Copied from my 'blog' from my birthday, March 16, last year.

"8th stop - part 2. Target. The Walmart lot looked like Black Friday. Target wasn't so busy but lots of empty shelves. Before we left home we had been shopping with the intent to stock up. I used to be really good about following the Ready.gov guide lines. Weeks worth of supplies and rotated. But had kind of given that up and wanted to start again. Half way though shopping last time BB decided 'we could do the rest when we got back.' Opps.

We should be set OK at home. We don't run on 'E,' but not well stocked on food either. We do have some canned goods that are good for another year or so. We didn't hoard, but we did stock up where we could."

March 16 was the last we worked for three months. And one year later we are still not eating indoors on the road or using public transportation. And the last time we were to the store, they were still out of the Lysol wipes ... it's been a year.

(the above was posted in the AM. We went to the store mid-day and our Walmart did have wipes for the 1st time. We haven't been to our grocer yet so we don't know about them)

As we are heading to the store, we stop and get our mail. The DMV want's 'proof of citizenship' before I will get my new license. Didn't I have to do that the 1st time? Do they think I gave up my citizenship since then? Any other time it would be no big deal, just double park and run in and drop it off. Now it is either make an appointment or wait in line for what could be hours. If it was the old way, I would have taken care of it today.

Then while we are at the store the local dispatch calls while I am in the store. They are giving me all the details of a trip, except the mileage. The mileage was 'over 600.' I am looking now and it is 'over 600' miles, it is 695 miles. 10 hours without traffic or stops.

It is now Friday PM. So we would have to leave on Sunday and then drop usually between 8-9 AM. So basically the same trip we just did. This trip is two hours past Indy and the last one had the two hour detour through Forest City to pick up our car.

I said no. I hope they don't stop asking.

We are available on Monday for local. I will call then.

Load board

US - 399

IA - 155

MN - 7

WI - 14

There are still 100+ RV's waiting to be moved to the driver lot so I'm guessing dispatch is trying to squeeze out the older ones before loading up the board again.

I don't know how many new trips they put out yesterday, but there are now two each going to Manteca which is about a half hour from the buses. And there are also three other sets of two each going to near LA which means we could take the south route and avoid I-80.

Plus 22 going to OR, 7 to WA, 5 to NV and 5 to ID. And that is just going west. There are good runs, no-tows, going to FL. And the trip to Duluth is still there. That would be an easy one to do if I wasn't making myself available for the local company.

A couple of years ago when BB's Mom died, we already had three well used cars, but we decided to keep her Mom's newer car. We 'sold' one to one grand-daughter with the understanding we would buy it back for the same price when she got a new car. And other car we are just letting another grand-daughter use until she can buy her own car.

Buying her own car may just be happening quick. She just got a speeding ticket that could up her insurance by 4-5 times. Another reason is that cars with 2-300,000 on them need to be babied to last, not beat. The good news is that she already has plans to buy a van as soon as some basic work is done on it. Whew ...

From the time I was 16 until I was 50 I almost always had one speeding ticket on my three year record. But now that insurance goes up so much and my work would terminate me, I have great incentives to keep a clean record.