Catching Up

Today is for catching up on everything. It’s taking way too long to get, what seems like, very little done. Some time absorbers have been:

• Filling out paperwork for mom’s new doctor (Dr. O’s program was de-funded by our local university. He’ll be practicing in the university hospital) took over two hours because I had to:
• Fill out a five page form, and sign my name 23 times.
• Ask my daughter a question, but email wouldn’t send, because the the overall email file was too big. So I spent 45 minutes culling.
• Find Dr. O’s address.
• Find the other Island doctor’s info, who mom saw when she was last pissed at Dr. G.
• Make a copy of mom’s supplemental insurance card.
• Make a copy of the front page of one of mom’s medicare EOBs, as I don’t have a copy of her medicare card.
• Make a copy of my DPOA.
• Package all the above up.
• Write back to the company that’s going to replace the water heater on the Island. Research was involved before I could continue the conversation.
• Forward the drilled well bid to Tim and our Amazing neighbor for comment. I’m out of my depth.
• Write to the property manager.
• Eat some lunch.
• Check on the thawing turkey.
• Live chatting with Costco. I received a bill from them for mom’s membership on their branded credit card, which is still in my dad’s name. This one is easy! I take my DPOA and dad’s death certificate to the store, and they’ll reverse the charge. Maybe close the card too.
• Print out a new EOB from mom’s supplemental insurance, review, staple and file it.
• Paid mom’s bills. Print out the bank’s confirmation, staple them to the bills, and file.
• Awarded the water heater contract (may wonders never cease). Make copies of the signed contracts, and deposit check, staple, file… there’s a trend here.
• Feed chickens, emptied compost, checked mail, printed something (I usually trend toward paperless) every time I turned around, got a little online Christmas shopping done…

This took over 6 hours. And, it’s not an exhaustive list, yet it seems like it should have taken far less time to accomplish. Time to step away from the desk.