leatherman's log   September 2009 Week One  |   Week Two  |   Week Three  |   Week Four  |   Week Five

Week One: August 2009 Week Four was my last full update. Look for the next update, from South Carolina, to be near September 15th   A lot happened this month and although I didn't think I'd get to post any updates while still in Ohio, I did get to post a quite large update right up until the night of August 8th, when I shut down my computer to pack it away for the big move. If you didn't get to read that update then continue after this intro.   However, if you were caught up on my updates until my actual move, click here for the BIG MOVE update (in the middle of the second week) to see my first update from South Carolina to read about the move, the trip through the mountains and setting up in my new home. A Special Unexpected Update! What do you know?!? As we enter the first weekend in September, and my last weekend living in Ohio, I'm actually still online! It seems that though John (my ex-roommate) dropped off a letter to the landlord stating that he was moving out on the first, he actually had no plans to do that. And in actuality, he really has no plans at all. As the landlord believes that he's already left the house, and they are making me liable for the final water bill and nearly a half month of rent, I'd say that right now, not only is John my ex-roommate but he's an illegal squatter. (If you need to be caught up, I'd suggest going back to August 2008 Week Four)   When Richard and Angie stopped by the other day, giving another truck-load of stuff going to their house, they asked John what plans he had since the first had come and he was still in the house. John told them that he's waiting for some Social Security check to be coming in the mail. After it arrives, he believes that (within a couple of days) he'll easily be able to move into a 1-bedroom apartment in a gov't housing high-rise located just a block down from the gov't housing converted hotel where he used to live. I don't wish homelessness on anyone so I hope things work out like that for John; but I find it hard to believe that he'll be able to get a new home as fast and as easy as that.   So not only did John almost force me into homelessness; but by telling the landlord that he would no longer live here, he made himself homeless!   I guess this is finally some of that karma-thingie coming back around. A lot of people told me about karma when this situation erupted between Joyce, John, and myself. I personally have never quite believed in karma, because I just don't think I've ever been evil enough to deserve all the woes that have come my way.  However, it seems poetic justice that the way things are now. I originally fended off John's goal of throwing me out of the house by standing my ground and not being forced out of my legal home. I informed him that he would have to legally apply to have me removed from the premises (a legal process that usually takes 60-90 days before the sheriff arrives to physically escort you away form a  property). Now though, if I was staying long enough for it to matter, the tables are reversed and I could actually take those same legal steps to have him evicted from the house.   Having to deal with such irresponsibility makes me even more grateful for the planning and assistance I'm getting from my family. Home Remodeling in SC While I've been busy clearing out all the nooks and crannies in my house, trying to decide what belongings I "just had to have" and which one I "had to lose", they haven't been just lazing about down in the late Summer heat in South Carolina. My mom and Dennis have been just as busy cleaning out their house. In clearing out the back bed room for me, they've had to move furniture and rearrange their own master bed to fit all their now-displaced belongings. Just like me sorting through the belongings I've accumulated, they have been cleaning out their accumulated stuff  from nearly two decades at their house. Not only have they cleared out a room for me and the doggies; but they've also been remodeling their house to accommodate me and the boyz. (Thanks to Nana too for her great assistance in all of our plans!)   I still think I have my mom beat in our competition of who's cleaning out the most. I started my collection of possessions when I moved away from my parents house, which I think was probably about September 1983. My mom didn't "move away from home" until a few years later when she and my dad divorced. So I really think I have a year or two lead on her. Also in these intervening years, I've accrued "extra" belongings from Randy, and a whole houseful of extra belongings from Jim and his house. However, if mom is anything like me (or should that be the other way around), then she's probably kept most everything she's gotten and probably does have "almost" as much as I do.   Several mornings ago, I got a call from mom. "There's a hole in my house! And it's all your fault!" she yelled at me. But it wasn't really my fault, it was all according to plan. Still having my cocker spaniels with me has always been a major issue in whatever plans I had for moving, just as it was last year moving to my current location. My mom has several dogs too; and she came up with a great solution to managing all the dogs. The first step was knocking a hole in the wall in my soon-to-be bedroom (thus prompting that morning call ), and then installing a door. This new door opens on to the side yard that was already partially fenced-in from the main back yard. After the rest of the yard was fenced in, a small porch deck was built outside the new door to give my dogz access to this large yard area. Just like the other doors in Mom's house, this one has a doggie door installed in it too. It'll be interesting to see if my spaniels can get the hang of having the freedom to come and go as they please. Because they've either lived in busy city areas or in Jim's unfenced yard, I've always let the dogs out at timings of my choice and have watched them until I had them safely back inside. (Okay, so maybe it's ME that'll have to get the hang of my dogz having their freedom. )    I think they should get the hang of the door though. For some time, I've blocked off the end of the hall upstairs in my current house with heavy curtains. This have give me some privacy with my bedroom on one side of the hall and my computer room on the other side of the halls. The dogs already have the hang of nudging the curtain aside to come and go upstairs, so the doggie door idea shouldn't be too hard for them to understand. But there's more yet! There's also a new long covered deck out in the yard. Sure I'll enjoy sitting out there reading and soaking up some sun like I used to do on Jim's patio; but it's really more of a place for the dogz to be able to use whatever the weather is like outside. In other words, if they use this area properly, they won't even have to get rained on while out "going potty". WooHoo! No more soggy spaniels anymore when I send them outside to do their business. Boy, I bet my guys would have liked to have had something like this up here in Ohio back on some of those snowy days.  (By the way, if the above picture's perspective is slightly skewed, it's because this is a photo-shopped version that I made from two pictures my mom sent me.)   I really appreciate all the effort, trouble, and money my mom and Dennis put into my these changes in their home to help with my dogz. I'm very happy realizing that it means my boyz, who unfortunately are all older now, will have such easy access, such a large yard, and such nice sheltered areas to run and play in during the years I still have with them. I know Gabby would have loved to have lived here, and I'm sure Joxie and his brothers will have a great time playing and living here. Packing and Moving in OH Back at my home, I've been busy several hours a day pack, pack, packing.Everything was put on hold for a while because I had run out of newspaper! This past Sunday's edition was the skinniest edition I've seen in years, and I ran out of paper even before I could wrap up all the masks on the living room wall. Several friends came through of course, and I got plenty of leftover newspapers. All the masks are in a box now and the walls are bare. I wrapped up all the ceramics from the mantle and tables and now all the shelves are bare too. Bit by bit, I've been sorting through the stuff in the basement too. I wheedled my shelves of computer parts down to the barest essentials that could all pack up into one box. After taking out just a few Christmas-y items (Randy's stocking, stockings for the dogs, some handmade ornaments from friends and my Grandmother), I had a whole box of Christmas decorations to give away. Trying to decide what to do with the artificial Christmas tree, made me think back about my Granny (my Dad's mom). Now I can see the wisdom of having a 2-foot table-top tree that can be easily be pulled from storage, uncovered, and plugged in. Viola! Instant Christmas. The advantage to working with people and having people work with you is that ideas are easily bantered about, consent is formed, and tasks get done. Mom suggested (when I was telling her about when I helped move Carolynn) that I talk with Richard and Angie about moving some things on over to their house early - before moving the big furniture this next weekend. Ah! What a smart idea! And less stressful on me too. So some combination of Angie/Ritchie/Richard has come over with their truck every other day or so, and we've loaded up a truck bed full of household stuff and sent it all off to it's new home.   