Feed Silo and Water Windmill Complete... now to the REAL FUN!!!!

 I love Ranch Simulator. It's set in some remote location like Montana or somewhere with similar terrain.

Lots of Hills and trees and boulders and ravines.... Wilderness- well, that's how it started out- in the subsequent updates and expansions the original General Store and separate gas station have been upgraded to a little tiny town with a General store, a separate gas station, a Best Burger to sell meat and dairy, and a little collection of shops(unusable at this time-just for looks) with a Hardware store(usable. It even has a car dealership and a bank for loans....of course it does. 

My little game has defo evolved. 

I can tell you right now that I emphatically DO NOT like the little town. It wasnt well designed, its cookie cutter plain jane and drives like a rats maze. I avoid it unless I'm going to sell my goods at the Best Burger(thankfully it's the closest building to me & just across the road from my Ranch(VipersNest I named it). The Hardware store where you buy all the things for planting(I don't do that-it's boring to me) and building- planks and metals and camping gear and such....(I most certainly DO that- and a lot of it!!!) you can get there.... I just don't understand why you have to buy ammo at the General store which closes at 10pm- when it CLEARLY should be sold at the Hardware store which is open 24 hours(self serve). I always run out of ammo when I'm hunting at night and need it most.

Anyway..... I played 2 hours when I got home and no one was there but me. I got my Grain silo and my windmill for the water built, got a mini quest done and made 2500 for my trouble- that dagger was a BEAST to locate!!!

I also got my 3 houses blueprint placed.  I don't clearcut my land- I cut about 5 trees total and placed the houses in the parameters of the space between trees.  I've seen some people go in and clearcut every tree on the property and believe me- it was U-G-L-Y!!!!!!!

The only complaint I have about the property is there is no water on it- There's a lake for fishing far away in a corner of the map, but on the property I own- nada..... Not a waterfall, not a creek, not a steam, brook or pond.

However- I CAN build myself a pool if I want. There isn't a blueprint for one- so I have to freestyle create it, but it can be done.

Anywho- Now I have the houses blueprint placed, I can place the barns for the animals.

Funny story... a couple years ago- I built a barn and a corral and walked to Bear country and shot at one and got it to chase me all the way back to the ranch....I went thru the barn and closed the doors behind me once I got outside and I had my friend waiting behind some trees so when the bear chased me into the barn she closed the corral gates and the bear was trapped in it- it was a fun hour or so of running up to the fence to make the bear go mental and chase us back and forth beside the fence. We finally let him loose tho- back into the world.... Hahahah!! 

As you can tell, I don't play games to level up or compete with anyone- I game on my own terms and make up my own rules. 

Isnt life so much more fun when you play by your own rules????? 

YOLO!!!!!!!

(Nope- still not ready to talk about WOW- and it got worse this morning... Work Related.)

Wow

 I mean just WOW......

I just gotta process this one before I write about it... but just WOW.

Not in a good way either.

I DID It!!!! And a Couple Other Things...

 I set up my new gaming laptop all by myself!!!! 

Only it took me 3 days to figure it out- but still- I DID IT!!!!

I ended up having to create a new email- and a new Microsoft account AND a new STEAM account because I couldn't  find/remember/retrieve  my info on either of them but still- I DID IT!!!

It's kind of a good thing I had to redo the Steam one tho because I had so many games on the old one I never played. I had no idea that if you played a bit and didnt like it you could get a refund on it if you were within the perimeters. 

So in the end I got my three fav ones- which cost me less than 20 bucks instead of the hundred plus I spent on them to begin with because they were having a MEGA sale on everything I wanted most!!!

I still haven't got my MINECRAFT back yet either. I couldn't find MINECRAFT JAVA anywhere so I suppose that will have to wait too.

 If you couldn't tell, I got my tax refund back and after a long consideration I got myself a new laptop.  My old one with a falling apart monitor that I brought from the UK was literally being held together by two rubber bands- one at the top of the screen and one at the bottom of the screen. I go to work everyday and do all the "adulting things" so I think maybe I was deserving of a big treat  of something I wanted but also needed.  I'm trying to start a little side hustle and a laptop is kind of a necessity for any business- large or mico-small..... 

Let me tell you- I was sweating bullets buying that thing tho. I went out to price them- not to buy one until I had slept on it another week or so- but the one I had decided was what I needed  before looking at prices was on sale at a really good price(a months rent plus 14 dollars OMG SERIOUSLY!!!!????) so after walking round the store with my daughter who was buying my granddaughter some clothes I decided to not be a big wuss and just go ahead and BUY the thing since it was on sale and prob wouldn't be in a week after I slept on it. 

The IT guy where I work told me they were pretty easy to set up providing I knew all my passwords and usernames and such.... which I thought I could retrieve from my old laptop- but no such luck. I was on my own.

I tried it the second day I had it- and got so frustrated I threw a good old fashioned hissy fit and then closed it up. Then it sat another day while I did a bit of research and got some more advice- and offers of help. But I had ranted about learning to do things on your own that you typically would hand over to a professional or at least someone who had done it before, so I persevered. I got up Saturday morning and daughter and I did a couple of errands, then got back home about 10:30am and I sat down and got to work after trying one more time to retrieve my account info and failing once again- I resorted to the obviously easier way to do it- I created the new accounts- and followed the instructions and did a lot of waiting. Didnt quite get everything done but close to it so Sunday morning I got up, made coffee and got started again with the Steam account and choosing my games and letting them all download.

