March 2024 To-Do List....How I Did

 Here is my March To-Do List and how it all turned out.  Sorry it's a month late.  Stuff happens. ;-)

MARCH

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Always first and foremost

*  Go to 5 Dr. Appointments  DONE   Saw my Orthopedist,  I also got sent for shoulder MRIs at the end of March after insurance approved those tests.  I also was sent for 2 MRIs by the Neurologist(not that he cares or ever gets back to me about any tests).

*  Have Shoulder Injections  DONE  The Orthopedist injected both my shoulders in the bursa sac. 

*  Send Package to Brother  DONE

*  Begin Going Through Merchandise to Sell  PASS  I pulled out some fabrics to sell on Etsy.

*  Send Boxes to Two Kids  PASS  Sent a box to youngest and stuff in there for Oldest he will pass on to him since I have no contact with him.  Still have to get a box to Daughter.

*  Start Packing for Cruise  PASS  Started packing and got most of it done before April began.

*  Make Appt. w/Old Dentist  DONE  After the disaster with attempting to use the Dental Discount Program that came with my Medicare Supplement, I decided to go back to our old dentist.  Had a cleaning and a couple of dental x-rays done.

*  Go Through Old Papers  PASS  I've gone through many of them but there is more to plow through in April and/or May.

*  Contact Lawyer about Will Changes  FAIL  I didn't get around to do this.

*  Read/Finish Two Books  FAIL  I had good intentions but this one got away from me.  I just haven't felt much like reading books.

*  Buy Stuff for House(Always)  DONE  Hubs bought "stuff".  I have no clue. '-)

*  Order Biz then Wash Baby Clothes  DONE  Evidently they don't sell Biz anywhere I can find on the Eastern and Central part of the US so I jumped on Amazon and had it delivered to my door(mailbox actually).  Kim swears by the stuff to whiten old wedding gowns of her clients who want to use their mother's or such gown.  I tried it on a bunch of old baby clothes I still had from when my children were young to try to get spit-up and other stains off of them.  It worked like a charm!

*  Giveaway/Donate Baby Clothes That are Salvageable  PASS  My Sister in-Law's Grandson and his GF had a baby boy in March so I shipped off a big box of baby clothes to them along with a small gift.

*  Start New Donation Box  DONE

*  Try to Hem Some of My Clothes  DONE  I got two dresses shortened and hemmed.  I only brought one of them on the cruise however.

*  Edit More Photos  DONE  Just when I think I've caught up, we take another trip and I have a big photo dump. lol

*  Post about Old Trips  DONE  Been working on posting the Western Road Trip STILL!  Will it ever end??

*  Work on Genealogy  DONE

*  Take Items to Goodwill  FAIL  Didn't get up to Goodwill in March.

*  Pick Out Fabric and Photograph to List  DONE  See going through Merchandise item above.

That's all I got done in March.

Sluggy

DECEMBER 2023 To-Do List

Here is how the TO-DO List turned out for December.  We had a lot going on last month and I really need to lay December to rest before heading into February. 8-)))

DECEMBER

* Pay Bills  DONE  Always at the top of my list of things to get done.

* Do Christmas Cards Early  DONE  I didn't send out many this year but I did get them all sent(plus a Birthday card)before we left town.

* Find a New Neurologist  DONE  My new PCP's office informed me that around here once you have a neurologist it's practically impossible to get a new one.  I explained that the one I was given was quite lax in contacting me and communicating any information to me and/or following up in any way with me and was always changing his mind(we need to do more tests, then no, we don't need to do more tests, etc.).   He does not instill confidence in me that he knows wtf is going on and there is always an excuse for these lapses in contact(he's out of the country, he has Covid and had to leave the hospital before putting my RX through to the pharmacy, then he was out of the country again-but I was on a waitlist and got offered a closer date for an appt. while he was supposedly out of the country that time and the last time in December he was again, out of the country dealing with VISA issues. oy vey!

* Go to a Ridiculous Amount of PT Sessions  DONE  Not really a ridiculous number of them really, only about 4 before we left the state for the Holidays.

* Have a Sleep Study  DONE  Was done and we all know the outcome of that already. yeah!

* Have Dishwasher Installed  DONE

Finally got on the handyman's schedule to get this done.  The HVAC/electrical folks we have a contract with wanted over $600 to install this dishwasher(which cost $400 at Home Depot).  Being a manufactured home it had to be hard wired in so HD wouldn't install it(or couldn't).  The handyman outfit charged $160.  Good deal.

* Finish Xmas Present Buying  DONE  Got everything bagged or wrapped and thrown into the car for the trip.  We gave Daughter and Son In-Law their presents once we got home.

* Celebrate Daughter's Birthday  PASS  I gave her a card and a gift card.  She didn't want me to take her out to eat or make her a birthday cake.  Suit yourself.

* Buy Stuff for House(Always)  FAIL  Other than paying to have the dishwasher installed I can't think of anything we bought to repair or had to replace in the house in December.  This is a GOOD fail I think. 8-))

* Finish Making Travel Plans  DONE  Obviously, this got done. lol

* Follow Up on Back MRI  DONE  This one was "iffy".  The NP said if the MRI showed I needed an injection I'd get one BEFORE we left on our trip.  There were calls back and forth about what kind of injection I could get(first I had to wait 3 months after the TKR for one, then I didn't)then the scheduler called and said they needed 2 weeks lead time which meant I could have it the day AFTER we left town. WTF??  Finally we got through to someone and the issue was if insurance(still on private health insurance at that point)approval didn't come through we had to accept responsibility for payment of $600.  Seriously?  They jerked us around for 10 days over $600 instead of telling us this outright?!?  So we said of course, we'll  sign for it..... Insurance pre-authorization came through in the end so we didn't have to fork over the cash but really?  I am so over the way in which medical care is handled down here.

