2026, May 20 - Big Machines, Family Drama, and Boudin

My Dearest Charlie,

I sure do wish you were here to see this jobsite.

Watching these men and machines put these wind turbines together is fascinating. We have two of the largest cranes in the world out here. The Liebherr LR 11000 is absolutely massive. Fully assembled, it stands over 430 feet tall—that’s about the height of the Louisiana State Capitol building.

And the turbines themselves are even taller!

The tower is around 380 feet tall, then they stick 250-foot blades on them.  It’s hard to explain just how huge all this stuff is until you’re standing underneath it feeling tiny. I honestly think you would’ve loved watching all this.

I’m really enjoying New York, even though I haven’t gotten to do nearly as much hiking and exploring as I wanted because my knees keep acting ugly.  I am so tired of hurting.

There’s so much around here I want to see while I’ve got the chance. I don’t know where the next project after this one will take me, so I feel this pressure to soak up as much as I can while I’m here.

What I do know is they expect me to stay here through the end of the year… maybe even into the beginning of next year.  Hopefully before the snow gets too serious.  Because you know good and well this Louisiana girl does not know how to drive in all that mess.

My Site Safety Manager called me the other day and told me he plans to request that I move with him to whatever location comes next. Then he started throwing out places like Colorado… Montana… even Alaska.

Alaska, Charlie.  Can you imagine me up there trying not to bust my tail on ice or get carried off by wildlife?

Life has gotten strange.  But honestly… kinda good too.

In other news…

M2 had herself quite a scare with Milo.

That dog apparently forgot he was a dog and decided he was a hog instead. Ate way too much stuff his stomach had no business processing and ended up with pancreatitis.

Poor little stinker.

It scared M2 half to death, but thankfully he’s okay now and back to acting like his normal spoiled self.

That dog has more drama than most people I know.  Speaking of drama ...

S and J are back together again.  Yeah… I know.  And almost immediately after they got back together, S got fired from her job.  Go figure.

She’s been really upset and crying a lot, which is understandable. But I think she’ll eventually be okay. She’s stronger than she realizes.

J may have an opportunity in Iowa, which could put them a whole lot closer to me for a while.  That actually would be kind of nice.  And speaking of visitors…

Alex is coming to New York this weekend!   He’s bringing me about 12 pounds of boudin, which officially makes him my favorite child this week.  I wanted more, but at almost eight dollars a pound, apparently I need to settle down and quit acting like I’m opening a Cajun meat market up here.  I also asked him to bring my crockpot and my mountain dulcimer.  As much time as I spend sitting around after work, I may as well learn how to play it.  Lord help the neighbors!

Then about eight days after Alex leaves, M1 is coming up too, along with Dana and Remi.

We’re gonna get a couple of good days of girl time before they fly back home, and I’m really looking forward to that.  I just wish M2 and Kyle could come visit too.  Maybe someday.

Anyway… life just keeps rolling along up here.  Some good things. Some stressful things. Some weird things.  But overall… I think I’m doing alright.

I just wish you were here to share it with me.

I miss you.

Love always,
Me

2026, May 17 - Dearest Dahlin'

 Dearest Dahlin’,

I know I’ve put a few days between posts lately.

I had big plans this weekend too. I was going to get out and do some exploring… maybe see something new, take a drive, get out in nature a bit.  Instead, all I managed to do was get a hydrofacial and then spend the rest of the weekend laid up in the apartment.

My back decided to “do a thing” while I was climbing the stairs, and that was pretty much the end of my productivity.  One wrong move and suddenly I was moving around like an 85-year-old woman trying not to anger the arthritis gods.  Fortunately, I had anti-inflammatories and a muscle relaxer on hand, so that helped some.

Still though…

I sure do wish you were here. Not even for anything big. Just little things. Like warming up the heat pack for me because it hurts to get up and do it myself. That’s the stuff I miss sometimes more than anything else. Not the grand moments. Just being cared for.

In other news, people at work seem to genuinely like me there. That still surprises me a little.

My boss acts like I’m doing them some huge favor by being there, and I finally told him so. He just looked at me and said, “Well… you ARE.” I honestly didn’t know what to say to that. Then he told me if I needed new boots, to go buy them and the company would reimburse me. I was shocked.

