Cordelia's Mom, Still

Because I Could (Plus: When It’s No Longer Fun)

Posted on August 20, 2021 by cordeliasmom2012

The booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccines are here!

CDC is recommending boosters be received 8 months after the second dose of the initial vaccination. However, people who are immune compromised due to certain conditions or medications are encouraged to receive the booster now.

Being on Remicade (and being old), my doctor said I was eligible for the booster, so I got mine yesterday. Easy peasy. No appointment needed. I simply walked into my local Wegmans store, went to the pharmacy, and got my Moderna shot. Since my records were already there from the first two doses, I didn’t even need to fill out paperwork; I was only required to show my vaccination card and to sign a form attesting to my Remicade therapy.

I’ve heard that the booster shots are only half the dose of the prior two shots. I don’t know if that’s true, but the syringe did look a little smaller. Of course, that may simply have been my own mind comforting me. Regardless, the shot was totally painless, just like the first two, and was over in a nanosecond.

The pharmacist provided the usual information on after effects, such as sore arm and mild flu-like symptoms, which I had heard before. However, he also advised that in a case like mine, where I had no after effects from either of the first two doses, I should anticipate that the third dose might hit a little harder. He suggested that I not make any plans for the following day.

So far, so good. My upper arm is a little sorer than it was the first two times, and it seems slightly swollen. I do feel tired and fairly achy all over, enough so that I’ve suspended my plans to go out to trim bushes and weed in front of the house today. Which is unfortunate because it’s starting to look like a jungle out there – all that rain recently!

Over the last year or so, I find that I don’t have the energy for that yard work. Believe me, I would be happy to pay some college kid or unemployed person $50 just to do it for me every few months, but there’s no one like that in my neighborhood – or at least no one that would be willing to do that work. Landscaping services are too expensive, and too intrusive. Guess those bushes are going to stay shaggy for at least another week. Ah well.

Thankfully, we seldom get visitors and thus far I’ve managed to keep the bushes trimmed enough so they don’t look too bad when viewed from the street. There are other houses that look worse than mine.

And I’m sticking with that story.

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For those of you who may have noticed the extended lag time between my posts:

I’ve always said that when blogging was no longer fun, I would stop doing it. What with all the WordPress “upgrades” and the fact that I seldom have anything new to say, I believe I’ve come to that point.

I managed to boost my enthusiasm when I started taking and posting my own photos, but it wasn’t very long before I realized that pretty much anyone with a cell phone can take better pictures than I can. Photography, like blogging, has become too much work for the benefit I get out of it.

Not to say that I will stop completely. I intend to keep this site (and the mirror site) open for those of you who wish to spend time reading all those wonderful posts from my earlier years. From time to time, I may add a new post, should I have something to say or if I take a photo that’s share-worthy. But it won’t be often.

When time permits (those crocheted afghan orders are keeping me very busy, yay me!), I hope to catch up, and comment, on everyone else’s posts. I’ve made so many friends here and would miss you all if I didn’t keep in touch. Those of you who feel the same can also email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com. I do check that email daily.

See you around, folks. Get your booster shot when you’re eligible, and everyone: stay safe and healthy!

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

Posted in Covid-19, Health, That's Life | Tagged blogging, goodbye, Moderna, photography, vaccine, writing | 27 Comments

We Can Save HOW Much ??!

Posted on July 29, 2021 by cordeliasmom2012

Current real estate dilemma:

Is the market so hot that we should sell the house?

Sure, right now we could sell our house for at least double what we paid for it four years ago, probably even more. That would be such a nice little nest egg when going from partial to full retirement.

But where would we move to? What with current bidding wars, there’s no way we could afford another house in a nice neighborhood, and who knows what kind of neighbors we might get? We love our current neighbors.

And there’s the dog. Puppy Cody is a good dog, but she’s still a 44-lb dog. Most apartments will not accept a dog of that size, if they accept dogs at all. Even if they did, we’re back to the most basic of questions: What kind of neighbors might we wind up with? and: Where will Cody run?

And there’s the fact that we put so much money into this house over the last four years and finally have it pretty much livable. (Anyone who’s ever owned a house knows the work is never completely done.) I, personally, love my house and don’t ever want to leave. When hubby and I can no longer do yard work, lawn mowing and snow removal, we can hire someone to do it for us. Downstairs are both a large bedroom and a full bath, so it would be possible to live in this house without ever having to climb the stairs to the second floor, should we become too decrepit to do so.

