Today we will make the trek to Olympia again. There is still some work to do with our storage. Later in the day we're looking forward to dinner with friends. I also hope to drop by and see Boyd. He returned yesterday from a fire in Colorado.

Last night I was helping a friend review for her citizenship test. Her biggest problem is her lack of English. She has improved lots since she came to this country, but I can see that much of her study boils down to memorizing answers to a set of questions that she barely understands (if at all). As we were going thru questions about the constitution, government, and US history, I was mindful of two main things. First, how basic the level of understanding required is. It occurred to me that most of the questions would stump the average person on the street. Second, how what they teach is disconnected from current practice. Maybe I've become just a little to cynical.

I need to steer clear of politics for now. Haven't had my breakfast and don't want to upset my stomach.

Connecting to the Internet is one of the things I took for granted when I had a home. Many people have networks in their homes, but not everyone knows their password. My iPhone is way to tedious for typing large amounts of text. I'm entering this on my iPad. Of course it has a virtual keyboard which is better than the itty bitty pad on the phone, but it's still a one finger at a time process. Actually I'm trying a two digit two step, and it seems to work. Normally this is no big deal, but I'm supposed to be blogging and writing autobiographical master pieces.

The trip to Eugene is almost here. I'm all packed and ready to go. We have a final design for the panel layout. It's vary exciting to think that our project will be completed in just a few weeks. We've been working on this for years. We still need to select a color scheme. Of course Bob and I have different tastes in color, so this should be interesting.

Plans for traveling post airplane project continue to morph, so maintaining flexibility is critical.

So now we are homeless.  The key distinction between our state and that of the normal homeless person is that we have means, options and are doing this by choice.  It has been especially heart warming to have so many friends offer us their hospitality.  I had not anticipated so much, and it is humbling.  We are not interested in inflicting ourselves on our friends and taking all that is so lavishly offered.  We didn't rent out the house so that we could take advantage (mooch off) of our friends.

Having said that, there is a strangeness to knowing that we have no place to call home.  The last few days we have been camping with our friends and basking in their friendship.  Always in the back of my mind is the saying that "House guests are like fish; after three days they start to stink".  So we try to be especially thoughtful (as we should anyway).  It has been a great time to be able to share their company and their hospitality.


We discovered a little Vietnamese place on Martin Way.  We dropped in there after church for a bite and ran into friends.  No big surprise there.  I think Anh knows everybody in the Asian community.  So we had a nice visit after our meal and then came back to Steve and Susan's.

Last night we took Steve and Susan out for Thai dinner in downtown Olympia.  Susan really likes the Curry Pumpkin.  I like it all.

We have gotten to meet Steve's Mom and Dad.  We thoroughly enjoy them and their company. They remind me of my own parents in their laid back "come on in"  hospitality.  They are unpretentious people with an uncomplicated virtue.  Yesterday I dropped in on them just to visit.  We talked about politics and religion.  We had much in common with regard to politics, but religion not so much.  I know we aren't supposed to talk about politics or religion, but it was a great visit.  I think they are very interesting topics and everyone has opinions on them.  There was a mutual respect and civility.  I really enjoyed it and think they did too.


Elly has this great smile and quiet grace about her.  Jim is very smart and well read.  Neither of them believe in God, so I wanted to know more and we had a great talk.  Jim gave me an 18 page paper explaining his beliefs and a couple videos to watch.  I'm looking forward to reading it.  How many people put so much thought and effort into sorting out their beliefs?  I've never known any.  We exchanged email addresses and I intend to give him my feedback.


They are very interesting people and have great stories to tell.  We talked about many things:  His experience in the Korean war,   our common problem of poor hearing, some of their travels, the sorry state of our country and the government, as well as current events.  They were telling me about raising Imus.  It was very interesting;  I didn't know anything about them so it was all educational for me.  

Elly asked us to come back for some cribbage after supper, so we did.  She gave us coffee and pineapple upside down cake (yum).   Noah  and Trent (Steve and Susan's grandsons) came with.  What cute little boys; so full of life and joy.  They watched a Disney movie while we played.  Noah is three years old and still likes to be tickled and played with.  Trent is a little older and a very well behaved boy.

Steve and I prevailed on the cribbage board field of battle against overwhelming levels of estrogen in the room.   Then we called it an evening.  It was a good day.

