I have been having another computer (sort of) problem and it gave me the idea for this column - reminders.
Among the problems I have is that I lose track of time and/or forget I have to do something. I have found that reminders work great to deal with this. It can also remind one to do something that one does not really want to do and tries to ignore.
I use my cell phone and my computer for reminders. My husband had the wonderfulness known as a Palm Pilot. Perhaps you remember them. He could enter information into a calendar, a to do list, an address book, or a memo list in his Pilot and sync it with the calendar from Palm (or some other ones also if he preferred) and the same information was on the Pilot and on his computer. I had liked the idea of a calendar on my computer, but since I don’t keep it on all the time it was inconvenient to use as I had to turn the computer on, so I did not keep my calendar on my computer. He lent me his Pilot to see if it made if it made using a computer calendar convenient for me. I used to be on the road locally and I was using a calendar book, which I could carry in my brief case, to keep track of my appointments. I also recorded what I did in it - for work especially. The Pilot was to replace it. If I liked it we would buy me one also.
Well, I did like it. Instead of buying one, however, he told me to keep his. At work his secretary kept track of his appointments and at home I did, so he had found he had not needed it while I was using it. We found a nice program to use with it (instead of the one which came with it) and I was happy. It would go to work with me in my brief case. If I was going someplace that I might need to make an appointment or otherwise see if I would be free on a certain date, I would bring it with me in my tee shirt pocket. Then horrors, of horrors, Windows updated to Windows XP. The calendar program I was using only worked through Windows Millennium. I switched computers with husband when I needed a new one as his ran on same and that gave me some more years, but then I had to give in and upgrade to XP. Luckily I had received for one of my laptops a program I had never used - Lotus Organizer. I tried that and it was even better than what I had before and worked with the Pilot. Problem solved.
When we had to update our cell phones we got Palm Centros. They also synced with the Organizer program, were smaller than the Pilot, and since I did not have to carry a separate cell phone - it fit in my pocket! This worked terrifically for me until husband decided to get one of the “new” Android phones and I had to get a new cell phone when we split our plans. He did some research and found out that the Blackberry Centro - new at that time - could be made to work with the Organizer with old Blackberry software. I was back in business. Next problem was the upgrade to Windows 7 - but husband managed to get the Organizer work with it also. The Blackberry won’t work with the Organizer to do list, but since most of my to dos are in the house, I use the Centro for same, using it as a PDA and for its games. I keep both the phones synced to the Organizer program and if I have to dos outside the house I put them in the calendar section so they sync to the Blackberry calendar.
So, what does this boring recitals of cell phones, Windows versions, and computer calendars have to do with real organizing? I use the setup to remind me of what I have to do from day to day. How?
First, there is the obvious. I put any appointments I make into the calendar section. Doctor appointment? It’s in there and I can set a reminder to remind me in advance - weeks, days, hours, minutes before - of the appointment. A regular monthly club meeting - I put them all in at once using the repeat feature. Holidays? I have the ones which occur on the same date every year (Christmas, New Year’s Day, etc.) set up to repeat annually, automatically. Holidays which are on a certain day (3rd Monday of February for example) I also set up to repeat annually, also automatically. The reason I love the Organizer (unfortunately no longer available as it is a “dead” program - but there are alternatives) is the variety of ways it allows the appointments (and to dos) to be entered and repeated. (I could even repeat something every 13 days, for example, or every 3rd Tuesday, or every 5 months, or every 3rd year.) Holidays that vary around (such as Easter) I will go in and set by hand for 5 years and then do so again towards the end of the 5 years. Birthdays, anniversaries can be set in to repeat year to year. Children’s dance classes, little league, religious classes, etc. can be in the calendar to remind you.
If we are going on a trip I enter the hotels, or more recently the campgrounds, into the calendar section. For example I enter “John Hancock hotel, 4 nights, reservation number 345678A, $95 a night” on each night that we will be staying at the hotel. Now, this tells me where we and when we will be sleeping, but can be confusing as we don’t always sleep where we are going and it is off from the days as it shows the nights at the hotel. So I also enter, separately what we plan to do, in a general sense. For the above it was a complete trip, for example, the first day would say “drive to Boston” - this would match the first night at the hotel as we would be staying there after driving to Boston. The next 3 days would say “Boston” as that is where we plan to go, Boston and the surrounding area - these days match the remaining 3 nights of our stay. Now the last day - which does not list a hotel for the night - we are still in Boston, but will be driving home and there is no hotel for the night and I will enter “drive home from Boston”. So now I have a record of where we are staying and when - and all the reservation details, as well as what we plan to do each day. If I want to keep a record of what we did each day, I make a to do (or memo, this is called different things by different programs) and list what I want a record of having done.
Second, I use the to dos (memos) to keep track of what has to be done. Huh? Well, every day at 6:45 pm a reminder rings in my PDA to remind me to stop doing what I am doing (I am generally on the computer or otherwise working in our office), backup the computer data, sync the phones and the computer, as it will soon be time to make dinner. I have a weekly reminder to write my entry for this blog on Tuesday nights and another - also weekly - to remind me to post it on Wednesday night. And, yes, just like the clock we all set in the morning, it is not uncommon for me to reset the alarm on the to do to finish what I am doing at the computer or to write the blog on Wednesday if I can’t do it on Tuesday.
A reminder can be set for any reason - husband does not like cold ketchup; on Thursday afternoons I have a reminder to take out chopped turkey to defrost and the ketchup to warm up. I have reminders to do the laundry on Wednesday and Thursday nights, I have reminders to check my email once a day (I do not check it again unless I did not receive an email I expected to receive or I sent one out and expect a reply. My email does not come in automatically when it arrives. This lets me not get stuck constantly dealing with email.) I have reminders to change the towels in the house (twice a week in the bathrooms, three times a week in the kitchen) and to change the bedding once a week. Being a crazy accountant, I have things I do at the end of the month to sort of close out one month and start another - reminder for each.
I also have standard times to set reminders on an ongoing basis. I put in a reminder to make telephone calls at 1:30 pm. I put in a reminder for things to do in the late evening after dinner at 11 pm (we stay up late) and so on.
I enjoy doing embroidery, but never seemed to get a chance to stitch on whatever (and there are always several) piece I am working on. I have a Thursday night “to do” which sets aside the time for me to stitch then.
Now, things which I will do while at the computer and while looking at the Organizer calendar, I do not necessarily set up with an alarm to remind me. When I go to our office (also known as the second bedroom, lest you envision a huge business office) I turn on my computer, sync the 2 phones with Organizer (one at a time, first the Curve and then the Centro) and open Organizer. I will first make any adjustments needed due to the syncing - I check off finished to dos for example. I then look at the page, the same as one would look at any paper appointment book, and I see what I have to do and any appointments. (Important appointments, such as doctors, will have an alarm a few days before, reset as we go closer to the appointment.) I then know what needs to be done - starting with checking my email. When I am finished at the end of the session, I back up my data, then the calendar data, and then sync again - again first the Curve and then the Centro. As soon as I leave my computer and make any changes they no longer agree among the three - Curve, Centro, and computer, which is why I sync them when I start so they will all have any changes made and then again when I leave - so they will all be the same going forward until a change is made.
Third, I also use the address books in the three and sync them together so they all have the same information in them. (My current problem is that the Centro has stopped syncing the address book. Based on syncing it with my laptop - something normally only done when on a trip - I find that it is a software problem in my desktop computer and I will need to delete and reinstall the syncing software.) Names, phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses. There is also a section to list other information - great for remembering the doctor’s nurse’s name when one goes in or the name of a business associates wife - and if it is in your cell phone - you know you will always have it with you. A campground we go to frequently has notes on which spaces we like and which we do not.
