HAAY! Apparently I drove four hours yesterday. It was sposed to be like a two and a half hour drive. INTENSE.
We went from Spearfish to Belle Fourche and the people were so awesome there. I sat outside of the bus for hours smiling and waving at people, observing people. I really really enjoy sitting out like that. People are generally so dumbstruck by Bugus in itself and then to see some chick happily smiling and waving with an “out of fuel” can. It tickles some people and others just seem to not know what to think. I love people with grumpy faces and their wide variety of reactions like some sincerely turn the frowns upside down, their face lights up and they carry on their day maybe just a little lighter. Then there’s the people that look grumpy, I wave at and they instinctively wave back (small town people will always be waving at each other) and it seems like they’re almost upset at their own involuntary action of waving back at me. People who thumbs-up us are also pretty cool and the people driving by taking pictures give me the chance to hollar to share the smiles. I literally get so giddy with all the smiles that I detach from my physical form and start flirting with the everyones! Except the old men who come up. Obviously I’m civil with them and nice, but I try my damndest not to come off as flirtatious as a lot even seem to consider being nice as an invitation. I do enjoy eating out, and I commend the being forward and asking. I don’t appreciate the consistent and progressively more forward hints that they’re looking for a female in their lives (even just the use of the word female makes me cringe) I’m NOT looking for a stranger to become a partner. I’m more than capable of taking care of ourselves. I’d LIKE a partner because I’d like the person and hope for some team work on some spots, but I won’t be taking on a partner for frivolities.
Yesterday I was commenting on my mom’s facebooks about all the snow in her corner of the state and I openly attacked Montana in comments and in myself about all this poor weather, wondering “WHY THE FLUFF Montana?” and lots of “ew’s” and I often make distinctions between eastern and western montana being hard to compare, but as we drove in on this eastern corner, I was sincerely reminded of the awe inspiring natural beauty that is this State. Coming over an incline and the valley expanded before us with lush green and hillocks and rises, it was breathtaking! I considered this a wonderful metaphor as we drove through a valley and had my mind slip back into “where IS this beauty?” Then crest another incline and BAM! Mind righted. Don’t we all get stuck in the valley’s of life? Wondering what we’re doing that’s so special just to hit the top of the incline and overlook a bit more clearly…
I was going to take a picture as we crested but the music was too good and the more I considered the loss of such, the more it came to me that the resplendant beauty wouldn’t have been captured in a picture as beautiful as it is in real life.
It’s another cold and gray day. We’re about 4.5 hours from our destination, which makes it like 2 days but capable of stretching it into multiple days which I don’t want to do as I feel our bug problem is getting more intense and I just want to rip my skin off….. I could do it all today but I also realized that my fuel milage has declined to 9 mpg. That’s 5-6 gallon loss since the addition of the Bug lost us 3-4 mpg. That’s a serious problem in my book. Something’s not firing right and I feel compelled to give Hanser’s in Billings the best mechanics shop in the pacific northwest a call to try and diagnose the problem. I trust them to be beyong fair and helpful and above all capable of figuring it out. Cause with these mechanical issues and bugs and plans of mass destruction I’m almost tempted to plan a mass destruction of Matilda and get a bus to name Gertrude and transplant Bugus but I feel I would loose a lot in the process of giving up Matilda. Like my domain name and followers and the fitting in a single parking spot…
It’s a lot of decisions and not easy to mull over for me. If y’all have an opinion about it, I’d be happy to hear it.
I’m just at a loss but I also don’t want to quit all that we’re doing.
Alright. I’ve said what I wanted to say today and I hope y’all are grateful! May you have a smile to share!!
At this point, I must say that we do run on donations and I greatly appreciate your contributions. Every little bit helps and gets us to explore just a little more of this exciting world. I accept donations via CashApp: $MatildaBugus and paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/matildabugus
If you’d like to peek at our Amazon wishlist follow the link below. We really appreciate those special wants/wishes/deferred needs finding their way to us possibly via your help! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3LUAOP5L0M5FY?ref_=wl_share
Matilda the Bugus 