December 15: Having a Day
Greetings from Jesup, where it’s 36 degrees at noon. It was 26 as the sun rose at 7:20am. I was dressed in layers, riding to Odum (population 990) for the chicken and biscuit breakfast my driver was craving. The only reason I was even up at that hour was because I needed to get to the post office (and didn’t want to pack up Karmalita and drive myself), which was a block from the walk up window to the best fried chicken in these parts. Only the take-out restaurant opened at 8, not 7 – thanks to the old information I found floating around the internet. She needed coffee, so we went to the general store across the street … that was out of coffee and breakfast pizzas.
It was a 15-minute wait for the post office to open, and when it did, the only large envelopes on display were for priority mail, so I put in the $1 gag gift and went up to the counter. While I was being waited on, out of my sight, someone rolled out a display with regular envelopes and boxes. Only it was too late, my receipt was printing. When did priority mail go to $14?
Back at the walk-up window, we were told they were out of biscuits. She got gravy and chicken, and we stopped at another country store on the way home that had biscuits but no gravy. I got a breakfast sandwich and we ate at the long wooden table. Upon learning a winning lottery ticket for $5,000 was bought here, we scraped together all our bills, seven quarters, two dimes, and a nickel to buy a $20 ticket that had soooooo many chances to win. We didn’t.
Back at the bus, the heater was still running. I got back in the hammock, pulled up the comforter, and was joined by Sunshine. For hours we did nothing but cuddle. A lap cat who can’t get enough petting is teaching me to be still. He’s also walking me on a leash as long as I give him licks of Churu puree. Thankfully, the three times he got spooked and backed out of the harness, he ran straight to the bus. A smaller harness and a longer lead are due here Wednesday.
The plan right now is to leave the homestead Friday, travel to St. Augustine to celebrate Yule with a skoolie witch, spend Christmas on a beach, and celebrate the New Year with my friend in Vero Beach. And somewhere in the next two weeks, line up places I can boondocks in Florida for 70 nights now that Walmarts, rest stops, welcome centers, and even Camping World do not allow you to spend the night. Most likely it will be some combination of national forests, water management areas, casinos, and Harvest Hosts.
If I’m lucky, it will get up to 42 degrees today. If I am lucky, the insect bite I got two days ago will stop burning and itching; I get the last three flies out of the bus; file another review for Pagan Pages; and not go another ten days without posting. But for now, I’m going to enjoy some of the Cuccia Con Ricotta (a Sicilian pudding) I made to honor Saint Lucy on her feast day 12/13, as my ancestors have done for centuries.