Of course I had to play a couple hours of Ranch Simulator just to get to have my own Ranch and get it started. I went thru the tutorial and got that completed and purchased  a couple of animals for income for my Ranch and put new gates on the old barn to house them all.  Next go round will see me building a silo and a water well.

Only thing I was a bit put out about is the game now has a fishing experience mini game in it- and I went to purchase the Rod and reel and lures, and it would let me purchase the lures but not the rod & reel!!! CURSES!!!!!

Meh- it will be mine soon!!!

Anyway, instead of acting like most people who get their tax refunds back- I spent a bit of it and paid up all my bills that were due, but I put back a majority of it for a rainy day- ie- in case I need a car repair or in case I find my property for my family compound I have a nice down payment for it!!!! 

In other words, Last week I was well off- but this week I'm back to living paycheck to paycheck because I want my last item on my bucket list to come true!!!!

Anti-HOA

 Why YES- yes I am... I think if you own a piece of property you should be able to paint your door what ever color you like- I believe you should be able to plant whatever trees and shrubs you like- as long as they aren't illegal substances- but that's a slippery slope as well because someone will argue that poppies are the parent plant of opioids.

I believe you should have a lawn of whatever kind of grass you like, or if you dont want grass, maybe a lawn full of clover or a wildflower meadow/ cottage garden. No Matching mailboxes, no rules about my kids bikes in the front yard or a basketball hoop set up in the driveway on the front of the garage. 

Who in their right mind wants to live in a cookie cutter community? Unless you're a Stepford resident.

Who put Karen in Charge?  Not me- she can do whatever SHE likes in HER OWN yard.

And no- I dont live in an HOA neighborhood- I have the best neighbors in the world. I did the HOA thing ONCE- and vowed never again would I ever......and I wont.

New Idea for the Compound!!!

 I just though- maybe three detached Garages with an apartment/tiny house for each of us on the upper level??? 

Separate but together!!

This and That.....

 Time Flies when you are busy, and boy have I been busy!!!!

I did my duty last week and got my taxes "done". I refuse to do them myself- I know for a fact I would screw them up and end up financing the entire bazillion dollar debt of the USA. So I leave that mess up to the professionals. A certified accountant who understands all the Maths. 

So now we wait.....  What tiny bit I get back will be going directly into my Savings Account to finance a family compound for me, my daughter and my son. We've been looking for a property in a certain area, but we may need to branch out a bit.

I'm totally serious about a family compound- I'd LOVE to go totally off grid, but I'm not sure that's going to go over well with the rest of the fam. We'll see.

                                         ***************************************

I'm all over the place with my job right now too. With fuel prices the way they are now , after paying the rent I'm having to put gas money back and use whatever is left to pay for a few groceries and then be REALLY creative with meals for the week. I absolutely LOVE my job and most of the people I work with, but the 110 miles a day to and from work is killing me. 

Add to the mix I'm on patrol driving at least another 25-50 miles a day once I arrive AT work and I'm a bundle of nerves by the time I get home and don't feel up to doing anything until the weekend and I'm beginning to think I'm turning into my grandpa- or my stb ex hubby. But I DO go out and do things with the family on the weekends- and I do spend time with them in the evenings before going to bed. 

I've thought about transferring to another site closer to home, but if we buy a property in the area we hope to- that just means I would be transferring back to the area I work in now. Is there a point in doing that? Is there another option I haven't thought of? Would my company even consider letting me do that? And transferring would prob mean a bit of a cut in pay as well....can I even afford that option???? 

I'm so torn....

                                            ***********************************

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch.....

 Life is good.

Compared to last week when I had a gawd awful headache . And I'm fully taking responsibility for that one. It had been a HORRIBLE stressful week at work despite getting Maggie fixed. Monday was the one great day last week- Me and my baby sister got to spend time together, I got Maggie in good shape, and the weather was glorious. 

Then it hit the fan. I won't go into details(I know- quite uncharacteristic for me but it was that bad I don't even want to recall it except as vague generalities), but I gave up smoking about 28 years ago. Now the only time I smoke is when the stress level has reached a point I'm about to snap. And if it's a Friday a bit of drinking may/may not go with the smoking, but I try very hard to keep from doing that as that usually leads to "Hey- I wanna dance so lets go out to the bar!!" and then we all have to make sure the bail bondsman is on everyone's speed dial(it already is but we all make double sure before we go out together- us sisters are the hell-raisers in the family)....So I bought a pack of ciggies. Smoked 2 on the drive home(forgot how stressful trying to juggle smoking and driving a stick shift can be as well,) then once I arrived home I sat on my front porch swing and proceeded to chain smoke all the rest of the pack except 3..... Two hours later- the barely there headache was a raging full blown migraine. And my mouth was on fire from what I can only describe as nicotine overdose. It's happened once before under the same circumstances- only that time my tongue actually swelled up and it required a couple doses of  Benadryl to stop the reaction. I didnt know that's what caused it then, but I certainly do now. As soon as I felt the tingling begin on my tongue, I stopped and took a tablet. I also brushed my teeth, rinsed my mouth with loads of water then gargled with mouthwash to get rid of the nicotine residue. Listerine. Getting the picture of how THAT burned????

