I fell off the saving money wagon!

I started spending more on food, progressed to buying crap food, got the property tax bill $1500.75 (horrors), and now back to trying to save money. I have saved $1000 for the property tax but, I"m just not doing any good at it. I had to buy new clothes and bedclothes. I still need MORE clothes.
I have like four long sleeved shirts, and I bought a heavy sweater. I need more sweaters.Clothes don't last very long anymore, and I seemed to have gotten bigger, even although the scale is still reading the same.

I have to get a second job.I just want to wait after Thanksgiving so I have that. I'm going to shoot for a newspaper delivery job. I know I will have to work seven days a week at that, but I will bring home $1200 a month from it. I will be able to save up to have the house re-piped, re-wired, so that it WORKS. Then I can save up for my RV. Of course very shortly after getting that job, I'm going to have to get a new car, or a good used one.But I'll need to work that job as long as I can stand it. I want to pay cash for my RV, and then, depending on kind of shape it is in, refurbished it.After all it will most likely be my home for the rest of my life.

Of course I still have my little luxuries. Got to have those. I bought Ice House, a Daniel Craig movie that finally came out on DVD. Before it was only available as VCR tapes from the library, OR for fab sum of money off of E Bay ($$$, yes THREE digits)!  I think I now own like 23 Daniel Craig movies. And I saw Skyfall (Daniel Craig as Bond)l, twice. It was very good, and I look forward to buying that as well. Even Best Friend liked it.

*****

I am knitting a Leftie scarf for my sister's Christmas present, I have found a coin I think she might like as well. Margaret is getting a hat and a silver charm. Brother-in-law is getting a hat as well and a wine bottle stopper. The scarf is taking forever!

Third Week

Okay, I spent $31.65, of which $3.48 is cat food and doesn't count, and a package of two bolts for 97 cents. That comes to $4.45, and comes to $26.73 for the week's food. Still coming in over $25, but not by much.I used the pork chops from before and the bag of black beans I bought before as well. I'm so surprised that it cost so much for just veggies, basically.

I bought;
a carton of milk 2.88
a block of sharp cheddar cheese 2.92
a jar of salsa verde 1.78
a bottle of soda to drink on the bike home, 1.58
two packages of x-large corn tortillas at 1.68
a bag of turnip greens for 2.78
a bunch of cilantro (which I haven't even used) at .44
jazz apples for 4.58
2 avocado for 1.28
4 lemons for 1.00
tomatoes for 3.55

Hmm, if I take the soda off, I am coming in at budget!
So this weeks menu features mashed (sorta, this is harder then it sounds, man, I need a food processor) black beans on corn tortillas, with cut up bits of pork chops top with another tortilla, and that is topped with the greens, salsa, cut up tomatoes, cheese chucks and possibly the cilantro if I ever get to it. It's very tasty!I love my own cooking!

Now last weeks was not so good. It was the rice. I didn't like it. I  should have used all of the stir fry veggies on it. It would have been so much better. I still have some of it left in the frigde. I'm going to pick out all the chicken and give it to the cats and toss the rest.

I have lost about 3 pounds, maybe 5. It's hard to tell with my scale. I seem to have replace the food calories with soda calories at work. Must stop that.

******

I am using my bike to go to Wallyworld and get my groceries. My sister gave me Margret's old paniers. I have put them on my bike and they work excellently! Now I only have to use my car for the litter, and kibbles.

****
My brother wants to talk to me. What for? What does he want? He wants something, that's the only reason why he talks to me. I can't give him money, I can't let him take a loan out on the house, and I don't really want him living with me if he's breaking up with his wife.... the house, not so liveable, and I'm sure we would drive each other mad.

My sister says he's upset about me thinking he could be the person who broke in. Well, he's done it before. He used to sent the oldest son in through the dog door to open the door for him. He has forced a window open before. So when did he stop doing these things? Why is it so wrong for me to consider the idea that it was him (before I knew what was taken)?

What hell does he want to talk about?
.

