Still Too Busy

I'm sure most everyone is this time of year.  Still trying to help at Mom's and dodge the land mines of my Dad's stressed out behavior.  He got tired of our presence Monday I'm guessing.  Most of it is frustration that he isn't able to do much on his own.  He can get upset over nothing easily, he perceives comments or actions out of context and then reacts, badly I might add.  We have enough here to keep us busy prepping for Thanksgiving to keep us out of their hair for a few days.

We don't see or hear from the kids much these days.  I know they are busy as we are and the youngest has been putting in some really long hours and dealing with disasters and miscommunication at work.  The things he goes through would absolutely kill me, but that seems to be the nature of the business he has chosen.  Looking forward to a couple hours with them Thursday and then they will be off to the In-Laws for the rest of the day.

We will spend the next couple days getting things ready for the feast and family.  The house needs a good once over sense we haven't been able to spend much time on it lately.  Lots of other errands to run also.  At least we shouldn't have to try and navigate the grocery store this week.  It just gets crazy there.  I was also surprised how bad traffic was Monday on the way to and from Mom's and the couple errands we ran.

I used to navigate heavy traffic every day to and from work and could deal with it without getting to stressed.  These are actually roads here.

Except for those jackwagons that would force me off the road because they believed a blinker gave them automatic rights to the lane I was already occupying.  It was as if I had a sign that encouraged other drivers to 'please cut me off.'  Invariably it would lead to screeching tires or evasive action that would cause my jaws to get tight.  Not a good way to start the day at a job the dealt with other people all day long.  I didn't need to be in a crappy mood when before I even started on the daily fires that needed to be put out.  I could handle it most times and get there and calm down after a few minutes.  Now the traffic seems to bother me more than it ever did before.  Granted the traffic has gotten much worse than when I was commuting in it.  It seems that the non-rush hours are nearly as bad as the rush hours I used to travel in.  Glad I don't have to do that any more.

If I don't make another post before Thursday, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving...Trails.

Urgent

Have been more involved in getting Mom and Dad squared away than I thought we would at this point of this move.  It has consumed most if not all our free time of which there is less than you might imagine.  Mom has gotten a deep sense of urgency about finalizing getting the house they moved from finished up.  She is so stressed she isn't a lot of help when we try to accomplish things.  We would probably get much more done if she wasn't there but we need to ask questions on what she wants to do with things we find.  Then she changes her mind about what she wants. 

On top of all that, Mom broke her foot.  I don't really understand how it happened but it was as simple as just taking a step.  It's not real bad, she actually won't wear the brace they gave her since it hurts more than using a shoe.  Yeah, I know but you have to know my Mom, I just suggest.  She didn't want to bother us to take her to the ER when it happened.  She couldn't drive so she had Dad do it.  Not a good thing.  Kim chastised her for not calling,  Her response was that we have done so much lately that she didn't want to ask for more.  That is exactly why they moved closer to us.  Frustrating to say the least. 

One of the reasons she is in a more urgent mode is that they found out that my cousin ( that is buying the house) will be approved Monday rather than early January.  She anticipates her wanting to move in sooner, probably by the holidays I would assume.  She fluctuates also between what she wants to do with the remaining items at the house.  There isn't much furniture left, just a lot of odds and ends.  Tons of glassware and decorative items.  First she wants to sell it all, then she is worried about people traipsing through her house.  Then she would call Salvation Army and just donate everything so she could be done with it and they would haul it all off.  Now she is back to wanting to sell it but not sure who would do that.  It would take several days and not all of it would get sold I'm sure and that would need to be disposed of. The rest of our family mostly all have jobs or kids events and aren't available to help as much even on weekends, and that takes it's toll. 

We also had a quick birthday party for my Dad who turned 88.  I was told he has never had a birthday party.  It took him a bit to figure out he was having a birthday party when he saw the whole family at my brother's.

All of this has been on top of just our everyday life that includes trying to get Kim's car in to get the bumper fixed and have the roofer come out.  We can't get Kim's car in until 12/14 they are so busy.  The roofer spent some time in the ER with his wife and that was pretty serious.  I told him don't worry about us to take care of family first.  The roof will wait.

Kim was invited to have a table at a private show at someone's home that has this holiday event every year with various vendors.  Since she was 'new blood' they anticipated she would be very popular and do well.  Turns out the event was much farther than she knew, well over 150 miles round trip.  She made 22$ in sales and said most all the guests and vendors were friends or knew each other and for the most part ignored her.

These are just the highlights.  We are hoping things settle a bit after Thanksgiving but probably not.

