So nice to be Saturday. I slept in about a half hour. Sitting here at my desk upstairs I left the door open a bit and kitty decided to go do something else besides walk back and forth on my desk in front of me. I didn't hear anything being knocked down, so I let him be. He was apparently downstairs, as I eventually went out to check on him and he was coming up the stairs.
The early morning fog is burning off and I'm waiting to see the sun today. We've had rain and clouds for several days. Today will be the day to get all the dead annual flowers pulled out of the whiskey barrels and throw out the hanging baskets, as well as trim down the rest of the iris. I'm also going to get the chicken coop cleaned. I haven't gotten any eggs at all the past 2-3 days. So, now the chickens look great and full of feathers, but stopped laying. If it's not one thing, it's another. I had to add eggs to my grocery order for tomorrow, LOL.
Speaking of grocery orders. Good grief, things are getting expensive. I hardly even have much in my cart. No cases of water, soda, or any meats. My total is almost $200. I've been reading how expensive a turkey dinner is going to be this Thanksgiving.
The people who bought the 2 lots next to us must be back at their house in town, but not sure why they keep pulling in, turning around and leaving. I could see getting out to spend some time at their new property or taking some measurements, etc. I guess they just want to make sure it's still all there ;)
We just received our property tax bill. I was very surprised to see that our annual tax went down about $165 for the year, even though our property value went up some. I think I had calculated, based on the increased property value, for it to go up about $120 a year. My escrow account does it's annual calculation in December, so between that and my homeowners insurance being much less, my payment should go down about $88 a month.
I received my new bench/shoe storage for the laundry room last night. Our UPS guy didn't even get here until like 8pm. At least dh didn't have to put it together. Now I feel like I need a picture of something on the wall above it, LOL.
Not sure why the picture quality is so bad and blurry looking. I took like 3 pictures and they all turned out like that. DH and I were saying we're not going to get each other Christmas gifts this year, but I'm thinking maybe our gifts should be new cell phones. Both of ours are maxed out on memory and mine is an iphone6 and his is a 7. I would definitely buy the phones with the higher memory storage. I don't think I even ever realized there were different amounts available. Maybe there will be some good Black Friday deal I can find for new phones. That's how I got the one I have, which I think was 3 years ago now. Might even be 4 years old. I don't need the newest lastest greatest, but probably time for something a little newer.
DH put the live skunk trap out yesterday with some cat food in it. I haven't looked out to see if the door is down on it or not. He put it next to the chicken coop.
I've finished my coffee and heading back downstairs for some breakfast food and then a shower. Or maybe I should wait and shower after I clean out the chicken coop.
Prices are going up and up here too, but at least you're getting a decent break on your property tax and home insurance. That's quite a saving!
ReplyDeletethe insurance was a huge savings, by finding a new carrier. Last year it went up $500 and another $500 this year. Too much.
DeleteSaturdays are good for getting things done on our own agenda, aren't they? I have a list a mile long, but it i smy list so feels like a lot, but no one is expecting anything but mself.
ReplyDeleteI like having things to do, but also like not having a schedule. DH said why aren't you seeing your mom today instead of Sunday. I said "because I don't feel like it" LOL
DeleteI wonder what kitty was up to, just scoping out the place? Nice bench. What is the design on top--wood or upholstery? Mu "new" phone takes blurry photos. I suppose it is the phone and not me. It is not a new phone. The lack of sun likely is the cause for no eggs. At least they are naked in the cold.
ReplyDeleteI think kitty is still exploring lots and he likes to sit in the window ledge downstairs and watch the birds. The top of the bench is upholstered fabric.
DeleteYes, food prices are skyrocketing. I think the main reason food prices are soaring is the packaging. First: Anything packaged with plastic is going to be more expensive/harder to find. Plastic is a petroleum by-product, and we are *still* facing the fallout from the refinery shutdowns in TX in February. Combine that with the slow down in refining from the 2020 stay home orders, and without taking foreign oil/imports into consideration, we had a perfect storm for inflation. Then, there are canned goods. The metal from the cans is typically not made in the U.S., and while getting the material isn't that difficult, our former president put quite the tariff on the import of the steel/tin. Finally, there has been a drought which has caused meat prices to soar. Mostly, though, the problem is the containers/packaging. We don't realize how much packaging has intruded into our lives, do we? Take Thanksgiving dinner alone, and, off the top of my head, with my own meal, I think of plastic found in: The wrapping of the turkey, the inner bag of stuffing mix, the plastic bag the potatoes are put in, and produce bags for fresh produce (I use reusable, but since COVID, they wouldn't handle them). For cans, I have the green beans/soup/French onions, (don't judge, my kids love that casserole) pumpkin, candied yams. (no way I'm making that from scratch). Also, because of the drought, meat has gone through the roof because grain has been in demand.
ReplyDeleteThis too shall pass.
As for the people who bought the lot--from *my* experience of buying acreage and building, it took us several visits to decide which plan would work best with which lot, and then, where to place the house...and that was BEFORE I helped the contractor run lines!
(And, siding has been delivered...hoping for a move come February!)
We visited our property often, too, but not just to pull in, turn around and leave and not even get out of the car, LOL. For some reason I didn't realize you are still building, how long has it been now?
DeleteIt's ANOTHER house. We started about 2 months ago--longer, really, but the framing didn't start until last month. Silly time to build, perhaps, but NOT silly to sell, so we decided to bite the bullet. Plus, I like the floor plan better for the stage of life we are in.
Deleteoh! gotcha. DH is even considering this.....
DeleteDoes the kitty have a name now that you have found out he is a boy? Everything is getting expensive over here too. On top of that, the Turkish Lira has become very weak against hard currencies due to stupid economics management. This will be a hard winter for everyone but, especially for low income groups.
ReplyDeleteKitty is named Amos. I'm just glad we weren't trying to build our home during these high prices.
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