Cougar Bigfoot-WA

I have been wanting to visit Cougar, and grab a Bigfoot lunch since we've been here in Woodland; but we never had the time until this afternoon :-)

Holland suggested a drive since the day was so beautifully warm - and I asked if we could drive to Cougar.

We could … and we did ;-)

Cougar-WA from Woodland-WA; 39 min (28.4 mi) via Lewis River Rd

The drive was relaxing. Convo flowed easily and smoothly. Music was enjoyable. Sunshine flooded Betsy's cab and warmed our skin and soothed our souls.

The drive was very good for us.

Last time I had been to Cougar and ordered the Bigfoot mishmash for the first time, was 3 years ago - when I was spreading my solo lobo wings, and doing my best to distance myself from widowhood sadness:

A DAY TO REMEMBER ~ Amboy, Cougar, Yale Daytrip: (http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2021/05/a-day-to-remember.html)

The last time I had been to Cougar before my 2021 solo lobo venture, was in the Fall of 2017 with my then husband - and 4 year old grandson: I was bumped from wife to widow in December of the following year; and haven't seen, or heard my grandson's voice, in years. Azariah will be 10 y.o. the end of this month.

SASQUATCH & LAVA VALLEY DAYTRIP: (http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/09/sasquatch-lava-valley-daytrip.html)

Today, my new husband drove me up that familiar country highway to that familiar Bar & Grill. It was still an emotional experience … but this time, for a wholly different purpose: it was not a bittersweet journey.

This trip to Cougar, I was glad I was enjoying this sunny drive with someone who was appreciating the lazy-daze peaceful forested scenery, with me - and I was glad to introduce my present someone special to the place I know Bigfoot exists ;-)

Cougar Bar & Grill; #16849 Lewis River Rd, Cougar-WA

YES! Bigfoot is still being served ;-)

Memorabilia Wall; logging era & 1980 Eruption of volcanic Mt. St. Helens-WA

The Suit of  Armor is gone … suit of armor 5-27-21; Cougar Bar & Grill-WA.

My 'Bigfoot' in front & Holland's 'Eruption' behind … half of both came home with us …

And worth every cent :-)

A Cougar pelt - big paws leave a big foot print.

A Bear pelt  that would have left a big foot imprint - look at those claw nails (!); a new addition to the establishment.

New memories were forged this afternoon where old memories once held sway.

When we got back to the hotel, I got a phone call from a concerned friend who "heard through the grapevine" about the concerning trials Holland and I have been weathering most of this month; I assured this friend that Holland and I are working things out and that there will be no "splitting of the sheets". This friend understands the situations we have been dealing with this past year, and I am grateful for the outpouring of love towards both of us.

A friendship with no judgement; at least not spoken ;-)

Healing takes time, and that's okay.

We are building a Life … and that take's time, too.

In the meantime we enjoy the moments that make up our Life, in the moment. I'm glad we had our moment in time in Cougar, this afternoon :-)

SUBMISSION

I definitely am an alpha female.

But I can also be a kinda-sorta submissive wife (depending on what I'm asked to submit to) to a man who doesn't demand I submit 😉

GREEN MOUNTAIN DRIVE~Woodland-WA

The Insurance fella called this morning to get info from Holland so the repair claim can get filed … our rent here will be up this weekend, so after Holland shut his phone down, we drove to Kalama to check new digs out, there (we are going to 'stick'): repair work on Independence will take several weeks to complete once it gets underway.

We went-we saw-Kalama is not a {done deal}; and wanting to avoid the backed up traffic on I-5, Holland opted to drive back to Woodland on the backroad … so, up and over Green Mountain Road we went :-)

We saw this cool antique truck, as we were leaving Woodland.

Seriously backed up traffic from Kalama to Woodland e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y (pictures taken last week): road construction on the Woodland overpass makes freeway traffic a hair-pulling event.

I like the Green Mountain country drive. I've been missing it. I didn't take any pictures this trip, but I sure did enjoy the drive ;-)

Green Mountain Road-WA from Kalama-WA; 12 min (6.3 mi) via Cloverdale Rd

Woodland-WA from Green Mountain Road-WA; 11 min (4.9 mi) via Green Mountain Rd

I like the movie, 'The Notebook', and I watched it last night: this morning I mentioned to Holland about this part of the movie (clip below), and he laughed and said, "Yeah, that's us alright … we fight." We are working things out in our personal life - the withdrawals are hard, but Holland is bending and working hard at repair on our marriage to keep US.

I understand why Holland has done and said the things said and done; addictions cause otherwise good people to engage in bad decisions. But Elohim is on our side, and we know we will make it to the other side of this storm.

'The Notebook' Fight Scene: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNzimdBJF1s)

A GAME OF NUMBERS; Woodland-WA

We had planned last night to go to Vancouver this morning - before the morning phone call. Holland received a call from a man in Seattle giving him a quote for the repairs to Independence … none of that sounded right (quote or location), so we drove straight to Vancouver to find out what was going on.

Holland worked in construction for decades; he would know pricing on materials.

The drive went smoothly and convo was enjoyable.

I waited in Betsy while Holland paid a visit to the Office.

Repair quote sounds pretty low, so to Vancouver we go …

$21,000.00 is the quote for full inspection and repairs …

Vancouver-WA from Woodland-WA; 19 min (17.5 mi) via I-5 S

RV Pro; #418 NE Repass Rd Ste A1, Vancouver, WA

Holland making sure all the boxes were checked & match the repair quote.

