what did you do today? (2008-2015) (closed)

[W2R]

Got up at 5:00 AM for my second cataract surgery. No food water etc. drove up in heavy rain and fog at 6 for 7:15 pre-op. Get dilated and IV in when I hear someone out in the hall say "there's an emergency C-section we're taking your OR". As I figured a little while longer they told me about an hour delay. Then 30 minutes later a nurse comes in apologetically says DR. X is sick and cannot operate on you!

DW was nervous about driving in the rain so I drove back home and made blueberry pancakes. I was hungry! Hopefully this gets done this year.

Oh no!!! How disappointing. I hope they can reschedule soon at your convenience.

 

[harley]

Roasted a goose.

So, Khan, how did the goose turn out? I've never eaten goose, but we have so many of them wandering around in our yard and pond in MD that I'm pretty sure I could pick a few off with a golf club. If meat prices keep going up I may give it a try.

 

[REWahoo]

Then 30 minutes later a nurse comes in apologetically says DR. X is sick and cannot operate on you!

Calling in sick on Monday to stretch the holiday weekend another day. Oldest trick in the book.

 

[W2R]

I was going to get my lab work done today for my routine doctor appointment in two weeks. But since I have been fighting off a bug, I wondered if being sick might affect the results. So, I decided to delay doing that until Wednesday.

Instead, I called the tree trimming/removal service that I used for years at my former home. The only thing that is not perfect about my Dream House, is that it has many very gigantic trees on the lot, to the point of being way overgrown and dropping huge branches on the neighbors every time we have a windstorm. And this is hurricane country, so that does happen. Right now, one of the trees is so overgrown it is touching Frank's roof and another is so overgrown that it is touching mine. So at the very least, trimming is in order for most of the trees and at least one needs to go. Maybe several. Also I want them to remove the bushes on my side of the chain link fence between Frank's back yard and mine, so that we can have a gate installed.

The tree service is sending out an arborist tomorrow to help me decide what to do.

 

[pb4uski]

...Also I want them to remove the bushes on my side of the chain link fence between Frank's back yard and mine, so that we can have a gate installed. ...

My, that would be convenient. Perhaps some pathway lighting too.

 

[aja8888]

DW went to the church to do some volunteer work. I have done absolutely nothing yet and may continue along that path for the rest of the day.

 

[pb4uski]

Having fun watching migrating Canadian geese. We got a thin layer of ice overnight which is sufficient to support their weight. Some of them landed on it as if they were landing in water and slid a long ways.

Now they are walking on it but every so often one walks near to the edge of ope water and breaks through. Inexpensive entertainment.

 

[W2R]

My, that would be convenient. Perhaps some pathway lighting too.

Great idea!! Also maybe we should have a paved pathway to lower the chances of tripping and falling as we grow older. But definitely some motion detecting lights along the path are in order.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Just returned from Thanksgiving in Las Vegas with older cousins we have not seen for many, many years. One has a second home there and we all went down for a reunion. Great times.

It was brisk there. Did NOT go swimming in the outdoor pool.

Found Vegas area to be well laid out (great streets!) but very expensive.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[pb4uski]

Great idea!! Also maybe we should have a paved pathway to lower the chances of tripping and falling as we grow older. But definitely some motion detecting lights along the path are in order.

I guess I had those solar powered pathway lights in mind...or you could go with the low voltage versions but those require wiring. We have those along our lakeside.

We also have a wired motion detector floodlight on the house. Depending on the distance involved you might have one at each end. They will provide much better lighting.

 

[W2R]

I guess I had those solar powered pathway lights in mind...or you could go with the low voltage versions but those require wiring. We have those along our lakeside.

We also have a wired motion detector floodlight on the house. Depending on the distance involved you might have one at each end. They will provide much better lighting.

Sounds nice! Solar powered pathway lights might be just perfect.

We aren't that far apart.... and we both have back door floodlights so that will give us a start on the lighting situation.

 

[HFWR]

Sounds nice! Solar powered pathway lights might be just perfect.

We aren't that far apart.... (see below), and we both have back door floodlights so that will give us a start on the lighting situation.

Just dig a tunnel...

 

[pb4uski]

 

[NW-Bound]

Tunnel of love might be too radical and expensive, but a fully enclosed walk will provide shelter from the weather (doesn't it rain a lot in Nawlins?), and allow visit without changing into street clothes.

We just came back from an errand to get garden supplies, now that I am gung ho on gardening. On the way, stopped at a 99c store, and found flower bulb packs of which we bought several. How can you beat 99c packs of several bulbs of narcissus, tulip, iris, anemone?

Last night, I searched the Web looking for plant nurseries, and found that the local Tiptop chain had been defunct for who knows how long. The nearest nursery is several miles away, and when we got there they had mostly large trees and a meager selection of plants and flowers.

Home Depot and Lowe's now are the only places you can get annuals. Don't people grow anything anymore? Thirty years ago, we used to live near a Tiptop place that was as big and had as many plants and trees as a botanical garden. We used to go there on Saturdays to look for ideas, and it was a fun and free outing.

 

[pb4uski]

A friend emailed a link to this to me today. A great American! (the one on the left)

 

[Bir48die]

Just got back from Thanksgiving on the East coast. Traveled out there with DD. Thanksgiving dinner with DS, his GF who we knew, and her family who we met for the first time. Also got to spend time with East Coast friends. It was an interesting and enjoyable week.

