SNOW?

We have had mild weather this winter - especially the last month or so. Normal temperature is in the 40 degrees Fahrenheit and we have been that or warmer - some days in the upper 60s or even once in the 70s - something to lull everyone into thinking winter was gone.

We have spent much of the last week preparing for a huge snow storm which was to hit here yesterday (Tuesday).  Since the area was hit by 2 major hurricanes - Irene and Sandy - a year apart each of which caused us to lose electricity for about a week, and Sandy was followed by a nor’easter just after we had our electricity restored,which put out our electricity again, my husband has become what he calls weather phobic.  Every time we have a storm threatening our area which has a decent chance of putting out our electricity, he gets terrified. Plus when it is a snow storm, we have to clear the snow from our driveway and we are getting old.       

So as reports of this storm heading towards us got worse and worse he became more and more afraid of it.  The storm was not only to have huge amounts of snow, but also blizzard conditions with winds and gusts up to 60 miles per hour.  I kept reassuring him that it would not be as bad as we were being told.  At the point this storm was first mentioned one storm was on the west coast and the other somewhere around the Gulf of Mexico and they were expected to meet up near us (in the northeast U.S.)  for us to have a huge storm. 

Now understand, the day before the storm was to hit us one part was still in the midwest and the other part off of Florida.  How it could be predicted where or if the two would meet up, I have no idea.  Depending on the weather report we listened to and when we listened to it we were told -

We would get        6-10 inches of snow    12-18 inches of snow        6-18 inches of snow
Storm would start     midnight Monday    2 am Tuesday            3 am Tuesday
Storm would end    Wednesday morning    Tuesday night        early Wednesday am (2 am)
Storm would be worse    north and west of NYC    south and east of NYC

Sometimes the differences would be in the same report.  One reporter told us that we would 6 inches of snow, and when he summarized what he had said at the end of his report he said that we would get 12-18 inches.   

All of this was making him worse and worse.  We went out last weekend and bought emergency supplies - canned soup and such.  We went out again on Monday and bought enough cold cuts for 4 days (if we ate lightly) so that if we lost electricity we could put it outside (temperature expected by all reports to be in the lower 30 degrees Fahrenheit) in plastic boxes to keep it cold and safe and have it to eat without cooking. 

I paid all the bills and dealt with all the other mail in the house which needed to go out this week and it all went out on Monday. Monday we also plugged in my laptops, our cell phones, and his tablet computers to charge.  Also the rechargeable unit of a Coleman electric lantern (we bought it to use in the RV, but bring it in for storms) and he found a device which charges two units and each can recharge a cell phone, so these were all plugged in and charging also.  These are all left plugged in until we know that we will not need any of them.

I overrode the turn downs of the temperature on our thermostat so the heat would stay on.  This would keep the house warm longer if we did lose electricity and due to same.  I did the opposite with the refrigerator.  I set the freezer to maximum cold.  I set the refrigerator colder, but not to maximum as we have insulin we have to keep in a certain range of temperature.   

We brought in the hanging solar lamps to the porch and put the garbage can where it would not blow around or away. We also took away our front door mat and put it in our porch.  Last time when I tried to shovel snow off the front steps it was in the way - this made it much easier to push the snow off the sides of the steps.



I also cleared the middle of the living room - everything back against the edges - and around the dining table so that we could walk through either room without needing light and not walk into anything.  This is a idea from earlier periods called “putting the room to rest”.  The room would have the items needed for something moved to the center of the room for use.  When what one was doing was finished - everything would be moved back against the wall.  It allowed one to easily use rooms for multiple reasons and also to walk through the room with little or no light - candles were expensive.

As you can see - we have been through this before.

As we got closer the reports got better - then worse - then better.

When we woke up the next day after the storm we found out that we were lucky.  The storms met up further west than they thought they would.  This was still to the south of where we are  - not terribly far away, but enough to give us a good deal of rain and sleet which kept the amount of snow that fell down (and dissolved part of it) and the worst of the storm to the north and west.  The storm was just about gone by 1 pm (maybe earlier, I slept in).   When we went out to clear what was there it was wet heavy snow as it had so much rain and sleet mixed in, but only maybe 5 or 6 inches at most.  Where my mom lives - to the southwest of us and closer to the water - they had mostly rain and sleet.  To the north of us - there was more snow - but in this general area east of NYC it was not too bad.  To the north of NYC and the west, as well as a good part of New England - they got the brunt of the storm.  It dropped up to 30 or so inches in some areas.  We were lucky.

We cleared the snow - he used the snow blower and I used a broom to get the snow off the car - we have learned to do this before clearing the snow on the ground around the car - and a shovel to clear what could not be blown, mostly due to location.

So, we have reversed most of our preparations - the lamps are back outside, we have unplugged things, etc.  Tonight I will fix the thermostat settings.  The rest will be done soon.

I have kept up with basic house chores - the laundry was done (always before a storm so we know we have clothes, etc.).  The dishes washed when used - you really don’t want dirty dishes when you have no electricity to deal with them.  And so on.  I did cheat on the bedding.  I normally strip the bed Tuesday morning and remake it Tuesday night before going to sleep - I only changed the pillow cases.  The rest can be used another week. 

And now we are eating the cold cuts.  We don’t normally buy same as they expensive and not the healthiest thing to eat.  We buy them when there is a reason we won’t be able to cook or need to carry a lunch with us somewhere.  So we had ham sandwiches for lunch.  Deli turkey for dinner.  Tomorrow we will have turkey sandwiches for lunch and the ham for dinner.

We went out today to the post office.  We have a mail box there and wanted to check what had come in.  I had to walk in the busy street from where we were parked to where there was a cut through the snow to the cleared sidewalk (about half way between the car and post office.  Just about no mail, but we went out and had some are.  Temperatures continue in the 30's Fahrenheit and will continue to be so.  We had a problem starting on the driveway - the car had frozen to the ground!  Once we got started we had no problem. 

See, we worried for nothing - well almost nothing.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -

Just because something is free does not mean you have to take it.

No, really - you don’t. 

Some decades ago I was opening a new bank account for us.  There was a choice of gifts when one did so at the bank where the account was being opened.  The employee who was opening the account, as the finish to the process of opening it, took me to a table and told me to pick which item I wanted.  I looked at the small airline type bag and the other assorted items with the name of the bank on them and said “Thank you.  I appreciate it, but I don’t want anything.”  She was shocked.  “But it’s free!”  I went on to thank her again and explain that there was nothing there we had a use for and therefore I was not going to take anything.  For sometime after I was known at the bank branch as “she’s the one who didn’t take a gift”.
                               
I go to trade shows and do not take the free bags, etc. - I don’t need them. 

It is okay to consider what the item(s) offered is and whether it is of any value to you.  You do not have to take something just because it is free.  Free things just pile up in the house and make more clutter.  I don’t know how many bags we have gotten because they are free and husband says “but we might need it and  - it’s free”.  Almost all of them have now been donated to get rid of them.                 

