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Showing posts from August, 2020

Last Day of AUGUST, 2020

 What a morning!   I called ASLAN and arranged for someone to go to MA's house on Tuesday at ten a.m. to snake out the bathroom sink.  Then I dropped off some checks and money at the lawyers office.  I went over to Mary Anne's house this morning in order to clean out her car because Nick from BASIL was supposed to arrive at ten thirty a.m. to see if they want to purchase it.  I cleaned out the car and found her duffel bag that I helped her pick out in California during our fall 2019 trip.  It was full of clothing, mostly.  After I finished emptying the car, I called home to retrieve messages.  There was one from Nick. I called him and he said he needed an original LETTERS OF TESTAMENTARY.  All I have is a copy.  So basically, I decided to let John Urtel sell the car during the estate sale.   There was also a call from John Urtel saying he needs Kevin to get his stuff out of the garage.  When I got home, I called Kevin and he answered and he said he plans to get his stuff and th

SUNDAY August 30th

 Church was good this morning.  It was good to see Myrna, who finally made it.  It was her first time since March.   After church I went to DOLLAR TREE to get a few items and then I picked up a WHOPPER JR. at Burger King and a small order of fries at FIVE GUYS.  I  took them home and I had lunch and then I met up with Cindy (the realtor) at Mary Anne's house.  She wanted to go into the apartment and take pictures.  When I got home, I took the trash out and then took a nap.  After a light supper, I called Betty and asked if she wanted to go for a walk.  She did so I met her at her house a little later.  

Saturday, August 29th.

 Today is my granddaughters twentieth birthday!   Unbelievable.  She is such a smart, beautiful and hard working young lady.  Unfortunately, she is a flaming liberal.  Sigh.  I sent her birthday wishes on FB early this morning.   This morning I went to Mary Anne's house and picked up her mail.  There were several letters or whatever from some of the charities she supported.  I wrote RETURN TO SENDER on the front of the envelope and indicated that she is deceased.  I doubt, though, that this will work, but I figured it was worth a try. I met up with my sister Gail and a friend (Sheila) at Mary Anne's cottage this morning.  I was disappointed because Sheila was not really interested in looking at or buying any of the antique furniture, which is the reason I asked her if she wanted to come.  It seems that she only wanted to see the cottage, but she did spend ten dollars.  Gail, however, purchased two of the antiques, the bench and the antique table that was in the front room. She

FRIDAY, August 28, 2020 Cottage and Golden Hill State Park

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 I met Betty at the cottage late morning.    She looked at the rocking chair again and decided to buy it, along with a couple of bird figurines.  We had a bit of difficulty getting it into her car, but we did!   We went to the public rest rooms in Krull Park before going to MILLER'S to pick up lunch.  We each bought a sandwich and a small pie and a drink and went to Golden Hill State Park and had our lunch in a small pavilion in the camping area.   Then we took a "mini-hike" down the trail on the east side of the park.  We walked to the beach and spent a few minutes and then walked back.   Then we headed back to Lockport.

Thursday, August 27th Peg's Birthday, etc.

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 This morning I had my physical at Medwell, with my new primary Dr. Danaher.  It went very well and I left with orders for a DEXA SCAN and blood work, and another appointment for a physical in August of 202l.  When I got home I worked on estate stuff, but I could not tell you exactly what I was working on. About eleven a.m. I went to George Boes shop.  I noticed that he was busy with a customer, (on his front porch) so I kept driving and went to the lawyers office and dropped something off and picked something up.  Then I went back to see if George was free.  He was and he made a higher offer for the rings that he appraised yesterday.  He offered $475.   He also offered fifty dollars for the pocket watch and I think twenty five dollars for the coins (Kennedy half dollars which have some silver in them).  I told him that I need to get another appraisal or offer and took them with me.   I went to the drive through at RITE AID and picked up my LOMOTIL.  Then I went to   Aguacates Mexican

