So tired, and wish for numb to come

 

All things totaled, I had a very good weekend.  But it didn’t start out that way.  2 days before I left to go camping with Jeremy I was under the impression that we were going to one place, when Jeremy discovered another place to go so we went there.  Change for an autie is never a good thing and so I had my sights/heart set on one thing only to discover I had been mistaken.  Even though I know Jeremy has great taste in places, I grumbled because it wasn’t what I had in mind.  Its not that I don’t trust him or anything like that, but I had my mindset that we were going to the other place (which we still are in a few weeks) it just wasn’t this outing.

 

Also because I had a hard day at work and wasn’t able to come home and take my normal nap, I was extra grumpy.  Then came the 2 hour drive.  Grrrr It was hurry up, load the car, buckle in the kids, feed the cats and fish. It was fast becoming night, having to make stops in a grocery store in a strange mountainous place, with winding roads and few markers to indicate where we were going.  Even the GPS did not have this place on its map.

A long ride, we get there tired and hungry.  The wood is wet and dinner takes forever but finally we are fed and headed for our tents to bed.

 

Bedtime for me is usually an ordeal.  Because of my bursitis and other issues, sleeping on a firm to hard surface is not the greatest idea.  It was cold, and getting colder.  The ground was cold, the outside birds making strange loud calls.  Then I get to bed and discover that Jeremy decided that I didn’t need my pillow because  the car was full.  I went into full melt down..   The straw that broke the camel’s back at that point. We went round and round about it and I finally fell asleep only to wake a few hours later, shivering hard with the cold.  I couldn’t stop crying because a towel folded up is not a pillow.  I could not get warm and could not get comfortable because my pillow he left, also had a jacket, a long sleeve shirt, a hat for the cold and some other small things shoved into the case to save space. Not trying to be a spoiled brat I finally calmed enough to sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day.

 

I know Jeremy was looking forward to it .

 

The next morning, indeed things looked a lot brighter.  The sun came up very early, and although it was cold, Jeremy forecasted that it would warm up and be quite nice.  It was and my attitude improved.  Especially when Jeremy suggested we go to a store in the nearby town to pick up some things we needed and pillow for me. 

We drive down the mountain and in the next town we found a convenience gas store that had little to nothing in it we needed so we drove to the next nearest town and saw a familiar sign of Dollar General.  Fortuitous luck, we found they had much of their winter gear on sale.  In the South usually it stops being cold around Easter but this year we have had wild temperature swings.  Nature PMSing I guess.  I found a pillow and funnily enough, Jeremy also chose one. (Go figure he needed one too) and a couple of throw blankets and some hats and socks for the cold.

 

The place we were staying was absolutely stunning.  Nature being it’s very best.  The mountain was lovely and I got in a good climb, even for me despite my leg problems.  Ty my son struggled a couple of times; he gets tired and grumpy like me sometimes but once we got to the top he really liked the view. Jeremy got some lovely photos. We had some beautiful ribs and roasted corn on the cob and just really pigged out.  The kids got their first real opportunity to roast marshmallows on a campfire. Finally worn down, we went to bed to try out the new coverlet and pillows.

 

Unfortunately peaceful slumbering was over too quickly as some Spring Break teens sneaked into the camp around 1am and made so much noise it woke everyone up. Strangely enough they got quiet around 3am when some dogs ran through barking and howling, and around 6am they were packed and gone again.  Jeremy and I assumed the ranger kicked them out as he made the morning rounds.

 

After a fine breakfast we went up to a place where there was a lovely water fall.  We were kinda in a hurry because the weather was not going to hold out for the whole day. As we were climbing I finally just had to sit, and Jeremy was going to continue on with the kids. He came back rather quickly.  Seems one of the ledges he put his hand on, had a small brown eastern diamondback rattler on it. Quickly retreating, he came back to where I was waiting only to feel the first drops of rain, so we scurried back to the car. Slightly damp, out of breath but pleased, we headed to another spot.

 

On the drive back we noticed something very furry walking along the roadside in the ditch and at first we thought it was a cat, but it waddled rather than had the smooth gliding gait of a cat.  It had a flat back, a small pointed head, and a very bushy tail, almost looked like one of those foot stools with the fringe and the low four legs.  Turned out it was a very unusual marked skunk. Skunks in the wild are normally black with some white, this one was almost entirely white with some black spots near its bushy little tail.  It quickly ran into a rain culvert and we marveled at having seen one.  I had to wonder if this was once a pet turned out in the wild.  At least it would be in its natural habitat if it was.  I certainly was not going to investigate to see if it had been descented or not!!!

 

Jeremy drove us all the way home and it was a welcome sight.  We had a nice quick and easy dinner of roast chicken and potatoes, and bed was calling.  Who says I don’t need a pillow. (And my microfiber blanket and memory foam bed pad and my velvet comforter…)