Right Now: March 2023

Just for the record, these are not my grape hyacinths blooming. I wanted a pretty spring picture and all I have is some grape hyacinth foliage barely beginning to show and minuscule buds on a few trees. But even though I'm impatiently waiting for spring, I haven't done a Right Now post for a while, so it's time for one today. 

Looking Forward To - Getting some of my retirement money! In the 1980's I worked at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. They were affiliated with the State University of New York system, so our retirement plan was a 403b with TIAA/CREF. I contributed money, it got matched by the hospital, and then I forgot about it for 30 years. It's grown quite a bit, and I've finished the somewhat lengthy withdrawal process. I should start to see money in my bank account soon, and that's always a good thing. Because of the way the 403b was set up I have to make my withdrawals over 10 years, so I figured I better get started. 

Considering - Signing up for Social Security. I've been delaying it because my full retirement age is 66 years and 6 months and I won't reach that until December of this year. It makes a difference of < $100/month, but maybe I should just be a little bit patient and continue to wait. I could buy a couple of nice skeins of yarn with the difference! 

Helping - John decide what he wants so he can sign up for Medicare. I signed up last June, but he is a year younger than I am and won't turn 65 until August. He's easily overwhelmed by all the choices but I think his choice should be based on more than "just sign me up for whatever you have". Enough old person stuff!

Enjoying - Using the many, many boxes and packages of tea that have filled up an entire drawer in my pantry. I love tea and often buy from Celestial Seasonings six boxes at a time. But I've reached the point of Way Too Much Tea, so it's time to use up what I've got. This will take a while but since I've stated it here publicly, I have a better chance of actually doing it. 

Resisting - Jelly beans. I really like them and while I've resisted buying any so far, grocery stores aren't helping me at all by stocking more Easter candy than pasta or produce. 

Wondering About - empty shelves at the grocery store. I've been doing most of my grocery shopping at Walmart and Aldi. Aldi doesn't carry everything that I use, but the prices and quality are generally good. I dislike Walmart a lot, but the prices there are ~20% less than at Stop and Shop. But Walmart is always out of something different every week. Sometimes it's spaghetti, other times it's cucumbers or tuna fish. It's not nearly as bad as the shortages at the beginning of the pandemic, but it's still aggravating and makes it difficult to plan meals. 

Planning - A trip to Ricketts Glen State Park. It's a PA state park north of Allentown and a little less than three hours from home here in NJ. We're going with friends that have a cabin nearby and they seem anxious to go (like next week). The park is known for its 20+ waterfalls accessed by hiking trails. Right now the trails are closed because of ice, so I'm in favor of waiting until it warms a little and I don't have to face the prospect of hiking on ice. 

Reading - Two pre-publication novels from NetGalley. I have to make myself finish one and review it before it gets published early in May. It's not that the book is bad, but I just received Abraham Verghese's new novel, The Covenant of Water, from NetGalley. I really want to start it but I'm making myself finish the other book first. 

Sorry/Not Sorry - That I had to sit and read yesterday. John asked what I had planned and I told him about the loads of laundry I would be doing, making dinner, and the books I needed to read. He said, "So you have to sit and read all day on this rainy day? Poor you!" It was not all day, just all afternoon (and maybe much of the evening). 

Possibly Overthinking - Easter dinner. Ryan and Justin are rarely both here for dinner at the same time, but I thought I might make something for Easter dinner. Easter is not a big holiday in our house, but it is just as good a reason to get together as any other weekend. Jess (Justin's girlfriend) and I don't like ham, and since I'm cooking, it won't be ham. I have a prime rib in the freezer, but Jess is also not a fan of that. Maybe lasagna? Hamburgers on the grill? How about egg salad sandwiches? We'll see what I feel like making as it gets a little closer. 

Watching - The Detectorists Movie! I loved The Detectorists, a funny British comedy about metal detecting, but they only made three seasons and then stopped. The idea sounds a bit ridiculous but it's one of my favorite shows ever. When I heard they made a movie, I quickly signed up for Acorn TV just so I could watch it. 

What's going on in your world right now?