A Whole Bunch of Nothin' in Day by Day
- Aug. 16, 2017, 11:37 a.m.
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- Public
Not much going on these days. I just got back from yet another blood draw. This one should tell us if I’m diabetic or not. My blood sugar is slightly over the threshold, according to the last test, but not by a large amount, so I’m hoping that I can avoid meds by losing some weight. I very much doubt I’d EVER be able to give myself an injection.
I’m a little anxious about my upcoming trip to IN to visit my husband’s family. They are extremely conservative and I’m just not up to arguing politics or enduring bigoted comments. We’ve decided to avoid all politics and if they push it, we’ll just call a cab and get a room in Fort Wayne. I hate to be rude, but my nerves just can’t take it.
It’ll be SO much easier when we visit MY family in Boston this fall. Their politics are more in line with our beliefs so there are no “Chicago has tough gun laws but they still have high gun violence” comments to endure. How do you explain that flooding the country with guns and THEN closing the barn door doesn’t work when they are locked into conservative ideology? I’d just rather walk away at this point.
Work, naturally, has picked up again (now that we’re planning on going out of town), but paying up is slow. So far, it’s not a problem. I’m ahead on mortgage payments and money is set aside for both upcoming trips.
Even better…and I’m SO excited about this…September is my LAST month for $1000 health insurance!!!! Medicare kicks in on October 1st, and my health care costs for Medicare coverage, supplemental insurance and drug coverage will be around $350 a month. As a self-employed person, I haven’t paid less than $1000 per month in over 40 years, so this is a huge break for my finances!
I’m working on dual citizenship with Italy. My son wants it but I have to get it first and then he’ll be eligible. I hit a snag on my grandmother. All family genealogy and her death and marriage certificates list the town I was born in as the place of her birth, but the town hall does not have records for her. I’m now contacting other places to find my needle in the haystack.
The tropics are stirring up again, not unusual for this time of year. There is a conga line of storm systems rolling off the African coast, one of which may become something of a concern next week. At this point, it’s a wait & see situation. No sense in getting worked up over it, yet best to be on the alert.
KittyCat is doing well. She has filled out nicely and becoming less skittish (but still jumps at shadows). She’s conquered her fear of the house and now fights us for the comfy seats! LOL! She seems happy. We give her lots of reassurance.
As I said, not much going on except the same old, same old. I continue to pray for the health concerns of friends and family, online and off, as well as some for myself. Getting old ain’t easy, but I do like the wisdom gained!
woman in the moon ⋅ August 16, 2017
Lots here.
Your conservative relatives might be more meek this time. No guarantees.
Hope you aren't diabetic. If you are borderline I doubt the injections would be in your future. Lots of pills for everything.
Glad insurance is down. I pay about a hundred on top of Medicare. Never know how good it is till you use it.
Hope the storms stay away.
ConnieK woman in the moon ⋅ August 16, 2017
My conservative relatives are not very well educated and quote Rush Limbaugh and others like him word for word. Many also see people of color as somehow inferior. It's really quite sad, considering the family background is Mennonite and Amish.
I think I'm borderline at 103, but the hemoglobin test will be more accurate, I'm told.
GypsyWynd ⋅ August 16, 2017
Congrats on the insurance break. I anticipate mine will be going up significantly.......and I'm still 5 yrs away from Medicare.
As Ellie says ,"They want us all to die!"
I'm curious, how do you qualify for dual citizenship?" I know my paternal grandmother (and possibly my grandfather) was born in Italy.
ConnieK GypsyWynd ⋅ August 16, 2017
If you can prove that your grandparents did not renounce their Italian citizenship, you would be eligible.
My cousin is a bit further along in the process and has been guiding me. This is what she sent to me to get me started (the Boston stuff, of course, would not apply to you):
https://www.myitalianfamily.com/dual-citizenship/learn-if-you-qualify/father-grandfather
I figured that I'd send you the Juri Sanguinis information now so that you could look at it when you can.
