Road Trips- #4

  Are road-trips a thing of the past? 

And how long must a road  trip be to be classified as a true Road Trip?

I've never been on more than a day long one myself. I don't think the idea of sitting in a car for days on end is something I would particularly enjoy. I do day long ones tho occasionally and four stand out in my memories more than others I might have taken.

Again, me and Paul- this time we invited Frank, my eldest son to go with us.

We took off towards the blue Ridge Parkway, grabbed some snacks and a drink and just had a grand time chatting about everything and nothing specific.  We stopped at some of the lookouts and took photos,  listened to songs and sang along, and just general had a great time together. Once it started getting  up in the elevations, it started getting a bit sketchy as some really weird clouds started rolling in. The sky kept getting darker and darker and the clouds more ominous. By this time we had bought - no PAUL had bought some sort of GPS type thing so he opened it  and was looking at the road. It had gotten horribly foggy all the sudden and there were sheer drop offs on both sides of the road. We literally couldn't see 10 feet in front of us and was having to drive by the device. Needless to say we were only going about 5 miles per hour - if that. We seemed to be the only one out there as well- until we saw flashing hazard lights of a park ranger on the road in front of us.We followed him about 5 miles down until we came out of it- but about two minutes after we found the ranger- it started snowing!!!!  It was middle of MAY yall!!!! That was terrifying.

When we came out of the fog the ranger was just GONE- we was going to thank him for the guidance, but he was nowhere to be found. Just out of the fog and vanished. And we was literally almost bumper to bumper. I was absolutely terrified to be driving, but I would have had a panic attack if I wasnt in control behind the wheel of my car.

there's more to this road trip- but I'll save it for later. Duty Calls- again.... 

Road Trips. #3

  Are road-trips a thing of the past? 

And how long must a road  trip be to be classified as a true Road Trip?

I've never been on more than a day long one myself. I don't think the idea of sitting in a car for days on end is something I would particularly enjoy. I do day long ones tho occasionally and four stand out in my memories more than others I might have taken.

Me and Paul on some random Saturday.

Paul and I were bored so we decided to just go on a drive. We(as usual) headed up towards the mountains, and we got talking so wasnt really watching where we were going. I drove because Paul hated driving at all-and after a few hours it started looking familiar. Hmmm....so we drove about 2 more hours trying to figure out where we was at.

Finally I saw a sign saying WELCOME TO BREVARD!!!

Now my dad is from that area- and we had been there many many times, but then DAD was driving and I tried to zone out when we went because my parents ALWAYS got into the worst arguments when we went to the mountains and I - all us kids- learned to bring something to distract us from the spat so I had an idea where we were- but didnt have a dang CLUE how to get back to home. Good thing I had gas money tho and gas prices weren't nearly as high as todays are.(Also it was just the very beginning of Garmins and GPS services so of course we didnt have either.) So rather than drive around and get worse lost or run out of gas money, I did the best thing I could have possibly done.

I called Dad.  

"Hey Dad... got a quick question for you. Hypothetical, of course..."

Of course he knew me and started chucking...."Of Course, Baby Girl... what's the hypothetical question?"

"Well, say a person was in Brevard- and had been there a hundred times, but really wasnt paying attention...If this person was, say, near the high school, how would they get back to-ohhh... let's say they were from Greenville?"

He actually started laughing and asked if I was joking. 

"Dad- I said hypothetically..."

He, still chuckling, cleared his throat and gave me "hypothetical" directions.

End ot the call he said- "Yall be careful- yall got gas money?" I said "Yes sir- we are fine and will be careful- Thank you Dad."

He said" I love you and if you need me to come get you or lead you home, just call. Hypothetically, of course". 

We made it without having to make that second call, thank goodness.

I never lived that one down tho.- I'd never not been able to find my way back before then.  

We all have our moments.

Road Trip. #2

 Are road-trips a thing of the past? 

And how long must a road  trip be to be classified as a true Road Trip?

I've never been on more than a day long one myself. I don't think the idea of sitting in a car for days on end is something I would particularly enjoy. I do day long ones tho occasionally and four stand out in my memories more than others I might have taken.

