I have not made it back to the family house since 2 weeks ago to finish up, heck, I haven’t even had a chance to try calling mom to just talk to her. I have been busy taking care of my husband.
No, he isn’t sick, but he has been going crazy over our RV and its batteries. Back towards the end of July I mentioned that we had ordered new RV batteries and then had to drive down to New Jersey and spend part of the day getting them installed (by the company which ordered them for us). We thought that would be the end of dealing with the batteries. It was not.
To explain the problem with this - our RV (a Chevy Express Van converted to a very small RV) has the regular battery under the front hood which does all the “car” type things - like starting the engine. We also have in a cabinet which opens to the outside two more batteries - similar to those in golf cart. These run all the electrical RV things, when turned on, if the RV is not plugged in and the engine is not running - like while the RV sits in a parking lot all day while we are somewhere. (Well most of them - we cannot run the RV air conditioner unless plugged in or the engine running.) There is a small electrical panel on a wall in the RV which lets us check how much water in the clean water tanks, how much is in the dirty water tanks, how much propane we have in it’s tank, and how well the electricity is doing. (It also has the switches on it to turn on the RV batteries to allow them to be used and to turn on the water pump so water works out of the sink, toilet, etc.) The top light for the batteries on this panel lights up and is green when the RV batteries are charging while the RV is plugged in or the engine is running.
In addition to the green charging light showing that the RV batteries are charging, husband has a small device to plug into the cigarette lighter to check the voltage of the engine battery or into a similar receptacle he had put in so he could check the voltage of the RV batteries. This had been low for the RV batteries, which is why we replaced them - especially since they were 2 years passed their expected life.
However, after the RV batteries were replaced, the green light still was not lighting up. That meant the RV batteries were not charging. We do not have an RV dealer near us to go to about any of this (hence the trips to Pennsylvania and New Jersey to get work done). Husband was going crazy about this. Over the past month and a half we paid out something like $4-5000 that we do not have to fix the three vehicles. He needs to get a tooth added to his denture as one fell out - probably another thousand dollars. Between being upset that the RV batteries are not charging, not knowing where to go about it, and not being able to pay to find out what is going on, he was rather despondent and depressed.
We have a really good mechanic and he tries to help us as much as possible even though he does not know about RVs. The fellow who used to work for him (retired) was even better at figuring all this out. Just in time for us - the fellow who had retired decided that he needed to work part time as he was going crazy retired. We called them and explained. I was suppose to go to work this past Tuesday, but husband was soooo, upset about all this - and Tuesday was when they could take the RV - I made the work appointment for Thursday (tomorrow) instead.
The engine battery was also low and was replaced (had another year and a half to go on it). But it the voltage was still low. There is a device, called a separator, which lets the engine battery or the RV batteries charge alone when needed. It is apparently a simple electrical switch, but not generally available. We had talked about ordering one to have it if needed and with all this going on, last week we did. It came in this past Monday.
Tuesday we were ready to go out for lunch and had not heard about the RV, so I asked if he wanted to stop by on the way to lunch and then suggested we put the separator in the car.
The fellow who worked on it was on the verge of replacing the alternator as he still could not get the system to the correct voltage. He was looking online for which of their suppliers had one for our RV that was good and not crazy expensive. We all went out to play with the RV. The fellow had not known about the light panel to show the RV batteries were charging. We showed it to him. They used this voltage meter and that in this place and that. Then I asked - can the voltage going through the separator be checked? Ah ha! Voltage going into the separator - right - voltage coming out - low! We brought him the separator and the voltage on each side was the same. Solved! Husband was so relieved to see the green light on the panel light up!
So, if I had not stayed home with him to comfort him, we would have paid out more big money for an alternator and still not resolved it. (Makes me wonder if we needed any of the batteries, but that is water under the bridge.)
In the process of all this - we have driven out to almost the end of Long Island to charge all the batteries. Since we do this after dinner we can go and return in about 2 hours. I have lived my entire life on this (long) Island and have been out as far this (or further) maybe 10 times, 12 at the most on the north shore. Five of these times - including these two times - have been to charge the RV batteries.
So I lost 2 nights of being able to do things in the house. I am going to my client 3 days later than I planned - and there is a possibility of thunderstorms. Plus the day lost while he was too upset to be home alone and all the time we were outside in the RV playing with the batteries.
In addition, my sister had sent me a text Monday evening asking me to go to mom on Tuesday as she was meeting with the physical therapist and would have to sign papers. Unfortunately it must have come in while I was out of the kitchen - after leaving my phone on the table while cooking. I did not see the text - due to all of the above mess - until half an hour after the end of the of the time range of when I was needed there! So poor mom was there alone because of all this mess. I sent a text to my sister explaining and apologizing, but have not had a chance to call mom.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Our time is limited. If we need (or want) to do one thing, we cannot do something else at the same time. Our loved ones are the most important reason for choice to be made. I am not sure if I had the text in time if I would have picked going to my mom or staying with my husband to make sure he did not go over the edge. When I apologized to my sister, I also told her that next time something must be done on such short notice, to call to make sure I knew about it and did not miss another important text.
Showing posts with label apologize. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apologize. Show all posts
Thursday, August 8, 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019
I'M LATE, I'M LATE - SORRY
Sorry I am late in posting. Third time since I started posting this blog. We have had a full couple of weeks - while still seemingly getting little done.
My mom was ill a week ago Tuesday at 4 am and we had to run to the hospital with her. Since we go to bed around 4 am - the call came just as we had gotten into bed - we were terribly tired while at the hospital. My sister and her husband came and saved us and let us go home. Husband had tried to sleep out in our car - lack of sleep always hits him harder than it does me - and as result of not being able to sleep reached the point where not only was sooooo exhausted, he was also in pain from trying to sleep in the car. Basically that Tuesday was a gone day. Wednesday was still off as we were so off physical schedule - but as you know, I did manage to get my post out on time.
On that Thursday, day before Good Friday and the start of Passover, we went to my mom’s house as she was worried about her mail - most of the afternoon gone. We finished shopping for 2 holiday dinners and that evening I started cooking soup for us for Passover.
Friday we ran some errands and then I made dinner for me; husband picked up a Chinese main dish - shrimp - as it was Good Friday. I made vegetable soup for him and chicken for me - and added what I cooked on Thursday - matzoh balls to both soups. After Passover dinner, I cooked a chicken for Easter dinner - Brunswick stew and put it in the fridge to keep.
Saturday and Sunday between all the normal things we do I worked on the newsletter for my embroidery chapter which had to be out on Wednesday. (Normally I write that Wednesday afternoon and then Wednesday night I write my post.) We also went to church Easter morning and I cooked the Brunswick stew with the previously cooked chicken.
In the middle of all of this husband decided that we had to dewinterize one of our two fresh water tanks in the RV. This consists of letting the water out of the tank, refilling it and adding bleach to the new water and letting it sit. We then emptied and refilled the tank twice over the several days we worked on it.
I was looking ahead to what I had to do in the coming week - impossible!! Mostly I had 4 days - what is now yesterday (Thursday), today (Friday) and next Monday and Tuesday to: go to client in Manhattan, do her books & payroll taxes, take my mom to the doctor (on whichever day of the four doctor could see us), meet up with a member of our reenactment unit to get some government paperwork done at the agency involved, and prepare to give a talk at my embroidery meeting this coming Wednesday. On Sunday I did the payroll tax form for my client (she took no salary this past quarter) and mailed it to her for her to sign and mail out when she comes back to work after being on a vacation so that it will be out timely even if I don’t get there timely. I mailed it out to her on Monday.
Tuesday we drove to Pennsylvania. The system in our RV which lets us pump out the “used” water was not working right last time we went away (end of August) and did not work at all at the start of November when we tried to winterize. Husband made an appointment and the first date available was this past Wednesday. But we had to be there at 8 am! Two states away. This should be a two to two and a half hour drive, but we never know what the traffic will do - and we would be traveling (half asleep due to the very early hour and no or minimum sleep) during rush hour. Husband started to panic. The RV dealer said to us that we could drive down overnight and hook up electricity outside their building - which we have done in the past - but an entire night without a bathroom?! I let it roll around in my head. I came up with the idea of staying at a nearby RV park the night before - if we could find one. Husband did find one and that is why we drove down on Tuesday for a Wednesday appointment. We had to check in at 4 pm and left at 10:30 am to get there. We got stuck on the same two roads in our state that we normally get stuck on. Why do we go that way? If we go the alternative ways either we are driving north a good distance to go south or we are driving through midtown Manhattan - something we avoid with a car, let alone an RV (and which would soon be a very expensive idea do to a new toll coming to drive in Manhattan). So we have to go the way we go.
We were finally past the delays here in New York and about to get onto the New Jersey Turnpike. Easy to do - we have done it more than countless times. We got off the road at the exit to the Turnpike and when we approached the toll booths - we were directed away from them to a side road - there was an 18 wheeler truck - cab and trailer - lying on its side blocking the booths. Now we have to figure all this out. I looked and we had been directed into an industrial park - and one we have been in several times as there is a venue for conventions and we have gone to quilt, woodworking, and toy train shows there. (Heck, I won a judges prize for a doll there.) Relieved that I knew where we were - and there were lots of free parking lots with space to pull into - I suggested husband do the same. He kept driving around as he could not figure out where to pull in and his two (yes, two) GPS devices were arguing over what we should do. Now they are both trying to get us back to the entrance to the Turnpike, but husband has the idea in his head that one or the other will save us. One of them is preprogrammed by him and if we miss a point on the map he entered will keep sending us back to that point until we drive through it. Husband is going on and on about never getting “there” as we don’t know how to go to. I point out to him that we know that one way to where we want to go is to get back on the road we were on and head west - just the longer way. After about 15 minutes of him driving around I managed to get out a map - yes, a paper map - of the state and figure out how to get to the next entrance to the Turnpike on the streets. I find a parallel major road - US1 - which will take us South to where we need to be and then we take a state road - Rte 18 across to the Turnpike and get back on. Husband does not completely trust me on this. I tell him to get back on the main road in the same direction we were going. We end up getting back on it going back where we came from. Between me and the two GPS devices he manages to turn around. I get him off the road onto US1. The GPS that needs to go through specific points continues to try to get us to turn around - he finally managed to get that one shut off. The other one figures out that we are heading towards the next entrance and starts giving us directions to it. He is now happy that he knows where we are going - even though the GPS is giving him the exact same route as I told him - and he did not trust!
I should explain that we have traveled to Pennsylvania or elsewhere beyond it at least 10 trips a year - for almost 45 years. This is not driving in a totally strange area. Even as we headed down US 1 towards Rte 18 as we got close I pointed out to him - “Look, that is the Wendys where we had lunch last year when we went to that quilt show.” As we got closer - “Look this is where we used to drive to get to that nice Japanese restaurant for dinner.” (After all the quilt, etc shows in the area.) So I am comfortable with all this and know we will get to where we are headed. He is still not so sure. We find and get on the New Jersey Turnpike. Strangely I cannot find any information about what happened to the truck and why it turned over. There is nothing in the news for a turned over truck on that day - lots of others, but not even any in same month.
We continue on our trip. While the area near the RV dealer is a relatively new one for us, we have been going there since 2011 and early on in owning the RV there were a lot of problems with it and we might have made a couple of dozen stops there to have it worked on, often while going to Lancaster as this is on the way. We have also been going to a local cultural fair annually for about 20 years which I had figured out was relatively near to this one - same exit from the Pennsylvania Turnpike going opposite ways after exiting it. We find the RV park. Space is good - about 4 rows from the “bathhouse”. We then left and drove for dinner in another area of Pennsylvania. (Husband was getting the most of things he has missed from this trip.) Then back to the RV park and set up for the night as it is suppose to rain. Luckily it is not bad rain.
We are up early (for us) the next morning. I had not fully made the bed the night before as I knew I had to get it apart quickly the next morning. I took all of my bed linens and put them in one large plastic bag and ditto his. I then took apart the bed (two banquette type benches are the base of the bed). We dropped the RV off for repair and asked them to change the oil in the generator as it is about the time to do so and then to change the “dump hose” as long as it will be taken apart anyway for one we think we like better.
We spend the next several hours in their parts department shop, looking at the new Rvs, walking to a nearby shopping center - Home Depot, Staples, a dollar plus store and lunch at (yes) Wendys. While eating lunch I see the RV being driven back to the office from their shop and we head over. It was done. Twice the cost husband had anticipated, but it is working again.
We then set off to the Lancaster area for dinner - stopping at a local store as it is too early for same. After dinner we stop at a Walmart there - their Walmarts are larger than ours and carry different items. We then start home. It is basically the same time we would normally leave for home on one of our trips. Normally we would home around midnight - 12:30 am. The plan was for me to send out the prewritten newsletter for my embroidery chapter when I got home and I had planned to write and post to all of you here on my blog. Somehow it took us to 2:30 am to get home and we don’t know why - no traffic, no extra stops? We took out only the items that had to come out as we needed them in the house and the “snacks” we had brought with us.
Well, so why didn’t write and post on Thursday? Thursday we unpacked the rest of the stuff in the RV - and I cannot find my Diabetes meter, but it has to be there or her and we have a spare, so I am not going to go crazy over it. I sent out all 3 versions of the embroidery chapter newsletter. I had planned to write the post and send it out that evening. But when evening came - I forgot all about it! So here I am writing to you two days late! Forgive me.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
Whether one gets diverted from the road on a physical journey or from their journey to getting better organized it happens. No need to get upset with yourself. Just pick up where you left off and continue.
My mom was ill a week ago Tuesday at 4 am and we had to run to the hospital with her. Since we go to bed around 4 am - the call came just as we had gotten into bed - we were terribly tired while at the hospital. My sister and her husband came and saved us and let us go home. Husband had tried to sleep out in our car - lack of sleep always hits him harder than it does me - and as result of not being able to sleep reached the point where not only was sooooo exhausted, he was also in pain from trying to sleep in the car. Basically that Tuesday was a gone day. Wednesday was still off as we were so off physical schedule - but as you know, I did manage to get my post out on time.
