This morning at 6:08 a.m. the tapping on the window resumed. Mr. Bluebird has still not given up. And perhaps the reason is that it wasn’t until this morning that his true message was received, literally with the dawn.
It takes me awhile to think things through. Yesterday I was taken by his persistence. In applying that to myself, it didn’t really fit. If anything, I tend to be too driven to accomplish my goals. If anything I need to learn to chill once in awhile. Perseverance is not something I lack.
But lo and behold, at some point his message as a spirit animal came through.
He is worried about something that will never happen!
At least from the cats he sees watching from the window. He recognizes them as dangerous predators, which they can be, but the chances of them getting out to harm his family is about as close to zero as they can get.
If I have a superpower, it’s worrying about things that will never happen. While they may loom before me from time to time, truly serious issues that could end badly, somehow they always work out.
I have a few on my mind right now. Quite a few, actually.
Thank you, Mr. Bluebird, for reminding me of the waste of mental and emotional energy that worry represents. Like they say, it’s a poor use of creativity, inventing trouble that will never arrive.
It’s particularly appropriate that he’s a bluebird, which is often equated with happiness. How much of that precious commodity is negated by needless worry? The symbolism goes even deeper with the fact he literally woke me up two mornings in a row!
I can definitely be a little slow putting things together.
I hope that his nestlings remain safe. My indoor cats will definitely not be the cause of their demise. His diligence is commendable, though there are numerous other threats to their well-being, like our dogs, who are always outside, yet he ignores.
Meanwhile, I will do my best to set my current concerns aside and count my blessings. Truly there are messages all around us that we often miss, ignore, or discount.
I just hope their fledglings fly soon. That tapping on the window is starting to get pretty annoying. Especially when, from time to time, the cat lunges for the window. Is he thinking that at some point he’ll succeed in catching that bird?
Which takes me full circle back to beating a dead horse.
Stop for a moment and make a list of your daily annoyances. Now give them some thought. Can you talk yourself out of being bothered by them? Is there something you can do to eliminate them? Or are they just a part of life you have to live with?
Since merging households with my youngest daughter, her husband, and their three teens I’ve had a lot of adjustments to make after living on my own for twenty years. Like sharing a bathroom with two teenage girls. Opening a cabinet for a glass or a drawer for a fork or spoon to find them all missing since the kids are allowed to eat in their rooms.
Being a cat person more than a dog fan, their three big dogs (a Doberman, a husky, and a 50+ pound “puppy” that’s a mastiff-pittbull cross) were probably at the top of the list. Especially their propensity to get into the kitchen trash can and scatter garbage all over, taking their best finds into the living room to enjoy on the couch. 🤦♀️😖
If you’re not familiar with what Occam’s razor is, here’s what googling it says:
Occam’s Razor is a problem-solving principle that suggests, when presented with competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. It essentially favors simpler explanations over more complex ones, when both explain the same phenomenon equally well. The principle is often summarized as “the simplest solution is usually the best”.
“Here’s a more detailed explanation:
“Parsimony: Occam’s Razor is also known as the “law of parsimony“. Parsimony, in this context, means being economical or frugal with assumptions.”
Dealing with my various frustrations was generally pretty simple, once I sat down and did some basic problem solving. The bathroom issue “is what it is” and can’t be changed. Solution: Get over it.
The glass and silverware situation won’t go away until the kids move out, which will be awhile. The solution: Keep what I need in my room.
The dogs getting in the trash issue went on for a long time. Our usual solution was to place an empty cardboard box on top between the lid and overhang of the kitchen island. The problem with that was that often the box was not in place, plus one of the dogs (the husky) learned to push it aside.
The situation was actually solved by my daughter, who works in a hardware store. For pocket change, she brought home a metal hook and eye and installed it on the trash can.
Problem solved.
So what’s my point?
There is plenty to get spun up about these days. The world is pretty crazy, and as an astrologer, I can see what’s going on out there in the cosmos and that it’s not going to change any time soon. In other words, much of what may get you spun up is entirely out of your control.
How much of what’s going on out there really affects your daily life? Does it really matter?
Even if it does, there isn’t much you can do about it.
Thus, it’s a good idea to take care of those things that you can.
For example, if your daily commute is a nightmare, try listening to music your love, your favorite podcasts, or something else you enjoy to upgrade the value of time spent in a situation you can’t control.
Decide what matters and what doesn’t. Take control of what you can. This crazy planet isn’t going to get better anytime soon.
I’m usually pretty good at catching phishing schemes. The dead-giveaway? Usually a gmail address. But be warned, professional scammers are experts at social engineering. They know how to push you buttons. I’m sharing this to maybe prevent some other person from a similar experience, which was far from pleasant.
I have never had much luck with advertising but decided to give Facebook a try to gather order for the pre-release of my Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy ebook. I created a post (shown above) and submitted it with a campaign limit of $30. The post was accepted and their AI even created a couple other texts for it so it wouldn’t be repetitive. So far so good.
It no sooner went live and I get an email, supposedly from Meta, telling me my post violated their community standards with a bunch of nonsense about copyright violation and all sorts of other stuff you see below. My first reaction was anger followed quickly by frustration.
