Today was my Coffee Hour in Naselle with friends.
But before that got underway, I noticed that enough neighbors complained about candy and her husband helping themselves to private property the other day, that they were forced to rent a dumpster.
It was 54-degrees when I pulled out of the carport: but it felt like 35-degrees with the river chill passing through the Park.
Fall is making itself felt, even with the hint of an Indian Summer idling.
And I was held up twice with road work crews before I could finally pull in at the County Courthouse to pay that unwarranted ticket.
I got an education this morning about how Wahkiakum County is getting revenue since logging and fishing bit the dust: the bird dogs scout the four corners of the county and wing birds – sending them limping to the Court House, which offers them ‘a deal’ for a fee; backed up with another fee that piggybacks on the outsourced company they use for {handling services}.
And finding the Office was like trying to find your way in a maze – when I did finally reach the right door, I felt like I had been consigned to a dismal concrete walled dungeon: down two flights of stairs (LOTS of stairs!) and into a dim and dreary rabbit’s warren with frustrating tunnel junctions. I don’t know whose acid-trip-design it was to create that convoluted mess, but it was exhausting to maneuver!
It seemed to me that it was designed to so thoroughly frustrate a person, that they’d just throw the $$$ at the clerk and say, “Just take it and let me get the hell out of here!”
I was frustrated with the nonsensical rabbit warren tunnels – but I was more angry, that worn out.
The ticket was unjustifiable; and my eyes were shooting fire.
Like I said the other day: I’ve always known Wahkiakum County was steeped in corruption – I’ve just never been boldly introduced to it, before.
The whole thing reminded of creepy, crooked, small-town movies.
I couldn’t wait to put distance between me and them.
I came upon the smoke-tinged fog bank I saw earlier. I was in the fog bank for a 5-minute time span that seemed a lot longer as I drove through the shifting ethereal mass. By the time I reached the Duck Inn, the fog had lifted; and the sky was a brilliant robin egg blue, without a cloud to be seen anywhere 😊
The clear blue was startling.
It was welcome.
It was free of the trapped drifting wildfire smoke.
When I reached my destination, coffee was flowing: and another old friend had joined the Coffee Hour – this is another blessing 😊
The main topics were sciatica … and afghanistan.
I engaged in the first topic – and kinda spaced out when the second topic picked up speed. Instead of letting the weight of the world’s woes bite into my shoulders, I watched through the kitchen’s French doors, 3 young coyote yearlings race across the front lawn; and this year’s fawn (the fading spots were still visible), debating whether to follow in their wake – or hang back and wait a bit. The fawn didn’t seem to far the coyotes as much as it feared the highway edging the yard.
When the afghanistan topic had played itself out, we drank some more coffee and spent the rest of the hour laughing and joking about the ‘when days’ in our girlish pasts.
I drove home through the Raymond-Pe Ell-Vader route.
I lost radio signal along the way, so I pulled over and sorted through the larger CD case.
And struck gold!
I grinned from ear to ear, slipped the disc into the dash player, and enjoyed Louis Armstrong, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Winter … and a host of other Blues musicians: most of the songs were really old ones; like the 30’s and 40’s – but all were enjoyable.
((((THANK YOU, BABE!))))
I was happy to have found that CD.
Bob was always a thoughtful loving husband. He didn’t particularly care for the blues genre for most of our 44 years together; but he {came around} about 12 years ago – and was “all in” after that 😉
He, at some point, had had this CD burned for me: all the songs were songs that I like, and spoke to Bob about all the time.
Bob and I talked: we both knew what the other enjoyed. So, he knew what I liked – and he knew what certain songs meant to me.
I’m looking at this CD as another love gift from him to me 😊
I don’t know who the guy was, that worked with Bob and burned this CD for him: but I am really thankful to that faceless/nameless person, that only Bob knew.
And I am thankful I found this little memento of love.
Louis
Armstrong – ‘St. John’s Infirmary’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzcpUdBw7gs
Howlin’ Wolf - ‘Highway 49’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEfzjVh62lk
Tennessee Ernie Ford – ‘Sixteen Tons’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkRYuMqw-B0
Johnny Winter – ‘Mojo Boogie’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lOlXwV_-8g
The day was warming up, and the countryside is coloring up with Autumn’s chilling kiss.
Passing through Raymond, I decided to eat a light lunch at The Barge Restaurant. I hadn’t eaten there in a while; Bob and I watched it be built, and we ate there often when we lived a brief spell in Raymond.
It was 80-degrees passing through Francis; traffic was light from Pe Ell to Vader.
I listened to that CD all the way from Naselle to Safeway’s gas terminal in Longview: gas in town cheaper than out-of-town.
For the moment, I feel blessed – I don’t know how long town gas will stay below $4, but I am thankful now I did not get a country home: at $4+/gal., I’d be pretty housebound ☹
As it is now … my daytrips are siphoning whatever leftover $$$ I have after paying bills. Currently, I can enjoy burning up the road. But who knows what the next month will bring when it comes to counting pennies.
Slo-joe is intent on destroying America financially/economically; and ruining every avenue of enjoyment for Americans.
But I’m not going to let the demonrats steal my joy.
God’s golden, rich Joy is my anchor; now that Bob is no longer physically here.
As long as I have life, and Elohei blesses me to enjoy that life: I will not be buried under Government weights – nationwide, or local.
