There is one especially nice thing about Jim and I having separate blogs and that is I can write about anything I want to write about without grief from Postmus, Stout, Erwin, Derry or Burum for writing about the “personal” stuff.  This is one of those “personal” posts that makes those guys cringe but I don’t have to worry about it because they will never see it as they are busy with their own blog.  I’ve been inundated with questions so I’m going to take a few minutes to explain all that has happened to bring about two separate blogs.

Back in October after I was laid off from work I had a bit of a meltdown.  Under normal circumstances I would have taken the action with stride but 2009 was anything but a normal year for me.  For the first time in a couple of decades, not having a county paycheck to rely upon was financially devastating for me.  I have always had multiple sources of income including my businesses, savings earnings, rental income and second/third jobs.  But 2009 was the year of financial hell and the layoff caught me off guard and unprepared.  On top of that, not only did they lay me off, they also messed with my final paycheck, shorting me a lot of money.  Thus the meltdown. Continue reading →