Thanksgiving

Before illness, death and disenchantment swept through my family with the ruthlessness of the grim reaper, I hosted and prepared Thanksgiving meals for a clan – we would hold hands, give thanks and one by one, around the table, we would each say what we were thankful for.

That tradition has fallen off these past few years and I missed it today – so, I’m going to hold virtual hands with you and say what I’m thankful for:

• I’m thankful I’m still alive and able to be here for my son.
• I’m blessed by the friends and family I have.
• I have face-to-face and virtual friends that never fail to celebrate my joys with me and who, through support and encouragement, halve my burdens for me.
• I am never thirsty or  hungry.
• I’m safe, warm and protected from Mother Nature’s awesome power.
• I’m once more in the land of being a “Producer” in positions that net financial compensation.

Thanks for listening – I sincerely hope this Thanksgiving, you, too, have much to be thankful for.   And if you don’t, I hope it gets real better, real soon.

Best Wishes –

Tamrah Jo

 

A Ballad to Those Who Milk The System

Um…Yeah…this isn’t really a ballad, cuz I’m not in the mood to write poetry –

For decades I’ve heard about all those “Lazy, Decadent Saps’ who milk the welfare system and deprive hard-working Americans of their hard-earned wages.

Because I’ve been in the ranks of those lazy, good-for-nothings for 2 years now, I thought I would report…

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Right after my son died of bacterial meningitis, I was pretty shocked by how many people in our ‘sphere of influence’ asked if I sued the doctors and if so, how much did I get?

(Really?  Upon learning of my son’s demise, your first thought about what to say to me was to find out how much profit I gleaned from it?)

After my stroke, I learned (second hand, because I wasn’t talking to anyone) how many folks asked if I had applied for Disability.

I didn’t apply after my stroke.   The doctors said I had received treatment in time and I should make a full recovery and every month, at my check-up, I was assured to give it time, 6-9 months was normal for recovery, though no one could say for sure.

Now I’m sure this is indoctrination, because upon filing a disability claim, you must have doctor reports claiming you’ll be disabled for a year or more – – interesting, eh?

My 3 month brain scans indicated my brain was “Normal”, with “no visible damage”.

I have to laugh – who the hell in the entire world has a Normal Brain?!?  And if there’s no damage, why do I still talk like Porky Pig?

Around my one year anniversary of the stroke, I was somewhat depressed and pissed at my healthcare providers (primary, neurologist, acupuncturist, chiropractor)- I did what you told me to – I came for treatments twice a week – I’m still not well enough to work – WTF?!?

I adjusted and changed healthcare providers.

I pushed myself.

I tried harder.

Around June of last year, I had pretty much run through my little ‘nest egg’ divorce settlement.

I needed paying work.

I still didn’t apply for Disability – confident I could cobble together enough work to keep us going.

September came and I finally seriously looked at applying for Disability and any other help I could get, because things were getting bad.   A lawyer, who is a professional friend-of-a-friend tells me he will take my case pro bono – but I have to be denied benefits first by Social Security, and he assures me I will be denied:

“They do not care that no employer in the world wants to hire you with the caveat that you can only work 2-4 hours a day and must rest every 1-1 1/2 hours.   As long as you can work, that’s all they care about.  But go ahead and apply.  Get Denied and then come see me.   I’m telling you right now, from what you tell me, yours is going to be a hard case.   You need to start keeping a journal notating every day what your symptoms/capabilities are and you’ll need at least 3 doctors to back up what you’re saying….blah, blah, blah”

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Okay, I have a journal – I’ve kept one for years – it’s all there.  I keep it because the variables affecting your state of health are numerous and you can only learn what to do to get better if you take notice of every stinking thing you are or are not doing.   Didn’t keep me from having a stroke, but that is beside the point…

3 Doctors agreeing and putting in writing something that will actually benefit me – hmmm….problem …. I tend to go to healthcare providers that have some hope of my wellness – whether for continued insurance billing or from a sincere desire to help their fellow man.

I’ve yet to visit a healthcare provider that says, “Yup!  You’re hopeless and there’s not a damn thing we can do to help you.”

Okay – so scratch Social Security, Disability, a system I’ve paid into every year but 3 since 1984, off the list.

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TANF  – Colorado’s Back To Work Program seemed like a viable option – maybe if I’m part of a ‘back to work’ program, I can have limited hours until my health gets better, or at least, not get fired for having frequent rest periods during manual labor – –

You can’t qualify if you have any income that totals more than $248/month.

