yee haw

Things are looking up at the ol' homestead.

When Lisa's ex had her alimony reduced, that allowed Lisa to set into motion a series of events that now seem to be working in our favor. It took a lot of effort on her part, occasional prodding from me, and longer than she expected; but it has been worth it.

At first, her food stamps went up from $16 to $107. For months, nothing else changed - despite her work, which continued - except for a feeling that we were going in circles. The extra food helped, of course.

Today we received a notice about the mortgage, which I had just paid; they crossed in the mail. There was also a new "modification agreement packet," just like the one Lisa filled out a couple of months back. She called them and learned that she had been approved. Her monthly payments will drop by about $200.

Oddly, the customer service representative also told her to expect an erroneous denial to come in the mail; he said to ignore it. An approval was sent out later the same day.

Then she called the car insurance company to put me on the policy. Once she explained that she can no longer drive a stick (she can't push the clutch) and I am her legal caretaker and driver, we ended up with a lower insurance payment. Saved another $10 per month.

And today she received a cell phone in the mail. There are two and a half hours of time on it. It is a TracFone she acquired for free from SafeLink. She is still playing with it. When the time comes, she can add minutes just like any other TracFone.

This is all wonderful news, and hopefully a sign of things to come.