"Just deposit $500,000!"
It's miscellany time, frugal people!
When you have been incorrectly put on a mailing list...
You guys know that I did some "open a new bank account and get a bonus" offers last summer, since for the first time in ages, I had a direct deposit paycheck (from the hospital).
Well, I got an offer in the mail for a $3,500 new account bonus (ooh!).
But when I opened it up, I discovered that I needed to maintain a $500,000 account balance for 90 days in order to qualify.
And this made me chuckle. Imagine having $500,000 just sitting around waiting to be used for an account-opening bonus!
It was definitely an error to put me on this marketing list. 😉
"I'm going to work" still feels strange
This is neither here nor there, neither good nor bad; just an observation.
From 2008-2024, I was solely self-employed (piano teacher, church musician, blogger). So, while I was always working in some capacity, the phrase, "I'm going to work." never crossed my lips.
Everyone else in my house went to work, but not me.
So, even though I've been working at the hospital now for almost a year, it still feels really weird to say to Zoe, "I'm going to work." or to miss a call from Lisey and text her to say, "I'll call you after work."
It took me two years to glue a puzzle
Zoe and I put together this New Yorker puzzle in the summer of 2023, intending to ModPodge it and hang it on a wall.
However, shortly after we finished it, I started nursing school and we know how life went after that! This puzzle has been sitting on my kitchen table for almost two years. Ahahahaha.
But looky looky! I finally got out the ModPodge and coated the puzzle.
I hung it up down in the basement, just using Command strips.
It's wild how much easier it is to get things done now that I'm not in nursing school. 😉
I understand medical memoirs way more now
I was a voracious consumer of medical memoirs/adjacent genres before nursing school, and I enjoyed them. But I recently picked up Theresa Brown's Critical Care and as I started re-reading it, I was amazed at how much more I understood about the diseases she was treating and also the interventions/medications.
And that makes these types of books even more enjoyable!
I kinda wish I'd chosen an earlier NCLEX date
When I signed up, there were some June dates available and I was like, "Oh dear, that's awfully soon."
So I picked July 8th.
But I have been doing practice NCLEX tests and they are saying I have a "Very High" chance of passing right now. Which makes me wish I'd picked a sooner date so I could get this over with!
On the upside, at least I don't need to feel very nervous about the NCLEX. And I don't think I need to spend hours every day studying between now and my test date.
I'll just do a small amount of consistent practice for the next month.
I don't think I'm ever gonna need those...
The other day at the gym, while I was doing dumbbell shoulder presses (with 15-pound dumbbells, mind you), I looked at the 100-pound dumbbells and wondered what in the world it must be like to need those!
Dumbbells are primarily used for upper body exercises, of course, and the odds of me ever needing 100 pounds for my upper body are slim to none. Ha.
Want to share some of your own miscellany? Join in the comments!
Miscellany is just...random stuff rolling around in your brain. No pressure, no rules. 😉
Is the 5$ table refinished?
@Megan,
I am also very curious to know....
I just need to do a quick sand on the top and one more coat of polyurethane. Maybe next week?
I love that puzzle!!!
Last night I had a dream that you and your friends won a trip to a tropical island and you said 'so there'll be no posts for the next few weeks'. I thought that might make you laugh!
I can deadlift much heavier weights than when I started at the gym. It's so satisfying to get stronger!
Haha, well, a tropical trip with my pals WOULD be very nice.
What a fun post today.
I suspect that the Wells Fargo offer is not that great. After some digging I see that the interest on that account is 0.01%. It looks like the account is mostly a gateway to other services they offer, for a fee. Fear not that you don't have the half mil to take "advantage" of the offer.
We are on Long Island Sound this week and it is beautiful. We have spent a lot of time with extended family, and on the beach, and have also done a bit of sight seeing. There is nothing frugal to report but a lot to be thankful for. It's all good.
@K D,
Enjoy your time with your family! Beach Days are the best.