Who the fuck lives in anything other than a cardboard box under a bridge for less than $248/month?   Homesteaders?   Constitutionalists that inherited property and don’t pay property taxes, utility bills or insurance?

Understand, my insurance purchases are either mandated by law (vehicle) or purchased in a sincere attempt to keep my family from going bankrupt in case zealous paramedics and ER personnel choose to ignore my DNR orders.

Sorry – maybe you are a wonderful person who manages to live off less than $248 a month in either cash or bartered trade – I’m not there yet and even if I sponged off my relatives, but contributed to grocery fund and paid my own insurance, I can’t do it for $248/month- – So I do not understand this program and figure no one but those already living on the streets qualify for it.

On one hand, this is good, a program to help the homeless – on the other hand, do you have anything that prevents people from becoming homeless in the first place?

Full disclosure – If I became penniless tomorrow, neither I nor my son would be homeless and starve – I still have a mother & brother who would like to see me well and self-sufficient, but who couldn’t live with themselves if I were housing in Frigidaire Cardboard – and I have in-laws who wouldn’t let their grandson live in such filth and squalor – so yes, I’m lucky.

Scratch the back to work program.

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If I get any work at all each month, I’m close to not qualifying for Food Stamps.

Since I try to get work of some sort each month, why even bother applying?

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In 1990, I became a single parent at age 21.   I worked 60-70 hours per week, but sometimes, my babysitting bills overwhelmed me.   The first time, I asked for help from the agencies my tax dollars helped to fund – it was not forthcoming –

A car repair bill left me short on formula for the baby – I needed one can to get by till payday -I called the local WIC officials and asked for a can of formula which would promptly be replaced on payday – They told me to come in next Tuesday (5 days past when I was going to run out of formula) so they could determine if the baby was “nutritionally needy” or not….

I informed them that hell yes, he’d be nutritionally needy by then and to forget it, I thought it would be easier to sell my body for a can of formula….

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I’ve come to the conclusion that Yes, there are those who milk the system, but I do not believe their numbers to be as high as the experts would have you believe.

There are those who get ‘milked’ by those who live without any pretense of trying to contribute and here’s the list of those who help their fellow man, and get milked by the “Lazy Poor”:

Local community bankers who, when you tearfully ask for a loan til payday say:

“You write a check for whatever that baby needs.  Call me and if it shows up before your paycheck does, I’ll cover it myself.”

Friends and Neighbors who say:

“Hey, I got 10 jugs of the 10-for-a-dollar juice – can I give you a couple?”

Farmers and Ranchers who say:

“Yup, you can pay for your yearly purchase on payment plan – no interest – and if you need that money for the doctor, I’m not going to sweat it – I’d rather see you healthy than get that $100 and if you never pay it back, I’m not going to hold it against you.”

Local Food Banks who say:

“Thanks for coming and helping out – whatever is over there, take as much as you want.   Something in the box we fixed for you not work?  Let us know, we’ll change it out for you.”

Doctors who say:

“Oh – you won’t be insured come Jan. 1st?  Okay – here’s a cash discount rate – and if you need to, come in, we’ll work it out.  Don’t worry about it.”

Business Owners who say:

“We’re interested in what you have to offer for our company.  We do not expect you to work yourself to death for us.   Tell us what you feel you can commit to.”

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Social Justice, I’ve come to believe, will never be meted out by government programs financed by taxes – it comes from the same place it has for millenia – from those in your community who are dedicated to achieving those principals set out by our Founding Fathers.

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At the end of my attempt to get help from systems I’ve spent many years paying into – I decided, it’s easier, quicker and less heartache to sign up to dig ditches and drop dead while working for $4/hour, 14 hours a day, with no break, than it is to get any help from any tax-payer funded program.

Happily, I’ve slowly cobbled together part-time work each month – the total of this income, in the best month for the year to come, is $947/month.

Which renders me unqualified for most social aide programs and you know what?

I’m so happy I could jump to the moon….

Affordable Healthcare Act – The Ideal and The Reality

Throughout October and November, I experienced the reality of the new healthcare act.

I believe that public perceptions are affected by personal experience shared –

Hence, I’m gonna tell you all about it….

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For the record – After my stroke and divorce, the only health insurance I qualified for was a state (Colorado) run program for those with pre-existing conditions. I was lucky to live in a state that provided this option.

Because I still was renting a room from my mom at the time of my application, I had to report both her earnings and mine – even though I did not have any access what so ever to her earnings, either through good graces or by law.

