Tag: tax planning

Fun fact: Beginning in 1882 Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September as a way to honor the women and men who campaigned tirelessly for workers’ rights and give most workers a three-day weekend off from work.  In the true sprit I am getting ready for Labor Day Weekend 2022, with plans for planting my fall garden, continuing my hip rehab with barefoot walks on the beach, barbeques…  Read more

If you live in the right place, even if you are an annoying parent, your kids may come for a staycation, may invite their friends, and if you are really lucky bring their kids and/or pet.  The timing is great for me, this week I progressed to walking for 2 miles barefoot on the beach with no cane and no pain.  While I am grateful to my husband who accompanies me…  Read more

Don’t you just love the summer, most of us don’t want to be inside cooking; even if you don’t have your own garden there are many great options at local markets and farmer’s market which enable you to chop, slice, and mix your way to an impressive and delicious spread.  I am not complaining, but Raquel and I are “struggling” to decide which “garden to table” lunch to have.  This…  Read more

Week 6 seems to be a turning point, now I keep loosing my cane, I still hold it when I am out in the garden because I am a bit klutzy and the ground can be uneven, but it feels good to be back on two feet.  Enough talk about new hips, let’s talk about our summer harvest, are you growing tomatoes this summer, are they heirloom variety?  If so…  Read more

I am in mid-week 6 of my hip replacement recovery and glad to see real progress as I have returned to my office for 3/4 days and am able to walk without a cane and use just the hand rail for assistance on the stairs.   Now I am also back in my garden picking those cukes, and string beans that like to hide in their leaves… What could be better…  Read more

It may just be back to “business as usual” for summer 2022 as we’ve enjoyed great weather and I hear about vacation plans and see photos of family gatherings.  I am in week 5 of rehabbing my hip replacement and am now able to enjoy the weather as my daily physical therapy walk includes the handicap ramp onto the beach at the end of my block. Beach 131 Rockaway NY…  Read more

Get well wishes and lovely flowers have really boosted my rehab efforts. Get well soon I am 3 1/2 weeks into recovery from my right hip replacement.  Up until yesterday morning I was feeling better and stronger every day, and then… Weekly Take Away …after weeks of following the prescribed and ever increasing physical therapy exercise outline I woke up  feeling exhausted, with a 4/5 level of  pain.  I was…  Read more

I hear that many of our dads had a great father’s day celebrating with family and friends: fishing trips with laughter but no fish on the line, special meals in local restaurants, special meals prepared by our dads for the family, zoom and facetime meetings with smiles all around and of course many backyard bar-b-ques. Despite continued high gas prices and continued covid-19 cases most with much lighter symptoms it…  Read more

We as family and friends been talking about our grads of 2022; making celebration and travel plans. For our recent grads these are exciting and scary times.  They are possibly facing a summer starting with a short break, then preparing for a seasonal job or the beginning of their career.  This “rite of passage” happens every year,  but for graduates of 2022,  economic uncertainty looms large. This weekend we flew…  Read more

Welcome to summer (almost), a time of graduation parties, college kids returning home, planned vacations, walking barefoot on the beach again and fingers crossed that those seedlings take off… barefoot on the beach finally planted! I am hoping you have some great plans, enjoy your weekend. WEEKLY TAKE-AWAY Sometimes less is more; the most common  items in garden stores are 3 or 4 packs, and many weekend gardeners, me included…  Read more

As we do our weekly shopping we see prices steadily increasing.  The USDA says grocery and supermarket food prices are already 8.6% higher now than a year ago and inflation remains at near 40-year highs.  I am hoping to finally plant the seedlings I purchased mother’s day weekend, maybe add a few more of those I am cultivating from seeds and then enjoy my organic garden this summer.  I keep thinking…  Read more

Even if you’re fully vaccinated and have your COVID-19 boosters up to date, there is a possibility you’ll still get a breakthrough case of COVID-19. Vox has a list of things you can do now to prepare: get a booster and a flu shot figure out how you can most easily get tested, including possibly purchasing an at-home test kit continue wearing your mask, and consider upgrading to a more…  Read more

We are in the early days of understanding the possible impact of the new Omicron variant; it can be difficult to parse fact from opinion. In The Atlantic, Derek Thompson looks at the studies and anecdotal evidence available at this point so we can develop an early if imperfect evaluation of the risks. Omicron is more transmissible and will spread faster than Delta. Omicron will cause more breakthrough infections. On the…  Read more

What happens to the people who don’t quit or retire during the “Great Resignation?” Those left behind may be picking up additional responsibilities, earning bonuses,  while putting in those extra hours. Over time, managers begin to see the extra hours and work that their team puts in as the norm.  This may also lead to burnout and the loss of knowledge from the workplace as people with specific skill sets are not…  Read more

Over the weekend, several countries reported their first cases of the new Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. While little is known about the new variant, genetic sequencing indicates it has at least 30 mutations on the spike protein, which it uses to bind to human cells, so it could be even more easily spread than the Delta variant. In response to the uncertainty, Israel has banned all foreigners from entry, while…  Read more

In honor of the Thanksgiving Holiday this week, we are keeping this short and sweet. Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving I am so grateful my family can be together this thanksgiving holiday.  Yesterday morning my husband David and I flew into Detroit (DTW) minutes before my daughter Jessie’s flight from Atlanta landed a few gates away. DTW We all headed for the pick-up area where my daughter Emily and her husband…  Read more

Just a few weeks ago, it appeared that the Delta variant was on the wane in the US. However, cases are climbing, in pockets of the Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast, and just ahead of the holiday travel season. Minnesota is experiencing its highest average daily case counts since April, at 3,500 per day, overwhelming some hospitals. In response, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has enlisted the National Guard to staff temporary sites…  Read more

Sending best wishes and our thanks to our veterans and their families this Veterans day 2021.  We salute you and appreciate your courage and service to our country.   We’ve been hearing about the tight market for available workers, so what’s the solution?  Per this recent Wall Street Journal article, some companies are responding by loosening hiring requirements such as the need for a bachelor’s degree, work experience or or background check. …  Read more

Global supply chain delays have become so bad that the biggest U.S. retailers are chartering their own cargo ships to stock shelves this holiday season. Walmart, Home Depot, Costco, and Target are among companies that are paying the additional expense to mitigate holiday disruptions. While the smaller ships these companies will use are far more expensive than the larger ones, they have the advantage of the ability to dock at smaller, less…  Read more

What does it cost to be hospitalized for COVID-19? A study by The Wall Street Journal found the cost can vary by tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the hospital and the insurance policy. While most insurers waived out-of-pocket costs for patients for most of the pandemic, many patients are now receiving bills for hospital stays, which can depend on rates negotiated between hospitals and insurers. For example, at one…  Read more