What did you do today? - 2021 version

[Walt34]

On March 1st I ordered another set of Gladiator shelves from Home Depot. I like these shelves because they're easy to put together and will hold 1,000 pounds on each of the five shelves. No way I'm gonna overload that! So the box arrives in a few days via FedEx (I want to be sure to give [-]credit[/-] blame where it is due) but it has clearly had a rough trip - one end of the box is now composed entirely of multiple layers of packing tape. Not surprisingly we discover that some essential parts are missing.

Since this box contents weighs nearly 100 lbs I really don't want to mess with trying to stuff everything back into what's left of the box and haul it down to Home Depot, so I call up Gladiator, explain to the nice lady what happened, and she says that although those parts are on back order they'll be in next week and they'll be happy to send them on to me. Great, I'm not in a hurry so that will be fine.

Hmmm... a bit over two weeks later I haven't heard anything so I call them back - nice fellow apologies, says the parts are still on back order, and then surprises me. He says we'll just send you a whole new set of shelves and we'll either haul away the old one or if you want you can scrap it yourself. Thanks, but no thanks, please haul away the old one.

Four days later (this morning) a J.B. Hunt truck pulls up and two guys deliver an intact new box with nary a scratch on it. And haul away the old one. Yay! Okay, maybe I just got lucky but J.B. Hunt trucking just scored megapoints for that one. FedEx, UPS, and USPS have all been scoring rather poorly of late.

Put together the new shelving unit and DW is now happy that all the treasures/junk (depending on who's telling the story) are now stored on shelves instead of the floor.

 

[Palmtree]

Today? Changed the anode rod in our 15 year old water heater. Made a reservation or three for a upcoming trip to Belize (trip #6). Worked a little on the small wall cypress cabinet I'm building. Addressed an issue with our HOA (a never ending headache)

 

[street]

Hiked, and got about 7 holes dug for planting some suds tomorrow or Saturday. Good Friday is suppose to be when you plant suds. Just a few hills for some fresh potatoes through the summer.

 

[NW-Bound]

Went with DW to pick up her new car today. She wanted me along because I can "say no more effectively" than she can.

The usual routine at the dealership, and I enjoyed being able to grin during the finance guy's routine because I had a mask on.

It was kind of interesting, actually. If you added up all the things (undercoating, various extended warranties, etc.) they pitched, it would have amounted to well over 10% of the cost of the car. Needless to say, we turned them all down. To their credit, they didn't push back after the first "No" response. Maybe they realized that I was there for a reason.

When I bought a new car a few months ago, I told the salesman I was paying cash, and he had to tell me what the total was, so that I could show up with a check for the right amount. There was no chance for the finance guy to push any add-on.

The last time I paid cash at another dealer, they accepted my personal check. This time, they wanted a certified check, saying it was because of Covid. I did not see what Covid had to do with it, but a quick stop by my bank was OK with me.


PS. One month after the transaction, they sent me a check to reimburse for what they overcharged for the licensing fee that was paid to the state. This was AutoNation. I can see buying from them again.

 

[rk911]

I threw away a broken starter pistol, like they use to start horse races, that was painted black and given to my father for protection by a weird friend of his. He gave it to me and I finally decided on a method of disposal. I wrapped it in cardboard, put it in a plastic bag, taped it shut, and threw it in a park garbage can...

you could've just turned it in at your PD or sheriff's office.

 

[Boho]

Shopped online for a wireless doorbell with adjustable volume for my apartment, for the sole purpose of hearing the mandatory exterminator once a month. The battery of the one I was interested in lasts only three years and there's nothing saying whether there's a low battery alert. I'd have to buy a separate peep hole, but I don't like the idea of putting my face next to a lithium battery. I don't need waterproofness and I didn't want something all fancy looking but they all are. I'm not buying one.

 

[street]

When I bought a new car a few months ago, I told the salesman I was paying cash, and he had to tell me what the total was, so that I could show up with a check for the right amount. There was no chance for the finance guy to push any add-on.

The last time I paid cash at another dealer, they accepted my personal check. This time, they wanted a certified check, saying it was because of Covid. I did not see what Covid had to do with it, but a quick stop by my bank was OK with me.


PS. One month after the transaction, they sent me a check to reimburse for what they overcharged for the licensing fee that was paid to the state. This was AutoNation. I can see buying from them again.

So, did you have a trade also, or just buy a new ride from AutoNation? Do they deliver also?

 

[NW-Bound]

^^^ I just bought outright with no trade. They do delivery, but I want to come in person to "kick the tires", and to haggle face-to-face.

 

[REWahoo]

DW's phone, a two year old Moto G6, has been showing signs of approaching failure the past couple of weeks (one too many drops on our tile kitchen floor), so a few days ago I ordered her a new One+ phone from Amazon.

They were out of stock at the time, with expected delivery not until 4/11. I thought that would be OK, but in what turned out to be an April Fools Day "no joke", her G6 woke up dead this morning, refusing to take a charge.

Fortunately, Best Buy had the same phone in stock at the same price, so I cancelled the Amazon order, purchased the phone locally from BB and used their handy curbside pickup. DW now has a working phone and I'm no longer acting as her answering service.

 

[rk911]

search amazon for "basic wireless doorbell". lots of choice with most undr $15. the first is: GE Wireless Doorbell Kit, 2 Melodies, 1 Push Buttons, 4 Volume Levels, 150 Ft. Range, Mountable, White, 19247, Battery-Operated Receiver, $11.97

i'd send you the link hut not seeing a "share" button on the listing.

 

[Ronstar]

Finished measuring and drafting a landscape plan for our front yard redo. And a rejuvanation prune on the plantings that I'm keeping.

