Happy Last Day of February - Ice, Cracks and Insurance

Happy last day of February, everyone. Today it's "relatively" warm - still below freezing, but closer to thaw than yesterday. I'll keep the ice chopper in my car. I'll likely end up needing it as we start the thaw/freeze cycle that March will begin. But, today, as I said, is still February - the shortest month of the year. 

The Freeze/Thaw cycle can break concrete, it can 
also break people because the ice can be quite 
dangerous to walk on, and the irregular concrete and 
walkways can be unexpected. Caution while 
walking is important. 

Tomorrow I have my next orthodontic appointment. I assume I'll get some more adjustments and perhaps instructions on different rubber band set-ups. I'm super pleased so far. I've never had my bottom teeth in an even horseshoe, and now they are aligned and wonderful. It's only been three months and I have more than a year still to go, but I'm seeing amazing results and considering this a total win situation. 

Doctor DeVoe is doing a tremendous job on my 
teeth and I'm amazed and delighted. I can't wait 
for my appointment tomorrow morning. 

I did get in touch with the insurance company. Apparently they didn't send bills out for December and January because of the postal problems, so they combined those payments with the March payment on the current bill. ARGH. That's beyond frustrating, because DH gives me the monthly household check based on the bills received, and we hadn't gotten the insurance bill. I'm going to try and backload the payments, but that may not work for them. I got "disconnected" from the one customer service rep I was speaking to yesterday, so I'll try again today. I did pay the current month, however, and probably will dip into my personal savings to pay the other two. It's frustrating because that money will be coming out of my New York money, not the household funds. But so it goes, sometimes. 

I always hate dealing with insurance companies, and 
I'm paying the penalty of relying on paper copies of 
my bills before paying them. Guess I'm sunk on 
this one, but it was a stupid decision on their part 
in any case. 

I'm calling this done here. It's a swimming day and I don't want to run late. We're warmer, but the roads may still be icy so caution and a bit of built-in time is advisable. Have an excellent day and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Lot of WTF, and a Successful Recipe

So it's not even 6:00 am and already my day isn't starting that well. There were a few minor things that made me stutter in my schedule, and then I settled at the computer. I took the extra 15 minutes to get some bills paid and off my TBD list. Then I came to the insurance bill. I stopped, took a second and then a third look. and finally sighed and set it aside. Why? Instead of the $600-$700 monthly payment, the minimum payment listed was over $2000! Although it's unlikely, I'll try to contact them today and find out what the hell is going on. I can shift the money over and pay it, but WTH? I need to sit down with a calculator and a clearer head before I even attempt to speak to a computer or a human being. 

I have a feeling I'll end up speaking to a robot if I 
call the insurance company. Still, I need to find out 
what's going on with that excessive amount due. 
ARGH! 

But it wasn't the greatest way to start my day. On the positive note, today is appreciably warmer than yesterday. When I left for the shop yesterday it was -7 F outside. I knew I would have a lot of snow shoveling at the shop, so I dressed very warmly and made sure to bring my balaclava, my snow suit and a set of hand warmers along with me. I was really glad I had remembered all of that because the drift from the snowplows that I had to clear was almost five feet tall and at least that wide. It took an hour of shoveling to get that cleared for my customers who might be foolish enough to park on the main street. (In winter, even though parking is more restricted in our parking lot, we recommend people either park in the lot or on the side street.)  

I love my hand warmers. I used them in 
my gloves until my feet were frozen. Then 
I moved them to my socks and got my feet 
warm again. Finally, I moved them to my 
pants pockets and they kept me warm at my 
desk all day. Fabulous invention and my 
new best Winter friend - LOL. 

We actually had a nice sales day yesterday. We weren't overly busy, but had just enough customers to keep us hopping for a while, and I was quite happy with the end-of-day totals. The new printer is working really well, so that's a positive too. So there are some good things in my life too - LOL. 

Last night's fish dinner was a bit more blackened than 
I had anticipated. I'm sure some of that has to do with 
the fact that I'm using almond flour. But it was really 
tasty and I'm already looking forward to making it 
again. I'll try a lower temperature in the fry pan, 
however, and see if that makes a difference. 

