karma (chameleon?)

This whole few weeks and the Karma, it's gotten to the point where it's more than 1 thing.  I've always believed in Karma, if you're (basically) a good/kind person, others will be the same to you (well most, there's always that one or two).  And if you're a jerk, eventually it will come back to bite you.

Take my uncle (please! LOL, sorry).  He was a slum landlord.  My Aunt (my dad's sister) and he were in the news all the time for lead paint laden homes, etc..  My parents had died by the time I was 20.  My Grandfather (widowed when I was maybe 22) was a farmer, but he saved his money, he owned a repair/gas station on a very busy street, that because the main shopping artery once 95 went though (and 95 cut into his farmland, so he got paid for that) eventually he gave up the 'split' part of his farm to retail and made a bunch off that.  You'd never know it, he lived simply and farmed.

When he passed away, it was a couple of days before Christmas.  He ALWAYS had a $500 bill for EACH of the great grandchildren (I think I was the only one with kids at the time, and that was only 2) to put away for college, before great grandchildren, it was the grandchildren (me, my brother, my 3 cousins).  I know he had the bills because I saw them in the cards when I stopped in the day before he died.  And not that I cared about me not getting the money, wasn't that at all, it was the weasal-y way it just went missing.

My uncle/aunt the slumlords, had what my Grandfather used to call, a big fancy house and a big fancy dog in a big fancy neighbourhood.  He also had the BMWs, etc.  As I said, my grandfather lived very simply (I actually lived with him for a few months between selling/buying a home, and I used the money that he had saved for me as the down payment, he was very proud of that).

Now as my dad had died 12 years or so earlier, it was only my aunt.  Turns out my grandfather had never fixed his will to go further than his kids.  So it went my grandmother (deceased) got everything, if she was gone, my dad (deceased) and my aunt.  So my aunt got his house (on said main road still), with an acre of land, and everything he owned.

She asked me if I wanted anything. I said I'd have liked his 15 year old blue station wagon volvo.  It was his car, he used to take all 5 (and I'm the oldest, other than my brother a year younger, 3 years apart each) of us out for a day in the summer.  My mother called him a saint.  He'd take us to the railroad museum or the big farm fair or some historically accurate living museum.  He'd give us an envelope of money to spend on our own and if you didn't have enough left for dinner, you were outta luck.  And we always road in the back of the station wagon and threw stuff out the window, you know those big ass ones from the 70's with the rear facing back seat. It was a great time.

She said no.

She offered me the Flintstones jelly glasses.

I essentially had nothing left from him.

So back to Karma.  He was worth a lot of money.  They took it everything, sold his house, his car, everything.... all of a sudden, they're doing all this work on their house.  Imported 1" thick ceramic tile for the kitchen that he had to LOWER the entire floor for it to fit and then extra support it for the weight.  Turns out, my uncle had gotten him to remortgage his home so he could take his money.

Several years later, my uncle lost his house, had to file for bankruptcy, got divorced (although I hear they are back together, they're in their 80s now). 2 of his kids no longer speak to him.

Karma, as they say, can be a bitch.

Back to this last month.  So I took my child's friend in.  It's not courageous or generous or any other 'ous' word, it was just the right thing to do.  No money involved (although there is a little bit now, but I'm going to put it in an account for her so she'll have something next year when she needs to get an apartment (goals from the program she's in).  Just a kid who needed some help.  I collect homeless animals as well as a lot of you know.

Tonight there is a 'prom' at the local ARC.  My child was not invited to the school prom (which I heard sucked anyway!) as I had hoped one of the guys that plays on her basketball game would do.  This is all the kids with special needs prom.  My new child said she wanted to go (she's not special needs) but since she's changed schools, she wasn't asked either, I guess I could have sent them both, but it was really late to get getting tickets by the time she came here.  The new child literally left her home with the clothes on her back and though she came with A dress, it's not A prom dress.

So first I have to email the center and ask if she can come, it was $15 to go and included my child and her staff person (my treatment is today so I can't drive or get there).  He said send her.  Now this is the first year for this event, and though I have an overall issue with it being NON INCLUSIVE, it's still good for this young people who would not otherwise be invited to their own HS proms.  The news had gotten a hold of it and in came donations of food, dresses, jewelry, you name it.  My child had gotten a dress with her worker a month ago.  My new child, I said go into the closet, we have a lot of dresses and we'll find you something.  The center is telling me they want NO MONEY for her to go and told me to send her over because they still had dresses there for free that she could pick from (donated from the local bridal shop).  Before I had gotten the 2nd email that he said she could get a dress, I had stopped to get my allergy shot.  The nurse there also has had many foster children and since I'm there every freakin' week for an hour, we have time to talk.  So I'm telling her about the whole prom thing and she said she has a closet full of dressy dresses that she got when a bridal store went out of business that she's never worn and was about to give away because she doesn't go to places like that.