Surprisingly, I still qualified for the reduced price of $154.76/month of basic coverage, with a $10,000 deductible – which meant, I could go for any office visit or yearly check-up i.e. if I have pneumonia, but anything other than wellness/yearly/routine fell under deductible.   My rates raised to $189.64 in August this year because you miraculously become a higher risk the second you turn 45 years of age.

(The company I purchased from will no longer be in business come 12/31/13 – for the scoop on how they handled the customer service relations for their impending closure Click Here)

On October 1st, I dutifully created an account and logged into the New Marketplace for Health Insurance for my state. (connectforhealthcolorado.com)

If I told the truth about my monthly income, the calculator referred me to another state run site to apply for Medicaid.

(I’m lucky, Colorado chose to embrace the new Medicaid income guidelines – many states did not and those who live in those states are just as screwed as they were before the law took affect.)

I dutifully apply for Medicaid on October 1st.   I answer honestly about who lives in my household.  The website form automatically signs my son up for Medicaid, because he lives in my house, even though he still has insurance through his Dad.

(and, another example of my ex’s generosity, if the laws allowed ex-wives to be kept on policies, I wouldn’t even have to be doing this shit….)

Some two weeks after submitting my application, I receive form letter pages from the county/state agency requesting proof of a variety of things – i.e. income, citizenship, etc.    After a phone call to straighten out that I’m not applying for my son, just for me, I learn that the web form is not functioning the way those who actually have to deal with it’s repercussions wish it would and I inform the gal that if the state ever wishes to hire someone who builds tools that End Users Love, please call me, I have a good track record and need work – she is friendly and polite even in face of my arrogance.

I get off the phone and submit the requested information.

Note – they have my divorce decree showing my child support though I never submitted it – they can view my bank records to make sure I”m not lying about my income, but they can’t tell if I’m a US citizen?!?  They are the state, but they can’t confirm me or my son’s birth records?  (yes, we were both born here in Colorado)

Hey, Big Brother, falling down on the job, there!

After jumping through the hoops, I’m informed that I do not qualify for Medicaid – because the software is basing it off the old income standards and not the ones that are in effect come January 2014.

(Do not ask what the old income qualifications are – neither I, nor anyone else knows – come Jan. 2014, if I make less than $3,118, for my household, according to the marketplace website, I qualify – according to the Medicaid website, I must make less than $1,781/month, because even though I house, clothe and feed my son, he is not counted as a person, unless I sign him up for Medicaid.)

Even though I qualify come January, my application is denied for now.  I”m instructed to re-apply January 1st (or the first day their government run offices are open) and yes, they will have on file everything I’ve submitted and it will go through, no problemo.

I must interrupt myself here to tell you, the case worker assigned to my case was Awesome!   She, a worker bee, is just as frickin’ frustrated as I am.   She was ticked that what they were told in ‘training’ for the new system and what’s actually occurring are two different things.   She specifically asked during training if the new system would allow early registration of the new 01/14 guidelines and was told “Yes”– she’s not a happy camper – – I told her it was okay – that those who build these tools will say anything to sell them, because they aren’t the poor saps that actually have to use them everyday….

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The plot thickened when I learned if I didn’t sign up for some kind of coverage by Dec. 10, 2013, then my coverage would be delayed on starting by Jan. 1st.

And, since I can’t apply until Jan. 1st, but Medicaid can take up to 60 days for a decision, it seems that I may be uninsured for a month or two – –

Thank god the law says the companies and government can no longer penalize me for daring to go uninsured awhile….

When I was 18, my boyfriend’s brother borrowed my car – – -and blew the engine in it – – I lived in town and walked to work, so whaddo I care?   I didn’t own/drive a car for 18 months.   When I purchased another used car (paid cash, no loan) and went to insure it, they were going to charge me a higher rate, because I had been “Uninsured” for 18 months – even though I wasn’t even driving a frickin’ car to be insured – – When I pointed this out, the agent said, “Where is that car now?  The one that you used to own?”  “At my Mom and Dad’s – they towed it home and there it has sat, waiting to be hauled to the scrap recycler.  Too expensive to repair.”  

“Well, see,” she said,“It should have been insured,  What if visitors to your Mom and Dad’s played on your car and got hurt?“

And I said, “Isn’t that covered by their ‘Homeowners, We Pay For Other People’s Stupidity‘ policy?”

Seriously, who the fuck plays around and injures themselves on a 1979 VW parked on the back 40 acres of a place in the middle of Nowhere Eastern Colorado?