* Go Through and Try On all my Clothing  PASS  Well I HARDLY got everything tried on, I concentrated on shirts as I knew the pants weren't going to pass muster.  Found some shirts that didn't make me look like a stripper(so low cut in front my bra showed), bought a shirt along the way at Buc-ee's and bought smaller pants at Walmart here before we left.  January and February it seems will see me finishing up the "Great Try On of 2024". lolz

* Edit More Photos  DONE  I'm trying to stay up to date on photo editing.

* Post about Old Trips  FAIL  While I didn't post a single Old Trip Post on the Blog in December(a bit busy with other stuff)I DID work on some trip posts as January posts show.

* Work on Genealogy  DONE  Always finding time for this hobby....sometimes it's a small amount and sometimes it's a lot of information gained.

* Move Video files to new computer  FAIL  I just ran out of time and the inclination to do this one.

* Go Visit Folks I Love/Like  DONE  I REALLY needed this trip!  I've been massively depressed living down here with no one for company but my dogs and Hubs, trapped in this house except going to medical appointments, PT and the grocery store. This trip had massive challenges at times(riding in a car for 3 days straight on the way up with a broken coccyx, climbing long staircases, a tense evening out, obnoxious hotel guests, freezing to death in bed while still wearing all my clothes, barking dogs in a hotel at 3 am, unsuitable hotel rooms, etc.)but I'd do it all again because the joys far out weighed the pain.

Sluggy

NOVEMBER To-Do List

What I planned to get done in November and what actually got done.......

*  Pay Bills--DONE  Always

*  Sign up for Medicare Medigag/Part D Plan--DONE  Got two plans though it required me to sign up for AARP(hate that group!)but those AARP branded plans through UnitedHealthcare were the best deal for my needs in this are.

*  Go to a ridiculous amount of DR appointments--DONE  Can't even remember how many now....Neurology, Sleep Medicine, Podiatrist....

*  Go to a ridiculous amount of PT sessions--DONE

*  Have an EMG/Nerve Conductive Study--DONE  Things didn't go well there and damn!  it hurt.  It was like being tasered but by medical people not the cops.  I failed the Nerve Conductive thing so they didn't bother doing the EMG.  good times.

*  Have Dishwasher Installed--FAIL  The handyman guy couldn't get to us in November to install it so it's been living in the ex-sewing room after Dixie decided to start ripping piece of the cardboard box it was in.

*  Clean and Organize Stuff in House--FAIL  Other than doing the bare minimum there has been no cleaning and organizing here.

*  Buy Stuff for the House--DONE  I am sure Hubs has been continuing his love affair with The Home Despot/Lowe's as he tinkers and replaces shit around here.

*  Have Fake Thanksgiving--DONE  Had fake Turkey Day with daughter and son in-law and their dog and cat.  We didn't get any leftovers to bring home.  I made yeast rolls and pumpkin pie as well as the raw turkey to contribute.

*  Do Something Fun--FAIL  I did nothing fun.  It's hard to have fun when you have no friends here.

*  Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie--DONE  I am discontinuing this item as I hardly have/get paper coupons anymore.  The world is quickly turning digital.

*  Edit More Photos--DONE  Got more photos edited.  Haven't even started on the British Isles cruise photos from May.  I am so far behind. ugh

*  Post About Old Trips--DONE  If I remember correctly I got one whole post up in November from an old trip(still working on the Western Road Trip of 2017).

*  Work on Genealogy--DONE  As it so happens the PT guy has a first name that is usually a surname so I asked him how he got that name.  His Great Grandmother was a Mason.  I've got a ton of Masons on my mother's ancestry side.  Then he said his mother had been born in Williamsburg, VA so you know I had to dig into that. lol

I worked on his tree and added to mine along the Mason line and so far the closest we are related is straight 18th cousins.  We share a common ancestor in John of Gaunt, "The King Maker"(1340-1399), the Duke of Lancaster and the third son of King Edward III.  John's son, Henry IV, eventually deposed Richard II and took the crown.  All English monarchs to this day are descended from John of Gaunt.  Not sure if we share the same 18th Great Grandmother yet, as John had three wives(mine is his third wife).

I found some old photos of his ancestors on Ancestry(2 and 3 x GGs who he knew nothing about)and made copies to give him, as well as a high school yearbook photo of him, which the receptionist posted on the wall at PT.  So I asked if I got a family discount there since we are cousins. (No.)

He is a 4th cousin 8 x removed of George Mason IV(the famous George Mason-GMU, writer of the Bill of Rights, etc.)  I am sure we are related closer than 18th cousins but real genealogy takes time to do properly.  I know one of the succeeding George Mason's sisters married a Stith(John Stith-my 9 x GG, son of Robert Stith and Mary Washington)which ties us in an ancestral knot together-Stith and Washington lines are related to me too.  So funny.

*  Move Video Files to New Computer--FAIL  Didn't even try.

*  Thanksgiving Alone--DONE  We sat home on Thanksgiving and grilled steaks in  the cast iron pan and made baked Sweet Potato Fries in the oven.  Go us.

That's all I got.

Sluggy

OCTOBER 2023 To-Do List Outcome

What was suppose to get done in October......

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Always done first.  No bills put on credit cards and balances carried forward.

