This morning I woke up grateful that the rain I heard pounding the windows all night wasn't snow. Whew!

Today I am grateful for the sweet KT'ers that I have been blessed to have had emails with very kind words and offers of help from and tons of advice!!
Thank you everyone and I hope you know who you are!!!

I have kidney failure and I started dialysis last August. I am grateful my insurance covers 100 % of the cost and the dialysis center is seven minutes from my home. It's a lifesaver for me!

I'm grateful that a friend of mine and I got to go to Jonesboro shopping today. We ate at Couch's BBQ, went to Target, Colony Shop, three antique shops, a couple of JUNK shops, etc. We had a great day.

Thanks to everyone who posted today. Ya Ya, I wish I had been with you! I had to go have new tires put on my truck today...$650!! YOW-ZA! I could have but a lot of junk with that and had much more fun! :-)

I am grateful that there are people with good hearts and generous spirits. It reaffirms my faith in people when I hear how someone reaches out with kind words or prayers, or to give help or to replace missing ornaments (way to go Rita!) or to offer frieindship.

I'm Very Grateful that my GD is taking the necessary steps to get out of that bad relationship she's been in.

Also grateful for my dear sweet DIL who took the day off from her job to go bring GD down here to my house,and grateful to my son that he chose such a loving caring wife.

I'm very grateful that DH and i ar able to help DGD get a new start.

Kathi

Am I grateful today??

About a year ago I had an incident on the highway - hit in the rear by a gravel truck, resulting in the scrapping of the recently acquired '93 Taurus wagon (whimper, whimper). No injury to anyone. Insurance paid about what I'd paid.

And about 7 mos. ago ... another. Resulting in substantial damage to my reasonably recently purchased '88 Mazda 323 hatchback. It appeared that I'd run a red light on that one. Again, fortunately, no one injured. My fault, got a ticket - no insurance (I don't carry "Collision" on my old cars).

Though it cost more than I'd paid, the Mazda appeared to be well preserved, and in the light of the expense energy-wise, and pollution-wise, plus global warming-wise, of building (20%??) of a new car to replace (20%??) of the life of this car that would be lost were I to have scrapped it, it seemed the responsible thing to do to repair it.

A couple of months ago I received a message from the Ministry of Transport informing me that, since I'm over 70 and had been involved in a chargeable accident ... they wanted me to take a vision, written and road test to evaluate my driving capabilities.

When I had my physical exam, I noted some difficulty in reading some writing on billboards, so an appointment was made to see the optometrist.

Borrowed "Driver's Handbook" explaining driving rules from the library.

I checked with the driver test centre, asking about making an appointment for a driving test. Don't do it that way - take vision test, written test, then take driving test ... usually soon after the others.

I took vision test ... she asked about my seeing one item ... she said I'd passed. But - I don't have a regular licence, I have one for driving a large, straight truck ... didn't pass that.

When I saw optometrist, figured he could give me glasses to enable me to pass.

I have cataracts, need to have surgery to replace lenses, can see well then. Cataracts can grow at varying speeds, no earlier test to compare, not sure how long glasses useful, and in any case can't give me any to enable me to pass "D" licence test!

So ... setting up evaluation by specialist, optometrist to call me.

Thought I'd re-try vision test, using old uncle's glasses - no dice ... must be own prescription.

If I pass vision test within a year, can regain my "D" rating licence.

And - I've looked high and low ... but can't find "Driver's Handbook"!

I have an important trip to make this Sunday, so had decided not take written test yet, as if I fail driving test (assuming I could do it right away after ... maybe same or next day) ... they'd warned me to bring licensed driver with me to test, in case I failed. That would mean no driving anywhere on Sunday.

Then ... when I asked how long interval between other tests and driving .. it's a lot quicker in winter, because few want to be tested then ... probably only a couple of weeks wait!!!

WHAT???

Deadline when they're to lift my licence is ...Saturday Jan. 19.

Yesterday I borrowed a *new* - I'm first borrower - "Driver's Handbook" from County library (it's a reference book - borrowing deadline 7 days).

I've thought that I can live here on the farm, 8 miles from village, 15 miles from city, as long as I can drive.

Likely just 8 more days to drive!

Though it's mild just now, that's January thaw: it's soon going to be cold again.

Not good weather for hitch-hiking!

I have quite a lot of food here, and may be able to manage till spring, with minimal travel, but ...

... if they cancel my licence next Saturday ... will I be able to drive to take test, a week or so later?

This morning the minister at the church where the Romeos (Old Farts' Coffee Hour) meet called to say that they'd found my "Driver's Handbook" in the computer room.

I called the Ministry to see whether I can maybe have my licence suspended rather than cancelled, and permission to take driving test ...

The guy said that they'll give me an extension to March!

I am GRATEFUL!!!

I am GRATEFUL today!!

How much we depend on the car!!!

How much we take our licence for granted!!

ole joyful (still joyful ... but sweating rather copiously [even in winter!] for a while, there)

Oh joyful - that is just wonderful news. Now you'll have plenty to time to study that manual and make sure you have the right glasses.

Thanks, mcmann - I appreciate your commisseration!

But the eye guy said that he can't give me glasses good enough to enable me to pass the vision test for truck-level licence.

And they'd be a temporary measure, as cataracts will continue to fog the lenses of my eyes, increasingly.

I'm looking toward surgery to replace the lenses in my eyes. The eye guy says that it's pretty well a routine deal and that I'll see well, then.

And if I get the surgery within a year, I can pass the vision test, then get my truck-level licence reinstated.

But even if not ... I haven't driven such a truck in years, and only did it temporarily, in anything like recent years, as a favour to a good friend, who operated a milk route: I drove it while he was on holiday (his son doing the grunt work ... well, most of it: I helped some). Another son took over the milk route several years ago and my friend died: I presided at his funeral.

So my need of a truck-level licence is pretty close to nil, really.

It's largely an issue of antipathy toward accepting reduced capabilities as the years advance, I think.

And I thought that I've been (more or less) aging gracefully!

Not that I had much of it to deal with, as I've been enjoying good health ... don't think that I've taken a pill in at least 30 years. Which makes every day a good day!

Our egos do trip us up at times, don't they?

ole joyful