Today we need to take care of some banking and then we'll drive back up to Lynnwood for an evening with Vergil.  I think we are coming back tomorrow for a BBQ.

Yike!  I missed my morning post yesterday.  Not that anyone would notice.  Blogging feels much like talking to yourself; unlikely that anyone else is listening and less likely that anyone will comment on what you've said.

Blogging is not as bad as posting on Facebook (FB).  With FB, the things you post are inflicted on all the people who have befriended you but haven't learned how to block your posts, or flush you as a 'friend'.

"Unfriend" is (I think) a new word that only has meaning in the realm of FB.  I don't think there is a comparable verb.  I might avoid someone or disassociate from them.  Maybe "disassociate" is the closest to "unfriend".

But this raises the question of what is a friend.  In FB, it is almost meaningless.  I get friend requests from total strangers.  In what way can you call a total stranger a friend?  Only in Facebook.  And if I find them unbearably dull or offensive, I either block or unfriend them much as I would walk away from a drunk at a party.  I think that FB has damaged/cheapened the meaning of the word "friend".

I have many acquaintances, but only a precious few friends.  Someone who knows me well and cares about me despite my flaws.  Someone I can depend on to drop what they're doing and come to my aid if I ask.  Someone who will help me to see my BS and still hang in there with me.  A friend like this is not found at the end of a mouse click.

Odd, I hadn't intended to blather on about blogging or FB, but there it is...

Yesterday was one of those beautiful sunny days we wait for all year here in the PNW.  So how did I spend it?  Packing boxes, moving boxes, stacking boxes...

We have today and tomorrow to finish up the move.  Then we join the ranks of the homeless.  It's an odd feeling to not have a place to call home.  I want to try it on and walk around in it for awhile.  Not like the people with the shopping carts and cardboard signs.  I expect to sleep in a bed every night, It's just that I don't know where that bed will be just yet.  I have a room reserved in Eugene, but that's a couple weeks away.  I guess we will inflict ourselves on family.

Even saying that feels icky.  I would not expect family or friends to provide for me what I can provide for myself.  It is heart warming that they have offered to provide for us in this transition though.

I don't mean to make fun of homelessness.  What a terrible thing it must be to have no place to go.  I can only imagine and my situation is dramatically not like that.  The fact that we have choices is the big difference.  We can always stay in a hotel if we want.  We have made choices that put us in our current situation and we are prepared to deal with the consequences of our choices.  Never the less, this is a paradigm I have not lived in before.

Life is a constantly moving target.  Whether you sit still or try to move with it, the world will change around you.  We grow old, children grow up, people move away, loves wax and wane, and rarely do things go as we think they should.

Maybe it's a blessing; maybe it's a curse, but we get to decide a lot about the change.  It's a blessing that we get the illusion that we are in control and can be proud when things go well.   Of course the flip side is that there is much we have no control over, so when things don't go so well we have plausible excuses.  

• If only I had known... 
• That's wasn't what I intended...  
• It couldn't be helped... 
• It's (someone else's) fault...
• and my Bart Simpson favorite "I didn't do it" 

I think the best thing we can control is our attitude.  It isn't always easy, but since we can't control others or the weather.  The secret to life is learning to love dancing in the rain.


Just for my own review, I looked over the previous entries in this blog.  What struck me was how all the plans mentioned in the first entry have been either changed or deleted.  About the only one still in tact is moving out of the house.  So much for planning the future.  

After a career in IT, I am still amazed at our ability to communicate over great distances with such ease.  When I was in the Navy, you wrote a letter, put it in an envelope, slapped a stamp on it, dropped it in a box, and waited a week or two.  I only have a few friends that are that slow to read their email today.  Most can read it as soon as it is posted.  How wonderful!


I'm excited about the future, whatever that turns out to be.  I'm happy to have one.  I'm thankful for all the wonderful friends I've found in my life so far and anxious to meet more.

Making a decision is easy, but then there are a host of other decisions that are called for.  So now that we are not going to Florida or buying a house.  We have decided to join the ranks of the homeless.  Knowing where to sleep was never a big thing.  The default was always to go home and sleep in our own bed.  But this coming Sunday we will be without an established home.  I think this is a first for us.  When you're travelling it's more or less understood that you have to make arrangements, but this will now be our norm.  I confess that it feels a little weird and uncomfortable.  The new paradigm is living out of our luggage.