Kristen, I’m just curious…. How long after you take the NCLEX does it take to get results? And what if someone doesn’t pass? Not that I think this will be an issue for you in the least!! Just my normal curiosity speaking here!
@Addy, I knew the next day cause I got an email from my state telling me my license number. However, I never got one from the testing company.
I think we get our results in just a few days!
You can retake if it you don't pass but I do believe there is a waiting period. Maybe 45 days?
ROTFL at the Wells Fargo offer. Their "normal people checking account bonus" is $325 for depositing $1,000. Let's math it out: 3,500/500,000 is a 0.7% return, and 325/1,000 is a 32.5% return. I've made quite a hobby of opening new checking accounts for the bonuses, and WF was the worst customer experience simply because they took so long to pay out the bonus after I made the qualifying deposits. But hey, maybe I would feel differently if I was the kind of person who had 500k in my checking account.
@Birchie, WF used to be an excellent and well-reputed bank. It all went to hell after it was purchased by Norwest in 1998.
$3500 is a very low return for all that money, just compare it to other deposit money/get a bonus deals, plus it's too much to be covered by FDIC insurance. Only a dummy would do this, which makes me wonder if it's a scheme or scam designed to identify the gullible.
My random bits of strength training - with dumbbells of 20 lbs or less, hah! - is gradually addressing both my lower back pain/stiffness and the enduring trigger point knot in my shoulder.
Fulgor-Milano continues to screw up about my new stove. The replacement (which they finally provided after 5 visits for the old one) arrived dented. It was originally installed in December, people!
How it is that retirement is so busy? It's the rare day that I don't have some sort of appointment or obligation. I desperately want a couple of free weeks where I have nothing scheduled. I'm pondering how to arrange that.
My new house continues to bring me joy. I disdained big houses, thinking about the increased maintenance, cleaning, etc., but it turns out that some extra room solved some of my stressors. Whoda thunk it?
My dog is adorable and cuddly and loves to curl up at the end of the couch as my footrest. Sometimes when I scritch his favorite spot, he gives his doggie-purr.
@WilliamB, KD pointed out that it's Wells Fargo. That bank has earned its thoroughly terrible reputation and has been subject to the banking equivalent of criminal sanctions for illegal activities, such as opening accounts without permission.
So while it's not a scam exactly, it most certainly is filtering for the gullible to take advantage of.
@WilliamB, Wikipedia's article is as fair and well-balanced representation of some of the issues.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Fargo_cross-selling_scandal
@WilliamB, did you retire recently? I missed this!
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, I haven't talked about it much and it's not total.
@WilliamB, back in the 80s, I rode the bus to/from downtown Minneapolis with John Stumpf, the disgraced future CEO of Wells Fargo. He came from humble beginnings and was once frugal. Quite a story.
@WilliamB, remember WF was on supervision and asset caps due to their opening accounts for customers who were none the wiser. Employees had quotas and got bonuses. Of course presidementia and his minions thought the asset cap was "unfair" (which is kind of like an activist judge LOL) and removed it.
And a warning to all who have a bank account - Ms. Bowman. She stated our goal shouldn't be to prevent banks from failing or eliminate the risk they will. Banks should be safe to fail - meaning they can fail without destabilizing the rest of the banking system. This line of thinking plus changing regulation to lower capital levels is scary.
@MB in MN, greed
@WilliamB,
We downsized because we moved to a HCOL area. I pretty much hate a small house. I thought that it would be great-cheaper to run, less to maintain, etc. It's really just a big pain. Everything has to be put away immediately. And put away just the right way or else it doesn't fit. I have had to get rid of more than I wanted to. It's too small when guests come to stay.
Most days I feel that the nicer area to live and much nicer weather are not worth living in a too small house.
@Kara, I'm sorry to hear that. :-<<
@WilliamB, if you figure out that retirement problem, please let us know!
I usually write a post called "5 thing Friday" that is al about miscellany, but I do have some for today:
*I'm on call tonight which means I can take that 2 hour nap this afternoon on the couch with zero guilt. I am so looking forward to it! I hope it rains.