After much discussion, the agent removed my ‘elevated’ rate increase, because I dared to not insure what I wasn’t even using.  I’m sure this is because the discussion lasted past 5 o’clock, she was dating a good friend of mine and I bought her pizza and beer for supper….

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Alas, this is all irrelevant now –

Since my hiring of my two, part-time jobs, I will be, for at least 3 of the next 6 months, $34 over the maximum income levels I can have to qualify for Medicaid.

The cheapest insurance policy I saw, after tax credits, was more than $34/month.

I’ll keep you posted, but I don’t hold out much hope for me.

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I will say that I support and defend the Affordable Healthcare Act.  I don’t care if Obama or someone else tried to make changes to our healthcare system in this country, they were doomed to criticism and failure – – Our country has chosen to walk the line in Twilight Zone – that thin line between State Provided and Free Enterprise healthcare.

Each system has it’s pro’s and con’s – – If you don’t believe me, then watch “Sick Around the World”

Anyone who tried to get us moved to one system or the other would have experienced defeat – for there are those (hardworking Americans/entitled rich) who can afford their own healthcare and abhor the “Lazy, Good-For-Nothing Poor” milking the system whose views are just as ardently opposed by those (Social Justice/pinko commies) who believe everyone is entitled to basic benefits regarding health.

I may not agree with every line of the law or the implementation of it – I may not agree with the disparity caused by states exercising their 10th amendment rights in regards to income guidelines and paying for their own marketplace infrastructure – but if we are going to pretend like we have a democratic, free & advanced society, health care reform, of some sort, had to happen and had to be watered down enough to frickin’ try to please everyone.

I dare anyone to come up with a comprehensive bill that would have passed uncontested and been applauded by the majority – Oh, in case you are thinking you’re up to the challenge, it had to actually make a difference for the majority of American Citizens….

Until we find our way, we must walk through experimentation – and yes, not everyone will be taken care of – but dammit, it’s better to try, fail and fix, than it is to do nothing at all….

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As for those who met with the software programmers and/or the programmers themselves –

YOU GUYS ARE IN THE DOG HOUSE!

You clowns failed to provide a satisfactory experience for those employees and customers who use these tools everyday.

Politicians – Please take a refresher course in “Learning Worker’s Who Actually Implement the Laws you Pass” and “Geek Speak 101”

Programmers, attend “Understanding Your True Customer, 101”

‘Nuff said…

The Good, Bad and Ugly

Hello, WordPress community!   You thought I died, right?  Santa arrived early at my house and I’m the proud owner of a new computer with Windows 8 – more about that later (and less on the endless gripes I have regarding it, because, after all, I do love you guys!)

So much has happened since my dear old, 6 year computer crashed, I could keep you reading for 3 days straight – alas, I’ll try to keep it short-n-sweet, and fill you in.

Because of the roller coaster ride of the past few weeks, I thought I’d split out my update into Categories…

The Good

I have a computer – as an early Christmas gift from my ex-hubbie.   Remember when I told you there are many reasons I still love that man?   Remember when I poured out my heartache at my perception of betrayal?  Yeah…. He’s human, but he is still, so often, my knight in shining armor.

Jerusalem Artichokes are in the ground – right on the west side of the house, which was slated for Cottage Herb Garden.   I kept trying to figure out where to put them, and then realized, they are the perfect answer for protection from summer sun and leaving western wall open for radiant heat in winter and so, I have perennial beds outside my kitchen door.

Soon after getting my new computer, I awoke one day to sub-zero temps and pain – spent the morning plotting out my garden beds and have the plans all ready to follow, as infrastructure for the east side is done…. Finally….   West side of my 4 lot place is slated for cultivation in 2015 – –

The fescue grass planted this year is still green and beautiful – without water since September and no mowing.   Excited to plant more in non-garden areas next spring.   This year’s work will result in 2/3rd’s less mowing/weeding come next summer.

Fence has been put up to expand Oakley’s room thanks to the generous help of a dear, dear friend.   Fence post driving is hard work for me and I got 4 posts a day done, with 10-day rest periods in between! LOL  Thanks, Dick!   Never could have done it without you!

I”m no longer “Unemployed”

First, I was invited to a community weekly dinner that is primarily attended by retired senior citizens – then I’m asked if I would be interested in cleaning up after said weekly dinner each week – 1 hour/week @ $10/hr.

