a good news bad news kind of week!!!

Shane and Alisa got the house they wanted to rent. Room for her 2 children and the dog! Shane is way excited to have a garage. Typical man thing.
Hubby and I qualified for a temporary mortgage modification. I know you have heard the horror stories but we went with our current servicer and we have it on paper that foreclosure will not happen as long as we make our required payments..which are a lot lower. This may be too much information, but most of our friends know that we struggle financially when I am out of work..who doesn't? Also..I am rarely embarrassed by much. Financial struggles are not the sum of us. I know this may sound flip..but it is only money after all and although we have learned many money saving tricks over the years..sometimes Life just happens. So our Mortgage company has been super with us and really has worked hard to help us get to a better place. I never thought that could happen, after all the bad news on the market..but so far we are ok.
It is currently raining cats and dogs here and snowing in the mountains..which is good news also. It was 54 degrees here yesterday! An unusual January.
The bad news is my Hubby ruptured a tendon at work in his ankle and workman's compensation is refusing to cover the necessary surgery. Now normally we would use our insurance benefit to pay for the surgery..but this involves 12 weeks of casts, walking boots and therapy and unless Workman's Comp oks the surgery then Hubby is not allowed to do light duty and would have to go on temporary disability which is only 1/3 his regular pay for the whole 12 weeks plus of recovery. And we cannot afford that.
Now his Dr. is unwilling to clear him for work without a support boot and He cannot go back to work until we convince the Dr. that he will be ok until hopefully our appeal to Workman's Comp goes through. It is a mess. His disability benefits wouldn't kick in for 6 weeks which means that his personal time and vacation time would have to be used then we would have at least 4 weeks of no pay. All the work we have done to get our mortgage modification and catch up every bill would be null and void.
So that is the bad news.
More good news. Although I had to cancel the first workshop..an artist friend got me a paying gig of giving a demo at Intermountain Society of Artists meeting in Feb.
I did not get chosen to participate in a show I have wanted to do for a long time..but I can reapply next year.
My paintings for the show in Feb. are done, and mostly framed. I need to cut some mats and I am ready to deliver!!
The worse news though came on Jan. 19,2012. My Mother's best friend, June, died.
She and her boyfriend in high school introduced my Mom to my Dad. Her brother Bill and his family, her family and ours camped together for years. She had 4 children, Bill had 4 children and we were 5 kids and we all played together. June was such a sweet lady. She had an infectious laugh. She truly loved her grandchildren and great grand children. Up until the day she woke in pain with a pancreas infection she was driving, visiting friends, hiking, babysitting at age 86. The infection laid her low and after a month it killed her. My Mom of course is devastated.
Here is a photo of them together on a hike in 2008. Never at a loss for something to talk about, like sisters they were. I was privileged to know her.

June has the reddish hair, my lovely Mom is wearing the sunglasses.