Second Week

Okay, I looked at many recipes, and I didn't find any that really struck my fancy. However I needed to choose, so I decided to wing it.  So I decided to make a fake Indian/Thai dish. I bought :
A big bag of Thai style stir fry veggies, $5.86
Green onions .88
Eight Jazz apples, $6.77
Rice $2.24
16 oz of diced tomatoes, .96
A jar of Thai green curry paste, $2.30
Big package of chicken breast, $9.15

Now dividing up the rice, chicken, curry paste, my bill for this weeks food comes to $19.85! I bought a new box of PG Tips last night, so that's $3.50 more, $22.85.Very good. I also have enough meat now for two weeks. I just hope I like the green curry paste!

******
Went to the doctor's for my refills and this stupid eye infection that I have had for over a month now. Turns out that I wasn't on the Healthy Way program...I went in there three times with the letter, I called the number on the notice letter and talked to Healthy Way. They all said that I had filled out the paper work and I was good to go, three months ago! But somehow, I'm not enrolled anymore! The person who did my paperwork then, doesn't work there any more. I get the impression she was fired with extreme prejudice. I am now pending....

*****
About a month ago, I got my brakes done again. They are now only lasting 5000 miles! It must be the used tires.They also said that next time I have to have new rotors...

Trying everything at the same time...

Cleaning the house and trying to buy only $25.00 of groceries a week. This means dedication and planning. I want to change. I want a different routine. I want to become obsessed with a clean house and saving money. I not only want to live with in my means, I want to save money as well.This a result of a conversation with Best Friend, where she pointed out that if I could move my Asperger focus over to these things, I would do it. So I'm trying. First step, timeline/deadline, and budget/ menu.

I have washed some dishes. I have put them up. I took my clothes out of the dryer and put them up. This was the first time in at least five years! I took out eight bags of trash. I have cut down those dirty cat clawed, pissed on lace panels that my brother's love interest hung like fifteen years ago.  I'm working on cleaning the house! I feel good about this.

I discovered that I have little beetles living under my computer desk on my food debris...

I discovered that the ants have found my abandoned food stuff in the master bedroom and won't leave.Also the kitchen. The ant spray only works when it is wet! This not the same kind of ant that has invaded the house before.I have put out some ant bait. Man, I hope it works.

I looked up some web sites and discussions online for cutting food cost, and they all said the same thing. Make your own food. Buy basic foods. Buy dried bean.Do not eat out.

So, as an Asperger, I enjoy eating the same thing over and over. This is the thing that frustrated me about food plans that I have had to follow in the past. All that DIFFERENT food. All THAT MONEY SPENT ON THE DIFFERENT FOOD! What I wanted to do was take one day of the diet sheet and use that for the WHOLE week.So, I have picked a meal and I'm going to live on THAT, for as long as I can, and I'm going to try to stay under $25.00 a week for food stuff. This does not count, cat stuff, or cleaning supplies. Also, I'm going to start using my own dishes and silverware, (and washing them), instead of buying plastic spoons and paper bowls.

I'm not to concerned with caloric counts right now. What I'm trying for is portion control.

Okay, Week One

The meal, some kind of pork stew with black beans, corn, tomatoes with corn chips. Snacks, apples. Drinks, hot tea, iced tea, and water.

My bill:

1 pound of black beans dried. 1.35
1 onion, 1.25
1 pack of green onions .88
1 bell pepper, .50
1 bunch of cilantro, .44
1 tomato.28
oatmeal, 2.42
Spenda, 4.98
1 box of chicken broth, 1.86
1 can of corn, .68
1 can of diced tomatoes, .68
corn chips, 2.98
jazz apples, 4.47
3 pounds of pork chops, 10.37

So splitting up the beans, oat meal and chops, I spent for this week, $26.26! Not too shabby for a first try.Now, let see if I can restrain myself from eating lots and lot of portions...


******
UPDATE

Well, I stupidly did not bookmark the recipe, and I couldn't find it again. Dud! I looked at a lot of other pork and bean stews and winged it. Did not get the portions right. The main ingredient is the pork! Also, all of the recipes said it was for four portions...So I'm adding the rest of the beans in order to extend it and give it more taste.

I am finding it hard to only eat one bowl (this after only one day!) I was so hungry at work that I ate four slices of wrong made pizza. Must remember to bring an apple (or two) to work.

I love Wallpaper

Yes, it appears to be one of my "interests". I look at wallpaper on line, read and own books on the history of wallpaper, and fantasize about creating my own wallpaper!This last week I got The Wallpaper Book by Genevieve Brunet from the library. I haven't actually read it yet, but have flipped through it. On pages 172-175, there are wallpapers that really interest me. They combine with some of my other interests as well.Unfortunately some of them are only mentioned, rather then being shown.

