At Least I Had A Long Walk

What a day! 

Going to the old, almost hidden cemetery was a nice part of it. But here- let me give you an idea of the way my morning went by telling you what I told Lis on the phone this morning when she called me as I was walking- "Sometimes I just hate this country!"
To which she replied, "This is why we don't walk around with blow torches in our pockets."

I started out by taking a walk. And when I went to take my walk I realized that the walking stick I've had for years which Mr. Moon made for me and which is perfect, was not here. I do believe I left it yesterday in the post office when I got so dang angry about the religious materials. So I decided to start my walk by going there to see if indeed I had left it behind and when I got there, it was nowhere in sight but the offending Jesus books were. Keisha wasn't there today but another woman who sometimes takes over the duties at the Lloyd office was, and after I asked her if anyone had found a walking stick and she said no, I said, "So, you know these religious materials out here are illegal to have in a post office, right?"
"I don't know anything about that," she said. "People just leave them there for other people to take home."
"Doesn't matter how they got there," I said. "It's illegal."
"I never heard of that," she said. "They don't bother me."
"Well, they bother me," I said, and repeated that they were illegal. "Look it up!" I told her. 
"I don't have time for that." Said the lady who was on a personal phone call when I walked in. 
She claimed she'd call her boss but I bet you a good amount of money she won't. I did not want to get into a screaming altercation so I left and was determined to find out where I could email a complaint which I did when I got home. 
But we're not there yet. 
As I soon as I walked out of the post office I turned to go north, which is not the way I usually go but that meant that I passed the house right across from the dump where the owners have two large flags adorning the gate posts of their lovely estate (that's sarcasm) which are upside down which is "secret code" for "Stop the Steal" and other Trump-supporting related bullshit. And by then, I was just simmering. Which did not hurt my walking pace! 
So I walked down to the road that leads to the horse farm, the road Miss Shelley lives on, a road which I have not been on in a long time but which is mostly populated by some of our Black neighbors where I settled down because they certainly do not have Trump signs of any sort in their yards. And it's a nice road. I decided to go visit the graveyard while I was there and so I did and that's where I took that picture up top. Here are a few more.

It's a tiny cemetery and as you can see, goes back to 1819. I am so curious about the Willie family who seems to be mostly buried there. What were their lives like? It's a sweet, shady place and I would not mind at all if my ashes were scattered there with my mortal remains near Eddie Boy's. 

And then I walked in the opposite direction to head down a path I always used to take through the woods which winds back to the old gas station across the street from the old truck stop (this is how we describe landmarks around here) which is on the road that leads me home. 
I had not taken that path in forever. It used to be well worn. It is no longer and in fact, I had to go by faith and instinct to get to the right cut off. I was wading through knee high weeds and grass but it wasn't so bad. And then I got to the back of the old gas station and I knew that someone had bought that property and I also knew there was a gate leading into and out of it but for some reason, I thought that it was one of those gates that you could, if you wanted to, go around on the side and indeed it was but there were trees mashed up against that part making it impossible. I could have climbed over the fence but come on- I am less than a week away from seventy. In a cow pasture, I would have been more apt to do it but this was right out in public on a main thoroughfare. I decided to cut through some pretty gnarly bushes to get to where I could exit the property and I did but good Lord, it was a mess. Briars, brambles, stickers, blackberries, vines that grabbed...you get the picture. I need to start walking with a machete in my pocket. If not a blow torch. I was sweating so hard that one of my ear pods fell out (yes, my ears sweat too) and I thought, "Well, okay, that's the cherry on top of the cowgirl," but I found it and somehow managed to get to the main road relatively unscathed except for scratches on my legs and arm. I was being stubborn and refused to backtrack all the way through the weeds and down the road which would been another mile. 
I WAS NOT IN THE MOOD!

By the time I got home, I was bloody and sweaty and the color of a tomato. A Cherokee Purple tomato to be exact. I told Mr. Moon about my adventures and then I cooled off and then I went out to the garden and picked peas because I am tough. I am becoming as tough as an old pair of work boots. 
Which I also resemble at this point. 

And then I suggested to Glen that we go to the river and the day completely turned around because we did. There weren't very many people there and the ones who were were mostly well-behaved. Okay, there was a group of teen-aged boys and they did act like teen-aged boys but that was tolerable. 

We brought our old people folding canvas rocking chairs and put up an umbrella and we were set. We would get up and go dip in the freezing cold water and then return to our chairs and rock for a little while. As it always does when we're there on a summer afternoon, it started looking like rain with the sky getting gray and after awhile, a wind came up and the temperature dropped and the sky opened up and it began to pour down with drops as big as nails and everyone scrambled to get their things gathered and into their cars and off we all went, laughing and drenched in our shared adventure. 

Before that happened though, this dragonfly decided to perch on the back of my chair. 

I don't think I've ever seen a red dragonfly before. It was gorgeous. And then the funniest thing happened. I was showing Glen that very picture on my phone because the detail is pretty nice and as I was holding up my phone to show him...

Mr. Red Dragon decided to come and take a look himself. 
"Hold still!" Glen said and he took that picture. And then the beautiful creature flew away, having no idea that he had been a very sweet and magical part of my day. 

Back to the Post Office situation. As I said, I found a web site from which to lodge a complaint which I did and I've already gotten two notices via e-mail that my complaint was received and will be given the attention it deserves. 
Sure. 

I won't even bore you with the details of how Mr. Moon's lost phone has still never arrived here despite being informed by Dollar Rent A Car AND Fed Ex that it had been shipped via overnight delivery. And that was the end of the tracking history. 

Sigh. 

What a funny world we live in. Well, I try to see it as funny but mostly it's a good idea that I don't carry a blow torch (or a machete) in my pocket. 

And I'm still really pissed at myself for losing my beloved walking stick.

Love...Ms. Moon