Hello, one and all! It’s a beautiful day. I’ve had tumultuous week with some doubts and reconsiderations plaguing my mind.
It’s certainly valid stuff with our falling apart, but this stranger pulled up at a Walmart, asking what we’re doing. I gave him the regular spiel of “This is my version of a vw-bus/ two story mortgage free apartment. I use it to explore this beautiful country and educate my kids along the way…” but I added, “I don’t really know I’m doing right now….” He replied with an unexpected smile, “You’re happy is what you’re doing. And that’s all that really matters.”
As he pulled away I was wondering what my hang up was and why I didn’t feel so happy lately.
My multifaceted conclusion is that I’m worrying to much. I’m not in the present because I’m trying to plan out low impact and safe routes instead of meandering. Trying to have a plan where there *should* be none. Future Laney can deal with the real life problems she’ll face and somehow it will work out (faith in being in the right place at the right time over fear, remember?) I have enough on my plate to deal with, I don’t need to pretend to know that the INJECTION PUMP won’t quit at the right spot to be able to manage that problem.
The worry and anxiety tied up all my capacity, but we’re still ok. What have I been not doing with those worries clogging up my life.
The answer was camping. Being out in Nature. Doing the fun educational things. I found a place that hit all those things. The Meriwether Lews Gravesite and memorial along the Natchez Trace, a road used by Natives pre colonization tying current New Orleans to Nashville area. The campsite there was free and a solid hiking trail to multiple little spots.
We stayed for two nights. The first day we took a little walk down the hill. We saw two fuzzy millipede looking things, but otherwise uneventful, beautiful walk through forest. The next day we planned to take the long walk up to the memorial and do school that way, especially since there was a good informational house. It was an eventful hike as Gizmo stepped on a snake curled in the path, that even reared to bite, but it was so small Gizzi didn’t even notice it. It slithered off having lost all dignity. Coming up to a creek, Galixy almost stepped on a larger black snake laying in the sun. It also got spooked, but just slithered off into the bushes. We saw a box turtle, little lizards, a frog bouncing into the trees, an armadillo Gizzi chesed off with his loud barking or we would’ve videod it crossing the road, and many many ticks. We opted for walking along the paved road on our way back.
If you want to know more about the area I’ll be posting a tiktok soon. maybe even a youtube, I’ve got so much good footage. I know Ive been seriously not doing youtube. On that note I also fell through on the big things coming” of January. I got swept away in the madness of getting out of winter, then getting to Nola and completely flew out of my mind….. Not really. Any time I thought of the deal I thought of it with guilt and low enthusiasm to actually put in the effort of finding a video editor to get the youtubes channel set up proper.
All the mechanical nonsense didn’t help to put that on the priorities list…. I gotta say that brake booster is such a difference. Full foot stomp to applied with a toe. Night and Day…..
Righty roo! We actually filled our water tank today and don’t have to refill gallon jugs for the next week! We did have to leave the campsite today because the site we were in was getting absolutely no sunlight and we’d drained our battery. I also have quite a few spots marked in Tennessee so it’s good for us to get moving. I don’t want to not see them because the heat forced us out….
We stopped in Brownsville at the free museum that includes area wildlife, hitory, music history, cotton agriculture, Sleepy John Estes home, Tina Turners’ one room school house, and lots of brochures and area information. The tiktok of some of it is already up…… It was a very nice museum. CHock full of so much detail.
So over all, I do think that I’m happy. I think being worried covered that happiness and made me feel uncertain…. But we’re ok and we’re going to be ok, no matter the adventure of the day.
One day at a time. With a failing injection pump, I have to calculate in that we’ll need her to cool down before starting her back up… That means, doing laundry will mean leaving wherever before noon, having a short drive to the laundromat so she’ll be ready to fire by the two hours laundry may take, or planning stacking multiple smaller loads to make the process not considered loitering. Pumping Diesel will mean keeping her running (is acceptable with a diesel engine) makes pulling into a gas station to spange the fuel pretty tricky….. In a pinch I can put some ice on the pump, but that just sounds harsh….
After yesterday’s intense walk, the kids are feeling pretty lazy. My step counter said it was a 5 mile walk, so they’ve earned their exhaustion, but on another, just a year ago that kind of a walk would’ve been the regular for us. …
All in all, I still don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m… more ok with it now.
Part of this adventure isn’t just educating the kids and exploring this world, it’s also giving others a glimpse of other ways, other thinking, seeing the good in you lovely people…. it’s all a give and take of energy. I’m so grateful for this guys simple words… the few dollars he kicked us helped too. Money doesn’t buy happiness or magically keep my transmission together, but it makes it a lot easier to procure parts….
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.
OOOOh…. I updated the Wants and Needs List, so if you haven’t checked that out, be sure to make a small stop. Also, two big thank you’s to two Michelle’s! 1. Birdie sent us a venmo. I’m so grateful you’re keeping us so close in your heart. 2. Michelle Cascia also donated via paypal and decided to send another gift off our Amazon wishlist! I feel so grateful to see so much love and care, helping us in big and small ways. Consistently? Awestruck! Also a wrapped surprise already sitting and waiting…. wonder who! wonder what! Much exciting!
I hope you have the capacity to reevaluate your life with smiles.
May this Walmart allow overnight parking, despite their “no loitering” signs….. No “no overnight parking/ truck parking” signs anywhere though. Much curious.
Matilda the Bugus 