A Bit of a Week

After not seeing ants in our RV’s kitchen area for about 2 weeks, they returned with a vengeance and in greater numbers the early days of this week, parading from above down to our sink area. “They’re looking for water,” you say. That didn’t cut it, as it had just rained. Plenty of water outside! Go away! We’re parked under/beside trees and foliage that is literally teeming with the critters. Well, after one morning of Amityville Horror greeting me first thing, I waged war on the devils armed with Ortho Home Defense. This is the first place we have ever had ants inside during our 5.5 years of full-timing and the first place I have used the Ortho inside the rig. I typically spray a perimeter around the rig when we sit for a few days in one place. So far, so good. No invaders again as of this writing.

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You may remember Dave being besieged by roaming dogs while out cycling during our previous stay here. He had been dog-free this time around until yesterday . . .

A dog came after him. Dave swerved to miss the dog, hit gravel and went down. Dog ran off. Thankfully nothing is broken and his wounds aren’t serious, although he is pretty sore today. (The bike is fine.) A nice couple driving behind him saw the incident and stopped to make sure he was okay. Ten years of cycling in the States with no previous spills or crashes, and he has come off the bike three times during our total of about 6.5 months in South Carolina, twice when we were here previously and now this.

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In my early 20s, I was diagnosed with Tietze syndrome, which is a chronic condition of swelling and inflammation of the rib cartilage.  I will have a flare perhaps 2-4 times per year of less than 24 hours. It is excruciatingly painful; during the initial occurrence, every breath felt like a knife was being thrust into my ribs. For several years, I have kept pain pills around just for these times, infrequent as they are.  Several years ago when I did not have meds, the pain was so bad I ended up in an ER. Trying to convince ER docs that I know what the problem is and that I am not having a heart attack is a frustrating and expensive endeavor. Hence, my buddy the pain med.  At any rate, I experienced a flare this week lasting about 48 hours; that was a doozy. Today I have been pain and drug free.  Yay! I’ve been gentle with myself today, recovering a bit, reading, watching TV and just resting.

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Back in 2001 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I joined a support group on WebMD. It was a close-knit group; however, over the years many of us strayed from that group and we lost touch. A while back, a few of us found one another on Facebook and we formed a meeting place there. Since that time, many of us have been reunited once again. Sadly, one of our sisters was called home this week, passing last night. She and I had grown closer over the past months. I am grateful for the Light she shone into my life and grateful that her time of suffering was short and is now over. I miss her so very much.

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Plans for tomorrow include hitting the laundromat with our mountain of clothes. We found a decent facility a bit more into town, thank goodness. We’ll also go to the Ace Hardware across the street from it, looking for some hardware that will be for making a keyboard extension on my wee little desk/workstation. I’m hoping we can get the dining table out of the rig this week and set up my office area.

Yes, it was a bit of a week. See ya next time!

Thanks for stopping by!