Watcha doing today?

[Jeepers]

I'm in the money, I'm in the money!  

 

 

 

After that huge tax bill I had to pay, the State found an error and issued me a refund of....$4.00 even. Wal-Mart here I come.   LOL

 

And my contractor called Monday about the payment I still owe them. I told her my thought on it. That State Farm messed up and included the payment to the deconstruction company onto the reconstruction estimate bill. They should have been separate. After checking the numbers, she agreed. So, she called them herself. And I was right. They counted the money for the deconstruction bill as part of the payment for reconstruction. I figured she would get farther with them than I would because they want their money. As they should. They did the work. State Farm called me all apologetic saying they messed up. He threw the other guy under the bus saying it was his fault. I told him that my mortgage company and the construction company had already done the math and we figured what happened by the numbers and that they owed me more money. In other words, State Farm was trying to, basically, scam me out of $30,000. figuring I would pay the reconstruction bill in full thinking State Farm had already paid all they said they would. And I would have, because State Farm had already told me they had paid everything and they had the checks to prove I cashed them. Yes, but they paid the wrong place out of the reconstruction money. Thankfully, I had set up a separate bank account before any money changed hands so I have a record of all the checks State Farm issued and all the checks I had written to my construction company to date. If it hadn't been for the construction company questioning it, I would have paid the full amount. Dirty bas..... He said he would send out a check this week. Whew, that will bring down the amount I will still owe them to a manageable amount that I can swing myself without borrowing any money. Yes, I'm getting a $30,000 check but it all belongs to my construction company and then some. They have been so good to me. Even bought me a new furnace, before insurance approved a penny, to keep me from freezing to death in January when I had bronchitis and covid. State Farm didn't approve a furnace for me until March. I hate them. 

 

And, my healthcare system has approved a ride to and from Cleveland for a tilt table test. I just have to get all the paper work from my doctor and turn it in and get an appointment scheduled. I told D-ex that if it's too far out on the calendar and I'm gone from here, I might rent a hotel for a couple of days and drive back for it. We'll see. It should have been done a year ago. 

 

So today has been a good day. I got $4.00 of my own money from the taxes I paid. I'll take it as a win. 

[Littlesister]

Wow Jeepers, I wish they would find a mistake on my taxes and send me money back. Glad they are finally getting the insurance straight. And if you do decide to go with another company don't get Nationwide. They are not on your side. They look for a way to scam you out of more money.  My neighbor across from my side yard said Nationwide told her that she has spots on her roof. The roof is about 4 or 5 years old. I'm looking at it and saying what are they talking about. There are no spots. They told her if she didn't pressure wash the roof and send pictures that it was done then they would drop her. Say what!  Since when did you have to pressure wash your roof to keep your insurance?  

And on top of that State Farm has now decided to cancel all insurance for all that live near the ocean or in flood areas. This is what they did in CA.  Neighbor is now in the process of looking for a new insurance and she checked to see if we are in a flood zone which we are not. 

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Miki,    for your DH.   I hope his appointment went well. 

[Jeepers]

2 minutes ago, out_of_the_ordinary said:

Miki,    for your DH.   I hope his appointment went well. 

Ditto!

[Littlesister]

Here also.  that all went well for your DH Miki.  

[Jeepers]

Who on the heck pressure washes their roof? Around here it would take off all the little asphalt nubs. And are you supposed to get up there with a pressure washer and do it?  That would be a guaranteed neck breaker at my house. I did hose my roof in Indiana because of moss. But that was just a bottle of stuff at the end of a hose.

 

I heard insurance companies were dropping people because of forest fires in California. Also in Florida for hurricanes. Both places will still be covered for their cars but not their houses.

 

I've heard some companies won't cover houses with a wood stove/fireplace now. Some will still cover if its professionally installed. It's coming. 

 

I wonder how long they will stop coverage in the Midwest because of the terrible tornado damage.