As we approach my last weekend in Ohio and the big weekend for moving the furniture, I've already sent off tons of Tupperware, a drawer-ful of kitchen utensils, a huge box of small appliances (can openers, humidifier, waffle iron, sandwich-smasher, and MORE!), one of three kitchen tables, dishes, curtains (the nice ones from the old days at the pet store!), computer desk chairs, tools, books, etc. It's definitely an "Everything Must Go" event happening here! (which I think is a slogan on a car sale banner that I left behind when I moved from Jim's house)   It's kinda ironic, isn't it? My planned activities may sound bland, yet really they're not. I mean I'm single, 47, and going to spend Friday night clearing out the basement of my house. That's sounds like a very sad, unexciting life. Yet in reality, it's something I've got to get done, and get done soon, as the prelude to the big adventure of moving to a new home hundreds of miles away. Catching Up and Saying Goodbyes Now that the time is getting closer for my departure from Ohio, I've been meeting up with friends for the final times. Just yesterday my friend Loretta (the owner of the "The Cottage Gate Shop") stopped over to see me once more before leaving town. MMM After I spent a morning packing up things, Loretta brought over chicken, smashed taters with gravy, and macaroni salad for lunch. Mmmm, right now any meal I don't have to cook is good with all the packing I'm doing all this work.   Loretta had good news too. The location she moved the shop to has been doing the store much better. And soon Loretta and her hubby Bob will be the proud owners of the building that houses her shop and several apartments! (that's her shop down there on the right just past that parked car. But it hasn't all been work Between bouts of sorting and packing, I've been trying to make arrangements to see my friends before leaving town. So better see a bunch of friends at once, I went with Angie's family (her mom, the kids, her brother and his girlfriend) to the local Stark County Fair. Normally, I don't go to the fairs; but I do usually request that someone bring me back some cotton candy and onion rings. This year to get extra time with everyone I'm went to this fair and I'll be going to another fair on Saturday. It was a perfect day for the fair. Though the morning started off a little cool, it warmed up into the high 70s and for most of the day, the sky was nice and blue. Becca and I rode a bunch of rides while everyone else roamed through the fair. We started out on the carousel horses. We rode the Tilt-a-Whirl 2 or 3 times in a row laughing like maniacs. Then we took a turn on the bumper cars. Even the small ferris wheel looked tall when standing down on the ground looking up.   Pictures From the Ferris Wheel   Look! Our shadows are riding a ferris wheel too. MouseOver for a Shadow CloseUp. (that's my shadow on the left and Becca on the right)   I was also at the fair with Angie, her mom Sally and Ritchie; but only took pictures while I was on these rides, so Becca is the only one to "visually" make it into this update. Looking at all the rides from above was pretty interesting and made me want to break out my old Roller Coaster Tycoon game and build my own fair. Two days later, on Saturday, I had another fair to go to. Trent came over and picked me up to go to the Canfield Fair, where I got to spend more time with Carolynn and Trent before saying our goodbyes. The Canfield Fair is much different from the Stark County Fair - and the biggest difference is size. Probably 6 Stark Cty Fairs could fit inside the parking lot for the Canfield Fair!   The Canfield Fair always has tons of produce on display, and some of the biggest pumpkins I've ever seen. The winner this year was 1186 lbs! I also saw odd-shaped veggies, big veggies, small veggies, big animals and baby animals, lots and lots of farm machinery, and lots of food vendors. I ate a huge freshly dipped and fried corn dog, a gooey sticky sweet cinnamon bun, and made sure to grab another bag of cotton candy (to take home for me and the boyz. The boyz love cotton candy!   I was very tired by the end of the day; but very happy that I got to spend more time with Trent and Carolynn. I got to have two long chats with Trent. One on the ride over to Canfield and the other going back home. Though Trent and I have never spent all that much time together, I have always kept him in thoughts as another "little brother". I've been very proud to see how he was able to take over part of the family business with his Dairy Queen store. I know Randy would be proud of that too. But maybe Randy would be more impressed, as I am, that Trent is also a magician. His performance for Jim's 50th birthday party (aka the first Pooltag) was a highlight in his life that Jim frequently told about to others. Just as I've always hoped good things for my real brothers, I'll always wish the best for Randy's little brother.   After the fair, we stopped back by Trent's (and now Carolynn's new house) and I got to see that Carolynn's home was beginning to really look like her home with so many of her belongings finally moved over into the new place. I'm very sad that I'm moving so far away from my mom-in-law; but at least I know that she's going to be safe and dry and living close enough for her son Trent to help her out when needed.   Though I love all my Ohio friends, there are a few whom I will miss much more than others. I'm sure all my other friends will understand when I say that I'm going to miss Carolynn most of all. Part of leaving Ohio is also leaving behind some memories. Often Carolynn tells me how I remind her of her son; yet it's me that's amazed by the similarities in her actions, gestures and words that remind me of Randy. Accepting me into her life because of her son, and then being so much like Randy, made it easy for me to love and care for her and proudly call her my Mom-in-Law. Though we're already separated by a 50-minute drive and have learned how to use the internet to stay in touch nearly every day, it's sad to know that soon I won't be that close anymore, not even in the same state!   I love both of you,and will miss you dearly; but I'll never be further away than a yahoo chat, a phone call, or a new update of my blog away. Though I'm sorry to stay that I just won't be able to make it back up here to come over to your house on Christmas morning as I've done all these years in Ohio, Carolynn; but I'm sure now that I'll be down in the hot, sunny South again, I just might miss the cold and snow some and (crazy as it sounds) will try to come visit some frozen December. Empting Out the My House The BIG moving day finally arrived. Even though I had many things packed up, there were a lot of last-minute things to do before my "helpers" arrived. I still had some shelves mounted on the wall to take down, along with dismantling my bed. Since I use an inflatable mattress now, I'll still have a bed to sleep in until I get moved; but I didn't need the frame and headboard any longer.   All that's left in my bedroom now is a stack of suitcases, and a pile of blankets (and deflated mattress) that used to be my bed. I still have to pack up the pictures on the wall; but that's one of the last things I'll do. Just before I've finally moved out the last two times I've moved, I take the pictures of my guys and my dogz off the wall, take Jim's pinecone wreath off the door, and the cocker spaniel statue I have outside the front door. When those items are finally out of the house, so I am. I've had some trouble getting rid of some of my belonging, not because they are "good pieces" but because of mild emotional attachments. Although this stand was built by my grandfather and I to put into my first college dorm room, there really is a need for it anymore. Not only does it have some gouges; but it's got rusted screws and a broken lock on the cabinet door. Just like some of my old shirts that had cigarette burns in them (it's been 7 months and 5 days now since I've smoked ! ), this piece of furniture is damaged and not worth keeping anymore.   