So on to #2...

Me and my Daughter Julie. I used to own a lil sports car... you may know what a MGB is. It was little, black and silver convertible. One owner before me and they did diddly squat in maintenance to it so when I bought it off the car lot, just as the warranty ran out on it- it started having issues. It was drive it three days,  something on it needed fixing and then it be down for six weeks because everything on it was special order. Anyway, during one of the drivable times, I picked up my daughter, again for lunch, only we couldn't decide where we wanted to eat. So I said we'd just drive around til we saw something that suited our fancy. We drove and drove and drove- top down, sunglasses on and wind in our hair until the sun went down. Then we stopped for dinner before heading back home.

We talked about anything and nothing- just enjoying the countryside and each other's company Just my precious Baby Girl and Me.

Road Trips. #1

 Are road-trips a thing of the past? 

And how long must a road  trip be to be classified as a true Road Trip?

I've never been on more than a day long one myself. I don't think the idea of sitting in a car for days on end is something I would particularly enjoy. I do day long ones tho occasionally and a handful stand out in my memories more than others I might have taken.

The first one was a road trip with my Bezzie, Rhonnie. I was going out to lunch with her but my car wasnt in the best of shape- and so my youngest son, Clay, offered to let me have his car for the day since he didnt have anything planned but staying in and catching up on sleep. He told me- yall go have lunch and then go do something FUN together!!  So I hopped in his little CRX, picked up Rhonnie who only lived a few blocks away and off we went. I can't for the life of me remember what restaurant we ate at- but it was on Pleasantburg Drive and the food was really good. As we came out of the restaurant, I asked her what we wanted to do since Clay insisted we do something more than lunch. She said she didnt know, so I suggested going to buy a lottery ticket. South Carolina didnt do lottery at the time so we had to drive just over the Georgia State line  in Toccoa to buy them. That was about 45 miles away- so off we toddled!!!We got down there and it was right by the Lake so we dilly-dallied for a few minutes before continuing on. After hopping back in the car, we just drove randomly,  each of us taking  turns choosing which direction to go at each intersection or turn off. We ended up in Brevard, North Carolina somehow.  Beautiful Mountain Area. So we grabbed a snack and sat by the mountain river then we continued on- same as before.... Before we knew it it was 8pm and we was in Pickens City- just a few miles from our homes in Easley. Three States in one day!! 

We still to this day reminisce about that trip and how much fun it was. I hope we can do it again before we get too feeble to do so.

One More Thing...

 I know I already posted once today but I just thought of something....

Have you ever held a belief of something and someone discussed it with you and changed your thoughts on whatever it was? 

I'm just wondering. 

Evan has actually changed my mind on a couple of things I believed to be truth- but then he offered a point of view I hadn't  considered- hadn't even entered my mind- and then I changed my mind after carefully mulling it over a while and doing some research on the matter. His aspect on it was spot on.

That RARELY happens as I try to consider all possibilities before stating my mind.

Well Done Evan. Well Done Indeed.

Worth it... and other things.

 It's been a rough month and I haven't been very consistent with my blogging, but I will try to do better in future.

Went to the lake this weekend. Stayed in the water just long enough to take a quick dip and cool off...then sat in the shade watching my two kids and my youngest granddaughter splash around until they decided to get out. Was there a grand total of about two and a half hours, and I still got crispy fried because my meds I'm on make me super sun-sensitive. Even in the shade as I found out. Even tho I'm in misery right now- it was more than worth it to just be able to create more memories with my loved ones. I'd give anything to have the same opportunity to do the same with all my grandkids before my time comes.  Plus- my daughter now wants to find a place with a pool- or us get a pool when we move to our own property. I'm 100% in agreement.

Silver Lining of the sunburn..... It looks super impressive against my brilliant white uniform shirts!!! Hahahahahaha.....

So, our  house hunt/job hunt continues. So far nothing just right has come along. It will tho. God has a plan- we just have to have patience. In the meantime, my granddaughter will start as a high school Freshman at  the high school in the county we live in now instead of the one we want her to graduate from. (Easley- it's a Family Tradition).... she's excited to be a highschooler no matter where it is. Her ADHD meds are working miracles for her. Thank God for the Blessings.

