JanH's Journey to Freedom

I got home and retrieved my vitamins for the eyes. Don't tell my doc I forgot to take them with me....

They are called I*Caps with Lutein. Those are the yellow ones. Except if you smoke. Then, you take the greens ones without Vitamin A. Or something like that. Since I don't smoke, I guess I didn't listen too well to that part. The red ones are the regular ones. I found them at Walgreens, and sometimes they are on sale. He told me to take one twice a day, but I haven't been doing that until I find out how my stomach will take to that much. So far, I haven't had any problems with them. He told me to take them now and forever because they've proven that they can help prevent macular degeneration. And, since I have a family history of it, he's hoping to prevent it from happening to me, too. Since he is a prominent eye surgeon in this area, I am taking the vitamins!

I haven't talked to my Dad about what was in the shots that he has been taking. I don't think he's on any different medicine, just the shots. I'll have to ask again. He's been able to arrest the degeneration and is now being monitored without any more shots at this time. However, the damage has been done. He's the type that won't go to the doc unless he absolutely has to. But, I have to admit, he was so brave and all about having shots in his eye every few weeks. That would have made me nuts.

My grandfather lost a lot of his eyesight to the degeneration, but until my Dad got it I don't think I had realized what had happened. I am thankful that there is a treatment now, and I sure hope it helps your father, too!

I sorta wandered off on an extended blog vacation. But, I see the effects of this community every time I pay off a bill or work with my budget or make do with something. I learned a lot here. We're still deeply in debt, party due to DD's continuing college expenses--every semester the college seems to cost more. But, we've made tons of small changes that are beginning to add up. And, had plenty of "DUH" moments.

We stayed pretty much on target with the Christmas budget. We paid off a loan in January. We cut down services. We reevaluated discretionary stuff. Even the kids are getting on the bandwagon.

I decided to really look at the items in my budget. One thing was cable. When our cable company started charging us a 99 cent fee for mailing us a paper bill, I thought about the cost of it altogether. I made a list of the actual channels we watch and how often. It was eye-opening. We only watch a handful of channels and maybe a show a night. If that. I was all set to cancel it completely, but Hubby wanted to keep the major local channels for the in depth hurricane coverage they provide. If we cut to basic, we'd have about five "real" channels to watch that didn't involve school lunch postings or the House of Representatives. Information channels seem to take up almost half of the basic channels. But, Hubby had a point so we started out by cutting down to the minimum. And, we found ourselves actually making a list of what to watch and then planning other stuff. That's funny. We had no clue as to our watching preferences before. We missed shows we liked because we didn't keep track of when they were on. Now, with five channels, we have a list and then watch other stuff on the internet. And, then added netflix at the minimum and watch tv or movies with that. Even with Netflix added, we still save half the cost of our cable.

Then, we cut some of our landline services. Again, we need to keep it because it often works after hurricanes when cells are spotty or you can't charge up your phone. Hubby was able to call us from our landline after Ike when we couldn't get his cell phone. But, we had not looked over the cost of all the stuff on it. And, the cost on their online site was cheaper than what we were being charged. Between these two bills alone, we were able to save some money. So, I am looking elsewhere in the budget.

Funny thing was the expanded cable was cut off after I left to visit one of the kids. Hubby was actually watching a sports event when it went off. The guys at work found out and were jokingly taking up a collection for him. They'd already collected five dollars in jars before he put a stop to it.

I still haven't replaced my dishwasher or dryer. I still wash dishes by hand and hang my clothes. My electric bill has gone down some and so has the water bill. We don't eat out anymore except for Hubby's lunches with co-workers. He works such long hours during these tough times trying to keep the plants open that I don't begrudge him that break. Besides, I can tease him about spending more on them (they trade off paying) than he does on me each month. We swap books or buy bargains. We buy very little in clothes. We work on the house (STILL have hurricane Rita damage--sheesh) or visit the kids. DD has taken charge of her budget and her keeping track and budgeting better has saved us money. She's talking about getting a job while she finishes school. DS and family have started making their own cutbacks. We're learning from each other and simplifying life again.

Decluttering more stuff from the attic and long forgotten places helps me realize just what I do have to work with. Easter was relatively frugal. We did buy some eggs to fill with on sale candy for Grandbaby and reused baskets from years ago. DD brought finger paint and sponge brushes and I found an old box of patterns that had survived the water attack from Rita. We even dug up old construction paper and glue sticks and had fun! We splurged on a little sand box, but combine that with some sand, a bucket and shovel, and a bunch of little cars and dinosaurs from the attic and a few sticks and we had a ball. Cheap fun!

We've set targets to lower our expenses to a lower percentage of our take home pay. The rest goes to debt repayment. We've paid off over 15,000 dollars in the first quarter of this year. We're trying to balance a mounting dental bill for Hubby, college and wedding expenses for DD, and repairs to the house. I think all in all we're as anxious as everyone about the economy and the problems in our area, but we're enjoying life's little moments a whole lot more. Taking things a baby step at a time.....

Can cars get flu? The truck went into the shop a couple of weeks ago to get fixed up. Cost 270 dollars. Not too bad. Three days later, DD's car died an hour after she made it home to be in a wedding. Pretty amazing that she made it home and then poof. Grateful, we took it to the shop, and she took my car back to school. Cost of repair was almost 1500 dollars, although the guy felt sorry for us and decided to throw in a bunch of free labor for going ahead and also replacing the spark plugs. Now, Hubby wants to put the truck back into the shop to finish other work needed. Estimated cost 575 dollars. And, my car's air conditioner fan is making a funny noise. And, this last weekend we found out that DS's door latches don't work. He is still using one of our cars. All in all, it's pretty good since all our cars have 100,000 miles or thereabouts. Oh, and we also replaced the windshield on DD's car for the third time. They gave us a discount since that is the only car we have to bring in every couple of years to replace the windshield. My auto repair fund total is usually 1,000 dollars. Kind of decimating that right now. I'm just grateful I have some of the money I need. And, grateful that it didn't all go crazy during hurricane season. That would have been really stressful.

The windstorm insurance guy came around and took a look at our roof. I had told them we hadn't initiated any insurance stuff. We'd been very blessed during this one. He came anyway to just check it out and gave us a thumbs up on the roof. Then, he said we'd get a displacement check for the evacuation. That money will go into a fund for next year's evacuation. I know, sounds pessimistic, but four storms in three years kind of makes you think that way. I just want to be prepared. The money will go toward kenneling the pets.

We've paid off two more credit cards. Just took a deep breath and transferred money out of our savings and paid them off. Didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. Actually felt pretty good. Wish it had been the last two. We're working on it.

I haven't been online in awhile. Been on ladders scrapping off wallpaper and priming and painting rooms. At the rate I'm going, it will be a very long process. But, we are trying to stay on budget. We've been trying to not go overboard and really think about everything we are doing. And, so far, labor is free. I just can't do plumbing or wiring. With the tremendous damage around here, I probably won't be able to find a plumber or an electrician for years. I couldn't even get on a list for an electrician for a long time after Rita. Meanwhile, I can get a lot of painting and stuff done for very little cost plus a little elbow grease.

