VSG Maintenance Group
Thursday, September 28, 2023
MUCH more humid today (and I thought it was humid the last couple). We did get in our 3 mile walk but even Justice was tired and thirsty by the time we were back.
Book Club last night was a lot of fun. I was a bit nervous going in, not knowing what to bring, how to dress, etc. Shouldn't have worried but I still get anxiety about these things. I knew perhaps 40% of the women by name and the rest I mostly recognized from seeing at one event or another. Everyone was really friendly and outgoing. The food choices were mostly healthy and I didn't eat a ton so that was good. The house was really big and open with a huge pool under an enclosure (probably 50% larger than our condo). Interestingly I like our place a lot better. I think ours has more character and I like the way ours is set up. They had the living room set up like a movie viewing room with a row of electronic recliners. Kind of weird IMHO. The general agreement that the book (Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hildebrand) was lighter fare than the usual books they discuss. Should be interesting to see what is chosen next time (the host chooses the book).
I had an interesting discussion with a realtor there. DH's realtor is not serving him well.
Today there are more tweaks to be done. New toilet seats and shower heads and a new office chair for DH. I also need to get my robot vacuum going again. Always something in a new place to make it one's own but I enjoy this stuff.
Have a thirsty Thursday (or hopefully not)!
Again, not much to report from sunny California. The weather has been glorious for a few days. Cooler in the mornings, delightfully warm in the afternoons (low 80s), and super low humidity! Can't ask for better IMO. And those cool nights make for perfect sleeping conditions!
I made my first inquiries into formal retirement yesterday. Exciting!!!! I discovered that I can have one date for retirement from the district and a different date for the state teachers retirement system. That makes my decision on when to retire much easier. I will retire from the district on the last day of the school year 2025, but I will not apply for retirement benefits until after August 15, 2025. While some might find the difference in dates silly, it will mean an extra $95 per month FOREVER. That's a lot of lost money, IMO, should I take retirement in May or June.
Same old, same old on the eating front. Not eating poorly, but not eating for weight loss. Current win is not stress eating!
I would love that weather too.
And that seems like a very sound retirement plan - not really all that far off!
I was lucky that I could take late DH's social security and delay taking mine. When it maximizes when I turn 70 I will switch to my own social security which could mean as much as an extra 2000 per month.
Talking about retirement is always fun! I'll have to play around with my pension estimator to see if postponing benefits until September 2025 helps. I already looked up next year's calendar, the last teacher day is June 13. We've never had that late of start for summer break! They'll get me one last time.
Today was heartbreak day. Yesterday afternoon, a student shared his Mom died 2 years ago. Today I learned that a student's Mom died 4 years ago, and he was the one who found her deceased. Then this afternoon a student told me his Dad passed last December. This current group of students have some very sad stories. I wonder about the other sad stories I don't know yet. God Bless these children.
I got an email asking me to set up a meeting during my prep to help one of the gen ed teachers modify their curriculum for sped students. Our contract says we can collaborate with other teachers during our prep, but it can not be required. So I said no, I would not be using my prep for this. It felt good to be able to create a boundary. They can get sub coverage if they want me to do this.
I ate more today than typical. Maybe a bump in calories will shake something loose. I definitely feel some weight loss, and how clothes fit show I'm smaller, but I want scale confirmation. At this rate, I'm losing 2-4 pounds a month. I have to keep reminding myself I couldn't lose anything for 3 years, so this is good. Hard to be patient.
Thank God tomorrow is Friday! Attending a birthday party for a very dear young person who is turning 29.
on 9/28/23 6:54 pm
It was wild kingdom in my yard last night on the cameras! I was looking for what animal went for a swim in my fountain and saw the offending raccoon, a family of javelina, and deer. I also had 3 hummingbirds at once at my feeder. Here is a deer in my yard at noon yesterday too.
This evening I was cutting down invasive mustard in the yard. I filled a construction trash bag and barely made a dent. I need to get the gardener to help. He's going to ask for more days, but I'm not sure the yard looks as good as I think it should look when I spend what I spend already. Argh. Adult homeownering is awful.
Food was good today. I got the chicken skewers from Costco and they are really tasty and you just nuke them to warm them up. Other food was salmon, broccoli, and greek yogurt with nuts and berries.
Phone calls included making an appointment for some shades on windows the previous owners didn't cover and getting an estimate for a humidifier on my MI house. It has a lot of bead-board (wainscoting and ceilings) and the Dry winter it really hard on the joints.
I think that's it! Take care all!
on 9/28/23 7:47 pm
PS - I was reading a Barron's article about how Ozempic, Wegovy etc. could break the healthcare system...
"But what has gotten less attention is the healthcare crisis that could come as spending on the drugs threatens to overwhelm the insurers, employers, and government programs that buy the country's medicines. The financial crunch would probably peak from 2025, when Medicare coverage of the medicines might begin, to 2027, when the cost of some of the drugs could start to drop."
While the healthcare crisis part is not encouraging, Liz, I thought you would be interested by the part that said it might be available on Medicare in 2025.
