Unfortunately serious

 I have finally adjusted to being retired. Yay! It has taken me months to not feel like I am just on vacation. And now I am seriously entertaining the idea of getting a part time job because my pensions are just not enough in this world of rising costs of living. The rent on my apartment has gone up and it really is unaffordable for a nonworking single person. Totally okay for a couple who are working though, but that isn't me. Add on to that the skyrocketing cost of groceries. Maybe I need to live on ramen noodles. I spend more on Andi's catfood than on my own food.

Because of his allergies, he is on freeze-dried raw rabbit. Rabbit. That's it. The one protein he doesn't react to and will eat with great gusto. I had to find protein sources that he had not been exposed to in the past. Chicken is a very common allergen in cats and dogs, so that was the first thing I cut. Even when eating the prescription food from the vet, he was still reacting terribly, so I figured it was all the stuff in commercially manufactured pet food. Which even the stuff from the vet contains. So no more canned food, no more dry kibble (all of which he loved and scarfed down like he was always starving). I tried freeze-dried venison, and pork, and even salmon. He didn't like the pork or the venison, and while he loved the salmon, he started scratching is neck bloody. Agh!! Rabbit, it is then. The freeze-dried raw food is shaped into nuggets and contains only one protein ~ whole (bones and organs included) rabbit in this case ~ and only some fruits and seeds. All of this is ground together and then freeze-dried. I don't have the freezer space for frozen raw food (which I would totally feed if I did) and this stuff is shelf stable for 30 days once the bag is opened. Just crumble a couple of nuggets into his bowl with a bit of warm water to rehydrate, and Bob's your uncle. However... a 397g (14 oz.) bag is $60!! And that lasts about 3 weeks. For one cat. I have two others. Thankfully they eat regular, much less expensive but still not inexpensive, catfood.

So I am seriously entertaining the idea of finding a part time job to make ends meet. I have come across a part time job in one of the city libraries. Years ago, before I got into nursing, I worked in a university library. I really enjoyed that work. So I am hoping this gives me a bit of an edge with my application. I will have to rework my resume to highlight that part. All the jobs I have applied for in the past 30 years have been in nursing. So wish me luck!

My niece and I (she is also single and struggling with rent) are looking for an apartment to share that allows cats. She has one. I have three. We will have to lie on the application form of wherever we end up because most places only allow a maximum of two. Her cat is a black and white ginormous boy who is very social and not at all shy. All three of mine are scaredycats, so I would only put Andi on the form. You almost never see any of mine if you come over. They all run and hide, unless it is my sister, and then Andi will come sit in the doorway, and sometimes Lila will wander out. But never Aska. 

So I am off to tweak my resume. Wish me luck! On both the job front, and the apartment hunting. Both are not what I want to do, but what I have to do.