musings from the morning walk

Muffin and I walked a pretty good circuit this morning, and I was kicking around some ideas as we went.

first normal benefit direct deposit

Saw the first normal (not adjusted with lots of separate transactions) DV deposit yesterday. Feels more real now. Of course, they can take it away on a whim so I’m trying to be prudent with my resources.

I’m still finding my feet in the new situation. My budget is unchanged and my spending habits unchanged (other than the one-time pent-up demand stuff I mentioned earlier).

SNAP eligibility

I had mentioned before that I’d be eligible for Texas SNAP at 60, based on my situation.

The new monthly benefit puts me $40/mo above eligibility for SNAP. I don’t actually need SNAP now with the increased rating but it’s an interesting observation. If the new rating were one level lower I’d be eligible but the difference is basically a wash assuming maximal SNAP benefit. So I’m at least as well off or maybe moreso, if we consider that SNAP benefits are not fungible the way DV benefits are.

unattended trailer

There’s trailer someone has parked close to the entrance of this NF area; normally it’s just to avoid paying for RV storage. Drop it off for 14d, relocate it elsewhere. It was there when I arrived and is still unstickered by our “I will fine you” LEO friend. If he thinks I’m over the limit then that trailer is even moreso.

my 14d routine

It annoys me that someone is using a prime campsite for storage, but that’s not why I mentioned it. It got me thinking about 14d stays and that I don’t have to do that anymore if I don’t want to. But I prefer 14d stays not just for thrift but also to minimize the transaction costs associated with making and breaking camp.

nudist

A nudist set up camp a few hundred yards down the trail. That’s not particularly notable, but it reminded me that I just read a Santa Fe NF directive from a few years back prohibiting nudity. I wonder what precipitated that memo. I haven’t set up a camp shower at this site (not hot enough) but I’d still shower as needed.