I spent most of the rest of the day doing office work. I was able to send in some completed work, which is always a good thing.
I did take a little walk around the garden at lunch time. The cherry guavas are forming on the tree:
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| Baby Cherry Guavas |
And the jasmine flowers are fading:
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| Fading Jasmines |
I did more laundry today, including the big quilt from daughter's bed. All her bedding has been washed now.
My gas bill came today: $65.41. (Last month's bill, in comparison, was $97.20.) I use natural gas for heating, the water heater, dryer, and cooking. I don't use the dryer since it is not working properly, but I do still use the heater at night. This is my one indulgence - a warm house! I feel cold easily - right now, I am seated in front of the heater, wearing sweats, socks, and a hat to keep my bald head warm! Apparently, last year was warmer, because I used 27 therms last April; this April, I've used 59 therms! Which means I went over my baseline of 51 therms, by 8 therms. Each therm up to the baseline limit is charged at a lower rate ($.79/therm currently); whatever is over the baseline is charged at a higher rate ($1.05 currently). Plus there are other charges added to the bill, including surcharges and taxes. The gas company sends a weekly "bill tracker" estimate of what my monthly bill will be based on the amount of gas I've used up to that time, so that it is possible to cut back if needed. I choose to cut back elsewhere to keep a warm house.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to sleep in
- Afternoon naps
- Getting office work done
- My washing machine
- Video chatting with daughter
How was your Wednesday?
Your gas bill seems to make a lot more sense than mine. I guess the chemo will make you feel colder as well. It is colder than average this side of the Atlantic, so maybe it's just the weather. I'm glad you're getting naps. Insomnia takes some getting over. Take care x
ReplyDeleteI think I am over the insomnia, just in time for the next chemo session (tomorrow) and for it to start all over again! LOL.
DeleteMy gas bill varies from over $200 in the winter to about $15 in the summer! I generally add up the bills for the past year, divide by 12 and come up with a monthly average that I use for my budgeting purposes. It works out well enough for me.
It's good news that your gas bill was so much lower than last month despite your using the heater. One of my AC units (we have 2 large ones because the house is so long) used to be a very ancient electrical AC/gas heat combo. But that was the only appliance that used natural gas. When it was time to replace it, some of the contractors that I consulted with were pushing me to get an all-gas appliance because it would lower my costs so much, but I really wanted to get rid of the gas altogether because of the kids (all the other work done on the house before we bought it seemed to have been done shoddily so I didn't trust the gas lines either), so I got an all-electric heat pump for that side of the house. Well, my bill went down only because I replace an ancient, ineffective unit with a new one that was much more effective so I haven't missed the gas. Also: one fewer bill to have to pay.
ReplyDeleteWashing machines are awesome, aren't they? It's really one of the conveniences we take for granted nowadays. I can't imagine having to do the laundry in the river or in a tub, as women used to. Actually, as long as they're water close by I suppose the washing itself wouldn't be all that horrible, but the wringing the clothes would be. My dad has a small portable electric wringer. It's like an electrical salad spinner. You will it up (it doesn't contain much, though), turn it on, let it spin until you see that only a few drops are coming out of the spout and then you can hang your clothes to dry.
Your jasmine is already peaking? Mine is in full bloom right now and it smells so good! I shall miss it once it's done. I'm going to the botanical gardens this morning so I'll be looking for idea of plants to grow around my house. I'd really like to have one of those gardens with lots of flowers, not just the one flower here and there that I have now :) My impatiens seeds aren't germinating at all. Maybe it wasn't the season to plant them. The box didn't specify and I didn't think to look it up.
Have a great day today! I hope you continue to feel well and that your daughter absolutely KILLS it this afternoon! Woohoo! ((hugs)) to both!
There was a time, when my parents and I were first starting out in this country, when we couldn't afford to run the washing machine, and my mother and I would wash everything, including the bed sheets and quilts, by hand in the bathtub!
DeleteTowards the end of her life, my mother began to wash her clothes by hand in the bathroom sink because, in her words, she didn't want to give me more "work"! This was at the beginning of her dementia, when she just couldn't grasp the idea that doing laundry with the washing machine wasn't really any work, as far as I was concerned. I was more worried about her standing/balancing by the sink (she was prone to falling).
Thank you for the well wishes! :)
It's good that you can cut back elsewhere to be able to keep a warm house. After a month in the middle of winter with no heat, it's very important to me too. Although we had to turn the air conditioner on last night. The bedroom is upstairs and stays hotter than anywhere else and we were very hot and not sleeping good.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to turn on the a/c when needed. I'm still sleeping with 2 blankets and a quilt (even with the heater on!) The house has to be really hot (in the 90s) before I will even turn on a fan!
DeleteI can empathise with feeling cold. I'm never warm, to the point my fingertips are sometimes white. It's horrible being cold. Unfortunately, I live with a man who is hot stuff haha. He walks around in short sleeved shirts and is still hot. So as I turn the heat up, he's behind me turning it down. I'm only every truly warm when I have my fleecy PJ's and housecoat on. Quite often that's straight after tea these days. Hope you've had a good day. Enjoy the naps, your body is telling you what to do. xx
ReplyDeleteIt is hard when other members of the household have different internal thermostats, isn't it? Maybe you should warm your cold hands and feet on him? ;)
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