*  Go to Ridiculous Amount of Dr. Appointments  DONE  I can't even remember how many.....the cardiologist here, 2 appointments with the surgeon in OH, 3 PT sessions in OH, the DME doc in OH, the pre-admission testing doc in OH, a wound check with my old NP in LA, 7 more PT sessions in LA before Oct. ended.  I'd call all that a ridiculous amount. 8-)

*  Fly to Ohio  DONE  

*  Have Surgery  DONE  See previous post on that

*  Fly Home  DONE  This almost turned into a disaster thanks to the third party healthcare provider our insurance used.  You would think they'd seat someone who just had knee surgery 2 days before(and could not walk as her walker had to be in the cargo hold and not stowed in the passenger area of the plane)in the front of the plane.

*  Start PT for Knee  DONE  It's been slow going due to other medical issues but I show up and make the effort.

*  Clean and Organize Stuff in House  PASS   I did a little as I was able before leaving town for OH.

*  Buy Stuff for House  DONE  The only things besides groceries, etc. that were bought were materials needed to replace the kitchen sink/countertops.  Hubs was in charge of all that.  Hubs also has been spending on other things that need fixing/doing around the house.

The sink and countertops finally got installed!

Don't you love the avocado green tiles they used for a backsplash?

This part of the counter looks like someone took a sander to it.

And the sink was fiberglass and had been mistreated so badly that the finish was flaking off.

And here is the new stuff.......

A new stainless sink and new faucet too.

*  Buy a CD  DONE  I took some excess cash out of the checking account and bought a 12 month CD to earn a little more in interest on that money.

*  Do Something Fun  FAIL  I had hoped to do something fun before flying off to OH for surgery because I was going to be in no shape to have "fun" after then in October.  We had won 3rd place at Trivia at the burger joint we like a month or so ago so I had hoped to go eat for free at Trivia in early October.  Daughter gave us the news that this branch of the burger chain closed down in October so that was a no go.  And now I have to find another branch of this burger joint to use this gift card at and the closest one is in Dallas. sigh

*  Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  DONE  Not much of a job this one anymore and I'll be taking it off my To-Do Lists going forward.

*  Edit More Photos  PASS  Been editing photos and moving them into folders but I still have a lot more to work through.

*  Post about Old Trips  PASS  I think I worked ahead and got two installments of the month long Western Adventure in 2017 posted before leaving for surgery.  Needless to say with all the medical stuff I slowed down on this goal after surgery. 8-(

*  Work on Genealogy  PASS  This is one of the few things I can do right now while recuperating from surgery so I work on it when I feel up to it.  I haven't posted anything genealogy stuff but I do work on it.

*  Move Video Files to New Computer  FAIL  I didn't even attempt this with so much other stuff going on.  Some day......

*  Plan Travel for the Holidays  PASS  While we really don't have any plans yet for Xmas, I had hoped to be far enough along to go see my youngest in PA for Thanksgiving but I made the judgement call that it's too soon for my knee to sit in a car for 3 days each way for that trip.  Daughter is going to her in-laws for Thanksgiving with her Hubs and while her Hub's mom invited us again this Thanksgiving I am just not up for being there with a ton of Daughter's Hub's father's kids/spouses/baby daddies/grandkids/great grandkids from his first marriage.  I don't know these people, even after last Thanksgiving and being in pain and around strangers is a very foreign way to celebrate turkey day.  I appreciate the invite but no thanks.  So Hubs and I will be alone for Thanksgiving.

Daughter decided to hold a 2nd turkey day the Sunday after Thanksgiving and invite us.  I've got almost everything for the meal so I'll have Hubs take it over the day before so it won't cost them much if anything.  But now the issue is what are Hubs and I going to eat for "real" Thanksgiving?  I'm not a big fan of turkey anyway so having it twice in a week is not going to happen.  And I'm not up for cooking or going to a restaurant filled with yet more strangers.  We had hoped the Chinese restaurant by my PT facility would be open so we could get takeout but sadly for us, they will be closed.   So I guess we'll sit home and eat whatever is here.

I am hoping with all the medical testing I am still going through, by mid December I will feel up to going to PA to see younger son and his partner.  We'll have to wait to leave after Daughter's birthday in mid December however because last year the Panama cruise kept us from being here for her birthday.

That's all I got.

Sluggy

To-Do List....Outcome for March

Let's see how I did with the To-Do List in March........

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Everything was paid off on time or early as usual.

*  Go to many Dr. Appointments  DONE  My last wound care appointment was March 22nd and those were weekly.  I also had biweekly home health care nursing every week until March 24th.

*  Do Taxes 3  2 Out Of  3 DONE  Since Hubs retired he's been handling doing the taxes but I do help with downloading and printing out forms, etc.  He got the Federal and the PA state finished and submitted.  We owed on both of those to the tune of approx. $400 total. Boo!  The LA state taxes aren't due until sometime in May so Hubs waited on those for now as we will owe them as well. 8-(((  Between moving expenses and taxes 2022 has been an expensive year!

*  Clean and Organize stuff in House  PASS  While I was still not able to walk around much most of the month I did as much as I could when I could.  While not able to finish much I did spend time thinking about what needs doing and writing a list to prioritize what needs doing.

*  Buy Stuff for House  PASS  While we aren't done purchasing stuff we have got some items acquired.  But as we get around to different rooms I know more purchases will pop up and decisions will have to be made.

*  Clean out Insert//Coupon Envie  DONE  As the months go on this is becoming more and more a non-chore.  I don't buy coupon inserts, we can't find a local paper that carries inserts that we don't have to drive a distance to get and I don't print many coupons any more.  I use mostly digital Qs now as that is the way the coupon world is headed.

*  Edit more Photos  PASS While this seems a never ending task I don't make as much progress as I want.  I suppose if I were to just STOP TAKING PHOTOS I'd catch up faster.  sigh

*  Post About Old Trips  PASS  While I haven't  posted much in the way of trips I have been working on editing photos, uploading video and working on posts but in March no posts got finished and to the point of posting them.  It's a process people.....