 

Nationwide isn't on your side

State Farm isn't a good neighbor

 

I think they are all pretty sleazy.

 

[Becca_Anne]

Jeepers so glad that got straightened out and I really hope this whole thing is over and done with for you soon. It might be worth hiring someone to help you sort what's left with your back limiting the amount of time you can spend there, or clear it all out and put in a storage unit to come back and deal with as you feel up to it so you can get the house on the market now. It's prime selling season right now you don't want to miss that window. Moving is hard in normal circumstances and worse in your kind of situation. Hopefully this will be a memory soon.

 

Miki prayers for your husband's Dr visit hope that went well.

 

I opened the box I thought had just the plum tree I ordered and it turned out to have 2 plum trees, the other 2 pecan trees, and 9 Nanking Cherry Bushes. I had thought I only ordered 3 Nanking Cherry bushes from this company but it was 3 bundles of 3! So I will have 12 total since I had ordered a different variety from another company. Didn't have the energy or time to plant all of them this morning so I planted the 2 pecans, then I dug a hole and put the rest of them in it to keep them alive until the weekend when I can plant properly. I'm going to have a food forest if it's the only thing I can do this year. I only got 3 carrots to come up out of the 3 rows I planted  going to have to work on that. So repurposing that part of the garden for something else. Will pre-sprout my fall carrots and see if I can do better. Started hardening off some of my seedlings yesterday so I can plant them in the garden by the weekend. My porch makes the perfect place to do it since they only get a few hours of sun then the porch shades them. Worked really well last year. DH got the lawn mowed. 

 

My mom is showing some signs of memory issues from her stroke, she doesn't really remember much of what happened the previous day. I thought it was minor like forgetting what she ate for lunch, etc. until the other day when she disagreed with me about something and said she was moving back home to Idaho and couldn't live here.. and then by the evening she was acting like she hadn't said anything and hasn't brought it up since and is talking about future rehab in June here. Her attitude is also pleasant to me now where she was really angry (the disagreement was about something to do with the dishes I was washing and completely irrational). She really doesn't remember the incident at all. So I will just not engage and recognize there is more going on under the surface/healing that needs to happen than it first appeared. 

[Littlesister]

OOTO, my GD has one. She would use breast milk in it for her. She would freeze it and then give it to the baby. It helped get her through that first tooth. Now she is about to have a second one cut through the gums. She didn't start her on any type of food till she was 6 months old. She will be 7 months on the 9th. And is doing really good on mashed up foods so far. 

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, my insurance doesn't know I have a wood stove. I am not sure if they know this house has a fireplace or not as my DH had the house for a few years before I ever met him. But it is the same insurance. State Farm.   

I haven't heard anything about being dropped for hurricanes here yet, but I am sure it could be coming. So far, the past few years we haven't had any issues with hurricanes.  We have them but we have been very fortunate that they haven't really hit us. I thank the Lord for that. He keeps us safe. 

Becca Anne, you are going to have a forest of fruit and nut trees. That's a good thing. 

Will keep your mom in prayer that her memory will come back. This could just be a set back from the stroke.  Baby steps are in order for a good recovery. 

[Mt_Rider]

3 hours ago, Becca_Anne said:

So I will just not engage and recognize there is more going on under the surface/healing that needs to happen than it first appeared. 

 

   Sorry you've run into this, BeccaAnne.  My parents were/are in their 90's but my dad had ever-increasing dementia/paranoia.  It was not fun.  Mom is more even tempered so when she gets hissy.... it's quite a shock.  She's been coming up with odd stories and reactions to things for the past several years.  It's more and more frequent, but most of the time her errors are merely getting the time of day mixed up.  { IT'S STILL HARD}  The emotions switching up like that is disconcerting - to say the least!!    Huh, what?   

 

You'll have to be very adaptable...flexible....and you've already noted that.  I think my brother is still trying to figure out when to duck&cover and when to relax cuz 'Mom's here in the now today'.  Not that "other woman" who can't be satisfied or made happy.    But it makes the good times more precious. 