Last night's fried tilapia turned out very tasty. It was a bit more blackened than I thought it would be, but I know a good deal of that is because I'm using almond flour instead of standard flour. It tasted wonderful and I'll definitely use that recipe again. DH was even able to find the garlic paste I needed at the local grocer for me, so I had all of the necessary ingredients. Next time I'll turn the heat down even more. The recipe stated medium heat, I think it will cook better with a lower temperature. It might take a bit longer, but that's just fine. 

I'm living through a few bumps in my road, but it's not 
horrible. This road, however, IS horrible. It's apparently 
one of thousands in Russia. I'd say their infrastructure 
needs some serious work. Maybe they should withdraw 
their troops from Ukraine and put them to work fixing 
up their roads. 

So, as I enter the weekend, all is not lost, but bumps are still there in my road. At least I won't have to shovel today. We're not expecting any more serious snowstorms for the next several days. Yippee! LOL I hope you have a wonderful weekend and get some rest and relaxation in. I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

Window Repair Progress and a Lord of the Rings Online Update

It's been a week since the window at the shop was cracked. DH's temporary repair seems to be holding up, but the weather is getting colder and since it will be a minimum of 3-4 weeks before the new glass pane is available for installation, I think I'll go ahead with a "temporary repair" in the meantime. 

This is how our broken window looks right now. Duct tape 
isn't going to do much against colder temperatures, but the 
guy who took the estimate and measurements of our window 
suggested a temporary fix that would paste a second piece 
of glass over the hole, closing a stone in front of the 
cave entrance, in essence. I think we'll go ahead and get 
that scheduled. It sounds like a wise idea to me. 

Our insurance company is coming through for us in spades. If we add the temporary fix to the actual new pane replacement costs, we're looking at almost $2600, but the insurance company will cover all of it except our deductible of $500, so that's not too bad at all. I'll toss the final numbers at DH tomorrow and he can make up his mind how he wants payment to be handled. Insurance is offering us a few different scenarios and I'll leave it up to him. 

Waist beads are an African tradition and are often worn 
by women of color in the US. I have several customers 
who make these for sale or gifts, and I admit there is something 
lovely about beads around the waistline area. A person 
can wear one strand or many, their choice. I think it 
emphasizes femininity and beauty. If you're interested 
in finding out more about waist beads, here's a 
link for you.  
https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/waist-beads-modern-uses

We had a very busy morning yesterday, starting out with a customer who makes Waist Beads getting a large variety of products, while two other customers came in at the same time. It was a backup at the cash register, but eventually everyone got their stuff and was happy. I did make one error, undercharging a customer on some feathers, but I'll put the $10.68 in out of my pocket today to balance the books. It was my error, my bad, so I'll make it right. In the meantime, the gentleman got a deal on a lot of feathers and he was very happy, and so was I. It was a bit of a relief to get some feathers sold - I have a bunch of them. 

As a reader of my blog, you certainly realize I'm a long-time 
player of Lord of the Rings Online computer MMPOG. DH 
and I were part of the original Beta almost two decades 
ago, and once it went live, we moved over to it and haven't 
been away since. There's a new campaign being introduced 
in a few weeks and this complete revamp of the 
weapons system goes hand-in-hand with that. It's 
going to take some work to get into the new scheme, but 
it was certainly needed. 

Yesterday was the first full day after a major upgrade in Lord of the Rings Online, and it was a serious upgrade. Legendary weapons have been completely shifted to a brand new system. I didn't get time to update some of my characters' weapons before the shift, so I'll end up missing out on some abilities that could have been important for the new system. But there's nothing to be done about that. I'm disappointed, but I'm disappointed in me, not in the system. Now I get the "joy" of learning how to operate in a new framework. I hope I understand it relatively quickly. 

The legendary weapons overhaul was the first step into 
a new area and quest arc - Gundabad. LOTRO has been 
exploring more of the Dwarven race and their own 
quest and lives throughout Middle Earth, with Gundabad 
being the latest of these areas. Want to know more? 
Here's a link for you. 
https://www.mmorpg.com/news/the-lord-of-the-rings-onlines-next-expansion-is-called-fate-of-gundabad-coming-fall-2021-2000123008

So I'm off to catch up with all of the posts of friends, maybe grab a sweatshirt because I'm cold, and finish my morning breakfast (a lovely apple for today). Have a wonderful weekend, be kind to others, and please relax. Enjoy life. It's actually a wonderful experience, even if it is a bit trying every now and then. I'll be back on Monday morning before running off to my swim. 

