So we packed up and set out.  I knew immediately it was going to be a long day.  The pain kept coming in waves.  I finally found a way to sit that at least made it some what bearable.  But not for long.  Within less than an hour we had to stop so I could stretch and ice my back.  This was obviously going to be a long day.  But we pressed on.  Nothing else we could do,  But at this rate this trip was going to take a really, really long time.

We began to make good time but then came Atlanta.  A major five lane highway reduced to two lanes due to construction.  OK, it means jobs and better roads in the future.  But I just couldn’t see that feeling as I did.  It took us over an hour to go just three miles.  And it was almost the end of the trip because of the pain I was in.  We had tried everything.  Pain killers.  My little electric machine on my back.  Stopping to ice my back.  But now nothing was working.

But then Barbara had an idea.  To the freezer she went.  Grabbed a frozen bag of carrots

and stuffed them between my back and the seat.  Ah, not the perfect solution but it cut the pain down considerably.  And that is how I made the last two hours,

We both agreed this was the worse trip we’ve made since we started full timing.  My back, her back, the traffic, the uncertainty of whether we would make it, the heat and smog.  I know one thing I will never in a million years ever come close to Atlanta again.  I can’t think of a worse place to have to drive.  I can only imagine what it is like on a weekday during rush hour.  Absolutely crazy.

As for tomorrow?  We’re going to keep those frozen carrots handy that is for sure.  The final leg of the trip is also much shorter than the trip today.  One way or the other we’re going to make it.

Home is Where We Park It.  And that for the night is Atlanta RV South Resort.  Why here?  Because local ordinances  prohibit parking at a Walmart.  Nice.  But what a really neat

place.  Excellent customer service – an escort to your site.  Reasonable price.  Pull through.  Hard packed gravel.  Perfectly level.  Room for the rig and the car.  So nice not to have to jump through hoops when we got here.  Plug in.  Hook up the water.  Turn the AC on.  Turn the frig’ back on.  And collapse!

Well, thanks for coming along with us again on The Road of Retirement.  Today’s journey was a rough one.  But together, encouraging one another, we made it.  As we will tomorrow.  Before saying goodnight a thought for each of us to ponder:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

 

Well, tomorrow is moving day.  But should we?  Should we instead stay and continue to go for chiropractic treatment next week?  Well, the decision was made for us.  There is no room in the inn.  This is one popular place and it is booked solid through the month of October.  So go we will.  Not going to be easy trip since I can’t really sit for an extended period of time.  It is what it is.  We’ll just have to make the best of it and make frequent stops to stretch and rest and ice my back.

Last night I honestly thought we were going to need an ark to get us through the evening.  Torrential rain for hours and the creeks and drainage ditch were flooded.  Our site is also at the bottom of the campground so everything funnels down the road and under our rig to the creek behind us.  Poor Marti had to go out one time and when I opened the door there was no place for him to go.  We had a river running around and beneath us that was over the foot of the jack pads.  They kept telling us not to sweat it this was normal and happened several times each year.  Yea, that really made me feel comfortable.  But they were right.  In time the rains ceased, the water went down, and just like that everything dried up.  Interesting.

Ok, not much more to tell at this time.  Off to pack up and get ready for tomorrow’s trip.  Hope everyone had a good day.  We’re still enjoying The Road of Retirement but moving a bit slower down it right now due to physical issues.  This too I know shall pass.  I just wish it would pass a lot quicker than it is.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

 

Inch by inch anything is a cinch.  I keep telling myself that each day.  Don’t rush it, give it time.  Meaning give my back time to heal.  But how much time.  We were planning to leave on Friday but pushed it off to Saturday.  Will we be ready?  Will I be ready?  Don’t really know.  But if not Saturday, then when?  Sunday?  Monday?  Or when?  Sometimes I think you just have to go for it and trust that God will get you through.  So we shall.

