another week gone and startin

not sure which day this was but I was irked at an email from a client -- complaining I wasn't getting stuff done fast enough.  a) I don't need to be reminded -- I live that pain every day and b) I'd get more done if said client would stop asking crappy questions and wasting my time -- I was not in a happy mood.  

every once in a while the camera on the deck gets a bird ... 

usually entertaining

after 2 weekend days of labor 

I can see the top of my desk, yes, some of it has been relocated, but the majority of it is off to be copied, processed or just outta my life.  next up is the 4 cube unit next to the clock .. that one will take a while ... ditto the piles on the table ..

slowly she says, slowly.  it was another 90 hour week, which with the weather was okay to be inside and getting shit done

 ... I'm hoping for just an 80 hour week this week ... 

... I'm hoping for a 40 hour week sometime this year 

(she laughs and laughs and laughs)

 

Memories (and timely reminders)

this popped up in my wastebook memories 

a reminder to myself

6:30 start ( in town ), home by 2:00 ish, nap, and back to the cave for projects that I could finish at home -- I'm burning thru MNPR's fast, faster, supersonic speed ... I actually got a lot done today 

I had hoped to drive out to the cabin and spend some time -- it wasn't very warm -- although it didn't rain a whole lot, at least here on Daisy Lane

more of the same tomorrow -- the more I work now, the less I have to work later .. that's my motto and I'm sticking to it 

I have binge watched the Netflix series "the Diplomat" .. will watch again -- it's running in the background and I'm work -- I tend to miss things ... 

 

04/28/23 TGIF

 

post sunset shot from the cabin ... I never get tired of this view -- the dock went out yesterday ... the schedule was posted last week and I've been checking the camera .. and it's out -- one step closer to lake time

 

it was a busy week on Daisy Lane -- field prep, planted, and last night Kevin was spraying .... I saw dust while washing dishes I hopped on the SxS and checked 'em out ... 

last night, Cousin S came and we got the golf cart out for mom to use, that trackster thing is running and ready to relocate, the boys got the lawn mower serviced .. small steps .. 

I went back to the same work 17 hour a day schedule to get caught up .. once the filing deadline passes a whole other crop of issues arise and the projects that get delayed creep up .. sometimes it is overwhelming -- slogging thru them gets them done.  

Instead of focusing on the undone -- I've tried to celebrate the "done"

 .. most of the quarterly payroll reports are done (2 to go - done by noon today)

 .. an audit project is finally resolved and done

.. our tax client billing is reconciled and ready to mail out ( getting paid is fun ),

.. a rough layout of furniture / space reconfiguration is ready to roll -- which translates to move shit and clean out the corners

The weekend weather forecast appears to be wet ... so I'll slog thru some more projects, clean some more corners, eat some good food and find a good book.

2 months

 

2 months today -- grief is a weird thing -- sometimes you smile, sometimes it whams you and it can be, it is, overwhelming at times .. I guess ( I know ) I am fortunate to be close with family ..  

we're working our way thru the "firsts" .. first month, first holiday, first anniversary, first birthday is approaching ... first day at the cabin (when it warms up) ...  

I was cruising on the ATV yesterday and got overwhelmed with the "outdoor" projects -- as I drove around and saw things it hit me -- the realization that he hadn't felt well 6,7 8 months prior to the official diagnosis -- we've had a couple of years of denial -- delay -- "get to it later" ..  a spot of panic set in .. it was overwhelming ... 

there is going to be massive junk piles and a massive burning pile in my future .. first up -- the opossum terrorizing the cat food pan ... bold bugger ... will be channeling the "voices" on trap setting and relocation (permanent relocation) .. 

progress

progress in small steps, right?   I didn't get out of bed until 6:00am today ... there may have been an hour of reading first ... yesterday the alarm was actually blaring at me.

spied this young deer on my afternoon ATV ride ... got home from the office, took a drive to the cabin to check things out and back home for some project time at home.  So I took a ride .. my usual loop around the lower field, past the well, circle the crp, west to Nick's, cruise thru Lee/Jean's yard and back home .. 3 miles +/- .. deer, turkeys, eagles and the like .. but fresh air.

laundry is perculating, homework projects await me and I'm about to toss supper in the oven and start the vacuum in my bedroom

working on the small steps.

 

04/20/23 change

 so, I think too much.  I do, I overthink.

 I over-react to things.  When tired, stressed, pooped out, ornery -- I over react ... 

 I was reading old blog posts and I'm always whining about change, changing the way we do things at the office, changing the things in life that irritate me.  Well, folks it's time for a plan of action for change.  I jot this down all the time too.  

 I know I cannot keep up this pace much longer.  I'm wearing myself out.  I need to set boundaries and I need to enforce ? follow ? believe in said boundaries. 

 Small steps make for positive change.  (or so I'm telling myself)

OFFICE:  
1.    I will attempt not to cringe when the phone rings.  It sets me off 50 times a day.  The endless mindless dumb questions from clients are getting to me.  The latest barrage -- "when is the State Stimulus payment coming" .. get real people it is not coming.

2.    I will go home by 6:00 every night.  I might have homework but I will work at home when possible.

3.    I will investigate some workflow software.  

HOME: 
1.    Laundry - I will keep up.  Actually, I've been pretty good with this one.

2.    Meals - a balanced diet is a good diet.  

3.    April and May are self care months.  all the things, doctor, dentist, eye doctor -- walking, exercising, eating - stress burners .. all the feels.

4.     

that's a wrap

yikes, it truly was a war zone

Wednesday is tame this mess

and since I will take several months to find normal

I got up and went to the cave

me, laundry, work and the radio

I should label this post -- "things we'll do differently next year" .. seriously, the shit show started the day after my Dad died and continued right up until 5:00pm today .. utter chaos.  serious chaos.  I lost control early and don't know if I'll ever get it back.

