Author: Peg

I need a death do over. Let us go back to the morning Carlton died? I’d hug Carlton. One last time. But, that is no biggie. He was loved. He knew it. I was loved. I still know it. Two things I’d like to change.

1. I wish I had taken Carlton’s boss – the man who scared Carton into AA – to one of the AA meetings I went to to pay respects right after Carlton died. Cliff needs to know how many people his intervention helped.

2. Some of Carlton’s AA friends are dedicating a rock to him on Wednesday morning. I wish I had thought to order a maile or ti lei to put on the rock. No way one can get here from Hawai’i by early Wednesday AM. Heck, if I had known I could have frozen the ti lei I got when I left Kona. I have it drying on a picture frame right now.

As I said, I need a death do over.

Made heaps of progress on the taxes this morning. My taxes and Carlton’s taxes are almost done. Well, they are done. They need to “rest” (or maybe it is me that needs to rest)… And be checked one last time. Then off they go. In any case – they are good enough to take to the lawyer on Monday.

Lots of running around on tap next week. I hope the card that gets me up and running with ZipCar shows up in snail mail soonest. I am going to try to sign up with Uber. I think I can use my antique cell phone and my iPad (it has a data plan) and make it work. I could always get a smartphone – me I kinda like my current system.

Lots of flowers today. Not much variety. But lots of crocus, hellebores, snowdrops, winter aconite etc. And no snow at all.

Update: UBER in operational.

It was cold, rainy and snowy today. It didn’t seem like the first day of spring. But, I am not going to complain – because, I only had to go to work. By a little afternoon I was home in my cosy apartment. My cosy messy apartment. I fixed the messy. Even, ran the dreaded vacuum. I didn’t attend to any paperwork today. I didn’t do any walking just to make the fitbit happy. I made 3.5 miles today, just doing my normal stuff.

Started the day, watching the total eclipse of the sun on the computer.

It was glorious, even as viewed on the Airness. It would have been magnificent to have been in Svalbard. Imagine what any eclipse of the sun would have meant to folk in the olden days. (And, we are becoming so mindlessly anti-science – maybe in the future.) Now, imagine a total eclipse. And wonder at the power you would have if you were one of the few who understood eclipses. Always makes me think of that great Isaac Asimov short story, “Nightfall”.

The next and most likely my last crack at a TOTAL eclipse will be in 2017. Check it out. The difference between partial and total is huge. Start planning now to be there.

I am feeling very mortal. I really am down to my last 10 years of “good time” – if I am lucky. Gotta make the most of the end of days.

Not a morsel of spring to report. It might have been out there but I didn’t go looking for it.

1. Wake Up
2. Walk to bus stop
3. Ride 52 bus
4. Work
5. Ride 51 bus
6. Walk home from bus stop
7. Finish organizing stuff for lawyer
8. Take elevator to bus stop
9. Ride 75 bus
10. Walk to lawyers office
11. Drop off stuff at lawyers office
12. Walk to bus stop
13. Ride 1A bus
14. Walk home from bus stop
15. Take Nap
16. Wake up
17. Walk to bus stop
18. Ride 2A bus
19. Walk to Pizzeria Orso
20. Enjoy pizza and beer and cupcakes and donuts
21. Get ride home
22. Waddle up to apartment.

And that is how an old lady spends her days. Only logged 4 fitbit miles.

Tomorrow might be a snow day. Stay tuned.

I noticed “my” starlings on the ledge this afternoon. They were looking all grumpy. Which is sort of the way I felt too. I figure we both wonder, why did we come back so soon? And where the heck is spring? Why are we here?

Still waiting for 2 more documents – other than that – Carlton’s taxes are “done”. I don’t have all the stuff together for the lawyer. But, headway is being made. Snow might happen on Friday. If so, I’ll stay home from work and finish it up then.

 

This stuff is called winter aconite in this area. Not my favorite name for a harmless member of the buttercup family. I reserve the aconite label for the true aconites – poisonous members of the wolfbane family. Enough with the biology lesson.

Made strange progresses today. I signed up for a ZipCar account. Hope I will not be too Carlton-like (CHEAP) to use it.

And, I worked some more on the paperwork for the lawyer.

Considered getting a new printer. My printer is acting strange. It is almost 10 years old. BUT, it has all new ink… I am too Carlton-like (CHEAP) to give up on a printer that has new ink cartridges.

Went to the store for a carton of milk and some new flowers. I decided that I require flowers – at least until outdoors is flower filled. Sorry Carlton. I know you don’t approve. But, if you recall, I did buy myself flowers from time to time.

While I was selecting flowers, a young man (and that would be anyone under 60) came up and just picked a dozen red roses. I wouldn’t call that a highly original selection but it was a nice idea. He put his shopping basket on the floor next to me and I noticed a rather large box of Magnums in the basket. Of course, I had to tease him about his shopping list. Ah, the joys of being an old lady. I hope things work out great for him this evening.

I only found crocuses today. But, crocuses are a start in the right direction. Blessings to all who plant/nurture crocuses and other early flowers.

Not much to report. Volunteer work. Personal paperwork. The expensive lawyer wants a hell of a lot of paperwork completed. But, I am guessing that it will be in my best interest to fill out her paperwork. I hope to appoint her as my “decider” when and if I am no longer able to make my own decisions. My plan is – that if I completely lose my marbles the lawyer and the money guy will sort of watch each other and that the old ladies asylum would also have an interest in my money – so – there might be a change that I will not be ripped off too bad and I will be as swiftly as possible dispatched into the good night.

