Back home in the city and where do I go from here

Well, after a week or so at my sister Shawn’s house, I am back in my apartment in the city.  I enjoyed my stay with Shawn, her husband Jim & my niece Sophia (and my time alone with their cat Flynn while they spent their days working or at school).

I certainly did a lot of eating, from the ham & cheesy potatoes Shawn made my first night there, to dinner with Michael & Jessica (Jim’s son from his first marriage), Cracker Barrel in Morgantown WV (where my niece works), Scotty’s Pizza and finally our second cousin’s restaurant Bob’s Burgers & More.

(Bob has a cattle farm and raises his own beef, that’s pretty impressive!)

Frankly I’m ready to go back and do it again.  From shopping for home goods with Shawn at Big Lots & Walmart to soaking with Jim in their hot tub (set up in the old schoolhouse behind their house) I was reminded of what normal life can be like.  Even an old hermit like myself could get used to this sort of thing.

Strangely, my last real visit there was all the way back in August 2018 (as shown here).  It was right after that last visit I began developing some real health problems with my pancreas, followed by an enflamed liver, two kidney operations and ultimately my TMJ disorder.  I wouldn’t feel better again for a couple years, but that doesn’t explain a 4 1/2 year gap between visits. 

While I was there this time (without my laptop) I had plenty of time to think, and ponder about things, and what I want to do with my life.  My niece thinks I should try dating, but I’d honestly settle for a friend or two to hang out with regularly.  But honestly, this long visit felt like a real wake-up call.  

My sister rode me back to Pittsburgh on the 30th, and when we entered my apartment the oily smell (which prompted my leaving) was mostly gone—and replaced with a less unpleasant “ozoney” smell like that processed air you smell when you first enter a hotel room, only quadrupled.  A fine white haze was in the air, on my furniture—everywhere. 

In my absence maintenance had placed some type of ozone contraption in my apartment which sucked out all the oxygen and negated the bad particles.  They said they also wiped my air ducts out, I didn’t believe it.  But they were still proactive in finding a solution, so I’m grateful.

In fact, after my sister left and I turned on the heat—the new blower motor they’d installed in my bathroom ceiling began making a L-O-U-D flapping noise.  The next morning I asked a maintenance man if he’d mind listening to it and telling me if I was overreacting.  He said sure, I turned it on and he said “Turn it off!  Your motor’s casing is cracked!”

(They promptly returned and installed a SECOND new blower motor for my heat & ac on Friday, it sounds great now.)

So, about my blogging… I’m not sure I’m ready to return to it like before.  To be honest, I worry a little it takes up too much of my time.  I told my friend Danielle Saturday night that I spend one day a week writing a blog, and 6 days a week catching up with everyone else in the blog-verse.  Several bloggers I know like to post 3 or more times a week, which makes for a lot of reading.  I think I need to take a step back there, even if it costs me comments on my own posts. 

Anyway, that’s all I have for now—Shawn, if you’re reading this—thank you again for letting me stay with you guys for a week, it was wonderful seeing all of you and I look forward to visiting again soon. 

And to the people who made it this far in my post, thanks as always for being here.