12/31/22 Random thoughts

all 5 of us, the sheriff and the County Attorney

wise words .. might be my new mantra

my newest monitor 

damn spiffy ... 

and below are a couple of quilts I'm thinking about starting during girls weekend.

K’

 

Dec Struggle Bus

 I'm back on the struggle bus again.  Overtired, cranky -- cold ...

On the positive side -- there is a haircut in the very near future and the computer dude is going to finish the computer project that got started 2 weeks ago.  

 Teeming with last minute tax planning .. 
 Un-prepared clients 
 Un-prepared CPA

 The payrolls are done 

So I need a list to keep focused

1.    Clean office
2.    Rough out final payroll reports
3.    Treadmill -- 30 minutes
4.    Recycling to the recycling center
5.    Wash truck
6.    Get packets mailed out
            waiting on stamps 
            the post office was out of freaking stamps
7.    start the 1099's 
8.    start the W2's
9.    crochet a little, sew a little 
10.  seminar on Saturday morning!

It is doable!

  

and the day after

I was surprised - the Christmas Day / Night snowfall was a tad bit more than "a couple of inches" .. the kid plowing snow told me I was "doing good" .. shoveling --- 

The snow removal ballet happened overnight - grateful to the crew for their work -- it's not an easy or pleasant job.  They do it well.  Seriously -- get up and watch them ...

No one at the farm is feeling very perky -- Mom is hacking up a lung every hour ( on the hour ), #1 says he's feeling better post immune therapy - the first week is tough.  My nose started dripping yesterday and I faded fast at 4:30 -- waiting on our "COVID" tests to arrive in the mail -- in the meantime just hanging out with each other -- way too much bonding since last Wednesday.

I took home work -- but headed to the basement and played at the Bernina -- I've been plotting a project since we planned girls weekend and well, my self imposed rules are kicking in ..  "no new projects until the old" get finished.  I finished piecing a throw ( wheel chair sized ) and quilted 5/6 potholders.  

My pintrest board is full of quilt ideas

picture this in bright solids with accents of black?

I pieced these 9 patches out at the cabin in 2021 .. they are large -- 12" ?   ready to chop apart and make a deconstructed 9 patch .. Robyn mentioned she was going to make one .. these might end up in her NY stocking or tonight I might chop    chop chop chop

again -- solids -- cool blues, greens, grays with a pop of orange, red or fushia

the possibilities are endless and I have and endless supply of fabric.  

 

2022 ...

if the newspaper can do a top 10 of 2022 -- so can I ... mine are less memorable but it's good to reflect back and even better to look forward ... healthy (physical and mental) change is positive 

yep, peeking around the edges should have been an omen for 2022

sunsets/sunrises -- I'm a sun chaser

I found that taking a break to see the rise and set gives me a lift? reset? break? purpose? I really try everyday .. to catch one

how about that stretch in March -- love the 4:00 am starts to my day -- in fact they are still happening -- it's become my new normal -- it's the only time I actually get any work done

and then those trips to the hospital - grateful for the care and attention

sunsets at the happy place are the best

always the best .. need more of them

yep, she's look mighty fine these days ..

fall at the lake is the best -- another couple of months would be fantastic

and fall teaches us that shedding is good for the mind, body and soul

what a year ... so grateful for all moments 

Christmas Day

if you've never seen a $750,000 snowblower/plow unit .. now you have

remember I vote no --

one of the inbound commutes

and Christmas afternoon as the snow began to fall, again .. it is very protected in our yard so the gales of the Blizzard of 2022 really didn't reach the house .. I should have ventured out for a walk to scope things out ... but a) company just left and b) no one is feeling very perky around here, mom has a nasty case of the sniffles and coughing (tested negative twice -), immune therapy has kicked Dad down a lot, and well, I'm just plain tired. 

I'm tired all the time lately -- I'm not sure anyone sleeps in this house and when they aren't sleeping, they are roaming the halls, talking to the cat or watching TV at full volume -- this morning I heard one of them at 12:30, 3:30 and at 5:00 I got up and moved the recliner only to find the noisy one in another recliner - we both slept thru sunrise.  

I did manage to sew a couple charms together and I've moved onto rows of charms -- there is hope after all - I told myself that I couldn't start anything new until all most of the wip's ( work in progress) were done -- I want sewing to be fun again -- I've been saving projects on pintrest -- I have an accumulation of solids - more than most stores ... 2023 might need to be the year of the solid. (2022 was the year of the solid and I got no where.)

Back to the daily grind tomorrow -- at least for me ... next up is my balance of the year project list -- it's a dandy ;)

 

Blizzard Day 2 and the aftermath

We have survived the Blizzard of 2022 -- I had brought home a couple totes of work (?) and projects so I headed to the cave, the elders and the cat were upstairs.  #1 had immune therapy Wednesday -- so he's pretty beat up -- it does a number on him for a couple of days.  I dressed in my snow pants, down jacket and all the trimmings to feed the cats -- the job got done.  Tom, the barn cat who thinks he's a house cat, either slept under the tree or attacked the tree.  challenges.

