Life goes on...
This morning I left my house with the thought of going to the bank's ATM to deposit a tiny little check that showed up in my mail yesterday. Yes, a physical check. Haven't seen one of those in, well, a while. I have written some (the kid who mows my grass, the dentist...) since the pandemic hit, but this is the first one that came to me. Everything is electronic these days. I have not even spent all the cash that I withdrew to use as tips in March 2020! I have gone to all on-line. No touch credit cards, ordering and paying online, etc. has accellerated, even for many of us senior citizens.
I figured I might even dash into the grocery store and get some bananas (I'm out) and brussels sprouts, in case they have some better looking ones, because I plan to roast some for our little Thanksgiving get-together. But as I turned the corner toward both goals, I saw flashing lights. There has apparently been some kind of accident where the grocery turn in is, and the fire engine and other emergency vehicles are up there, flashing away.
Re-setting, I turned toward the bank drive-thru. When I got there, all the drive-thru windows were marked CLOSED, and the ATM had extra protective rails around it... and... I chickened out, turned the other way, and came on home. (Turns out it was just before they opened... when I drove by later, the drive-thru windows were open.)
At the time though, that meant I was about to be pushed in another direction. Another nudge of accelleration toward the future (the present for the young folks in the world). For the first time evah, as the kids would say, I used the bank's mobile app on my phone to deposit a check!
I had used the mobile check in app for my doctor's office last year, so I could see the advantages of such a thing. I mean, using the phone's camera, that one would record my insurance card. Why shouldn't a bank be able to do the same with a photo of your endorsed check?
And I could be safe at home. I still haven't explored the feature that allows one to pay other ordinary people from the phone. Nor have I set up the other phone as payment features, but I understand the Scandanavian countries have been paying with their phones for several years already. I know it is how "the kids" pay for parking meters downtown, but I have yet to do that, either!
... as the case counts surge
One of the motivations for coming home lies in being in a "lagging" state that is only now surging with the rest of the upper midwest, in terms of Covid 19 cases. Thursday we posted the highest case count identification, locally, since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the local news. Of course, most of these are either people who have not been vaccinated, or those whose vaccination was more than six months ago, and they had not yet gotten a booster. Still, as an "older" person, it's a scary time.
I have gone back to picking up my groceries curbside again, for the most part, in the past two weeks. I don't feel particulary unsafe, though. I am fully vaccinated and boosted. I feel that I am choosing the people I am around unmasked carefully, and otherwise, if indoors or in a crowd, I mask. I have done what I can, and I don't feel any more at risk than if there were a bad flu season. I have perhaps become more cautious over the course of the past year and a half about these things, but it feels more normal now. Adapting.
And the pep talk!
Time to get out there and live our lives, eh? Best can do, this one and only Friday, November 19, 2021 we'll ever get. Fuel for our bodies, activity for our minds, inspiration for our souls.
Oh, and yesterday I opened my mailbox and found out my old work team has not forgotten me... a card signed by the gang! Made me smile... and ponder what nasty little bug they found in my code that made them think of me!
Happy Birthday, right?!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL on the use of your camera. While we traveled there were many things that were contact-less and I learned how to dispense a drink with my phone. DH is still dizzy from the process.
We can do this!
We can. Are you as amused as I am that it took a pandemic to drag us into the present day?
DeleteI write checks for the yard guy, cleaning lady and mobile dog groomer and that's about it. The latter two have been trying to get me to use Vemco(?) for payment but I've not felt inclined to investigate this. I ponder how all the automatic and non-automatic financial transactions will play out when we pass on as there doesn't seem to be a path for handling this smoothly.
ReplyDeleteMy annual Medicare Wellness Exam scheduled for today was rescheduled for mid-December. Wondered if P.A. is out related to COVID but of course would not ask since it's a HIPPA issue. Christmas gathering with siblings and their families being debated -- we have some non-vaxers who are out and about in public who are slightly defensive about the rest of us being so hyper-vigilant, sigh!
Keep on keeping on.
Yep, socially we have to negotiate the layers of protection! Debate but be aware of your own local conditions. No need to apologize for what we're comfortable or uncomfortable with!
DeleteYes, this pandemic has pushed me into the brave new world of mobile banking, paying bills on-line, no touch credit cards. When my parents both passed in 2017 and I had to deal with their estate, there were a # of bills they had on auto-pay (I will not have anything on auto-pay!) and it was hellacious to get that settled. I was their executor, but had to jump thru soooo many hoops it was exhausting!