First off, on pages 172 to 175, the author talks about wallpaper that is being designed by scientists in both America and Japan, (separately, jointly?) that are incorporating solar cells into the paper it's self in order to generate electricity, and have already gotten it up to the point where it can power a small appliance! There are no samples shown.

Imagine that, microwaves powered by the wallpaper in a hotel room, razors, maybe even charge up your cell phone overnight (as long as there is some battery incorporated into the paper as well. Cities could paper walls so the homeless could charge up their phones, etc. Maybe it could cut down on graffiti. It's being green as well! Airports could do the same for commuters.And of course this would be very useful in areas after a natural disaster has cut off the electricity.

The other wallpapers, by designers Jonas Samson and Myrine Creations have actual light built into them! This could lend a far better ambiance then overhead lights, and could be good in theaters as well. Certainly those bedrooms that don't have an overhead fixture could benefit from this.

The third kind is glow in the dark wallpaper. The book shows an example by Cocoboheme. This would also be good as a safety feature for hotel corridors, homes in case of loss of electricity.  I don't know how good it would be if the place was filling up with smoke... but it does sound like a good safety bet.

Yes, I have developed an interest in prepping...I think public places should have more safety features then they have now. Passive safety features can't hurt...

I'm really, really, sure I have Aspergers

I keep looking at the symptoms, and they just reverberate down my memories. My obsessions with cats, Star Trek, china patterns, Sterling silver...etc. My ability to have just one good friend at one time. My losing contact with then after they have a child, (I still think that still had something to do with them then going on welfare, and/or marrying men who were abusive).
The things I have said to people over the years...it shames me now. The way people have interacted with me over the years, expecting me to be excited about their Plans for ME, and I reject them. They always have that perplexed look on their faces because I didn't react correctly.
Me telling my parents how I felt about things and them telling me I was wrong and how I really felt about things.
Ooh, so many things. It fits, it fits.

Finished Farmsitting for sister

And I poleaxed myself! Yep, I left the bar up on the barn door and it fell down when I moved the door and it hit me on the head. Yes, I was a little concussed. My head hurt like hell, I had clenched when it hit me and I pulled the muscles on my skull and my teeth still hurt. Sorta worried about them, I wonder if I have cracked any of them...Also I was nauseated, and I'm still tired.  But I feel a lot better now.

Anyhoo, I took a lot of pictures of the flowers, and the animals.

SHHHHH!

I bought fertilizer. The tomato plant has grown new leaves and has two blossoms starting!!!! On the other hand, the bell pepper plant is sorta limp and the ONE bell pepper  is turning sorta reddish in places, even although it's a GREEN bell pepper.

I'm going to buy more, after all, I have the dirt and kitty litter cans. . .the plants are cheap!

******

One of the things me and my sister talked about at the King's head was whether I am autistic. She agreed with me, which I was not expecting. I have done some studying online, and I think I have Aspergers. Top of the scale Aspergers, but Aspergers none the less. I find this very frighting.

On the other hand I told my manager at work and she told me that someone else I know thru work also is autistic. And she told me this person gets Social Security because of it as well as working. And this person get health care at Kaiser! So now I have to find out how I can get diagnosed.

*******

Mittens has an eye infection. I have no money to take her to the vet. I've been looking for an antibiotic at a feed store, but no luck for the one mentioned for cats on the web. I'm going to try rinsing the hell out of it with saline, see how that goes.

I also have my eye infection back as well! I wonder if they are related?

*UPDATE* I cleaned Mitten's eye out again with wet toilet paper, and apparently I got whatever was in there, because today there is no discharge, and the eye looks fine! YAY!

I am not a farmer!

I am on my last tomato plant. The other three have died. The last one, not doing so well. My plan: buy more to plant and kill! The plants are relatively cheap compare to the money I spent on soil and the bucket material.

The bell pepper is fairing well! However the one bell pepper fruit I have growing has gotten to golf ball size and isn't getting any bigger. The other two blossoms died and dropped off. So far this has been a colossal waste of money. I could have bought so many tomatoes and bell peppers to eat with that money. . .Maybe I need to buy some fertilizer?

