No longer a grasshopper

Do you remember the sotry of the Ant and the Grasshopper? Briefly, it is about a very industrious ant that worked hard, was thrifty and prepared for the winter or the hard times to come. The grasshopper was a self-indulgent, party boy who had no care for the future. He did not think about the hard times to come, and when winter did come, he starved because of his lack of preparation.
Now, I am not going to claim to be a complete grasshopper, but in a way, I had forgotten how it felt to be concerned about money. Martin's good job provided very well for us, and I became a bit self-indulgent. I had plenty of opportunity to save for the "winter" but it seemed that it would spring for a very long time, and I became lax about my efforts. All of my financial commitments were made perfectly on time, and most important, my tithing was paid.
Well friends, "winter" seems to have come and is settling in for the long haul. For those of you who don't know, Martin has become very ill from an airborne allergen at his job. Recently, it became so bad that he came down with pnumonia. He has seen several doctors, and is now being cared for by a critical care pulmonologist. The pulmonologist has told martin that he will have to leave this job if he gets sick just one more time. When Martin went on spring break, (he teaches college) he was having symptoms again, but being away from the atmosphere has seemed to keep things on hold.
When he goes back, he will get ill again. That is a given. Since June, Martin has had bronchitis 7 times, and pnumonia once. Each time, it has been more and more difficult for him to recover. We have been denied workman's compensation, as they claim we cannot prove that it is the atmosphere that is causing the illness.
Enough of that. If he becomes ill again, we are facing unemployment or at least employment without pay. All of the sick leave is exhausted, and so each day missed is a day without pay. Without pay, there are no benefits. I need insurance for sure, and now, so does Martin. It is so scary! Enter the ant.
Last June, I awoke one bright summer morning with the thought that I had not replaced my emergency food storage that had been ruined by hurricane Ike. I wondered why it was even a problem, as we never seemed to use the emergency food supply. But, the thoughts and feelings stayed with me, and so I decided to build up my food storage once again. Over the last 8 months, I have been fortunate to have been able to find bargains, can food, and visit the cannery to put up wheat, beans, milk and other essential food storage items. I estimate that we could easily live 8 months on what we have so far. Aren't I something? Not really. I also have to learn to say "NO" to frivolities in my life. I developed a very bad habit of eating out instead of cooking for Martin and I. After the hurricane, we had to eat out, but that excuse was over a while back, and still we went to restaurants at least several times a week. It is pretty bad when you are greeted by name when you walk into an eatery, and in my case, all of Seabrook knew me very well! I didn't blink when it came to paying 3.75 for a loaf of my "special" bread, throwing money away on bakery items instead of baking myself, spending extra money on conveniences and buying clothes just because " I wanted too". 50.00 no longer became a big deal to me, and payday was just another day, because I knew that payday would always be there. Well, why not? It has been there for over 18 years! Don't get me wrong, I am not whining.
I have become an ant. I feel like I have slammed up against a proverbial financial wall. The word "NO" is my nickname. I actually have to think about what I spend. More importantly, I have to SAVE for the near future. Most importantly, I have to rely on the loving help of my Heavenl;y Father, to that I will not go absolutely crazy.
So, that is the introduction to this new era of my blog. I have lots to tell you. I almost like being an ant. One thing that is very annoying though, when I contemplate a purchase, or if I talk it over with Martin, he has been pinching me on the hiney (like an ant bite) saying, "we are ants!". He thinks that is funny. I got over funny after the tenth time he did it. Tomorrow, I will begin to share with you the journey from Grasshopper to Ant. It is a bumpy ride. Love, Nanasee