104.3

Our recent move has been taxing in so many ways. First, the expense of moving is astronomical! Figure, after the moving company charges their $800.00 worth of driver surcharges and gas taxes to drive a measly 300 miles, the actual cost of moving is based either on the gross tonnage or square feet used in packing the moving truck. When we moved, we decided to go with a carrier that charged us by weight– about 68 cents per pound– because I could not comprehend how a kitchen chair could cost more to ship than all the weights from my Universal weight lifting set simply because our ten-pound, bamboo chair has more surface area. Neither could I stomach the thought of some inept truck driver using our own furniture to rip us off because he or she never learned how to pack a 55 foot trailer. Second, searching for a place and the sorting, packing, loading, unloading, and re-sorting our property is a little less than fun. Third, getting settled and getting back into our normal routines just takes time. Not only does one need to find those type of stores they routinely visit, like the grocery store, one needs to discriminate between the quality of those store’s products and the cost of that product or service. For example, unlike the grocery stores we are accustomed to, the stores in this area have fewer selections, poor quality control over their fruits and vegetables, and the produce is exorbitantly overpriced. Sixth, for the life of me I cannot and will not acculturate to the idea that road sign advertisement is a worthy investment. Seventh, I can’t seem to overlook employees and/or owners smoking inside their businesses. And eighth, our move has been exceedingly taxing because acclimating to the area’s germs, bacteria, and virus strains has been slow and painful.

The last hurdle, naturalizing our family to unfamiliar germs, has been the most difficult for our family. All of us, save Simon, have been terribly sick at least once– for several days at a time– these last two months; and Taylor seems to be the worst hit and having the hardest time recovering from those illnesses. Two days ago, her temperature, reaching a high of 104.3 around 4:30 pm, broke after a screaming luke-warm bath. Three grueling days later, Simon’s fever spiked at 102.1. It certainly was not as scary– Taylor’s head, arms, and legs felt like they were literally on fire–, but his temperature was troubling just the same. Between the two of us, Adrianne and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in well over two weeks.

As I am typing this, everyone is taking an afternoon nap suffering with a fever. I should be sleeping too, but someone has to keep the housing running. Maybe next week will be a little better for everyone.