I mean, I’m perfectly happy with the boots I have… but I’ll admit, a better pair might help these knees of mine feel a little less like rusty door hinges every morning. So maybe there’s a new boot shopping trip in my future.

Look at me… living dangerously.

Anyway, I’m hoping another day or two of taking it easy will calm everything back down. I’m getting too old to be out here throwing my back out on staircases. The irony is not lost on me that I came all the way to New York to work in safety… and now my biggest workplace hazard appears to be apartment stairs.

Life is funny like that.

I sure do miss you, Dahlin’.

Love you always,
Me

2026, May 13 - It's Been A Few Days

 Dearest Charlie,

It’s been a few days, hasn’t it?

Not because anything huge has happened… just life. Work, rest, trying to stay ahead of things, trying not to spend money, trying not to let my knee or this pollen nonsense take me down completely.  The past few days have mostly been a cycle of work and coming home tired.

I’m settling into the job more now. Things don’t feel quite as foreign as they did those first couple of weeks. I’m learning names, routines, paperwork, who does what, and where things go. I still have moments where I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing… but apparently I’m hiding it fairly well.  So far, nobody has escorted me off the property. That feels promising.

The paycheck snafu finally worked itself out, thank goodness. For a minute there, I was sweating it pretty hard. It’s amazing how fast your stress level rises when money decides not to show up when it’s supposed to.  But it got handled.  And honestly, people here have been kinder than I expected.  That still surprises me a little.

I’m slowly getting more settled in the apartment too. It’s quiet here. Sometimes too quiet. But I’m getting used to it. I still haven’t fully unpacked everything. Part of me thinks I’m still mentally living out of hotel rooms. 

The weather continues to confuse me daily.  One minute snow flurries… the next minute sunshine… then rain… then wind that feels like it came directly from the Arctic.  I don’t even question it anymore. I just look outside and say, “Alrighty then.”

I haven’t done much exploring lately because my knee and the pollen have both been acting ugly. So instead, I’ve mostly stayed in, watched movies, rested, and tried to recover a little.

Exciting stuff, I know.

I did finally cook a few real meals though, so at least I’m no longer surviving entirely on ham sandwiches and chips. I made some beef tips with green beans which I ate on for 3 days.  Then I made a bacon, chicken, ranch casserole and will eat on that for 3 days.  So, that's progress!

I still miss you all the time. Especially in the evenings when everything gets quiet and there’s nobody here to tell about the little details of the day. That’s probably what I miss the most sometimes- the sharing of ordinary life.  Talking with you and hearing your voice and about your day also.

Anyway…

That’s the update from this side.

Love and miss you muchly,

Me

2026, Apr 29 - The Past Few Days

My Dahlin' Chahles,

The past few days have been a bit of a mix.

I had all these ideas about getting out and exploring more… but the pollen had other plans. It hit me pretty hard - congestion, scratchy throat, that overall “I just don’t feel right” feeling.  So instead of adventuring, I’ve mostly been laying low.  Resting. Drinking fluids. Trying to let my body catch up.  Not exactly exciting… but probably necessary.

Work has been steady. I’m getting more comfortable with things, starting to find a rhythm. I’m not second-guessing every little thing like I was at first. Still learning, but not quite as unsure. That feels like progress.

Now… in the middle of all that, there was the paycheck snafu. Somehow, it fell through the cracks and didn’t hit when it was supposed to. That definitely got my attention - and not in a good way. For a minute there, things felt a little tight. But people stepped up.

CC loaned me some money without hesitation, and PM R got me a check written out to help bridge the gap. My bank, of course, decided to hold it and then reversed it (because why make things easy?), but still… it helped.  It reminded me I’m not completely out here on my own.  Even when it feels like it.

Even with not feeling great, I’ve had a few quiet moments that I’ve appreciated. Sitting in my apartment, listening to the stillness, watching the weather shift back and forth between cold and not-so-cold.

It’s a different pace up here. Slower in some ways. Louder in others - especially in my own head. I’ve also been thinking a lot about everything going on back home.

S and J… still doing their back-and-forth thing. I don’t even know what to say about that anymore. I just shake my head and let them figure it out. S is coming to stay with me for about a month.  I'm excited about that because we haven't had time together like that for quite a while.  I'm looking forward to it.

MJ2… I still worry about her. I try not to hover, but it’s hard when I know she’s struggling. Even though she says they aren't struggling.  Us parents see it differently, right?