We've contacted the parental units and had a talk about Christmas. We Old Folk decided to get small remembrance gifts within a limited budget amount and give the majority of Christmas to the Young Folk. Not only are the parental units facing harder times because of the economic stuff, but the Young Folk need more because of budget cuts in their jobs and so forth. We've been doing this within the sibling ranks for a few years, and, boy, do things get creative sometimes. This will be fun. And, help the Young Folk at the same time. Win/win situation.

I'm going to have to do a lot of reading to catch up. Hope all are well!

My Hubby that is. That song was sure a long time ago.

During Hurricane Ike, I worried a bit about elderly neighbor. I was sure that her son would take her out, and I hoped she would go. I also pondered how to reverse the roles she has assigned to DD and me. There is an early, early entry on Big Jan, Little Jan that is more explanatory, but the gist is that she has switched identities between my DD and me. I am now my DD, and she is me. I oftened wondered who she thought Hubby was. Especially since I call him by his first name when talking to her. Was he my dad now?

After Ike, she had returned before me. Hubby was already here, and she called to ask for help one day. Her windows were still boarded up so she couldn't see outside, and also her outside back lights were damaged. She couldn't tell if it was safe to take out her garbage. So, Hubby went over and took her garbage out for her and offered to remove the boards on the windows. She didn't have him remove the boards, and her son came yesterday and did that for her. While Hubby and I were talking about being glad she could now see outside, he told me that he is now my brother. She caught him off guard with the question while he was over there taking out the garbage. He just agreed with it. So, now we are brother and sister living in the same house and our mother is not at home right now. We'll just have to be very careful of being too affectionate in the driveway. That would be a mighty strange brother/sister relationship to her. I can't wait to tell DD she has a son, also....

or hurrication as someone called it. I evacuated August 30, the day before mandatory evacs for Gustav. Headed out to DD's with truck and boxes of paperwork and the dogs. I'd found a kennel there that would take the munchins. Hubby stayed behind to finish boarding the house and to shut down the plant. He'd bring out the kitty. Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for others, Gustav went elsewhere. Meanwhile, Ike was brewing and all indications at that time was sending it to Florida or the East Coast. Well, we've been here before. Hubby said to just stay put because it is difficult to actually tell where those things are headed when they are brewing up. They tend to have a mind of their own until well established, and even then, they can move all over the place. We had a feeling of deja vu when they said middle of Texas coast. Same scenario for Rita. We watched as it crept up the coast closer and closer to our area. I bought more hurricane supplies for DD's, and DS and family evacuated to DD's since the eye was going over their new digs. They didn't want to take a chance with the baby. The scary part was finding out about the storm surge the night before. I then found out that Hubby was ill and having a hard time getting out. All of us at one point was going to head into the storm area to retrieve him. I was so scared. He finally was able to leave about the time the winds were picking up on Friday. When the doorbell rang a couple of hours later, he was standing in the doorway with the cat carrier. I practically knocked him down in the driveway because I was so glad to see him. We dropped off Kitty at the kennel and "hunkered down." We had six people, a baby, and a DD's little doggie in a two bedroom cottage. The next morning, the power went out, but since DD is in a little gully, the winds went over us. A day or so later, Hubby took the truck because of the water and headed home as a first responder. Cells were sketchy, but he was able to tell me he arrived safely. The plant had accommodations, food, gas, and medical help for the twenty or so that remained inside. The weather cooled off twenty degrees cooler than after Rita, so we were able to open windows and hang on for the few days power was out. DS and family went home after about a week when their power was restored. Our power at home was restored after a week, also, which is amazing considering almost 100 percent of the customers in our area were out of power. Our home only lost one shutter. But, in the towns all around us there is enormous damage. The flood surge decimated whole communities. A town to the east of us only has 14 houses without flood waters. Friends and co-workers have lost so much.

I returned the day before yesterday since my doc called and wanted to get me in for my meds appointment. I brought the car back this time and only had room for half the stuff and Kitty. I'll have to go back for the doggies. Kitty has stuck to me like glue since she was without us for over a week. The doc's office was running on a generator, and there was a lot of tree damage around his area. Blue roofs have returned. I saw dozens and dozens of electrical workers all along the route and in the towns. They are from everywhere. I saw signs on their trucks ecouraging Texas and even one convoy from New Jersey flying the Texas flag. I almost wept. I wish we could thank each person who has come into the area to help including all the rescue people, the volunteers giving out food, the firefighters from other areas ripping out the damage from fellow fireperson's homes and the police that help with all the other issues. Traffic is crazy without working lights. Tree people are here lifting trees off houses. Truckers brought in trucks full of supplies donated by others. I know that our area does this often for others, but seeing it for yourself is so touching. I saw a makeshift sign on the highway that thanked some of the people helping. I wish they knew how much we appreciate it. For the few stories of complaining and all, there are thousands of grateful people.

I haven't begun to figure out the finances. I called before Ike to get 30 day waivers from those who would give it to me. Today, I'll go and retrieve the mail and start piecing together the bills and stuff. I know I spent on extra food and things we used for the storm since my supplies were here sustaining Hubby. But, now we can use things up and move on. I do need to pay the kennel which will run close to a thousand when all is said and done. They've been wonderful. Taking the pets out and playing ball with them, and little doggie got to see her first cow. According to them, she went nuts. I am starting a kennel fund for next year's season. That seems to be our biggest expense in all this.

All in all, it is surreal to me because we weathered it well. I am hoping to help out with what we can for those who took such a hit. I haven't been reading the blogs since I spent so much time playing with the grandbaby or watching the news online when I could get power. We swapped melting ice cream with a neighbor for his extra screens so DD's house could be opened up to the air. We laughed some. Played cards by candlelight. Took cold showers. Prayed for those back home. I'm looking forward to catching up on the blogs. Unpacking all the stuff we put away. Perhaps we'll find some ways to help out there. The people are strong here. They'll make it back. But, right now, they are hurting and sad. It affected more than the vacation homes on the beach. Whole communities that had never flooded have been badly damaged. But, they will make it. We'll all be there to help them where we can. I look forward to seeing what everyone has been up to on here. A special thanks to Boomeyers who sent me some encouraging emails. I know all of you were thinking of us. For those of you who were also affected, I hope things are okay. I missed you guys.

Now, on to planning for the holidays. Wow.....

We had a storm this morning and the power flickered on and off once. Then, the sun came out; and a little while later, the power went off and stayed off. Huh? I waited awhile, but nothing happened. I couldn't check on anything about what was going on. I finally used my cell phone to call Hubby who had happened to go to work on his day off to catch up on some things. He looked it up online and found out that a good chunk of town was out. So, I opened up a couple of windows and did things like dishes (water is heated by gas) and waited it out. It clouded up again and misted a bit so that helped some. But, the humidity finally got the better of me. It was so sticky. I finally got the battery fan out of the hurricane supplies and set it up. I sat by the window and read for awhile. But, even my hands got really wet holding the book pages. I kept trying to think positive. I was saving a few hours of electricity. Just when I got to the point where I was about to drive around and find not a cool spot, but a DRY spot, the power came back on. All in all, about three hours out. I still have no idea what happened or why we lost power at all. We did have some "tropical funnel clouds" during the storm. They had just told us that they usually don't make it to the ground, but it is pretty daunting to see them popping in and out of clouds. Maybe one of those things hit something after all. And, the power shutdown cascaded down in several places. There are a couple of things I decided during this time. Electricity is a gift. I need a backyard overhang or roof over a section of yard so I can sit outside in times like these and still be out of the little mistylike stuff we got during that time. My fan is too small. And, I need to figure out a way to get some cross breeze going when we lose power again. Or, I just need to learn to deal with humidity. Later, I went to the post office to get my mail and a couple of other places to pay a bill or two. I had to sit awhile in the car because it was later on Friday than I usually go. I turned off the car to save gas, and opened a window. After the sticky afternoon at home, it was easier than usual. Maybe I'd gotten used to it a little more than I thought. I did think of something else. I hadn't heard the neighborhood this quiet since Hurricane Rita. No air conditioners were running. You could hear doors open and shut on the neighbors' houses. It was kinda peaceful and eerie at the same time. Reminded me of when I grew up in the country. Except for the humidity....

