To-Do List.....August 2023

Here's what got done(or didn't)in August......

* Pay Bills  DONE  Always paid in full on time or a little early.

* Go to 2 in-person DR appointments  DONE  Went to see the Orthopedic surgeon and the Interventional Pain Dr.   Neither of which was very helpful.  The orthopedist keeps putting up roadblocks to surgery and the interventional pain guy is a joke.  He won't put me on anything for pain other than a weak muscle relaxer and half the dose of the prescription NSAID the ortho had me on while I was having PT for my back.  Really?  I might as well take an Aleve!  I don't get why they make you sign something promising not to sell your drugs, drug test you and count how many pills you have left at each appt. when they won't even prescribe anything that helps with the pain.  He tried to put me on half the dose of the anti-inflammatory med the ortho had me on.  Walmart called and said a month of pills would cost $1,996.86!  I was taking twice the dosage and it was costing me ZERO OOP.  WTF?  Then he tried to get a pre-authorization and my insurance company denied it.  Eventually he kept me on the dosage the Ortho was prescribing.  Insanity.....
When I get back from Ohio and surgery the interventional pain guy wants me to have an MRI of my back(Oh joy!  Another MRI)before he'll do anything that will help me.

I also went to a third doctor, a dermatologist, to treat my HS.  She was totally underwhelming and I have no confidence that she actually "treats" HS.  She never even examined me!  She certainly is not a specialist in it.  This office is more interested in giving Botox injections, removing moles and selling overpriced skin care products in their waiting room.
So I have set up an appointment with a "real" dermatologist connected with the U of Mississippi(there are no HS specialist in LA)for early next year.

Ok, this screed is over for now. '-)

*  Go to 9 PT appointments  DONE  I finished up the Physical Therapy for my lower back pain.  I'll be going back there for PT on my knee after the joint replacement in October.

*  Schedule TeleMedicine Appointment with Another Dr.  DONE  I had my Teledoc appt. later that same day I saw the local Orthopedic surgeon who kept gaslighting me.  Ohio Doc green lighted me for a TKA and put me on his schedule for surgery.  I feel much better in the hands of this surgeon than the local Ortho guy for numerous reasons.

*  Submit all Paperwork to Surgeon  DONE  I got all the paperwork submitted(so far)through the 3rd party Healthcare Organization for the surgery.  This month I have a few blood workups and an EKG locally and then need to have it faxed to Ohio and then the paperwork will all be done.

*  Clean and Organize Stuff in House  PASS  Still figuring out how to organize the pantry and where to put some other stuff.  I went through all my mom's jewelry and tchotchkes I inherited in August.  I am in the midst of distributing some of it to kids and putting some things aside for my granddaughter when she is an adult.(It will be put in trust until then as I have no relationship with my son.)

I have also started and am adding to a "Goodwill" pile to donate.  That's mostly clothes that are now too big for me and some odds and ends.

*  Buy Stuff for House  DONE  The only thing(other than Hubs buying odds and ends to fix shit)we bought was a kitchen counter top.  Still waiting for the handyman to work installing it and the new sink in the kitchen into his schedule.  In the meantime, the 10 ft. section of counter top is living on the floor of my sewing room.  Which is fine as I can't sew in my present state.

*  Schedule MRI  DONE  That was not fun. ;-)  Now to have my Neurologist let me know what it says.....3 weeks and waiting. grrr

*  Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  DONE  I think I'll take this one off my To-Do List because as my shopping habits have changed(and we no longer to coupon inserts in the paper here)there isn't much to this.

*  Edit More Photos  DONE  Grinding out more editing of photos so I can post about old trips.

*  Post about Old Trips  DONE  Currently in August I posted about our trip out West from 2017.  I posted 7 installments of that saga in August and I'm only about halfway through that month long trip.

*  Work on Genealogy  DONE  I am always working on honing and adding to the genealogy trees.  This is something I do when I have free time in between PT and Dr. visits and tests.

*  Purchase a/c Unit for Bedroom  FAIL  We didn't end up needing one so it's falling off the list for now.

*  Send letter for DRCHC CEO+ cc to 2 More State Medical Entities  DONE  Heard back from all the Medical Entities, sent a Complaint to the Federal Government about a HIIPA violation but decided, beyond that, not to pursue this clusterf**k any further.  Stick a fork in me, I am done with their mismanaged clinic and am moving on.

