Saturday, Mar 17. Snowed 4 inches to wake up to, then another inch starting falling at 10:00 am. We both took care of neighbor’s needs. Then picked up a lady and took her with us to the music play time and eating at a retirement community we attend every third Saturday of the month. But, we already told you about that in last week’s blog, because we were running late and didn’t get it out till Sunday morning.
Sunday, Mar 18. Started off well, but deteriorated as I got a bug (24 hr intestinal one), about 3:15 in the afternoon, while playing in a bluegrass jam session. I was sick all afternoon and night and really got sick about 7:30 p.m. I stayed ill all night, and finally was slightly better about 6:35 a.m., but I went back to sleep and slept till 9:00 a.m.
Monday, Mar 19 I will start where I left off, on yesterday’s report. I was getting better, but was weak, so I cancelled out going to town today, and cancelled my appointment tomorrow. I will just work on taxes instead, which I should have been continuing the past few days, but was busy going to music events. Just finished a download on updates for Turbo Tax 2010, and am installing 2011 Turbo Tax. This is on my new laptop and releases me from having to sit at the home computer, and get a sore neck because the table is too high for me, even with a pillow in the chair. [John says: See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics ] Talked to my friend in GA who wants to use one of our expiring timeshares, and I helped her through the web page. It is space-banked so can be used anywhere in the world where any opening occurs. We looked in the Key West, Key Largo area, and nothing is available with our purchasing power in prime time and close. However, there are others in Florida. Maybe they can get within reaching distance and drive to Key West. Of course it has been 56 years since I was there, and don’t have a clue how the area has changed.
Tuesday, Mar 20. Have to get up early and John needs to do the chores, before we call over at 7:30 a.m. to see what the weather is there at the vineyard. The weather forecast did NOT looking promising Monday night. It turned out fine, and John made the trip all right. I stayed and worked on the computer and on taxes.
Wednesday, Mar 21 What a neat day. Started cloudy, then sunshine, and cooler and now snowing lightly. I managed to work on my computer and coordinated with the Spokane Office of the bank where we have the mortgage on our house. We had not received (or else it didn’t make it to the receipt box) the 1098 form we need for taxes for interest we paid. Then off I went to play music at the Soup Kitchen part of the Food Bank. Over 40 people (including the servers) ate today. It was one of the best meals I have had there and they always have a well balanced offering. Today– it was Cajun chicken (baked leg w/thigh) in a spicy sauce, and quite tender. Along with it, we had a large dinner roll w/ butter, garlic mashed red potatoes, a mixed greens salad with squash, peppers, and tomatoes (choice of 4 dressings), and a bowl of apricots for dessert. It was so good I cleaned my plate and will not need dinner tonight. Seriously.Then off to exercise class, and by the hospital for a blood draw, after. Got home and managed to hook up a couple (friends) for a Williamsburg, VA timeshare of ours that we don’t have time to use before May 31. We couldn’t locate anything in Florida, so they switched their locaton choice, and found a really neat plantation, which would costs $149/night, yet it will just be $189 for the week. Forgot to say, I picked up some bread (day old) they encourage us and everyone there to take from the Food Bank. I got 3 packages for our neighbors and two for us. Went over and visited with my neighbor lady while John fed their horses, and packed more hay into his truck for afternoon and morning feedings for the next couple days. Returned home to work on email and get back onto the tax input. I’m pretty tired so may hit the hay a little earlier than the past several nights.
