starts at $420K.  Nope, that ain't happening.  Their house is valued about $80K. 

So, a couple days this week he was playing with the kids on the karaoke-obnoxious neighbor amplifier (the one he uses during parties).  The kids were yelling into the microphone and singing Twinkle twinkle little star, in English, very badly. 

I had wanted to take a nap, both days.  I was a little cranky.  I am going out of the way to be quiet, not disturb you.  Why can't you do the same? 

I get it if the kids want to run around and scream in the yard.  Fine.  But that? 

You'll catch me sniveling but I'm in no hurry to move. For one, generally it is very quiet.  Two, the house is valued at 56K, and we're only paying $450 a month for our mortgage.  928 square feet, plus garage.

A good comparison.  The "crackhead" apartments, 480 square feet, horrible neighborhood, $509 a month.  An all bills paid in a horrible neighborhood (but a decent complex) is $660-$700. 

So, I remind myself to be tolerant.  Nearly every neighbor I have is awesome.  There's always going to be that one person. 

#8 was going buggo this weekend playing music, but not loud.  Just loud enough to bother me, and I'm sure that wasn't his intent.  I'm not too worried about him because he's a renter. 

Two houses within a minute walk of me are going for $1,300 a month.  I remember that. 

So, I try to flex.  And even if I did have one of those million dollar homes, I'm sure I'd have trouble there. 

Tomorrow is delivery day.  I will be getting up at 2 AM.  I'm debating, go to bed now and try to sleep, or wait a while until I am more tired and do that? 

Probably the latter.  Since it's a regular school day tomorrow, I should be able to get a nap when I get home from work. 

I get a fair amount of exercise.  I loaded and unloaded about 50 cases of snack and soda product, Saturday.  Monday I unload a pallet of soda and put it away. 

Of course I will wear my bang bang.  The what? 

A song "Bang Bang" features a woman wearing bright suspenders over very little else.  She sings about wanting to do the guy "Bang Bang!" being the euphemism.  You can look it up on Youtube. 

I have now equated my neon green back-brace-with-suspenders with a Bang Bang now.  Mine, of course, are worn over a baggy black t-shirt, appropriate undergarments, jeans, and slip on workboots.