Swimming Thoughts and Window Speculations

I successfully grabbed a 5:00 am swimming slot for tomorrow and Friday, so I'm set for the week. Reservations can only be made 72 hours in advance, and there are a total of 10 open slots for swimming for each slot. People like Jeannie (our Senior Olympics Gold Medal winner) grab two continuous slots - she swims for two hours ... well, closer to 1-1/2 hours since she doesn't rush to get into the pool. Still, we have a total of five lanes in the pool and with a restriction of two people per lane maximum, the total number of swimmers is 10. 

I'm not a fan of chain swimming. I don't think anyone really 
is. When you're dealing with a group of people who swim 
similar times, it's not horrid, but when people are swimming 
who vary in tempo, it can be horribly annoying. 

I admit I find that a relief, although in pre-Covid days, Rosemary and I usually shared a lane, and I can only recall two times when we needed to share with a third person. I really hate chain circling, I think most swimmers aren't fond of it, When you're forced to chain because there are too many swimmers for the allotted lanes, it's rather horrid. You're stuck behind the slower swimmers, or you can attempt to pass, but doing so puts you in the way of the swimmers returning to the start wall. Limiting our numbers to no more than two per lane eliminates that issue completely. 

Now that I'm somewhat comfortable in the water again, it's 
time to start working on technique - fine tuning and 
refining. My kick right now is horrid. I need to work on 
my flutter kick and get the power back into it. I also need 
to refine my arm positions and once again, try to work 
on kick-turns. I'm totally horrid at those. 

I'm not back to full speed or strength yet, by any definition. I have absolutely no power in my legs, they kick out behind me, but they're not doing their job in helping my propulsion. As usual, I can't "dolphin kick" at all because it bothers my back, and about the only way my legs give propulsion is with a frog kick during breast stroke. My arms carry me through both freestyle and backstroke. When I grab my kickboard for a couple of laps with just my feet, I stall out when my shove-off propulsion has diffused. I'll have to look up some exercises for my kicks once I'm caught up with my computer work for today. 

Looking at the window in daylight, before DH did a second 
tape job on the cracks, it's not really great. It's a very large 
pane of glass and it's going to be an expensive replacement. 

I spoke to our insurance company yesterday and they said the window is likely the responsibility of our landlord, but to send them the relevant parts of our lease agreement and photos and they would let us know for sure. I suspect they are right, and I'll probably have to approach our landlord by the end of the week. We get along very well with out landlord - we moved in 1993 or so, do most of our repairs by ourselves, and he has never, in all of that long span of years, raised our rent. He has repainted the interior once, and fixed the roof from leaks several times, did some work on the plumbing, and recommended a good furnace guy to us when our furnace broke mid-winter several years ago. He lives around the corner. His Dad was friends with my father-in-law, which was the "in" we needed to get the property when we needed it. All in all, it's been a great relationship, and I don't want to rock the boat. If necessary, we'll pay for the repair and just expense it on our taxes. 

The best premise is that someone was riding the 
Lime scooter (legally or illegally) and hit the 
join between the sidewalk and our store's apron, 
losing control of the scooter and having it 
strike the window. I don't think the break 
was purposeful, I think it was an accident. 
Still, we'll end up paying the price. *sigh*

So, that's all the news today. Not much going on ... same old, same old - LOL. A few more rivers to ford, but we'll manage to pull our way through them. I hope you have a truly splendid day and I'll be back tomorrow, and please, be kind and stay safe. 

Stay-at-Home Day 26 - Escalations in Timing

Stay-at-home in my area is in effect until May 4th, although DH suspects it may be extended until the end of May. Either way, I have a car needing help and, fortunately, insurance adjusters seem to be considered "essential". Therefore I met Cindy in my driveway this morning, as she took a careful look at my poor car. 

I adore my car, my Mazda CX-5 has been a great car for me, filling
all of my needs for more than five years now. I'm not sure I'd
look at a different brand when it comes for replacement. It really hits
almost all of my buttons. 