The living room with end-tables or the sofa. Only John's TV and recliner remain. There are only a few dishes left in on shelves. All these items are going to new homes without me Corissa wonders why all the furniture is going away while John keeps on playing WOW as everyone else helps clear out the house around him.   Here on the "staging area" (aka the front porch) is another one of those items that's kind of sad to see go. Against the railing is a dresser standing up on end. According to my uncle (my dad's brother) when he gave this to me while I still lived in Charlotte, my great-grandfather on that side of the family (whom I never met) built this piece of furniture. My uncle's daughters (my dad had 3 boys, and his brother had 3 girls) had used this dresser before me and when it passed to me it was painted white with pink accents. Thankfully, a nice black gloss lacquer helped it to match a hutch top that fit on top, along with the black lacquer waterbed that Randy and I had years ago. All sorts of odds-n-ends are ending up in a garbage pile. Old curtain rods, a rusted clothes rack, a lonely weight bench with no weights, and even the artificial Christmas tree that I last set up at Jim's house. My other belongings are all finding new homes. One of the three dining room tables (and four chairs) has gone down to Pam's house, along with Jim's double 12 ft. ladders, my old dresser and as many items that would fit in their small truck. I would like to especially say thank you to Mike Poland. As always, he's the perfect friend to have when you need to move heavy furniture. He's also been a fine friend to me and Jim for many years. Mike is a really great guy, helpful, honest, friendly, and kind. I'm truly going to miss my good friend. Hopefully, these belongings will be useful and helpful for him and his family. Ready to be filled (there's the cocker statue, that I mentioned earlier, on the left) Getting Full   Though Richard and Angie have already taken quite a lot of my things, there was still more that I had to give them. After the living suite (2 side tables, large coffee table, sofa bed and dual recliner sofa along with 2 lamps) went on the first trip, we loaded up a ton of albums that I had been storing for Richard along with Jim's gas grill. I'm going to see tomorrow if Jim's mower will start up again, and if so, I'll mow once more before giving Richard the mower too. I want to says thanks to Richard and Angie, and that I hope that these things that they have taken will help make their lives more comfortable.   I want to also take a minute to mention my friend Richard and to thank him for helping get my furniture moved out. Unfortunately, being a truck driver now, he was only in town for a short time and is going back onto the road, making this the last time I would probably see him for quite some time. Of course, we (Randy and I) met Richard through our meeting of his mom nearly two decades ago. While Randy and Linda became buddies, Richard and I became close friends. During our ride across town to deliver his "new" furniture, we reminisced about all the old times - the times with Randy and the times at the old "12th St House". I really enjoyed being reminded of those times by Richard; but that's also makes him another of my dear friends that I am deeply saddened to say goodbye too. Richard shares so many memories of Randy with me that we when talk about those "old times" together, for a brief time Randy comes alive again for me. Rich and I have had more good times together through my years in Ohio than I can begin to recount here; but our relationship can be easily summed up. Out of all the people that I named as my "OhioFamily", Richard truly has been my OhioBrother. I'm really going to miss Richard; but hopefully once in a while he might have enough time to stop for a dinner as he drives up and down I-77 and passes by my new home.   Making the Dogz Happy After spending the whole day moving, there were still a few errands to run. Since I needed to get a new bag of dog food and Richard needed a few things, we stopped by the Wal-Mart where Angie works and touched base with her while handling the last of our errands. I didn't feel like cooking anything at the house (I know I should be eating up the stuff in the freezer and frig; but I wanted something I could just throw in the oven, heat-and-eat. I was too tired to do food preparation for dinner.), so I grabbed a Wal-Mart pizza which I think are very good.   The boyz have been a little stressed out too lately - what with me all upset while I'm been trying to keep us in a home, plus the moving, plus the fact that the weather has finally turned into "Summer weather", just as fall it about to hit. So when I got the boyz some food, I also picked up some of their favorite things - rawhide bones. And a very special toy for Joxie! I was trying to straighten out the last things in my computer room so that I could finally relax this evening. I had just emptied out the Wal-Mart bag, turned around, and turned back to catch this sight. My poor old nearly blind dog who runs into walls is intently staring at an item that I left on my chair. "Hey mikie! I think I see something up there and I know I smell something up there. I think that's something for me!"   PoolDog gets a new FootBall! Last year as I closed up Jim's pool and we moved out, Joxie (aka  "Pool Dog") had nearly destroyed a football that had been his favorite pool toy for nearly two years. He literally loves his toys to pieces. Cutting across the store, I had come across a bin of basketballs and footballs at $4 a piece. I debated for just a few minutes, as most pet toys and children's toys are easily (and quickly) torn apart by Joxer rough doggie playing. That last football was a $20 leather one and it lasted just 2 yrs. Though inexpensive this one isn't too cheaply made so hopefully it'll last him for a little while. Regardless, it's already given him and me more than triple it's money-worth by the happiness it has brought Joxer.

Week Two: Things yet to do While they're putting some final touches on the digs down in the Carolinas (how nice, even the carpet will be freshly cleaned by the time I arrive), there's still plenty to get finished up here. First and foremost now is probably getting something done about transportation ASAP. If we don't get arrangements made soon for a vehicle, I won't be going anywhere because although I "could" try I think trying to bike me, my belongings and the dogs through the West Virginia mountains is just something that isn't going to happen. I know I need to stay in town until my doctor appointment Wed. afternoon; but that's about all I know. Depending on the vehicle size will decide what all I can pack and take. Depending on what's left behind could be another trip over to Angie and Richard's. Depending on how long I can get a vehicle, will decide whether I drive throughout the wee hours of the night or in the daylight. Of course, depending on what day I can actually get a vehicle will decide what day I actually make it down to South Carolina.   (Needless to say, I totally forgot about Labor Day coming up, so neither Mom nor I will be able to check with U-haul until Tuesday. ) Well, here it is. Minus nearly every piece of furniture, here's all that I own that I deemed worthy of moving Hopefully, I can make this all fit into a truck that I can afford to rent. Joxer is guarding the clothes, cds, books, and everything but the kitchen sink a stand, some crates, a bike, some shovels and a fake tree I've been able to update my site much more that I thought I would this last week living in Ohio. I may have even more to add before I leave. However, I'm sure I'll be updating from  South Carolina sometime near September 15th THE BIG MOVE TO SOUTH CAROLINA As you may remember from my earlier updates, I was pretty antsy about getting the transportation for my big move to South Carolina. Then to make the issue even stickier, we couldn't do anything on Monday because that was the Labor Day holiday.Thankfully though, on Tuesday my Mom made arrangements and paid for 1/2 the truck so I could pay the other half and pick up a truck on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, UHaul has made guidelines over the years and I had to rent a truck for 3 days to go 500 miles which made the total pretty high at nearly $700 - and that didn't include any of the fuel cost!   After most of my furniture had been moved out on Sunday, I spent Monday and Tuesday putting everything together downstairs. By the time Tuesday night rolled around, only my PC and table were in the computer room and my bedroom only had curtains, bed clothes, and the inflatable mattress. When Wednesday morning came, I turned off my PC and deflated my bed while I waited for Angie to come over and run me to U-Haul to pick up the truck.   