And me?  Well, I’m okay.  Not 100%… but okay.

Adjusting. Learning. Resting when I need to. Pushing when I can.  It’s not perfect, but it’s mine.

I do wish you were here.

I think you’d like some of this… and probably laugh at some of it too.

I miss you.

Love you always,
Me

2026, Apr 26 - An Icky Weekend

 Dearest Charlie,

I’m feeling pretty icky this weekend.  I had big plans to get out and do some exploring… but the pollen has other ideas. It’s winning, and I’m over here fighting congestion, a scratchy head, and just that overall “blah” feeling.  Not exactly adventure-ready.

I keep thinking I should get up and do something… anything… but I just can’t seem to find the motivation. Every time I consider it, my body votes no.  So I guess this weekend is turning into a lay-low kind of weekend.  Rest. Fluids. Maybe something warm to eat. And a whole lot of not doing much.

Not what I had in mind - but probably what I need.  I do wish you were here.

You’d probably fuss at me a little, tell me to slow down and take care of myself… and then make sure I actually did it.  

I miss that.

Anyway… that’s about all I’ve got today.

Just me, a pile of tissues, and a stubborn case of pollen.

Love you,
Me

2026, Apr 24 - Fog, Fire, and A Little Snaffu

 My Darlin' Chahles, 

This week has been pretty relaxing for the most part.

Yesterday was beautiful. There was fog settled down in the valleys, and I managed to catch a sunrise photo. It was one of those quiet, still moments that just makes you stop and look for a while.  Then later that evening, I came home, took a quick nap, and on a whim decided to head out to Allegany State Park to find a sunset spot.

I found one.  Sat there and watched the sun go down… and then just stayed.  All the way until the stars came out.  I could hear frogs, and some kind of bird that sounded almost like a peacock - but not quite. Close enough to make me stop and listen though. It was peaceful. I wish you had been there with me.

Today started off fine… but by midafternoon, things took a turn. Because of a “falling through the cracks” snaffu, I didn’t get my regular paycheck.  So that put me in a bit of a bind. But by 3:30, things started coming together.

My young - and apparently very kind - coworker, CC, loaned me $300 and told me to text him if I needed more.  And PM R handed me a check for $743.  Which my bank promptly decided to hold until the next business day.  

Of course they did.

So here I am… temporarily funded, but not exactly liquid.  I’m hoping next week brings my regular paycheck plus two weeks of per diem. That would fix a lot of things.  

After work, I stopped by the pharmacy and picked up $150 worth of medicine (because why not pile that on), grabbed a Famous Bowl from KFC, and came home to my little apartment.

Changed into something more comfortable - basically an oversized T-shirt - and settled in.

And now… I’m sitting here feeling like I might be coming down with something.  Scratchy throat. Achy body. Headache.  Perfect timing.

No real plans this weekend.

If I venture out at all, it might be to Hobby Lobby or somewhere like that to grab some thread and a few things for the sewing project I brought with me.

Otherwise… I may just lay low and let this pass.  It’s been a week.

Some really good moments… and a few bumps along the way.

I sure do wish you were here.

I miss you terribly.

Love you always,
Me

2026, Apr 22 - Cold Confetti

My darlin' Charlie, 

How was your day?  I sure wish I could ask you that and actually hear your answer.

Since I last wrote, I told you about waking up to snow. Well… let me tell you - there was snow, but not much of it stuck. Mostly it felt like I was standing in a very cold confetti factory, with flurries flying everywhere.  The next morning there was a little ice, but then the temperature jumped about 30 degrees, so things warmed up pretty quickly.

I overslept this morning and almost missed the All Hands meeting - but I made it just in time. Barely. After that, I went to my desk and found a stack of papers waiting on me. So I spent the day sorting, scanning, emailing… rinse and repeat.  I was busy all day long and finally came to a screeching halt about ten minutes before quitting time.

Came home, took a shower, washed a load of clothes, and now I’m sitting here trying to decide what to have for supper.  Honestly… I’m leaning toward a bowl of Raisin Bran. Simple. Easy. No effort required.

It’s so quiet here. Too quiet.

I miss your voice. I miss your presence.

Oh - and before I forget… S and J are back together.

Yeah. I rolled my eyes too. But… it is what it is.

Anyway, that’s about it from this side.

I miss you.

Love you,
Me