It's Been an Expensive Year

My hopes for a greenhouse have been dashed once again.

Much like this caterpillar nibbling at my fennel, expenses have been nibbling at my wallet. The only difference is my fennel will recover and the caterpillar will turn into the Eastern Swallowtail Butterfly.

My wallet may recover but I don't think I'll be turning into a butterfly any time soon.

Nana went to the skin specialist. After $1100 worth of tests and the antigens necessary to battle her most volatile allergies we took her home and started the long regime of drug cocktails. 

There's no guarantee this will work. In theory it should work, but no individual reacts like another.

I was a little ticked off at the vet too. He came in, gave us his ten minute sermon about allergy testing, then left his subordinates to do all the work. I did see him in the background looking at samples under a microscope. I guess that's where the $1100 went.

It took Nana two days to feel like herself again. 

Next is Odin. Because he doesn't do well with vets, I took pictures of his eyes. Unfortunately, his specialist is at a conference, so I won't get a call back for at least a week. I suspect Odin might have to undergo surgery at least on his left eye.

But wait, there's more! He's been favoring one of his legs for months now. It's not a pronounced limp, just a gentle lift of his leg when he walks. When he runs he doesn't seem to notice it at all. Still, I suspect something is wrong.

I want to hear back from the eye specialist before I take him to his regular vet. In the meantime I'm going to take video of his gait to see what she thinks.

Medical issues are a no brainer. You have to get those done. But sudden, unexpected household expenses always disrupt my well ordered life. This year it was $1000 bite for new springs for our garage door. It refused to budge.

And only a couple of weeks ago, we had a fierce storm move through. This one brought a lot of lightning. I think it fried my microwave. It started coming on by itself or stopping in mid operation. I didn't trust it anymore. What if it came on by itself when we weren't home? It had to go.

Most recently, our old golf cart started to give us trouble. We had to buy a new one. Despite new batteries, our old golf cart needed constant recharging. It also struggles on our irregular terrain. The new cart is "lifted". It fits our needs perfectly, except for one little thing. 

I can't easily get on or off. It's too high for my short, little legs. That's fixable. We can buy aftermarket steps. The cart's also not as utilitarian as the old one. That requires another modification and addition.

To be fair, we probably could live without a golf cart, but it makes running around our property so much easier, especially with our aging joints. We plan on staying here at least another ten years, so we need a cart to get around--and one I can get into without help. (That's embarrassing!)

Finally, I have two pending appointments with specialists for myself. Yes, me. Ugh!

I think the dermatologist will be first. I'm losing my hair, and according to the last dermatologist, it's an autoimmune disease that's irreversible. The top of my head itches and hurts, despite the drugs. Time for a second opinion.

Also, I think it's time for me to see Greg's knee surgeon. My knee problems aren't as severe as Greg's. It doesn't need to be replaced, but I'm hoping he can do something about the loss of cartilage in that area. It's painful to take even one step. 

I've had two surgeries on my meniscus. The repair helps only for a year or two and then I'm back to walking like Festus from Gunsmoke. I've had enough.

While I'm there, I might have him look at the joints connecting thumbs to hands too. Those are completely shot. It's painful even when I'm not using them. 

I'm not sure what he can do for those, but I'd like an opinion at least. He did such a good job on Greg, I'm hoping he can help me too.

Speaking of Greg, I am nursing him as he recovers from toenail removal for an ingrown toenail.

Since he's diabetic, the doctor only took a chunk of nail from each side and left the middle so to reduce the chances of infection. Diabetics take a long time to heal. We'll have to baby that toe for a while.

It wasn't pretty. When she pulled out that nail, I could see why it hurt him so badly. There was a sharp jagged edge that was literally stabbing him with ever step.

****

Although my dreams for a greenhouse have been dashed, I'm going to chance it and leave my citrus trees out all winter, covering them in plastic when the really cold weather comes around. If the Farmer's Almanac is to be believed, my piece of Texas should have a mild winter, so maybe I'll be okay.

Leaving my trees outside will give me enough room to grow out my seedlings. 

I've already potted some tomatoes and peppers for overwintering. Cool weather seedlings are ready to move into the garden. 

With all the doctor and vet visits we've had lately (and the brutal heat of July and August), I'm a little behind, but I'm catching up.

What's new in your world? Has this year been harder on your finances than usual?

Grocery shopping is the worst. I walk out with a lot less for a lot more.