I'd like to take a moment to offer a Special Thanks to Angie for all her help. She spent nearly all of her day off running me around finishing up all my last minute errands in Ohio. Without her help, I would have really been put in a bind. Thank you so very much Angie! As I told you, I'd love to help you when you find a new place and move soon; but on the other hand I'm glad I won't be around because after moving Carolynn, then my stuff over to Richards and then packing and moving myself, I'm just tired of moving. Loading the Truck Isn't it a cute truck? With an interior of 10x5, it was pretty big and just large enough to hold everything I had left in the house. And I do mean "everything"! Because of how John had tried to make me homeless, my goal was to take every last thing out of the house that belonged to me. Though he may have helped by putting up the deposit money on the utilities and rent when we first moved in, that deal was okay with both of us because I supplied ALL the furnishings in the house. (I got quite a chuckle later in the day. While Angie had been taking me around on my errands, John had to go do a few errands for himself. I noticed when I stopped back by the house that John had purchased a lamp.  I guess he realized when I packed up all the lamps out of that living room, that it was going to be getting quite dark in the house with just his little desk lamp. ) After bringing the truck back to my house, it was time to pack up. Angie stayed on to help and soon Gayle (formerly from Waikem's) arrived raring to go. As soon as Mike P. and his mom showed up, I had a whole crew of movers! While I kept packing up all the loose ends in the house, my "crew" got EVERYTHING packed into the truck for me, and even had some room to spare for all the last minute things I found that just had to go with me. I would like to offer a great big hug, round of applause and my deepest thanks to Gayle, Angie, Mike and Pam for all that hard work, sweat and help. What they got packed into the truck in just an hour would have taken me all day to accomplish. I've had such good friends in Ohio, and nearly every time, I've needed assistance some of them have come through. I'm so thankful and deeply grateful to have befriended such good people while I've been in Ohio all these years.   Oopsie! Unfortunately, I realized (after I left town) that I had inadvertently left a few things behind. I should have taken the curtains from the living room, and thrown out Jim's old coffee table that John was using as a stand for his guitar and Corrisa's food bowl. Everything else that I could give away, get rid of, or just throw away was gone (except for a few old monitors and my old 30-yr old TV with broken buttons), leaving John alone in that big empty house. I could kick myself though for leaving behind the microwave. I was supposed to make sure Mike P got that; but in all that moving rigmarole, it got overlooked. With nothing but half a freezer's worth of TV dinners to eat, John would have really been hurting if I had removed the microwave.   When I had last spoken with the landlord, John was supposed to have left on the first and they were expecting me to pay a pro-rated amount of rent for this month. The plan had been for them to get a water meter reading on Thursday, so that I could pay for that also. During one of the stops that Angie and I made back at my house, I noticed a small note lying on the back of John's recliner. It listed a dollar amount for the rent and already had an amount for the water. John didn't say anything about it, so I don't know if the note was left in the door while he had gone out to buy that lamp or whether the landlord had dropped it off and knew that John was still living there. (and I didn't care ROFL)   Goodbye Dr. Mark! After lunch and a quick shower, Angie took me on my last errand in town - seeing my doctor. First the good news! My viral load was still <75 (which counts as "undetectable") and though my t-cell count had dropped a little bit from that high of 305 last time, they were back in the "upper good range" of numbers for me, at a grand total of 275! WooHoo! It still amazes me that my numbers have stayed so stable through the last year and a half when so much of my life has been chaotic with losing Jim, moving to Miami Ct., losing Joyce and then finding out I was about to me homeless (and that's when this blood work was done.)   When I had this blood drawn, I had called the doctor's office, so they knew that I was leaving and had my records already put together for me to take. It was really sad saying goodbye to Dr. Mark though. It was because of his good "bedside manner" that I'm still here today. If he hadn't taken the time to figure out a regimen of meds that worked and that I could tolerate, I'm sure I wouldn't be here today. I thanked him profusely and told him that I would always fondly remember that weekend when he and I were basically snowed into the hospital together that Jim was getting so sick. Though his partner was actually handling Jim's case, knowing that Dr. Mark was watching over Jim and me during that time really helped me hold things together during some of the worst times of my life.   Heading Out After the doctor, we went back to my house for the final time. Although I forgot to get my wireless router and land-line telephone (mom's got a wireless router, and already got me a cell phone and onto her plan a few weeks ago, so it's not the end of the world that I forgot those few things when I left), Angie and I did remember some of the important things. We pulled up the posts, and rolled up the fence from the back yard. I didn't have room on the truck for it; but they have a dog (Blitz), so they were glad to get the fence. Then I loaded up my most precious cargo, the boyz!   Since John still hadn't hardly said a word to me in weeks, and hadn't asked any one of us about all the moving that was happening, I didn't say anything to him either. The living room was looking pretty bare with hardly anything but John's TV and recliner left (oh! and his new lamp), so I left my keys on the small end table that I was leaving behind - along with the note from the landlord about the monies due.   With one last look around, and no goodbyes, I took my leave of my last home in Canton, and in Ohio.   Since I wanted to give the boys (and myself) a chance to get used to the truck, we made one stop in town before hitting the highway and I drove us over to Richard and Angie's house. We stopped there for a few minutes to check for any major shifting in the load inside the back of the truck, along with giving the doggies a chance for a "pee break". Stretching out the roll of fence in their driveway, I was able to give the boyz a place to rest while I took the opportunity for a "pee break" myself. Ritchie and Becca watched the boyz for me and gave and got some loving from the guys for the last time. Saying all the goodbyes has been very hard. Just like I've had the internet to keep in touch with my family all these years, now I'll have to be using it the other direction to keep in touch with my friends and "family" in Ohio. The hardest goodbyes were to Richard, Angie, Ritchie, and Becca. They have always been so very good to me, to Randy, to Jim and to all my dogz through the years. Just like Dorothy with the scarecrow, I'm going to miss them most of all! After loading the boyz back into the truck cab and waving goodbye, I buckled my seatbelt, put the truck in "D" and left Canton, Ohio. On the Road At first, the boyz took a while to get settled. It seems that they ALL wanted to look out the window to see where we were going. (Notice all those "nose prints" on the passenger window already. ) Zeus settled into the drive first by staking out the area between the two seats and curling up for the long ride, while Aries found himself squeezed out by Joxer. I'm not certain just what my nearly-blind Joxer "thought" he was seeing; but I guess he was saying his own goodbyes to the state where he was born. After a short time, everyone settled on down. For the rest of the trip, one dog slept in the foot well on the passenger side and one slept in the space between the two buckets seats. Interestingly, though they rotated positions every so often, throughout the entire trip, one dog always sat up, awake, in the passenger seat while I drove us on the nearly 500 mile journey. I was very comforted with how one of my boyz always stayed awake as my companion and co-pilot on the long drive. Crossing the Ohio River and leaving Ohio behind us as we entered West Virginia. Aries doesn't look quite so confident in my driving after I edged over to the right a bit and hit the "rumble strip" that runs along the highway.     