I watched clouds while I waited … fat, fluffy, heavy, & low floating clouds ;-)

When he came back to Betsy, he said they had done a thorough inspection, and the quotes were right - so, now all we are waiting for is the Insurance inspector to check Independence out and submit his quotes. Independence will be repaired, not totaled.

Holland says the repair quote was correct.

It's a numbers game of waiting until everyone involved in the {fix} has had a look & an opinion.

Both the RV Repair Shop & the Insurance Rep's are winners; we want to get a good deal, too.

On another note, Holland is working on marriage repairs also; it's been 14 days without alcohol or Vicodin - the withdrawals are strong, but so has he been. My Taurus swan man did not like reading the posts his feisty Capricorn posted about his behavior: he said, "I do not appreciate what you posted for everyone to read." I replied, "I do not like living through what I posted for people to read." 

Things started changing yesterday afternoon.

We will be here in Woodland, until the 21st, then possibly in Kalama for a few weeks. After that, we don't know where we will be … but we know we will be working things out together - the hardest hurdles are being cleared, and everything else looks promising :-)

LOOSEY-GOOSEY~Woodland-WA

I woke up this morning to see, and feel, that a side of the toenail on my right big toe was seriously loose and easily peeled off in a loosey-goosey fashion; this is one of the two toenails that Bleu badly injured months ago, when he stabbed it with his sharp toenails during puppy friskiness. So, as soon as Holland came back from the motel office with the motel Wi-Fi passcode, I went online to find out how to care for this toenail injury …

Onycholysis is when your nail separates from its nail bed. It often appears after an injury to your nail. After a nail separates from the nail bed for whatever reason, it will not reattach. A new nail will have to grow back in its place. Treatment may involve cutting away the separated nail as it grows out; do not rip off the toenail or tear off the piece that is detaching as this could further injure the nail bed and lead to infection.

Toenail injury fallout.

Dressing the damaged nail with a bandage will help protect the injury and keep the area clean. If a person removes a nail, they are at greater risk of damaging the skin of the nail bed and of developing an infection. Signs of infection can include: increased heat of tender nail bed, redness, pain, tenderness, swelling, or pus. Nails grow back slowly. It takes about 6 months or longer for a fingernail and up to 18 months for a toenail to grow back.

Oh joy - another concern in a very stressful week already full of relationship chaos, a painful shingles outbreak, and a personal Wi-Fi tower snafu which led to returning it and reliance on an outside PC connect :-(

Add to that that even though we are no longer hurting each other with word darts, I still have no idea what Holland intends to do … but I do know that he is not going to drag me into sin. When he shouted a few days ago that he is getting a divorce, I asked him on what grounds: he said, "we don't get along" (meaning he can't have things his way 100% of the time). I said, "That's not Biblical, Holland. I am a Christian - and you keep telling me that you are one; you know the only way you can divorce me is if one of us is fooling around on the side. Are you?" He said, "No! I need another woman in my life like I need a hole in the head."

So, I got out my Bible and read Matthew 5:31-32, which I assumed he had read and understood since he had been married & divorced in early adulthood: Jesus said, "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

I should not have been surprised with Holland's response, but I kinda was. He said, "Well, I don't believe that. You can legally get a divorce for irreconcilable differences …" I just stared at him for a few minutes before I said, "Yes; but worldly legal is not biblical grounds for divorce, Holland. If you want your divorce you can only get one from me if you get busy and give me a reason to sign the papers - otherwise you're stuck with me and will need to grow up and man up. You are not going to drag me into sin because you want to live loosey-goosey with your bad habits and bad company." He quipped, "Are you going to get married again?" I replied, "I'm stunned that you are arguing the validity of Biblical standards; but to answer you, all I can say is that I don't know what the future holds. I didn't plan on getting married to you, Holland - but Elohim had other Plans. Who knows what Elohim has in the future, for me … I don't spit in His eye and complain non-stop about the gift He gave me, like you are doing. Obviously He wants me married following widowhood, because He sure went out of His way to bring us together; if you will recall, I put you off for a solid year before I agreed to a coffee date with you: you pursued me - I was not an easy catch, Holland, and I was very clear up front that when I marry, I marry for Life. If a solid marriage is what Elohim wants for me - and you want to throw His prophetic gifting to you, back in His face … then you better get busy so you can divorce me by His standards. You are not going to trap me in a dead-end Life with your selfishness, and you are not going to cause me to sin because your life is lived in the Redmill Religion concept of a loosey-goosey atmosphere of 150+ ways to excuse sin - while claiming to be a Christian!"

I do not find his "loosey-goosey, baby!" attitude concerning his religion - or life in general at all endearing, or funny :-(

While I was surfing the internet for the injured toenail information, I came across something else that piqued my curiosity; and found it pretty spot on: I have an "egyptian foot" in one article - and a "roman foot" in the other …

Personality Test: Your Foot Shape Reveals Your Hidden Personality Traits: (https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/foot-shape-personality-test-1712315735-1)

What Does Your Foot Shape Says About You? (https://www.awesomequotes4u.com/2015/04/what-does-your-foot-shape-says-about-you.html)

Both articles are fairly accurate in {personality traits}; loosey-goosey isn't a strong point, in my life - even if my Life does currently resemble a country song …

Chris Cagle - My Life Has Been A Country Song lyrics:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ui58exOCwY)