Honeycomb Hideout!

Well, not really as I am not THAT exciting, but there IS a Honeycomb trail over at the lake and I have been hiking it recently.  Since the first of the month, I have hiked 40 miles!  Hills are getting easier, though that's with a day pack, so I am not getting too excited. 

Today we went back over to the honeycomb trail and hiked it with Nia.  It was Matt's first time.  Since I have hiked it a few times, I was able to add more to my 'mind map' as Ben calls it, and think about how the trail goes.  And it goes uphill WAY MORE from the dam to the campground than it does from the campground to the dam.  hahaha.  Dang. I really don't like hills! 

Matt liked it, Nia loved it. There are a couple of creek crossings and several access points to get in the lake.  She STAYED wet, and often muddy, and very smelly.  So basically her best day ever.  We started out with Murphy too, but he sometimes gets carsick and by the time we were half a mile away, he was already belching and clawing at the windows.  So I turned around PDQ.

Nia loved being an only dog, her prefered state.

realizing she's in mud, not lake

this mud smelled horrible, like old oil and dead fish

A cleaner bit of water, swimming in circles to stir up the gators.  

The start of the long series of climbs.

Me, feeling oddly optimistic, though that quickly changed to 'oddly tired'

A beaver!

okay, well, it's Nia again.

roughing it as I remembered to bring kibble, but not a bowl

contemplating the unfairness of life without bowl

Matt sat in witch's butter, an (edible) jelly fungus
I may have called him Butterbutt

I had her harnessed and clipped for her surfing ride on the way to eat after the hike.

She thinks she is 6 feet long, I had to move a basket that I keep odds and ends in and put my massaging back rest on the top to fill in the gap between seats so my two and a half six foot long dog could sleep on the way home.  She kept dramatically falling off into the gap.  At least she didn't make me turn on the massager for her.  I did spend nearly $4 on grilled chicken strips for her though.  Then I had to blow on them while she stared at me until they were cool enough to eat.  She also groaned until I turned off the radio.  I don't foresee us going crosscountry anytime soon.  But I did enjoy hiking with her.

Car Saga

It's still ongoing, but I feel close enough to the end to finally it get out and leave it here.

On December 4th, Matt was rear-ended in a 100% the other guy's fault wreck.  Our insurance company closed out the file immediately.

Enter, Allstate.

The town the wreck happened in (Hanceville) has the vehicles towed themselves, so the first series of calls we had to make were to locate the car for the insurance company and have it towed to the dealership they use (Mitch Smith) for repairs.  Note, they are not an 'authorized' dealership, meaning they can't inspect their own work.  More on that later.

We were told it would be repaired by Dec 30th.  Allstate arranged for a rental car.  A week into the new year, they wanted the rental car returned.  The dealership was not finished with the car, so after 20 calls back and forth to and from Matt to and from the dealership, Allstate and Enterprise, the rental was extended.  After 60 days, the car was ready to pick up, so we returned the rental and the next morning, got the Forte.

It had subsequent damage from being cinched onto the tow truck after the wreck and the front end needed part replaced.  Then there were gauges that needed replaced, half an hour after picking it up, we returned it (never left the parking area in fact) because the airbag light was on, even when I sat in the passenger seat.

They checked it over and a couple of hours later, sent Matt home in a loaner car.

Allstate opted to total the car on Tuesday the 16th of February. We were asked to return the loaner car. Allstate refused any more help, cut a check to Redstone and said they absolutely would not pay for another rental while we looked for a replacement car.  Keep in mind, the rental and loaner cars were during the period of time we were told we'd be getting our car back, so we had not looked anywhere.

That Friday, Kurt offered us his extra car, so Matt had vehicle to get to work and back with.  We started calling, looking online and cruising lots when he was home from work.  Saturday the 27th, we went to Murfreesburo, TN to look at another Forte and ended up buying a 2014 Nissan Versa Note for what we owed on the Forte-so at least we are not in more debt.  It's a 5 speed, very basic (crank-down windows!). The plan is for Matt to drive it for now until he finds just what he wants, then it will be my car. The van is way too much car these days and I freaking LOVE a stick shift.  Plus, it gets nearly 40 MPG and only has 22k miles on it.   In the meantime, it will be paid off in 2 years, so that's a plus.

So, the Forte was scrapped, we looked at buying it and having it recertified as road safe with a salvage title, but the dealership can't actually do that, we'd have to pay someone else to look it over and then repair everything that may have been missed, then pay to have it inspected again.  Ad Nauseam.
We already knew the airbag sensor was bad, $1200.  Bam.

In the meantime, we went to get the new car registered and found out they need a copy of the title and some other forms sent directly to the courthouse, which the dealership could not comprehend.  The guy we bought the car from is out o town for a few days and has not started the paperwork.  The bank they talked us into using has never heard of us, I could not even get past the automated answering system.  I sent an e-mail, to which they have not yet responded.  We are having the loan transferred to Redstone, I can't deal with that. our credit rating is so chewed up by buying a car 6 months ago putting a chunk on the credit card out of the blue with the brake job in December and then again this week and now transferring the loan will ding it another 30 points.  The lady at the courthouse was nice, but she blessed my heart, which pretty much means, "Sucks to be you".

I called the dealership back and said they had until next Tuesday to fix this and woe unto them if I had to drive up there myself on Wednesday.  The other salesman acted like I was being an idiot and making up things, then the bank called him and he clicked back over to say they were sending the forms he needs and he would take care of it right away.  So, maybe it will all work out.  Maybe I will get to have lunch at Omar's again next week after I chew through a small car dealership.  Who knows?

