Costs of Living

 Cat food prices have increased drastically in the last month.

Walmart raised the price of a single Friskies can from $.78 to $.84.   

Walmart jumps its cat food prices

I found a coupon price sale at Bimart for 48 case can and jumped on it.  With the sale and the coupon, reduces the price to $.68 a can.

Human food prices are still high too.  I checked the internet for reasons cat food is so high.  Said the costs of production rose 25% between 2019 and 2022.  And now, I don't know, maybe tariffs play a part in increasing it more so fast.  Or just plain old greed.

All I know is the struggle to survive is real.   The neighbor gave up on buying a trailer here since her ID got stolen and now is hoping to move back to CA to be closer to family.   She said there are some trailer parks down there with space rent cheaper than here in town.  I believe it.  Housing costs here are out of control.

Getting chicken that's marked down for quick sale due to age on shelf, cooking and dicing it, that helps extend my cat food.   I used to get road kill calls from friends who then would bring me a wild turkey or other bird they had seen hit by a car.   For me to use it, I have to have credible witness on when hit.   I don't want to make my cats sick.  Lots of people eat roadkill around here.  It's perfectly safe if fresh enough and free.  Why not.

Surprise, (I'll figure out a better name) the gray tux kitty in the holding cage, is eating well.  Not aggressive at all, but also not tame, been on his own too long I suppose.  Maybe born there I wouldn't know.  I texted feeder lady his photo to ask if she knew him but all she said was "hope he looks better in person cause he looks like a rat".   Ok, I thought, that doesn't deserve a reply.  Then I went further and blocked her number. There is no reason to communicate with her.

I got a neurosurgeon consult appointment late February.  I was shocked really it didn't take months.  In the meantime I found exercises to strengthen back muscles on youtube and am starting slow to do them.   If I have to have surgery having some back muscle strength might make recovery faster.  Yesterday started out bad with back and leg pain, but I reminded myself "You are lucky to be alive at this age, so buck up and enjoy this day".   I have to lecture myself a lot on various issues.   It helps.

Today its back to raining here in Oregon.  February 1, finally its raining again.  Rather than cold and overcast.  Everyone I know is sick of winter.   If we don't get enough rain, with snow in the mountains, the summer could be bad, with low reservoir levels, and wildfires.  You never know, could be one of those summers where it rains through end of June and we barely get any sun.  That could be hard to take too.