The adventures of Grammie. Part forty eleven.

Another day in the life glimpse of what goes on around here.  For background, Grammie is my 90 year old mother. She lives about three hours from me in an Assisted Living facility. I take care of her paperwork and bills, take her to get groceries, shopping, doctors, etc. once per week. She has a mind of her own and is quite the character. This happened about five minutes ago.

Grammie just called. 

Her opening line:  I just called the COPS. 

Me: (chest has an immediate spasm) “You called the COPS?!!!” 

Grammie: Yes, but not on PURPOSE.  But they helped me. 

Me: HELPED YOU WITH WHAT? 

Grammie: Getting my scootie fixed. 

Me:  Getting your scootie fixed??!!!  The COPS helped you get your scootie fixed?

Grammie:  Yes!  They called the right number for me and got the scootie chair place on the line and stayed on the line until I had an appointment. 

Me: Oh, so you ACCIDENTALLY called the cops and they helped you get the right number.

Grammie: NO! I called the right number. 

Me: You called the cops on purpose?

Grammie: NO! I called the right number but the cops answered.

The conversation continued but you get the gist.  Kudos to her local police department - or whatever police department she connected with.

Life

The roller coaster ride continues with Rebekah and her pain levels.  She had seemed to improve somewhat last week, but since Sunday the levels are back up again.  She sees a specialist today - after waiting five weeks for an appointment. We are all hoping he will provide some solutions.

Please pray for healing and pain relief. Please pray for wisdom for her doctors.

Meanwhile, life goes on around here.  The attempt to keep things normal is failing miserably, but we try.  There is a Christmas parade coming up this weekend that Rebekah's special needs group is participating in. Our goal for the week is that she be well enough to participate.  It would be such a blow to her heart for her to miss it.  

As for the animals, we have suspended all sales until Rebekah is feeling better.  Helen's chicks are beautiful and about to begin laying.  The turkey's remain in our pasture.  We really do need to sell some. Possibly before Christmas.  However, Peanut, Adelaide, and Grumpy will never be sold.

I am attempting to get ready for Christmas, but the going is slow.  I would love to put out another video soon, but it's all about TIME and how well Rebekah feels.

Meanwhile my elderly mother remains in assisted living in another state.  I go down once per week to help her and take care of things.  She refuses to move to a facility closer to me as she has lived her life in the same area and does not want to leave it.  Ideally, she would live with me.  But her care levels are such I would end up in the hospital in short order attempting to take care of her. Which has already happened on more than one occasion.  And so, she is in Assisted Living.  It's an awful situation. It is hard to be old.  

How Our Pet Turkeys spent Thanksgiving

Yeah. We bought a nameless frozen turkey at Wal-Mart for our Thanksgiving meal.  Who am I kidding?  These turkeys are going to die of old age in my back yard.

Hey! I’m still here! Here's an update on what is going on, and also FTC's COPPA

Hello, All!

It's been a while!  Unfortunately, our special needs daughter has been exceedingly ill again for the past five weeks, so I’ve done little besides take care of her. In between I make trips out of state to take care of my elderly mother.  So. Been sorrrrta busy.

The good news is Rebekah appears to have turned the corner and I believe is beginning to come out of this.  We have been through it before. It was awful then – and is awful now.  Many have been praying and we have two wonderful doctors working hard to help her. 

In the meantime - as for my YouTube videos.  Who knows WHAT is going on? The FTC COPPA ruling has put so many in tailspins trying to determine what on earth qualifies as ‘made for children.’ Their terms are so broad and vague, it seems few if any clearly know. Me included.  The threat of Forty-Some THOUSAND dollar fines PER VIDEO would absolutely ruin most creators, certainly myself included.  Somehow, we must read through all the legalese and try not to make a mistake in labeling our content. 

My videos are made for a general audience, not for children. Looking at my analytics provided to me by YouTube, it shows over the lifetime of my channel 95% of my audience fall under the 18 and over category, with 5% falling in the 13 to 17 age group. That is over the lifetime of my channel. And I most certainly do not collect personal data on anyone.  I wouldn’t even know how.  So I BELIEVE all is well.  My videos are not and were not created for children, and my audience analytics provided by YouTube reflect that.

So. MOVING on.

We have just finished Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and are now full into the Christmas season.  No Christmas letter this year.  When Rebekah is ill, my life pretty much upends and stops until she is better.

On another note, needless to say ALL of my 14 beautiful heritage bronze turkeys are still out there wandering about my yard and pasture.  For Thanksgiving dinner we instead bought a nameless frozen turkey of questionable heritage from Wal-Mart. Let’s face it. There is never going to come a day, unless my family is STARVING, that we are going to eat anyone out there.  ~sigh~   We’d be as likely to eat the family cat.

Hopefully I will SELL some soon – and I’m not going to ask what they want with them. I’m sure they will all go to a lovely farm somewhere to live out their days in early retirement.  In any event, as of right now I’ve stopped all sales until Rebekah is better.  Once she is doing well again, I will have Helen’s chicks – now at point of lay – available, as well as my turkey lurkeys.  Helen’s chicks, btw, are absolutely stunning. I will try to get one last video before I actually do sell them.