Why did they accept the ad, then reject it? Why didn’t they say something first?
Meanwhile, I set out to correct it and clicked the email’s “Request for Review” button.
What followed was a form where I had to fill in all my Facebook information, i.e. preferred emails, date of birth, and of course, my password, along with why there was nothing wrong with my post.
Big mistake!
When I went to my Facebook account to check on the ad, it was running and everything looked fine.
(It shows as not delivering because this screenshot was taken after I realized what was going on and cancelled my credit card)
What was going on?
About then I realized what happened. I looked back at that email and saw it came from a gmail address. After slapping myself upside the head, I set out to do what I could to preclude what was sure to follow.
In other words, with access to my Facebook business account they could easily find my credit card information.
I cancelled the credit card, which of course also cancelled my ad for nonpayment. Not wanting to do that, I added my PayPal to pay one of the invoices that was around $30 and looked legitimate, though a bunch of other charges were starting to accumulate that I didn’t understand. I figured if I paid one it would at least turn the ad back on.
A few had hit my Discover Card, too. When Discover texted me whether the first charge was okay, I responded it was, since I hadn’t yet figured out what was going on, much less expected additional charges.
Being rattled already, combined with the complexity of the Facebook/Meta business site, it was impossible to figure out what was happening or find the right menu to do anything about it.
I did discover some unknown Muhlenberg Life Company in my business profile with a bunch of obviously fake names and emails that I was unable to delete.
Then I realized Meta was charging my PayPal account–charge after charge after charge–the balance dropping to zero before my very eyes!
OMG!
I took what was left and sent it to my son-in-law to keep them from getting it all. Then I really panicked when I realized my bank account was also on PayPal as backup! Holy crap! When Pay Pal went to zero they’d start in on my bank balance! Then I really panicked, but was able to delete my bank from PayPal before that happened, thank heavens, and my Discover card on there was already cancelled.
Meanwhile, further digging on the Meta site indicated another ad on my account I didn’t place and couldn’t open, but had a daily spending limit of $5,000!
Meanwhile, I was getting more messages through Facebook and Instagram with the same bogus message with minor variations indicating they were from other people! By then I’d figured it out and fired back a rather nasty reply.
So consider yourself warned that a multitude of low life out there is on to this scheme!
The fact that Meta has no means of contacting an actual person or even a chatbot, my only choice was to send a frantic message to Meta about the situation. Then I went about changing passwords to just about everything.
nd by the way, that was done on Facebook very early on, but somehow these sleazeballs still had access to my account, which was apparent when I saw a transaction log of when they changed the spending limit. My daughter pointed out that I may have had to check an option to “log out of all devices” after I changed the password, but I didn’t see that option on my desktop computer, but it must have allowed them to remain logged in or perhaps in long enough to see the new password.
Several hours later I got a message from Meta. They’d investigated, found my account had been compromised (duh) and refunded all the bogus charges.
Whew!
However, this did nothing for the years it felt like were stolen from my life from the stress or the fact I still have to deal with getting a new Discover card, changing the number for all the utility companies and other services that go to that card, and probably doing the same with PayPal, though if I’m lucky, the regular charges may come through okay. As long as it’s not Meta!
I snarled when I saw PayPal took a fee from when I sent the remaining balance to my son-in-law. I don’t know about you, but if a digital currency will help us exchange funds without these ridiculous fees all over the place, I’m in.
I’m grateful this turned out to be no worse than an afternoon spent in a state of sheer panic. Too many are not so lucky. I do have fraud protection through my Discover Card, but if they’d gotten to my bank account I don’t know just how much that would have covered since I’m sure the coverage has a limit.
I still wonder what that other ad might have been and what they gained from it, if anything. When they discovered my Discover Card was no longer accessible was it simply retaliation?
Lessons learned:
1. Never advertise on Facebook. Period. Maybe it works for some, but unless you have thousands upon thousands of followers or already a best selling author it’s not likely to be effective. Looking at the statistics on there for when they were posting like crazy was pretty telling. Two responses with over 900 impressions?
C’mon!
I should have known because it has never done me any good in the past, making me guilty of violating Einstein’s statement, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
2. If you use PayPal, rethink those backup payment sources! After they wipe out the balance, charges will go to your credit card or, heaven forbid, your bank! Don’t be naive to how easy it would be to empty it out once they get access.
3. Pay attention to the authenticity of any email, no matter what the circumstances. AI has made it not only possible but way too easy for scammers to make them look legitimate.
They got me with the phishing email because it was timed perfectly. I reacted exactly as planned, wanting to rectify the situation and handing over everything they wanted. These scumbags are professional thieves. They’re tech-savvy and know how to dupe people. Every time I get a phishing email I report it to reportphishing@apwg.org. I have no idea whether they do anything about it, but it may at least get it listed as a scam somewhere.
4. Don’t leave credit card information on social media sites where someone can access it if they hack that account. I have two-factor authentication and do not know how they managed to get in with just my password, but somehow they managed it. If perchance you do run ads, I recommend entering the information when its needed versus leaving it out there.
5. Pay attention to those mass “Data Breaches” that happen all the time with major corporations. Changing your passwords when that happens is a nuisance but highly advised because you don’t always know exactly what they got. Once they have one password, there’s no telling how many other things they may get to. We tend to be too trusting and casual putting that information out there.
