Am I an estate sale junkie?

SUMMARY: It started With garage sales. Then flea markets.

Source :  February 6, 2026: just something I was thinking about.

[NOTE: THIS POST IS UNFINISHED AND UNEDITED. I'M JUST TIRED OF HAVING ALL THESE "DRAFT" POSTS SITTING IN MY STACK. I HAVE A LOT OF THEM.]

I have been very impressed with the estate sale people up here (Specifically on the Washington Olympic Peninsula , Where there are a lot of of us retirees). If there is enough to make it worth their while, which there might be in my house if I were to keel over abruptly, they come through with the team, they Evaluate the value of everything, they go through and they put price tags on everything, they organize things to make it easier for people to come through and buy, they staff the estate sale. They seem to have fair prices which are somewhere between quite a bit lower than collectors prices and still just enough high that they're not being sold at junk prices. 

They charge a fee To the owners of the estate, but they handle all of that and making sure that the place is emptied (or whatever it is that you want to do – – often there are one or two rooms that are closed off that have signs saying do not enter, which are presumably things that the current owners or the airs are keeping). For big enough worthwhile things, they'll run it for two or three days on sometimes consecutive weekends.

I mean, there are estate sale people like that probably everywhere. I certainly went to enough estate sales down in California that looked like they were being run the same way but I just didn't know as much about them as I do now.

One estate sale I went to about a month ago, I bought two lamps at low prices that work fine. One of them I had been looking for for quite some time but hadn't found one because the newer ones were made of junk plastic

I also bought an outside Christmas decoration that is lightweight, easy to store, simple to set up and I thought about buying over and over every year at Home Depot or whatever and never did because, ugh, more money for something to store, but the price was right and I'm very happy with it. 

And, As seems to be typical with these estate sale professionals, they helped me carry the larger and heavier things out to my car.

[NOTE TO SELF: MAYBE THE REST OF THIS POST SHOULD BE A SEPARATE ONE ABOUT MUGS?]

I also bought an A&W glass mug (All still at the same estate sale) ! I don't know if any of the A&W's even have the glass mugs anymore. This mug cost me probably what a large root beer float would cost these days in a paper or plastic cup, Plus it's not just an everyday one; it's for an A&W anniversary year. Brings back such great memories. A&W in general, plus specifically the one in Cupertino that I would go to after Playing tennis with friends, or anytime for just a root beer float. And there is/one also in King city? That (At least back when I was going there often enough--1970s?) still had outdoor car service where they would bring a tray and set it on your window. Going back-and-forth between here and Los Angeles for various reasons for many years, we would stop and have root beer floats and hamburgers. Whoever I was with.

anyway, yeah I need more mugs.😁

I actually gave away quite a few before moving. I still have way more than enough; I would have to have a very large coffee party to use all of my coffee mugs at the same time, or ditto a root beer float party all at the same time.

But also I have broken three since I moved up here. Here's a downside: going online, I have been able to replace two of them!!! so, depend depending on what one breaks, yeah, there's no such thing as breaking something and it's gone🤣. Also actually one I bought at a national park the previous year, and we went there this past year again and I checked their gift shops and was able to find the same one.

I just did a crazy thing and bought one from a friend who has taken up pottery – – anything made out of clay and glazed and fired, she makes some wonderful stuff. She recently posted pictures of some mugs that she made and I just fell in love on the spot. She charges a lot. In fact the one that I originally wanted, after it had cooled for a day, turns out it had a crack in the base. So she had to make another one and gave me a slight discount on the new one because I had to wait. Probably cost twice what my latest Disneyland anniversary  mug engraved with my name cost, so it's insane. Or I'm insane. Not sure which.

[NOTE TO SELF: PHOTOS FROM THAT ESTATE SALE IN NOVEMBER OR EARLY DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR? ALSO DO I HAVE A PHOTO OF THAT NEW DISNEY MUG FROM THE SEPTEMBER TRIP? ALSO DID I ALREADY POST ABOUT BREAKING SOME OF THE MUGS THAT I REALLY LIKE AND REPLACING THEM? I DO HAVE PHOTOS OF THE BROKEN MUGS SOMEWHERE.]

HOW many xmas tree ornaments?

SUMMARY: I have collected beyond my means to manage.

Source : December 24, 2025: a Facebook chat with a small group of people about our homes'  Christmas decor.

I have conceded defeat to almost everything. I did get out two table runners but the tablecloth and other runners and napkins and towels are still in boxes. 

I mostly emptied the largest box of ornaments, but it was weird because it was repacked before it was moved apparently by someone other than me so it wasn't all ornaments. I did empty another two smaller boxes – – meaning that there are still some ornaments left in there but I pulled out the ones that I most wanted. 

