I sold my bees today.

[Alice B]

That is more the end of a story than the beginning. I also sold my oceanic 55 without redoing seals, to someone that wants to use it to start seedlings. And that's fine with me,

They have built a 2 story behind my apiary, November 1st I went in for regular thyroid bloodwork but I mentioned to doc I'd had unusual bruising. Learned about Immune thrombocytopenia when I got my results on saturday, drove myself to the ER with the note from my clinic on Monday and spent the first week of November in the hospital. Getting platelets. Having steroids not work, then getting IG. I've been out since November 10th, but the need to reorganize my life became apparent while I was in the hospital wondering if I was getting out. The bees needed sold. i've looked at the budget, I can't stay in North Texas if I go down to SS for income, so I need a plan and my plan might be to sell my house, use the equity to buy cash outright a place in a lower property value state. As long as I live long enough, lol. I go get a few more platelets tomorrow, new medicine hasn't had time to do much. But today I can mow the lawn, and maybe afterward, treat the bees for mites one last time. I will miss them.

 

[gwand]

Sorry to hear about the ITP. The condition can usually be managed without affecting your lifestyle all too much. I hope this is true for you. Good luck on re-organizing yourself.

 

[10 Tanks]

God Alice. I'm sorry! I understand the lower income stuff. My wife and I are fairly recently retired and not making nearly what we did when we were working. Fortunately, we retired from two well established companies. But, we're helping some close friends financially and a 91 year old mother-in-law who's not in very good health and not much social security. I thought Texas was a good place to retire. It sure has a lower cost of living than here in Colorado. I'm not a very good religious person, but you're in my thoughts anyway.

10

 

[GaryE]

That's difficult all around - the bees, the need to move, the illness...

I'm in another country, but where we moved has very inexpensive housing, and a lower cost of living. That has helped with retirement, and allowed me to have my fishroom. All is not lost - I hope you can find a similar set up. What we saw as a move forced by circumstances has proven to be a real positive. I hope you find the same.

 

[Alice B]

hoping to ride this out, I get Medicare in May 2024, and hopefully I will have a good spring season cleaning ponds, because I don't qualify for any medical assistance except the ACA. The financial seems to be the rough end of the ride. Good news is all the people moving to Texas have almost tripled my property value, I just want that money out, we'll call that profit. Taxes are another matter Thank you for your good wishes

 

[Alice B]

Update: The meds they have me on aren't working very well, my thrombocytopenia may be caused by a B12 deficiency according to an NIH article. and My doctor read the article, gave her ok for me to start megadosing B12, and they'll test vitamin levels with my platelet levels next week.

and then there is the flooding. In 2018 the person that owns the property behind and downhill from mine raised his grade a foot, diverting 2 hills worth of water thru my yard. from the south and from the west. I did not know I had water trapped under my house for a couple years and my beams all got warped, had that rebuilt last year for $18,000. I've been told it's too late to sue him, now that I know how much damage was done. I put in french drains 3 weeks after the big rain that flooded me, to drain the back yard. So I didn't rush and find an attorney, I've only had the number for a year. Now we have a 2 story behind my corner lot with sidewalks trapping more water behind my property and their giant roof sending it my way. I've filed a report with the city, another with the Army Corps of Engineers flooding department and I'm going to try to talk to a lawyer next week. I've had enough of being flooded. I bought a house in a 500 year flood plain and now it's a flood for an inch of rain. So yeah I'm feeling a little feistier. I do have work next week but I'll juggle an attorney in somewhere thru the county bar assoc referral line.

Let's hope 2024 is a LOT better than 2023 was

 

[10 Tanks]

Good morning Alice. I understand a little about all the property stuff. A few weeks ago, we had a bad wind storm. My neighbor's walnut tree which has been dead for years, finally ended up in my backyard after the storm. After waiting for the people to do something, I finally had to go over to their house. Turns out, the place is a rental and is being used for daycare. Go figure. There's kids running around an uprooted tree. So, nobody is taking any action. So, I called the property management people and they knew nothing about it. After a few days, a company came out and removed it. Now, I get to haggle over the fence damage. Keep going, just a little bit at a time. That's what I'm trying to do.

10

 

[GaryE]

How did the raising of the lot and the construction get past the city planning department? They should never have gotten a permit for that.

Around here, we're concerned about sea levels rising and infiltrating built up areas via old, filled in creeks. There are so many things you can't see in the big picture when you're sitting on your own little lot.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Oh @Alice B , I'm so sorry you're going through all of this!! I wish there was something I could do to help. But I'm glad to hear that you're feeling fiestier, and not going to take it lying down!

Keeping fingers crossed that the increased B12 does the job.

Sending love and hugs across the pond, always xx

 

[Alice B]

How did the raising of the lot and the construction get past the city planning department? They should never have gotten a permit for that.

Around here, we're concerned about sea levels rising and infiltrating built up areas via old, filled in creeks. There are so many things you can't see in the big picture when you're sitting on your own little lot.

No one applied for a permit to raise it, absentee owner, and the city pays no attention out here

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

No one applied for a permit to raise it, absentee owner, and the city pays no attention out here

That sucks, big time. I'm so sorry, you're also going to have to battle the petty government beaurocracies and deal with banking institutions and stuff. It's all hassle, even when you're in the right.

And I'm so sorry to hear you're also dealing with this illness, and had to say goodbye to your bees.
My pms are always open if you want to talk more privately and need a sympathetic ear/shoulder!

 

[Alice B]

I'm lifting iris and giving to friends and putting in wildflower seed, always good therapy. Bloodwork tomorrow. Nosebleed is gone, its quite possible that B12 is working

 

[Alice B]

B12 seems to be helping. Platelets are up. Not massively but up. Bee buyer may be getting bees tomorrow, I'm having to feed them. Needs to soon

 

[Alice B]

Bee were picked up on Tuesday. Now if I can get ahold of my helper we can take the elm and hackberry saplings off the lot, at least the ones threatening the fence. He is not allergic to bees but his deodorant attracted them and got him stung a couple times

 

[Alice B]

And Army Corps of Engineers never replied.
Fort Worth engineers never replied
Code Enforcement said they can't do anything (even when I offered to dig a ditch thru someone else's property)
And the lawyer said it was too late to sue by the time I discovered the foundation damage.

so I sell the place, tell new owner to make a berm of dirt about 2 ft high at the back fence and that will send the flood back where it came from. Also people can get flood insurance. This fight is too hard on my blood pressure