What did you do today? 2016 version

[Ronnieboy]

This is where we get our chocolate. https://www.tazachocolate.com/ The Mexicano discs are the best ever. We usually order an entire case at a crack. We took a special trip to Boston to visit their factory, which is really cool. There is a short video on this page that shows the factory processes. https://www.tazachocolate.com/pages/our-process

That video was neat, I am not much of a dark chocolate kinda guy. How does it compare to milk chocolate by Lindt/Lindor

 

[Ronnieboy]

I occasionally fantasize about getting one of these:

3 Wheeler


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That and the polaris look pretty cool, I probably couldn't fit in them though Here is my 3 wheeler, a Spyder.

It is fun to ride, planning on getting it out for the season tomorrow.

 

[Palmtree]

After lunch, we stopped in the Goodwill and I got a couple of records. Right now, I'm listening to Jimmy Buffett's Living and Dying in 3/4 Time .

What! How could someone give up a classic like that. Obviously put there by someone who does not want their spouse dreaming of running off to the islands! Thankfully you recused this in time.

I still keep a crate or two of my favorite records. Occasionally we will break out the turntable, open a bottle of wine and enjoy some classic vinyl.

And in keeping with the thread, yesterday was so nice outside that we did some yard work. After that, a neighbor invited us for a long relaxing boat ride. Back to our deck for drinks and snacks. Finished the day in the kitchen by making dinner. A very tasty shrimp & lemon pasta.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Stuff like this is "gold" for us old timers. Gettin' hard to keep up with today, so we take our pleasures where we find 'em.

The treasure hunt part is half the fun. We went to a library used book sale yesterday and bought a big bag of new to us books and DVDs for mostly 50 cents to a $1. The DVDs are often fairly recent so the price comes out comes out cheaper than even Redbox. When we are done with the DVDs and the fiction books they get redonated.

 

[MichaelB]

Just filed our '15 taxes and received the "accepted by the IRS".

 

[traineeinvestor]

Celebrating.

DW was made redundant today (the result of the business she worked for being sold). Between the redundancy package and the garden leave, she is getting about 10 months salary + vesting of unvested contributions to her retirement scheme .....

..... and she has already sent off her first applications for a new job.

 

[ElizabethT]

This morning I am looking forward to testing my shin-splints-recovering legs on a slow 3 mile run after two successive days of walking first one, then two, miles without residual pain. Fingers crossed, because being off my legs for the last two weeks has been making me batty, time at the gym doing yoga and on a recumbent bike notwithstanding. Hiking in our local canyons for hours a day is one of the best parts of being FIRE'd, and I miss it dearly.

Lunch out with a friend, then a book club dinner gathering tonight. In between I'll be working on a photo book of our recent trip to France, typing up the notes from a recent boardmeeting I volunteer for, and doing a couple hours of Spanish homework.

 

[Rosie]

We plan to celebrate Pi Day today. Full report later.

 

[Hermit]

We plan to celebrate Pi Day today. Full report later.

If Rodi doesn't help you in that celebration, she will have to change her tag line!

 

[Chuckanut]

I had a big piece of pie to celebrate Pi day.

 

[Marita40]

3rd day post-dorsal cheilectomy. As per doctor's instructions, I removed the bandage today and was able to take a shower. That felt wonderful. Some tingling and the foot is swollen, but no pain. Still, hanging around the house with the foot elevated 95% of day and night is really tough.

 

[NW-Bound]

I was surprised to see stock prices stopped moving at 1PM local time, instead of at 2PM as it should have been. Hmm... Could it be daylight savings time adjustment again? Yes, it surely was on yesterday, Sunday 3/13.

We do not honor stinkin' daylight savings time here in Arizona, along with Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.

 

[Souschef]

AARP Tax time

I volunteered at a Senior Center to prepare taxes for Seniors and low income taxpayers.
The lowest AGI was $2700 and the highest was 98K. We are open to all, regardless of income

 

[rodi]

If Rodi doesn't help you in that celebration, she will have to change her tag line!

I prefer to celebrate Tau day - 6/28.... twice the pie.

Today I took the 3rd exam in my 3rd semester Italian course. I know I blew one section (when do you use che, vs chi, vs con cui/di cui/a cui, vs quelloche....) But I aced the indefinite articles, negative expressions (non... affatto, non...mai) and I knew the vocab inside out.

Now I'm celebrating some good news with DH - we're enjoying a lunch of reheated beef stew. LOL.

 

[Dawg52]

Played golf this morning. Didn't play well but a pretty day. The pollen is really coming down now. Not good for my sinuses. Just got through mowing my grass and edging. It sure is nice having small lot to maintain. About 15-20 minutes to mow and 10-15 minutes to weed eat. I think I'm going to like my decision moving to a patio home.

 

[braumeister]

Magnificent day on the slopes. We had 7" of new snow last night between midnight and 6 am, then the sun came out at breakfast time and it was just a gorgeous day. One more day in the Rockies, then I'll have to head back to flyover country. I may only get out here once a year but it's still well worth it.

 

[harley]

Played golf this morning. Didn't play well but a pretty day. The pollen is really coming down now. Not good for my sinuses. Just got through mowing my grass and edging. It sure is nice having small lot to maintain. About 15-20 minutes to mow and 10-15 minutes to weed eat. I think I'm going to like my decision moving to a patio home.

