What To Do, What To Do

Hot as hades here, but wouldn't be so bad if the humidity wasn't so high. Presently watching the Braves play the Phillies for the third game of this Atlanta outing, and we're tied in the eighth inning on this sunny hot day.

Joseph has run out of pain meds and isn't worth talking to in this state. He is really a pleasure when he gets proper meds for the back pain, but when he runs out, he turns grey and becomes sullen and difficult. We have heard from Florida, and Joseph now has an appt with the judge on June 28 at 8 AM in Jacksonville. Given what they know of his situation, we wonder how in the world they expect he should make his way down there???? The man is crippled and destitute. What are they thinking? If it weren't for Jack and his taking Joseph down there, and Susan and Randy offering to let them stay there for a night or two, where would Joseph be??????

I'm exhausted and exasperated with the entire situation and even jumped on Joseph last night when we asked how he was doing and he replied, "I'm fine, don't worry about me." RIGHT....what does HE think? Problem with this man is that he doesn't and in this state, probablyl can't! If we could get a way out of this mess and he could get on a pain management course where his meds would be appropriate for his depth of pain, things would be a zillion percent better. However, at present he gets a prescription from a local family practitioner (script is free as long as he doesn't have to be seen in person) and then we pay over $175 for 90 pills of a narcotic. That's as much as she's legally allowed to prescribe each month. In the past he had gotten along well on TWICE that much, so now Joseph trots along with arthritis strength tylenol interspersed with the prescription, and often he doubles up on the latter due to pain and RUNS OUT well before the next script is due. For that reason, we do well for about two and a half weeks and then the next days, are hell on wheels. That's not to say we don't feel for Joseph, but we've squeezed all we can out of other sources for meds, and at this point, Joseph is just having to hold his own in pain that makes him look like death warmed over.

We are trying to convince the State of Florida (with a file of paperwork that's three inches thick documenting his heart valve replacement and ablation as well as all the other stuff) that he is indeed unable to work and hasn't been able to for years. Then maybe they will forgive what he owes in child support and let him get a driver's license and apply for Medicaid and Public Assistance. Interestingly enough, neither the State nor Joseph even knows where this child is, so no one would know where to send any money anyway b/c her caretaker has disappeared.

Without a picture ID, the man can't even get a bank account, assuming he had any money to begin with. Because he's on the derelict dad's list nationally, he's stumped and unable to get ANY form of identification, therefore not able to get whatever aid for which he's actually eligible. Unfortunately the State of Florida has ignored our and his pleas that he's unable to work and earn any money, period--that is up until Jack made so much noise on his behalf that they finally have given Joseph a court date. Been over a year in coming.

This has been a rock and a hard place and a Chinese puzzle from the get go, and I fervently hope we are closer to solving things than we've ever been before, but who knows???

Also, of course, Garbo's pups are due on the day they have to go to court in FL...wouldn't you know??? I looked at her this morning and it appears she's definitely with pup, THANK GOODNESS....YAY!!!! That means I can ready the master bath with the whelping box and start taking showers by stepping o'er it from June 29th on. I can't wait to see the outcome of this litter, blacks and yellows emerging! She's had nine each time so far, so I wonder if one will come out half and half??? HAH....that's what passes for humor here these days.

The legal wrangle about property encroachment seems to be falling into my lap with less and less chance of my recouping much if anything. The issue appears to be that since I signed the sales agreement that listed a survey set of numbers that actually included some of my neighbor's land, I am at fault and they will restructure the survey planes/plat and I don't get anything back. Think MERDE (French for something that comes out the back end). How did I come to be responsible for someone else's mistake? The survey company that did the original survey (now out of business) made an awful mistake by siting the wrong pins at the back of the property, the people who bought the land made some other awful mistakes, and now to straighten this all out, it appears I am the one who is going to pay for it....upwards of $20K when you add in my own survey costs, lawyers fees, etc. I lose sleep over this mess....anybody wonder why? Of course, I always keep $20K in my back pocket for emergencies like this. Doesn't everybody? It has come out of the money I have to live on for the rest of my life, of course, and there was plenty of THAT, don't you know.

Anyway, troubles with Major keep accumulating. I've tried all suggestions for finding a new home for him, all having refused him. Yesterday a call at 8:30AM from the Cannons allowed that Major had made his way to their house....every bit of 1/2 mile away, and he's never done that before. That means he climbs over any fence like a monkey and now has access to the entire neighborhood, which we cannot allow. Today we've tethered him to a tree in the back pool yard and he's spent the whole day screaming his head off b/c he doesn't like it at all. Who would? I loathe the thought of taking him to the shelter, where I'm sure he'll be put down eventually. The other alternative which appears to me to be a better alternative, although not by much, is to take him out to the country somewhere and let him out. He just can't stay here. We have enough to do without a stray and we've done what we can to make him attractive to a family who would be his main loving focus....neutered, brought up to date on immunizations, crate, obedience and leash trained, etc., etc. We (Cannon's and us) are at the end of what we can do and now we're desperate. ARRRGGGHHH.....

Have been working slowly on the elimination of furniture and making a spacious look out of this house. Most of the extra stuff is now in the garage. I was going to put it on Craig's list, but have been warned that might be dangerous b/c some folks look things up on C/L and then go rob the sellers blind. I got enough problems without THAT to worry about! So what to do? Anybody had any experience with either Craig's list or a company that does estate sales, please let me know. I need to get rid of this stuff and it's really nice and probably worth a lot more than I'm willing to get for it....antiques and solid wood furniture, not stuff like one buys today that is put together with screws and falls apart in a few years.

Okay, off to do some more errands as soon as the Braves come to the end of their Phillies third game (We swept 'em, today 2 - 1 thanks to Omar Infante's RBI). One of the things I need to get is a pack of balloons b/c somebody told me that stringing them in the fruit trees would keep the squirrels away. This year I hope fervently to be able to eat at least one peach and one pear from the trees I've so carefully nursed for years. So far, NO fruit has gone down any gullet except those of the fur covered rats that think those trees were put there for them...NOT.

I'm exhausted and it occurs that all that's been related in this message is complaints. Here's one good thing: cucumber is about ready to be picked! Can't wait to crunch into it! AND Georgia continues to entertain everyone....can't help but grin when those ears perk up and she gives me a facial while murmuring and snaffling and rolling over on her back for a belly rub.
Ciao for now, MsPatty