It is a beautiful day, filled with beautiful humans. That includes you, dear reader! Thank you for joinng me in my travels.
I’ve been feeling pretty organized lately, and at the same time very…. not. It’s been almost an exercise of duality with all the feelings lately. Kinda fitting to the Libra moon. Feeling very comfortable in my own discomfort kinda thing. Dreams being surreally real, kindly mean and meanly kind. I almost feel there’s ore message in the feeling of the dreams than the actual happenings. Those unconscious happenings will remain subjects for my dream diary. I’m overflowing with a loss of words here folx.
I guess lemme check where I left off because in all of the doing nothings, we’ve meandered a lot. Excellent. Waveland was a bit ago, hey! I’ve already done laundry since and covered quite some ground.
We made the four hour drive in a day by virtue of picking up a hitchhiker who had suchd as his destination. I’d initially only wanted to make it to pascagoula, but he was pitching cash and willing to jug (panhandling for fuel at a fuel stop.)
Our kindly hitchhiker was dropped near the grafitti bridge and the kids and I headed towards Kim and Immogene’s. If we’re already there, we have to say hi! Galixy was excited. Atreyu not so much. He was even more upset that we stayed a couple nights, but I had a very lovely visit. Kim’s neighbors had moved out of the park, so Matilda was parked facing our friends, making a nice little yard. It would’ve been way ool to stay a bit longer…. or convince Kim to come hit the road with us.
Alas, neither was successful and Matilda continued journeying solo.
In Crestview, we stayed the night at walmart and were gonna do a short playground visit before moving on. The playground I picked was tiny and had like no parking options for us. As I was searching my maps for another parking option on possibly the backside of the park, a person pulled in next to me, asked if I was looking for a park, advised one up the road with ponds, then pulled right back out. You can see that as just a kindly helper if you want, or like, also a messenger to put us on a better path. Either way, I listen. We had been at that playground before and there was plethora parking and activities for us, but importantly, the people to find us in that location was invaluable. Galixy fed ducks with kindly adults and their progenies. Atreyu Watched and studied the waters and fish. I completed tasks and socialized.
Brian, the mobile mechanic was indeed the biggest treasure. He suggested a great local coffee shop (supreme latte) and when I mentioned Matilda’s startup issues he offered to show me how to do the glow plugs as an education, considering I have the parts and tools. This is why we decided to stay another night. Brian came by later in the evening and determined that it was not, in fact, the glow plugs but a bad battery.
I don’t know who remembers anything about my battery situation Matilda, but let me fill you in! I’m laughing because most recently battery related I was broken down in Missoula, MT. I couldn’t get her started and then these rancher men took a couple peeks at the problem and vroom vroomed us up. Literally a bad battery. I purchased an Ever start battery to replace my secondary battery which was thankfully the bad one.
I say thankfully because the battery Brian just replaced, is a battery I had replaced in Spicewood Texas near on 4 years ago when I was visiting family friends. They are a wonderful family but I had not been in close contact with like ever. I really didn’t want to wear on them our their hospitality so Matilda not starting up the way I wanted her to and then having to scrounge up the monies to afford the needed battery. Finding the proper battery itself was a terribly tedious process, consistently coming back with too small a battery and once we found the proper one, the replacement battery itself was about an eighth of an inch too big for the spot. like the original battery had just a touch less plastic on the sides. It was a CHORE to get this battery into it’s spot. “Patriarch” of the house who hadn’t touched cars in decades tried to assist. Crowbars and incredibly daring jumps and eventually the battery was squished into it’s spot.
And this season, Brian took on the task to disengage the battery. It took hours and SO much effort to dislodge the beast, He did the impossible! and as the true hero this hooman bean is, he took the battery and exchanged it for the proper one which he implemented the next morning! Ho for the Hero Brian!!
HO!!
So we’ve been doing a lot of playgrounds and some good homeworks. Atreyu finished his small 2nd grade exercise workbook and eagerly does his German work. We purchased the 3rd grade workbook and will be beginning that possibly today. We’re probably due for some sort of a museum visit, but we’ve kept pretty busy with a broad variety of things.