On that Thursday, day before Good Friday and the start of Passover, we went to my mom’s house as she was worried about her mail - most of the afternoon gone. We finished shopping for 2 holiday dinners and that evening I started cooking soup for us for Passover.
Friday we ran some errands and then I made dinner for me; husband picked up a Chinese main dish - shrimp - as it was Good Friday. I made vegetable soup for him and chicken for me - and added what I cooked on Thursday - matzoh balls to both soups. After Passover dinner, I cooked a chicken for Easter dinner - Brunswick stew and put it in the fridge to keep.
Saturday and Sunday between all the normal things we do I worked on the newsletter for my embroidery chapter which had to be out on Wednesday. (Normally I write that Wednesday afternoon and then Wednesday night I write my post.) We also went to church Easter morning and I cooked the Brunswick stew with the previously cooked chicken.
In the middle of all of this husband decided that we had to dewinterize one of our two fresh water tanks in the RV. This consists of letting the water out of the tank, refilling it and adding bleach to the new water and letting it sit. We then emptied and refilled the tank twice over the several days we worked on it.
I was looking ahead to what I had to do in the coming week - impossible!! Mostly I had 4 days - what is now yesterday (Thursday), today (Friday) and next Monday and Tuesday to: go to client in Manhattan, do her books & payroll taxes, take my mom to the doctor (on whichever day of the four doctor could see us), meet up with a member of our reenactment unit to get some government paperwork done at the agency involved, and prepare to give a talk at my embroidery meeting this coming Wednesday. On Sunday I did the payroll tax form for my client (she took no salary this past quarter) and mailed it to her for her to sign and mail out when she comes back to work after being on a vacation so that it will be out timely even if I don’t get there timely. I mailed it out to her on Monday.
Tuesday we drove to Pennsylvania. The system in our RV which lets us pump out the “used” water was not working right last time we went away (end of August) and did not work at all at the start of November when we tried to winterize. Husband made an appointment and the first date available was this past Wednesday. But we had to be there at 8 am! Two states away. This should be a two to two and a half hour drive, but we never know what the traffic will do - and we would be traveling (half asleep due to the very early hour and no or minimum sleep) during rush hour. Husband started to panic. The RV dealer said to us that we could drive down overnight and hook up electricity outside their building - which we have done in the past - but an entire night without a bathroom?! I let it roll around in my head. I came up with the idea of staying at a nearby RV park the night before - if we could find one. Husband did find one and that is why we drove down on Tuesday for a Wednesday appointment. We had to check in at 4 pm and left at 10:30 am to get there. We got stuck on the same two roads in our state that we normally get stuck on. Why do we go that way? If we go the alternative ways either we are driving north a good distance to go south or we are driving through midtown Manhattan - something we avoid with a car, let alone an RV (and which would soon be a very expensive idea do to a new toll coming to drive in Manhattan). So we have to go the way we go.
We were finally past the delays here in New York and about to get onto the New Jersey Turnpike. Easy to do - we have done it more than countless times. We got off the road at the exit to the Turnpike and when we approached the toll booths - we were directed away from them to a side road - there was an 18 wheeler truck - cab and trailer - lying on its side blocking the booths. Now we have to figure all this out. I looked and we had been directed into an industrial park - and one we have been in several times as there is a venue for conventions and we have gone to quilt, woodworking, and toy train shows there. (Heck, I won a judges prize for a doll there.) Relieved that I knew where we were - and there were lots of free parking lots with space to pull into - I suggested husband do the same. He kept driving around as he could not figure out where to pull in and his two (yes, two) GPS devices were arguing over what we should do. Now they are both trying to get us back to the entrance to the Turnpike, but husband has the idea in his head that one or the other will save us. One of them is preprogrammed by him and if we miss a point on the map he entered will keep sending us back to that point until we drive through it. Husband is going on and on about never getting “there” as we don’t know how to go to. I point out to him that we know that one way to where we want to go is to get back on the road we were on and head west - just the longer way. After about 15 minutes of him driving around I managed to get out a map - yes, a paper map - of the state and figure out how to get to the next entrance to the Turnpike on the streets. I find a parallel major road - US1 - which will take us South to where we need to be and then we take a state road - Rte 18 across to the Turnpike and get back on. Husband does not completely trust me on this. I tell him to get back on the main road in the same direction we were going. We end up getting back on it going back where we came from. Between me and the two GPS devices he manages to turn around. I get him off the road onto US1. The GPS that needs to go through specific points continues to try to get us to turn around - he finally managed to get that one shut off. The other one figures out that we are heading towards the next entrance and starts giving us directions to it. He is now happy that he knows where we are going - even though the GPS is giving him the exact same route as I told him - and he did not trust!
I should explain that we have traveled to Pennsylvania or elsewhere beyond it at least 10 trips a year - for almost 45 years. This is not driving in a totally strange area. Even as we headed down US 1 towards Rte 18 as we got close I pointed out to him - “Look, that is the Wendys where we had lunch last year when we went to that quilt show.” As we got closer - “Look this is where we used to drive to get to that nice Japanese restaurant for dinner.” (After all the quilt, etc shows in the area.) So I am comfortable with all this and know we will get to where we are headed. He is still not so sure. We find and get on the New Jersey Turnpike. Strangely I cannot find any information about what happened to the truck and why it turned over. There is nothing in the news for a turned over truck on that day - lots of others, but not even any in same month.
We continue on our trip. While the area near the RV dealer is a relatively new one for us, we have been going there since 2011 and early on in owning the RV there were a lot of problems with it and we might have made a couple of dozen stops there to have it worked on, often while going to Lancaster as this is on the way. We have also been going to a local cultural fair annually for about 20 years which I had figured out was relatively near to this one - same exit from the Pennsylvania Turnpike going opposite ways after exiting it. We find the RV park. Space is good - about 4 rows from the “bathhouse”. We then left and drove for dinner in another area of Pennsylvania. (Husband was getting the most of things he has missed from this trip.) Then back to the RV park and set up for the night as it is suppose to rain. Luckily it is not bad rain.
We are up early (for us) the next morning. I had not fully made the bed the night before as I knew I had to get it apart quickly the next morning. I took all of my bed linens and put them in one large plastic bag and ditto his. I then took apart the bed (two banquette type benches are the base of the bed). We dropped the RV off for repair and asked them to change the oil in the generator as it is about the time to do so and then to change the “dump hose” as long as it will be taken apart anyway for one we think we like better.
We spend the next several hours in their parts department shop, looking at the new Rvs, walking to a nearby shopping center - Home Depot, Staples, a dollar plus store and lunch at (yes) Wendys. While eating lunch I see the RV being driven back to the office from their shop and we head over. It was done. Twice the cost husband had anticipated, but it is working again.
We then set off to the Lancaster area for dinner - stopping at a local store as it is too early for same. After dinner we stop at a Walmart there - their Walmarts are larger than ours and carry different items. We then start home. It is basically the same time we would normally leave for home on one of our trips. Normally we would home around midnight - 12:30 am. The plan was for me to send out the prewritten newsletter for my embroidery chapter when I got home and I had planned to write and post to all of you here on my blog. Somehow it took us to 2:30 am to get home and we don’t know why - no traffic, no extra stops? We took out only the items that had to come out as we needed them in the house and the “snacks” we had brought with us.
Well, so why didn’t write and post on Thursday? Thursday we unpacked the rest of the stuff in the RV - and I cannot find my Diabetes meter, but it has to be there or her and we have a spare, so I am not going to go crazy over it. I sent out all 3 versions of the embroidery chapter newsletter. I had planned to write the post and send it out that evening. But when evening came - I forgot all about it! So here I am writing to you two days late! Forgive me.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
Whether one gets diverted from the road on a physical journey or from their journey to getting better organized it happens. No need to get upset with yourself. Just pick up where you left off and continue.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
EVEN WHEN ONE USE A PROCESS TO DO THINGS - THINGS CAN GO AWRY
Do you use processes to help you get or stay organized? If you are not sure what I mean - I mean doing things the same way or on the same day or at the time every time you do them? I try to. Lately though, as part of this craziness going on here, things slip through the process and go awry or go missing.
Sometime around December my desk scissors went missing. I keep them in the drawer over the leg hole of my desk, right in the front. Husband and I both looked high and low for them over the ensuing couple of months. He thought he found them in our studio in the “small tool drawer”, where our scissors for the studio are, but that was the duplicate pair I keep there. I really like these scissors. He started suggesting that I get new ones. I am a stubborn person and refused. Well, last Friday I opened my desk drawer for something and - the scissors were back. Neither of us has any idea how this happened, I am just glad they are back and I no longer have to use a small knife for things I should be using scissors for.
I have a definite process for credit card receipts. I collect them in a pocket in my wallet. I empty the pocket Friday night and Sunday night (we do a lot of our shopping over the weekend). When I take them out of my wallet they go into a basket hanging at the foot of the stairs - the mail and similar go here also - and my next trip upstairs they go upstairs. I then sort them at my desk and put them into the corresponding pockets in a small loose leaf book. They then wait snugly there until they are matched with the statement and then will be attached to same when I pay the statement. So how do they go missing? One night in January when husband had a cold we stopped between Saturday night dinner and Saturday night movie to buy a box of cold pills for him. On arriving home we found out we already had a started box of the same medicine. (Ever happen to you - I am sure it has.) I put the box and the receipt into a section of the holder for files on my desk to wait until I knew he did not need a second box. He took the medicine once from the started box and decided it did not work.
So a couple of weeks later I went to take the medicine back. The box was there, the receipt was not. I went crazy looking for it. I climbed all over the floor in the office. I disassembled the folder holder so I could look under it (too big, heavy and unwieldy to move as one piece). I checked where the receipt should be. Not found. I finally tried to return it without the receipt - not for medications, so we have a spare box of a medication we don’t really take. My fault - if the receipt had gone where it belonged in the interim, it would have been there when needed.
Now the latest thing gone astray - and the worst. I am the treasurer and the membership chair of our reenactment unit. In mid January I mailed out the renewal forms to members. It is sort of an odd setup. Members join in family groups which can be from 1 person to any amount, generally 4 is the largest group. Members can also just join our unit or also join a national reenactment group that our unit is part of. I need to keep careful records of which group rejoined, who in the family rejoined, who in the family rejoined or joined the national group also. I have a spread sheet that I copy over year to year to keep track - I remove anyone who was not in “last year” and add anyone who joined “last year”. It is all set up to keep track of and total what each group paid and the totals of everyone. I am suppose to send the renewals and dues of members of the national group by the beginning of March to the national group’s membership chair. I also list all checks - for this or any other reason - in a notebook.
So last week I emailed out to those members not listed on the spreadsheet a reminder to renew. I heard back from one member. Her husband had mailed us the renewal form and check for them and their 2 sons and they had gotten the “if you are receiving this you did not renew yet” email. I remembered receiving their renewal. I also remembered, as she mentioned in her email, that her husband had taken care of it and had filled in and paid for the national group also. Since they were not members of same in the past - and her husband had done the paperwork - I decided to check with them about the renewal and set it aside to contact them.
And that is where the problem comes in. I can’t find their paperwork or check. I emailed her back right away and told her I remembered receiving it and would get back to her. I am pretty sure I know which day I received their renewal - it was the day in January I went to my client in Manhattan, husband could not go out food shopping for the upcoming storm due to the van having no brakes, when I came home we ran out food shopping, then back home as I forgotten the items I needed to mail out for us and the client, and while at the post office I picked up the mail. The date fits and then we did not go out for several days. I also remember it was the first renewal I received and that my husband was not in the post office when I found it in our box - and he almost always comes in with me - except that day. I have been thorough all of my briefcases and computer bags - even the ones that were in the closet straight through. Any folder I could think of. The desk and file drawers. Under the desks. The car and its hatch. I cannot find it. My husband cannot find it. I have been getting lectures from husband (who cannot find anything without me) about being more careful.
Today I gave up and humbled myself and sent an email to the member apologizing, explaining, apologizing again... I told her I marked them as renewed. I suggested that she send a replacement check as the first one was the wrong amount (paid too much) anyway. I told her when I find the other check, I will return it to her.
I am kicking myself about what went wrong. It bothers the heck out of me. Generally paperwork is the one area that I keep well organized. I am not suppose to loose things - and not be able to find them - and 3 items in a couple of months is 3 items too many. I realize that all I can do is keep looking until I find the item or it becomes moot. I am hoping whichever “fairy” gave me back my scissors will smile on me again and return the missing renewal to me and the missing receipt - but the missing return is more important.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Set up processes to help yourself get organized. Keep at them and follow what you set up and it should help. Whether it is keeping track of papers, doing the laundry on the same day each week, changing towels and bed linens on a weekly schedule, or cleaning the house. I keep the daily (make dinner), weekly, monthly, annual and other odd repeating items in my organizer and Palm - they could also be in a smart phone or paper calendar/appointment book. This helps to remind to do things at the same time. On Wednesdays I start doing the laundry (usually takes 2 to 3 evenings between washing, drying, folding, and putting away) at night. I also write my post to all of you if I have not done so on Tuesday. (Last week I got it done on Tuesday and then forgot it was Tuesday and posted a day early.) I also go and “visit” an embroidery group online if I have time.
What can you set up in your calendar to remind you to do every day, week, month, etc.? Try it, it works well. A reminder alarm can even be set to remind you.
Hoping you have a nice Valentine’s Day tomorrow.
Sometime around December my desk scissors went missing. I keep them in the drawer over the leg hole of my desk, right in the front. Husband and I both looked high and low for them over the ensuing couple of months. He thought he found them in our studio in the “small tool drawer”, where our scissors for the studio are, but that was the duplicate pair I keep there. I really like these scissors. He started suggesting that I get new ones. I am a stubborn person and refused. Well, last Friday I opened my desk drawer for something and - the scissors were back. Neither of us has any idea how this happened, I am just glad they are back and I no longer have to use a small knife for things I should be using scissors for.