*****
My sister and I are going to the King's head pub in Santa Monica to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee Luncheon! Best friend doesn't want to go, she apparently feels uncomfortable about toasting the Queen. Sister wanted an old friend of Mom's to come with us, but she has church service to go to. I expect to have a high old time with sister!
I have the DVR set up to record all the programs on BBC America. I am so looking forward to the Thames pageant!

*****
Cousin has finally broken up with Girlfriend. We have wondered for a long time what was going on, what with   his mom telling sister how the ex had set up a separate home inside hers and had stopped talking to her the second semester, and the fact that cousin and ex were no longer friends on Facebook. He moves out of the house this week, and apparently he is footing the bill for both places. I'll like to know what kind of financial arrangement he has brokered with the ex, but I doubt he will tell me.It's really not my business now, is it?

Holly Moley!

I have a bell pepper started! And it's growing really fast! It's twice the size it was yesterday! And I have four other flowers starting to grow on the bell pepper plant.

The Mr. Stripy heirloom tomato plant's blossom had writhed, but I don't think a tomato has started on it. On the other hand, there is another blossom started to grow on it.

One of the little tomato plants my sister gave me is having problems. It looks like I didn't water it and it dryed up and partially died. How've I have been watering it, so I don't know what it's problem is.

Still haven't gotten around to buying more soil to transplant the other plants. I will do that tomorrow, which is payday.

Got an oil change today and ran into former Boss there getting an light replaced on the delivery vehicle. We had a little conversation about Facebook.

I find this interesting as he is not computer savvy but show him a way to get free advertising and man, he is on it!

Farm sitting for sister

It's not so bad now. The Niece is too old for 4 H now, so there is no lamb, pig and turkey for me to feed and clean up poop for. Just three rabbits two dogs and some chickens. I suppose I'm going to have to feel them up for eggs. And water my sister's fabulous flowers.

Global Buckets and paperwork

I have planted two of my global buckets. My sister was right, that one bag of dirt, (square foot gardening), was not enough. It was not even enough really for two. I
I'm afraid that the bell pepper isn't in a mounted dome like its suppose to be. Also, the tomato plant does not have a ring of fertilizer around it. I just don't have the money to buy that yet. Next paycheck.

*****

After the break in, I tried to think of somewhere in the house I could hide the paper work that was left. I decided that the clothes bakery would be good. I put my divorce papers in there with dirty clothes covering them. Guess what, they are not in there anymore and the dirty clothes are all jumbled. Yep, I think I definitely need to change the lock on the back door, and see if I can find my other set of keys.

I have to wonder who is doing this. I've checked with SocialSecurity, the credit bureau, and nothing is showing up as to someone using my stuff for illegal means.

I wonder if it's someone from my past. . .

Have run into a problem

After depositing all my saved tip money in the bank to cover student loan payment and the car insurance, I have discovered that I know longer remember my password for the ACS site. So I requested a new one. It hasn't shown up yet in my email box.I have this horrible feeling I have the old wiped out zombie botted email address in my information. I have sent them an email requesting the new temp password gets sent to current email address. Still waiting for a reply.

On the other hand while I can't find the letter saying when my deferment ended and when I have to start paying again. I have found a piece of paperwork saying my due day is next month. I hope like hell that is correct.

And if it isn't, I will just take a picture of what I found and sent it to them. Then we will dicter.

****

Later, yes I have finally gotten an email from them. I have gone into account, and yes, as far as I can tell the next payment is due next month.
Its just that I remember that the letter I got, said tomorrow or the second as the due day. . . And the fifth month, not the sixth.

Downloaded The Blogger App!

And now to try it out.Seems to be working better then going to the Web site via the browser.

I have a yellow iris blooming in the front yard.I have never had a yellow iris before. My brother said he had planted some, but its been like seventeen  years since then.

Yes, this is a lot easier then going though the browser. The reason this occurred to me was that three is a WordPress app. It dawned on me at that point that maybe there was an blogger app as well.

******

The plants are still doing well. Yes, there are some yellow leaves, but there are also blossoms! Its definitely time to transplant them into the global buckets.

I hope I have enough dirt. I'm really low on money right now. I can't really buy anymore right now.