Three boxes of tree ornaments left that I haven't even started on and I think that's about it.

Trying something new this year: realizing that I have so many ornaments they will never all fit on this tree in particular and though I have a small artificial tree also, that's for small ornaments which I haven't put up yet, and I think I don't want to mess with the whole second regular tree this year--[deep breath]--Any ornament that can stand on its own, I have been putting them on my side table.

I have been halfheartedly attempting to make group them in related categories. 

First grouping is: taller ones to the left, shorter ones to the right (Mostly). After that, some examples:

• A couple groups of dogs

  some Victorian houses, 

  some humorous ones, 

  all the camping gear, 

  and surely you recognize the crew on the far right side with the necessary bucket…

  
  

  i'm trying to do this post on my phone and the blogger tool that I'm using is not friendly – – or else the template I chose years ago is not friendly--to phone use so I'll have to re-edit this later

  
  

  

  larger, taller ones

  
  

  

  Smaller, shorter ones

  
  

  

  Some dogs

  
  

  

  Some more dogs

  
  

  

  Some Victorian house

  
  

  

  Camping gear (old-style)
  also notice Snoopy as the camping scout leader

  
  

  

  Some more humorous ones

  
  

  

  Not at all wicked! Plus bucket!

  
  

  
  

Papers for my Heirs

SUMMARY: I'm trying, honestly I am…

Source : December 17, 2025 My response to a Facebook post about not leaving heaps of papers for your heirs like your parents did for you

[[Need to add tags and photo and copy edit. But posting now anyway]]

went through the same thing with my parents' estate. My dad left 11 large – – I mean large – – filing cabinets filled with papers. Almost everything was in a folder of some sort, but the labeling was random. If you wanted to look up information about their vehicle, you might find a folder in one drawer labeled Dodge, a folder in another drawer labeled car, a folder in another drawer labeled auto…. Somewhere I have photos of some of the entertaining tabs on folders that had three or four words strung together that made no sense to me whatsoever. He did not have dementia. He was just the sort who did organization chaotically.

I look with despair at my own home and I vow that I'm not going to do the same thing to my heirs, and yet, it takes work to get back through all the stuff I've accrued since I moved three years ago. Any day now I'm sure I will get to it.🙄❤️.

something I started doing several years ago as I began the effort of going through my file cabinets (I have only two large ones, not 11) to separate the wheat from the chaff, was to leave a large note at the front of each file folder saying something like, "Heirs: the things in this folder mean nothing to anyone but me. Recycle all of this." Or, "Heirs: the stuff in this folder might be of interest too [some specific name]. If it isn't, please toss it". Or even "Heirs: if you want, check with the Cupertino historical Society to see whether they want the things in this folder. If not, recycle them."

someone else responded to the original Poster:

Please understand...as we age, we lose energy in our days. Trying not to be a burden, we struggle to take care of ourself. Purging, boxing, sorting, taking away items takes energy we do.not.have.

If you want no regrets, go over to your mother's house and ask what she needs. No agenda on your part. Just ask. Then do what she asks. Then when you are left with the task of life without her, you will have no regrets.

Hire someone. Take it away.

Vintage Christmas decor

SUMMARY:  Yes, I have always loved Christmas decorations. At some point, I started being very careful with them at a fairly young age.

Source :  December 11, 2025 Facebook post while I am taking photos of some of my old Christmas things.

Speaking of memories… Some of my Christmas decor dates wayyy a long time back. When I became old enough to prevent it from being destroyed by myself or anyone else, but not much more than that. (Kindergarten plus or minus a couple of years?)

• The light up flashing Christmas tree: One year I and my next two sisters down each received one.  Did my parents find ones several years later for my next two sisters? not sure. I should ask. I'm also not sure whether mine is the only one that survives and functions. Except it needs new batteries this year. I still have the original box! Except the top is missing.
• The little glittery building is, um,  thick paper Sprayed with some kind of texture? It's a commercial product with a hole in the back through which you could put a Christmas light to light it up. It's missing a something, but it is still a little house with little [faded] shrubs and snow. I have no record of the year or where it came from, but about the same general timeframe.
• Sadly, the caroling Christmas candle met my husky probably 20 years after I received it. At one point, I had also found a female version and then I found tiny male and female versions that matched them exactly. I would set them out in the living room maybe on the side table during Christmas.He's the only one that barely survived the unhappy husky. I don't think I'll put him out on display. But I can't bring myself to throw him out. Hear that, heirs? If he were whole, he would probably be worth a few dollars. But, oh well. Now he's just wax with tooth marks.

