But We Made It

We left Casa de Crazy on the 17'th. I drove, because while I'd only slept 2 1/2 hours the night before, Someone had even less.

The Evil Genius watched movies on the portable player (thanks for the loan, Mum) and Sprout alternated sleeping, playing, and bitching about being stuck in the car seat. In Virginia, we were stuck in traffic for several hours because of construction in or near one of the tunnels through the mountains. Sprout did not approve. By the timewe got through that mess, we werevery low on fuel and patience, but we managed not to run out.

What is normally a nine hour drive took fourteen.

Domino's Pizza in Pomeroy is wonderful -despite my calling just after they closed, they delivered dinner to our motel, saving me unhitching the trailer and finding something to eat that didn't come out of our cooler or a plastic package.

Saturday, we drove to the site and set up. We managed to get the canopies up before it rained...it was nice being able to unload trailer and van under cover. As soon as we got there, the Evil Genius shucked his clothes and ran to find his Wisteria friends. For the rest of the week, we saw him for a few minutes a day, usually when he was hungry or ready to go to bed. We will be washing the mud off of him for a month.

Sunday was more setting up and fluffing the camp, Jenny got there. She snagged Sprout and ran off with her for a few hours. Later that evening, we gossiped while Sprout drooled on her. We talked about Lo (her man), about his death last year and her new life.

Monday morning, Jenny died.

Typing that hurt.

Monday evening, we held Lo's memorial anyway.

You know what? I was going to write in detail aboutthe rest of the week...but I'm tired. Here's a nutshell:

Someone's girlfriend and her boyfriend came by, and we did some serious talking about our relationships. It was not always an easy conversation. It rained all week. I didn't sell much of anything, just about enough to cover the cost of ice and an unplanned motel stay on the way home -thank goodness for shitbag motels with cheap rooms! My relationship with Someone took a serious hit mid week, but we managed not to crash and burn and are continuingto work on it because we're not going to give up. I'm not a violent woman, but I will admit to wanting to perpetrate some ugliness on another person who will have her comeuppance, and I hope I'm there to see it beause I try to be all Zen, but sometimes I can't let go as easily as I'd like. Someone's girlfriend and I got a chance to hang out without our respective men about, and that was full of the awesome. I like her. All of us had some serious thinking/healing to do. Someone drummed every night, usually not getting back until after sunrise. It was good for him. I made it to the drumming once...it's difficult to go down to the fire when I have kids in camp-I won't leave them alone, sothatpretty much ties me to our campsite unless someone is available to watch them. I wasn't missed. The one night I went, I took Sprout with me - she loved it, and she was a rock star, collecting love and cuddles from a hundred different people. She likes fire, drumming, and glow sticks. I made it to the fairy shrine for the first time, and told the little batards to fuck themselves. It was cathartic. They gave me a blue stone, so I guess we're good. The woman who angered me beyond reason managed to compound my pissivity by hurting Someone's other girlfriend, too. Evil thoughts abounded, and Lady R and I have a common target for our ire. Low Rent (our name for the woman) is going to learn that when you fuck with community, community fucks back. Also, I learned that there are a lot of folks there who give a damn about me, about Someone, about our family and well-being...and there's nothing like the grapevine, is there?? It rained rather a lot during pack-out, so everything in the trailer is wet and will need washing/drying in the next few days. I didn't get stuck, though, so that was nice. On the way home Sunday night, I blew a tire on the trailer. It tore off the fender and shorted my dash display lights. It was my first blowout/flat ever. Welimped down the shoulder on the rim until we could find a gas station to drop the trailer at, then got a room - at midnight, there's not much more one can do. Monday morning was a flurry of finding a tire/wheel for the trailer(we got two - thanks, Mum, for saving our bacon...again...and again...and again...) and getting them replaced, then getting our butts home. After unloading a bit, I went to pick up something for dinner and ran out of fuel - the first time I've ever done so.

Someone is taking a long, hard look at himself and doesn't like what he sees. I am hurting for him and because of him. I want to be here for him, but Idon't know what to do to help...so I'm just here, hoping (believing) we can make it through this very bad place and back onto Tera Firma.

Despite everything, it was a good trip, and I want to go back next year. Strike that. I WILL go back next year.

Today is laundry and unpacking, and (if I canmanage to) napping.

How was your week?