These applies to food samples also.  There are many times I walk around in Costco and do not take any of the free samples.  When I do take a sample it is something I like (or might like if I try it) and something which is not something I should not eat due to medical conditions.  If I take a sample I take one - not every sample on the tray (yes, people do that).  While the food samples will not pile up in my house - they will pile up in me.

One can also make a contribution to a charity without accepting the gift that is being given for make the contribution. 

Think about how many free items have piled up in your house. 

Next time you are offered something for free - think about what you will do it with it - do you need it?  Do you like it?  Or are you just taking it because it is FREE?
       

MARCH SEEMS ALMOST AS BAD AS FEBRUARY SO FAR

Well, another week has gone by.  Last Wednesday I was so glad that February was over and hoped for a pleasant March with a chance to catch up on everything - and put away my Christmas Teddy village.  It is not to be.

Last Thursday was pretty good.  We went to the dentist and he had a wax of husband’s new partial.  He fit it in adjusted it and we are to have the finished new partial this coming Friday.

That afternoon we signed husband up for a Medicare part D plan and a supplemental plan as he starts Medicare next month.  (For anyone outside the US - this is the Federal government medical plan for those 65 and over.)  Confusion - but not too bad.  More or less an auspicious start to the month.

Friday we had a fairly normal day.  There was suppose to be snow, but nothing.  At dinner Friday night husband’s partial broke again along the same line and I called the dentist to see if he could fit us in Saturday morning - he could.

We go to a quilt show annually at the same venue in New Jersey as the woodworking show two weeks ago.  We normally go on Thursday - the first day of the show - but due to the dentist appointment we planned to go on Friday.  Due to the snow we changed when we would go to Saturday.  So, again, we went to the dentist and then drove out of state to the quilt show.  (It always amazes me how quiet the quilt show is compared to the woodworking show and all it’s power tools, in the same place.  Another difference is that there are more tables and they are big group tables at the quilt show as well as spare smaller tables in the lobby for the quilt show than they have for the woodworking show.  More women eat lunch there?  Women like to sit with strangers?  Women are more likely to stay longer and eat there?  Who knows.

Saturday night we were both exhausted.  I had 3 hours sleep on Friday night.  Our reenactment unit had its annual party Sunday and neither of us felt like going - let alone dressing in period clothes.  We compromised and went in modern clothes (acceptable for this).  We got home even more exhausted and made a (relatively) early night of it. 

Sounds pretty good so far - right?

Monday we got a call to pick up a prescription renewal I called in.  Cost was $8 instead of $4.50.  We also got a notice from the prescription manager of our insurance company that we could not renew this prescription at the pharmacy unless we called them and told them that we wanted to do so.  Huh?  We have picked up our prescriptions at this pharmacy since before we were on the insurance plan.  I telephoned, of course husband had to get on the phone and tell them I could talk to them, I had to let the employee recite each medication, I had to say we wanted to pick it up locally at retail, and then confirm my response.  She told me to call the pharmacy and have them reprocess the prescription and it would be the former price.  I did so - they did so - it remained the same price!  Could not deal with calling them back right away.  So we moved on to our next problem.  We drove to our car dealer with the printout from the manufacturer about the problem with our car. Of course they cannot just take the car and check it for the problem.  We have to go on Monday and have an oil change at our expense - after just paying to have the car filled with oil.  We then have to come back in 1000 miles for a “oil consumption test”.  Okay, this sounds highly technical, but we guess it means the oil is drained out and measured and compared to the mileage driven - there should be no oil used no matter the mileage.  So we are playing their game. 

Now comes the real “fun” part of the week.  Since husband is leaving our medical plan for Medicare, we have to take him off of our old plan - and leave me on it.  Sounds like something which should be simple and commonly done.  I spent over an hour on the phone with an employee of our state health division which deals with the ACA medical insurance.  (Understand that we love our ACA plan - despite the complaints in the press, we have had a great price for a reasonable cost.)   The woman I spoke with had to figure out what to do - again, I would think that this should be common enough for them to have a protocol for doing this.  When we were all done - after I gave her extensive estimates of our 2016 income to use for the calculations - she told me that I no longer qualified for the insurance and I would have to go on Medcaid (again, for those not in the US, this is the Federal medical plan for poor people).  I pointed out to her that the household income, which is used to determine this, is the same as it was before.  She agreed that it did not make sense and suggested that since I was being asked for proof of income, I send in the paperwork and “I guess it will all work out in the end”. 

We were both sick all night thinking about this.  I worked for 6 hours copying income forms and since we each have our own business - finding receipts for the business expenses as they come directly off of the income before it is counted as income.  Exhausted and ill, we went to sleep.

Husband woke me early the next morning saying he had not been able to sleep and I had to call back.  I did.  I got another employee who found the same information.  She managed to determine the problem.  Since my husband would be over 64 his income would not count and only my income did, and mine was low enough for me to get Medicaid.  I pointed out that this made no sense as it meant a man could earn millions of dollars and his wife who did not work could go on Medicaid - she checked with her supervisor who agreed this was true - does it make ANY sense to you?  She passed me along to a review division to see if they could help me.

The man I spoke to at same told me that I was right and both my and husband’s income would be used to see what I was eligible for.  He also told me that the problem was that, even after providing extensive information the day before, NO income was listed for either of us - since we had no income, I was eligible for Medicaid.  He suggested we go online and enter the income and it should resolve.  I also found out that as of the end of the month I have no insurance as we had a couples policy and one person could not be removed and the other stay - I had to get a single policy.  At each point and person, husband had to give me permission to talk to them about my insurance as the account is in his name.

Now, husband had researched this online as I went through these extensive calls and the work I had done the night before.  From what he found, he checks the principle (him) is leaving the plan as he has other coverage and the dependent (me) stays on the plan.  When we went into our online account to list the income he was checked as not needing insurance.  It also said change of circumstances.  We followed it through step by step - it even let us put in that our income was the same as 2015 (the last year a record exists for) and then let me pick our insurance again as my new policy.  So easy.  I really hope this worked and the matter is resolved.  I have someone that we have been in touch with in the insurance company’s president’s office and will call her and ask her to check what is going on, on their end. 

I then called the pharmacy manager again about the overcharge on the prescription now that it should be resolved. The woman went away for about 10 minutes checking.  When she returned her answer was that the pharmacy raised the price.  I told her that the pharmacy told me that the insurance company decides the price and they raised it.  I could almost hear her shrug.  So today we picked up the prescription and paid the additional - we need it and I will try to resolve it next week and get a refund.           

Today I had to call our state tax department for a form I need for a corporation tax return.  It is the only form not available online as they want us to file all the returns online and when one calls for the form they try to talk one into filing it online.  I was on hold for 14 minutes to speak to someone to get the form.  I had planned on calling for this form a week ago - but the time kept slipping away with all the “stuff” we had to do. 

In addition as an accountant I should be working on clients’ tax returns, but have been caught up in all this.  I need to get the returns done timely for the clients, as well as so I get paid.