Do you have old ancient decorations that were yours that you treasure? I do also have some things of my mom's or my grandparents' now, but these started out as mine and so they are particularly precious.

Head Bump/Memory Loss

SUMMARY: A little story about that blank space in my mind and my concussion.

source for this idea: Dec 9, 2024, discussion with another writer where a main character hits head and loses consciousness and almost everything about his life.

This story makes it all too believable so far! because it basically happened to me in late November, 2023. The first 10 minutes for me, when I first came to, were the worst--woken by a phone call from a number I didn't recognize but answered anyway. Male voice I didn't recognize said, so you fell and hit your head and lost consciousness? And all I know is that I am sitting on the front step of a familiar  house and my dog is licking blood from me (head wounds just like to bleed). Blood is clearly dripping down the side of my face. So I said, "uh--I guess so?" (did I fall? who is this? how does he know?) 

... turns out the fall-notification feature of my brand new apple watch called 911 for me. He asked if I knew where I was, and I struggled. Really was an odd feeling of familiarity without context. I said I think...I do. He asked for an address. That was a mental struggle but it came slowly out of the fog. He asked whether that's where I live. That was also a hard question to answer--it was so familiar, and I gradually remembered it was one of the houses I had considered buying 15 months ago. And, um, I think I bought it...  so I said, "I think so?"  He repeated the request for an address. Probably took me 2  minutes to come up with first the street name and then, wild guess, like I was pulling it out of thin air, a number.

That's when the ambulance pulled in. They immediately went to work on me, checking vital signs, getting me onto a stretcher, and asking lots of questions. "How did this happen?"   

Realized I didn't know. Realized I didn't know why I was on my front step. Tried to backtrack, had this distorted memory of a bunch of people discussing something inside the house about which I had to make a decision. Don't know what the issue was, or the people, or whether they also lived there.Tried to backtrack from there to earlier in the day, and basically a blank. 

While riding the 15-ish minutes to the hospital of course I was trying desperately to fill in the blanks. I was gradually remembering that it *is* my house and that I *do* live there. In short, no there were not other people in the house, And there was no discussion about anything. I wonder where that image in my brain came from? I started to remember things from earlier in the day and used that to build the day gradually,  hour by hour, to where I had my dog on a leash for a walk and was reaching for the front door.And then I was sitting on the front step, bleeding, and my phone was ringing.  

That blank space has never filled back in.

Still with head/neck support, right out of the ambulance to the emergency room to wait for a CT scan:

Sooooo there's my memory experience. I had 2 friends in recent years take bad falls, hitting their heads for concussions. Neither lost memory, but they both suffered for months with, yes, headaches, pain, irritability, confusion,  trying to remember how to do normal things, not able to read (could make out the words but otherwise was too hard), even watching TV took too much work to process what was happening. Trouble sleeping. Trouble walking. Yep, you've  pretty much covered it. I mostly had none of those symptoms, but realizing that I must have fallen somehow and not knowing why made it suddenly frightening to contemplate stairs or simple stepladders or rough surfaces of any kind. 

Me the next morning. In my hospital bed. Lacking sleep 
from all the activity and shuffling and noise etc.
You can barely see the wound--it seemed
like nothing so much as a giant blood blister.

I'm considerably better over all. Thank  YOU.

but here's the fun blip to this story: no more than a month before this happened, my Fitbit that I had relied on for several years died, and I tried to decide whether to replace it and if so with what. Since I already had an iPhone, I finally decided, With gritted teeth, to shell out For an Apple Watch. I spent some time setting up a bunch of things, including my medical information and my emergency contact information and whatever else seemed important.

Turns out that whenever you have a sharp shock to the watch – – such as If you fall on a hard surface (Or slam your hand hard down on a table for emphasis, I discovered later) It automatically Sounds a little alarm on the watch and if you don't respond to it within a certain time, it calls local emergency, as in 911. 

It also calls all your emergency contacts. That revealed a mistake in my set up: I put almost all my relatives in as emergency contacts, so several people from all over the West Coast were calling to try to find out what was happening. After that, I limited it to just a couple of people.

I kept thinking, what if I had just bought a Fitbit again? Which, as far as I know, has no capability like the Apple Watch. it was a cold winters evening and I was on a cul-de-sac without much in-and-out activity from the neighbors. I wasn't dressed to sit or lie around in cold weather; I had a light jacket because I was taking the dog for a walk. What would've happened then? 

I seem to have suffered no long-term effects. There are probably some, because I did have a concussion that they were worried about, which is why the initial hospital put me in to the life flight helicopter and flew me to the head-trauma center on the other side of Puget sound. But I don't notice any Lingering effects. Even at the time.