The moving continues, but the bulk of the stuff has been gone thru and is out of the house so our pace is not as frantic as when we had all the help.  So far we have filled the trailer twice with out cast offs.  I think the computer will be one of the last items to pack.  It is important not to pack important items in some obscure way so as to make them unfindable.

The plan as it stands right now is to finish the plane in August and then travel to Ecuador in September.  This may be an extended stay.  I would like to explore the country.  It's about the size of Nevada, so that will take more than a few days.  It may be that we will launch out from there to explore other parts of South America.

We have heard very good things about Cuenca Ecuador.  It has been ranked as the #1 place to retire.  So it makes sense to do a thorough investigation.

I'm told the cost of living is around $1,000/month there, so we should be able to survive.  It remains to be seen how well we will do at picking up the language.  I think it will be fun and I'm looking forward to the adventure.

What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday as we were discussing how to proceed with our plan to move to Florida, the direction changed totally.  Our plan to buy a house in Florida is now tabled and in it's place is a plan to be vagabond travelers.  What at change!  I have been lobbying for this idea, but didn't think I'd get buy-in; fooled me.  Now I have to come up with a detailed plan of how all that will work.  Including the next five weeks while the plane if finished off.

Simple questions like; "Where will I sleep?" become more complicated.  Of course the exciting part is that we have opened ourselves to a world of possibilities.  Where to go, what to do...  We are looking at a 75 day cruise around the Pacific from Sept to Dec.

All this added to my heaping plate, makes me sweat just a bit.

Spent the night in Lynnwood with family.  They like our new plan.  In fact, everyone seems to like the plan.  That is encouraging, otherwise I might wonder if I was smoking my lawn or something.

But first things first.  I still have to get moved out of the house.  We have the rest of this week to "gitter done".  So I'm going back to work on packing...  Tune in next time.

Yesterday was a day of almost non-stop movement.  Packing, sorting, throw this, keep that, give this to them...  With Tony and Vergil both pitching in, we got a lot done.  Megan made a run to Good will to donate stuff.  Rich came by and finished the painting in the living room.  He brought the trailer and we have it filled completely.

The stuff just keeps coming.  It reminds me of the widow that Ezekiel stayed with who's oil never ran out.  I don't think we will make the Tuesday morning departure, and we have reset for next Saturday.


I found my pilot license in the process.  I'd been looking for it and then up it pops.  What a relief.  


Tony and Vergil treated us all to supper at a Thai restaurant downtown (Angels).  Got to see Linh Dang and Hai Dang.  Linh Dang is getting so tall, he said he wants to be in the six foot area, but I think genetics will determine that for him.  Hai Dang had just returned from two weeks in Indonesia with the church.  I was hanging back on the food, but still came away stuffed.

At the end of the day, we put on a movie that Tony had.  I don't remember the name, but it was a snoozer.  I suppose with my proclivity to dropping off in movies, that doesn't mean much.  It had Brad  Pitt and Sean Penn in it.

And so after a night's sleep, I wake with aching joints, swollen hands, tennis elbow and sore feet to start another day of moving.  It's good to be alive.

This morning I'm fighting off feelings of buyer's remorse.  The sun is rising and it's so beautiful on my lake.  Moving is almost completed, we should have it in the next day or two.  I suppose change will always be a little uncomfortable.  I try to remind myself that this is the beginning of a new chapter in my life... A bold adventure... yeah yeah yeah.  I feel like I'm leaving home for who knows what.  Don't misunderstand.  I still want to do this, but there is a sense of letting go that I'm struggling with.  I didn't expect to feel this way.  Maybe it's that almost everything I own is in boxes.  I keep wondering as I pack them if I will be the one to unpack them.  Or will it be some poor soul wading thru our stuff to settle our estate.  Not that I'm feeling morbid, but plans often have turns we don't anticipate.  Heck, we may become world travellers and not want to come back.  Sorry folks, emotions can be messy things and I am knee deep in them this morning.

I have enjoyed my life here at the lake these last fifteen years.  I know I will miss my home, my neighbors, my morning panoramic view of the lake over a cup of coffee.  But then I may find something better; how could that be?  I'm sure I'd feel differently if it were February and we were having freezing rain, or after two months of continual drizzling rain without a look at the sun.

Okay, I'm all better now.  Thanks for tolerating my emotional outburst.  Of course if you didn't tolerate it, you are not reading this...  Never mind.