After consulting with DH yesterday, I phoned my insurance company yesterday and discussed getting my shark-fin replaced. He said I had comprehensive insurance and no matter what, it would only cost me $50 up front. Finally, the multitude of dollars I've paid for insurance will have an opportunity to pay me for a change. Whoot! 

Whoot! I'll get my car fixed and it's only going to cost me
$50. (Of course, that doesn't really count, since I've paid
my insurance company thousands of $ over the years.) 

I met their adjuster this morning who said the roof looked dented to her, and additionally, with the hairline cracks in the paint finish around the fin, she said it should be fixed by a body shop which would be able to repair or replace whatever needed doing and get my poor car back to showroom finish. 

Sometimes we all get caught up a creek without a paddle.
Life happens. Hopefully, the water is shallow enough that
you can walk yourself out once again. 

She said the insurance company would cover all incurred costs including a rental car for me for however long my poor car will be at the car doctor. The estimate she sent to me and the body shop she recommended came to more than $1600! I guess that rock did a lot more damage than I originally had thought. I'm so relieved I have insurance that will cover this. I'd be totally up the creek without a paddle without it. I would have a really hard time coming up with that much money. 

It was a delight to hear from my old friend. I've kept in touch
with her for many years, and it was wonderful to catch up again. 

On a totally different note, I got a lovely catch-up letter from an old friend yesterday, a screen name that some of you may recognize - Kymahalei. Many years ago, when one of her kids was applying for one of the local private colleges in the area, she had come up from Indiana and we had a chance to meet at the coffee shop next door to my shop, to share a cuppa and gossip. I send her a holiday card every year, and it was absolutely lovely to hear from her. I thought I'd let all of you who remember her fondly that she's doing great, she's teaching and excited to be helping students once again, and if you want to transmit messages to her, I'd be happy to pass them on, or her old email is still current as well. . 

On that note, I'm out of here for the day. Late once again, but it's amazing how busy I can be during an enforced vacation time - LOL. As always, Stay Safe, Stay Home, Stay Well. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Monster Walks - Appropriate for the Halloween Season

As I had thought, yesterday was busy, busy and busy. But I actually buckled down and got a lot done - meetings and more meetings and laundry and more laundry and groceries. Oh, and my phone call with Aearwen - a foundational "good mental health" thing for me. All in all, it was a rather successful day of cleaning, organizing, talking and listening. I could use a few more of these, but today it's back to the "grind". 

Monster Walk has me standing on the band with it criss-crossing
at my abdomen so that I'm holding opposite feet. Then I walk
sideways ten steps to the left, then reverse to the right. I repeat this
procedure two times. It's a bit tricky and I suspect it will take me
a couple of days to get used to the new motion. 

My Physical Therapist has added another exercise to my crowded list of therapy, but the name of it had me laughing. "Monster Walks" uses a green Theraband and through a criss-cross hold, exercises the exterior of the upper leg through the knee muscles. I've been having problems with my kneecap shifting in my right leg, and this is one of several exercises we're doing to help strengthen my hip and thigh muscles, which will eliminate the problem. 

The ligament at the front holds the Patella
(kneecap) in place. My kneecap has been
shifting, so we're working on strengthening
the muscles and ligaments to stop that movement
from happening. Of course, all of the muscles
come from the hips, so that's the focal. 

One thing my PT said that I found of interest - most people, unless they are skiers or skaters, will have weak hips which leads to all kinds of knee and mobility issues. He said he could choose a random ten people off the street, test them for hip strength, and most of them would fall into the "weak" category. It doesn't surprise me, we walk all the time, but walking really doesn't strengthen that specific group of muscles. I was rather appalled by how weak my muscles were. Time to get it into gear and really work hard at getting strength back so that I can keep my mobility as long as possible. 

DH and I have been Blue Cross Blue Shield members
for years for our health insurance. We've switched now
and again, but always seem to come back to them. 

On the insurance front, I'm set for another year of health insurance, and some things have actually decreased in cost!?!?! It's a shock, but I'll absolutely take it. The premium is going up $8 a month beginning in January, but I can live with that. 

So today, I'll start my new routine at the gym which will actually take a bit longer. That's probably going to require as much as an additional ten minutes in the gym, so I'll miss the after-workout conversations with Rosemary, Lynn and Laurie, but that can't be helped. I'll manage, and I can usually at least say "Hi" to everyone before we separate for our respective workouts. 

