Monday, November 8, 2010

The story thus far...



Okay, so Grandma Guthrie went into a nursing home. She's very unhappy about it and I can't say I blame her but neither of us got a vote in the matter.

I was a bit apprehensive about losing such a big percentage of my meager income heading into what's going to be a very lean winter. The garden sucked ass this year, thanks to 4 months of almost no rain. The big freezer is only half full. At least I put in a bunch of extra hours during the two weeks preceding Grandma Guthrie's incarceration so I was able to have all my utility bills paid up before going into a budgetary lockdown.

Fortunately, I snagged another job immediately afterward - picking vegetables at a small organic farm. Unfortunately, I am currently only being paid in food. If I can hang in there for a while, there is some paying work down the road.

I was introduced the the organic farmer at a local Slow Food gathering where I finally met the secret underground group of cool people who live in Randolph County. It took almost four years to find the cool cabal here but I finally did it. I was beginning to think they didn't exist. You'll surely be reading more about them here in the future.

My other assorted odd jobs earn me enough every month to scrape by for about three weeks. Property taxes are due soon. So is the property insurance but that bill will just have to go in the shredder because there is no room for it in the budget. Not to mention (but I will anyway) that my car has been out of commission for what seems like forever.

In a couple of weeks I'll be helping Chickenfight Girl and her husband butcher a couple hogs and will get paid in large quantities of meat. At least I will not starve this winter.

So far, the worst part has been being out of coffee for the last two weeks.

5 comments:

siouxzun said...

okay. was hoping to get some more meats canned before sending your care package...but it soundslike I need to get my ass through the snow and to the post office...and add some coffee to the package as well, eh? Payday is on Monday...I will actually use that telephone thingy to let you know when it is on the way.

Citizen Agent said...

Please check the email that you have listed in your profile, I recently sent you a message about Skull-A-Day.

Thanks, C

John Little said...

Haven't seen you post in awhile. Hope you're doing ok.

Jackie said...

Hey, John. I'm still hanging in there - just been super lazy about posting. I promise an update before Christmas. Today I am expecting an Alaskan houseguest and we will sit down to a fresh chicken dinner, drink some beer and hopefully watch the Geminid meteor shower. I'm guessing he'll feel right at home in this weather.

John Little said...

Ever since I started reading you, Since I started reading you, I've always thought that you ought to brew your own up there in Randolph County. I guess the people who dictate Prohibition there would rather have people drive to the next county and drive back. Wouldn't it be better if you never had to get in a car at all? Plus people who brew their own beer at home tend to understand and respect it alot more than anyone else. Oh well. Too bad people can't appreciate the fact that Jesus was a wine maker and that Martin Luther appreciated his wife's home brewed beer. I've got a Wheat Wine on tap right now that is really good at about 55-60F.