Saturday, January 26, 2013

Shreds and Staples

I was in a mood today.  Not The Mood, just a mood.  I wanted things cleared away, cleaned up, turfed out, organized.

I began by drafting my income tax return for 2012, only to discover that the worksheets for medical expenses weren't linking properly, so the information wasn't getting to the bottom line.  I dispatched an e-mail to tech support for the program I use, and moved on...

To shredding.  Y'see, starting my return made me think about filing, and filing made me think about old records...and the stack of envelopes of statements dating back seven years or more that I'd yet to shred.

So...I geared up with a green garbage bag in my G-bag holder, and shredded several years of my life, dating as far back as 2002.  There were envelopes of investment, VISA and Master Card statements and receipts, and envelopes of old tax returns, utility and phone bills.

2004...when there were calls flying back and forth to Montreal and Ottawa when my godmother took ill and then died.  And Vancouver -- lots of calls there, to my mother-in-law; my hubby called her every week, usually on Saturday.

2002...when we were making claims on health insurance for artificial limbs, a hospital bed, the construction of a wheelchair ramp outside the house.

Cheques to pay for my son's first car insurance.  Cheques from inherited funds, to pay down our kids' university loans.  A cheque to my daughter's friend C for fixing my husband's car.  Regular cheques from my husband to me to cover his share of our church tithe and "miscellaneous" -- punctuated once by his quirky sense of humour:

"Miss L. Anius"

A receipt for the funds donated to my former high school when my aunt died, for a bursary in her memory and that of my father.  A cheque from my husband to our son -- $200.00, as I recall, with the memo line, "Ralph" (?).  Receipts for my hubby's paid speeding tickets...Sigh.

Hotel receipts for travels to see our kids in Edmonton and Lethbridge. Receipts from Sheffield and Sons...for wee cigars enjoyed on a 'guys' night in' sometime in the winter of 2005.

And the itemized list of expenses for our stay aboard Royal Caribbean's 'Radiance of the Seas' in July of that year -- the cruise to Alaska to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

When all was shred and done, I took three large green garbage bags to the car, to be transported to the recycling depot, and consigned piles of staples to the garbage...but I've kept 'Miss L. Anius" to slip into my journal.

Thanks for the memories, Sweetie.









2 comments:

Dolores said...

Thanks for my "Morning Smile."

Jenny K. Lyon said...

Hug!