BREAKING FOR GARAGE SALES

This morning I was up bright and early (on the road by 8 AM) because Ryderwood was having their Community Sale today.

Remembering the horrible mess the County is making on Delameter Road, and wanting to avoid any more flying rocks towards my brand new windshield … I shied away from my preferred cutoff road; and avoided the Nevada Drive cutoff road that drops into West Side Highway too, because of the gravelly chip-seal the County recently laid there – I drove the long way on West Side Highway to Pleasant Hill and cut onto Castle Rock that way. I like that country drive, and I didn’t feel like being jarred by the jagged slide area further on West Side Highway past Lexington:

Pleasant Hill from Longview. 14 min (8.8 mi)

Ryderwood from Pleasant Hill. 32 min (20.7 mi) via West Side Hwy

The drive there was peaceful and relaxing – and the running train hold-up was blessedly brief in Vader; but when I reached Ryderwood, the streets were pretty wide open, and there was not a sale sign anywhere.

I thought the sale had been canceled because of covid; so, I turned around and headed back home.

Ryderwood is a 55+ retirement community that spans roughly a 6 block x 6 block area. Bob and I have kicked around the idea of moving out there for years; but always ended up buying local homes – Bob just couldn’t cut city ties. Bob liked the bright lights halo of the small-town-city of Longview. I wanted black sky with bright stars … the only star Bob wanted in his night sky was the street light. Bob gave me 95% of my country wants, so I caved to his 5% city wants: hence my living at Heron Pointe.

Anyway …

Driving back through Castle Rock, I saw a large sign nailed to a telephone pole, so I took a picture of it and punched the address into the map app on the phone …

I found out at this Sale that Ryderwood has bumped their Community Sale to September 11^th. So, I'll go out that way again in 2 weeks 😉

Blauser Road off Sandy Bend from Castle Rock. 6 min (3.0 mi) West Side Hwy

Sandy Bend road would take me uphill & bypass the rough slide area of Westside Highway.

A Garage sale and a smooth ride: it was a win-win situation 😉

This was new territory – Bob and I had never been on that particular road; we’d driven Sandy Bend, but not Blauser Road. The road was tight … paved, but tight. It was also a dead end road; I was praying I’d be able to turn around if driveways were blocked to garage sale drivers (some people do that to keep people from trespassing/blocking on their driveways) – Bob could turn around in the middle of the road, easy-peasy: a football field isn’t large enough for me 😉

I’m getting better now that I am the primary driver now, but I still can’t do tight turn-around’s like Bob could.

I lucked out and was able to park in actual driveways with easy in-out access. (((THANK YOU, YESHUA!)))

I am not doing a “well” as people think I am. 20 months/15 days - I’m functionable; and that may be all I'll ever be again. Functionable.

I’m glad people think I am doing “as expected” or “better than”; but I’m actually just “coasting along”. And my brain will still freeze up when I am talking, because a memory will butt into the convo; and I have to hit the restart button – sometimes, repeatedly.

When those lapses hit, I feel stupid because I’ve lost all train of thought while the memory plays itself out.

I pray to God I don’t look stupid.

I think other widows understand …

Waiting for the Traffic Light to change in Lexington, I noticed another sign nailed to a pole – so I turned my flicker on and nipped right 😊

Lexington from Blauser Road. 10 mins (5.6 mi) West Side Hwy

Then I drove into town to the Dollar Store to pick up the things I wanted for floral arrangements for tomorrow.

And waited in line for half an hour before getting checked out.

The covid distancing is becoming ridiculously ridiculous; no one can speak clearly through those stupid masks, and the cashiers can’t hear or be understood clearly from behind their silly Plexiglass partitions while wearing masks – either everyone is shouting at each other to be understood, or they are leaning around the “protection” and slipping their “protection” masks down to finish up their business. There was 1 cashier instead of the normal 4 … and there was a line to the back of the store with the marked off sections they are very strict with.

Everyone’s tempers were getting frayed.

The whole political charade is stupid:

Ridiculous line in the Dollar Store.

WHY IS THIS OKAY for rabble-rousers??? NO MASKS - NO SOCIAL DISTANCING! Throngs of people, tightly grouped together - quickly moving through streets to torch cities and attack elderly people. Screaming and spitting in faces because they are not the right color ... it's political insanity.

But, for law abiding, honest working people, it is extremely slow forward momentum because of the stilted convo at the checkout station due to political nonsense that apparently does not include those engaged in riotous and Anti-American political game playing.

FM Gas Station from Lexington. 12 mins (5.2 mi)

Finally checked out, I pumped more gas into the Highlander for my trip to Eden Valley tomorrow morning.

And noticed a few more signs with arrows pointing the way to more sales. So, off I went; following the arrowed signs …

Terry Avenue from FM Gas Station. 4 min (1.1 mi) via 30th Avenue

Real nice pianos at 30th & Ohio. Bob was musically inclined - he could read and play music.

I like this plaque at the Terry Ave, sale; but I left it on the table. Bob is not here.

A bit of encouragement, also at the Terry Ave. sale – but I didn’t need a diary.

411 Stella from Terry Avenue. 13 min (7.2 mi) via Pacific Way

Heron Pointe from Stella Road. 7 min (3.1 mi) via Harmony Drive & Coal Creek Road

When I finally stopped chasing signs, and parked the Highlander at home, I hauled all my stuff into the house and went outside to water my garden and flowers.

Finishing up that chore with watering my Teddy-Bear Cactus and Bob’s Begonia in the carport, I noticed that the begonia is really pumping the blossoms out. It’s a nice birthday surprise – apparently the other tubers I thought had dried up and died, have decided to thrive and come alive 😊

I like this: 4 blossoms instead of 1 :-D

Smiling, I came into the house and put my 2^nd hand “finds” on the island countertop to be cleaned – I bleach sanitize everything that safely can be: clothing I wash normally; everything else gets a bleach ‘sponge-bath’ and air dried:

Garage Sale finds & $ Store florals for the plots tomorrow.

I bought this antique bone china tea cup/saucer for 50 cents! $25 Value.

Fall themed Plot Bouquets I made for Bob, his Dad, and his Grandparents - the people I love: gone, but not forgotten.

It’s been an enjoyable day today, and it will be another enjoyable day tomorrow. I like the drive to Eden Valley – even though, now, it is bittersweet.

Love lies in Eden Valley.

And if I see any garage sale signs along the way tomorrow, I will be breaking for those, too …