The argument began when H’s car broke down and he walked 2 miles to the apartment.  We’ve been taking him to work with us ever since…ok, ok, I know it’s not like it’s out of our way or anything since we all work at the same place and share the same hours, but still!  I wouldn’t say the argument began then, it just sorta started trickling.  I keep telling Mad “you’ve GOT to get H’s car fixed” to which he always replies “I know”.  I know it’s not Mad’s place to HAVE to fix it, but he HAS to fix it!  Another week of being stuck in a small space with no where to hide from the roomie and I’m going to kick him not only out of the apartment, but out of the car itself, while we are on the interstate, at 10 o’clock at night, going 70 miles per hour.  And heck, I’ve refused to be the one to take him to work on Thursday nights which is our off night as it is but luckily for Mad, J is a kind and very good friend and has met Mad twice at the gas station next to the onramp and hauled H into work and back home again for us so “we” don’t have to make the drive on our off nights, meaning Mad doesn’t have to make the extra 2 drives there and back again each week.

So this morning.  Actually no, last night:  “I’m going to fix it after we got off work in a few hours”.  We get home and Mad says “I’m gonna wait an hour or so until it heats up to make sure everything under the car has dried out”…which is reasonable since it did rain last night.  Or, as I pointed out “why bother?  you are wearing work clothes and need a shower anyway”.  Fast forward four hours and Mad and I are on the patio:  “I thought you were going to work on H’s car”..him:  “I am in a little bit”…..he goes inside, I go inside a different door and by the time I lock the door from the patio to the bedroom and walk to the living room, Mad is curled up on the couch covered from head to toe in a blanket.  I pulled the blanket back and repeated myself:  “I thought you were going to work on H’s car” (this said in a loud hiss)…he said “I will this afternoon I’m just going to take a nap first”…it went from there to him screwing up his sleep schedule and being messed up for work because of it to his saying he wouldn’t be and back and forth and I finally said “If you don’t have it fixed before our bedtime tomorrow (that translates to Monday morning for ya’ll) I’m going to hire a mechanic to fix the damned car because I can’t take it anymore!”  He said he believed then he fell asleep.

Looking outside, it’s about to rain.  If he wanted the pavement to be dry today, he’s gonna be real surprised tomorrow if it does rain today when I make him go out in a rain storm.  Because if it’s not fixed by tomorrow evening, I’m calling mechanics Tuesday morning as soon as we get home from work and Mad is staying in town instead of Chattanooga like he wants to for our weekend and towing H’s car to the mechanic of my choice..and if that happens they are both in big, big, big trouble!

Men!!! (sorry Daddy)

We might need to break the sweaters out for when we come visit in October.  I was talking to one of the mailhandlers who’s from Maine originally…he’s been down here for 13 years and says he’s called home on many a Christmas day and giggles when he’s asking what their weather’s like and they say snow..he’ll then point out that it’s 76 here and laugh and laugh.  He was cackling just telling me about doing that.  He says we’ll get used to having all one season except for Jan through March…he said that Jan cools off, Feb can get cold and then March is just windy as it starts warming back up.  And then Carl, one of the forklift drivers told me “I’m from New York and been down here 16 years (really Carl?  from NY?  the accent would have never given him away  heh).”  Carl in the 16 years has been back home 3 times and that’s it..he says he won’t even go visit anymore.  Apparently everyone thinks we should fall in love with this area and stay forever.  But where do a lot of them go on their vacations???  Chattanooga, Ellijay, Blueridge, Memphis, Helen GA.  I’ve met people that have all gone to one or the other places on trips just in the time we lived down here….so when I ask what’s the best part, they all say it’s the scenery.  When I tell them I could sit on my front porch and look at the mountain that Rock City and Ruby Falls are on every day if I wanted, you can see the light bulb go off in their heads as to why I keep telling them it’s too flat here.  My supervisor argued with me that it wasn’t flat so when I told him there are barely hills here he said “we have hills!” and when I asked how high he held his hand up to his waist.  I’ve already established that the bridges that go over the water do not count as a hill even if it does go up and then down.

This blog is for you and my folks……ok?  Mad is able to post to it, but I think he forgot how so now I get to remind him.    Comment all you want and read or visit whenever you want to.  I don’t post every day and sometimes I’ll go a month between posting anything new, but I’ll try to get on here at least every 2 weeks…if I can get your uncle Mad to do the same, then maybe we can get something new up at least once a week…we’ll see.  heheh  Just don’t hold your breath is what I’m saying.  We might take a while. 

Loves and hugs!!!

Aunt Tams

If you click each picture, it will take you to a larger shot of it.

Last night was the hardest I think I’ve ever worked in my life!  Chasing shoplifters and stocking shelves was cake in comparison.  I am covered in dry sweat and grime.  Harry apparently got bored after a couple of hours which means he wasn’t really working very much….Mad and I both worked our butts off.  And to prove it, the biker dude (name not remembered at the moment) who wasn’t very friendly at first talked to us quite a bit tonight…he stopped by to check on me in the section I was assigned tonight and chatted for a while plus, he actually engaged in real conversations on breaks.  Mad thinks he’s become friendly because he saw that we actually work and not just pretend to clean like some of the custodians.  I’ve gotten more advice from fellow custodians on how to “look busy” than I have on “being busy” so basically, I’m doing my own thing and just cleaning everything.  One of the supervisors from the earlier shift walked by me on his way out the door while I was dust mopping under some of the lift machines and said “be careful, some of the dust in here has been here since 1975.”  He laughed when I told him I completely believed it.

Two nights down this week and only 3 more to go til we are off.  I think Wednesday we are going to try to get what’s left unpacked and go to the mall to see if we can find the shoes New Balance makes for mail carriers.   Thursday, Cass is coming over to go the beach with me and Mad.   And for now, the water should be about right and I’m going to go soak and then bedtime.

It’s windy and cool right now and the high today is supposed to be 59 or 60.  If they don’t wimp out, I still want to go to Jax Beach and see a few more things while we have what’s basically a “free” day paid for by someone else.  I also want dinner at a little seafood place down the street from where our apartment is.  Julie recommended it to us and I read some reviews online…most of the reviewers gave it a 4 or 5 star and most were regulars.  It’s a little place in a shopping complex that gets lines of people out the door on the weekends but are said to be fast so the wait isn’t normally over 30 minutes.  And since Mad and Harry are both picky (Mad less so), they can eat chicken while I load up on real fish.

Bath time!  There’s a reason I told them to go alone.  lol

I know I’m following in Wayne’s footsteps by posting a picture of nothing but clouds to start with, but I thought they were pretty while we sat in line at the bank so Harry could get a check cashed…the boy may be smart as all get out, but common sense ain’t his forte.

Clouds over Orange Park today