One of my Blogger friends, Spo , asked in his post today- or maybe yesterday- at what moment did you realise your adulthood? I gave him my response, but thinking on it- do we ever really actually believe we are adults- or are we perpetually children waiting for that moment to go on like a light bulb in our heads and then we have all the adult answers to all our adult problems? I know I'm adult- with adult problems that I have to solve, but in my heart of hearts I probably still be that child faking it until that light bulb goes on....Oh how I would love to go back to being a child- if only there wasnt all my little loved ones that I wouldn't be able to bring back with me.....

And speaking of aging.... 

...I just don't know about this..... So when I first moved back home I lost a load of weight and got a makeover and was told by quite a few ppl that I really looked good for my age. I've always looked younger than my actual age- up until about 10 years ago I still got carded when I would order a drink when I was out to dinner or at the ABC store to buy a bottle of wine or vodka. But in the last year I seem to have aged about 10 years. I'm not even joking. How is that even possible? Is it stress of having all the responsibility on my shoulders? That's the only thing I can think of that has changed for me.... Granted I did move 3x in the past two years, I left the man I thought I would be spending the rest of my life with because ..Reasons..... But you wouldn't think that would cause that kind of radical aging... or would it? It is what it is. I don't suppose it is logical to think staying younger looking would last forever- or until I turned 80 or 90... but I do wish I hadn't gotten looking better to have it ebb away so quickly either. That's a big ole danggggg wtheck in my book. I mean I'm defo not looking for another relationship- I don't think EVER again- but I would like to look decent just for photographs sake. LOL... Vain? Maybe- but I do have a little pride left even tho my ex-partners have tried to grind that confidence of mine down to nothing. Nice Try Guys- I'm stronger than you realise.

I'm still trying to get my schedule worked out so I can finish my books. I want to work on three of them for sure. One of them-Hunter's Revenge- I have to be in a certain state of mind to write, and I seem to have lost the biggest part of my rage for that one. I haven't worked on it for about 5 years. I've mainly been working on the story loosely based on my Daddy and on my Memoirs at this point- and hoping I get that one finished before I leave this world. If it's left unfinished, my family is gonna have a LOT of questions unanswered. LOL And that's why I started it to begin with. I wanted them to see I wasn't just Mama or Sis, I want them to know I have lived a full life, full of happiness and sadness and lots of cherished memories of them all.

I just want a simple life.... and I'm getting there. Slowly but surely.

Podcasts Are the New Novelists?

 So do you think  some of the new podcasters are the new novelists?

Everyone seems to have a podcast these days, are they replacing books in a steady creep? They all tell stories just in a different format.

Well, That's Interesting!!! And a Mystery!!!

 

Well, our family reunion was a few weeks ago and things got very interesting there.

A few of us have been thinking about/ discussing getting our DNA tested for ancestry for a couple of years now. We have a few relatives that are deep into family history/origins. Granny & PaPa had 18 children and of the 11 that survived to adulthood, we got a LOT of family diversity going on. From WAY BACK- It's not a new thing for our Clan.

From a few comments from our PaPa and Granny have given us reason to believe we have some characters in our forefathers- and Foremothers, for that fact. You wouldn't believe some of the things we have discovered......or maybe you would. LOL

So my cousin Stacy actually got hers done and the results came back just before the reunion... and what she found out makes me want to get mine done even more than ever. 

Turns out her dominate origin is African. All the rest (4 other bloodlines)are almost 9% equal parts.

Now if you knew our family, we are certainly a Matriarchal Clan. Our women are headstrong, hardworking, and go about running everything with an iron fist- there isn't a weak or quiet one of the bunch and our men don't usually dare argue with us once our mind is made up and we have laid down the law about how it's going to go. Well, except maybe Odessa- she's the quietest one of us but she can certainly get her dander up in a split second too.

We  totally understand "why" we are all characteristically the same if Stacy's results are the average for us all. And as I said- I want to have mine done more than ever. I think Maybe I'll find out if my sisters want to get ours done at the same time for Sisters Day in August.(August 2nd to be exact.)