6. Be sure to protect your credit cards, even when they’re in your wallet. Shields that look like another credit card can prevent the RFID chip from being read remotely, even by someone you pass on the street. There are wallets available as well with that protection built in.
7. When your credit card company messages you about a charge, give it serious thought before responding. If nothing else, they’re acutely aware of frauds and are likely to know something you don’t.
8. If you ever have to change your Facebook password, be sure to log out from all devices first.
I shared this harrowing experience in the hope it may help someone out there avoid such a debacle. I’m usually smarter than this, but they suckered me in. Just like the rogue movers who scammed me two years ago when I moved from Texas to New York. (You can find my blog about that here.) Do yourself a big favor and learn from my mistakes. If everyone was smart enough not to fall for their tricks and it wasn’t profitable, they’d go away. We must do our best as individuals to make that happen given the sorry state of the world these days.
On a side note, switching to my persona as a professional astrologer, the worst of this has developed during the astrological transit of Neptune through Pisces, which has placed the planet under a deceptive fog beginning April 2011 through August of that year. Then he went retrograde and backed into Aquarius until February 2012 when he returned to Pisces. Gratefully, this is about to end when Neptune goes into Aries today (March 31, 2025).
Yay!
Be warned, however, that Neptune will return to Pisces for a short jaunt from October 23 until January 27, 2026, then eventually return to Aries which will last until May 23, 2028, when he goes into Taurus.
Historically, Neptune went into Pisces the last time February 17, 1848. Needless to say, as an outer planet of our solar system, it moves very slowly. Retrograde motion kept him in Pisces until April 12, 1861, when he first dipped into Aries–the very day the Civil war began on April 12, 1861. He went back into Pisces for awhile after that due to retrograde motion, returning to Aries for the long haul on February 14, 1862.
What will this ingress bring? As the Neptunian fog of deception dissipates and people rebel against what they’ve been subjected to, will another Civil War follow?
I am so proud of my grandson for the research he compiled in this must-have guide! Most of us are already aware that processed food generally is not healthy. Additives, fake colors, and preservatives along with questionable processing not only compromise the nutrients, but can actually be toxic. Artificial sweeteners are a huge culprit along with anything labeled “Low Fat.”
Many chemicals commonly found in our food are outlawed in other countries. This doesn’t speak well for our FDA, who’s more concerned with taking money from corporations than our health. The greatest part about this compilation is that it tells you the side effects associated with these chemicals, demonstrating why they’re unhealthy. All of this is based on volumes of research that’s referenced throughout with hyperlinks.
Besides food, cosmetics and various other items such as deodorants, toothpaste, and laundry detergent are also covered. Numerous recipes are included so you can make your own healthy alternatives for several items, plus save money.
Learn how these industries are slowly poisoning us while masquerading as healthy or essential. Believe me when I say that fluoride is only the tip of the iceberg. “Undercover Killers” puts a wealth of information at your fingertips so you can make informed choices on items that can compromise your health and well being.
Be sure to get your copy today in Kindle or paperback on Amazon here.
P.S. Many thanks to my fellow author, Dawn Greenfield, owner of Artistic Origins, who added the finishing touches. She not only formatted the interior but made it more readable with her editing skills. She included reference tables as well as a section for recipes, so you don’t have to dig through the entire book looking for them later. If you need similar help with a project, you can contact her at dawn@DEGreenfield.com or visit her website. If you’re looking for a good read in just about any genre from cozy mystery to steamy shapeshifters, check out her books, which are among my favorites.
There’s nothing more energizing than being a part of something that qualifies as a miracle. Back in October, my son-in-law, Jason Franciamore, took the first steps toward a dream he’d had for nine years. His story is worthy of a movie. Maybe some day we’ll work together on writing his biography, which could inspire so many.
Jason is someone who’s been through a crucible of consequences for foolish actions, yet ultimately came out of it refined. Nothing explains what a miracle this is better than his Facebook post on November 24, 2023, which was a repost of one from 2021:
“Wow now 7 years 7 months and 1 day! Living my dream with this company for sure!“
[post from April 2021]
“5 Years! Thank you to the arresting officer 5 years ago today, that didn’t “let me make it”. I’ll never forget the look on his face after he read me my rights. He said “sir do you understand?” With big ol’ watery eyes I looked into his and said “thank you.” I knew I needed to get clean and knew I needed help. Sure there are other avenues besides multiple felonies to get help, but not for me. I was so broken that I thought everyone would be disappointed in me if I asked for help. I couldn’t, I wouldn’t, I’d much rather play the victim one more time and not fully take responsibility again.
“As I was sitting in the back of the police car I just closed my eyes and told myself “today is the day, today I die so I can live again.”
“So from the outside looking in we have Jason that once again got into some trouble, but he wasn’t busted with a bunch of drugs, or needles, or really anything to do with drugs at all. I received a paraphernalia charge only for the drugs. I was always so careful to not get caught with drugs, but everything else had finally caught up to me.
