Busy is both in looking for work and clearing up the loose ends from my former place of employment. Finally got my IRAS opened up to get my 401K moved. Still dicking around with COBRA. I opted for it, with my condition I couldn’t do anything else, but I am trying to get this subsidy that came in with the stimulus package straightened out as paying only 35% of the cost right now is really necessary. They say they are working it out with the health provider and payroll company but as far as I can see that should have nothing to do with me. I read it as my part consists of filling out a form to see if I qualify and I either do or don’t and if I do I pay the 35%. Everything else has to do with the former employer and the Feds. Can’t seem to find out what’s going on either as either they aren’t responding to my emails or they are blocked. Hard to tell which. I’ve sent a number of them from both my online and Outlook accounts. About half have come back NDR, the other half, nada. Have put delivery and read receipts on the Outlook emails and those that weren’t NDR haven’t sent back a receipt so I have no idea whether I’m blocked or being ignored. Guess I may have to make a phone call next week. Still have to make a visit there since I just remembered the other day that I left a piece of equipment there and going to have to pick it up unless they feel like shipping it to me. Since everyone but the HR person has been treating me like a leper since I left it’s not a call or trip I really feel like making. The way things have gone over the last few weeks makes me think that a remark made by someone about a month before I was let go was taken very seriously. More on that later.
Busy has also been looking over the south 40 and checking out my work of last fall. Results are about 50-50. Have had a lot of rain so far this spring so I’m glad I got the plants in last fall. It was tough but this spring it would have been damn near impossible. On the bad side, the hollies didn’t make it. They were so small however I think I’m going to reorder and put them in pots for a year or two and see how they do that way. The spruces have all but given up the ghost though they went in so late I wasn’t expecting much there though one seems to be hanging on. The cherries are 50-50. The Black Tartarian is doing well but the Bing also went in late and it’s just looking like a stick. Since I already have a Bing doing at least the right one is growing since you need two different verities to get fruit. Both my walnuts look like kindling. The new one doesn’t seem to have taken; it’s the other that has me pissed. It’s about 4 years since I planted it and it was doing well, about 5 ft high and an inch around. Some buck used it as a rub and seems to have killed it. Time to get out the bow. The Japanese maples were both doing well until someone decided that since the weed trimmer was out of action they had to get real close with the lawn mower. Well the blades didn’t get it but the edge of the deck did. What’s left is still growing but if it survives it’s going to look funny with a crooked trunk. The other is doing well. The surprise is the freebie red maple that the Arbor Day Society sends with your order. Another late planting I really didn’t think it was going anywhere specially since the other red maples were leafing a month ago yet lo and behold the damn thing has put out a few leaves this week. Damn things are the Timex of the tree world. Another red maple I got years ago has been transplanted 4 times, once in the midst of summer and it thrives. Wish my walnuts were like that. This leaves the berries. The blueberries are doing well. Of the 15 planted looks like only one, so far, ain’t making. Thought it was going to be 3 but the other 2 have started kicking up new leaves from the roots. The blackberries are doing just as well. 14 of the 15 canes are sprouting. Going to have to set up the trellis soon. Raspberries are a different story. The goldens seem dead. See nothing coming up around them. The reds were about 50% but Dad went through the rows with the tiller and was a bit frisky. Looks like about 3-4 canes still surviving. Good thing I prefer blackberries. Normally I would be planning on replacements for this fall but looks like I’m going to have to wait until the financial situation straightens out.
Busy also meant a bit of poker but this has gone on long enough so I’ll discuss that in my next post. Thanks for the eyeballs.
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