Friday, October 8, 2010

A HoBo bath?

JACKSONVILLE, FL.
Monday & Tuesday, Jan. 25-26
Kate & I arrived late evening into Jacksonville, Fl. We found an over night area to rest. The over night stations have bathrooms with showers.  The showers, however cost ten dollars each. We cant afford that, not for just a shower. Especially when a hotel room for the entire day isnt much more than that if you shop at the not-so-nice mom & pop no-tel motels. Oh, the idea of a room sounds so good, warmth, a place to walk around or lay down stretched out straight at will, pillows, sheets, a shower to take a bath in - maybe two bathes or even three, EACH! a private bathroom without cracks in the door so passerby's cant take a random view at your business. Oh my goodness that sounds so good, but that is  an extreme expenditure for us right now and a luxury we cant afford. 10 - 20.00 dollars is a fortune. There are so many better ways for us to spend 10-20.00 dollars. Id send at least half of it home to the kids, buy Kate and I a dollar burger off of the dollar menu at McDonald's for  food, and the rest in gas for the truck. I think that would be the best way for us to spend money of that magnitude. I know, 10 bucks is a common amount and a bill that is taken for granted. For most people carry 10 bucks in their pockets for petty cash just to spend at Starbucks on a fru-fru flavored cup of coffee but not for us, at least, not at this time.
      Unbelievable but true...Just a few very short months ago the children and I had a beautiful two story, 4 bedroom, three bath home, large fenced yard, with a swimming pool, trampoline, basketball goal at the end of our driveway in a fantastic neighborhood located next to the college, where two of my children attended, also located close to my youngest daughter school and activities. My two middle children, Kate in college on scholarships for academics and leadership, Bubba in college for the Army, Sadie in Jr. High. Vehicles of our choosing in the driveway - paid for. I owned and operated  2 businesses from home so I could be close to the house and the kids. One day it was fine, our futures were bright with purpose and direction the next it was gone due to the falling economy, a lousy attorney, and a biased Judge. I think I could have pulled thru but it hit me all at the same time...like an atomic bomb. I have pulled thru situations just as destructive,  not untarnished or unscathed or undevastated but I DID pull thru to rebuild just to have it snatched from me again....Then and now,  It  boils down to what was/AM I  willing to do to get my family back and keep it. I will explain as we go along... In the meantime, I will figure out another way to take a bath. Its the simplest things in life that are the most difficult and perplexing at this moment. If only I had 10-20 bucks to spare. There are so many damned if you do's and damned if you dont's, for me that its hard to keep a perspective when there is so much riding and needing to be attended. There just isnt enough to go around as I have a hundred hands sticking out for the claim. So I wouldn't have 10 bucks to spare anyway. Even though it is a nice thought.
        Washing our hair is the hardest of all. Its frowned upon in rest areas to completely clean up, washing your hair is one of the major frowns. Why I dont know! Ohhh yeah...you have to pay for it because nothing is for free. Thats why its frowned upon. Silly me! If your timing is good and a little preparation you can take a sponge bath that my mother would refer to as a HoBo bath or I have heard it referred to as just a Ho bath, whatever that means...right? Anyways, Nevermind!  Not the most effective in the long run but it would keep the nasty's off of you for a few more days in a pinch. Kate and I take papers towels that are provided in the washing area of the bathrooms,  wet the towels,  into the bathroom stalls to freshening up certain areas, followed by lotion, power and deodorant which ever is applicable. When the worst got worse we would take turns actually taking a real sponge bath. I would stand guard in front of the crack of the bathroom door to allow her some privacy while she washed each limb and area with a soaped up wash cloth. I would refresh it for her at the sink so she could continue until she felt she was somewhat presentable. Then we would switch care duties. Not the best as a real shower would have been ideal,  but it does make a person feel a little less like a forgotten animal. A sponge bath also seem to make it easier for us to tolerate not only ourselves but each other a few more days in the confinement of the truck. 
      The overnight parking rest areas are fairly safe with a lot of traffic/ car travelers, truckers and often security officers. Kate and I often spend the night at these types of stops. Ok, almost every night. Yes, we sleep in the truck. Yes, it can be dangerous. NO, I do not encourage this EVER! But we need to rest so we spend the night just the same. This is the lesser of the evils when living on the street.      