Yeah- uhhhh uh...nah....we aren't going to do that anymore. I'm done for good this time.

Meanwhile- after I finally got rid of that headache- I started working on the workout EVAN generously provided for me a few of his posts back.  Boy, do I have some work to do. But I'm gonna do it!!! By end of the year at latest I'm going to be able to do minimum!!!!  I've set myself a goal!!

We are still looking for a property to buy..... and I'm toying with the idea of repainting Magg's Santa Sleigh Red. My daughter does NOT want me to do it- as she says it would remind her too much of the MATRIX her brother had when he passed in an MVA  many years ago. Magg's paint job now is a lovely Royal Blue- but the clearcoat is flaking off all over her so that's what gave me the idea to repaint her Christmas Red.

What's funny is- when I talk about repainting, my kids have started referring to Maggie as the Ho-ho-ho Mobile. ROTFLMBO.....Well, at the very least I want to get her some red and white stripe leather seat covers. I would look very patriotic with that combo if she stays blue.

Anyway- so that's what is going on at the Ranch Now...... 

Later yall!!!

Don't Get Too Excited...A Cautionary Tale.. and other stuff

 Well, Maggie came thru her surgery. Sis got a call from the Surgeon(ie the mechanic) around noon saying Maggie was out of surgery and we could pick her up whenever we wanted. 

That would be end of shift since we was at work....

So  End of day I head to our site base and turn in my equipment, Keys, Phone, and Patrol device. Then I drive to the main base and park the patrol vehicle. I grabbed all my stuff and waited on my sister to arrive. Our schedules are a half hour different since I'm a mobile supervisor and she works a static post.

So she arrives and I am soooo excited to go pick Mags up and drive her!!!!! Well, the drive to IVA was uneventful- sis and I had a lovely visit and we got there in due time. We retrieved the keys for her- and as we was walking out, my sister glanced down and looked at my waistband. 

"What are those to?" pointing to my waist......

I looked down and lo and behold- I still had the patrol vehicle keys and the keyring to all the gates clipped to my belt. 

Son Of A Nutcracker!!!!

So I had to make the hour and 20 minute drive BACK to the site to drop them off and then another hour and 20 minutes home- after already driving the same route that morning and then again to get Maggie drives like a quiet dream now- no shakes, rattles, nor rolls - just a quiet calm as we roll down that road that never ends.

I- or WE made it back home by 7pm and then ate. Was going to watch at least one more episode of TWD with my daughter, but by that point we was both exhausted(she and Grand D rode with me to return the keys so they could see where I work) so we didnt watch anything except the back of our eyelids as we slept.

So in other news, the tub is draining now- the landlord came out and made the repairs to the drain pipe in record time. It was kind of funny- he was trying to explain and show my daughter what he was doing- like she was actually going to try to do it herself next time. 

Not our circus, not our monkey... it will be handy info for when we get our own property tho. I don't think ours will have the barbie stuck in the drainpipe issue tho, tbh.

I've been researching different types of buildings and my daughter has been researching properties available in the areas we would like to be. I've looked at the Home Depot type buildings for doing tiny house community. I've researched Conex type containers and the costs involved with the tiny house or linked container style to do the compound. We have researched singlewides, and doublewides, along with moving buildings/ houses already built but needing removed from the site they are sitting on. 

My latest research involves steel buildings. There are some really well made ones that are reasonably prices that we could call on certified family members to install electric, plumbing(we could do that ourselves-we all helped mom and dad build their house when we were growing up in the country), insulation, painting and flooring. We could divide it up and it be a multi-generational dwelling for us all. There is one plan I'm VERY interested in- barn shaped with two "shed" sides- one on each side of the taller main area. I'm thinking Two generous bedrooms with a shared bath between for each of those.  The central area between would be a great room/kitchen area with center island bar seating instead of a dining room. The "loft" are could be a den with gaming area set up. It could double as a sleepover/guest room area as well. I personally would like a fireplace with bookshelves in the great room, but we could always do smaller electric fireplaces and bookshelves in our bedrooms instead if we so desired. Or whatever we wanted. A small seating area for personal gaming, a vanity table /dressing area, a crafting station.... the possibilities are endless- and all down to our personal preferences!!!

It would be a simple design to do- I could draw up the plans in less than a week for the entire project. 

I'm hoping that by calling in some favors and putting in the elbow grease ourselves it will mean a great deal more to the kids and cost us all a great deal less than a stick built home. Maybe save enough to be able to put some "recreational equipment" in the back yard!!!

We are a resourceful bunch!!!! My daddy dug out a fishing pond/swimming pond for us all by HAND with a pickax, a shovel and a wheelbarrow with minimal help from anyone. He loved his I did it myself projects!!!!

If Daddy had that kind of ambition and drive- we certainly can do whatever we put our minds to also- his blood runs thru our veins!!!! 

He is and always will be my HERO!!!!!

Saga of Maggie Continues...

 Well, Maggie is back in surgery today. Last time it was Stabilizers and this time it's the whole Struts assembly. 

Don't ask me what they do because it's been so long since I did ANY mechanic work on my car I couldn't tell you. I know it has something to do with steering and alignment...I think?

