Category: The DayBook

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. 

Went out looking for spring this afternoon. Didn’t find any flowers – but I did find at robin at the Nature Conservancy HQ. Also, my resident starlings have returned to the nest hole in my balcony wall.

Made no progress on anything today. Well, I did go back to “work” and I knocked a couple of things off the 2Do list they had for me – but I didn’t manage anything that I had on my personal 2Do List. Oh well, I’ll just cross off Monday and insert Tuesday and try again tomorrow.

However, I did cook (and nap) this afternoon. Butternut squash with tomatoes and some veggie meatballs. And, I discovered a forgotten bottle of wine. So, a fine dinner is on tap.

After a rather unpleasant morning of getting ready to get ready to do taxes, I decided to go on a quest. For spring. Spring was still buried under the snow. Except in one sunny lawn. The crocuses were out and so were the bees. Can you just imagine how happy the bees must be. (And isn’t English a silly language “the bee must be”?)

Today’s drawer was mostly paper. Not used paper. Just paper. Tablets. I know that one of the tablets belonged to my starter husband. That tablet would be almost 50 years old. And a whole bunch of pens, ball point and felt tip. Also pencils, wood ones and mechanical. Needless to say most of the pens were dried up and the erasers didn’t erase any longer. First, I was going to save the two “good” ball point pens. But, I don’t like ball point pens. Never did. So, upon reflection they went into the donate box.

Last evening, I was a little sad – well, more than a little sad. But, just before I went off to bed – a glorious moon appeared. How could I be sad? (Click on it – it is big, Not good, just big.)

 

Google puts a little special header on your search page, if it knows when your birthday is – and google knows everything. That is kinda cute.

Your friends and family, both real and virtual put greetings on your Facebook timeline. The iPad chimes happily all day.

Starbucks and others want you to have good day and they try to lure you into their shops by promising free stuff.

But, all you youngsters out there – and that would be anyone who isn’t old enough for medicare – medicare emails you the absolute worst birthday greeting ever.

“Hello old fart: Since it is your natal day – come on down and get obesity counseling, a colonoscopy, a mammogram, alcohol misuse screening, …” By the time you are my age you should know how to use alcohol. Select beverage, open beverage, consume beverage, repeat as needed.

This is what Medicare thinks I should have tested. High intensity behavioral counseling? WTF is that? It is enough  to insure I ace the Depression Screening.

Chipped away at my piles of paper and stuff today.

Today’s drawer was easy. I hoped the directions for the vacuum would show up. The directions for his answering machine showed up. I looked at the answering machine and whoops – 21 messages. Listen, delete, repeat. Listen, delete, repeat. Listen, delete, repeat.

No, I don’t miss Carlton today more than any other day. He always gave me a Hershey Bar. I love the man dearly, but he was one cheap bugger. He did, however, run the vacuum, do the dishes and clean the bathroom. Oh, and wash the windows.

Started to make some real progress on my (1) Widow woman work and (2) Paperwork/mail that piled up while I was in Hawai’i today. Think I am almost over jetlag and almost used to being in the apartment alone.

Finally opened up all the mail that was piled up. Nothing bad. Nothing time critical. And, as I mentioned earlier – a surprise check. I even opened the mail addressed to Carlton Combs (Deceased).

While sorting stuff this morning – I needed something that I thought was in Carlton’s Desk AKA The Arc of the Covenant. I thought it might be in one of the drawers. So, I completely processed all the stuff in the drawer that I felt was the most likely location of the required papers. I didn’t find the papers. But – I have completely cleaned out one of the drawers. And, I found Carlton’s missing marbles.

Since Carlton has been dead for 5 months – I figured it would be OK to check out his wallet. I shredded everything – except the $14. There was $3.94 and 1 bus token in his oldman change purse. I was ready to let Carlton take me out to lunch today with that $17.94 – but it was about 22 degrees. Fish chowder from my freezer seemed to be a better idea.

A good friend suggested that I should just “chip away” at everything that needs doing. As far as the “stuff” goes – I think this is a good idea. I did one desk drawer today. In that drawer, I found a little box with a pocket watch that seems to have belonged to his maternal grandfather, some pocket watch “chains”, and what I can only call “pocket watch charms”. I saved that box for future processing – everything else was either shredded or pitched.  And, I think this will be the way to get through the stuff – do a small chunk everyday. But, do it completely. No moving stuff from Pile A to Pile B.

It started snowing at about 8AM and it is just now stopping (5PM). Think we had 5 to 6 inches around the apartment. Problem is – it is supposed to be about 10 degrees tonight. But, it will start warming up nicely on Saturday. Might not go out walking tomorrow – I have gotten old enough to worry about slipping on ice. A dear friend slipped on ice a couple of winters ago. Hit his head. And died.

I opened some of the mail today. No surprises. Just LOTS of mail. I got a check for $62. That was sort of a bonus for opening mail. There are some Xmas cards from people who didn’t get the word that Carlton died – so, I’ll have to send out some more of those “Carlton Cards”. And there is all that stuff that says “Tax Documents” or “Carlton Combs (Deceased)” – haven’t opened any of them. Maybe tomorrow.

Opening mail was about my only accomplishment today. That doesn’t seem like much of an accomplishment, does it? Gotta pick up the pace.