We are now expecting snow on Friday - the day husband is suppose to get his new partial.  It varies from a trace to 4 plus inches depending on who is doing the weather report (and that includes, as always, different reports from different weather people at the same station) and from hour to hour.  We plan to run our Friday errands tomorrow (Thursday) as they are banking and post office errands and it is better to do them early and not have needed to, then not be able to do them and have a problem.  I may call the dentist tomorrow to see if the partial came in early and we can come in tomorrow instead. 

We also have a St Patrick’s Parade on Sunday with our reenactment unit - but we have told them that if it is cold (say below 35F) or snowy, we will not be there.

Now, I know that in the scheme of life these are all relatively small things - no one is ill or injured.  The house stands and its systems work. It is just that we go through these periods where the small things go on and on, one after enough and become too much.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY -

In light of what has been going on, I will say that one needs a sense of humor and the idea that “this too will pass”.  As upset as I get, I know we have been lucky to find each other and have each other this long.  Perhaps I will get a chance to deal with the last of Christmas decorations this weekend if we are stuck in due to snow or bad weather or just because we come home between things we are doing.  I have learned that often what seems horrible becomes humorous when it is in the past.

So, remember to keep your sense of humor and sense of scale when things go awry.  You may end up with a good story to tell and laugh at. 

Off to change a load of laundry now.

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS CATCHING UP

February may be the shortest month - but this year it seems to be cruelest month as well.  Not just for my husband and myself either.  At a club meeting today I heard that a friend found out that in her second home, which she rents out, the toilet kept running when no one was around - she had to deal not only with the flood resulting from same but mold and a time limit to get it done as her new tenant was waiting to get in.  Another friend found out her significant other has a serious medical condition.   Our problems were just annoying - individually they would be an amusing story, but when the small problems keep coming - they add up. 

We were eating lunch last Thursday - luckily at home - and husband let out a scream - and mumbled something about his teeth.  I thought he broke a tooth or one came out or one moved out of place and he bit it and hurt his other teeth.  No, his upper partial plate broke in half - he now had a left side and a right side.  He was eating a very dangerous meal - cream cheese and jelly sandwich!  He managed to glue the two pieces into his mouth adjacent to each other for a temporary fix.  I called our dentist, but he only had morning hours on Thursday.  I left a message explaining and asking him to call back - which he did almost immediately.

Now, we were planning, again, to go to Lancaster, PA for the day on Friday.  It was our third attempt this year.  Luckily the dentist could see us first thing in the morning so the trip to Lancaster started to fade away again.  I had an idea.  How long could it take for the dentist to repair the partial or take a mold for a new one?  We would probably not get out until after 9:30 anyway.  So we went ahead and put together everything we needed for the day trip.  When we went to the dentist the next morning we put it all in the car.  Dentist fixed the partial as a temporary thing - husband says the stuff used to fix it tasted vile.  He also took a mold to make a new partial - we are going in tomorrow for a fitting for the new partial.   Breathe a sign of relief that this was done.

We finished up in about 45 minutes - 15 minutes behind when we would have gotten out of the house to go on the trip and the dentist is closer to where we are going than our home.  Had a nice day finally in PA.  Managed the trip home using the detour to the Delaware River Bridge alright.

Monday we were out running errands in the car and we heard an odd noise.  Not sure if it was just something in the car knocking around we bagged up everything in the arm rest, the glove compartment, and spare eye and sunglasses.  The noise continued than stopped.  Tuesday we went out and the noise was there again.  Since we were planning a day trip to a quilt show out of state - originally tomorrow, Thursday, now due to the dentist on Friday - if it doesn’t snow - we wanted to make sure the car was okay and stopped at our mechanic.  He checked the car and it was almost out of oil - and no, we are not the sort of people who don’t check same.  He refilled the oil and put it up in his shop overnight to see if there was a leak.  In the meanwhile husband went looking and found out that there is a problem with our year and make of car (as well as others) in which the oil is too hot and is used up.  We will have to take the car to the dealer to have it checked for this - luckily covered by the manufacturer - it could result in needing the pistons replaced.  Somehow I know this will take more time than we can easily spare the car for.

Today I had my embroidery chapter meeting and what was suppose to be my day out.  I drove our van and came home quickly after the meeting to run errands with husband and go out to lunch with him (Ash Wednesday so he was looking forward to a fish sandwich out) as we had just our van to use.  We picked up the car when it was ready and drove it a bit to see if we heard the noise - we did not.           

I went to pay bills tonight and figure out how much money we need in the checking account for the coming week - and got stuck as I had not matched slips to credit card statements when they came in earlier this week - husband had to take a test online to renew a professional license and the credit card slips and other papers made too much noise, so I set them aside - and forgot about them until I needed to make sure I had enough in the account to pay one of them.

I also had bill for a party room I had to pay for a club we are in (from the club’s money).  The venue mailed the bill to the wrong address.  A copy was sent and arrived yesterday - picked late in the day.  They had not only the wrong date on the bill, but also the wrong day of the week!  I left a voice message last night - they had closed for the day - and left both our house and my cell phone numbers.  If they called the house husband knew what to ask and how to deal with the problem.  No call back - I called them and they have the right day marked on the calendar for the party - not sure where the wrong one came from.  Check went out when I came home after my meeting today.

So in the past month - we almost had a fire resulting in needing a new all in one printer, which did not work with all of my software (and I have not finished installing on this laptop), my eyeglasses had to be replaced, husband broke his upper partial, and the car has a major problem.  In addition to the loss of time which needed to be devoted to all of this, we have credit card bills triple what we normally have for a month as a result of all this - and the car still needs to be looked at by the dealer.

Now in addition to all of this - I am working on business tax returns for clients and we are coming up against a deadline for husband to pick Medicare part D and Supplemental Medicare policies.  I had done all the research and presented it to him - but he questioned everything and I had to research it all again.  Finally he believes me the choices I picked are the best ones and now we have to find the time to register him.

February is over.  Hopefully March will be better.  The realization that much worse could have happened instead goes far.

I did manage to store all of the rest of the Christmas decorations except the teddy bear village which needs to packed away and since it is all that is left - it is time. 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -

How long has it taken for the stuff in your house to get to where it is?  Our stuff has piled up in this house for almost 30 years and a lot of stuff came here from 9 years in our apartment, plus what came from decades living at home with our parents.

Stuff that has taken decades to accumulate is not going to be dealt with in a week.  One has to be patient and do what one can.  Some items we know when we see them should go - whether to the garbage, for donation, back to who we borrowed it from, or even that it is something which someone we know would appreciate much more than us.  If we get as much of this “definite to get rid of stuff” as we can - and try not to add any more of it (if Aunt Susie brought a cake on her plat and left it with the cake, hopefully the cake gets finished and the plate washed - make a point of getting the plate back to Aunt Susie - she will have it to reuse and you won’t have it taking up space.  Next time transfer it to a paper plate - or one of your plates after it finished being served, wash her plate and give it back to her when she leaves - no matter how much she protests your doing so. 

