To update: Amy's visit went okay. The o2 sensor is fixed (now it is the tires on MY car that are an issue). I survived my time alone at home, mostly doing a bunch of nothing. I did the paper route in a personal best time. Loved doing it without the snow and cold.

Seems to be a lot of endings this month. It sounds like there will be a divorce between my brother-in-law and his wife. We have had a couple of staff at the prison retire (rather than be cut as part of the budget shortfall). I have one friend who got his degree in education decide that he is done looking for a job in the field and has decided to go back to school for accounting. Another friend found out she won't be offered a contract for the next school year. Given that, at least in SD, every district is scrambling d/t the state deciding to say "we don't need no education" by dropping funding levels. Some schools are looking at opt outs, others are cutting staff and programs. Some of those staff cuts come from staff retiring and the district not hiring the position back. Imagine getting your degree in education this spring with the hopes of teaching in SD. Yeah, pretty damned bleak prospects.

Had a guard killed at the prison in SF last week. Shook all of us working in the walls a bit. You realize really quickly that it easily could have been anyone. But, every job has risks. I will contend that my first job in the profession as a home-based therapist was more dangerous than working in the prison - I'd go into people's homes with no idea re: weapons, drugs, attack dogs, etc. The farmhouses in the middle of the country were my least favorite. Lots of land and few eye witnesses. Would be hours before anyone would know I was missing.

Allergies have not been too bad - seem to have kicked up this evening, though. We have had a very wet second half of April so far, including six inches of snow last Friday and a couple inches of snow on Tuesday.

Interviewed a candidate for an intern position in the MH dept. at DSP. She was very nervous. Made me a bit nervous seeing that, but she did settle in and did a decent job. One of the questions in the interview is if you have ever been fired. Got me thinking back to when I was working at the Training School and got the letter that my contract would be terminated in six weeks. Even though it was nothing I had done that lead to the termination (STS was being shut down, in part so Janklow could run for Congress without that blight on his record being an issue), it still felt like a punch in the gut. I was lucky in that my dept. had a position open for me, but it was not close and would require some changes. Looking back, I realize I did go through the grieving process with the termination. Hated that it happened, but in a way am glad that it did. You can't shut down the bad things that happen or stuff how they make you feel. You need to experience it in order to move past it. Not to say that if I get fired again, I'm not going to go through the grieving process all over again, but because I let myself go through it, I'll know I can get through it again.

Speaking of the intern - I am excited at idea of having an intern and helping someone getting into the counseling field. I am a bit nervous, questioning if there is going to be enough to keep an intern busy. Do have some ideas for groups that I'd like to see started. Also will likely have the intern answer some kites and possibly do a support group for the inmates with severe mental illness. Hoping it will be a good experience. I know my internship wasn't exactly what I'd hoped it would be.

When it rains, it pours. We HAD the truck running, but it is apparent now that the battery in it needs to be replaced. Amy was going to use it today as the van went to the shop with a bad 02 sensor. Nothing like this crap to make it apparent how little cushion we have in our finances. Ah well, hoping to have the van up and running before the weekend so Amy can make her trip to Mankato w. the kids.

I used to go crazy around the house when she'd go on these visits - LOTS of projects would get completed, often w. me getting a few hours sleep. With work at the Hut and covering the paper route, those plans are down scaled big time. No more stripping and refinishing floors or painting several rooms. I did take Sunday off from the Hut so that I can get a few things accomplished (am thinking hauling stuff out for junk day, maybe cleaning up the basement a bit). Will also find some time to watch a movie or two that Amy has no interest in seeing. I'd gotten a certificate for a free buffet at JoDeans for donating blood, so I'll be using that either Sat. after the Hut or for a brunch buffet on Sunday. Nothing like free food. Feel weird dining out as a party of one, but will manage.

Allergies kicked off yesterday - 2 days later than last year. The season ran about 3 weeks for me last year (I think it is the juniper pollen), am hoping that is all that is in store this year. I picked up some of the homeopathic remedy that knocks out my symptoms (better than any OTC crap). Read today online that it can be used long term in order to sensitive a person to allergens. I think I'm going to try a maintenance dose through the year after the acute portion of the season and we'll see if I get symptoms as hard or as long next spring. Maybe the maintenance dose will do what the shots did when I was a kid and basically wipe out the allergic reaction. THAT would be a blessing.

Been a nice weekend. Spent Friday visiting dog groomers and vets in the area to tell them about the business I'm trying to get off the ground - dog waste removal service. Did a lot of research and found that it is one of the fastest growing home businesses out there and continues to grow. Am hoping that I can get it going and going well enough for the Hut to be in the rear view. Start up costs are minimal, just need a couple actual customers that I can do a great job for so they tell their friends who tell their friends, who tell their friends... I can only remember one time when Dad advertised the painting business - everything was word of mouth and people seeing us working and stopping. We'll see how/if things go.

Also got to spend part of Friday watching the Cubs opener. Was sad seeing the tributes to Ron Santo. Would have been nice to see the Cubbies win an opener for once, but it was not to be. Don't like that they dropped the season opening series to the Pirates. The team will get better as the season goes along. Already think Castro is going to be an All-Star.

Got SD plates for the truck and got it out for the spring on Sunday. Was running a little rough, but that may be some stale gas working through the system. Might have to take it with me on a Hut night soon - probably Fri. or Sat.

Am starting to look at what needs to go out for junk day this year. Have some old coloring books that are going out, branches from the willow tree, a broken bike trailer, some old toys, and some clothes. I need to check on all the sprinklers as I know one or two leak a bunch and need to be tossed. Also have a ton of beer bottles to toss. We thought there was some glass recycling nearby but there isn't. We used to take bottles to Lake Wilson and/or Mankato when we'd visit, but it would not be cool to take 5-10 grocery sacks of empties. Wow, that makes it sound like we are lushes or something.