RED is the color I saw when I got a letter informing me my credit card interest was going variable instead of fixed. At least that was the one I was paying off.

Green is the color of my phone, too. My new plan is almost $15 less per month and gives me more for the bucks I do spend.

Silver and copper are the colors of the coins I collect almost every day. I never realized how many coins are on the ground! I almost have enough to roll another batch.

Blue is the color of my favorite mug. The pottery type one that DD brought me back from a trip. I make my own drinks for pennies. Right now, I am enjoying a nice cup of tea.

Orange is the color of our kitty. She requires little maintenance, but gives richly in return. Purrs, games, and hair all over my computer.

Yellow is the light I let in every day and leave all the lights off. I don't think I use lights much at all during the day. I love the big windows...except during hurricane season. Then, they are a pain. We're going to try a new approach to covering them this year.

White is the color of the primer and paint that I'll be seeing way too much of in the next couple of months. I am repainting my kitchen cabinets myself. This could take awhile, but will save money.

Brown is the color of the earth. I have been working on my "green" thumb this year and seeing how many plants I can keep alive. I want to try to plant a vegetable or two next year. I haven't been brave enough to try the fall planting season here. I still collect water from my shower to water the outside plants. Not only does it save me money (my water bill was down a few bucks more again), but it reminds me to water them each day to get rid of the container of water.

Brown is also the color of the teddy bear that DD made years ago that sits and watches over me while I type. Makes me smile.

Pink and purple are the colors that remind me of my grandbaby. She's a cutie!

Black is the color of my bottom line in the future. I am determined that my finances will soon go from red to black.....

I forgot in my last entry to answer you! We fared great during the storm. We got a bunch of wind, but we had a stronger thunderstorm a couple of days before that. I understand about the disparity in the rain. DS and family moved northwest of us and got pounded all afternoon. We worried more about DIL traveling home thirty minutes from her workplace that we did about the weather here. It was wonderfully cool though. But, the season for us is just starting to ramp up. We've had three storms in four years here. At least, two of them were fairly small. I sure hope that we all get a breather for a couple of years. Stay safe, Suz.

A casualty of the storm was our baby robin. We found him in the bushes after the thunderstorm on the weekend before the bigger event. His mama was sitting on a branch with something in her mouth for him. We worried about the neighborhood cats, and we got paper towels so we wouldn't leave a scent, and Hubby chased him around until he caught him and put him back in the tree branches. We knew he'd be back down after the tropical system. We could hear him cheeping and mama calling after the storm. Back in the bushes again. We waited too late. One of the cats got him. What upset us was it didn't eat him right away. Just killed him and left him. I miss the songs they sang. I don't think we get too many robins here. Someone said that it gets too hot. We had a cooler spring so maybe that was why they were here. I think mama robin was the one who pooped on Grandma. We usually have bluejays in that tree. They don't poop on you, they dive at you. I truly enjoyed the music this spring. Thank you, mama robin. So sorry about little one....

Been slowly painting the wainscotting in the dining/kitchen area. Which is a big area. And, the stuff has lots of little grooves. This is taking awhile. I am getting at least two sections done at a time. It is taking primer and two coats of paint, but it will be fresh and clean when finished. I'm about halfway done. I forgot to use my Lowe's gift card when I bought the paint. I'll have to use it on the paint for the upper part of the room. I know it would have been smarter to start at the top, but the wainscotting was unfinished and needed to be at least primed before removing the upper wallpaper, priming and painting the walls. And, I just needed to feel like I got something finished. I have plenty of plastic sheeting somewhere for protecting the wainscotting from my mistakes while painting the wall.

We spent a lot of money Sunday on replenishing hurricane supplies that got used for one reason or another. But, it was still much less than it could have been.

Yesterday, I went out to my car to get out some books I bought at the library sale this weekend. And, the locks wouldn't work. I used the key and then tried the locks from the inside. Nothing. And, a funny clicking sound that the car had made before when the cable to the starter went out. Oh dear. Not during the peak weeks of the hurricane season. Hubby took a look and went off to the store to get a battery. While replacing it, he discovered it was the other cable that had broken. It wouldn't connect well to the battery. Since the battery I had was almost three years old, we decided to keep the new one and off to the store he went to buy replacement parts for the cable. I'm so glad this was one repair that he could do himself. The other one had to be done at the shop because it was buried under so much stuff. I am grateful that I've learned here to have an auto repair fund. It took care of battery and parts. And, a trip to the ice cream shop took care of Hubby working in the heat to fix my car so I won't panic.

I did give Hubby a choice of where he'd like to go to get ice cream. I have a hard time paying almost five dollars for a thing of ice cream for myself. I tried to get a lower cost yogurt, but they were out. And, I've had too much sugar recently anyway. So, I mooched a little of his ice cream. Well, he DID get two spoons....

We're facing another possibility of a tropical system clobbering our area with rain and wind. I read the local news that a lot of people are out getting ready. One mentioned that someone ahead of them spent 500 at the store. I'm not being smug, just grateful. Since being on this site, I don't have to make that whopping all at once purchase. You guys have taught me to take it a little at a time and work it into the budget. Just look at what you did!

We finally made it to DS and family's new digs this past weekend. We could go because most things were done. If it was going to be a whopper or if we'd cut it close getting home, we wouldn't have gone. Getting gassed back up and readying the house if too close would have been a nightmare. So, we debated and decided we could safely do both within the time frame. After our return on Sunday, we gassed up and got the remaining medicines refilled. Bought a new small radio and a loaf of bread. Oh yeah, and more toilet paper. Hubby is having a long day at work readying there and has promised to ride it out with me at home. I am not really afraid of this one, but I am leery of trying to board a broken window by myself in the wind. Anything larger and we board up in advance. No need to take any chances.

So, I have the eerie situation of a normal day. I'm finishing laundry from the weekend and watching the weather. Other than preparing for damage or a power outage. Or putting away some papers I've gotten out. This is just plain weird.

My Hubby thanks you.....

The Kitty no longer attacks my arm while I'm on the computer or holding a cup of something. She's got a new game. She laid low for a long time, and then started attacking the bed while I'm making it up. She lands right in the middle of the bed. Poised for attack. I wonder if that is a comment on my bed making skills. But, she's caught me offguard a couple of times lately and made me jump. I can just imagine her cracking up.

I may be jumping the gun here, but I'm going to post a gain of 700 dollars on my challenge total. I know that, technically, the month isn't over. We switched to a regular monthly cycle here since I'm paying things as they come in. That way, we don't have things that migrate from one month to the other just because they are at the end of the month. Almost all of the challenge money went to additional debt payment. Last month was such a mess budgetwise with so much going on that I didn't even try to see what the final results were. I could go back and try to finish reconstructing it all, but most of it is still packed for evacuation. I think I'll just forget it and move on.

