WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[Annarchy]

Wow, Jeepers, that’s nuts. 

 

I went to the doc to renew my back meds, and I wanted a printout of my visit. I keep them JIC. They put down on the report that my complaint was an headache. I went in today and gave them a angry rash of verbal abuse. I get evaluated by SSD and they always want to know if I’ve seen the doctor for my back. “Yes I have on such & such date, but if the doc reports say “headache” SSD isn’t going to believe me.   Really?!!  I never said anything about a headache.   Plus, the facility called me yesterday and said they needed to see me, because of my lab results. Really?!? I didn’t have any lab work done. “Oh, just a moment. “ he says, comes back and said it was my vitals. Really?  I looked at them. Yeah, my heart rate was 104 & bp 100/69. Not a big deal, I had just finished doing yard work all morning. Isn’t that expected?  Cardio workout. And, I was anxious cause they said they were going to give me a shot and I would have to wait an half an hour before I could leave.  plus, I asked them, “Will I be seeing my primary care doctor?  They replied, “No, he’s not here anymore.”  I asked who I’d be seeing and they said another doctor. I called my insurance company this morning and asked if that doctor was part of their plan, nope. She said if I go to the appointment I would have to pay the whole bill. She sent me a list of doctors I can use. And my regular doctor is on the list and listed at that facility. Really?  They said he isn’t there anymore. I’m thinking I will call my insurance company and report that. Sounds hinky to me. There’s a lot more to that story, I’m not gonna talk about. 

 

Anyway, clear skies above and brown skies everywhere else. Windy....WHOOOSH!  Gusting in the 50-60 mph. The news will probably have something on the dust storms blowing through central AZ. 

 

Didn't do much today because of the wind. Watered the lawn this morning and staked up the tomatoes. Oh, and put baking soda in the, (new to us) car to try to get the smell out of it, then sprayed Ozium in it. Someone overused smelly stuff in it. Yuk!  Nasty loud smell. Gave DH a headache yesterday. IDK what else to do. I want to take it to TX this month. I doubt if any of the Ladies will mind, but I am hyper sensitive to smells and perfumes. 

 

Time me to get back at it. 

 

 

[Ambergris]

[Annarchy]

I-10 is closed...  miles of backed up traffic. 

[Ambergris]

uh oh

 

[Jeepers]

Annarchy, these "organizations" just keep getting harder and harder to deal with.

 

Half lies, half truths, useless information, no information and surprises we don't need.  $$$$

[TheCG]

2 hours ago, Annarchy said:

Didn't do much today because of the wind. Watered the lawn this morning and staked up the tomatoes. Oh, and put baking soda in the, (new to us) car to try to get the smell out of it, then sprayed Ozium in it. Someone overused smelly stuff in it. Yuk!  Nasty loud smell. Gave DH a headache yesterday. IDK what else to do. I want to take it to TX this month. I doubt if any of the Ladies will mind, but I am hyper sensitive to smells and perfumes. 

 

Time me to get back at it. 

 

 

Unscented dryer sheets is what I've always been told. Just strew them about inside and shut it up for a day or 2, and they absorb the smell. 

Edited April 13, 2018 by TheCG

[Annarchy]

5 minutes ago, TheCG said:

2 hours ago, Annarchy said:

 

Unscented dryer sheets is what I've always been told. Just strew them about inside and shut it up for a day or 2, and they absorb the smell. 

 

ThNks a million, TheCG, I’ll try anything. It’s really strong. 

[The WE2's]

Yesterday morning we were at the homestead, in the kitchen sorting books etc. and I heard a "bam!" and said "what was that?"  Hubby said probably the front door swinging back because we left it open?  So we continued.  Not long after our Abby-girl started cussing something out through the screen door.  I always go look, and there were police cars on the road just east of us.  I gave hubby a yelp to come see and investigate.  As it turns out...some guy and his girlfriend were trying to "avoid an altercation" up the road, so he jammed his SUV in reverse and floored the accelerator...backwards!  Lost control, slipped into the ditch in front of our place, took out both driveway posts continued downward and tipped upward, slammed into one of our big cedar trees before coming to a stop...that was the BAM I heard!  Neighbors heard both times, when he took out the driveway posts and then hit the tree.  So....today we had to pick up broken and shattered safety glass, plastics and tree bark for about 50 feet...grrrr!  That's how we spent the afternoon...on our knees with gloves (that found it hard to pick up tiny shards of glass) and putting the shards in plastic bags (4 of them!) and boxed for the trash.  Never knew vehicles could throw that much glass!  Anyway...we took pictures for ourselves and for our insurance.  We'll not turn it in on ours but they'll turn it in on his.  He's so lucky he didn't turn it over and throw one or both of them out!  And we had pulled the truck far enough into the drive that he missed the back end of it by about 20 feet.  All this...DRIVING BACKWARDS! 

