Finally? Finally?! Finally!!

Exhale.

There is so much to cover.

Holy cow!

We went to Jamaica. That trip deserves its own deep dive which I will be getting to shortly. It was amazing. The Sights and Beauty! The People and Hospitality! The Food! And the lessons learned! I have so much to share and will do so shortly.

Why have I not gotten to it yet? Well.. While in Jamaica I immersed myself entirely in the events of the moment. As such I did not drift inward and allow myself to detatch into my mental constructs. There was no fantasy happening because I was living The Fantasy. (Taking a moment to evoke the memory of the Heat, and the Sweat, and the Wind, and the Sea... Ahhh *Reminiscent Sigh*).

When we returned, that mindset carried over and so its been difficult to create/write. Instead Ive been attending to practical matters. What Practical matters? The first news we recieved after returning home was that Willow had had a horrible experience. She decided to drink at a party and greatly over endulged. She fell and suffered from a severe concussion. She was rushed to the er. Her stomach was pumped and she also had to be resuscitated one during the process. I had come to terms with the thought of losing her long ago. But that reconcilliation was wrapped around the idea that the cause would be... well... intentional. The idea of losing her to a stupid accident hit different. It hit harder. Even as I write (this three weeks later) I taste sorrow as salt waters my eyes.

Beyond that, the animals were in distress from the seperation. They required an extra amount of reassurance and attention. They have finally settled back into the comfort of routine. On another note, they continue to settle into cohabitation and can now all be seen comfortably occuping the same room at the same time. I would not say they are all friends yet. I suspect there are many shows of dominance (by Dabella in particular) when we are gone but things between them are coming along none the less.

Another big thing going on is our switch to solar. We started pursuing the possibility just before we left and already we have approved the design, gotten through permitting, and are being installed tomorrow. The panels will produce 101% of our usage. We have a flat rate we will be paying the solar company monthly which is lower than my average summer bill. A liwer flat rate is a relief. I will be looking into a battery backup system through Generac rather than the solar company. My employee discount will come in handy. Prepping for this, we (really Greg) had to remove a couple trees that line the side of the house. While we were at it, we also power washed the fence, the house, the decks and the stone retaining wall. Things are looking fresh and new. And we are almost done getting summer put away. Although the pool wont be entirely closed until Oct 9th. Its unlikely we will use it though. Fall is here and the days have grown a little chilly.

In other news related to Willow, she has finally reported a sexual assault that occured in 2019. She had attempted to go to the authorities once before but fear got in the way and she was just not ready. I didnt undertand the depth of the incident then but now I know that she was drugged and very much threatened. I gave my own statement to the police about my knowledge of the events earlier this week.

All this talk of Willow, how is Connor? Us being gone was a bit of a challenge as it put him in charge of the animals. He survived it but it also coincided with midterms and work hours that were eradic and extreme. He is now preping for finals, applying to the university (as opposed to the community college) for Spring semester, and working 40 hrs in a slightly supervisory role in an understaffed department. He is finding it challenging at times (the lack of a consistant schedule being the biggest issue. One day opening at 4 am (up at 2 so he is alert), the next day starting at noon for closing, and then back to openning. He is sort of slogging along. Its harder on him then working nights was. He has made it known that this wont work and this week at least he is openning every day.

How are things on the work front? Greg is anticipating a major shift in a year or so. Time will tell how we will contend with that. He had no excitement for the travel that will be required if it plays out as suspected. Work travel sucks.

On my end, work goes well. Im quite content on the phones and dont mind the majority of customers. Every now and again I get an irate ass but usually have them apologizing by the end. And once I hang up the conversations are forgotten and behind me. I love not having a job that goes home with me. In related news, I have been chewing on how I "address" my workmates when I tell my stories. I have used some nicknames to allude to individuals out of respect and anonymity. And that works, however, it also paints them as characatures which they are not. Should I change that? Go to initials? Say fuck it and use names (which is easier for me to keep track of)? Im not sure.

Its not like my little corner of the internet is anywhere near being in the digital spotlight. Is annonimity really that important? Im not talking smack about anyone... usually :)>

We are going to be having a little get together in a little over a week to enjoy jerk chicken and rum while taking in some pics of our trip. Should be a good time. More on that to come. Now its time to get to work on my travel summary!

Its good to be back to my introspective self.