Posted on 07/12/2016 8:03:24 AM PDT by BenLurkin
88 degrees, 23%, SSE @ 13 mph, mostly cloudy, dew point 50
Another relatively sleepless night last night. But I’m here. Safe and sound in my little corner of the world.
WAKE UP, EVERYBODY! :o])
(I couldn’t resist that)
I’ll have you know I was awake at six o’clock this morning, East Coast time.
Fortunately, I got over it.
LOL! I was awake at six o’clock East Coast time, as well, Bob! But I probably wasn’t having as much fun as you were. :o|
Fun? I listened to wind chimes, the sound of birds awakening and sending morning greetings to their companions. I heard a rooster telling the world his night watch was ending, and that they had survived. “You can thank me later,” I’m sure he meant to add.
I heard the church bells ringing, a chaotic and glad sound for the new day.
But I wasn’t ready to arise, just yet, and I didn’t.
Ah. Yes. There is that added feature of being able to turn over and go back to sleep. As if that were an option for me. Still, it’s nice that you could do that! :o])
I have been informed that there isn’t sufficient time for the driver of the Baldwin to affect the move before he has to go to his real job.
However, as the landing zone is marked, it is in the works.
Afternoon! We’re back from the Family Outdoorsiness Excursion. We went to a state park about an hour from here and hiked around six miles of very rough, hilly terrain, culminating in a steep, hot, uphill climb. Kathleen needed assistance, and James and Frank needed serious Motivation. James got some Ridicule, as well, being 12. Frank actually put in a very good effort for a 7-year-old, although he whined a lot. Tom got a little wrung out and required Gatorade.
A motorcycle club that was picnicking at the top of the mountain was impressed with us all. We’ll try something a little less strenuous next time.
YES! Please inform the Driver of the Baldwin, that I appreciate his dedication to those of us who are dependent upon him for *ahem* moving things.
Thank you, and the Baldwin Driver!
Wow. That sounds very Outdoorsy and Excursive and Strenuous. I probably would have whined a lot louder that Frank ever thought of, even though he is a champion whiner.
Lablady came by today and we had a semi-good talk. She has decided to go to AA, and I told her she should give it a try, and if she feels like she “doesn’t fit in,” to find an AA group that helps her feel she “belongs” so she can get some help.
She has always struggled with addictions, from meth to prescription drugs to now, alcohol. Her partner, a recovering addict himself, found a bottle she had stashed at work. He says he can’t be around her if she doesn’t get help. And that’s how my Sunday went. At least the public part.
I have been tearing the place apart this morning, and now, trying to find the envelope with the check blanks in it. They were on the printer with the checkbook, and address labels, but when I got the new printer, the top of it is set up for FAXes and not conducive to holding anything that depends on gravity to hold it in place. *sigh*
I know they will turn up, but I have about 3 days to find them before I need them, as I will have to write checks on payday. Maybe I will just order more checks anyway. Frustrating, that.
That sounds like fun. :)
Putting the Steep up hill climb at the end of the walk....I like your Style. :)
*Full power up hill. If your lungs aren’t hanging out you’re not trying hard enough.*
It was a steep, downhill climb at the beginning. One of the boys said he felt dizzy and disoriented, and so did I, because the path wasn’t quite horizontal. It seemed to throw off the focal planes of my bifocals! Also, it was mostly loose rock, and the drop off to the right (downhill) was very steep, and the path was so narrow at that point that it was hard to hold Kathleen’s hand.
Most of the walk wasn’t that difficult - I had time to admire the fungi - but getting back up challenged everyone. “Don’t stop. Keep moving. Left, right, left, right,” I would say to myself and any child who was flagging.
Part of our hike was on bridle trail, so Kathleen got to see hoofprints, also horse-plotz in various stages of decomposition. Pat, James, and Vlad were interested in the latter, being scientific-minded youths. “Look, there’s mold decomposing the horse poop!” We did not, however, see any actual horses and riders. Maybe they’d been through early in the day: some of the droppings were pretty fresh.
She has her lesson tomorrow morning.
Hope you find your checks! I’ll pray to Saint Anthony. He found my dad’s truck keys once.
I think AA is a good idea. Many people have excellent results; you could even check with Laz! There are so many different groups that, if she makes an effort, she should find one that suits her. United Methodist Churches often have multiple groups; several met at the UMC where I used to meet with my Girl Scout troop.
The hike took about 2-1/2 hours. Each of us had brought a bottle of water, and I had five cut-up apples and a few chocolate-chip granola bars, but we ran out of everything but apple pieces. We had not expected it to be so long or so hard: none of us had been there since Tom was a Cub Scout, and he’s almost 20 now!
Frank not only whined pretty regularly, but he talked non-stop, too. Once Sally said, “Hey, I hear a woodpecker!” and we shut him up long enough for all of us to hear the pecking, but other than that, he just nattered on and on. Kathleen, too.
Elen said she saw squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and lizards. The older kids were usually ahead and would stop at intersections for DP to choose the turn.
Up in the mountain-view parking lot, Frank said, “That’s a motorcycle gang!” I don’t think they heard him, and I explained that it’s a “club” or a “group” if they’re just driving around looking at scenery, and only a “gang” if they are criminals.
Or when they're behind you, and safely distant.
Or much later, when the tale is being told around adult beverages.
Frank. 7-year-old.
Let's be Frank.
Hahaha! I gave my daughter all my Christmas socks except for two pairs I couldn’t find at the time. Those are cute!
And the little squee claiming ownership is absolutely loveable!
There aren’t too many places I would put those checks, as I need them on payday, so they need to be handy. No drawers in this desk (third-hand thing) or that’s where they would have been to start with. I think I will leave it behind and try to find something better in St George.
I’m not worried about my daughter; I just wish I could be of more help to her, emotionally. I don’t think she knows her mother had an addiction problem, but I will text her today and tell her. Perhaps she will have the courage to step out of the mold. Her mother never got the help she needed.
She said she had a sleep study done (she is the manager of a sleep lab, but never had the study done) and her brain waves are all messed up because of what the prescription drugs did to her. That was pretty sad to hear.
I was up before 0300 (ungh) and have the laundry sorted. I just wanted to be able to spend time here...with my coffee klatsch!
I will need a breathing treatment when I get back home for sure. It was pretty humid yesterday, and I noticed that I woke up feeling breathless a couple of times. Not good.
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