Take a carton (or more than one)  - you probably have one around - and fill it with items to donate.  Then set a date - soon - to take it for donation or call for someone come and pick it up at your door. I try to gather items and take them for donation when I have my day out after my meeting (the day I missed today).

Toss out what you can - there are items that as much as it seems a waste to toss them out - no one will take them or want them.  One cannot even donate TVs which are not flat screen to the Salvation Army.  I know around here if we leave some items out when the garbage will be picked up with a note “free, please take” (and sometimes even without the note) people go around during the night and take things.  We got rid of a lawn mower that way.  It had gas in it.  We would have to drain the gas for the garbage department to take it and did not want to deal with same and it would have to start - which it did not - for it to be donated.  We left it out with a note attached and by the next morning it was gone.

Whatever you get out of the house leaves that much less to deal with - especially if you don’t add to what you have.  Don’t be upset that it does not all instantly disappear.  A little at a time is a step forward.  After we had the bedbugs I had to put away 3 dressers worth of fabric pieces which had been removed, heated and bagged (which in itself was a project done 2 bags a night until over 60 bags were done - this included our household fabric items also - clothes, towels, bed linens, etc).  This was an overwhelming daunting task.  I finally decided that I would put away 10 pieces of fabric a night.  I was also making a small swatch card for each piece of fabric - something I always wanted to do and while I had to put the fabric away it seemed a good time.  My husband said to me that 10 pieces was nothing - but I pointed out - it would be 10 pieces more put away than was put away before.  Some nights I felt like dealing with more than 10 pieces, some nights circumstances did not allow me to do 10 pieces and some nights I could do no pieces out all.  Within a month and half the fabric was all away and I had the fabric swatch book I always wanted.  By doing it in small amounts it was not tedious and I was able to keep at it. 

So, if you can’t deal with the big problem - deal with a small part of it and then do so again.

CATCHING UP A BIT AT LAST

Well at last I feel as if I am catching up a bit.  While we went last Saturday to a woodworking show in New Jersey, I managed to have enough time at my computer to help me catch up several things - I even managed to prepare a partnership tax return for a client and it is going out in the mail tomorrow. We finally picked up my replacement eyeglasses and I am getting used to darker frames than I had before - I see them when I look through the glasses - I swear the frames were lighter in color when I picked them out in the store.



I finally had a chance to scan into the computer the papers I copied while we were replacing the scanner and getting it going.  I hate doing things twice, but had to copy and then scan the copies as there was no other choice.  At least the scanning is finally done.

I change the bedding weekly, but I change the bedding’s “underwear” once a month.  The under covers for the pillows get tossed in
 the laundry with the regular bedding for the week, but the mattress pad is too large to do so and is a load of laundry on its own.  I finally managed to get it washed and dried this past week - it has been sitting in the sorter in the basement.  I also did a load of jeans last week I save them up as I don’t have enough in a week to justify another load of laundry.   I also had a number of sweatshirts to be washed, so I did two loads of clothes last week.  This week’s laundry is humming along right now - the clothing load is washing, timer on my cell phone set to remind me to do down with the downstairs towels so I can do a load of towels next.

I packed up the “soft” Christmas decorations.  This is an assortment of stuffed teddy bears, reindeer, a doll, stockings, hangings, and other similar items in Christmas theme which have been out - two of the bears are actually Chanukah ones.  They all go in a plastic box together in the basement.  I have also started taking the packed boxes of Christmas tree ornaments down to the basement - when I go down to switch laundry loads, another of the four boxes will go down.  When I am done with those the box of living room decorations and the box of kitchen, dining room, front hall decorations will follow.  I take them down in order as this way the tree ornaments are on the bottom of the stack of boxes as they will come out last next year.  I still have my teddy bear Christmas village to pack - when these boxes are all down - it will be time to take it down (okay it is past time, but it is our favorite decoration so it comes out first and goes back last). 

The woodworking show was a nice change for something to do for the day.  Mostly the same vendors are there year to year, although a lot of the regular vendors have dropped out over the years or combined, and the new vendors tend to not be actually wood work related (leaf screens - not really related, investment company - definitely not related).  It is an extremely LOUD room as vendors have not only their power tools going, but vacuums and they all are on microphones.  In the early days of husband’s woodworking he would have had a list of things to look for and buy, but he has most of the equipment he needs, he does less woodworking (although he still owes me the replacement bread drawer for the kitchen) and we have no money to spend on it.  There is no reason to add to the clutter in the workshop with unneeded additional tools.  Okay, there was something which caught his eye.  Two vendors (new ones) had similar items - it lets one hookup a tool to one’s computer and it will carve designs into wood automatically on its own.  But they are thousands of dollars and there is no place to put them.

After the show we went to a chain craft store as it is on the way to where we go for dinner while in New Jersey as we don’t have a store from this chain near where we live.  Did not buy anything, but nice to look - they are suppose to be opening near us sometime this year or next, I am sure that anything nice will not make it here, but it is nice to plan.  Husband particularly likes the yarn at the store - much bigger and nicer variety than we have here.  This is another place where we could buy a lot of items - but we don’t as we don’t have room for it all.       

We warped (set up) the loom again for husband to work - this time he is making a spring colored table runner.  We had problems getting it set up - not sure why, we should know what we are doing by now, and he had to take part of it out after he started weaving as is went on an angle.  He was annoyed as he considered this a simple project to do and relax while he did it.  During the week we finished washing the last few items he wove.  The items have to be washed to change the weaving from yarns to fabric.  They are hand washed and then laid out flat to dry on a rack in our studio so there are days between the washings to allow them time to dry.   

We did have a computer problem yesterday.  We suddenly lost access to everything on our home network - we could still print and scan, but if we tried to access the server drive - or each other’s computers - the entire setup to do so was gone!  Husband figured out it was somehow related to the installation of the new printer unit and finally managed to get it up and working again.

This is school vacation week around here.  It was started in the late 1970's for the school districts to save money on heating costs.  When husband worked at an non-profit with a school year schedule and we still stayed in hotels, we would often go away for part of this week as it was easy and cheap to get hotel reservations in nearby states (okay, Pennsylvania) as elsewhere there is school after Monday’s holiday.  We are thinking of trying our one day trip to same again this week - third attempt’s the charm?

We have had mostly wonderful weather the past week - when we went to the woodworking show we actually left our jackets in the car and just wore sweatshirts as it was in the low 60Fs.  The weather is suppose to continue.  I hope that none of you or yours have been caught in the tornados in Texas or the raining and flooding in California this past week.

Well, that was a bit of a ramble this week.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

Don’t forget to look at all the possible reasons for a problem.

I have posted about replacing the hard drive on my computer late last year.  I am still finding software which was not reinstalled - I start to do something and whoops!  I also had a problem with a program we reinstalled.

