May Daily To-Do's/Notable Accomplishments

[happystuff]

Feeling good about getting the month started off on the right foot with regard to my Sunday daily to-do's. Have completed balanced checkbook and paid necessary bills, made our breakfast dish for the week, taken the last of the turkey steaks from earlier in the week and have meals planned to use up the remaining ones - including tonight's dinner of stir fried rice, prepping my bullet journal for the new month and prepping remaining garden beds for planting. Feels good to be productive, even in little things. :)

[catherine]

Nice, happystuff! That sounds like a very productive May Day!

I didn't do too badly myself--finally got out to take care of the leaves because it wasn't too cold or too windy. Yesterday was the first real spring day. So DH cleared the leaves. I don't rake in the fall so that all the little critters have a place to stay over the winter. So I wind up with heaps of leaves in the spring, usually matted to the ground or swirled into piles against the house.

We rake the lawn and then shred the leaves using a shredder/mulcher and then use it in compost and in the gardens. It's a pretty good workout all-in-all. I actually accomplished calorie goal on my Apple Watch--something I NEVER do!

[happystuff]

Nice, catherine! On both the yard work and calorie goal!

[happystuff]

FINALLY, crossed off "go to the bank". Don't know why I procrastinated so much over such a simple little thing, but it is now done. LOL. Plus, got Mother's Day scheduled and on the calendar with MIL and ordered a new pair of work shoes.

[iris lilies]

Good IB catherine.

My own perennial garden in Hermann, the non-iris and Non-Lily bed, is covered with matted leaves keep little annual flowers from sprouting.

[catherine]

Here's a biggie: I bought myself a life insurance policy. I've never had one outside of the standard employer-issued ones, but I haven't had an employer in 15 years. I'm always a little cavalier about those kids of things, but this is what happened: I did two focus groups with women with cancer on the topic of financial toxicity: what were all the expenses incurred by the diagnosis--some talked about how they just missed the boat on life insurance. They had been so healthy and never expected to get sick and then: boom. They are suddenly uninsurable.

I also consider myself to be very healthy, but I am 70. I have debts. I want DH and the kids to continue enjoying the VT house. So I did some research and wound up with a very reasonable 10-year term life policy in an amount that will enable the family to pay off the house, all other debts, and bury me and maybe have a little left over.

I feel good about this.

[Tybee]

Here's a biggie: I bought myself a life insurance policy. I've never had one outside of the standard employer-issued ones, but I haven't had an employer in 15 years. I'm always a little cavalier about those kids of things, but this is what happened: I did two focus groups with women with cancer on the topic of financial toxicity: what were all the expenses incurred by the diagnosis--some talked about how they just missed the boat on life insurance. They had been so healthy and never expected to get sick and then: boom. They are suddenly uninsurable.

I also consider myself to be very healthy, but I am 70. I have debts. I want DH and the kids to continue enjoying the VT house. So I did some research and wound up with a very reasonable 10-year term life policy in an amount that will enable the family to pay off the house, all other debts, and bury me and maybe have a little left over.

I feel good about this.

That is very good thinking, and good for you for actually doing it, rather than just thinking about it.

[happystuff]

That is a biggie, catherine! Congrats!

[beckyliz]

Saturday I planted a rose bush that I picked up at Aldi for $8. Also put some Aldi plastic edging around my mail box. Either I will kill this rose right away or it will be the hardiest plant on the block. I think it would have to be to survive being sold for $8 at Aldi! Time will tell. My son and DIL came over to visit for awhile Sunday (making the rounds). I asked him to move my rusted out gas grill from the deck in the back to the curb, so that's done. I took the propane container off because it still has quite a bit and will give it to my brother. I'm going to just buy a simple charcoal Weber grill.

[rosarugosa]

Saturday I planted a rose bush that I picked up at Aldi for $8. Also put some Aldi plastic edging around my mail box. Either I will kill this rose right away or it will be the hardiest plant on the block. I think it would have to be to survive being sold for $8 at Aldi! Time will tell. My son and DIL came over to visit for awhile Sunday (making the rounds). I asked him to move my rusted out gas grill from the deck in the back to the curb, so that's done. I took the propane container off because it still has quite a bit and will give it to my brother. I'm going to just buy a simple charcoal Weber grill.

We started out with a little charcoal Weber years ago, moved to a bigger gas grill, and then went back to a little charcoal Weber, full circle.

[happystuff]

Finally getting back on track with some regular daily and weekly to-do's. Have weekly breakfast made and three days of my salad meals for work. Made dinner last night and cooking dinner for tonight now (I eat early and the rest of the family whenever they get home). Have sourdough bread rising and should be able to get it baked before I leave for work.

