Federal Money and Following a Trail

January 23, 2015.

Passing Thoughts

Everyone is in denial mode - the flat football fallout  and Prince Andrew.  I am sure Greg's accusers also fall in the denial mode category of explanations.  There are only several options:  tell an outright lie, deny knowing anything, blame others and ultimately have immunity.

The Tale

And so, just like the format of a Seinfeld show,  many story lines were moving along simultaneously and  soon they would converge.

We had a nice Father's Day visit, and the three of us headed back to Canada, leaving poor Greg behind in Florence with his monitor.  The plan was firm.  I would shut down the house and come with the four dogs, and set up a new 'normal' in Florence now nine months into the nightmare.

 It was Canada day and Natalie was not feeling well, yet again, complaining about the same symptoms I had heard for two years.   Frazzled  at this point,  I told her that it was time to go to a new doctor and get some sort of diagnosis.

July 2,  2013 I left to be with Greg.  Honestly it was fun to set up a new house.  When it was time to look for furniture way back in April, when I had a three day window to drive around and find things quickly, it was near the end of a shopping escapade that I spotted a storefront that looked promising.  I made a quick and sudden turn into the parking lot and came to a screeching stop in front of the store.  As I pushed open the door of the shop, a voice called out:
" Welcome to the Fresh Basket, how are you?"
"Suddenly, much better", I replied.

Marcie was a tall elegant women, dressed in crumpled linen blouse and neatly pressed white trousers. She had an air of confidence as well as friendliness, and invited me to to look around, feel at home and to let her know if she could help.  I told her I needed to furnish a house quickly.  I was relieved to see so many fabulous pieces of furniture, lighting and home accessories, some brands that were familiar to me and I was certain that I would be able tp make our Florence house feel like home easily.  Casual conversation led to a full reveal,
"Do you know who I am?", I asked.  "Yes," replied Marcie.  She was curious for sure to hear the inside scoop of the scandalous story and gently asked sensitive questions.  The media in North Alabama had either not covered the story of the the global economy from 2008, or the story was not important to the locals.  I had a lot to explain.

Marcie wanted to know who we really were and judge for herself, and her questions did not only focus on the indictment.  Our conversation led to topics of hobbies and interests and values, and it took no time at all to find out that we had mutual friends - it truly was a small world.  The owner of the Fresh Basket came out from the stock room and Marcie introduced me - Lady Peach.

I had to bring Calleen up to speed with what I had already told Marcie.   Greg's arrest had been local news, but the coverage of his story ended in November, so as a result, no one in Florence knew that Greg was restricted from travelling home.  They were both shocked to hear about the real estate/bond fiasco before Christmas,  and were even more shocked to hear about the $30 million bond that had been ignored for three months.   Calleen and Marcie were a captive audience,  and I asked if they even understood what GO Zone money from 2005 was.  Since they were not close to the Gulf coast, that story too was an enigma.  Facts revealed in federal documents in the Government Accountablity Office in Washington, listed names of people and businesses who had received  that federal money.   I did not want to get caught up in a lengthy briefing about what I thought was relevant information, but I did tell them that if they were interested, it was all out there in the open on the internet.  My mission was to furnish that house, and so I re-focused and I identified pieces that I knew would work for my new home.  Calleen and Marcie followed my through the shop and we began the list.  The one thing I did not see, was a suitable sofa.
"I would really like a white slip cover sofa."

Marcie and Calleen looked at one another with shock.  I didn't know what I had said but I was frightened by the way they reacted, I definitely had said something wrong.

"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" I asked.
Calleen explained that just the day before, after much debate, they had ordered a white slip covered sofa, worrying that it would be difficult to sell.  It was destiny that I had come in.  The sofa was mine, and perfect timing, it would ship in three to four weeks.

And that is how I learned that like minded people are like minded people.