I do not commonly use Word for my word processing.  I use another less popular program.  I also use an older version of it and do not want to switch to a newer version both due to cost and I am concerned that if I use the updated version it will not have same controls and functions as the verison I am using now.  There was an update (actually a few updates) to the program which also have to be reinstalled.  The program is, of course, no longer supported by the manufacturer. 

One of the problems I have been having - even with an update installed - is that I cannot import the address books - and here I was so careful to back them up at least quarterly up until the hard drive was replaced.  Husband came up with the idea of installing the program on the XP virtual drive of my computer (it is on the Windows 7) as XP existed when the program was written and & did not.  The program did work fine on & before the change of hard drive.

It worked - the installation program now is no longer partially greyed out.  So I went to import the address book data files to the XP installed version.  Now being how I am, I have several address books in the program - one for family and friends, one for clients, one for one of the clubs I am in, two for the other one (members and non-member contacts I need), Internal Revenue Service returns for assorted returns - some for several different states, my home state tax department, a general “other states, and lastly an “other” - this last for anything which does not by who it is fit into the other books - such as bills we pay on a regular basis, etc. 

I started importing the address book data into the program - the first book comes in and we are  excited that it worked - problem solved - and then I go to import a second one - it goes through the entire process, but there is nothing in the address book after it is done.  I try again - same thing.  I then turned on my work laptop and try to import to it - after all, I have been able to import two books to it in the past. It also would not import the next book.

Husband, always looking to make me happy with my antique software, was going crazy searching the Internet and we were trying all sorts of things.  Finally he asked a question which resolved the problem (at least as far as importing to the XP installed version).  “Let me see the backup data.” 

Ah, we had been assuming this was a program software problem.  No.  When I went to show him the data, there was none in several of the last set of backups - hence the program had imported the data, it is just that there was one.  Why did we not think to look for an alternate reason the information was not importing?  Why did we just assume (and you know what happens when one assumes) that it was a software problem?  I went to the backups before the one I was importing from and all the data except from two address books imported!  The other two books had not had their data properly backed up since 2015!  So I imported the data from the last backup from 2015.  (I am so glad that I keep the old versions of the backups!)  I will have to do a bit of updating - for example the two clubs I have books for have each gotten some new members since the backups were made - but I would have had to do so anyway as the most recent backups were before this also. I at least do not have to sit and enter over 100 addresses again.       

We will also try this update on the Windows 7 installed version in case it corrects the import program for same also.

So, if something does not work and what you try to do to fix it does not work, think what else could be wrong - it could be something even more simple than you thought it was.   

TRYING TO CATCH UP

Well, the storm hit last Thursday.  It was not the largest snow storm that has ever hit this areas, but it did drop over 14 inches in some areas.  Husband and I went out in the late afternoon to clear our driveway.  It was still lightly snowing and at first husband was just going to clear enough for us to be able to back our car out of the driveway.  I should explain, we do not back our car out of the driveway as the street is much too busy for us to do so, plus we have trouble seeing up the road when we are pulling out head on as there is a curve in the road and lots of cars (something new the past 6 or so years) that block the view of the curve.  So we were going to do this in case of emergency before we cleared the entire driveway.  Husband kept going however, and we cleared the entire driveway.  We were lucky - one of our neighbors cleared part of our driveway before we went out.  Not sure why - it is not something he normally does, but we greatly appreciated it.  We were using our new snowblower and the snow was too deep in some places for it to work, so I walked along cutting off a section of snow and knocking it over so husband could use the snow blower on the snow.  When we finished we had two problems - the front steps were covered in deep snow which had been blown there and access to our heating oil pipe (for delivery) was also buried in snow.  I cleared the steps, while husband cleared a path to the oil pipe.  Our first major snowstorm and we managed to clear the driveway in an hour.  The additional snow that fell as we were working was very lightly and melted quickly with salt. 

I hope that any of you who might have been hit by the terrible weather this past week - the snow and wind in the northeast US, the tornados in the Lousiana/Mississippi area, or the floods and broken dam problem in California (if I left your weather problem out, I apologize, know you are included) are safe.

We were able to go out on Friday, but decided to pick up dinner locally rather than drive to where we normally go as the roads were icy.  Managed to catch up on some of the assorted paperwork and housework I am behind on.  During the afternoon we went out and bought another bag of melting salt.  We had used up the last of one bag and husband did not want to run out - we had 2 full bags, by my estimate enough for at least 6 storms, but he does panic over snow, so we went to 2 Home Depots and a Lowes to buy a spare bag.

Saturday was a normal day - mostly out of the house and dinner (at Ikea cafeteria - great value) and movie out.  Ah, normalcy so great to have once in awhile.

Sunday husband decided that rather than drive out to where we normally go, we would go to more local stores of the same chains - big mistake, everyone seemed to have decided to go out!  We worked on setting preferences in my computer for the new printer again.  I did not put out the garbage Sunday night for Monday morning as we were having an extremely windy day - lots of wind gusts at 50 mph.  I

Monday we had a short day as we had a board meeting at night for a group we are on the board of, so we had to finish up the afternoon chores early to get there and then it took up most of the evening.  This laptop suddenly had a problem with my Internet software and the rest of the night was used up with husband attempting to uninstall, giving up on same, and reinstalling the software. 

Yesterday was .... Valentine’s Day!  We had a fairly normal day and then treated ourselves to dinner out - at Ikea again.  We have a tight budget.  Plus no dressing up.  No gifts.  I strongly believe that the giving of gifts does not prove love.  It is the day to day fixing of computers, making my ancient software and laptop work, helping my husband with his weaving when he needs the equivalent of “an apprentice”, and so on which does. 

Today we changed the oil in the snow blower - it is new and hit the time it said to change the oil.  We are not used to doing such things, but thought we had thought it all through.  We had a disposable pan to drain the oil into.  As we started I thought to put down a large piece of cardboard from the box the snow blower came in to prevent oil on the floor.  Husband did not put on his disposable gloves - he was using a wrench to remove the plug to let the oil out of the blower - he scraped his finger rather badly.  We had to stop and run in and deal with it.  We then finished the job.  The dirty oil is in the bottle it came in and we will bring it to the local service station who told us they will take it.  When we went back into the house husband had bled through his bandage.  We cleaned his finger again and put on more antibiotic gel and I bandaged it tighter - he did not need to bend it as he did when we were doing the oil - so far it has not bled through and it has been hours, so I guess he does not need stitches.

How does all this relate to organizing?  Well, like everyone else there are weeks everything goes well and lots get done.  Other weeks - such as the past few - too many things go awry and little gets done - just the minimum.  How bad did we get behind?  While we don’t buy Valentine cards for each other - we do buy them for my family and husband’s nieces.  When we came home from dinner on Valentine’s Day we suddenly realized - we had never even bought cards for them due to all the confusion.  He sent a text to his older niece apologizing to the two of them and I sent an email to my family doing the same.  Next year this will not happen - we will be organized enough to buy and send the cards - I put it in my computer organizer to remind me!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Okay, now you know not to try to reinvent the wheel, but to also think outside the box if something is not working. I wanted to point out that sometimes odd things can improve what your organizing, but there may be a learning curve for you with change.

