How's everybody doing?

[Jobee]

Hi guys! Dunno if you guys remember me, but hello. Nothing bad happened to me, I just got distracted by video games for a few years... We're being super careful about Covid-19 at my house, working from home and only leaving for essentials. I'm glad to see some familiar faces here. Sorry I've been gone, I was really depressed when the Ever After High doll line got canceled, so my dollies have been gathering dust for a bit. The only new dolls I've gotten since have been a couple of Curvy Made to Move Barbies. I'm glad this place is still up and running after all this time.

[WhiteDove01s]

I've also been absent a good while (again) for a pile of various reasons that all tend to boil down to the same thing (FML). I'm an unpaid live-in caretaker for my mother who is on SSI-disability. This basically means I'm used to living as a shut-in and already have for the last two decades, and that our financial situation has stayed pretty much the same (I can't have an income or DHHR threatens to take twice as much as I make from her check, so I haven't been allowed to officially work for most of my adult life. I have some small income from Spoonflower and online surveys, but I can't exceed $400 in a year.)

So far the biggest differences in our lives was that we haven't been able to get toilet paper for some time (we made a home bidet with a pump garden sprayer that had only been used for water and are drying with cotton rags that we then wash), and the Covid Check thing. I nearly had a meltdown over the last one. They sent me more money than I've had at one time in about 20 years, and did it less than a month before our biannual DHHR review. I didn't trust DHHR not to penalize us if any was left, and I barely managed to spend it all in time. (Most went towards parts for a computer of a better quality than I am normally able to save for, both in the hopes of doing some 3d graphics work and game design that interests me, and because internet is a necessity for us to pay bills and get food.)

Between that, house repairs, emergency supplies, some extra food in case, and so on, very little of the check actually went towards dolls... though I did manage to get a few for under $10 each: A Kid Kore girl I thought looked like an older Luna Lovegood, that one Ken Fashionista with the long blond hair, the Harry Potter Yule Ball doll, and four Jem dolls in "Thank Goodness They Didn't Just Toss Them In A Landfill And Deny Me My Fun" condition. Rio's covered in mold, Kimber's been decapitated and one hand chewed, Stormer's hand is detached, and Aja's elbows don't bend and her hair was cut. Going to have fun with those. I did also finally order some doll hair and a reroot tool so I can get to some projects that have been backlogged for years due to lack of supplies.

Everyone else still holding up? I'm not sure how good I'd be at 'how to live like a recluse' advice since I'm pretty sure I'm not neurotypical (not properly diagnosed, tho, because psychiatrists cost money and I have trust issues), but I might be able to think of some helpful solutions. Like that home bidet. The sprayers are only about $12, and with two people I'm still only refilling it once a week.

[DollyKim]

The only thing that changed about my reclusive life is the mentally ill refusing to get treatment constantly screaming vulgarities at the top of her lungs never sleeping Life Ruiner is elsewhere.

However someone in the neighborhood has learned to make explosives and one of the big snoot dogs freaks out about it.

And I hear ya about dealing with the president money and consequences. I doubt anyone who's on the right side of the rules will be penalized because this doesn't fall under any sort of regular income rules.

[WhiteDove01s]

The only thing that changed about my reclusive life is the mentally ill refusing to get treatment constantly screaming vulgarities at the top of her lungs never sleeping Life Ruiner is elsewhere.

Congratulations! Enjoy the vacation.

However someone in the neighborhood has learned to make explosives and one of the big snoot dogs freaks out about it.

Someone around here has been letting off fireworks every night. My wriggly hound-mutt dislikes this.

And I hear ya about dealing with the president money and consequences. I doubt anyone who's on the right side of the rules will be penalized because this doesn't fall under any sort of regular income rules.

Probably, but given that our local DHHR made me report gift cards as income for years, I don't trust them much. Felt safer with it not sitting in my account, just in case.

[DollyKim]

They never know what you do with your folding money...

~is totally not starting a kitten hula school~

[Kattriella]

So the daughter of our town's sheriff decided to organize a protest . . . Not to protest racial injustice, but to protest the protests going on because of the murder of George Floyd. Apparently, she didn't actually know what the protests were about and thought people were still protesting the stay at home order . . . Which still makes organizing a group of people to protest people grouping together flawed logic, but I digress. She didn't understand why so many state troopers showed up until she found out what people thought they were ACTUALLY there to protest, and then she just decided to switch her protest topic to the actual problem at hand . . .

In other news, we're now waiting to see how many new covid cases pop up over the next couple weeks because of one woman's inability to make one Google search. At least they didn't burn any buildings down in my town like they have in other towns in my state . . . A good chunk of our town is old and all the buildings are butted up against each other, if someone started a fire, it would have leveled half the town. I'm just glad the protest would up actually being a peaceful march and no one got hurt, either cops or protesters, especially since half the town openly carries firearms and there were snipers set up on the courthouse. Things could babe gone south very quickly . . .

[Janeway]

Hugs to everyone on here who is dealing with this virus and the other stuff as well. I been crocheting for my girl and working on the diorama also stuck in the flat due to this virus.

[Jobee]

My husband just got laid off this Wednesday... They're giving him a good chunk of severance pay and 3 months of healthcare, but it still sucks. This is two jobs in a row he's been laid off. and I'm on Disability, so I cannot work extra hours to pick up the slack or anything like that. We'll be okay, I know we will, but it's still scary for this to happen again, and now, while things are so upended.

[DollyKim]

We have a swimming hole in the back yard, it's a bit stinky so you can guess what the owner has never properly had taken care of the 9+ years we've been here.

The only good years in our lives were the tires on our car...

*Stinky swimmin' hole has been fixed properly. Not something the words "compacted" and "decades" should be used around.

[Jobee]

My husband got a job! But it's across the country, so we have to move. BUT it's tech support so everyone's telecommuting until the pandemic is over, so we can take our time! Road trip tentatively planned for September!