*  Move Video files to new computer  FAIL  This didn't happen in August.  I am still slogging through files on my computer and getting them in better order and/or deleting stuff I no longer need or duplicates.

*  Celebrate Anniversary  DONE  We celebrated 41 years married by going out to dinner at a pretentious/overpriced restaurant.  Not great but I didn't let it put a harsh on our day.

*  Wash Dogs  DONE  The puppies got bathed outside in their little kiddie pool.  They smelled so much better but they need another bath as I am writing this. lol

What did you get accomplished in August?  Let us all know....

Sluggy

To-Do List....August Update

I know it's a bit late but here's our August To-Do List and how it all went down last month.....

* Pay Bills  DONE  First thing every month....pay ALL the bills in full.

* Read 1, 2 Books  DONE
In August I read this book...........

"The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko.

Actually we found in when Hubs cleared out his bookshelves so I read this years ago already but I am counting it again anyway.
The data is dated in this edition now and it's not a how-to become wealthy anyway.  It just proves that if someone appears to be a millionaire(ie, big house, expensive car, fashionable clothing, etc.)it doesn't necessarily mean they are.  Most millionaire(not billionaires)can be ordinary working stiffs who live below their means, invest their money and grow it and not show off by living a fancy lifestyle.
It's an interesting read and the stuff about second generation wealth, EOC(Economic Outpatient Care), UAW vs. PAW, are spot on.
And then I read this book.........

"The Real Custer: Fron Boy General to Tragic Hero" by James S. Robbins

So many myths surround Custer but this book gives the true facts of his life an even handed treatment.  I wasn't a fan of Custer going into this tome and I'll say my opinion of him didn't change much.  In my opinion, between taking risks with his battalion at the Little Big Horn, his life long treatment/opinion of the Natives, and his playing politics, he got what he deserved.  The only career he was suited for was as a soldier but he thought he knew better than his superiors and chafed at the glacier slowness of the military structure and it's dependence on government's machinations.  If he hadn't had a widow who spent the rest of her life tirelessly  promoting and shaping Custer's legacy, George Armstrong Custer would have been forgotten long ago.
An interesting read no matter what your opinion of the man is.

* Purge Inserts and Q Envie  DONE  I try to do this every month.  As I get less Sunday inserts than in years gone by it's not as bad a chore as it was.

* Hold Giveaway DONE

* Hold 2nd Giveaway  DONE  I gave away two sets of these items.

* Mail Giveaway & 2nd Giveaways DONE

* Get Carpet Done in Hubs' Room  DONE

Gratefully Hubs found a carpet in stock that he liked so it wasn't long before they had it pulled and ready to install.

* Go Through Xmas Stash  DONE

This is the photo of my whole Xmas stockpile for 2019.  I've got a list of everything in these tubs/boxes and to whom the gifts are for.  Mostly my shopping is done.  I have also decided after this Xmas we are cutting down severely on gifting.  Going forward, as a rule, cash will be given to the adult kids and I'll still send my brother and his wife presents but that's it.  It will be easier that way(and cheaper too)and I won't have to shop for Xmas year round.

* Cut Dog's Hair  DONE
Chester got a hair cut and shampoo last month before his flea treatment(cologne).

* House Train Puppy  IN PROGRESS
We are still working on the house training with Dixie.  They said a Cavalier could take 4 months to fully potty train.  She's getting it but it's taking time mainly because she is such a ditz. lolz

* Move More $ Into a CD  FAIL
Just didn't do anything with any of the extra monies in the checking account. blah  Maybe in September?

* Continue to Clean out Garage  DONE

The shot down one side with a clear pathway after Daughter moved out and all her stuff left the garage........

And the front of the garage before the stockpile sale happened.  Look at all that floor space!!!

* Organize my Stuff  IN PROGRESS
Getting the last of my sewing stuff out of the master bedroom and into my she shed room.  I'll do a reveal when it's finished in September.

* Start Processing Tomatoes  IN PROGRESS  

I started in with processing tomatoes in August and this will continue into September.