[Mt_Rider]

That's just plain WEIRD, Jeepers!  You are choosing the best overall option and .....why should an employee have an opinion?   

 

OK....so I've told y'all about our extraordinary WIND!!!!!  Scoops up this valley and does it's rip-snortin' best to shred everything I try to tie down.  I have a Mach 1 through 5 rating system. 

 

Today....for about an hour and a half....it was at least MACH 5.5!      

 

I don't think I've ever seen it blow that hard.  And we have jaw-dropping HARD WIND.  I was really afraid Circus Tent was gonna end up in the next county.  The tarp would blow up like a ballon and SNAP when it tugged on the ropes holding it down to the dog kennel wires.  Aiiiyiyi!  I for SURE was not going out to feed in THAT!  Fortunately, the wind around here usually eases off for a couple hours right at sundown.  It did and DH came home from his BUSY, MULTI-PURPOSE DAY in time to feed while I walked dog.  I'm feeling better cuz I was able to walk to corner....instead of just to next driveway like last nite.    Good thing I threw hotdish in oven while I waited for the wind to die down.  Had zero energy when we got back inside. 

 

MtRider  ....iffen I'm not contagious, mebbe I can go visit my folks again soon.  They're doing better every day.  Pray my dad sleeps tonite tho!

[snapshotmiki]

Seems like interesting times here!  I'm not looking forward to dealing with SS next year, Jeepers.  Either your "person" wasn't very smart or he is working against the clients best interests!

And Annarchy, I have to contact my insurance company before my next appointment as my last doctor said my insurance will only pay for labs once a year and that is how often they did them.  New doc probably wants to do them again so I need to have knowledge before I go in.

 

And now my day yesterday!  Wow!  Drove 90 miles to VA hosp. for DH's chest CT and pulmonary function tests at 7 AM.  CT went fine but during his first breath at pulmonary test, he blacked out!  So they did many other unscheduled tests including a CT of head, another chest x-ray and blood work and vitals.  Kept us there until 4 PM.  Thank God he got to come home!  We came home with almost all results so at least there was a mention of COPD which is what we had been saying for over 3 months.  His head is ok.  LOL  Probably blacked out from low blood pressure.  And his HGB was 9.4 so definitely low iron.  Then we drove 90 miles home.  Still trying to get it so we don't have to drive so far in our old cars with over 200,00 miles on them.  Glad that day is over and that he is moving forward a little bit!  Poor pups were locked up in the house for way too long in their opinion!  And the outside cat had kittens under our house!

[kappydell]

20 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Ugh. I can't believe I typed this whole thing out and then lost it. One more time.

I got signed up for Social Security. They weren't very helpful though. 

 

He was bound and determined I should take S.S. now so I could get 1 extra check. I tried to get across to him that if I accepted it now I would be locked into this rate and not my maximum rate at full retirement age. He kept pushing that I'd get an extra check. Yeah, 1 extra check now but for the rest of my life I'd be stuck at that amount. We are talking about 1 month early. I've been waiting for 4 years to get the maximum amount and I sure wasn't going to blow it for 1 check. I know that the percentage isn't that much but what if I live another 20+ years. And I've waited 4 years to get my maximum amount. I could have started at age 62 at the lowest rate. Also, I'm filing on D-ex S.S. so my amount is already reduced.

 

He kept making faces like he couldn't believe I didn't want to start right now. That was getting old real fast. He said, "Yeah but you will have to wait for 5 years to make up for that missing check amount." I said, "What if I live for 6 more years? I'll then be locked in to this rate instead of the higher amount, What if I live for 20 more years?" He said, "Well, we never know."  He sat me in front of a computer and left to wait on someone else. I could hear them talking (but not what they were saying) in the next booth.

 

I filled in the info into the computer hoping I did it correctly and he came back in and made a sad face and asked if I was sure before he hit the 'enter' button. Sigh. I was sure.  Crimony.  Then he left.

