Last post I wrote about things that were bugging me. So, since then . . .
I got my car back!! Whew! For two months I've been listening to every rattle, hoping that my duct-tape and zip tie temporary repairs would hold up. There were the two postponements because of the hurricane and their loss of a tech, the stress of getting a rental car, and, of course, wondering if/what extra damage they would find when they opened up the front of the car. And driving the rental (honestly, though, it was a Chevy Malibu and handled quite well). So getting my own car back was a relief.
Nonetheless, I did skip the concert in the park. A day after getting the car out of the shop, I didn't feel like fighting the congested traffic getting out of the parking lot. And always in the back of my mind is that it seems that every time I do go out at night I see a freshly killed animal (dog, deer, or bear) on the way home, and there was that time that a couple of deer jumped out mere feet in front of me.
I managed to deal with the "almost finished" Anthea, and she crossed the finish line. I do like her.
I don't know if/when she'll go out in public. There was a daytime event at the Goodwood Plantation today. I went last year with the dragon (and she was a hit) but somehow wasn't in the mood to go today. Partly because it doesn't really feel like Halloween. After a few days last week when the temperatures dropped - they came back up again. We're hitting record highs for this time of year (90 degrees). And last year - like many things I did - I thought if I Put Myself Out There, I would make connections and meet people. And you do on occasions like this - people chat, and take pictures, and it can be fun, but I've learned that nothing comes of it afterwards. Maybe next year.
Other things on the list: I've scheduled Hamish's vet appointment for tomorrow, and next week I'll take in River and RedBug, and then the cats will be caught up. River had her bath yesterday, and will get one tomorrow (every other day for three baths, poor thing).
I'm way overdue (because of the car problems I was driving as little as possible ) for an appointment with my chiropractor, so I'll schedule that soon (after I'm through with the cats, and I also had to schedule routine maintenance on my AC system) - and he's next door to Home Depot, so I can pick up a light switch then and see if I can wire it (if not, I'll have to find an electrician, but at least on YouTube it doesn't look that difficult)
I've filled out the forms and talked to the people to have the truck hauled off. I'm donating it to PBS for a tax break. I can't bring myself to quibble with anyone over Bob's truck, and I don't want to deal with someone coming back after a sale to say there was something wrong I didn't know about and didn't tell them about. This way, it will just go away. Tomorrow I'll clean it out (I already did a lot this last spring, but there are still things in there - like his glasses tucked over the visor - that I need to get out. Yes, there will be tears.)
My father-in-law had a favorite saying: "Every little bit helps" said the old lady as she peed in the sea. I've done what I can.
In general, I'm getting a handle on things, and feeling better.
I'm not doing anything major for Halloween, but I have been on a kick lately of watching old horror films - meaning ones from the 1940s. There's a certain charm to them - the really artificial special effects, the rubber costumes and the masks that aren't nearly as good as anything you can now get from Spirit Halloween, and usually Doctor Somebody-or-Other in a lab coat spouting sciency words.
And some reading. The Haunting of Hill House, followed by a couple of easy "palate cleansers" - A Night in Lonesome October, and The House With A Clock in the Walls. Then I went cruising for something else, and thought to Google "top horror books." I realized that I have read very little Stephen King, and opted for "Pet Semetary" - the one where King thought maybe he had gone too far.
That led to an enjoyable experience. Like I usually do, I checked Libby (the online library) for the book. It wasn't there. How odd. So I checked the regular library catalog, and there was a copy in the local branch library, only a couple of miles down the road. I don't go there much, because I've gotten accustomed to downloading books. When I walked in - it was on a display right up front. I laughed, and mentioned this to the librarian, who didn't mind at all my taking his display. I mentioned I was doing some Halloween reading, and he suggested another book on the display, a follow-up to the Dracula story, written by Stoker's great grand nephew. Then he mentioned another one of the genre that I might like ("Historian') - and looked it up. It's in the library's collection, just not at this branch, but he said that he could order it and get it here. Then we talked for awhile about other books and authors, and it was just plain nice, having someone to talk to about books.
I've also found that while I've gotten used to mostly reading e-books, either on my Kindle or my phone, there's a certain satisfaction to the weightiness and the page turning of a physical book.
So, in general, a good week. I've been taking care of some stuff, and am looking forward to hopefully tackling the yard soon. Not only has it been hot, but the mosquitoes are having a last hurrah and I get swarmed with I go outside. My goal for this year is to get a path cut down to the creek. I haven't been down there since the hurricane - Hurricane Michael in October 2018. Shocking to think that it's been six years but . . . things happened. I used to enjoy taking a book down to the creek and leaning against a tree to read. Sometimes I would see a fox or a beaver. One time I got a little sleepy and just lay down to bask in the sun - the looked over and realized that a water moccasin had the same idea about 8 feet away from me. I think I preferred the fox. At any rate - it would be nice to see the creek again.
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