Just the missing 10 or 15 minutes in which I fell.

It was a bummer that my first helicopter ride was with me strapped down while my glasses were in a bag elsewhere in the helicopter And all the lovely views that I would've gotten were just big blurs out the window. Oh well, I'll have to find a safer way to get a helicopter ride.

In I go. Spent One day, two nights here.
 In general it was an excellent experience.

BUT WAIT! HERE'S ANOTHER FUN POINT: Earlier that day, I had told my sister that I discovered that the local senior center had a "balance class" and that I figured I ought to start going the next morning. That was my plan. I didn't really need to have an accident to prove that maybe I needed it. Grumble grumble. I did start the class eventually after I was fairly recovered. And it has helped immensely.

Looking back at a long-gone marriage

SUMMARY: How I felt then, how I feel now, what came between.

Source: Nover 23, 2025 Nextdoor response to a woman who has just divorced.

My parents lived to celebrate their 62nd anniversary. I always thought that my life would be like that, too, but we split after 20 years (25 years ago). Other people's anniversaries both delight me because they're a sign of affection and commitment and ways that things can work, but at the same time, for example, when friends celebrated their 40th, I have to have a few minutes to myself to mourn what was, and then put myself right back into my lovely life that I would never have had otherwise. 

By the time we split, I was so tired of the what we went through that the next day dawned bright and sunny (no idea whether it really was, but it felt like it). Not to say that I didn't spend many evenings off and on for months bawling my head off. I still occasionally get hit with a reminder of the grief that it didn't work out, and for the good times that we did have, but also by the time we split, I was done. I asked my trusted doctor for a counseling recommendation, and she helped me more than words can describe. I saw her maybe weekly for probably 3 months. It's not for everyone, and I'm pretty independent, but it helped me get over the initial intense grief and sorrow. And put me into a much happier life.

I mean, divorce is very similar to losing a loved one to death, and everyone reacts differently. But in either case, the grief isn't likely to vanish in just a day; more real expectation is that you'll find it fading, and every once in a while, needing a few moments (or more) when it sneaks in again. This is completely normal.

Also since then I have done so much traveling, and I can have as many dogs as I want ;-) and furnish and decorate my home the way I want and schedule my day the way I want and I do thrive on this. And I remember that my divorce was by no means the world rejecting me and I treasure friends and family even more. 

I always thought I'd remarry eventually, but it has now been longer apart than we were married, and I just haven't encountered anyone that fit the bill. I love being independent. I have a number of friends who divorced at about the same timeframe who have found new life-long companions, and they're pretty happy, too. 

Wherever your life leads from here,I hope for a long, happy, healthy experience in everything.  

If you want, you can search online for "how to survive divorce" or whatever. There are also books available. I like this particular page for no-nonsense, clear, short bullet points. https://www.divorcedgirlsmiling.com/how-to-survive-divorce-15-tips-to-getting-through-it/

Me (left) and sister with the ones who didn't work out for us:
Breakfast at Disneyland.

Me (right) and sister with the one who worked out for her.
Breakfast at Disneyland.
Who needs the losers??

it will be impossible to downsize; it's all about the walls.

SUMMARY:  I have too many things.

source : November 16, 2025, Facebook discussion about how much horizontal wall space one needs to accommodate books and or art.

I have five bookcases that are 4' x 7'h. I also have 12 others of various heights (3 feet to 6 feet) and widths (mostly 3 feet or 4 feet wide). so, without measuring everything in detail, and allowing 3.5 feet average width for the other bookcases, that's 62 linear feet.

because I like places to display my dragons where they are less likely to be broken, I also have 3 cabinets that are at least half glass fronted and are 6 1/2 feet high and a total of 16 more linear feet wide. That's not counting my bedroom dressers or my China/linen cabinet or various other display unit units. 

 Then I can start counting how much art I have to hang. Fortunately, most of it is not very large. So I can get several pieces per wall segment.

The original Facebook post of someone else's page by someone else

I also have to run sturdy extension cords from behind the furniture because they're blocking an outlet. Fortunately in this newer house of mine, there are usually plenty of other outlets in the room.

Life is complicated when you like your Things.

Nap time! and crate culture

SUMMARY: A success with some discussion

Source: my post on Facebook October 20, 2025

💙💜Milestone!💜💙Kell is three days short of her two-month gotcha anniversary. every night at bedtime, I tell the dogs "bedtime" and she runs right into her crate and I give her a couple of treats and zip her in. She has slept through the night the whole time. Also because I am usually more or less sleep deprived, I announce "nap time"in the afternoon when I'm going to go lie down for a little sleep. She runs right into her crate and I give her a couple of treats and I zip her in and she's very good.

