a new walk and medicare

Good afternoon.
Monday was another beautiful cool fall day.
We went for a walk in Lansing's newest park. Crego park. In southwest Lansing.

This park was many years ago a gravel pit, but has been reclaimed for public use. Not to many facilities here yet, but it is connected to the extensive Lansing River Trail, and was a very pleasant walk.
We did get Craig signed up for medicare, but discovered we can't get a prescription plan until he gets his medicare number.  :-/
This morning, I went back to the Audiologist for a pre-scheduled check-up some tweaking.
We decided to increase the volume a bit, and put a small tip on the part that goes into the ear.
So far, one week in to this, I'm extremely happy with this hearing aid. And I think Craig is even happier.  :-)
That said, we're heading out for a little walk.

a beautiful fall....

 It's a beautiful fall.
Especially if you don't have to rake.   :-)
Good morning.
I've just returned from cleaning the Salon.
It was a fairly slow week in the Salon, and we got out early on Sat. and headed over to Reno's for lunch and a little anniversary celebration.
 And here's a few fall pics I took on our walk yesterday afternoon....

View from our apt. balcony.

Down the road from our building. It's behind those maple trees.

All the building in this complex are clustered in groups of 4 with a large 'courtyard' in the middle. here's a couple of pics showing the spacious courtyards.

And they did some very nice plantings in front of the clubhouse/leasing office and at the complex entrances.

They are looking a little worn this late in the season but were very nice.
Today, after our walk and shopping, Craig does his book work while I clean the apt. Later Craig's making turkey pie for dinner. You can find the recipe here.
And that's it for now.

Good weekend

Good morning.
As you've noticed, I haven't been posting much.
Not much to say as not much going on. That's apt living.   :-)
But, it was a fairly busy weekend. We walked each day and on Monday, Craig went to the doctor. His ear had been plugged for a week, and nothing he seemed to do would alleviate it. The doctor flushed out what he said was a ton of earwax. I'm pretty sure a ton of the stuff wouldn't fit there, so I'm assuming he just meant a lot!  ;-)
Tuesday I went and got my hearing aid. While at the office, she did some fine tuning of it and I go back in a week for more possible adjustments. It's completely programmable with her puter program. I'm so far very happy with it. It's so small and nearly visible. And more comfortable than I thought it would be. I almost forgot to take it out before bed. it's that comfortable, I forgot I had it.    :-)
We also got the snow tires on Craig's Hyundai, so we're all set for the upcoming snow season. We did them earlier this year than usual. Despite a small loss in mpg, it's worth it to do them early instead of waiting until late Nov. when it can be finger numbing cold.
Oh, and today is our Vegas house's anniversary. We signed the papers one year ago today. Hard to believe we've owned that house for a year already.
And Craig's a little peeved about the big increase he'll have to pay when signing up for Medicare. Instead of $104.00 a month it looks to be around $159.00. Thanks to his signing up for medicare, but not Social Security. And no Cola this year. It's a little too complicated to explain here, but it is what it is. We'll deal with it.
So now, it's time for another work week.

A Michigan State Miracle

Good afternoon.
It turned out to be a not to bad week at work.
And.... Our Michigan State Spartans miraculously won the game against arch rival Michigan!   :-)
And to commemorate the occasion.... here's a couple of pics I pulled off Facebook.....

 And for those of you not in the know.....That other school is officially called the University of Michigan.
Hence, the U of M joke.

And in the classic Peanuts comic we have our Michigan State coach mark Dantonio pulling out the ball from Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
And finally.....

No first year coach of Michigan has beat Michigan State in  56 years.   :-)
In other news.....
I did clean the Salon this morning as usual. We went for our walk despite the chilly weather, and I did more research on medicare. I also cleaned the apartment while Craig did his usual book work. This place is staying cleaner than our house ever was. Probably because I have a lot of extra time!   :-)
That said, Craig is currently fixing a delicious dinner.  Cabbage Roll Casserole. Can't wait!
And that said, that's all I got.    :-)

boring weekend

Good morning.
It was a very uneventful weekend.   :-)
That's what living in an apartment will do.
We did manage to get in a walk on Sunday and Monday, but Tues. was cold, windy, and drizzly.
Got snow tires on the Kia on Sunday, hope to do Craig's car next weekend.
Just about got this medicare thing nailed down. Looks like Craig will go with traditional medicare and get a medigap policy and a prescription drug plan. He'll have 3 payments instead of one, but the coverage is explained better. And Craig will still get his Zetia from Canada. Because it's a tier 3 drug, he'd have to pay a $360 deductible and then only $40 every 3 months. So that adds up to$480 a year. He can get the generic in Canada for about $13 a month. His 2 other meds are tier 1 and 2, so the deductible doesn't apply.
I told you this medicare stuff is a little complicated.
Soooo, The cheapest plan is $18.40 a month. That will get him his 2 meds for free. Right now he's paying $24 every 3 months. So it'll still be more expensive having a drug plan then not, but if you don't get a drug plan when you sign up for medicare,  when you do eventually get a plan a year or more later, they penalize you every month for the rest of your life!
Anyway, time to get ready for work.

