Greetings…

I’ve been busy busy around here this week. Still working hard
getting my house to smell like smokers never lived here. So far,
good. I’ve been painting and still have a few rooms I want to
redo…

The rest will have to wait a little while because I’m heading to
Chicago tomorrow (Thursday) for about 10 days. My sister is heading
to Hawaii for some much needed rest and relaxation and I’m going to
stay with my mom so my sister can go without worrying about my mom…

Of course my mom says I dont’ have to go and she will be just fine,
but all of you know that isn’t even a possibility because she is
still suffering with Shingles and there is no way we would leave
her alone…

She feels guilty because I’m going there , my sister feels guilty
fo having to ask me to go there, and me? I feel guilty for not wanting
to go to Chicago this week because I’m so dang tired from all the work
I have been doing…

Oh well, if it wasn’t for guilt, nothing would get done…

Flyboy will be on vacation next week and will be going on a 3-day
fishing trip with an old Air Force Academy buddy who lives in
Buffalo, New York…

This will be the first time I will be at my sisters since I quit
smoking. My smoking was always a source of contention between me and
my sister. It was the only time we would argue and I couldn’t wait to
leave and because of the smoking, she couldn’t wait until I would
leave…

Granted, my mom smokes and although my sister can’t stand the smell of
smoke, my mom doesn’t really smoke that much and smoked much more when
I was around because I was a chain smoker…

Other than the casino, I haven’t been around anyone that smokes in weeks
and I’m going to probably have to really work hard at it while I’m in
Chicago because some of the friends I will be visiting smoke, my cousin,
who I will be seeing smokes, and…

people I have never met will probably be smoking while I’m in Chicago…

My sister has stocked her house with e-cigarettes and plenty of cartridges
as a gift to make sure I “stay on the wagon” so to speak…

That’s the one “guilt” she doesn’t want on her shoulders. You know the
one I’m talking about. The “”If I had stayed home I would still be a
non-smoker” bit…

I can’t wait to see my mom of course. Everytime I see her it’s always
a mixed bag of emotions. Happiness at seeing her and being able to
spend time with her, and sadness that she is still suffering with
Shingles and also her ongoing eye issues…

My sister needs and deserves the break and hopefully, the change in
scenery will do my mom some good also. What change of scenery you
may ask?

My face of course!!!