I don't know ... it looks like the gap between April 12 and now might be permanent. I blog mostly for myself -- to have a diary -- but just in case anyone cares I'll do a wrap-up of what happened between then and now.

In April I was recovering from hip replacement surgery. It has gone mostly well. I still struggle with pain, mostly after I've been sitting or lying down for a while. I finished my physical therapy and moved to a new routine at Planet Fitness, after a brief experience in a class devoted to legs and shoulders. I manage the stairs well now, unless my knees are hurting. May need more work there. Financially, all costs from the surgery have been paid. All the out of pocket totaled around $1000.

Last month I finished up my gap year (my low income period) and I am now receiving the maximum benefit from Social Security, a reward for waiting until I turned 70. During my gap year, my net worth decreased by a very small amount.

This summer my upstairs neighbor accepted temporary work overseas and while he was gone, his refrigerator leaked and ruined my kitchen ceiling. Just yesterday it was all resolved. The ceiling has been repaired (beautifully) and my neighbor paid for it with no argument or hesitation.

I spent the summer taking care of the grandsons from Monday through Thursday. This fall, I am pretty much free except for taking them to appointments and music lessons. Today I am taking them to get their flu shots.

I just got back from a nice weekend trip in Michigan to see my brother's family. The weather was ugly, so we mostly stayed indoors and played cards. I treated my man friend (who usually treats me) to a nice lunch at his favorite restaurant. My spending on this trip was $123, which included gas and food.

My September recap:

Housing: $1112
Vet/Pet Supplies: $348
Utilities: $200
Medical/Health: $175
Groceries: $173
Clothing: $172
Home Repair/Maintenance: $170
Gifts/Charity: $163
Vacation/Travel: $123
Phone: $52
Gas: $29
Eating Out: $38
Household Supplies: $38
Fares/Parking: $28
Furn/Equip/Decor: $22
Personal: $16
Laundry: $15

Grand Total: $2912

Housing: I doubled my mortgage payment this month.

Vet/Pet: I took my cat Iggy to the vet and he had lost weight, so he got some tests. He was diagnosed with kidney disease. The total above includes the vet costs and the new food he needs.

The medical spending includes a dentist appointment.

Groceries were higher than usual but I had some restocking to do. Also -- didn't eat out much!

Clothing -- I bought three pairs of shoes this month, a real indulgence I gave into because my gap year was done!

The home repair was the replacement of the evaporator fan in my fridge.

Gifts -- Two birthdays, and I gave some cash to my Florida son who has lost his job.

Parking -- I got a $25 ticket for trying to run into the library and out without paying. I paid!

The rest needs no comment.

Here's to stability on the blogs! I hope we have no more surprises.