First - growing up I had full size drawers in my dresser.  I had a dresser with my underwear and my socks (stockings, related).  When we married my dresser had only 3 full size drawers, the others were half size drawers, so thinking logically, I put my socks in the top half size drawer and my underwear in the drawer below it.  I went along this way for years - well over a decade. 

One day husband, who has all full size drawers in his chest which matches my dresser and therefore has socks and underwear together, asked me why I have my drawers set up so that every day I have to open one drawer and then a second drawer.  I thought about it.  I have types of socks I commonly wear - stockings and other types of socks are worn much more rarely.  Similarly I have kinds of underwear I need to take out the drawer daily and other kinds of underwear which I need rarely.  I thought and thought.  I then put the socks and underwear I need daily in the small top drawer and the rest of both categories in the second drawer.  It has been some time since this change - sometimes I still forget and open the lower drawer to get what I need, but I mostly have gotten used to the change and it is more convenient.

Second - I don’t know if I have mentioned this but last year husband made me two small replacement drawers for the kitchen.  We had mice and they were through the drawers.  As a combination of being grossed out at using the drawers, even after they were sanitized and cleaned for cooking related items, and the fact that the drawers might very well date back to when the house was built in the early 1950s and were not nice to begin with, he made me new drawers. Basically this is a matter of making boxes the right size and then we attached the drawer front which had not been exposed to the mice - but were cleaned and sanitized anyway.  (There is still the bread box drawer where we found the mice to be remade.)  Most of the items in the drawers were thrown out unless they were impossible to replace or expensive (and since they were small drawers not much was the latter).  One drawer again holds my dish towels.  The other I had to figure out what to use it for.  I rearranged some items between my “silverware” drawer, which has all manner of small kitchen handheld items (this is elsewhere in the kitchen and not where the mice were) and some items which had been in this drawer or replaced what had been in this drawer.  For the most part I have had no trouble adjusting to the change - except one item - scissors.  I have a large pair of utility scissors which were in the silverware drawer.  I realized that some items belonged in same and not in the small drawer and moved the scissors to the small drawer.  Great idea.  I also moved the flashlight from the silverware drawer to there and some other non-food use items - no problem with any of those.  So when I need the scissors I open the silverware drawer, swear, close it, and then open the correct drawer.  I am doing this less and less though.  (By the way, I was looking for a small squarish box to hold items in this drawer and a similar one to hold items in the silverware drawer and found a small lidded plastic box during back to school season in a dollar store and I took it apart - the lid sits upside down in one drawer and the bottom in the other drawer - both perfect sized and $1 for the box!)   

So think about where you keep things and why - there may be a simple change which can made a great difference in your day - just remember there might be a learning curve if you have had something someplace for years and change where you keep it.
       

STILL ANOTHER WEEK OF COMEDY OF ERRORS

Have you ever heard - when it rains - it pours?

Well, last week I told you about the death of our printer all in one and how lucky we were not to have a fire as a result.  On Thursday, the day after I posted, we went out and bought the new all in one.  We went right away as there was a sale on the unit through last Saturday.  We also found out that there was a $50 credit if we traded in our old printer - in addition to saving money, by doing so we avoided having to go to a recycling event when next the township has one or taking the printer unit to the town garbage department as it is electronics and cannot be put out with the regular garbage for pickup.  We took it home and set it up.  Husband put the software on his computer to see that all worked.  It did. 

A day or so later we put it on my computer - the main program I use for scanning does not work with it and when I scanned with one of the other programs I have - it did not scan usable and the software seems to be set to legal size as the default - have to reset that and set up presets to use it - so everything I copied in the interim as I could not scan it, is still sitting waiting to be scanned into the computer.  But hey, this is all normal with computer stuff - right?           

Friday night we had dinner out and then went to Barnes and Nobles as we normally do.  As we were about to leave the store as it was closing, I was waiting for husband to join me by the door.  I noticed my eyeglasses were dirty and, as I have done for around 55 years that I have worn eyeglasses, I breathed on the lenses and started wiping the lenses with my shirt.  I suddenly found that I was I holding the eyeglasses by the frame with one hand and the lens I was wiping with the other hand.  Yes, my eyeglass frames broke. 

Now, these are not new frames, but I really hate buying new eyeglasses.  I hate it so much that a pair of eyeglasses which broke last summer has still not been replaced.  Why do I hate replacing my eyeglasses?  I like glass in my eyeglasses as opposed to the common plastic lenses.  When last I purchased eyeglasses only one location around here still used glass lenses.  So I anticipated having to probably change to plastic lenses.  (If you wonder why I prefer the “heavy” glass to the plastic - the glass does not scratch - none on this old glasses’ lenses, while a pair I got through our old insurance company about 3 years ago has many scratches on the lenses.  In addition the “visual acuity” is better with glass.  Also having worn eyeglasses since second grade, I am used to the heavier glass and the plastic feels strange - my first 2 pairs of eyeglasses were not even break resistant as such had not yet been invented.)  The pair I broke has progressive lenses and they are not cheap.  (The pair I broke last summer had progressive lenses which also switched from clear to sunglasses - even more expensive.)  So I was not happy about needing to get new glasses - even more unhappy than I was about getting a new printer unit

Husband stuck this eyeglass frame together, as he did with the one last summer, with that “it’s not a glue, the light makes it work” stuff they sell on TV - we bought it at Walmart. It did fix the frame last summer for a couple of months and then it no longer worked.  So we knew we could not depend on it. He told me that we were going the next day (Saturday) for new glasses, I wanted to wait until after the weekend as generally stores are not as busy, but he insisted.

We first went to the last store I bought eyeglasses in - the one that had glass lenses when no one else did anymore.  (Okay, I know that one can get glass lenses by ordering online, but I don’t order something as simple as tissues online, so I am not going to order eyeglasses online and hope that they are measured correctly.)  This store is part of a chain which was taken over shortly after I bought my last pair by another chain, so it was very different when we went in.  For one thing, one can no longer buy a pair of eyeglasses - one has to buy 2 pairs as the pair one buys comes with a second pair free - and there was a $50 off sale on the 2 pairs.  When I saw this sign about 2 pairs, I started thinking that maybe I could replace both pairs.  I presumed that the free pair had to be single lenses (no progressive, no bifocal) and figured I would ask about paying the difference on the lenses or I would get a spare pair of distance glasses for the car - when the glasses broke it dawned on us that if husband was not driving I would have had to drive home at night with my sunglasses so we decided it would be good for me to have a distance pair in the car - just in case.  Temporarily now I have a pair I use for 19th century reenacting in the car - especially since I don’t know how long the fix to the lenses will hold.

