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Post by maryaz on May 7, 2019 7:53:10 GMT -5
" Doing the best I can, where I am and with what I have." That's a great attitude maryaz I don't think you can ask much more than that out of a person.  Thank you def6 I've said that for a long time. I think most of us are doing the best we can in any given moment. Some days our best isn't as good as other days, but in that moment in time it's the best we can do.
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Post by maryaz on May 7, 2019 8:02:27 GMT -5
No work today. I need to jump my truck (cranky ol ***) then go down the street and help; there are potted trees for me along with some bits of plywood and scrap lumber that I can use to finish a chicken coop I need to finish.
So a short list for me
Breakfast chores put out grit
trash
laundry got all the dries folded and put up kitchen
afternoon chores
brush my teeth! Well I just didn't get to the other things between working and helping down the street. It's OK, those kids need help. That house looks even worse than mine but I didn't think that was possible. Poor thing didn't even throw away the junk mail. They are still looking for her will. This experience strengthens my resolve to get my place in order!
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Post by phoenixcat on May 7, 2019 9:28:18 GMT -5
maryaz Did the mother have an attorney? Might be the best place to start. Not only for the will but to possibly get access to any bank deposit boxes where her copy of the will may be. Conversely, if they know where she banked - they may be able to go there with the death certificate and see if the bank is willing to contact anyone they may have on record. That's a long shot at best but they may luck out. And, maybe one of the kids has a joint account with her. If they are looking through paperwork - then anything lawyer/bank related - business card, deposit box keys or payments, etc. may be relevant. It's a hard task when the info they are looking for could be anywhere. Like you, I've had several of those situations too where I've encountered another person's mess and have been almost breathless thinking that can be me if I don't get it under control. Welcome to the board! We are a pretty good bunch!  PC
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Post by maryaz on May 8, 2019 8:15:52 GMT -5
Thanks phoenixcat! BTW that's one of my favorite songs that you quote! We haven't found any attorney info and no kids on the accounts. Also so far none of the life insurance policies we found were paid up current. They are hoping to have a death certificate soon. She died alone at home so they have had to wait on autopsy and coroner report. She had a lot of things on autopay and I've suggested they go to the bank today and ask the account be frozen, even tell them they are afraid there might be fraudulent charges and they need time to sort the paperwork to know what is and isn't. Don't know if that will work but might at least stop the drain on the bank account until they can get full access. They have found a key that *might* go to a safe deposit box but they aren't sure. And we know the bank won't give them access without the death cert.
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Post by maryaz on May 8, 2019 8:22:48 GMT -5
So no work today, but I will go down and help the kids with more paper sorting. The youngest builds stage setups for a production company and will be gone the weekend. But I'll stop by daily and check on the others and see how things are progressing.
So today's list
Breakfast chores
put out grit clean brooder coop (that will take a few days but I need to get started)
clean indoor brooder plant tomatoes, marigolds, sunflower, zinnia seedlings out Plant kale, Orach, Aztec spinach seeds
unload truck afternoon chores brush teeth! kitchen laundry
desk dealt with the mail and bills and shredded paper for 15 min; did another 15 min of paper shredding while I waited for time to go meet a gal to give her some hatching eggs.
A sudden rain storm has halted outdoor work for today. I'm waiting for the rain to clear a bit so I can do chores. Told the kids down the street I won't be down tonight, just too tired. Afraid I have a shingles outbreak coming on and a tickle in my throat that I don't like. The shingles are not a big deal, some itchy spots and about a nickel size patch of blisters on my tail bone. The worst is that it makes me feel totally wiped out exhausted for a couple of days.
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Post by larataylor on May 8, 2019 10:36:34 GMT -5
So kind of you to help those kids! And yes, these situations make me ever-more determined to NOT leave a big mess behind!
I have a fear that I will die first, though, and DH and DBIL will have their way with the house
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Post by maryaz on May 8, 2019 13:31:15 GMT -5
So kind of you to help those kids! And yes, these situations make me ever-more determined to NOT leave a big mess behind! I have a fear that I will die first, though, and DH and DBIL will have their way with the house Well if my kids were in that position I would hope someone would help them. Some of the papers and things are emotionally traumatic for them and sometimes those things are easier for a stranger to sort, that doesn't have emotional attachment to the situation. Well if you go first dear you won't care about the house!