* Get Ready for a Stockpile Sale in Sept.  IN PROGRESS

Here are all the tubs and bags of stuff to sell that I gathered in August.  As of this writing the sale is over, yeah!!! Stay tuned for September's update)or the September giveaway winner announcement) for the final tally of what sold.

I am overall pleased with the progress we've made getting stuff done in August.
Here's hoping September is equally productive.  

Did you get stuff off your To-Do List in August?
Tell us all about it!


Sluggy

To-Do List.....August Update

Here's how we did with our To-Do List for August........

* Pay Bills  DONE  First thing I make sure gets done each month.  Don't pay your bills and you are in for a world of hurt.  I don't like to hurt.  ;-)

*  Read 1, 2 Books  DONE  The second book was monstrously long and I didn't finish it until 3 days into September but I am still counting it done. lolz

The first book was "Immortal Irishman" by Timothy Egan.  I haven't to this point in my life done much reading about Irish history, specifically about the 1800's and the time of the Great Famine and all it's fallout so this was a great place to start delving into that subject.  But that's just the beginning of the book!
Timothy Egan is a great storyteller IMHO and this was a great read.  I knew nothing about the person detailed within, Thomas Francis Meagher, before picking up this book.  Meagher lived about 4 lives during his time on earth.
The most interesting(oh to just pick one!)fact I garnered from this book was that Thomas Meagher had an unrequited love/infatuation with a woman named Jane Francesca Agnes Elgee while they were both a part of the Young Irelanders-a revolutionary movement in Dublin during 1840's/1850's.  Jame wrote under the psuedonym of "Speranza".  She would go on after this period in her life to marry Sir William Wilde, a Dublin ear and eye surgeon.  They were to become the parents of famous Irish writer, Oscar Wilde.
But I digress.......this is a good book about a fascinating person's true life, go give it a read.

The second book I read was Alex Haley's "Roots".  It was a groundbreaking book back when it was published.  I, like almost everyone on the planet, had watched the TV miniseries they made from the book back in 1977 but had never read the book so I finally picked up a copy and did read it.  
The tv show pales in comparison especially the original show from back in the day, which was jammed with "stars of the day" over quality of actors to tell Mr. Haley's story(such a bad tv production!).  I also watched the remake of "Roots" the tv show that the History Channel remade a couple of years ago and found it amazing how the two productions can be so different and take the story in unique ways that almost have nothing to do with the other and veer from the book quite a bit!

Anyway, I highly recommend this book and if you saw the original or the remake of the tv series try to wash that from your consciousness before you read the book.  It is a VERY long tome and at times your going will be slow as Alex Haley writes in the vernacular of his characters(especially slow I think if you didn't grow up listening to Southern accents and colloquial speech).  And I don't recommend this book because I have an ancestral connection to his family either.  It's a jolly good read......well maybe not "jolly" given the subject matter.  ;-)

*  Close CU Account  DONE  We closed out one of our bank accounts, the one at the Credit Union.  I always heard such good things about CUs so we moved our main account to one back in 2008-9 after the housing collapse/recession because away from a reg. bank that took TARP funds during the bank bailout.(It was Wells Fargo and you have all seen what a disaster they have been lately....)Anyway, this CU must have been a dud(unfriendly as hell tellers/staff, bad business hours, constantly sending us spam snail mail about loans/life insurance/etc.).  We also simplified our banking life by consolidating all our accounts/funds into one brick and mortar bank(we also have a few online banks).  We are quite happy with this decision.

*  Cash in Matured Bond  DONE  Another Savings Bond matured and cashed out.

*  Move Some $  FAIL  I am still waiting on Hubs to decide when to do this.  He keeps waiting for the interest rates to ratchet up again but I say just put it somewhere for now where it will earn something! Men.

*  Cell Phone  DONE  Got my new cell phone and I am still learning it.  What can I say?  I am an old lady who is set in her ways...lol

*  Hold Giveaway  DONE

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE  Rhitter won and received her box o' goodies.

*  Harvest Garden  DONE  Lots of squash and tomatoes this month and I've put up 11 quarts of tomatoes, made 14 pints of relish and frozen some zuke too.

*  Survive the Heat  DONE  I've made it through August pretty much intact and the temps are slowing starting to go down which pleases me a lot.  I am not a hot weather gal, never was, never will be........