Wednesday, August 26th

 It was kind of a hectic morning at home.  It seemed like everybody was calling at once and wanting a piece of me (an ESTATE piece). The buyer of the cottage called and said his lawyer told him that the water should be turned on at the  cottage.  So, I tried to reach the Water Department at the Town of Newfane.  Nobody was answering, so i kept trying.  Eventually,someone called and we set a time for eleven a.m. on September 11th, the only day free between Jim Masters vacation and mine! At the same time, I was trying to set up a time for Nick from BASIL to meet me at Mary Anne's house so he can look at the car. He said he needed a certified, notarized LETTERS TESTAMENTARY.   The ONE I have does not look like it is certified or notarized, so I had to contact Marianne Koenig.  She said Nick is confused about what he needs and agreed to leave me a copy in the DROP BOX.   I then was reminded that I need to send a LETTERS TESTAMENTARY to Social Security.  All this was going on while I wa

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at the cottage and more

 I met up with Jim and Marcia Masters at 1533 Harrison Street (Mary Annes cottage) this morning.  Jim showed me pictures he took of under the cottage.  Because of fallen insulation and other things he saw, he wanted to change his offer from $62,000 to $60,000.  I agreed and he called Marianne Koenig and we discussed it and the offer was accepted.  Then they picked out some furniture that they want to purchase and we agreed on a price of $500.   I think they are getting a bargain, but they refused to go any higher and like Marianne told me yesterday "we need to put this to bed."   I left shortly after they did.  I stopped at Hillers and purchased celery and bananas and then I stopped at Gordy Harpers to see if I could find a seller in one of their many shops who sells the kinds of items that are in the cottage.  I did find one, and I left my phone number with a worker at the front cash register.   Shortly after leaving Gordy's I had to turn around and take a different rout

Monday, August 24, 2020

In the morning, I spoke with Marianne Koenig and we decided to accept the offer of sixty two thousand dollars for the cottage.  She agreed to call him and get the ball rolling.     I met up with Betty at the cottage at 11:30 a.m. and we got to work.  One of the neighbors, Cindy Horner, stopped by and introduced herself.  I took her name and number in case the first deal does not go through since she is interested in purchasing it.  She came in and pointed out that Mary Anne did a lot of improving of the place since the last time she saw it which was before Mary Anne bought it.   Betty and I worked for an hour and a half and declared the job FINISHED.  All of the Christmas items are in one spot.  I can't really say that it looks homey, since there is just too much stuff, it look more like a gift shop!  And while the place is straightened up and floors are swept and vacuumed, the kitchen floor and the whole bathroom needs a thorough scrubbing.   We drove to Miller's (on 104 in Me

Sunday, August 23, 2020

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I went to church this morning.  I flagged Ben down and gave him forty dollars to use to buy items for the scavenger hunt/giveaway events that FREEDOM is putting on.   After church, I left quickly so that nobody would have time to invite me out to lunch.  I have been eating out too much, and also, I was kind of in the mood for some of my egg salad! After lunch, I did a few things around the house, including sweeping the kitchen floor.  I laid down for a while but I am not sure I really slept, but I probably did sleep a little.    I had an idea that I wanted to try out.  Years ago when you bought a jar of bread and butter pickles, their were sliced onions in with the onions, but in recent years they have eliminated the onions.  I decided to slice up some onions (thinly) and add them to a jar of pickles.  I will wait a few days before trying them.   Christa called to tell me that they had to euthanize Riley this morning since she was having such a hard time walking.   She was diagnosed wi

Saturday in Olcott

 In the morning I started carrots in apple cider in the crockpot.  I then decided to make egg salad for sandwiches so I could pack a picnic lunch for Betty and I to have after we work in Mary Anne's cottage.  I also threw together a four bean salad.  I am getting tired of eating in restaurants.  Besides picnics and preparing picnic lunches is one of my favorite things to do.   I met up with Betty at the cottage at eleven a.m. We spent a solid hour and a half vacuuming, dusting and straightening.  I finished the second bedroom, which Mary Anne used as a game/puzzle room, and which had a Hawaiian theme (I think).........since there are a LOT of pineapple in there!  Betty worked on the space between the dining and living rooms.  We accomplished a lot.  It was very hot so we quit after an hour and a half and then left and headed to Krull Park.  We used the public restroom and then chose a spot for our picnic lunch.  It was much cooler in the park than it was in MA's cottage.  The p