#1 felt the need to dress up and plow snow this morning - it wasn't too bad .. I left for the office around 8:30 .. good going all the way .. a kind soul cleared my front sidewalk -- I am blessed and grateful ...  the inbound wasn't bad .. Hy-Vee however --- ooohhh  a zoo      

I brought home more projects -- raspberries -- so me, the projects, the laundry and a box of berries will be enjoying more time in the cave.

holiday blessings 

Blizzard Adventures - Day 1

 

this my friends is a $400 + control box for a Hiniker Snow Plow ... and well, they don't last forever .... the old one was 25 years old and outlast 3 different pickup trucks.

yesterday I was blessed with snow plow instructions from elder #1 .. thru this cancer adventure we are living (more on that later) .. he really hasn't complained about my lawn mowing skills, garden planting, fence post pounding, weed whipping skills ...  there were a couple comments about grading the road ... (thankfully I only had that project once) .. but when it comes to his snowplow and truck -- he's a bit particular ... 

so yesterday was a "ride along" .. and let me tell ya .. I'm not going up or down the neighbor lady's hill .. between the sliding, the elevation and trees to close to the mirrors - it ain't gonna happen ... 

then this morning he heads out on his own (while I was in the shower) ... I get back from checking out the office and he's looking for a phone book and has pieces in his hand.  Dr. Google got me phone numbers and the kids at Topper's Plus called back and had the parts .. off we went to Mankato we went .. 

literally over, 10 minutes to pickup and pay, back on the road for home ... it was noticeably worse in those 10/15 minutes .. no cars on 22 ... 

I'm sure I'll have more adventures tomorrow --

back to work ( in the cave ) me, the Maytag, my phone and my slow internet.

My best Christmas present -- I received shipment notification from Starlink -- my new interest service provider .. we'll see -- it certainly can't be any worse that this crap.

breathe deep, breathe deep .. this too shall pass -- because next Saturday it will be 40' -- 40 glorious degrees!!!!

and it's coming

prepping for the end of the world would be less work

working today and maybe in the morning -- we'll see what happens over night tonight

homework piled in stacks 

copy paper brought home - documents on thumb drives and one drive

appointments re-routed to telephone conferences

Dad has oncology this morning -- Jean and he will brave the cold and flakes it's an early morning appointment - his blood work numbers looked really good to us ( blood work was yesterday ) then he has immune therapy directly after doctor -- takes an hour/depending upon the busyness of the infusion center .

grocery list is penciled out -- stopping on the inbound this morning -- not a lot -- just topping off the stash .. milk -- snacks -- drugs .. all the basics in life

Monday I dashed to O'Keefe's meat market in downtown - Le Center to pick up the family xmas presents -- when family has everything -- buy local beef!  200lbs of hamburger !!!  

 

Just another week in paradise

the snow plow ballet happened in the Friday overnight to Saturday 

it is impressive to watch 

the shoveling ballet is not as impressive 

twice on Thursday

twice on Friday

and I'm sure I'll have some clean ups to do when I get there today

yes, my friends, we're back to 7 days a week on 3rd street -- prepping for tax season is almost as much work as tax season -- and those pesky IRS notices keep arriving -- yesterday I was just knocking things off my project list at a steady pace -- and realized it was 4:00pm .. productive day

came home and sat down at #1's latest jigsaw puzzle -- a 1,000 piece Terry Redlin print and after a 3 hours got a sizable chunk done -- at 8:30 -- things started to jive . odd

today I'll be back at it .. I have a homework pile and it's starting to dwindle -- because I've been up and at it since 4:30 am... need to stay up longer to sleep later ... old age bad habits

 

and today

the weather is frightful

I got down the mountain this morning and at 4:00pm headed back up the mountain

the inbound tomorrow promises to be entertaining

more shots from my Sunday afternoon walk

the sound of melting was cool

and the mighty oak leaf frozen in the tire tracks

and the critters lined up waiting for the dinner bell 

they are somewhat patient and somewhat friendly

 

 

attitude adjustment moments

I thought it prudent to take a stroll this afternoon .. so I walked in Tim's tire tracks out to his deer stand parking area and back -- a short 1/2 mile 

it was good for the soul

 

me and my yak tracks just stepping along -- the critters have been busy stepping along too

and the inbound - it was good

Sunday rambling

I attempted to take a moon shot, Wednesday night when I got home .. with the phone .. it was a beautiful full moon -- even when shining in the windows and waking me up 

and this pop it gizmo -- looked like a mini cake pop mold to me .. I was enlightened by someone younger and well, have been fidgeting with it ever since .. and I thought playing with bubble wrap was fun  ...

getting ready for the week of wonky weather -- or trying to == office parking lot got scraped -- rock/salt buckets are filled and ready to go ... still need to finish vac'ing 

will pre-emptively rock the driveway hill when I get back from the office -- a couple of pails of rock come in kind of handy when it rains atop packed snow .. a little sun would do wonders too ... 

elders have cabin fever - already -- #1 says he has foot pain - but the spots do look better -- he slept most of yesterday so last night wasn't good -- the cycle is wacked -- I had hoped by now he'd be a bit perkier .. he did mention the er doctor said at least 5 days .. and well, antibiotics and others react differently with his system .. he said this morning -- he'd feel better if it was 75' and sunny --- me, too ...