Anyway- I hope to pick her up this afternoon.  Over the weekend my granddaughter and I cleaned up the interior. I was just going to hoover it out, but Granddaughter is as OCD as I am and she kept finding little other things to clean, the door panels, the door frames, the console, the door pockets, the light switches, everything. Then my darling son came over and while Maggie was sitting still he repaired my headlights and checked my fluids and such.  So soon as Mags gets finished with her surgery, I'm going to get her a DELUXE car wash to finish up her Spa-Day.

So, I stayed with my sister last night and we carpooled to work today as we both work the same shift on Mondays. Got a call about 11pm from daughter and son saying the main drain pipe in the bathroom had burst. Called the landlord and he came out first thing this morning to fix it. 

On the upside- the tub hasn't been draining properly- has been taking about 4 hours to drain the water from one person taking a shower. When son cut the drainpipe(metal and rusted I might add) he found out the reason why it wasn't draining.....There was a full sized barbie stuck in the drainpipe.  For real.... !!

I mean, I can see a barbie HEAD getting stuck maybe, but an entire Barbie doll??? I think that may have been an intentional act on the part of a disgruntled former tenant......Lord knows tho- there was enough glitter glue and nail polish spilled on various surfaces throughout the entire house it might have actually been a kid's doing... You just never know. 

Well, Shop just called and Maggie is ready to be sprung. 

Fingers crossed it's done and dusted.

Later Yall!!!!

My Birthday Week.... A Non-Fiction Post- the Short version.

 Well, this didnt happen the way we thought it would. 

My Someday 2 B ex celebrated his birthday MONTH. All Month. I'm not quite that ambitious- although maybe I should be. LOL

I only celebrate my Birthday Week.  And it was pretty good right up to the actual day of celebrations.

I actually took the day off and lost pay to do so- I felt I needed a fun mental health day and my birthday was the perfect reason to do so.

Well, the day before said day off- my boss needed me to cover a third shift post. sigh... so he let me leave early from first shift and I went home to get some rest before going back in at 11pm. 

My body said No. I might have gotten an hour total sleep time.  Got back to the site, worked all shift, then headed home. Nodded off at the wheel and bolted awake when I hit the "wakey-wakey-ridges" on the side of the pavement 4 times on the way home.  It was stupid of me not to pull over in a Dollar Gentral Parking lot to have a nap before carrying on. 

But I finally made it home. Yay- My Birthday- AND my day off!!!

My baby sister and I had planned to go out to brunch before she had to go home and get ready for work on 2nd shift. I laid down and slept the sleep of the dead for two hours before waking up and waiting on her to get there. Meanwhile, she was waiting for me to show up at HER house. Simple miscommunication that cost us our morning together. But she came up and brought me flowers and a bottle of my ready made cold brew before she went in to her shift. 

Meanwhile, my daughter had put on my fav dinner of Crockpot cube steak and gravy . She and my son and my granddaughter was planning on having dinner with me!!! My granddaughter made me a chocolate cake and we were going to have a green veggie and mashed potatoes with the cube steak.  YUMMM- I was so excited!!

Then my son's fiancée had to take their car to take her grandmother to the hospital to see HER son(Granny's, not Fiancée's) so that ran well into our dinner time plans. He finally called me and asked if I wanted to come pick him up, so I drove a half hour and got him. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my daughter had a blood sugar drop and ended up having to eat before me and son got back. Then once we got there my son got overheated and didnt feel up to eating either right away so I had to go ahead and eat by myself.(Granddaughter is an extremely picky eater(textures do her in) and she took one bite of the cube steak and went to make herself a sammich...smh)

Then my son got a call from fiancée saying she was stuck at the hospital with Granny and it would be after midnight before she was able to come by and pick him up. Son said he would walk back home because I was getting ready to go to sleep and had to be up at 4am to drive an hour to work for my normal first shift job. I was NOT going to let that man walk almost 30 miles after him refusing to let  my birthday go by without him coming to see me somehow-someway. 13 years with me in the UK and them being without me was the final straw for him.  So I insisted on driving him back home and drove myself back home and ended up back in bed at 1am. Up at 4:30am to be back at my job at half 6am.

Got to work   on Thursday(my busiest day coincidentally)and had a TON of things to do( lot of walking and driving back and forth) but I struggled thru and got it all done and then refused to drive any more the second half of the day.

Then I FINALLY got off work and drove to my bestie's house for my birthday dinner with her and one of my other long time sister/friends. Only our other friend had to cancel because she was feeling under the weather. Sigh.....

Picked up Reuben sammiches for me and bestie and opened her door and about cried. I put the food on the dining room table with out saying a word except the hi before I glanced around... then walked back to my car and went to park it in the visitors parking area- turned the car off and burst out crying.

She has lost all 3 of her sons, one to accidental OD one to S!c!de, and one to murder. She's also lost her Dad to Covid and her fiancée to a massive heart attack... all within the last 5 years. Her health is bad, she has awful vertigo and COPD and a bit of a weight issue- plus the added issues with mental health /Depression. Well, very recently she decided to adopt a tiny little puppy for company- even tho me and her mom tried, vigorously, to tell her with her health issues she wouldn't be able to take care of it and train it properly. Alas, she didnt pay the slightest bit of attention to our reasonings and got it anyway. 