Yeah, we're about a month away from leaving our FL 1280 sf home on 1/8th acre (mostly patio) lot to return to our MD 4400 sf home on 1/2 acre mostly lawn lot. Other than the incredible views, I'm not really looking forward to it. It's just a lot of work, inside and out. As the renown philosopher Danny Glover was fond of saying, "I'm getting too old for this ****."

 

[W2R]

home maintenance, not my favorite way to spend time!

Yeah, we're about a month away from leaving our FL 1280 sf home on 1/8th acre (mostly patio) lot to return to our MD 4400 sf home on 1/2 acre mostly lawn lot. Other than the incredible views, I'm not really looking forward to it. It's just a lot of work, inside and out. As the renown philosopher Danny Glover was fond of saying, "I'm getting too old for this ****."

Believe me, I can relate to that! Actually IMO *ANY* age is too old for spending a lot of time working on one's home. Contrary to popular belief, there is so much more fun to be had in retirement if one is not chained down to one's home and yard maintenance. Or at least that is my opinion.

With any luck, eventually we all become elderly. An "elderly friendly" home implies (to me) not just grab bars, no steps, and lever handles. It also implies as close to zero maintenance as possible. For some, a condo is the best solution. A small SFH such as what you have in FL can be pretty close to zero maintenance too, or else made that way with some planning and expense if it is not already.

Yes, I am a homebody but even I don't like doing maintenance chores or yard work. I have a small lot like Dawg52, but unlike him, my choice is to hire somebody to mow and edge even my small lot. That costs money ($35/mow), but in my case, given how much I hate mowing, I can't imagine a better way to spend it than on a lawn guy.

 

[Ronstar]

Yeah, we're about a month away from leaving our FL 1280 sf home on 1/8th acre (mostly patio) lot to return to our MD 4400 sf home on 1/2 acre mostly lawn lot. Other than the incredible views, I'm not really looking forward to it. It's just a lot of work, inside and out. As the renown philosopher Danny Glover was fond of saying, "I'm getting too old for this ****."

I feel your pain. We're about 10 minutes away from leaving our AZ condo to return to IL, where I'll be doing 35-40 hrs a week of yard work until Halloween.


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[W2R]

I feel your pain. We're about 10 minutes away from leaving our AZ condo to return to IL, where I'll be doing 35-40 hrs a week of yard work until Halloween.

Ugh, my sympathies. The life of a snowbird doesn't sound very easy. Or at least, maintaining two homes and yards sounds like it can sometimes be more work than I'd prefer to do.

 

[harley]

We actually really like gardening, but it's getting harder as I get older. I've been noticing that I'm having difficulty lifting the large 2 cu ft bags of dirt. But they charge like 50% more for dirt in 1 cu ft. bags, and I'm [-]super cheap[/-] fairly frugal so I hate paying the difference. When we do a project like laying a paver path, I can really feel it over the next few days. And putting down mulch in all the beds we've created in that half acre lot is just really time consuming. Plus all the planting of annuals. And then trim everything back at the end of the season and haul the debris away. Every year, lots of repetitive work. But we certainly love the beauty of the beds when we're finished. And at least we don't have a lot of trees anymore, so I don't have to worry so much about leaf removal.

I think it's just the contrast between the two homes that's got me down a bit. This little place is so easy to care for, and the big place, while incredibly beautiful, is a lot more work. Someday we'll downsize up north too, but I'd hate to lose those views.

 

[W2R]

I think it's just the contrast between the two homes that's got me down a bit. This little place is so easy to care for, and the big place, while incredibly beautiful, is a lot more work. Someday we'll downsize up north too, but I'd hate to lose those views.

Surely there's got to be a small home somewhere up there, with beautiful views that you like just as much and a low maintenance yard?

Or - - since you like gardening (I don't), maybe what you really need is a deluxe garden wagon to help you carry those big bags of mulch around and so on? Or maybe just bite the bullet and buy the smaller bags, and save money elsewhere. Small bags of mulch are cheaper than a new home.

 

[Walt34]

Received the letter from SSA that they're soon going to start sending me money every month. I'm not sure what we'll spend it on but I might break down and hire a lawn service. Overall, finances are in better shape than we'd planned on so there's some wiggle room for frivolous extravagant luxuries.

And maybe buy that 10-pound chocolate bar. It's always good to have a goal, right?

 

[W2R]

Received the letter from SSA that they're soon going to start sending me money every month. I'm not sure what we'll spend it on but I might break down and hire a lawn service. Overall, finances are in better shape than we'd planned on so there's some wiggle room for frivolous extravagant luxuries.

And maybe buy that 10-pound chocolate bar. It's always good to have a goal, right?

Get the lawn service!!

I am so glad I got a lawn service. To make up for lost exercise, I joined the gym. I am in a lot better shape when I am going to the gym regularly, than when I am just mowing regularly.

BOTH the lawn service and the gym together, cost me $1939/year, probably less than just one of your SS checks. It not only makes life more fun, but also I don't have to worry any more about dropping dead mowing the lawn on a hot summer's day. To me that always seemed like such an ignominious way to go.

 

[NW-Bound]

No lawn, no service at both of my homes.

The high-country home is all natural landscape with evergreen trees. The native vegetation is left alone to control soil erosion on our hillside. I sprayed weed killer on the gravel driveway and pulled up some, and that's done once a year.

The low-desert home has all gravel yard, though my wife likes gardening and we have some trees, shrubs, potted plants, etc... These are a lot lower maintenance than grass. My wife also grows some vegetable.