Have an excellent Thursday. I'll be back tomorrow, at least that's the plan. Be good, be kind, and stay cozy. 

Sick Didn't Stop Me - A Day of Accomplishments

Despite the fact that I was feeling poorly, I still managed to get my errands accomplished with some small schedule changes. I got my new standard driver's license taken care of. Now I can work on gathering the paperwork for either a "Real" or an "Enhanced" driver's license without deadlines. My local license bureau had been known for long lines and slow service, but to my surprise, they were now open at 7:30 am instead of 8:30 am, and it really made a difference. I had to wait, but it wasn't horrific. I'm sure my photo will look awful. I did use minimal makeup, but decided against wearing a wig - embracing the bald. I'll be curious about how I look on the finished license when it arrives. 

I really wanted a "Real" or an "Enhanced" driver's license,
but it's going to take some time to get all of the paperwork
assembled and together. I went ahead and just renewed my
standard driver's license instead. 

I also got my health insurance policy in the works for my new Medicare policy. That is what I had been bugging Social Security for. Finally, approval number and Medicare number in hand, I was able to fill out the multi-page health insurance form and bring it in to my insurance company. I am now set to switch over next month, just waiting for letters of confirmation to arrive. 

My chicken soup didn't look as wonderful as this, although
my cranberry whole-grain roll was marvelous. 

I got the groceries purchased and the laundry done. I also got two separate naps in - one in mid-morning, the other in mid-afternoon. I only had some soup and a roll to eat all day, I passed on breakfast and passed on dinner. It's one way to lose weight, but I don't recommend it for a regular habit. 

No, these are NOT my tulips. I think I might have
daffodils, but they aren't silly enough to try blooming
until May. 

The snow finally started falling in the afternoon. I went out and shoveled the driveway around 5:30 pm or so. It was wet and heavy, with 1-1/2 inches already down and lots of snow still falling. I haven't taken a look outside yet, but received phone notification that the plows are in service. We should be getting more snow and sleet throughout the day today and it will stop tomorrow. I really hate spring snows, they're always heavy. I'll probably have plow scree to deal with at the shop, too. Ick! 

It's always difficult to lose a beloved life companion. My
heart goes out to Aearwen and her children. 

For those of you who may not have heard, my friend Aearwen's husband passed on around noon (her time zone) yesterday. She texted me shortly afterward to let me know. It's always hard to lose a life's companion. My heart goes out to her and their children. 

So that wraps this up for today. Tonight is Project Runway, so I'll be posting about the episode in tomorrow's posting if all goes smoothly. Have a wonderful Thursday and tell your loved ones how much you love them. It makes a difference - really! 

OMG - How Can I Be Behind When It's Only 3:40 AM?

Once again I'm meeting with the insurance company. A week ago (or was it two weeks ago?) things were supposed to have been settled - DH in his new insurance and me switched over to a single policy for a few months. Then our bill arrived, not reflecting any of the changes. I wasn't expecting accounting to catch up right away, but phoned to make sure that the plans had actually changed at the head office. They found no indication of changes to either DH nor I, so I'm off to an 8:00 am appointment today - a day which I'm SUPER rushed on anyway because it's the start of our 4-Day End Of The Year Sale. ACK! 

This morning is crazy busy!!!

I'm determined to get my swim in, but realized, as I was going through things this morning, that I left the insurance documents at the shop. This puts a serious crimp in a very tight schedule. DH's birthday is today and I have to pick up his cake and a few other things from the store. I was hoping to get that done, then maybe eat a quick bagel or something before my meeting. That's looking too tight for my time frame if I have to fetch my paperwork. 

My time is slipping away. Have to get going if I'm going to
succeed in my revised schedule. 

But, maybe fate intervened. I awakened at 2:10 am and caught up with things then. It's only 3:30 now, and if I rush this post through, I can grab my things for the gym, drive down to the shop and get the paperwork, and then all the way up to the gym, have my swim, go home and change my swim gear over to my shop stuff, and finally, head out to the grocer and then the appointment. All before 8:00 am! Whew!!! I'm exhausted already. 