 

My mom was MIA tonite when I called.  Twice.  It was early so she shouldn't have been asleep at 7pm East Coast time.  For the past 30 yrs, she and I talked from 10pm til ....up to midnight sometimes.  Until she changed time zones to east coast.  2 hrs difference.  It's a pain to remember now that the sun sets so much later with the change of season.  I've had to set an alarm clock to remind me.  Hope she's ok.  She wouldn't have had her meds by that time so someone will be in for that....and will see if she's okay.  But this is hard to rely on staff when we can't reach her as normal.   

 

MtRider  ....not exactly enjoying this aspect of this season of life.   

[Mt_Rider]

   for Jeepers and your Four Dollar Rebate.     And the insurance company paying their part of the house stuff was pretty neat too.    So glad for you.  This has been an incredibly difficult era for you.  It doesn't need to be overly expensive out of your pocket too!     

 

 

 

AND..... I realllly accomplished things today.  {oye, I'll likely pay tomorrow}  Oh well, I'm pleased today.  Had the Bible study this morning - which wears me out.  A lot more sensory overload than I'm used to.  But after lunch I began to sort thru clothes - all over.  Dug out from back and top of closet.  In boxes.  All of it.  Cuz I need to see what I've got that's appropriate for our Maui trip. 

 

   The swim suit trial was....interesting.  I haven't had those on for...30 years.  Oye.  I ended up with a couple possibilities...with a cover shirt.  Since we'll be stark white with no tan, I bought a long sleeve shirt - polyester or something "silky" that I can wear over the swim suit.  2-piece only but not even near bikini.  LOL  So I've got some options that fit comfortably.  I want to actually be ON the water in a kayak or something but...  {excited to see the ocean again....after I see the o'hana, of course!}     

Anyway, I sorted out clothes from everywhere.  I was trying things on for hours.  Have things for thrift store donation; things for winter put elsewhere; pile of probably pack for Maui; things that now fit into the drawers.....  I have not, however, tackled the hanging clothes in the closet...nor the footwear.  That's the next thing.  But I'm thrilled to get so much cleared.  Course I'm putting a lot into the laundry - ran 2 loads and a blanket today.  PROGRESS ...on packing and on Clutter Clearing.   

 

.....might be a bit off tomorrow tho.  I'm sure that was a load of adrenaline to get that much accomplished when I was gone this morning too.     Oh well.  I have to keep pushing this.  It's been SO long since we went back, got to think in a whole different way than our mountain existence.  And then there's the 15 hrs of plane flight to survive.     Need to get really creative with that too. 

 

MtRider      

[Jeepers]

Becca-Anne, I'm sorry you are going through this with your mom. You are wise to not engage her. Especially since she won't remember it anyway. It sucks that you will though. It can be hard for caregivers.  

 

Girl, you are going to be eating well on nuts and fruit and berries in the future. You are going to be like Yogi Bear and need a pic-a-nic basket.  

 

 

BTW, that $4.00 check from the government made me laugh because I had to pay over $13,000 to the state in taxes this year. Nice of them to give me $4.00 back. When I told D-ex he said it was better than a poke in the eye. Well, I guess so.  

[Jeepers]

@Mt_Rider  Good for you! Glad you are making progress. Clothing has been a lot for me to deal with too. I have too much but I'm afraid to get rid of much in case I need it in the future.

 

Lawsy, trying on a swim suit..... I just wore pajama shorts and a tank top at the hotel pool. It wasn't going to be pretty no matter what I did. 

 

Yikes, I didn't realize it was going to be a 15 hour trip. Does that include getting to the air port etc. Is it a straight flight? Most people recommend wearing compression socks on a long flight to help prevent blood clots. Something about sitting in one place too long.  