A couple of times, I flipped the door down (soft crate) but didn't zip it and lo and behold, she stayed in the crate. she has been getting calmer and more involved and feeling like a family member more and more every day. And, I think, less likely to play with unauthorized items as she understands everything better?

So this time I said "nap time" and she ran into her crate and stood there waiting for her treats, which I gave her. This time decided to see what she would do with the door wide open. I crawled into bed with my legs next to Zorro and closed my eyes. Almost immediately there was a gentle movement on my bed next to me, and a large face checking out my face. She then dropped her ball next to my face. I just held her back and said not now I'm trying to sleep. She lay down next to me, not crowding me– – and napped with us for the next hour!

I'm so pleased and so proud of her!

No photos because I was way too sleepy, but here is a token photo [maybe] (Oops, was supposed to be just the first photo, but the blogger interface to my phone photos is kind of wonky)

... more comments: 

yes, just as for every dog I've gotten after my first couple, I said that she will not be a dog who sleeps on the bed with me. But, you know,… I mean, I made it two months! 

• She is just a dog who seems to want to be close and cuddle. In bed is just a time that often makes it easy for the dogs to do that.
• note that "bedtime" and "nap time" are not commands. They are notificationsabout what's coming. possibly the first couple of nights I suggested that she get intoher crate, but after that, I've never had to say anything about that. So, technically, she is in the crate under her own volunteer power. In my worldview, that means that she can leave under her own power if the door is open.

• Props to the prior owners who turned her into a super crate dog before she even came home with me.

Dogs Remain, Sleeping, Comfortable

SUMMARY: My memorial to my deceased beasts.

Source: Aug 5, 2025, email in response to an email from a friend about dog getting older and what to do when the time comes.

Here are all of my seven prior dogs or their mementos or both. 

Top shelf left to right: Sam my family's childhood dog the collie mix,Amber the shepherd/retriever mix, Shiba the husky, Remington the German Shepherd mix, Jake the sheltie mix;

Second shelf left to right: Tika the Australian Shepherd mix, Boost the border collie, and Chip yet another German Shepherd mix, and also a little about a friend's dog whom I had been fond of.

I also put little tiny picture frames – – 2 x 3" or thereabouts-- with face photos for each. Michaels sells some nice small ones but I wait until they do their two for one frame sale otherwise they're a bit expensive. But others I picked up at garage sales or flea markets or secondhand stores.

Then I also have maybe little trophies that they won or statues of dogs like them or other things with their names on them. The boxes have always come with a ceramic imprint of their paw and their name. So those are there also.

I also have picture frames to hang on the wall for each of them with a selection of photos. I haven't gotten around to that yet. I have just now (after three years) started to hang my art and photos on the walls.

I loved all my beasts and I somehow feel comfort that they are there still, still with me. Just sleeping. I don't really believe in an afterlife or ghosts, but still.

That's all for tonight.

those special older dogs

SUMMARY: in particular, Tika and Boost, but all my agility dogs

Source: 7/19/25 Facebook response to someone talking about their two wonderful dogs getting older and how they took her all over the country in the world and met so many people and did so many things

That's a great photo. And look at those dogs looking at the photographer! i'm guessing that Eukanuba was the sponsor😆. 

 my agility dogs gave me a similar sort of feeling. I didn't like to travel far with them, although I would go to the USDAA nationals if I could drive there in a day. I had so many opportunities within just a couple of hours of home that I could fill up every weekend with agility if I wanted.

Every dog every year qualified for nationals in whatever I was competing in – – NADAC, CPE, USDAA-- won some national events in CPE, made it to the finals once in USDAA. (never attended NADAC Finals which were always out of state) I would say that I was a good handler but never a great one. But we were pretty successful. 

 but what I really was going to say was that my first two dogs in agility were wonderful beasts. But my next two, my Merle girls, Tika and boost: the former was amazing; the latter turned out to be very near sighted but also effing fast! But the other thing was, we went hiking and we went traveling and we went visiting and we went to classes of various kinds. They were solid reliable dogs outside agility or in. So smart, always eager to learn and do things and go places and meet people and other dogs. And when they sadly expired within a month of each other, well, let's just say that I still miss them and it's been 10 years. 

hiking with friends in the eastern Sierras near Truckee

 SOOOO YES, APPRECIATE YOUR BOYS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. WHEN MINE STARTED GETTING OLDER, I STARTED PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO WHAT THINGS I HAD PHOTOS OF AND WHAT I DIDN'T AND WHAT NOTES I HAD ABOUT THEIR LIVES AND TRYING TO CAPTURE IT ALL. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Oops sorry the all capitals was a mistake. Wasn't really yelling!