“So back to not taking full responsibility. You see if I’m arrested I can go get clean locked up that’s what I so needed. I couldn’t do it out here, believe me I tried. I didn’t say that to anyone though, I just acted surprised when I didn’t have a bond and was facing 70 years in prison.
“Needless to say it got “real” real quick for me. I was so relieved to put an end to that life, but I didn’t realize that just not doing drugs doesn’t magically fix your life. In fact I felt probably the worst ever shortly afterwards. I mean I had no bond, meaning no matter how much money you had, there was no getting me out of jail. They were tired of messing with me. I’d already had x2 $10,000 cash bonds that had to be paid all in cash upfront and well that wasn’t a problem previously.
“You see, I was a “successful” addict; I mean in the eyes of “society’s success”. I think I made $312,000 at my job the 14 months I worked there. Yes the best I’d ever done, and they even paid my cash bond to get me out previously and didn’t ask any questions. They didn’t care what I did, they just wanted me at work. I ended up losing that job, I didn’t care I had money and I thought that’s all that mattered.
“So Jason was jammed up on some old charges and couldn’t get out. That was my story, it worked for the most part. However, my wife had some time to think, too. She was obviously tired of the “poor Jason” card being played and finally left me. Once again I placed blame everywhere else and played victim. Bottom line I knew 5 years ago today, I needed help. I asked the lord to show me the way. My prayers and I’m sure lots of others were being answered.
“I could have never imagined that my prayers being answered would first take me through hell.
“There is so much more to this story I could share for hours. Today, however, is about 5 years of not living under strain of addiction. Thank you, Lord for this, and thank you to all my family and friends for loving me through this journey.
“So for people that don’t know me personally. I lost everything 5 years ago because of everything I did during my 13 year run of active addiction. My testimony is powerful, I have graciously been blessed with the restoration of everything I had lost. It hasn’t been easy and my life is far from perfect; but I couldn’t ask for a better life than the one I’m living now.”
As a recovering addict, his passion is to help others walking that rough road to being clean. He has a tattoo that helped him, a clock face with the numbers replaced with the 12 letters of the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) motto, “Just For Today.”
His dream was to make a watch like that to help others as it did him–a watch that every time you looked at it, it reminded you to stay clean and on the road to recovery.
Thus, two months ago he applied for a registered trade mark for “Just for Today” in the timepiece category. That process, as most that involve the government, takes months, but its in progress and shows up in the U.S. Patent Office’s database.
He hired a local artist to design a logo and trademark. From that point on, he was off and running to catch his dream.
Since that time his company has grown to include an increasing number of inspirational clocks, “Wartime Hero” dog tags designed for those “fighting a battle that no one else can see,” and a plethora of coffee mugs with original quotes and inspirational phrases.
Jason preparing an acrylic print to be converted to a clock.
[UPDATE: Originally, Jason had a shop on Etsy, but for some literally unknown reason they suspended it and kept the money from his sales! This disreputable sales site has done this to at least 164 other vendors per the Etsy community forum. They won’t even tell you why, just arbitrarily shut you down. They’re just another scam like so many others on the web, victimizing their vendors at will, so beware. It was somewhat reassuring to find out he wasn’t alone in being attacked, yet disheartening to see more corruption disguised as a legitimate business.]
The Just for Today Timepieces official website is now online! There are lots of new products yet to be added that you’re sure to like. Clocks in various sizes and designs, many with “Just For Today” on the clock face. Other clocks have different sayings, such as “Time To Change.” Be sure to visit the website as well as the Just For Today Facebook page, where you’ll also find daily posts and updates. Follows and shares much appreciated!
Here are a few of the mugs currently available along with numerous others you can see soon on the official website.
While the company’s focus is on helping to support and inspire those in recovery, there are several items suitable for anyone. For example, other products include a collage frame that features an inspirational clock in one space with four others vacant for the customer to add his or own 4×6 photos. These have several different themes and sayings on the clock bezel to focus on subjects such as pets, genealogy, family vacations, wedding, your BFF, and missing someone special, to name just a few.
Custom work is welcome, but expect a delay while it’s produced.
Stop by Facebook today to say hello and become part of this amazing journey. His store on eBay will likewise be updated soon.
It’s hard to believe that over a year has passed since I’ve posted anything out here. It’s been quite a year, to say the least. To cut to the chase, I moved from Texas to New York earlier this year to be closer to family as well as get away from the Texas heat. Triple digit temperatures for most of the summer were just too much. I was born in New York state, so in many respects it was like going home.
Moving is never fun. And this was truly the move from Hell. I’d never hired a moving company before since my previous relocations had been achieved with a U-Haul with the help of family and friends. Moving over 1600 miles, however, was another story. And the people I hired to accomplish that were a complete scam operation that cost me thousands of dollars in items left behind that wouldn’t fit on the truck as well as goods lost somewhere in transit, also to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Being completely naive, I thought I was hiring a mover when in reality I was dealing with a moving broker. While they might provide the transportation, in most cases they’ll consign your move to another carrier. In my case, the ones who arrived to pick up my possessions were what they call Rogue Movers. Unprofessional is hardly adequate to describe them. They are scammers, pure and simple. Other words that come to mind are best left to your imagination.