Lastly, all 3 have a memo section. What is this? Just for notes you need to make and have. A shopping list. The sizes that one needs for Christmas shopping. Which sewing machine one has. Which books on certain subject one has (stops one from buying a duplicate). Notes made while someplace on how to do something. I have a memo with a listing by state and main road of where there are places we have found to eat while in transit - due to the RV needing a bit more space in a parking lot I also note if there is a problem (“small parking lot”). I list the exit from the road. Much cheaper (if one is not on a toll road) than eating at truck stops along the way. So basically, a memo section can hold anything - no alarms though.
Okay you are thinking, but unlike this crazy person who uses old stuff, I have an android or an Iphone and the software she mentioned no longer exists - what do I do? Well, first every cell phone has an address book of some type, so that is easy to use. I asked my husband and he told me that there is a calender in android phones and in Iphones (and I think I had one in my old flip phone) so that is available for you to use. If there is no software for a calender or to dos or memos - there are apps. I understand that Google has a calender and one can set it up to sync with an android or Iphone and then the info will be on your computer and on your phone. Even better than just a sound alarm - you can have Siri or Cortana remind you of your appointments and things to do. Even setting an alarm clock can help remind you to do something.
Now, I know I get carried away with my reminders - but your cell phone can be a very useful tool to help you stay on track with what you have to or want to get done. Want to sort stuff in the back room where it all just seems to have piled up? Set a reminder to go in there and work for 10 minutes a day - or once a week - or in between - or less often. If you have to return books to the library and you know you will forget in the morning - stick them in a bag and hang it on the door you will leave by - or the closet door (clothing or coat) - or on the kitchen table. All sorts of reminders work and really help.
How do you remind yourself what to do and when to do it
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Thursday, September 22, 2016
HOW CAN I BE SO BUSY DOING NOTHING?
Have you ever gone through on of those time periods where you have things to do and don’t get to them as you have minor things to do like crazy - although none of them are really anything of importance? I have been going through a period of time like this the last few weeks and sometimes it always seems that way to me.
First, as you know from prior posts, husband has been planning trips that I have to try to work around. If we are going on a trip household chores - especially laundry and financial - have to planned around and for the trips. Laundry must be done so we have clean clothes to bring. Bills have to be paid before we go away which will be due while we will be away and we have to make sure we have money in the checking account for the bills, cash for the trip, etc. When one does not know how long one is going away for or even if one is going away or not, this is hard to do. So I have to plan for the maximum amount of time we will be away - and all possible dates (will we leave Tuesday? Wednesday? Thursday? Next Monday?) for the trip.
Also mentioned before one day a month I have to go out to a client for work. I generally go on a Tuesday or Thursday due to a variety of reasons. I had to go to the client last week and file her sales taxes after I came home (I have no Internet access at her place of business). One of the trips we were planning was also last week. So I had to make sure I went to her early in the week so I would be available whenever we actually went. Then there were a couple of problems I had to deal with for her after I was home - Time running like sand through my fingers.
We then went on the trip. It ended up a day trip to the Valley Forge, PA area, followed by a ride to Lancaster, PA for dinner and home. The shortness of the trip allowed me to catch up on some paperwork sitting on my desk (bank recs and such).
As I mentioned last week we made a frame for my embroidery piece a week ago Monday, and then after husband painted it, we framed the piece Tuesday (after I came home from my client). Over the weekend we had to take the piece to the event it was entered in. I also had another piece entered in the same event. So, last Sunday we had to drive to the location of the event and drop off the pieces. Another good chunk of a day gone.
Monday night our reenactment unit had their monthly meeting. I had to prepare paperwork to bring (I am on the board and have to give a report each time). This took up a chunk of the afternoon and the meeting runs so late that we eat dinner part before - soup - and then the main part after the meeting, around 11 pm.
Tuesday we went back to where we dropped off my embroidery as we were judging in other categories. This takes up most of the day. Then we had to eat lunch and run our regular errands on the way home. Oh, I got to check my entries - I got a red ribbon (2nd) for the embroidery and nothing for the smaller piece. Oh, well, it is for fun. (First prize is a whopping $5, so it is not done for the money.)
In between all of this I helped husband warp (set up the threads to weave through) his loom. This takes about an hour or more to do. He finished the piece and today we had to wash it.
Some how I have managed to catch up on followup I had to do from my embroidery group meeting about a coming project. I also am the “web master” and change the website after the meeting to feature the next meeting. So, of course, with cleaning and other much more important things to do, I decided that the website was missing an “about us” page and have spent parts of three days doing it - while doing everything else.
This coming weekend our reenactment group is having an event. I have to set up the embroidery I work on at events (I demonstrate period needlework) so that all the threads I might need are set up on reproduction “bobbins” (piece of wood) so I do not have to take out anything modern. We will also be packing our van for the event a day or so before. The president of the group cannot come, so husband will be in charge of the event as VP, more work for me.
Next weekend my embroidery group will be demonstrating needlework at the event I have my pieces entered in. I will have to pack in advance for that - including items belonging to the group that I have here. The day after husband and I will go back to the event (it runs 2 weekends) and pick up my pieces.
Then it will be next month and it starts all over!
So, I keep doing things, but never have time to GET THINGS DONE around the house. It amazes me how quickly the time passes. If I want to make a telephone call - for services needed, let alone family - it sits on my calendar for days and days - sometimes weeks and weeks. I really need to call my mom to say hello!
Have you found this happens to you? You are always doing things, but nothing you need to get done, gets done just the “other stuff”?
First, as you know from prior posts, husband has been planning trips that I have to try to work around. If we are going on a trip household chores - especially laundry and financial - have to planned around and for the trips. Laundry must be done so we have clean clothes to bring. Bills have to be paid before we go away which will be due while we will be away and we have to make sure we have money in the checking account for the bills, cash for the trip, etc. When one does not know how long one is going away for or even if one is going away or not, this is hard to do. So I have to plan for the maximum amount of time we will be away - and all possible dates (will we leave Tuesday? Wednesday? Thursday? Next Monday?) for the trip.
Also mentioned before one day a month I have to go out to a client for work. I generally go on a Tuesday or Thursday due to a variety of reasons. I had to go to the client last week and file her sales taxes after I came home (I have no Internet access at her place of business). One of the trips we were planning was also last week. So I had to make sure I went to her early in the week so I would be available whenever we actually went. Then there were a couple of problems I had to deal with for her after I was home - Time running like sand through my fingers.
We then went on the trip. It ended up a day trip to the Valley Forge, PA area, followed by a ride to Lancaster, PA for dinner and home. The shortness of the trip allowed me to catch up on some paperwork sitting on my desk (bank recs and such).
As I mentioned last week we made a frame for my embroidery piece a week ago Monday, and then after husband painted it, we framed the piece Tuesday (after I came home from my client). Over the weekend we had to take the piece to the event it was entered in. I also had another piece entered in the same event. So, last Sunday we had to drive to the location of the event and drop off the pieces. Another good chunk of a day gone.
Monday night our reenactment unit had their monthly meeting. I had to prepare paperwork to bring (I am on the board and have to give a report each time). This took up a chunk of the afternoon and the meeting runs so late that we eat dinner part before - soup - and then the main part after the meeting, around 11 pm.