I have a definite process for credit card receipts. I collect them in a pocket in my wallet. I empty the pocket Friday night and Sunday night (we do a lot of our shopping over the weekend). When I take them out of my wallet they go into a basket hanging at the foot of the stairs - the mail and similar go here also - and my next trip upstairs they go upstairs. I then sort them at my desk and put them into the corresponding pockets in a small loose leaf book. They then wait snugly there until they are matched with the statement and then will be attached to same when I pay the statement. So how do they go missing? One night in January when husband had a cold we stopped between Saturday night dinner and Saturday night movie to buy a box of cold pills for him. On arriving home we found out we already had a started box of the same medicine. (Ever happen to you - I am sure it has.) I put the box and the receipt into a section of the holder for files on my desk to wait until I knew he did not need a second box. He took the medicine once from the started box and decided it did not work.
So a couple of weeks later I went to take the medicine back. The box was there, the receipt was not. I went crazy looking for it. I climbed all over the floor in the office. I disassembled the folder holder so I could look under it (too big, heavy and unwieldy to move as one piece). I checked where the receipt should be. Not found. I finally tried to return it without the receipt - not for medications, so we have a spare box of a medication we don’t really take. My fault - if the receipt had gone where it belonged in the interim, it would have been there when needed.
Now the latest thing gone astray - and the worst. I am the treasurer and the membership chair of our reenactment unit. In mid January I mailed out the renewal forms to members. It is sort of an odd setup. Members join in family groups which can be from 1 person to any amount, generally 4 is the largest group. Members can also just join our unit or also join a national reenactment group that our unit is part of. I need to keep careful records of which group rejoined, who in the family rejoined, who in the family rejoined or joined the national group also. I have a spread sheet that I copy over year to year to keep track - I remove anyone who was not in “last year” and add anyone who joined “last year”. It is all set up to keep track of and total what each group paid and the totals of everyone. I am suppose to send the renewals and dues of members of the national group by the beginning of March to the national group’s membership chair. I also list all checks - for this or any other reason - in a notebook.
So last week I emailed out to those members not listed on the spreadsheet a reminder to renew. I heard back from one member. Her husband had mailed us the renewal form and check for them and their 2 sons and they had gotten the “if you are receiving this you did not renew yet” email. I remembered receiving their renewal. I also remembered, as she mentioned in her email, that her husband had taken care of it and had filled in and paid for the national group also. Since they were not members of same in the past - and her husband had done the paperwork - I decided to check with them about the renewal and set it aside to contact them.
And that is where the problem comes in. I can’t find their paperwork or check. I emailed her back right away and told her I remembered receiving it and would get back to her. I am pretty sure I know which day I received their renewal - it was the day in January I went to my client in Manhattan, husband could not go out food shopping for the upcoming storm due to the van having no brakes, when I came home we ran out food shopping, then back home as I forgotten the items I needed to mail out for us and the client, and while at the post office I picked up the mail. The date fits and then we did not go out for several days. I also remember it was the first renewal I received and that my husband was not in the post office when I found it in our box - and he almost always comes in with me - except that day. I have been thorough all of my briefcases and computer bags - even the ones that were in the closet straight through. Any folder I could think of. The desk and file drawers. Under the desks. The car and its hatch. I cannot find it. My husband cannot find it. I have been getting lectures from husband (who cannot find anything without me) about being more careful.
Today I gave up and humbled myself and sent an email to the member apologizing, explaining, apologizing again... I told her I marked them as renewed. I suggested that she send a replacement check as the first one was the wrong amount (paid too much) anyway. I told her when I find the other check, I will return it to her.
I am kicking myself about what went wrong. It bothers the heck out of me. Generally paperwork is the one area that I keep well organized. I am not suppose to loose things - and not be able to find them - and 3 items in a couple of months is 3 items too many. I realize that all I can do is keep looking until I find the item or it becomes moot. I am hoping whichever “fairy” gave me back my scissors will smile on me again and return the missing renewal to me and the missing receipt - but the missing return is more important.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Set up processes to help yourself get organized. Keep at them and follow what you set up and it should help. Whether it is keeping track of papers, doing the laundry on the same day each week, changing towels and bed linens on a weekly schedule, or cleaning the house. I keep the daily (make dinner), weekly, monthly, annual and other odd repeating items in my organizer and Palm - they could also be in a smart phone or paper calendar/appointment book. This helps to remind to do things at the same time. On Wednesdays I start doing the laundry (usually takes 2 to 3 evenings between washing, drying, folding, and putting away) at night. I also write my post to all of you if I have not done so on Tuesday. (Last week I got it done on Tuesday and then forgot it was Tuesday and posted a day early.) I also go and “visit” an embroidery group online if I have time.
What can you set up in your calendar to remind you to do every day, week, month, etc.? Try it, it works well. A reminder alarm can even be set to remind you.
Hoping you have a nice Valentine’s Day tomorrow.
Friday, August 31, 2018
BACK AND FORTH - TWICE - ON THE SAME TRIP AND FALLING BEHIND
Late again posting - sorry.
We did go away last Thursday and Friday. When I telephoned Wednesday afternoon to make the reservation the woman I spoke with, was rather odd about the entire thing. The spaces I asked for were not available for two nights - we had decided to stay through Saturday. When I asked if any of the spaces were available just for the one night, Thursday there was still confusion. I finally worked it out and reserved one of the spaces for Thursday night and figured that we would ask what was available for just Friday night when we checked in - just in case something was available that would work for us. I made sense to me that Friday would not be available even though Thursday was as Friday is a weekend night and more people travel.
Our trip down was fine - better time than the usual mess. As we drove down husband suggested, which he acknowledged was crazy, that we drive back again on Tuesday of the following week for the day. We have not been to the farmers market that is on Tuesday most or all of this year and different vendors are there from the Friday market. The idea hit me, I suggested that we drive down Monday and stay until Tuesday. This would relieve the problem of possibly getting stuck in traffic on the way and arriving too late to have enough time at the market. (Mostly we have lunch and walk around, perhaps buying some small items we need or see, good shop at Tuesday market to look for bears for my village and I have not been there since the village went to year round.) Plus, if we use the toilet in the RV it has to be dumped at the RV park. It needs to be 2/3 full minimum, to dump so that there is enough force, so Friday morning we were going to have to fill the tank (having only stayed one night) to dump the tanks. By coming back, there would be double in the tanks when we dumped and it would fill faster. The weather promised to be nice for Monday and Tuesday and I would make the reservation when we checked in.
Remember I said that it had been suppose to rain there on Tuesday? When we arrived in the general area we saw lots of fields (this is farm country) with huge puddles- almost pond size in them. We went around to several touristy we go to in the area and then around 5:30 pm went to the RV park to check in. We paid for our space for the evening and reserved the same space for Monday night. It is a fairly small RV park along a stream. As we were walking out of the office the employee said “Oh, if the space is too wet, just come back and we will give you another one.” Huh!? Apparently they had trouble from the rain on Tuesday. As we drove to our space we were driving along the row of spaces facing the stream. We saw what they meant - the spaces had MUD in them. Our space is in the next row so we were concerned. We drove to the space and it seemed mostly okay. I got out of the RV as we do a few things when we arrive at a space at the start of a stay there. First husband will back in (rare that we get a “drive through space”) and we will find the level spot. I guide him. This time I checked that the actual space was dry - it is gravel and the gravel looked different, very light in color, apparently washed in the flood. I saw mud on the sides of the space, so I walked to the back of the space and it was not muddy there - where we have to walk to hook up the electricity and the TV (and water if we hooked up same), so it seemed okay. He backed in, we found the level spot and marked it with markers he made. Although we have been in the space numerous times, when we arrive there we check the electricity to make sure it is functioning properly and we did so and went off again.
Well, now I understood why there was confusion about reserving a space when I called the afternoon before. Apparently the general area did not just have rain, it had RAIN!!!!!. FLOODING RAIN!!!!! As we went around over the rest of the two days we saw the result of flooding in many places. At the Friday market there was mud on the foundations of buildings and pavement. One building, which had flooded badly once in the past, had obviously been flooded as there was no merchandise on the bottom 3 shelves of the fixtures - tossed out as it was soaked. There is an auction in a room at the end of one building. I have never seen it closed. It was closed and through the wall I could hear fans running trying to dry the room.
If any of you are from the Lancaster, PA area - I hope that you were not hit by the flooding.
Friday night we returned home. I did not unpack much of the RV. I left my clothes, the snacks, the towels, etc. Husband insisted on taking his clothing into the house. After 2 days, I repacked the RV on Sunday night for the drive down on Monday. By then it was much dryer, although some of the space in the RV park needed work on them and were still closed. Understand, we were away for 2 days, 1 night, then drove home for 2 nights, 2 days, and then back again to Pennsylvania for another 2 days, 1 night and then home - and I won’t bore you with the local traffic mess on the way home last Tuesday night. Of this time, we spent the equivalent of over half a day traveling forth and back and forth and back again.
I am behind in everything I was suppose to do the last few weeks. I notice this when I went to change towels Tuesday night. I normally change all the towels on Monday, then change the bathroom towels again on Thursday and the kitchen towels on Wednesday and Friday. The towels are all assorted - I had Monday bathroom towels out downstairs and Thursday ones upstairs. (No, I am not that anal. I put blue hand towels upstairs and green ones downstairs on Monday and another color on Thursday - as I have 2 sets of each color and all my other ones vary in color by pair. This way I can tell by looking if I forgot to change the hand towels.) I went to change husband’s weekly hair towel and 2 of the 3 were in the laundry and I was pulling the third one to wash. My pillowcases are either white (2 sets) or beige (1 set) I have 3 white towels and a beige one on the bed. I forgot to do the laundry last night. I have been keeping up with washing clothing over the past several weeks of colds and travel, but not the rest of the laundry.
So right now clothing is being washed (a day late). I spent last night writing and rewriting the newsletter for my embroidery chapter. I had figured to write it quickly as it usually does not take long. We are starting our meeting year and I had not heard from the chapter president with her president’s message. We are doing a project for most of the year and I had to figure out how to write up what we are doing at the meeting. (I also list information from our national and region, as well as giving list of related exhibitions and events in a travelable area - this takes up most of the newsletter). In addition we are doing a “stitch in public” that we do every year and I wrote a page to encourage someone other than myself and the chapter president (and husband who joins us) would also come with us. I then found out, in reply to an email I had sent, that the chapter president had sent the info - apparently when I downloaded my email - from 3 days - it did not download on most of my email addresses. When I downloaded it again after hearing from her, it all downloaded. Her president’s message included this info for the meeting. So I had to fit in her message, splitting it to the meeting information and get rid of what I had written. Then send out 3 versions of the newsletter (members, prospective members, and other region newsletter editors). So last night was gone - which is why I did not get a chance to write this post then.
I have a piece I am entering at the local three county, county fair - huh? Our local fair, which dates back to 1842, is the legal county fair for 3 counties. It is held at the restoration village I have mentioned before where there is an exact copy of the original fair grounds from photos) and is held in the style of a late 1800s fair, with many of the volunteers dressed in period dress. The heart of the fair are the art, craft, needlework, sewing, baking, canning, fruits, vegetables, flowers and the like which have been entered by people from the three counties.
I used to enter several items each year including an angel cake. Lately it has been one or two items and no more baking - as there have been less entries they cut some categories all around, including angel cake. I have one piece to enter this year - if I finish it. I have about one or maybe two more nights of stitching it, then I need to assemble it and then husband has to have time to frame it for me. I keep Thursday nights (which means 11:30 pm to 2 am Friday) for stitching and other crafts for me. I have not had a chance in at least a month to do so. I planned on tonight finishing the stitching. Obviously I will not as I am writing this post and have other “must to do” items for after this. If I don’t finish it, it will be entered next year. I am not going to panic over not getting it done in time. I am a procrastinator, I know this and try to push myself to finish ahead of time. When husband was still working I would drop off our entries while he was at work. One year on the day the entries had to be in, I called him at work and - in a panic - asked where the craft wire was in the house, I was still finishing a doll I was making of Theodore Roosevelt and he needed eyeglasses. He on the other hand, would have his entries done in July!
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
What must be done gets done. What is nice to do or one wants to get done, may or may not get done - and that is okay. We can only do a certain amount and cannot kick ourselves for not getting everything done.
We did go away last Thursday and Friday. When I telephoned Wednesday afternoon to make the reservation the woman I spoke with, was rather odd about the entire thing. The spaces I asked for were not available for two nights - we had decided to stay through Saturday. When I asked if any of the spaces were available just for the one night, Thursday there was still confusion. I finally worked it out and reserved one of the spaces for Thursday night and figured that we would ask what was available for just Friday night when we checked in - just in case something was available that would work for us. I made sense to me that Friday would not be available even though Thursday was as Friday is a weekend night and more people travel.
Our trip down was fine - better time than the usual mess. As we drove down husband suggested, which he acknowledged was crazy, that we drive back again on Tuesday of the following week for the day. We have not been to the farmers market that is on Tuesday most or all of this year and different vendors are there from the Friday market. The idea hit me, I suggested that we drive down Monday and stay until Tuesday. This would relieve the problem of possibly getting stuck in traffic on the way and arriving too late to have enough time at the market. (Mostly we have lunch and walk around, perhaps buying some small items we need or see, good shop at Tuesday market to look for bears for my village and I have not been there since the village went to year round.) Plus, if we use the toilet in the RV it has to be dumped at the RV park. It needs to be 2/3 full minimum, to dump so that there is enough force, so Friday morning we were going to have to fill the tank (having only stayed one night) to dump the tanks. By coming back, there would be double in the tanks when we dumped and it would fill faster. The weather promised to be nice for Monday and Tuesday and I would make the reservation when we checked in.