I knocked the lever on the bottom of my office chair on a box while packing files and dropped myself rather suddenly. Recently, the Kitty has been rubbing her head a lot against that lever. She sort of rocks the chair, but I can't help but wonder what she is really up to......

I paid off a store credit card this weekend, so I have another card to close. Also, I have set a goal on the sidebar to put an extra 500 dollars a month towards repayment of debt. This month, we were able to meet that goal. I guess not going to visit the kids had a silver lining. The gas and food monies contributed to that goal. Another goal I had was to get the card we are targeting below 2000. I have been reading of others setting goals and decided to give it a try. I need to set some for August. Wow, this year is moving on.

Why do I get the dirty jobs? The kitty finally quit throwing up. We got rid of her food thinking something went bad in it. And, she quit throwing up. That was a relief. I thought another trip to the vet was coming. Then, Older Dog threw up one night. Got rid of a box of treats that might have been the culprit. We went back to our old treats and no more problems. Guess who spent their time cleaning it all up? Hubby did pass me the towels.

It was a short weekend as Hubby had to work on Saturday when the plant had a malfunction of sorts. I spent the time repainting the inside doorbell box that had never been painted. Don't know why I put off these little projects forever. Hubby did have time to help solidify our paint choices for the rest of the inside of the house. The outside will hopefully get painted this fall. I'm sure our neighbors will throw a party when we get it done.

I've got a bunch of birthday stuff to mail off to various family members. I need to just sit down and get it done. I usually try to get things like that sent ahead of time, but most of the recipients were on vacation recently. I didn't want their gifts to be sitting on their doorsteps until they got back. But, now, the putting it off syndrome has kicked in. I need to work on at least one today.

Eating out is getting ridiculous. We were running a couple of errands yesterday, and I got hungry before we were finished. I usually bring a high protein bar in my purse and have a water with me. I thought we'd just sit down and have a small sandwich or something and chill for a bit. Two little sandwiches and a drink came to 10 dollars. Way too much. Won't be suggesting that again. I'd rather have put that on the debt and eaten peanut butter......

They just sent me an email that the big library that has the book sale I go to in the spring is having another sale this fall. I'm in a dilemna. First, I only budget for the spring one. Second, I really need to continue culling out books. The good thing is that I like to browse and find hardbacks for Dad. They are only a dollar, and since his diagnosis with macular degeneration, I've tried to find inexpensive hardbacks to send to him for reading. He really loves to read. And, the hardbacks are easier because of the larger pages and print. I know I probably won't be able to resist going. At least the first day. I'll use anything for an excuse to buy books, won't I?

Trying to get all the bills in a pay as they come in situation means that I'm paying some of them twice this month. It will make a mess of my budget sheet, but it will all work out by next month.

The medical stuff continues. DD is going to the dentist today for a mouthguard. If this works, then the medical issues should slow down some. The only other thing that we have to adjust to then would be the extra doc visits we both have to make for the ADD meds. And, I have to travel to the next town to get my prescription from the receptionist once a month. Seems that they can only write it for a month at a time. Unless, I go to three month mail order, but the insurance says it will only send one month at a time and you have to order each month. But this saves you one co-pay every three months. Since this med is not generic, then that would save almost 150 a year plus gasoline. However, I am a bit concerned about medicine being in transit and us being on the road out of town for a hurricane and gone for three weeks again. It would be a mess. I think I'll wait til our season subsides a little around October. Try for the three months through the end of the year. Meanwhile, I still have to go every three months now instead of every six months to see the doc. Additional co-pays. It is worth it. And, I'll just have to make a day of it when I go. Take some books to the used bookstore or something.

I'm back to buying groceries again since I've almost cleared out everything from the freezer. I found some ground turkey in there that I'm going to make into something today. But, I think our grocery budget will be going up a bit. We've been cutting down on portions, too. I need to lose ten pounds, and Hubby needs to lost twenty. It is so frustrating that he loses weight so easily. Sigh.

I've pulled the credit card files that I am targeting back out of the evacuation box. I'm not going to let myself off the hook. I need to keep on working on them.
If nothing else, getting rid of all the debt should make my box a whole lot lighter. Not to mention my stress load....

For someone in the weather information community to say "Hello, Dolly." Sure enough, one of them couldn't resist and has already written it about the new storm. We're still in watch mode, but I think we'll be okay for this one. We might get some needed rain here as it spreads out this week. We didn't even mow this weekend because our yard is getting quite crispy.

Hubby is going slightly stir crazy. Most of the preparations didn't involve him too much except to help make decisions and move things for me if needed. He did make a run to the store and then helped with the other errands. He had already taken care of getting gas and putting air in the spare tires. But, today, he's going nuts.

He asked me if he could move the desktop computer off my desk to his office desk. I had wanted to do this for about a month now, but hesitated to add anything to his desk. He is so neat. Hardly anything is on his desk. I didn't want to put anything there. He asked to move it in there so he could use it for games and such. His work laptop is for just that. He always has to wait until I'm not working on anything at my desk. I practically threw it at him. I was so very glad to get rid of the stuff on top, the thingy under the desk, and all those darn cords! We did invest in a smaller monitor a little while ago, and that helped. But, the rest of the computer is almost a decade old. And rather big. DS upgraded it a bunch when he had it, so it was still fairly usable. It just took up so much room. I spent a while happily untangling cords and getting them to him to hook everything back up. I think cords are like hangers. They seems to multiply and grow longer and more tangled the longer you have them. I'm now inspired to clear off the rest of the junk on my desk and make it easier to use. There has been a couple of silver linings to this preparation mode we've been in. Decluttering pens and pencils may not make a big dent, but decluttering is decluttering.

I think I will start on a home project this next week. I need to prime and paint the wainscotting in the kitchen/dining area. This will also make me finish decluttering the stuff I've gotten out to go through. And, I happen to have a gift card from the home improvement store to get the paint. I wanted to work on some decluttering in the attic this week, but it is so very hot. I might bring things down one at a time and in the evening hours. This decluttering is getting addicting....

We didn't get to go to DS's to help the gang move them this weekend. We were getting the final things ready in case the developing situation in the Carribean turned out to be the next hurricane. The predictions have sent it all over the Texas coast. And, it is fairly early for us, so not everything had been ready. We finished cleaning the stuff we'd been working on out of the garage so we can put vehicles in it. We finished banking, getting gas, and the final supplies. We'd been doing bills and supplies all along, so not much was needed to be done there. We finished repacking the files. We didn't get the medical stuff done yet, but that was because our prescriptions were a couple of days from being able to be refilled. We worked on getting together what we would take with us. Haven't put as much away yet, waiting to see if we would have to leave.

We did miss getting the see the DGBaby. It's been six weeks, and she is doing so many new things. We wanted to see the new place and the baby and the kids (for the last time in one city) but this weekend turned out to be a completely different creature than planned.

I don't regret taking the time to get this stuff done. If we ended up in the crosshairs again, we wouldn't be scrambling early next week to do it and get out if needed. We didn't have to spend a ton at once for supplies so that was good. Spreading it out in the budget has really helped.