 

A lady walked by wondering why I was still there. I asked if I was finished and she said yes and walked off. I had a few questions I wanted to ask but no one was there. I was already beyond p*ssed so I knew it was best I just leave. I was passed my limit of civility.

 

I wondered:

Will my Part A and Part B of Medicare be automatically deducted. I think so but wanted to verify it.

If so, when should I stop paying it myself and since I'm paying 3 months ahead, will they owe me money

What will the amount of my check actually be after Medicare deductions

How do I get my supplemental plan auto deducted

What about my prescription plan. Is it auto deductible too

Is my amount showing the 2018 rate increase. Has it happened yet

I thought checks were deposited on the 1st. Mine isn't until the 25th. Because my b'day is the 6th. Maybe

 

Now I need to reset my computer calendar alert thingy to July 25th.  103 more days baby....103 more days.

 

It seems nothing is ever easy for me.

 

its ALWAYS a pain to sign up.  You are right to hold out for the larger check.  They will deduct the medicare, and they will refund your money (they did mine).  As far as the amount, they will send you a letter to let you know how much.  The odd date of the check is because they spread the payment dates out to keep cash flow steady - M gets hers on the 3rd; I get mine on the 4th Wed of each month.  What they heigh-ho.  It IS the govt though so you can expect glitches.  Just keep on them - phone calls upon phone calls - and it will eventually settle down.  

[Mt_Rider]

Whoa, Miki!  That must have been quite a stressful day...including the drive. 

 

But hopefully you all are getting  closer to some answers.  Having the engine act up WHILE one is at the mechnic's shop is a gooood thing tho. 

 

DH has been trying for months to get the REPORT of his echocardiogram from last summer.  On some insurance data, he recognized a code for 'leaky heart valve'....and obviously should have been told about it.  That was the era of that AWFUL DOC.  So he got his report yesterday on his recent blood work.  The  Nurse Practioner [don't know if there is currently a doctor...they change them like sox]  was good but sent him to front desk for written reports.  Front Desk doesn't understand that ECG does not stand for echocardiogram....  Sooo he just dropped by the hospital on his way to the next thing and signed to get that report [not the actual test] to him.  I need a copy of my Dec ultrasound too...but I wasn't there.

 

Told DH that after his day yesterday, going to work will be a vacation. 

MtRider  ....snowed an inch during the nite/already melting

[Jeepers]

Such a stressful day Miki.   As for S.S. Just know ahead of time what you want and stand your ground and don't let them try to fast talk you out what is best for you.

 

Thanks Kappy. I  did make a mistake when I posted the above. I get it on the 4th. Wednesday of each month. Not necessarily on the 25th. of each month. You just jogged my memory.

 

I just found the paper they gave me that says benefits are paid according to your birthdate day:

 

Birthdate:             Paid:

1st.-10th.        Second Wednesday

11th. - 20th.   Third Wednesday

21st - 31st.     Fourth Wednesday

 

Well, my birthday is on the 6th. so according to their schedule I should receive mine on the 2nd. Wednesday and not the 4th.  But since I'm filing on my D-ex benefits and his birthday is on a 29th. that's probably where they are getting it.  BTW, SSI is different. it gets deposited on the 1st. or last day of the month according to the month.

 

[The WE2's]

Weather forecast was for warm weather early, then stormy then cold for the weekend so we did some Mennonite shopping.  They had Land O Lakes butter on sale, two for $5 and lots of other stuff.  We're planning an R&R in the travel trailer the 27th so wanted to get all the shopping done that I want to take.  We're being joined by friends, and as usual we cook one evening and they cook one evening etc.  I'm fixing Fajita's for our share meal and can buy big bags of bell peppers and onions.  It rained off and on during the morning in their towns but didn't get much here.  All the serious storms went around us (as usual) so we just hung around here the rest of the afternoon.  I did go online to fill out the census....because of their threats.  When they ask for a name (they said it was voluntary and I could enter a nick name) I entered "illegal to ask" and gave the the bare essentials ...did we have a bathroom, did we have a sink & faucet...then I skipped all the rest.  Done!  No phone number either.  FYI for those of you who might be wondering about their scare tactics.

[kappydell]

4 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Such a stressful day Miki.   As for S.S. Just know ahead of time what you want and stand your ground and don't let them try to fast talk you out what is best for you.

 

Thanks Kappy. I  did make a mistake when I posted the above. I get it on the 4th. Wednesday of each month. Not necessarily on the 25th. of each month. You just jogged my memory.