Then, the local library advertised for a part-time aide (10 hours a week/ 2 hours a day) – I applied, interviewed and did my skills test.   I got the call offering me the job.   I was ecstatic!   Me, working in a primary source of information and getting to help others in their quest for knowledge – Could anything be more perfect?!?

On a side note, a weight I had been unconsciously carrying fell away when I received the call.   Until I got the job offer, I didn’t even realize that behind my angst over, “Will I ever be well enough to return to work?” lay the even deeper anxiety, “Will anyone ever want to hire me again?”

One week at the library and wouldn’t ya know, a friend who is as passionate about nutrition and locavorism as I am, decided to buy the local cafe and offered me a part-time job.   Actually, she asked me some questions, I asked if I could help, offered to work more hours than God placed in a week when she said, “Yes”, and got the response:

“I would love to have you there everyday, but I do not want to be the cause of you having a set-back in your health.   I’m thinking 3-4 shifts a week, (four hours) and we’ll play it by ear on how you get along.”

So, between the three, Local Jobs, I will soon be employed 27 hours a week by folks who appreciate what I have to offer and who often take the time to look out for my health better than I do….

Which I consider a success – if I can’t learn to put myself first, at least I’m learning to form relationships with people who know that about me and look out for me, even when I don’t do it for myself.

A quick blessing on all those wonderful folks, in person and online, who are so good to me.  (blessings for those who cause me pain is in the Bad/Ugly sections – sorry, a leopard doesn’t change it’s spots overnight….)

My family decided to buy a washer/dryer combo for me as a Christmas gift.   While I love my Wonder Washer, the joint pain in my hands left me unenthused over wringing out heavyweight clothes once I no longer had my Spin Dryer to do it for me.  I’m over the moon at having a modern day laundering mechanism again.   Will report on my new tool as soon as I have a month’s worth of electric and water bills to report on – cuz you know, some things aren’t a bargain, even if you get them for free….   LOL  My Dad listed horses as one of these items….though he got me one, anyways…

I woke up today, totally pain free.   I’ve been trying different things and have been struggling since the pneumonia in September.   How apropo that I awoke, at last, to pain-free living on Thanksgiving.

The Bad

I had huge set-backs in my health after the pneumonia fiasco – another bout with it, then an abscess that had to be sliced and drained.   This time, I didn’t wait until it spread to hell and gone, so the slice and dice did not include gauze packing in the amount of a trip to the moon and back.

(See?  I’m learning – should have put this one in the Good section….) 

AND, if you are pro-active and go to the doctor early enough, without a designated driver, they can do local numbing shots, instead of saying, “Either you call someone to pick you up and we’ll put you under or you cuss while we slice – – ”   I was very grateful to get this taken care of without having to bite-a-bullet.

Then, the lovely return of neck/back pain that preceded my stroke back in 2011.

(Which sent me into a gale of emotional storms, praying that I could live at least until my son graduates from high school). 

This latest set-back confused and bemused me….   But it also stretched my horizons in my learning and what to do for myself.   Can’t say that I regret the new information I now know, but Lord, someday I would like to learn this stuff an easier way.

Windows 8 – I gave it 10 days before I whispered even one word to the outside world about not liking it.   As much as I embrace change as an offensive player in so many venues of life, I admit to being a defense player when it comes to computers and software – I get tired of learning new stuff all the time to perform the same old functions.

I’ve engaged in learning about Open Source Options for what all I do and am preparing to take the dive on eradicating Bill Gates from my computer – – which means, if I mess it up, you may not hear from me for another long period…..again….

The first week of working at the library coincided with my new-found activities of volunteering at a local food bank.   Which I  found when I asked if I could trade work for food when my wall furnace started lagging on lighting and then turned into a flame-thrower.

Acutally, if I hadn’t been worried about killing us all in the middle of the night, the wall-furnace-turned-flame-thrower was kinda cool to watch – a long hiss, followed by a mini-explosion and blue-gold light bursting from the wall – – alas, I’m a parent and have to be responsible – I got it fixed…using my grocery budget….

The gals who run the food bank are awesome.  And they seem happy to have manual labor show up regularly – They helped me out during a hard month and I get to help with the food bank garden next year!  Yay!

(This, too, should be in good, as should everything in this post, but, it still confounds me that I must learn the Good by experiencing the Bad – – Have you seen “Life of Pi?” yet – No?   Okay, watch it and you’ll ask why I’m still separating things out into Categories, even after having this epiphany….)