*  Work on Genealogy  DONE  Well this activity is always on going and will never be finished but I do work on it, at times it seems incessantly! lol  So many ancestors and so little time.

*  Go to Dentist x 1  DONE  So in March I had an appointment to have the first of two permanent crowns installed and they piggybacked another filling onto that visit and the work on the second crown.  More Novacaine, yippee!  At least this time due to the location of the tooth that needed drilling my nose didn't go numb and I didn't spew water or other beverage afterwards when I had a drink of something.  No more Hannibal Lecter impersonations. 8-))

*  Organize Clothes  FAIL  Didn't get around to working on closet organization in March.  The only progress was purchasing another box of hangers and moving a few items of clothing into the sewing room as they need altering.

*  Find a New Bank  FAIL  Well I only had a week in March at the end of that month to get out to do anything besides wound care visits so this didn't get accomplished.  We did phone or go online to research where to put the money and have decided on a local credit union so are ready to get this checked off the To-Do List in April.

*  Cash Savings Bond  FAIL  Again a big fat fail.  See item above as to why since our current bank will NOT cash or let us deposit US savings bonds, which I find so weird.

I'm giving myself a thumbs up for March due to circumstances out of my control(or rather stools out of my control). ;-)
I'm trying to get more things under control here but it's a long uphill road.

How was your March?  Did you make any progress on your "What I Want to Do" list?

Sluggy

December To-Do List 2022 Outcome

*  A reminder that I don't publish comments that are unsigned.  If you comment without a Google account at least put your name on the comment.  And if you are a troll then just don't come here because YOUR comments will most definitely NOT be publish. 8-)

Here is how we did with the December To-Do List--

*  Pay Bills--DONE  All bills got paid and on time.

*  Send a few Xmas cards to family--DONE  Between moving, organizing and such there wasn't a lot of time to get Xmas cards out before leaving for the cruise.  We got out about 10 cards total so if you got a card from me, consider yourself lucky. lolz

*  Clean and Organize stuff in House--PASS/IN PROGRESS  With how much needs to be done here(and the fact that I'm about as useful as a one legged woman on a kickboxing match right now).  Our initial timeline has been extended out until the end of 2023(or maybe halfway into 2024.  It has been slow going, partly due to having to replace items and not wanting to spend all willy-nilly(trying to cash flow without having to draw from 401K or non-retirement investments).  Things are still slow going as we figure out where to put stuff we have and what to do with some spaces.

*  Buy Stuff for House--IN PROGRESS  Just going through receipts I still have we've spent $3,418.35 on house purchases since November.  That's everything from a washer and dryer, a desk, a night stand, book shelves and storage shelving, a bed frame, parts the fridge needed to piddling little stuff like tools and hardware and light bulbs.  Again we are going to need to spend much more to get this place whipped into shape but we are proceeding slowly with expenditures.

*  Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie--DONE  Something I do at least once a month and since I haven't bought one Sunday paper down here(thus not getting paper coupons)there is not much in my envie anymore. 8-(

*  Edit More Photos--IN PROGRESS  Have been working on the photos from our house hunting and a couple of local adventures and the Girls Trip to FL.  Then  we went on a cruise and now I have even MORE photos to edit.  GAH!  It never ends........

*  Post about Old Trips--FAIL  Nope didn't post anything since we weren't online/here from most of the month and when we got back I was hurt so yeah, that didn't happen.

*  Work on Genealogy--FAIL  I put more genealogy stuff on the back burner for December.

*  Drive to Texas--DONE  Hubs drove us to that god forsaken city.  Not a fan of Dallas roads(lack of signs on said roads)and crazy drivers(well, those are in every city).

*  Fly to MD--DONE  The flight to DC wasn't bad.

*  Fly to FL--DONE   We left DC 2 days later at the crack of dark 0'thirty.

*  Celebrate Christmas--DONE  Well due to circumstances not under our control Christmas was an odd duck this year.  We all made the best of it though.

*   Go on Cruise and have an amazing time--DONE  Except for one disappointment in Panama with the cruise excursion folks and the people who ran the excursion in Panama we had a mah-velous time dah-ling!

Sluggy

To-Do Lists for 2021.....The January Edition

 Here's how my January To-Do came out......

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Everything was paid(plus 1 bill was paid ahead annually for the year)and we had a shade over $300 leftover.  Go me.

*  Read 1 Book  DONE   I read this one..........

"The Seasons of My Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family and Flowers" by Marcia Gay Harden

I've always enjoyed Ms. Harden's theatrical work so her name on the cover drew me in.  It's a heartfelt account of Harden's life growing up, her later years and career and her close connection with her mother especially.  It's told in the present looking at her past and her mother through the lens of Alzheimer's as her mother developed that condition and how it affected Marcia's life.  It was a very interesting read(as Marcia led an extraordinay life, especially as a child)and very sad at the same time.
Marcia's mother was a master of Ikebana and she used that love of traditional Japanese flower arranging to entwine the chapters of her and her mom's stories.

I highly recommend this one and it's going on my book shelf instead into the donate pile. 8-)

*  Take Down Xmas Stuff  DONE   The tree and decor was taken down after the 10th of the month.  There wasn't much to actually do as we used the small tree that was sparsely ornamented and not much decor was put up.

*  Organize and Put Away Xmas  DONE  Well except for the Xmas table runner on the buffet(done now)and the Xmas tablecloth on the dining room table(still on it)everything Xmas is put away.  I just need to move everything off the dining room table(it has become a dumping ground for new R-A purchases and a staging area as I go through and organize stuff)to get that tablecloth folded and put in the buffet drawer.  It will happen soon but I am calling this item done....99.9%. ;-)

*  Organize Pantry  FAIL  I started going through the Pantry but got distracted and never finished that item.  sigh.  This goes forward onto February's list.