Yesterday was very warm weather.  Didn't stop to see how hot, but it was toasty.  Vergil mowed the lower lawn and trimmed the knee high grass.  He also helped with packing and moving boxes.  Where would we be without help?

Tony & Meagan arrived yesterday eave from Walla Walla with kids and dog in tow.  Teddy is a cute little dog.  He doesn't seem to make much noise.  Pretty well behaved.  We took some fish food down to the lake an fed the fish.  They weren't jumping for joy, but Tess (neighbor's dog) seemed to like it.  She was eating it even as she was swimming.  Even after Kam told her not to, she was scarfing it up out of the lake.  Tony plans to help us with the move today.  We should have lots of activity going on today.  Drop by if you want to watch the show.

We watched 'Despicable Me' with the grandkids last night.  I fell asleep somewhere early on.

My friend Rich called to tell me he was donating a day of work to help us with the move.  Very kind of him!  Especially since he just recently cut the end off of his thumb with a table saw.  I certainly didn't expect him to do this.  It's touching to be on the receiving end of these little acts of kindness.  I'm gonna have him clean and repair the gutters and downspouts.  Also, since he's a painter, I'll have him paint the remaining section of wall in the living room.  He's also bringing a trailer so we can dump the overflow from moving.  Garbage cans are filled to overflowing.

I am amused to see some of the stuff that I've held onto all these years.

TGIF, there are only two more working days until Monday.  Tuesday is really coming on fast.  We still have moving to do.  Boxes to pack and stack.  Details to attend to.  I have to fight to stay focused if this going to go well.  Additionally, I have to stay on top of business matters and make sure I do my schoolwork too.  Other than that, it's a breeze.

Yesterday we had a lovely visit from a couple of our friends.  We really enjoyed them dropping by.  We were able to have a good visit and they provided an excuse for us to take a break.

I spent most of my day digging out what once was my office.  Over the last few years it has become the place where things go when you just don't want to deal with them.  It got so bad that you couldn't walk in without moving something out of your way.  Anyway it's almost empty now.  I found a lot of pictures that I haven't seen in years.  Being the sentimental slob that I am, it was really tough to not get bogged down looking at pictures and reminiscing.  I unearthed stuff that I had forgotten I ever had.

Moving the big pieces is relatively easy.  You just have to deal with their weight and bulky nature.  What's tough is all the minutia.  The little things that don't really doesn't matter that much, but I've been dragging it around for so long I hesitate to just pitch it.  An interesting quote scribbled on a slip of paper.  I uncovered a whole drawer full of prehistoric pens and pencils.  They go all the way back to grade school.  Who keeps this stuff!  I guess I just have bad case of the hoarder gene.  I got it from my family.  It's all their fault.

Got word last night that Tony & Meagan will be dropping in from Walla Walla today.  It's a nice surprise, but the house is kind of a mess.  I hope the kids brought their swim suits.

By the way, it another one of those days we wait for all year long.  It's gloriously beautiful.  Turn off your computer and go get some of it.  That's what I'm gonna do.

It's Thursday morning and I know that because I looked at the calendar.  Since I retired the day of the week has become almost meaningless.  For example, I knew that yesterday was the 4th of July because the neighbors told me the day before of their party plans.  Anyway, I am keeping an eye on the calendar these days because the fuse is getting shorter for our departure.  If we leave as planned on Tuesday morning, I have a total of 5 days to get thru my list (posted yesterday).  Do you hear the helpless little voice inside me screaming?

Vergil cleaned out the van yesterday.  He washed it, vacuumed it and even cleaned the carpets.  I'm afraid the shock may cause mechanical problems.  It's the cleanest its been since we bought it.  Then under Anh's careful direction, he and I loaded boxes for our trip.

I moved boxes of books to the shop and cleaned the oven.  Replaced the oven light that we have lived without for years.  Ran out of boxes so I made a trip to the handyman's home away from home; Home Depot.  Didn't have time to browse for the one tool I don't already have; just get the boxes and oven light bulb and scoot.

Worked on my "Roots" paper, but am sorta stuck right now.   I think I'll start work on another paper and come back to it later.  Time has healing qualities for an aching mind.  I have to keep at it, because I have 4 of these papers to do in the Summer quarter.