Tuesday we went back to where we dropped off my embroidery as we were judging in other categories. This takes up most of the day. Then we had to eat lunch and run our regular errands on the way home. Oh, I got to check my entries - I got a red ribbon (2nd) for the embroidery and nothing for the smaller piece. Oh, well, it is for fun. (First prize is a whopping $5, so it is not done for the money.)
In between all of this I helped husband warp (set up the threads to weave through) his loom. This takes about an hour or more to do. He finished the piece and today we had to wash it.
Some how I have managed to catch up on followup I had to do from my embroidery group meeting about a coming project. I also am the “web master” and change the website after the meeting to feature the next meeting. So, of course, with cleaning and other much more important things to do, I decided that the website was missing an “about us” page and have spent parts of three days doing it - while doing everything else.
This coming weekend our reenactment group is having an event. I have to set up the embroidery I work on at events (I demonstrate period needlework) so that all the threads I might need are set up on reproduction “bobbins” (piece of wood) so I do not have to take out anything modern. We will also be packing our van for the event a day or so before. The president of the group cannot come, so husband will be in charge of the event as VP, more work for me.
Next weekend my embroidery group will be demonstrating needlework at the event I have my pieces entered in. I will have to pack in advance for that - including items belonging to the group that I have here. The day after husband and I will go back to the event (it runs 2 weekends) and pick up my pieces.
Then it will be next month and it starts all over!
So, I keep doing things, but never have time to GET THINGS DONE around the house. It amazes me how quickly the time passes. If I want to make a telephone call - for services needed, let alone family - it sits on my calendar for days and days - sometimes weeks and weeks. I really need to call my mom to say hello!
Have you found this happens to you? You are always doing things, but nothing you need to get done, gets done just the “other stuff”?
Thursday, September 15, 2016
ONE YEAR OF POSTS - HAVE I GOTTEN AHEAD ON MY ORGANIZING?
Well, this post is the start of my second year of posting. Pretty good for a procrastinator who has tried 3or 4 times before to start a blog - this is my 53rd continuous post. I did write several before I started to make sure I would keep going.
In the past year I have written about my adventures - or at least attempts - in organizing including my early attempts at organizing,the kitchen, organizing books, the December holidays, winter weather & later in the years hurricane prep, computers - including the replacement of my hard drive, income taxes, our studio, our tiny RV, medications, finances, my hatred of sheets and even an odd item found in my sofa. Some posts read better to me than others and seem more interesting than others. But, I have managed to write and post by late Wednesday night (very early Thursday am?) every week. Last week I thought I would miss the post as our Internet went down when I was ready to post. (It has been happening this lately - 3 times in 2 weeks for a few hours each time and, of course, when we call and complain there is no record of any outage at the cable company we get our Internet service from.) I plan to make a listing by subject on the site - when I figure out how to, so postings can be referred to by subject by you kind readers.
I was concerned that I might be late in this post. You know how it is - there are weeks when there is nothing which has to be accomplished by a deadline - and then suddenly 5 different things suddenly have to be done and all have a short deadline. But everything was done and a planned trip which was going to take up time getting ready was cut back to a one day trip. Whew, I wouldn’t want to miss or be late with this post.
We have a very small corporation (gross income less than $1,000 a year) and the returns are due March 15. I cannot prepare the return until after I do our personal return - which I get out after my client’s returns in April before the deadline. So I put the corporation returns on extension - to September 15 - yes, tomorrow. Most years I am doing the return at the last minute. This year I decided I would good and get the return done in July. I did the calculations then, but ended up with other things to do and the returns themselves were put off to August - still not too bad. I did the Federal return in August and then looked at our “new” state return. I almost fainted. Not only is there no longer a simplified return for small corporations (which are much larger even than our tiny corporation), but the regular return was redone and is now 8 pages long, plus I had to an attachment form 2 pages long, and another return because of where our corporation is located 4 pages long. It is aimed at huge corporations with multiple locations. At one point I found a section (we’ll call B) which could not be done until another section (we’ll call E) was done - so I went to section E and I needed information from section B to complete it - so I needed E to do B and B to do E! Luckily I knew the answer from E would be zero, I am not sure what one does it if something else, which it will be in most cases. In the middle I had a question and sent it by email to state tax department. (They say on the site and on their telephone message when one calls them to send an email rather than calling, so I do. I have never had an answer by email and usually they tell me to call them - and I sit and listen for 15 minutes to repeating messages telling me to go online instead - when I did and was told to call - and then their system hangs up as it is too busy.) This time they called me - what a shock! I was able to finish the return Monday and it was out in the mail today - the 14th - with a day to go before it was due. So, yes, I did know this return had to be done - and I will try to get it out earlier next year since I now know sort of what has to be done on the state return - I think.
I am not sure, but I think I mentioned that I enjoy stitching embroidery. I finished a piece which I started 10 years ago - some time off in the middle when dealing with the bed bugs and other pieces in between. It was finished in March and I knew how I wanted it framed. I planed to enter it at the county fair - which is actually the county fair for 3 counties and held in the manner of the late 1800s at a restoration village - with the original fair grounds recreated from photos - which is in late September to early October. Plenty of time. Unfortunately when I started the piece we had access to low cost picture frame molding. In the ensuing 10 years the place no longer sells same. So now I was stuck trying to find a frame which looked like I imagined in my head, was the correct size and shape, and was cheap. Not easy to do as the piece is a square. When I went to the various chain craft stores (the major source of cheap frames) they did not have the size. I found one slightly larger in Ikea in a different color and we were going to buy that one and I would add fabric to the piece so it would large enough to fit the frame and husband would cut a mat for it, but then, about 2 weeks ago, I found a frame in Michael’s - the exact size I wanted and the color I wanted! We bought it. It sat in the house waiting to be used. The end of last week we went to frame the piece (which also involves stretching the fabric over a back board and this piece has to be centered exactly) we found out that the frame is made of plastic over MDF board. It is intended to hang from 2 hooks on the back of its back board - something we have never seen before. In the interim between finishing the piece and now I found out the national of my embroidery group is having an exhibition starting next year and my starry eyes thought that perhaps I could enter and get into the show. For this show the pieces have to be hung by wire - not any other method. So the frame’s hangers could not be used and plastic over MDF is not good to put screws into, so that was it. I figured, well that’s that for now - the Ikea frame would take too much work. Husband went around and found some pieces of wood left over from other frames he made and there was just enough to make the frame for this one. So, over the weekend, in a great rush of course, we made the frame. While I was at work yesterday he painted and last night we assembled it. Not exactly the look I wanted - but it is frame and it is black and will do - and I greatly appreciate his not giving up, even when I do.
In the middle of everything else, I had to go to a client yesterday - which took up the day - but it is how I make my income.
We planned to go away for 3 days - figuring one day for a comfortable drive down, one day at a quilt show, and one day in the Lancaster, PA area. (You probably see this area mentioned a lot it is a nice relaxing place within a few hours drive.) So last evening after working all day and then framing the embroidery, I brought the bills and related items downstairs to work on them in the kitchen - while I did the laundry a day early to have clean clothes to take with us - to deal with them as it all had to be done by today. For extra fun - when I paid the bills last week there was some other problem and I paid them, but did not post them to computer, which I use as a double check on what I do. So I had to finish up last weeks bills before starting on this week’s bills, plus the laptop I was using (my work one, not this one, as it has the software needed in it) is not the easiest one to use when one is used to using the desktop with all the extra keys it has. I had to write an envelope for one bill and sent it through the house network to print it upstairs - but of course since I last used that laptop, the printer code reset and I had to run upstairs, put an envelope in the printer (and announce to husband - don’t print anything until this envelope is printed), run down, start printing, realize the code was wrong, try to access the router drive as it has the correct code on it - but the laptop would not access the house network, run upstairs and get the code, update it in the laptop, print the envelope and then run upstairs to get it. Exhausting. Well, all was done and ready to go out in the mail today and the clothes were washed and dried and this morning I folded them. Then today we decided to just drive down for a day - so all that work did not have to be done for today, but it was.
