Gout and Richmond, Va heat and humidity

I would never, ever, ever, never choose to live in the south. I know that Richmond isn't THAT far south, but enough to have some humongous bugs, as well as ungodly heat and humidity. It was very nice to visit Richmond in the springtime with the flower scents in the air and green buds everywhere, but mid-August in Richmond is another story. Some might call it "uncomfortable", but I call it miserable! Especially when one is suffering from gout!

Yes, the gout attack is still with me despite stopping a diuretic I was taking, and watching my diet even more closely than before. It's the kind of pain that makes you feel worn out after awhile. A nagging, nasty pain like little sharp chards of glass that cut when the joint is moved even ever so slightly. So, didn't do a whole lot while at our daughter's. She and my husband drove up to Philly to get her stuff out of a house she hardly lived in last year, to move to this new house we hope she will be spending some time at this coming year, and hopefully will be here for awhile and not moving for at least a couple of years. But the life of a musician is unpredictable and one never knows where they will end up, or what audition they might win to take them someplace else in the USA ...or even overseas.

So, I got to spend some time alone, all by myself along with Doggie, the cat. No television, no computer, and lousy phone signal. Nice and quiet. Me and my book, and writing journal. I could have stayed that way for about a month. It was so peaceful. Even after my daughter and husband got back, and got all the moving in done, it was peaceful. We moved at a slow pace. Got food from the local grocery store each day and bought what we felt like eating meal to meal. Our daughter has a/c so didn't have to sweat. I went outdoors sometimes, but only for a short little walk around her backyard gardens, fed the fish in the fish pond and then went back inside to coolness.

The days seemed to fly by and we found ourselves once again driving down the highway, fighting traffic and stupid drivers. It might be my imagination, but drivers out east seem more rude and ignorant than midwesterners. They are touchy, rude, and have this "me first" attitude and are quite impatient, laying on the horn if you don't move the instant the light changes from red to green. We ran into a rain storm through D.C. and it was like everyone's brains fell out. Almost everyone put on their flashers and slowed to a snails pace. Never see anything like that here in Chicagoland. Some people do lose their common sense when precipitation of any sort falls from the skies, but out east it seems to be nearly EVERYONE who gets stupid in bad weather. I could still see the lines on the road and I am half blind, so it wasn't that bad to slow down that much and there definitely wasn't the need for flashers, and pulling off onto the shoulder as if we were in a North Dakota blizzard. It was just a hard rain.

It seemed to take forever to get home. It seems like since gas prices went up MORE people are on the road. Is that my imagination, too? Anyway, we made it back safely, and there is no place like home. I love my home and it would be great to get rid of the television, computer and phone for a few days at a time here. I will have to try to figure out how to do that once in awhile.