 

[street]

Ronstar, that is an aggressive work plan. Looks like a fun project and very rewarding when done.

NW-Bound >> thanks. I always seem to get cheated when buying a new ride. Lol It is one thing I never look forward too.

 

[Gumby]

Finished measuring and drafting a landscape plan for our front yard redo. And a rejuvanation prune on the plantings that I'm keeping.

How nice to walk past a large spread of roses on the way to the front door!

 

[Out of Steam]

Attached new wood blocks to a used woodworker's vise I bought online, then fastened the vise to my garage workbench.

 

[MRG]

I spent half a day at the eye doctor office. I was just waiting for several hours, they were very apologetic about the wait. I would have left but my vision is changing and not for the better. He put me on drops for glaucoma six months ago and I saw him three months ago.

In any case he said it's not related to glaucoma, good news ! It's a simple secondary cataract, really bad news! I had one one my left eye a couple years ago and afterwards my retina detached(big issue when you have extra long eyeballs) and I had a a lousy year because of it. He knows I have spots of no vision in that eye as he reviewed my visual field test from today.

He started asking for about the recovery from the retina surgery, I told him I spent much of that year undecided if I wanted to stick a knife in the eye or put a bullet in my head... he's making a plan for me to see a retina specialist in half the time post cataract removal. I'm not sure what exactly that's going to do, maybe if I need retina surgery they'll be able to fix it faster. Not sure it's going to make recovery any easier or yield improved results but hey it's something.

 

[rk911]

Scheduled our quarterly tax payments for both the feds and state. Then I scheduled automatic transfers from our MM account to our checking account in those amounts with our bank a few days before the debits occur. gotta love auto-pilot!

 

[Souschef]

Scheduled our quarterly tax payments for both the feds and state. Then I scheduled automatic transfers from our MM account to our checking account in those amounts with our bank a few days before the debits occur. gotta love auto-pilot!

I have mine scheduled through EFTPS, but I have to call the broker and sell some mutual funds. This is part of my RMD. I pay all my federal and state taxes as part of my RMD.

 

[rk911]

I have mine scheduled through EFTPS, but I have to call the broker and sell some mutual funds. This is part of my RMD. I pay all my federal and state taxes as part of my RMD.

that's how i schedule our quarterly federal tax payments, too. Illinois has it's own website for those payments.

 

[Chuckanut]

Simple bank is being bought out by another bank. I had used it as my source of funds for Venmo. I drained the Simple bank account before the new bank could get their hands on my funds.

 

[skyking1]

I un-winterized the water system on the 5th wheel for an upcoming trip Thursday. I pulled and washed the sheets and did some of the other things you do for the first trip out.

 

[Gumby]

Attached my newly made birdhouse to its mounting pole and installed it in our community garden plot, then fertilized my lawn and planted 3 Azaleas and an Andromeda in our shade garden at home. Started my eggplant seeds indoors under the lights. I'm looking forward to tilling my garden beds, setting out the cabbage, broccoli and kale seedlings that I started indoors last month, and direct sowing the carrots, beets, radishes, chard and peas. I may do it tomorrow or wait until Monday; it has rained a lot lately and I like to till when the ground is not so muddy. I really enjoy this time of year, as the promise of an abundant garden lies ahead. I may not realize all my horticultural dreams, but I'll have fun trying.

 

[aja8888]

I spent half a day at the eye doctor office. I was just waiting for several hours, they were very apologetic about the wait. I would have left but my vision is changing and not for the better. He put me on drops for glaucoma six months ago and I saw him three months ago.

In any case he said it's not related to glaucoma, good news ! It's a simple secondary cataract, really bad news! I had one one my left eye a couple years ago and afterwards my retina detached(big issue when you have extra long eyeballs) and I had a a lousy year because of it. He knows I have spots of no vision in that eye as he reviewed my visual field test from today.

He started asking for about the recovery from the retina surgery, I told him I spent much of that year undecided if I wanted to stick a knife in the eye or put a bullet in my head... he's making a plan for me to see a retina specialist in half the time post cataract removal. I'm not sure what exactly that's going to do, maybe if I need retina surgery they'll be able to fix it faster. Not sure it's going to make recovery any easier or yield improved results but hey it's something.

Good luck, MRG, I have a friend with similar eye problems and it's been a struggle for him. I am fortunate to have great eyes at 77 and no cataracts yet!

 

[Ronstar]

First bike ride of 2021 and took DW and MIL for their 2nd Covid vaccination, then took them out for pizza. Now watching the White Sox.

 

[jollystomper]

It was a fun day.

Early workout at the gym, it always leaves me energized for the rest of the day.

Late morning, zoom call with 2 of my brothers somehow evolved into many of our male children, my BIL and some of his mail children all joining as word spread that me and my brothers and BIL were answering the question "was there anything you did that you did not tell us when we were young that you would tell us now (they all range in age from mid-20s to early 40s)?" It lasted for several hours and was thoroughly enjoyable.

A new golf irons set showed up yesterday, so late afternoon I took them to a nearby driving range to start the break-in process.

One son came by early-evening to do his laundry (he recently moved from an apartment with a washer/dryer to one without those appliances so we see him more ). He did not realize the NCAA semifinal games started at 5:15 so he stayed to watch both with us while he did his laundry (and of course he got a free meal from DW ).

 

[Music Lover]

Yesterday I crammed 19' of upper and lower kitchen cabinets (bought used) plus a stove into a 5' x 8' cargo trailer and hauled them to our new cabin. I originally thought it would take 2 trips but we made great use of the space plus put some in the box of the truck.