Driving south and UP, we twisted and turned through the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. As we climbed higher the clouds got thicker. A few showers left wisps of fog floating over the landscape.   My "co-pilots" watched the road and "read" the U-Haul notices stuck on the dash.   As happens so often, I have a story to tell you. Before Randy and I moved to Ohio, we came up for a week's visit. After seeing his parents and brother, taking a tour of the Dairy Queens his father owned, and a trip to Cedar Point, we finally headed home. Being young and dumb, we planned our return trip so that we had time to stop off in Charleston, the capital of West Virginia (that's the capital building, in this picture, with the gold dome), to go drinking and dancing. Of course, that was very stupid as afterwards we continued on down the highway back to Charlotte. As you can imagine, being drunk driving on the curvy mountain highway wasn't a very good idea at all. During the next hour, we pulled over to the side of the road several times. Each time Randy would get out, go to the back of the car and throw up, while I headed to the front of the car to relieve my bladder. Of course, I don't remember much about this drive, although I do remember the shocked look on the lady's face at the toll booth (part of I-77 through the mountains before the two tunnels is a toll road). It seems somewhere during all that drive, I had removed my shirt and pants and was only wearing a grin and a jock strap as I paid the toll. We did the stop-n-puke-n-pee thing about four times before finally pulling over into a "parking area" off the highway (unfortunately, not a full rest area). I woke up about four hours later, feeling much better, put on my pants, and finished driving us the rest of the way home. Please remember that we were very young at that time; but learned a valuable lesson - drinking and driving is very dangerous - especially on curvy mountain roads!   Years later now, though part of the highway is still a toll road, the highway itself is much better. When Randy and I came up this way, loaded up in a U-Haul with only Apollonia (the boyz great-great grandmother), Muffin (a small white cock-a-poo) and Sheagra (the cat that lived to be 19), the highway had smaller lanes and wound up the mountainsides and back down. Now I-77 is a wide 2-4 lane, smoothly paved surface that gently twists through the mountains. After only a third of the way through our trip this time, Joxer and Aries really look like they are tired of traveling. But night fell shortly after we left Charleston and the boyz napped most of the rest of the trip - except for whoever's turn it was to sit in the passenger seat to keep me company. For the most part, our trip was pretty uneventful. However, we did hit this rainstorms that were quite bad. I never knew as we left Virginia and entered my home state of North Carolina. The rain was coming down so hard, that it was literally blinding. Somewhere as we crossed that state line, I was safely tucked into a line of trucks. Three semis were in front of us and another three were behind us, as the rain was coming down so hard that we were all only creeping along at 20 mph! Though  I nearly considered pulling over, I had learned a valuable lesson as a courier all those years. In Ohio, in a snowstorm, it's best to keep creeping along, even if it's just 5 mph. If you don't you're sure to freeze to death if you stop without any shelter. So I just slowed the truck down, found that niche among the big trucks, and kept going through the mountains until we either got out of the storm or finally made it to our destination.   All along I had planned that if I got too tired or got sleepy that I would pull over for a few hours and rest; but even with the storms, I was making good time and still felt up to the task so I kept on trucking through the dark. We stopped a few times to get out and stretch our legs (Boy! the boyz have 12 legs to stretch compared to my measly 2 legs.). Thanks to our friend Gayle, and the gift certificates she gave me after she helped load up the truck, we made a stop at some McD's in Virginia and had cheeseburgers and fries for dinner. MMM. That sure hit the spot, and the boyz loved the happy meal that they got to share!   The boyz and I pulled out of Canton around 4:30pm and we finally pulled up to my mom's house at 12:30am. With the U-Haul's V8 engine, good weather 95% percent of the way, and the good behavior of the dogs, we made the trip in the normal amount of time. We were all dead tired and my hands hurt very badly from gripping the steering wheel so tightly for so many hours.   Of course, my mom was doing her "duty" and not only was she up to greet me; but she had a bed and pillow ready, along with a water bowl ready for the dogz. We chatted for a short while before we all crashed after a very long day.   Unpacking and Settling In I spent the next couple of days, sorting and unpacking. I brought more than I could ever fit into my new room; but some things like the food from my old kitchen and kitchen stuff I brought hopefully will help out down here (and will be stored in the kitchen and NOT my bedroom. ) Unfortunately, I didn't bring my loading/packing "crew" with me from Canton, and I had to all all the work by myself.   Thankfully, except for the slight drizzle when we arrived late that night, it's been dry and warm here, so I've been able to keep everything out on the big deck, as I go through it and incorporate it into my new home. I have been amazed at all the stuff that I have still been able to throw away; but there'll still be some stuff that I'll have to store away. Heaven knows I have enough knick-knacks to furnish three houses. If you MouseOver the middle area of this picture (where you see the dogz), you'll see a CloseUp of the boys watching over and checking out our stuff. If you MouseOver the lower edge of the big deck (at the base of that first support pole), you'll see one of the knick-knacks that has always marked  my home - a cocker spaniel statue. The only thing I needed to do quickly to mark my new place as my "home" was to hang a selection of my mask collection. There are still so many things that I need to get done before I can finally take a break from all this packing and moving that I've been doing for the last several weeks, going back to starting to pack at my old Canton home, and helping Carolynn move her belongings to her new place; but I've cleared out over 3/4ths of the truck-load of stuff that I brought down. Shirts and pants are hanging in the closet, socks and undies are put away in drawers, and there are doggie toys all over the deck and bedroom floor.   The boys are quickly adapting to their new home too. By Saturday, all three had learned the boundaries of their yard and how to use the doggie door. For a while, I had to lift the flap just a hair to get anyone to go through. Zeus picked up the technique quickly, with Joxer able to do it himself half a day later. Aries was the only one that took some time. It was kind of funny watching him, longingly watching us on the deck through the vinyl plastic of the doggie door. I didn't think he was going to catch on; but when we returned from a quick Friday night dinner with my GrandMother, I found all three boys outside barking at our returning car. Now all three come and go as they please. And they do come and go quite often. Not from the novelty of using the door; but because my Yankee dogs seem to actually enjoy being out in the southern heat now.   There's been only one small problem to have come up as I've tried to settle in. While my brothers and sisters-in-law were hoping to have a "Welcome Home, mIkIE" dinner on Saturday night, I had to stay home. All the excitement and the heat must have finally caught up to Aries and he had a seizure. It's been quite a while (over a year and a half, I think) since he last had one. Thankfully, this wasn't a bad seizure; but it did last several minutes as they usually do. He seemed to be fine afterwards; but I wanted to stay home and keep an eye on him since it had been so long since the last one, and since this one happened here is a new place.   As a side note though, I did get to see one brother for a little bit when he stopped over and I talked to the other brother for a short while on the phone. Hopefully, I'll get a chance soon to see them both, my sis-in-laws, and my "real" nieces and nephews here in the Carolinas. They had wanted to have me over to welcome me to town; but thing we just a bit crazy with the unpacking and doggie issues. Hopefully, I'll be able to have that "welcome home" dinner soon when everything is a little more settled down and neither me or the dogs are spazzing out.