[Mt_Rider]

Love Crocs since they are light and spacious on my feet.  I wear my shoes large for some reason.  Wore out a pair and used shoe goo to fix it.  Still wearing them.  Find all of them at thrift stores.  Got a pair to take to Maui.  Might wear them on the plane. 

 

Always barefoot in Iowa childhood.  And Maui too.  We had a church gathering at a member's house one night.  Grande house on the golf course.  But the folks were precious.  However Harriette did wonder who walked off barefoot without their shoes.    Me.  On these Rocky Mts...I wear shoes!  The crumbling granite is so very sharp.  And all there is ...all granite.  No lawn.  No mowing.  Not barefoot but Crocs are the next best thing.....cuz you don't have to bend over to put them on or take them off. 

 

I do have compression socks and I'd thot of that.  I've been having a weird thing with my legs when I stand too long - like a shower.  The legs turn a bright pink - not dark but bright!  And the veins are very dark purple.  I've scheduled a yearly wellness exam with my primary after we get back.  I'd like to know if that's something I need to be concerned about....esp with flying??  I've never had any trouble.   

 

It takes and hour and half at least to get to the airport.  Flight leaves at 5am.  Plane change in Phoenix....and a 5 hour layover.     THEN we go to Maui - about 5 hrs flying.  Arrive at around 3 in the afternoon.  I think those numbers are right.  So we'll be heading over to the city early in the afternoon.  After dropping dog at the boarder's house.  We'll get a hotel/motel ? and go eat early supper with my friend who lives there.  Then try to sleep before getting up at 3am.  ****can you tell how we got cheap tickets? ****   Oye.  But we'd have to leave soooo early in the morning, we would not get any sleep.  And I am a Nervous Nellie about getting to airport and THRU THE BLASTED SECURITY ...and to the gate well ahead of time.  I'm early boarding with wheelchair.  {I'm wringing my hands just thinking about airport! } Once I'm at the gate on time....then it's THEIR responsibility to get the plane there.  (which they didn't when I flew last Nov.  4 boarding tickets and I never got out of the airport until the next morning. )  Just checked...13.5 hr travel time - includes the layover.  Yeah well that's better.   

 

MtRider   

[mommato3boys]

On 4/3/2024 at 8:09 PM, mommato3boys said:

Oh my stars, how did I do this for 40 something years? I am totally out of "work" mode that is for sure. This past month has been rough. 17 more months to go LOL. I can do this, and I thought chasing a 2 year old and 4 year old was rough. At least they took naps 

 

 

Still shuffling along here; however, there is no high stepping happening. To honest I don't think my body is going to hold out until August of 2025. I am going to stick it out as long as I can but this is rough on this 60+ year old body. I am hoping to make it to December at least then I can draw early SS. I will be 62 in December. I keep thinking my body is a temple - acient and crumbling 

 

Hopefully I will get some time this weekend to get on here and get caught up, but I have got to get the garden finished. 

[Littlesister]

Mommato3boys, you will get there with lots of prayer and encouragement from MrsS.  I retired early but not by choice but because the Dr. I worked for retired, so I retired with him as my DH really needed me to be home with him.  I also took early SS at 62. Bad part was it is a big cut from waiting till your retirement age. But I made out fine. 

 

GD and GGD are coming over around noon today. So just doing a few things around the house today.  Washing clothes, sweeping floors, and such.  Might go out after they go home and work on flower beds. Can't stack the last of the wood till GS has his day off to get the last wood rack set up. I think he was a bit mad at me for stacking all the wood by myself. But he was asleep and had to work that evening.  And I want that job done like last month. Like everything else around here it is taking way too long to get it finished. 

[snapshotmiki]

@Jeepers, I'm so glad that you got the 30,000 figured out!  That would have been a huge loss for you and having to borrow.  

@Mt_Rider, I'm glad that you are progressing organizing!

@Becca_Anne, Yay for your food forest!  Sounds like you are making progress!

