As I write this we are on the tail end of nor’easter - our area is the only area still getting snow and rain, but then again we have had a lot less snow than most other areas. For those of you who do not know what a nor’easter is, think of it as nontropical hurricane. There is wind. The storm is rotating so that the winds come from the north east (hence, its name). There can be heavy rain or heavy snow - or a mix. This is our second nor’easter this week and there is a possibility of a third one on this coming Monday (which would make 3 in 10 days). The first one was just rain, but had wind gusts up to 70 mph in some places. This one had wind that was not as bad, but had the snow and there is a problem as the ground is so saturated in some areas that the wind can easily take over trees whose roots were flooded by the first one. Tens of thousands of people who lost their electricity in the first storm, still do not have their same back from then - plus the those now without electricity. They hope to have those who are still waiting from the first storm back on electricity by Friday - a week since they lost their electricity.
Husband got through last week’s storm relatively well. In case you don’t remember he has become “weatherphobic”. He is terrified of our losing our electricity - and therefore heat - and of digging out from snow - due to several years of repeated huge snow storms (20 inches, two days later 20 inches, repeat) and 3 extended blackouts after hurricanes within 2 years of each other - and in one case the electricity came back on finally and the next day we had one of these nor’easters and lost it again.
Our biggest problem with last week’s storm was that late that night he noticed a strange light on our 3 in 1 in the office that the fax has no phone line. So I telephoned the phone company and made an appointment with their computer to have our phone line fixed. I was lacking information from the computer call and called back the next day (all this calling being done on my mobile phone of course) to get additional information - some of which matched and some of which did not match what the computer told me - no one has to be home/someone over 18 must be home, repair will be done by 8 pm (what start time is one of the reasons I called)/the repair will be done between 8 am and 5pm and so on. I had specifically answered NO to being texted so of course the phone company kept texting me - glad I don’t have the plan that charged me 25c a text as there have been a lot of them. I called my mom and told her. I emailed my sisters and the president of my embroidery chapter and told them - all told to call on my mobile. The appointment was for - Wednesday, today. My embroidery chapter was to meet for the month - Wednesday, today.
We do a variety of things to prepare ahead of a big storm. If it was summer we would have filled our RV’s water tanks, but this time of year we can not do so as pipes and valves might freeze. It was to be warm enough both times so we did not have to worry about the pipes in our basement freezing though - or we would have plugged in an electric heater to keep them warm.
In the old days when husband went out to work and I did the preparation (and he was not terrified as mentioned above) I would fill the gas tank in my car. I actually did this whenever something happened or was going to happen. After hearing of the 9-11 attacks, I filled my car tank. Gas prices announced to go up, I filled my car tank. Storm coming, I filled my car tank. Husband used to laugh at me until the gas (petrol) stations either did not have gas or could not pump as they had no electricity after Hurricane Sandy - now he makes sure all 3 vehicles have enough gas in them when a storm is coming.
In the summer I tend to keep refrigerated food at close to minimal amounts so that if we lose electricity we do not lose much - we had to dump out what was in our fridge and freezer 3 times in just over a year due to hurricanes. In the winter I tend to keep more in the house as I am concerned about snow coming and not being able to go out for food - and if it is cold enough we can put the refrigerated food in plastic boxes outside in the cold. But, whatever we have, he goes shopping. This time I got him to go 2 days before the storm, instead of the day before when all the rest of the panickers are shopping -lines are long and food short. We went in and bought cans of soup - we can always use them - and a bit of “snack” as well as milk (we needed it anyway) and hot cereal (ditto). No lines. When we walked out he looked a bit relieved - we could probably live a month on what was in the house anyway, but if it helps him feel better...
When something like this is going to happen we plug in everything to charge it. The lantern from our RV is brought into the house and its batteries charged (it also takes regular batteries). Our laptops are left plugged in to charge. Our mobile phones (including my old one that I use as a PDA) are left plugged in to charge. This time it was even more important to have the mobile phones charging as the house phone is down.
So, we finished making ready - much of it to reassure him.
Now, remember, the storm was coming today - today is, believe or not, the same Wednesday that the my embroidery chapter meets and the phone company was coming to fix our telephone!
Yesterday afternoon I telephoned the chapter president (I am also an officer) to ask about canceling the meeting - as schools were already canceling for today. She was surprised to hear how a big storm was coming (as she was last month) and had planned to wait until evening to decide about the meeting. She agreed we should cancel it and I sent out an email to the members. I thought we should call them also (8 calls for each of us would taken care of it) but she said no - they would have the email and/or would call her or me - I reminded her that they could not call me and I hoped they would call her if they had a question.
I have mentioned that I do my laundry on Wednesday and Thursday nights. I washed and dried all waiting laundry last night - Tuesday. If we lose electricity we would at least have clean clothes and towels for 2 weeks. It has not been folded, but, hey, one can fold without electricity.
This morning I woke early and dressed and went back to bed - as we were not sure when - or if (since there was to be the storm) the phone repairman would come or if he would be ringing our doorbell. I am not a morning person and this is how I deal with anyone who is coming early or makes an “be there sometime during the day” appointment. Later in the morning while still in bed I got still another text from the phone company asking if the problem was resolved (I got about 3 of these since the request for repair). Husband picked up the house phone to see and there was a dial tone - a buzz on the line, but that could be do to the storm. A short while later I got a phone call - hung up after 2 rings - also from the phone company and I called back and spoke with a nice fellow who called the house and made sure our phone was working. One problem down - I hope.
When we got up for the day husband started to panic about what we would eat this evening if we lost the electricity. I opened the refrigerator and took out the bread, peanut butter, “American cheese”, and jelly and put the piece of mozzarella cheese and package of cream cheese that we have on the top shelf next to where the refrigerator door opens so they could be grabbed quickly if there was no electricity. I showed this all to him and reassured him. I also reminded him that we have sterno and I could cook soup in the porch. He then remembered we could cook in the RV if we needed to and felt better. The food is still sitting next to the fridge and I will put it away before we go to bed tonight and will unplug everything sitting and charging.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Make sure you are prepared for emergencies.
If you won’t eat canned meat - don’t buy it. Think ahead of what you might need.
I made sure Saturday night when I refilled our pill boxes for the week that we had enough medications.
If you have a baby make sure you have whatever you need for the baby - the same for a person who needs care in your household -even sanitary items if it might be “that time of the month”.
I paid all bills due out before the middle of next week and transferred enough money to pay them and have some cash in the checking account and made sure we had some cash at home (not much - what we have for the week plus and extra hundred dollars) just in case.
I had finished a business tax return for a client which has to go out by next Thursday. I go in to do her books, write the tax checks and help her sign the forms and put them in addressed envelopes to be mailed out right away when I am there. I had not copied and assembled the returns. It dawned on me that if there is another storm on Monday - and who knows what is coming after that - I might not get to her in time to send out the returns. So, Monday night I copied and assembled the returns and wrote instructions - including that I plan to be there to send them out and would call her if I was not able to be there and to help her deal with them. They went out in yesterday’s mail to her. I will call tomorrow to check with her about it.
Think about what you and your family needs if you can’t go out or have no electricity for a few days ahead of time so you know what to do and you don’t panic if something is coming.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Thursday, March 1, 2018
VERY FRUSTRATING WEEK
We had a very frustrating week. Husband has been weaving a scarf for me. He is using a yarn that he had used before - lighter in weight than most yarns he works with and thinner. I like a light weight scarf. He bought a skein each of light and dark blue - my favorite color.
The first sign that this project was not going to be as simple to do as past weaving projects was when we set up loom to do the weaving. To do this we have to run long pieces of yarn which are attached to the loom on each of the two ends of the pieces of yarn and stretched out tight between them. When we did this we saw something we have never seen before. The yarns pieces, parallel to each other, were pushing away from each other - static electricity. Remember, he has used this yarn before. We ignored this and went ahead. There are various other steps to setting up the yarn to be woven through and they were hard to do as the pieces of yarn kept pushing away from each other.
Well, this is a bit like the frustrating things which happen when we try to organize and declutter. Dividers we know will fit in a space do not. We start doing one part of a project and find ourselves led into another project. But, we carry on trying to get the end of the project.My part in the weaving is done after the loom is set up and I left husband to work.