So at this point I don’t know if I am further along in organizing or not. I will keep trying, that is all I can do. I hope you will continue on my journey with me and feel free to tell me about yours or comment on what I have written. Thank you for reading “me”.
Remember - instead of waiting for January to start at “the new year” there are lots of new years to use - I started with September as that is when it is the new year for school, the TV season, and the Jewish holidays. February is Asian Lunar New Year. Then again, every day is the start of a new year!
In the past year I have written about my adventures - or at least attempts - in organizing including my early attempts at organizing,the kitchen, organizing books, the December holidays, winter weather & later in the years hurricane prep, computers - including the replacement of my hard drive, income taxes, our studio, our tiny RV, medications, finances, my hatred of sheets and even an odd item found in my sofa. Some posts read better to me than others and seem more interesting than others. But, I have managed to write and post by late Wednesday night (very early Thursday am?) every week. Last week I thought I would miss the post as our Internet went down when I was ready to post. (It has been happening this lately - 3 times in 2 weeks for a few hours each time and, of course, when we call and complain there is no record of any outage at the cable company we get our Internet service from.) I plan to make a listing by subject on the site - when I figure out how to, so postings can be referred to by subject by you kind readers.
I was concerned that I might be late in this post. You know how it is - there are weeks when there is nothing which has to be accomplished by a deadline - and then suddenly 5 different things suddenly have to be done and all have a short deadline. But everything was done and a planned trip which was going to take up time getting ready was cut back to a one day trip. Whew, I wouldn’t want to miss or be late with this post.
We have a very small corporation (gross income less than $1,000 a year) and the returns are due March 15. I cannot prepare the return until after I do our personal return - which I get out after my client’s returns in April before the deadline. So I put the corporation returns on extension - to September 15 - yes, tomorrow. Most years I am doing the return at the last minute. This year I decided I would good and get the return done in July. I did the calculations then, but ended up with other things to do and the returns themselves were put off to August - still not too bad. I did the Federal return in August and then looked at our “new” state return. I almost fainted. Not only is there no longer a simplified return for small corporations (which are much larger even than our tiny corporation), but the regular return was redone and is now 8 pages long, plus I had to an attachment form 2 pages long, and another return because of where our corporation is located 4 pages long. It is aimed at huge corporations with multiple locations. At one point I found a section (we’ll call B) which could not be done until another section (we’ll call E) was done - so I went to section E and I needed information from section B to complete it - so I needed E to do B and B to do E! Luckily I knew the answer from E would be zero, I am not sure what one does it if something else, which it will be in most cases. In the middle I had a question and sent it by email to state tax department. (They say on the site and on their telephone message when one calls them to send an email rather than calling, so I do. I have never had an answer by email and usually they tell me to call them - and I sit and listen for 15 minutes to repeating messages telling me to go online instead - when I did and was told to call - and then their system hangs up as it is too busy.) This time they called me - what a shock! I was able to finish the return Monday and it was out in the mail today - the 14th - with a day to go before it was due. So, yes, I did know this return had to be done - and I will try to get it out earlier next year since I now know sort of what has to be done on the state return - I think.
I am not sure, but I think I mentioned that I enjoy stitching embroidery. I finished a piece which I started 10 years ago - some time off in the middle when dealing with the bed bugs and other pieces in between. It was finished in March and I knew how I wanted it framed. I planed to enter it at the county fair - which is actually the county fair for 3 counties and held in the manner of the late 1800s at a restoration village - with the original fair grounds recreated from photos - which is in late September to early October. Plenty of time. Unfortunately when I started the piece we had access to low cost picture frame molding. In the ensuing 10 years the place no longer sells same. So now I was stuck trying to find a frame which looked like I imagined in my head, was the correct size and shape, and was cheap. Not easy to do as the piece is a square. When I went to the various chain craft stores (the major source of cheap frames) they did not have the size. I found one slightly larger in Ikea in a different color and we were going to buy that one and I would add fabric to the piece so it would large enough to fit the frame and husband would cut a mat for it, but then, about 2 weeks ago, I found a frame in Michael’s - the exact size I wanted and the color I wanted! We bought it. It sat in the house waiting to be used. The end of last week we went to frame the piece (which also involves stretching the fabric over a back board and this piece has to be centered exactly) we found out that the frame is made of plastic over MDF board. It is intended to hang from 2 hooks on the back of its back board - something we have never seen before. In the interim between finishing the piece and now I found out the national of my embroidery group is having an exhibition starting next year and my starry eyes thought that perhaps I could enter and get into the show. For this show the pieces have to be hung by wire - not any other method. So the frame’s hangers could not be used and plastic over MDF is not good to put screws into, so that was it. I figured, well that’s that for now - the Ikea frame would take too much work. Husband went around and found some pieces of wood left over from other frames he made and there was just enough to make the frame for this one. So, over the weekend, in a great rush of course, we made the frame. While I was at work yesterday he painted and last night we assembled it. Not exactly the look I wanted - but it is frame and it is black and will do - and I greatly appreciate his not giving up, even when I do.
In the middle of everything else, I had to go to a client yesterday - which took up the day - but it is how I make my income.
We planned to go away for 3 days - figuring one day for a comfortable drive down, one day at a quilt show, and one day in the Lancaster, PA area. (You probably see this area mentioned a lot it is a nice relaxing place within a few hours drive.) So last evening after working all day and then framing the embroidery, I brought the bills and related items downstairs to work on them in the kitchen - while I did the laundry a day early to have clean clothes to take with us - to deal with them as it all had to be done by today. For extra fun - when I paid the bills last week there was some other problem and I paid them, but did not post them to computer, which I use as a double check on what I do. So I had to finish up last weeks bills before starting on this week’s bills, plus the laptop I was using (my work one, not this one, as it has the software needed in it) is not the easiest one to use when one is used to using the desktop with all the extra keys it has. I had to write an envelope for one bill and sent it through the house network to print it upstairs - but of course since I last used that laptop, the printer code reset and I had to run upstairs, put an envelope in the printer (and announce to husband - don’t print anything until this envelope is printed), run down, start printing, realize the code was wrong, try to access the router drive as it has the correct code on it - but the laptop would not access the house network, run upstairs and get the code, update it in the laptop, print the envelope and then run upstairs to get it. Exhausting. Well, all was done and ready to go out in the mail today and the clothes were washed and dried and this morning I folded them. Then today we decided to just drive down for a day - so all that work did not have to be done for today, but it was.
So at this point I don’t know if I am further along in organizing or not. I will keep trying, that is all I can do. I hope you will continue on my journey with me and feel free to tell me about yours or comment on what I have written. Thank you for reading “me”.
Remember - instead of waiting for January to start at “the new year” there are lots of new years to use - I started with September as that is when it is the new year for school, the TV season, and the Jewish holidays. February is Asian Lunar New Year. Then again, every day is the start of a new year!
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
PREPARING FOR HERMINE'S "VISIT"
Well, we have been home over a week now and I am still trying to catch up. The laundry was done the first 2 nights and put away the next mornings in anticipation of perhaps a couple of days travel at the end of last week - Labor Day weekend. We did not go away.