And the whole house was destroyed. Puppy poop and pee all over the rugs, paper shredded over the entire house...my bezzie couldn't even take her trash out because when you open the door the little rascal zips out the door and is under your feet trying to trip you up. Not on purpose- she's just doing what untrained puppies do. But with Bezzie's health issues she couldn't manage to take the chance.(She lives very near a busy intersection)

Anyway, I cried for 15 minutes, then cleaned my face, put on my big girl panties and trudged back in to try to clean up in there a bit so I could eat without gagging and sit down to rest before I fell on my own face from exhaustion. It took an hour to clean up enough that I had a clear clean path to the bathroom as I was staying overnight there. While I was cleaning up I was honestly thinking about just going back home for the night although it was another hour and a half from her house to mine at that point. I couldn't just leave Bezzie there abruptly like that tho. It's not in my nature.

I don't know what to do about this situation. I know for a fact that Bezzie cant take care of her furry friend except to feed and water it, and I don't have the time or energy or resources to help her with it all. Nor do I have the slightest inclination to offer to do so if I'm perfectly honest. I have a cat- That is MINE to be responsible for- not the other 3 in my household that belong to other members of my family who also live there. And I'm not going to volunteer to take care of anyone else's pet either- no matter how much I love that person. I want to spend time with Bezzie- but not her pet. 

My problem is I'm literally stretched to my mental and physical and financial breaking point right now and ready to snap. I need to go stay somewhere that has NO PETS, but I honestly don't know a single soul that doesn't own at least one pet- and most own several of different species. Wait- I take that back- I DO know someone who doesnt have a pet- however- the DO have several unruly undisciplined kids which would be no mental rest at all........

 I know- I sound selfish don't I? I cant help it tho. I'm just exhausted and I need some downtime and I need it asap.

Thanks for letting me vent. Just that makes me feel a tiny bit less overwhelmed. And if anyone has any suggestions about the pet situation, please advise!!!! xx

Enough.....

 So I'm not greedy...or selfish...I share what I have with others who are trying to help themselves, just as others have helped me when I was trying but coming sorely short. 

I don't have high expectations- not from myself- nor from others. 

All I want in this life is Enough. 

Enough to be content. I don't care about over abundance. Over-abundance leads to complacency in my opinion.

I want enough money to pay my bills.

I want enough food in the house to keep my family from being hungry.

I want enough clothes to  keep me warm in the winter. In Summer clothes are an ...option. LOL Not really, but LESS so.

I want  enough work to keep all the above "enough(s)" going but not so much work that I don't have enough time to enjoy the rest of my life. 

I want enough privacy to have just a couple hours of quiet time occasionally to reflect on my life or pursue a hobby.

I also want enough family time to make precious memories for when the time comes that there wasnt  enough time left.

It's called Balance. 

We all need it- we all crave it. 

....And I haven't quite figured it out as precisely as I would like for it to be, but I'm getting there.

For the time-being,  I'm happy enough.

 

My Cup Runneth Over...... kinda.

 Okay, so in an office environment why is it considered to look unprofessional to have a fast food to-go cup on your desk in public view- and it not be the same for a coffee cup/mug?

Why is a mug more than acceptable- even encouraged and being seen as "hard-working and sensible adult" and a to-go fast-food cup with or without a straw being viewed as "immature"? 

I'm actually only posting about this because I realized I picked up a skewed view of the drinking utensils during my employment as an admin assistant when I was in England.

This morning I came in to my office, and hid my large McDonalds to-go cup of Sweet Iced Tea out of sight of the public and pulled out my coffee mug to put in easy reach and poured said sweet tea into the sensible mug. 

It's also acceptable to have those big travel mugs filled with the bevvie of your choice, but I rarely see someone over 35 using one of those. Mostly the "20 somethings". On my days off I usually will carry one, but I'm usually at home then and it's mainly to keep my cat Nu-Nu from sticking her paw in it- (She thinks anything I;m having must be shared with her- at least to try and I'm actively discouraging her from that. She's chubby...I mean "fluffy" enough as it is without her eating human food as well)

....I digress- sorry....

and even when I bring one of the travel mugs to work I tend to store those out of public view too. 

Is it just me doing this? What is up with that?

I must be getting eccentric in as I grow older. 

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

 So today is my double shift day.

Working 16 hours, drive home 1 hour and 20 minutes, shower, sleep a couple hours, then drive the 1hr 20 min back to work another 8 hours.

Thinking I might just sleep in the car in the parking lot and get more sleep and save gas....not to mention not driving that long trip on country roads with only two hours sleep. 

                                      "I'm getting too old for this $#!+"

                                                           The Immortal Danny Glover

I cant remember the Movie Title but THAT QUOTE I will never forget.

How It Went and other Such Nonsense.....

 Well,  yesterday didnt go quite as planned. Took Maggie to her surgery and although she drives much better- the rattling issue is still there. Mechanic said he didnt have time to complete that part of the problem and explained what was needed to fix it. I'll have to to reschedule another surgery to finish up. That's fine- I'll do whatever it takes to fix her issues. I need another mental health day anyway tbh.

She's a GREAT little car. So spending a couple hundred dollars to fix her isn't too much to ask. 

After I finish getting her stable, I can do some weekend work on my Ford Ranger. Me any my son are going to take that on as a project and really do it up right. 

Now Maggie is a brilliant Marine Blue color at present, and The Ranger is an Emerald or Forest green, but I'm thinking seriously about having Maggie repainted a beautiful Deep Candy Apple or Christmas Red. Her interior is all charcoal and black, so it would be relatively easy to change her to red. I'm not so sure about painting the Ranger red- it's green now and even the interior dash and door panels and such are green, so it may stay that color. You sure would be able to pick my house out around the holidays....or anytime to be honest!!! Right???

