Thanks to all for the outpouring of heartfelt comments and well wishes for Ben. We know how valuable he was. We ask nothing.......................and receive it.
Ben was tangled in the machinations of acquiring a vehicle for the better part of 3 weeks. I tried to keep his mind off of the craziness by assigning him necessary tasks that he could do in a short time span. He spent a lot of time reminding me of safety. "keep one hand on the boat, lest you fall." "Remember these step stools are tippy." He thinks I can't survive without him. I can.
I spent the week advising him about car loans, job prospects, life. I think he can't survive without me. He can.
Ben spent Wednesday packing his stuff.
We did a round trip to Houston on Thursday (4 hours one way if the traffic gods smile upon you........they didn't). A day lost. Ben drove the car and said "OK, I'll take it!". I took off for home. He spent an hour or better getting the bill of sale notarized. The nice lady selling the car made him a sandwich for the road. We both got lost in the construction zone, him worse. He got back 3 hours after me.
Just as we were departing on the big Houston road trip, the refrigerator died. We crammed everything in coolers and left. My task at hand was to get a replacement on Friday, another day lost. I was in the city 30 miles away and mashed the clutch pedal of Ol' (T)Rusty and it jammed stuck halfway down. Now........ I swore an oath before good King Wrencheslaus to never fix cars again other than easy fixes. A $50 tow and a ride home from Budge, who had to pass through anyway, got me and the fridge back home.
This morning I awoke to not-so-mysterious gas explosions and dire rear: Montazuma's revenge has struck, another day lost. I spent the day doing minor stuff around the house, drinking pink liquid, sleeping, and spending quality time with my good friend, the toilet. It's a real pain in the gas!
Hopefully we did something around the boat