*speaking of rain, it did so overnight and the yards look so bright green it almost glows!
*I'm going to relist some items on Ebay after I read your "list it and forget it" philosophy. I have plenty of bubble wrap, mailing envelopes, a printer, and some tape. I'm all set.
*I actually bought some things for stocking stuffers for my peeps yesterday. Is it June? Are they adults? Am I looking forward to Christmas? I guess the answer to all is YES.
Happy Wednesday! I have a couple of those weights in my garage left from when Son #2 came to stay...
@Gina from The Cannary Family,
In Michigan they are already clearance outdoor/summer furniture & things AND pulling out the school supplies (school just ended this last week). I'm already getting store emails about Halloween (in June).
I love to pick up things I find at good price for gifts later, but the commercialism is getting pretty far ahead of the time.
Now that we're done with school and past our camping trip, I need to hit it hard with packing for our upcoming move. Our realtor is coming over tonight to do a walk- through of what we should consider before we list our house. (Should we put new flooring in the kitchen? Things like that.) We've put a lot of work and love into this house and I'm sad about leaving it, though excited about the new house as well. I'm glad we can feel two things at the same time.
I'm trying not to get overwhelmed with all of the To Do's and accept that it's OK that I'm not as far ahead as I thought I'd be at this point in the week.
On a brighter note, I'm so happy that my kids have such wonderful friends from school and church. We're sending out birthday party invitations today and I'm delighted with the sweet little friends my youngest kiddo has made.
@Ruth T, I had new floor put in before moving/selling & they new owner ended up ripping it out anyway. Unless it's damaged don't replace because new owners may have different ideas. Just clean well & touch up if necessary.
The added stress if a contractor/project while trying to pack/downsize is additional stress & the return on it is usually not much in overall pricing.
@Regina, Thanks! The contractor is my husband, so that makes things a lot easier and cheaper. 😉 And my FIL is also able to help. We're certainly not going to pour big bucks into new flooring, but I'm not sure if my kitchen floor is too old and crappy and really needs to go.
@Regina, agree with you. Don't do anything that a new buyer would change.
I sold my old house a couple of years ago. It's went stunningly well as these things go. I didn't do anything major although nothing needed fixing - I never let something stay broken. I packed away about half my art, objects, and small pieces of furniture and told potential buyers that I'd already taken care of the boring stuff (new roof, upgraded chimney liners, etc); they could focus on the fun things.
@Ruth T, I have moved many times and appreciate good planning skills. When the parts of the plan start working, plan one more thing six months in the future. Looking forward to it can help endure the inevitable hiccups in moving. Good luck!
I (or my math) could well be wrong, but it sounds like Wells Fargo is offering something along the line of 0.1749% interest (the $3,500) on your $500,000 for those 90 days you're waiting to get your $500,000.00 account deemed "acceptable". And then there's the threat of a $35 monthly account fee for the privilege of maintaining the account.... Sounds like a deal for somebody (cough! Wells Fargo!). And it's kinda spooky (and intrusive) that all the banks and others can troll around in our financial info (like opening new accounts elsewhere) to make these pitches.
Kristen, you must feel like you have so much time on your hands. The schedule that you kept was more than rigorous.
This year, the weather during May and June in Florida has been quite uncomfortable. I find myself dreaming about having a summer house someplace cooler and less crowded.
I have been going to the gym regularly again and doing some strength training. I have been pleasantly surprised that I'm getting much stronger rather quickly. However, I don't think I'll ever need 100-pound dumbbells.
I'm continuing to declutter. It's not an easy task. Since I have bought and sold antiques and collectibles since the 1990s as a side hustle, none of the normal suggestions on how to declutter seems to apply to me. Although my house doesn't particularly look cluttered, there are things stuffed in every drawer, cabinet, and closet. However, none of it is really junk. So I am plugging away focusing on one area at a time listing things on eBay, consigning items, giving little treasures to friends, posting things on Buy Nothing, and donating items to worthy causes. It is slow going!
