Yesterday was auspicious in that we notarized and submitted the final paperwork to the probate court for E’s change of gender marker on her birth certificate.  Amazingly, everything went smoothly and non-eventfully, a rare experience on this long journey.  This step was almost anti-climactic.

There is probably one more step, submitting the judge-approved documents to the appropriate department for the updated birth certificate.  Then she will finally be 100% official.  “What a long strange trip it’s been”!

Naturally we had to celebrate at HQ.  Here’s a friendly cat that hangs out at the tavern–it must be her/his HQ, too!  Here’s a good Ohio oatmeal stout.  On the way home we visited some of E’s relatives at the cemetery.  At least the dead ones can’t shun her.

Since I last wrote, we’ve checked off many business items from the list of goals.

We went to our first real doctors in years, at Equitas Health in Dayton, which went well.  It’s so refreshing to go to an LGBTQ+-friendly medical group, where they get the unique issues of marginalized people, and even the medical history forms and referral lists of specialists are geared to that community.  Such a contrast to the “doctors” in TN.  Here are some alien UFOs sighted hovering in the clouds over the Equitas building.  Funnily, they want to send me to a shrink for my first referral, go figure!

Our Halloween passed uneventfully, since we put this sign (by me) on the door. Note the bat cleverly delivering a COVID devil.  It seems to have worked, heheh!  Skully approves this message.  Meanwhile, we did a classic Frankenstein movies marathon, and ate up all the M&Ms ourselves, the way we like it.

My new Medicare Advantage insurance plan kicked in, so I can afford all the doctors, dentist, specialists, and meds I’ll be needing.  Blah.  Making up for a lot of lost time.  I am fortunate to even have a (Medicare) plan that pays for most of my medical needs, unlike many (most?) people in this country.

Today we voted in our first local Ohio election since moving back.  It was empty, with brand new (to us) electronic machines with paper trails and helpful volunteer poll workers.  There are actual non-Repub candidates on our ballot!  Let’s hope some of them can get elected in this very conservative precinct.  Here’s my shiny new sticker!

We now have all the necessary paperwork to be notarized and submitted to probate court to correct E’s gender-marker on her birth certificate.  It’s the last stop in the long, difficult process of being allowed to live and function legally as who she is in every way.  The doctor’s form was the final one.

Today was cold but tonight will be below freezing, so I’ve brought in all the annual herbs and put them under grow lights in Misu’s conservatory.  Soon I’ll be adding a salad bar of assorted greens in there.

Speaking of whom, here she is lounging on “her” new kitchen rug.  So gratifying to have such slavish humans to serve Her Meowjesty.