My first mistake was not reading the booklet provided by the U.S. Government regarding what to expect with a legitimate move until after the fact. If you’re considering moving and doing so with a moving company, be smarter that I was and read it! Here’s a copy so you don’t have to hunt one down.
Of course the broker promised a litany of services. These included:
Professional Door to Door service.
Expert advice and guidance throughout the course of your move.
Disassembly of all standard furniture required for safe transportation.
Reassembly for all items disassembled by the movers on the day of pick-up.
Wrapping of all furniture with quilted moving blankets.
Itemized inventory indicating condition at the origin.
Loading & unloading of all goods.
All transportation, taxes, tolls, mileage, and fuel surcharges.
Standard cargo protection up to $10,000 based on 0.60 cents per lb per article; if selected at the time the estimate is prepared, the estimated cost of the full value protection option at varying deductible levels (these are only estimates and the actual cost is determined by your selection on the carriers bill of lading according to carriers tariff).
No charge for packing tape and moving pads.
No date change penalties if your request is made more than 7 business days before your originally scheduled pick-up date.
Sounds all well and good, right?
Yeah. Not exactly how it played out.
Until this trio of yahoos arrived on a Saturday at 4:30 pm, some 36 hours late, in an unmarked truck with no evidence of representing a legitimate moving company. They didn’t even have on T-shirts with the name of a company.
I was already a day late vacating my house to its new owner and everything was packed up. As sketchy as they were, I was between the proverbial rock and hard place. Furthermore, it was Saturday and by the time things started to fall apart the broker’s office in Ohio was closed.
There were no quilted blankets. They used a huge roll of plastic to cover most my furniture, until it ran out. That meant that many items, including my piano, were not protected at all.
An inventory of every piece, noting its condition, was supposed to be conducted. This didn’t happen. This was no doubt the most grievous of omissions. They said they’d do one when they got to the warehouse and I was stupid enough to believe them!
The cubic feet estimate from the broker was way off. If I’d read that booklet from the Feds I would have known right then something was wrong. They’re supposed to conduct a physical walk-through of your house to assess how much you have! A “virtual” survey is acceptable, which I assume would be going through every room, closet, garage, and shed with a video camera. That, of course, didn’t happen, either.
I don’t know what I was thinking, but at a certain point before the move I was certain the original estimate was too low, so I called. They increased it by some and assured me it would be fine.
It wasn’t.
Numerous items, such as everything in the garage including a wheelbarrow, lawnmower, fencing, and a plethora of other items wouldn’t fit in the 26-foot truck along with several furniture items such as my kitchen table and chairs, flat screen TV, framed artwork, a rollaway bed, small appliances galore, a metal firewood rack, ladders, furniture and piano dollies, and numerous other items too numerous to mention.
Artwork left behind for lack of room in the truck.
Some items were irreplaceable, such as genealogy research material and memorabilia from my 21 years working for NASA, which was removed from the shed, then abandoned on the garage floor, as well as a 36 x 48 hand-carved wooden sign from a business I had in Utah back in the 70s, to name a few.
Looking back, my only choice would have been to refuse to let these idiots touch my stuff and hunker down in a packed up house that I no longer owned until Monday, at which time I would contact the broker and rip him a new one for sending such a seedy, unprofessional bunch. Obviously, I didn’t. I was too stressed out by that point, and just wanted to get going.
Note that delays in arrival and placing you in this very situation is exactly what Rogue Mover/scammers do.
They finished loading around midnight and drove off with the majority of my earthly possessions. My daughter and I spent the night at a neighbors, then loaded up my two cats in the car and headed for New York. (The cross-country trip with the cats is worthy of a blog as well, which I’ll get to later.)
The drama I’d been through finding a house in New York was another debacle. I’d never bought a house sight-unseen before, but trusted my daughter and son-in-laws judgement. The sellers were more pieces of work who kept delaying closing since they were in the middle of divorce and one of them was living out of state. We heard that these sellers had backed out of a deal before, so you can bet that caused plenty of anxiety as well. We got to move in early, but what if they changed their mind? Fortunately, that all resolved, but this contributed substantially to my stress level. Another facet of many related to this move from hell.
As I had time to think about those insidious movers and read about cases of just such scams where people lost everything they owned, I was again in a panic. The broker deferred me to the pick up carrier, who didn’t answer their phone and eventually blocked us from even attempting to reach them.
Just under two weeks later I heard from the delivery driver who was due to arrive the next day with my goods. To explain, the idiots in Texas dumped my stuff in a warehouse where someone else (or maybe them, who knows?) loaded it up and drove it to a warehouse in Chicago where the delivery driver picked it up.
This is how using a moving broker works. You possessions are moved in stages by a variety of drivers/moving companies. You can imagine what a debacle this is when the items are not inventoried or identified with you in a proper manner. The only thing I found that had my name on it with my shipment was a hand-scribbled, barely legible note with my misspelled name and new address which was taped to the back of a chair.
The delivery driver was a decent guy, albeit Russian who spoke little English. Thank heaven for Google translate. He picked up my items in Chicago, worked alone, and was amazing how he wrestled things like my piano and numerous huge items off another 26-foot truck alone. (Even more interesting, on a personal note, he was actually a former Russian rocket scientist.)