Happy Wednesday!
@Bee, I can sympathize with your decluttering dilemma. Almost all of the stuff I considered true clutter is now gone. But now I'm looking at things like the British royal commemoratives collection, the collection of Russel Wright Iroquois china (made here in my city), and the books I'm really attached to. Not easy.
@Bee, George Carlin said (cleaned up for this audience) "My stuff, your clutter, his junk."
@A. Marie and @WilliamB
Love Russel Wright among other 20th century designers. I see beauty in so many different things. There is so much variety in my treasures! I have sworn off buying anything for resale purposes until I have sold or given away some of the excess. I have often said there is a fine line between a reseller/broker and a hoarder. It's one I never want to cross. Of course, it is not something that I want my children to deal with either.
Oh, Kristen, I'm sure the bank has heard how successful you are as a blogger, and how many zillions of readers you must have -- and that's probably why they think you have half a million bucks at your disposal! LOL!
After I graduated from college and started my first job, every evening I kept thinking "there's something I need to do, but what is it?" It really bothered me. I finally realized I was so conditioned to studying after supper (and had done it so many years throughout the upper elementary grades, junior high, high school and college), that my subconscious was nagging me to hit the books. So when I did other things, there was a persistent feeling in the back of my mind that I was neglecting something really, really important. It took a couple of years for that nagging feeling to go away.
But, from time to time, I still have the old college nightmare, the one where you suddenly realize you have a final exam in a class you forgot about all semester. And then have trouble even finding the classroom. I have a similar one about news reporting, in which it's deadline and I can't find my way into the newsroom. I wake up in a cold sweat after these dreams, with my heart racing -- and it takes a few minutes to realize the bad dream was not for real.
Today, I have to go around and photograph every thing that's wrong with my house, then document the features of my house that the real estate experts say are outdated and won't help me sell the house. (Not that I could afford to leave.) This is going to be my evidence for why the property tax people should not increase my home value yet again. The tax protest hearing is next week and I'm really dreading it to the point of being depressed. It's just too overwhelming!
Hahaha, well, one of my friends from clinical last semester kept insisting I was a millionaire from my blogging job. (hardly!) Wells Fargo must have heard her jokes. 😉
Who would put that much money in an account with inadequate insurance for such a small bonus? No one, one hopes.
This isn't "slam on Wells Fargo" day, but: WF dallied so long on accepting a greater than full-price cash offer made for a friend's house being sold, that the potential buyer got mad and bought a different house, so the owner lost a cash sale on her house that she was trying to sell after a divorce . The owner was up to date on the mortgage; this was a regular sale, no special circumstances. The potential buyer had waited over 5 months for acceptance from WF before giving up, while the owner and both real estate agents had been pleading with WF the whole time to accept the offer. Then, when the owner decided just to keep the house and and refinanced it with someone else (wonder why?) WF took her to court claiming she was defaulting on her loan and they should get the house. Thank heavens my friend won that one.
Now, back to miscellany.
I will not be using any 100 pound weights, guaranteed.
I'm so used to "going to work" and "I'll get with you/call you after work" that it will feel really odd to me to not say that next year when I retire.
My neighbor has offered to dig up my loquat tree, as it is clearly dying, thanks to Idalia, Debbie and Helene. I realize this would be a free way to get it down, with no stump left, but I still have hesitated. It's next to my bird feeders, and the birds still use it as a place to park before going to or coming from the feeder. Plus - I'll miss it so much. I know, I need to tell him to go ahead. Rats.
We are trying to plan a family vacation, but my eldest works for the legislature modifying statutes after the session is over, and the legislature had to come back to hammer out the budget, so instead of her working her hardest in June and July, it may well be July and August. It makes it hard to plan anything before school starts back.