Super nose!

SUMMARY: Zorro is getting good at nosework

source: my post on Facebook this morning 7/19/25

[Needs: photos!]

Yesterday was nosework class. The instructor mixes it up for us each session to give the dogs  a wide variety of scent hides. this group of students started in early February. It is nearly heart stopping, sometimes, how quickly and thoroughly they tackle the job of finding the hidden scent.

Most weeks, there are a variety of containers scattered around the room randomly (or sometimes hanging from the wall) so they don't provide an obvious path for the dogs to search in. This week, the first two hides consisted of 12 containers (closed cardboard boxes and closed plastic tool boxes) lined up in three rows. NOTE:  two of the containers held a scent.

When we first entered the room, Zorro blazed along the lines about as fast as I've seen him move in this class, and found both hides the first time around. So fast!

The second time, with the containers still in lines, he took a bit more time to find them but not a lot more. 

The third time, they were arranged in a large circle. He dashed all the way around it sniffing quickly at several of the containers. I wish I had videotaped it. I think on his second loop around he found both fairly quickly. 

It is pretty exciting. 

It's not agility, but I'm learning to love seeing him making use of his mind and body and sniffing orifice. 

i'll try to remember to take photos next time.

 Meanwhile, here he is this morning having sniffed along the banks of a canal ("irrigation ditch") and found apparently occupied burrows. there was much head tilting. Also, yes, his head is as far into the hole as he could get it.

meanwhile, the photos will have to wait a bit. I can't believe that blogger still doesn't accept photos directly off the iPhone. For crying out loud.

Curse You, Scammers, and also my brain

SUMMARY: I have so many questions

Original source: My post on Facebook July 14, 2025 --oh, never posted, just added it here.

Weeeeirrrrd--

I fell for it--somehow--?

Or... what happened?

Friday evening, I drove to Safeway gas to ensure a full tank for Saturday's long drive. Got some food and snacks. Went home, made sure that everything I'd need would be ready to go, and went to bed. [I might have spent some time online because that's what I do]

Saturday 5AM: Alarm went off

5:35-7:50 AM, drove a bit over 200 miles to agility event.

7:50-5:00 mostly sitting at the ringside table, timing or scribing or both. Did go online briefly to check messages and not much else.

6:00?-7:45 PM driving towards home. Stop at gas station quickmart to get a cold drink and quick snack.....  Visa was declined after 2 tries. Worked fine last night!! Fortunately I had cash.

7 :50-8:00ish PM, back in my car, I discovered a text from my credit card company (for short: CCC) saying there's a probably fraudulent charge, please confirm or not. I didn't remember the charge but, you know, sometimes companies work under various aliases. So I called. And I'd never heard of the company AND it was charged earlier that day. Which def wouldn't have been me.

AND because fraud happened, they cancelled my card. :-(  Feels a little frightening, not having a good way to pay anything if something else came up   OH AND ALSO it would take 7-10 days for the new card?! Turns out they do have "expedited shipping", which they didn't offer until I moaned about needing it sooner than that. It should arrive Tues or Wed? Why don't they just expedite it automatically?

8:30ish PM: Home. Do some stuff, then to bed.

NOT A CLUE how someone got my card info. I don't recall doing business with any borderline businesses recently. THAT I RECALL, card has been out of me possession recently only long enough to hand to Taco Bell drive-up window. 

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!  (do I sound buzz-feed enough?) 

Late this morning I finally checked my email [long backstory about wonky crappy online email system]. Several emails from my CCC from yesterday. A couple like:

Subject: Action required: Verify suspicious credit card activity
Content: "Verify suspicious credit card activity" and similar content plus info about the suspect charge.

Also another email from after our conversation notifying me that my card has been cancelled and a new one was being sent.  And another indicating that my new card would end with [these 4 digits]. OK so far.

Also an email from *today*, 

subject: Alert* Suspicious card activity
content: "Card Alert- Unusual Spending Activities Detected" and "You have a secure message from CCC Fraud Monitor Department" and blah blah let's review it and then we can unblock your card blah blah, with a  handy button to click to review the message. I'm feeling mentally fried about all of this...

The email had some slight annoying formatting issues, but seriously my crappy online email system often does weird stuff to emails. I thought it was odd that they'd be sending me another alert today after we "resolved" yesterday's issue, but, [shrug] I already had I think 4 emails from them yesterday, so what's another? So I clicked the button. Logged in pretty much as usual

A new page came up asking for all my current card info and login again, which was interesting because they'd said that card was cancelled yesterday, but how else would I log in to see my existing card history, and so I filled it in even though the formatting was a little wonky, but each response started a spinner that would last about a minute. THEN it came up with "enter the card # for your new card ending in [those same 4 digits]".