But, I had taken the dogs to be boarded before I found out that we wouldn't be going. I called today to see if they had taken out the stitches in Older Dog, but they had waited for the doc to get back on Monday when I was originally supposed to pick her up. So, we decided to leave them there for the weekend. It was only an additional 30 dollars since we wouldn't have to pay for an office visit this way. And, Hubby wanted a time of quiet after the rush of getting things finished. I did, however, forget something that cost us bigger bucks. I had reserved a hotel room near DS and family's new home. The gang moving them would have more room to crash if we sort of spread out. I waited til the afternoon to cancel it, but then my mom unexpectedly called from her trip to Alaska, and then I got distracted again with something else. I thought of it again four hours after the deadline. So, I have a charge on my credit card for a room we won't be using. Rats. I hate when that happens! To top it off, I had found a voucher that would have given us the room for free. Double rats.

Funny thing is, if the kids or someone else had done something like this, I would have said not to worry, these things happen. Why do I beat myself up for this stuff? I guess this one hurts because I had retotalled my debt and had gotten a look at the mess I still have. Oh well, I make a little progress here or there in living. I learned another lesson. But, sometimes, this two steps forward and one step back approach is extremely frustrating and slow....

Yesterday, DD deposited a refund check from her MRI/Cat scans, and today it's cleared. I transferred out our money to our account and left her bill money intact. Now, to apply it to some credit cards. She put the payments on her credit card, so logically, I should use it for her card. But, I have others with bigger interest rates. So, I went to figure out what to do next.

I've been snowflaking along this month. I finally set up a revised chart showing what we owe and to whom and the interest rates. Daunting to say the least. I also set up a chart to log my snowflaking and see if I can excelerate the process a little. I thought if I could see the progress, I might make more of an effort. I've paid almost an additional 400 dollars this month toward things. I hope to increase that and get things really rolling. A true snowball.

One of my problems is that we are heading deep into hurricane season. Do I go ahead and pay things off, or do I keep the money for a possible hit and displacement from another storm. We've gotten two recently--2005 and 2007. We feel we've bought most of our supplies, but we have to replenish things as we go along because some things get used like toilet paper. We try to stay ahead so that we won't be buying a lot of things at once. But, you also have the repairs and expenses after one of those things clobbers you. So, I am going around in circles with the decision. I would rather have less on our shoulders, but would like to retain a bit for the next couple of months until our part of the season is over around sometime in October. And, this looks like to be a busy season. I hate this indecision.

So, I suppose I will snowflake for awhile longer. Keep chipping away at things. Keep to the budget if I can and when the season is over, hit the cards really hard with what I have. The problem with that is that last year we used the money for medical purposes. But, at least we had it. I am so tired of having the debts. I am fed up with dealing with it.

I have also set up a chart of money needed for an emergency fund. Short term, six months, and a year. That will keep in focus my savings goals. I included stuff like cable and cell phones for now. And, the credit card bills. My emergency fund needs will change when we pay off those darn cards.

I included good loans like the mortgage. I am also snowflaking a bit on that. I put an additional small amount on the principal every month. I know I should be applying that to the cards, but it is so satisfying watching the mortgage go down a little. We've shaved at least five years off. We're trying to get our mortgage paid off before we reach retirement age.

Sigh. I've tried to work with this for three years. I've gotten used to a budget. Used to saving some. Used to watching what I am doing. The credit cards remain the last stronghold. And, they are going to be history. Just rather slowly....

I tripped and fell down on the hard floor of the hallway. Fortunately, I didn't break anything. I had some aches and pains in my wrists, hips, and shoulders all weekend, but I am getting much better. Makes me see how the older folks get really worried about falling. I am getting there, too. Funny thing was where the aches ended up. I fell on my hands and knees. The pain ended up in my joints.

Got fed up with the random decluttering I was doing this weekend. When I get mad at my slowness, I end up going nuts at something. So, I targeted a pile of empty boxes in the garage. You know the kind, the small ones that you save for putting gifts in. Every couple of years, I seem to accumulate a bunch of those. I held my breath and tossed as many as I could manage in a short while into Hubby's trash bin. Then, I walked away so that I wouldn't retrieve any of them. The final step was to tell Hubby. He promptly ran out and demolished them into pieces and into the big trash bin. Mission accomplished. I let my breath out again. It is a hard thing for an Accumulator to let go of things that "might" be needed. Of course, I'll probably need a box in the next month, but who cares. I like the empty spot. And, the feeling that I got a little something done.

We also decluttered three sets of sheets that we don't have beds for anymore. I bought an additional spare set for the one bed we do have and tossed the odd ones into the giveaway box. They finished off the box, and Hubby took it away. I set up another box in the corner of the garage to fill this week. Amazing what you can find.

I also decluttered boxes for things the kids have given me. I won't be storing them in the boxes in the future. If I did decide to do that, I wouldn't necessarily find the boxes anyway. A little bubble wrap or something will do.

Decluttering the old, heavy weedeater to DD's fiance. Will be decluttering the living room tv as it went kaput this weekend. Funny, we found that the remotes for all the tvs work for every tv. They are all the same brand. I was turning on the little one we brought in to see if it was the tv or the cable line. And, I turned on the little one and turned off the old one at the same time. Found out that the bigger tv picture was just shot. We'll be decluttering it on large trash day when the big stuff hits the curb. Someone will pick it up before the trash guys get here though. We've recycled a lot of old small appliances that way. People with a lot more talent at fixing things than us cruise the neighborhoods on the proper weeks and pick up a lot of old stuff like this. I love it. More power to them.

We went to the salad place we enjoy and bought the kid's meals again. Two salad bars and two pizzas. Dinner for last night and tonight for 2 dollars a plate. Nice.....

This is the first time I've ever written a check to a doctor I have never seen. I finally got a bill for the emergency room doc for when I was a klutz and put the wrong thing in my eyes. I was taken care of by two other people plus two others who did the insurance/billing stuff. But, I never saw the doc. Not even for a second. Not even a "Hello, I'm the doc." I was taken care of quite well. The doc probably looked over and signed off on everything. He might even have been working on a more serious case. If that's the case, I sure don't mind. But, I found it interesting that he charged me over 250 dollars, and I don't even know if he exists. Of course, the insurance took care of most of it. I'm grateful for that and the care. Just sort of weird.

After a couple of frustratingly sluggish days, I am back to decluttering. It kicked back in last night. I'm trying to fill a big box in the garage every two weeks....

I have instituted something that seems to be working well. So far. I try to pay things as they come in. I have a budget for the month, so it doesn't matter if I pay it now or later in the month. The only thing is to have the money to do so. Today, I was out getting a haircut and stopped by a bank to deposit something. I was right next to the post office and stopped in to check the PO Box. We got this after some mail shenanigans in the neighborhood. It was driven home a week or so ago when I was leaving for a doctor's appointment. Two of my neighbors were in the yard watching a scene a couple of houses down. There were cars blocking the mail truck and the sub mail guy was in the back of a car, and people were going through the truck and the mailbag. One neighbor had just mailed her bills with him. I had to leave so I never found out if he was arrested or there was a threat or what. Although I love my regular guy, I had gotten into the habit of taking my bills and stuff to the post office and checking the box. Today, I got the water bill. Since I was across the street from the city buildings, I just went over and paid it. Done. No bills are in the house right now. This feels weird.