*  Clean out Fridge  DONE  I really need to put this on every month's list!  I cleaned/cleared out both fridges(we have one in the garage as well for overflow)in January.  It seems to be a constant cleaning/organizing chore.  I am trying to clear some "old dogs" out of the garage fridge too in my quest to use up stuff and have been relatively successful at moving/eating older things.

*  Hold Giveaway  DONE

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE  Promptly mailed and received.

*  4 Dr. Appointments  DONE  One was a Telemedicine appointment with the Sleep Doc.  Since I got a new BiPAP machine insurance required this appointment(in order for them to pay for it)even though I've been  using a machine for 7+ years now and I sort of know how to use it. lol
But hey, I'll pay the office visit charge for this appointment over paying OOP for a new machine. 

Then I had a routine check-up with my Primary Doc.  Changes some meds and we're all good there.

Also had an exam with the Ophthalmologist(eyes are the same, no changes)and new reading glasses.

Then I finally got my "annual" mammogram which was almost a year later than planned.  I usually go in Jan./Feb. but I decided to wait until Spring(better weather and less hassle)in 2020 and then Covid hit and the hospital here shut down doing mammography until Summer.  Then I had an HS procedure on my breast and couldn't get a boob smashing until that healed up.  After 1 aborted attempt in early October it got rescheduled a couple of times and I went on an antibiotic long term to get the incision finally healed.  End of January we had a successful mammo and Sluggy shows no signs of boob cancer.  Rah!

*  Roll/Spend ECBs  DONE  Last week....or so I thought.  Turns out I still have $4 in ECBs to use.  *Sluggy raises her fist to the sky and exclaims, "Curses on you CVS!!!"  More on that later as well.

*  Roll/Spend Bonus Cash  DONE  I successfully rolled/spent down lots of BC at Rite-Aid(See all the R-A posts for January).  This needs to continue into February as I hope to divest myself of BC altogether on 2 cards.

*  Celebrate my Birthday  DONE  Due to Covid nobody came to help Hubs and I celebrate my "early SS" birthday.  We did do some Birthday celebration eating(free burger out at Red Robin, Chinese take-out on my Birthday),Hubs gave me 2 gift cards and I received some Bday cards.  But other than that it was a lowkey celebration.  The big thing was Hubs made me a birthday cake from scratch(his first from scratch cake ever!).  It was yummy except he forgot to add raisins(carrot cake)but that's ok!  I just sprinkled raising on top as I don't do frosting on my carrot cake recipe as it's so rich and yummy and doesn't need frosting to perk it up. ;-)

*  Stay Warm  DONE  Well we had a good amount of snow and cold in January.  If I had a crystal ball I'd know that February was the month I'd need to put this item on my list! lolz
I've been more conscious about lowering the heat and or closing doors so we aren't heating spaces we aren't using so the electric bill wasn't too bad in January.  I've pretty much switched from iced tea to hot tea as my beverage of choice for now and I'm layering my clothes more to keep the chill off.  Too bad January was just the dress rehearsal for Staying Warm in February!

*  Eat Down the Freezer  DONE  Well we DID eat down lots of foodstuffs in the freezers but, because of some good deals I found we pretty much filled it back up in January so we ended the month a little below what we started with. lol  It's all good though as we used older things that needed using. ;-)

All in all, it was a successful for me month.  Not much going on and not much that was ambitious but I'm good with that.

How did your January turn out?

Sluggy

2020 To-Do List....May Update

*PLEASE NOTE--Posting may be a bit sporadic over the next week or so as I am sort of on vacation between getting stuff done here in Virginia and don't feel like writing blog posts worth reading.
I'll try to write something worth reading a few days a week.  Thanks for your indulgence on this.


Let's see how we did at getting stuff done in May.........

* Pay Bills  DONE
Always number one on the list and always done.

* Read 1, 2, 3 Books  PASS
I only got 2 books read in May.
First off was this lovely tome..........

"The Land Will Be Deluged in Blood: a New History of the Nat Turner Rebellion" by Patrick H. Breen

This one read like someone's Master's Thesis that they expanded a bit.  Very boring for the most part especially if you don't like reading about history.  But I say that reading a book is always ok if you learn something from it.  Specifically I learned about the dual justice/court/legal systems in the Antebellum South which I was totally unaware of before this book explained it in great detail. 

and then there was this one...........

"Shakespeare's Rebel" by C.C. Humphreys
If you enjoy historical novels and are in love with all things of the Tudor/Elizabethan era and Shakespeare's plays then run and get this one!
The protagonist is a deeply flawed character called John Lawley, a drunk, ex-soldier and sometimes actor/sword master and fighting choreographer. Lawley is a fictitious character who interacts with historical persons of the era: William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage,
Queen Elizabeth I(my 4th cousin), Sir Robert Cecil(father in-law of my 10th cousin), and Robert Devereux the 2nd Earl of Essex(my 6th cousin, etc.).
I didn't get through a 3rd book in May.
Ah well.....


* Hold Giveaway  DONE

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  The first winner never contacted me in the 48 hour window so I drew another winner and she has received her goodies and is enjoying them.

* Do a Sewing Project FAIL  Nope, didn't get anything sewn.

* Cash in a Savings Bond  DONE  We had a  Bond mature in May so it got cashed in.  Don't let US Savings Bonds sit if they have fully matured.  It's like putting cash under your mattress and letting it sit and not earn a penny.  Put it somewhere it will earn at least a little bit(or better yet, if you have debt, throw that cashed in bond toward your debt).