I have spent all the income tax return money. And it was money well spent. I have new car mounts and a really nice fridge to shown for it. But now I am struggling with my decision to give my sister two hundred dollars each month for the house tax. I have managed to do it two months in a row, and I am making it a priority. My sister has made it plain that they are struggling right now with the niece's tuition bill. They have already spent the money they saved up for it. Its just really hard to do that and save up the 500 I need for the new car belt. In fact, I have to put in the hundred I have saved, in order to pay my student loan, which starts up again in May. I have to find ways to live within my means.

Hopefully this will become easier when I have those pesky credit card paid off.

Testing, once again from the new phone!

Okay, I have to type in HTML.Other wise I can't get the alphabet to show up. Aso it seems to be returning in a very small space, and I can't actually see what I am typing.  [And I will only do this if I am desperate, wait! There's the dictation options, haven't tried that yet with this!]

So plants are still alive and I need to transplant them very soon. I'm looking forward to getting home grown tomatoes for myself. [later on computer, in fact, Mr. Stripey, the heirloom tomato plant, has a blossom on it. It is time to transplant them into the global buckets.]

 Speaking of plants, all of my mothers irises are blooming this spring. The lavender ones have not bloomed in over a decade. [And if I could figure out how to get them out of the Real Player program and into the My Pictures folder, I would post them, damn it]

Where I Remember I have other Things To Talk About Besides The New Phone!

I made three global buckets with the help of my sister and Brother-In-Law's tools. However they are still sitting empty as it's to cold to transplant the the tomatoes and bell pepper plant I bought to put in them. They are doing okayish, right now. My sister gave me two other tomato plants as the ones I bought are late producers, and the ones gifted, are early producers. I transplanted those into red solo cups (red is suppose to help survival). And it's getting about time to transplant them.

And instead of buying a 55 gallon barrel for water, I, at my sister's insistence, bought a used fridge.  Yes, I"m getting into prepping! I just want me and the cats covered if there's a really bad earthquake. Prepping for anything else is beyond my monetary means.However I have thought of a intern solution to this. I know that WallyWorld has five gallon containers for camping. I would like to buy a couple of those. I just don't remember how much they cost. I would like to have enough water stored for about a month.

I intend to slowly get a stockpile going, of water, food and first aid goods. I also intend to have a 72 hour bag as well, and I'm going to try to get family to go along on this. This may become their  Christmass gifts. Then I only have to train them to keep the bags in their cars. . .

Okay, Update On Phone

Yes, I finally found my old phone, yes OLD PHONE! Only took 12 days. I found it inside the toilet paper packaging! As soon as I touched it, an old memory surfaces of me dropping it in there as I frantically threw myself on the toilet (lactose intolerance). After about five days of not being able to find it, I received a coupon in the mail for $150 off a new phone from T-Mobile. I went down to the shop. It turned out it was for one special phone and phone plan, i.e; the My Touch and the Unlimited Talk and Messaging, plus a 2 gig data plan. All together $67 instead of $55 as my current bill. And ten dollars of that is paying for the phone for the next twenty months. On the other hand I GOT A SMART PHONE!!! It's not the one I had been looking at, but that's moot since I had no idea what to look for in a smart phone.

I LOVE this phone. It took me about three days to learn the basics, still working on it, (like, I have finally figured out I can scroll down on contact numbers so I can put in house addresses, but I can't get it to save? I've boosted the bill up to $85 for next month (I'm assuming the second month bill was a credit for the $70 I had to pay), for the apps I bought. Pooh, car finder app, that I can't even figure out how to use! Plus whatever for using the TV app. Wow, that one was a data drainer. I used it in the last ten minutes of the first month, and went over into the next month's data plan. I used up 10% in the five minutes! I'm going to stay away from that app.

Since I have unlimited messaging, I have enabled some of my twitter accounts, and I find that very enjoyable. However I now wonder how John Swazi gets any writing done.The Syme method is a mind blower, it's so easy, but there are still glitches, Kim instead of I'm, and inn instead of in. I just have to watch for that. I'm getting tendinitis from texting!

I really, really love this phone.

test

Maybe this will work this time.yes it seems to be working! I'M doing this on my new .I have to.I have to stop trying phone center it however, Out screws it up. The phone thinks Kim trying to edit it and moves the cursor to an higher sentence.

I Got A New Phone!

