Since I left Michigan in April much has happened and I haven't really had time to post anything. And right now, I don't really have a computer or connections to do so.

 Suffice it to say . . . . since April I had been living with my sister and her family in North Carolina. Around July I finally received a phone call for a job--at a grocery store in the fresh food dept. I grabbed it. The pay sucks but it's basically mindless and kind of fun. I'm the person who prepares those rotisserie chickens you love. And I slice your cold cuts and prepare the wonderful little deli conncoctions like slaw and potato salad. I even make subs.

A wonderful neighbor gave me some money to use to find an apartment (yes, there really are kind people out there) and at the beginning of the month I found my own digs and moved out of mys sister's home. Two weeks ago we all returned to Indiana to retrieve my belongings from storage. My whole family helped with the process and my parents payed for the trailer. My mother was a saint.

On Wednesday, I begin the process of getting my "early retirement" benefits from being a teacher in Indiana. It will be a bit of a penalty but combined with my "salary," it will see me through so I can be on my own again.

For now, I'll stay put where I am at, but I really miss: a) big water and b) my art studio. Those two things will be my goal for the next year or two.

For now I don't have Internet connections, but I do have access via the apt. complex business center.

I'm not out of the woods, yet. But I can definitely see sunlight in the clearing. And I fully realize how very fortunate I've been compared to so many others.

 More later . . . .

 P.S. Chalk is doing GREAT. He now sleeps curled right next to me on the bed--opposite my face. We're an old married couple.