 

Walked and walked to the local grocery at the same time.
Made Smokies wrapped in bacon with brown sugar.
Walked dogs.
Next, making Pecan pie dip to serve with vanilla wafers.
Party this evening for my Military friend who just came home from Kuwait.

 

DH's appt. yesterday went well.  He was very well behaved (and so was the doc).  Didn't yell at each other or anything!  He won't have to go to the hospital for infusion every day for 3 weeks.  He will get IV antibiotics at home as we have done before.  Getting a referral for infectious disease doc.  I think he will be more on top of the infection in his lungs.  Just waiting for VA and docs to coordinate and start the process for home care, etc.

Edited May 2 by snapshotmiki

[Jeepers]

@snapshotmiki.  

Funny but i bought some little smokie links today. I want to can them with some potatoes, onion and green beans. They aren't that good texture wise but they make the veggies taste so good. Earlier this week Midnightmom and I were canning sauerkraut at the same time. Cue the Twilight Zone music. 

 

I'm glad it went well for your DH. Calm is good. At least it's a step in the right direction. I'll bet he will get better results from a specialist. Praying for a speedy appointment. That can be half the battle these days.     

[Jeepers]

No body ever answers the phone any more. I contacted my doctor and it took them 2 days to get back to me. I called the hospital for a test and it took them 3 days to call back. I called my social worker and their answering machine said they would get back to me in 2-3 business days. Moral of the story is if you want something done, start calling right away! Especially if you are calling multiple people to coordinate anything. Sheeesh.

 

Anyway, I scheduled the tilt table test for the first available date. May 21st. They only do them on Tuesday's. They had a 7:15am or a 9:15am. I took the 9:15. I'm not a morning person so 9:15am is like the crack of dawn for me. Probably have to leave the house at 8:00am.

 

I called my social worker, ( I refer to him as my ride coordinator. I don't like the sound of a social worker. Like I'm in trouble or feeble) to get a ride set up. He'll call back. I hope. 

 

What she told me, is totally different from what my GP doctor told me. No issues though. No food or water 3 hours before the test. Wear comfortable clothing. It should take an hour or so. I just have to lay flat the whole time. That will be uncomfortable but I can do it. No sedation and no I.V. My regular GP said there would be. Pffft. I didn't care but that was a main hold up about getting a ride or driving myself last year. 

 

I'm nervous. Not about the test. If I get faint I'll be in the right place. I'm nervous about trying to find my way around on that big campus and being there in time. I'll be dropped off at the door and left to my own devices. That could go south real fast. She said there will be lots of people around to ask. You all know me. There will be issues. 

 

All the stumbling blocks I went through last year to get this done. Now it's easy. Sort of. At least it will be done before I move so I won't have to come back and rent a hotel for it. 

 

For them being the only one in my county doing them and only doing them on a Tuesday, I think I got the appointment pretty fast. I was thinking mid July. 

 

[Littlesister]

Miki, I am glad all went well for your DH.  And the fact he will be seeing a specialist will help a lot.  Doing the IV antibiotics at home will also help. He will be much happier doing that from home than a hospital. 

 

Jeepers, glad you were able to get the test set up. I am sure all will go well, and you will find your way to where you need to be. 

I remember those days of not being able to get hold of a doctor.  I would call for a hospital follow up for DH and no one ever called back. At least you will get a call back in a couple of days or so. 

 

GS got the last wood rack up and ready to finish up the wood. Found a home for that ladder. GS's DH needs to clean gutters so GS unhooked it from the fence where DH had it secured to. It was hard to get undone, but he got it down. So, I am giving it to my GD and her DH. I will never use it. So, another thing gone from here.  Glad I don't have to worry about gutters anymore. Mine have the screens over them to prevent anything from clogging them up. 