Remember I said that it had been suppose to rain there on Tuesday? When we arrived in the general area we saw lots of fields (this is farm country) with huge puddles- almost pond size in them. We went around to several touristy we go to in the area and then around 5:30 pm went to the RV park to check in. We paid for our space for the evening and reserved the same space for Monday night. It is a fairly small RV park along a stream. As we were walking out of the office the employee said “Oh, if the space is too wet, just come back and we will give you another one.” Huh!? Apparently they had trouble from the rain on Tuesday. As we drove to our space we were driving along the row of spaces facing the stream. We saw what they meant - the spaces had MUD in them. Our space is in the next row so we were concerned. We drove to the space and it seemed mostly okay. I got out of the RV as we do a few things when we arrive at a space at the start of a stay there. First husband will back in (rare that we get a “drive through space”) and we will find the level spot. I guide him. This time I checked that the actual space was dry - it is gravel and the gravel looked different, very light in color, apparently washed in the flood. I saw mud on the sides of the space, so I walked to the back of the space and it was not muddy there - where we have to walk to hook up the electricity and the TV (and water if we hooked up same), so it seemed okay. He backed in, we found the level spot and marked it with markers he made. Although we have been in the space numerous times, when we arrive there we check the electricity to make sure it is functioning properly and we did so and went off again.
Well, now I understood why there was confusion about reserving a space when I called the afternoon before. Apparently the general area did not just have rain, it had RAIN!!!!!. FLOODING RAIN!!!!! As we went around over the rest of the two days we saw the result of flooding in many places. At the Friday market there was mud on the foundations of buildings and pavement. One building, which had flooded badly once in the past, had obviously been flooded as there was no merchandise on the bottom 3 shelves of the fixtures - tossed out as it was soaked. There is an auction in a room at the end of one building. I have never seen it closed. It was closed and through the wall I could hear fans running trying to dry the room.
If any of you are from the Lancaster, PA area - I hope that you were not hit by the flooding.
Friday night we returned home. I did not unpack much of the RV. I left my clothes, the snacks, the towels, etc. Husband insisted on taking his clothing into the house. After 2 days, I repacked the RV on Sunday night for the drive down on Monday. By then it was much dryer, although some of the space in the RV park needed work on them and were still closed. Understand, we were away for 2 days, 1 night, then drove home for 2 nights, 2 days, and then back again to Pennsylvania for another 2 days, 1 night and then home - and I won’t bore you with the local traffic mess on the way home last Tuesday night. Of this time, we spent the equivalent of over half a day traveling forth and back and forth and back again.
I am behind in everything I was suppose to do the last few weeks. I notice this when I went to change towels Tuesday night. I normally change all the towels on Monday, then change the bathroom towels again on Thursday and the kitchen towels on Wednesday and Friday. The towels are all assorted - I had Monday bathroom towels out downstairs and Thursday ones upstairs. (No, I am not that anal. I put blue hand towels upstairs and green ones downstairs on Monday and another color on Thursday - as I have 2 sets of each color and all my other ones vary in color by pair. This way I can tell by looking if I forgot to change the hand towels.) I went to change husband’s weekly hair towel and 2 of the 3 were in the laundry and I was pulling the third one to wash. My pillowcases are either white (2 sets) or beige (1 set) I have 3 white towels and a beige one on the bed. I forgot to do the laundry last night. I have been keeping up with washing clothing over the past several weeks of colds and travel, but not the rest of the laundry.
So right now clothing is being washed (a day late). I spent last night writing and rewriting the newsletter for my embroidery chapter. I had figured to write it quickly as it usually does not take long. We are starting our meeting year and I had not heard from the chapter president with her president’s message. We are doing a project for most of the year and I had to figure out how to write up what we are doing at the meeting. (I also list information from our national and region, as well as giving list of related exhibitions and events in a travelable area - this takes up most of the newsletter). In addition we are doing a “stitch in public” that we do every year and I wrote a page to encourage someone other than myself and the chapter president (and husband who joins us) would also come with us. I then found out, in reply to an email I had sent, that the chapter president had sent the info - apparently when I downloaded my email - from 3 days - it did not download on most of my email addresses. When I downloaded it again after hearing from her, it all downloaded. Her president’s message included this info for the meeting. So I had to fit in her message, splitting it to the meeting information and get rid of what I had written. Then send out 3 versions of the newsletter (members, prospective members, and other region newsletter editors). So last night was gone - which is why I did not get a chance to write this post then.
I have a piece I am entering at the local three county, county fair - huh? Our local fair, which dates back to 1842, is the legal county fair for 3 counties. It is held at the restoration village I have mentioned before where there is an exact copy of the original fair grounds from photos) and is held in the style of a late 1800s fair, with many of the volunteers dressed in period dress. The heart of the fair are the art, craft, needlework, sewing, baking, canning, fruits, vegetables, flowers and the like which have been entered by people from the three counties.
I used to enter several items each year including an angel cake. Lately it has been one or two items and no more baking - as there have been less entries they cut some categories all around, including angel cake. I have one piece to enter this year - if I finish it. I have about one or maybe two more nights of stitching it, then I need to assemble it and then husband has to have time to frame it for me. I keep Thursday nights (which means 11:30 pm to 2 am Friday) for stitching and other crafts for me. I have not had a chance in at least a month to do so. I planned on tonight finishing the stitching. Obviously I will not as I am writing this post and have other “must to do” items for after this. If I don’t finish it, it will be entered next year. I am not going to panic over not getting it done in time. I am a procrastinator, I know this and try to push myself to finish ahead of time. When husband was still working I would drop off our entries while he was at work. One year on the day the entries had to be in, I called him at work and - in a panic - asked where the craft wire was in the house, I was still finishing a doll I was making of Theodore Roosevelt and he needed eyeglasses. He on the other hand, would have his entries done in July!
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
What must be done gets done. What is nice to do or one wants to get done, may or may not get done - and that is okay. We can only do a certain amount and cannot kick ourselves for not getting everything done.
Saturday, July 21, 2018
THIRD TIME'S A CHARM - I HOPE
This post is 2 days late. We have been on a short trip. I wrote the post on Wednesday night the normal time for me to do so. Wednesday night was also the first night of our trip. We have been at this campground many times. For some reason there were Internet problems this trip (and totally unrelated we could not get TV with our antenna either) and while I could do some things, the Internet connection did not like gmail so I was able to check some email - but only one email out on one night, other than that I could not post and this was my second item to post. (First was to tell my family we were away as I had forgotten to do so.)
So I could not post the first night - or the second. Now we are back home and I am hoping that this post goes through on the “lucky” third night of trying -
A quick post this week as we finally made it away for a trip - only 2 nights, not the 5 nights we started with planning - and 2 weeks late, but we are away.
Anyone going on a trip has to plan in advance - Where will we go? When will we go? Where will we stay? and - most importantly - What do we need to bring?
I have a check list in my computer that I print out each time we are going away to make sure we bring everything. Now, remember we are traveling in an RV so what we need to bring is different than someone going to a hotel. Remember that this is not a huge RV as you see on TV - next time you see a Chevy van - think of me. The check list is divided into sections -
What to do ahead of time - check the tires for air, make sure that items we keep in the RV are there and ones that get used up are replenished - soap, disposable dishes and cups, hand soap, dish soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, tissues, paper towels and such. Are there clean hand and dish towels in the RV? I generally have to make up the bed - which involves assembling it as I put on the mattress cover, sheets and blankets. If we are away for a very short time - as we are now - I may not strip the bed afterwards and will leave the bed made up.
Then as we get close to the trip (day or two before) I have other items to do - I do the clothing laundry 2 days before we go away so we have clothes for the trip and clothes for when we get home. This way I can pack them the day before we go. Since we are traveling in an RV I use laundry bags to carry the clothes out to same and then store them in the “closet” This is a small cabinet that is called the closet. It will hold maybe a dozen hangers. We put in one of those sweater shelves things that hang in a closet and instead of hanging clothes in it, we each get 2 shelves for our clothes - yes, 2 of those tiny shelves for our clothes. I can fit up to a week’s worth of clothes for each of us shirts, underwear, socks and spare pair of jeans in those tiny sections. The rare times we go away longer - for 2 weeks - the second week’s clothing will be in a laundry bag in a section under the bed - at the start of the second week I will climb under the bed and get out the laundry bag and put the clothing in the shelves. As we use the clothes we put the dirty clothes back in a laundry bag - so if we are way for more than a week, the dirty clothes will go back where the clean clothes were. We do carry more than a set of clothes for each day “just in case”. We bring extra of everything. We fit in sweaters and jackets in various places in the RV. Spare shoes go into a cubby over the bed.
We fill the water tanks which hold 25 gallons of water.
I have a list of food items to bring - we have a “dorm size” fridge in the RV. The list is inclusive fo what we might want/need to bring - so not all items are brought on every trip. I bring water in bottles that I have filled and put it in the fridge. The water in the tanks will get warm (sitting under a “tin can” in plastic tanks) and this way we have cold water to drink. Food items are put in plastic boxes that “lock” seal closed. Generally all we are bringing is snacks with us. On longer trips I may bring canned soup, peanut butter and bread. So far we have had only one occasion while traveling in which we came close to cooking and eating in the RV - but then the rain storm ended and we were able to go for lunch.
Medications have to come. I have to bring eyeglasses - several different pairs for each of us. And of course, electronics. We each bring laptops with us. Maybe a camera. And cell phones and cords for them. We actually keep duplicate cords in the RV for convenience.
When items are stored they must be stored in such a way that they will not shift around and make noise or break anything. Everything has an assigned place so we know where it will be and it will be safe. We use plastic shopping bags around items to keep them from shifting - and then they are used for garbage or shopping, etc.
What amazes me is that when we were buying this RV we kept wondering how we would get everything we need into it. I have pulled out items never used when I realize that we will not need them and now have too much empty space that needs to be packed with the bags mentioned to fill the space so things do not shift. Well, I did keep the small vacuum cleaner, We may not have used it in the 7 years we have had the RV, but I know some day we will really, really need it.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Think about if you had one room 20 ft by 6 ft to live in and had to fit everything you needed in it. The bed takes up about 1/3 of the room, but you do have 3 cubbies over the bed. There are people who live in this type of RV full time - think about having to get your possessions to down to a space this small.
So I could not post the first night - or the second. Now we are back home and I am hoping that this post goes through on the “lucky” third night of trying -
A quick post this week as we finally made it away for a trip - only 2 nights, not the 5 nights we started with planning - and 2 weeks late, but we are away.
Anyone going on a trip has to plan in advance - Where will we go? When will we go? Where will we stay? and - most importantly - What do we need to bring?
I have a check list in my computer that I print out each time we are going away to make sure we bring everything. Now, remember we are traveling in an RV so what we need to bring is different than someone going to a hotel. Remember that this is not a huge RV as you see on TV - next time you see a Chevy van - think of me. The check list is divided into sections -
What to do ahead of time - check the tires for air, make sure that items we keep in the RV are there and ones that get used up are replenished - soap, disposable dishes and cups, hand soap, dish soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, tissues, paper towels and such. Are there clean hand and dish towels in the RV? I generally have to make up the bed - which involves assembling it as I put on the mattress cover, sheets and blankets. If we are away for a very short time - as we are now - I may not strip the bed afterwards and will leave the bed made up.
Then as we get close to the trip (day or two before) I have other items to do - I do the clothing laundry 2 days before we go away so we have clothes for the trip and clothes for when we get home. This way I can pack them the day before we go. Since we are traveling in an RV I use laundry bags to carry the clothes out to same and then store them in the “closet” This is a small cabinet that is called the closet. It will hold maybe a dozen hangers. We put in one of those sweater shelves things that hang in a closet and instead of hanging clothes in it, we each get 2 shelves for our clothes - yes, 2 of those tiny shelves for our clothes. I can fit up to a week’s worth of clothes for each of us shirts, underwear, socks and spare pair of jeans in those tiny sections. The rare times we go away longer - for 2 weeks - the second week’s clothing will be in a laundry bag in a section under the bed - at the start of the second week I will climb under the bed and get out the laundry bag and put the clothing in the shelves. As we use the clothes we put the dirty clothes back in a laundry bag - so if we are way for more than a week, the dirty clothes will go back where the clean clothes were. We do carry more than a set of clothes for each day “just in case”. We bring extra of everything. We fit in sweaters and jackets in various places in the RV. Spare shoes go into a cubby over the bed.
We fill the water tanks which hold 25 gallons of water.
I have a list of food items to bring - we have a “dorm size” fridge in the RV. The list is inclusive fo what we might want/need to bring - so not all items are brought on every trip. I bring water in bottles that I have filled and put it in the fridge. The water in the tanks will get warm (sitting under a “tin can” in plastic tanks) and this way we have cold water to drink. Food items are put in plastic boxes that “lock” seal closed. Generally all we are bringing is snacks with us. On longer trips I may bring canned soup, peanut butter and bread. So far we have had only one occasion while traveling in which we came close to cooking and eating in the RV - but then the rain storm ended and we were able to go for lunch.
Medications have to come. I have to bring eyeglasses - several different pairs for each of us. And of course, electronics. We each bring laptops with us. Maybe a camera. And cell phones and cords for them. We actually keep duplicate cords in the RV for convenience.
When items are stored they must be stored in such a way that they will not shift around and make noise or break anything. Everything has an assigned place so we know where it will be and it will be safe. We use plastic shopping bags around items to keep them from shifting - and then they are used for garbage or shopping, etc.
What amazes me is that when we were buying this RV we kept wondering how we would get everything we need into it. I have pulled out items never used when I realize that we will not need them and now have too much empty space that needs to be packed with the bags mentioned to fill the space so things do not shift. Well, I did keep the small vacuum cleaner, We may not have used it in the 7 years we have had the RV, but I know some day we will really, really need it.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Think about if you had one room 20 ft by 6 ft to live in and had to fit everything you needed in it. The bed takes up about 1/3 of the room, but you do have 3 cubbies over the bed. There are people who live in this type of RV full time - think about having to get your possessions to down to a space this small.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
TRAPPED IN A WHIRLWIND
Okay - I am now so disorganized that I have no idea of what to write for you. So this will be a bit off the cuff and probably ramble even more than usual. I had my time planned out a bit better, but you know what happens.