Karma.

I said no that's okay, you're working.  I get out at noon.  Well you don't live near here.  I don't care you're taking the dresses.

She came over around 2 with 3 beautiful black dresses and 2 matching lilac obviously bridemaid dresses.  She left all 3 of the black ones here (new child put on a fashion show for us).

On top of that, new child has severe allergies.  She had a doc appointment at the clinic (because she has crappy health insurance) that sucked to say the least.  The doc wasn't interested in anything except throwing meds at her, lecturing her on being independent, and couldn't get her out the door fast enough.  She also screwed up her prescriptions.  I wanted her to get a test for iron because she's always tired.  She gave her pills for insomnia.

I asked my allergist's office last week (the girls in the front) if they took her health insurance, they said no.

I saw my allergist in the hall today and he always asks after my child (12 sets of tubes in 13 years, he loves her!) and I mentioned the new one and I needed to find an allergist that takes her crappy health insurance.  He said bring her in, just tell the girls up front he said it was fine.  He said he always wanted to meet someone from Ghana.

This child has also not seen a dentist in years. Her crappy insurance does cover it, but only at this really bad clinic (and they're about to cut that benefit, I'm on the state Medicaid committee, part of the issue is RI Medicaid only allows $12.50 per dental visit and exactly which dentist will take $12.50, so they are going to drop it totally July 1st if that passes).  I called my dentist.  I've been going to him for only a couple of years (mine retired and the person he sold it to was always 'looking for work' on everyone's teeth because we have good insurance, no thanks). I spoke to the receptionist and explained the situation and she told me to bring her in and made the appointment.  Her daughter in another state takes in kids.  They don't take her insurance, but she told me not to worry about it.

And one more, and all of these have happened (other than the uncle story) in the past week, plus as you all know there are many others (fogies??? furbies????).

I have sterling silver moon bracelet that I wear ALL THE TIME.  I got it from Kirk's Folly (www.kirksfolly.com) as I worked for them for awhile and they are from the village.  I also did my internship for my MA there (database programming).  They used to have this huge sale every year (they mainly sell on QVC now, and online) and I bought it easily 10-15 years ago.  I buy my flowers/veggie plants at this greenhouse near me.  To say the lady that runs is is bitchy is an understatement.  She's always in a bad mood, but I'm used to her, that's why she grows plants!!! Her stuff always grows, she can get me weird stuff (like moon flowers) and I'd rather get stuff from a local business than Home Depot, Lowe's or Wallyworld.

Every time I go in there she asks about the sale and my bracelet, she's always loved it.  Over the years, I've asked them (the Kirk's) if they have any more, mine was a sample (at the sale, they sell a lot of their samples and leftovers and extra QVC stuff).

Last November, they had one finally for the first time in 5 years and Helen (Kirk) had emailed me asking if I wanted to work at it, and I couldn't. But I did go and when she saw me, she said I have something for you.  And she brought out a moon bracelet!  I think it was like $19.  I bought it in November and I did have the greenhouse lady in mind, but then I got thinking about mine and what if it broke or something happened to it (and the greenhouse wasn't open, it just opened the week before Mother's day).

Anyway, I decided to give it to her and went over there (and I was in a HUGE rush) to drop it off to her.

It wouldn't fit over her hand.  She has much thicker wrists than I do.  I felt really bad, but then I took mine off (mine's not round because I wear it all the time, it's more oval) and that went on.  She literally started crying and hugging me.  But I had to run, so I told her I'd be in later to get my plants.

I stopped in yesterday.  Loaded up 3 trays (usual amount) with my flowers and plants and went to check out.  She had the bracelet on.  She rang it up and said $16.  I said no way, that's now why I got you that bracelet, she wouldn't hear of it.  I told her I bought because I was tired of listening to her whine every time I see her! It was pretty funny.  I gave her a $20 to pay and told her to keep it, nope she gave me the $4 back and wouldn't take any more $$. And had her granddaughter take all my stuff out to the car and started waiting on someone else.