Gone Again

Yup. He left Saturday morning. Stayed here longer than we thought he would. Which maybe made it a bit harder to say goodbye...

Walter left some really great things behind him on this trip home. I now have a laptop of my own, and he has one too. We're wireless. He can read my blog on the road, and I can live-blog for real from the road. (Assuming I can get the brakes repaired so I can get out a bit!)

The house computer is still alive, cobbled together from bits and pieces that the hurricane didn't fry. Excuse me, the Post-Hurricane Power Surge.

He loves to get me little gifts out on the road. Truck stops aren't what they used to be, believe me. They often have really neat stuff that we both like to acquire. Walter knows me ever so well by now...and knows I'm fond of certain gadgets that I almost never approve expenditures for. Yet, as Budgetmaster, I'm also adamant about each of us having a certain amount of our own money to do with as we please. So these expenditures are what he gets to do from his *grocery* type funds.

Like flashlights of all kinds. Clip-on map reading ones. Tiny things for your keychain, see the keyhole in the dark. Oh, I love flashlights. Silly for a person who can see so well in the dark as I can. (Or used to, before the LASIK). Still, I rarely think flashlights are necessary for lighting one's way on a path outside in the dark. Not necessary. No.

The flashlight collection is all about this: k loves to read, and k often goes gardening in the dark. And doing home repairs in dark places, under sinks and such.

Walter got me another one of these hurricane flashlights. Check it out: You recharge the battery by shaking it for a second or two. Ha! I kid you not. That's it. The little keychain flashlight recharges the same way, you purchase the two together in a set.

Now I have two sets of hurricane flashlights. I seriously adore them. He says they're kind of expensive but won't tell me how much they cost. He also brought me a tiny headlamp, waterproof, to back up my big huge waterproof one I got at Walmart.

More! Two tiny little keychain pill containers, nice durable ones, something I've wanted for a long time. A headphone set for my cellphone! Hands free! Driving? NO no no, silly! for when I'm gardening, or cooking! That's when I want that hands free thing the worst. I can talk to him whilst kneading my loaves. Of bread.

A perfect little 12-volt cooler, the kind you plug into your car's cig lighter. I have a big non-electric one for my regular shopping trips, understand - if you grocery shop in Florida, your butter can melt by the time you come home. This one is for my little road trips, for drinks and a sandwich, like that.

He didn't bring me any digital cameras this time - he got one for himself, finally! It's the size of a credit card. For real. Only slightly thicker is all. And it takes very good pix. This cost all of $25.00, deep discount sale.

He fixed a big armoire I picked up last Bulk Day; it was a matter of putting its doors back on. It's a bit battered, but for my storage purposes it's great. It would pass for actual furniture to many.

He did some serious and thoughtful Yard Work Admiration, and gave me the input I wanted on plant arranging in his Western Garden and in the front yard.

A year or so back, he had shoulder surgery and was home for 15 months. I got kind of used to having him around. Maybe one day, in the not too distant future, we'll find a way to keep him hanging around at home again. We'll see.