This week I had planned to go to a client on Tuesday or Wednesday - the one in Manhattan. Due to the severe thunderstorms predicted for Tuesday, I asked her to come there on Wednesday and she could not make the appointment for that day. Which freed up the middle of this week a bit.
Monday night we had our reenactment unit meeting - this is when we get together in modern clothes and discuss recent past events and how they went and what can be done to make them better in the future, upcoming events - the logistics of when and where to be, what we will be doing, who is doing to come to the event, who will cook, what the unit needs to bring - what members need to bring, etc. We also have a presentation by one of the members about something related to the period, the event coming up, or how to improve our presentations. Our next event is a new one, two days long, and in need of more planning than usual as we are the lead group of several groups with the event spread out over a good sized period village and such logistics as what we will do and where we will be if it rains, arrangements for people who are camping overnight at the site (many of the units will be doing so, our unit most will go home overnight), set up, break down, etc. Husband did the program for the meeting on how to do first person (being a person of the past who knows nothing past the specific day in the past) as many of our members are new to this and it is integral to the event. So, most of Monday night was gone - we were not home to eat dinner until after 11 pm.
Monday afternoon husband had tried to start our RV’s generator - it has to be run once a month if it has not been used. It would not start. Not the usual it almost started, but different - maybe it will start tomorrow, but dead silence. The generator is under the back of the RV. Husband gets sick if he is a variety of positions, so I climbed under - all the switches were set correctly. He finally did climb under as we tried to find and see the fuse for it - which we could not do. He telephoned the generator shop we have used in the past - we have to have the oil changed annually and needed to do it for this year (we had run the generator for a whopping 24 hours total over the year) - so that will done also. We are hoping it will not be a huge bill - people talk about generator repair bills being more than a new one would cost. We had figured it would be awhile before they can take us, but they can take us this coming Monday - at 9 am.
Yesterday we went to the bank for the week as we needed to cover some checks and figured if this was out of the way, it would be easier to get ready later in the week for the reenactment event mentioned. I also managed to finish cleaning the inside of the bucket to the dehumidifier in the basement. It has dividers that don’t come out and even my tiny hands could not reach everywhere. Husband came up with the idea of using a stiff, thin artist’s paint brush which worked.
Today we went and cleared out the RV as they will need to go inside and the mattresses, and other items will be in their way. We don’t want anyone near the mattresses any way, and we also took out the wood support pieces for the mattresses. We put them in plastic mattress bags in our living room - on a table husband uses for his weaving - every time I walk past it looks like there is a body laid out in there - ugh. I also caught up on paying bills - with the money we put in yesterday. I then recalculated how much we need to pay bills next week - before we, hopefully, go on a trip the week after. We could pay the bills, but not have any cash for the trip - or pay another bill I anticipate. So tomorrow, the only free day left for a while, we will go and get money from my IRA account - no available money in husband’s until August.
Friday will be the setup day for the event so we will be there a good deal of the day. Saturday and Sunday will be the event - and it now looks like rain, possibly both days. Monday we will be taking the RV to the generator shop. Either Tuesday or Wednesday I have to get to that client. Then Thursday the board of my embroidery chapter is having its annual meeting to plan next year’s meeting programs. The Monday after we are going away for a week - no, really this time, we made the reservations last year and have to pay even if we don’t go, so weather be darned, we will be going.
I am pretty sure I have mentioned that we are not morning people - me in particular. One advantage to being self employed is that I don’t have to get up early. Each of my clients figures that I am at a different one in the morning when I go there in the afternoon. I used to get up at 9-10 am - yes, you can call me a slug-a-bed, but since husband has retired we - again, especially me- have gotten worse. We go to bed at 3 am. It usually takes me until 5 am to fall asleep and we start getting up - very slowly - at 11 am. When we need to, we get up earlier.
But in the coming weeks we will be getting up early (for us) almost every day.
We have to get up early Friday to be out and ready for the setup, Saturday and Sunday we have to be there by 9 am - and getting dressed in the period clothing takes longer than throwing on our regular clothes, plus the drive there.
But I wasn’t worried as I knew I could sleep to normal time on Monday - but no longer can as we have to get up and out even earlier on Monday to be at the generator place by 9 am - it is further away.
Then if I am lucky I will be able to sleep to normal time on Tuesday - but either Tuesday or Wednesday I will need to get up just as early to get to the client in the city - even though I am going there for noon, the trip lately has been taking almost 2 hours. So I will have one of the two days to sleep in to normal time.
Then Thursday I have to get up and out to the board meeting.
Thank goodness for next Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a chance to sleep a bit. But we will have to be setting up the RV for the trip - even more work to be done than normal, as we have to put back everything we took out, plus the stuff we normally put in it for a trip - and make that darn bed - that takes 45 minutes if I am lucky, over an hour if I do something out of order and have to redo it. (Remember, this is the bed that can only be accessed from a 2 foot wide opening at the foot of the bed, so it mostly has to be made while in the bed.)
Then we will be off for a “relaxing” trip. Up early every morning. Pack the inside of the RV so nothing will shift during the day. Unplug the electric and cable. Run around all day and then at night - find the right spot in the RV space that the RV is level and plug in the electric and cable - did it once in a heavy rain storm that was so bad that there were “get inside” for safety purposes. Set up the inside of the RV - invariably we forget to shut the rear curtain while outside and have to go back out to do it. And the last morning we have to make sure to get up early enough to “dump tanks” and be out by 11 am.
So, it has and will be a rather hectic and tiring 2 weeks, especially since all the normal things still have to be done - right now - in less than 7 minutes - I have to run downstairs and switch laundry loads.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
It seems that we go through periods where time is easy - no appointments, just get things done as we can. Then we hit a period of craziness where almost every day is planned and there is little or no time to think. Somehow we always get through it.
So, if I don’t post next week - or the one after - although I certainly plan to, you will know why.
Do other people go through crazy periods like this too?
This week I had planned to go to a client on Tuesday or Wednesday - the one in Manhattan. Due to the severe thunderstorms predicted for Tuesday, I asked her to come there on Wednesday and she could not make the appointment for that day. Which freed up the middle of this week a bit.
Monday night we had our reenactment unit meeting - this is when we get together in modern clothes and discuss recent past events and how they went and what can be done to make them better in the future, upcoming events - the logistics of when and where to be, what we will be doing, who is doing to come to the event, who will cook, what the unit needs to bring - what members need to bring, etc. We also have a presentation by one of the members about something related to the period, the event coming up, or how to improve our presentations. Our next event is a new one, two days long, and in need of more planning than usual as we are the lead group of several groups with the event spread out over a good sized period village and such logistics as what we will do and where we will be if it rains, arrangements for people who are camping overnight at the site (many of the units will be doing so, our unit most will go home overnight), set up, break down, etc. Husband did the program for the meeting on how to do first person (being a person of the past who knows nothing past the specific day in the past) as many of our members are new to this and it is integral to the event. So, most of Monday night was gone - we were not home to eat dinner until after 11 pm.
Monday afternoon husband had tried to start our RV’s generator - it has to be run once a month if it has not been used. It would not start. Not the usual it almost started, but different - maybe it will start tomorrow, but dead silence. The generator is under the back of the RV. Husband gets sick if he is a variety of positions, so I climbed under - all the switches were set correctly. He finally did climb under as we tried to find and see the fuse for it - which we could not do. He telephoned the generator shop we have used in the past - we have to have the oil changed annually and needed to do it for this year (we had run the generator for a whopping 24 hours total over the year) - so that will done also. We are hoping it will not be a huge bill - people talk about generator repair bills being more than a new one would cost. We had figured it would be awhile before they can take us, but they can take us this coming Monday - at 9 am.
Yesterday we went to the bank for the week as we needed to cover some checks and figured if this was out of the way, it would be easier to get ready later in the week for the reenactment event mentioned. I also managed to finish cleaning the inside of the bucket to the dehumidifier in the basement. It has dividers that don’t come out and even my tiny hands could not reach everywhere. Husband came up with the idea of using a stiff, thin artist’s paint brush which worked.
Today we went and cleared out the RV as they will need to go inside and the mattresses, and other items will be in their way. We don’t want anyone near the mattresses any way, and we also took out the wood support pieces for the mattresses. We put them in plastic mattress bags in our living room - on a table husband uses for his weaving - every time I walk past it looks like there is a body laid out in there - ugh. I also caught up on paying bills - with the money we put in yesterday. I then recalculated how much we need to pay bills next week - before we, hopefully, go on a trip the week after. We could pay the bills, but not have any cash for the trip - or pay another bill I anticipate. So tomorrow, the only free day left for a while, we will go and get money from my IRA account - no available money in husband’s until August.
Friday will be the setup day for the event so we will be there a good deal of the day. Saturday and Sunday will be the event - and it now looks like rain, possibly both days. Monday we will be taking the RV to the generator shop. Either Tuesday or Wednesday I have to get to that client. Then Thursday the board of my embroidery chapter is having its annual meeting to plan next year’s meeting programs. The Monday after we are going away for a week - no, really this time, we made the reservations last year and have to pay even if we don’t go, so weather be darned, we will be going.
I am pretty sure I have mentioned that we are not morning people - me in particular. One advantage to being self employed is that I don’t have to get up early. Each of my clients figures that I am at a different one in the morning when I go there in the afternoon. I used to get up at 9-10 am - yes, you can call me a slug-a-bed, but since husband has retired we - again, especially me- have gotten worse. We go to bed at 3 am. It usually takes me until 5 am to fall asleep and we start getting up - very slowly - at 11 am. When we need to, we get up earlier.
But in the coming weeks we will be getting up early (for us) almost every day.
We have to get up early Friday to be out and ready for the setup, Saturday and Sunday we have to be there by 9 am - and getting dressed in the period clothing takes longer than throwing on our regular clothes, plus the drive there.
But I wasn’t worried as I knew I could sleep to normal time on Monday - but no longer can as we have to get up and out even earlier on Monday to be at the generator place by 9 am - it is further away.
Then if I am lucky I will be able to sleep to normal time on Tuesday - but either Tuesday or Wednesday I will need to get up just as early to get to the client in the city - even though I am going there for noon, the trip lately has been taking almost 2 hours. So I will have one of the two days to sleep in to normal time.
Then Thursday I have to get up and out to the board meeting.
Thank goodness for next Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a chance to sleep a bit. But we will have to be setting up the RV for the trip - even more work to be done than normal, as we have to put back everything we took out, plus the stuff we normally put in it for a trip - and make that darn bed - that takes 45 minutes if I am lucky, over an hour if I do something out of order and have to redo it. (Remember, this is the bed that can only be accessed from a 2 foot wide opening at the foot of the bed, so it mostly has to be made while in the bed.)
Then we will be off for a “relaxing” trip. Up early every morning. Pack the inside of the RV so nothing will shift during the day. Unplug the electric and cable. Run around all day and then at night - find the right spot in the RV space that the RV is level and plug in the electric and cable - did it once in a heavy rain storm that was so bad that there were “get inside” for safety purposes. Set up the inside of the RV - invariably we forget to shut the rear curtain while outside and have to go back out to do it. And the last morning we have to make sure to get up early enough to “dump tanks” and be out by 11 am.
So, it has and will be a rather hectic and tiring 2 weeks, especially since all the normal things still have to be done - right now - in less than 7 minutes - I have to run downstairs and switch laundry loads.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
It seems that we go through periods where time is easy - no appointments, just get things done as we can. Then we hit a period of craziness where almost every day is planned and there is little or no time to think. Somehow we always get through it.
So, if I don’t post next week - or the one after - although I certainly plan to, you will know why.
Do other people go through crazy periods like this too?
Thursday, May 31, 2018
BOY DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG
First of all. I am not suppose to be here. I mean in our house, not sitting here posting to you. We used to go away for Memorial Day weekend, but since we have the RV it is easier to go away during the week before or the week after. Why? Well, when one makes a hotel reservation (at least when we used to) one could generally cancel it until the day one was suppose to be there or at least the day before. RV parks usually require a week or more notice of cancellation to not charge for a reservation - if they let you cancel at all. It is hard to get a reservation for big on season weekends (like Memorial Day) - we make our July 4 reservation for next year when we arrive at the park or we will not get one. Also it is crowded in Lancaster for the weekend and husband does not like all the “tourists” (yes, we are tourists too, but he considers us regular guests as we go so often) as the tourist places are too busy - and remember we have to park a huge over length van. But it is easy to make reservations at the last minute during the week before or after and there are less fellow tourists around so we have been doing this. Last week I had to go to work at a client, so we planned on going away this week. Of course it is raining almost every day this week in Lancaster, so we did not go. We may go tomorrow to Connecticut for the day - maybe the Hartford Cabella’s store and then a casino for walking around and dinner - we don’t gamble - I never have and husband no longer does as he has just as much or more fun just walking around and he doesn’t lose any money.
Now, what I did. Husband (and I) are Type II Diabetics. Husband takes a once a day insulin. It comes in “pens” and must be kept cold until the pen is started. That means, we bring home a box of 5 pens and they go in the fridge. He takes one out to start using it - it lasts him around 10 days - and then it stays out of the fridge at room temperature. There is a fixed range for the pens in the fridge, so I have to keep the fridge in range. I generally keep the fridge at 38 degrees Fahrenheit as it is in the middle of the range, but not so warm as to be a problem for food stored in the fridge. This allows for variations in the temperature in the fridge from use. When we travel in our RV I keep the fridge in it at the same temperature - but it is harder to keep it at temperature as it is more weather sensitive - oddly at night when it is cooler, the RV fridge gets warmer.
Normally the house fridge though, stays at the correct temperature fairly easily. If it needs to be warmer, I turn the dial (on either fridge) until it just shuts off. If it needs to be cooler, I turn the dial until it just kicks on. In the RV when traveling we keep the remote reader for the fridge in the front while traveling so we know what is going on - I have been known to jump to back to adjust it on trips when we stop for gas or other reasons.