I found the card I wanted to close and logged onto the website to see just what is what. Like what is the interest on this one since I have never used it. It was one of those where they discontinued a card and sent you a whole new thing. I saw that the other one that I had closed was still open. I had a letter in my files that said they closed it, so I called and checked it out. They apologized and are in the process of closing it now. I asked about the interest rate and about fell out of my chair at 20%. NO THANK YOU. As soon as the cycle ends and things are done with the other account, I'm writing to close this one. That's ridiculous. I would have closed it then, but their whole drop the ball thing had me want to do one thing at a time.

I am getting where I like to look online and see where the balances of the debts are at any given time. Sort of, in your face and pay attention instead of once a month glancing at it kind of thing. I'm snowflaking along....

Or rather in a bag in a box in the garage. I had decluttering withdrawals this weekend. DD came home in between summer sessions to surprise Hubby for the fourth. I knew about it for a week or so. Hubby is worried because I'm getting WAY too good at keeping this stuff from him. So, we hung around. Grilled some food. Met up with her possible wedding coordinator friend who was weirdly coincidentally in town also to visit family and friends for a day. Met a couple of her other friends who also came for a visit and DD's godchild. Such a cutie! Went to see Wall-E. I only visit the movie theater itself about once every six months, but I really wanted to see this one. As DD put it, it isn't weird after about 17 or 18 to go to a movie with your parents. She left after movie and a dinner. DS and family went to visit DIL's family this year. That's cool because we'll be helping them move in a few weeks, and things will be busy then!

I was trying to get over my decluttering need while DD was on the road and I was by the phone. Love cells. I can pocket it and out to the garage I can go. I was rummaging through a box in the garage that looked like stuff from a rehearsal dinner "picnic" party that we had for DS a few years ago. I found a couple of cool colorful ice bucket thingys that would make a fun outside planter. And, a bag of rocks. Decorative rocks. Lots of rocks. They were just in a plastic bag that had started to tear and rocks went everywhere when I gingerly picked it up. I scooped up all the rocks, put them in one plastic container, and hefted it. Wow, a load of rocks. Not sure what you can do with them since I am not a decorating genius. I have a fountain thingy that uses rocks. But, I have WAY more rocks than someone needs. I'll ask DD. She'll come up with something. If not, they go out with the rest of the stuff not used.

I decluttered my purse of coins. I also raided the Frog and have almost 20 dollars to deposit. I'll apply that to a credit card with that bank. We no longer walk all the time, but we still find coins. I found a dime yesterday. I guess we find about 50 cents a month. Not bad for just looking at the ground. I have visions of walking into a lightpost or a signpost though.

I'm decluttering another store credit card as soon as I can find it. I have been digging through files, and I know I put it somewhere I could find it to get rid of it.....

The visits to the vet for Older Dog continue. We went back for post-op, and she is still not well. So, more meds and another checkup and tests next week. This is getting pretty expensive. I'm glad that she is doing better overall, though. And, she is being really patient with all the tests and medications. Hopefully, this will be the last for her. And for my bank account.

Hubby got his expense check for a couple of trips to Big City for work. The gas mileage was a little more than the cost of gas, so I was going to put the rest on the credit bills. But, it went to the vet instead. Oh well, at least we had the extra.

Decluttering is ongoing, too. I've started getting into things that take a little thought about what to do with it. Things that are more sentimental. I've even had dreams about this stuff. So, I guess my mental processes are trying to resolve this. But, I think in the long run, I'd rather get rid of stuff than hold on to things I won't remember I have or find for another ten years or so. But, the process is much slower. Obsessive people have a harder time with the letting go process, I guess.

I've set up a couple of debts to start decluttering. I'm forcing myself to narrow down and FOCUS. The new meds really help on that. I went to the doc about them this week, and he asked if I wished I'd had the new med a long time ago. Yes, it would have made life a lot more pleasant for all, I suppose. But, I've learned something from all of you here. Look ahead and move forward. So, I will not let the past nor the past financial mistakes cloud the present. I've got a lot to be thankful for. Someday, I might be able to look back on this stuff and laugh?

I should have seen it coming. I just got a call from my water delivery service. Not so great news. Since I grew up on a deep springlike well system, I taste tested some water delivery here and found a well-known, reputable one that had great spring water. The delivery regular drinking water is local water redone. The spring was trucked in from another state if I recall right. At any rate, we've had it for years. Our city's water often tastes awful. Messes with my stomach. Turns my clothes dingy. Leaves things less than sparkly. I found that the kids drank a lot more water with the service. Allergies eased up. Colds and other stuff were fewer. They drank water. The water company in all these years has never raised its rates for my water. It added a fuel surcharge a year or so ago to compensate, but my water has never changed. And, the surcharge was less than $2.00 per month. Doable.

Now, no spring water. I guess it got too costly to truck and bottle. I guess not enough of us wanted to pay for it. Who knows. I didn't really like the taste of the regular water compared to the spring. I didn't like the idea of paying for a reprocessed bottle of the next city's water. Of course, it probably doesn't have all the junk in it. Phooey. What to do now. I am receiving a free delivery of the regular water to taste test again. I am wondering if the cost will be changed. I am wondering if I should just get a filtering system for the household. I just don't know. Guess it will depend on how it tastes. There are other companies in the area, but I'll have to do some work to find out what to get and how much it would be. Sigh. My favorite things disappear quite often. How many times do you have something you love disappear from the store shelves? Happens to me all the time.

I am writing and closing a store account today. Don't know why I got the card. Don't use it. Good grief. It's a no brainer. I have another one on tap to go.

I go pick up Older Dog today from her surgery. Between both her surgeries in the last month, plus tests, and now shots for the Little Dog, my pet emergency fund has been decimated and then some. This fund will be hard to refill. Sigh. We've all been hit by the medical bug this year, including the pets.....

I hate it when I get to the store and find that I've forgotten my coupon or coupons. Or, that I've forgotten my list. I often start to head out and then realize that I've forgotten my bottle of water (it's so hot here) to take with me or maybe go to the bathroom first. Even my cell phone off my desk like I did yesterday. Sometimes, I go back in. And then, I leave the list somewhere. I've started putting the list into my pocket. Or, in the purse right after I realize that the list is on the desk. I made a plan the other day, had my list, and forgot the coupons. I had thought of them, then my mind wandered and the rest of the thought that went something like "put them into purse NOW" registered but didn't make it into action. I limited my purchases so that I didn't lose so much money. And, then there are the times I pick up the list or coupons going out the door and....forget them in the car. I used to leave them in the car on purpose, but when Hubby goes with me, I have to remember to get them from my car because he'll want to drive his. It's easier for him to get in and out of since his surgery. Sometimes, I have the list and the coupons, but forget something on the list and it is in my hand. Sheesh!

I started making notes to myself and sticking them on the computer monitor. But, I move them or get used to them and don't see them. I stick them to the keyboard, but ignore them eventually. I stick them to the calendar or organizer. That helps if I think to look at them more often. Usually, I look at them the first of the week and see what's coming up. I stick them to the glass on my desk. Sometimes, those end up sticking to my sleeves instead. I need a better note system. Or a better coupon system. Or both. And, don't get me started on trying to remember names.....

