The jewelry saga is over, and I had many surprises!

I definitely won't get sucked into loaning her more money! I may be slow, but I do eventually learn something. I just hope that she learned that when you loan money it takes away from things that you may want to or need to do! I have a package with books and other things that have been waiting to be sent to a special lady and they have been sitting waiting for the funds to ship them. The great thing about life it there is this great two letter word that a person can use, and that is "no". I will help her out with other things, and I will advise her on things but loans are a big NO. If I slip and even consider it, I'll give you a call so you can tell me how big an idiot I am. Of course the other thing is that I can pick up a very special ring that my Mom gave me that I thought I would never see again. I went through the jewelry last night and I laid my hand on that ring and cried. It's a gold teddy bear ring that I really wanted. I saw it at one of the bear shows I did, but because of the business I couldn't afford to purchase it. Somehow Mom found the lady and the ring and she put aside what she wanted and bought it for me for Christmas. When I opened the tiny package I cried over the ring... and I realize how valuable the ring is, not in monetary terms but in the memories it brings back. Mom has been gone 12 years now, and I still miss her so very very much! Speaking of teddy bears shows, I do have to share this really cute story. One of the shows I did Mom had wandered through and found a really ugly teddy bear she wanted very very badly. The person selling the bear didn't take credit cards or personal checks, so Mom had to go to the nearby bank to get the cash. In the time that she was gone I went to the booth and bought the bear. I asked the woman to tell her that the bear sold to someone from out of town while my Mom was gone at the bank. That's what happened, and of course my Mom was devastated. Of course the whole show knew what was going on...we weren't too busy when I bought the bear so everyone heard what was going on. Mom tried to find another "ugly" bear but came up empty handed. She dejectedly came back to the booth, and started to plop her fanny in the chair. It hit something lumpy and she turned to find her teddy bear! She let out a happy squeal and the whole show cheered and clapped! I also still have that teddy bear.

Oh, what wonderful stories you have between you and your mom, memories to cherish and now you have your ring back!!! I can't tell you again how happy I am for you...

Many of the pieces I will be going through are gifts from my Mom. It will be a lot like having her back with me again. I miss her each day and especially when I hurt it is so nice to be able to feel close to her again. I am in pain today because of the first injection in my right knee for the arthritis in it. It hurt so badly that I think both eyes went into the same socket and then they both shot across the exam room!!! I think the doctor used a blunt needle that was made especially square for me! The first thing I did when they got my bear head bracelet out was grab it and it went on my wrist. I paid $300 for it in 1997 so you can imagine what it is worth today. But the thing is that I missed it so much and am so glad to have it back. Also there are a lot of pieces of Indian turquoise jewelry that I have reached for many times but it wasn't in the jewelry box.... The Labor Day weekend is going to be great for cans for me. It is the last long weekend of the summer and a lot of people will be in my area. I figure there will be close to $100 for the batch. I'm glad to hear that someone else isn't so full of themselves that they won't pick up aluminum cans for extra cash. I did it with my daughter when she was 5 years old, she used the money to buy Christmas gifts for her friends and her teacher. She was soooo proud of herself that she earned the money for the gifts.

I have a friend on another site that started picking up scrap when he was out of work, and I have another friend whose daughter junks out old appliances. I have been poor, I would rather pick up a little, get exercise, and benefit the environment. I have heard those injections for arthritis are painful. If you can eat things seasoned with turmeric, that helps arthritis, as does ginger and sour cherries too.

I can understand loaning money with a small interest rate, but there are too many places that try to make a HUGE profit at the public's expense. With stuff in pawn, you HAVE to pay the interest when it comes due or you lose your stuff. Like you say though the interest is horrible. The interest on some of that stuff was over 400%!!!

Yesterday I took some time to reunite with my jewelry. I sat and cried over one piece. It was a very special teddy bear ring that my Mom had purchased for me on Christmas. I so remember drooling over the ring and wanting it so badly, but the price tag was more than my budget could stand. Christmas morning came around and there was a tiny package under the tree...Mom handed it to me and when I got it open and saw the ring I cried like a baby. Mom has been gone for 12 years now, and it is the most precious thing I have..."IF" this woman ever tries to borrow my jewelry again for pawn all I have to do is pick up that ring and the answer will be NO! There is more than light at the end of this tunnel.