Life Is Never Boring

Monday's tomato harvest.

Though sometimes I think I might long for a bit of "nothing" going on.

So, last week, we got in the Charger and it did that weird strange thing with all the electronics going crazy, the wipers s-l-o-w-l-y doing their thing and the car not starting.  It was unexpected.  So we spent the weekend taking my car (how grateful I am for a good car that will take me wherever and whenever!) which was just fun.  Eventually this week, we headed to the dealer for this diagnosis:  too many short trips and not enough longer trips in the car depletes the battery.  We know we're living on borrowed time with that 7 year old battery, but we're grateful that so far it seems to be in good shape.  We just need to drive it more (we're homebodies and proud of it!).

We had a fairly quiet labor day.  Cooked some ribs which we shared with a friend/neighbor of ours who was alone for the holiday.

Yummy Elberta peaches

We've met with Kevin-the-financial-guy and things are progressing, though slower than I'd like.  I expected to just go and sign the papers.  We ended up signing nothing, bringing home stuff to read, and having to figure out a couple things. But maybe Monday.

Spent one hour forty minutes waiting at the Social Security office to submit the forms for Medicare Part B, only to hear we are missing a form.  Came home and got (we thought) the required form, to go back the next day (in and out in 5 minutes, since we were given some key information about how to speed the process) only to find trouble staring us in the face.  If we don't prove employee insurance effective age 65 (we're both now 67 and have had employer coverage all the time), we must pay a penalty to sign up for Part B. Getting the proof from the former employer is tricky.  The Husband is being very patient as he goes through the rigamarole but I well know that if I was in his shoes I'd be a sobbing puddly mess.  This is w-a-y more complicated than it needs to be.  Than it should be.

Soon to ripen Nashi pears.

All of which stuff needs to be resolved pretty quickly.  We're trying to make sure the insurance stuff is all taken care of so we haven't a lapse in coverage, especially while we're at the beach.

Speaking of the beach:  hurricane Florence is taking aim at it. And there's another hurricane developing.  Yes, I'm aware September is prime hurricane month.  Still, I'd like to not have to worry about getting blown to Kansas like Dorothy.  I don't even mind if it rains while we're at the beach.  Just want to feel safe.

And I'm teaching Relief Society again.  It's a good thing I'm aware, I think everyone thought someone else would talk to me to make sure I was going to teach, and no one did.  I'm glad I asked, though the preparation is an extraordinary time devourer.

Needs no explanation

And the food!  Have I mentioned the food?  The neighbors brought us some yummy peaches.  Another neighbor brought us the lovely Nashi pears from their little yard orchard.  (Last year the harvest was crummy, this year better so we were the lucky recipients.)  They're still quite green, but I'm happy to wait for them to ripen. I've been brought cookies from Crumbl, the newest cookie place in town, and where I'll likely never shop; can't quite bring myself to spend $3 per cookie, even if they are the size of a thick pancake. I've received luxurious Godiva chocolates.  And today had some yummy food (including dessert) at Cheesecake Factory. We're still trying to finish the latest watermelon (hard to do with only two people, though I do try to share it around).   I received the cutest little grater and a block of solid maple syrup.  Didn't know that even existed and it tasted wonderful on my morning oatmeal.  And I picked up my free birthday treat from Corner Bakery.  I'm feeling a tad bloated just thinking about all the food.

Freshly grated maple syrup.

The Husband goes to CA Wed. & Thurs. next week to return the computer to the company.  Friday is officially his last day, but without a computer to work on it'll be a paid (I hope) holiday.  And he is quite chipper thinking about the following Monday when he won't feel any pressure to get to work - he'll be free-free-free!!

In the meantime it feels like everything is happening all at once.  I'm trying mightily to keep my stress down, it just seems like things should be happening with a bit more ease/smoothness.  We keep pecking away at it (actually, it's The Husband doing all the pecking) and hoping that sooner or later we'll manage to accomplish what needs accomplishing.

I'm grateful for when things do work.  I'm grateful for a husband who doesn't shy from the hard stuff and keeps us going.  I'm grateful for people who reach out to wish me happy birthday, I don't deserve near the attention (and am frankly a bit uncomfortable with it).  I'm grateful for air conditioning. And the hope for calmer times ahead. And for thinking just maybe I won't be teaching R.S. very often, it's daunting and a bit of a struggle for me.