On the decluttering note, I've gotten rid of a drawer full of loose recipes. I'll never go through and organize those. I have the ones that are recipes from relatives already safely stashed, so these aren't important. They were just "someday" recipes. I reorganized some files and got rid of some more things. I've been working a bit in the hobby stuff. I've found stuff that I didn't know I had and stuff that needs to move on. I found a bag in the garage that had water damage from Rita. It had costume stuff from when DD and class had to do a skit based on Gilligan's Island. I kept the skipper's hat for the dress up bin for DGD, and the rest is damaged and will go.

Hurricane supplies are starting to fill in. I got a couple more flashlights/lanterns and some medical and personal stuff. I need to get a little more food now. And, keep the supply of water replenished. I am trying to only buy stuff that will be used up in the next part of the year. That way, the cost doesn't drive me crazy.

I have decided to think of the debt as a decluttering project. It's not just dollars...but stuff and junk that I don't need. And, it needs to quit cluttering up my life and go......

Like DisneySteve and Creditcardfree and probably several others this time of year, I have been decluttering. It's been made a whole lot easier with the new meds. I can concentrate for longer periods of time, and I can make up my mind faster. So, along with stuff that is making its way out of the house, stuff is being found. Even if the stuff doesn't cost that much, I'm probably saving a bit in gasoline usage.

I found a picture frame that was perfect for a picture that DS and DIL gave me a couple of years ago. Their frame and glass had gotten broken. I took care of that last night. About time. Sheesh.

I found more computer paper of the variety I like. It was buried in one of those drawer bin things with a bunch of paper the kids used to use for school printed projects. The paper will be used. The bin is empty for another use.

I found some old CD cases that I can use. Must have been left over from another kid school project or music project. And, some software to use for projects. I'll have to check this out and see just what these can do.

Found more file room as I shredded yet more stuff. I had bank statements from a VERY long time ago. Time to let go of the past.

I found my baby mug. Now, that was a surprise. I am putting that into my freezer "locker" for hurricane season. I also found several beautiful vases from my grandmother. I'd forgotten about those.

Found a cassette player. I am going to see if it works and see if the cassettes the kids loved to play in the car still work. Memories. We laughed ourselves silly on long car trips with these. I'll probably store these with the car games they used. I'm not ready to part with everything just yet.

Found some legos that I can't figure out how to put together. Some little doll house. Will probably put them with the bin of millions of those lego things until I find out what the kids want.

Found some kitty toys.

Found some clothes that I can actually still wear and are still cute. Rest are tossed.

Found that I have a ton of packing materials for mailing stuff. Gathered that in one place.

Found that I have WAY too many cookbooks.
I mean, how many crockpot or casserole cookbooks do you need?

I found several empty photo storage boxes. Duh...will be a major project soon.

Found a huge box of stamps and pads that the kids used. Kept the stamps, ditched the pads. Would make cool cards for the Grandkid.

And, that's just getting started. I also found a ton of old stuff related to computers and printers we don't own. Software from 2000. And, full and empty ink boxes from obsolete printers. Good grief. I have a couple of huge bags of things tossed or shredded. I've only made a dent in the stored stuff. I have dug out most of the kitchen. I only have to go through the baking pans. Got a ton of those and need to weed out. I've gotten through most of the clothes. I am working on the old bedding. We only own one bed right now and one sofa bed. So, that's a no brainer. I need to go through all the medical supplies. Right now, if you open the cabinet where they are stored, they fall on you. Not useful there. We have a whole set of supplies with the hurricane stuff, so I need to weed out. Something else is the whole cabinet shelf full of shoe stuff--sprays, cleaners, cloths, etc. We have them for boots and shoes and sneakers. What we don't have is the ability to remember they are there and use them. Most have probably broken down into an evil state of existence and need to be tossed out anyway. What a waste that is. I'll keep the best ones and put them where we can remember them if we need them. Hubby tossed a ton of old schoolbooks from long gone college days. We even tossed some old Christmas music we found.

I am going to go through books and kid toys last. Those will be the hardest to go through. I'll probably be at this the whole summer if not longer. I hope to never get this much stuff in my life again......

Our suitcases migrate. Usually to the kids' homes. We used to have a red set. Really easy to see on a baggage thingy. Slowly, the pieces migrated to DS's home. Since he didn't get to come home often, that was a puzzle. But, he traveled quite a bit with school and music. I don't think he has them any more. DS and DIL have bought a set together. We recently donated the last little one of that set to Goodwill.

We bought a green set. In decluttering the office closet, I found that we are missing the big piece. Hmmmm. Oh yeah, DD used it for a trip this past December. I guess she still has it. I found that we had one actual suitcase. Three smaller travel overnight sized bags. A whole slew of makeup bags. Guess I never found one I liked. Most couldn't hold much anyway. I donated most of those. Kept one or two larger ones to see if I'll use them. If not, out they will go. I found three large duffles. We kept two strong ones. Other one goes. I found three backpacks from the kids' school days. I had gotten rid of a couple already. How many had we held onto? I kept the two expensive sturdy ones and tossed the third. Had only one hanging bag left. That's good enough. Two sport totes went back to the beach/towel/watershoes area. How did they migrate to this closet? I managed to get most of them, except for the suitcase itself, onto the first shelf. Awesome! I can even see the floor of the closet. But, before I tease the heck out of the kids for stealing our suitcases, I better realize that I found a tote that belongs to my mom from a trip home a couple of years ago. Oops...

I just called into the vet and the tests show that Older Dog has stones again. I am meeting with the vet this afternoon after my dentist/cleaning appointment to see what the prognosis is. Talk about a fun afternoon. I really hope these stones are smaller ones that can be dissolved with medication, because I don't think we can afford another major doggie surgery at this time. The last one years ago was a bit of a bite, and with DD and Hubby both still paying medical bills, I'm not sure we can add a doggie surgery. We just had a lump removed and other stuff a week or so ago. It was about 400 dollars for that one which wasn't really bad. But, the stone surgery last time was pretty expensive. I don't want her hurting or in any misery though. I really don't know what I'll have to decide. I guess we'll find out this afternoon.

Hubby and I went to the store and stocked up on more hurricane supplies. It always happens that you think of more after you get home. I used to have a master checklist, but somehow that wandered off into no man's land. I thought of replacing defunct flashlights when the electricity went off for an hour last night after a storm. I had two functioning flashlights that I knew of. I have no idea where the big lantern went after Rita. Hubby had taken it off to another city when he was working on rebuilding. It probably never made it home. Need to replace fire extinquishers, too.

We were so hot and tired after the trip out that we decided to splurge and buy a monster homemade hamburger at a mom and pop cafe. We would split the 7 dollar meal, so it wasn't so bad. But, the cafe has changed its hours and no longer serves dinner during the week. So, we hit the freezer again and saved dinner money. Seven dollars is seven dollars.

I don't think I'll have to pay anything for this teeth cleaning. But, I tease them they poke holes in my teeth every time. There is always a filling that needs to be replaced with something else. Or something going wrong. No matter what I do. So, I am resigned to being told something else has been going south. I am hopeful that they won't find anything for once, and that the vet thinks we can do this without major stuff. That would be a nice ending to this day......