I know both are in dire need of some TLC- the Ranger much more than Maggie. 

Hey, but back to yesterday- Me and my sister rode to Hartwell to look at a piece of property she's been eyeing for a few weeks. I think it would be perfect for her. (And me as my second home). LOL.... Since I've moved back home she's looked out for me like she's my second mom- and to be honest, SHE got the ball rolling so I was able to come back home(along with my Baby Brother). I have the best siblings in the history of siblings!!!

Anyway, on the way home- we spotted a DAIRY QUEEN!!!!! I don't know of but one other one in the entire area. They are a blast from the past. I thought they were all but extinct by now- but apparently not!!!!! And  they have REALLY good fast(ish) food!!! O. M. Gosh!!!!

We stopped there for lunch and I got a 4 piece Chicken Strips Basket with fries and a MOCHA MOO-Latte!!!!

I hadn't had one of those in about 15 years and when I say I was in HEAVEN- you better believe it!!

My waistline is prob mad at me- but it can just Suck it UP(or IN in this case) for one day.

Is anyone Celebrating Lent? I'm considering it even tho I'm not of the Catholic religion.  I'm spiritual, and try lots of practices of different faiths sometimes just because I think it's interesting to learn about those type things. But is it realistic to think I can do it?-  because next Wednesday is my Birthday!!!  I'm not sure I have that kind of discipline on my Birthday or Christmas either ...unless it's a matter of life or death.

Anyway.... I reckon that's it for todays blathering. LOL..

See y'all next time!!!

Surgery Tomorrow and Other News.

 Maggie goes under the wrench tomorrow for some much needed work.

I'm taking her in to the auto shop early and praying they can have her ready to go by end of the day so I won't lose another days work. 

I'm actually not losing my hours tho- one of my teammates has agreed to work for me and pull a double shift tomorrow if I return the favor on Thursday.  Only bad thing about it is I will be pulling a double and then doing what is termed a "Turn and Burn". Pull a late shift(or in my case a double shift) working until 11p, drive an hour and 20 mins home to sleep a couple hours, then get back up at 4 to drive another hour and 20 mins back to work to be there by 6:30am. Imma be a zombie by the time Friday is done.

BUT- next week I will have Wednesday off for my birthday. Said buddy wants to do the double thing again, but I honestly don't think I'm up to doing that mess two weeks in a row. Boss already has my shift covered for my day off, so I think we just going to leave it at that. I need a mental health day anyway.

So Valentines weekend was mostly quiet. Friday I got a yellow rose from my daughter and granddaughter, and chocolates from my son. I slept in on Sunday, but Saturday saw me and my daughter and granddaughter going to Easley to the old homeplace to pick up a couple of things, then on the drive home we stopped at a couple of Mobile Home Sales lots and did a bit of comparison shopping and when we got home- Numbers Crunching.

I'm all for the family compound thing, Just me and her and my son. Daughter wants a ready made home- I want something I can redo- a shed, a shipping container, a old school bus.....I can work  and make anything a livable home. It just takes hard work and imagination. I have no idea what son would prefer- but we do need our own space. And my Number ONE Goal in my life is to own my own home/property before I die. So we can start with one thing and go from there.

Somehow- Someway- I'm going to make that happen.

Continuation of Valentines Post....

  ....My previous post was about Valentines Day.....

This post is inspired by Evan 's post.....

I totally agree with all he said- every single word, especially the part about it being a forced commercial holiday(I paraphrased a bit)- Go read his post- he said it much more eloquently than I could. 

I realized that holiday for what it was early on after I was married. 

First Husband and I were broke young adults and lord knows prices get jacked up on gifts of all kinds on ESPECIALLY Valentines Day and Mothers Day and almost as badly on Easter, Halloween and Christmas. (I've never quite understood why Fathers day seemed to be the exception to the rule on all that but it certainly seems that way to me.(I ramble- Sorry)....  So neither of us was upset if we couldn't afford to get each other anything.

Second Husband-  Still young and raising my kids and he brought me gifts on random days so if we forgot Valentines Day we didnt even notice...He only asked for his favorite meal with all the trimmings which I could usually make happen anyway, but gifts didnt make up for him being mean to my kids. Package deal buddy- you knew that before you married me. I think if he had been able to have a child it would have softened him, but he couldn't, so we will never know.  To his credit- he has apologized over and over and still holds hope that someday we might possibly get back together, but I'm 1000% positive that will not happen. We can be civil to each other but it's too much water under that bridge to go any further.

Third Husband- Gave me expensive jewelry every single Valentines Day and Christmas. He was a Trust Fund Baby. But to him giving me expensive gifts made up for being a total control freak(in HIS mind- not in mine.)  There was a "Final Straw " moment -coincidentally on our last Valentines Day that I may or may not talk about one day but that's for another day. *(I feel I can openly and honestly write about some of the things that happened with #1 & #3 -  Their families have forgotten about me and the husbands themselves I have outlived plus I don't get too detailed- just generalities that might help me work thru some of my real life issues- like the one I mentioned with #2...... and I don't mention names or get graphic- privacy does matter still to some of us in this day and age....)

