COBRA, Light Bulbs, & Impervious Ribs

Dear John,

 

I've had a good and full day off. I walked the dog and met the new neighbors this morning, Jim and Brenda's grandson and his family. After watching him grow up, it's good to have him back with his children. I did some work in the garage. Both light bulbs had gone out, so I got waaaaaaayyyyy up on the ladder and changed them. And it wasn't too bad. And anyway, it really is necessary to have lights in the garage.

 

I spent most of the afternoon working on finances, and have determined that I will survive another month. Oh, there was good news on line this morning! Equifax is the first to reply to my appeal, and they fixed everything on my credit report. If they did, I expect the same from the other two. Their policies shouldn't be that different. That's a big load off of my mind. As soon as I hear from the other two, I'll go back to the bank about a line of credit on the house. I need to have some kind of emergency back-up, and I have a ton of equity.

 

I looked ahead at the finances, and decided that I will have to see what I can find in the Exchanges for insurance other than the COBRA. Paying $420 a month for insurance is not sustainable. And since my income is around $12,000 a year, I will certainly qualify for something cheaper. The difficulty will be choosing my level of coverage. My health care isn't much unless there's a disaster. Fibro is an inexpensive chronic disease since there's no treatment for it.

 

There are times it feels a bit daunting to be doing these things without you. I know I'm perfectly capable of changing light bulbs no matter how high up I have to get, and I can read and figure out the insurance questions and handle the credit companies. After all, I used to handle cardiothoracic surgeons. But I really miss being able to share responsibilities and decisions with you. And, in general, I just miss you! Mama raised me to be able to take care of myself, and I can. But I don't have to like it.

 

I took this photo of Hunter tonight with my phone - it's the best one I've gotten of him. He likes to sit on the end of the bed this way. A few nights ago he and Abby were sitting side-by-side like this, but my phone was down the hall. I do love my animals!

 

And I love you even more. Print the photo of Hunter and go show it to Mama, and give her my love. Hug Daddy for me, and anybody else you come across. And have them all hug you for me. When I get there, it will be a good thing that your ribs aren't breakable anymore!

 

Adore you,

Joan.