Friday August 21, 2020

I met with Kevin Kopek at NorthWest bank this morning.  All I really did was sign a lot of papers.  Also, I requested free checks, which I will get, and the account does not have any fees.  I need to keep fifteen thousand dollars in it for "no fees".   On the way to Olcott, I did the drive through free produce pick up at the Cooperative Extension.  I don't know why they gave me two boxes of produce, but they did.    I arrived at Mary Anne's cottage a little before eleven a.m.  MODERN was going around picking up junk from in front of cottages.  I quickly took more stuff, (that was sitting outside in the rear of the cottage) out.  I am so glad that they took everything including the filthy old commode that has sat there for several days.  I guess they don't pick up junk every other day like the neighbor told me.  Friday morning must be the day. Betty arrived and I gave her one box of produce and then we started working.  I asked her to work on the front room, and sh

Thursday August 20th, 2020

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 I puttered around the house in the morning, and made cookies.  Peggy and David came over and installed sensor lights, one over my porch steps and one in the backyard.  We decided that adding a couple more might be a good idea.   I had lunch with Paula Falsioni at STEAK, STONE and SUSHI in honor of Mary Anne, since today would have been her 71st birthday.  We both had the bento box, mine was strip steak which was very good.  After that, I went to Mary Anne's house to check on it, and grab the last large black bag that Kevin bagged up a couple of weeks ago.  I will go through it here at home and put the stuff into smaller bags and see if he bagged up anything that should be kept.   I went home and took a nap and then I met up with Peggy, Dom and Ro at FREEDOM NORTH for the Parent Pack Giveaway.  They posted a picture of the location (Freedom North) on facebook and the first fifty people to figure out where to go would get a bag of home schooling items.  I think we only had ten or ma

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

In the morning, I called an antique dealer and asked if he would be interested in looking at the furniture in Mary Anne's cottage.  It looks to me as if several pieces are antiques.  He is interested, and we will get together soon.   On the way  to Olcott, I stopped at a donation box and dropped off three or four bags of clothing.  Once I got to her cottage, I tackled the kitchen.  Betty did not do a good job of straightening out under the sink yesterday so I took everything out and started again.  I was able to finish the entire kitchen, but the floor still needs scrubbing.  I will need water to do that.  Today, I took my own water. I stopped at Reid's and picked up a burger and fries.  I took a nap in the afternoon, and when I got up, I reorganized most of my spices. I went to the Royalton Center United Methodist Church for their take out spaghetti supper  (first I went to Mary Anne's house to put the trash bins away, but somebody had already taken care of them).  I took

8/19/2020 Cottage

 In the morning, I talked with Marianne Koenig about the sale of the cottage.  She plans to call all three potential buyers and asked each one to make an offer in writing by Friday. Betty and I met up at the cottage a little bit after eleven a.m. and worked for  couple of hours.  Then we went to Maxwell Station for lunch.  I had a BLT.  It was really nice eating out on their patio, but Betty griped a lot about a bee that was hanging around.   I felt really sleepy on the drive back to Lockport, so I went straight home.  I took a nap. When I got up I had supper.  Then I went to Mary Anne's house to put her trash out.  I also went to Rite Aide to pick up my Restasis and I also got calcium, B12 and a multivitamin.

8/18/20

 I got most of the ingredients for old fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies ready this morning.  I also finished putting Cassandra's birthday package together.   Then I headed to Olcott to meet up with Betty at the cottage.  We worked for  couple of hours and then went to THE CAPTAINS GALLEY for lunch and then returned to the cottage and worked for another couple of hours.   It was starting to look like rain when we left.  I stopped at HILLER's an got some bananas, a yellow squash and some eggs.  It was raining when I left there and it got harder and  I had to stop and pull over for  a few minutes.  When I got back to Lockport, I went to FREEDOM, where I put one bag of clothing, etc. into the donation box, and then I called Peggy and she opened the back of her car so I could put a couple of small bags of items I think she might be able to use in, as well as a small bag of plastic eggs.  Then I went to MA's house to add some items to the estate sale.   I had several phone messag