The easy part of the weaving follows - the actual weaving. Yarn wrapped around a long piece of wood - the shuttle - is pushed through the yarn pieces that have been tied onto the loom. Then the yarn that has been taken through is pushed against what has already been woven in a process called “beating”. Then the yarn pieces on the loom are switched so what was up is now down and vice versa and the process is repeated. On the kind of loom my husband has - with a solid bar that the yarns on the loom have been tied through to lift them up and down - the same bar is used to beat the yarn after each pass - the yarn passing through alternate holes and slots in the bar.
Husband, upset, comes upstairs. He is having a problem. Apparently the yarn that he was using is yarn wrapped around a core thread - we did not know this. At one spot on one piece of tied on yarn the wrapping had unwrapped and was being pushed backwards as he used the bar as a beater - a bunch of fluff sitting on the wrong side of the bar. We managed to get the fluff through to the right side and he glued it in place not knowing what else to do and left it to dry.
Again, similar to doing organizing - if we hit a snag (which is what this was) we try to fix it and move on.
The glue was not enough to hold the wrapped yarn in place, so we repeated getting it through to the right side and then husband kept weaving, but used a large comb as a beater - needing to repeat this several times across the loom for each cross thread being woven.
Along the way a second spot on the same yarn had the same problem. We again pulled it through and glued it into place and husband kept working with the comb.
Well sure, we have all had the same problem repeat - perhaps magazines which are sorted for storage and then additional magazines are found and they all have to be sorted again.
Finally all of the problem yarn was woven into the piece. Husband looked and the rest of the yarn he could see looked fine and he relaxed and went back to his regular manner of weaving. Happy that he was making something for me and it would be greatly appreciated.
Suddenly he is back upstairs. The same problem on the same yarn piece has appeared again in a new spot! At this point he could not deal with it and he decided that the piece had to be finished, even if it was not long enough to be a scarf.
Frustration - we all know this feeling when organizing - what we think will work does not. The time we think something will take is underestimated. Mostly we go on, but sometimes something is so impossible that we have to stop and figure out an alternative.
I know the work he had put into the piece and how disappointed he was that something he was making special for me did not work out. I figured I would take the short piece when it is finished, and use it a table runner or mat (depending on how long it is). It turned out to be long enough for me to use as a scarf - although it will get a bit smaller when it is finished (washed to set it), so I will be able to use it as scarf and show it off to friends as something special he has made for me.
Again, sometimes an idea we have had about how to organize something does not work out - and we must rethink what can be done - how the containers or dividers can be repurposed to be used.
Yesterday we set up the loom for a new project for him - with a more basic yarn which he uses much more often. He has been happily weaving since then.
Similarly, if a project to improve our organization goes awry we must go on and continue doing what else is needed for us to clear clutter away and organize.
He had bought 2 other skeins of the yarn that he had problem with in other colors (it was a sale) and I have pulled the receipt for them and we will be returning them. After all, if they stayed around and he would not feel comfortable using them, we would just be adding to the clutter in the house in addition to being out the cost of them.
Just to add to this week’s frustration, we are suppose to go to a woodworking show (he is a man of many crafts) this weekend. The show is in the next state and is here only once a year. While he does not buy much - if anything - he had in mind to buy a few very small, inexpensive items which are not sold locally (and we don’t like to order things) and it is something different to do and see. So far in this year’s planning to go we have dealt with it being moved to a different venue - not an easy one to get to - and the fact that there seems to be no place nearby for a quick, cheap lunch - found a place 15 minutes away, we hope - and now - the rain and wind storm that is coming may also have - snow. Snow would be a deal breaker and he would have to miss the show - or what is known around here as the typical end to a planned trip.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Frustrating things happen. Things go wrong. All we can do is look at what went wrong and what we can do to deal with what happened. It is life and it just must be dealt with. Sometimes the alternatives are better than the original idea - based on the length of the finished scarf, if he had made the entire scarf he planned, it would have been much longer than I wanted - sometimes they are not.
The first sign that this project was not going to be as simple to do as past weaving projects was when we set up loom to do the weaving. To do this we have to run long pieces of yarn which are attached to the loom on each of the two ends of the pieces of yarn and stretched out tight between them. When we did this we saw something we have never seen before. The yarns pieces, parallel to each other, were pushing away from each other - static electricity. Remember, he has used this yarn before. We ignored this and went ahead. There are various other steps to setting up the yarn to be woven through and they were hard to do as the pieces of yarn kept pushing away from each other.
Well, this is a bit like the frustrating things which happen when we try to organize and declutter. Dividers we know will fit in a space do not. We start doing one part of a project and find ourselves led into another project. But, we carry on trying to get the end of the project.My part in the weaving is done after the loom is set up and I left husband to work.
The easy part of the weaving follows - the actual weaving. Yarn wrapped around a long piece of wood - the shuttle - is pushed through the yarn pieces that have been tied onto the loom. Then the yarn that has been taken through is pushed against what has already been woven in a process called “beating”. Then the yarn pieces on the loom are switched so what was up is now down and vice versa and the process is repeated. On the kind of loom my husband has - with a solid bar that the yarns on the loom have been tied through to lift them up and down - the same bar is used to beat the yarn after each pass - the yarn passing through alternate holes and slots in the bar.
Husband, upset, comes upstairs. He is having a problem. Apparently the yarn that he was using is yarn wrapped around a core thread - we did not know this. At one spot on one piece of tied on yarn the wrapping had unwrapped and was being pushed backwards as he used the bar as a beater - a bunch of fluff sitting on the wrong side of the bar. We managed to get the fluff through to the right side and he glued it in place not knowing what else to do and left it to dry.
Again, similar to doing organizing - if we hit a snag (which is what this was) we try to fix it and move on.
The glue was not enough to hold the wrapped yarn in place, so we repeated getting it through to the right side and then husband kept weaving, but used a large comb as a beater - needing to repeat this several times across the loom for each cross thread being woven.
Along the way a second spot on the same yarn had the same problem. We again pulled it through and glued it into place and husband kept working with the comb.
Well sure, we have all had the same problem repeat - perhaps magazines which are sorted for storage and then additional magazines are found and they all have to be sorted again.
Finally all of the problem yarn was woven into the piece. Husband looked and the rest of the yarn he could see looked fine and he relaxed and went back to his regular manner of weaving. Happy that he was making something for me and it would be greatly appreciated.
Suddenly he is back upstairs. The same problem on the same yarn piece has appeared again in a new spot! At this point he could not deal with it and he decided that the piece had to be finished, even if it was not long enough to be a scarf.
Frustration - we all know this feeling when organizing - what we think will work does not. The time we think something will take is underestimated. Mostly we go on, but sometimes something is so impossible that we have to stop and figure out an alternative.
I know the work he had put into the piece and how disappointed he was that something he was making special for me did not work out. I figured I would take the short piece when it is finished, and use it a table runner or mat (depending on how long it is). It turned out to be long enough for me to use as a scarf - although it will get a bit smaller when it is finished (washed to set it), so I will be able to use it as scarf and show it off to friends as something special he has made for me.
Again, sometimes an idea we have had about how to organize something does not work out - and we must rethink what can be done - how the containers or dividers can be repurposed to be used.
Yesterday we set up the loom for a new project for him - with a more basic yarn which he uses much more often. He has been happily weaving since then.
Similarly, if a project to improve our organization goes awry we must go on and continue doing what else is needed for us to clear clutter away and organize.
He had bought 2 other skeins of the yarn that he had problem with in other colors (it was a sale) and I have pulled the receipt for them and we will be returning them. After all, if they stayed around and he would not feel comfortable using them, we would just be adding to the clutter in the house in addition to being out the cost of them.
Just to add to this week’s frustration, we are suppose to go to a woodworking show (he is a man of many crafts) this weekend. The show is in the next state and is here only once a year. While he does not buy much - if anything - he had in mind to buy a few very small, inexpensive items which are not sold locally (and we don’t like to order things) and it is something different to do and see. So far in this year’s planning to go we have dealt with it being moved to a different venue - not an easy one to get to - and the fact that there seems to be no place nearby for a quick, cheap lunch - found a place 15 minutes away, we hope - and now - the rain and wind storm that is coming may also have - snow. Snow would be a deal breaker and he would have to miss the show - or what is known around here as the typical end to a planned trip.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Frustrating things happen. Things go wrong. All we can do is look at what went wrong and what we can do to deal with what happened. It is life and it just must be dealt with. Sometimes the alternatives are better than the original idea - based on the length of the finished scarf, if he had made the entire scarf he planned, it would have been much longer than I wanted - sometimes they are not.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
NO VACATION
In this part of the U.S. this week is the winter school vacation. This dates back to the 1970s when there was an energy shortage and closing the schools this week saved a week of expensive heating of the schools. For those of you not in the U.S. the third Monday in February is an annual Monday holiday related to George Washington’s (our first President back in the 1780s) birthday which is February 22. It is still officially called “George Washington’s Birthday”, but since the purpose of it is to celebrate all of our Presidents, it is commonly called “President’s Day”. So, around here the 3 day weekend resulting from this Monday holiday was extended to a week of no school.