So, Sunday evening I noticed that the temperature in the (house) fridge had dropped 2 degrees to 36 which is the lowest the insulin can go. I turned the temperature dial until it shut off. Worried that it had dropped 2 degrees and it was still running I did something I do sometimes. I opened the drawer in the fridge and used it to prop the door open a bit so it would heat up a bit inside it.
Only this time I lost track of the time! Husband came down and the fridge was at 46 degrees - the highest the insulin can go. We turned the fridge up but the temperature was not going down. He was convinced that I had broken the fridge. The insulin will last for 42 days out of the fridge, so 2 of the pens would have to be tossed if it was not working - plus the cost of the food in it and the cost of repair or a new fridge.
There was a scene - much panic yelling by him and apologies and crying by me.
He decided the fridge was not cooling because it needed to have the vents cleaned - so he vacuumed them - front and back - for me. (Well, one job less for me to do - not sure when last they were vacuumed.)
By the time we went up to bed the temperature was 44 degrees. Rather than both of us stay up all night and stare at the temperature remote, I had suggested we go up to bed and I would come downstairs every hour. We turned the air conditioner on and the overhead fan and went upstairs.
After we finished getting ready for bed, he went back downstairs and the temperature was down to 43 degrees - he was still in a panic, but I was pretty sure that the fridge was okay. I went down in an hour and it was at 41 degrees. I set the alarm for an hour and went to sleep for an hour - well, mostly I was awake. It was then down to 39 degrees. I turned the temperature down, just so the fridge went off. I went to bed for another hour and the temperature was holding at 39 so I went to sleep.
The fridge seems to be a bit more sensitive - it jumps around within a range okay for use more than it used to. Husband barely lets me open the fridge to take stuff out or put in - I have to grab everything at once, but the fridge seems okay and stays 37-40 degrees and corrects fairly quickly back to 38.
Why did this happen? Well, I was on the computer “talking” with some embroidery friends around the world and ----- forgot! What I should have done was set the timer in my mobile phone for maybe 5 to 10 minutes to remind. I do that for other chores - right now I am doing laundry and in 26 minutes (and some seconds) it will remind me to switch loads.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
Don’t count on remembering things to be done - or noticing that it is time to do them. Use a timer or an appointment in your phone or a mechanical timer to remind you when to do something.
Now, what I did. Husband (and I) are Type II Diabetics. Husband takes a once a day insulin. It comes in “pens” and must be kept cold until the pen is started. That means, we bring home a box of 5 pens and they go in the fridge. He takes one out to start using it - it lasts him around 10 days - and then it stays out of the fridge at room temperature. There is a fixed range for the pens in the fridge, so I have to keep the fridge in range. I generally keep the fridge at 38 degrees Fahrenheit as it is in the middle of the range, but not so warm as to be a problem for food stored in the fridge. This allows for variations in the temperature in the fridge from use. When we travel in our RV I keep the fridge in it at the same temperature - but it is harder to keep it at temperature as it is more weather sensitive - oddly at night when it is cooler, the RV fridge gets warmer.
Normally the house fridge though, stays at the correct temperature fairly easily. If it needs to be warmer, I turn the dial (on either fridge) until it just shuts off. If it needs to be cooler, I turn the dial until it just kicks on. In the RV when traveling we keep the remote reader for the fridge in the front while traveling so we know what is going on - I have been known to jump to back to adjust it on trips when we stop for gas or other reasons.
So, Sunday evening I noticed that the temperature in the (house) fridge had dropped 2 degrees to 36 which is the lowest the insulin can go. I turned the temperature dial until it shut off. Worried that it had dropped 2 degrees and it was still running I did something I do sometimes. I opened the drawer in the fridge and used it to prop the door open a bit so it would heat up a bit inside it.
Only this time I lost track of the time! Husband came down and the fridge was at 46 degrees - the highest the insulin can go. We turned the fridge up but the temperature was not going down. He was convinced that I had broken the fridge. The insulin will last for 42 days out of the fridge, so 2 of the pens would have to be tossed if it was not working - plus the cost of the food in it and the cost of repair or a new fridge.
There was a scene - much panic yelling by him and apologies and crying by me.
He decided the fridge was not cooling because it needed to have the vents cleaned - so he vacuumed them - front and back - for me. (Well, one job less for me to do - not sure when last they were vacuumed.)
By the time we went up to bed the temperature was 44 degrees. Rather than both of us stay up all night and stare at the temperature remote, I had suggested we go up to bed and I would come downstairs every hour. We turned the air conditioner on and the overhead fan and went upstairs.
After we finished getting ready for bed, he went back downstairs and the temperature was down to 43 degrees - he was still in a panic, but I was pretty sure that the fridge was okay. I went down in an hour and it was at 41 degrees. I set the alarm for an hour and went to sleep for an hour - well, mostly I was awake. It was then down to 39 degrees. I turned the temperature down, just so the fridge went off. I went to bed for another hour and the temperature was holding at 39 so I went to sleep.
The fridge seems to be a bit more sensitive - it jumps around within a range okay for use more than it used to. Husband barely lets me open the fridge to take stuff out or put in - I have to grab everything at once, but the fridge seems okay and stays 37-40 degrees and corrects fairly quickly back to 38.
Why did this happen? Well, I was on the computer “talking” with some embroidery friends around the world and ----- forgot! What I should have done was set the timer in my mobile phone for maybe 5 to 10 minutes to remind. I do that for other chores - right now I am doing laundry and in 26 minutes (and some seconds) it will remind me to switch loads.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
Don’t count on remembering things to be done - or noticing that it is time to do them. Use a timer or an appointment in your phone or a mechanical timer to remind you when to do something.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Missing items and items forgotten about appear when decorating and decluttering
Last week I talked about putting out our outdoor Christmas decorations. I also had the boldness to say that because I know where the Christmas items are stored it is easy to find them. I apparently lied without knowing it.
We had not put our battery candles in the front windows when we put up the lights outside. While technically inside the house as they are placed inside the windows, their purpose is to be seen from outside, so I consider them to be outside decorations. When we remembered that we had forgotten to put them in place I immediately went to my candle drawer (holds all manner of candles) where I know I keep them. They were not there - I took everything out of the drawer to check. I looked in the drawer next to the candle drawer to see if I stuck them there - perhaps the candle drawer was too full? These drawers are under our living room TV which is (old and analog and) in a cabinet we bought for it and the drawers are in the cabinet. I then looked in all the “logical” places - the drawers in the end tables next to the sofa, the secretary - shelves and drawers - no candles.
Where could they be - maybe in with the inside the house decorations in 2 boxes in the basement? I got the two boxes and opened and went through them - no candles. I figured that sooner or later they would show up in my Christmas decorating and I was not going to go crazy over them.
I decided that since the boxes had been brought up and were sitting there and I had a hour or two until we went out for dinner, I would start putting out the decorations. The decorations are artificial greens and swags and other small items to put out. I started on the dining room decorations as husband still has his loom set up in the living room. I put items here and there in the dining room and front hall (the items in the same box). I came across two candle rings (small fake flowers in a ring intended to sit around the base of stubby candles) and I had an “aha” moment and knew where the window candles were.
In addition to the plastic boxes in the basement I have 3 decorative boxes with Christmas items upstairs in a trunk at the top of the stairs, with some other Christmas decorations - two large angels and such. The candles for the rings are in one of the decorative boxes - and I knew that the window candles must be in one also. I went upstairs, moved the 3 families of bears who “live” on the trunk and opened it - there were the boxes and yes, the window candles were in there. I took them out and put the boxes and bears back for now. I put the candles on my desk as they have timers and have to be lit at the time I want them to go on. A couple of days later I remembered at the right time and set them up with batteries and put them in the window - at last the outside lights are finished for this year!
I have been somewhat busy since then as I had my embroidery chapter meeting today and had to get paperwork together for it. Also, I was not doing the project the group was doing at the meeting as I thought I would be away, so I had to pick something to bring to work on at the meeting.
I also did a bit of decluttering. We have 2 corner cabinets in our living room - they each have display shelves in the main part of them and then 2 shelves in a closed door cabinet at the bottom for storage. One of them has items I somewhat often use for Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. The other has items we either have never used or have not used in decades. In addition to wanting to get rid of them in general, I figure with the tax law changes under discussion, this might be my last chance to donate them and get a tax advantage from same. My husband is big on keeping things - “we might need it one day” or “maybe we could sell this, keep it”. I would never get rid of anything of his, but I have to argue to get rid things that are mine also. So while he was busy upstairs, I went through what was in the bottom of the cabinet. I pulled out to donate glass serving bowls, glass platters, glass cake server which also can be a punch server, several candy dishes (in unopened boxes). I brought them all to the kitchen, listed them on a piece of paper, and stored them in large shopping bags in our studio on my side of the room - he would just figure it was bags of my stuff (or his) if he saw them. I also had some things to go on computers (not electronic stuff - paper holder that attaches to a monitor and the like) which had been waiting to go to storage or donation for at least 15 years. Also a decorative jar that the lid just sits on -does not screw on for storage. 6 small wine glasses with a silver dipped edge - his mom’s, we got them after she died and we had previously discussed that they could be gotten rid of. Lastly - when we replaced our mailbox earlier this year, we put the old one aside in the garage “in case the new one did not work out”. This past weekend he had tripped on it in the garage while putting up the Christmas lights and swore at it - it was definitely time for it to go.
Normally I would have put all this (5 bags worth plus the mailbox) in the car Tuesday nights - along with the soda bottles to be returned for deposit - but it was raining. The soda bottles went out earlier in the evening, but not the donations. So this morning I loaded them into the car. After my meeting and various errands I drove to Goodwill and donated the stuff and then went to Walmart and returned the soda bottles. Well, a small bit more room in the house. I am trying to figure out what should now go in the bottom of that cabinet - there are some items I kept - mostly a hand crafted coffee set someone gave us as a wedding gift - I kept it as it is from someone he knew and won’t get rid of it without permission. There are also display items in the cabinet for the items (a set of bear figurines which I rotate by month and need to raise some up so all can be seen) in the cabinet, which I left - I did find a box of the figurines I bought in the last couple of years as they have made a reappearance at flea markets and back stored stock of a store; I knew that there were more of them than I had found! I have to organize all the new ones so they join the right month’s group of the ones I have. (You know - lovers in February, flowers in May, graduates in June and so on.)
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Sometimes even when one thinks all is organized one is not - and items may happily appear as one unpacks items to be put out or when one goes through items to get rid of.
I hope that none of you are in the area of the terrible fires in southern California.
We had not put our battery candles in the front windows when we put up the lights outside. While technically inside the house as they are placed inside the windows, their purpose is to be seen from outside, so I consider them to be outside decorations. When we remembered that we had forgotten to put them in place I immediately went to my candle drawer (holds all manner of candles) where I know I keep them. They were not there - I took everything out of the drawer to check. I looked in the drawer next to the candle drawer to see if I stuck them there - perhaps the candle drawer was too full? These drawers are under our living room TV which is (old and analog and) in a cabinet we bought for it and the drawers are in the cabinet. I then looked in all the “logical” places - the drawers in the end tables next to the sofa, the secretary - shelves and drawers - no candles.
Where could they be - maybe in with the inside the house decorations in 2 boxes in the basement? I got the two boxes and opened and went through them - no candles. I figured that sooner or later they would show up in my Christmas decorating and I was not going to go crazy over them.
I decided that since the boxes had been brought up and were sitting there and I had a hour or two until we went out for dinner, I would start putting out the decorations. The decorations are artificial greens and swags and other small items to put out. I started on the dining room decorations as husband still has his loom set up in the living room. I put items here and there in the dining room and front hall (the items in the same box). I came across two candle rings (small fake flowers in a ring intended to sit around the base of stubby candles) and I had an “aha” moment and knew where the window candles were.
In addition to the plastic boxes in the basement I have 3 decorative boxes with Christmas items upstairs in a trunk at the top of the stairs, with some other Christmas decorations - two large angels and such. The candles for the rings are in one of the decorative boxes - and I knew that the window candles must be in one also. I went upstairs, moved the 3 families of bears who “live” on the trunk and opened it - there were the boxes and yes, the window candles were in there. I took them out and put the boxes and bears back for now. I put the candles on my desk as they have timers and have to be lit at the time I want them to go on. A couple of days later I remembered at the right time and set them up with batteries and put them in the window - at last the outside lights are finished for this year!
I have been somewhat busy since then as I had my embroidery chapter meeting today and had to get paperwork together for it. Also, I was not doing the project the group was doing at the meeting as I thought I would be away, so I had to pick something to bring to work on at the meeting.
I also did a bit of decluttering. We have 2 corner cabinets in our living room - they each have display shelves in the main part of them and then 2 shelves in a closed door cabinet at the bottom for storage. One of them has items I somewhat often use for Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. The other has items we either have never used or have not used in decades. In addition to wanting to get rid of them in general, I figure with the tax law changes under discussion, this might be my last chance to donate them and get a tax advantage from same. My husband is big on keeping things - “we might need it one day” or “maybe we could sell this, keep it”. I would never get rid of anything of his, but I have to argue to get rid things that are mine also. So while he was busy upstairs, I went through what was in the bottom of the cabinet. I pulled out to donate glass serving bowls, glass platters, glass cake server which also can be a punch server, several candy dishes (in unopened boxes). I brought them all to the kitchen, listed them on a piece of paper, and stored them in large shopping bags in our studio on my side of the room - he would just figure it was bags of my stuff (or his) if he saw them. I also had some things to go on computers (not electronic stuff - paper holder that attaches to a monitor and the like) which had been waiting to go to storage or donation for at least 15 years. Also a decorative jar that the lid just sits on -does not screw on for storage. 6 small wine glasses with a silver dipped edge - his mom’s, we got them after she died and we had previously discussed that they could be gotten rid of. Lastly - when we replaced our mailbox earlier this year, we put the old one aside in the garage “in case the new one did not work out”. This past weekend he had tripped on it in the garage while putting up the Christmas lights and swore at it - it was definitely time for it to go.