But that's probably my only chance, so I'm going to wrap this up quickly. Thanks to all of you who sent such wonderful cards. Over the weekend I got cards from Tom & Mary, Joe & Chelsea, my good friend of many years and hours of conversation - Aearwen, Raven & Dai, and Jenybeth. Each card was totally OOOHed and AHHHHed over. Thanks so much!!! And so, I'm off. Have a great Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow for Day 2 of my year-end sale. Ack! 

It's a Normal Wednesday - Busy, Busy and Busy

We finally received DH's Medicare number, filled out a bunch of other forms, and I'm back out to the health insurance company today to make sure that he's insured, and also that I am. It's the final stages of a long drawn-out process of trying to get his Federal Medicare set up, and it was a good lesson to me - start early! Start WAY earlier than you think you need to. Looking at my time frame, it took us about five weeks, but I'd say give yourself a two-month buffer to get your information and documentation in order, submitted, processed, and locked down. 

Looking from the outside, looking in. There's so much to build a story
on in this photo - the reflections pulling the viewer into unexpected
dimensions. Have you ever stood at a window at an unusual angle and
spotted something you thought shouldn't be there? Maybe that's
a quick view of another dimension you never saw before. 

I also have to review a domain name coming up for renewal and decide if I want to keep it or trash it, get a few holiday gifts ordered, order my calendars for next year, and go grocery shopping. If I have any more time, there's a project I've been designing and I've been fighting it. It's a simple project to put together, but it's fighting me every step of the way. I've decided to change the thread weight, thinking that might make a difference, and I want to check out the results on that today. 

I think this project will work a lot better with a much thicker
thread. The thread I originally chose certainly works, but it
gets tangled too easily and the second stage of the project
is much harder than it should be. Time to switch to a
different thread and see if that makes a difference. 

And, I'll finally have a chance to talk with Aearwen and catch up on what's happening in her life and with her family after two weeks! That's pretty extreme for us since we usually chat every week. I'm having Aearwen-withdrawl! LOL. 

For a bit of whimsy, check this out. This is the work
of one of several self-proclaimed pothole gardener's
works. There are several of these guys in England, and
at least one in the USA. Their goal - to point out
poor road conditions by erecting a small garden
tableau or sculptures. Such fun! 

So, between the usual grocery shopping and multiple loads of laundry, I guess I'll be kept busy today. No grass growing under my lazy feet - as if any would do so in our cold, winter temperatures anyway. I know this is short and sweet, but sometimes that's just the way it has to be. I'll pepper this with some photos, because it's all about the visuals - LOL. Have a great Wednesday and I'll be back after I catch my breath, tomorrow. 

"Plop" Onto My Desktop Destroyed My Morning's Calm Time

There's nothing much more disconcerting than having something "plop" onto my desk and almost immediately disappear into the shadows. I jumped up right away and moved papers, etc. No luck. I have no idea exactly what dropped in front of me approximately 15 minutes ago, but suspect it was either a spider or one of the smaller multi-legged critters that I just can't seem to rid my house of. I hope I'll find the perpetrator soon and smash it to smithereens, but I have to keep forging ahead - schedules don't have time for the unexpected in my early mornings. 

Today I'm talking about bugs, so I'm finding pretty ones to
share with all of you. This is the Giant Mosquito Bug,
found in the Southwestern USA. It's quite colorful,
looks almost like mosaic. 

Yesterday was dental check-up day for DH and me, and we both passed with flying colors. Next appointments are scheduled for six months down the road, shortly before my birthday. I've been working hard to get a handle on Medicare, what we will have to pay and what will be covered. After narrowing the choices down a bit, I decided that speaking to someone would be wisest. The earliest appointment I could get was November 7th at 7:00 am! Guess where I'll be on that date - right! I'll be waiting for them to unlock the doors so that I can get some concrete information. 

I have no idea what this bug is, but I love the iridescence of its'
coloring. Those purples and topaz colors with a hint of turquoise
really attract me. 

I will try to run policies through the Medicare.gov system today and print out some comparisons for DH to look at. He's trying to figure out a budget while I'm trying to determine the best plan for him. Hmmm, seems like his priorities are a little skewed, but that's the way it is. We're both pretty healthy - he takes meds to help with his blood pressure but that's all, I don't take anything. I doubt we'll be lucky enough to say that twenty years from now, but who knows. I can't foresee the future. Hell, I'm having a hard enough time looking two months ahead! 

