Parking wars

First, I am extremely pissed at Ron's bank.  They sent me an email "their credit card statement" due date Oct 3 and just now getting it today.  The new guy at the bank SWORE to me there was a zero balance and we didn't owe anything, did confirm it was the due date so I gave him $20.  The statement reflects that payment but says the minimum is $25. 

So thanks to butthead we will have a late credit card payment.  I am pretty pissed.  I will go to the bank this week and yell at someone. 

I can understand being "new" and not getting the system.  But if you have ANY doubt you ask for help so the customer doesn't take a whack to their credit. 

Second, there is a dialogue on Next Door about people who park in handicapped spaces.  Some are saying "You just have to take it on faith that they need it, even if they appear healthy and vigorous". 

When I hurt my foot, I limped.  I was slow.  I did not get a hang tag.  I managed and I was in a fair amount of pain.  For weeks. 

Then we have the "I have a changeable illness so one day might be very bad".  I don't have a problem with it, but put the damned tag away on your GOOD days and save it for the people who need it.  I cannot tell you how many times we have had to unload Ron in the middle of a parking lot because someone "crippled" was parked in the handicap, and when they came out they were able bodied, pushing a cart quickly, wearing "cute" shoes that are difficult to walk in but doing it easily, carrying large kids, etc.  NEVER slow, hunched over, or using an assistive device.  Never.  Not even a knee brace. 

And they of course got a massive attitude about having to wait a minute. 

If they had just parked in a regular spot they wouldn't have had to wait, Ron could have used the handicapped without blocking anyone.  But there are only so many places you can unload a wheelchair, especially if he is in the back passenger seat, you need feet of clearance to the passenger side and several to the back, so they can get out the wheelchair.  We also need access to the ramp as well.  We need a lot of room- that's why he needs the space.  No one parks there for longer than unloading/loading.  I push him into the store, someone else can use the space. 

But if soccer mommy of 6 takes it because "sometimes my gallbladder hurts" then we have to stage a big production blocking multiple people in the parking lot.  And that isn't fair to the other drivers.  I don't care about blocking in the fake cripple but the rest I feel bad about. 

It is a lot like what happened with Chuck.  Chuck had a VA disability rating, not 100%.  He could still walk and use both arms and legs as far as I could tell.  He occasionally helped pick up heavy things when he helped us do supply runs, years ago.  Even this year he was picking up 40 pound cases of water.  He did not walk with any difficulty I could see, once he told me he would "Wait at McDonald's" when he took me to Walmart vs. walking around with me.  All the other times he walked with me and did his own shopping.  He got a hang tag for some reason, I am not sure what.  He could walk around the store with me, push the cart, load and unload the vehicle at my house. 

Yet he took the disabled parking spot at every opportunity because he had disabled plates and a hang tag.  Texas apparently awards disabled plates if the veteran has over a 50% disability rating.  So now of course I am looking at all the DV (disabled vet) plates with a squint eye now. 

I always felt there was someone with a terrible back and a walker looking for that spot.  Or a parent with a young child in a wheelchair.  One reason I stopped calling him.  Ron said something about Chuck calling and saying he got a vehicle but it won't fit the wheelchair now so that pretty much ends him helping us at all. 

I will always have a fond spot in my heart for Arturo transporting Cleo after she had a boo boo in her carrier.  I know very few people who would have done that.  So I try to call Arturo now - or Alex. 

Alex has thinning hair and is very self aware.  He always hides it with a hat.  I don't care about his hair, is he a decent human being?  Yes.  Will he help with Ron?  Yes.  Will he help with the cats?  He could drive naked covered in piercings as far as I'm concerned. 

So then we have the problem of people with a minor physical problem feeling entitled to take the handicapped spot away from someone in a wheelchair who literally cannot walk one step at all.  Someone whose arms don't even work right!  And two arm, two leg able bodied APPEARING prancing around in their "cute" high heels and moving quickly want his spot.  I find it upsetting. 

I know #6 is on Nextdoor so I made sure to mention I will have vehicles towed if they block our driveway.  He had a very bad attitude about that, blocking our driveway "I'll move when I'm ready".  Like there was nothing we could do.  Ha, I just checked and a tow in Houston runs about $200 to start not counting mileage.  We have some tow truck numbers if he ever tries it again, but he hasn't. 

He really seems to treat it as "his" property.  Ron thinks he helped the flippers renovate the house and that's why he feels entitled to use our property and let his kids run wild (until I put a stop to that).  It is likely, I feel, they were all friends.  But that was 20 years ago and you need to get over it. 

I remember one day not long after we bought the house we came home and 20 mexicans in folding chairs all over our front yard and driveway, he was having a party.  I said get out of here or I'm calling the police.  They played dumb, no speaka English.  I started yelling POLICE very loudly and they all scattered.  He came over "What's the problem?"  "Get your friends off my property, that's what!"  I am not the neighborhood park. 

SO with him I had to set very strict boundaries.  I don't care if #2 parks in front of my house (much) because her friends never stay for more than a few hours and they never impede our driveway. 

Onto happier thoughts: we had some items stacked up next to the kitchen table.  It is an item in a cardboard box on top of a storage bin.  The cats love to get up on the box for treats.  But Cleo was eating the cardboard.  I talked to Ron about getting another cat condo (they are 16 inches square by 2 feet tall, you have seen them in my videos) for over there.  He just asked me to measure.  It will fit great, so he told me go ahead and I did.  It would affect his space so I felt I should talk it over.  Glad I did. 

That comes today and I can get rid of the other stuff.  I think the cats will like this a lot better than that old cardboard box.  After an adjustment period.  Some treats and a little catnip spray.  It will be comfortable for cats to lounge in/on too, unlike the box. 

Good.  I want to spoil them and this is something we can use, and have a place for.  That makes 3 of these smaller condos and one big cat tree (6 feet) in the front room, a cat tree in the back room, and just my bed in my room.  Torbie likes to go up in my closet on the top shelf, or sleep on top of my dresser. 

I would absolutely "catify" the house but for one thing - I think high shelves on the walls would be a bad thing when it came time for the vet.  They would flee up high and I wouldn't be able to catch them.  I might get lower shelves though. 

Cleo let me pet her, a good one down her back and to the tip of her tail.  I was thrilled.  She is such a sweet little girl and we love her so much.  I am glad to see her thriving.  It is really cute to watch Mama and her 2 kids eating out of the same bowl at feeding time. 

I left the door propped to the garage today so they are going in and out, I can hear them on the ramp.  They have a lot of fun in the garage and it is cooler today. 

Ron had needed a lot of tending today, he is having a bad back day but seems to have it beat down to a reasonable level.  He is eating some munchie mix.  I will ask him if he wants a slider.  Nope, he wants munchie mix. 

More later.  I may do a video blog.