While many to most people are off from work on Monday, only those working at schools have the week off. The only connection that others have with the week off is what to do with their children while the children are off from school and they are working. Husband worked at an agency for children with mental health problems which followed a school year as it was also a school program for the children so he is used to this week being a vacation week. While he was still working and I was working full time for myself (back when we still stayed at hotels when traveling) we would go away this week to Lancaster, PA. It would be nice and quiet as was/is not a school vacation in Pennsylvania and in many other adjacent states so not many people were traveling mid week.
Husband had planned to go there for the day this coming Friday - but it is suppose to rain, so he moved it back to Tuesday (yesterday) which was suppose to be and was nice. At the last minute he changed his mind and we did not go.
Okay you are thinking - What does this have to do with organizing?
Well, a lot actually. If we are going away - even for a day - I have to plan around the trip to get done what regularly needs to be done in the house plus have everything ready for the trip. Even a day trip seems to take a bit of packing these days. I bring my work laptop, which has to be charged. I bring a small case with a spare wallet, just in case we were robbed while traveling or one of us lost their wallet and the credit cards had to be canceled. There is a credit card for me that he does have and a credit card for him that I do not have, there is extra cash, and there are assorted store cards and such which are for stores out of the area. We used to carry Travelers checks in also, but found out that no one takes them any longer so we (with much trouble) cashed them in a couple of years ago. I bring a spare set of one day’s medications - just in case. I might also have some craft business related papers so if we buy materials (fabric, wood, yarn) that will go into something we are making for sale, we will not have to pay sales tax - different forms for different states. If we are looking for something specific to buy while away we might bring something to match it to for size, color, etc. Depending on the weather we might bring warmer - or cooler coats/sweaters than we plan to wear - maybe even a rain coat when it is warmer weather if rain is possible. We also might bring a spare pair of shoes each - again depending on the weather. So much for the carefree easy travel of our younger years.
This year we have been traveling on these one day trips to Lancaster in our RV. Not that we plan to stay, but the RV is not driven enough - especially off RV season (late fall to early spring) and the engine needs the exercise. Last year we did not so this and we went to have our annual state inspection for the RV, it had not been driven enough for the tests to work, so we had to drive it locally for a few hours just to put enough mileage on it. Waste of time, waste of gas and we had to work it out so we went and came back between rush hours. So we take the RV when we go to Lancaster for day trips - well, this would have been the second time we did so. The other advantage to taking the RV is that the refrigerator can be turned on in it when we leave in the morning and will be cold by the time we are there. A can of soda for lunch will still be cold (especially if it is cold outside) when we have it and we can buy food items we like that are local to Lancaster and not available at home that need to be refrigerated and bring them home safely. (Last year when we went with the car husband bought chicken salad - he likes the type they make there and not what they make here) without the fridge and it got too hot in the cold bag in the back of the car, even with ice blocks in it and it had to be tossed.
So Monday I pointed out that if we were going away on Tuesday, we should get extra cash at the bank and did so. When we came home I packed what papers and such we would bring with us and had the laptop ready to charge. I then paid bills which were due out today so they would be ready to go out today even though we would not have been home yesterday.
Then Monday night - after not doing things I planned to do Monday so we could go away, he decided we were not going. It was a question I asked - “Do we need to take the stuff we stored in the RV out of it?” There is all sorts of stuff for the RV that we keep in the house when traveling (in the dining room) and then put in it for the off season so we have a nice dining room for the holidays. He thought about it and the fact it was raining and decided not to go.
So I got a day to work at home that I had not planned on.
I managed to finish filling the corporation tax forms for a client - due March 15. I still have to proofread it (and check the numbers and math) and print it all out, but the hard part is done.
I have been working on storing the Christmas stuff. I took the ornaments off the dining room tree and took the tree apart to store. It goes in a cardboard octagonal box (opens down the length of the box) which then “slides” into a carry bag (opens on one end). It has never been easy to get it into the box - much squeezing and many hand scratches and packing tape to hold the box together and then hard to get the box into the bag. This year the entire setup exploded - okay, part was my fault. I thought there were 3 sections to the tree (in height) and there are four. I was so confused that the tree section was longer than the box that the box got ripped apart on one end from my attempts. Even after I figured it out and took the 2 sections apart - the box was far gone. I then tried to tie each of the tree sections together so the branches would be compacted into place for storage - did not work either. I finally sort of got the box together - much packing tape - and still it only fit partway into the bag as the box was not as compact as it should be. I gave up - the entire thing was put downstairs on the box the main tree is stored in, as is.
I packed up the large figures we have in the living room. Someone husband worked with would give him these figures as a Christmas gift. Somehow they grew on us and we kept them even though we would not have bought them - well... It started with a Santa who is about 3 or 4 feet tall. He was joined by a wooden elf a bit shorter. Then a Santa who is a bear with toys and a bird in a cage. I had made separately and unrelated an elf who is making a doll - he joined the others instead of sitting standoffishly across the room. We found a small plastic Santa from when husband was a boy. I liked a girl elf figure that finally came down cheaper enough (well below 50% off) who joined them. Add 2 angel bears and it is a friendly group. It goes where a chair is moved to the dining room during Christmas to get it out of the way. They are also stored on top of the box for the main Christmas tree - in large plastic bags.
Then I took the small figures - mostly bears (oh, the angels above join them in storage) and stored them in their box in the basement. Our Christmas stockings (embroidered and commercial) and some other “soft” decorations I have made store in the box with them.
Three fancy gift boxes I use for storage have been packed with the items stored in them each year and are upstairs for storage when the Teddy Village comes down (they go in the trunk the village is on).
While doing the laundry now, I brought up the last 2 boxes to store Christmas decorations in - except the bear village. I will pack these two over the next couple of days.
So, we missed out on a day trip, but I have made good use of the day we were home instead - and kept working until it was done .
To feel a bit like we had a trip we went out to dinner tonight to a fancier (more expensive) Asian buffet tonight. The really nice one is much more than we felt like spending this year (technically this is our Christmas dinner out) so we went to one in between. Very nice and much better than the ones we go to normally. It made him happy and it that is worth it.
THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK -
1 - Even short day trips work better with a bit of planning.
2 - When one gets an unexpected day to get work done - get as much done as possible.
While many to most people are off from work on Monday, only those working at schools have the week off. The only connection that others have with the week off is what to do with their children while the children are off from school and they are working. Husband worked at an agency for children with mental health problems which followed a school year as it was also a school program for the children so he is used to this week being a vacation week. While he was still working and I was working full time for myself (back when we still stayed at hotels when traveling) we would go away this week to Lancaster, PA. It would be nice and quiet as was/is not a school vacation in Pennsylvania and in many other adjacent states so not many people were traveling mid week.
Husband had planned to go there for the day this coming Friday - but it is suppose to rain, so he moved it back to Tuesday (yesterday) which was suppose to be and was nice. At the last minute he changed his mind and we did not go.
Okay you are thinking - What does this have to do with organizing?
Well, a lot actually. If we are going away - even for a day - I have to plan around the trip to get done what regularly needs to be done in the house plus have everything ready for the trip. Even a day trip seems to take a bit of packing these days. I bring my work laptop, which has to be charged. I bring a small case with a spare wallet, just in case we were robbed while traveling or one of us lost their wallet and the credit cards had to be canceled. There is a credit card for me that he does have and a credit card for him that I do not have, there is extra cash, and there are assorted store cards and such which are for stores out of the area. We used to carry Travelers checks in also, but found out that no one takes them any longer so we (with much trouble) cashed them in a couple of years ago. I bring a spare set of one day’s medications - just in case. I might also have some craft business related papers so if we buy materials (fabric, wood, yarn) that will go into something we are making for sale, we will not have to pay sales tax - different forms for different states. If we are looking for something specific to buy while away we might bring something to match it to for size, color, etc. Depending on the weather we might bring warmer - or cooler coats/sweaters than we plan to wear - maybe even a rain coat when it is warmer weather if rain is possible. We also might bring a spare pair of shoes each - again depending on the weather. So much for the carefree easy travel of our younger years.