I had to, I've lost my old one. I swear it's in the house, but I can't find it. It's been 6 days now and it hasn't shown up. . .

So I gave up, I needed a phone. In the mail I got an up grade coupon from T-Mobile. It said that I would get $150 off and the upgrade fee would be waived. Well I don't know exactly how the upgrade worked, I seem to be paying $10 a month for the phone for the next 20 months, and BF has looked at the paperwork and she said there's no mention of the coupon discount on it. I'm a bit confused. I was totally freaked out by what I was doing when I bought the phone, thrilled beyond belief that I was getting a touch phone, unlimited text and minutes, supposedly unlimited data ( I have some questions about that), but freaked out that I was agreeing to pay around $70.00 a month for it, so I wasn't really paying attention to what the T-Mobile guy was doing on the cash resiger. He had said it was the first upgrade coupon he had done. . .

The coupon was for one special phone and plan, the My Touch 4G and unlimited talk, text, and data. When I got the phone, I had no idea what I was getting! It's a smart phone! It's sooooo more faster then this home computer. The texting is fantastic. As I have gotten use to it, more features pop up.! And I haven't even learned how to swipe yet! If I hold the keys down, the capital version show up, and on the top row, numbers as well. After I finish a word, ghostly green punctuation show up on top. There is a list of suggested words about the alphabet, which is very useful. Also, if I tap on the suggested word above the alphabet, it adds a space automatically. The period key when pressed also pops up a variety of punctuations.

 I just discovered the dictation key! I can recite my text messages and it transcribes them! Dragon, who Jott turned into! Cool. Also have spotted the Key next to it, which lets me chose between the android key board that I have been discussing, and the swye one. I'm going to learn that next.

I have downloaded a flashlight, the kindle app, a game, and my account and a battery life application. Those were free. However, I am going to buy a Find Your Car app. God I need that.

I no longer am jealous of my sister's ipad!

Now, the battery life sucks, My phone as little as I have used it today, is already down to 72%. I need to learn what I can turn off.

The data plan is $10 for 2 gigs. I am already up to 269mg and I figure I'm going to come close awfully close to the 2 gigs and I don't know what happens to me after that. I have done a search and there is no definite answer, a more pricier data plan, throttling, or paying $ per megs used? Don't know.

I got my tax return

Three weeks late, but $40.00 more! So I will be getting the transmission mounts done AND getting a used refrigerator. However I seem to have frittered away the money for the security screen door for the kitchen. I have no idea what I spend it on either.

*******

I now am apparently lactose intolerance. I have started to eating soy and doing a rice pro biotic and things are getting better. I have delusion that I might be also losing weight.

*******

I got my old bike refurbished. $80.00 for new tires, liners, tubes, grips and a kickstand. Have started doing the bike path. Doesn't come as easily as it used to do 15 years ago. I think maybe I need more air in the tires. I am investigating buying a light for it. I want to bike at night in the summertime.

Got An Updated McAfee

From a gold box deal on Amazon! $21.00 with shipping! I got it today and installed it, (which took over two hours), and at first I was very unhappy with it. I had gotten in the hope that the computer would run faster, and that I would get rid of that virus that was sending Spam mail to people on my old email account.

At first it was even slower then before, significantly slower, like ten minutes slower. Then it came up with a message saying program snap-max. . . something like that wasn't running and the computer rebooted it's self. The computer is now running at a good speed.

I think one of the reason it took so long to load was because I couldn't get the old McAfee to uninstall. I got the virus scanner part gone and another part as well,, but the message center wouldn't uninstall. The install wizard had an option for pressing on and I chose that, because, what else could I do? Hopefully everything is running correctly.


******

Went to the Social Security. No one is using my benefits. Also got a credit check. There was two addresses on there that I had never lived at, and two closed accounts for a store that I was sure I had only one at. But they were both closed and paid off. . .

Got the false addresses taken off. The credit report said high fraud alert, I think because of that.

I tried to file a police report but the wait was two hours. will try again.

Have come to conclusion that the thief has a house key, (*yes, extra keys were hidden in bedroom), and I get to buy yet another lock.

Will do that tomorrow.

