I have been negligent ... so here's a new post.

 Here it is, Spring of 2023. I'm still living in the small house and feeling safe and secure. I donated the van to the VA and bought a 2013 Toyota Scion IQ with very good gas mileage and only 60k miles. It's in great shape and it's fun to drive. 

2022

I'm still working at Costco doing samples (it's a part-time job, part good, part frustrating.)

I'm also still enjoying genealogy research and finding cousins I never knew I had.

Overdue update

 Much has happened this last year. 

March 2021: The Nissan service manager was the one who told me that the van was beyond repair (not the mechanic). So I signed over the van to him and rented an SUV to get all my stuff home and started the search for a replacement vehicle. One month later I got a call from the mechanic saying that he had taken the van home and worked on it. He said it was roadworthy again and that I could have it for just what he had put into it IF I wanted it back (parts and labor) if not, he would keep it.  Needless to say, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. So I grabbed a flight to Sacramento and an Uber to Davis. The mechanic told me the electrical was just a burned-out module caused by a defective fuel injector.  He worked the whole van over and did several other repairs too. I paid him and drove back home. The van drove so well and I was singing all the way back.  

June 2021: I took a 6,000-mile road trip and the van drove well, still getting 25 mpg.  I went down through Salt Lake then east through Moab and through Aspen then down to Texas for some camping. I continued up through Iowa and then northwest through South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and the loop around the Olympic Peninsula.

Aug 2021: I had been trying to find a place of my own for the winter while we all waited for some good news on the Coronavirus.  Long story short - my darling daughter, through the work she was doing, had met a VA adviser and introduced me to him. He helped me to find a tiny house to rent and I had found a part-time job doing food demonstrations at a Costco that is just 15 minutes away.

March 2022: Now I am feeling settled. Life on the road is not all it's cracked up to be. It was fun for a while but I really think I'm done with that.  The van is still running well but with gas prices up over $4 per gallon, well it's just not reasonable.

UPDATE Feb 2021: Remembering Bernie Nofziger who lived a full life, passed away at the beautiful age of 93. He was loved by and will be missed by many people.

Aaah ... Road Trip 2021

 After the best part of a year sheltering in place with my wonderful grandkids, it's finally time to hit the road again. I have received both of my Covid vaccinations and I'm ready to hit the road. I'm going to hit a few of Washington’s state parks before heading south.

 I feel very confident about the new administration and look forward to better days ahead.

P.S. If you haven't seen the new movie Nomadland, I highly recommend it.

UPDATE: March 18, 2021: Just north of Sacramento was the end of the road for my Nissan Quest. Luckily my insurance paid for the tow to the Nissan dealership in Davis California. The Nissan service manager said there was a massive electrical failure under the dash and it would cost more to repair than the van is worth so now the search begins for a new (to me) road vehicle ... maybe, who knows.

Road trip 2020

  I left Texas just after my sister died and drove back to my grandkids' house in Vancouver, WA to shelter in place while we waited to see how the Covid-19 virus would affect our lives. No one in the family has been infected and we are all taking precautions to protect ourselves and others. My sister's kids decided to hold Bobbie's memorial service on June 13th at her home church in Seymour, TX. I packed my van and headed back to participate in the event. It was a very nice service and a tribute to Bobbie and how many lives she touched.

 After the service, I began my 2020 road trip. Part of my trip was to continue my genealogy research on the Walls family and part just for fun. I drove up through Oklahoma, Missouri, and into Kentucky. My hope of finding the graves of my 2nd great grandparents came to nothing but I enjoyed some camping and met some very nice people while there. After a few days, I headed back to Texas for some dental work and more camping. My plan from there was to do some camping/sightseeing in Colorado but by this time it was nearing the 4th of July and trying to find campsites was becoming difficult. I decided to head back to the grandkids' for another break. Leaving Texas, I had to deal with strong, gusty southwest winds all the way into eastern Oregon. When I arrived in Vancouver the weather was mild but a bit cool and damp.

 Now, I am rethinking my whole life plan. I miss Mexico but the virus is a problem down there too. I need to return to Witchita Falls for another dentist visit in late October, so maybe by that time, it will be possible to return to Zihuatanejo or maybe Merida on the Yucatan.

 

Update November: Before my dental appointment I visited my nephew in Austin and found that my other sister, Charlsie, my last sibling, had passed away that day. Due to the virus, her memorial service was scheduled for two weeks away. However, I had to get back to Washington state before the weather got bad (I just barely made it) and then her memorial was canceled due to the virus.

                                      And so, I am the last of the four. "In my life, I loved them all".

DeMarquis, Charlsie, Me, Bobbie

A new beginning

The future is nothing more than a new beginning that starts right now. I have been here before and I am sure I will be again. The problem is trying to keep promises that were made before life events changed and then realizing that those promises are causing pain to both the promiser and the promisee. Therefore, a new beginning becomes the only logical path to the future.

Here is a link to my website: www.jimwalls.info

Update Feb 2020: More than a year has passed since I published this entry. I remain, like a plane getting low on fuel and awaiting clearance from the tower, in a holding pattern. 

Update April 2020: And now, the Covid-19 virus ... sigh.

My dear sister passed today, Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, three years after her husband passed. We laid her to rest on April 15th and I packed up my belongings and headed back to Oregon/Washington to be with my grandkids. A memorial service will be held when people feel safe to gather.

Dust and cobwebs

For about a year now I have been staying with my sister, Bobbie, in northern Texas as she slowly fades away. She is just 87 years old but she has been in poor health for many years. Her husband, who was 90, died in April 2017 and she began her decline at that time. By July of 2017, I realized that she could not be at home on her own and would require round the clock assistance so I promised that I would be there for her as long as I was needed. Taking care of an invalid person requires more than one person so her youngest daughter Meg moved back home with her 8-year-old son and between us we have shared the duties of home care.
The house where she and her husband lived her entire adult life is in Red Springs, Texas. Everywhere I look I see evidence of a life well-lived, a house where she raised four children of her own and raised three more who she adopted over the years. In every room, there are collectibles, photos, trophies, nick-nacks, and "what-nots".  These things are covered with a fine layer of dust and cobwebs. At times her memory is the same ... dust and cobwebs.  She has thanked me many times for being here for her and although it is difficult to watch a person in decline, just knowing that I have been a little comfort and a little help to her is reward enough for me.

Update: Jan 10, 2019, Bobbie's strength continues to decline, and yet she still holds on to what is left of her life. Her days are a roller-coaster ride of good and difficult and she is in pain every day. She has stopped taking all of the medications she had been taking and only takes an Advil from time to time for the pain.

I feel conflicted but I am going back to Mexico for a week to deal with my stuff that has been stored down there. I'll be back to continue my duties here by Jan 20th.

Learning about my grandmother Florence Mae Walls (Ferguson)

This is the only photo I have of her.

She was born in Joshua, Johnson Co., Texas 1 March 1885
Her parents were Neal Scott B. Ferguson and Charity Adjullia Hines
She was one of 11 children
She married Alonzo "Lon" Walls 18 November 1901 in Cleburne, Johnson Co., Texas
They had  6 children
She died 15 August 1975