This year we have been traveling on these one day trips to Lancaster in our RV. Not that we plan to stay, but the RV is not driven enough - especially off RV season (late fall to early spring) and the engine needs the exercise. Last year we did not so this and we went to have our annual state inspection for the RV, it had not been driven enough for the tests to work, so we had to drive it locally for a few hours just to put enough mileage on it. Waste of time, waste of gas and we had to work it out so we went and came back between rush hours. So we take the RV when we go to Lancaster for day trips - well, this would have been the second time we did so. The other advantage to taking the RV is that the refrigerator can be turned on in it when we leave in the morning and will be cold by the time we are there. A can of soda for lunch will still be cold (especially if it is cold outside) when we have it and we can buy food items we like that are local to Lancaster and not available at home that need to be refrigerated and bring them home safely. (Last year when we went with the car husband bought chicken salad - he likes the type they make there and not what they make here) without the fridge and it got too hot in the cold bag in the back of the car, even with ice blocks in it and it had to be tossed.
So Monday I pointed out that if we were going away on Tuesday, we should get extra cash at the bank and did so. When we came home I packed what papers and such we would bring with us and had the laptop ready to charge. I then paid bills which were due out today so they would be ready to go out today even though we would not have been home yesterday.
Then Monday night - after not doing things I planned to do Monday so we could go away, he decided we were not going. It was a question I asked - “Do we need to take the stuff we stored in the RV out of it?” There is all sorts of stuff for the RV that we keep in the house when traveling (in the dining room) and then put in it for the off season so we have a nice dining room for the holidays. He thought about it and the fact it was raining and decided not to go.
So I got a day to work at home that I had not planned on.
I managed to finish filling the corporation tax forms for a client - due March 15. I still have to proofread it (and check the numbers and math) and print it all out, but the hard part is done.
I have been working on storing the Christmas stuff. I took the ornaments off the dining room tree and took the tree apart to store. It goes in a cardboard octagonal box (opens down the length of the box) which then “slides” into a carry bag (opens on one end). It has never been easy to get it into the box - much squeezing and many hand scratches and packing tape to hold the box together and then hard to get the box into the bag. This year the entire setup exploded - okay, part was my fault. I thought there were 3 sections to the tree (in height) and there are four. I was so confused that the tree section was longer than the box that the box got ripped apart on one end from my attempts. Even after I figured it out and took the 2 sections apart - the box was far gone. I then tried to tie each of the tree sections together so the branches would be compacted into place for storage - did not work either. I finally sort of got the box together - much packing tape - and still it only fit partway into the bag as the box was not as compact as it should be. I gave up - the entire thing was put downstairs on the box the main tree is stored in, as is.
I packed up the large figures we have in the living room. Someone husband worked with would give him these figures as a Christmas gift. Somehow they grew on us and we kept them even though we would not have bought them - well... It started with a Santa who is about 3 or 4 feet tall. He was joined by a wooden elf a bit shorter. Then a Santa who is a bear with toys and a bird in a cage. I had made separately and unrelated an elf who is making a doll - he joined the others instead of sitting standoffishly across the room. We found a small plastic Santa from when husband was a boy. I liked a girl elf figure that finally came down cheaper enough (well below 50% off) who joined them. Add 2 angel bears and it is a friendly group. It goes where a chair is moved to the dining room during Christmas to get it out of the way. They are also stored on top of the box for the main Christmas tree - in large plastic bags.
Then I took the small figures - mostly bears (oh, the angels above join them in storage) and stored them in their box in the basement. Our Christmas stockings (embroidered and commercial) and some other “soft” decorations I have made store in the box with them.
Three fancy gift boxes I use for storage have been packed with the items stored in them each year and are upstairs for storage when the Teddy Village comes down (they go in the trunk the village is on).
While doing the laundry now, I brought up the last 2 boxes to store Christmas decorations in - except the bear village. I will pack these two over the next couple of days.
So, we missed out on a day trip, but I have made good use of the day we were home instead - and kept working until it was done .
To feel a bit like we had a trip we went out to dinner tonight to a fancier (more expensive) Asian buffet tonight. The really nice one is much more than we felt like spending this year (technically this is our Christmas dinner out) so we went to one in between. Very nice and much better than the ones we go to normally. It made him happy and it that is worth it.
THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK -
1 - Even short day trips work better with a bit of planning.
2 - When one gets an unexpected day to get work done - get as much done as possible.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
INCOME TAXES ARE HERE AGAIN
Well it is February and time to think about (at least here in the US) income taxes. With the exception of a few rare documents, most of the forms about your income were required to be mailed to you by January 31 and you should have received them.
Again, while I am an accountant and tax preparer of over 40 years, nothing should be taken as specific income tax advice and you should consult someone who can help you with your personal situation. The information I am giving is general information to help you organize what you need for your income taxes - this varies greatly depending on one’s individual circumstances.
The most common forms that people receive about their income are the forms W2 for wages and withholding from their employer, a variety of different forms with the number 1099 (dividends, interest, capital gains, pension, IRA, and other types of income), and if one has an interest in a partnership, a “subchapter S corporation”, a trust, an estate, or an LLC form K1. (The latter are due out by March 15 as these organizations need a bit more time to prepare the forms as their tax returns have to be done first.) You know these forms have been coming in - have you collected them in one place - a folder, an envelope or some other type of holder? If not - go and find them - now. They are of the utmost importance in preparing your tax returns. These are income amounts paid to you (and/or your spouse and possibly children) and you want to check them to see if they are correct (generally they are) and have them together as these amounts have been sent to the Federal government and possibly also your state to be matched up with your tax return when you file. It is better not to miss any - but if you do, you will hear about it and receive a correction to your return.
If you have medical insurance through the ACA Healthcare Marketplace(aka Obamacare) you will receive a form 1095 which is needed to calculate if you received the correct amount of advanced credit to offset your medical insurance costs - or if you owe money on same or are entitled to a larger credit.
Now that is the easy part. The items you can deduct vary depending on who you are, what you do, the kind of job you have, where and how you live, etc. A summary of what you might need or have follows -
Medical expenses - records of amounts paid to doctors, dentists, pharmacies, eye glasses, medical insurance and other deductible medical expenses. Since I post my checks into a checkbook software program, I can get a printout of all the items in question. Don’t forget to include items paid by check or credit card or cash - cash being the one that is hardest to keep your receipts for. Did you know that if you can deduct your medical expenses you can deduct transportation for medical related trips? If you use your car there is per mile amount allowed plus any tolls or parking costs. If you take a taxi cab or similar or take a train a receipt from same will help you deduct these costs if your situation allows you to itemize your medical expenses. These will be needed if you itemize your deductions.
Income taxes - if all of your income taxes are withheld from your wages or other income this is easier, but many of us also pay estimated taxes during the year. While the amounts withheld will be shown on your W2 (and possibly on some 1099 forms) you have to keep track yourself of any amounts which you paid for estimated taxes - to IRS and your state (and possibly other states if you work in a state other than the one you work in). In addition to needing this information if you itemize your deductions you will need it as well as to be able to properly take credit for the taxes you have paid in against your final calculated tax for the year so that you pay the correct amount due or get the correct overpayment amount.
If you own your home and pay real estate taxes - make sure you have that amount (the changes from the tax law effect your 2018 tax, not the current tax which is your 2017 tax, so the limitations in the new law do not apply for this filing. It is deductible if you itemize your tax deductions. Also, if you have a mortgage on your home you should have received a form 1098 which will tell you how much interest you paid on the mortgage for the year so you can deduct it if you itemize your deductions.
Sales taxes based on a chart amount based on where you live and your income plus large purchases (such as a car) are deductible instead of your state and local income taxes if the sales tax amount is larger - remember this is an either or situation (either state and local incomes OR sales taxes).
There are other taxes which may be deductible depending on your state and other matters.
If you make contributions you should have received receipts for your contributions. If you contributed a monetary amount it will show how much the organization shows you contributed. (Sometimes these are end of the year statements from the organization.) If you contributed “stuff” - you know you have all the items you are clearing out of your home as you organize and you gave it to Goodwill, Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul Society, or the rummage sale at your church - you should have a receipt - but they are not allow to tell you what the items are worth. You can go to the Salvation Army’s website and find a listing of what the range of values for these items are or check the items on E-bay to see what the item is selling for.
