Tuesday, October 19, 2021

It's the Final Countdown ...

... or a close estimate.

I've previously mentioned my dislike for the weekly drive from NJ to MD on Sunday and then back to NJ on Thursday or Friday. Last week John told his boss that he is retiring and he has a meeting with HR today to talk about some details, like the actual date that he's leaving. This is most likely in February or March of 2022, so there is light at the end of the tunnel (or the always-congested Delaware Memorial Bridge). 


I'm doing laundry and ironing today, but my new sense of hope has inspired me to do a final countdown of all the things I dislike about living in two places. These aren't hard and fast numbers, but a rough estimate is still a very good thing.

Round trips between NJ and MD that we'll have to make: 18

Number of John's work pants and shirts that I'll have to wash and iron: 48 (too high, but I may never iron again after he retires.)

Times I will have to pay duplicate electric, water and sewer bills, Comcast, and property taxes: 25

Trips to the grocery store to keep two houses stocked with basic food items: 16 

Times I purchase heating oil for two houses: 2

How often I wish that I had something that I've left in the other house from where I'm currently located: 54 (yarn, clothing, kitchen utensils, etc. This happens at least three times/week.)

Vegetables that I will have to blanch and freeze from the garden in MD: 0! I did ~20 lbs. of carrots last weekend in NJ, but in a less-than-efficient way because my food processor was in MD and I had to slice them all by hand. 

Amount of money that we will pay in tolls on the Delaware Memorial Bridge: $90.00

How much we will pay in tolls on Route 95: Anywhere from $0 - 200.00. We had an easy way to travel without any tolls but construction started on that about 2.5 years ago and is ongoing. We've been using an alternate route with only one $5.00 toll but construction started on that yesterday, so I'm not quite sure how we'll go when we head home to NJ this week. We'll just be glad to find a not-too-congested route (just like everyone else is looking for) and not worry about tolls. 

Hope that the house in MD will sell quickly and for a decent price after we list it: Infinite!


13 comments:

  1. You and John must be thrilled!!! That's a great count down.

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  2. Well, this is certainly something to look forward to this coming year! It will be fun to figure out how you are going to spend your time after the need to go to MD is over. I think it will be a big adjustment, but a joyful one. Keep us posted, Bonny!

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  3. Oh, YES! The official countdown has begun! It's always so . . . nice . . . to put actual numbers to something that's seemed like "forever." May that particular countdown clock move swiftly!

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  4. Wonderful news! An exciting chapter is coming so soon!

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  5. Now this is an excellent countdown! Wahooo!! That is such lovely news! Bravo to John and extra cheers for the end of ironing!

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  6. These all look like good numbers to me, especially considering they're only going to to get smaller from here on out! Glad the retirement is official now, even if the final date is still TBD.

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  7. Such good news! It will feel good to see those numbers go down each week!

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    1. It is a real pleasure to have the end in sight. I think I may be most excited about the end of ironing!

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  8. I'm really happy for you that you are counting this down now! Having an actual retirement day is a really BIG DEAL!

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  9. Congratulations on this count-down. This is big news for you and your family. Hooray for the end of tiresome commutes and having your yarn, kitchen utensils, and everything else all in one place. Having an end-date and a countdown allows you to see progress.

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  10. Hallelujah the end is near! no more living in between two houses. I am so happy for you!!

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  11. whoa, that's quick Bonny - and I'm still struck by how many times you'll get to do those things you dislike ... and I'll be sharing your joy the LAST TIME you get to do all those things. Best wishes - especially for that last one!!

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