8/15/20 cottage

 I met up with Betty at Mary Anne's cottage so we could work on "clean out".  We had not been there very long when the fellow who used to work with MA at the health department, along with his wife, stopped by to look at the place.  He made a verbal offer of sixty two thousand dollars plus five hundred for a few pieces of basic furniture.    Before they left, the original potential buyer came by.  I feel bad for him because MA had agreed to sell him the cottage for $45,000, but she passed away before they could complete (or even start) working on the deal and according to the estates lawyer, their verbal deal became null and void when she passed away. Betty and I made good progress on sorting.  We took a break after a couple of hours to use the public restrooms at Krull Park (the water is turned off in MA's cottage) and have lunch at THE PRICKLY PEAR.and then returned to the cottage for another hour and a half.  I worked mostly on the bedroom and got about 3/4 of the w

August 14, 2020

 Last night, when I was trying to get to sleep, I realized that I never got into the secret hiding place in Mary Anne's house that she told me about last summer.  So, I decided I would do that in the morning.  Before I went to her house, I dropped off a couple of items at the lawyers office. The spot was full of jewelry and papers.  I decided to put everything in a bag and take it home to go through.  I think some of the jewelry is valuable, so I separated those items out.  I went through every piece of paper, but did not find the missing deed.   I had lunch at home and then headed to the house to meet up with the realtor that Paula recommended.   Cindy loves the house and the apartment and she suggested that we ask $114,900 for the property.  We filled out numerous papers and she measured the rooms, but she wants to wait to take pictures until after the estate sale.  When she went down to the basement, she saw some water on the floor near the hot water heater.  After Cindy left, I

BIRTHDAY LUNCH and CHICKEN/ONION patties

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This morning I talked to  Kevin on the phone.   Candy made a verbal offer of ninety thousand dollars for the house.   I told him that I think we need to hold out for closer to one hundred thousand dollars.  He will talk to the guy who wants to buy the cottage, maybe he will agree to fifty nine thousand dollars. Peg and David came over and checked my security system, and put in some new batteries and also checked my smoke detectors.  I gave David the pocket watch and the coins with silver in that Mike Pillot separated out for me when he sorted all the change from Mary Anne's house and put it in paper sleeves.  David will look at the watch with a magnifying glass and perhaps make an offer on the watch.  He seemed to really like it.   I am so glad that I asked Mike to join Peggy, Gail and I for Peg and Gail's birthday lunch today.  We all met up at the Fieldstone.   Our server took these pictures. We had such a nice time and agreed that we need to do this more often.   Mike treat

LONG, LONG DAY: August 12, 2020

 Last night while I was laying in bed I remembered that Kevin put a few bins at the bottom of the stairs that go to the upstairs apartment that I had neglected to sort through.  So I decided that getting over to Mary Anne's house first thing in the morning would be the thing to do.   I did that, (it was mostly stuffed animals, so it was fairly quick) and then I met up with Mike at  KURT'S COIN SHOP.   Kurt evaluated the coin collection and offered me 525 dollars.  Mike said that seemed like a good deal, so I agreed and Kurt wrote me a check.  I had spoken to one of the paralegals at the estates law office and was told that the court had appointed me executor, and I would get the papers within a few days so I have the legal right to sell the collection. Mike offered to take the many jars of change that Mary Anne had collected to his friend, Mike Pillot.  Mike Pillot loves sorting through coins and putting them in those little paper rolls. So he came over to the house to get the

Tuesday, August 11,2020 It was a good day!!!!

 I met up with Pam at Mary Anne's house this morning.  She worked on sorting the jewelry, vacuumed upstairs and swept the floors downstairs while I worked on completing going through boxes etc. in the garage.  I didn't quite finish, but I was getting hot and tired and hungry so we quit at twelve thirty.   I suggested we meet at Widewaters for lunch.  We had a nice lunch, even though it was quite breezy and some of our food tipped over.   Then I went home and showered and washed my hair and then took a nap.  I was happy when Carly from Dr. Dee's office called to offer me a three thirty p.m. appointment tomorrow afternoon.   I met up with John Urtel at the house at six pm and I showed him around and he looked at the items that are set out.  He said it will be a good sale.  It will be the three days before LABOR DAY.   He asked that I remove the bottles of wine, find out from Kevin if some of the stuff on the south wall of the garage belongs to him and get him a key so that he