If you have expenses related to your job - union dues, required uniforms, transportation if you travel between multiple locations other than your “commute” (first and last trip of the day), required education (but not to meet the minimum requirements of the job or to qualify for another job) and such they may be deductible this year (as of now they are not deducible next year) and can be deducted on your return as Miscellaneous deductions (there at the bottom of Schedule A). Expenses related to your income is also deductible here - your bank vault if you keep income, information you paid for to help you make investment decisions, your income tax preparation cost, and some other items.
A problem with two of the above type of deductions. With the exception of medical and “miscellaneous deductions” you can deduct what you paid. However, you can only deduct your medical expenses over a percentage of your income and the same - but a smaller percentage - with the miscellaneous deductions.
If you are paid for employee related expenses - your boss reimburses you or gives you a per diem when you travel for example - make sure to check with your tax preparer about deducting the expenses you paid. This can be done on a different form than above, up to the amount you received in reimbursement.
If you are self-employed and file Schedule C with your return, of course you also need whatever expenses you paid out for your business during the year.
Remember this year’s taxes are basically the same as last year’s. It is the returns that you will in 2019 which will reflect the changes made to the income tax law for this year - 2018. Be aware that the amounts being withheld from wages based on the new tax law may or may not be correct for you as everyone is different. I don’t have all the information to correctly prepare estimated taxes for clients who need to file them. In the past I would presume all would be the same - this year I cannot.
While the standard deduction is being raised, and along with that more people will probably be using it due to limitations on deductions - remember the standard deduction is not really being “doubled” but going up from $12,700 to $24,000 (difference of $11,300) for married couples and from $6350 to $12,000 (difference of $5650) for single people.
At the same time, as I understand it, another deduction called the “Personal Exemption” is being eliminated. For 2017 this amount was $4050 each for you - if you are filing jointly - your spouse, and for each of your dependent children. In addition if you - and your spouse if you are filing jointly - are entitled to an additional Personal exemption if you are legally blind or over age 65.
So, in 2017 a single person is entitled to $6350 plus $4050 (if they have no children and are not blind or over 65) which is a total of $10,400 - which is only $1600 less than the new standard deduction. If one is single and has a child and/or is legally blind or over 65 the new standard deduction for 2018 will be less than they could deduct for the combined 2017 standard deduction combined with the personal exemptions.
In 2017 a married couple is entitled to $12,700 plus a personal exemption each (again, if they have no children and neither is legally blind or over 65) of $4050 which comes to $20,800. This is only $3200 less than they will receive next year. Again, if there are any children or either of the spouses is legally blind or they have children - they will be deducting less in 2018 than they would be able to deduct for the combined 2017 standard deduction combined with the personal exemptions.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
Income taxes need planning before you go to your tax preparer. Make sure you have all of your income items as well as any items that you may be able to use for an itemized deduction - in case they come to more than your standard deduction, and if you are self-employed for your business related expenses.
Now is also the time to think about next year. Get a file or a large envelope - label it - and start putting in items that are related to your income taxes next year - better to throw a receipt in that is not deductible than to be missing one next year.
Again, this is general information and not tax preparation information related to you. Check with your tax preparer about your specific information needed.
Again, while I am an accountant and tax preparer of over 40 years, nothing should be taken as specific income tax advice and you should consult someone who can help you with your personal situation. The information I am giving is general information to help you organize what you need for your income taxes - this varies greatly depending on one’s individual circumstances.
The most common forms that people receive about their income are the forms W2 for wages and withholding from their employer, a variety of different forms with the number 1099 (dividends, interest, capital gains, pension, IRA, and other types of income), and if one has an interest in a partnership, a “subchapter S corporation”, a trust, an estate, or an LLC form K1. (The latter are due out by March 15 as these organizations need a bit more time to prepare the forms as their tax returns have to be done first.) You know these forms have been coming in - have you collected them in one place - a folder, an envelope or some other type of holder? If not - go and find them - now. They are of the utmost importance in preparing your tax returns. These are income amounts paid to you (and/or your spouse and possibly children) and you want to check them to see if they are correct (generally they are) and have them together as these amounts have been sent to the Federal government and possibly also your state to be matched up with your tax return when you file. It is better not to miss any - but if you do, you will hear about it and receive a correction to your return.
If you have medical insurance through the ACA Healthcare Marketplace(aka Obamacare) you will receive a form 1095 which is needed to calculate if you received the correct amount of advanced credit to offset your medical insurance costs - or if you owe money on same or are entitled to a larger credit.
Now that is the easy part. The items you can deduct vary depending on who you are, what you do, the kind of job you have, where and how you live, etc. A summary of what you might need or have follows -
Medical expenses - records of amounts paid to doctors, dentists, pharmacies, eye glasses, medical insurance and other deductible medical expenses. Since I post my checks into a checkbook software program, I can get a printout of all the items in question. Don’t forget to include items paid by check or credit card or cash - cash being the one that is hardest to keep your receipts for. Did you know that if you can deduct your medical expenses you can deduct transportation for medical related trips? If you use your car there is per mile amount allowed plus any tolls or parking costs. If you take a taxi cab or similar or take a train a receipt from same will help you deduct these costs if your situation allows you to itemize your medical expenses. These will be needed if you itemize your deductions.
Income taxes - if all of your income taxes are withheld from your wages or other income this is easier, but many of us also pay estimated taxes during the year. While the amounts withheld will be shown on your W2 (and possibly on some 1099 forms) you have to keep track yourself of any amounts which you paid for estimated taxes - to IRS and your state (and possibly other states if you work in a state other than the one you work in). In addition to needing this information if you itemize your deductions you will need it as well as to be able to properly take credit for the taxes you have paid in against your final calculated tax for the year so that you pay the correct amount due or get the correct overpayment amount.
If you own your home and pay real estate taxes - make sure you have that amount (the changes from the tax law effect your 2018 tax, not the current tax which is your 2017 tax, so the limitations in the new law do not apply for this filing. It is deductible if you itemize your tax deductions. Also, if you have a mortgage on your home you should have received a form 1098 which will tell you how much interest you paid on the mortgage for the year so you can deduct it if you itemize your deductions.
Sales taxes based on a chart amount based on where you live and your income plus large purchases (such as a car) are deductible instead of your state and local income taxes if the sales tax amount is larger - remember this is an either or situation (either state and local incomes OR sales taxes).
There are other taxes which may be deductible depending on your state and other matters.
If you make contributions you should have received receipts for your contributions. If you contributed a monetary amount it will show how much the organization shows you contributed. (Sometimes these are end of the year statements from the organization.) If you contributed “stuff” - you know you have all the items you are clearing out of your home as you organize and you gave it to Goodwill, Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul Society, or the rummage sale at your church - you should have a receipt - but they are not allow to tell you what the items are worth. You can go to the Salvation Army’s website and find a listing of what the range of values for these items are or check the items on E-bay to see what the item is selling for.
If you have expenses related to your job - union dues, required uniforms, transportation if you travel between multiple locations other than your “commute” (first and last trip of the day), required education (but not to meet the minimum requirements of the job or to qualify for another job) and such they may be deductible this year (as of now they are not deducible next year) and can be deducted on your return as Miscellaneous deductions (there at the bottom of Schedule A). Expenses related to your income is also deductible here - your bank vault if you keep income, information you paid for to help you make investment decisions, your income tax preparation cost, and some other items.
A problem with two of the above type of deductions. With the exception of medical and “miscellaneous deductions” you can deduct what you paid. However, you can only deduct your medical expenses over a percentage of your income and the same - but a smaller percentage - with the miscellaneous deductions.
If you are paid for employee related expenses - your boss reimburses you or gives you a per diem when you travel for example - make sure to check with your tax preparer about deducting the expenses you paid. This can be done on a different form than above, up to the amount you received in reimbursement.
If you are self-employed and file Schedule C with your return, of course you also need whatever expenses you paid out for your business during the year.
Remember this year’s taxes are basically the same as last year’s. It is the returns that you will in 2019 which will reflect the changes made to the income tax law for this year - 2018. Be aware that the amounts being withheld from wages based on the new tax law may or may not be correct for you as everyone is different. I don’t have all the information to correctly prepare estimated taxes for clients who need to file them. In the past I would presume all would be the same - this year I cannot.