       The street has rules as well. If your not astute to the street vibes, you can become a victim very easily and never be seen or heard from again. Mind you manners and mind your own business is the advise I would give. Stay to yourself. Don't visit or go out of your way to be noisy. If your offended, move on, let it go. Be mad somewhere else, remove yourself from harms way, seen or unforeseen. If someone approaches you from out of the blue, retaliate. Get back into your vehicle, leave your items outside the vehicle ... you can pick it up later.. lock the doors. Pick up your cell phone, pretend to call 911, hold it in open view. Ask what do they want? decline anything they have or ask for. Then ask for them to leave. If they dont, dont get out, drive off, leave your stuff if you have to. It can be replaced. If you dont want to be put into that type of decision making, then dont take anything out of your vehicle that your not willing to leave behind except of course your spouse and children. Keep distance between you & them. They can speak loud enough for you to hear them from a longer distance than that of arms length...say 1/2 a block away. God made it so we can yell... so it can apply to something other than HELP! Try to always look ahead of a situation dont wait for it to come knocking. Understand? Please I  caution you use all caution in and around you, your family, the events surrounding you and them. Be aware of your environment at all times especially when your out of your normal routine.  I just cant stress be safe, be smart, be watchful enough.
     Tonight Kate and I are just outside of Jacksonville, Fl. Early the next morning, Kate & I will drive into the town down to the beach area. That always seems to be a fairly safe place to get my barrings of the city, work a little on the computer, and see what else is available to me.  Its a catch 22 and its always a gamble. A gamble that I must take. I dont think about any of that except mine and the kids survival. Someone asked me how desperate is desperate? My answer was..you will know when you get there and I hope you never know the true meaning of that word.
      Kate & I drove down to the beach but didn't actually go down to the beach. Its windy out and cold. So we parked between some apartments and a hotel on 1st street. We watched the cruise ships, the fishing/shrimping boats and small bail boats off in the distance. The Atlantic isn't as pretty as the Gulf but just as mesmerizing or at least in my opinion. The oceans and traveling hasnt been something I have seen a lot of in my life time. Ive spent all my life in Bentonville, Arkansas. Ive always been content with my life there, raise my family, be apart of the community...until recently.
       Its been 24 hours and no work yet.  Everyone is real guarded, hard to sell or even to communicate with. Nothing like the don't worry, be happy attitude found in Key West. Welcome back to reality!
       I talked to brother (my youngest son) I'm always excited to talk with the kids. Bubba/brother (we call him several different nick names...he was donned the name of Bubba or Brother because his younger sister (Sadie) couldn't say his actual name so she made up her own names for him and the name Bubba stuck)  was helping cousin Scott and Jesse move a house hold as a job. He (Bubba/brother) mashed his left middle finger pretty bad. It didn't slow him down any but it looked really bad in the picture he took and sent to me. I cant tell if he needs medical attention and he wont tell me if he does.
      I will be glad to move on from this town tomorrow. Its a lot colder here than in the Keys, of course. Kate & I have only a few warm clothes, but they/we are smelly & dirty. When traveling, broke, you don't change or wash clothes as often as you would as if you are at home so you wear them until you cant stand yourself and hope that the plastic bag that you put your dirty smelly clothes in will contain the offensiveness. You stay down wind from people as well because when they turn to look at you...you know! ok you know that there is only one word on their mind and that is  pheeeew! Yeah, well its not so funny when its your own behind that is no longer behind you...well enough of that projected picture.
       Keeping clean is the hardest part of being homeless. A simple thing like a shower is the hardest to obtain. Sooo many things of everyday life we take for granted. 
     The truck is dirty It too is in need of vacuuming, and refreshing, you can imagine what Im talking about, closed environment! Ohhh boy, not so good. Well ok, I guess its not just the truck that needs freshening! 
NOTE:  Its a hard market here. The market here is of the mind set they deserved something for nothing, of course thats my opinion.. They (the Market as Im going to call it) was business people off all types and ugly to deal with. I have found that most of Florida Atlantic coastal towns & cities to be of this mind set. Maybe its the economy. Maybe its just the personalities of the cities. Its funny how birds of a feather collect. Each city has its own collection of collectable personalities.Its kind of Scary for those cities with high crime rates. Maybe theres a theory in that...hmmmm!

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