Day 108 & 109: Let It Snow !

 

I was awake at 4:45 am today but managed to go back to sleep quite a while later. Funny story: I jumped out of bed in a panic thinking I hadn't brought my garbage bin in. Mind you, garbage was Tuesday and today is Thursday. Well, I was correct - I didn't bring my garbage bin in. However, that is because I didn't put any trash out ! LOL ! After a quick peak outside I hopped back in bed, scrolled my phone for a little while and then went back to sleep until nearly 9. Plow guy came, which was ridiculous as there was only a couple inches of snow.

Yesterday was a relatively uneventful day. I didn't go to rock & roll bingo because of a new winter storm warning. I did spend some time starting the process of cleaning out my office closet. I got a lot done and I'm planning on working more on it today. Kim called me late in the morning to ask me if I got a text from Michelle about Christmas gifts. Apparently she got the same text I did. We talked about it for a while and Kim still wants to exchange gifts. So I'll be buying for Kim and her family only. I left that call feeling a lot less alone and more loved. I probably could have gone to rock & roll bingo as we didn't get much snow, but it wasn't worth the risk. She also asked if I wanted to go to Boscov's with them today. I don't want to be the 3rd wheel all the time and I told her that. I did tell her if they find anything they want for Christmas, to go ahead and buy it and I'd pay her for it. Considering the snow is worse today, it's a good thing I didn't plan on going ! I don't even know if they will go if it's like this in their area. 

Some heavy snow rolled in just after 9:30 am but it was the light and fluffy stuff. This stuff piles up fast and looks intimidating, but is easy to shovel away. The winter storm warning runs until 4 am tomorrow and we may see a few more inches. I love sitting in my cozy living room watching it snow ! I may light a candle to add to the coziness !

I've been feeling better physically and I've been trying not to sit on the couch slumped over with my legs extended. I don't feel ready for the treadmill yet so I'm going to keep trying to get things done around the house. I have a bunch of clothing I plan to move upstairs so that my closet downstairs will only contain stuff I can wear. I'm also going through a lot of the junk that has accumulated in my office. Yesterday I tripped and nearly fell because of the plastic chair mat in there, so I plan to pull that up and eventually get a new one. It's been an issue for a while. Since I don't sit in there very often now, it's not something I need right this second. With my age and living alone, I really need to be more aware of trip hazards. I already suffered a broken hand because of a trip and fall ! 

The tarp that I put over the chairs on the patio have done a good job keeping snow out of the dry food for the strays. The wind hasn't been an issue so far, so I'm happy about that. It seems to work much better than the plastic tarp I used for the past couple of years.

I'm counting down the days until Trump takes office. People are continuing to melt down over every cabinet pick he makes and the wild speculation over what he "might" do is ridiculous but not surprising. I'm still hoping for 4 years of economic growth and a stronger country all the way around.

Shortly before 11 I booted myself off the couch and spent some time working on the clothing in my office closet. I took a large bin of clothes upstairs to the spare bedroom and sorted out everything else I can't wear right now.

I checked in on my accounts today to double check my transfer is scheduled for the next round of bills and to ensure what needed to be paid has been paid or scheduled. Everything is in order for the rest of the month, other than writing a check for my $190 water/sewer bill which is due by January 3. My utility bill came in about $32 lower than last December, which is great ! I can see I used less gas and less electric compared to last year, so it looks like setting the heat lower is paying off. January and February are always the biggest bills, but I'm hoping to keep my bill under $300 this winter. By the weekend temps are supposed to head into the 40's during the day, so that will help with the heat costs ! My car insurance premium seems to go up at every renewal and I'm not happy about this. I may need to shop around again if this continues. A nearly 20% increase for 6 months of coverage is ridiculous.

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Below is what I achieved today. I am focusing on what I do each day, and not looking back to what I did or didn't do any other day. I hope that one day soon I won't need a checklist to ensure I do all of these everyday tasks !

Make the bed - 

feed cats - 

have breakfast - 

get dressed - 

exercise - 

clean litter boxes - 

have morning snack - 

have lunch - 

have afternoon snack - 

have dinner - 

have evening snack - 

shower - 

skincare - 

brush teeth -