investment

Yesterday afternoon I found myself sitting on the john talking to yard guy jr. through the screen window about what to chop.  "Don't get the asparagus again!" I pleaded.  He asked where it was and I told him then he promptly mowed over it again.  Yard guy 2- Asparagus 0.     His boss  is a good friend of the family and Jr doesn't know any better so there you go.  Later I visited the estate sale ladies doing their thing with all Mama's stuff.  I had planned on taking more down there but it's packed out as is.  I'll probably have to divert some traffic up my way since the house is presentable now.  It doesn't seem like home anymore down there, which is a good thing because it's time.  Mom has been gone from there since September of last year, and Daddy since July.  I feel blessed that we've had the luxury of these months from corporate to sort through the history.

I am restless  most of the time, not sure what the "problem" is but going with the flow.  Last year around this time I was pimping the spawn of Chester who begat 10 puppies with Ryder.   Pete and Carol adopted one of the puppies and named her Maggie Mae.  The two of them are inseparable and come around to visit on occasion.  It takes a village around here, you know?  Meanwhile, there's some kid running the land like really fast on a four wheeler and that's not cool.  I will tell him next time he's out and about.  Mia is 10 years old and drives hers like a turtle.

I think the restless feeling is about not knowing what the future holds.  The barriers that I allowed to keep me tied to this town are gone like the wind.  It is a nice little 'burg with a good school system and shitty economy.  There is NOTHING for millenials here.  Occasionally we get a new industry in a building where one went out but there is no new construction or even much interest in locating here.  The traffic from 412 and I -55 boost the economy somewhat but it's all concentrated in that particular area which is a nightmare to navigate.  When I was growing up, everybody knew everybody and where they worked.  Now? Not so much.

I'm still not over Merle Haggard, or even Dale Earnhardt for that matter.  I remember my mom calling me the day he hit the wall and was gone forever.  It was the first race if I'm not mistaken.  NASCAR is something I pretended to like when I ran with fans.  Honestly, nothing seems more boring to me than watching cars on a track.  In Cheeto colors!  There's a drug dealer locally who has a Cheeto car and I'm like "dude..." are you asking to be noticed???   Some people's kids *smh*

A couple more of my co-workers are retiring soon, following in the footsteps of the Little General and Ellyn.  Med techs are extremely hard to come by because nobody much goes into the field.  Functions of  lab employees are being taken to the bedside more and more often with point of care testing performed by nurses.  Finding qualified people to do what we do and do it well is a tough game for corporate.  As other facilities close and folks  shift around the region, I wonder how it will end up by my own retirement date.  Come on Sugardaddy... bring it.

We are expecting a new baby cousin at any moment in the form of Olivia James Caldwell.  She will be beautiful and well looked after by older brother Charlie.  These folks are my family and that will never change as long as we live.  Mo has been  through all of it with my brothers and I  and cemented her spot as Mama's girl.  And she is named after Janice.  She shares mama's love of entertaining and has a wonderful career in the hospitality industry.

Yesterday afternoon the dogs went nuts and I looked out to see a turkey in the middle of the straw picking around like they do.  You just never know around here!  One morning last week I was met by several deer as I passed the golfcourse road.  It's really kind of like living in the center of a wildlife refuge which is way cool.

Grace ~