* Mail Cards  DONE  I needed to send two sympathy cards out to 2 friends.  The rack of cards was decimated at the store, the sympathy ones, I suppose due to Covid 19 victims lately.

* Plant Garden  DONE  

We planted our usual garden along the backyard deck. Dan planted green bean seeds along the back of this area but nothing came up so after that the buckets behind the fenced barrel in the photo below, holding the collard plants I finally found at the nursery well after everything else was planted got put where the green beans didn't germinate.

And greens were planted in the 2 half barrels on either side of the backyard deck garden.

* Make a New Garden  DONE
We have an old dog run from when we had our beagles which has just sat on the back side yard for years.
I finally had a good idea on how to use it in the flat circular area of the backyard where our pool us to be................

We moved the dog run there and I had Hubs build raised garden beds inside.  Not a lot more space but enough to grow a bit more veggies this year and expand the garden with a built in fence to keep the deer and rabbits out.
Go us! :-)


*  Start Seeds  FAIL  I just didn't find enough time to get this done.  Then we got a spat of very hot unseasonable for us weather so the seeds went right into the ground instead.

* Bathe and Groom Dogs  DONE

The perpetual motion machine Dixie and the guardian Chester after being bathed.

* Change out Clothing for Summer  PASS  I got everything dragged out and changed over.  I threw out a few worn out items and will be glad when I finally get a few more pounds off for good so I can donate a few more clothing items once our thrift stores open back up.

* List Items on eBay FAIL  No motivation at the beginning of May and then since I was going to be out of town I figured wait until I was back to list anything in late June.

* Pack my Bags to Get the Helloutta Here!  FAIL  Nope I didn't get my luggage packed even though I got the Summer clothing out since I didn't know for sure until the last minute whether this trip was going to happen.

* Plan Goals for 2020  PASS  We have very few goals for 2020 at this point in the year.  Maybe a vacation in the Fall and a few house projects with an eye toward moving.  I am working on getting the ball moving on that moving/relocating goal this week.

That's about it for the highlights from my May.
What did you(or didn't you)get done in May that was on your list of stuff to do?

Sluggy

To-Do List.....April Outcome

Another month in the books so let's see what go accomplished or not..............

* Pay Bills  DONE  Always first thing, then we move on.

* Read 1, 2, 3 Books  PASS 
Since I read a record 4 books last month I hope to read 3 in April what with Coronavirus and all but I only finished off 2(though I got about 1/3 of the way through #3).

First I read this one..........

"Everything All At Once:How to Think Like A Science Guy, Solve Any Problem and Make A Better World" by Bill Nye

I have always felt a connection to Bill Nye-first my kids loved his "Science Guy" shows on TV-especially my daughter who grew up to be a scientist and second because his mother went to my college alma mater(and was recruited from there to work in a secret code breaking department during WWII-the Dean of my college, Dorothy Stimson happened to be a cousin of Henry Stimson, whom FDR brought back into government as his Secretary of War once WWII broke out, so with all the men off fighting Henry asked his cousin if any of the ladies attending her school would be smart enough to help out behind the scenes and Bill's mom, Jacqueline Jenkins, was one of those selected).  And who doesn't love a man in a bow tie? lolz

Anyway, this book took a long time to slog through.  Basically it's a book on how to think like a nerd.  Be forewarned going in that Mr. Nye is passionate about two things-space and climate change, so much of it involves those subjects.  There are some interesting biographical tidbits and peeks at his early career that I found lovely.
After I got through with this book I decided that Mr. Nye is an odd duck overall but I am glad I read his book.
3 Thumps Up

Then I read this one........

"Beethoven's Skull; Dark, Strange and Fascinating Tales From the World of Classical Music and Beyond" by Tim Rayborn

I needed a "light" read after Nye's book and this didn't disappoint.  If you like the macabre and strange read this book.  It's all about the strange tales of famous(and not so famous)musicians/composers in history from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Who knew that Anton Bruckner had an unhealthy obsession with dead bodies?
Or that Arnold Schoenberg suffered from Triskaidekaphobia(fear of the number 13)?
I even found one of my direct ancestors in this book!(Of course I did, I am related to everyone. lol)-William IX, the Duke of Aquataine, my 27x Great Grandfather.  He was a Troubadour, one of the first of the Middle Ages who's musical works survive into today.  

This author has written a book in a similar vein about theatre called "Skakespeare's Ear" which I'll have to find and read as well, because....theatre!
4 Thumbs Up

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

I actually held Two Giveaways in April........

* Mail Giveaway  All mailed and received.

* Clean the Masterbedroom  DONE
Hubs helped me do a thorough Spring cleaning in our bedroom the last week of April.

* Clean the Masterbath  DONE as well.  Well except the bath as Hubs has to do that one.

* Make Face Masks  DONE  I made about 16 masks(maybe a few more)I didn't keep records of them all.  In PA we were required to don them early on, especially if you worked at a drug or grocery store.

I made a few for friends at Rite-Aid before corporate got them PPE.
A couple of them were fighting over this one above. lolz

I made myself some masks..........

I made one for Ex-College Boy and when I sent Eldest son toilet paper in March I threw in a mask as I figured he'd need one eventually down in VA.

I sent this lot to Daughter in LA, both elastic looped over the ears small ones and larger tie behind the head ones for work(these cover more area with less gaps).

I didn't make tons for donation as just making these many killed my hands(I had medical issues with my hands).  If I get a "good hand day" I'll make more.

* Take Load to Food Bank  DONE  The Food Bank finally called me back and they were at least at the beginning of April still accepting food donations and not just money so Hubs took what I had gathered  up...........