We were in the line of Hermine - a hurricane which did damage along the eastern seaboard and then came north to visit us. It was like preparing for one of our trips - Hermine was to hit sometime between last Friday and Monday and stay around swirling off the coast to the south of the Island. People along the coasts of our Island are still recovering from “superstorm” Sandy less than 5 years ago - some people are not back in their houses yet as their houses are not yet rebuilt. Hermine was not a welcome guest here. As last week went along it became a situation of - she might hit us - she might just stay offshore - she might miss us altogether (but probably not). She might be a hurricane or she might be a tropical storm or a subtropical storm. She might be gone by Monday or she might be here through (tomorrow) Thursday.
We had extensive days of no electricity at our house in 2011 after Hurricane Irene and again after Sandy, and after we got our electricity back after Sandy, it went out a day later when the area was hit by a “nor’easter” Yes, we were hit by a tropical storm and in less than a week after we were hit by a winter storm! So we made preparations for the worst, hoping for the best.
We have learned from the prior storms what we need to do. We have been told that we should have (always) 2 gallons of water per day per person for, well it used to be 3 days, since Sandy we are told 5 days. We have a small house - full of stuff, no room for 6 to 10 gallons of water always in the house (and when I used to keep 2 gallons in the basement one gallon sprang a leak and we had water all over). We have another system. We were away in Pennsylvania immediately before Irene. (We actually pulled over into a McDonald’s parking lot to use its wifi as we tried to locate a campground near Pittsburgh, PA, the closest area which did not seem to be under the hurricane warning as we decided if we were going to run to same and sit it out or go home. Not finding any campgrounds, we went home. When we arrived home we still had most of the water in the RV tank. We left it. We were supposed to be going away a day after Sandy hit. Husband said what should we do to be ready if we can leave and go on the trip? We filled the water tanks - if we were able to go we had the water in the tanks, if not, emergency water! So last Friday we filled one of the RV tanks with water - 15 gallons. This idea only works in warm weather, once we winterize the RV we cannot really use it for water storage again until we clean out the tanks when we dewinterize in the spring - plus the chance of the tanks and lines freezing in cold weather.
We also plugged in the RV and charged its batteries overnight. We also found during the 2 earlier storms that this gave us something to do in the evening. We would go in and turn on the batteries, put up the TV antenna on the RV and watch TV. Especially after Sandy this was good. The local (Long Island, not NYC) radio station was turning its air over to the local (again, Long Island) news channel to broadcast their broadcasts so that those without electricity (most of the Island) could get more extensive local news. This was very nice of both, but much of the local news consisted of “Look at this - can you believe this happened?” which did not help all that much. By turning on the TV we were able to see what was going on and get more news. We also had some diversion. Husband figured out that we could use the RV batteries for 2 hours to watch TV, recharge computers and cell phones, etc. and then put on the RV’s generator for an hour to recharge the batteries, using only 1/3 of a gallon of gas. We had to be careful as most of the gas stations on the Island were either out of gas or unable to pump gas due to not having electricity. (After a quick drive to look around the day after Sandy when we then found out about the lack of gasoline, we took the car out once for an emergency related to my mom and walked everywhere for about 3 weeks to a month. We were lucky. Most people here do not live within walking distance of stores, etc. We do.) After Irene things were considerably better than after Sandy and not as widespread, so that there were large areas with electricity (and with working gas stations) we went one night to the movies for something to amuse us. The freezer in the kitchen refrigerator is set it’s coldest setting. The refrigerator itself is set as cold as I can let it go without ruining husband’s insulin. We always go out before a large storm that has warnings and fill the car gas tanks.
Back to getting ready for Hermine. We brought in the electric lantern we keep in the RV. It is rechargeable plus it can use batteries instead. We plugged in the rechargeable pack to charge. We also plugged in our laptops and tablets and when not using them, our cell phones. They were all left charging whenever we were home. I always do the laundry if there is a possibility of losing the electricity so that we have a maximum amount of clean clothes, towels and bed linens, but since I had just done them, I did not need to. I unplugged the washing machine and threw the breakers for the clothes dryer - no need to take a chance on a surge coming through. The dehumidifier and stove would have this done also if and when we lost electricity.
We know that in the 1700s it was the standard to “put the room to rest” after using it. This involved moving the furniture against the walls where it was normally kept. This did two things - it allowed different furniture to be moved to the center of the room as needed for different activities and also allowed one to walk through the room in dim light without bumping into anything. I did this, clearing the floors - including furniture and general stuff and it really did help when we had to walk around the house during the day lit only by the light through the windows. I did this again. I pushed our portable air conditioner in the dining room further into the room into a small space where it would not be walked into. I then went to the living room where husband has his loom. I did not want to move the loom - it was set up to work, but I folded down the side of the drop leaf table he uses when warping the loom and moved it further into the room next to the side table next to the sofa. I took the standing lamps and moved them and their cords out of the way so that we would not walk into them nor trip over their cords. Upstairs we have mostly walkways around furniture so it was already clear, as was the kitchen and the parts of the studio we might walk around in.
We went about our life listening to the constantly changing weather reports - not only did they vary from source to source - they also varied hour to hour - not sure what was coming. Each day it was a question of will it rain today or will there be heavy, fast winds today? We are far enough in the center (north to south) of the Island that we do not have to worry about storm surge - but I was concerned about my mom as she was hit by a wall of water after Sandy and had to throw out everything in her basement and the first floor of her house (the garage, den and a bathroom are on the first floor).
There are many activities on the Island in general and it was Labor Day weekend so there were many more. The various government entities from New Jersey through New York City and both counties out here put out a “don’t go out in the water or you will get a ticket” alerts. There had been problems recently with unusually heavy rip currents and the storm sitting off of here was making it worse as well as making a terribly active, heavy surf. Of course going to the beach is a major activity this “last weekend” of summer. (Yes, it ends later in the month, but it is the symbolic end.) One of our local Native American tribes has a large Pow Wow on Labor Day weekend every year with their family members who have moved or traveled away returning every year to the reservation for it and it is open to the public - we have gone several times and might have gone this year - but no one knew what the weather would be.
Saturday we went outside to bring in some items early on in the preparation. We brought the garbage cans into the garage, small solar lanterns and the stands they hang from into the porch. I glanced out into the road and my eye caught on the large orange plastic “barrels” left there by the road crew still working on our street 4 weeks after the 2 weeks they were suppose to be here. There were also large piece of PVC pipe that hold signs and things for them - all ripe to go flying in a gale and do damage. I checked the Internet about contacting the County emergency office which was suppose to be up and runnning and tried calling them - I either got a busy signal or the phone kept ringing. I sent them an email to let them know about the barrels and other items and that someone should come and secure or remove them - no response and it all stayed out waiting to be blown about.
Saturday night the next county put out a warning that people on one of the barrier islands (our Island has smaller islands around it) should evacuate - voluntarily - from the island since if the surf got worse as expected, the ferries would not be able to run and they would not be able to leave. Instead somehow the warning that was sent and shown on TV, announced on the radio, was robocalled to all of the county residents (instead of just those on the island), and was emailed out was that the entire county was under a mandatory evacuation! Calls flooded their emergency management centers and a correction was put out. We came home from the movies and there was a notice on the top of the TV picture - annoying me as it was on constantly for about half an hour and the cable controls were not working right - about the error and correcting it.
So day by day the storm sat off the Island and we were told - later today or tomorrow. As of yesterday, they finally lifted the storm surge warnings and the storm is sitting further east, south of the Island.. While the preparations were needed based on the original state of things, luckily they were not needed. Unfortunately businesses at the beaches and also otherwise that anticipated an influx of visitors lost the income they were expecting for the weekend - we went to the movies Saturday night and the theater was empty.