While the standard deduction is being raised, and along with that more people will probably be using it due to limitations on deductions - remember the standard deduction is not really being “doubled” but going up from $12,700 to $24,000 (difference of $11,300) for married couples and from $6350 to $12,000 (difference of $5650) for single people.
At the same time, as I understand it, another deduction called the “Personal Exemption” is being eliminated. For 2017 this amount was $4050 each for you - if you are filing jointly - your spouse, and for each of your dependent children. In addition if you - and your spouse if you are filing jointly - are entitled to an additional Personal exemption if you are legally blind or over age 65.
So, in 2017 a single person is entitled to $6350 plus $4050 (if they have no children and are not blind or over 65) which is a total of $10,400 - which is only $1600 less than the new standard deduction. If one is single and has a child and/or is legally blind or over 65 the new standard deduction for 2018 will be less than they could deduct for the combined 2017 standard deduction combined with the personal exemptions.
In 2017 a married couple is entitled to $12,700 plus a personal exemption each (again, if they have no children and neither is legally blind or over 65) of $4050 which comes to $20,800. This is only $3200 less than they will receive next year. Again, if there are any children or either of the spouses is legally blind or they have children - they will be deducting less in 2018 than they would be able to deduct for the combined 2017 standard deduction combined with the personal exemptions.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
Income taxes need planning before you go to your tax preparer. Make sure you have all of your income items as well as any items that you may be able to use for an itemized deduction - in case they come to more than your standard deduction, and if you are self-employed for your business related expenses.
Now is also the time to think about next year. Get a file or a large envelope - label it - and start putting in items that are related to your income taxes next year - better to throw a receipt in that is not deductible than to be missing one next year.
Again, this is general information and not tax preparation information related to you. Check with your tax preparer about your specific information needed.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
NO MATTER WHAT ONE DOES - IT CAN GO WRONG
This week was to be a busy one for me. I was suppose to give a talk at my embroidery chapter meeting - today, Wednesday, and I also had to go to the same client again as she will going out of town and I have to do her books for February. And we had to go and take money from husband’s IRA to pay bills.
I spent the evenings the past week working on the talk about the history of embroidery samplers. I made an outline of what I wanted to say, both so I would not forget anything and would not wander - I tend to wander even more when I speak than I do when I write. I checked information that I knew, just to make sure I remembered it correctly. I searched for photos of samplers online to download and print out to show and pass around at the meeting, both to explain what I was saying, and because I knew the ladies in my group would love to see them - probably even more than listen to me talk.
I had started working on the research a week or so later than I planned to do so, but as of Monday night, my notes were finished (well, okay, I remembered something afterwards to add) and I had photos of samplers I liked and which went with talk. My husband was going to print the sampler photos for me on Tuesday afternoon and evening. He was bit miffed that I was not using any of the photos he has taken over the years of samplers at exhibitions, but polite about it. (I only was not using them as I have seen his photo organization - everything has the original number assigned to it and is a folder by year of every photo he took that year.) I was going to bring a reproduction of a 1700s sampler I had stitched - and I had a photo of the original. I planned to bring about 3 or 4 of the books I have with photos and info about samplers. Yes, for once I was organized and not going to have to work in a panic at the last minute - I am a major procrastinator. The weather since last week had said it would rain today - I figured out how to pack what I was bringing (especially the reproduction sampler and books) so it would not get wet.
Yesterday we went to the banks and dealt with moving money around. I had been unsure if I should go to the client yesterday or tomorrow and tomorrow was suppose to be the better weather day and it gave me more time to prepare for the talk. Everything was going great.
Then yesterday the weather report changed! The rain today changed to snow - not too much in this area, but it would be coming down while everyone was driving to the meeting and some members come from the county to the east and others from the county to the west - and let’s face it - we are a bunch of, literally, old ladies. Heck, I live around the corner and up the block from where we meet and I was concerned about driving to the meeting. I kept figuring I would hear from the chapter president to talk about the weather, but I did not. Finally I telephoned her - good thing, she had not heard about the weather. So, we split the membership list to call and tell them the meeting was canceled (not a big group and there are members who are friends and/or come to meetings together so we can call one and have them let the other know).
So, now I have a lot of time as I will not be giving the talk until May. I will not get complacent and will make sure husband has time to leisurely print the photos and he will time to look for a few photos he took for me. (I like to make him happy as much as he likes to make me happy.)
So I planned to call my client and ask if I could come tomorrow - but the weather is to be below freezing and it is still raining on and off, so ice is a good possibility. She is not always in on Fridays, but luckily this week she is, so I will go then when it was to be a tiny bit warmer and dry. Of course once I made the appointment there was suddenly a 20% chance of snow on Friday! But the local news covers parts of 3 states and the sections north and west of us tend to be the more likely to have snow, so I am hoping I will not get stuck driving in snow.
Spent the afternoon catching up on things on the computer as I had not expected to be home. Found some items online I promised to email to my mom and did so. A few bank statements had come in, so I did the bank recs on them, so they are done with for the month. I scanned magazine articles for my husband - in case the idea is forgotten - he had a number of issues of a reenacting magazine that for some years he no longer subscribes to. I suggested he go through the magazines, mark the articles he is interested in and I would scan the articles so he would have them if needed or wanted (and they could be magnified easily so he could read them easier) and then get rid of the magazines. Oh, and the file can also be searched if he is looking for info on a specific topic. I do this “between” other things. Today I got rid of 3 more issues. I also went through the work from last year for this client so that if I have any questions about anything I can look it up Friday to correct it.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
“The best laid plans of mice and men...” There are going to be times when what one plans goes awry - much more often than one expects. One just has to go with it. If you end up with time planned for one thing and then not doing that one thing, figure out what else to use the time for. I am now ahead on other things that I would have to do anyway and I am ready - except for printing the photos - for when I give the talk in May and I will be much more relaxed as I will not have had to rush to put together the talk then. Maybe I will even find some source for some things I know and cannot remember where I read them.
I spent the evenings the past week working on the talk about the history of embroidery samplers. I made an outline of what I wanted to say, both so I would not forget anything and would not wander - I tend to wander even more when I speak than I do when I write. I checked information that I knew, just to make sure I remembered it correctly. I searched for photos of samplers online to download and print out to show and pass around at the meeting, both to explain what I was saying, and because I knew the ladies in my group would love to see them - probably even more than listen to me talk.
I had started working on the research a week or so later than I planned to do so, but as of Monday night, my notes were finished (well, okay, I remembered something afterwards to add) and I had photos of samplers I liked and which went with talk. My husband was going to print the sampler photos for me on Tuesday afternoon and evening. He was bit miffed that I was not using any of the photos he has taken over the years of samplers at exhibitions, but polite about it. (I only was not using them as I have seen his photo organization - everything has the original number assigned to it and is a folder by year of every photo he took that year.) I was going to bring a reproduction of a 1700s sampler I had stitched - and I had a photo of the original. I planned to bring about 3 or 4 of the books I have with photos and info about samplers. Yes, for once I was organized and not going to have to work in a panic at the last minute - I am a major procrastinator. The weather since last week had said it would rain today - I figured out how to pack what I was bringing (especially the reproduction sampler and books) so it would not get wet.
Yesterday we went to the banks and dealt with moving money around. I had been unsure if I should go to the client yesterday or tomorrow and tomorrow was suppose to be the better weather day and it gave me more time to prepare for the talk. Everything was going great.
Then yesterday the weather report changed! The rain today changed to snow - not too much in this area, but it would be coming down while everyone was driving to the meeting and some members come from the county to the east and others from the county to the west - and let’s face it - we are a bunch of, literally, old ladies. Heck, I live around the corner and up the block from where we meet and I was concerned about driving to the meeting. I kept figuring I would hear from the chapter president to talk about the weather, but I did not. Finally I telephoned her - good thing, she had not heard about the weather. So, we split the membership list to call and tell them the meeting was canceled (not a big group and there are members who are friends and/or come to meetings together so we can call one and have them let the other know).
So, now I have a lot of time as I will not be giving the talk until May. I will not get complacent and will make sure husband has time to leisurely print the photos and he will time to look for a few photos he took for me. (I like to make him happy as much as he likes to make me happy.)
So I planned to call my client and ask if I could come tomorrow - but the weather is to be below freezing and it is still raining on and off, so ice is a good possibility. She is not always in on Fridays, but luckily this week she is, so I will go then when it was to be a tiny bit warmer and dry. Of course once I made the appointment there was suddenly a 20% chance of snow on Friday! But the local news covers parts of 3 states and the sections north and west of us tend to be the more likely to have snow, so I am hoping I will not get stuck driving in snow.
