MESSY

Holland had a few things to do in Longview this morning, and he asked me if I'd like to go with him; of course! I'm all about getting out of the house ;-)

Illusion Kit ;-)

'Primrose' Lipstick & 'Pink Quartz' Lipgloss.

'Gentle' for eyebrow, 'glittery 'Illusion' for eyelid, sparkly Navy for upper liner & Baby Blue for lower eyeliner; 'Auburn' Brow Gel, 'Cobalt' Mascara; 'Neutre Enflamme' Crème Blush; 'Primrose' Lipstick & 'Pink Quartz' Lipgloss.

Working on 'all the same length' - bangs pinned back for the time being; and Holland is staying mum during this ugly hair period.

After we did everything that needed to be done, we grabbed a Subway sandwich … and I ended up wearing some of the sauce on my left breast: my boobs are like fleshy shelves; something always seems to be on them, at some point :-(

Holland didn't crack a joke (as most men would), he simply reached for the wet-ones we keep on hand for messes, and gallantly handed me one to clean up with.

Holland always treats me like his Lady.

And I smiled; because driving into Longview this morning, Bonnie Tyler's song came on and I said, "I like this song - can you turn it up a little more?" He did, and he asked, "So - what is a {hero} to you?" I laughed, and said, "You; a man's man - you're everything this woman is singing about. You are exactly what I was holding out for; you are Elohim's gift to me."

Bonnie Tyler - 'Holding Out For A Hero' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GPZDX9_2oE)

Holland is the perfect man for me :-)

When we got back home, we started unloading some bins, filling the vacuum seal storage bags; and stuffing them out of the way, under our bed.

We can see the floor again in every room: and no more bruises from sharp box corners; the house is starting to look like a Home again, instead of a storage unit on wheels.

((((Hallelujah!))))

Cordless Shop Vac - perfect for boondocking.

Vacuum-sealing clothing.

We still have some more stuff to shift, sort, and stuff away - but at least friends can come by for a visit now, and won't get lost in a mess ;-)

Holland is a man - he was a bachelor for a looooong time: he doesn't care if his friends drop in for a visit and navigate a stacked pile rabbit trail, or wiggle into a messy chair.

I am a woman - I CARE.

First impressions are important.

His friends will be coming by to "oh"-and-"ah" over his cherry red 4x. They will be coming by to check out his new digs. And they will be coming by to check me over and judge whether or not I will be a good addition to Holland's life.

They will judge me on housekeeping.

First impressions are important.

For myself, I don't care what they think - one way, or the other.

For Holland's sake, I want the their first impression of me & our home, to be {acceptable}.

I want them to see that I take care of their friend, and that Holland will never have reason to complain.

Then, we tackled Bleu's toenails: they are super sharp and need clipping. Two weeks ago, we had paid the girls at the Dog Zone in Longview, to shampoo him and clip his nails - they shampooed him, and said they clipped his nails … but they didn't look clipped to us: they were still very sharp-tipped, and drew blood at every opportunity.

So, we bought nail clipping things, and attempted to do the duty, ourselves.

It did not go well :-(

Bleu is an 11 week old puppy; he is energetically wiggly.

He got wiggly and tried to jerk his foot out of Holland's hand … and the clipping tool rode too high on his nail, clipping too deeply.

He yelped.

His toenail bled. Profusely.

I was close to tears.

Holland felt like a heel.

I was soothing both man and dog.

Thankfully, the bleeding didn't last long - the pain will last a while; hopefully infection will not set in with all the rabbit, duck, and chicken poo all over the place, here.

After about half an hour, the boys were best friends, again ;-)

My poor boys … live & learn.

Hollands scarred & scabbed arms and hands, are showcases of Bleu's unruly nails …

Bleu loves his Daddy - mutual love and affection.

Thank You Father, for your grace and peace :-)

'NECESSARY STUFF' DAY

May 30th: We are still working on getting everything d.o.n.e. before leaving the PNW in a few weeks; for the time being, we have to work around everyone else's schedule before we can effectively kiss 'everyone else's schedules' goodbye.

This morning, we drove into Rainier to get our new phones synced with the funky GPS system they put in a few months ago: I hope the phone syncing goes better than the GPS system, system.

Both new phones have been synced to the GPS System.

Getting long-term business underway …

We grabbed a quick chick-fil-A order from the food wagon parked in the parking lot (a first for both of us; spendy, but tasty). Then it was a trip over the Lewis & Clark Bridge, to see what we could get done in Longview. There was a lot of running here and there .. and a lot of spreading the green around … we came home tired and poorer. But, also a lot closer to "getting 'er done".

Fossil fuel is GOOD for business; D.C. fossils are bad business; Lemmon's billboard on Industrial Way, Longview-WA.

Weird little car (looks like an airplane on wheels) down by Lemmon's on Industrial Way; Holland says it's a Studebaker 1952.

As we drove up to our RV Home, we saw a big box propped up against the front steps:

Holland's TV was waiting for him when we got back home.

Two more boxes were also subsequently dropped off, while we were putting Longview's {necessary} purchases away …

2 more boxes were dropped off; 1 was very looong; and HEAVY.

The Running Boards have arrived - YAY!; hopefully, they will be put on the same day the windows are tinted darker.

Adjustable RV water pressure Regulator-'Y' Drain Pipe-Tire Pressure Monitor System

Holland's eyebrows went up when I dumped the contents of a smaller bag out - and I said, "these are necessities, too, if you want my hair to grow out." He said, "You could wear a bandana, I have plenty of those."