ReplyDeleteMy parents had an AT&T acct. for their mobile phone. Mom couldn't use it due to Alzheimer's and Dad gave up using it. I cancelled the acct. but the bills kept coming in for 6 mths. after the phone was cancelled. And he passed during that time. What a nightmare!
Our #'s are climbing, too, but living life carefully. I am vaxxed and boosted, too, but still cautious. It IS scary, but . . . we're doing the right things.
Personally, I have not had anyone in the house who is not vaccinated. That's just me.
Have a good weekend, stay safe, stay well.
I wish the same safety and wellness for you and yours! Being careful is just a part of every day now.
DeleteFor a couple of months now, seeing family at Thanksgiving has caused mounting excitement. And now...disappointment has intruded. Too many of the younger generation refused to be vaccinated, so it will just be the 3 of us again. Our middle daughter lives about 20 miles away and she may come in the afternoon for coffee and dessert. She has canceled her big dinner plans and is only cooking for the vaccinated.
ReplyDeleteAnd so it goes...better safe than sorry. Bummer!!
Enjoy the weekend.
Sounds similar to how we came to the small 5 person gather we will be having. Hopes followed by reality, followed by choices favoring safety!
DeleteI was forced into mobile banking in 2014 when i was involved in an involuntary job transfer. I find depositing checks remotely is very convenient. H is still doing it manually or by mail and it’s a hassle for him.
ReplyDeleteMy red country in a blue state is also surging. Oh well. We do curbside pickups locally and our grocery shopping 2 hrs away once a month super eatly in the morning. I don’t like curbside grocery shopping. Too often I don’t get what I asked for.
The biggest disadvantage to shopping early is that they are missing lots of products that they haven’t restocked yet for the day. And the current supply chain issues compound that problem.
Likr you said, we adapt. ❤️
Surgery was yesterday, and I’m back at home. Too early to say how my recovery is going - still exhausted. So far the pain isn’t unbearable, mostly mildly annoying. I don’t have anything but Tylenol for it. In about 24 hours I will find out if that’s enough. I hope so, because i don’t have any other visble options.
...if anything goes wrong, I was instructed to go to the local emergency room. (In a surging county where only 50% have one shot, and my booster scheduled later this month? I don’t THINK so... 😳) I’d prefer to drive 2 hrs to the hospital where the surgery was done, thsnkyouverymuch.
Here's hoping for no complications in your recovery.
DeleteThe virus knows no politics. I'm your reverse twin, in a blue county surrounded by a ruby red state... and our local hospitals are strained, too. They normally take in cases from surrounding counties; right now about half of the Covid patients are local. You are wise to be cautious.
Thanks for the positive thoughts.
DeleteSince our county only has 6 (SIX) ICU beds, I’m pretty sure the covid cases are being shipped to the nearest big city (2 hrs away, same place my surgery was done - there are several big hospitals). Where they are straining capacity there, as well. My surgeon had to get approval from three different panels to schedule the procedure:
- insurance
- hospital
- special hospital panel which decides whether there’s enough staff to do which surgeries (based on how medically necessary they are)
The OR prep room was a ghost town as far as staffing, and I overheard that they had pulled staff off admin jobs to do patient care.
I wore my own N95 in there underneath the surgical mask they gave everyone. The preadmission testing on Monday included a covid test (i passed, obviously)
My booster and flu shot will happen later this month. I will feel better after that.
It's called doing what we CAN, and praying over those things we CAN'T control.
DeleteI love the banking app, love depositing checks and sending money. The sending money feature was very convenient for “splitting the lunch bill” back when I had a job. I can’t believe next weekend will mark the anniversary of being jobless 😔 I think I should start the job search and become a contributing member of society.
ReplyDeletePulling for you, in terms of job searching, same as I'm pulling for my son (several interviews behind him, but still hasn't landed in a next job). Statistically, he should be in good shape, as our state's unemployment rate is under 2%... but finding the right fit is always a challenge, isn't it?
DeleteI have times like that, my errands just don't seem to want to flow smoothly, I take the hint and let it go for the day. Good for you doing more and more online. I am still behind on a few things but I am comfortable with a great deal so all is good. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI now understand why my grandparents were slow adopting what was then "new" technology, too. But it's pretty amazing, really. This morning, a niece forwarded something that she's currently fascinated with: 12D audio. Surround sound stuff on YouTube. My old ears and speakers can't really appreciate it, but here we go again!
DeleteBetter safe than sorry, as far as that "going backwards" is concerned. Some things (like son hugs) are worth the risk, to me, though! His "rest of the adults" group got authorized for boosters just a few days ago, so I've started the "mom hints" in the hopes that he goes ahead and gets that little extra protection.
ReplyDelete