On All My Motions

Bits of this and that: ( Under the cut. )

And that’s it for now. Tune in later for the next pulse-pounding episode.

So, Tuesday (two days ago) we had a thing with a tornado.

( Less than dramatic. )

The ‘other thing’ I mentioned a few days ago, that interrupted our socializing with the couple from Canada?

Well, Susan got a text that didn’t make sense to her, telling her the time for class the following day. That naturally puzzled her, since she wasn’t taking part in any classes. She called back to clarify … and the sender apologized, he’d apparently got the number wrong, he was running a concealed-carry qualification course one town over, and assured her that there was room for her to join it if she wanted.

She wanted. I got my own CCL last year, and our current state of residence is ‘constitutional carry’, but an official CCL (particularly the enhanced version) still grants certain clarifications within the state, and is recognized by other states with which we have reciprocity agreements.

I accompanied her through the process, of course, mainly to be available in case she needed anything (i.e., her continuing mobility issues). There was the full-day classroom, followed by range qualification. It had been some time since I’d taken her shooting, and we’d both failed to appreciate just how many things she’d forgot, she needed several corrections and reminders … but, by the end of the range exercise, she had incorporated all she was being told, and she qualified on the first attempt. We sent off her application, and it arrived a couple of days ago, so now we’re both licensed to carry.

And, because she’ll be carrying in her purse (we’re still shopping for a suitable model), she’ll actually have a larger weapon than mine.

Makes me feel all secure and protected and stuff.

As I mentioned the other day, I still maintain a solid curiosity regarding the different types of RVs, and the different lifestyles of the various practitioners. My keenest interest is in the Class B type, the ‘camper van’. (Some of those are actual converted vans, but in general they refer to something built on a van chassis for the express purpose of being a small RV that someone can live in.) I can’t wish for one myself, because there is no way Susan and I could manage in a space that small — our current Class C, one of the less roomy of such models, is enough for us but only just barely — but I’m fascinated by the very fact of living and traveling in such compact circumstances.

Last month, I happened to be out walking when one such arrived and backed into its new slot, and I stopped long enough to make some quick inquiries. The driver and his wife were pleased to answer my questions, and even invited me (unsolicited) to look inside. I did my best to keep it brief, but promptly went back to tell Susan about my encounter. Shortly thereafter, seeing that they were setting up a screen tent so they could sit outside in the shade, I prevailed on Susan to go out for a ‘walk’ of her own, just so she could meet them.

They welcomed us. For some reason the immediate conversations were between me and the wife, and Susan and the husband. And, for some reason, the issue of politics came up between me and the wife (call her Jeanne). We had already established that the two of them were from Ottawa, and Jeanne and I skirted very delicately around the edges, both of us cautious about broaching subjects in which we might find ourselves in emphatic disagreement.

The husband (call him Jerry) got a phone call, however, and stepped around back of the van to carry it out privately; Susan joined Jeanne and me, and after a few minutes of discussion among the three of us, we managed to establish that this Canadian couple was surprisingly conservative in their outlook, in contrast to the continuing leftward tilt of those who keep remaining in charge of that country’s governance. Since they were here visiting the U.S., they were quite interested in getting our take on the political climate of this country, and we were more than happy to offer our opinions.

Keep in mind: Susan and I are SO conservative, I have met exactly one person in my entire life that I knew for a fact was more conservative than I am; it was refreshing and welcome to find ourselves in animated discussion with a couple who not only didn’t disagree with us, but avidly wanted to know what we thought. And their primary concern was to how great was the likelihood we saw of an actual civil war here.

(I told them that I was less worried about that than I used to be … but that a little vigilante action here and there wouldn’t surprise me, as voters got fed up with seeing our laws systematically violated, and Antifa types attacking Tesla dealerships began discovering that AR‑15 trumps Molotov cocktail.)

We eventually went back to our own rig, and then the entirety of the following day was taken up with … with something else that I’ll use a subsequent post to cover. The following morning, when we woke, the space of our Canadian neighbors was empty; as it turned out, however, they had just taken their vehicle to visit a nearby state park, and returned in the afternoon. And, while we were still debating whether to go call on them again — uncertain as to whether we would be imposing, even though our previous visit had been so rewarding — they came to call on us in our own space. That was perfect, we invited them in and talked happily for a few more hours, and traded email addresses when they were finally ready to leave.

We’re Facebook friends now as well, and I’m not ruling out the possibility of visiting them in Toronto next year. It was just nice overall, and VERY unusual for me of all people to voluntarily initiate social contact.

Sometimes, things just work out.

One of the things I never got around to posting about (and I don’t remember why, probably just had other things going on) was a brief trip Susan and I took into Mexico.

( One step over the line. )

Ever since Susan and I learned that our daughter-in-law was pregnant again, we’ve been saying a Rosary every single day that includes prayers for a safe delivery and a healthy grandchild (currently due sometime between the end of June and the first week of July). That’s been our primary focus, but — Susan especially being conscientious about such things — we’ve regularly included various other prayers as well.

For something like a month, my own prayers have ended with, “for the faith of our church, the enlightenment of our Pope, and a good choice for the next Pope when that time comes.”

Now that time HAS come.

I won’t presume to judge Pope Francis, but when he made public announcements, he unavoidably opened himself to the opinions of people hearing those announcements. And, year after year, incrementally and in mounting aggregate, the things he openly supported seemed to work directly against the Church he was supposed to lead.

God will judge him, and — since I desperately need mercy for myself when my time arrives — I hope that judgment is merciful. And maybe there were things I didn’t know that would change my opinion at least a little.

I’ve heard claims that Pope Benedict was essentially forced out of leadership by the same ‘progressive’ elements that chose Francis as their flagbearer. I don’t know if those things are true … but, regardless, I hope nothing like that happens again.

My prayers now are that the Catholic Church will choose someone who will lead the Catholic Church … and out of, not further into, the morass of woke bullshit that increasingly and inescapably characterized our now-previous Pope.

We need it.

( Info under the cut )

Over the last month Susan and I were in New Mexico, I was checking weather reports and trying to balance our travel schedule so we would arrive at our current location 1) in time for me to keep a couple of medical appointments, and 2) after the projected low temps were high enough for us to be solidly into spring weather.

( We hit it pretty much perfect. )

Susan and I started working our way back east not quite a week ago, making our progress by driving a day and then taking a full day to rest before driving another (that works out to two nights at every place we stop). Alamogordo and Santa Rosa NM, then Shamrock TX, tonight and tomorrow at Happy Acres RV Park in Shawnee OK. Wednesday we should arrive back at our ‘home base’ for medical appointments; we’ll have been away a full five months, which is the longest we’ve been gone since we started the RV life.

After that … well, different things to work out, but there are plans in progress. Don’t think we’ve forgotten the new grandchild due to be born in China in July or even late June; we already have approval to be there for the event, where before the idea was to show up after Mei-li had taken a little recovery time. So, we could be in place for as little as three months before jumping off again, this time internationally.

It’ll go as it goes, then. Just wait to see how things turn out.

As it happened, we chose not to stay that long in Tombstone, despite that it was our original destination and, in other circumstances, we might have remained there the entire winter.

( Okay. Why, then? )