Happy Spring

Yeah, sure. Supposed to get into the twenties tonight. Brrrrr.

Today I took care of a piece of business that I've put off for years. The social security administration still had me listed with my married name. And I couldn't get it changed until I had a copy of the divorce decree, which I finally got a few weeks ago. So I went to one of the SSA offices and made the change; the agent made some noises about needing a court paper that said my name was changed, but I came prepared with all sorts of i.d., like my passport, utility bills, driver's license, and she put the change thru. I think I put it off so long because retirement seemed so far away, but now that it is on the horizon, taking care of this detail was essential. Even after all the years I have worked I will, if I decide to start collecting social security payments at age 62, only get a little over a thousand dollars per month. I will have a pension and some IRA money and some savings, thank goodness. What about people who retire and only have social security to live on? It cannot be done. No wonder people are working well into their seventies.

Heard on NPR that the awful video of the US marines abusing a puppy which has been circulating on the internet has resulted in an investigation. One of my friends sent it to me, and I was very upset that he sent it, and told him never to send me such a thing again. They played the audio of the video on NPR today and I had to turn the radio off before it broadcasted. Makes me think that more videos of war and the people who are killed and tortured, on both sides, should be circulated so that we know exactly what is going on, in human terms.

The photos are of blooming plants in my house. The daffodil is really pretty, with ruffled petals surrounded by straight petals. The pink one is an amaryllis.

Misty has been unbelievably affectionate recently. R. says she's happier in this house. Camilla has been licking the fur off her lower belly and inside her back legs, which she began before I moved here. I think she finds Bindi being around very stressful, and I hate that she is upset, but I'm not sure what to do. I wish Camilla would just scratch Bindi aggressively a couple of times, and Bindi would leave her alone. Bindi only wants to play, but the cats want none of her.

More nightmares last night. R & F brought me a Tinkerbell from DisneyWorld, which is very dear. Tink is sitting with arms and legs crossed with a kind of annoyed look on her face, which is very fitting for me.