Things we need to do differently:

1.    Less clients -- or purge the clients that create additional chaos.  

2.    Stick to the deadlines.  Just stick to the self made deadlines.

3.    A tracking/routing system/spreadsheet/app/software so I know where things are or are not within our system.  I couldn't focus for the chaos.

4.    Focus -- the need to focus.

5.    We need better input worksheets -- clients need to be directed to the important things 

6.    A simple Q/A sheet for the common questions

7.    A better way to communicate - email, phones, texting -- just a better consistent method.

Things that worked well:

1.    venmo (who knew) 

2.    subscription service for copy paper .. it just comes every month 

3.    the copier never broke down

4.    my giant wall monitor

5.        

 

04/16/23 tired / pooped out / wiped out m

dash cam from the inbound commute this morning 5:15 ish ... I was up and out of homework / or / not in the mood to work on the homework -- so I came to town and worked on the homework

it wasn't snowing when I went down to the cave at 4 ( I slept in ) but my truck was covered 

i didn't clean it off -- the windshield wipers did 

not the smartest move but I couldn't find my gloves

I did manage to park it in the machine shed -- tomorrow will be equally weather messy 

and I'm a hot mess.

tired mess

frazzled mess

need focus mess

 

04/14/23

I got home last night ( Thursday ) and chucked the work responsibility for 15 minutes. 

Found my Ruby.

Uncovered her.

Moved the black truck to the shop.

Wedged Ruby out of her parking spot.

Took a cruise thru the neighborhood.

and then went back to the cave to work.

Drove 'er to work today.  A spot of normal in my crazy kooky life.

She's a dusty musty mess -- in need of a bath.

the McD woman who took my $$ -- "that's a pretty car - don't you have a truck"... what the heck -- I only go there twice a week for breakfast ... and they know my wheels ....

well, Ruby is a pretty girl.

 

truth

 

new traditions

 

firsts and new traditions .. first holiday / family gathering without Dad -- and we had Easter dinner at the cabin.  Lee turned the water back on, Mom and Jean went out and loaded up the crockpots and oven and we had dinner.  it was eat and run for me

i need to stop prioritizing work over family -- it has been the weirdest tax season, people wandering thru, people with incomplete data, lots of incomplete data .. even at this late date .. I tried to prioritize my week to get a handle on what really needs to be done and when -- I don't think I'm going to make it .. I'm tired and the incomplete data (see above) .. 

but I'm in the cave working away .. or procrastinating away 

I'll be back at it shortly

a season of notes

the notes I receive from clients can be direct 

and I send texts that are generally vague - not sure who in verizon might see them

clear as mud

client didn't have a clue 

lots of translation needed

and the always you owe

do this you'll save text

which I felt the need to send at 3:30am

I got home early last night, well, 6:30 early ... me and my McD fish sandwich, fish loving Lutherans across the globe love the fish selections during Lent -- and I chose Mc Donalds -- actually, I only stopped because there were no cars in the drive thru ... me, 6 $1 bills and $3 in quarters .. wth

settled in the cave to work and the internet was down .. first time in 3 months .. for 45 minutes -- I put away clean clothes and went to bed.  seemed like a plan -- it was still LIGHT OUT when I went to bed - damn I'm old ...

 

argh ... Tuesday

     argh -- it's never good to start out the day not feeling perky.  even with my 3:30 am starts I'm generally alert .. yesterday, hmmm I just didn't start out well -- couldn't warm up ... hot shower seemed to make it worse and as the morning progressed -- the queasy rumbling started .. 

     Mrs H got to work and asked me if I felt okay -- hmmm ... I must not have looked good -- mid morning I packed up and headed to home -- really queasy -- just off ... 

      tested, napped -- or tried to nap -- the damn phone rings out there too ... finally I gave up and went to the cave with my bag of work .. (more phone ringing, more emails, more text messages) . it never ends -- but I had some time to work on some time consuming tax returns with less interruptions .. by 3:00 I was out work so I went to work .. did payroll, re-loaded the work tote bag and came back home.

     the preceding was along drawn out saga -- overtired and upset digestive tract.

     today is a new day and well, I have things to complete

I took this last Saturday morning on the inbound commute ... with my still camera -- the sun was coming up -- I was the first one down the road ( I'm always the first one down the road )

Cheers to Wednesday!

Cheers to melting -- 70's in the forecast -- PTL !!!

 

weekend adventures

I hadn't planned on a trek to the cabin on Sunday, but the internet was out so I loaded up Mom and we trekked out there -- it's not like 11 miles is a lonnnnnggggg drive

the sun was shining -- the lake is getting "whiter" ... some idiot was fishing in the middle of the back bay -- about 300 yards out from the public landing -- they had "walked" out there and were perched in a lawn chair -- crazy

the neighbors dish is on their boathouse roof -- the Dish Network dude installed that on the 4th of July -- I can't get them to answer the phone, let alone have install on a holiday

the "sidewalk" along the house is getting clear ... once you get passed the 3' tall snow drift in the back yard

birthday party for Auntie Joanne -- cousin Shorty cut the cake -- it was hilarious to watch -- one would have thought he was chopping up a tree with a chain saw .. it got done

we now have a list of the "undone" tax returns and a plan of action or at least an idea of what needs to be done .. I had a very productive weekend .. and by 8:00 Saturday night  I was wasted .. last night wasn't much better -- 

back at it -- bright and early this morning -- I'm way to acclimated to the 3:30am rise and shine time ..