I don't know why I never thought of this before, but I realized one day recently that my three-legged dog can't scratch on the left side. He was standing sort of in a curl, and I suddenly realized he really wanted to raise his left hind leg and scratch, but of course, no hind leg. I got a brush and scrubbed him down on that whole side and he loved it. I'll have to do that regularly, now.
@JD, I had a beloved but clearly dying enormous ash tree in my back courtyard and I knew it needed to be taken down. But I procrastinated because it was very near one of my property lines and my adobe courtyard wall and I was concerned about damage to the house/roof and the neighbor's property. A couple of months ago our fierce NM southwest wind took care of it for me, and literally uprooted the entire tree. Miraculously, no damage to anything else - the house, the roof, the wall, the neighbor's property. Found someone to come out the very next day and haul it away. I still miss it in the sense of seeing a vacant space where it once stood, but do not miss the stress of wondering how and when to take it down -- or how much it would cost!
Sad news: I'll be leaving shortly for the calling hours of an old Jane Austen friend who died last week of metastatic cancer (on DH's death day, June 4). We'd drifted out of touch due to her illness, my caregiving for DH, and the pandemic--but we were reconnected by a mutual friend (NDN's CF) recently, and were able to exchange a couple of notes before she died.
But glad news: Word about the JA exhibit at the Morgan Library is getting out. Here's an article about it in today's NY Times, for those of you who can get over the paywall (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/arts/design/jane-austen-show-morgan-library.html).
@A. Marie, My sympathies for your loss.
@A. Marie, Condolences on the death of your friend. I'm glad you were able to reconnect before her passing. And thank you for the NYT article link - I had missed it in my morning perusal. The exhibit sounds absolutely enchanting!
@A. Marie,
I'm so sorry! My sister lost her closest friend a few months after her own DH died, and it was really hard for her. I wish you peace.
@A. Marie, I am so sorry about your friend. The articke is delightful, though, and I especially loved that she wrote in the dining room. So many women have to create art in shared spaces.
@A. Marie, I'm sorry you are enduring another loss, of a friend.
I am so sorry to hear of your loss!
@A. Marie, so sorry for the loss of your friend. may her memory be for a blessing.
I use dumbbells instead of kettlebells for lower body workouts, because of how they fit in my hand! (I have big hands) So I absolutely could see using 100lb dumbbells 🙂 I’m currently at the point of using 50lb dumbbells when doing exercises for my lower back & legs, and the limiting factor is actually my hands/wrists, so working on building those up before increasing weights.
@BikeMom, Super impressive!
I woke up this morning with some free floating anxiety. I am an introvert who masquerades as an extreme extrovert. I have made plans on Friday to take a new friend to hike in Muir Woods. This kind of one on one interaction for a 14 hour day would have been impossible 20 years ago. However, I have practiced the art of "manually overriding" my hardwired fears through a series of techniques that make new social interaction possible for me.
It is standard that 3 days before any new commitment, I yell at myself, " It is SO MUCH EASIER to be alone." However tempting living a smaller life seems, the truth is that by pushing myself into my uncomfortable zone, I continue to grow and change at an astonishing rate. I see so many of the 60 years around me taking fewer and fewer risks. This is effecting them physically, mentally and spiritually. I am willing to be uncomfortable to maintain my vibrant life.
This is a long way of recommending a great book on the subject of introverts. It is called Quiet.
@Mary Ann,
I love the redwoods. Although I was born and raised in Florida, I make at least one trip each year to California. Many years ago we stayed north of SF in Santa Rosa.On the first night that we are there, we went to bed at 7:00pm and were up by 5:00 am. ( Jet lag) At that time, Muir Woods offered free admission between 7:00 and 9:00am. So bring frugal, we decided to take advantage of this offer.
We were the only people in the park save the rangers. It was absolutely magical to be among the towering trees in the quiet of the early, foggy morning. We watched the woods wake up and heard a mountain lion roar. Although I had visited Muir Wood many times before, this is the time that I'll always remember.
I hope your trip is magical too!
