Grumpy Thursday

 What do two unemployed 19 year olds do on a hot Summer day? Fill the wheelbarrow up with water and play in the hose. No. I don't get it either. There's a lake at the bottom of the hill. I wouldn't swim in it myself but... I mean, a wheelbarrow?

 I told them it was supposed to rain later but they couldn't wait. I'm about ready to vote them both off the island. They've taken over my Whine Cellar and it was looking like a frat house when I went down there earlier.

This was their only small bit of productivity today: staking the tomato plant. Looks like a mess to me. But... who am I to judge?

Myself... another really bad day pain wise. There's a major weather front coming through and there's a definite connection for me with pain and weather fronts. I hate it.  I had another packet of paperwork to fill out for the disability lawyer. Basically they're trying to show that I wasn't really able to go back to work when I did last Summer and they're being very specific about what I made each month. It took a little work to calculate all of that but fortunately, I was able to put it all together.

The other really weird thing, something I can't quite figure out... Social Security has no record of me working at all in 2011. That was the most painful year of my life - between the back pain that started in January and the surgery in December - I want credit for every penny! Fortunately I had carefully filed my W-2 from that year and was able to tell Pop where it was so he could bring it up with him last weekend. SS is mailing me an envelope to send it in to them... so that it goes directly to the correct person. Of course... they were supposed to mail it a week ago... when I didn't have it by Tuesday they verified the address and were sending it again.

The other thing is the whole food stamp thing. I waited on hold yesterday for thirty minutes to find out that their computer system is down. They told me I could go into an office and fill out a paper application but they couldn't tell me where the nearest office was because... their computer was down and the lady on the phone had never heard of Cleveland, Georgia. Today I was focusing on all the disability paperwork and by the time I was finished with that... I had run out of patience.

Pain makes you really grumpy. Me. It makes ME grumpy. Or maybe it's the weather or the kids or whatever. I'll get over it. It's just frustrating to not feel like doing anything or seeing anybody or going anywhere.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm going to go hang out with my nieces for a few hours. Their Grammy is picking them up from a week at church camp... and their mom won't be home from work for a few hours... and their dad is still in Africa..  so Aunt Heather gets to visit with them. I'm so glad to get to spend time with them right after camp... I know they're going to have  a lot of things to talk about and I'm happy to have a change of scenery for a few hours. I wish I felt like being more involved in their lives... for that matter, I wish I felt more like being involved in my own life.

But I am grateful that I have a beautiful, comfortable place to be... and I'm going to stop complaining. Happy Thursday, y'all.