*  Survive the Rain & Build an Ark  DONE  And it's raining again today. as remnants of Hurricane Gordon depart. Ugh.  We'll get more rain next week from Florence's visit after she wreaks havoc on the Carolinas, et all.  No ark in sight.....yet. lolz


How did you do on your To-Do List for August?


Sluggy

To-Do List.....August Update

Let's take a look at how I did with my August To-Do List........


*  Pay Bills  DONE  Even though we were away when a few bills needed to be paid(or didn't have secure internet access to pay them online)everything got paid and on time.  I figured out what would come in while we were away and left the Daughter signed checks so she could pay those bills.  The sticky bill was College Boy's tuition.  There was a tight time frame when it had to be paid AND they don't let you pay via check/snail mail.  Luckily we were at Kim's house when that window opened up so I could do a bank transfer online there.

*  Enjoy my Trip  DONE  Let's just say I enjoyed the HELL out of my trip!!  There were a couple of bumpy "incidents" and one really bad day when I was sick but overall it was a fantastic trip. 8-)  And y'all will get a full report on it in the fullness of time.

*  Return from Trip(booooo!)  DONE(unfortunately)  We got home safe and sound on Aug. 15th.

*  Unpack from Trip DONE  Well the laundry part didn't take very long as we kept up on dirty laundry along the way(thanks to the B&B stay, Kim's house, one load at a motel in SD, and Sonya Ann's house).  I could have packed half as many clothes it turns out but going that long from home with changeable weather I didn't want to get caught short.  We really didn't bring much home in the way of souvenirs(ok, I got a load of t-shirts tho).  I bought very little alcohol(though Hubs bought TONS)and many "souvenirs" I bought were either food or Xmas gifts so those got put away easily.

*  Read 1, 2 Books  DONE  I took 4 books with me to read figuring I'd have plenty of time with all that riding in the car.  Well I didn't get nearly what I thought I'd get read because Hubs wanted to talk, or navigational help or the scenery was too nice not to watch. lolz
I also bought 3 books on the trip(I think it was 3?)(Hubs bought LOTS of books!!)and Kim gave me a book when we were leaving her house.  One of the books I bought at a thrift store I finished after the time we got home........

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.  Highly recommend this one.  I never saw the film they made from it and I doubt it did the book justice.  I guess I'll have to see the movie now.

And this one.........

The Heart of Everything That Is-The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin  

I started this book two months ago and it took me forever to finish.  Not because it was boring or dull but it was so meaty it took a while to 'digest' it all.
It was so neat reading it after I had been out West where Red Cloud lived his life and saw his homeland with my own eyes.

The authors did a very good job of keeping the reader engaged in this book.  It's very factual and events were taken from primary and secondary sources from that time in history and not just heresy and a bunch of half truths some writers use as "source" material.
Since it was historical tome,  a biographical account of Red Cloud's life against the backdrop of how Native Americans were ultimately slaughtered by the Federal Government almost to extinction, you can predict the ending and the tone of this volume.  But if you enjoy historical works and you'd like a POV other than the official one taught in all the school history books(something we sure need more of nowadays)of what was happening in the Western part of this country during the mid to late 19th century, do give this book a try.


*  Repair LA House  IN PROGRESS  Oh gosh, where to begin.  We are STILL trying to get flooring replaced in the house in Louisiana.  We did get the tenants out of it the end of June. 

 Since we aren't in the area there to deal with arranging for the work to get done we thought we'd work through Lowe's since we have them here and in LA.  Well, it's just been a cluster f*ck from beginning to end!  It's like the Lowe's down there doesn't want the money/business or something....one problem after another.  It's such a long saga that I can't even begin to recount it.  We had hoped to get these repairs done while on the road but we are still dealing with them but hope to wind this torturous episode up in October.

We've dealt with Lowe's in PA(they did our master bathroom renovation)but this one in LA?  Good gosh!!  They are just reinforcing our opinion of businesses and people in the state of Louisiana and how the whole state has this "Let the good times roll, let's not worry about getting stuff done" attitude that is famous in the party town of New Orleans.  My Daughter lived in LA for 3+ years, we have made extended trips to LA and it's just a whole cultural attitude that is ingrained in the way of life there.  It's fine if you are on vacation or not trying to get something accomplished(heck I grew up in the South and I know all about the whole different business climate down there)but LA is just a whole other ball of wax!
I am sorry if this offends anyone from Louisiana but it's just how Sluggy, who has lived in and visited various other regions of the country sees it.  You folks are in a class all on your own there.  We've met some awesome people there and I'd love to party with ya'll but on a day-to-day basis?, no thanks.