Not only did he have a 26 foot truck just like the one that picked up my things, there were other items on it besides my own. It was obvious that if those idiots in Texas knew what they were doing that all my stuff should have fit!
My shipment is behind the driver, the items on the right not mine along with a bunch of things he offloaded shown below. So why didn’t all my stuff fit on the same size truck in Texas? Or was that much missing?Yes, the Russian driver unloaded all that stuff by himself!
It didn’t take long to notice some major items were missing. Like a solar generator worth approximately $3000. The side rails to my queen-size bed, which cost well over $300 to replace since they had to be custom made. Upon unpacking, more and more things that I know got loaded in Texas were missing. My 27″ computer monitor, my antique typewriter on which I wrote my first novel, an antique chair identical to the one the note was taped to, many awards I received during my 21 years working for NASA, and all sorts of other items.
Between what was left behind and lost in transit, losses amount to around $16,000. When I tried to file a claim with the Texas carrier’s insurance company, it was obvious beyond a doubt I’d been scammed when the insurance company said they never heard of them.
I have filed complaints with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA), attorneys general for both Texas and Ohio (where the broker is located), the Texas Department of Transportation, trucking organizations, and have yet to leave more reviews to warn people what is going on out there in the moving world. If you’ve had a similar experience, go to the FMCSA website, which has reporting information for them as well as various other agencies.
Fortunately, we love the house. For those of you who know I am single, you probably wonder what constitutes “we.” In another major change, I decided it was time due to my age and some mobility issues I’ve been having with a bad knee, that it was time to become a three-generation family with my youngest daughter, her husband, and three teenagers. Our house is an 1898 farmhouse on 2.7 acres in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York State.
Rural is an understatement. Our little town is adorable and tourist oriented with a few wineries. It doesn’t even have a traffic light anywhere, it’s so small. How cool is that? It does have a small grocery store, hardware store, and lots of restaurants with big stores about 25 miles away.
The house was empty for two years and required quite a bit of work to get it good to go. I’m still in the process of trying to get a garage built that the local building inspector will approve and various other projects, which will take us years to complete. But we love it, especially our wrap-around porch on which we spend a lot of time relaxing. I look forward to seeing fall colors again for the first time in years.
Our front yard facing a winding, mountain road.
I’m loving the cooler temperatures, so much green, regular rain, and the laid-back lifestyle. I don’t know if anything further will happen as far as compensation for my losses in the move, but I plan to pursue it as far as I can. I plan to hold the broker accountable for not vetting the rogue carrier he sent to orchestrate my move, which is likely to involve arbitration, so wish me luck.
This winter I plan to get back to writing and work with my coauthor, Pete Risingsun, to complete the Dead Horse Canyon trilogy, which was obviously delayed by this crazy year I’ve had.
So, if you’ve wondered where I’ve been, that’s at least part of my story and I’m sticking to it. If you plan to move anytime soon, please learn from my huge mistake. A legitimate moving company is definitely recommended. I think that the Pod concept is a good one, where you load up your stuff in one of them, lock it up, and it’s transported to your new digs.
Whatever you do, avoid brokers. The one I had, U.S. Interstate and Rail, somehow garnered lots of positive reviews. I suspect they’re fake, like all those jerks who want to be your friend on Facebook who reside in a cell phone in a bot farm. The one I’ll be leaving will certainly not be good.
EPILOGUE
As noted, I reported the broker and carrier to a plethora of places including FMCSA, Attorneys General, DMVs, and various professional trucking organizations. I received a report from the Texas DMV today which was satisfying, at least. Here’s what it said:
“I am an investigator with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), Enforcement Division. We are charged with administrative regulatory enforcement of rules and regulations for household goods carriers, motor carriers and size/weight laws in Texas. We received your complaint, 100237573, filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) concerning your move from Burnet, Texas to Naples, New York, which saw your belongings loaded on April 29, 2023 and delivered on May 23, 2023 with numerous items missing, damaged items, left in Burnet, no inventory, and no moving documentation provided to you. Based on numerous complaints received prior to your complaint I went to the carrier’s location in Waco, Texas on August 24, 2023 and found it for lease. I witnessed a dumpster at the Waco location full of bags, carts, etc. I did confirm, through an obituary, that the owner, Tyler Thomas Ross, passed away on July 11, 2023, see attached PDF (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/mcgregor-tx/tyler-ross-11367322).
“At this point, the TxDMV is unable to contact any individuals associated with the carrier that can assist with your complaint and appears the carrier is no longer in operation after the death of the owner. Unfortunately, there is nothing more the TxDMV can do to assist with the complaint. We will update your complaint with FMCSA letting them know of our findings.”
I must be a bad person because I have to admit that I laughed, especially since I literally prayed that the perpetrators would burn in hell. Karma is, indeed, a bitch. Apparently I wasn’t the only person that was scammed since the investigation took place before I even filed my report. I found out from the TX DMV investigator that there were 16 complaints against the company, which had only been in business since October 2022. No telling how many people didn’t bother to report them.