Week Three: Is it another week already?!? It's hard for me to tell First I had to unplug all my clocks and then my computer, followed by the move in the middle of the week, and then all this unpacking and the issue with Aries - it's enough to boggle anyone's mind. I've only been in South Carolina half a week now and things are going fairly well. I'm "almost" completely unpacked now - at least, all the major unpacking is through. Now I'm sorting through knick-knacks and computer stuff trying to decide what to use and what to pack up and store.   Besides finishing off the unpacking, there are a lot of other issues to tackle this week. I need to go to Human Services (welfare) and apply to get hooked back into the system down here. After that I'll need to check into the local ASO (AIDS service organization), which is something even Canton didn't have, and then I'll need to find a doctor. The dogs are luckier than me and already know who their new doctor will be. Since the boyz are going to be "country dogs" and not "city dogs" now, they're going to have to see the vet for all their shots, just in case they get into a tangle with the wild woodland creatures.   I wasn't as worried about switching to a South Carolina driver's license; but as I mentioned last month, working with my Mom means working and finding solutions. On my fourth day in town, we took some time from unpacking to run errands and one errand was to look at a used car.Though it is going to be our "second family car", not even a week back home and I'm going to have transportation available to me. WooHoo! Our New Home Sweet Home I bet by now you're wondering just what our new home looks like, so let me give you a tour around the place. Here's the aerial view from Google maps. I'd say this was taken sometime in the fall or winter as the back of the property, which is a woods-covered ravine, looks a little bare. On the left side of the property is a small shed, while on the right side of this view is the carport and storage shed. MouseOver to see the whole property area Here's our new room. (Pardon the mess as I'm still finding the new places for everything) The door leads to the hallway with a bathroom immediately on the right, and the office/den on the left with a TV, sofa, and computer. The sofa does double duty. By day, it gives me a place to lounge about; by night, it opens out,  and turns into my bed. Using that air mattress, stored behind the sofa during the day, makes it pretty dang comfortable.   The closet in this room is quite large and could easily hold six people (if there weren't any shelves). The boyz like for me to leave it open, so they have a space to lie out of the way and watch what's happening in the room. You can see Aries in the closet, and Joxer taking advantage of my absence from my computer desk to hide out underneath the desk. The door with the doggie door, of course, leads out to the boyz' yard. The boyz have as much fenced-in area as they did back at our house in Canton; but this yard features a nice covered deck where they can hang out in the shade or out of the rain. There's an apple tree just outside of the fence to the left, a pear tree outside the fence and behind the big deck to the right, and there's a blueberry bush there on the right side of the deck. Next year, I'll be helping out by tending a garden out past the fence to the left. Mom and Dennis' dogs have their own fenced in backyard behind the sunroom on the right side of this picture. Remember the overhead view of the property that I showed you earlier? MouseOver this version of it to see the side yard area that the boyz and I are using.   I would say that here's a picture of the house from the road; but you can't even see the house from the road as it's hidden behind a hillside and about 50 feet of woods; so I took this picture while standing in the front wooded area of the property.   The "new" Nissan second family car I see have several issues to take care of yet, though we have accomplished a great deal in just a week. I changed my address with Social Security. I'm finally about 95% unpacked with my "extra stuff" (all those knick-knacks, masks, and computer stuff that is just too much for one room, along with mementoes of Randy, Jim, and my old dogs) are all sealed in bags, packed into bins and ready to be stored away. The boyz and I are already starting to develop a daily routine, and life is starting to feel a little more settled in our new home.   There's still a bunch of things to do; but most of these should be accomplished within this week or the next. I have to sign up with Human Services to get a medical card, then I have to find a doctor. I need to help Dennis run DirectTV cable over to my room, and put the base trim back on at the floorboards, along with around the new door frame. As soon as I get either a medical card, a vehicle insurance card, or an SS check at this address I can go get an SC drivers license. And somewhere in all that, with how much I normally read, I need to visit the local library.   Hopefully, in another week I'll have enough of these issues handled and I will be able to say that I am legally a resident of the grand state of South Carolina!   Oh, and as you can tell by receiving the news of this update - I'm back online!!   Of course, even though Mom just turned in her modem a short while ago (she's using an Alltel AirCard for her laptop now), the Comporium cable company still had to come out in person to hook us back up. Thankfully, Mom already had a new wireless router that I could hook up since I left my wireless router 500 miles up in Ohio - and I ain't going back for it. A few final notes Thankfully, as the first week home is winding down, so are the errands. And goodness knows, I need some rest because I've woken up the last two morning not quite feeling puke-y; but not feeling well either. As many other times though, I've had to push through the nausea to get things done that need to get done.   Things are different, here in York County, South Carolina for getting assistance. First, way out on the outskirts of the neighboring city of Rock Hill, I finally found the department that handles the medical cards. Unlike Canton, where Human Services (welfare) was a large building filled with workers and a giant waiting lobby, the office in this county was nothing but a tin metal building with about 8 chairs in the front vestibule. This office was way out in the country (I passed it up and nearly ended up in the next county just a short ways on down the road), and only handled the medical cards. The ONLY worker for this department was out sick; but I did turn in my application (printed from their online site), so I did get that process started. The assistant that took my paperwork was very helpful and gave me great directions to my next two stops.   Food stamps were handled by the Department of Social Services miles and miles back up the road. Though I had that application also ready, the two workers there informed me that they had already taken all applications for the day (it was only 9:30 in the morning) and that I would need to come back any other morning by 7am if I wanted to be seen.   My final stop was to the "Catawba Care Coalition", the county Aids Service Organization. Luckily, I didn't have as hard a time finding it, as I had stopped at the McDonald's just a block away when I went with my Mom to pay the taxes on the new car so we could get plates for it. Although the regular worker there was out for the day due to a death in her family, I think that place may work out well. Instead of being just a tiny portion of what they do, as the service place was in Canton, this place claims to be a "one stop shop" for all my services. It's a clinic, with an in-house infectious disease/HIV doctor. They also do blood work there, along with providing counseling and other AIDS-related services.   So with all the social workers out of the office and with a weekend fast approaching, I am happy that at least all those things have been started up, even if I don't have any resolutions yet. I knew when I moved down here that it would take 6-8 weeks to get things together and I should be set up okay if everything takes that long. Luckily, just the first week has gone by, so things are still on track. But I'm sure I'll be back on the road and going to all these places again next week to finalize everything. Speaking of doctors.... When I got here and while I even still unpacking, I tried taking a look at Mom's computers because she had been having problems lately. No sooner had I been connected back online and into the household network than I got hit with the virus that had infected my Mom's system. It knocked me right back offline and I spent 4 hours one night playing doctor and curing my own system. Now I've been applying the cure to the rest of the computers in the house, so they quit spreading it around like it was "swine flu" or something. You would have had this update two days ago; but I wanted to cure things (and save my data!!) before I posted any update. Thankfully, I've done all I can do for this week, and it's time for me to sit back this weekend and just enjoy my new home!

