Monetizing My Disability Again

Well, I’m doing it again. I’m monetizing my disability.

Thanks to the clerk at the insurance agency here on Gabriola, I am applying for the Disability Tax Refund Program. The clerk and I read about the program together and I see myself as eligible according to the eligibility criteria. I have written to Dr. Shoja to ask for her help with the application. I need her to attest to the truth of my eligibility.

By the end of next week, I expect to have my application completed and submitted. If I am accepted, and I believe I will be, I will get a permanent 25% discount on my annual car insurance, and a 25% discount on all my fuel purchases, and I am eligible for a refund on the past 7 years of my gas purchases. 

To be honest, I feel rather creepy about applying, but I bought my first car after over a decade of not driving, because using the bus or Skytrain brought on seizures every time. Using public transit is anathema to me, and so I felt I had to buy the car to get back and forth to Dr. Shoja during the Winter. All Summer, I would walk to and from my appointments. And that’s one eligibility criteria: a mental health issue that keeps a person from using public transit.

So why not apply? That’s what I figure. It’ll save me money and I appear to be eligible. 

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little news: I found a tick on Sheba. It’s the first one I’ve ever found on her. 

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On Saturday, I went for our walk, then went to the car insurance agency (hence the news, above), picked up a few things from Nester’s, and then came home to make the galette for the gang working at Dave and Ursula’s. It looked good. I made salted caramel sauce, and took the pastry, sauce and a brick of vanilla ice cream next door. It was warmly received. Just as it started to get dark Saturday night, Ursula returned my plate. Not only that! I lent her and her men (Andew the builder, their son, Will, and Dave) my two board games. She was very grateful for them.

Sunday, I decided to skip the big Sunday dog walk. It’s become too big and noisy and it often causes me to seize, so Her Highness and I walked together on a path we both like, and then I came home to make a galette for Ron and Nancy. Ron loves to walk Sheba and late last week, they had to put down their dog. They’ve had 2 dogs since I met them, and now both are gone. They are truly lovely people, and so I felt good visiting them after their loss, and Nancy loves sweets, so my caramel covered apple galette was just the thing to lift her spirits.

Yesterday afternoon, I went over to Pete and Ali’s to fetch the plants that he picked up for me in a Duncan nursery. He got me 2 lovely looking Celemaits plants, and 4 Goat’s Beard plants that do well in shade.

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I had a lovely chat with Bruce—he in his room in Florence, me here—and this morning, I got a lovely long email about his trip. It’s the fourth missive about his trip that he’s sent. I am grateful to him for giving me a travel experience from home. Same for Beth. She’s blogging almost every day from Paris/Amsterdam, keeping us, her fans and friends, abreast of all she does while she’s away.

It's a dull, dull and damp day. I’m going to fitness this morning and then coming home to putter and read. Every day this week is likely to pass as does today. Come Friday, we’re expecting sunshine and warmer weather—but not the 27° temperatures Bruce is enjoying in Florence.