Spent the afternoon catching up on things on the computer as I had not expected to be home. Found some items online I promised to email to my mom and did so. A few bank statements had come in, so I did the bank recs on them, so they are done with for the month. I scanned magazine articles for my husband - in case the idea is forgotten - he had a number of issues of a reenacting magazine that for some years he no longer subscribes to. I suggested he go through the magazines, mark the articles he is interested in and I would scan the articles so he would have them if needed or wanted (and they could be magnified easily so he could read them easier) and then get rid of the magazines. Oh, and the file can also be searched if he is looking for info on a specific topic. I do this “between” other things. Today I got rid of 3 more issues. I also went through the work from last year for this client so that if I have any questions about anything I can look it up Friday to correct it.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
“The best laid plans of mice and men...” There are going to be times when what one plans goes awry - much more often than one expects. One just has to go with it. If you end up with time planned for one thing and then not doing that one thing, figure out what else to use the time for. I am now ahead on other things that I would have to do anyway and I am ready - except for printing the photos - for when I give the talk in May and I will be much more relaxed as I will not have had to rush to put together the talk then. Maybe I will even find some source for some things I know and cannot remember where I read them.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
HELPING MY HUSBAND ORGANIZE
Last Thursday I went to my client and of course everything went wrong - including my laptop dying and I did not have the cord with me. The drive home took 2 hours, but at least my car did not stall. I got home late and had to finish up from work around making dinner, etc. that evening. A rather anxiety causing day.
Husband is a big James Bond fan and he has a collection - of just about anything James Bond. Last year we managed to clear some book shelf space in our bedroom to move his books into there from our office as we needed the shelf space for other books. (We have LOTS of books of a variety of types, mostly informational, as opposed to fiction such as the Bond books.) I figured out I could store the stuff that had been on the shelves in the bedroom (moved there for safety when the house was treated for bedbugs) which was other assorted Bond items - magazine articles and such in plastic boxes on one side of the floor in the spare bedroom closets (a suitcase and a wheeled backpack take up the rest of the floor space - each filled with some other similar pieces we wanted to keep when we cleared out our luggage a few years ago). There are also 4 “tubes” with posters of varying subjects - including, of course, James Bond, that are stored standing on the floor.
Husband also has a shortage of space in his dresser for his clothes. One drawer was filled with additional James Bond stuff. So I had an idea. We bought 2 more plastic boxes (making 4 all together) and I fit the stuff in the drawer, the rest of what did not fit in the first 2 boxes, and some Bond items in an office closet into these 2 boxes.
I then went back to the bedroom and started going through husband’s sock and underwear drawer. He has more socks than he needs, but has trouble finding socks, so will not get rid of any. I moved the socks that he rarely (meaning never) wears to the bottom drawer that had the Bond stuff in it. I moved his junk jewelry to the bottom drawer - never used. I moved his new shoelaces “collection” to the bottom drawer (and will add the ones in my drawer when I guess a chance). I moved his warm weather socks to the bottom drawer - you know, the very heavy ones that one only wears if the temperature is really low and one’s feet might freeze. I separated the items in the bottom drawer into shoe boxes (and a space between them) to organize them for him. I then went back to his top drawer and sorted the socks so each style of socks was separate - with a space for the ones in the laundry. I had a shoe box on one side of the drawer for eyeglasses, cases for same, and pocket knives. I found a “space pen” that we had not been able to find and had replaced. Not bad for maybe 45 minutes work at most.
I was so glad that now his drawers would be neat - after all I had previously organized his sweatshirts, tee shirts and pjs right? I showed him what I did (understand he knew I was going to do this in advance) and he was happy (not egacstatic - who would be, but “great, that is wonderful” happy).. I had not been able to find some socks I knew he had for sleeping and asked him about them. He found them on top of his dresser and I stored them in the drawer. Finally, done!
Ha, ha. He showed me the tee shirts stacked on his dresser top. I thought that they were in use - no, he had no place for them. I started pulling open the middle drawers as everything used to fit. One drawer was partially filled with clothing and partially filled with electronics - mostly old electronics and some space around it all.
So, when I get another 45 minutes or so, this drawer will gone through to see what is in there and what can be done with it. I had found plastic photo slide cases (for one to set their own slide film into slides) in his top drawer - do you all remember slides? I then put them in with other photo stuff elsewhere.
I have been working on the notes for the talk I am going to give next week (hopefully it will not snow and result in a canceled meeting) at my embroidery chapter. I have also been noting photos I want to print to show the members. I was bound and determined not to rush and do this at the last minute (even this is later than I planed to do it) and I am sticking with that.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
Sometime someone in your household needs help with their organizing. Help them - but offer first, don’t just “touch their stuff” without permission. If you know what you will do explain it to them first. Don’t throw out anything (unless it really, really is garbage) without permission. I know that every scrap of paper was something he wanted. The one or two tiny scraps I was unsure of I asked about and was told what they were and that they needed to be kept. We all have stuff that makes no sense to others for us to keep, but we really feel those items are special.
Husband is a big James Bond fan and he has a collection - of just about anything James Bond. Last year we managed to clear some book shelf space in our bedroom to move his books into there from our office as we needed the shelf space for other books. (We have LOTS of books of a variety of types, mostly informational, as opposed to fiction such as the Bond books.) I figured out I could store the stuff that had been on the shelves in the bedroom (moved there for safety when the house was treated for bedbugs) which was other assorted Bond items - magazine articles and such in plastic boxes on one side of the floor in the spare bedroom closets (a suitcase and a wheeled backpack take up the rest of the floor space - each filled with some other similar pieces we wanted to keep when we cleared out our luggage a few years ago). There are also 4 “tubes” with posters of varying subjects - including, of course, James Bond, that are stored standing on the floor.
Husband also has a shortage of space in his dresser for his clothes. One drawer was filled with additional James Bond stuff. So I had an idea. We bought 2 more plastic boxes (making 4 all together) and I fit the stuff in the drawer, the rest of what did not fit in the first 2 boxes, and some Bond items in an office closet into these 2 boxes.
I then went back to the bedroom and started going through husband’s sock and underwear drawer. He has more socks than he needs, but has trouble finding socks, so will not get rid of any. I moved the socks that he rarely (meaning never) wears to the bottom drawer that had the Bond stuff in it. I moved his junk jewelry to the bottom drawer - never used. I moved his new shoelaces “collection” to the bottom drawer (and will add the ones in my drawer when I guess a chance). I moved his warm weather socks to the bottom drawer - you know, the very heavy ones that one only wears if the temperature is really low and one’s feet might freeze. I separated the items in the bottom drawer into shoe boxes (and a space between them) to organize them for him. I then went back to his top drawer and sorted the socks so each style of socks was separate - with a space for the ones in the laundry. I had a shoe box on one side of the drawer for eyeglasses, cases for same, and pocket knives. I found a “space pen” that we had not been able to find and had replaced. Not bad for maybe 45 minutes work at most.
I was so glad that now his drawers would be neat - after all I had previously organized his sweatshirts, tee shirts and pjs right? I showed him what I did (understand he knew I was going to do this in advance) and he was happy (not egacstatic - who would be, but “great, that is wonderful” happy).. I had not been able to find some socks I knew he had for sleeping and asked him about them. He found them on top of his dresser and I stored them in the drawer. Finally, done!
Ha, ha. He showed me the tee shirts stacked on his dresser top. I thought that they were in use - no, he had no place for them. I started pulling open the middle drawers as everything used to fit. One drawer was partially filled with clothing and partially filled with electronics - mostly old electronics and some space around it all.
So, when I get another 45 minutes or so, this drawer will gone through to see what is in there and what can be done with it. I had found plastic photo slide cases (for one to set their own slide film into slides) in his top drawer - do you all remember slides? I then put them in with other photo stuff elsewhere.
I have been working on the notes for the talk I am going to give next week (hopefully it will not snow and result in a canceled meeting) at my embroidery chapter. I have also been noting photos I want to print to show the members. I was bound and determined not to rush and do this at the last minute (even this is later than I planed to do it) and I am sticking with that.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
Sometime someone in your household needs help with their organizing. Help them - but offer first, don’t just “touch their stuff” without permission. If you know what you will do explain it to them first. Don’t throw out anything (unless it really, really is garbage) without permission. I know that every scrap of paper was something he wanted. The one or two tiny scraps I was unsure of I asked about and was told what they were and that they needed to be kept. We all have stuff that makes no sense to others for us to keep, but we really feel those items are special.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
DOES TIME EXPAND TO FIT THE WORK TO BE DONE - OR IS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND?