*  Can Veggies/Make Pickles  IN PROGRESS  We came home to  a bumper crop of cukes in the garden....I don't think the kids picked a single ONE while we were gone! lolz  So I've been making pickles until they are coming out of my ears!  We've sliced and eaten them fresh too in vinegar and/or in salads.
As for the canning......we tried to get tomatoes a couple of weeks back but the mater crop up here has been slow getting ripened and is weeks behind this year.  I have all my jars and bands prepped and purchased new lids this past week.  Tuesday is D-Day for picking tomatoes at the farm field if the rain holds off.  By next weekend I hope to be fully stocked on canned tomatoes of various forms.

*  Inventory Fridge/Freezer  DONE  I jumped right on this chore the week we got home.  As Daughter really hadn't done any meal planning beyond the day we arrived home(plus having tv dinners for a couple of days after that)I really needed to see what she had used up and what was left.  Daughter did a good job of using what was here, mostly because she has an aversion to grocery stores and shopping.  I knew she'd keep under whatever I left her in cash to spend on groceries while we were gone as long as she didn't spend it all to get take-out pizza and Chinese food. lolz


So that's it for my short August To-Do List.  No fails this month but then again, it was a light-ish
chore list.

Did you get things done in August?  Is there anything you need to work on in September that you are dreading?  I have a few things in that realm for my September list. ;-)

Sluggy

August To-Do List......Update

Here's the update on my August To-Do List.  I post a To-Do list on the side bar of my blog's homepage every month.
Let's see how ol' Sluggy did this month on her list, shall we? ;-)

* Pay Bills  DONE  
Everything got paid and on time, as per usual.

* Bike Something  FAIL  
Well I did do 1 mile. lolz  Must get back on this in September.

* Read 2 Books  DONE
Finished the first book and read another one.  Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani and Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.  First one was good, the second one was excellent.

Me reading Olive Kitteridge while in Maine, so apropos.....lolz

* Pick Produce and Use it  DONE
Besides the tomatoes we've eaten raw off the plants in salads and sandwiches I made a rustic tomato sauce with the bulk of the maters(2 x gallon Ziploc bags full)and used half of in the Manicotti I served for dinner on Tuesday.  I'll use the other half to simmer my homemade meatballs today.  The zucchinis have been used up(or grated and frozen for later).The acorn squash is in the root cellar mellowing and waiting until cooler weather to roast them.

* Go to Farm and buy produce to can  DONE
I only processed and froze 5 lbs. of green beans this Summer.  The farm no longer has PYO tomatoes so the price is too dear to buy canning tomatoes.  

* Can Produce  DONE Sort of
No canning since I froze the veggies.  I will be canning my Pepper Relish in September.

* 1 Doctor's Appointment  DONE
Waited 3 months to get that appointment with a specialist.  Lots of rx changes ensued.  The jury is still out on whether this will help.

* Pack College Boy  DONE
I was minimally involved this year and thus, CB forgot some items but not many.  Next Fall is his last Back-To-School so I hope I can just step back and he can handle it all himself.  Perhaps he'll heed my advise to make a list in 2017. ha!

Hubs does the actually "taking" in the rented cargo van.  I get to pick Hubs up from the rental location when he is done.  This year I got caught in a massive traffic snarl trying to get him.  The Rental place is right near the Arena and a Jehovah's Witness Convention was letting out at that time from that venue.
Thanks Jehovah!

* Take College Boy back to school  DONE
CB is back ensconced at college....after an hour delay locating CB's wallet.  His shirt is appropriate as I was about to "launch" this child after an hour of searching for his wallet.

* Sew Something  FAIL
Nope didn't have the urge to sew in August.  Perhaps September will see me pull out the supplies and have a go at making a shirt.  I really need to.....

Only 2 items I didn't get to.

On ward and upward to September!

How did you do with your To-Do list for August?

Sluggy