Normally I would have put all this (5 bags worth plus the mailbox) in the car Tuesday nights - along with the soda bottles to be returned for deposit - but it was raining. The soda bottles went out earlier in the evening, but not the donations. So this morning I loaded them into the car. After my meeting and various errands I drove to Goodwill and donated the stuff and then went to Walmart and returned the soda bottles. Well, a small bit more room in the house. I am trying to figure out what should now go in the bottom of that cabinet - there are some items I kept - mostly a hand crafted coffee set someone gave us as a wedding gift - I kept it as it is from someone he knew and won’t get rid of it without permission. There are also display items in the cabinet for the items (a set of bear figurines which I rotate by month and need to raise some up so all can be seen) in the cabinet, which I left - I did find a box of the figurines I bought in the last couple of years as they have made a reappearance at flea markets and back stored stock of a store; I knew that there were more of them than I had found! I have to organize all the new ones so they join the right month’s group of the ones I have. (You know - lovers in February, flowers in May, graduates in June and so on.)
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Sometimes even when one thinks all is organized one is not - and items may happily appear as one unpacks items to be put out or when one goes through items to get rid of.
I hope that none of you are in the area of the terrible fires in southern California.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
MAJOR OOPS - MANAGED TO STAY ON SCHEDULE - AND A TIME TO CONTEMPLATE
I wrote this post for last week on Tuesday night and set it up to post itself on Wednesday night when I would normally post it, as Wednesday night was a major Jewish holiday - as you will see in the post itself. Sorry. It is now a week later and I am about to write this week's post a night late. My apologies.
I was going to call this post “Treading Water” but in light of the continuation of hurricanes I decided that was in bad taste. I cannot believe that there is another hurricane, Maria, hitting in the Caribbean again. I hope that anyone you might know there is safe and well and stays so. I feel so bad for those in that area.
My thoughts and prayers also go to those in Mexico who have been hit by the earthquake. Back in 1973 I was in Mexico with a college friend. We had spent a few days in Mexico City and then took a 2 day tour bus ride down to Acapulco, with a stop in Taxco for the night. We had two nights in Acapulco (one day). The first morning there we woke to the telephone ringing. My friend’s mom was calling from home - “Are you both okay? Is there a lot of damage there?” Apparently there had been an earthquake then also in Mexico City - and we did not know about it. Others on our tour who flew down to Acapulco instead of the taking the bus arrived with stories of the outside wall of the hotel they were in (and we had been in) splitting between the beds in the room they were in! It was terrifying to have been that close to an earthquake and I feel terribly for those who are there.
I have to say - not as a joke, but a statement of fact - we think we have terrible organizing, decluttering and cleaning to do - but those who are losing their “stuff”, including their homes, possibly their jobs, and worst of all family, friends or even pets, have it much worse. When my mom’s house was hit by Hurricane Sandy, her basement filled 4 feet with sea water and all in her basement had to be tossed out. A crew came in and did it for her - it included her washer and dryer and furnace and water heater - in addition to my dad’s tools and our toys and a lot of books that were down there. Instant forced getting rid of stuff. 5 years later I will still be somewhere at a flea market or such and see something and remember that I had it and it is gone. Perhaps this can be a incentive to go through what you have and get rid of what is unneeded and less precious to you, so that you have room to safely store that which is precious to you.
The hurricane that was headed here, Jose, is no longer a hurricane and is still south of us, but is to pass to the east of where we live and has been affecting here all day today. We had rain today on and off - much heavier to the east of us as they are closer to Jose, but not terrible. Wind has not been bad. But there is still tonight and Jose is suppose to circle around a bit out in the ocean - which apparently is good as it will keep Maria from hitting us.
We did get to the quilt show last Saturday - barely as we were not sure about the, yes, the weather. He really is weather phobic. While it is a quilt show there are many different fiber/textile vendors mixed in as there are no other similar sales venues. The first booth in the show is a woman with a farm who sells wool yarns, fiber, etc. We spent some time there on entering as husband does do weaving. Her wool is lovely, but beyond our budget. We were at the show for about 4 and a half hours. I had a small tote bag with me as husband had brought a fabric tool he bought a few years ago which had broken and the vendor is usually at this show and he hoped they could tell him how to fix it. (“That’s the old model - if you buy a new one we will give it to you for half price.” Same being about twice what he paid originally - he will try again to fix it himself.) So it was not obvious that we had bought - nothing as what we bought might have been in the tote bag. The first vendor stopped us and asked what we had bought - she was shocked to hear “nothing”. We saw many lovely things. The shop my husband bought his loom from (we first saw them at this show a few years ago) was there - interesting add ons for his loom. I got an idea for a Christmas ornament to make and sell - the thread at one booth caught my eye to make it - but they did not have the variegated color as it appeared on their sample and I was not going to spend $10 to get both colors separately. Lovely quilts were entered in their competition and also were displayed in various exhibitions of quilts. We had a wonderful day, bought nothing as we have so much of similar stuff at home that cries out to be used, and had a chance to see wonderful quilts (oh, and in one exhibition - clothing, accessories and house items - all handmade by people who had entered them into a competition). Dinner in the Lancaster are and home.
Despite the impending possible hurricane, we went this morning to the dentist. I have new (and more) teeth. Despite having worn an upper partial for decades, this one is much larger as it replaces more teeth which have “left me”. I am having trouble adjusting - I keep needing to swallow to avoid gagging. Oddly I am biting the inside of my mouth with one of my real teeth which is in the same place it has always been. On the other side of my mouth I have two teeth hitting - but, again, the problem seems to be one of my teeth not the plate. Next Monday we will start on making a spare - using part of my old one. He wanted me to have my old one just in case. I know I will adjust - when I got my first one it took a week before I could talk or eat. Of course between an upper partial and a repair for him and ditto for me, the budget will not adjust for some time.
We came home and then went to the doctor. All was well. He is as nice as his dad was - husband gets upset easily and now feels much better about going to this doctor. And we had a great health report for all of our various “conditions”. (And all covered by our medical insurance - his and mine.)
I am writing this a day early as tomorrow night - Wednesday - when I normally write and post is the start of one of the major Jewish holidays of the year and traditionally one does not and I choose to not do secular things - work or such on these holidays. I set the holiday apart by watching no television other than religious services. I pick out a book that is contemplative and read it - in the living room - in my chair - alone - with no other distractions. Yes, I pray.
I have our Friday afternoon banking and all the bills due this week ready to go tomorrow before the holiday starts. I have tomorrow night’s laundry being washed and dried as I write. So that none of these will need to be done during the holiday.
I use the time to contemplate the year that has passed, what I did that was good, what I did that was not so good and what I can do better in the year to come.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
I am not looking to proselytize (Jews do not do so), but a few customs we have for our “New Year”, which is what this holiday is, are good ideas. As I said, this is our New Year and we take time to contemplate the year that has passed. What have you done right? Done wrong? What could you do a bit better? We take the period following this holiday (we have another one next week to end this period) to apologize to those we have injured - whether or not the person accepts our apology - it is as if they had and the weight of slights or wrongs against others are lifted from us - those who follow the religion more as it was originally will go to running water on a certain day and cast their “sins” into the water (with certain prayers). Apologizing to others, and let negatice thoughts of the past and thoughts of slights against you go - clears one’s mind and lets one focus on what is good and what is to come instead of stewing about the past. Start a new year now cleared of the past and going forward with what you need and want to do. If now then pick any day to do this. I have pointed out in the past that any day is actually the start of a new year.
I was going to call this post “Treading Water” but in light of the continuation of hurricanes I decided that was in bad taste. I cannot believe that there is another hurricane, Maria, hitting in the Caribbean again. I hope that anyone you might know there is safe and well and stays so. I feel so bad for those in that area.
My thoughts and prayers also go to those in Mexico who have been hit by the earthquake. Back in 1973 I was in Mexico with a college friend. We had spent a few days in Mexico City and then took a 2 day tour bus ride down to Acapulco, with a stop in Taxco for the night. We had two nights in Acapulco (one day). The first morning there we woke to the telephone ringing. My friend’s mom was calling from home - “Are you both okay? Is there a lot of damage there?” Apparently there had been an earthquake then also in Mexico City - and we did not know about it. Others on our tour who flew down to Acapulco instead of the taking the bus arrived with stories of the outside wall of the hotel they were in (and we had been in) splitting between the beds in the room they were in! It was terrifying to have been that close to an earthquake and I feel terribly for those who are there.
I have to say - not as a joke, but a statement of fact - we think we have terrible organizing, decluttering and cleaning to do - but those who are losing their “stuff”, including their homes, possibly their jobs, and worst of all family, friends or even pets, have it much worse. When my mom’s house was hit by Hurricane Sandy, her basement filled 4 feet with sea water and all in her basement had to be tossed out. A crew came in and did it for her - it included her washer and dryer and furnace and water heater - in addition to my dad’s tools and our toys and a lot of books that were down there. Instant forced getting rid of stuff. 5 years later I will still be somewhere at a flea market or such and see something and remember that I had it and it is gone. Perhaps this can be a incentive to go through what you have and get rid of what is unneeded and less precious to you, so that you have room to safely store that which is precious to you.
The hurricane that was headed here, Jose, is no longer a hurricane and is still south of us, but is to pass to the east of where we live and has been affecting here all day today. We had rain today on and off - much heavier to the east of us as they are closer to Jose, but not terrible. Wind has not been bad. But there is still tonight and Jose is suppose to circle around a bit out in the ocean - which apparently is good as it will keep Maria from hitting us.
We did get to the quilt show last Saturday - barely as we were not sure about the, yes, the weather. He really is weather phobic. While it is a quilt show there are many different fiber/textile vendors mixed in as there are no other similar sales venues. The first booth in the show is a woman with a farm who sells wool yarns, fiber, etc. We spent some time there on entering as husband does do weaving. Her wool is lovely, but beyond our budget. We were at the show for about 4 and a half hours. I had a small tote bag with me as husband had brought a fabric tool he bought a few years ago which had broken and the vendor is usually at this show and he hoped they could tell him how to fix it. (“That’s the old model - if you buy a new one we will give it to you for half price.” Same being about twice what he paid originally - he will try again to fix it himself.) So it was not obvious that we had bought - nothing as what we bought might have been in the tote bag. The first vendor stopped us and asked what we had bought - she was shocked to hear “nothing”. We saw many lovely things. The shop my husband bought his loom from (we first saw them at this show a few years ago) was there - interesting add ons for his loom. I got an idea for a Christmas ornament to make and sell - the thread at one booth caught my eye to make it - but they did not have the variegated color as it appeared on their sample and I was not going to spend $10 to get both colors separately. Lovely quilts were entered in their competition and also were displayed in various exhibitions of quilts. We had a wonderful day, bought nothing as we have so much of similar stuff at home that cries out to be used, and had a chance to see wonderful quilts (oh, and in one exhibition - clothing, accessories and house items - all handmade by people who had entered them into a competition). Dinner in the Lancaster are and home.
Despite the impending possible hurricane, we went this morning to the dentist. I have new (and more) teeth. Despite having worn an upper partial for decades, this one is much larger as it replaces more teeth which have “left me”. I am having trouble adjusting - I keep needing to swallow to avoid gagging. Oddly I am biting the inside of my mouth with one of my real teeth which is in the same place it has always been. On the other side of my mouth I have two teeth hitting - but, again, the problem seems to be one of my teeth not the plate. Next Monday we will start on making a spare - using part of my old one. He wanted me to have my old one just in case. I know I will adjust - when I got my first one it took a week before I could talk or eat. Of course between an upper partial and a repair for him and ditto for me, the budget will not adjust for some time.
We came home and then went to the doctor. All was well. He is as nice as his dad was - husband gets upset easily and now feels much better about going to this doctor. And we had a great health report for all of our various “conditions”. (And all covered by our medical insurance - his and mine.)
I am writing this a day early as tomorrow night - Wednesday - when I normally write and post is the start of one of the major Jewish holidays of the year and traditionally one does not and I choose to not do secular things - work or such on these holidays. I set the holiday apart by watching no television other than religious services. I pick out a book that is contemplative and read it - in the living room - in my chair - alone - with no other distractions. Yes, I pray.
I have our Friday afternoon banking and all the bills due this week ready to go tomorrow before the holiday starts. I have tomorrow night’s laundry being washed and dried as I write. So that none of these will need to be done during the holiday.
I use the time to contemplate the year that has passed, what I did that was good, what I did that was not so good and what I can do better in the year to come.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
I am not looking to proselytize (Jews do not do so), but a few customs we have for our “New Year”, which is what this holiday is, are good ideas. As I said, this is our New Year and we take time to contemplate the year that has passed. What have you done right? Done wrong? What could you do a bit better? We take the period following this holiday (we have another one next week to end this period) to apologize to those we have injured - whether or not the person accepts our apology - it is as if they had and the weight of slights or wrongs against others are lifted from us - those who follow the religion more as it was originally will go to running water on a certain day and cast their “sins” into the water (with certain prayers). Apologizing to others, and let negatice thoughts of the past and thoughts of slights against you go - clears one’s mind and lets one focus on what is good and what is to come instead of stewing about the past. Start a new year now cleared of the past and going forward with what you need and want to do. If now then pick any day to do this. I have pointed out in the past that any day is actually the start of a new year.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
SO DISORGANIZED SO SUDDENLY
It is amazing how much one (or at least I) become dependant on electronics to keep one organized. The changeover in my cell phone has consumed a lot of my time and is not yet finished. In addition I have been losing touch with many things that needed to be done as my concentration is elsewhere - ie. the new phone.
