Suddenly Time Speeds Up

It's been especially nice having Jay home this time. We didn't plan to vacation anywhere this time around. But, as we watched the temperatures plummet, we questioned the wisdom of that decision. I just looked at the pictures of the little cottage on Berry Island in the Bahamas, where we had originally planned to go this time around, and sighed. We decided to just stay put and relax and take care of some stuff around the house. It's amazing how many trips you can make to Walmart every day. I think Jay has come to appreciate my motto, "if it's not on the list, it doesn't exist". Some people go to the movies, we like to wander the isles of Walmart.....and Sportman's Warehouse......and CAL Ranch.....and Ross's Gun shop. We have found other ways to spend our time as well. We drove to Montpelier to buy food storage from a warehouse there, only to discover that we could buy it cheaper at, yes you guessed it, Walmart. But, we did stop at Lava Hot Springs and soak our tired old bones in the steaming mineral hot pools. We have driven to Pocatello twice to practice our aim at the indoor firing range, I am a dead eye with my new .38 special, and we did have dinner with some old friends (and I do mean old...and you know who you are). The grandgirls made adorable cards for Grandpa's birthday and Paige tried to ride Tater like a horse.

It seemed like time was just rolling leisurely by and then I woke up this morning and realized that we have less than 1 week left before Jay has to leave again. His timing this rotation was perfect. I have been really down in the dumps for awhile over my job, or should I say the loss of my job. Having him here has really helped distract me from the realization that standing up for what you believe is right and losing your job sounds way better on TV than it feels in reality. Especially when you have to come to the acceptance that once you are gone, no one really cares or remembers why you took a stand, and your sacrifice was for nothing. Life goes on, nothing changes, and you must accept that you truly are expendable and the world will continue to revolve even without you at your desk. So, 5 1/2 more days before Jay is once again 8700 miles away, and suddenly time has sped up like the current of a river as it heads towards a waterfall and I am dreading the day he leaves and I am left all alone with only my own melancholy. But, just like everything else, life will go on. He will return to his routine and I will have to find a new one of my own that doesn't have anything to do with electricity. Electricity has been 3/4's of my life for so long I'm not sure I even know how to not think about it all the time. Well, it won't be too bad I guess since I am making my sister come and visit me for a week the end of February. I am going to enjoy and cherish these last few days with my sweetheart and then start marking off the next 56 days until he comes back again. I'm sure my sister, Sally, and I will be able to find just a little bit of trouble to get in to while she is here.

Electrical inspector Jane may be dead and gone, but Calamity Jane still lives on.