Long story shorter: We agreed to check into refinancing.

When we purchased, we were forced due to economic circumstances to accept an FHA mortgage loan, and I’m really, really tired of paying those FHA insurance premiums every month – especially now that we have significant equity in the house (thank you, crazy housing market!). Under an FHA loan, you can never remove those premiums even when you reach that magic 20% equity level.

So, conventional loan it is.

Long story still shorter: After obtaining written, itemized offers from three different lenders, which were all pretty much identical, we opted to stay with my current bank. They can save us $116 a month on the payment and reduce the interest rate down to 2.75%, with no points. The closing costs are substantial but considering the savings, will be recouped in about three-and-a-half years. Assuming we can stay in the house another four years, refinancing seems to make sense. If we can stay longer than four years, the savings will be significant, and none of the money will be going to mortgage insurance premiums we really don’t need to be paying. That alone, will make me happier.

I think it’s a win-win. The financial documents have been submitted to the bank.

Wish us luck.

If any of you are trying to purchase or refinance a house, I wish you luck, too. This seems to be the time to go for it.

Hugs, all.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

Posted in That's Life | Tagged finances, houses, money, mortgages, real estate, refinancing | 9 Comments

Hey, It Works for Sculptures!

Posted on July 22, 2021 by cordeliasmom2012

FOR SALE

Invisible hand-crocheted plaid afghan.

Lovingly created with the finest invisible yarn.

Guaranteed to match any decor.

Lighter than a feather – you won’t even feel it wrapped around you!

Never needs washing or dry-cleaning.

Safe for pets (even those heavy chewers!).

Comes with a clear zippered plastic storage bag.*

In stock and available for immediate delivery.

$1,800.00 (U.S.), includes shipping.

* WARNING: Although the afghan is indestructible, the bag is not. Please keep plastic away from pets and children.

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(ok, folks, do I need to include the sarcasm disclaimer? I would assume that most of my readers are savvy enough not to fall for something like this, but who knows? Someone did, in fact, purchase that “invisible” sculpture.)

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

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Posted in Household Items, Humor, Photography, Teddy Rosalie, That's Life | Tagged crafts, crochet, invisible, Legacy Needlework, needlework | 14 Comments

Whispers

Posted on July 9, 2021 by cordeliasmom2012

Yes, I skipped a week. Did you miss me?

Nothing much to report here. It’s been raining, sometimes torrentially, for the last couple of days. We needed the rain, and it brought the air temperature down significantly. Don’t even need the AC today, and it’s much more comfortable for my crocheting.

(Pictured is the “Rainy Day Afghan” in ocean blue, azure, and medium gray. I think it’s one of my favorites so far.)

The only drawback to the much-needed rain is that now I’ll have to go out and trim the bushes in front of the house again. I’m not particularly fussy about my yard, but those bushes are beginning to look like they’re attacking the house.

Speaking of houses (and may I not be jinxing anyone by writing this), our house-hunting family members finally succeeded on their 6th bid. In hindsight, it doesn’t seem so bad; they managed to find a house in just under two months – a 6 bedroom/ 2 bath in a good suburban neighborhood with excellent schools, with a decent-sized fully fenced lot, and at a price they can afford. Even in this crazy market, they were able to win a bid at $50,000 less than what they originally thought they would have to pay. It’s an estate sale and needs some updating (the decedent was the original owner and the house was built in the 1950s), but the purchase feels right. They did a home inspection, and nothing major was found – yay. We’re all very excited about it.

Meanwhile, at my own house, it turns out that we are not, in fact, done with our upgrades, repairs and improvements. Our electricity failed last week and required an emergency fix. The electrician was able to replace the main circuit box, but to be safe we may decide to replace the entire panel along with the outside wire coming into the house. Water has been pooling along that wire and into the box for the 70 years since the house was built and everything is rusted. Sure, we could simply replace circuit breakers one by one as they fail, but we’ve never been people to do things half-assed. Considering that upgraded electric is a selling point, and considering that we’ll probably only be in this house another 5 to 10 years, it makes sense to do it all now if we can afford to.

I can’t think of anything else in this house that can possibly need doing, but I’m sure something will pop up. That’s the curse of home ownership. Thank heavens it’s offset when there are good neighbors around you and plenty of room for the dog to run.

We may not be rolling in dough, but on nice days Puppy Cody can roll in clover: