day labor

Yesterday I filled out an application at the nearest day labor company, though it was already 9 AM when I did so (therefore all of the work for the day had already been taken); this morning I showed up at 6 AM. However, this being Saturday, there was no work for any of the six of us who came in. The woman behind the counter mentioned that last Saturday nobody at all came in but someone had called looking for two workers.

Obviously I'll be going back on Monday. We need money and even though Lisa's son and daughter-in-law both work, neither has given her any money for several weeks. I receive food stamps so Lisa and I can eat - if only frugally - but Lisa's disability and alimony do not always cover the utilities and insurance. Her daughter-in-law uses the car at night to get to work; sure, she puts just enough gas in the car to cover her own driving, but gives nothing back to help with the insurance. Neither of them contribute toward the electric and water bills even though they use more lights than we do, have a much larger television (with attached sound system) and take more showers. At least her son bought chlorine for the swimming pool this week. The pool had been allowed to grow green again and had a large tadpole population. Now it is clean once more and I am somewhat impatiently waiting for the chlorine level to fall enough to allow swimming.

I don't mind skimming and vacuuming the pool - I truly enjoy it - but without cash income cannot purchase the chemical additives. Now, some folks in living north of us may consider swimming season over, but it still gets to 90F here daily and our overnight lows don't even fall to 70F yet. And being from the frozen North, I enjoy swimming in our pool (although Lisa and her kin think the water is too cold).

And of course the cats are out of food again. They don't belong to Lisa. Her daughter-in-law went grocery shopping yesterday but didn't buy cat food.