Monday, August 19, 2024

Weight 120.8 - unchanged in 6 days. I guess that's good though I am low in my range. I have been at 5 mg of tirzepatide for 4 weeks now after stepping down from 7.5. If my weight goes down further I will drop down to 2.5.

We got home earlier than expected yesterday and were able to pick up Justice. He has been happy as a clam in my lap since then. It was raining when the baseball game we were supposed to go to was going to start so we decided to skip it. The game ended up being held after a 90 minute rain delay which is unfortunate because DD could have exchanged the tickets if it was cancelled entirely but can't now. I feel bad about that but sitting on wet seats and getting home really late after a long travel week was not appealing. Before we left we had breakfast out at the coffee shop we used to go to in my former home town, then lunch with DD and her fiancé.

Today I finally get my car! It's rainy so my other tasks include some house cleaning and putting green stickers on things other people in the family are going to take (I took pictures and put up a shared album so items could be claimed). I should also begin sorting through Christmas ornaments and pictures. The picture sorting is the toughest for me as the last time I did it was when eldest DD was dying and I was looking for good pictures of her specifically. No other sorting or tossing was possible at that time. I need to do it with vigilance now, sorting by kid and throwing out way more than I keep. The immediate goal is to get a few over time of DD with her eldest sister and her Dad that she can use at the wedding. That was DH's idea - he is good at this stuff. A number of years ago he went through this process, then made photo albums for each of his children which they treasure. Speaking of weddings, it is 5 weeks from this Saturday (and closing is 7 weeks from Friday)!!!!

Raining like crazy right now. There is no way Justice will let his paws outside in this so hopefully it will ease up in a bit so he can go out. Have a munificent Monday!

ETA: Just heard from DS that he is headed here with the cat and what sounds like COVID! He was supposed to come here for a couple of days while his apartment is being bombed for pests. Not a good situation. Feeling more than annoyed and nervous.

It's a cool Monday morning here. We'll have lows this week in the 50s and highs in the low 80s. I'll continue declutterring this week. And we'll mow again. Our recent rains and cooling temps mean the grass won't be going dormant anytime soon.

We'll probably watch some convention stuff, and I'll call the bug service to come out for the annual termite inspection and to remove a monster wasp or hornet nest we discovered this weekend under the deck. But otherwise I have nothing more to report and no big plans.

Goodness, hope your DS doesn't have Covid. Although you don't really need exposure to any kind of respiratory virus, Covid or not.

DH would never let a photograph leave our house! Or, so far, a Christmas ornament. The kids both have ornaments that are clearly for them some day, baby's first Christmas etc. but for now, they stay with us. He thinks his issue with stuff, especially sentimental stuff, stems from the many moves in the Air Force as a kid. He saw his treasures get added to the discard pile, and was helpless to get them back. Since he mostly can contain his stuff to certain areas I have ceded to it (areas with doors!) we can still have a harmonious life. I hope in the coming years we can weed it out though, so our children don't have to deal with it when we die.

Hornets are not good, but aren't their nests so beautiful? Once they are devoid of the living of course.

Special Ed specific back to school memo arrived in the in box this morning. As of now, my caseload is 19, which is much better than the 24 I started with last year. When I left in the spring, supervisor I did not like insisted I would need to case manage the student whose family lawyered up for every meeting again. She has since left, and the new hire *****mains heard me out, and did NOT assign this student to me. There will always be plenty of challenging cases to go around, so I asked him if I could have a different challenge this year, since I was kind of burnt out on this one. Yeah!

I am about half way through Apples Never Fall. I'm enjoying it very much. So part of today's plan will be to continue reading. And taking care of life's usual stuff.

It looks like the last week of break will be awesome weather, with sunny 80s heading our way!

It sounds like this year at school is off to a better start than last year. I hope that continues!

All of this talk of paring down stuff makes me think I should get a start on it! We only have 9 months or less before our big move! DH has an even bigger job since he didn't pare down before the move here!

Yesterday I was so confident that I would hit 170 today and I actually gained instead! Yesterday was kind of a salt filled day so I'm probably retaining fluid! I ended up taking my shot this morning, only 1 day late. I actually felt hungry yesterday and even indulged in a late night snack of baked Cheetos! I have not had a snack like that since starting the Tirzepatide!

Nice sunny day today. Not sure what I am going to do except make chicken fajitas for dinner. I'm moving slow this morning as I stayed up way too late last night. Need to get some reading in for my Bible studies this week.

Hope DS doesn't have Covid Liz! You certainly don't need that. I've heard of so many new cases lately that I decided I will mask up for my flight to ND on Friday!

DD, I'm glad the new administration will give you a break from your more challenging student this year!

Ann, where have you guys decided to settle? I know you're selling both houses to get into a condo but I must have missed where the condo will be.

We'll wind up back in Kentucky, but in the meantime we may float around the planet pretending to be octogenarian digital nomads.

Love it!!!

I woke up to a significant scale drop today. Was nice after a long weekend of showing with inadequate results. 1.5 pounds to go until I'm in the next decade.

I am back with students today. Makes the work much more enjoyable to have that interaction and be doing "my thing" with my littles!

I am having some pre retirement concerns. I suppose that is normal, so I am promising to ride it out and not make any rash or hasty decisions. My biggest concern is the monthly output for the RV. With storage, insurance, registration, loan payments, etc.... It is a huge expense. I'm not sure it is worth it financially -especially on a reduced income. Pros and cons to explore.

Well, recess is almost over... Gotta get back to the grind.

And we're considering buying a trailer! But I get it. The thing that makes me uneasy is healthcare. Medicare premiums will be higher than what I pay now to insure both of us. I want to stay with original Medicare, but I don't think we'll be easily able to afford the supplements. We might have to take our chances with Medicare Advantage plans, which I really wanted to try and avoid.

Navigating Medicare is a bear. Just be sure that you make a choice that will serve you well for the long-term because switching once you are sick is essentially impossible. Advantage plans are almost always great when you are well but can be a a burden or an expense with a serious illness. Deceased DH was on an Advantage plan (my choice). We had no problems until his dementia became advanced. We couldn't see the psychiatrist we wanted or the in-house physician we wanted at his assisted living facility because they weren't on his plan. At the end when we were exploring psychiatric help again, his plan didn't include any of the geriatric psychiatry resources available. We have a friend who has a huge debt with a major Boston hospital because his Advantage plan wouldn't cover him going to the specialist based there for his unusual medical condition.

I have a supplemental plan with Medicare which costs me a bit over $200 a month but covers absolutely everything. I never get a bill other than the insurance bill. It was an easy decision for me because prior to Medicare I was paying $800 a month for a high deductible plan which meant I paid out of pocket for most routine visits.

ETA: BUT the prescription plans are way less great. As you know Medicare Part D plans will not pay for any weight loss drugs unless there is an existing cardiac condition (high blood pressure doesn't count). And because of this rule it is illegal for pharmaceutical firms to let you have the drugs at a reduced price.