Supplies Are Critical During a Blizzard

 

This is my front yard.  My neighbor took some photos for me from her porch.  The snow in front of our cars is now up to our heads, since the snowplow passed.  Most of us spent hours the past few days, shoveling.  We are expecting more snow today and tomorrow.  

I did many things right before this storm, and some things wrong.  I wish I had brought is four or five times as much firewood.  I had a delivery dropped the day it started snowing, but that wood is not fully seasoned.  My original woodpile is quite far from the cabin, for fire safety.  Some of the chunks I bought for the fireplace are to large to squeeze into the fireplace insert.  I will have to split them with a log splitter.  

I have plenty of food, and am very glad that I stocked up on things like canned meat and chicken, tuna, pasta, soup, and coffee.  The dogs have a strong supply of kibble and dog biscuits.  They don't understand why we aren't going for walks, and the bones I boiled for them caused them both to have accidents in the house in the middle of the night.  So, in addition to all the shoveling, there has been time spent cleaning up their indoor poop and urination.  

It helps to wash your hair, take a bath, and practice self-care.  We are fortunate to have power, cell phone service, and Internet.  I wish I had stored my tire chains and emergency food supply in the house, and not in my car.  It took me hours to shovel my way up there, and the car was buried in snow.  

It is so important to prepare for emergencies to the best of your ability.  Life is much calmer and you feel more stable when you can hunker down at home in a storm.  

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A Blizzard in California

 

Last night it snowed for several hours.  It is continuing today.  I tried to shovel out my car, but I just got too wet with the continued snowfall.  I was able to sweep the steps, so that they were clear enough this morning to take out the dogs.  Now they are covered again.

We could receive up to five feet of snow in the mountains.  We shall see.  It's so important to have your groceries and pet food stockpiled.  Our delivery from the co-op was canceled, but fortunately I had picked up some extra produce at our local grocery store.  I also have some canned fruit in the cupboard that I store for emergencies.  I cooked a pot roast and some pasta in preparation.  The dogs are enthusiastically gnawing on their marrow beef bones from the broth that I simmered last week.

I am so glad that I purchased that alpaca hat and cape when I was in Alaska.  They keep me warm, safe, and dry.  Alpaca is so soft, and it dries by the fireplace very quickly.  I picked up a pair of gloves at the same shop, and they are divine.  They match the jacket.  The older I get, the more I love neutrals. 

Last week the weather was gorgeous down in LA.  I took a day to go bicycling on the beach.  It was sunny and clear.  It was so much fun to look at all the boats and enjoy the warm weather.

How is it where you are?  Are you shoveling snow like I am?

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Five of My Friends Have Covid

 Last week I heard from five different people I know, they all got Covid the same week.  It is really circulating again.  I decided to immediately schedule my second booster shot, and had it this morning.  I got mine for free at Vons.   I went at 9:00 a.m., when they opened.  They will  be charging for them in May.  I think it costs $130.00!

The woman who helped me was very nice.  I told her that I experienced intense reactions to the previous vaccines.  She advised me to drink lots of water, to flush it through, and said no alcohol for three days.  She also encouraged me to use my arm if it was sore.  The tiny needles they use now are much less painful than the first ones.  It makes such a difference!  The first experience was a bit traumatic, but this time it was easy and quick.

I came home and made a pan of chicken enchiladas, simmered a pot of beef bone broth, and tossed a large salad.  I like knowing that I have plenty of healthy meals in the fridge, in case I get sick again.  After the previous vaccine I felt poisoned.   This is the new one, the bivalent version.

My friends who contracted Covid were sick for two weeks!  They felt nauseous and tired, but have now fully recovered.  They didn't get the vaccine.  One has had Covid previously.  It concerns me when people get it repeatedly.  From what I have read, repeat cases can cause more severe health problems in the future.  It's such an intense experience.

My other friend is eighty, and even though she tests every week at work, she still got it.  She said it was kind of depressing, and she felt a malaise.   She decided to take the treatment that her doctor recommended, since she is older.  

