Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh!

I had a telephone conversation with my mom today that still has me shaking my head. First though, before I tell you about the conversation, let me take care of a little show and tell. I've mentioned in my last couple of blog entries that I was working on appliqueing my first block for the BOM-type, sort of Americana, red, white, and blue quilt my friend Patty and I are designing. Well, I finally finished tonight, so I wanted to share a photo:

Patty's been a little tied up with things--mostly eggs and her son Glenn's accident--so I'm not sure she's had time to work on her block yet, but she'll probably get to it before too long.

Anyway, the phone call with my mom. This afternoon, I called. "Hey, mom, how are you?," I asked. "Where are you?," she replied. Slightly puzzled, I told her I was calling her from work. "You haven't come up today?," she asked. I answered, "No, was I supposed to?" "Well, you TOLD me you were coming on Tuesday!" Okay, here's the thing. Today is MONDAY and the last time I visited was LAST Tuesday, so she's obviously confused. In a polite way, I explained to her that tomorrow is Tuesday and although I wasn't planning on coming up, I would if she needs me. Yes, apparently she does. She wants me to take care of some paperwork and bills and has a check to be deposited and--and, of course, this was apparently VERY important to her--she has a box of candles she wants to go through so my husband can give his sister what she doesn't want for an upcoming garage sale. If you read my blog, you know the trip is 1-1/2 hours each way on a good day. Gas for the trip costs about $25. Fast food for dinner (and--VITALLY--an iced latte from Starbucks) is another $20 for me and my husband. I think my mom and I need to have a talk about this, particularly if she wants to continue living up there.

And have I mentioned the saga of the checkbook? I've been paying the bills and have the checkbook for my parents' joint account; she has her own checkbook. About two weeks ago when I was visiting, she asked me to leave her four checks in case something came up. Of those four checks, the only one that was reported to me was one used for groceries. Last week, she said she needed three more checks. What happened to the other three? Well, we can only really account for two. Not sure about the third. Might have been written for $12 to the mortuary. Now, though, she's thinking she wrote one for $30 but can't remember who that might possibly have been to. And those other three checks I gave her last week? Well, she says I only gave her two. Hummmmm. Seems another one up and ran away. Gives new meaning to bouncing checks. Possibly in more ways than one.

And this brings me to the third part of the conversation that stands out in my mind. "The man came this morning at 9 o'clock," she said. "What man?," I asked. With a fair amount of annoyance in her voice, as though I'm supposed to know already, she said, "The man to fix the garbage disposal. It's not working. I called them the other day and when they told me how much it would cost to come out, I told them forget it! I said I'm not paying one penny! But this morning, he came anyway and fixed the garbage disposal and charged me $35. Since it was my fault, I had to pay him." "Okay, mom," I replied, "What was wrong with the garbage disposal?" "Well, I guess when I was under the sink, moving things around, I unplugged it," she confessed. Sheesh! Sometimes you just have to laugh, because if you don't, I think it's called matricide and I'm pretty sure it's not legal.