Quicksilver is getting her nightly bath and is cooing in sounds that simulate complex sentences of multi-syllable words. She is gesturing and I think we will be standing beneath a verbal waterfall after she gets her ChatterBox AI calibrated to mid-Western English.
Handsome Hombre is unloading the luggage that was stashed in Southern Belle's Chevy. Thanks to all who suggested the car-hauler. It seemed a little bit skittish yesterday morning when we started out but it was due to the gusty winds.
HH and I started at 6:30 local time with a temp of 85F. We stopped near Chattanooga, TN at 21:30 to a temperature of about 38F and we slept. Back on the road at 6:07.
We went in 200 mile hops and depending on the wind sucked up between 17 and 22 gallons of fuel at each stop. We arrived in Eaton Rapids at 18:00.
HH graciously drove the shifts that were dark and through Atlanta (boo-hiss on Atlanta traffic) and Knoxville. He also drove through Cincinnati and through some horrific cross-winds between Dayton-and-Lima, Ohio.
We were greeted with hot chili con carne and cornbread. We did a minimum unload in the 45F rain. We will finish unloading tomorrow. Meanwhile, the box on the truck is open to air it out. It was bug-bombed just before we left Miami to deal with a cockroach infestation which we do NOT want here.
Handsome Hombre, Southern Belle and Quicksilver are here to stay.
And in other news...
Mom passed away in April. ...slowly at first and then quickly. She died at dawn with her two daughters holding her hand. Both of my sisters are nurses. They could judge by the changes in the sound and cadence of her breathing.
...like a libation poured out. It was a race well run, a fight well fought. There is nothing to regret or have second thoughts about.
We suspect she is "upstairs" eating cookies and drinking milk with the saints and discussing the merits of melatonin and tryptophan and a sweet morsel before hitting the rack.
Garden
All of the plants survived the inattention.
The snap-peas I planted just before leaving are up but the ones I planted two weeks before are not. Old seed! Mrs ERJ is very clear that she wants Super Sugar Snap peas and those are the ones that did not come up. The "other" peas are PLS-141 which is supposed to be similar to SSS peas.
Anniversaries
Today is the anniversary of when my leg was operated on. I was hit by a vehicle at 10PM the night before.
A question I kept getting asked was "Are you suing the driver of the car?"
No, I talked it over with Mrs ERJ. Realistically, we MIGHT get $50k-to-$150k. And while we are not well-to-do, the additional money is not a game-changer. We do not need it. And at this point, it is now a moot issue. The injured party has 365 days under Michigan Law to initiate legal proceedings. That time passed.
And even if I had sued and received $100k, what would I invest in that would retain value and that I do not already have? I keep hearing that 19 out of every 20 people who get a lump settlement burn through it in less than two years and then have nothing to show for it except more expensive tastes, a case of STDs and impaired liver function.
My needs are very simple. That is an asset I cherish. And right now those needs are being satisfied in spades.
Apologies for the deception
I apologize to any who feel slighted (Hey, wait a minute. Were those tomato pictures really taken on Thursday?") but loose lips sink ships. We swooped in. We slammed-and-jammed luggage. We boogied. There was no time budgeted for blogging.
Details will follow.
ERJ - Condolences for your mother. It is never easy.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear the trip was successful and you are all safely back. The schedule you described is similar to the one I have done driving from Old Home to New Home. The halfway point is about 2300-2400 if you leave early enough, and I am inevitably up at the crack of dawn anyway. I would much rather be home.
From my point of view (regardless of the 365 day rule), you made a sound decision in not suing. If nothing else, it would it into your precious time and activities by having to be in court.
Condolences on your Mother passing.
ReplyDeleteGlad the move went well. Did something similar 3 years ago, WI to MO to be closer to the Grandkids. Family first.
Thank God she lived a long, happy, and healthy life.
ReplyDeleteThank God you have your family closer now.
Job well done.
Glad you made it home okay!
ReplyDeleteWhat? You don't want 'Palmetto Bugs'?
ReplyDeleteNothing like some giant flying roaches to make even a grown man recoil...
Sorry to hear about your mom. Preparation for that is important, at least it was for me. Getting my head around the idea before I faced it helped me a lot.
ReplyDeleteOPSEC sez throw some smoke, sneak out and back before it dissipates. Well done. Glad the family is closer. I have a suspicion we are all gonna want that sooner or later...
G'night folks!
My heartfelt sympathy on the passing of your mother, Joe. No matter how 'prepared' you are for it, it is still never easy.
ReplyDeleteI am glad for you that you now have your daughter and her family with you. I believe we are headed for times where we will need and want all of our family members physically near by.
- George True
Mom is gone. Some will say it is a sorrow and a relief. I will say the relief fades, but the sorrow is permanent. Condolences.
ReplyDeletesam
Condolences. No matter how well lived it's always sad to lose those we love. Having Quicksilver around this spring is a (noisy) blessing.
ReplyDeletePlease accept my condolences Joe for the passing of your mom. That's rough, but it must at least be a comfort to know her passing was with family present. Glad to hear the move trip was fairly uneventful and you all arrived safely intact.
ReplyDeleteOn the more important note, please accept condolences on your mom's passing. My own mother passed away 4 days after a bad fall, a year ago also in April. 88 years, the last 4 of which were rapidly advancing dementia.
ReplyDeleteOn a lesser important note, Michigan's "reformed" insurance law allows you to sue for medical costs now, but then takes it away by providing that Medicare or Medicaid, and in most instances, private insurance, has the first right of payment, so unless you received a big enough settlement to exceed your provider's payouts, you wouldn't see a dime anyway. Your lawyer might, but you wouldn't. Good choice.
You have my condolences on your mothers passing.
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