Final Notice!

On Friday the utility bill from the city arrived, but there was something different about it: the paper showing through the little plastic address window was PINK.

My first thought: someone down at the city utilities office was feeling colorful this week.

My second thought: this might possibly be something bad.

So I opened the envelope, and what do you think I found?

A threat.

They are going to turn off my water/electricity/sewer/garbage service if I don't pay THREE months worth of utility bills by September 16. That's Tuesday.

What. In. The. World?!

And then I remembered that way back at the first of July, our credit card number was stolen, and VISA promptly canceled that card number and sent us a new set of cards.

Unfortunately, I had my utility payments set up to auto-pay. On that stolen card. And I never called to re-set up the auto-pay with the new card number. So, the auto-pays haven't been auto-paying for the last two months and now my utilities will be shut off unless I haul my sorry carcass down to the city offices before Tuesday. I wonder if I just sliced open a vein on my arm if they would accept my blood as payment and proof of my repentance.

I have been watching with wonder as my checking account balance has been larger than usual the last couple of months, and was singing praises about the blessings of tithing and all that. Turns out it wasn't blessings. It was credit card theft.

Talk about a reality check.