As I may have mentioned, assisted suicide states look damn good to me.



Above, we have the much unloved painting of Carlton’s. If anyone wants it, please tell me why. And you can have it. Next stop, the construction rubbish container.

I think my taxes are done. Mr C’s are started. I found that he too is missing a couple of 1099s. They are supposed to arrive in the mail next week. Compared to my taxes, his seem to be rather simple. I hope I am not missing something huge. 

It was sunny today, but the wind has been howling around. Not a day for flower photos. 

I managed to not run the vacuum. I dust busted a bit. 

Don’t recall shooting raindrops on window panes – this could be very interesting. This is uncropped. Shot with the macro lens.

Shot raindrops because that was about all there was up here on the 17th floor. It stopped raining this afternoon and I went for a walk. It started to rain again. I walked back home very quickly. No, I didn’t have any rain gear. Just an old NPS sweatshirt.

Well, Turbotax thinks that my federal taxes are done. I am not so sure. I haven’t fired up the Virginia component. Turbotax earned its keep this year – it found a really serious mistake that USAA made. They failed to send me an important 1099 and I don’t think I would have remembered the income. And, that might have resulted in a letter from the IRS inviting me to come for a nice visit. Thankyou, Turbotax. I asked USAA if they were going to mess up the 1099 next year and they said – yes – they most likely will. They get points for being honest at least.

This is my first “paperless” tax year. All the records and receipts and 1099’s and brokerage statements are in various places in the computer. guess I’ll have to get them altogether. Maybe in Dropbox or Evernote. Secured. I sorta miss my nice neat little piles of paper.

To reward myself for getting this much done this morning – I made a fine omelette and a half pound of asparagus for my lunch.

And that is catsup on the eggs. But very fine catsup. Sir Kensington, I believe it is called. I put some orange/champagne vinegar on on the asparagus.

And, I cleaned the toilet. In fact, I cleaned my entire bathroom. To reward myself for that, a nice long soak in the (very clean) tub is on tap.

Note to Carlton: That so called “painting” of yours that I hated… It will be going to the dump soon. I don’t think it is Goodwill worthy. Not even the frame. I rearranged the artwork some. I am going to keep the picture of mysterious relative of yours – but I think the rest of your artwork will not make the trip to the old ladies asylum. Sorry. But, that is the way it is. And you know that you always disliked my Graciela Rodo Boulanger cat etching. And, you would leave it behind. And, that would be a mistake – it should be sold – not trashed.

Also, Carlton, I decided I “needed” shelves in my closet. I was going to buy some at The Container Store. But, wait – I put your books in a box and moved your bookcase to my closet. More sensible than buy shelves for a closet that I’ll be leaving in 13 months.

More changes, Carlton –

Your side of the bed has been taken over by magazines and electronic gadgets. Carlton, you are starting to slip into my past. A warm fuzzy past. Kona coffee and KTA donuts and dark chocolate sort of warm fuzzy. I hate to feel the distance between us growing, but I can’t figure out how to stop it. 

My kitchen is a mess. Well, it was. I cleaned it up (some).  My bathroom is still a mess. Ditto bedroom. However, Carlton’s bathroom is clean! Maybe I should start using Carlton’s bathroom. 

Taxes. Even my taxes are FUBAR this year. But, I contine working on them. Yesterday, I got a huge pile of papers from my lawyer that I need to fill out before I see her in a week. Carlton’s taxes remain unstarted. 

It is supposed to rain tomorrow, maybe I can make progress on the paperwork front. 

On the cleaning front. Still don’t know how to run the vacuum or clean a toilet. Yes, boys and girls, I made through 71 years without ever cleaning a toilet. I have run a vacuum, but not in decades. 

News flash!

I found a YouTube video on how to clean a toilet. I needed a few supplies. Went to the store and got said supplies. Goodness knows what/how Carlton did the job. I will clean my entire bathroom tomorrow. Stay tuned. 

Seems like spring has arrived in the neighborhood.

Chipped away at my taxes this afternoon. Hope to get it first cut done by tomorrow evening. Then I can attack Mr C’s. Get it to first cut done. And then, when I have some notion of what the size of the problem is, make a plan for “going forward”.

On a happier note… Just because I can, I am going to travel to far distant Maryland on public transit later this afternoon. According to Google, it should take one hour and two minutes to get where I want to be on Metro and foot. We’ll see. Google says I could get there in one hour and 10 minutes by car. So, I don’t see as how renting a zipcar makes any sense.

The first two pictures on My Snow Day were taken from this park, which I can see from my terrace. No more snow – a good sign of spring.

I sort of got back with the chipping away at my stuff to do program today. Think I made some progress on my taxes, I sent out some thankyou/carlton is dead/belated Xmas cards. And, I did another drawer in the Arc of the Covenant.

Oh, I almost forgot – I friend called this afternoon and she left me with this little nugget: “I don’t say no, I let others tell me no”. I am pretty bad about telling myself “They are just going to tell me no, so why bother” – I should make them actually tell me know.

 



Fortunately, I have a really nice ledge to jump off from, if the paperwork gets too bad. Let us just say, I had to dig out records from my broker from way back to 2009. And, that was for my taxes, the “easy” one.  I worked hard, but made zero progress. 

But, I did get an appointment with my attorney to setup my end game. And, an appointment to review my options at the old  ladies asylum. 

Note to Carlton: you are the only one who  would care, and you woul say “I am impressed”.  Fitbit says that I have walked 1,600 miles in the last eleven months.  That’s not too shabby for a 70something old woman. 

Cold, rainy, foggy here.