We looked around and it was obvious that the frames were priced so that they were at least double the normal price to cover the cost of the second pair of glasses.  We managed to find one frame which was in our price range (the second pair would be a real problem) and I approached a staff member to ask about the glass lenses.  I got a luck and a reaction as if I had asked if they made eyeglasses for Martians.  She checked with another staff person - I think he was a manager - and he said he was not sure if they could get them anymore.  I had to fill in all the paperwork for him to check.  They could get them - $500!!  I thanked them and resigned to getting the plastic lenses left.  Husband had thought the price was not a problem - but he thought I would get both pairs of the progressive lens eyeglasses for that - I explained that I was pretty sure the “free” pair would be single vision lens. 

We moved on to another chain eyeglass store.  We used to go to another store in this chain before glass lenses became a problem and had been extremely happy with the other store - but it was now closed.  The frames here were even more money, with the exception of a single rack hidden in their work area (this is a fact, not an exaggeration).  We left. 

Husband said to me that since I was stuck with plastic lenses we should look in Costco and Walmart on Sunday when we went to both as we normally do.  (Only one Walmart around here has an eyeglass department and it is the one we go to on Sunday as it is near the Costco and the Bjs we go to then.)  He mentioned that my sister had been very happy with eyeglasses she got from Walmart.   I pointed out to him that the Walmart’s eyeglass department is closed when we go there - so off we went to same to look. 

The frame prices were much better in Walmart and I we found several frames which are the style I like.  Okay, at one point I was suddenly finding lots of frames I liked, but they all seemed a bit wide.  I brought one to husband and mentioned this - I was looking at the men’s frames.  Typical, I always know when I have hit the men’s shoes department (as opposed to ladies) as I start to find shoes I like.  We finally settled on a frame.  I went to employee to get a price (we planned to look at the glasses in Costco the next morning before deciding).  The young woman employee (staff here was much nicer than in either of the chain eyeglass stores we had been in) started asking me about which coatings I wanted.  I explained that I normally buy glass, but no one has them....  She priced them for in glass!  The last time I bought eyeglasses I had asked there and was told that they did not sell them so I was happily (for once) surprised.  I ordered them.  Husband pointed out that they had very low price on their cheapest eyeglasses and I ordered a pair with plastic lenses to keep in the car - 20% discount as I had bought the other pair.  I do not have either pair yet, but I am sure they will be fine.  Either way you will hear about them.

Today I went to NYC to a client.  The ride in to the garage I use normally takes me 45 minutes, the ride home 2 hours - plus a short subway ride each way.  In Queens on the way to the garage there was a crazy - or lost - 18 wheeler driver.  I was in the right lane and he started making a right turn from the center lane, cutting in front of me.  In addition he had made the turn at the wrong point of the intersection so he could not pull into the cross street as the cars on the far side heading out of the street were in his way.  I looked up and thought my car was about to destroyed as the side of the trailer was moving towards me.  I backed up as far as I could.  A man appeared - he may have been with the truck driver, more likely he was from a near by gas station - and had the cars behind me back up so I could back up further.  The first car in the cross street who had been waiting to pull out when the light changed had backed up as far as he could and he made a U turn - oh, by the way, I am not sure that the cross street he was turning into was not a one way street the opposite way.  Somehow he finally made the turn - missing me by less a foot!  Not a great start to the work day. 

Coming home every main road had at least one accident on it - no, really, even the ones which were not ones I could use to drive home and even roads in the surrounding states and north of NYC.  I generally use secondary roads to come home as it is during rush hour (I go in after rush hour in the morning), but had hoped to come on a main road as I finished an hour early - noooo, the secondary roads as usual.  It took me almost 3 hours to get home.  I did make one stop though along the way home to walk a bit and stretch my legs and use the - well you know. 

Now today was a beautiful day.  It was in the 60Fs and almost springlike - record breakingly warm in some locations for the day.  We are currently waiting for snow.  Once again, originally it was an inch or less, which became 6-10 inches as of yesterday and now there are blizzard warnings, schools announced as of this afternoon and early evening that they will be closed tomorrow - we are now, as of the 11 pm news, expecting 10-12 inches or more.  Husband is in a tizzy - he does not like snow as we have to clear the driveway, as well as he is now always afraid of losing our electricity.  (We lost it in major hurricanes - Sandy being one of them - a year apart, and a day after we got our electricity back after Sandy - we lost it in the nor’easter that came through.  Understand we had a devastingly major tropical storm and just over a week later had a major winter storm.)

If you are in the path of this storm - stay safe.  If you were hit by the recent tornados in Louisiana and Mississippi - or any other of this odd horrible weather patterns we are having - I hope you and yours are alright.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK (formerly of the day - makes more sense if I only list one thought a week) -

This week’s thought is the direct opposite of last week’s thought.  Last week’s thought was not to try to reinvent the wheel - ie. if a way to do something exists don’t try to come up with a new idea.  This week’s thought is to think outside the box.  (Yes, I know both are cliches.)

How can I now be suggesting the opposite of last week?  Well, sometimes one works and sometimes the other does.  If you have looked for an established way to do something and have not found one or are not are happy with what you find - look elsewhere.

Let’s use doing the laundry - yes, the same laundry that last week I did not “reinvent the wheel” to find something to sort it into.  I don’t hate doing the laundry (other than sheets as I mentioned in a earlier post), but I don’t love it.  I also do not like getting up and out of  bed in the morning.  So I wash and dry the laundry at night.  It generally takes me two nights to do this - I don’t start until husband has gone upstairs to the computer after dinner and the 11 pm news. (Right now I have the load of towels in the washer and the load of regular clothes in the dryer.)  I put the dried laundry in the basket and bring it upstairs when we go to bed.  When I do the regular clothes load I lay husband’s shirts across the rest of the laundry in the basket.  His shirts are the most likely items to wrinkle.  When we go up to bed I take the basket up with me.  I hang up his shirts before we go to bed to keep them from wrinkling.  The next morning after he is up and out of bed and at his computer (he is working when he is at the computer, which is why he is there so much) I take the basket of laundry to bed and sort and fold it.  My shirts - generally tee shirts so wrinkling is not really a problem - are tossed to the foot of the bed.  The rest of the laundry in the basket is folded (my socks are rolled, his are folded - it is personal preference) and put in stacks around me on the bed.  When I get up the laundry is put away except for my shirts.  Oh, if there has been a load of jeans - not done weekly - those are also tossed to the foot of the bed.  I will hang my shirts and the jeans that night when we go to bed - and generally there is more laundry done the second night and another basket to sort and fold the second morning - this one primarily bed linens and towels. 

This is not how one normally does clothes, but it works for me.  Although when husband first left his job and was home I did find out that 1 - he does not like having laundry folded and stacked on him while he is asleep and 2 - when he rolls over all the laundry has to be folded again. :-)

If we did not think outside the box - husband would not have his loom in our living room - no place else to set it up and use it. 

In our RV we have particularly learned to think outside the box as storage is limited and items must be stored where they fit and where they will not be moving around while the RV is in motion - hence our shoes are stored in a cubby (with a door) over the bed.  They only need to be reached (generally) in the morning and at night when we are getting up in or going to bed in, the bed and keeping them here leaves places which are more easily accessed free for other items.