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Post by larataylor on May 8, 2019 20:35:19 GMT -5
Well if you go first dear you won't care about the house! The issue would be if it were going to my DD after they messed it up again!
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Post by Unswamping on May 9, 2019 12:05:22 GMT -5
FUTURE VISION Here are my front steps, freshly swept with pretty potted plants leading up a clear pathway to the front door. Here in my foyer is my computer desk and filing, clean, tidy and organized. *There are my plant shelves where I start seedlings for the garden.* From there they go to the lovely new greenhouse until they are ready to go outside. Those shelves have chicken supplies like chick waterers, medicines, vitamins and leg bands. There are the books I'm listing on ebay to sell. Come into the LR; on this side is my library, where my favorite books are with a comfy chair and floor lamp. and on this side my couch, stereo, TV for playing movies, my spinning wheel and fiber supplies, all ready to work on projects. Here is the guest room which also houses my sewing table and my weaving loom. Here is my paint studio with lots of shelves to store paint, brushes, canvas and craft supplies and books. And here is my kitchen, clean and tidy, ready to cook, can, dry or otherwise process the garden bounty. And back over here is my bedroom with my *wonderful vintage iron bedstead topped with a good mattress and a feather bed. In winter I have quilts and down comforters to keep warm*. No bugs or rodents here. Nor spider webs and not too much dust. No long lost receipts falling off the dresser top, there is a system in place for dealing with them, the mail and the bills on a daily and weekly basis. Now that everything is thinned down and organized I can find everything I need instantly. I keep a running list on the fridge or in my phone for those things I have actually run out of, ready for a trip to the store, along with my coupons. I have an outdoor storage area where I can safely put boxes of winter clothes during the summer, where all my tools live now along with a workbench to work on fixing or making things. There is also space for extra canning jars and other such supplies. There is space for safe storage of nice bits of wood and such things that I will need when I am building, fixing or making things. So that is part of what my future holds  " style="max-width:100%;"] Some parts may take a good long time to come about, but the part between ** I already have ;=) maryaz this is a really lovely vision. I know you will get there. I can picture it myself! Thanks for tne inspiration, i think i will write a vision for myself.
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Post by maryaz on May 9, 2019 23:28:50 GMT -5
Thank you Unswamping I am trying hard to keep my eye on the prize. Well looks like I never made a list for today  . Half my day was spent taking my dog to the vet for an ear infection. Vet in town isn't taking any new animals and the next nearest is 45 miles over the hill. Was fortunate they could see him today tho. But man $145, plus go back in a week. And I need to find his shot records, I don't *think* he's due for anything but need to check. I *did* manage to start cleaning out the brooder coop which will take a couple days to finish. I have some chicks in the house now and eggs in the incubator. And because the paperwork thing is making me nuts I sorted out the 2019 receipts and started data entry. Got Jan, Feb & March expenses done. Will do April tomorrow then work on income. Then just need to figure out how to keep up. I used to be really good about it. Don't know what happened.... But tomorrow is another day......
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Post by maryaz on May 10, 2019 7:29:36 GMT -5
So today's list:
Breakfast chores
clean out brooder coop got some done; I am maybe close to halfway on mucking out
get ready for farmers market
water plants plant out seedlings
afternoon chores
brush teeth! shower!
kitchen I did do 15 min, washed dishes and picked up a bit. Just not terribly inspired here....
desk when I list "desk" I mean any kind of paper / office stuff. I finished data entry on April's receipts and began income entry for 2019 laundry; ugh maybe not today, still cloudy like it might rain. On the plus side when I put away socks the other day I did throw out a bunch of saggy holey ones ;=) oops I keep forgetting Drink More Water! 2 pints down
well not enough water today. Will try to do better tomorrow. Drinking more now will just make me get up more than my 3am call. I posted separately about 5 min room rescues. I think it made the most impact in the bathroom, since that is in pretty good shape already. Next was the front room/office area, and the living room and kitchen had the least visual impact because they still have so much stuff in them.
