A Different Life II

[mimiandrews]

had decided that taking the first appointment I could get would be the right thing to do, and all of a sudden...voila!

Fantastic! You'll enjoy the partial return to the "old" lifestyle that being fully vaccinated brings. Hugging kids and grandkids is the best.

Do remember that it takes two weeks after the second shot (assuming one of the two-shot vaccines) before your immune system has had time to build up to your best immunity. Also, the variants are among us, and there is no real data on how effective the vaccines are against the new strains, so continue to be careful.

[Lily&Me]

Hi Mimi, and thanks for that info.

I’m sure I will get verbal and written info, and the good thing about now having one appointment is that I will also get the second.


It’s going to be another beautiful and sunny day here.

As we are out in the beach 6:30 am or so, there are for the past few days a dozen or so others already out there, looking for shells and watching the sun rise.

It’s Edisto...what’s not to love?

For those who have been here before, the entire town and campground have recently done an osmosis thing of some sort to make the water not only safe, but palatable.

There is no longer the water fill station at city hall, either.

It’s a good thing, tho the grocery here has made a small fortune selling bottled water.

The grocery store...currently a Bi-Lo, before that a Piggly Wiggly...has been bought out by Food Lion and will soon be closing for two weeks to do the conversion.

I always stock up before I come down here, but enjoy going into this grocer for fresh and local items.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

A call from darling daughter this morning, marking today which is the 7th anniversary of Doug’s death in Brunswick, GA.

In addition to the trauma of his sudden and unexpected death, a lot has happened in my life in the past 7 years...some of which is lightly known here, much if not most of which is not.

It is true, so absolutely true, that time.will.heal.whatever capsizes our life.

Some would say that time is the only thing that will heal, and the truth in that is that the processes we must go thru over time is the what and the how that healing occurs.

It is good to know that healing does come.

Something to file away, and fall back on emotionally when the next capsizing occurs.

Rest In Peace, honey.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

A piece of pan bread baked today from the dough I mixed up last week.

Takes about 4 hours to rise properly when the dough is coming out of the fridge, but this is perfectly acceptable bread.

And homemade, with cracked wheat flour in it.

[Jim Flower]

I remember this day 7 years ago when you were heading home and your life changed forever. I think that your sharing of the experience has helped many.. Thank you.
Is Daryl the Dynasore still lurking around site 9 (I think) or has he moved on? My Granddaughters want to visit him on there way by in June.
Safe travels, Jim

[Lily&Me]

Hi Jim, and great to hear from you!

I am sorry to say that the dinosaur is gone since I was here last year, at least most of him is gone.

His head and neck left probably with a storm.


Yep, when Doug was stricken it was one of those times where life changed in an instant.

People tell me that sharing my story has helped them, and I like to believe that is true.

Certainly for me, talking with someone who has been thru whatever I’m dealing with helps me every time.

We are all more alike than we are different, and have more shared human experiences than not...surely the sudden death of a loved one very close to you is something almost all of us are going to experience multiple times in our lives.

I have a good friend coming up on one year since her husband died, tho they knew it was coming and were able to talk thru the goodbye they had been together 40+ years and she is still adjusting.

Life.

Maggie

[Jim Flower]

Thank you Maggie. Edisto has many treasures and I look forward to our escaping the pandemic and visiting again. Jim

[Lily&Me]

Yep, that’s it, and he has gone.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Cleaned good this morning, including taking leather cleaner/conditioner to the ultra leather , and then dumped my tanks to avoid the line in the morning.

Treated myself to Waterfront crab cakes from Kings Market, which I am going to cook after awhile. Yum.

On the way back to the campground, a herd of deer ran across the road in front of me.

First time I have ever seen deer here, tho thought I might have seen one down the beach early one morning a few days back.

Visited with a woman about my age here this morning who is in a brand new Winnebago van that she said is just a basic camper van...no bells and whistles, no AC, microwave or television, but heat, a bathroom, propane burners, frig, etc.

I would think there would definitely be a market for those...Airstream, are you listening???


It’s going to be 70 degrees or better at Edisto today, and lots of people are out enjoying the near-perfect weather.

I am grateful to have been able to spend my two weeks here again this year, and will hopefully be back again in 2022.

I’ve got my reservations made, so God willing and the creek don’t rise, as they say.

Deb and I eyed the Chicken Pie at Kings Market earlier this week, and thought that could probably be baked with charcoal in the Dutch Oven...and would be fun to try, maybe next year.

The time here has been glorious but gone quickly, and such is life.