 

Friday morning perspectives

I finally slept well .. all night, no tossing/turning/noises in the night ... it was good, it was damn good -- elder #1 said he also slept well -- he was up and paper reading/coffee drinking, dressed -- when I left at 6 -- which is his normal start time ... 

the anticipated weather event has arrived -- it appears to be less than predicted - okay -- school is still running a couple hours late

my re-scheduled wacky week is kind of back on track -- kind of .. a couple of clients are driving me nuts

I need to figure out how to get a couple of spots of down time worked into my crazy life.  Lately, it had been the 30 - 45 minutes of nightly reading --- but I seem to fall asleep before I actually read more than a couple pages -- the kindle app on the iPad tells me I've read for 375 days and 191 weeks in a row -- evidently big brother (aka Amazon) keeps tabs on me .. 

I need to find my sewing mojo.  I keep cleaning down there and tossing shit out ... I haven't bought any fabric for months (good) .. we are planning girls weekend and I should prep a project or two ...

my investment club is folding -- we're going out happy ... so I'll have some cash to a) invest or b) spend frivolously ..  not sure might need to be seed money for a vacation? or something equally fun?  I like the treadmill I bought and have left it at the office (it's an under desk model) .. might need a second one for home ... I've been trying to walk a couple times a day -- walking and working at the same time -- is not in my skill set yet .. but I can read and walk .. 

 

it was one of those days ...

this 1/2 the total Christmas decor in the office .. literally -- 2 strands of battery powered lights

it's the best I can do this year

tonight I'll dig the xmas tree out of the basement for home entertainment

so here's a recap of Wednesday 

it was a shit show of almost epic proportions .. let's just say -- don't get sick during a flu, covid, RSV outbreak -- and don't go to Mayo Eastridge Urgent Care in Mankato -- even if your oncology team tells you to go there .. 

the patient ended up in St Peter and got drugs -- still trying to hook up with his primary doctor ( who's sick too ) .. 

shit show 

everywhere is a shit show.

project weekends

the cave got an upgrade ... brought home a scanner .. and a UPS -- it's all about the tools that make life better ... and PTL they both work

sunday dinner -- protein, fruite, dairy .. doesn't get any better does it 

I spent the weekend printing stuff -- lots of stuff ... the goal is to have our year end packets done and ready to roll right after Christmas .. but first are the payroll, business and WUP client packages .. we shuffle a lot of paper .. and spend a lot of money on postage

I did manage to wash a few loads of laundry, clean and tidy the porch -- got recycling to recycling and this morning got my truck WASHED -- seriously ... I was the only one at the car wash ...

appointments are cancelling quickly this week -- more COVID.  

 

this little leaf is sitting on my desk

a reminder of fall and letting go 

(there's a meme to that affect floating around)

I just have a lot of trouble letting go 

Thursday night sunset from the front stoop at the office

18 days and the light returns 

but I'm not counting

the office Christmas tree

battery powered lights on a snake plant

the plant is 30" tall

I took these last weekend after the melting

my favorite spot up in the CRP 

zooming out 2 miles (?)

and zoomed back ...

the valley is brown == I can probably get up there to get a snow covered shot this weekend -- or Sunday when it is 30' .. depending upon any drifts blocking the exit from the yard 

I think we got a lot accomplished at the office this week .. it didn't feel like it but we did 

I'm still tired and still cranky

I was backing into the office garage this morning == one client was dropping things off at the box and saw me so he drove in .... mind you, I'm trying to unload shit out of the truck .. another client pulls in and "needs fifteen minutes" .. seriously -- the truck door isn't even shut yet -- argh 

my jammies and book are calling ... calling loudly

I should be sewing or crochet -- but 

the weird weather makes us all weird 

especially me

 

8.5" of white shit

and isn't my shoveling attire fabulous .. this was the third, yes third pass of shoveling ... I tried to shovel every 2 inches or so .. and with this pass it was still 30 minutes of shoveling .. Jessica, upstairs Jessica, had just arrived home ... NCHS had closed early and she gave me the road reports ... 

I stayed at the office until 4:00ish .. the snow was done by then and plows were trying to plow but a lot of us idiots were out on the road .. 

this morning -- everything was plowed it was 2WD on the inbound -- things are snow covered and icy after 2 hours of shoveling yesterday -- drippy nose and cough this morning .. not sure if the two are related (ailments vs. shoveling) but I'm assuming so ... 

I'm not going to sugarcoat it -- it was a bitch.  Shoveled at home too .. still have both decks to shovel.  Later .. #1 was pushing show in the yard with his tractor .. got stuck with the pickup .. when I'm 86 and dealing with cancer I'm not plowing the freaking snow.  
 

and the view from the cabin at 5:00 pm .. argh a lot of snow drifted in 

and today's drama -- I finally put on my big girl panties and told a client to go somewhere else -- seriously, I feel bad -- but man, the drama was out of control ... too much drama, too many experts, just too much ...