We went to a campground for easter sunday so the kids could find candy in peace in the woods. It was a great day with very happy children until they paid no attention to their actions and melted ALL the candy by sitting atop of their goodie bags. I was upset. I wanted some candy too. I worked hard on bringing them joy and the majority of it seemed wasted.
In Some Lake city or live oak there was a fair the kids were eager to visit. and so we did
The other day we went to the beach in Ferdinand, FL. I love the beach. I’d not let myself enjoy it much the last few times we’d gone, so this time I vowed to do little responsibility and lots of whatever just came to mind. I built Gizmo a leash holder, and then built myself a sandcastle with moat while keeping a loose eye on the kids jumping in the waves. They got caught by a couple sweeping them off their feet, but they enjoyed it. I also went to jump in the waves. I went out deep a bit too and then took Atreyu on my back to experience the “big waves” just a bit further out where the wave pulls you up in a small hop if you dont fight it. Galixy wasn’t interested in trying. It was an amazing time of fun. It was cold drying off, though the sun helped, but getting the kids to rinse off at the cold beach showers by the parking lot was a task and chore, but we did it.
I definitely feel like there must be more people to report of, like White Bear and White Horse, the busking travelers in their Patches mobile. A very kid father/ son duo. Or the super purple lady who was very happy to see Bugus. Or the couple of beekeepers who were inspired to continue being their amazingly awesome kind selves.
The animals seem happy and my groove in the traveling seems smoothe enough. I’m trying my best to be mindful. Which reminds me of a promise I made to Atreyu of mentioning his heartswoe here: He misses very terribly the time we had our own internet device. The poor kids of mine, with devices unable to connect at the times they wish it most.
I do hope my mellow facetion of this circumstance. I do wish things would’ve gone differently and that connections were still active and available, but it is how it is and I’m [p(r)etty] at peace with it all. the brackets are facetiously too good to leave out.
I’ve been having quite the time with words and writings of late. My energy is quite entertaining to myself and I feel it pours out to people who make themselves available to it.
My existence in service to others ties into my service to my children and myself. I am trying to be a better me and I know I screw up and it hurts the people I care about most and it’s not something I like, but almost seems inevitable in some instances. But I Am trying to learn from those mistakes and do better. I set out to do better not just every day, but every moment and in the times in which it’s hard I try to be easy on myself so that it can manifest in being outwardly easier too and less prickly.
Though if one spends time with me, I have very mellow happy mooded prickles that should be laughed at. I almost feel currently as if this is like a misconstrued expectational mishap from other perspectives possibly. Unsure of how to convey my meaning properly here so maybe I shall leave off on it.
I have promised the children that as soon as I finish this we would take a walk. After that, they may take a play break while I do yoga if they wish before we do homework and possibly head up the road a bit.
We’ve been in pretty steady warmth which looks to continue up the coast towards Viriginia and Washington, once we make it into that area along the coast line summer will be sure to start dawning even further north of us. I’m excited to see this east coast stuff and really hope we make it all the way up to Maine this summer. I want to have visited all the states with the kids and then next fall and winter season I want to idly build up and towards our goal of going outside of the US. It’s a bit daunting, but I believe in us.
Attempting to find a more solid less leaky camper in a reasonable price range is a task around this area. Marketplace shopping every town and scanning the roadsides. We just want a bathroom and no leaks for the kids. Higher low clearance and hopefully a lighter pullweight!
Matilda needs new floors and her interior design wishlist is fully manifested in my head. It’s a matter of Materials happening upon us in ideal location.
On that note, I must reitterate that we do run mainly on your kind 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
We now have merchandise ready for you to order! Represent and support at the same time! We love these shirts and we love you! Check it out!
https://matildabugus.bigcartel.com
CashApp: $Matilda.Bugus
Venmo: available upon request.
Feel more than free to Contact me. You can establish such via the Contact Me page here on the blog, OOOOOOOORRR! get on your facebooks and join the group “Spotting Bugus” or like the Matilda Bugus Page. Also availble on Instagram, Youtube, and the TikToks.
I do hope y’all have things to be grateful for. I’m wishing you plenty of reasons to smile and a chance to pass it on.
Much love.
Matilda the Bugus 