Oh, the neighbors fireworks were wonderful.  We had perfect viewing because they used our float to set them off.  They parked it right in front of our property; couldn't have been better.  I was feeling pretty nostalgic as I thought about the years we've been here and enjoyed this place.  We have hosted our own 4th of July parties for all but the last two years.

The young couple that is renting our house was at the party too, so we walked thru the house with them.  Then Anh gave a tour of the garden of edibles.  I had some potatoes that had sprouted, so I planted them a few days ago and covered with some soil from the compost.  They are growing like crazy.

I plan to spend my day assembling boxes, filling them with stuff and hauling them to the shop.  I really appreciate that Vergil came to lend a hand.  Granny always said, "Many hands make light work", and it's true.  On the back burner, I'll be thinking about what my next paper should be about; Navy, my conversion from heathen to child of God, or what.

Hey if you are reading this, let me know that I'm not just talking to myself.  Comment or something so I'll know I'm not alone.

It's a beautiful time of the day here on the lake.  The little wisps of fog drift lazily above the surface of the water.  The sun is not yet up.  I love this time of the day, when it's peaceful and quiet.  A person can have a thought almost entirely uninterrupted.  Times like this are something I really enjoy here.  As we prepare for our move, my heart often tugs at my sleeve asking, "Tell me again why you're leaving."  I suppose it will make more sense when the weather here sucks again.

But today is the 4th of July.  It's a day for celebration of the liberties we once enjoyed.  Whether anyone thinks about such things anymore is questionable.  For myself I grow more cynical of government (if that's possible) by the day.  In my thinking, I tend to grieve our losses more than wave the flag.    Homeland Security Report Lists ‘Liberty Lovers’ As Terrorists.   I'm wondering if the 4th is a scam.  Read more here  Left to myself, I could get downright gloomy on a day like today.

But hey; let's have a party!  BBQ, Beer, water sports, fun with friends, Lets enjoy it all.  Today the lake will be buzzing with activity.  My neighbors will be having lots of company.   There are sure to be swimmers, sun bathers, old, young and infantile.  After it gets dark the serious fireworks will be brought online.  The stuff the people shoot off before dark is really kids stuff compared to the extravaganza we'll see after sundown.  I always look forward to and enjoy the display.


I plan to wander over and partake in their party after I've slaved in the moving business for a few hours.    We are thinking of an early departure on July 10.  The persistent daily effort is showing good results.  Rooms are looking like nobody lives here.  Today Vergil will be coming in to lend a hand.  I need to pick him up at the government railway(AMTRAK) station about 1130.

It will be interesting to see how Tess (the neighbors dog) will do with all the activity.  Tess is a big (75lb) lab pup with boundless energy.  She seems to like me.  The other day I was in my shop on hands and knees when was assaulted in the rear by a wet nose; Tess.  As soon as we make eye contact she starts to wiggle and get goofy.  I of course encourage this behavior.


I started making a list last night of all the nid-noid detail stuff that needs to happen before we leave.  

• Finish moving out
• Dust and Clean house
• Change name on water, garbage, power
• Forward mail
• clean the car
• pack the car
• plan the route
• Rental paperwork
• Notify tenants
• Cancel Comcast (this will impact access to the internet)
• Disconnect phone
• finish painting in the living room
• Have things packed ready for my trip to Eugene in August
• Empty the freezer (much easier if it were full of ice cream)  you can only eat so much meat in a week
• etc...

There is comfort in knowing that God is in control.  At times like this, when my life feels like it's in a blender, He is my anchor.

The moving process continues despite aches,  pains and lack of motivation.  I remember when I  could get every thing I owned into my 1974 Honda Civic.  What happened to me?

Today is my Sao Mai's birthday.  With her is where I want to be.  But instead I'll be painting the ceiling.  This just seems wrong to me.  Sao Mai is 9 years old today.  If you look at the slide show on the right side of this screen, watch for the beach scene and click on it.  Sao Mai is the pretty little girl in the green swim suit.

Ok, I'm done whining.  So yesterday the lid (overhead for you sailor types) in my living room was re-textured and I applied a couple gallons of primer.  Ran out of energy and motivation about an hour before the paint ran out. So this morning I need to dash to the paint store for another gallon of primer and 3 gallons of color.  "Color" is painter talk for the finish paint.  It is sort of a cream color and looks very nice with the colors we have in the room.  I want to stick with those colors because I really like them.