There was a point a few years before my Daddy passed, I found a photo of me as a baby- around 1 year old- and it had some faded writing on the back of it. It took me a couple of days to decipher the writing, but what I found made me question my parents and my aunts- one in particular because the writing matched hers specifically. Even tho everyone denied I was adopted, I still to this day have my suspicions. 

But the weirdest part of it was- it was the picture of me my Daddy carried around in his wallet all those years. (No- I wasnt snooping, Daddy got a new wallet for Christmas and he was switching things over to see if it would work and I was there and saw the pic and asked him could I keep it a couple days- and I did & then gave it back to him).

I just have so many unanswered- or answered but still under investigation-questions. The thing is- would a DNA test be of any use to prove or disprove my theory/suspicions since both my mom and dad are passed and my Auntie in question  wouldn't take the DNA test to disprove anything?

Am I going to have to wait til I get to heaven to ask Jesus- or will I know the truth automatically once I get there? 

Oh- speaking of- Y'all Dads have a Very Happy Fathers Day Sunday!!! 

I.T. Guys- Modern Day Heros

 Yeah- came into the office and my computer black screened on me.

Having been married(technically still am) to an I.T. Guy, I know the drill and followed it to the letter.. then I called the company I.T. Guy and went thru the drill with him. 

*Have you turned it off and on again?(Yes sir- twice.)

*Did you check the connections on the back of the monitor? (Yes sir)

* Are you comfortable with unplugging them and plugging them back in one at a time while we are on the phone together? (Sure- no problem) takes about 3 minutes to do them one at a time with a 10 second wait  between each unplug and re connect....

Then  he said he would send a technician out today at some point before 4pm. Less than a minute later he's calling back asking can he connect remotely to try and fix it. I said sure but I have a black screen so not sure how I'm going to be able to accept the request.... somehow he managed to connect so he could see what was on my screen and he walked me thru yet another set of instructions to try and fix it. 

And Lo & Behold- it worked!!! 

I know I complain a lot about things on my blog posts, but one thing I will never complain about is the I.T. Guys from ANYWHERE. 

Those guys put up with some of the stupidest  questions ever. But then if someone knows absolutely nothing about computers, they don't know what to ask or how to troubleshoot an issue. 

I have to say I learned a good bit just listening to my husband talk about the issues he had to deal with on a daily.

His biggest complaint was people who called up thinking it could be fixed in 30 seconds or less- or the ones who thought that their problems were more important than the ones of people who had already raised a ticket for issues and were waiting on them to be fixed. Unless you are a V.I.P. and I mean a VERY HIGH UP V.I.P. you ain't getting bumped up to the top of the que. And rightly so.

After setting up my new laptop and struggling 3 days (it would have taken an I.T. Guy about  an hour and a half or two maybe) I'm quite willing to call my I.T. Guys Modern Day Heros.

Craig, Evan, and Paul.... Kudos!!!!

Another Bits and Bobs Post!!!

 What a week it has been!!!

My son was sent to the ER with Severe dehydration issues. It took 4 bags of IV fluid to get him stabilized. The doctor said my son was so dehydrated that his organs was starting to shut down. Thank God his boss realised what was happening and sent him to the hospital when he did. He's doing better now- and making a point of staying hydrated properly.- making sure WE all are too. I think it was an eye opening moment for him.

I was listening to NPR this morning and heard about our illustrious leader's 80th Birthday bash on the White House lawn. Seriously? I can totally understand the want of a blowout birthday for your 80th- but FFS- he really had to do it on the White House property? At this point I've just lost all respect for the man and I don't think anything he does from here on out would surprise me.

Got a lead on a house for rent(again with the renting but it is what it is, I suppose)- turned out to be yet another scammer - just for the Application Fees. I don't know where these people drug themselves out of- swamp, tar pits, under a rock, deepest darkest pit of hell- but they are EVERYWHERE now- Just for the fee to see if you qualify for  the residence. Now I ask you- how in the HELL do you know which are legit and which are scammers? PLEASE tell me if you know because my area is eaten up with the Non-Legit kind!!!

