GOOD things are happening 😊
It’s been a few days since I last posted: I’ve
been busy turning pages in this new chapter in my new life – and filling them in/fleshing
them out, with daily happenings.
Friday, I received a notification from Bob’s
old Logging Union that there were finds waiting for me to claim. I was confused
– we thought we had heard the last from TOC Woodworker’s years ago; so, I
called them. I was told that the funds had been placed in trust for me decades
ago by Bob (he was always a loving, thoughtful, and providing husband to me),
and were definitely waiting to be claimed by me: and I will receive the Beneficiary
funds every month for the rest of my life.
So … after I hung up, I smiled through tears
as I filled the papers out – and set them aside to be notarized, and mailed off
Monday.
I was sad to get the funds: they would not
be in play if Bob’s physical body had not died.
I was happy to be receiving the funds: they
are bittersweet reminders of Bob’s loving care for me, and my secure
provision/protection without his physical presence in my life.
It’s complex.
This happy unexpected surprise gives me a bit
more breathing space in the budget after the house is sold and I start a new
chapter in my new life in a new locale, with a new house – and all that will
require.
((((THANK YOU, BABE!)))) You may have hated living in the country; but your love is going
to get me there, just the same 😉
Saturday, I surfed the internet looking at
houses for sale – I didn’t see anything that appealed to me.
Sunday, I went to Fellowship; and drove the
loop home … veering off at Pe Ell and coming back to Longview via Wildwood and
Vader: I didn’t see any houses for sale – just plots of land.
Monday morning, I ate breakfast with David,
and enjoyed a 5-hour chat session (I was surprised the waitresses that
switched shifts didn’t kick us out). We talked about past times, high
school days, the kids, his current family, Bob – we talked about our
friendship over a period of 56 years of time! And he gave me tips on getting
help (handyman services, ect.) and getting things (a riding lawn
mower, ect.), that I’ll need for my new country life.
I told him what I had told Pam Sunday
afternoon … I’ll still be making trips to Longview for this and that; and I’ll
still want to spend time with them – they’ll just have to call me the night
before to set the day and time, because getting together for Breakfast, and
Supper, will take a little longer than the 5 minutes from my current house. Depending
on where I kick my shoes off in the near future, it could take half an hour to
an hour and a half.
Tuesday, I cleaned house like a whirling
dervish – taking a brief break to drive into town to notarize my claim, and
mail it off.
The Highlander gives me good mileage – 22 mph
in town/in city, and 27 mph. on open roadway/freeway. I’m going to need that
extra mileage when I move to the country; a trip “into town” will take a little
longer than the 5-minute hop it is now.
As I was finishing up the floors and dusting
Tuesday afternoon, I happened to glance out the kitchen window and saw a U-Haul
parked in front of the pigsty next door. Apparently, tessa is finally moving.
I have been waiting for this day.
This woman, like ron cook, made our lives
miserable since the day we moved into this Park, in 2017: it was constant drama
that was malicious … and baseless.
Since the day ron finally moved –
and I sang Hallelujah! – I have been waiting for the day tessa would also move.
Now that the day has arrived, I find it to be ‘a little too little, a little
too late’.
The excitement I expected to feel isn’t there.
Bob is never walking back into my life: her
move won’t change that. Her finally moving, can’t assuage the emptiness to my
life that her malicious immaturity and spiteful behavior has caused.
I just want to leave this Hellhole Park.
I do not want to continue living in Longview.
I want to get away from rotten
people; with as much peacefulness, as possible.
I have lived in a lot of places, but I have
never lived in such a mean-spirited place as Longview.
Today, I had a couple hours free before house
pictures were taken this afternoon; so, I went for an early morning walk around
the Lake – and did some thinking while relaxing my body.
Longview & Castle Rock; are in Cowlitz
County.
Cathlamet, Skamokawa, Graysriver &
Rosburg; are in Wahkiakum County.
Naselle, Bay Center, Menlo, Lebam, &
Pluvius; are in Pacific County.
Pe Ell, Doty, Napavine, Boistfort, Winlock, &
Vader; are in Lewis County.
Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, & Pacific Counties:
are familiar to me, in regards to daily living.
Lewis County is unfamiliar in regards to
daily living.
Thinking, and walking along, I happened to
catch glimpse of something hanging high, in the tree limbs: what on earth?
It looked like someone had hung a speaker
from a limb.
I walked over for a closer look.
It now resembled a large bug catcher box.
Passing by the Lion’s Building, I noticed a
garden area in the back … so I walked over to see it.
I was glad to see that some kids are learning
to garden: it’s a basic life skill that will successfully enrich their
lives, all of their lives.
I also noticed, as I walked along, back to
the car … that 20th Avenue was closed to traffic.
The roadway is needing repair work.
It looks like a minefield with all the ratty,
pitted blacktop, and ragged potholes.
It reminded me of life – my life of late.
My life needs repair work.
My life has been undermined – and on
occasion, sabotaged – by destructive minefields that pitted the landscape and
left ragged potholes.
But, I’ve done the best I can to patch the
ratty, pitted surface of my widow life … and I’m restructuring, and resurfacing, the potholes:
no cheap chip-seal job for my life! No sir!
I’m going to do a top-notch patch job that
will ‘go the distance’.
The pictures were taken today: late afternoon.
The paperwork will get underway on Friday 😉
