My Novels

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Rain, rain and MORE rain!

I guess I can't complain about the hurricane dumping rain here, since we have been under a drought in the South so long. But after days and days and days of rain, it does get a bit gloomy. Of course, there's occasional breaks in the rain, and Sunday afternoon I was able to take the dogs on a walk. I saw a BEAUTIFUL three-tier rainbow, something I'd never witnessed before. Oh, if only I'd had my camera with me, darn!

I also biked that afternoon, but not yesterday. We had serious downpours all day Monday, which should help saturate the ground, good news for our region.

I voted today for our city's mayoral election, commission seats and school board members. The current mayor, who'd been in office a long time, didn't run again -- so it's up for grabs! We shall see, I suppose.

I finally bought the commode at Lowe's and I'm now waiting for the call from the installers. Hopefully I'll have it installed before the end of this week. I'd put it off as long as possible, because I'm fairly sure the installation is going to cause a problem on the floor tile in my bathroom. Bummer. But at least I won't have to keep turning the water supply off and on every time I flush the toilet!

I feel like I am drifting aimlessly, even though I have the part-time online writing position. I really don't want to seek employment part or full time just yet, because I stand to do very well at income tax time due to all the rental repairs, etc this past year. Earning a decent paycheck will definitely put a crimp on that, so I am planning to wait till the first of next year to look for outside employment.

Yet I am tired of my regular routine, and want to get out a bit more... I'd consider volunteering, but I can never do anything halfheartedly; I fear I'd soon be consumed with whatever I was volunteering for, and end up spending money instead of earning any. And frankly, with the difficult economic times, I can always use the income. I do okay, even save a little, but would prefer saving MORE. Just the way I am, always have been.

I'm still a vegetarian, and haven't eaten meat since my first entry about that choice. So far, no problems. I've lost a few pounds, not much, but that's always something I'm happy about. I've felt no lack of energy or other negative health problems, so I'm satisfied with the veggie diet. When I see my GP for my next checkup, I'll request a blood profile, which can determine if I'm getting the nutrition I need. I feel sure I am, and my cholesterol should be GREAT!

I am researching medical insurance, because I plan to switch to an independent policy at the end of this year. Cobra will last till next Spring, but it'll be easier to switch at the end of this year and not have to meet TWO deductibles next year. The best I've found thus far is a group policy with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama through my local insurance agency, ALFA. It's roughly the same amount I'm paying now, $390.00 a month, and covers doctor visits/hospital/outpatient/drugs but not vision or dental. However, adding a dental rider is included in my estimate, so all I'll lack is vision care. I think I can afford that out-of-pocket, since I have no major eye problems.

On the other hand, I've not talked to my ALFA agent yet, but will do that soon. Until then, I am not sure how much it'll cost -- that is just a rough estimate on their website calculator. Medical insurance is ridiculously expensive, so much so that I actually thought of leaving this country and becoming a legal citizen either in Canada/New Zealand/England just for their government based medical care. Alas, my town is a place I just could never leave.

And so it goes...and goes...and goes...until it's all gone.

I'll leave you with these thought-provoking quotes:

"Just look at us. Everything is backwards; everything is upside down. Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the major media destroy information and religions destroy spirituality." --Anonymous

"TV keeps people's mind off thinking and in sync with the government. It's very useful to sell stuff and ideas. If there is scarcity of stuff then they'll keep selling you ideas like they do on North Korean TV or Cuban TV. Also it shows you all the things that you can't have, no matter how rich you are, which can lead to frustration. On TV the thinking is done for you, so you don't have to think. For all that and much more we don't have a TV, really, think about it, it's a waste of time." --Peak Oil poster

1 comment:

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for dropping by. I'm glad I found your blog. I'll be checking in.