It’s amazing what you can endure. You may think you can’t make it one more minute in the situation you’re in, but then it’s ten minutes later and you haven’t gone round the bend. Whether it be waiting to hear about health results or sitting in gridlocked traffic or working with a person who drives you batty. The only way past it is through it. You can’t usually go around, and you sure can’t bow up and stop and wait for the obstacle to remove itself. You gotta plunge headfirst and go like you’re cutting vines in the jungle with a machete.

And besides, what choice do you really have? I’ve said more than once I’d love the luxury of a breakdown! The bills keep coming, whether you’re in the nuthouse or not, so it’s in my favor to just keep that crazy tucked in and keep working.

And I’m better for it.

So Friyay. But not really, since I’d be working all weekend setting up the IGES trade show with my friend, Kay. That’s a big reason why I took yesterday off to spend with my dog, being his birthday and all. Plus I needed to knock out some housework since I had planned to go to JA’s for steaks and beer and visit with an out of town friend. But as the day wore on, rainy and dreary, my desire to drive across the mountain waned substantially. And let’s face it: I’m not my usual animated self these days. I didn’t feel like faking it in our small crowd, and I certainly didn’t want to act like I felt and have everybody asking what’s wrong. I did NOT want to field questions in that category at all. So I made my apologies and enjoyed the thought of going home and piling up with my dog and finishing my book. Midnight is the Darkest Hour, if I haven’t said in a previous post. It is most excellent. A mix of Where the Crawdads Sing and Twilight. I wasn’t able to stomach even the entirety of the first Twilight book; I was too old for it when it came out. But anyhoo, this is a good one. I need to get my review written for it, too.

But then, about 4:00, Kay called. She’d been setting up the show and was ready for a drink. And she knows you can count on me. So, even though it felt wrong after shooting JA down, I said yes. The difference was, Kay knows my woes and I wouldn’t have to put on an act for her. And if I broke down or was short tempered, that was ok, too. And perhaps best of all, I didn’t have to drive 45 minutes both ways. We decided to go support Huffy in his new location and check out the new Bluff’s. It was opening night!

It turns out I like it better, due primarily to proximity to work. I think I’m turning into a curmudgeon. I like things to be efficient and handy. I have wonderful memories at their old location, but I never knew which side to sit on the rare occasions I went of the evening. The right hand side was the original side, and I always felt like an imposter when I sat on the left. But the left generally had better service and more bodies of the evening. Lunch was always exclusively a right hand side seating. But the new place is one big open room. And I was definitely feeling my age. I wondered how many other people there remembered it as the original Krogers? And then it was a few different Chinese restaurants. I only ate at one, once.

Even though I don’t play pool (except that one time in the Old City 🤣🤣🤣🤣 ka-POW!) I was mesmerized by the beautiful blue felt. The bar was so new it still smelled like varnish. It reminded me of the old bar at Outback. Again, showing my age…even though really, that wasn’t THAT long ago…and wasn’t it also a Chinese restaurant in that location back in the day??? But it was fun people watching. One guy I sat next to at lunch several weeks ago had a head of garlic perched on his phone. Of course I asked. He said he really likes garlic, and one of the cooks sent it out as a joke. He said he was taking it home. I didn’t blame him. Save 99 cents! But lots and lots (probably all) of the same clientele as the original, and nobody seemed fazed. It was just like we’d all agreed to act like nothing was different. I told Huffy the sole recommendation I had, once he got time and all the fires were out, was to install purse hooks. He assured me there were some floating around there somewhere. I hope they get a better selection of beers on tap, eventually, too, but I can always find something to drink.

So Kay and I sat, decompressing, and drank a few over a couple of hours and then ordered some pickles and other assorted bar food. Wings for me, naturally. It tasted the same as always, and all was well. A good night, as far as I was concerned. It’s good to have a neighborhood bar. It’s even better to have a good friend to drink with. ♥️ No selfie tonight, I didn’t have the first swipe of makeup on and she’d been working outside in the rain.

Love from Appalachia and my favorite local bar,

~Amy