Now, of course, everything that was moved or dealt with has to be put back into place. The water has to be let out of the RV the items moved in the living room were already moved back so husband could weave and so on. Until next time - the next storm is already forming!
We were in the line of Hermine - a hurricane which did damage along the eastern seaboard and then came north to visit us. It was like preparing for one of our trips - Hermine was to hit sometime between last Friday and Monday and stay around swirling off the coast to the south of the Island. People along the coasts of our Island are still recovering from “superstorm” Sandy less than 5 years ago - some people are not back in their houses yet as their houses are not yet rebuilt. Hermine was not a welcome guest here. As last week went along it became a situation of - she might hit us - she might just stay offshore - she might miss us altogether (but probably not). She might be a hurricane or she might be a tropical storm or a subtropical storm. She might be gone by Monday or she might be here through (tomorrow) Thursday.
We had extensive days of no electricity at our house in 2011 after Hurricane Irene and again after Sandy, and after we got our electricity back after Sandy, it went out a day later when the area was hit by a “nor’easter” Yes, we were hit by a tropical storm and in less than a week after we were hit by a winter storm! So we made preparations for the worst, hoping for the best.
We have learned from the prior storms what we need to do. We have been told that we should have (always) 2 gallons of water per day per person for, well it used to be 3 days, since Sandy we are told 5 days. We have a small house - full of stuff, no room for 6 to 10 gallons of water always in the house (and when I used to keep 2 gallons in the basement one gallon sprang a leak and we had water all over). We have another system. We were away in Pennsylvania immediately before Irene. (We actually pulled over into a McDonald’s parking lot to use its wifi as we tried to locate a campground near Pittsburgh, PA, the closest area which did not seem to be under the hurricane warning as we decided if we were going to run to same and sit it out or go home. Not finding any campgrounds, we went home. When we arrived home we still had most of the water in the RV tank. We left it. We were supposed to be going away a day after Sandy hit. Husband said what should we do to be ready if we can leave and go on the trip? We filled the water tanks - if we were able to go we had the water in the tanks, if not, emergency water! So last Friday we filled one of the RV tanks with water - 15 gallons. This idea only works in warm weather, once we winterize the RV we cannot really use it for water storage again until we clean out the tanks when we dewinterize in the spring - plus the chance of the tanks and lines freezing in cold weather.
We also plugged in the RV and charged its batteries overnight. We also found during the 2 earlier storms that this gave us something to do in the evening. We would go in and turn on the batteries, put up the TV antenna on the RV and watch TV. Especially after Sandy this was good. The local (Long Island, not NYC) radio station was turning its air over to the local (again, Long Island) news channel to broadcast their broadcasts so that those without electricity (most of the Island) could get more extensive local news. This was very nice of both, but much of the local news consisted of “Look at this - can you believe this happened?” which did not help all that much. By turning on the TV we were able to see what was going on and get more news. We also had some diversion. Husband figured out that we could use the RV batteries for 2 hours to watch TV, recharge computers and cell phones, etc. and then put on the RV’s generator for an hour to recharge the batteries, using only 1/3 of a gallon of gas. We had to be careful as most of the gas stations on the Island were either out of gas or unable to pump gas due to not having electricity. (After a quick drive to look around the day after Sandy when we then found out about the lack of gasoline, we took the car out once for an emergency related to my mom and walked everywhere for about 3 weeks to a month. We were lucky. Most people here do not live within walking distance of stores, etc. We do.) After Irene things were considerably better than after Sandy and not as widespread, so that there were large areas with electricity (and with working gas stations) we went one night to the movies for something to amuse us. The freezer in the kitchen refrigerator is set it’s coldest setting. The refrigerator itself is set as cold as I can let it go without ruining husband’s insulin. We always go out before a large storm that has warnings and fill the car gas tanks.
Back to getting ready for Hermine. We brought in the electric lantern we keep in the RV. It is rechargeable plus it can use batteries instead. We plugged in the rechargeable pack to charge. We also plugged in our laptops and tablets and when not using them, our cell phones. They were all left charging whenever we were home. I always do the laundry if there is a possibility of losing the electricity so that we have a maximum amount of clean clothes, towels and bed linens, but since I had just done them, I did not need to. I unplugged the washing machine and threw the breakers for the clothes dryer - no need to take a chance on a surge coming through. The dehumidifier and stove would have this done also if and when we lost electricity.
We know that in the 1700s it was the standard to “put the room to rest” after using it. This involved moving the furniture against the walls where it was normally kept. This did two things - it allowed different furniture to be moved to the center of the room as needed for different activities and also allowed one to walk through the room in dim light without bumping into anything. I did this, clearing the floors - including furniture and general stuff and it really did help when we had to walk around the house during the day lit only by the light through the windows. I did this again. I pushed our portable air conditioner in the dining room further into the room into a small space where it would not be walked into. I then went to the living room where husband has his loom. I did not want to move the loom - it was set up to work, but I folded down the side of the drop leaf table he uses when warping the loom and moved it further into the room next to the side table next to the sofa. I took the standing lamps and moved them and their cords out of the way so that we would not walk into them nor trip over their cords. Upstairs we have mostly walkways around furniture so it was already clear, as was the kitchen and the parts of the studio we might walk around in.
We went about our life listening to the constantly changing weather reports - not only did they vary from source to source - they also varied hour to hour - not sure what was coming. Each day it was a question of will it rain today or will there be heavy, fast winds today? We are far enough in the center (north to south) of the Island that we do not have to worry about storm surge - but I was concerned about my mom as she was hit by a wall of water after Sandy and had to throw out everything in her basement and the first floor of her house (the garage, den and a bathroom are on the first floor).
There are many activities on the Island in general and it was Labor Day weekend so there were many more. The various government entities from New Jersey through New York City and both counties out here put out a “don’t go out in the water or you will get a ticket” alerts. There had been problems recently with unusually heavy rip currents and the storm sitting off of here was making it worse as well as making a terribly active, heavy surf. Of course going to the beach is a major activity this “last weekend” of summer. (Yes, it ends later in the month, but it is the symbolic end.) One of our local Native American tribes has a large Pow Wow on Labor Day weekend every year with their family members who have moved or traveled away returning every year to the reservation for it and it is open to the public - we have gone several times and might have gone this year - but no one knew what the weather would be.
Saturday we went outside to bring in some items early on in the preparation. We brought the garbage cans into the garage, small solar lanterns and the stands they hang from into the porch. I glanced out into the road and my eye caught on the large orange plastic “barrels” left there by the road crew still working on our street 4 weeks after the 2 weeks they were suppose to be here. There were also large piece of PVC pipe that hold signs and things for them - all ripe to go flying in a gale and do damage. I checked the Internet about contacting the County emergency office which was suppose to be up and runnning and tried calling them - I either got a busy signal or the phone kept ringing. I sent them an email to let them know about the barrels and other items and that someone should come and secure or remove them - no response and it all stayed out waiting to be blown about.
Saturday night the next county put out a warning that people on one of the barrier islands (our Island has smaller islands around it) should evacuate - voluntarily - from the island since if the surf got worse as expected, the ferries would not be able to run and they would not be able to leave. Instead somehow the warning that was sent and shown on TV, announced on the radio, was robocalled to all of the county residents (instead of just those on the island), and was emailed out was that the entire county was under a mandatory evacuation! Calls flooded their emergency management centers and a correction was put out. We came home from the movies and there was a notice on the top of the TV picture - annoying me as it was on constantly for about half an hour and the cable controls were not working right - about the error and correcting it.