I have been copying (and pasting) contacts into the new setup based on immediate/upcoming need. That means - immediate family, doctors, and insurance companies went in first along with the presidents of the 2 clubs we belong to. I am now in the midst of copying all the contact information for those in our reenactment unit as we have an event coming up this weekend. I have at least two listings for members (well, family units of members as we have couples, families, singles and married people who belong, but their spouse/family does not) as we ask members for an emergency number as we had a member get injured at an event and we realized that if he had not been married, we would not known who to call to let them know. We do have a cooking fire and the guys are firing flintlock guns plus a reproduction cannon so the possibility for injury exists. I have made my way all the way through the “P’s” of the membership list plus some needed non-member contact information. I hope to have all related to the unit in the new phone by the time we go to the event this weekend.
While away last week we found a plastic case for the back of the phone - only one vendor had any out of all of the stores and markets we have been to. When we returned we ordered a glass protector for the front. We are both rather nervous about putting it on. The protector (actually two of them) arrived today. It looks too small for the phone - which is odd as it seems to be the smallest android phone made. Husband contacted the manufacturer who thinks it might be too big for the phone - huh? When we were looking at phones and husband found this one - size is important and it was the smallest one he found with good reviews - I asked him “Is this a common enough phone that when we go to the farmers markets in Pennsylvania we will be able to easily get a back case and glass protector?” He told me yes. Apparently not. We also picked up last week, at one of the markets, a generic cell phone case as the one I was using was a bit tight on the phone - it was from old one which is about 3/4 the size of this one. It feels much bigger in my pocket and I have had to rearrange everything in the pocket - and move something to the other pocket as well. When we finally get the glass protector on - if we do - I will make a lighter, smaller case of felt for it.
But in concentrating on the phone things are slipping through my fingers. While away I received an email from the regional treasurer of my embroidery group. She wanted to know if I had received a check she had mailed to me. I replied that I had received the check. I remembered I had although I could not find the email I remember sending her when it arrived, I did find the email to the chapter board telling them about it. I also remember depositing the check and told her I had done so. When we returned home I went to look for the original email I had sent to her and found it. I looked for the deposit slip for the check and could not find it. Nor was it recorded in the checkbook. Nor was there a computer scan of the deposit (which I do now as printed deposit slips don’t show the entire account number - just in case). I also could not find the check. I had a day of panic over this before finding the check. I sent an email explaining (and why I was in such a state of disorganization) and that the check had not been deposited, but would be this week. Deposit slip has been made and scanned and is in the “banking” envelope to go to the bank.
In the mail when we returned home was an envelope with receipts from a member of our reenacting unit for me to reimburse him for purchase for the unit. I put it on my desk to pay and also sent him an email to let him know I will bring it to the event this coming weekend.
But then I remembered. The fellow who does the cooking for the unit gave me receipts for his purchases for the food he cooked at the last event. I told him I would send him a check. But the day after the phone switch occurred. I would normally run the receipts through the suitcase heater as they came from someone’s house. I looked in my Organizer and saw that I ran a heating later in the week after I went to the embroidery guild meeting - the receipts from him, as well as papers I had written notes on, should have been included in that heating. I cannot find my notes either.
I have one place left to look - in our van which we used for the event - but the van is at the service station for state inspection tomorrow. If I do not find the papers there, I will have to apologize to the fellow and ask him for an estimate of what I owe him. (If I find the papers I will email an apology for the lateness of the payment.) Either way I will write the check for him and bring to the event this weekend.
I do not like making errors with finances - our own and even more so with other people’s money. I am very upset with myself that a simple thing that most people would think nothing of, getting a new cell phone, would be this upsetting and disorganizing. I hate having to admit to errors when dealing with other people’s money as it makes me feel that they will think me untrustworthy.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
We all have times when we loose our sense of direction (in this case organization). We have to be truthful about errors that result or cause the loss of direction and do our best to correct the situations which result and make amends to correct the situations. We can then start anew and try to make sure that we are more careful in the future.
I have been copying (and pasting) contacts into the new setup based on immediate/upcoming need. That means - immediate family, doctors, and insurance companies went in first along with the presidents of the 2 clubs we belong to. I am now in the midst of copying all the contact information for those in our reenactment unit as we have an event coming up this weekend. I have at least two listings for members (well, family units of members as we have couples, families, singles and married people who belong, but their spouse/family does not) as we ask members for an emergency number as we had a member get injured at an event and we realized that if he had not been married, we would not known who to call to let them know. We do have a cooking fire and the guys are firing flintlock guns plus a reproduction cannon so the possibility for injury exists. I have made my way all the way through the “P’s” of the membership list plus some needed non-member contact information. I hope to have all related to the unit in the new phone by the time we go to the event this weekend.
While away last week we found a plastic case for the back of the phone - only one vendor had any out of all of the stores and markets we have been to. When we returned we ordered a glass protector for the front. We are both rather nervous about putting it on. The protector (actually two of them) arrived today. It looks too small for the phone - which is odd as it seems to be the smallest android phone made. Husband contacted the manufacturer who thinks it might be too big for the phone - huh? When we were looking at phones and husband found this one - size is important and it was the smallest one he found with good reviews - I asked him “Is this a common enough phone that when we go to the farmers markets in Pennsylvania we will be able to easily get a back case and glass protector?” He told me yes. Apparently not. We also picked up last week, at one of the markets, a generic cell phone case as the one I was using was a bit tight on the phone - it was from old one which is about 3/4 the size of this one. It feels much bigger in my pocket and I have had to rearrange everything in the pocket - and move something to the other pocket as well. When we finally get the glass protector on - if we do - I will make a lighter, smaller case of felt for it.
But in concentrating on the phone things are slipping through my fingers. While away I received an email from the regional treasurer of my embroidery group. She wanted to know if I had received a check she had mailed to me. I replied that I had received the check. I remembered I had although I could not find the email I remember sending her when it arrived, I did find the email to the chapter board telling them about it. I also remember depositing the check and told her I had done so. When we returned home I went to look for the original email I had sent to her and found it. I looked for the deposit slip for the check and could not find it. Nor was it recorded in the checkbook. Nor was there a computer scan of the deposit (which I do now as printed deposit slips don’t show the entire account number - just in case). I also could not find the check. I had a day of panic over this before finding the check. I sent an email explaining (and why I was in such a state of disorganization) and that the check had not been deposited, but would be this week. Deposit slip has been made and scanned and is in the “banking” envelope to go to the bank.
In the mail when we returned home was an envelope with receipts from a member of our reenacting unit for me to reimburse him for purchase for the unit. I put it on my desk to pay and also sent him an email to let him know I will bring it to the event this coming weekend.
But then I remembered. The fellow who does the cooking for the unit gave me receipts for his purchases for the food he cooked at the last event. I told him I would send him a check. But the day after the phone switch occurred. I would normally run the receipts through the suitcase heater as they came from someone’s house. I looked in my Organizer and saw that I ran a heating later in the week after I went to the embroidery guild meeting - the receipts from him, as well as papers I had written notes on, should have been included in that heating. I cannot find my notes either.
I have one place left to look - in our van which we used for the event - but the van is at the service station for state inspection tomorrow. If I do not find the papers there, I will have to apologize to the fellow and ask him for an estimate of what I owe him. (If I find the papers I will email an apology for the lateness of the payment.) Either way I will write the check for him and bring to the event this weekend.
I do not like making errors with finances - our own and even more so with other people’s money. I am very upset with myself that a simple thing that most people would think nothing of, getting a new cell phone, would be this upsetting and disorganizing. I hate having to admit to errors when dealing with other people’s money as it makes me feel that they will think me untrustworthy.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
We all have times when we loose our sense of direction (in this case organization). We have to be truthful about errors that result or cause the loss of direction and do our best to correct the situations which result and make amends to correct the situations. We can then start anew and try to make sure that we are more careful in the future.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
A New Year?
Today was Yom Kippur - this is the holiest day of the Jewish calender. 10 days ago this holiday period started with Rosh Hashanah - which means “head of the year” and is generally referred to as “Jewish New Year”.
Okay, so I am vamping a bit as I don’t have anything written. Monday was Columbus Day, We went to the eye doctor last week on Friday and husband’s niece’s birthday party on Sunday so I have had a busy week.
Last night I normally would have written my post for this week, but could not as Jewish holidays start the night before the day of the holiday. (There is a biblical reason for this, but I am not teaching bible class here - feel free to post back and ask if you want to know.) We have a huge lists of things we cannot due on Jewish holidays, most of the time I tend to ignore the list and do the things if they arise, but I try to set these two holidays - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur apart from other days due to their significance, so here I am, with no idea of what to write at the last minute (sound familiar to you).
As I mulled this over tonight I thought the significance of this period - the two holidays and the time between them are a period of reflection and its relation to becoming more organized and less cluttered.
Huh? This was the time of year when Jews take the time to think about the past year - what they did wrong, what they would like to change, how they could have improved their life and the lives of others. One is suppose to apologize for wrongs they have done in the past year to those to whom the wrongs have been done - whether spouse, child, boss, employee, friend, foe, the annoying teller at the bank, the sales girl who was too slow, the customer who could not give you their order properly, the neighbor who thinks you play your guitar too loud, your dog - you forgot to walk him, and God. By making these apologies one is clearing up the past and getting ready for the future.
We also think about the coming year - what can we do to make the coming year better for us and those around us. Sort of like regular New Year’s resolutions but not exactly. I will call my mother more often. I will be more generous to charity. (This period is to Jewish charities similar to what Christmas is to general charities, people are more generous and several of the charities have their donation campaigns during this period.) I will try to get my blog posts written ahead of time and have them make more sense. I will try not to annoy my husband with stupid things so often. I won’t lie (as much?). I will actually clean the house when it is on my to do schedule. And so on.
I offer you this holiday period (albeit after it has ended - another thought for next year, offer it when it is about to occur) to help you.
Take the time to apologize to anyone you have wronged. They will probably be surprised and will feel better about you. You will feel better because instead of thinking “I wish I hadn’t told John he shouldn’t eat so much and I wish I can take it back” you will know that you have let the John know you are sorry you said that. Do this even with someone who has passed on if you feel you have wronged them. It will clear your mind and your heart of past errors and let you start over.
Do this with your self also. Apologize to yourself for what you have done to yourself. Don’t be angry with yourself any longer for things left undone or things done incorrectly or things you have done wrong. Let it go - forgive yourself. This will also clear your mind and heart and let you start over.
Set aside time and think about what you would like to do in the coming year. I am talking not only in terms of organizing and decluttering, but in general. Try to sort out your thoughts and ideas. Try to make some sense of them.
I have not made a New Year’s resolution - secular or Jewish New Year - in decades. My last one was not to make resolutions - I have kept it. I do try to get some idea of what I would like to do in the coming year and try to make some plans towards doing same. It is a general plan - I might have some specific ideas, but I never think “I will” or “I must”, I think “I will try to”.
When I was a child I could not understand what the big deal was about the New Year (either one). Every day starts a new year. I could not understand what made one starting point more important than another one. Try letting go of what has happened in the past year and think about the year to come. If today is not good - then tomorrow or next week - because every day is the start of a new year.
Okay, so I am vamping a bit as I don’t have anything written. Monday was Columbus Day, We went to the eye doctor last week on Friday and husband’s niece’s birthday party on Sunday so I have had a busy week.
Last night I normally would have written my post for this week, but could not as Jewish holidays start the night before the day of the holiday. (There is a biblical reason for this, but I am not teaching bible class here - feel free to post back and ask if you want to know.) We have a huge lists of things we cannot due on Jewish holidays, most of the time I tend to ignore the list and do the things if they arise, but I try to set these two holidays - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur apart from other days due to their significance, so here I am, with no idea of what to write at the last minute (sound familiar to you).
As I mulled this over tonight I thought the significance of this period - the two holidays and the time between them are a period of reflection and its relation to becoming more organized and less cluttered.
Huh? This was the time of year when Jews take the time to think about the past year - what they did wrong, what they would like to change, how they could have improved their life and the lives of others. One is suppose to apologize for wrongs they have done in the past year to those to whom the wrongs have been done - whether spouse, child, boss, employee, friend, foe, the annoying teller at the bank, the sales girl who was too slow, the customer who could not give you their order properly, the neighbor who thinks you play your guitar too loud, your dog - you forgot to walk him, and God. By making these apologies one is clearing up the past and getting ready for the future.
We also think about the coming year - what can we do to make the coming year better for us and those around us. Sort of like regular New Year’s resolutions but not exactly. I will call my mother more often. I will be more generous to charity. (This period is to Jewish charities similar to what Christmas is to general charities, people are more generous and several of the charities have their donation campaigns during this period.) I will try to get my blog posts written ahead of time and have them make more sense. I will try not to annoy my husband with stupid things so often. I won’t lie (as much?). I will actually clean the house when it is on my to do schedule. And so on.
I offer you this holiday period (albeit after it has ended - another thought for next year, offer it when it is about to occur) to help you.
Take the time to apologize to anyone you have wronged. They will probably be surprised and will feel better about you. You will feel better because instead of thinking “I wish I hadn’t told John he shouldn’t eat so much and I wish I can take it back” you will know that you have let the John know you are sorry you said that. Do this even with someone who has passed on if you feel you have wronged them. It will clear your mind and your heart of past errors and let you start over.
Do this with your self also. Apologize to yourself for what you have done to yourself. Don’t be angry with yourself any longer for things left undone or things done incorrectly or things you have done wrong. Let it go - forgive yourself. This will also clear your mind and heart and let you start over.
Set aside time and think about what you would like to do in the coming year. I am talking not only in terms of organizing and decluttering, but in general. Try to sort out your thoughts and ideas. Try to make some sense of them.
I have not made a New Year’s resolution - secular or Jewish New Year - in decades. My last one was not to make resolutions - I have kept it. I do try to get some idea of what I would like to do in the coming year and try to make some plans towards doing same. It is a general plan - I might have some specific ideas, but I never think “I will” or “I must”, I think “I will try to”.
When I was a child I could not understand what the big deal was about the New Year (either one). Every day starts a new year. I could not understand what made one starting point more important than another one. Try letting go of what has happened in the past year and think about the year to come. If today is not good - then tomorrow or next week - because every day is the start of a new year.
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