By week’s end, I was exhausted and I had momentary doubts about my ability to rejoin the world.   But I took self-care seriously during the weekend and, quite frankly, basked in the glow of working for/with people who know my health history and actually give a damn about it…  A new concept and this last part should be in the Good, but I trust you to understand.

An elderly man, who knows me because I went to school with his sons, attended one of the community dinners.  Here’s his line of interrogation (aka small chit-chat that small communities engage in) that sent me racing for my self-tranquilizers of choice – (nicotine)  I do not hold him personally responsible – I’m willing to give him the benefit of doubt – but no kidding, how can anyone hit everyone of my triggers in less than 3 minutes?  Seriously!

“Who was your dad?  Oh, I knew him – but I didn’t recognize you – you’ve changed!” (Yeah, bozo, I still have about 30 lbs to lose to get to my pre-stroke/pre-thyroid weight)

“How many kids do you have?   Didn’t you have a boy shortly after you graduated?” (Yes, yes, my oldest son, who you knew, is dead – here’s how he died – yes, what a shock and shame, thank you for bringing it up)

“So, where’s your husband?” (Far away, separate household – yes, yes, he decided on a different path for his life that didn’t include us – but, thankfully, this has not left me hot-to-trot or any other stories you have about divorced females and their rampaging sex drives – you’re safe, cuz if I never have to deal with a man again, I’ll thank God for eternity.)

“My son got a job and they’re paying him $18.50 an hour – I’m happy for him, but you kids are entitled and ask for too much” (Okay, if I strip you of everything you own other than the clothes on your back, I’d like to see you survive on minimum wage and do ya know, I was earning $18/hour as a no-degree, straight out of highschool, unskilled temp in 1988, less than 50 miles from where we are sitting – in the face of high unemployment, employers will pay whatever they damn well please and if you gripe they can find a dozen others who would just love to work for peanuts.)

“Why aren’t you volunteering at the local Thrift Store?” (Because I only have so much energy in a day – because I volunteer for the local booster club, because I offer low cost websites/hosting for small businesses and don’t charge them for extra work I do,  because I chose to volunteer at the food bank – because I’m on a limited income and creating my own garden and home grown food seems a priority for me, because I give something, everyday, for free to someone else, even when I don’t know how I’m going to pay my own water bill….)

Now, the reason I shared this with you is this conversation took place in under 5 minutes – and sent me into such a whirlwind of emotions (anger, mostly) that I excused myself and went home to have a cigarette (which I had been weaning myself back off of, since falling off the non-smoking wagon this fall)

I sat at home, ingesting higher levels of nicotine than I’ve used in over 3 years, and wondered if I’ll ever be fit for polite society again.   We all have our blind spots.   We all live with a perception of the world that may not be true for someone else.

But, DAMN, if it isn’t hard remembering that when someone is pushing your buttons.

This is included in Bad section because I see how intolerant I’ve become by being a semi-hermit and not having to deal with a wide-range of personalities on a day-to-day basis.

The Ugly

Inheritances Update – All my added chapters and the formatting of the entire manuscript managed to get corrupted during my “Save” and “Backup” operations of my writing.  I managed to retrieve my text file, but only the back-up from late July.

(See?!?  See how long I babied my old computer along… sigh… the greatest gift of life is learning to Let Go.)

One beta-reader returned my pre-computer-crash printed manuscript marked with  front page notation, “Compelling and beautiful –  Rework structure as fiction – story engaging, but not a non-fiction How-To.”

Ill health, damaged files and feedback indicating change needed – all combined-  induced me to return the ‘pre-order’ sale funds to those who supported Inheritances, with a promise of a free copy once it was actually done.    I haven’t had responses from you two, so please, let me know if you got the PayPal refund and if you’re mad at me forever or not….

This is in Ugly, because I let customers down – had I not put Inheritances up for sale prior to it’s release, this would be listed under “Bad, but Doable” – Alas, someday, Inheritances will be born – I will not, however, again try to Induce Labor by putting a work up for Advance Copy Sale – too many bad things happen when I try that route.

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So there it is – a nearly 2,500 word treatise to catch up since I’ve been gone – and I didn’t even include it all…

But I’ve missed you – I’ve missed writing – I’ve missed all of it –

And just as soon as the manure is spread on garden beds, home-made Christmas presents are done and I’ve adjusted to working for someone else several hours a day, I shall return with my shorter, more subject restricted posts….

Until then, may you and yours be comfortable, fed and happy!   Whatever holidays you celebrate during this time of year, I wish you the brightest of them.

Until We Meet Again….

xoxoxoxo