Week Four: Pending I tried to take care of a few more issues this week (especially since all my unpacking is finally through! Thank goodness!); but for most of them they ended up in "Pending" status. First, my medical card status is pending until I receive a termination notice from Stark County Ohio. It seems even with all those papers that I did get, I missed one very important. I knew it didn't sound right when I called into the Ohio Human Services department to tell them that I was leaving town (before I left) and they told me that I didn't need to do anything. It seems that they should have closed out my case and given me a "termination of services" letter. Instead I had to call back up to Ohio, and try to get that process going. Hopefully, they will mail out a copy to me soon (and fax a copy to Human Services here in York County, SC), so that I can finalize paperwork here and get an SC medical card.   A few mornings ago, I got up long before even the crack of dawn appeared to go apply at the food stamp office. They weren't kidding when they told me to arrive at 7am. I actually found my way back down to Rock Hill in the dark at 6am and made it to the county offices around 6:45 - and I was already fourth in line! By 7:15, there were close to 30 people standing in the line outside waiting for the doors to open at 8am. Though all the other surrounding offices had outside lights that worked, we were left mainly in the dark, with just one semi-flickering barely lit light, listening to the crickets and frogs chirping away (these offices are like the others - on the outskirts of town - and more "county" offices than city offices )   Once inside after 8am when they finally opened the doors, it didn't take long for me to be seen - especially since I had printed the form off from the net and had everything ready. Well, nearly everything. It seems that they needed that same termination notice too. I should have realized that that would be the situation, as both medical cards and food stamps are handled by the same single agency in Ohio. Although I didn't have that letter, I was still able to finish up the paperwork, got assigned a caseworker and became "pending". The good thing I do know is that I do make the requirements (that's means I'm very, very poor ) and this is all just a paperwork issue that will clear up immediately when that termination notice arrives. Hopefully, I'll get some word from Canton by the first of the week, so that I don't have to "re-apply" anywhere for these services.   However, I applied at one place where I didn't end up pending at all. After having handled everything for myself for so long up in Canton, I'm afraid I might get spoiled by the Catawba Care Clinic - and I just might like it too!   After leaving the food stamp office, it wasn't a long drive at all over to the clinic. There I met one of the nicest caseworkers I've met in years. Though she had warned me that this initial interview might take a couple of hours, I bet she was afraid it was going to take all day once I started filling her in on my story. But, for goodness sake, my story really probably goes back to when Randy first had a month-long "mystery fever" in September on 1992. A lot has happened to me in almost 17 years and it took to while to talk about my trips to the hospital, my meds, losing Randy and Jim, and then coming back around to moving back home after 24 years. Thankfully, my stories were pertinent and we were able to fill in nearly all of the questions on the stack of forms as I talked ... and talked ... and talked.  At least, this caseworker got to hear my  (hopefully entertaining) stories first hand rather than having to read through the pages and pages that I have written here. LOL Although, I did, of course, leave her with this blog URL so she could see pictures to match with all those stories she had to sit through.   Of course, she had to fill in answers on these forms and had some guidelines to follow when taking a person through the intake process - and that's when I began to see that this clinic (and finally have a case manager after all these years) might very well be a GREAT thing. When she asked about my last eye exam, and I told her that I haven't had one since I was working as a courier, she put down on HER list of things to handle for me was a referral to an eye doctor. Since I started using a pair of reading glasses about two years ago, I bet I probably need an eye exam and maybe even some "real" glasses. Then she asked about dental and I explained that I have had dentures for quite some time. This clinic has a "mobile dental office" that comes several times during the month, and so now I have a referral for that too. When she asked about a physical, and I couldn't remember when, that became another thing on the list of things she's going to plan to have happen to me. Every time I said I hadn't had some exam for years or I couldn't remember when, it got listed as another item on he To-Do list. I knew meeting up with a new doctor might mean some long overdue poking and prodding; but it sounds like I am very well getting a complete checkup and overhaul..   I really enjoyed chatting with this case worker, though her query about a colonoscopy didn't sound near as fun as getting an eye exam. We also discussed prescriptions and I signed several preliminary information release forms and might be able to either pick up my meds at a pharmacy, or as happened years ago in Canton and which could be very good since I'm living so far out of the city limits, I might be able to receive my meds through the mail. (Heck, she could have even helped to get me a medical card and food stamps; but as I've handled those and are "pending", there's not much more she could do either until I get that notice from Ohio.) After quite a long talk and answering a lot of bureaucratic questions, she gave me a quick tour of their facilities. Located in a small older "strip mall" type of building, they have expanded over the years into the adjoining offices. The maze she lead me through might very well take up the whole building now. It was hard to tell as she lead me through the actual clinic rooms, the offices, past the pysch counselor, through  the employee break room, and around to even more counselor offices, conference and meeting rooms.   By the time I had taken up her whole morning, most everyone had gone on lunch break, and the case manager was unable to get me scheduled in for a preliminary appointment in the clinic. That was really fine though, as I was hungry and my head was spinning. Not only was I greatly amazed at all the services I was being offered; but I was also feeling a bit overwhelmed having gone through a review of nearly 20 years of my life. Not only I had sorta explained about my issues with Joyce and then the move to South Carolina; but I had relived some of the toughest times of my life. Though those hospital stays with the pneumonias where some of the more medically relevant circumstances, along with the different meds I've had through the years, remembering how HIV affected Randy and Jim were emotionally relevant to me. No matter what my health has been, is, or will be, losing Randy and Jim has truly been the worst things that AIDS has done to me. I wouldn't even have been at this clinic if either one of them had not died and pushed me down this path in life. Unfortunately, even a wonderful clinic as this one seems to be won't be able to "fix" those problems in my life.   Leaving the clinic, with a promise to call back later in the afternoon to schedule the appointment, I swung through McDonalds for some yummy artery-clogging greasy fries and a large cup of delicious Southern Sweet Tea. When I got home and called to make the appointment, I had further proof that this clinic might just be what "the doctor ordered" for me. Next week, I am now scheduled for a consultation with the intake nurse, immediately followed by another appointment with a nurse who'll take blood for my first lab work, and then followed by yet another appointment with another nurse for an initial check-up.   Catching Up - part 1 With the biggest bulk of my unpacking and settling in finally done, I finally had some time to catch up with some very important people - my family! My brothers and their families had tried to hook up with me last weekend; but things just didn't work out as I had been so busy with unpacking and trying to settle in. However, this weekend things came together and I got to see both brothers, sister-in-laws, three nieces and two nephews. Boy! It's just been a year and a half since I last saw everyone (that would have been the February just before Jim went into the hospital) and, MY, how the kids have grown! Now that they are all moving into their teens I guess that's how it goes. Though I had noticed lately, back in Canton, at how Ritchie and Kerri had changed recently, I saw them just enough to not be as surprised as I am about how my real nieces and nephews have changed. Hopefully now that back in the area and have some transportation, I'll be able to see them more. Hmm, it shouldn't really be that much longer till a few of them will be able to drive over and see me!   And speaking of "catching up", I only know a little bit of news about what's happening back at my old house. The other day Joyce send an IM to my Mom. Of course, it was just another one of her recent ranting rambling IMs. It's really kind of weird how she keeps sending IMs to other people about me, and not just communicating directly with me.I guess she thinks other people haven't heard what has happened and might have some sympathy for her and the son she so ferociously coddles.   