@Mary Ann, I read Quiet when it came out and it was so freeing! My whole life being considered an introvert had such a negative cast to it. Susan Cain opened up a whole new way of allowing myself to be me unapologetically.
DS18's tennis coach is also the school photographer, and took some fabulous photos at graduation. The one he took of DS18 is so great, I won't need to order the professional photo, saving me about $30. I printed it instead at CVS, using a reward, and printed off a few extra for other people who asked for a photo.
As I type there is a tiling crew in my master bath fixing/replacing the disaster of a shower that my brother in law left me with. After the last conversation that he and I had I paid the balance he claimed I owed him - $5297.00. It will cost me $6000.00 for the shower to be installed correctly. I also have a plumber scheduled to come to my home on Thursday to reset all the toilets that he installed - total cost yet to be determined but it should fall somewhere in the neighborhood of $600-$800 depending on how bad they are. I just have no words at this point but I will never go down this road again. Silver lining in all of this is that I will finally be able to shower in my Master bathroom. Haven't been able to do that since Jan 2024.
I find as I age I am far less willing to compromise my self in order to please others or keep peace. The above scenario is the last exception to this. He threatened me and my family so I paid him the amount he requested and walked away. Angie 10 years ago would still be around this man, act like I was in the wrong, put up with him at family functions and the like to keep everyone happy. Today Angie called her sister to let her know that I will not be going on a family getaway and holidays will not look the same as far as participation from my family. I realize to a lot of people this may seem harsh. I ran across the most beautiful post on Instagram yesterday after I made this call with my sister. 'Forgiveness is not a reunion. It is a release. You are not called to go back and be torn down again. Forgiveness is for your freedom, not their access. You can forgive, release, and move on. Without explaining yourself. Without reopening old wounds."
@Angie,
Good for you for moving on from crazy. I have had to do it many times in the years with my numerous family members. The 8 of us have not all been in the same room for at least 15 years. I refuse to participate in explosive chaos. I have rather invested in the "safe members" of my family individually, in pairs, etc. . . Less in my family is definitely more.
@Angie,
Thank you for sharing that quote about forgiveness. Very helpful; very wise.
I got scammed by some cousins, who used to be as close to me as sisters, and I had to shut them out of my life -- for my own safety and well-being. Because it wasn't the first time they'd conned me, far from it. I can't tell you how much that hurt, but keeping them away from me has been the best thing ever....and it's been 20+ years.
My church has taught me that you can forgive someone by releasing them "to their highest and best good," without letting them back into your life to do it again. Because they usually will.
Case in point: if you were abused, such as being an abused wife. Our former assistant district attorney once came to speak to a women's group and she showed cases where the battered wives forgave their husbands over and over again, dropping the charges and letting the abusive spouse back into their lives -- and in every case, the injuries got worse and worse until finally the wife was killed, or in one case, paralyzed.
A lady at my current church said "you must forgive, but you are allowed to set boundaries."
I'm sorry you had to end up paying all that money to your BIL, but I applaud you for standing up for yourself. Actions need to have consequences, and that goes double if they're in your family. Like my dad said about those cousins (who were on mom's side of the family) and their parents, "family doesn't treat family like that!"
So sad it has to be that way. But I'm glad you're going to get to use your shower again!
@Angie, I don't deem it harsh. If he's licensed or on Angi's list et al, I make sure to post about the clusterfake of his work.
You can use the 100 pound weights to do deadlifts for your glutes and hamstrings!
Fun fact: In the puzzle community some view gluing a puzzle as blasphemy, I guess if it was a rare vintage one I could see it and not some mass produced one.
If you have $500k, you don't want to put it in a savings account anyway unless that's petty cash to you. Even then I can't think of a reason to use Wells Fargo unless they gave me a full body massage by a beautiful woman every time I went in a branch. Horrible company that does not deserve your money, time or anything.
@Battra92,
So now we know you can be bribed! I was laughing out loud as I read that.