I stared at it for a while, thinking, but I don't KNOW the new card # or expiration date or security code, and that is a really weird question to ask at this point. So I typed "help" into the space for the card number, and the spinner spun, and then instead of complaining, it asked for the new card's expiration date.

THEN AND ONLY THEN did I look at the URL of the page I was on, and bipped back to the email and looked at the From address, and realized...  OH SHIT.

Started looking for info on the real CCC site on how to report fishing/fraud and that I might have messed up?

And the phone rang. It was the real CCC saying there's been something weird on your account today--from a windows machine. That would not be me, but it was trying to log in apparently as I was typing just a few minutes earlier. They went through some other transactions from the last 2 days and they were all valid ones. At some point she said, well, that site that you got the email from is known to so fishing, so, no harm done because they had caught it [somehow] and frozen my account so now here's your new username and temporary password.

So I logged in directly from the usual CCC site, NO wonky formatting anywhere, all the disclaimers and notices I'd expect, URL was perfect, I changed my password and everything is hunky dory.

And THEN she said, "in the future,when you get an email with--" And I interrupted to spew my self frustration, "I know I know I know! I lecture people about this all the time! I have written up my own commentary about suspect emails and sites and shared it and also shared similar info from many places for many people. I know!"

So fingers crossed that the new card, whenever it arrives, won't be compromised. But I'm concerned. Not just because I fell for a scam email and part of its website (what might I have given away that would help them?), but also: How did they get my card # anyway?. So many possibilities lately of leaks--

SO THEN [CHANGE OF SCENE] I called the ceiling lamp company from which I'd been trying to get the correct replacement fan-light cover (already received the wrong one) and they emailed a photo--which bounced!

Looked again at my crappy email system and it was 100% full. So I apologized and spent 20 minutes trying to decide which huge attachments and their emails didn't need to be there. Tried calling them back, and after all the recorded starting info, it disconnected just as a person was answering. Three times. 10 minutes after I started, a successful connection, a successful receipt of the photo showing the correct product, and THENOhhhhshiiit I don't have a way to pay for it. :-(

They were very understanding and I'll just call them back when the new card arrives. 
Also, after Friday afternoon's nosework class I had decided to order more nosework scent articles. Hadn't done so yet, so then today I sat down to see what was available,  which maybe I found some things BUT OH NO no way to pay for them.

THEN I will have to find all the places that have my credit card # for automatic payments and update those. I have a list somewhere, I think. I use my card via Paypal as much as possible, so it could be worse, but still what a $%^ &*()*&^ ^%.

Now I've spent an hour writing this up (including referring back to various records), and it's already nearly 3:00.

Don't let your guard down. :-(

Wonky email formatting an doh iffy date/time

>>  Visit the Wordless Wednesday site; lots of blogs. << >>  Visit Cee's Photo Challenge blog; lots of blogs. <<

Modern mating rituals

SUMMARY: Well – – really locations rather rather than than rituals

Backfill: May 17, 2025: my comment in response to a poll on Tumblr

The original poll and results from Tumblr.

This is an interesting question because of the poll’s possible answers. First of all, there was no Internet, so no online or websites or anything like that. I met my ex… At a Christmas caroling party, thrown annually by a friend I knew from school, who invited her coworkers from work. We were not a barhopping/clubbing kind of group, so it feels weird to include “party“ in that same category. I mean, I already knew probably 30 of the 35 people who attended, And there might have been beer available and probably some alcoholic Christmas wassail. No one was There to get drunk.

My friend said to this guy, “hi, thanks for coming, introduce yourself around“ and then dashed off to do something else. He went to the refreshments table and stood there nibbling and I thought, he doesn’t know anybody else! And I was right (no one else from their work showed up). I introduced myself just to be polite. And somehow we kept chatting and then I introduced him to my closer friends in the room. And then – –

22 years later, when we divorced,  I couldn’t help rethinking that decision, or really all relationship decisions made During those years. As one does. We had a lot of good times though. 

Blue bedrooms... and purple sometimes...

SUMMARY: History of my bedroom colors

Source: Comment on a friend's FB page about repainting their deep red bedroom (a color someone else picked) to light blue.

I said: 

My bedroom in my parents' house I painted a fairly saturated somewhat lighter blue. I loved it. In the intervening decades, I painted one bedroom white, a later one I actually wallpapered (loved it!), a later one I left the wallpaper that was already there and it wouldn't have been my choice but mostly peaceful and matched my other things. This is the first time i've painted my bedroom blue again--this time just the wall behind the headboard is a rich almost navy blue and I feel peaceful just walking in and seeing it! I think your light blue sounds like it will be perfect.