Have also been bothered quite a bit more than usual about the various situations that are happening across the globe.  I try to keep that off this blog sense there are so many others that have a better way of explaining/writing their thoughts about it.  But there are times that I just have to vent.  I do a lot of shouting to myself in my head and at the TV (yes I am watching the network news again but my filters are on high alert.)  Kim hears some but I try not to rant with her to much, I do that enough already.  She doesn't need the burden of my concerns of what I see and perceive going on in the world.  She is not oblivious but chooses to focus on what she can control.  She has taught me a lot about that just from her actions.  She is my rock and I try to be hers.  As long as we have each other things will be OK.

Happy Trails.

Crazy

Things are just nuts.  So much going on I can't keep track of it all. 

Be back when I have more time, a couple days or more, I don't know.

Happy Trails.

Libs

They drive me to distraction with their way of thinking and trying to force it on me and mine.  

In regard to Syrian refugees or any muslim refugee, if you want them here, how willing would you be to house them at your house?  No?  Why not?  Yeah, I thought so.

You say I'm not tolerant and I shouldn't judge, isn't that exactly what you are doing?  Get out of my face with your twisted logic.

Oh, and Happy Trails

Weather Hindrance

The weather has taken a significant turn.  Wet, windy and much cooler.  It has hindered any progress on the roof getting repaired.  I expect the roofer will get started Wednesday when the weather is supposed to be dry for the next few days.  I have no real idea how long it should take him to get it done since it requires replacing the entire patio decking.  I would assume maybe 3-4 days.  Also have an appointment to get the heating unit checked out.  They missed the regular October schedule.  This will be just in time as the weather has been getting cooler over the last couple weeks.  We will need it soon I am sure.

We also need to get back over to Mom and Dad's to pick up another table Kim wanted and see if we can help with putting away things and hanging pictures at the new place.  It may need to wait until the roofer is done.  I don't feel real comfortable leaving people I don't know around my house working without me there.  Kim may be able to for a bit and help with some things without me.

With all that has been going on we need a break.  A while back I found out that one of my favorite music artists (and Kim's too) would be performing Tuesday evening in Austin.  And it's FREE!.  I have been following his schedule for quite sometime in order to see him live with absolutely no luck.  He goes to a lot of those Cowboy Gatherings and private shows and none are anywhere close that we could go and come in one day.  Austin is close enough to make an evening of it.  Kim has no idea other than a few hints from me to be ready to go by a certain time and to dress western for a music venue.  We will stop along the way for supper and then head over to the theater. 

If you are not a fan of old west music or cowboy music you may be unfamiliar with Don Edwards.  He can sound exactly like the great Marty Robbins when he is singing one of Marty's old songs.  Here are a couple samples.  The first one, 'Coyotes,' really speaks to me and Buster will sing along with the yodels every time her hears it.

Enjoy.

Happy Trails

I Have Chosen

 

I won't be intimidated, I won't surrender, I won't submit.  Now the rest of the world must awaken.

No regrets, no retreat.

Postponed

The roofer called Friday evening.  The materials he went to pick up weren't quite the same color as my current roof.  He would be able to get something similar but not exact.  Which to me is fine.  Since the roof is so flat no one actually ever sees that part of the roof.  I gave him the OK, not that it really matters since I need that roof repaired.  This minor glitch will delay him until Monday.  Rain is predicted for then and Tuesday.  I would assume that it will get delayed again.

Haven't heard from Mom since we left her Thursday.  No news is good news.  I will be more comfortable when we are able to communicate with them better.  Waiting until the 23rd when they get phone service and internet installed.  I am really surprised it will take that long to get someone out to do that work.  I hope they get better at monitoring their cell phones until then.  The good thing is they are much much closer now and it is easy enough to just drive over if we need to check on them.  Can be there in maybe 10 minutes as opposed to the previous 45.

Kim and I have started kicking around ideas about what plans we want to make for Thanksgiving.  We usually have the kids and Mom and Dad over.  Not sure that will be the plan this time.  We suspect that there may be some that want to do something different.  So we may be alone to our own devices.  We usually invite my brother and his family but they never accept opting to always go to the in-laws family.  I'm sure will extend the usual invites but will be prepared to do something different. 

Saturday I cleaned up around the house.  Since we have been so involved with getting my parents moved things have gotten a bit out of hand around the house.  With Kim at the resort all day she won't be in my way and I can do it when and how I want to.  That means I can stop and watch college football while cleaning.  Did I say that out loud?  Actually anything and anyhow I do it is appreciated by Kim. 

Hopefully after the next couple weeks things will settle down into the Christmas season routine and we all know how relaxing that is.  Good Times!

Happy Trails