TheCapeBlog

We got our taxes filed, with refunds expected.

Mass DOR are my heroes. I realized only yesterday that I’d made the same error with estimated payments and emailed them for help. Heard back in about nine minutes that the problem was fixed.

Unbelievable how good their computer systems are and how bad the IRS systems are. Larry says the reason is that Mass. is “awash in money”.

We had our second COVID boosters at CVS in East Falmouth. I like that store.

Checked out Shipwrecked on the way to the meeting with Larry and stopped at Dairy Queen and Walmart on the way home.

Dr. Baer examined Lizzie and said he can’t find any physical explanation for her barking in the middle of the night.

Store pizza for supper – good, too.

Thunder and lightning east of us this morning.

Raked the “U”. Ron helped me load the truck.

I went to Roche for Friday flowers. Brought home cupcakes and ate half of them.

I did some yard cleanup yesterday, the front of the house and the Joe Pye Weed corner.

Just as well, it’s predicted to rain most of today.

Have made decent progress with raking so far this season.

Lizzie woofed again last night and left a Trump on her blanket this morning. We have a visit to the vet scheduled for tomorrow evening.

Ron shaved his moustache and beard yesterday. Or maybe it was the day before.

I can’t find our backup info for 2020 taxes, and it’s driving me nuts.

Daffs are blooming.

The mysterious joint account debits turned out to be misfires from Ron made very late one weekend night. He made up the deficit.

It occurred to me that the reason I had problems with certain bosses is because they were childish and not because of any deficit on my part except that I wouldn’t indulge them.

As is the case with many places, Mashpee needs a few good funerals.

A friend who is running for reelection told me that her opponent has missed half of the Town committee meetings that he Chairs. Turns out, this is not true. In fact, he missed fewer than a quarter. I let my friend know and am hoping she’ll tell me the source of this misinformation.

Lizzie and I went out a couple of times, once for a walk, other times to keep me company while I worked outside. I raked more leaves and now the truck is full again.

Ron did a pile of laundry, at least four days’ worth.

We had veg burgers, salad and mashed potatoes last night, all from BJ’s. Cooked a real hamburger for Lizzie, too.

Yesterday I saw two mysterious debits from our joint account. Hoping that the Bank can provide some info tomorrow.

Do you ever get tired of being “the one who gets things done”?

I’m just glad that I found a colleague who is helping me with NEPS. The frustration of working with Angular was driving me nuts.

The Mashpee FB groups are exhorting people to attend the first group grope around the Town’s new Master Plan next Saturday.

That got me to thinking about what I like and don’t like about Mashpee.

I don’t like the narrow mindedness, the misogyny, the authoritarianism. I also don’t like that so much of the waterfront, both ocean and fresh, is privately owned.

I don’t think that a new Master Plan is going to change any of that.

I do like the availability of conveniences, both here and in Falmouth and Hyannis. As Ron says, it’s a quasi-country, quasi-suburban area, which is a good combination. I like the climate here and the fact that we can afford to live within our means and with a modicum of safety and privacy.

It would be nice if White’s were to open one of their bakeries in the Commons. Given that they closed their Hingham location last summer, that seems unlikely.

Lizzie ran into Broderick’s yard from our walk in the field this morning.

I did a couple of hours of yardwork, cleaned out gardens in the back yard, the fence area, the hydrangea garden, the section next to the deck and the herb garden. Ron worked on compost. Lizzie slept. I sprained a finger.

Ground a bag of Peet’s. Ron’s grinder is missing a part so used mine.

Helpful email from Brian cleared up a bug in NEPS. Only one left as far as I know.

Ron went to Beltone in Hyannis in the hope he could get one of his hearing aids repaired. Instead, he got, guess what, a recommendation that he spend more money.

I hate this and am glad we found his first set which we hope will tide him over until we can figure out if cheap ones will work for both of us.

Once again – it happens every time – Ron forgot to pick up something I requested: gizzards for Lizzie at the Hyannis Stop & Shop.

Because it was for Lizzie, it was particularly infuriating, although not as personal as all the other requests from me that he’s ignored.

He made a second trip to Hyannis to fix it.

Lizzie and I had a pretty good day while he was gone. I did a little raking but stopped because the wind was making a mess and anyway, the truck was full. We did a walk in the field and she got to run a bit.

Rained last night, a deluge at one point.

This morning, I stopped at Mobil to redeem the $25 gift card distributed at Tuesday’s job fair and dumped the leaves at the transfer station.

Back home, I changed the furnace filter.

I’m able to fit into some old jeans.

Lizzie barked last night, I think around 2 AM. She’d Trumped and was RAVENOUS, poor thing.

We went outside this morning in below-freezing temps.

I fell asleep early. We’d taken an afternoon walk and had B&B afterwards, watched the news and that was pretty much the end of my day.

Made an appointment to talk with IRS about my erroneous payment. The person who helped me on the phone was great. She said she enjoyed talking with me.

Attended the job fair at the Library. Few job seekers, not surprising considering the mid-week afternoon hours. Told multiple times that the jobs that interested me wouldn’t be suitable. How very surprising. We got some nice bags and a cookie for Ron, though.

Had a good chat with Kathy about cost of periodicals, which is skyrocketing. Digital fees are out of control.

Great insight from a dev in California about why NEPS isn’t working. Found and fixed a LINQ bug in the controller.

After a nice weekend, it was an unpleasant surprise to go to the field with Lizzie this morning. She seemed uncomfortable as well, ran back to the yard after just a couple of minutes.

Ron dropped off his van at Battles and I followed shortly afterwards. It needs another $400+ worth of work. We came straight back to the house.

We changed the sheets and Ron, having punted yesterday, is up to his eyeballs in laundry.

Soup (out of a can) and salad (out of a bag) for lunch.

Did a run to Shaw’s this morning for bagels. Drove home via the beach.

Took Lizzie out to the field, briefly. Later on, she kept me company while I raked the hydrangea and corner gardens. Filled the back of the truck with leaves.

I pushed the one month out advice a little but feel fine and glad to have a chunk of Spring cleanup done.

We did an afternoon walk. Lizzie, who ate very little up to then, got at least some of her appetite back.

We watched part of the Oscars, missed the now infamous slap.

Lizzie barked off and on for hours. We couldn’t figure out if she was hungry, needed to go out or wanted company.

We watched and enjoyed several jazz videos and the film “Imitation Game” beforehand.

Friends took me to lunch. Good chance to get caught up.

House in the neighborhood is for sale, $550,000. Cars parked all over the place for the open house.

One of Ron’s hearing aids died. Fortunately, he had the old ones, and they still work.

Took Lizzie out for a walk this morning in the field, and this afternoon, the three of us did another. Lizzie loves to run back to the yard, and it makes us so happy to watch her.

Salad for supper and watched an inspiring film, “Adrift”, about a woman in her early twenties who survived for 41 days on a disabled sailboat in the Pacific Ocean. She’d sustained a head injury so severe that it took six years before she could read again.

Yesterday I made wheat pancakes from a failed crepe batter and soup.

Today I ground up chicken, rice and produce (carrots, apple, beans, spinach) for Lizzie.

Ron did the transfer station run.

Had a conversation with GoDaddy Tech Support yesterday about Office and Outlook.

Discouraged about finding decent help for the Angular checkbox bug.