The owner was in his early 20s so this begs the question of how he died? I wonder if there is someone out there that I should thank. I guess I’m more vindictive than I care to admit, but it’s satisfying to know they won’t be scamming anyone else anytime soon. My curiosity got the better of me and a subsequent internet search indicated that Tyler Thomas Ross hanged himself in jail after being arrested on July 3, 2023, then died July 11 as a result of his injuries. His family apparently attempted to make it look as if he died from a motorcycle accident since someone with the same name did so a year before. My next task is to find out why he was in the slammer. It’s pretty likely it was for theft and multiple moving scams.
Meanwhile, I still have the broker, U.S. Interstate and Rail, in my sights for not properly vetting those crooks. The more evidence I find showing Ross’s criminal activity, the better my chances at winning something through arbitration. Wish me luck.
UPDATE JUNE 4, 2024:I was never able to recover a thing. The broker had his butt sufficiently covered in the contract making it pointless to try to go after him. Besides, by then I was emotionally spent on the entire bad experience and just wanted to move on.
However, there is good news. Today I came upon this bipartisan bill been introduced by Congress to protect consumers. You can find more information here. Hooray for them for actually doing something for the people for a change!
Welcome to our tour! Each day this month I’ll feature a writing sample from some of the incredible authors who are members of this elite writing group. To learn more about them and their work, follow the link at the bottom of the page. Today’s featured author is Harriet Hodgson!
Harriet’s work particularly targets caregivers, an activity with which she has had much personal and professional experience. I am awed by all that she has done and what an outstanding, caring person and citizen she is. We need more Harriets in the world!
Look Out World: A Loving Grandma is on Duty
By Harriet Hodgson
Recently I read some blog posts by grandmas. Though a few posts were positive, most were negative. The grandmas couldn’t seem to find anything positive to say about aging or the wisdom they had acquired. My reaction to aging is different. Because I’m a grandma, I’m saying and doing things I’ve never done before. Maybe I need a badge that says GRANDMA ON DUTY!
I’m on marriage duty.
My husband’s aorta dissected in 2013 and he had three emergency operations. During the third one he suffered a spinal cord injury that paralyzed his legs. Since I drove him to the hospital emergency department I’ve been his caregiver and advocate. Although we have a less mobile life these days, we have a good life, and are more in love than ever. Each day is a blessing and we savor the days we have together.
I’m on GRG duty.
After my twin grandchildren’s parents died from the injuries they received in separate car crashes, the court appointed my husband and me as their guardians. (My daughter was, and always will be, the twins’ mother.) The court appointed my husband and me as the twins’ guardians and we became GRGs—grandparents raising grandchildren. According to the US Census Bureau, 10% of all grandparents in the nation are raising their grandkids. Raising the twins for seven years was a responsibility and a joy. Though the twins are adults now, I’m still a GRG when called upon.
I’m on safe driving duty.
When I noticed drivers weren’t stopping at stop signs—just slowing down and proceeding forward—I became upset. The police call this practice a “rolling stop” and it’s dangerous. What if a car hit a walking child or a child on a bike? I wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and asked drivers to follow the law and come to a full stop at stop signs.
I’m on political duty.
Contentious as politics has become, I always vote and stay informed on issues. A friend of mine asked me to write for her political campaign, and I agreed to do it because of her teaching background and focus on children’s issues. My tasks included proofreading letters, writing new letters, helping with promotional materials, and delivering literature to homes. I was delighted when my candidate won re-election.
I’m on anti-theft duty.
We live in a townhome on a private street. It’s a safe neighborhood so I was surprised when a porch pirate stole my husband’s asthma medication. I reported the theft to the police and a detective came to our home. According to the detective, thieves look for neighborhoods that have connected mailboxes, such as four linked together, because it saves them time. I also reported the theft to the neighborhood association and it is pursuing the idea of locked mail boxes.
I’m on learning duty.
My family didn’t get a television set until I was a senior in high school. Instead of watching television, my brother and I went to the library and took out as many books as we could carry home. I still love to read. The day doesn’t seem right and is a bit “off” if I don’t learn anything that day. Learning is good modeling for grandchildren. The twins know I love to read and love to learn.
I’m on writing duty.
To keep my skills sharp, I write every day, everything from articles for websites, magazine articles, handouts to support the talks I give, and writing books. My 37th book is in production now and comes out in the fall of 2019. It’s a book about being a grandmother and I’m excited about it. I’m excited about the cover too. Waiting for the release date is going to be difficult.
I’m on giving duty.
Giving to others helps them and makes me feel good inside. I give free talks to community groups, talk to school kids about writing, and donate to the food bank in memory of my daughter. One of the best gifts I give is the gift of listening. A grandchild can feel like nobody is listening. That’s why I practice active listening. I make eye contact, nod to show I’m listening, and refrain from interrupting. Active listening takes more energy than passive listening and it’s worth the energy.
Grandmas have special skills to share with families. They are also keepers of history. “A house needs a grandma in it,” Louisa May Alcott once said, and I think she was right.
I’m just one grandma, trying to make a difference. There are millions of grandmas like me. Working alone and together, we are loving, protecting, and nurturing grandchildren around the world. Some grandmas are activists, others are advocates, and others are both. Instead of sitting around and waiting for things to change, grandmas are initiating change.
