This has been a very quiet day on the prairie. I haven’t spoken to anyone so far today. The sun is shining this afternoon after a foggy, cold start to the day. It is only 33 out today but is to warm up to 47 tomorrow.
I got my tax prep work done. Still need some tax forms to get here before I can make my appointment with my tax preparer but it feels good to know they will be ready to take in when the forms arrive the end of the month. Three of the rentals had a good year, one had a terrible year with a big loss and the other one did so so. I had to do some major work to the one that had the big loss. It helps at tax time but hard from a cash flow perspective.
I did 25 minutes on the bike today and finished reading the book I have been reading this week. It was the type of book that you hate to have come to the end as it was interesting and I would have liked to know more of the story. I’ll start a new book when I take my bath later tonight.
I washed the sheets on my bed and cleaned the two upstairs bathrooms and then wrote my sister a long email. It feels like it has been a productive day on the prairie today. I like days like this when I get to stay home and get to cross some things off my to-do list.
I have been using distilled water in my humidifiers to eliminate the white film that my hard tap water leaves behind. I am filling up my recycling quickly with the empty plastic containers. I remembered that last year my neighbor was looking for plastic gallon jugs to put around her tomatoes. I sent her a message and she will gladly take two dozen of them off my hands. I like seeing things reused instead of being recycled so will save her some. It won’t take long as I go through two gallons a day. If anyone else needs some, let me know and I will be happy to save you some too.
No plans for the week-end. I will need to find some excuse to get out of the house as too many days home alone without conversation with another person is not good for me. I don’t have anything on my grocery list so don’t need to go to town for that. Maybe I will kidnap one of the grandkids and have them come out for a day this weekend.
The weather is to warm up on Sunday and if it doesn’t rain I may try to paint the deck boards that were replaced by my handyman in December. I don’t like seeing raw wood on the deck railing. I think the wood needs to be protected by the deck paint. Not my favorite type of painting but it needs to be done. Later this spring I will need to repaint the whole deck. The last paint I used didn’t hold up and all three decks need redone. That will keep me busy for a month or more. May need to have a painting party and get some help with that project.
My word for the year is balance. It is important that I balance days like today where I stay home and am quiet all days with days that I interact with others and have conversation. I get drained if I don’t keep myself in balance between the two types of days. Empty space days recharge me but once I am full I need to socialize for my emotional health. I will be more engaged with the outside world when I start doing taxes in February.
Grateful my tax prep work is completed, grateful for empty space days, and grateful I found a home for some of the empty distilled water containers.