Well my client was not there when I telephoned her last week. I will be going to her on Thursday. Due to not going to her and a few other bills that popped up I started to go into a panic about paying our bills on time. We pay every bill, every month in full - no payouts, with two much discussed before we did them, exceptions, in the almost 40 years we have been married and we each did so before. This was a timing error - bills were due out and the money was coming in too late to pay them. So we had to raid my tiny IRA for $1000 to carry us through. We will need to make a regular scheduled withdrawal from husband’s IRA next month to pay our quarterly real estate taxes and our semi-annual car insurance payment in February.
I packed up the rest of the ornaments from the main and studio trees over the weekend. Monday night I took the lights off the tree - except the top section which the lights stay in place on. My right elbow started hurting last week (maybe even the week before at this point) especially when lifting my arm or lifting something heavy with my arm and it has been hard to do all of this. Our main tree is artificial (well, all of them are) and had to be disassembled and the sections are too heavy for me to lift with this arm, so last night husband took it apart and stacked the pieces in the dining room where I told him to put them. This way he can warp his loom and start working on it again and the pieces of tree can “drift” downstairs as I can deal with them - he would get ill bending over to put them into the tree box. The studio tree is not in the way and will also find its way downstairs and after the these trees are down I will be able to take apart the one in the dining room- currently blocked by the pieces from the main tree. Since we don’t really get Christmas gifts there is nothing of same to put away - just one empty box that I will ask husband about tossing. I did move the “Christmas boxes” we use for storage out of the way - these are Christmas decorated gift or storage boxes that I store Christmas decorations in during the year and then put them - empty - under the tree so it looks pretty and like there are gifts under the tree. So today we warped his loom - without the tree there is enough room to do so. But he is still surrounded by Santas, angels, Christmas and Chanukah bears.
I finally had a chance to write a cover letter and get out the renewal reminders for our reenactment unit - I serve as the membership chair in addition to being the treasurer as it is easier than passing the info back and forth to someone else about renewals. I had been delayed due to an error on our national group’s website. Something interesting - when I went on their website with my computer and clicked on this year’s membership form I got instead a form for people to form and sign up a new unit. When I contacted the person in charge she said that when she clicked on it she got the membership form. Hmmm? Turns out if one went on the site with a computer one got the unit form, but if one went on the site with a tablet or phone one got the correct the form. It has been corrected thank to my asking about it - it also delayed sending out the renewals a week waiting for this. We put together the mailing t - folded cover letter and forms, put in envelopes, put on stamps and address and return address labels. Out in the mail today. The renewal reminders and forms went out in today’s mail.
I have out a stack of books to write a talk that I am scheduled to give at my embroidery chapter on our meeting next month - 2 weeks from today - on the history of samplers. I keep trying to get started writing it. I know the basics of what I plan to say and the order, but I have to get it all together and have an outline to follow - I would hate to suddenly forget a word in the middle of the talk and I don’t want to start to wander off point! Husband will print out photos for me that he has taken at exhibitions we have gone to - plus I may pull some off the Internet or out of the books I have. Somehow I know it will be done as I want to do it. I don’t feel that I can teach stitches or techniques at meetings as others have done, but I am real good at talking. (Can you tell that from my posts?) I sent out an email today to the chapter board asking if anyone had anything for me to include in the newsletter - which will go out next Wednesday (meeting is the week after).
I put my older software DVDs/CDs that I still need to keep in 2 new boxes as the old ones did not hold much and kept falling apart. The old ones will be donated next month - along with a bag of unworn pantyhose - I wore one and it was awful, so I tossed that one and the rest of the huge bag (from an outlet) will be donated. I have a glass bowl that did not make it in December when I went to Goodwill that will join them. Looking around for what else can be donated.
And now tomorrow I will spend driving to Queens, taking the subway to Manhattan, working for about 3 hours, and then take the subway back to Queens and drive home. I will spend between 4 and 5 hours in transit for the 3 hour visit. Hopefully our mechanic found the problem last month and the drive home will be comfortable. I have already put burgers in the refrigerator to defrost for dinner tomorrow night when I get home.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
We can get more done when we have to than we do when we don’t have to.
It seems odd to me that I normally have trouble getting through what I need to in a week, but then those weeks come when I have to do a LOT more - Christmas decorating or decoration storage, writing a talk to give at a meeting, catching up on laundry when I fall behind, tax season, and other assorted extra or emergency jobs. Somehow it all always seems to get done.
I packed up the rest of the ornaments from the main and studio trees over the weekend. Monday night I took the lights off the tree - except the top section which the lights stay in place on. My right elbow started hurting last week (maybe even the week before at this point) especially when lifting my arm or lifting something heavy with my arm and it has been hard to do all of this. Our main tree is artificial (well, all of them are) and had to be disassembled and the sections are too heavy for me to lift with this arm, so last night husband took it apart and stacked the pieces in the dining room where I told him to put them. This way he can warp his loom and start working on it again and the pieces of tree can “drift” downstairs as I can deal with them - he would get ill bending over to put them into the tree box. The studio tree is not in the way and will also find its way downstairs and after the these trees are down I will be able to take apart the one in the dining room- currently blocked by the pieces from the main tree. Since we don’t really get Christmas gifts there is nothing of same to put away - just one empty box that I will ask husband about tossing. I did move the “Christmas boxes” we use for storage out of the way - these are Christmas decorated gift or storage boxes that I store Christmas decorations in during the year and then put them - empty - under the tree so it looks pretty and like there are gifts under the tree. So today we warped his loom - without the tree there is enough room to do so. But he is still surrounded by Santas, angels, Christmas and Chanukah bears.
I finally had a chance to write a cover letter and get out the renewal reminders for our reenactment unit - I serve as the membership chair in addition to being the treasurer as it is easier than passing the info back and forth to someone else about renewals. I had been delayed due to an error on our national group’s website. Something interesting - when I went on their website with my computer and clicked on this year’s membership form I got instead a form for people to form and sign up a new unit. When I contacted the person in charge she said that when she clicked on it she got the membership form. Hmmm? Turns out if one went on the site with a computer one got the unit form, but if one went on the site with a tablet or phone one got the correct the form. It has been corrected thank to my asking about it - it also delayed sending out the renewals a week waiting for this. We put together the mailing t - folded cover letter and forms, put in envelopes, put on stamps and address and return address labels. Out in the mail today. The renewal reminders and forms went out in today’s mail.
I have out a stack of books to write a talk that I am scheduled to give at my embroidery chapter on our meeting next month - 2 weeks from today - on the history of samplers. I keep trying to get started writing it. I know the basics of what I plan to say and the order, but I have to get it all together and have an outline to follow - I would hate to suddenly forget a word in the middle of the talk and I don’t want to start to wander off point! Husband will print out photos for me that he has taken at exhibitions we have gone to - plus I may pull some off the Internet or out of the books I have. Somehow I know it will be done as I want to do it. I don’t feel that I can teach stitches or techniques at meetings as others have done, but I am real good at talking. (Can you tell that from my posts?) I sent out an email today to the chapter board asking if anyone had anything for me to include in the newsletter - which will go out next Wednesday (meeting is the week after).
I put my older software DVDs/CDs that I still need to keep in 2 new boxes as the old ones did not hold much and kept falling apart. The old ones will be donated next month - along with a bag of unworn pantyhose - I wore one and it was awful, so I tossed that one and the rest of the huge bag (from an outlet) will be donated. I have a glass bowl that did not make it in December when I went to Goodwill that will join them. Looking around for what else can be donated.
And now tomorrow I will spend driving to Queens, taking the subway to Manhattan, working for about 3 hours, and then take the subway back to Queens and drive home. I will spend between 4 and 5 hours in transit for the 3 hour visit. Hopefully our mechanic found the problem last month and the drive home will be comfortable. I have already put burgers in the refrigerator to defrost for dinner tomorrow night when I get home.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
We can get more done when we have to than we do when we don’t have to.
It seems odd to me that I normally have trouble getting through what I need to in a week, but then those weeks come when I have to do a LOT more - Christmas decorating or decoration storage, writing a talk to give at a meeting, catching up on laundry when I fall behind, tax season, and other assorted extra or emergency jobs. Somehow it all always seems to get done.
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