Pandora's Casket

You might want to take some Anoretix for this. As you probably know by this time our postal rates has gone up yet again.

Especially for the Priority services. You can still get a small discount by purchasing your postage online. A small 5% but every little bit helps.

For those that sell items using the shipping services, the price raise has to be added into their older costs. I know that I have looked at some of mine and of course, I have to change a few to reflect the higher cost.

Seems like we just had a raise in price and the prices had to be changed! I suppose in the next three months they will do it all over again ;(

We spent the day re-arranging the Great Room. It is so depressing to walk down the stairs and see the space where dad's hospital bed was and is no more. It actually becomes a focal point and then you catch yourself.

After much deliberation we decided to utilize the complete room and change the look and move the furniture around.

In the one section we decided to put the weights in the one small section where they will be out of the way and not seen as soon as you walk into the door. Since Sab's has been looking at treadmills to buy a more advanced one it might just fit in there as well.

We moved the furniture around and it does look different. Now there is an entertainment section and a strictly sitting section with two over stuffed chairs where you can sit and just read. It will be nice to just have the sitting area while I am down there with everyone.

Getting the room changed helps a little to take our mind off grief in a small way.

I would like to take the moment to inform those family and friends of our family that dad, Larry Chaney, has passed away.

He had a rough couple of days where he was very cold, did not really wish to eat and knew the end was near. When hospice came on their regular visit on Wednesday you just knew it was close. Although I will admit I did not think that it would be a mere 36 or so hours.

On Thursday he simply refused to get out of bed all day. Stating that he was so cold he could not get up. He did manage to eat a cupcake. He was afraid that if I called the toll free number to get a hold of the nurse they would remove him from the house. Of course that is not the case.

Friday was a good day. The weather was beautiful, warmer than most. I got him out of bed to bath, change his bedding and try to get him to eat something. I spent the entire day in the Great Room with him which is odd since Fridays are a busy work day for me. I just decided not to work for some reason. Nicky was home from school due to a teachers day so he spent the day also with him. All the children was able to talk to him before his passing except for Colt who was at a friends house till 6 PM.

At around 4 or so he talked to all that was down stairs. Drank 1/4 of a beer and some sprite. He was tired he said. All day he had been rolling all over the downstairs in his wheel chair as if he were memorizing the place. It was a good day for all of us to spend with him.

At a little before 5 PM Shaina tried to get him to wake up. He would not so I tried. He passed on in his favorite place, right next to the wood stove. He looked as he always had while taking a nap. He died peacefully.

There was of course major moves being made. Hospice was called immediately. We had to sit for nearly 30 minutes until they came. It was ever so hard to sit with him in his chair. Expecting him to wake up, but knowing all the while he was not.

Loosing my father and the childrens grand father has been extremely hard. Yet we realize that we did everything to make his days comfortable.

He had two wishes. The first was not to die in a hospital and the second not to die alone. He did not die alone nor in the hospital.

I know that we will all miss him a lot. No more Mr. Fix It. No more Dad

Our weather was absolutely beautiful. Warm, over 35 degrees and extremely bright out. The way the sun hits the snow on the ground reminds me of why I really love where we live. With the snow and the landscape it nearly always looks like a picture from a book.

Dad remained in bed all day. He really did not feel well today. I told him to get up and sit by the heat but he said no. I finally asked if he needed the nurse to come this evening. He said no if they came they would take him away. I explained that they would not but he was insistent that they would. That adds to more of my worries. He said he was just freezing cold. The room was more than warm and borderline extra hot all day long.

I suppose this is just the circulatory system shutting down but I don't know for sure. Coleen will be calling tomorrow so I will ask her about this new development.

I worried all day long. At first it was hard to work or focus on anything but then I had to do a few things to just get them done.



Today is mom's birthday. I think that she is around 25 now. haha I am preparing to send Dad there with a bow on him as her present

Lets just hope tomorrow is a much brighter day.

Since I am not very political I see today as just another day that a new president is taking over. To me the celebrations are a tad bit out of control.

Reading an article yesterday that this is going to be one of the most expensive inauguration's ever it makes me think. If our country is struggling so very hard to pull out of our situation financially, why the extravagant expenses then? How about cutting back on some of those celebrations and put the money to good use? To me it is a waste of money, plain and simple.

Now I totally understand that this is a major historical change seeing a part African American in office. Yes, that is change. Does not change the racism that is still alive and well in our daily lives. That has not changed at all. Nor will it. Takes more than one man being elected to change that, if it ever will.

Personally I think that people are placing way to much on this one person to be a miracle worker or dare I say a messiah? What happens if all the promises that were made does not come true? How will people that have placed this man on a pedestal feel then? Excuses will be made to fit the circumstance probably. There is a danger placing mortals on pedestals.

I have a more wait and see attitude. Seen to many presidents come and go that promised the world before getting into office only to leave the public empty handed and disillusioned. He has a hard task at hand and I hope that he is able to turn things around. BUT it will not be accomplished over night like some feel it will. Took many years to get here, so it will take many years to be fixed.

We are once again recovering from another cold snap. With temperatures that plummeted to -20 and even lower Indiana was a frozen paradise.

I felt really sorry for those people in SD with what they had to endure. Hopefully, they are starting to warm up.

Who would ever thought that we, native Californians, would think that 16 up till 30 was on a warming trend? Yet when you think about it, suffering the extreme lower temperatures the 20's and a little sun is heaven!

We actually got to 30 degrees today. WOW! Break out those shorts. haha

I am really excited about the new size of the Priority boxes that are now available. They will be the same price as the Flat Rate Priority envelope which starting January 18th will be $4.95. These boxes will hold smaller items that jamming into those envelopes can e impossible to do! I have loaded those eps's full and you would be surprised as to what you can put in them. International rates for these new boxes will be $10.95 to Canada and Mexico and $12.95 to other International destinations.

Remember you also receive a 5% discount if you purchase your postage online. Of course if you are a seller you already know this.

I am just pleased that we are getting more options in the box sizes for our selling needs.

One thing that I do not miss in the ways of living in California compared to here is the burglary situations that were always going on. Seemed like there was a break in somewhere close all the time. Apartments or houses it did not matter. A sad state of affairs. One way that most of us that owned houses or just wanted to protect our families and items that we owned and that is to have home security installed.

Having a security company monitor our home was a huge relief. One that I know personally helped take the stress off. I loved knowing that a company was there watching my things and family while I was not there. At night it was even better. A touch pad installed and all we had to do was set it and go to bed. Sleeping safe and sound. Knowing that if there was a home invasion the security company would be on the ball to signal us and the local authorities.

One service ADT has been around a very long time. You know that they are there to help you protect what you own and love. I know that in our neighborhood this was the company that most used.

Easy to use. Reasonable rates. Service that is reliable.

Protect your loved ones now before it is to late. Go with a company that you can trust-ADT