 

I just found the paper they gave me that says benefits are paid according to your birthdate day:

 

Birthdate:             Paid:

1st.-10th.        Second Wednesday

11th. - 20th.   Third Wednesday

21st - 31st.     Fourth Wednesday

 

Well, my birthday is on the 6th. so according to their schedule I should receive mine on the 2nd. Wednesday and not the 4th.  But since I'm filing on my D-ex benefits and his birthday is on a 29th. that's probably where they are getting it.  BTW, SSI is different. it gets deposited on the 1st. or last day of the month according to the month.

 

I have to admire a proficient bureaucratic system....they seem to delight in making things as complex as possible!   I am always amazed at how complex they can make the simplest things!  

Edited April 14, 2018 by kappydell

[Annarchy]

Oh! Thanks Jeepers, that explains why I get my SSD on the 3rd Wednesday each month. They never gave me anything like that explaining it. So, DH will get his on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. Nice. 

 

Today, I began prepping for my trip to TX next Wednesday (Ha! SSD payday).  Lol. Now you all know why I go when I go. Lol

 

Anyway, I am still trying to kill the odor in the car, got mail, got some supplies, and decided dinner was going to be steak and potatoes. Made some apple empanadas and bollio bread. See this thread:  

 

The wind was rushing through most of the day. MIL called saying it was bad in TX too. We barely got to 70* by 1pm. By 3 pm we made it to the mid 70’s. Forecasters are saying this will be the last of the spring weather, low temps for the weekend then, back up. More wind to come with the weather changes. 

[kappydell]

I can't believe I did all that typing and it just went 'poof' and disappeared!

 

Another day of chasing our tails.  Dirt man did NOT come yesterday (he forgot) nor today.  Talked to the man who is helping with our lawn, and he says in 2 weeks. Guess we are not a priority.  We will have to leave all the pots of plants where we moved them to for two weeks.  They are all in pots as we did not want to put them in until our lawn dirt was in and seeded.

 

Tried to deposit my mortgage return check today (they Fed-Ex'ed it, bless their hearts).  Nobody knew how to do that long distance.  The nearest branch of my bank is in Atlanta, an all day trip away.  Finally I asked "can we Wester Union it?"  YESSSSS!  So we did.  My bank was nice enough to erase four overdraft charges due to the mix up.  

 

We are in Tick City now.  Daily we are removing ticks from the dogs, ourselves and each other.  I keep hearing the song from The Music Man going through my head (amended of course):

"Pick a little, talk a little.  Pick a little, talk a little. TICK! TICK! TICK! Talk a lot, pick a little more"  Daily we remove ticks from ourselves, the dogs, and each other.  Makes me feel itchy.

 

My doc is getting me a new APAP mask - I'm grateful.  The full face one did not work well;  nonetheless I would have keep using it until I adapted, because I sleep SOOOO much better with the APAP.  She is happy with my vitamin supplementation program.  I go for blood tests at the cancer clinic (40 miles away) next week, and am looking forward to getting copies of them.  I want to see if the supplements helped with my life long anemia, since iron has no effect.   Its possible - my internist said my color was noticeably better (since I started tweaking the diet).  I'm 'pinker' now she says.  Sounds good to me!

 

So tomorrow we plant some more rhubarb and shop for a chipper/shredder.  We will get a small unit, as we only need to chip/shred leaves and branches under 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Our crafting friends get the larger branches up to four inches; some round 'cookies' from the base of the trees, and the rest is firewood.  We waste nothing.  With a chipper/shredder we can  make mulch and shred leaves for composting.  Yes, I'm setting up a compost bin....later...right now we are planning and compiling our stuff and setting things up as to placement.  

Should be enough to do to keep us hopping for several years at least!  Sore muscles and all we are adapting to the higher exertion levels of spring chores!

 

 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2018 by kappydell

[Mt_Rider]

26 minutes ago, kappydell said:

We are in Tick City now.  Daily we are removing ticks from the dogs, ourselves and each other.  I keep hearing the song from The Music Man going through my head (amended of course):

"Pick a little, talk a little.  Pick a little, talk a little. TICK! TICK! TICK! Talk a lot, pick a little more"  Daily we remove ticks from ourselves, the dogs, and each other.  Makes me feel itchy.