So, if you need to find a way to do something first look to see if there is a common way to do it, then look for alternatives - no matter how the alternative is.

                       

WHAT A WEEK - AGAIN!

This was another whirlwind week of not much done. 

First - more Christmas followup.  I have packed most of my bear figurines from the living room and will soon put out my February bear figurines from the same set.  Large Santas and elves stored away on top of the main tree’s box and the basement was put back into order so that all could be used again down there.

Last Saturday night after we came home from the movies husband went upstairs to go online.  I was in the kitchen downstairs on this laptop doing the same.  Husband came running down the stairs a short while later.  He asked me if I was cooking anything as he smelled something burning.  I was not and went upstairs with him.  At the top of the landing I smelled an electrical burning smell. 

When we went into the office I knew it was coming from my side (the nearer to the door side) of the office.  I unplugged everything plugged in on my side.  We waited and the smell cleared up.  I then started plugging things back in, one at a time.  When I plugged in the printer the smell came back.  Unplugged it - smell went away.  We took out the paper tray and the toner cartridge and looked - nothing stuck inside.  We left it unplugged to explore what could be the problem.  After looking online and contacting the manufacturer we determined that the printer was no longer safe to use.  If plugged in the burning smell returns - blowing out of the side vents.  We were lucky that we were home when it started and we got the printer unplugged before it or anything else caught fire.

Now, we do/did have another printer set up in the room - it just costs more per copy - so that is not a problem.  It is all in one so we also lost the scanner, copier and fax.  Well, I also have a copier - it predates the computers but still is used and works well.  That left the scanner and the fax lacking.  We each have a scanner from before this one.  Husband went to set his up  - it does not seem to work with Windows 7 (or 10).  He managed to get it up and working with an older computer he still has set up which has Windows XP.  I have not tried to set up my older scanner yet - it will probably have the same problem and need to be set up to use with my laptop if we don’t replace the all in one now.  The fax function - well, we only fax a few times a year - mostly for medical matters so I am not as worried about same.

Husband immediately went out to buy a new unit - we saw what he thought we should get - a duplexing color laser all in one unit, which also duplex scans.  Pricey, but it is for my work.  Then he read the reviews and it did not rate well - actually none of the units seem to rate well.  He was in a hurry - I told him we should wait and take our time.  While in an office store over the weekend we saw a similar model - except it has no color.  Husband’s printer prints color, but he has not been happy with the color printing, so he was happy at the thought of a different color printer.  But, if we get the same unit without the color it is half the price - so that it was what we plan to go with. He took the old unit downstairs yesterday - we get a credit if we trade it in towards the new one.  Important - we made sure that there is nothing in any memory that might provide personal information to anyone - I checked with the manufacturer on what needed to be cleared and how to so so.  Tomorrow we plan to go and buy the replacement unit (on sale only until this Saturday and it will double in price if not bought by then).   I am sure setup and getting to know the new unit will take awhile. 

I also had my embroidery group meeting this week - I am on the board so I have to prepare a report for the meeting and it was my turn to bring snack - so yesterday in the (relatively light) snow we went out and spent an hour buying a small cake and a box of small doughnuts for me to bring. 

After the meeting I returned our soda bottles accumulated since the last meeting for their deposits and switched my offsite flash drive at the bank vault.  I tried to visit a couple of stores we don’t go to.  The craft store is now primarily a clothing factory.  The “new” supermarket has already gone out of business.  I did buy some canned tomatoes on sale.

Right now I should be doing the laundry and running my suitcase heater (stuff I brought to the meeting today and mail that has come in from people) but I had two new things tonight to deal with and if I did what I am suppose to do also - my head would explode - and I had to get my post written for tonight.

I use my old cell phone, a Palm, around the house as a PDA as my newer phone, a Blackberry, does not work for the “to dos” with the software I like.  I sync one and then the other with the same program in my computer.  The Palm would not sync.  I tried various things - including using a spare sync cord I have and trying to sync it with this laptop - but the computer does not “see” the Palm.  Too much going on right now.  I will work around this and not sync it until I figure out what is going on.  I may need to use husband’s old Palm which matches mine if mine is broken.  For now - I will not go crazy and get upset - I will use the appointments section of my Blackberry to deal with new items to do and to record what I have done when I am not at my computer until I figure it out. 

I paid some bills due out tomorrow and did some follow up to today’s meeting and made dinner.  During dinner husband says to me “You know that day trip to Pennsylvania I wanted to take a couple of weeks ago - maybe we can go Friday.”  My brain starts whirling - nothing major to do, I will just ignore the Palm problem a little longer. We can buy the printer tomorrow - even if we don’t get it set up, we will have bought it while it was on sale.  Uh, oh, there were other bills due out Friday and over the weekend and I need to transfer money to our business account - went upstairs after dinner and paid the bills and wrote a check to the business account - have to deposit it and another check tomorrow.  Soda on sale - we have to buy by Saturday when the sale ends - either tomorrow or Saturday it is.  So, I got downstairs much later than normal to write to all of you after a week of basically “treading water” to keep from falling behind and basically said to myself - “the laundry and the heating of the stuff can wait”.

I did clean the upstairs bathroom rather extensively last week.  I even got down on my hands and knees and cleaned around the edges where the floor meets the walls.  We have rather small bathrooms.  I have to lie across the (closed) toilet bowl to clean behind it - on an angle to one side and then again on the opposite angle to the other side.  To clean between the sink and the tub  I have to climb into the tub and lean out - but only slightly or I would hit my head on the sink.  Hah!  That’s when I bruised my knee - it was during cleaning the bathroom - I knew I would remember where the bruise came from!

TODAY’S THOUGHT ON ORGANIZING -

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.  What I mean by this is that if something exists to use to do something or there is a good way to do something - don’t try to come up with something else.

I used to sort my laundry on an old bed sheet on the floor of the basement.  After we had mice husband said that it was too disgusting a place to sort the laundry.  I kept trying to figure out what to use instead.  I brought a tray table over near the washer and was balancing laundry on it for awhile as I tried to figure out what to do. 

Then one day it hit me - something exists to sort laundry into - it is called “a laundry sorter”.  You know, those frames with 3 bags hanging from them that one sorts laundry into.  How could I not have thought of same.  I never used one as I do not sort laundry in the typical way.  I normally sort the laundry by throwing the clothes (except jeans and other heavier items) into the washer, then a pile of towels, a pile of bed linens, then jeans and the heavier items into another pile.  Sometimes for various reasons there is more laundry and more piles. 

So now the clothes go into the washer as before.  The towels go into the front section of the sorter.  The bed linens in the next section.  The final section gets jeans, sweatshirts, etc.  The items in the last section are not necessarily washed every week. I hold them for a fuller load - I will do a load of jeans or I will do a load of heavier clothing such as sweatshirts as needed. 

So the idea is that if there is a way to do something, use it - don’t try to come up with a new way to do it.