GNATS!! OMG they are in full blown over-drive breeding mode here. Are they like this all over or just in the Southern States?

One last thing- if anyone has found a big bag(or envelope) of money(I'm not picky)- There's a possibility that it may be the one I've been praying for, so let me know and I'll come pick it up. I have a reward in mind for you. Hahahahahahaha.....

I want to go to the lake- or river- on a fishing trip. If I ever get my Ford Ranger running I'm putting the camper cover back on it and putting a mattress in the back of it and installing a fishing rod rack- (kinda like a gun rack)  and I'm gonna go fishing for a few days. Maybe just me and Jesus. Maybe me and my sister....maybe me and one of my cousins - as long as they dont wanna bring a truckload of equipment and are quiet.

I don't wanna hear no mobile phones ringing or pinging or nothing- just the sounds of nature and my breathing....maybe a fire crackling for an hour or so before I go to bed... maybe not. 

I just need quiet.... and peace for a few days.

Taking the Plunge.

 Ever make a decision and then stress that it's the wrong one?

Me either. I'm usually fed up with the entire deal when I finally give up. I try to exhaust every possibility before throwing in the towel - in EVERY situation.

I like to give it time to change, to let nature do it's thing, to let people see the error of their ways and at least TRY to do better. But situations sometimes just go more and more off the rail until there's nothing left to do but jump clear and try to save yourself- or your sanity.

I've taken this approach many times in my sixty odd levels on this earth and it's worked a charm every time- so far.

Say a prayer it works for me one more time now.

We Shall See....

Cum 'si- Cum 'sa...

 Wellll... at this point my expectations for relaxation need to be lowered considerably.

I wrote in my earlier post what my weekend was supposed to be. Fun-filled relaxation with my two besties.

Some so-so-.... and some not.

I got off work a bit early on Friday to go get a BP check and have a lil once over about my wrist and shoulder. MEH- Of course my BP was still thru the roof and my shoulder and wrist are just my carpal tunnel and a bit of arthritis thrown in just for good measure. Just typical aging ...I'm already wearing a support brace on the wrist and babying the shoulder so I'm doing all that can be done for it without surgery(which is NOT going to happen anytime soon.)

So I drove to Bestie R's house after work. But first-Of ALL the things to forget to bring- I forgot my civvie shoes. Sooo on the way there I had to stop at like five different discount stores because I have about eight pair of civvie shoes at home(not counting boots) and I wasnt about to spend more than ten dollars on a pair of shoes I was going to wear just out to lunch on Saturday and then them go right back off when we got home.  I got lucky at the fifth store and found a pair of(get this) GREEN suede sneakers with white laces that matched EXACTLY my green and white tie-dye romper outfit I had chosen to wear to lunch with the girls!!! A $3 SCORE!!!!!! Only all that running around set me back time wise and I got there about a half hour past the time I normally get home(Rhonnies) from work going straight there. SMH laughing....

So anyway- I got there and she had gnats in her apartment- I mean it was COVERED. If it hadn't been such a big deal weekend I would have turned around and went straight back home to Starr. I'm allergic to gnat and mosquito bites- they leave HUGE knots wherever I'm bitten. I most certainly didnt want to be miserable and sick for the next few days- so I had to leave and rethink my battleplan.

So I went and got something to eat and a nice cool drink and sat in my car in the shade of a huge water oak for about an hour and then I drove back to Rhonni's. (She hadn't wanted to ride with me when I left) I put on long sleeves and stayed in my work clothes and I gathered up as much of the culprits as I could and then I made up some traps and sprayed a bit and we went out and sat on her front porch people watching and gossiping as old ladies are often seen doing. 

Eventually we got all sweaty... I mean Glisteny... and decided to go back inside. The  critters had pretty much died by then so I showered and then I swept and mopped and then we watched a movie and settled down for the night.

The next morning, disaster struck.  Rhonni came down with a bad tummy upset and she didnt want to chance going out. So I called my sister and invited her to meet me and Joanie at the restaurant and Joanie invited her daughter as well. I couldn't not go as it was Joanie's birthday celebration as well and she has been looking even more forward to it than Rhonni had been.

Now mind you, Joanie and Rhonni and myself have been friends for almost 6 decades (My baby sister grew up with us as well- and Joanie and my other sister were married to the same guy- (sis first then Rhonni and I introduced Joanie and my ex-br-in-law to each other and in less than 6 months they had gotten married and stayed married until he passed away a few years ago- match made in heaven)- we got up to a LOT of shenanigans when we were younger...still do but that's stories for another time.... And as we all sat in the restaurant, Tabitha  kept getting embarrassed everytime we would say something- we was being extremely obnoxious- for some reason we seem to automatically revert to being about fifteen when we get together. My sis just joined in and everyone was laughing at poor Tabby....  She kept saying she wanted to hear the story behind some of the references we were making, but her mom(Joanie) said not in a million years. 

I told Tabby to wait til we all had passed and I would have a copy of my memoirs sent to her as it's alllll in there. Hahahahaha.

Anyway, Joanie loved her paintings -one a  landscape I redid from a painting Joanie had bought but couldn't stand to look at on the wall for more than an hour because it depressed her so badly even tho she loved the colours in it. It was a lovely silhouette of a lady in a form-fitting gown standing by a window looking down- it gave the eerie feeling of loneliness and hopelessness. I had it over 6 months before I finally figured out that if I changed the viewpoint/orientation from Portrait to Landscape I could easily  duplicate the lovely colours and turn it into a pretty well known Southwestern mesa arch with a lovely sunset and a bit of a river in front of it. She loved the outcome. And the other was one I had commissioned just for her- I know an artist who painted a lovely portrait of Janis Joplin who is Joanie's Fav Music Artist. 

For Rhonni I painted two white with shaded of victorian pink florals for her bedroom and a Fearfully Created Piece of Art to be framed and hung in her home-where to be decided later.

All was a hit.

So after Lunch, we parted ways and I went back to Rhonnis for the rest of the weekend, and for the past at least year she's been trying to rearrange her living room. We've discussed it to death to be honest- and this time I just got up and started moving things around.  Her floors are slick as the proverbial Owl-Poop, so it only took a light touch to move into place and no further harming of the shoulder or wrist came to be.

At first she wasnt sure about it- but I told her to trust the process- it always looks like a cyclone hit the place right before it came together. And it did... In the end- she loved it-only  I'm not so keen. the sofa is slightly curved on the backside and it overlaps the edge of the fireplace by about 4 inches and I do-not-like. I'm going to let her live with it for a couple of weeks, but I would put money on her seeing for herself it's slightly off and wanting to change it again. (at least I hope so or it's going to bug the crap out of me til she does.)

Sunday Morning bright and early, she was sleeping soundly and I got up around 6:30am... I grabbed a iced coffee from her fridge and went out to her front porch where I proceeded to transfer her tomato plants from the seedling cups to the huge container she had planned to put out front  for them. Then I watered it.

Then I filled the other matching container and mounded it high in the center and sprinkled her wildflower seeds all over the top and gave it a good soaking as well.

So now she is good to go on her little front garden- if she can remember to go out and give them a drink of water on the days it's doesnt rain.

So then she woke up and I stayed for about an hour more letting her get used to the idea of me heading out- then I loaded up and headed for home. 

I didnt get the relaxing weekend I had envisioned, but I did get a bit of relaxing activities in which I was grateful for. 

And Rhonni and I are planning to surprise Joanie on her birthday by just showing up at the place she usually goes during the week- ON her birthday!! 

What is it they say about the best laid plans??? LOL- we shall see!!!

Finally Friday!!!!

 I hope y'all have as safe & fabulous weekend as I plan on having! I'm sure I'll come back with a few stories to tell about the shenanigans .....

HAPPY FRIYAY!!!!!!!

Cant Wait Until Tomorrow

A Weekend Away. From Friday 3pm until 3pm Sunday afternoon. No Stress- no worries- just playtime with my childhood friends.

No Computers- I love being on mine- but every once in a while I take a whole weekend away from it. 

No Phones- however I will answer EMERGENCY CALLS.*

*How will I know if it's an emergency call you might ask? I have a hard and fast rule- If I don't answer and you know it's an electronic free weekend- hang up and IMMEDIATELY call back. I know it's an emergency then and will answer.

Just going to sit on my butt with my two 50+ year besties( that's how long we been friends- not their ages- that's a few years more than that) and chill- watch movies, eat ice cream for breakfast and stay in our Jim-Jams all day if we want to(easier to nap if you are already in your Jim-Jams, eh?), reminisce about when we were younger....I'm SOOOO glad there was no internet and social media in our days!!!! If it rains we might go out and walk in the rain like when we was little too. See who can make the biggest highest splash in the puddles. I aint carrying no stupid umbrella either. I need to ground myself. I haven't went barefoot and walked in the grass in ages!!! 

So if you're out and about and see three elderly(ish) women acting a fool in the rain in their Jim-Jams- happily splashing around and giggling like 6 year olds.... Either give us a wave.... mind your biddness... or even better- Join Us!!!! :D

I'm counting down the minutes....no- the SECONDS!!!!!

I'm Not Ready...

 So on the drive in to work this morning I heard a advert about E-Cars.

They said E Cars run an average of 42 miles on a charge and that's more than the average person drives in a day- you can drop the kids at school, go to work, pick up groceries on the way to pick up the kids after school- and still have enough to visit the in-laws in the next county.

All without buying any gas- so apparently, according to THEM, E-cars are THE way of the future.

 But- are they really?

Not in my opinion.

I'm not your "average" driver. I drive about 12 miles more than the 42 from a charge will take me and that's just ONE WAY. There also aren't NEARLY enough charging ports at my sites- one site doesnt even have ANY, let alone along the way on my trip to and from work- I cant think if a single place along my route that DOES have one to be honest.

I don't think most towns/cities/counties are nearly ready for an increase in E-traffic issues. E-cars would only be useful  and viable in big cities/States like Cali, New York- and maybe a few more progressive cities/states like...tbh- I can't even think of anyplace else except maybe- and I do mean MAYBE- Las Vegas??? 

And what about the costs? Is the cost of the electricity to charge them actually less or equal to the cost of gas- or does it exceed the cost of gas now? How about repairs on an E-Car? I can tell you right now I dont think your typical hometown garage- or backyard mechanic we rely on has the capabilities to do proper repairs on one of the E-Cars.

I know I'm not ready on a personal level for it.... but maybe that's just me?

Time For a Change- But Not What You Think

 Did I mention I have arthritis in my right side? Everything- ankle, knee, hip, shoulder and wrist. Everything hurts. I had a surgery for carpal tunnel on my right wrist years ago and that helped a bit. The arthritis seems to flare when it's storm season tho still.

Well, about 3 months ago now my left wrist has started to show the same early signs as the right one. It hurts to drive, to write, to type, to cook or clean, and most importantly- to use a keyboard to game. ;)

I've got a doc appointment to have it looked at Friday. Already wearing the wrist support brace like when it started in the right wrist.

Now I didnt start out playing on a PC- I started out on an Xbox. With a Controller. It was soooo frustrating to learn to use the controller. But I did it.

Then I got a gaming laptop and realized that  using a keyboard was so  much more straightforward than a controller. So for the past thirteen or so years I've been using a keyboard.

Well, the pain from "running" everywhere when I'm hunting in a game (Very awkward positioning of the fingers and thumb) has really become so painful I almost cry. My sister, who games with me sometimes, noticed and bought me an Xbox controller so I wouldn't be in so much pain- therefore I can game more often. I love my thoughtful sister. Only she would notice and do something like that!!!

Now, mind you, I have been playing Ranch Simulator for about  five years. Have almost 3k hours invested in this one game- it's my fav, can you tell? I've been playing since the early release days- one of the first to buy it on release day. Had a bit of input into how it was improved and what bugs it had that needed to be fixed. I got my daughter playing it about 6 months after that and now finally got my sister playing. 

