Webigail

To all of you, who were nice enough to gently tap me on the shoulder…and to the few, who decided a kick in the fanny was more appropriate, I’ll have the directions for the organizer posted soon.

We’ve had a few family tragedies that have hit one, right after another. There has hardly been a dull moment, but I promise that as soon as things settle down (I pray that it’s very soon), I’ll get the directions posted.

Thanks!

As we sipped on Starbucks coffee, chit-chatting about the children, the laundry and what we’re making for dinner, the subject of credit cards came up. We were all trading “war stories,” when I noticed on thing in particular. Chase was ripping off the public. There is nothing worse than a bunch of women, hopped up on caffeine stewing over the injustices done to their purse-strings.

The worst anecdote made me rush home to reassess my own credit card. One friend mentioned that she has always used her card mainly like a charge card. She uses it as protection during online transactions and as a form of security for purchases that she’s uncertain of. She mentioned that she always pays in full, but noticed that each month there was a finance charge or late charge, despite having paid in full. Even more alarming were the late fees. Not only did she pay the charges in full, but she always paid early and in person, not relying on the “We didn’t get the payment yet,” excuse.

Each month, she had to call Chase’s customer service to ask why there were fees and late charges. Each time she called she was told, “We’ll remove it this time…” as if they were doing her a favor by eliminating bogus charges. Now my friend, is pretty laid back. It takes quite a bit to get her riled up, but after the third month of dealing with the arduous phone calls, she decided to go into the branch.

Get this. Chase tells her that although she pays in full, in person, in the branch, they have no control over when the payment actually reaches the payment center. Um…WHAT?! The next month, she noticed that there was a hidden charge. She added up all of her activities and discovered that there was a $30 charge that was unaccounted for. There was no answer for this mistake, other than…”we’ll remove this fee.”

Ultimately, she ended up closing her account, but even then Chase got the last word. They insisted that, despite her paying off the balance in full, she still owed a small balance. Then they even had the audacity to imply that they were dropping her as a customer. Um…WHAT?!

So, if you are considering opening up a Chase account, or already have one, watch your bills very, very carefully and be thee warned that there is nothing “free” about Chase Bank.”

It’s been a few months since Quiver was hit by a car. We buried him under a crimson, baby azalea plant. We placed him in his favorite spot in the yard; there was this one little spot that he claimed as his own, personal hunting ground.

I have been trying to adjust to not having Shang, or Quiver greet us in the mornings, when all of the pups go out for potty-time. I never imagined that a routine visit with family would result in us reclaiming Shanghai’s bloodline.

When I shared with my niece that Shang had kittens, she was so excited, as this would be her first pet. Naturally, I let her have pick of the litter and being a girl, after my own heart, she selected the very baby that I’d secretly picked for myself. I said nothing, but gave her the kitten, as either choice was a good choice.

Academics, being all too important, prevented my niece from caring for her cat adequately and she shyly asked if I would be interested in reclaiming “Shang’s last baby.” I feel terrible admitting this, but I nearly jumped out of my seat, could hardly contain my glee. What a terrible aunt! How could I be so callous? I wanted to share my niece’s pain, but I was just happy beyond belief that I would once again, have a part of Shanghai.

When I finally reclaimed my senses, I was able to console my brother’s daughter, assuring her that I would take good care of her kitten and she assured me that she knew I would.

So, we have returned home and we’re all trying to adjust to our new girl. It is as if we have been blessed with a combination of both of the cats we lost. A female bobtail, who happens to be the twin of her deceased brother. The only thing that would make us happier, is if we had never lost our kitties to begin with.

No more outdoor, yard cats for us.This cat will receive the red carpet treatment.