I lost a pound for some reason. Can’t say I’ve been dieting or exercising much lately, so I didn’t expect it.

The rat is beginning to be affected by the tumor. He’s having a harder time climbing. I let him have his fill of coffee ice cream earlier. Hey, he’s dying, he’s entitled.

When I crashed early yesterday morning it was just 64º in the bedroom, and when I awoke late in the afternoon it was like waking up in a whole different world as it was 82º by then! It’s to be even warmer today so I will not only sleep with the fan on as I did yesterday but with the window open as well. We’re at that time of year when we have bigger high/low fluctuations because of the dryness. It won’t rain much between now and next fall.

We are really reaching a turning point in our lives that will allow us to really start saving now that we no longer have to run the heat and have gotten our major winter expenses out of the way. The next time we call for propane since we still need to cook and take showers, the cost of propane will be down more.

Also, the Turk is doing better for some reason, so that jacks our monthly income up about $350-$450 a month, and if things continue running as smoothly as they have, and if all Tom can eventually get is a part-time job, that very well may be all we’ll need. In addition to this, if all goes well with his program – the one I can’t talk about – he could be looking at retiring in as little as 5 years, but I’d count on the part-time job more than the early retirement.

Tom usually eats cheap stuff, but it varies with me. So we decided to have Tom’s work money pay for his food and the phone/internet. The unemployment check will cover the rent and my food, plus other bills like propane and car expenses when they arise. Whatever’s left over will go to savings. My earnings will cover the fun stuff for a while, then it too, will go to savings. The “fun stuff” consists of just a few items that shouldn’t take long to get. I really want to try the new high-tech flat iron they have now that allows you to straighten your hair when wet. With the one I have right now, I have to wait for it to dry first and that takes half the day!

They’ve begun to critique my story on the UK site. One person said they wanted to read on to see what happened next, and so I do a good job of hooking the reader, but I have some boring dialogue and a few other things that need work. The journal, however, is simply “fascinating,” according to the administrator, LOL.