The closest ID I can get on this guy is Trubkovich Polyphagous. Is
that it's real name? I haven't a clue. Once again it's the colors that
really attracted me. I like the fuzzy antennae too. 

Maybe it's true - though. Insects will inherit the earth. They do seem quite indestructible. If you or I fell from the distance that ceiling is from my desk, we'd be crippled with internal injuries. We certainly wouldn't immediately be scurrying away to the darker hiding spaces. It's been said that cockroaches would survive a nuclear holocaust. Let's just hope we never put that to the test, shall we? 

This final photo for the day is a Main Mantis. I love how it
mimics the wings of a butterfly. So pretty against
that pale body. 

On that note, I've got to get moving. Already a bit late because of "the bug"! Have a great Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Getting My Thoughts In Order - Oh! Look! There's a Butterfly!

Once again my sleep is being interrupted by stress - this time figuring out Medicare, time frames for switching over and changing other things that will have to go along with it, and our new, expanded  drivers license requirements. It's a darned good thing I don't have to do all of these at once, but almost everything is coming within the next six months or so, therefore, my clock is ticking. 

Time to pay attention to my ticking clock. I may not
want to deal with things, but deadlines are firm and
plans have to be in place before then. 

This is a post to allow myself to prioritize - it's not earthshaking, it's not pretty pictures or stuff, it's just getting my thoughts into order which is frustrating enough sometimes. I'm more of an "Let's see, bring out the spreadsheets ... Oh! Wait! Look at the pretty butterfly!" kind of a person. So, I guess this might be a mish-mash, but I'll try. 

Oooooh, A butterfly. Well, why not! I'll populate the rest
of this post with beautiful butterflies because that's a
lot prettier to look at than forms and calendars. 

First is health insurance - Medicare for DH, regular for me for a while longer. That doubles the planning because - two different types of plans, possibly two or more insurance carriers. The only absolute is that we like the clinic we go to and the doctors we see there and would like to stay with their system. Figuring this out is high priority though - plans came live on the first of this month, and actual costs will go live in another nine days. Planning ... planning ... 

This gorgeous butterfly is the Blue Morpho, found in South America.
I love the fabulous iridescent turquoise of its' wings. 

Next will be contacting and talking to some people regarding finances which will have to be moved from one type of account to another. No specifics here - LOL. Look for the bear behind the next tree instead. It's going to take some phone calls and maybe a quick touch of base with our accountant to know exactly what to do here ... so - forest, meet trees, meet chain saw. I need a clear pathway and some clear directions for this one. 

This lovely butterfly from the Carolinas in the USA is obviously
a Denver Broncos fan. Just look at that blue and orange
coloring! 

The driver's license issue will be a total pain for me, much less of one for DH. He's a local boy. Even though he was adopted, he has a birth certificate that doesn't look like a joke, he has adoption papers that are readable, and although his passport is expired, he's got lots of documentation and an uninterrupted history within our area of the city. Me? I'm not so lucky. I'm going to have to check a lot of things out before I get my license renewed. I don't have to do the super spiffy all access license right away - I can push that off for a year or so - but I do have to seriously look into my ridiculous lack of paperwork and start plugging some holes. 

This lovely butterfly is called the Mexican Bluewing and is found in
northern Mexico and southern Texas. There is concern that it may
be impacted by "The Wall" between the USA and Mexico. 

It's much harder to live in our information age in so many ways. We live in an age of suspicion and anger. Because of that, walls have slammed down and all T's must be crossed and I's must be dotted. In block letters and printed format. My T's are actually crossed and my I's are dotted, but mine are in cursive with spirals and a bit of graffiti. It's all there - just a lot harder for me to get to. 

This spectacular butterfly is called the "Golden Cocoon", although I
couldn't find a lot of info. It's so pretty, though, with all of those
varied shades of purple. 

So there you have it - my thoughts laid out for the day. What a laugh ... what a mess! I think I need a really good swim to get some of the stress out of my life right now. Have an excellent weekend, hug someone special, and start thinking about your Halloween costumes and treats. Samhain is coming up quickly. I'll be back on Monday.