@JD, Everybody has a price and yes, that includes me. I'm only human! 😛
@Battra92,
I look on housekeepers as "partners" that free me to do other types of organization that only I can do. Also, they are neutral experts who get in and get out. They don't stop to have to answer the door, the phone, or deciding which all trophies get thrown away.
Some non-frugal miscellany: On Monday I had a plumber replace our ancient water heater with a new tankless model. No more worrying that the water heater would die before we replaced it AND I gained so much space in my laundry room!
Yesterday, I had some housecleaners do a deep clean, which I didn't realize how much I needed. They were great and now I feel much more ready for upcoming house guests. (Don't judge me for hiring housecleaners - I physically am not able to do much of the cleaning and rely on my husband, who does his best, but ...)
It's great peace of mind to get some of these things off the never-ending to-do list.
@Heather, spending money is not the same thing as being unfrugal!!!
I also eant to share that I've hired house cleaners most of my adult life. I hate doing it and have no trouble paying someone else to do it instead.
@WilliamB, And just yesterday I hired my daughter to clean my house. She needs the money & I’m tired of the drudgery!! My house looks amazing this am & I was free to attack some long neglected garage chores. Such a win-win
@Heather, hiring a house cleaner is an excellent use of resources whether you can do it yourself or not. Enjoy the gift that it is.
@Heather, I have a housekeeper come once a week for a few hours and refuse to be shamed about it. I am chronically ill and I need the help. Also, I paid my way though my first year of college being a housekeeper and was happy to have a job where I could decide the hours and the homes were safe and I didn't have to please anyone but the homeowner. You may be giving a financial lifeline to someone when you hire them.
@WilliamB, and while you are paying someone else to do the job, you can be earning more than you're paying them. Plus you can't make more time.
I just about spit chai latte all over the laptop when I read the $500,000 dollars. I can't remember if I shared this, but one (of three) of the insurance/investment companies that my uncle had was not forthcoming in the amount I was to get as a beneficiary of the half coming to me. My financial advisor (hired only after I found out I was going to get a significant sum) and I filled out the necessary forms, sent in requested items. Imagine MY shock and awe when a few days later I was checking my bank statement and it had grown by $25,000! I've never had that much money all at once in my whole life! One of the first things I did after paying off debts, was to buy my middle bro a gas grill to throw him a bone for complaining that I was inheriting a substantial amount of money and he is essentially left out. I see it as God's way of securing my retirement which my bro would never help with anyway.
A funny: I grabbed two acetaminophen 8hr relief and my hypertension pill and stuck them in my pocket before going to work the other night, I had taken my daily meds later in the day and the time span was not long enough to take right then. Imagine my surprise when I got to work and had Molly's dog aspirin instead. Now just to let you know, I am much more cautious in giving meds to my people at work, but it was funny to find the beef flavored tabs.
It has been a week of loss. One of my favorite "souls" passed this week. One of my aides passed after a rough battle with CA. And one of my Christian friends whom my sister adored also passed from a battle with CA.
I have routinely worked six days in a two week pay period for a couple of years. Since I now have my debts paid, I have reduced my schedule to five days in two weeks. May not seem like much of an improvement, but it means that my weekends off will be three days and I will not be sleeping all day Saturday before going to church on Sunday.
I'm the same way about medical memoirs. And I think knowing more about the technical side makes the reading experience more enjoyable, at least for me.
We thought our tough little toaster oven had died, and a part of me wasn't sorry, because it took up most of the real estate on a small countertop (our kitchen is VERY small, hence I am jealous of all possible counterspace). However, when DH got it out to the garage and fiddled with it, it worked again. After observing my stricken expression at the thought of losing my new-found counterspace, he offered to make room for it in the garage, so we're using it out there. Which is nice, as when we do use it, it won't heat up the house. Win-win. I love having counterspace. And blank areas in the house in general, which are hard to come by in a small house with six people.
