Counting Down the Days . . .

and, man, we’ll be so ready to pull outta here on October 1.

This has turned out to be pretty much the assignment from Hell. While our time here has given us a bit of boost in funds and an opportunity to regroup and plot a course forward, I have to say . . . it is horrid here.

Yes, it could be worse. If it were, we would not still be here; the only reason we are still here is from an ethic to finish our commitment and our loyalty to the companies we have worked with for the past several years.

After leaving here in March and then returning in July, we realize we didn’t just have our knickers in a knot when we left before. This truly is not a good environment for us and our home.

No, I’m not just talking about the ants which, after a hiatus of several days, have reappeared with a vengeance due the recent slight change in weather.

Dave is lucky to get 3 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period and suffers from constantly blocked nasal passages. I have headaches daily and a freely running nose constantly. We both have episodes of tickled throats with coughing and burning, watering eyes. I am also experiencing more intestinal issues here.  I feel physically ill here most of the time. Dave stays exhausted due to lack of adequate sleep. We both often feel “itchy” with a crawling sensation on our skin, even though nothing is there . . .

Neither of us has even been up for chess the past few weekends, and you know we so enjoy our matches.

We remember we experienced these issues before, and they cleared up after we left.

One side of our entry steps turned green with mold? fungus? moss? Yeah, looked like moss, really.

Preparing a proper meal is tricky with having to keep things back in the fridge or up off countertops due to the ants. We really have not been eating great meals due to those logistical hurdles and the fact that our schedule (night shift) throws off our eating times. Neither of us has much of an appetite, anyway. We spray outside, keep crumbs off our counters, keep things sealed, wash dishes immediately, etc. The problem is simply too enormous here and has gone unchecked for so long here on the property that we will not be rid of the wee devils until we leave.

We are absolutely looking forward to getting some decent lettuce again. Produce here is subpar and we stopped buying lettuce weeks ago as it was a waste of money. I miss a green salad!

We dare not open our vents or windows due to not only the multitude of insects but also because of the odors here. Tonight it is very “green” smelling out, literally a “green” and plastics-smelling odor. This is from the water treatment ponds at the back of the facility.

Tonight it smells like Pasadena, TX. If you’re from that area, you’ll know the saying of “The air is greener is Pasadeener.” Ha! Yep. Smells like Pasadena tonight.

Other times one is “delighted” with the smell of smoke from area residences either burning trash or the burning off of fields. There is also a lumber place near the grocery store; fresh timber is brought there and cut, so one gets that smell, too. Yes, a wood smell can be pleasant, but this is almost overpowering.

Thankfully, we don’t have much longer here, and we’re just trying to hang in there until Oct. 1.

On that note, our route is plotted and reservations made along the way. We’ll spend our first 2 nights out at The Barnyard in Lexington (about 90 miles west). We will have been working the night before (with Dave getting off work around 6 AM on the morning of departure), so making our first move a short one and staying 2 nights will give us a chance to rest and begin adjusting to regular sleeping patterns again. 

One thing about reliving the unpleasant environmental issues here is that it reaffirms our previous decision to leave here.

We are hanging in, trying to stay healthy and retain (what’s left of) our sanity until we leave.

Just telling it like it is . . .

Thanks for stopping by!