All that baby food I got back in February.

And then stuff I bought(or got for Free on Freebie Friday until they stopped doing that until further notice)for donation and foods I gleaned from the stockpile.

* List Items on eBay  FAIL I figured with this pandemic folks wouldn't be buying stuff on eBay much unless you had TP or hand sanitizer for sale or other essentials so I didn't bother to put anything up there.  The bouts of anxiety last month didn't help either.  When I didn't  have a pressing task I was pretty much paralyzed and didn't get much done other than what HAD to be done.
sigh.

* Hem Hubs' Shirts  DONE  After trying on a shit ton of shirts it was determined that only 2 needed to bee taken up.  In between mask sewing, when I had to change to a color of thread that matched the shirts in question, I worked on those shirts.  Done and Hubs is pleased which is what this was all about.  Though there was a time or two I just wanted to hack him up with my scissors.......*shhh, don't tell him.

* Plan/Goals for 2020  PASS  Well unless you've been sleeping for the last 8 weeks you know why this hasn't been finished.  We did work on it some but with not knowing when it will be safe for us to travel a component of our Plans for 2020 can't be scheduled.....the component related to us moving.  
Once Ex-College Boy is back to work he will be moving out(not right away but sometime later this year)so we can begin repairs/renovations on that bedroom and the main bathroom which gets us closer to the finish line with having the house ready to list.  So there's something.
I am so tired of this stay at home order and I want to travel.  I keep threatening to drive to Kim's Sissie's house since it's pretty close and I wouldn't have to stop to pee anywhere or get gas.  lolz  I could stand to stare at her four walls for awhile rather than my own for a bit. lolz

I am hatching a plan to go see Sonya Ann this coming Winter too.....unless she moves to somewhere cold(but that ain't happening if I know her). ;-)

Eldest may be moving sometime this Summer and starting a new job in the Fall but with the global pandemic that's all up in the air still too.

While we sit here contemplating our navels we've been talking about where to move.  Besides the probability of back down to Virginia or one of the tax-friendly states I've identified there is also maybe staying in PA, but further South in the state and not here.  Not living on a mountain in PA means less snow than here and I am sure we can find someplace closer to Maryland but in PA that has less expensive housing.
I don't know and it's all still up in the air for us.

So what did you get knocked off your To-Do list in April?

Sluggy

To-Do List.....February Update

Let's see what I got accomplished(or not)in February...........

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Every bill was paid on time or early as always.

*  Read 1, 2, 3 Books  DONE

I read THREE books in February and got 75% of the way through a fourth too. ;-)
February was the month of Diaries and Memoirs evidently. 

First I read this one.........

"Elihu Washburne: the Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France During the Siege and Commune of Paris"  by Michael Hill

Elihu Washburne was born of humble beginnings in Maine.  He attended public school in Winter when not working for his family, and eventually passed the bar after studying with a local judge and attending Harvard law school for a year.  He moved to Galena Illinois and there he became acquainted with fellow Galena native U.S. Grant and fellow Illinois native Abraham Lincoln, as they both were on the ascendancy of the careers.
Washburne became involved in politics, serving in the House of Representatives from IL.  He was tapped by Grant once he became POTUS to serve as our diplomat to France in 1869, a position that should have been a cushy appointment for the 53 year old Washburne.  He brought his family over and while taking the waters in Carlsbad(for what is thought to have been malaria)in the Fall of 1869 France's Second Empire became embroiled in what we know as the Franco-Prussian War against Wilhelm I of Germany and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

Washburne sent his family to Brussels, Belgium and he returned to his post in Paris.
He is the only diplomat from a major power to remain in Paris during it's siege.

No one in government thought Washburne should have been appointed a diplomat, let alone to France as he was thought to have had no qualifications for the job.  He was however a sincere and honest man who tried his best and he was able to get many American and German nationals out of Paris and kept a good number of both alive who became trapped during the siege.
A "real" diplomat would have abandoned his post as it was a hopeless situation but Washburne was no diplomat and thankfully for many Parisians he, along with his grown son, Gratiot, remained to provide humanitarian aide to thousands.

Washburne kept a diary during this trying time in history, one of the few detailed firsthand accounts of what it was like during the Siege of Paris inside the city during the war and the lawlessness that ensued right after the end of Prussian hostilities when The Commune, a socialist and revolutionary government,  took power within the city.

This book's author supplies background information when needed to the reader for a full comprehension of this historical event and the Washburne diary entries.
I found this book very interesting and I learned much about the Franco-Prussian War.....at least this part of it.

If you like firsthand accounts of history, read this one.


Then it was...........

"Lust and Wonder: a Memoir" by Augusten Burroughs

From the best selling author of his memoir, "Running With Scissors"(which was made into a feature film)about his very strange childhood, Mr. Burroughs has a way with storytelling.  This memoir concerns his relationship struggles and love life with his then partner(now ex)Dennis and his agent Christopher.
He's a great storyteller and I was drawn in with his dark, acidic humor.  As Shakespeare said, "The course of true love never did run smooth", especially for this neurotic gay man. ;-)

It's a fast read and there are true tidbits of humor and moments of "aha!" in here.  It's made me curious to pick up and read his other memoirs/works.

Lastly I read this one...........

"Twelve Years A Slave" by Solomon Northup-as told to and edited by David Wilson
(You can read this one for free online-link is HERE)

Another memoir, released and edited by a white publisher in 1853.  Solomon Northup was a free, educated black man from New York(his father had been a manumitted slave and his mother was a free black woman)who was tricked into thinking he was venturing to Washington D.C. for a musician job, was kidnapped instead by white slavers and sold into slavery in 1841, eventually ending up in the swamps of Louisiana on a cotton plantation where he was eventually rescued by friends and family in 1853 and returned home to New York.