The Break-In

Well, have talked to brother. No he did not break into the house around the last week of May, last year. I have gone through the drawers again, and this time I found the quitclaim deed. That's good. However, that means my old passports, my AA diploma, the old birth certificate and the new one are gone, (yes, can't find that either),  and my divorce papers are gone. In fact the only papers I can find are student loan paper work and the pink slip to my old car. Where is the pink slip for my current car? FUCK!

Will look around some more and I have to go file a report with the police, and go to the county registrar about the house deed.

Goosie

Goosie is showing her age. She is eleven now, and has led a rather hard kitty life, what with the FIP, the Stromitis, and being locked in the neighbor's garage for five days, without food or water.

She now only goes out to take a poop, after I get home from work. She only stays out for about ten minutes. The rest of the time she lives in my bedroom, apparently sleeping 23 hours a day. When it started getting cold, I brought in a little space heater, and it has rarely been turned off all winter. Goosie apparently feels the cold, and spends the night lying next to the edge of the bed that the heater is on, so she gets the updraft of the hot air. Occasionally she dangles her head over the edge, and turns her ears hot pink from the heat.

I think she has artrititis as well. She no longer bounces from the bed to the window sill, but sits on the bed for a couple of seconds get her leap together. The same with the leap from the bed, to the nightstand, to the dresser where her food is. When I pet her I have to be very gentle if she is standing up, as she staggers from the pressure. Also she doesn't seem to like me petting her very much now, and complains if I stroke past the middle of her back (but, she also longs to be touched).  She mostly likes having her cheeks stroked now, and a lot of the time she is the one moving her head around, while I just hold my hand out. Even then she manages to hurt herself, and slashes me in revenge.

On the other hand she is eating like a horse! Where as before she just licked the gravy on the cat food, she now eats the whole can, occasionally a second can later on, and nibbles at a steady rate on her cruchies. The neighbor next door has moved, and I wonder if she used to feed her, or Goosie raided her dog's food as she didn't start eating like this until the neighbor moved.

She gives me feedback as to what she likes to eat by kicking the bed when she is displeased. She also makes a point of waking me up several times a night to show me her kitty tantrum (KICK,KICK,KICK), about my food choices for her. I keep finding scratches and dried blood trickles on me from this. She has made me go to Wallyworld at 3:AM to get something she likes as I wanted to sleep. Gone is the human tuna, and in with Meow Kitty. She loves this and eats it all, and rewards me with letting me stroke her tummy. She also has returned to kneading my stomach, as she hasn't done this all winter, instead lying in the hot air blast.

I'm hoping this summer she will return to going outside. I worry that reason she hasn't is that I started letting Mittens out as well and they are deadly enemies. I don't let them out at the same time but Goosie can look out the window and see her, so might think she is out there all the time. Time will tell.

She is very crabby, but still has her lovey dovey moments. I love her so much.

Car Oil

The car was roaring again, so I checked the oil. There was nothing showing on the dip stick! Called the car shop and they said to bring it by and they would top it up. Took two and half quarts to do the job. They did a little fiddling around to see if a valve was stuck open but the guy couldn't recognize it on my car. They decided to check it out when I bring it in for the next oil change . It's not dripping, nor do I see any blue smoke behind me. . .where is it going?

I talked to Bob and he said I might need a ring job, which is $1500 to $3000. I told my sister and she freaked out. At that point, I might as well just get another car.However Bob told me something else. The good news is, that if the car  can pass the smog check in May, I can just keep putting oil in it. So hopefully my sister doesn't need to freak out.

I'm making a point of checking the oil level, every other day. My secret fantasy is that I have an asshole draining my oil, (which in my neighborhood is not that inproable), which means I would have to just enclose the car port and park it in there. I don't know how much that would cost, but it would be cheaper then a ring job. . .

Car saga. . . #3 and some knitting news!

The car shop also told me that my hub was out as well, so that raised the price to over $500. I own only own $99.01 now. . .

Really need two new/used tires on the right side of the car. They are sooooo bald.


*****
 Have started trying to make fingerless mitts for my sister's birthday on the 17th. I say try, because A, I haven't made the cuff long enough (I'm knitting it flat), and B, I'm not really sure whether I have enough yarn for this. I'm knitting them out of stash yarn, in to colors, Knitpick's tulips (discontinued) and Wisdom Limerick yarn in a pinkish purple/brownish/orange combination. God I'm loving the stitch definition of the Wool of the Andes yarn.