It seems that John is still at the old house. If I remember correctly, the power should have been disconnected by now. I'm guessing that although my billing for the power has been terminated, the power company has left it on as a courtesy to the landlord so that they can show the house to another potential renter. However, because I wasn't there to continue to pay "my" portion of cable bill (that included John's two HD boxes and extra Indians sports channel) and the extra money that I had paid towards keeping it on each month this year, that now the bill is a month past due along with the month in advance that they bill. So finally the cable has been turned off. According to Joyce in her remarks to my Mom, I left John there homeless and without paying the cable and now John can no longer play World of Warcraft. You'd really think that they would be more concerned about getting John a home to live in before the landlord finally evicts him  (or makes him pay) for living there illegally for the past month, rather than making accusations that somehow it's my fault that John can't play that game for 12+ hours a day.   Of course, with how everything transpired, I knew that somewhere down the line, she and John would blame me for whatever befalls John after I left; but it still galls me just a little. It was the fault of her stupid son that both of us ended up without a home! Yet, that's exactly why she doesn't contact me with these absurd accusations. If she had told her son his actions were wrong instead of allowing him to tell the landlord the lie that I "was leaving", then John could still be sitting in pajamas and robe at his desk, eating ho-ho's and TV dinners in the middle of the night while playing world of warcraft nearly every hour he was awake.   Oh don't get me wrong either. I'm very, very happy to have moved back to the Carolinas to be near my family and living with my Mom; but I'm still just upset, as I'm sure many of my Ohio friends are, that I had to leave so fast and under such odd circumstances. My mom has counseled me several times to just let all this go and I am getting to that point. It was a month ago today that I found out the lies that John had told and then spent the next weekend, crying and worrying about how I was going to keep me and the dogz off the streets. Then I had to spend weeks, not only giving away so many of my belongings (and at least they went to my friends who deserve them and will appreciate them); but crying endless hours as I sorted through the things I had left from my guys. Time has passed, so I was less troubled going through Randy's things. However, the situation was too fresh when I moved into that house, so I had just stored many of the boxes of Jim's belongings in the attic - hoping to put off going through them until later this winter, when the hurt and pain would have been less. I will always hate John (and Joyce) not only for their evil deed of trying to make me and the boyz homeless; but for ripping those scabs off the wounds of my loss of Jim and making me spend so many final hours in Canton racked up crying in grief and depression.   Thankfully, that's in the past now, and maybe the situation with Joyce and with John has actually done me a favor. Now I'm in a new home, which me and the boyz are loving (glorious sunshine and the upper 80s!), surrounded by family that loves me. I still miss my Jim terribly; but the hardest part of going through his belongings is now finally, completely over. Rather than focusing on what I lost, I can now focus on the stories and memories of what he and I shared, as I tell my family and friends in the Carolinas about the second wonderful man I loved - my Jim. Remodeling As I mentioned earlier, there was some remodeling done at my Mom's house before I came down. To make it easier to accommodate my three dogs (since Mom and Dennis already have four of their own), they decided to give me the back bedroom in which they would put a new door so that the dogs could be kept separate for the time being, yet have an easy access to outside (you know, for those things that doggies have to do outside )   Of course, to put a new door into the house first means that you have to put a hole into a wall! Eventually, you end up with this nice door (with doggie dog included!); but for a while Mom's house was open to the elements - and the bugs!     Once the door was installed (and Mom's house able to be totally closed up once again) they started working on the outside. After I moved down here and got more settled in (notice the pile of belongings stacked on the deck has shrunk drastically in size? That's from all my days of unpacking and putting stuff away ), Dennis and I put together a nice boardwalk sidewalk from the porch to the deck. Boy, a lot of effort has been put into this remodeling to make sure my boyz have every comfort - and every possible precaution to have as few muddy paws as possible. Out in the side yard there were some bare spots where I've been spreading mulch (medium chipped) all around to cover these potential muddy spots. Until just recently (about the same time construction on the house was underway) there had been a tree covering this area, so the grass was spare. Along with all the troubles and expenses of the remodeling, Mom and Dennis also had to take care of having the tree removed after it had been hit by lightning. I've still been picking up chunks of bark that must have been blasted off when the lightning struck. For the finishing touches, Dennis added trim inside my bedroom to close off around the door and make it look presentable. Mom tests out the new walkway and makes sure that the doggies know how to use it and like it. (She's such a good mommy to my puppies! ) Once again, I want to say Thank You to my Mom, Dennis, and my GrandMother for all the help and work they put into making a nice comfortable home for me and the boyz to move to. Catching Up part 2 Little by little, I'm starting to learn my way around the area. I've been down to the social service agencies in Rock Hill and can make it down there now whenever I need to. I've been to the grocery store once or two and gotten back home again too. Why, I even made it clear over to a Lowe's and got the gas tank filled up for the grill. Unlike in Ohio, there's still plenty of nice weather for a while, so there's still plenty of time for outdoor cooking on the grill. WooHoo!   I was very pleased to have not gotten lost just this past weekend, when I got the chance to meet up with an old neighborhood friend whom I probably haven't seen in, oh, about 35 years!Several years back, thanks to the internet, I was contacted by my friend Jack that used to live just down the street from where I lived as a child. You may even remember when I've mentioned him before, as he was one of the kind people who have donated to keep reigningpages.com online during some of my really "lean" years.   Jack invited me up to Charlotte for Sunday brunch and we spent several hours eating and chatting away out on the restaurant's patio. (Ha! to all my Ohio friends. It's nearly October and the daytime highs are still in the lower 80s here - plus with last night's rain clouds blowing off, we sat out underneath a beautiful blue sky.) Of course, Jack knew a lot about my life already from having read my blog over the years; so I got caught up on a lot of what's been happening to him through the years. Since nearly everyone has some health issues nowadays, I was very pleased to hear that it's been 10 years now since he had struggles with cancer. Also, after having spent these last few weeks in such turmoil from packing or unpacking, it was a wonderful change of pace for me to get out and spend some just relaxing and enjoying a pleasant meal and pleasant company.   Thanks again for the nice time, nice meal, and good conversation, Jack.

Week Five: The End of a Very Busy Month Wow! This has certainly been an interesting and very busy month for me. It's almost hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, I was nearly homeless and living in a huge state of change and confusion. I was packing up and moving out nearly everything I owned, while hastily visiting my friends for one last time to tell them goodbye. (and crying, crying, crying about all of it) Then I was, with the help of some great friends, literally packing the last of my belongings into a truck and driving south through the mountains of the Virginias all night long ending up at my Mom's house.   But now, as we move on into the final week of September, there are still only a few things left to happen. I have a home; I'm unpacked; and I've started the process of getting my benefits back. I have phone, cable and transportation. I've gotten to see my Nana and my brothers. My dogz are happy, and I'm enjoying the wonderful change in climate. I've found a doctor and have gotten a case worker to help me with problems.   Hopefully, the food stamp and medical card issues will be resolved soon, and I have some of my first medical appointments and lab work coming up at the clinic at the end of this month. So I'll close out the month nearly the same way I started - but 500 miles away in another stateand no longer anywhere near homelessness - with a visit to the doctor and a check to see where my numbers are.

Updated: leatherman @reigningpages.com