But: I know you want details and photos! (Photos might take longer)

My bedrooms:

• Basement room in my parents' house. Until then, I had almost always shared one of the upstairs bedrooms with one or more of my sisters. My recollection is that we painted it pale blue. Mom made me a bedspread of some sort of blue and purple fabric. This lasted only a few months--I was in 6th grade--and then we moved away.  No pictures exist that I can recall.

• Bedroom in my parents' new house. Five bedrooms, seven people. The three oldest of us kids got our own rooms and dad had the builders paint each room in our favorite colors. Mine was a somewhat sickly pale greenish blue. When I could, I and my friends painted it that fairly saturated somewhat lighter blue, and I painted my furniture blue and purple! [photos exist]

  

  Oh, I forgot about the very inexpensive blue shag carpet! (Not wall to wall, just a large rug.)
  The color of the drawers behind me was the color of the walls.  PS I made the big cushion.

  
  

• Dorms at college. Some students did paint their rooms; I wasn't so ambitious, although I did paint a mural on the wall outside the room! [pictures exist]
  
  

  

  I copied this from about a 2-square-inch image cut from a magazine ad somewhere.
  
  

  
  

  

  First dorm. My side has the blue (?) cover--I don't even remember it!
  But I still have most of the wall art

  
  

  

  Second dorm, my side.

  
  

  

  Third dorm. Same blue cover, same blue cushion,
   lots of the same wall art mostly not visible in this crappy scanned photo.

• Bedrooms in two successive rented apartments covering about a year and a half. I didn't even put up pictures nor  nuthin'. [might be a photo of 2nd one but not sure]

• My own private townhouse! Didn't paint the room (it was white) but I bought a gorgeous matching set of bedspread and drapes: Fuzzy and huge stripes of various shades  of blue. Something I had been coveting from the Sears catalogs, which were things that I pored over for years for home supplies and decor. [not sure whether photos exist]

• First shared  house with husband: I wallpapered it! All by myself! I did a great job and I loved it, although I don't exactly recall the pattern. Probably small delicate blue & white? [not sure whether photos exist]

• Second shared house: It was white. It stayed that way. It was airy and open and had trees outside the second story windows and it just seemed right. [photos exist]

• My own private next house: Came with wallpaper. Not what I would have chosen, but three of the walls matched my general decor (flowers of various colors) and so I left it. [photos exist]

  

  Notice 2 types of wallpaper. The one on the left covered 3 walls; the one on the right was only that wall. I had a lot of flower decor and sheets and so it worked--kinda--

  
  

• My now current house: The aforementioned navy blue! [photos exist]

And there you have it!

What's wrong with my dog's face?Or body? Bones and wasps, too

SUMMARY: Ancient history: Amber frothing at the mouth

Source: Friend Cathy's FB post about her dog rubbing and pawing at her face, and she found a stick that required a vet visit.

This medical emergency with my first dog, Amber, sticks in my mind and makes my heart jump even half a century later. 

She was about 2, and we went camping with friends. She was off-leash in the group campground and suddenly I noticed that she was frothing at the mouth, pawing at her face, rubbing her face on the ground--the frothing terrified me: What kind of poisonous thing had she  ingested?! Because what else could it be? As an inexperienced dog owner, I initially didn't know what to do, but eventually put my fingers into her mouth and found some small piece of bone that she had found and it had become wedged in her upper jaw, between the left and right side. 

Fortunately I was able to gradually work it out and there was no permanent damage. But I still remember that moment of horror and terror when I first saw her. Yes, as a relatively new dog owner, every little thing  that went wrong became traumatic for my poor heart.

I'm skipping over the part where, when she was about 3-4 months old, I looked out into the back yard and she was standing listlessly, head and tail drooping, taking slow, unsteady steps, and drooling. Human Mom rushed out to her and she did respond a bit. I managed to get her into the house and, in the process of setting her down, noticed that little bumps covered her stomach. Exploring: Her whole body. Hives?! I figured it was an allergic reaction to something. Fortunately was able to get her to the vet right away, and she was already feeling a little better by the time we got there. I don't recall their treatment, maybe a shot of prednisone or something? They thought maybe a bee or wasp sting. 

Fortunately I never saw that reaction again. And, for the 7 years I lived in a house whose yard border was covered with shrubs with those red hairy flowers that attract bees, she would stand out there for hours, trying to catch the bees (and sometimes succeeding).

Apparently I'm not skipping that part.

That's all  there is for now...

Amber,  at about the age of the allergic reaction.