Thursday, February 19, 2009

Bushfire Help


When I first started to read blogs, My favorites were by the talented, crafty, women in Australia. As Australia has always been somewhere I would like to visit, I found it all fascinating. Since reading about the fires, I have wanted to find a way to help, while staying within my now limited means. Meet me at Mike's http://meetmeatmikes.blogspot.com/ has info for multiple ways to help on the right sidebar of her blog. I have also found a site on Etsy, OzBushfireAppeal, http://www.ozbushfireappeal.etsy.com/, that you could donate your items to ,if you are a member, sending a description, tags, pricing and pictures. They list it and sell it, and I pay for shipping to send it out. So far, I've sold 3 of the 4 things I've donated, and the site has raised around $13,500 Australian. It is being donated to the Australian Red Cross. You can donate items until feb. 23rd.

I also would like to find time this weekend to make a few wonky star blocks for The Bushfire Quilt Project being run by Tia Curtis of http://campfollowerbags.blogspot.com/. I will make sure to squeeze it in. You can see the blocks on flickr by clicking on the star in the left sidebar.


I've been meaning to post this for a week now, but I've been caught up in my own disaster of epic proportions, trying to renew my drivers license. I can't remember the last time I had to go in person to renew, and all the rules have changed. Seems that everyone is being called in to renew to: have an eye test, and to be sure you are up to date with homeland security. Being the previously mentioned procrastinator that I am, when I got married 11 yaers ago, I changed my name on my drivers liscence, and most everything else of importance, but not my social security card. So off I go to renew, and I am told that I can't renew until I can verify my ss# by changing my name. Next day, off I go to SS office, where I am told my liscence is expired so I have no valid ID. My marriage license is no longer valid as it is more than 2 years old, so I can't use it to change my name. Does that mean I am no longer married? See the dilemma. Does this mean I no longer have to pay income tax as I don't seem to have my identity anymore? Well, after 3 phone calls to the drivers license office, By my daughter, (mother of the boy), as I was losing all patience, we were told that my drivers license, and a w-2 were all that was needed, as I had already changed my name on my license. If we had any problems, we were to tell the clerk to call the help desk. At 8 a.m. this morning, we walked in for our appointment, got the most awesome clerk, and all she did was look at my (expired) license, my voter registration card to verify address, looked at my file and mentioned I should change my name with SS, and GAVE ME MY NEW LICENSE. Why was it so difficult the first time? I think I know where the government can save some money. ;o)

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