Be on the lookout for the loving grandmothers in your community. Join their efforts. If you can’t join in, support their efforts verbally and financially. The loving grandmas of the world are on duty, and always will be. Hug a grandma today!
Thank you for supporting this author along the WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour today! We ask that if you have enjoyed this member’s writing, please visit their Author Page on the RWISA site, where you can find more of their writing, along with their contact and social media links, if they’ve turned you into a fan.
We ask that you also check out their books in the RWISA or RRBC catalogs. Thanks, again for your support and we hope that you will follow each member along this amazing tour of talent! Don’t forget to click the link below to learn more about this author:
No doubt you’ve seen those unfortunate individuals on the side of the road with a sign that says “Will Work for Food.” Somehow I can relate, though I admit I’m not quite as destitute as those poor souls. Nonetheless, if you’re an author, unless you have a patient spouse who pays the bills or an alternate source of income such as a day job, retirement, or you have the good fortune to be a trust fund baby, chances are your income could be in a similar range, or possibly even less. Way less, like in negative numbers.
It seems no one these days wants to pay for anything, especially if it’s creative. The starving artist has been a familiar entity for eons. People want their music for free, their reading material for free, their games for free, and their artwork for free. This is what the electronic age has brought us. Now that books, music, pictures, and even movies are no longer on tangible media, they’re expected to be free. And of course, now that they’re teaching AI to create, in no time artists of all varieties could be out of business entirely. Muses today get no respect.
So tell me–who out there in any other profession, whether it’s accounting, engineering, administrating, or heaven forbid, even politics, is willing to work for free? To coin an apropos phrase from “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off,” Anyone? Anyone? When’s the last time you went into the grocery store and got your food for free?
Now that I’m retired, I can indulge in pursuing my work as an author. Unfortunately, lately that’s been directed more at marketing and promoting than creating. And the frustration some days is downright scream-inducing. The cash going out for services far outweighs what little comes in. If I were a logical person, I’d quit. If it were only about money, I’d quit. But do I? No. Because writing is in my blood (at least my astrological imprint, which features Kalliope, the muse of epic poetry on my ascendant). While I can make ends meet (barely) through other means, I’d love nothing more than to make a generous (or even adequate…okay, even meager) income from my writing. Tax write-offs are nice, but after a while it gets old. Just once I’d like to finish in the black.
The one thing authors appreciate (most the time, anyway) is a review, especially when we give away our books. And trust me, selling it for 99c is virtually the same as giving it away. Thinking about how long it took to write, edit, and publish it is verboten, because that’s downright depressing. I couldn’t even begin to calculate what I make per hour when selling a book for 99c, most likely less than a Mexican peso per hour, maybe even per day, if that. Yet people who are qualified to do no more than repeat the mantra, “Do you want fries with that?” want $15/hour. Right. And people in hell want ice water.
Reviews are important. Once you get a certain amount, vendors such as Amazon give your book a little more attention and help. If you want to look for an agent, be accepted by certain promoters (for a generous fee, mind you), or even expand into the audio book world, reviews are one measure of your popularity.
Thus, to me, it’s no more than common courtesy to leave a review, especially when you get a few hours entertainment and enjoyment out of a book that took someone a considerable amount of time and effort to produce. If you don’t like it or don’t finish it, fine. No review is better in most cases than a really bad one. Yet, some don’t take your book seriously until you have a few bad ones to show it wasn’t just your family and friends posting them (which isn’t as easy to achieve as you may think, unless you have some serious blackmail material). Granted, reviews are subjective and one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I get that.
More than likely, unless you’re a fellow author you haven’t even made it this far in my rant du jour. But even fellow authors aren’t always diligent in leaving a review. It doesn’t have to be an essay worthy of a Pulitzer Prize; a few sentences will do.
We authors ask so little. Is it really that difficult to log into Amazon? You know it’s not. If you bought it there, they’ll even remind you and send a link. And the next time you get a book for free or less than you pay for a good cup of coffee, feel it’s your obligation.
I, for one, would rather work for royalties, but reviews, especially a good one, can make it seem at least marginally worthwhile.
So get off your lazy ass and leave one today for a starving author who, in return, will not only love you forever, but might even keep writing. Capisce?
Know the different types of editing, especially if you hire an editor. Otherwise, you may be disappointed or not get your money’s worth. I’m always amazed when I find a multitude of goofs in a book that has supposedly been edited. Just because a person can read, doesn’t mean s/he can edit! Furthermore, if they’re a specific type of editor, they may do a great job in that category, yet leave others flapping in the breeze, waiting for some discriminating reader of jump on them like a duck on a June bug.
Rather than reiterate what has already been said very well by another blogger regarding the different types of editors and what their duties are, check out this outstanding blog.
Consider your story’s point of view carefully. If you really want the reader to relate to your protagonist, the story should be told through his or her eyes only, even if you’re using third person narrative. Avoid slipping into an omniscient viewpoint by including something your character couldn’t possibly know, such as what the other person is thinking, unless, of course, he’s telepathic. Instead, describe what your protagonist is seeing in the other’s expression and body language. Another way around this you can use occasionally is to preface it with, “He didn’t know it at the time, but….” Break point of view carefully, deliberately, and sparingly.
Marcha's Two-Cents Worth 