[Teacher Terry]

3 months ago I helped a friend move out of a crappy facility to a nice apartment in another facility because he can afford something nice. It was a lot of paperwork, doctors appointments and physically packing and unpacking him. Now he’s been in and out of the hospital and has to move to a apartment in the assisted living section so packed him again yesterday and will unpack Thursday. However, once he is in assisted living they will handle all his doctor appointments, etc so I will be done with that and the biggest job was managing and setting up his 14 medications.

[happystuff]

So nice of you to help out, TT.

[happystuff]

Had a "play day" yesterday, so a lot to get done today. So far, very productive: clothes out on the line, sourdough pizza crust made and ready for dinner tonight, a loaf of bread made, breakfast casserole for the week made. Still need to pay bills and make my salad for work meals.

Hope everyone is having a nice Sunday.

[frugal-one]

Started cleaning the outside of the kitchen cabinets. Cleaned the top half yesterday and polished today. Tomorrow will clean bottom and next day polish. You would think this is no big deal but it sure hurts my hands and knees. The part that is completed sure looks nice though. I used Liquid Gold and it does an amazing job IMO.

[rosarugosa]

3 months ago I helped a friend move out of a crappy facility to a nice apartment in another facility because he can afford something nice. It was a lot of paperwork, doctors appointments and physically packing and unpacking him. Now he’s been in and out of the hospital and has to move to a apartment in the assisted living section so packed him again yesterday and will unpack Thursday. However, once he is in assisted living they will handle all his doctor appointments, etc so I will be done with that and the biggest job was managing and setting up his 14 medications.

Terry: You've been a good friend to people struggling to navigate some of these late life nightmare scenarios. Kudos to you.

[Teacher Terry]

Rosa, the people that I have helped just didn’t have kids or others to help. This guy’s wife married him for a green card and never worked once they married. Then when he got Parkinson’s disease she divorced him and took half of everything. She’s always been a horrible person and he has always been kind and caring. We have been friends for 25 years. I have helped 4 friends. I am really sore from all the packing and unpacking and need my chiropractor.

[happystuff]

Started cleaning the outside of the kitchen cabinets. Cleaned the top half yesterday and polished today. Tomorrow will clean bottom and next day polish. You would think this is no big deal but it sure hurts my hands and knees. The part that is completed sure looks nice though. I used Liquid Gold and it does an amazing job IMO.

I REALLY need to do this, but REALLY have no desire to even start. LOL. Thanks for the reminder.

[early morning]

TT - you are an amazing friend! Finally broke down and bought a deck box (plastic, ugh!) for our patio cushions and chair-umbrellas, etc. in anticipation of our shed clear out. I've been hanging them in the shed for years, but there's this little red squirrel who simply can't be kept out of the shed, and she and her kits turn everything into a big playground! So before they pull the stuffing out of all of the cushions, they - the cushions- need a new home. ANYWAY - DH and c#2 put it together yesterday, so I can put stuff in it as soon as I can reach said stuff. Today, we cleaned out our tiny pond and started up the new filter. The fish seem happy! This was their 3rd winter in the pond, and they are the first fish we've had more than one summer. I start with 4-5 feeder goldfish, and by summer's end, the racoons, outside cats, and big birds have usually gotten them all. But this batch, for some reason, avoided all predators and survived. They are about 4, 4.5 inches now, and I have a screen over to keep them safer. I've gotten rather attached to them! So, those are my biggies this week - pond clean, box assembled. :- )

[rosarugosa]

Early: I would love to see pictures of your pond!

[Simplemind]

Early morning I totally get you on the fish. We have two ponds on each side of our front walk way. There are goldfish in the smaller one and one morning we noticed the water was low and saw no fish. We figured a racoon got in, caught them and punctured the liner in the process. We drained it to find the leak and left it drained for a few days as we moved rocks around. We filled it back up and they other day my husband walked out the front door and saw fish!! They must have gone to the way back under some foliage and hunkered down in the shallow water. So happy we still have them. There are koi in the larger one and we have lost a couple. I know they are only fish but they greet me at the edge and eat from my hand. I have years invested in them and it is very upsetting to lose one.

[Teacher Terry]

I love fish especially Koi. Glad you were able to keep them safe.

[early morning]

4497

I HOPE this is a picture of my tiny pond. It's not much to look at but I love it. It's just a small pre-formed plastic, given to us by a neighbor who was moving, many years ago. I have tried to put real plants in it, but they are racoon salad, so... It currently has a fake lily pad, which has holes in it where some not-so-bright racoon tried to see if it was edible. They also totally tore apart the fake bloom that was on it, probably in a fit of pique, lol. I also used to have the edges covered with flat rocks. Which, of course, the racoons and cats perch on, so I had to keep fishing them (the rocks, the racoons and cats removed themselves...) from the pond.

4498
Patio with ugly plastic deck box. Thinking of ways to disguise it.

This is today's notable accomplishment - posting photos! :- )

[happystuff]

Nice pictures!

[rosarugosa]

Very nice, thanks for sharing, Early! Isn't it frustrating how often nature thwarts us in our attempts to enjoy nature?