I'm so sorry I haven't been here much lately.  I have been so depressed,
it has been hard for me to do much of anything.  I try, but I am getting
so much bad news that it just makes me want to crawl into bed and read a
book.

Thank you so much, you kind, sweet, caring people of rpca (and you know
who you are).  Some of you have really lifted my spirits with seeds and
stamps and such; some of you have helped me out a little financially,
and I am so grateful for those who helped with the vet bill -- that is
one less thing to worry about right now; some of you have lifted my
spirits with a lovely card, or a chorus of purrs.  You guys mean a lot
to me, and I am so sorry I stayed away so long, and missed purring and
sending hugs for those of you who lost babies, and missed sending a
message of love to those who have lost human members of their family,
and missed laughing at wonderful stories.  I can't possibly keep up, so
please accept my apologies if I just send out a blanket of love to all.

In the midst of the divorce mess, the finances have just about totaled
me.  It's the medical co-pays for the most part that are wreaking havoc.
 And with no help yet in the form of SSI, roommate, job, whatever, I am
sinking fast.  I have applied for help with utilities and set up payment
schedules with the credit card companies and applied for help with
doctor visit copayments.  And some days that is all I seem to do;
wrangle with someone or other on the phone to try to get *something* moving.

And in the midst of all of this, I was diagnosed with a precancerous
condition.  Yes, I know, it could be worse; it is not cancer.  But it is
frightening, and it involves having surgery, something that terrifies
me.  Most days it hits me several times a day, and I stop and shake and
cry for awhile, before I try to pick myself up and move forward.

I was the one on the group that got the brunt of the snowstorm, I'm
guessing.  Figures!  We got over 20 inches, and broke all previous
records.  The city pretty much shut down for a couple of days, even the
malls.  I hadn't seen anything like it since 9/11.  Of course, I
couldn't go anywhere, but then, neither could anyone else!  And I had 10
furry warm cats to keep me company and we just huddled together and got
through the storm.

I hadn't cancelled my Earthlink account yet, so I finally got around to
that.  I have my e-mail addresses free for a month, but I forgot that
when Earthlink went away, so would my access to newsgroups.  I tried all
kinds of things, both out there and simple, and couldn't get a damn
thing to work.  And then I thought "Hey, the phone company told me they
supported newsgroups when I signed up for this DSL thing, so they'd
better have meant it!"  Sure enough, they did, and do, and here I am.

At any rate, many things are not good, and life is very hard for me
right down, but I don't want to bring everyone down.  I just wanted to
let you all know that I am back, although it may be in and out for
awhile, and to thank each of you dear hearts that paused to think of me.
 It means the world to me, and I send out a gentle hug to each of you.

Love,

Ginger-lyn