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“Oh, thank God, I'm stoned.” I'm so surprised that I almost say it out loud at 3:30 in the afternoon on a slow Tuesday at my bookstore. Granted, I might be especially paranoid that I almost said it out loud because I'm stoned, but still I'm glad I didn't. That would have earned me some strange looks. More or less than crying in public, I can't say for sure.

            Forty-five seconds ago, a spot near the left of my spine was in excruciating pain, like someone was twisting a knife into my back. Back in Kansas, I was constantly in physical therapy for this pain. Painkillers were out of the question because of liver damage, sedatives and muscle-relaxants left me unable to work, so I went twice a week to what was apparently a massage therapist specializing in psychoanalysis and torture. Physical therapy improved my muscles' ability to hold myself up with less pain, but it didn't eliminate my pain.

            Now I use breath strips. Or, today I did. Sometimes I use Sour Patch Kids. Or tea. Or lollipops. All infused with THC and CBDs, the compounds that reduce inflammation and autoimmune response, among other effects. I just went from crying-in-pain to can't-feel-my-cheeks in 45 seconds. That's the thing about these Lickz. A little unpredictable. I didn't eat the cinnamon-flavored breath strip 45 seconds ago; I let it dissolve on my tongue 20 minutes ago, and I had been waiting for it to kick in ever since. You never know if it's gonna take three minutes to kick in or half an hour. Most the edibles are this way. Or maybe it's my metabolism; or a combination of all factors considered, or that nature isn't an exact science.

            These Lickz are the most discreet I've found so far, though. No one thinks twice of me slipping what they think is a Listerine strip at, say, the in-laws' Thanksgiving celebration. I survived the 3-day holiday extravaganza, chaste twin beds for couples and all; plus I got the most enjoyment out of the turkey and gravy of anyone. Grandma did start to wonder why my sister-in-law kept insisting to me that her breathe was bad, though.

            The same thing applies really well at my day-to-day job as the manager and part-owner of a bookstore (“Hang on, my breath is terrible. Now, what were you saying about construction in our parking lot on Black Friday?”). I can't exactly pull out a Swisher Sweet and roll a blunt in front of Grandma or our more conservative customers (or those with children). Yeah, so edibles aren't perfect. Nothing is. But I'm grateful for discreet edibles because I can use them to keep to doing my job and no one ever suspects that the liberal-arts-degree manager of the alternative indie book store with the Woodstock-font logo is high at work alllllll the fuckin' time.

It’s a fact that being in financial difficulty adversely affects how happy you are with everything else in life. Staying afloat financially can be tough. While feeling good about your finances may seem impossible, it is not that difficult if you just do it.

The strategy is simple: instead of one large savings account, you need to have at least three pools of financial resources to draw upon. Therefore, you will need to save money in three different ways. Remember, you are not trying to save a fortune, just enough to give you peace of mind.

1. Jar in a closet: This is the oldest and yet the most effective method of saving money. Get one of those plastic 5 gallon water cooler jars and put it in your closet, out of sight but easy to reach. The small opening at the top of the jar makes it a little more difficult to raid every time you need a few bucks.  Whenever you get change in your pocket, put it in the jar. Take every opportunity to collect change during the day. When a clerk asks if you have correct change, say no. You can even go out of your way to ask for change for an extra dollar or so whenever you make a purchase, then put the change in the jar as soon as possible. The idea is to let the coins collect as long as possible. As the jar gets fuller your feeling of comfort and security will become greater every time you even think about it.
2. Open an additional savings account: When you open the account make arrangements to have an affordable amount of money, whether its $10, $20 or more, automatically routed from your checking account to your additional account on the first of each month. Be sure to make note that the money will come out of your checking account on this date so you don’t have a bounced check. Don’t accept a checkbook or debit card for this account since you want to make it less tempting for you to dip into it for any little thing that crops up. Be aware that when you open the account the bank may require you to make an initial deposit of anywhere from $20 to $100. Also, don’t route more than you can afford into this additional account since that will be self defeating. Forget about this account and it will always be a source of comfort whenever you are thinking of the pools of resources that you can dip into should things suddenly go south.
3. “Hidey hole” cash reserve: Everyone has something they can sell that would generate at least $100, or you can hold a garage or apartment sale. Convert the proceeds into $100 bills since this will make it less tempting to draw from every time you need few bucks. Put the bills in an envelope and hide it so well that only you can find it. Don’t weasel out on coming up with this money, everyone has something that will generate at least $100 in cash. Do it immediately, it’s a one-time event and the pain will be over quickly. This is your emergency stash that you can grab and run whenever absolutely necessary.
4. Sacrifice a little: Now comes the time for a little pain, but only a little. Everyone has treats that they indulge in on a regular basis. For some, it’s a $5.00 beverage each morning from their favorite coffee house. For others, it may be a couple of nights out at a bar or dining at restaurants throughout the week. Most of us regularly spend money on more than one of these activities without giving it a thought. You don’t need a huge sacrifice here, just pick out one treat a week that you can live without. Calculate how much you spend on each week on this one treat. For example: a $5.00 beverage would add up to $25 per five-day workweek. Each morning place $5.00 in a special envelope and don’t buy that beverage for that day. If you choose to do without two or three soft drinks each day, add up the savings and put that in the envelope. Each Friday, for a very rewarding feeling, make a special trip through the drive through lane at the bank and deposit the money in your additional account. Continue to enjoy the other treats that you normally indulge in, just cut out this one. You can even sacrifice a different treat from week to week if you prefer.
5. Stop wasting money: Any program to improve your financial situation must involve saving money. Review your checking account check register. Look hard at the checks you have written in the last three months. You will find items where you can save money. It may be magazine subscriptions, charges for checking or other unneeded services at your bank or paying for extra channels for cable television. Discontinue your landline telephone and rely on your cell phone. Check out books or magazines at the library instead of constantly buying them. Go through your bills for the last three months to see if there are other things you can live without. You may be paying too much for housing or computer games and software you could have done without. Every penny you save will add up so you can live better while adding to your resource pools.

When you have resource pools that you can dip into if necessary, you will have not only peace of mind, but a definite feeling of confidence and security!

While traveling through North Central Kansas, I noticed and then became mesmerized by fence posts carved out of rock. Mile after mile of these posts with barbed wire strung around them effectively kept cattle in the pasture.

I pulled to the side of the road, got out of the car, crossed the bar ditch and got up close to the fence posts. I couldn’t help but wonder at the first pioneers on the prairie who, faced with survival on a daily basis, were able to carve fence posts from stone.

The prairie was endless miles of grassland when riding on a horse instead of a pick-up truck. There was simply nothing else from which to fashion fence posts. The farmers found limestone deposits protruding from embankments where erosion had exposed them.

The limestone that was buried was softer and easier to form than limestone exposed to the elements for a while. Even so, hammering and chiseling out these fence posts, up to six feet in length, was back-breaking work. 

Then it was necessary to load the heavy fence post into a wagon, transport them and then maneuver them into the ground. After the limestone had weathered and it hardened it stood up to wear and tear, weather and age astonishingly well. Many posts are still in the original holes dug by pioneer farmers and ranchers.

I returned to my car and as I left Kansas behind at 75 mph, seated in my comfortable padded captain’s chair, I adjusted the air conditioning and settled back for a smooth ride. I am afraid I know the answer to the unasked question—could I have survived on the Kansas plains?

There are a few problems with this video. One, it's so shaky you would think the camera was resting on a generator. Two, the first minute is a complete waste. Three, I can't give away the good part. That being said, skip to around 1 min and just watch what happens. It's more fun that way.