Mid-Week Mish-Mash

Ok, I guess this could be considered talking out of turn so to speak, but I suppose I don't put alot of personal effort into keeping my mouth shut and opinions to myself very often...stop pointing at the computer and nodding your head like a booble dog...I'm admitting it freely.

The company Dewey works for, while being a very good friend to us over the years of coming and going and all, I believe has flipped their wig, in a manner of speaking. They are bidding a local school addition. Local is great for us...right now it's about $200 a week out of MY budget for his gas, and a 2 hour/one way drive for him. Don't ask about my budget. It can't handle $200 for something like GAS. That's just insane.

At any rate...a local job would be nice on many levels. Just tossing out ideas and offers in to thin air, though, it was "thought out loud" that perhaps we might be happy enough to be local if this works out, that maybe, just maybe, he'd be willing to take a pay cut. His 'scale' now is far above what this state pays anyway, and we're beyond blessed with it down here in a right-to-work state (...where no one really feels they need to work for much...but that's another can of worms, so let's move off that and back on topic...) Let's just go with what the company looks at as "state scale" is a good HALF of what he's paid, give or take some. Half. What would you do with half a paycheck? Would you think of taking half a paycheck? Doesn't that sort of belittle you when it's offered, I mean, it's all in how your take it, but seems a bit belittling in a way.

He could, in just thinking out loud terms as the company is doing, stay on the job 2 hours/one way with the $200 personal pay gas expenses (which are coming off on my taxes you betccha!) and keep the current pay. Or he could go local, cut his gas expenses ALOT, but make about half the pay.

I realize we are blessed to have work. Given the economy. Given the huge lack of jobs in this state. Given life in general. But this just doesn't seem right. Remember back when, when I said we could live off $400 a week and still do decent? I think I lied. Well, sort of. I mean, of course if that's all we made, we could live on that. We'd have to, no discussion about it. It would mean a few changes around lifestyle here, but really, they wouldn't be huge in terms of what we already do. They would actually mostly affect poor Dewey, who just isn't as on-track with all the move off-grid stuff we do daily here. He's at work. In a world of electricity and stuff. That world of electricity and stuff pays his wages. He's rather attached to it in many ways, by some pretty strong apron strings.

Ok, given the bill ratio here, with the high rates for just about everything that comes into this house, I could easily say there would be $600 open each month on that budget. Stock feed and care, gas and insurances, personal food and upkeep. That can be done easy enough. I mean, I could always go to work if we really needed me to. The olders can more than handle and operate the homestead and youngers here. I wasn't always a homekeeper you know. I have some skills in life outside managing a budget, raising and educating my children, coordinating life and homestead. LOL...of course, I havent' had to put any other skills to practical purpose in a long time...a very long time, really...but it's like riding a bike (unless you're my mom...and that's another whole story for another time...)

ok...I've worked all that out here on paper, so to speak. I feel much better. I'm a visual person...things make more sense when I get to lay it all out in black and white and see the whole deal.

Onto other life things...that Dockers ad. I love it. Talk about truth in advertising. I know it's just their 'ad gimmick' and all, but AMEN folks. We certainly do need some REAL MEN in this world these days. Too many man-children out there living spoiled lives. There are 30-something men, husbands no less, who believe life is all about playing video games day in and day out. Sure, there's a market (thanks to the 30+ men-children still playing and buying these things) for new games and folks to create them...hello, it's sort of a never-ending cycle. If the "men" would stop playing the games, the other "men" would stop developing them. Those "men", now with time on their hands, would get real jobs and start leading their families up close and personal. So those boy children would see what a real man does day to day and not follow in gamer-daddy's foosteps right on over to the unemployment and food stamp line. Am I the only one who sees that line there? Probably. I'm strange. I see things differently than most folks. LOL...I view man-pri pants and men's crocs as completely anti-real man. I'd have to shoot Dewey if he came home sporting a pair of man-pris and some crocs or flip flops. That's just strange. I'm very prejudiced, I suppose. I have 'man' ideals. Crocs and short pants just ain't part of it. To each his own, I guess. I just think a man's toes oughtta be IN a shoe...not wiggling around outside one.

And with that little bit of controversy, I suppose I'll get on with heading to the spring for water this week and come home to more baking for the holidays...