I imagine both you and Gary are ready to meltdown with all the disruption too! I'm sorry that you have so much happening all at once.

My reservations are made, so now I just have to pack everything and close down the house. My neighbor guys bought the antifreeze fluid that they will pump into my pipes so they don't freeze over winter. I still have some debris to pick up outside, but it was too chilly for me today. I'll get my nephew to help.

The plan is to do the trip in three days so it is all daylight driving. 9 hours Friday (including charging time) to Harrisonburg, VA, then 10 hours Saturday to Savannah, GA, then an easy 8 hours to home. It is really only 22-23 hours of driving and the rest is chilling at charging stops. Just the 3 of us with Skinner and Scully as my travel companions.

Now to get serious about packing.

The plan is to do the trip in three days so it is all daylight driving.

That sounds sane, safe and sensible. I'm well past the days of Pushing Through, like my cross-country drive from Boston to Sacramento where we did the Nebraska to Reno leg straight through in 24 hours.

I try to build rest into my travel plans now because otherwise it takes days or a week to recover.

I just had an unpleasant realization. I'm a single parent again.

(This brought on by Matilda coming home sick with a fever today.)

I suppose that's true. Sorry she's not well.

I'm a single parent again.

Oh, the biggest hugs to you David.

Oh man David. That’s quite the realization. But you did a good job with it before and I have faith you’ll do a good job now. Even if it’s not a job you ever wanted.

Much much less of a realization but I got a Harry and David catalogue in the mail yesterday and realized I don’t have to buy my mom a Christmas present this year. Ouch.

I support taking time to drive. In trying to figure out my route down to Southern California after thanksgiving and think I’ll do three days. In theory I could do the first one in a day, but I’d end up driving through the mountains in the dark and no.

We bought a new (expensive) mattress for Tim's back,* and it's being delivered this morning. Fully stripping the bed and then wrangling the pillows, heated mattress pad, and fluffy comforter so they're out of the way was practically a workout!

*(Tim would like the record to show that I, too, have a bad back, and that my bad back will benefit from the new mattress as well.)

Something GOOD on the internet - came across this the other day and wanted to share it with whoever could use it. Advice from a Klingon therapist:

the battle against mental illness cannot be won decisively. It is a long campaign against an enemy who never tires, whose forces swell to twice their size whenever you look away. Battle against a foe of such magnitude, who occupies your very mind … every moment you survive is a triumph against all odds. There is no more honorable combat.

I've been dealing with depression from an early age, so the struggle goes on.

I'm a single parent again.

I'm sorry for the ongoing gut-punches. I hope that Matilda is okay.

I got a Harry and David catalogue in the mail yesterday and realized I don’t have to buy my mom a Christmas present this year.

Ugh. I still get those kind of reminders of my mom 7 years later. Often on road trips because my mind tells me I have to call Mom and let her know I have arrived at whatever destination because it was always required behavior no matter how old we were. Habits linger.

I'm well past the days of Pushing Through, like my cross-country drive from Boston to Sacramento where we did the Nebraska to Reno leg straight through in 24 hours.

Indeed. We considered it a badge of honor to make the trip straight through for years, either alone or switching with another driver. 24 hours FL-NY. In the spring I did it in 2 days bringing my son's car up and I was actually seeing double by the time I got to NY. My car is a lot easier because of the autodrive and the forced rest periods of 15-30 minutes for charging. The mini naps help a lot. The charging adds about 5-1/2 hours to the overall trip.

A lot of the reason, besides my eyes, to take three days is the cat. She is quiet and calm all day, but as soon as it gets dark she starts to cry loudly that she has had enough. I promised myself it would be 3 days from now on.

Oatmeal: And now I want to find a Klingon therapist!