Exciting purchase in the countryside…

This morning, after a fitful night’s sleep, I arose, bound and determined to tackle the task of putting all our tax information together for our accountant in Nevada.  

Over the past months during my recovery, I couldn’t seem to get motivated to get this done. It weighed heavily on my mind. As of now, Monday at noon, I am done, having sent the worksheet and attached documents by email, including a few questions, for the accountant.  

He’s very competent and will most likely be done submitting our forms electronically by the end of the week. No signature is required.  What a relief to have this almost behind us!

My next daunting task is getting to work on setting up Plan B and a supplement for Medicare, so at least when we’re in the US, I’ll have coverage. Plus, I’m contemplating a trip to the Mayo Clinic while we’re in Scottsdale, Arizona, to check to ensure all is well with my heart and recovery.

United Healthcare Global Plan doesn’t cover our trips to the US.  Thus, the only coverage we have while in the US is Medicare Part A which only pays for 80% of any required hospitalization but not doctor visits, outpatient tests, or treatment or prescriptions.

Now that I am down to only three prescriptions with the opportunity to refill them online at reasonable prices from a reputable company we’ve used for years, ProgressiveRX.

As we’ve mentioned many times in the past, the responsibilities of our lives as US citizens remain constant regardless of where we may be at any time in any part of the world.

On the most recent cruise, only 2½ weeks ago, several passengers asked us if we’ll ever give up our US citizenship. This will never happen for dozens of reasons I won’t get into here since the list would be too long to list.  

We have many benefits and reasons always to maintain our US citizenship, plus with it comes down to it, there is a certain sense of pride in being American. And yes, regardless of “political disharmony” in the US (which we won’t get into here either), we still and always will feel a strong sense of patriotism.

Today’s photos depict one of many reasons we both feel connected to the countryside or outlying areas of many countries in the world. As we’ve often mentioned, we are not “city folk” as much as we may be in awe from time to time visiting large cities.

Sure, cities such as St. Petersburg, Paris, London, Rome, and many more hold a certain appeal with their luxurious historical buildings and history. But for us, a visit to a small town in the country leaves us reeling with delight, as has been the case here in the UK in Falmouth and now in St. Teath and their many quaint surrounding areas.

On the day we arrived at the Mill Barn cottage (actually a large house), we noticed a sign at a nearby farm inviting passersby to stop to purchase grass-fed local meat. We couldn’t have been more thrilled. 

On Friday afternoon, we returned to the less-than-a-mile away Button Meats and purchased all the beef, lamb, pork, bacon, free-range eggs, and chicken we’d need for a week.

We always giggle over finds such as this delightful farm offering a wide array of healthful meats, chickens, and eggs. The butcher/owner John cut beef for us precisely as we needed to make old-fashioned pot roast, a favorite of Tom.  

I selected two lamb shanks to add to the beef in the large pot we borrowed from the owners whose home is next to us (not attached). They are kind and thoughtful, willing to assist us in any way possible. But, we make every effort not to ask for many extras.

Speaking of thoughtful owners, John, the property owner in Falmouth, sent a US $300 credit to our credit card (via Homeaway’s system) with an apology for the inconvenience of the towel debacle the first two days we were there. How nice it that!!!  

We’d never asked for special consideration of any type. Here’s the link to John’s property in Falmouth, which we thoroughly enjoyed once we had towels on hand. The owners here in St. Teath are equally kind and accommodating.

We’ve been fortunate to have had many great experiences with owners throughout the world over the past almost seven years and, they are with us. We would treat their properties with the same consideration if they’d been our properties, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Of course, we’ll be back tomorrow with more, sharing photos of the animals in the paddocks here on the farm. It’s raining, so we’re staying in doing laundry and preparing tonight’s special dinner.

(Apologies to our vegetarian/vegan readers for today’s meat photos)!