Fourth Husband-Felt the same way about Valentines Day as I do- thinks it's over commercialized and socially expected. I cannot complain about his gifts and cards on Holidays. Impeccable taste. Sometimes we would do Valentines Day- sometimes we wouldn't- usually if we saw something we wanted we would buy it no matter what day it was and say-  consider this my Christmas gift- or Valentines gift- and it worked for us.  

 I sometimes wonder if someone actually does give me a gift - are they doing it because they actually feel some kind of way or is it out of a sense of Social pressure? Like those hated elementary cards Evan spoke of - honestly I hated them for the exact same reasons he did....and also I had the same method for distribution ...lol- great minds think alike, eh, Evan??  

My birthday is eleven days after Valentines Day and call it vanity- but I would MUCH rather have someone remember and celebrate THAT day rather than a socially forced holiday- no matter WHICH holiday it is. 

All those things you mentioned Evan are what I (and what we ALL should )consider the most important love offerings- the togetherness- watching a movie, going for a Sunday drive, holding hands, snuggles and laughter- and what my yesterdays post was about was My Very First Honestly Romantic Gesture- it was so simple and understated  and perfect.....and it came from my sandy brown haired boy who set the bar high in so many ways. 

"Firsts" are a very important part of our lives. 

Trip Down Memory Lane...I was 14 Years Old...

 It was Valentine's Day in 1970-something ....and I was sitting out front of Junior High (Middle School they call it now)waiting for my mom to pick me up after school. This cute little sandy brown haired boy comes walking up to me and hands me a HUGE Yellow and Gold heart shaped box of Chocolates and says Happy Valentine's Day Vada. Then walks away. 

I had no earthly idea who he was, but I quickly fixed that little problem. His name was Allen and we started dating shortly after that.... I still have that chocolate box somewhere at my mom's house. 

Ongoing Saga of Maggie Mae...

 So yesterday my sister Nina and I brought Maggie Mae( My Mazda 3) to her Gynecologist appointment.....i.e.- the mechanic at the local garage.

Well, we was there for about 30 minutes total. The mechanic went up under her front end. Then under her rear end. Back and forth a couple of times  making these sounds like..."hmmmm"....."huh" .... and "Ahhh, I see" and  such.....A very thorough examination indeed.

I started giggling then turned to my sister and mumbled- "See? Gynecologist- that's the same things mine says while he's/she's doing an exam."

My sister literally strangled on her  mouthful of tea and said "I'm going to stand over there next to the door- you are being BAD!" 

 And she did. She was still laughing tho.

So, then the mechanic asked to drive it around the block and I handed him the keys. He did, then parked it and repeated the process. Then he asked his boss to take a test drive. He did then the boss parked Maggie and they conferred about 15 seconds and then told us exactly what we needed to order. Once the parts arrive my sister will call him and he will set up an appointment for "surgery". 

We went directly to the O'Reilly's Auto Parts store, ordered them and they should arrive today. 

So very likely Maggie will have shiny new parts within the week.

And I'll be able to drive like a normal person instead of an 85 year old senior citizen. 

I may get the discount- but I'm still a young driver in my mind. 

Maggie Mae- or The Lone Ranger?

 Well, I've put it off about as long as I can. 

As soon as my tax refund comes in, Ms. Maggie (yes I named her) is getting a new front end. 

Honestly, I'm scared to death she is going to just lay a tire over going down the interstate- thus I don't get over 45 mph and I don't go on the interstate highways because going 45 in a 70 would be suicide.

I've been debating whether to get my Ranger fixed or  Maggie fixed. The price for repairs is about the same. But I know what needs fixing on Maggie. The Ranger is a toss up. So I guess I'll  fix Maggie first and have the Ranger as a project car to repair a bit at a time. (The Ranger was my moms truck and she left it to me when she passed.) I know it needs the crack in the block repaired, but what else it may need is up in the air. 

So Maggie it is. 

Remember When?

 Remember when I used to go on Photo-walks and post some of the photos on here? 

I think I may need to start doing that again....

It's nice to go back and read some of my old blog-posts and be reminded of all the fun things I used to do that somehow got lost in the everyday happenings of life.....

My Granddaughter likes taking photos too, so maybe we can start doing it together!!! If my daughter will come it can become a family thing, like hiking, but not as strenuous.

I'll have to discuss with them later tonight.

The weekend is almost upon us- the weather forecasters cannot make up their minds what it's going to do... snow? Sleet? Ice??? Rain??? they seem to update their opinions(in chart form) every two or three hours and face it- I can predict what it will be as well as if not better than they can. My bones and arthritis and migraines tell me more than the weathermen...

And at the end of the day I just open the door or window and can tell exactly what the weather is.

 So my prediction for the weekend is- The sun will come up and a few hours later the sun will go down, and we will have some weather during ALL those times. 

Tell me I'm wrong. 

What's Normal????

 

What's a normal day for me????.....

Well,

5AM up for work

5:30-6:45am Drive an hour to work

6:45am-3PM Ride around doing patrols and answering calls.

3pm-4:15pm Drive home.

4:15p-6p- Dinner prep and dinner

6p-8p- Family time- usually a movie or a board or card game

8p-9p Shower and prepare for bed and work next morning

9p-5a- Blessed sleep broken by cats with zoomies or bathroom stops.