So day by day the storm sat off the Island and we were told - later today or tomorrow. As of yesterday, they finally lifted the storm surge warnings and the storm is sitting further east, south of the Island.. While the preparations were needed based on the original state of things, luckily they were not needed. Unfortunately businesses at the beaches and also otherwise that anticipated an influx of visitors lost the income they were expecting for the weekend - we went to the movies Saturday night and the theater was empty.
Now, of course, everything that was moved or dealt with has to be put back into place. The water has to be let out of the RV the items moved in the living room were already moved back so husband could weave and so on. Until next time - the next storm is already forming!
Thursday, September 1, 2016
RETURN FROM TRIP AND EMPTYING THE RV
Well, we finished our trip last week and came home. When we arrive home we have to take out of the RV the things we brought in and the things we bought on the trip. I have a check list in the house to check after I think I am done. I also remove the stuff to go to the house in a pattern so I, hopefully, don’t forget anything. I have 3 cloth supermarket bags and of course, lots of store plastic shopping bags to use. We leave the RV battery on so I can I can turn on the lights inside..
I start with the logical - I empty the little refrigerator. One of the cloth supermarket bags has a blue handle - I use this one for anything which must go into the house refrigerator right away. During this trip (and many to that area) we bought some sausages at a local butcher shop. They, of course go in this bag. Also if my husband has insulin that has not been opened yet (or else it does not need to be refrigerated) it goes in this bag. He always has insulin which is in use and not refrigerated and I add that into this bag also, just so it gets unpacked right away. Then I add after these items other refrigerator items that are less important to keep cold - soda, juice, frozen plastic ice (they will always refreeze if they defrost), etc. I have to not only deal with the size of the bag, but also not making it too heavy and I try to keep the weight of each bag manageable. When I have a bag ready to go into the house I put it next to the third seat (see last post) and husband will come and take it out. When the refrigerator is empty I turn off the refrigerator. There is a knob inside which turns it on and off, as well as adjusts the temperature in it. We don’t want the refrigerator on when we are charging the battery, etc. between trips.
When I am done with the refrigerator items, I move on to the other food we have left in the RV. The food is all in plastic boxes to prevent the smell of it attracting bugs or rodents. The food is kept in 2 specific shelf sized cabinets and I make sure the 2 are empty even if I only remember putting food in one of them. The other one may have other items - the empty cloth food bags, sweatshirts, empty laundry bag, etc. This will usually fill the other 2 cloth bags when mixed with the refrigerator items which did not go out in the blue handled bag, if there is excess I use the store plastic shopping bags.
Next I add the clothes I used as pjs and the towels we used during the trip to the laundry bag with the dirty laundry to go out and close it. I leave it on the floor in front of the third seat. I pull any sweatshirts or jackets and put them on the third seat to go into the house. I pull out husband’s computer and tablet, my embroidery and other items from a section in a cabinet. They again go on the third seat. Husband runs back and forth between the RV and house bringing all this into the house. I also pull my computers, the “last minute bag” and anything we bought which stored with them under the bed and leave it for him to take. I add to the last minute bag the box I took out at the start of the trip with things we always need on the trip - our medications and such. The rest of the items are generally not always used and are stored in the bag.
I then go to the closet and pull out the clothes we have not worn - we always bring extra clothes for a day or two just in case something happens to what we are wearing or something happens and we have to or decide to stay longer than we planned. This all goes into the second (clean) laundry bag. I make sure to put it to be taken on a different run into the house than the dirty laundry and make sure husband knows which is which. The bag of dirty laundry will be tossed down the basement stairs to where the washing machine is, which the bag of clean clothes will go by the stairs to upstairs to be unpacked. I take the spare shoes out of the cabinet they are in and put them in plastic shopping bags to go into the house.
I then go to the front of the RV - the “van” part. I pull out things we brought in which go in the house or the other cars - spare eyeglasses, store coupons (if we need to buy something while we are away I have them to use), papers from the trip - reservations, directions etc., crackers I keep in the door in case husband has low blood sugar while driving and needs to eat something without pulling over, etc. These go in a store plastic shopping bag and are again put to be taken into the house. I add any magazines we brought or the freebie local ones we picked up on the trip - you know - the ones with local ads, coupons and what there is to see. I also take down the EZPass (this is an electronic device to pay tolls enroute) from the window and put it away.
Some trips I strip the beds and break them back down while unpacking the RV. Most trips I leave the bed made and either take it down a day or so later (we tend to get home very late at night - technically very early the next morning) or if we were on a short trip and going on another short trip within a week or two I leave it made up to use again. (I told you in an earlier post that I HATE dealing with sheets.)
I then walk around the inside of the RV I put my hand on each spot that needs to be empty taking inventory in my head of what was there and “did I take it all out” - sometimes I look in - and go through step by step checking that all has been emptied. I also put a bath towel (saved for this purpose) on the top shelf of the refrigerator so that if there is any ice on its tiny freezer when it melts the towel will catch it and I will not have water in the refrigerator or on the floor of the RV - the door of the refrigerator is left slightly open to avoid odors forming in the RV (and there is also baking soda in it for the same reason).
Meanwhile husband has been running back and forth carrying everything into the house. He is generally exhausted and I keep telling him to leave stuff for me to bring in. After this last trip he also turned on all the air conditioners in the house to try to cool it off. It did not work - it was still too hot in the house when we went to sleep.
I close the curtains in the RV so no one can look in and see what it is. I then turn off the lights in it and in the dark I turn off the battery and check that its red LED is out. I then go out the door.
We then start on the back of the RV. There is a space under the head of the bed which is accessed from the rear doors of the RV(remember it is a van converted to an RV). We have 3 laundry baskets in it to hold stuff and keep it from moving around (remember this is important when one’s “house” is being driven around over bumps and around curves - one does not want anything moving and everything has to be secured in some fashion or at least stay in a very limited area). One basket - the hardest to reach - has items we might need on the trip - air pump, tools, and such. The middle basket has some additional items of such and empty space. The last basket - the one we can most easily reach has some small items for set up at the RV park - and room for purchases during the trip. Anything we bought has to be brought into the house.
When we know that everything is in the house we lock the RV and go into the house.
In the days after the trip I have to empty the clean water tanks by removing a cap from a pipe under the RV - we let it drain and a day or so later I put the cap back on. The cap has a specific place in our side porch to sit until it goes back on. Since this is clean water it can be allowed to just drain out and does not have to be disposed of as does the “used” water (which was dumped out at the RV park before we left it at the end of the trip).
I look at the check list in the house to make sure everything is in and then toss the “stuff to bring and do before the trip/stuff to make sure is in the house after “ list. Then, of course, comes the sorting out and putting away of stuff in the house for a couple of days afterwards. Checking the answering machine messages. Laundry will done in a day or so.
Now even the best laid schemes can go wrong. We arrived home overnight Saturday to Sunday. Monday evening my husband says to me “Where did you put the bag of pretzels I bought on the trip?” (We can’t get these pretzels at home and he will buy a bag - or two - when away to have at home.) I stared at him and tried to get my brain to work. Then I remembered. I had brought a larger plastic food box with us knowing that he was going to buy the pretzels and it did not fit where the food boxes fit due to the fact that it is larger. I put it elsewhere in the RV “kitchen” and since it was not is a spot I usually use or empty - I forgot about it. Out to the RV to get the pretzels.
