12:16 p.m. - 2018-04-17
The first two weeks of eight
I'm cannot believe I have not found time to write until now and I've been on the road for two weeks. What a whirlwind two weeks.
I began as soon as I could get my ass out of Wisconsin. So ashamed of the Monday night incident. So ready to put distance between me and that part of the universe. I left around 11 a.m. and made Indianapolis late afternoon. I decided to rent an Airbnb and stay there for the first night, but that fell through. Glitch in the computer stuff. I did however, walk a bit downtown and enjoyed meeting a couple who had a bit of the green and we walked and talked and shared. I took pictures of the monument and then drove to a hotel nearby. Very decent, but not the Airbnb experience I'd hoped for in the artsy studio downtown.
Second night, I made it to North Carolina. Whittier to be exact. It was about 3 miles from Cherokee, a beloved childhood spot to visit. I stayed in the funkiest cabin on the side of a somewhat treacherous but small mountain. I scraped bottom in my car going up. But Kathleen had taken care of everything ;) and it was perfect for me. Lots of her collectibles and art work. Comfortable. And the stars at night were amazing. She let me build a bonfire.
Two nights there yielded lots of local beauty, a few dollars lost in the casino, and chance meetings with more interesting people. Hot guy fishing who posed so I could take pics lol And told me "Get the camera" when he caught a fish. I love that stuff.
I spent a night with family in South Carolina and enjoyed seeing them. I didn't feel good though, and went to the walk in clinic to get antibiotics because my chest xray showed some questionable area. I transitioned from family to the most incredible lakeside apartment about 45 minutes away and it really did go a long way toward healing. I even got to kayak for a few hours.
Since making it to Florida, I have spent one week with my daughter and the grandkids and now am staying with Mom. It isn't easy. There are few warm feelings there. But I must. It certainly made the difference that last year with Dad. But such a frequent lesson in futility. In the end though, I am the one with peace and who enjoys things that are free more than things that cost a lot of money. I think I am doing ok. She is beside me, oxygen connected, paying the price of smoking all her years. Depressed. In this nice new home and looking at maybe 2 years to enjoy it. I will not just exist. If I get to the point where I cannot breathe, where it is a 3 hour struggle just to get to the point where you can talk or be around people....I am going to check out. I will have to make that very clear to my family so there will be NO mistake about my intentions. Zach said he'd pull the plug.... :/ Sure he would.