Along with Uncle Tom's Cabin, this memoir helped inflame the abolitionists in the North and added to the sparks that fanned the flames of the War Between the States.  It was a best seller in the 1850's but faded into obscurity until Hollywood made it into a feature film in 2013.

But this was more than just a "White Southerners are Evil" tale.  Mr. Northrup had multiple "masters" during his enslavement and he goes into detail about each of their characters......some were benevolent, some were evil, some were sadistic and some were benign.  He also paints full pictures of all his fellow slaves(those born into the condition)he lived and worked with and you can clearly see them and you weep for their lot in life just due to the color of their skin.
His experience, having been free all his life, colored his captivity differently from his fellow slaves so this isn't a normal slave narrative. 
 Being educated he was able to use his intellect to survive no matter which kind of master owned him at whichever time during his captivity.  He was highly capable and employing his wits and not giving up hope of escape are what saved him in the end.

Court cases were brought against various parties who kidnapped and held Northrup but eventually charges were dropped.
Solomon Northrup took up the lecture circuit after the book was published and just disappears after a few years from the written records.  His death and whereabouts are unknown to this day.
If you want to read something in the "slave narrative" genre(and I have read a few), THIS is the book to pick up.  It is much better than the movie they made from this book IMHO.



*  Hold Giveaway  DONE

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE  Mailed and received and enjoyed. ;-)
And the winner's kitty, Dexter, was very happy.

Jen G. has won a giveaway before which included hair ties.  Dexter loves to steal them so I put a pack of hair ties in Jen's box for him.
Here Dexter is with one of his prizes......lolz

* Clean House  PASS  Well it's not the bang up job I use to do, I did get a bit done every week and the place is more presentable(not that we are expecting anyone).  I can't bend and get down on my knees to scrub floors so I do a little at a time and have asked Hubs to do some of that for me which he promptly ignores. lolz
I just need to stay on top of putting things away.  Ex-CB is a great one for dragging things out and not putting them away so there is a moderate amount of nagging to get him to tow the line.

*  Donation to Food Bank  DONE

My local food bank takes toiletries, paper goods as well as OTC medicines.  As I was going through my toiletries stash to get 2020 giveaway boxes ready for the beginning of the year I culled all in these two photos to take to the food bank.

All that baby food was bought after I made this delivery so I'll gather a good amount to go with the baby food and make another trip up with it in March or April, depending on how much other stuff I have.

*  Move Money  DONE
Hubs sold the rest of our Prudential stock when it hit a high mark not seen since 2008 when the Recession hit.  We've been waiting to do this for awhile and the market finally rose enough.  *With the pandemic fear now, it crashed and is lower than 2008 levels so we timed it well.*

Anyway, we decided to split the cash out in half with each of us getting 50% to use however we wished.  I am sure Hubs money will buy guns and ammo and beer while I put mine in one of our Capital One accounts, the one with my personal $$ in it(like my inheritance from my mom, etc.).  So that money was moved. yay.

*  Clean Pantry  DONE  

I dug some things out we weren't using and gave them away or threw them out.  Things Ex-CB took out of the garage stockpile and didn't use got migrated back to where they belong and I did a tidy up of what was left in the pantry.  I only keep in use/opened items in the pantry in the Winter.

*  Sew Dog Bed  DONE  I had bought a cat bed back in MD when I was on my trip to Ocean City with Kim and her Sissie at an Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!).
Unfortunately it has zippers that hold it together(I guess so you can disassemble it easily to launder it).  Dixie has figured out how to take it apart and was doing so every time I zipped it back together so I had to stitch the whole thing up by hand to keep it together. lolz

*  Sew 4 Flannel Dog Blankets  DONE  We had two flannel sheets from when Ex-CB was in college that aren't needed any longer as bedding.  I cut them each in half and hemmed the 4 sides and Voila! 4 dog blankets.

*  Clean my Desk Area  FAIL  Well I DID clean my desk area but by the end of the month it was a cluttered up mess again...not quite as bad but still.  I need to find other places for some things and keep this Item on my list for March.

* List Items on eBay  FAIL  Between dog surgery and recovery and being sick myself for half of February I didn't have the 'umph' to list anything on eBay.
I DID however sell 1 item that was already listed.  I'll take that small victory. lol

*  Take Dixie for Bloodwork  DONE
Before she got spayed they needed to do blood work on her because she was going under general anesthesia.  One test came back with a low platelet count so they had to do an additional test so there went $40 more for that.  
It turns out that she has a congenital blood disorder called idiopathic asymptomatic thrombocytopenia.  It's a benign condition without bleeding issues for her but almost 50% of Cavaliers have it.  It could lead to other problems later on so we just have to watch for symptoms.
Knowing this, it's a good thing we decided not to breed her.

*  Have Dixie fixed  DONE  She got her stitches out on Wednesday and she is back to her goofball self now. 8-)

* Plan/Goals for 2020  FAIL
Well we've just been bumping along so far this year.  We do need to decide if we are traveling anywhere else this year, what house projects to tackle and then there is lots of legal stuff to tackle in regard to our moving(most of which I am not at liberty to divulge).  And in addition, we are waiting on Ex-College Boy to move out, which will be happening hopefully this year, before we put this house on the market.  Add in that all this legal stuff also involves my brother's cooperation and he can be a tad passive-aggressive so there's that too. sigh.
This month Hubs and I will sit down and try to plot out a strategy(along with nudging EX-CB).


An ok To-Do List outcome for February.  Now it's onward to March!

Did you get stuff done in February?

Sluggy