My friend in Australia fell ill with it on his trip here, so did his wife.  He is still coughing...it's weird how it lingers.

What is your status with Covid?  I am still masking and taking precautions.  It seems the Moderna vaccines have worked for me, so far.  I have only had Covid one time that I know of, in 2019, before we knew what it was. 

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Getting a Refund For a Canceled Flight or Cruise

 

Last June, I planned a trip from Miami through the Panama Canal.  It was a fifteen night cruise with NCL.  I found an excellent deal, and booked a flight on Delta Airlines.  I got an excellent price through Travelocity.  Unfortunately, I started receiving emails from them saying that my flight number had been changed.  This happened twice.  Shortly after that, I was notified by email that my flight had been canceled. 

I called the cruise line to see if I could rebook a flight through them.  It would have cost me thousands of dollars at that point, because hotel prices in Miami were now astronomical, and they wanted a two-night minimum.  My original flight got me to the port the morning of our departure.  The only comparable flight was out of Ontario, which was a three-hour drive from my cottage.  

Fortunately, I had purchased the premium travel insurance that NCL offers.  I realized I needed to cancel the cruise.  NCL gave me two thirds of my money back, and advised me to file a claim for the rest.  Travelocity gave me a refund right away, which was a relief.  (I had purchased flight insurance, as well.)

The insurance company asked for an uploaded copy of my itinerary, a receipt from NCL, and had me fill out a short form, giving the dates that I had booked the cruise and paid for the insurance.

Travel insurance is key!  With all the airlines overbooking these days, it is worth the money.  I have recently been doing more local travel, since that way I can drive myself.  

Have you ever been in this situation?

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Checking Your Bank Balances Each Day

 The other night, I was chatting with a friend of mine who is from Australia.  We were discussing real estate, (which she sells,) and stocks.  I am an avid fan of the stock market.  She told me that her parents were bankers, and that they always checked their bank balances every morning and evening.

I found that to be excellent advice.  With all of the hacking and fraud that is happening in society now, if you know exactly how much money you have, and keep a close eye on it, you can catch any discrepancies.   I once had a person from the Midwest use my debit card at their Walmart.  They charged over $600.!  I caught it right away, at six o'clock the next morning.  I went down to my credit union when they opened and closed out the card. They reimbursed me and issued a new card.

I carefully look over my stock portfolio online each morning.  I like to see if I am reaching my goals with my dividends and observe how the market is doing.   I also need to keep an eye on my income, since in California, what we pay for health insurance depends on how much we earn.

I recently opened a CD at my bank, and that shows up on the screen, as well.  Interest rates have gone up, and it is encouraging to be able to make some money off of savings once again.

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Shockingly High Gas and Electricity Bills in California

 I just received my electric bill for last month's usage.  It was $264.00!  Yikes!  I have been heating the cabin with wood, but leave two electric radiator style heaters  at 55 degrees to keep the pipes from freezing.  It gets so cold in the winter.  Some of our evenings we have dropped down into the teens.  I guess it's better than having a pipe burst.  I make sure to drain the water from the pipes and shut the water off when I am out of town. 

It used to be cheaper to bake from scratch, but now I am thinking it might be less expensive to buy cookies on sale.  I love the Scottish stem ginger biscuits that they sell at Stater Brothers.  I may still make a batch of lemon bars and bake several potatoes while the oven is in use.  The natural gas prices are causing me to rethink everything. 

This is why it is so important to have an emergency fund and to account for inflation during retirement.  Things really go up, and it only increases as we age.  My health insurance now costs nearly $700.00 per month.  It will continue to rise until I am eligible for Medicare at age 65.  When I first bought the cottage, it was $35.00 per month.  I was 33.  At that time I just had a catastrophic policy.

How were your utility bills this month?  Have you made any changes?  I am doing laundry in cold water, and have been drying everything out on the clothesline.  With all of the rain and flooding we experienced, I had to use the gas dryer several times.  It really adds up; the more we can save and conserve, the lower our bills will be.

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