Hair stuff.

You know, I could wear a bandana ;-)

I think I'll get a pair of tinted lens retro 1970's Janis Joplin eyewear when I go into Longview for my June 12th eye appointment; those will go with the stash of Holland's colorful bandana's.

I like it when he wears his bandanas … and if he likes the idea of me wearing one of them, I'll give it a whirl with girl flair ;-)

We are both learning to bend.

Janis Joplin

Knotted Bandana's

I can revert back to my hippie-background-roots - people will be amazed by Holland's 'ole lady': including Holland.

Hahaha ;-)

MEAN MOOD DAY

May 28th: Holland woke up in a mood, this morning.

His shoulder hurts - and he's trying to wean himself off Vicodin (and I support this decision).

We were supposed to meet one of his friends in town - so, I started getting ready. And Holland started doing his "thing" (heavy metal music load enough to wake the dead … and depressing as hell, which is what the lyrics scream). I listened for about an hour; shutting my ears to as much of the nonsense as I could. When I couldn't take anymore of the snarling, growling, and 'let the beast loose' lyrics, I asked Holland, "I love you Holland, but could you give me a break from metellica? I hate metallica - always have. You've been playing this same album for a month. How about something uplifting for a change?" I asked it nicely: he copped an attitude. He says, "Okay. I won't listen to YouTube anymore." I say, "It's not about YouTube, Holland. It's about 'letting the beast loose' at top volume."

His {mood} started building Friday morning with the motor revving before we drove to Astoria; he's in pain … and he's cutting back on his pain meds: I get it. But I also get that his angst is misguided: his main focus needs alignment, and his attitude needs a major adjustment.

Normally I do not tolerate an AH attitude from anyone - and most especially from men in general. But this particular man is my husband; AH, or not. We live in an RV and are in each others company, constantly. Private space is limited.

I can see that he's gearing up for verbal sparring.

I don't want to play this immature game.

So, I tamp my attitude down, grab Bleu's leash - snap it on his collar; and say, "I'm going for a walk. Hopefully, when we get back, the beast will be reined in, and you'll be in a better mood."

 

There are rabbits of every shade & hue here … every day you see a different one; I believe Joanne said her last count was 150!

Exploring the looping back Trail; upper section of RV Park.

Bleu gave me a workout.

Snail; Bleu nosed it for a bit, before moving on.

Ducks; in Anglo-Nubian Goat enclosure.

Queen Anne's Lace wildflower - gets taller than me; 5'2.

As soon as Bleu and I walk through the door, he immediately fires his laptop up and puts John Hagee on, and snidely says, "Is this better?"

Apparently he is still in a mean mood.

I felt like I was reliving the teen years with my kids.

Normally, Holland listens to John Hagee without the attitude: he likes John Hagee. But today, he is hurting … and he is in a mood.

A quarrelsome mood.

I refuse to engage. That makes him more surly.

TIME OUT.

I don't want to argue with him about anything. It's Sunday - today, I am not going to verbally spar with anyone; about anything. especially about metallica!

I know he is hurting, but I just want a peaceful day.

So, I decided to have a peaceful day: I put Bleu in his kennel … and went for a walk.

I haven't enjoyed a walk in nature in a long time; it was due.

I like walking.

I like enjoying scenery while I walk.

Today we need a 'time out' from each other.

Crossing the RV Park Bridge.

This is a very nice RV Park.

I like the sound of country life …

Evergreen Bugloss; not a native flower - invasive species from Europe.

Hmm; which way to go … I chose 'Alder Grove'.

Nice little country walk.

Calming my thoughts & refreshing my soul …

I asked a guy if this was a dead-end street; he said this road will drop into 'old Swedetown, by the river'.

3 full-size horses, and 2 Shetland ponies.

A matted-hair Llama.

Foxgloves.

An hour into the walk, I turned back; I'll tackle the whole walk another day. I was almost to the gravel, I found out later ;-)

Seen on the uphill … my legs were getting a workout, today ;-)

A black goat is now standing where the Llama was … and the matted-hair Llama is lying down with goats; there is bare ground everywhere - what are they eating?

Little pink, wild roses.

Joanne has different goats on the Park Entrance section of the RV Park; Anglo-Nubian Goats are in the Park, itself.

When I got back to the house two hours later, Holland was in a conciliatory mood. I had left my phone at home (a deliberate move to avoid more arguing); and I left without my inhaler (I haven't needed it, so I didn't think about grabbing it); he was worried when he eventually noticed that I had left without either. He drove into town, thinking I had walked that way, and was seriously worried when he didn't see me anywhere along the way. By the time he got back - and I walked through the front door - he had had a major mood adjustment ;-)

The day was back on track (((THANK YOU LORD!))) - though the meet-up with his friend was postponed while I had gone walking.

We love each other; we will work through the hard times, and pray relief from the shoulder pain Holland is experiencing as he goes about getting off Vicodin.

We are committed to each other, regardless of {mood days}.

We are getting a crash course in "learning to bend"; this is a new experience for Holland … and an uncomfortable exercise for me. But we are both willing - and it is necessary in building our New Life, together.

We also love the atmosphere here so much, we are going to make this RV Site our {home base} when we come back up here, every 6 months - March & September - for Holland's Disability Doctor appointments. We've already discussed this with the property owner, and she has agreed 🙂

The RV Park rooster making his rounds. LOL