Ordinarily, the winged friends in our front tree just screech and fly at us when the eggs hatch. I've been seeing shells in the yard and the driveway, so I figured that our buddies are back. But, I haven't heard a "peep" from them yet. Until the other day. MIL and FIL were getting ready to hop in their rental car to drive to Big City to catch a flight homeward. We were saundering up the brick sidewalk, saying our goodbyes, when one of our hidden critters pooped on Grandma. This has happened to her before when she has visited us. The last time was on a ferry ride, and a gull pooped in her hair. Fortunately, it was on her shirt front, and she had a spare. So, back in the house we went to change Grandma and wash out her duds. Repack and ready to go. I honesly don't believe I laughed until they left. I went after that to get some extra dogfood for hurricane supplies and told the gals what had happened. They hinted that I wished for something to happen to MIL. Naw, not really. We have a relationship in progress and try to overlook those things that are frustrating in each of us. But, I have to admit, it is really funny to me. Not too many people have a bird that sends a farewell like that to inlaws. Sigh, I'm an inlaw myself now, so I should cultivate good karma and not enjoy this so much. I guess you'd have to be there. Grandma is very neat and pressed and birds continuing to poop on the poor lady is just too weird.

Speaking of hurricane preparation, I am spending money getting ready. Today's expenses will include kitty food and litter. But, to offset that expense, we are also eating everything out of the freezers so we do not go through the freezer cleanup again. That saves us food money and makes for some interesting meals.....

We got our state windstorm insurance coverage renewal yesterday. It's gone up another 100 dollars or so. A few surcharges, and I realized that I don't have the deductibles in an account. I DO have the insurance cost this year saved, but next year will be fun. It was much easier this year since I got a large refund on my homeowners when they dropped the windstorm, and I just dropped it into an account. But next year I will have to save up. To the tune of about 1200 dollars. On top of all the regular insurance. Let's see. Household insurance is about the same amount. Plus flood insurance. Glad I really do like my company and its agents. Because we're paying a bunch for the good service. I need to set up a plan for getting that premium back into the coffers. And figure out about the deductibles. They run another several thousand if the whole thing plus contents were wiped out. Regular insurance goes into escrow. Flood insurance is paid during the summer, also. I usually don't have too much trouble with the flood insurance premium. It runs about 400 dollars. I try to have that ready early. Once, I saw a guy with a head tall yardstick in our town showing how high the waters would get during a really big hurricane. Just a handful of inches. Not really bad. But, if you consider the woman I met that had only 2 inches in her house, but her walls all molded before she could get back in and she had to gut the whole thing....definitely going to keep the flood stuff. It's just a fact of life. This area keeps the gasoline and chemicals flowing into other parts of the country, so we're needed. I did have to wonder once just why on earth did they put everything in harm's way. Convenience, eons ago. Too costly to move things now. Eventually, we'll move out of range before the companies do.

Insurance on older homes is getting harder and harder to sort out. I wrestle with this a lot. I am glad I can bombard my people with questions, and that they take the time to figure it out for me. I need to take a more proactive stance on this and quit bemoaning it all. It is a tough thing sometimes when I realize that all my relatives in other areas of the country pay a small percentage of the whole insurance package we pay. And, if we have another storm in a year or two, we might be in a world of hurt trying to keep insurance. I need to realize that this is a bigger issue in our little world and concentrate on making it a priority. And saving and saving and saving. We need to have a Hurricane Fund set up for all this outflow. And, for the cost of supplies, and for living expenses. And for deductibles. At least, we are able to prepare and actually see the storms coming unlike the poor folks in the midwest and all that get the tornados so much. We can run ahead of the wind....

Poor puppy. Her operation went well, but we opted not to have the lump biopsied. At her age, any intensive treatment would probably be futile and distressing. We'll just keep her as comfortable as we can. It was much larger than we thought and a half-shaved pooch looks kinda funny. The lump was on her back. Of course, she doesn't have a lot of hair left anyway, so I think that I'll just shave her on down and give her a whole new look. She has contracted a bladder infection and piddles while she walks. We're treating with antibiotics which of course causes other problems. This week is going to be VERY interesting. Hopefully, there aren't any stones like last time. That is another surgery, and frankly, I don't know if we can afford that right now. But, I don't want her hurting. Right now, she doesn't seem too affected. She's a happy camper so far.

Big family event went well, and we still have relatives about. I am still trying to get dosages of meds adjusted and various side affects accustomed to and it is playing havoc with my life right now. Today, I'm trying to just chill by myself to get balanced a bit.

The bank balances have been clobbered by all the large things going on. DD had to have an MRI yesterday which is a good thing, but hit the pocketbook again. We've all had the medical funds going nuts this year. The MRI is one of those things that you hope they find out what is causing headaches, but you hope they don't find anything. I can't figure out what I am waiting to hear. I am hoping that they are eliminating one more test so that they can decide on a course of treatment. I was with her this weekend, and it reinforced how bad she can feel quite often. We really need to find something that works.

After the dust settles, I am going to try to get back to a payoff plan. Things have gone so haywire with the finances. I have cut costs in other places in order to account for more gas costs. With a budget to tinker with, that wasn't as hard to do. But, the costs on most of my bills have gone up. I also spent some money finishing up organizing Hubby's office here at home. I bought everything on sale with careful consideration, but I am not sure it was the right time to do it. At any rate, he has a place to call his own. The only other place that is truly his is the work space in half of the garage and his comfy chair in the living room. I really need to replace the chair, but that's another story....

As a kid, I dreamed of owning a ton of my very own books. I spent this last weekend sorting boxes of books and moving them out of the "office" area. My conclusion is that my dream came true in spades. And that I am a book nut. I stacked the boxes in the cat's room to re-sort again and cull some more. Poor kitty now has a mountain of various stacks of boxes to climb. She probably feels a little hemmed in. So do I. It's a little like cleaning out your closet. You find you don't really need much more of the things in there because you've got a ton you didn't realize you had.

I've also found a whole container full of decorating style magazines. SIL advised looking through mags to find out what kinds of things I would like to do to the house. Of course, she actually does the looking. I just got the mags from the library giveaway, etc., and left them in a container. Not much help there. I am chucking those out because I'm obviously not taking her good advice. These things are ancient now.

Gave some dishes away to DS and DIL that match some they have. Freed up some cabinet space that I promptly filled with dishes that I had received for a present. Nice to have a change. Can't believe it took me so long to change it around. I think I got the new dishes...oh...say eight months ago?

Starting to eat out of the freezer again. Need to free up the deep freeze to use as a "locker" again for hurricane season. Things we can't evacuate with us, but that we don't want to have blown away, we put in there to store. Sentimental things. It also keeps us from spending as much on food for awhile.

Old doggie goes to the vet for surgery this week. I've been putting off a growth removal for awhile. But, she is beginning to find the thing irritating, and I'm afraid she's going to scratch it badly and get it infected. The whole surgery including teeth extraction and stuff is going to cost about 400 dollars. Ouch. But, she'll feel better, and I'll feel better that it's finally done. Hopefully, only the pocketbook will feel the pain.

The university has messed up DD's summer program. She's going toe to toe with them to straighten it out. I'm proud of her, but it's draining. And, I'm not sure just what we paid for now. I'm letting her handle it. I'm just being a cheerleader on this one.

I get to talk to the meds doc tomorrow and see what we are doing about the meds dosages. So far, so good. I have some questions though. Well, if he's a little busy and behind tomorrow, I've definitely got a book to take to read....