Monday, August 10th, 2020 Brakes, and Uncle G's

 After dropping off some papers at Patricia George's law office, I headed out to NorthTown Subaru to get my rear brakes replaced.  While I was waiting, I wrote a long letter to Judy McAdams.  I have not heard from her in a while.   I decided to treat myself to lunch, so I took New Road to UNCLE G'S.............a popular ice cream place in Pendleton.  I had heard that they started serving sandwiches in addition to ice cream.  When I parked, I noticed a "little library" so I put some books in it.  When I went up to the outside counter to look at the menu, I did not see any real food items.  I asked one of the workers about sandwiches and she gave me a menu and told me I would have to phone my order in.  This seemed ridiculous since she and I were standing right there, but I took the menu and went back to my car to look at it.  I decided on a tuna sub and phoned my order in.  The girl who answered the phone seemed surprised when she realized I was already on the property

Sunday, August 9th Church, Lunch Out and Olcott

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 Church was good this morning.  We are closer to getting back to normal, with the seats placed in rows, but not EVERY row, about every other row.  Ben gave a great sermon.   I asked Betty if she wanted to go to SUB DELICIOUS ON 31 for a 99 cent burger and she said yes.  I asked Dee if she wanted to join us.  Betty and I arrived first and we ordered our burgers and sweet potato fries.  We had already found a picnic table and started to eat when Dee arrived and she had invited Louise to join us.  We had a nice time together, even though it got pretty breezy and stuff kept blowing away! Betty asked me if I still wanted her to help me at Mary Anne's cottage. I told her it was probably too hot to do much, but we agreed to go anyways.  When we got there,  we worked on sorting.  She also took apart the puzzle.   I took several pictures of the various pieces of furniture and other stuff.   We were going to spend a little time in Krull Park but there was some sort of event involving LOTS of

Saturday August 8th, 2020

 I spent three to four hours at Mary Anne's house (well, in the garage) sorting through stuff that Rita and Kevin brought up from the basement.  I went to Niagara Produce because I was craving cider, I also got bananas and a half of a berry pie.  When I got home, Peggy was there.  When she came into the house for a drink, I said to her something like "I hope you don't need a piece of me, since all of my pieces are used up".  She was going to suggest calling David to have him come over to complete working on my alarm system (adding sensors to the other doors), but said we can wait.    Unfortunately, the combo of the pie and cider caused me some abdominal distress which prevented me from taking a real nap, but I did rest.    In the evening I met up with Kevin and Rita at the garage and while Rita brought stuff up from the basement, Kevin and I did some sorting and bagging up of junk.  A few items went out to the curb. I paid Kevin for the work he has done through tonigh

8/7/20 Time With Friends

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 Today was special because I got to spend time with friends.  I have been concentrating so much on going through Mary Anne's belongings that I have not been doing fun things or spending time with them. Pam met me at Mary Anne's house and helped by sorting and separating jewelry.  While we were there Kevin came by and said that the fellow who wants the cottage is willing to pay FIFTY EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS in cash.  Later on, I emailed the lawyer about this offer.   Pam and I went to Marvin's (formerly  Widewaters) and I treated her to lunch.  We both had hot dogs, and shared an interesting side dish called something like potato skin ends with cheese, bacon and sour cream.  They were good!  We sat and talked for a little while.  In the afternoon, I took my usual nap.   I met Betty at THE SHAMUS for supper at six p.m.  We ate on "the patio".   We both had the broiled (or maybe baked) haddock, which was very good.  After supper, I suggested we meet at the abandoned g

Thursday August 6th

 I  took the day off from working at Mary Anne's house.   First I dropped the coin collection off at David and Peggy's house.  Then I went to the CUTTING CREW to get my hair colored and trimmed.  Michelle was my stylist.  She had to do something extra to lighten my hair up closer to the color I wanted, but I think this may have had more to do with the contrast between my roots and the rest of my hair.  I am not sure it worked very well.  She cut a whole inch off because of the split ends and unevenness.  The final bill was eighty dollars and I gave her a ten dollar tip.   Then I went to RUNNINGS to find a sleeping bag.  I found one I liked, seventy dollars and purchased it, and then I went to KITH AND KIN to get a loaf of wheat bread.  I finished up my pork steak for lunch, along with pork and beans and potato salad, and some melon.    Then I  took a nap. I called Pam and we talked for a bit.  I took the sleeping bag out of its plastic case and the bag that came with it.  I lik