Yep, it's my birthday again

Good afternoon.
It was actually a fairly busy week in the Salon.  For a change.   :-)
 After work, we went over to Reno's for a little birthday pizza and drinks. Ya, at my age, birthdays aren't as big a deal as when I was younger.

Back home. I received a birthday card from my Mom.....

It made my smile because.......

It was the same card I had sent to her back in August! She crossed my name out and added hers. I sent it as a tongue in cheek card, but she took it to heart and "re-gifted' it!
Anyway, made my day.   :-)
Our new routine is working quite well. I take most of the clothes into work Saturday morning and start a load, and Craig brings the rest when he comes in. We seem to get everything done by time we are done .
We're really liking apartment living.  :-)
And with that, Craig is fixing a cheesy dip for a snack, so time to get.   :-)

a fairly busy weekend

Good morning.
It was a  cool, cloudy, foggy, damp weekend. But a productive one.
Monday, we shopped for a couple of new floor lamps. Craig didn't have enough light in the office area of the bedroom for his paperwork, and the light we had in the living room was to far from my desk for me. So, not wanting to spend a lot of money we hit Walmart. Found one on clearance for $5.  :-)
Was left over from their back to school specials. But only one. So, we headed over to Big Lot's, but struck out, then over to Menard's, no luck, and then to Target where we got one for $8.
Then for dinner, it was chicken thighs on the grill and roasted veggies.

That's another nice thing about this apt. complex. They allow small grills with those small camping propane tanks.  Most complexes don't allow them. We were lucky we kept the portable grill from the motor home.  Tuesday, we walked, got our flu shots, and then changed the tires on the Kia. And that's another nice thing about this complex. The large storage area each apt has in the laundry room. We have 2 sets of tires, and at least a dozen boxes stored there.
Then, after talking to the Salon staff, we ordered this years calendars that we give out for Christmas.

The company we buy these from every year had these nice ones in there clearance center. Got them for nearly 1/3 the regular price. That even beats the buy one get one free they sometimes have.   :-)
And we're still looking over all the Medicare info. I think Craig's going to make an appointment with the Tri-County Office on Aging. They have volunteers especially trained to help you sort through all the different choices. He mainly can't decide on whether to get a medicare advantage plan, or regular medicare and a prescription and medigap policy.
Fortunately, he has plenty of time to decide.
Now time to get ready for work.

Good afternoon from a cold dreary Lansing.
I cleaned the Salon as usual this morning. We are officially settled in our apartment, as Craig is making a meatloaf for dinner. Despite out teeny tiny kitchen, he's making it work.   :-)
It was a fairly busy week in the Salon for a change and after work on Saturday, we met a customer at Reno's for drinks, snacks, and the Michigan State Football game. The place was very busy! But we don't normally go there on football Saturdays.  :-)
And luckily, our Spartans won!
Friday afternoon, a maintenance  guy from the apartment complex came by to check out our toilet. Apparently the apartment below us was getting some mold on their ceiling and the ceiling was feeling 'soft'.
The toilet looked okay, so he decide to 'pull' it to check and see if the seal was intact and good. It wasn't. So they replaced the seal, reset the toilet and re-caulked. He cleaned up after himself and when he was gone, it looked like he was never there.
Today  I cleaned the apartment while Craig did his usual book work. It's nice having the place so clean. Back at the house, I hate to admit, the bathroom got to looking pretty disgusting before I'd clean it. But without the big yard to maintain, I'm cleaning every weekend.   :-)
And last Wed. our little malls biggest tenant moved out. They had  over 18000 sq ft of space. In comparison, we have just over 1000 ft. That leaves only 5 of us small tenants left out of about 24 spaces. We're concerned for the viability of the mall. I can't imagine we generate enough income for his overhead. We'll see.
Anyway, with that, I've got to go and wash up the dishes he dirtied getting dinner ready. Remember, I'm the dishwasher now.   :-)