This was the first time I had flown since retirement. I must say that I was surprised at how much I disliked the whole flying thing. The rental car place made me feel like a criminal for not purchasing the redundant insurance. It also might have had something to do with taking a red eye out there and staying up for over 40 hours on that first day. We had to work around DD's schedule so not much of an option on flight times. If I have an option, however, I think I would much prefer to drive.

I have transitioned from 130k per year flyer to one personal trip per quarter. I have seen the inside of just about every airport bathroom. I hated traveling from mid November through the first of the year and in the summer when all the families were taking their vacations. I can't wait to do some driving vacations with my camper. Nothing glorious about flying nowdays, that's for sure

 

[W2R]

The arborist from the tree trimming/removal company was fantastic, which is why I use this company. He knows so much about trees and plants, as well as local permits and regulations, and generally knows what he is doing. This is the exact same arborist that worked with me extensively at my previous home back in 2003. How lucky can I be? I was hoping he still worked for them.

Anyway, it looks like it is going to cost a little less than $16K, which is about half to a third what I expected. As far as I'm concerned, this is part of the "fixing up the house after buying it" costs because the vastly overgrown [-]jungle[/-] landscaping was really the only negative thing about the house as far as I'm concerned. So to me, this is in the same category as re-painting the interior of a house before moving in (which I didn't have to have done). Once it is taken care of..... ah!! Perfection, bliss.

 

[aaronc879]

The arborist from the tree trimming/removal company was fantastic, which is why I use this company. He knows so much about trees and plants, as well as local permits and regulations, and generally knows what he is doing. This is the exact same arborist that worked with me extensively at my previous home back in 2003. How lucky can I be? I was hoping he still worked for them.

Anyway, it looks like it is going to cost a little less than $16K, which is about half to a third what I expected. As far as I'm concerned, this is part of the "fixing up the house after buying it" costs because the vastly overgrown [-]jungle[/-] landscaping was really the only negative thing about the house as far as I'm concerned. So to me, this is in the same category as re-painting the interior of a house before moving in (which I didn't have to have done). Once it is taken care of..... ah!! Perfection, bliss.

$16K to cut some trees/branches? That seems like an awful lot to me. I guess most things seem like a lot to me since $16K is more than I spend on everything most years. You can afford it so if you think it's a good value then go for it but maybe get a second quote first. Hope you like the results.

 

[Meadbh]

$16K to cut some trees/branches? That seems like an awful lot to me. I guess most things seem like a lot to me since $16K is more than I spend on everything most years. You can afford it so if you think it's a good value then go for it but maybe get a second quote first. Hope you like the results.

Definitely get another quote. That's a LOT of money.

 

[pb4uski]

+1 $16k would be very high for trimming residential trees for a couple properties in our neck of the woods.. it would be a couple grand around here but we are in a low COL area.

 

[Ronstar]

W2R - Definitely get another quote. I understand that your situation involves 2 houses close together that might prohibit using a boom truck, etc, and therefore increase the cost. But last year I had a 44" cottonwood about 60' tall taken down to include stump removal for $2,500.

 

[braumeister]

Sounds really high to me too.

A couple of years ago I had three ash trees taken down. They were all over 50 feet tall and nearly a couple of feet in diameter. It took a crew of three guys with a bucket truck about six hours just to get them all down because they were very careful and took the time to do it right. Only small sections at a time, using lots of ropes to keep falling limbs and trunk pieces from hitting anything important on the ground (just garden items). This was one of the biggest tree companies in the region. Total cost a little over $1,800.

 

[braumeister]

Oh, another point. I got four quotes and three were in the same ball park but one was three times as much. I suspect you may have one of the outliers.

 

[W2R]

Wow, pile on a little, will you? Y'all, I think you WAY underestimated the extent of the job. It's not just "trimming residential trees for a couple properties"... yes, that would be probably $1K-$2K depending on the number and size of the trees, by this company's price list, Pb4uski. Ronstar, I paid this same company $1900 to take down a tree the size or your cottonwood, at my old home, and that included stump grinding and removal. Here, just one of the trees being taken down is way bigger than that and hangs over six properties.

Instead of just a little tree trimming, this is a complete re-landscaping of a yard and surroundings taken over by subtropical jungle. Believe me, if anything it is way under-priced. I expected the price to be around $30K-$50K. The price will be less if they can't get the Parish (=county) permits to remove the two trees at the curb which have broken up the sidewalk, and whose roots have grown into the Parish storm drain and whose branches are totally entangled with the electrical wires. They'll be handling the permit applications for me and dealing with the Parish and electric company too if need be.

If someone said they were spending less than $16K for a major kitchen remodel complete with new layout and all the bells and whistles, plus for a major bathroom remodel, you all would probably say, "Wow, what a DEAL!" Which is what everyone around here says about the prices I get from this company. They give me better rates because I am an old customer. I have never gotten or even heard of competing quotes that beat this company, at least not from one that is established, insured, has at least one English speaking foreman, and so on.


I knew I shouldn't even mention what I did today on this thread.

 

[splitwdw]

It costs a lot more when you use an arborist. Most tree services don't have one on staff. Can make a big difference in the survival of trees. Have you ever seen a tree where the branches weren't trimmed correctly and the cut never heals. Or have you seen where tree services top the crown of the tree and you get a bunch of weak growth all over the top. Over years the tree goes into decline and dies. People don't even notice because it happens slowly.


She's not having trees cut down. You can have just about any guy with a chain saw to do that. A little more experience and insurance if the tree is near your house. An arborist will make sure that tree is expertly pruned and will survive.


Oops, well she is having trees cut down but I'd still use an arborist.