Monday I didn't have anything much on my calendar - until I opened up my bank statement to reconcile it with my checkbook.  Everything matched up, except (cue music) $109.94 charged to my debit card for which I had no entry and no receipt.  So I called the Walmart number on the statement to try and find out what was purchased (this has happened on a few occasions over the years, and once I found out what was purchased I realized it was a legitimate item.) When someone (in Alabama, who not surprisingly sounded just like Barry) answered "Walmart.com" (and for a pleasant change I didn't have to wait too long to get through) I realized that it actually said Walmart.com on the statement (and I've never ordered from there.) At that point I was pretty sure it was a bogus claim.  

Sure enough, it seems that some sort of a gift card (she wasn't allowed to say what, even though it was charged to me) was sent to an e-mail address (again she couldn't tell me where, except that it was not mine) so I got all the info on how where to download the Fraud Report claim forms and what to do with them.  Then it was off to the bank to talk with them.  The bank was very helpful (although there was a lot of paperwork and I also got to talk to someone in Pennsylvania who wanted to know if I still had the card in my possession, had I loaned it out to anyone, etc.) I was there well over an hour taking care of it all.  No surprise that the bank promptly disabled that card and issued a new one. Which, in turn, means I have to contact various places that take $ out of my account automatically - and getting to talk to a person at some of those places (like NetFlix) is not often easy.  But maybe I can just sit back and do nothing, waiting until they contact me (with what the woman at the bank called a NastyGram) when my charges don't go through this next month?  However one of those charges is COX for the TV, phone and computer..... and of course if that gets shut off, how would COX contact me?  

We had the front stucco wall painted yesterday (where it got egged some time ago) so on Saturday Tom cut back the dead hibiscus, dead crepe myrtle, and dead cape honeysuckle that graced the yard before that hard freeze last month.  I was surprised to see that when I got home from Chandler on Saturday (normally we would have waited until warmer weather) but Tom needed to get it out of the way for the painters, neighborhood guys who had stopped by that day to see if we had any work for them and gave Tom a very good price!

I also raked up the last of the leaves from the Chinese elm out front, filling up one big green trash can once the trash trucks came by that morning and emptied them.  The tree provides WONDERFUL much-needed shade all spring summer, and fall  (the front of our house faces south)

but if we don't rake them up in the 'fall' (doesn't everyone do their raking in January and February?) it kills the grass. (We would normally have desert landscaping instead of grass out front, but with flood irrigation grass grows all on its own.)

This morning I'm off to see the Tax Man - always fun, right?  

Tom and Garry took off this morning for Tucson to do the big rock show, and then will have dinner with Lisa and Chas (and I think John and Robin will also join them.)  I'll just stay here and have dinner by myself (though before you feel too sorry for me for missing out on the party, I must tell you I've got some of Benny's yummy brisket!)

And now I'm almost late so I'd better go!