If you're not sure about Carmelo's US citizenship, go into ancestry.com and type in his name and DOB. It will bring up all of his information.
To get the actual document to start the process of dual citizenship, go to:
https: genealogy.uscis.dhs.gov
You can request a Genealogy Search. The search had a $20.00 charge when I submitted it in Nov, 2016, but on Dec 23, 2016, the fee rose to $65.00. I still have not received the document which should only take 90 days. While you're waiting, you can start collecting the other data.
In order to get the birth certificates of everyone in the lineage and their spouses (including you), you'll need to contact the City Hall where they were born. They have certain dates that they will still have the certificates. I don't know where your grandfather or your father were born, but that would be the start.
If the DOBs are before those at City Hall, you'll need to go to - or contact - the Archives for each of the areas where there is information. This may be at a university or in the capital of the state. In Boston, the Archives are on the grounds of UMA Boston.
You'll also need their wives BC, marriage certificates, divorce decree, remarriage certificate, and death certificates of all involved.
When you get or order these documents, each of them needs to be certified with a seal so ask for a certified copy.. They range in price from $2. - $25.
After you gather all of this paperwork, you'll need to get them translated into Italian and bring them to the Apostille office to have them Apostilled.
Then, you need to make an appointment with the Italian Consul that services your state. In Boston, it takes one year to make an appointment, so you may want to do that early. I tried today, but they only allow you to make appointments on the first Monday of the month. I missed March, so I have to wait until April 3 to make an appointment for April, 2018.
Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll try to steer you in the right direction. My son, Stephen, spent a few days in Salt Lake City and found interesting information in the Archives there that was all on microfiche. He also visited the neighborhood that my father's father was born - Lugosano, Italy - to find the Church where all of the records are kept.
GypsyWynd ConnieK ⋅ August 16, 2017
Wow.....that's quite a process. I believe my grandmother became an American citizen, so I guess I don't qualify.
ConnieK GypsyWynd ⋅ August 16, 2017
No. They could become citizens of America without renouncing their Italian citizenship, so it all depends. And if your grandmother did but your grandfather did not (or vice versa), you are still eligible. Yes, it's a long complicated process. I expect it'll take at least two years.
ConnieK GypsyWynd ⋅ August 16, 2017
Oh, and if you need a translator for Italian stuff, I have a friend and a relative who are fluent.
Eriu ⋅ August 16, 2017
What a relief about the insurance! You can control your blood sugar with diet and exercise (I liked to walk); my mom does. My problem was that I wasn't diligent, never checked, but even at that my doctor took me off all but one med for my blood sugar and lessened what I do take. Oh, I wailed and cried when starting injections, but that won't be the first thing tried. You may not even need oral meds at this point if you are diabetic. KittyCat has quickly learned a truth: everything belongs to the cat, even us; people are her staff.
ConnieK Eriu ⋅ August 16, 2017
I think I'll be able to bring the numbers down as I am not too far over the line at 103. I just need to stop being so lazy about exercise and quit the ice cream.
KittyCat owns my heart. She brings me such joy! :)
a mote, floating ⋅ August 16, 2017
My mother had Type II diabetes and was on pills for several years before she started injections. When I was 15 she taught me how to give them to her in case she couldn't manage it. I'll bet that making changes in diet can bring your number down without the need for pills.
I think you're very wise to get a room if the political discussion gets ugly. Your health takes precedence.
ConnieK a mote, floating ⋅ August 16, 2017
Thanks. I think taking off a few pounds will bring it down. I'm only 4 points over the blood sugar threshold.
Shattered ⋅ August 17, 2017
Hope you can keep diabetes at bay, it can be a nasty disease. Love and light.
ConnieK Shattered ⋅ August 17, 2017
Thanks, Storm. How are YOUR health problems going?
Shattered ConnieK ⋅ August 17, 2017
Ok. Been st a stall forever. I need to get back on track with eating.
ConnieK Shattered ⋅ August 17, 2017
I'm cutting back on sugar and hoping that helps.