 

Does your area allow a few guineas or chickens?  They'd take care of those ticks!  ...Ick Ick Ick

 

Weather all over the Doppler map today is UNSETTLED.  That terrible WIND from yesterday blew towards some of you and it's turning into more than WIND.  Blizzard conditions in the Dakotas...heading for MN?  Massive lines of thunderstorms in the middle of the country.  Sheeesh!  Get supplies and hunker down!

 

MtRider  ....battened down the Circus Tent a bit more tonite.  Not sure if any more 'weather' is actually going to hit here...   

Edited April 14, 2018 by Mt_Rider

[Jeepers]

Careful of those ticks! I'm sure you know all about Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever and all of those good things. BTW, I knew a little girl in Indiana who nearly died from the tick fever and she had never been to the Rockies. So...

 

It's been very windy and rainy here for the last couple of days. At least I don't have to shovel rain. It has warmed up to the 50's-60's so I'm hoping I just got my last snow plowing bill in the mail yesterday. I hope it continues to rain for a few more days because my tractor battery is dead and I can't find the charger. Grass will start to get ankle high real soon. Sigh. I'm too scared to hook it up to the Jeep battery and jump it.  Boom!  I'll buy a new battery before I attempt that little stunt. I know me and my luck. It ain't purdy.

 

My jaw is starting to ache and my head is too. Migraine coming on. Darn. Not to mention my ever present pain in the neck...literally. I'm going to hit the heating pad and put in a book on CD, I got from the library last week, and try to sleep it all away. Push comes to shove I'm not too proud to take an Ambien tonight and get relief that way. It's last resort but I'm not in the mood to suffer through this time.

[kappydell]

Jeepers, I'm sorry for your migraines.  I plant feverfew for my friends who get migraines.  Some of them say some leaves in a bread & butter sandwich helps.  

 

We thought about guinea hens, but are not sure how long they would last with our coyotes roaming around.  While the local hunting club thins them down 2-3 times a year, we still hear them howling (couple times a week).  And they are known to kill domestic dogs, so what would they do if they found some guinea hens?  Would roaming hens automatically return to a coop at night?  I know little about guinea hens.

[The WE2's]

Our usual...Abby and I go with Hubby to homestead and I pittle around inside while he works on bath remodel.  Then he changed out the disc on our security camera.  Would you believe the only "incident" we caught of the backwards driver was a big dust "poof" behind our truck?  He was absolutely traveling fast.  No wonder he lost control.  We really thought we'd catch him when he first ran into the ditch...but he surpassed all expectations!  Started raining a bit ago and temp was barely at 50.  Still can't put in potatoes because it's supposed to rain tomorrow too.  I may have to pinch off the runners and see if I can still save them for seed...?  Guess that would be a real experiment!

[Mt_Rider]

Hope you get rid of that ole migraine, Jeepers!   

 

Kappy, I don't know a lot about guineas.  They are less domesticated than chickens/ducks.  So if in danger, they fly.  They roost in trees at nite for safety.  Not sure you could 'keep them home'....  I remember them screeching when we'd drive up to our friend's farm.  Real perimeter alert birds. 

 

If you were to have a few chicken hens, a sturdy moving "tractor" might help with the ticks.  Just keep moving it around the yard.  They eat other buggy/wormie [sorry Wormie] things too.  Will you have trouble with snails in your gardens?  Yeah, I'd worry about a lot of ticks.  I know several people with Lyme's Disease...and it's forever unless you're lucky enough to get rid of it with one round of antibiotics.  Not everyone is that fortunate. 

 

My friend in MN has indeed gotten the heavy snow.  She's holed up for the next couple days and can work from home.  Good thing cuz she must commute the entire lengths of the Twin Cities to get to work.   Second bad wintery weather they've had recently.  Everything missed us but hit Eastern CO.  We're    Horses starting to nip the tops of green grass already.  ....not that we would be surprised to get a spring blizzard....or two.   

 

MtRider  ....   

 

 

[Daylily]

kapppydell,

We've had as many as 40 guineas at one time. They are not as smart at chickens. You have to train them to go in a house from a very young age.  Even than, every once in a while, they get a wild  hair and roost in the trees instead of going in the house. Great-horned Owls love them.  It's pretty much impossible to catch them  if they decide not to roost in their house. We never saw a tick while we had them and I wish we could have them now. We just can't afford to grow owl and coyote food.

[Daylily]

Good grief! It never showed up  when I would click Submit Reply and now there it is a bunch of times.

[Mt_Rider]

I got it, Daylily.  Deleted the multiple posts.