...follow up on flowers.

I am happy to report that my little geranium is doing a lot better. In fact, my flower garden is filling in. I got a small fence to keep Lucy out. Now, if I can keep remembering to water it, then it should be looking lovely soon.

...go small.

I made this little Easter basket this afternoon. It is just big enough for two pieces of Dove chocolate. The small daisy is even a bit big for it. Some of the best things come in small packages...and sometimes the small package is the best thing!

...return to fluff.

Wow. That shutdown drama was intense! I'm glad that the shutdown was averted, and I will return to the normal blog fluff now.

I think sea lions should be called sea dogs. After all, the noise they make sounds a lot like barking. The babies are called "pups." Plus, this picture (taken at our local harbor) looks a lot like a dog pile!

...explain what the government shutdown means to our military family.

I feel the need to stray from the usual fluff this blog is made of to address the possible government shutdown more in depth.  Don't worry.  This blog will still contain lots of fluff in the future.  Feel free to skim or skip this post if you come here for the other stuff.  For everyone else, here come the details...

A lot of folks have shown concern for our military family facing the possibility of a government shutdown.  As this has not been the top news story until recently, some people have questions about what will happen if the government does shut down.  I'll try to explain what a government shutdown would mean for our military family.

How would a government shutdown impact military pay?

What help is available for military families?

How else will this impact our family?

What can we do?

Military Pay
First, my active duty husband will still report to duty.  No military bases will be shut down.  He will not be furloughed.  He will get paid.  However, we may have to wait on a paycheck.  On the 15th, he will receive pay.  If the government shuts down and doesn't reopen before the 15th, the pay he receives will only be for the first eight days of the month (prior to the government shutdown).  Then, we will wait for the government to reopen before we receive another paycheck.  Once that happens, he will receive backpay for the time it was shut down.  If this is all over and done with before the end of next week, we could see no difference in pay.  However, if things are not settled by the 15th, there will be a space between pay checks.  That is where things get a little worrisome.

Will we need to dip into our savings to cover the time between paychecks?  We have been saving up for some things that we may need to delay if our savings get slammed.  How long will we need to cover things in the absence of pay?  Will our savings be enough?

What about the folks that don't have the rainy day funds like we do?  Will there be a large demand for temporary assistance?  Do we have the means to help out or should we be cautions with what little we have?  Or will we be helping out in the future through increased demands on our social services...funded by tax dollars?  

Help for Military Families
There is help out there for military families like ours. The Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society is offering interest free loans to military families during the shutdown.  They are treating the situation like they would a natural disaster--making these loans available in an expedited manner. You can read all about it on there site: http://www.nmcrs.org/shutdown110408.html.
 
Other Impacts for Our Family
Are there other ways that a government shutdown may impact our family?  You bet!  The commissary (military grocery store) may shut down. That would mean extra gas spent on driving to a civilian grocery store where food prices are often higher.  Military families have been encouraged to contact their local commissary to see if the store will be shutting down.  The official press release can be found at: http://www.commissaries.com/press_room/press_release/2011/DeCA_20_11.cfm.

Another impact of the looming shutdown is added stress to my husband's job.  I can't go into details about what he does.  However, I'll say that he is still expected to make things happen even though the defense budget (just a portion of the government budget currently debated) is in question.  That makes things difficult.  Here is what the Defense Department has to say about a shutdown: http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2011/0411_govtshutdown/.

What We Can Do
I've got some answers and a lot of questions this morning.  I'm sure time will tell how this all plays out.  I believe now is a time to stay true to the things we believe in.  We should be neighborly when we can and extend folks the benefit of the doubt when possible.  I think the American people will get thru this better if we come together.  After all, congress needs to come together.  Let's show them how it's done!

...be creative with cereal treats.

I got creative with some treats this afternoon. I had some chocolate bars and marshmallow that I wanted to use up. So, I melted chocolate bars into the butter. Then, I melted the marshmallow and added the cereal as usual. After I poured it in the pan, I spread on the peanut butter. I topped each one off with a chunk from the chocolate bars.

Yum!