Read the thread on maintaining. boy is that my downfall. Back when I did the slob sisters card file systems I often found myself skipping things because "I just did that yesterday and it's not dirty yet" and of course we all know what that leads to! So I am trying to maintain my desk space, keep on top of the dishes at least every other day. Slowly making inroads in the laundry pile; most of my regular clothes are clean, it's just washing up winter stuff so I can put them away. Then to tackle doing a little more picking up/sorting/tossing and make another clean space.
Wow. Last night I had a crock pot full of green chili and before I went to take a shower I put it all in containers in the freezer and washed it and all the dishes so I woke up to an empty sink. What a concept!
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Post by maryaz on May 11, 2019 7:45:55 GMT -5
Market today so not too long a list.
Breakfast chores cut herbs and flowers
clean indoor brooder work on brooder coop freshen nest boxes none of the above happened because a thunderstorm came up and it rained.
afternoon chores brush teeth mmmmm I think I forgot again
MMMMM Well when I got home decided to sit and have some tea before I do other stuff. I did enter all the sales I can find for this year into QB. That is great but my negative balance is depressing. So I'm looking over the report trying to figure out where I can cut some expense and how to generate some more income. It's just been rough in the garden because of being so busy with my moms junk when I should have been planting and doing garden stuff. Well on ward and upward. I have been gearing up for summer so hopefully that will pull the numbers up.
Since it was raining I did go through a pile of stuff in the front room, mostly office supply type stuff from my moms house. A lot was duplicates of things I have, so I filled a box to donate to a teacher or the library.
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Post by maryaz on May 12, 2019 7:59:11 GMT -5
Todays list
breakfast chores
clean indoor brooder
afternoon chores
brush teeth!!!! drink more water! 2 pints down
I think today I will just work on whatever pile strikes my fancy and then report back ;-) My desk does need some attention, things have landed here after cleaning out the pile yesterday and I need to find homes for some things.
other accomplishments I went through 3 sewing boxes that came from my moms house, saved some bits I might find useful, threw away 2 broken boxes. Took the 3rd box and some other things to the shop for my friend to sell for me. Visited a bit then came home and worked on the outdoor brooder.
I started on piles in my bedroom. I couldn't get to the dresser, I can now but of course there are now piles on the bed. However I can hopefully put all those clothes in the dresser now that I can open the drawers. I sat down and rolled up a can of change that was sitting there, $32 to go put in the bank tomorrow
I managed to fit all the clean clothes off the bed into the dresser. I ran a load of wash, need to go hang it up
Having more stuff out of my room certainly makes it look bigger.
While talking to my daughter on the phone for an hour I deleted over 2,000 emails; 32,000 or so left to go.
Ugh. I looked under the desk because I was going to stack up some packs of paper and labels and such. Sigh. Found two gallon ziplocks full of old reciepts to sort out....
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Post by maryaz on May 13, 2019 7:39:47 GMT -5
working early today
Breakfast chores work on gate where dog is getting out clean outdoor brooder water plants laundry kitchen desk drink more water3 pints down
so we had more thunderstorms and the dog got out again. I caught him and put him in the big chicken house which is built of wood and sturdy. That lasted until there was a very close thunder and he managed to unlatch the pop door and squeeze through the 12x12" opening and was at my front door in about 90 seconds. So he spent the night in the house. I'm going to have to walk the fence line this morning and see where he's getting out and since I'm not using the pop door to let the chickens out right now I'll screw some boards over it so he can't get out of the big chicken house if I need to put him in there again.
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Post by maryaz on May 14, 2019 9:05:40 GMT -5
no list really today beyond breakfast and chores. Have to figure out something for the dog. Have to go check the fence line and see how he's getting out of the hill pen. I found a spot where he *might* be pushing under the fence and staked it down, added some extra fence to another spot. Tomorrow will go get some more stakes and look along the back side of the pen, I think there are some spots there he might be getting out of. The major issue is thunder and the older he gets the more terrified he seems to be. So I have a feeling a lot of this summer will be finishing / beefing up my perimeter fencing that isn't all done yet, so if he gets out of a pen he's still contained. Plus adding something some where that he will feel safe in if I'm not around. Ugh. Was not on my list of things to do this summer! well I haven't even managed maintenance today.... Tho I did eat some food and drink some water... If anyone wants to read the whole saga (so far) of the dog issue its up on my blog how-to-stay-organized.blogspot.com/2019/05/51419-and-thats-how-life-goes.html
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