I love this game. It gives me the freedom and quiet I cant find in my daily life.  In it I'm a property owner- and I can build and hunt to my heart's desire. If I'm frustrated, I can load the game and  head off to the hills to hunt bear and wolves and foxes and deer to vent my frustrations with real life. Everyone benefits from it and best part- I dont have to spend real life money to drive to do it!!! And if I want some company- I just let Baby Girl or Sis know I'm going to be on playing and I host a fun hunting party!!

Now, having played so long I pretty much know all the little tricks and tips and shortcuts. (altho the new fishing side quest has me stumped- still can't catch a fish for love nor money....YET).

Sometimes I just go hiking to see what can be seen or done. I know they keyboard commands like a pro on this game. Mainly because I don't play games like a normal person and by just going on hikes and building and such I've memorised it- It's like being blind from birth and having learned it bit by bit and I'm in control. 

But-not so much now. A TINY bit of using the controller came back as second nature, but now I'm like someone who went to bed able to see and woke up totally blind... sis has always mostly played her games with a controller. So now the roles have reversed. I'm having to ask her where is this command or that command again? Which one picks things up- and how the hell to I access my weapon quickly?.. what is the process again so I don't die when attacked by a wolf or bear..... (you learn to save everytime you pass a save station and I've adjusted my Auto-save to 5 minutes now vs 20 minutes on keyboard.)

I also don't have a comfortable desk to work from. I've been playing sitting on my bed or on the sofa. But that has got to stop. Today I plan on going and getting be a comfy supportive  gaming chair- not one exclusively made for gaming but a desk chair of some sort that works for me. I might be able to convert my old sewing machine cabinet into a small computer desk possibly.....or I could make one like I did my vanity table when I was in England with a couple of file cabinets  and a lovely piece of wood. I actually have my old round coffee table in the basement that is too big for my Living room, but cut in half with a half moon cutout might be just the thing I need for a vanity table/computer desk for my bedroom. 

I'll have to look into it.

Anyway, It's going to be fun to  re-learn controller commands.... my sister and daughter are laughing at me because I'm playing like a newb... I wont get out of the vehicles in Bear or wolf territory. LOL- I'll get over that- as soon as I can have a few days of playing around with it a bit with no pressure to HAVE to do anything.  I hope.... 

Death Count from Day One(yesterday) using the Controller- 2

The Joys of Change!!!!

It's Not Always A Migraine...

 The past week and few days, I've had a horrible migraine that I just can't seem to get rid of.

My son brought his Blood Pressure monitor with him when he came to stay his birthday weekend with me. His Birthday was Saturday and we really made a weekend of it.... or that was the plan.

He measured his sisters first, then he hooked me up to it. 

To say it wasnt good is the understatement of the year.

177/105.... The migraine was my blood pressure rising steadily. 

I was able to stop taking my meds last year and control it by diet and exercise- just like my blood sugar levels. But something(I have plenty of ideas what those somethings could be) has triggered the issues again and I need to get it all under control again . I simply do NOT want to have to go back on a dozen meds every day to keep everything regulated. I refuse.

I'm guessing the stress of my family being sick from the moldy basement the landlord is too cheap to fix, my job(several issues in that one I won't go into again because there's nothing I can do to fix them and those who can fix em wont), the long tedious commute back and forth to work every day alongside the ever-rising price of fuel, my slow  and steady weight gain that isn't being arrested no matter how careful I am with my diet and exercise, my attempts at container gardening seem to be going nowhere fast(we are in extreme drought alternating with heavy thunderstorms and its still not helping the veggies at all...) a couple of family drama issues going on aren't helping matters either..and last but not least- not having any vacation days in two years..... I'm pretty sure that is a BIG contributor right up on the list with the mold thing. 

I did do a couple of paintings this weekend for my besties birthday this coming weekend, and that really was helpful- it calmed me down a bit altho my BP numbers didnt lower but one on the bottom number.  I'm just really upset that I couldn't do more with my son on his 44th birthday because I had to stay still and quiet and comfortable to keep my BP from elevating even higher. I was already in prime Stroke territory and I most surely didnt want that disaster added to my list of Sh!+ that's going wrong.

On the upside, I have a quiet celebration up in Easley planned with my two besties this weekend for their birthdays so it's almost like a mini vacation for me.

I'm praying it's the respite I need.