Michael gets paid 2x a month. We aren't the best at taking care of our bills but we have gotten a lot better. One of the best things that you can do is to immediately do your grocery shopping, and have your bills ready to go out the door.
I drove my van until it was on empty. One of the grocery chains offers 20cents off per gallon of gas per 100 spent... I think. Before gas did it's little dance, it used to be cheaper to go to 3 different stores a week and buy the different store sales. Now it's best to make as few trips to the grocery as possible, keep a list, go to one, maybe two stores, but not necessarily the same day. Anyhow, with my perks, I got gas for 1.17 a gallon. Sweet. 17 gallons. Apparently, we have a 20 gallon gas tank. Well, I never knew.
So, I've run all around this morning, paid all the bills, got all the groceries, cleaned the fridge, put all the groceries away, took the recycling to the recycling center, dropped off the rent/water bill at the drop box, put gas in the car, and went to the doctors office today.
So tired now.
His big green cat eyes with perfect eyeliner.
He would look up at you with the sweetest
look.
The way he would meow loudly as if to yell
at you for your lack of competence.
His fur as soft as a rabbit.
The front part of his chest that was so puffy
that he looked like he was wearing a the
most exquisite jabot.
The way he and kitty would fight and bathe
each other, and then cuddle up to go nap
like they were spooning.
Calling him "Batman" because his head
markings looked like Batman's Head cover.
His lightening fast reflexes.
The wildness of him when he would go outside.
He acted like a ferret zig zagging back and forth.
His vampire length teeth.
The fact that he never tired of cuddling.
I had him for 10 years. A stray kitten walking
around the neighborhood prancing like he
knew he was hot.
The sweetest cat you could possibly want.
My Kitty Scruffy passed away last night.
Really Sad.
My garden is doin' OK. I really need to finish planting some stuff that is still in containers.....
My Lunaria are just about to be harvested and it's daily self control that keeps me from yanking them out of the ground right now.
My fence on both sides is covered in sweet peas. Last year I kept pulling them, I didn't know what they were.... ooops.
My cats are obsessed with sleeping on the printer paper tray. Don't get that one. There are plenty of places about the house to sleep that are nifty, but no, they want the printer tray.
Since Michael has to take the GRE and I have to take the SAT, we've been practicing math together. Strangely enough, it seems to be working. The scary fraction monster isn't coming to get me anymore. The word problems trip me up a bit, but it's all good.
I bought index cards today to start writing down the terms that we need to be familiar with.
I seem to be adjusting to my medication ok. I wake up every few hours, but manage to go back to sleep. I don't seem to miss the sleep until about 2 pm. Which is now, and I am thinking about taking a nap.
Speaking of which, I took the first four hour nap in the day time. I've never done that before without reason of illness or jet lag. It was awesome.
Michael and I went to body flow class last night. It was supposed to be Yoga, but it's sorta a mix of Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, and strange music.
Went to Chiro this morning and he said that my lower back was doing really well. (Thank God.) Now, if I could remember to have better posture, I bet the rest would come along nicely.)
We visited Marshall on Thursday. Michael did very well with his interview and was even given an impromptu tour by the department head. She all but gave him the keys to city... if she had them, they'd be his. He's good at holding court.
As for me, the college seemed like a surreal experience. I couldn't believe that I was actually there, I was actually going to do this.
I couldn't believe that I was going to.... have to take the SAT again. My GPA is good enough, but my test scores not so much. It's cool though. I didn't really try in high school. So, I am going to get a SAT prep book from the library and start it. Unless we go through Half Price Books.
I do great on multiple choice. Not so great when I have to actually write things out. I don't guess, I just use the process of elimination. I always know which ones are wrong.
I am going to contact the local college here and see if the test that I took for them wouldn't count at Marshall. Who the heck knows. I just want to get an education and put this life of temporary labor behind me.
We visited Michael's Aunt and her farm. She's cool. We've wanted to be in a place to buy the farm one day. Time will tell. Although we may not be able to before they have to sell it. They are getting elder and we aren't exactly in the right spot for it.
I am starting the long paperwork process of Social Security Disability. I know that it isn't much. I know that they fight you tooth and nail. But I can't work like I used to.
I go to the Doc on Tuesday. The MD. I really don't much care for MD's. But I am ready to do what I must to get this taken care of.
Since we are going to be here until at least Novemeber, I am planting all my container plants in the ground. If we move, so be it. They are becoming root bound.
If I can successfully transplant my Sunflowers, then I should have a bunch of sunflower seeds this fall. Very exciting.
That's all for now. I can't be on the computer for too long, it messes with my neck. So does the phone, so does anything really.
Michael and I are going down to visit Marshall University this week. He has an appointment with a couple departments. It looks like we are making fast tracks to go to WV/Southern OH so that we can get on with the next part of our lives.
I am trying to get all these old things out of the house and out of the way but I can only do it a day at a time. I can only do things one hour at a time. I had to quit my job because of my back and neck. They started acting up. The job got a bit more physical and I couldn't hang. Well, it was enough for a while. I purposefully no called no showed (something I've never done) because I wanted to burn the bridge for the temp service. I will continuously keep going back to work for people who will chew me up and spit me out and not care if I injure myself. I need to stay healthy.
College here we come. I guess I should have listened to myself oh, about fifty times over now. Though, I find I'm not much of one for the "If Only" Nope. Moving on. Moving up. Marshall is where we will get our educations. If Michael gets to teach adjunct, his tuition is free. Then if he gets on as a Professor, then my tuition is covered. So while it may be a bit tough for a while. I am content to take out student loans to live on because I know that this will pay off in the long run.
Still leaning towards Psychologist. Though I plan on knocking out all my 100 classes first and easing in with a bit of psych here and there.
We will be spending some time at the farm and checking out the land that we want to eventually buy. Though it may not happen because of some weird situation that the family isn't really talking about. It feels like there's something wrong but no one is discussing what is happening that they all of a sudden want to sell the property for a massive loss during a dip in the market values of homes.
We are going to offer to pay rent to them and live in their guest suite (yes, they have a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and screened in back porch that is specifically for guests. Which is basically what Michael and I would need. Why pay a landlord when it could benefit family. In these times, family has to become extended again.
We are going to have a cookout and have fun with everyone. We are really looking forward to it.
Saw someone who looked just like one of our foreign exchange students. Same color hair, same thick blonde braid just off to the side, and she was even holding a kitten. For a second, I missed her.
Then it passed.