Visit To Mom's

Caleb and I went to mom's today to exchange Christmas gifts and have a bit of lunch.
Always a good visit, but she said that Christmas yesterday without us around (she went to my brother's for Christmas) was quiet.  Too quiet, apparently.  Did I sour the mood by not showing up?  I can't imagine the sparks that might have flown if I HAD shown up and middle brother started junk with me.  I would rather stay home alone with my doggies than do that.

As it stands, my Christmas was excellent and I have no regrets not going over there. I only see my oldest brother once a year - at Christmas, so this year, I didn't see my oldest brother.  The situation with my middle brother?  Maybe we'll work things out by next Christmas.  I do take offense at my brothers shrugging off our dad and I make no bones about it, which is what started this contention in the first place.

I find it inexcusable that year after year, both of them completely ignore my dad's attempts to even start a dialogue with them.  I would rather that they have it out with him than to continue this unbelievable, childish s*** that has been going on for what, 6 years now?  Have it out, get it over with.  But they won't and from the sound of the way my middle brother talks - it's going to stay that way.  So, he got mad at me when I asked him about it.  He said that dad "only sends a card maybe twice a year".  Well what the bleep does he expect?  He emailed him, called him on the phone - to which my brothers wouldn't answer, sent cards, what else is a person supposed to do?

Well, enough of that.  I just get ticked off when I think about it.  Anyway, I DID send my oldest brother and his wife their normal Christmas present of  Omaha Steaks.  They like it, that's good.  They sent some presents for us to open with mother - so - Caleb and I both got $50 gift cards to Best Buy.  Caleb asked me if I wanted his card.  Well, sure, but it's for you.  Caleb got $75 worth of cards to go to Gameworks, THAT is where he is at right NOW.  I probably should have informed him that they have all kinds of cool stuff at Best Buy, well I did try to tell him, but he just said take it.  So I did.  $100 worth.  Best Buy sells Windows 7 software.  It's $199.99.  I'm $100 on the way there.

Spending money on anything but bills and necessities are pretty much on hold right now until I get the room rented out and find out whether I have to evict the non-paying tenant or not.  She got way behind before but then got caught up.  I'm guessing for as little time as she is spending here, she might be thinking of moving out. I am going to give her a good push in that direction or paying up: 5 day notice, will be delivered tomorrow.  Funny thing is, I just got a call from a small family that is looking to rent out 2 rooms.

If you add up expenses on renting out 2 rooms in my house versus renting out an apartment, you come up with my house being a much better deal.  You just don't have total privacy since the house is being shared.  The rent is flat rate, so, you are not spending all the extra money on electricity, laundry, internet, satellite and water/sewer bills.  Plus, with all these people short saleing their homes or getting foreclosed, a lot of bad credit that apartment won't rent to.

Anyway, I just keep running the ad until I get the room rented, however long that takes.

Christmas is over, New Year's to come.  I'm going to make one resolution this year and see how long I keep it.  Again, it's to work out with my free weights.  I do some here and there, the resolution would be for at least 3 times per week.  I would like to get myself in toned condition again.

Well, my co-worker and her husband gave me a little bag yesterday with some goodies in it, I was afraid they were going to do that and I wanted to take something over there to give in exchange - but I had no clue what to take, so I didn't get anything.  Anyway, there is a cigar in there and I think I'm going to go out and smoke half of it.  Oh, that's another thing.  Not a New Year's resolution, either, just going to cut back on cigars quite a bit after the New Year comes and goes.  At most once per month is all I'm going to allow myself.  I've gotten it up to once per week and I feel that's too much.  I was at once every 3 to 6 months.

Oh, I forgot, my mom: she absolutely LOVES her new TV!  It's a 19 inch flat screed HD LCD TV.  I got it on Black Friday.  She wants to get rid of Satellite TV in favor of - whatever you can get through the air waves.  She has a converter box - we set all of that up.  It works perfectly and there are a LOT more free, local channels available than I expected, one of which mostly shows movies (a think she liked).  Great quality picture, too.  Yeah, I know, 19 inch TV isn't that big, but that's what she wanted and I wouldn't have been able to afford anything bigger.  As it stands, I don't have a flat screen TV or HD myself.  I'm not going to get one, either, until I can afford to get at least a 48 inch version.

My mom is a bit - interesting.  She owns the house she lives in outright.  She only has to pay taxes on it every year.  Her expenses - obviously - aren't going to be that much.  If I could dump the mortgage payment I would feel like I'm rich!! Lol.  To talk to her about finances, though, you'd think she was dirt -poor and broke.  Not withstanding the fact that this year, she bought a pickup truck outright for cash, lol.  Okay, she IS on a budget: she lives off the interest/dividends of her investments.  Still, she refuses to buy herself this kind of stuff - the TV, last year a digital camera - so, I just have to chuckle when I give her this stuff that I KNOW she could afford to buy herself.  Well, it is nice to give her something she wants, anyway.

JD - the "elder" black kid that is still coming over here to use the internet when I'm not on it - well, I left him a Merry Christmas note last night.  Caleb said he was all bummed out cause I didn't leave a gift.  Yes, I thought, the gift is letting him use the internet, isn't that enough?  Oh well, I understand, it sucks to not have money.  I know the feeling all too well.  They don't get much for Christmas.  I thought about Michael and Anthony, pretty much figuring that if their Christmas goes like most of them, they got nothing or very little.  I do believe that this time, they are gone for good.  I have no sympathy.  They are ungrateful freaks of nature.  The best way I can put it without - going into obscenities.  That's about the best adjective to describe those 2: ungrateful.  Their mother was much more giving in her statements to me that I have helped them a lot, yes I have.  For those 2 kids to treat me the way they did when I threw them out of here, good grief.

Whatever the case, I'm going outside. It's absolutely beautiful weather out there.  The dogs?  Are crashed out like it's the middle of the night in front of me.  I mean, laid out, done, cooked, it's over with.  Yet, when I put on my "Farmer Ben Hat" - a gift from an ex-tenant (a great tenant at that) when he left, they KNOW what I am up to, get right up as if they just drank a Jolt cola and are out the door with me.  I'm telling you, though, it's
almost eerie to hear a dog snoring like he's some sort of human.

G'day.

ben

Sunday 12/26/2010

Perfect day yesterday.
The Standing Rib Roast turned out beautifully.
Melt in your mouth steak goodness.
Had to cook it a bit more after pulling it out of the oven, though, for people that don't like rare meat.
Oh well.  I wouldn't dare ruin a piece of meat that delicious and that expensive by over cooking it, but what anyone else wants to do is their business.

I had a lady over today looking at the room for rent.  Nice gal, said she was going to look at several other places and would call me back tomorrow if she wanted it.  Meanwhile, I have several phone calls and emails out to those that contacted me yesterday about the room.  Hopefully I get a taker out one of them.

Going to mom's house in a bit less than an hour.  We have gifts to exchange and I know she wants hers, lol.

Not much else going on.  Tenants are gone.  One of them is going to receive a 5-day notice tomorrow - she is 2 weeks behind on her rent, has hardly been here and doesn't say anything about money when she does come through.  No point in dragging this out forever, she has a place to stay apparently so, let her stay there and let me get someone else in the room.

Oh, another 4 day work-week in-que.  Then it's fully 5 months before another holiday day off.

Anyways, Happy Sunday!

ben