DIARY : Dec 10

Almost 6 weeks since the last post! Where does the time go?

Well, for one thing, Suzzanne had her baby, so I have been working a lot more hours. There has also been extra subbing. The last two weeks have both been over 30 hours, working every day. For another thing, we are getting into the holiday season with all its extra activities. The whole family gathered at Dawn's for Thanksgiving. We had a grand time! The dance group has decided to take a respite and not meet now until January. The Welsh Society had its annual Christmas Tea last Sunday.

There have been more job openings. There was a supervisory position for St. Anthony Park. I made the list for it, but have not been called to interview. Now there is an opening in Hopkins - 32 hours a week. It seems to be exactly the kind of position I have now, but more hours and with health insurance. I will put heart, and soul, and mind to work manifesting it! 32 hours a week is a very comfortable schedule. In many ways, this position represents the ideal of what I have been looking for.

Health is definitely on the upswing now. As of mid-November it had seemed to be getting worse and I called the GI nurse. She agreed to see if there was a source for enemas or suppositories like I have for the Asacol. I still had some two-year old enemas that I was rationing out. She wanted me to take Prednisone in the interim. I said no. I went online and found some studies about Boswellia, a gum resin used in Eastern medicine to treat inflammation. It is also known as Frankincense, which gives the Christmas story of the Wise Men a whole new meaning this year! Though rare and valuable 2,000 years ago, it is readily and cheaply available now - for about 65 cents a day. I got some and began taking it immediately. After Thanksgiving the nurse called back finally and said that we could get Canasa suppositories. I gave a hasty estimate of my monthly income (too low I realized later), but on that basis they had approved my application and sent the first month's supply to the pharmacy. I agonized over whether to go ahead and get it or not. When the drug company gets the paperwork back, I am quite sure that I will no longer qualify. My income will turn out to be higher than their threshhold, which, if it is the same as the Asacol, is $18,000 a year. The cost of one month's prescription? $323.99. That's almost $11 a day! I decided to go ahead and get it and let the chips fall where they may. But, by that same weekend, the Boswellia was appearing to have made a difference (in less than 3 weeks) and I wanted to wait and see if that would continue. So far, so good. And without health insurance, or drug company aid, a monthly outlay of over $300 just isn't possible on my current income. The Asacol subsidy will end at the end of May. It too is over $300 a month and I don't want to give it up. So a job with health insurance is a top priority.

Barring a call to sub on Monday or Tuesday, I now have 4 days off. That's more than I'll have for Christmas. It'll be a whirlwind trip to Illinois and back, as I cannot get any extra time off then. However, I'll be going again in January for the annual birthday bash, and I can use some vacation time then. I've also been asked to teach folk dancing at a Wild Welsh Weekend in Madison the weekend of Jan. 21 and 22. So that is looking like lots of fun!

No word yet on when I have to move, though work has already begun on the empty apartments in this building. If no new job has presented itself in the next couple of months, I will most likely move to Waconia. I have talked to a woman who manages some apartments right on the lake within walking distance of the library. Rent would be $525 a month - over $100 more than I am paying now, but I would save a good $50 on gas for commuting - heat and water paid, and no extra charge for the cats. I haven't seen them yet, so I hope they aren't postage stamp-sized, but we'll deal with that when we come to it!

Things are looking up!