Weekends are have a lie-in until 7am!!! Then do some light housekeeping. Lots of Hot coffee(Folgers) with Caramel Macchiato creamer and then Sweet iced tea after 11am. That being finished will find me either working on my book, working on a painting, target practice, or vegging on the sofa until I fall asleep(usually several times) before finally dragging myself to the bathroom for a quick shower and heading to my actual bed which is as soft as a heavenly cloud!!

On Sundays I cook a family dinner attended by whichever family members can attend on any given Sunday.

I lead a FABULOUS life!!!!

How About NO?

I said NO- 2026 was NOT going to be a repeat of 2025....but then......it hasn't started off well at all

Yesterday my sister's home burned to the ground. 

She was on her way to her oncologist appointment when she got the call that her house was on fire, so she turned around and rushed home to find the entire property fully engulfed with all the departments on site....Fire, Police- Medics..... the whole shebang.

She lost everything- all five buildings, her two fur babies (Bit-Bit and Pita), her clothes, her meds, sentimental items-everything!!! She wasnt able to afford insurance on her place with the majority of her pay going to Doctor visits and meds. 

At least her two eldest kids(adults) weren't staying with her when it happened. I don't think she could have taken losing her kids with everything else piled on top of what's going on in her life.

This is the same sister who has Stage 4 Kidney cancer and a couple months ago was hit head-on by an idiot driver who wasnt paying attention and swerved into HER lane as she was driving to a patients home.....Tee is a Hospice CNA. 

This woman just can't catch a break in life- well, she can- but it usually comes with a cast attached to them. 

I just don't know how much more she can take before she gives up- I probably would have given up a couple of years ago had it been me- but not Tee- she just keeps hanging on to her faith and goes about her business regardless.. She is one of the strongest women I have ever known. 

I just wanted to ask y'all pray for her- we all are because we don't know what else to do right now other than offer her a place to stay until she gets back on her feet and decides what direction she wants to go in or what is and what isn't possible or achievable for her at this point in her life.

If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times- a Family Compound of Tiny Houses is looking more and more logical and sensible at this point.

Seriously y'all, thank you for all your prayers. They are so appreciated. xx

Dazed & Confused...

 I'm in a quandary right now. I have several situations ongoing and try as I might I haven't gotten a clue where to go from here.

One person has taken on a project I'm absolutely a thousand percent sure they can't handle. Yet it's their hearts desire and they've done it- completely ignoring the fact that they themselves had said a hundred times before that they couldn't ever do it again. Someone else is going to be expected to pick up the pieces of their life when they ultimately fail in this little venture. 

Another person is doing things that will ultimately harm their health in the future but only slightly affects them in the moment. No- it isn't drug related in case you are wondering. I try to insist they NOT do it- and try to steer them in a different direction, not constantly, but in my presence and enough so I KNOW I've done my part to circumvent the issue until they are old enough to take charge of their own life choices. I love this person dearly and it hurts my heart that the person who needs to back me up in this issue would rather lead a quiet life than do what's best for person 1.

Another person is thinking about going into a past situation and I'm worried about then getting too involved and in over their head.

I think I might be worrying too much about other peoples problems and just making myself miserable in the process. But that's what you do when you care about someone, isn't it? 

Isn't it? IJDK anymore....

Testing, Testing...One Two Three... Testing.....

 The Universe is testing my patience this year already.

Car insurance went up twenty dollars a month. 

On the way to work this morning had fiver drivers turn in front of me or almost sideswiped me- FIVE.

My best friend lost both her Fiancée and her dad on this date 7 and 5 years ago, respectively.  She would be absolutely devastated to lose me on this date too- and I say that humbly and respectfully. Our friendship/sisterhood has endure everything life has thrown at us for the past 59 years. And I daresay I don't think we would have made it through the disasters and catastrophes without each others shoulder to lean on. Our sisterhood has endured more and better than all my marriages combined.

I'm so annoyed & aggravated right now- my B/P is sky high, my heart is racing, I feel nauseated, in a daze and I am shaking like a leaf.  This small bit of a post has taken me almost 40 minutes to type out because I've had to go back and correct so many mistakes.......

I honestly think I'm on the verge of a panic attack. 

Going to do a walkabout and some deep breathing to try to calm down. 

At least if I'm on the floor with other people, if I collapse there will be someone there to  call for help instead of me being stuck in an office where someone might possibly see me after a couple of hours.

See, there's a silver lining to every scenario!

My Favorite Abode...

I’ve lived in over 60 different homes in my lifetime, and the one I hold most dearly in my heart is a spacious two bedroom duplex apartment on Oak Vale Street in South Carolina. 

I moved there by myself, then shortly after my youngest son and his best friend moved in with me.

Then shortly after that(all within the space of a month) events occurred that saw my eldest son, and his little family of three AND my daughter and her son move in with us. We were packed in like sardines, but it was, to ask any of us, the happiest times of our lives. We were all adults(except for the two under two year olds) and somehow, we just automatically made the necessary compromises and made it work for about a year and a half. It was like a party every weekend combined with a family reunion. We had a basketball hoop and a horseshoe set out back and a perfect sized yard for all of us to be entertained in.

We were so blessed to have had that time together before my youngest son passed a couple of years later, and if I ever get the opportunity buy that duplex, I will do so in a heartbeat with no hesitation.

Do you have a favorite home you think of as fondly? I'd love to hear about it!!