As of tonight the laundry is done. The clean clothes from the trip and those washed on our return are put away. I have been catching up on mail and such. The water tanks are emptied and the cap put back. Food is still in the boxes, but since they are items we use at home, I am using them from the boxes here to empty the boxes.
Now if only I can find the store loyalty cards which I keep in the RV and we could not find when we went to one of the supermarkets. Husband has me keep them on a key ring so I don’t loose any - so instead ALL of them are missing. Hopefully they were tossed into the drawer in the RV or the map pocket - when the temperature comes down into the 70s later this week I will go in and look. If not, I have duplicates of all of them but one. - And you thought I was going to say that all is done and back to normal!
I start with the logical - I empty the little refrigerator. One of the cloth supermarket bags has a blue handle - I use this one for anything which must go into the house refrigerator right away. During this trip (and many to that area) we bought some sausages at a local butcher shop. They, of course go in this bag. Also if my husband has insulin that has not been opened yet (or else it does not need to be refrigerated) it goes in this bag. He always has insulin which is in use and not refrigerated and I add that into this bag also, just so it gets unpacked right away. Then I add after these items other refrigerator items that are less important to keep cold - soda, juice, frozen plastic ice (they will always refreeze if they defrost), etc. I have to not only deal with the size of the bag, but also not making it too heavy and I try to keep the weight of each bag manageable. When I have a bag ready to go into the house I put it next to the third seat (see last post) and husband will come and take it out. When the refrigerator is empty I turn off the refrigerator. There is a knob inside which turns it on and off, as well as adjusts the temperature in it. We don’t want the refrigerator on when we are charging the battery, etc. between trips.
When I am done with the refrigerator items, I move on to the other food we have left in the RV. The food is all in plastic boxes to prevent the smell of it attracting bugs or rodents. The food is kept in 2 specific shelf sized cabinets and I make sure the 2 are empty even if I only remember putting food in one of them. The other one may have other items - the empty cloth food bags, sweatshirts, empty laundry bag, etc. This will usually fill the other 2 cloth bags when mixed with the refrigerator items which did not go out in the blue handled bag, if there is excess I use the store plastic shopping bags.
Next I add the clothes I used as pjs and the towels we used during the trip to the laundry bag with the dirty laundry to go out and close it. I leave it on the floor in front of the third seat. I pull any sweatshirts or jackets and put them on the third seat to go into the house. I pull out husband’s computer and tablet, my embroidery and other items from a section in a cabinet. They again go on the third seat. Husband runs back and forth between the RV and house bringing all this into the house. I also pull my computers, the “last minute bag” and anything we bought which stored with them under the bed and leave it for him to take. I add to the last minute bag the box I took out at the start of the trip with things we always need on the trip - our medications and such. The rest of the items are generally not always used and are stored in the bag.
I then go to the closet and pull out the clothes we have not worn - we always bring extra clothes for a day or two just in case something happens to what we are wearing or something happens and we have to or decide to stay longer than we planned. This all goes into the second (clean) laundry bag. I make sure to put it to be taken on a different run into the house than the dirty laundry and make sure husband knows which is which. The bag of dirty laundry will be tossed down the basement stairs to where the washing machine is, which the bag of clean clothes will go by the stairs to upstairs to be unpacked. I take the spare shoes out of the cabinet they are in and put them in plastic shopping bags to go into the house.
I then go to the front of the RV - the “van” part. I pull out things we brought in which go in the house or the other cars - spare eyeglasses, store coupons (if we need to buy something while we are away I have them to use), papers from the trip - reservations, directions etc., crackers I keep in the door in case husband has low blood sugar while driving and needs to eat something without pulling over, etc. These go in a store plastic shopping bag and are again put to be taken into the house. I add any magazines we brought or the freebie local ones we picked up on the trip - you know - the ones with local ads, coupons and what there is to see. I also take down the EZPass (this is an electronic device to pay tolls enroute) from the window and put it away.
Some trips I strip the beds and break them back down while unpacking the RV. Most trips I leave the bed made and either take it down a day or so later (we tend to get home very late at night - technically very early the next morning) or if we were on a short trip and going on another short trip within a week or two I leave it made up to use again. (I told you in an earlier post that I HATE dealing with sheets.)
I then walk around the inside of the RV I put my hand on each spot that needs to be empty taking inventory in my head of what was there and “did I take it all out” - sometimes I look in - and go through step by step checking that all has been emptied. I also put a bath towel (saved for this purpose) on the top shelf of the refrigerator so that if there is any ice on its tiny freezer when it melts the towel will catch it and I will not have water in the refrigerator or on the floor of the RV - the door of the refrigerator is left slightly open to avoid odors forming in the RV (and there is also baking soda in it for the same reason).
Meanwhile husband has been running back and forth carrying everything into the house. He is generally exhausted and I keep telling him to leave stuff for me to bring in. After this last trip he also turned on all the air conditioners in the house to try to cool it off. It did not work - it was still too hot in the house when we went to sleep.
I close the curtains in the RV so no one can look in and see what it is. I then turn off the lights in it and in the dark I turn off the battery and check that its red LED is out. I then go out the door.
We then start on the back of the RV. There is a space under the head of the bed which is accessed from the rear doors of the RV(remember it is a van converted to an RV). We have 3 laundry baskets in it to hold stuff and keep it from moving around (remember this is important when one’s “house” is being driven around over bumps and around curves - one does not want anything moving and everything has to be secured in some fashion or at least stay in a very limited area). One basket - the hardest to reach - has items we might need on the trip - air pump, tools, and such. The middle basket has some additional items of such and empty space. The last basket - the one we can most easily reach has some small items for set up at the RV park - and room for purchases during the trip. Anything we bought has to be brought into the house.
When we know that everything is in the house we lock the RV and go into the house.
In the days after the trip I have to empty the clean water tanks by removing a cap from a pipe under the RV - we let it drain and a day or so later I put the cap back on. The cap has a specific place in our side porch to sit until it goes back on. Since this is clean water it can be allowed to just drain out and does not have to be disposed of as does the “used” water (which was dumped out at the RV park before we left it at the end of the trip).
I look at the check list in the house to make sure everything is in and then toss the “stuff to bring and do before the trip/stuff to make sure is in the house after “ list. Then, of course, comes the sorting out and putting away of stuff in the house for a couple of days afterwards. Checking the answering machine messages. Laundry will done in a day or so.
Now even the best laid schemes can go wrong. We arrived home overnight Saturday to Sunday. Monday evening my husband says to me “Where did you put the bag of pretzels I bought on the trip?” (We can’t get these pretzels at home and he will buy a bag - or two - when away to have at home.) I stared at him and tried to get my brain to work. Then I remembered. I had brought a larger plastic food box with us knowing that he was going to buy the pretzels and it did not fit where the food boxes fit due to the fact that it is larger. I put it elsewhere in the RV “kitchen” and since it was not is a spot I usually use or empty - I forgot about it. Out to the RV to get the pretzels.
As of tonight the laundry is done. The clean clothes from the trip and those washed on our return are put away. I have been catching up on mail and such. The water tanks are emptied and the cap put back. Food is still in the boxes, but since they are items we use at home, I am using them from the boxes here to empty the boxes.
Now if only I can find the store loyalty cards which I keep in the RV and we could not find when we went to one of the supermarkets. Husband has me keep them on a key ring so I don’t loose any - so instead ALL of them are missing. Hopefully they were tossed into the drawer in the RV or the map pocket - when the temperature comes down into the 70s later this week I will go in and look. If not, I have duplicates of all of them but one. - And you thought I was going to say that all is done and back to normal!
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