Hello!
I'm here! It's been awhile. Almost a year. No news is good news I think the saying goes.
Still looking for a house to buy. Had one slip through that would have been perfect but the sellers had accepted the first offer that they got at 10 pm listing day. We couldn't get to see the house until the next day (because of our agent!) and were prepared to write something up. (We didn't know they had accepted something) We would have paid 15k above what they accepted. It was a lovely bungalow about 1 km away from us. Ah well.
It's been a week of rain around here. The yard is like a jungle. I found a nice greenhouse a bit of a drive outside the city that had great prices and good sales. Kept it under $200 for 9 stunning baskets and a big water planter. I only hung 2 of them, the rest were transplanted into big pots. They all went in the back yard which is where we spend all of our time. The front yard got a single "plant" that is a fake plant. Out front is like a desert and has shrubs and perennials that appreciate the heat. It's hard to keep anything in a pot that doesn't require water twice a day. I found a nice one a Jysk for cheap and I think it looks good. (Good enough).
Retirement was the right decision. I don't miss work one bit. I've had some rough patches for the last 7 months health wise. But feeling better this week. My autoimmune skin rash is in remission. (For which I am extremely grateful) Menopause is kicking my butt. If only I could sleep. Maybe some day.... My exercise tolerance is currently zero. So that doesn't help things. I'm trying while always exhausted. I haven't gained any weight - or lost any in the last year so there's that that's positive I guess. I get in to see the specialist again in a week. I've waited for a few months for another appointment. Maybe she has some magic to help.
My kids are doing great. My grandbaby is a sweet treasure.
I have continued to save all of my pension every month. We are living on 1 income without much stress.
My mother has continued to be on a slow decline with her memory. She's better in their own home. She doesn't go anywhere without my dad. While here in the city to be with my golden sibling they did come over for 1 hour. She couldn't find the washroom (I've been here for 28 years). She gets very panicky when there are too many people around. She's had a couple falls in the last few months. Nothing broken but extreme bruising. What has changed for the better is her personality! For real. I think she is forgetting her grudges. Hopefully this change stays until the end. Another change in both of them is that they were generous with a $$ gift! I got a cheque in the mail that I thought was a typo. (They had called the week before to find out my postal code - again, I've been here for 28 years so that tells you the amount of mail they have sent me). It isn't huge, but I am able to use it toward an overseas vacation that I’ve always wanted. I've already given half of it to my 3 kids. I needed this money back when I was working 3 jobs to make ends just meet, I needed it when everything seemed insurmountable, when I was knocked back with injuries and had surgeries and no help. When I was holding on by a thread, I needed it then. Not now. But I will take it now and do good things with it. Its breathing room.
Kid 1 and spouse are putting it into savings and RESP for little one, Kid 2 has a move coming up in a month. This has paid for the damage deposit and moving costs and will do two months rent for the little studio apartment. Kid 3 has paid extra down on car loan, it takes away 1 year worth of payments. It isn't life changing for any of them, but it's a bit of breathing room for them. When they need it. They are not indebted to me.
So it's mostly all Good Things:
- Some spare $
- Haven't had to pay for any water usage for the yard this week!
- I'm getting new glasses for the first time in 4 years
- very little a/c needed this week which will keep the power bill down
- Grandbaby talking up a storm and playing in the yard
- I made buns for the second time this year and they turned out pretty good (compared to the last set of rocks!)