DS#4 is recovering splendidly from his wisdom tooth extraction, but the second night he was home he was having a fever that worried us. It worried Clark, too, because he decided to caterwaul like crazy when we tried to go to bed. Finally at midnight, DH got up to scold Clark and then decided to check on DS#4, and after that apparently Clark felt his job was done, because he came and slept on our bed all night. He's been doing that most nights, and last night when he got up in the morning I found he had brought one of his catnip mice with him to snuggle while he slept--it was still there by my feet. I have never had a cat who had "stuffies" before.
I am thoroughly enjoying my A&P I course, and part of it is the professor is so fun to listen to. She is from Pakistan, and has a lovely accent, but also tries to make the material interesting, and is funny. I am looking forward to taking her next term for A&P II.
@Karen A., more miscellany, related to yours. I thought my cube fridge stopped working because it was warm when I opened it. Turned out that I had just opened it during an accidentally-triggered defrost cycle. If I'd opened it the next day I wouldn't've noticed a thing.
I loved both of my A&P classes. So so fun and interesting!!
We do a side gig occasionally that occasionally results in a six-figure amount of cash on hand. No, we're not drug dealers, we renovate houses. Our bank is always trying to get us to "invest" with their money managers. As if we're not smart enough to figure it out without their help. The calls were so frequent that I finally marched into the bank, sat down with the regional manager (I may have gotten the appointment by saying I wanted to discuss our account) and made them add notes to our account that the next call to asking to manage our money (or pay us "bonuses") would be the trigger for us to change banks. Miraculously, the calls and pestering (teller sees your balance, gets "the look" and signals to someone else, or someone on the phone implies there's something "wrong" with our account and I need to come in to the bank to discuss) have finally stopped.
Since we changed to our current bank after WF shenanigans, they never send us offers like you received. They must know we're never coming back, lol.
I glued and framed an ET surrounded by stuffies puzzle that I put together with my grandma & great grannie. It hangs in my guest room. Happy memory!
A neighbor gave me some baby ducks, so today I will be making a duck walk/ramp for them to access the 500 gal sock tank. So fun.
After 4 years of working weekends, I start next month working half time or 4 days per month. I could retire outright, but I would miss the patients.
Today is a beautiful low temp day, i'm taking advantage and thinning out/transplanting the lettuce starts.
Ohhh baby ducks are SO CUTE.
As funny as that $500,000 is, I worked as a bank teller in 2008. We had a lady who came in a couple times every month and moved a CD with around 10,000 in it to another bank. OR she would come in and put 10,000 into a new CD. We didn't realy talk about it all that much but one day we were slow and someone said she was coming in. This lady who never married, was always in dingy looking cloths, took care of her neighbors and the neighborhood animals; had millions and had stated she had that much in her checking account (not with us.) When she passed she left most of it to various charities. Do not judge a book by its cover.
@Amy cheapohmom, no you should not judge a book by its cover. One could describe my around the house attire as spot-on-bag-lady. Which is why your customer and I have millions. If my kids are deceased, various charities will get my money too.
If you ever work in an adult ICU you’ll have the strongest upper body strength, so much so that dumbbells will cower when you approach.
Nothing like a 275 lb comatose adult being transferred to a gurney for a trip to CT to improve your strength.
Why not phase out FEMA now? Let the states hit by hurricanes pony up the money to "help" address damages.
The cat on the table, LOL
Get OFF!
that puzzle is beautiful. congrats on finishing it. chiquita is lucky she is allowed on tables. none of my cats were allowed on the table or the kitchen counters.
Um, she is NOT allowed on the table. But she does keep trying. lol
Here's my 5.
1. I made a sundress I don't wear as often as I like into a skirt that I will.
2. Had frugal fun at a local street festival. I also accepted useful to me swag of travel sunscreen and lip balm with SPF that will live in my purse (I fry like a vampire in the sun during the summer) and hand sanitizer - because festival port a potties rarely replenish theirs.
3. Had more frugal fun at a friend's annual pot luck and volleyball extravaganza.
4. I've been using apps I already have on my phone for productivity lists, etc. and it's working!
5. I went to a free workshop and learned a lot.