It seems that with the $25 monthly increase in my already expensive COBRA premiums, effective June 1, to about $468 a month, preventive care doctor's visits will now be truly 100% free, meaning, the patient doesn't even pay a co-pay. (I think this came about due to Obama's health-care reform.)

Right now, many of the same services are 100% paid for by the insurance company, AFTER the co-pay. That would explain why I haven't received any bills from my insurer, I think.

Once I confirmed the new rule, I promptly canceled next week's gyno visit and rescheduled it for July. That will save me $30.

Unfortunately, becus my primary care doc did an EKG during my physical, I still have to pay a $30 co-pay there. For whatever reason, ConnectiCare doesn't consider an EKG as part of a routine physical. Of course, the average patient wouldn't know that, would they?

However, they will cover a colonscopy, 100%, so I guess I'll have to put that on my list of things to do this year.

Yesterday I got a fair amount of stuff done outside. I planted lettuce in the veggie garden; I think I could plant warm weather crops in another week or two. That being said, there are 2 days this week when temps may get down to the upper 30s.

I also cut up and disposed of a large tree branch that came down in the northeast corner of yard. I planted two stone crops my sister gave me at Easter in a window box on the side of the garage that gets tons of sun. The annuals I usually plant in the window boxes dry out quickly because the overhang prevents rainwater from getting to them and in the heat of summer, you can't miss a single day of watering without wilting. I've always loved stonecrops and they would seem to be a good choice.

I watered the grass, which is finally growing, hallelujah.

This morning I'm going to an MS conference (free breakfast and lunch), then since I'm in that town, stopping at pet food store with coupon for free 2 cans of Halo. Then hitting Shop rite in same town, and on way home, visiting neighbor in rehab from knee surgery and watering the plants at her house.

It's too quiet on the job front. I learned from someone that my key contact at real estate firm's mother passed away; that would be why I hadn't heard from him to start a few freelance projects for him. I applied for a job at a large construction company that needs an editor for its publications. Haven't heard from agency rep about the health-care writing job.

The author who's book I was supposed to edit keeps going back and forth on what to do. She seems easily swayed by whatever "pro" she talks to most recently. I have a feeling this could go on indefinitely.

The robin is still nesting; I don't think anything has hatched yet. I think wrens may start nest-building in one of my bluebird boxes. Chickadees checked it out earlier, but apparently passed it up. It's probably too open for them. A hummingbird has returned to my sugar water feeder, its ancestral feeding home. He'll be at that feeder every 10 minutes until the cold weather returns in fall.