GD and the baby came over and we put a blanket on the ground in the shade and she had a ball. GS was very entertaining. He climbed the tree and that baby just looked at him and laughed the whole time. Usually, she sees him and starts crying. He doesn't know what to do or how to entertain a baby. But he did good today and she never cried once. Something about his voice. He talks to her to loud and she doesn't like loud noise. So, we taught him how to speak Softley to her.  

And I didn't get anything done today so catching up tomorrow.  Though I did get the bones from the Boston butts in the slow cooker to cook the meat that was left on them off. So will be using that meat for something for dinner tomorrow. 

Edited May 3 by Littlesister
Hit save instead of back button again.

[Becca_Anne]

Jeepers glad you were able to get it scheduled! Hopefully the social worker can arrange a ride for you. 

Miki so glad your DH's appointment went well!

Mommato3boys hopefully work continues to be tolerable for you. December will be here before you know it and then at least you'll have an easier option to stop if you need to. 

Littlesister hope you had fun playing in your flower beds!

I went out and did some weeding, and planted my bush beans today. First set of seedlings I'm hardening off on the porch seems happy. I watered them too. Going to start hardening off the next batch Saturday. I saw two volunteer tomato plants in my garden too so going to let them do their thing. Also starting some more seeds this weekend to finish off the plants I want to give a head start. I need to go get straw too to help keep the weeds down. That worked really well last year. Work is picking up so I need to get the garden in before I am tied up more.

[Jeepers]

I did get them to call back but, I called them every day. My ride coordinator said he would call back in 2-3 days. Day 3 I'll be calling. I'm not playing. I'm tired. 

 

Littlesister. It sounds like you had a fun day. 

 

Becca-Anne, the straw will keep the weeds down and help keep some moisture in too. 

 

MT3B, somehow I missed your post. Hope you can hang in there. I know it's hard. But if you can, it will be worth it if you get to retire.

 

Body is a temple - ancient and crumbling.      Ain't it the truth. 

[Necie]

Exhausting week. Hot and slow at flea market... with 13 yr old. 
Took her home this afternoon and then planted most of the small garden we have here. It’s storming now. Boomers. For the last 4 hrs off and on. 
Farm tomorrow to pick rhubarb with mom, ds1, and niece. 
Heading to bed. This is the latest I’ve been up this week. Used to going to bed at about 1... now 10. 

[Jeepers]

I was wondering how your flea market went. I'm sure it will take awhile to get back in the swing of it again. 

 

Hope your storms don't make it to my house. Sometimes they do and sometimes they go south. I have the yard dude coming tomorrow to check out planting and or mulching. 

[Mt_Rider]

I did more laundry and more sorting.     I found different swimwear stuff that I'd completely forgotten.  When we took mom out to VA, I stayed out there for a week to help her get unpacked/adjusted.  We spent July 4 on Bro's boat.  Thus the swim suit.  Kinda.  (how do you tell a "sports bra" from a bra you wear under sporting clothes?  )  This one is black and green...whole halter top.  Have a polyester tank to go over it.  Swim shorts.  And a colorful sleeveless "dress" that goes over it all.  Probably a better arrangement than the decades-older versions I'd been looking at.  We'll see. 

 

So I got normal laundry plus more of the clothes-dug-out-of-back-of closet.  Still sorting.  Nap...needed it.  I'm up late again.  Talked to mom today and she said she was at the doctor's yesterday.     Mebbe?  She gets days all mixed up.  I GET DAYS ALL MIXED UP.  But she doesn't remember if I forget to call.  Two days ago she told me she doesn't have a watch - "someone took it".  Then today she says the watch band is pinching her.  Uh, when did you get that?  Hmm....  She also came up with a great idea to eat more.  Put milk in chocolate Ensure to thin down the thick texture and strong/sweet taste.  Brilliant!  ....course I've been telling her that since last November when I was out there.....    I've told my brother that too!  (if I had to gain weight, I'd use ice cream and turn it into a shake....but that's me.)   

 

Okay....I'm getting sleepy.  Y'all take good care. 

MtRider