Back to the Drawing Board

My taxes are submitted for a final comb-through by minds better equipped for accuracy than mine. Soon, the final cyber-submission will take place and my obligations, or lack of, will be made clear and I'll be set for another year of accumulating taxable evidence.

From the Health Desk: Marvel that my wits are still able to negotiate the myriad, astonishing, labyrinthine, greedy, gargantuan arrangements to deliver healthcare that are so complex it cannot rise to the concept of a system.

Even though I have "benefits" I still spend huge amounts of time with the administration of them taking care of myself. For example: It's taken every day or so for five weeks of phone trees; narrowly-focused phone-bankers; notes; actions; drivings; mailings; postal returns; and appointments to correct durable, medical equipment delivery mistakes made by a mega company that is rapidly gobbling up every smaller medical durable supplier in the region! Even counting R & D, it can't possibly cost $850 for four pieces of 3-D printed plastic!!! What happens to those who are not able to advocate for themselves with illnesses too great, or too weak to pick up a phone, or pain too intense, or minds too compromised to cope with advocating for their own care. I hope some immediate future brings us all a better way.

And, that Comcast adopts Wawa's business concepts. Harvard Business Review and  Wawa-Business Insider (note #5 and 6).

OK. 'nuff said. I'm climbing back out from under my bed.

There is so much to celebrate. Keoni has begun the auditions for grad school. Houston was yesterday. Ahead lies Baltimore, LA, Boston, D.C. Hmm. I think I've lost track. It was great to talk with him yesterday as he walked around Rice University.

Well, much has simmered down for me. I can turn another page, it seems.

When the usual, the mundane are back, it's time to pick up a piece of charcoal and paper and stretch visual perception and acuity. Let the work begin...

More later...

Today, is Saturday. The Tillandsia went downstairs for their weekly soak. Not in pond water, as in summer, but they get an air plant fertilizer squirt after their soak. So far, they are smiling.

From the Weather Desk: It's crazy.

Neighbor George at work snow-blowing driveways for me, our neighbor, and his own.

Bunny tracks.

Bird tracks.

Since the tracks gave way to the 1 inch+ layer of ice, the thick crust was too treacherous to navigate so I threw birdseed, bread pieces, squirrel food as far out as I could which wasn't far enough to avoid the dozens of birds and animals from cracking kernels all over the place, this time in the patio. Now the shells are stuck in the mat out there. A vigorous sweeping will take care of it and today is warming in sunshine so, shortly, I'll tend to that.

But first, I like to think of Wendy going about her zen-like morning care of her barn and field creatures. The dogs and Toby trail around after her as she moves through her daily ministrations. I captured a little of it this past week... Toby was following, too, but disappeared before I caught a snap...

No word yet on original, starter-goat Jasmine's delivery. She was due yesterday.

A PYO email forwarded to Wendy, then to me, says that Center City streets will be mostly blocked off from traffic for helicopter arrival/leaving through tomorrow while Aidan will be at Kimmel playing his cello in PYO's concert. I'll be using the train, so that looks good. More celebration!

Seth, who plays at my church and with Aidan, Keoni, and Peter, had a concert of his music one evening a week ago. Here's a snippet at the very end...