Rotator Cuffs, Self-Sufficiency and Cookstoves...oh my!

Dewey is still off work.  He goes back Tuesday to the orthopedic surgeon.  Ugh.  I just want some income.  It really does make a budget easier to work with.

Ok, here's the update, such as it is.  The orthopedic surgeon isn't filling out the work disability paperwork until he knows how things are going.

??!!

Makes no sense to me, but hey, what do I know?  Seems to me, with the doctor pulling him off work we could start the disability now and then when he goes back to work, which isn't until the doctor releases him, obviously the disability would end at that point.  But, like I said, what do I know?

His shoulder still hurts.  This doctor checked out the xrays taken before and said there are bone spurs around the rotator cuff. He doesn't want to do surgery unless necessary, which is fine with us.  Still, we need to know what's going on and what the plan is.  Right now, he's on some steroid packs and still having alot of pain, which is a big deal for Dewey.  He has a high tolerance for pain, and usually works through pain and discomfort.  That's not happening right now at all.  This is kickin' his midlife backside. 

We're trying to get the disability going and, prayerfully, back-dated to the start of all this.  This doctor's work notice clearly stated "totally disabled, unable to work" and hopefully we can use that, even without his filling out his portion of the disability paperwork.  We're just waiting to see what happens next.I'm not a good 'waiting' sort of person.

So, here we sit.  We wait.  Ahhh, yes...the bane of existence.  Waiting. This is exactly why you don't want to be tied to someone else and their agenda, trust me.  If we were more self-sufficient here, if we were more sustainable without relying on that income...if if if.  There's always a 'if' there somewhere, isn't there?  Being debt-free is a big deal.  Being self-sustaining is a big deal.

We have food stores here, but I'm seeing all sorts of issues there to work on and that really bugs me.  We are only a month in.  A month.  What kind of storage is it if there's just a good solid month there?  Not a very good one, that's what kind.  There are some good points to our storage, but boy do I see some areas of work.  Of course, I'm not exactly 'budgeting' the food stores either, and that makes a difference.

The bake element is still out in my kitchen oven and we're using the cookstove exclusively.  I'm getting much better at those fine adjustments on the damper control andhow much to keep the firebox loaded, etc.  We aren't eating cajun-style loaf bread anymore, but I still have a long way to go.

I've been reading everywhere, talking to everyone...here are some sources I've used as well
Cooking on a Woodstove
ChimneySweep Online handouts
How to Cook with a Wood Cookstove
Granny Miller Cookstove Basics 
  her tutorial is worth printing off for your files, trust me.  Oh, BTW...you can find Granny Miller here these days...and here...and here. And here are all her posts under the Cookstove label

Ok...well, there you go.  Broke homesteaders kicking themselves for lack of a much better plan.  We're far ahead in many respects compared to others, but boy, when the 'lack' catches up to you, it really stares you down.  We need work here.  Lots of it still.  Let's just hope that whole global collapse of the 'American super-power' takes just a little bit longer...