All good things come to an end at some point.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

My body has been on daylight savings time for a couple of weeks, so it was a relief this morning to wake up and it was 5am instead of 4am.

It was still so dark at 7 that I needed a flashlight to walk Lily one last time on the beach.

Did up all the laundry, and have to admit that spraying Lily every few days very lightly with Febreeze kept the bedding from getting completely rank.

Safe for cats and dogs, didn’t bother her one bit nor make her itch...between the dampness of the beach and the usual dog odor the inside of the Interstate can get to smelling like a dog kennel.

Made it to the Blue Beacon in Columbia to find only one rig ahead of me, then the one in the bay wouldn’t start so over an hour later finally got cleaned up with the undercarriage wash and RainX thrown in for free.

They do such a good job on our rigs, and I saw trucks towing fifth wheels and a big ClassA also in line there.

Found this little national forest campground between Columbia and Greenville and we are settled in til morning...a very long day, and lots of traffic.

$2.50 a night with the Golden Age Passport.

Cold crab cakes for my dinner, and they taste pretty darned good.

[Lily&Me]

We took the winding roads of US Highways 76 and 64 today, thru South Carolina, Georgia and into Tennessee.

I wanted to be sure to miss the Tail of the Dragon , which I did, but I’m not at all certain this was a less nerve-wracking route.

Tho the trees have not yet leafed out, the redbuds, tulip trees and one with white blossoms are all in bloom, and daffodils are up everywhere.

Really lovely, with lots of lakes and creeks to look at.

We snagged a NF campsite with electricity, showers and a dump station for the night, and will traverse Tennessee tomorrow.

Homeward bound.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

It began raining in the night, then it poured and poured and poured.

Lily was stressed and trembling, so we were up.

The rain had lightened up enough by 8 am that Lily was willing to go potty, and so we again headed west.

We had at times blinding rain for the next couple of hours, and way too heavy traffic around Chattanooga to suit me.

I’ve had enough heavy traffic the past couple of days to last me for a very long while.

But, we had no mishaps, rain cleared and the sun came out.

We are taking a slightly different route home and found ourselves in an area of Kentucky without any campgrounds, so I thought I might try a truck stop.

Ummm, no.

Absolutely filthy all around the perimeter and smelling of raw sewage, and several fellows loitering about their rigs who made my hair stand on end...so, we left.

Always be attentive to your surroundings, in my head.

No WalMart or Cracker Barrel, but I spied a fairground complex and asked permission to park there for the night...no problem.

We are tired, but will be home tomorrow.

Maggie

[Jim Flower]

Hello Maggie,
It seems that the end of the trips are usually the hardest especially when the weather is not cooperating and after a few days on the road we are anxious to get home. Good for you on your decision making remaining top notch. When a spot does not feel right, move on. My wife and I have done that many times and usually sleep better for it. Happy home coming tomorrow, Jim.

[Lily&Me]

Thanks, Jim.

Coming thru Nashville I saw the A & L RV billboard I pass every time...these good, kind folks in this family owned business, who winterized the rig for me on my way home in 2014.

Two days after Doug had died, I think, and while I cried in their waiting room early that morning first the young receptionist and then her grandfather, the owner, came to pray with me for my grief and for a safe trip home.

7 years...hardly seems possible in some ways, but so clearly that much time has passed in others.

Life.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

We had a quiet night near the pavilion in the empty fairground, unbothered by police who might have otherwise ousted us but for the nice lady who said we could stay and that she would let police know.

I apparently drove into central time and then back out yesterday, leaving my phone confused as to my location...I got up at 4am, thinking it was 5am, and was into my first cup of coffee before I realized the actual time.

Feeling I needed to wait until it was light to drive, then I remembered I had cataract surgery and night vision is no longer an issue.

So, Lily was pottied and off we went, now home and the Interstate unloaded just before it began to rain, and it looks like we came thru the southwest just in time.

Will dump in the morning and rewinterize, as lows in the 20’s are due.

Back to flannel pj’s and flannel sheets.

It was great to go, always good to be home.

Maggie

[tlundell]

Maggie:
I always find myself looking for the "Like" button after I read your posts....just a bit too much Facebook, I guess . I hope you arrive home safely!

Tim

[Lily&Me]

Hi Tim, and we are home.

Hope you are going to get some careful travel done yourself this year.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Lily ate her dog food and then crashed, right here.

She is glad not to be driving.

[Jim Flower]

Lily says it all. Nice to be home safely. Jim

[Lily&Me]

Yes, indeed.

I was just thinking...we are meant to still be traveling.

It is a privilege that is not lost on me.


Maggie