Thursday, Mar 22 Most of the morning was spent calling accountants or customer service at hospitals (two in Yakima and one in EBRG, doctor offices (heart-cardiologist, surgeon), lung (infectious disease specialists), eye, family physician, and dentist, CWU payroll, and human resources. I needed a copy of their records for how much I personally had to pay over and above what Medicare and Group Health covered. The most interesting finding was at Yakima Memorial Hospital where I was for two times in 2010. There was one payment of $139.90 that was never billed to me. It was a remainder of something early in the year that wasn’t covered. Because I never was notified, I never paid it. When the accountant found it today, she said she would forgive it because that was too long ago to request a payment now. Suits me just fine. Finally, I got out just minutes after John returned home from pruning, to drive to town to play music at Hearthstone. We had a lot of conflicts today, and I essentially was the only fiddler. We had 4 guitars, a mandolin, banjo, and clarinet. My arm is quite sore from all the activity of playing. I left and got home for a couple hours but had to take off for a dinner with two friends at a restaurant in town. It was a free steak dinner to listen to a talk on energy saving attic blankets to go over roof insulation, made from a NASA development for the space station.
Friday, Mar 23 John went pruning, and I slept in. Skipped my exercise class this afternoon because I didn’t want to make that trip to town for only 50 minutes time, and round-trip it takes another 50 minutes. Multipurpose trips are needed. My Subaru wants the expensive fuel but runs fine on mid-grade. And here’s a question: Why do stations still call it “unleaded?” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline#Tetraethyl_lead
I spent almost all the day working on taxes or being on the phone requesting medical back up paperwork for expenses, including for medical insurance we paid out, some from my CWU payroll check. I also worked on proofing a former student’s application for grad school and giving some suggestions on her resume and statement of purpose. John went to bed early, after serving a simple dinner of pizza and apple slices, plus cut up chicken breast. The other excitement was talking by phone with John’s cousin on her 94th birthday. And, we had a nice conversation with her daughter in Brookville, PA, where John’s sister is spending the weekend after attending the funeral on Friday. I think she said 18 people showed up at the graveside in Scotch Hill, PA. That doubled the population count for the “town” for the day. Peggy and John’s oldest brother and his wife are dead, but all their kids came along with other non-sorted (how does this differ from ‘assorted’?) relatives and friends, so it was like a family reunion. There is a small community building at the cemetery and reunions have been held there. The attraction is walking the rows of graves and reading the tombstones – paying respect to the ancients. The service crew intended to wait-out the attendees before covering the vault but having been assured no one would be offended and that many would be “reading tombstones” for awhile, they then went about their business.
Saturday, Mar 24 After a slow start to the morning, we drove to Yakima to Costco for not much and to fill my car with gasoline. It was running on empty, so we detoured through EBRG to get 2.4 gallons worth at $4.07/gal. With coupons, we also bought a sandwich from Wendy’s to eat on the road. I had a nice Cod sandwich and John had a cheeseburger, with one left to bring home. (It was a special, two cheeseburgers for $4., and mine was free with the purchase of a small coke and fries ($3.18) which we could share just fine. Got down to Costco and only had to pay, $3.71/gal., so we filled it there. Got some good stuff in the store on several special sales, includng:
http://addictedtocostco.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/jarlsberg_cheese.jpg
Nice clean road trip (sunny weather) down to Yakima, a round trip total of 104 miles; including the EBRG side-trip. I drove down and John drove back, so I was able to talk to his sister Peggy on the phone, before we descended into the canyons of basalt between Yakima and Ellensburg. The reception is blacked out in some places along that segment.
Back home, it’s beautiful and sunny, and the birds are singing – waiting for a turn at the feeder. Our dogs did not get their morning run because there were too many deer sleeping under the big Cottonwood tree. So, they had to wait for their run till we got back from Yakima. With that done, John has driven back to town primarily to run the old 1989 truck and to pick up 7 gallons of gasoline to put in the 1980 Chevy ‘farm’ truck. And, he planned to buy some soft drinks on sale, some tuna fish for me, and ended up with a beef roast (first in many moons) and a dozen apple fritters for my sweet tooth. Now we have plenty, because we got two containers of fruit/cream cheese pastries at Costco. We just got invited for a birthday dinner for our neighbor tomorrow. It’s his 90th. On the menu is beef roast – we’ll have to freeze the one we just bought. Otherwise, life is good.
If you have time for a break, watch this 8 minute video of slow motion things.
http://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html
Hope your week was a good one.
Nancy and John
still on the Naneum Fan