Wednesday August 5, 2020 Same Old, Same Old

I spent four full hours at Mary Anne's house (in the garage) this morning.  Kevin was supposed to come to take trash to "the dump" but he never showed up.    I continued sorting through boxes, and throwing stuff out.  I had what I  thought was a good idea.  After the trash bin was emptied on Millar Place, I realized that the trash bins on Maple Street had not been emptied yet, so I took the one from Millar and filled it and put it on Maple Street.  I was admonished by one of the pick up guys because that is not allowed.  But he did empty it anyways, warning me not to do that again.  Paula stopped by a couple of times, one time she brought me a can of sparkling water and a bottle of water.  We talked about going to lunch on the twentieth at HILLTOP, to celebrate Mary Anne's birthday.  Sheila (formerly King) stopped by to say hello.  She asked that if I find a certain bracelet that MA bought during a  trip to the Adirondacs that I let her know and she will purchase it. 

8/4/2020

I was at Mary Anne's house this morning for a little over two hours.  The sorting inside the house is done, which does not mean that the place looks good, it means that all junk has been removed.   I stopped at THE CUTTING CREW on my way home and made an appointment for ten thirty a.m. Thursday.  I also made an appointment with an allergist in Tonawanda for the week after my planned trip to Rome.   I made a potato salad for my lunch, the took a nap.   I met up with Rita and Kevin at MA's house.  We worked in the garage.  I asked Mary Anne's neighbors on Maple Street if they had some extra room in their trash bin and they said I could add some bags to theirs.  I dropped a couple of bags off in the box behind FREEDOM.    When I got home there was a phone message from Peggy.  She wants to go to the SHAMUS Friday night for salmon.  On Saturday, she and David want to come over to work on my alarm system.  

Another Cleaning Day: FOUND THE DEED 8/3/20

I did not sleep well, so planned on only spending an hour at Mary Anne's house, but ended up being there for over 2 hours in the morning.  I went to Niagara Produce and got a few groceries and then went home, showered, talked to Leslie on the phone, took a nap.  Fixed baked potato, pork steak and lima beans for supper, then met up with Kevin and Rita at Mary Anne's house.  They brought boxes to the garage (from the basement) and I looked at them. Mostly knick knacks but I found the deed to the house.    Stopped and got a pack of ice cream sandwiches at JoJo's.  Took a Lactaid and a Lacto while eating one at home.   

Sunday August 2, 2020

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FREEDOM IN THE FIELD was cancelled due to the high possibility of rain. Both sanctuaries were open.  I went into the large sanctuary.  There were a lot more people in this sanctuary today.  It was a live service!   I am glad I didn't go into the youth sanctuary where they watched live on a screen.   After church I went home and had lunch and then I went to Lewiston to visit with Carrie.  We had a nice outside visit.  Then I went to DeCamillo's and bought a couple of slices of pizza and then headed for home.  When I got home, I had a call from Kevin who wanted to meet up with me at seven p.m. at Mary Anne's house to finish emptying the attic.  I agreed. When I arrived at 6:45 Kevin, Rita and their son Jacob were waiting.  I let them in and they got to work.  They emptied the attic and brought many of the boxes down to the porch where I went through them.   SO, there are still LOTS of boxes in the house to go through.  I will start on them tomorrow morning.    I took several

FIRST DAY OF AUGUST, 2020

I got off to a late start today, I am not sure why.  I got to Mary Anne's house around 10:15 a.m.  I got right to work on the bedroom that leads to the attic.  It was pretty hot up  there, so I  took boxes downstairs and turned on TV and emptied them out while watching TV.  There were a LOT of old papers that I bagged up and put into the trash.  I organized loads of postcards into a plastic box.  I bagged up several bags of coins to take home and sort through and put in those paper coin holders. When I was doing my final "clean up" meaning when I pick up all of the messes I made while sorting, I found what I thought was a treasure.  Three boxes containing a coin collection that was very well organized.  I looked in each box briefly and decided to take it home with me.  I was thinking it might be worth a few thousand dollars.  My house is more secure than Mary Anne's because it is inhabited and because I have an alarm system. I went to Wendy's and got a baked potat