Making time, making do

... Or maybe I really mean TAKING time. Time to bother to write here. Time to reflect on the umpteen things that have happened this year. Time to realize it's nearly my birthday, another year has passed, and what do I have to show for it. Time to just vegetate in life for a while.

Hubby has found himself out of his old job, and into a "new" job -- thankfully on the first shift. I am convinced that working third shift for the last five years is what has contributed in a MAJOR way to all his health problems. Before he started working third shift, his weight was more or less under control, he didn't have diabetes, he was walking regularly, he was... holding his own. Third shift saw all that crumble, and it is damn hard to crawl back up to where he was. But at least he is getting to sleep now -- something he was doing in only a sporadic fashion these last few years. He's starting to walk more, which should help with the other issues.

My starting to work, part time, has helped some with expenses, but hubby lost his 15% shift premium when he went to first shift, so basically, we're still where we were when he was working alone on 3rd shift. We have had so many expense issues this year it's a wonder we are still afloat. Replacing a furnace, replacing a car engine, replacing a car transmission, repairing a car that got hit in an accident, then having to do some major repairs and upkeep to our garage. And that's not even including the medical expenses from the bypass surgery this year.

The icing on the cake? Even taking out additional $$ to go to Uncle Sam in taxes, we might wind up OWING taxes this year. Because I am working.

It just doesn't pay to work. The hassle, the gas to get to and from the job, the clothing expense, all eat up what I earn, with nothing left to put into SAVINGS, let alone any retirement investment. We still don't have any retirement plan. And we're both 60+. At the end of the year, all the earnings are eaten up, and then we wind up OWING taxes, to boot.

It just doesn't pay.

*sigh*

Don't know where the time is going

... though I wish I did. This year has flown by so rapidly, I can't believe it is the middle of APRIL already! Of course, having our lives upturned once again by major health issues in the family has not helped slow the passage of time any. Now that things are "relatively" back to normal, it seems we have lost nearly half a year. And it was one year ago, TODAY, that hubby was in the hospital having that fateful gall bladder operation that set things so off track last year. He has been off work for six of the last twelve months because of health issues! Gall bladder. Heart stent procedure. Rehab. Normal now, right? Wrong. Heart issues again. This time the fixed stent that blocked up where it could not be fixed. So, another open heart operation in January to bypass the faulty old bypass. Another three months off, with rehab overlapping the return to work.

Lord, when does it end?