Aquaphobia.  That of course is the fear of water.  Well, I may not have a full blown fear of it but I do indeed now have a new, healthy respect for it.  So it was last night when the rains began to dump on us I found myself unable to sleep.  The drainage ditch to our left was running high and fast, and the quiet little creek behind us was in full force.  I opened the door and found ourselves in the middle of a small lake about an inch deep.   Unsettling to say the least.  In time the rains stopped after several hours and the water began to recede.   Unfortunately, we are in for more of the same torrential rainfall tonight and tomorrow.  I will definitely be sleeping with one eye open.  If you know what I mean.  By the way, those who have been here longer say there is no need to fear.  So they say.

As for the rest of the day it was pretty much the same as yesterday.  Chiropractor in the morning.  Laying around the rest of the day and giving ourselves a chance to heal.  In time I know we will be back to 100% but I want it to happen now.  I know, I know, I’m being impatient.

Well, that is about it for our day.  Thanks for checking in and traveling with us on The Road of Retirement.  We’re still doing it hand in hand, singing our song, and making the most of all that God gives us.  Here’s a thought in closing for each of us to ponder:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

God is Good All the Time.  That’ what the sign over our refrigerator says and how true it is.  The events of this past week and a half definitely prove it.

It started with Hurricane Florence.  Bearing down on the Carolina’s and mom being mom she was not going anywhere.  She was going to stay in her home and ride it out.  At the last minute she was persuaded to stay with a neighbor who had a home on higher ground.  Had she not gone, given what happened to her bedroom and her house she may not be with us today.  God is good All the Time.

The storm ripped through her house, water, water everywhere.  The bedroom ceiling came down.  It was trashed.  And according to mom she did not have flood insurance.  Barbara was in charge of taking care of insurance and FEMA and guess what she found out?  She had not cancelled her flood insurance last November.  It was in effect.  God is good All the Time.

So the troops gathered in New Bern.  The place literally looked like a war zone.  Thinking at first that there was no insurance they went to work.  Adam and Allison came from West Virginia.  Cindy and Charlie from Pennsylvania.  Barbara and I from Tennessee.  The same neighbor who sheltered mom during the storm allowed mom, my sister and her husband to stay at her home.  God is good All the Time.

Barbara and I needed to find a hotel room each night.  In an area that had no openings, no rooms until the middle of October.  Yet, each night we managed to find a place to stay.  God is good All the Time.

It was obvious that mom was not going to be living here anymore.  At least not for the foreseeable future.  Maybe not ever.  On going discussions began.  Even before the week was out the word came down There was an apartment waiting for her in Wellsboro, just two miles from my sisters house.  If she wanted it.  God is good All the Time.

The insurance adjuster came out.  Mom was going to be in good shape.  She even received an advance on her claim.  God is good All the Time.

During the week I wrenched my back and that was that for me.  I could not move.  Nor sit for longer than 10 minutes.  And we had a ten-hour ride back to Tennessee.  But we found a chiropractor that was willing to work with me.  He got me to the point that I could at least make the trip home.  God is good All the Time.

Once my sister got back home she and mom went to look at the apartment.  It is small and cozy, but has all the major appliances, and is only two miles from my sister’s house. Better yet mom likes it.  The rent has been discounted so she can afford it.  God is good All the Time.

Once we got back home my back went nuts again.  But even before we had left New Bern the chiropractor there had reached out to another in Knoxville who was willing to continue my treatments.  I’m on the mend.  Then we discovered that they would accept Barbara’s insurance and so she too could be treated for her twisted back.  God is good All the Time.

Then there was Marti. He had been in a kennel all week.  We picked him up and it was obvious we had a major problem.  He kept hacking, and his breathing was heavy and labored.  Would he make it through the night?  What was wrong?  Turned out he had kennel cough and it would run its course – as it has.  But the first couple of days had us worried.  Now, he’s back to being a noisy little white bundle of energy. God is good All the Time.

The best thing of course is and remains, Barb and I continue to travel together down the road of retirement, hand in hand, singing our song.  Without her support I honestly don’t know where I would be.  She has been my rock.  God is good All the Time.

So we are moving on.  Taking it one day at a time.  Making the most of what God continues to bless us with.  It’s not always easy, but it is always rewarding.  Yes,

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before