I do know this much-I will not buy out of state again and I really, really hope I never have to buy another car from anyone other than Jeremy at Shaddix in Cullman because he is really nice and does not add fees or play games.  He just could not find what Matt wanted in the short period of time we had to find something.  And I do like the Nissan, I just could really do with it being a much smoother transaction.

UPDATE: They sent the title and all the info we needed in time to get the paperwork done, so yay!

So, fingers crossed that nothing else car-related will crop up for a while.  I just want to get the little car registered by the 15th and go on with life.  The crank down windows pleased Chandler quite a bit.  Now we can escape if the car goes into water!  Ack

Friday

The chilly weather knocked out our swimming plans for the second time this month!
We chatted about what to do instead last night and decided to just go to Katy's and make grilled cheese.

Chan was at Brit's house, Ben was already at Katy's and we had been hosting Evan, who's here for a few days now that school is out for him.  So we set out a little early to gather Chan on the way and pick up some doodads to share at lunch.

Saw this and wondered briefly if Suzette had bought a truck.

At Katy's, the kids spent about 4 seconds deciding what to do and then ran around like crazy people all afternoon.  I love that they can still be so physical and just PLAY.  Katy certainly has the place for active kids.  They played on the swing, the zipline, the trampoline, just ran around and played with Mars.

Inde gave me a hat to keep the sun out of my eyes.

We made a ton of grilled cheese sandwiches and had chips, fruit, cookies, La Croix, Caprisun and picked stuff from the yarden to make a big salad and have fresh herbs on our sandwiches.  Loads of chatter and mostly laughing our heads off at Bird, who is quite the ham at 21 months.  I took pictures, but his mom does not want me to post pics of him or Didda online.  Just trust me, he's SO cute.

After lunch, we lounged a bit while the kids ran around and around then Matt, Katy and I went for a walk and Amanda headed back to her neck of the woods to get ready for the weekend.  We are all headed off together next week!

Right below Katy's house.

Indian pink

Mint, Monarda family

Resurrection ferns

Don't know.  The plant grows like raspberry

That's mostly Virginia creeper, but there were about a zillion poison oak plants in the mix.
I washed everything I had on when we got back, including my shoes.

We had to make tracks back home, our movies were due by 7!  I wish there was a drop box, that would make my life so much easier sometimes.

The blue jays were going NUTS attacking Nia and screaming like all get out when we got in.  We finally went to see what was going on, Nia was under the pine looking up and they were swooping her like fighter jets.  She was sitting ON a baby jay!!  She is SO horrible, I mean the worst kind of dog.  I have looked out more than once and seen her perched on a cat, it flat on the ground and her rear end squishing it's head.  She even drags the cats to where she wants cushion sometimes and THEN sits on them.

Matt took the jay away from her, we thought it was dead and everyone was all teary eyed and then he gathered up the FLAT baby and it became bird shaped again!  It was not wet or damaged, she just sat on it-no mauling.  I wish I knew why she did that...

I lined a small basket with paper towels and we put the baby in it and wedged it back up in the tree.  The parents took over immediately, though they were both livid and tried to kill Cleo when she was making her way to her cat bed in the shed.  That poor cat, I am not sure she's had a good day in her whole life.

We have gone to check a couple of times, debating on if we should bring it in.  It's COLD out there, under 50, I am not sure the parents will snuggle the baby if there are other babies in a nest elsewhere.  I know I will barely sleep, I am afraid to bring it in in case they abandon it totally.  I hope it was not shocked too much by our horrible dog, that could kill it, too.  It was panting for a while, but was quiet and fluffed up last time we checked.  Okay, I can't stand it, I am going back out to check.

New Plans

First, I read this poem the other day: Passage by Marilyn Donnelly He who took the steps by two now pauses on each tread and I who love him so am filled with dread. Which of course made me squall, as the last time I went fishing with Daddy, he had a hard time  making it up the steps to the van again. He has since then started working out 90 minutes a day!  He can walk a treadmill and ride a bike 2 miles on each and he's doing some weight training.  : )  I am SO happy about that, and proud. Thinking about my own impeding demise (the 14th, keep your calendars open) made me realize I DO have something I would really regret.  I have not told either of my parents how I really feel about being who I am.  I know it sounds crazy, I see Daddy all of the time and barely have contact with my mother at all.  What difference would it make? I don't know.  But it means something to me to make the effort.  To say the things NOW that I would easily say at a funeral.  That's too late for the person it really matters to and at best serves only to make the ones left behind feel soothed over the loss and also the guilt of not being the one in the box and being a little glad about that.  At least that's how I feel, even if it's not my proudest moment. Daddy's will be easiest, my feelings for him and for his influence in my life are right on top, they well up when I look at my own kids, when I read a good book, when I have worries.  I can recall so much with my father somewhere in the background, his voice a cadence to my life, reading to me, always reading, even when I could read on my own.  Counseling, talking things through, being steady during the years I careened around bouncing off everything and changing my mind daily. Mother's...I have tried to reconcile my thoughts and feelings on that before.  Maybe I will have better luck within this distance we have nurtured.  Me on my end ignoring the roots, her sending out hopeful tendrils.  Me, oblivious of the effort.  Or wanting to be.  You can't BE a mother and not have some insight into why they go crazy.  I just wish I had been worth the effort to keep her shit together.  I think that's the bottom line to everything negative I feel about myself.  How can anyone love me if my own mother failed so miserably?  I must really be worthless. But, I wake up and get up and make the effort each day.  Sometimes I feel like pushing everyone I know into a hole so I don't have to spend any energy on relationships, it's not natural to me.   I try, though.