Yesterday I managed to move the last of the storage cabinets from the house to the garage.  This one was trickier than the others had been because the route was small.  The normal process entails strapping the cabinet to the hand truck, tipping it over for balance and then dragging it where you want it to go.  This one had to be moved standing straight up.  This means there is no mechanical advantage to ease the amount of effort required.  Tipping it over doubles the turning radius making the maneuver near impossible.  I managed to make the move without breaking anything or scratching any walls.

Once I got it out of the house and was ready to move it into the garage, I realized I had to unpack some of Vergil's stuff to make a way in for the cabinet.   Arrgh, there's nothing like wasted effort...  No whining, it's just that I just finished stacking Vergil's stuff a few days ago and now (due to my superior organization skill) I need to move it again.  Anyway, now it's in place and filling up with stuff we can't bear to part with.

It was afternoon and I was hot sweaty and thirsty.   So I treated myself the one other beers in the fridge.  It was Dos Equis Amber.  Ummmm Good!  It (and the 4 that followed) were my little attitude adjustment for the day.

Monday we stopped by the Toyota service center on the Westside of Olympia.  I was having trouble getting one of the middle seats out of the van.  We need them out for the trip as this will be a cargo run. Anyway, the service guy had it out in about 2 minutes.

So with all the middle seats removed from the van, I plastic wrapped them and stored them on top of the cabinets in the garage.  I also packed up all my LP vinyl records, cassette tapes, VHS tapes and DVDs.  They make a couple of very heavy boxes.  I also filled a box with books.  I'm afraid there will be a lot of boxes.  Hope I don't run out of room.  


So now I must run my naked body thru the rain locker, dress in expendable clothes and head to the paint store.  If we can knock out the painting this AM, I want to drive up and kiss my grand daughter happy birthday.  This is Sao Mai on the left and Grace (her cousin) on the right.

Mario, (my drywall repair guy) was here from 1300 until after 1600.  He had a helper named Vincente who made it possible for Mario to stay on his stilts the whole time.  They worked continuously and took pride in their work.  He began by removing the tape from the damaged areas.  He spent a lot of time making sure that the drywall screws were in and being effective.  There were a few places where the drywall nails had completely missed the trusses.  Mario remedied that.

I tried talking with them, but my Spanish is not so good and their English is limited too.

After he had done all the prep work, he put on a course of drywall compound (mud).  Then he pressed the woven fiber tape into the mud and with his trowel cut the tape to length.  He worked the tape into the mud with subsequent passes.  He let each lift dry before laying down another.  By the time he was done the mud covered about  6 inches either side of the tape and it really looks good.  Today they come back to texture.

While they were working on the ceiling, I did some more packing and worked on my "Roots" paper.  The packing is at a difficult stage for me.  All the big things are moved and now I have to go through the detail stuff.  I'm trying to take a hard line and throw away things I don't use, but I think I have the hoarder gene.  I keep hoping to come across my pilot license and my concealed carry permit.  I left then home for my last trip to Vietnam, but haven't seen them since.


After Dad died last July, one of the things that was returned to me was a piece of jewelry I made for Mother.  I think I was in the second or third grade when I made this.  She had kept it in her jewelry box all those years.  It is such a pathetic piece of workmanship and yet, the fact that she kept it somehow gives it value.

I thought about giving it to one of the grandkids, but am doubtful that it would mean anything to any of them.  After all, it is just piece of plaster, a safety pin and a decal that a child put in the bowl of a spoon some fifty years ago.  I don't know what I'll do with it.





I have reserved a room for rent in Eugene for the month of August.  Yesterday I sent the deposit check to hold it.  The  rent is supposed to be $460, but this lady has fees that bring it up considerably.   Here is how she breaks it down.  Maybe I should manage my rentals like this...        
Rent the month of August .....   $ 460.00 August rent

                                              $   35.00 Utilities

                                              $   35.00 Move out cleaning fee

                                              $ 150.00 refundable deposit

                                              $   15.00 refundable key deposit

                                              $   30.66 Possible two days....@$15.33 per day

                                            --------------------

                                              $ 725.66

These times take a toll on the level of domestic tranquility.  The enormity of the task comes at you in waves and sometimes it feels like it will never be done.  I suppose everyone has their own way of processing that overwhelmed feeling.  It makes me want to leave, but that is an option I long ago took off the table.  Instead I just soldier on, keep moving, don't stop, suck it up...