Restless nights on a cheap camper mattress!

As some of you know, I’ve been living in a travel trailer since the end of 2021 and pretty much loving every minute of it.

One of my favorite things in early on was the mattress. But that excitement fizzled pretty quickly when the foam (I know, I know, foam is cheap!) started to deform as the sleepy nights progressed. In fact, a depression was formed in the area where my hips usually rest. Here’s a pic so you can see the dip.

Crazy, right? I figured I’d just roll with it until my back started to pay the price. Waking up with a sore back ain’t no way to live! So I knew a new mattress was on the horizon but I still didn’t make any changes until…..

After being out of the trailer for roughly three weeks (getting some work done on the slide-out, as I blogged about here), I returned to the trailer and to the uneven mattress. I kinda didn’t even notice that in the few weeks I was sleeping somewhere else, my back was fine. After 2 nights on the trailer mattress– soreness, tightness, and barely able to bend over and touch my toes! That was the last straw.

I went online and found the one I thought would best fit me and the trailer, and it arrived within a few days! Now I have a great mattress, and I’m so glad I made the switch. If you’re suffering with an old, cheap mattress in your trailer, it would be very worth it to upgrade!

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

A new pair of flippies

I said a flip, flop, flippity flop, flip and the flop to the flippity flop, flip and the flop and you don’t stop!

Hip Hop Grandma GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

All that to say, I started a relationship with a new pair of Cobian flip flops recently. The pair being replaced was good for a few weeks, until they started to come apart! I guess that’s what I get for putting $10 down for them at Walmart. When I tried on the new ones in the store, I thought, “Oh my, my.” They were so very comfortable.

Eric Cartman GIF by South Park - Find & Share on GIPHY

I’ve been wearing them a lot since I got them and I’ve decided that I’m never, ever, ever getting back together… with a pair of cheap flip flops. And since that the Taylor Swift song is stuck in my head now, I’ll shortly be jumping off a cliff. And if I do jump off a high cliff, I’ll have the perfect hiking boots to soften the landing! How’s that, you may ask? While flip flop shopping, I also picked up a new pair of Merrell hiking shoes.

So if you see me around town sporting a comfy pair of flip flops, say hey! Or if you see me in a pair of Merrells with orange laces, tell me I stuck the landing!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Vive La Différence

An attractive man walks across the room and two women standing nearby take notice. One stares longer than socially acceptable and the other exclaims, “Vive la différence!” Neither woman is French, and the man is about as southern as a pair of dusty overalls. But the phrase means what it means. Long live the difference. It’s an example of the women understanding there is a whole list of differences between men and women, even way beyond just the physical.

Long live the difference. Here in the U.S., there’s a lot of chatter in the news and throughout social media that people are all the same, a man can be a woman, a woman can be a man, a person can be both, or neither. It’s gotten a little absurd and by “a little absurd,” I mean way, way, way past absurdity. It’s become such a ridiculous thing that even something like the possibility of alien life takes a backseat.

A comparison. I reckon, at least for me, this view that anyone can be any gender is right up there with someone who says (in regards to their views on race), “I’m colorblind.” I mean, I understand what they mean — we’re all equal and worthy of respect, value, etc. But it’s a fact that we are different colors and I think that’s really cool! Celebrate the beauty. Cultures are different, skin color is different, my life experience is different than yours. And all of those differences are, dare I say it, OK!

Final thoughts. Men are not women. Women are not men. My sister and I recently drove through the campus of a big university. Along one of the streets was sorority row. A few twists and turns later, we were on a street where the fraternities were housed. Maybe you’d totally understand how different the residences were but she and I both laughed at the stark contrast of the well-kept, pretty buildings and landscaping of the sororities compared to the trashy, dirty, neglected buildings of the frats. Guys are gross. 😉

But seriously, though, vive la différence!

-Out of the Wilderness

Chapel Hart sings an homage to Dolly Parton, and Dolly responds

Earlier this week on America’s Got Talent, a country trio was the grand finale of the episode. They impressed the judges and Terry Crews (the host) so much that a show rule was broken just to give them a highly-sought after golden ticket to the live shows. Here was the memorable performance…

The song, written by Chapel Hart, is an homage to, and a continuation of, Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” They cleverly titled it, “You Can Have Him, Jolene.” If fan appreciation wasn’t enough for the group to be over the moon, even Dolly Parton (for President!) herself responded on Twitter…

That’s quite the endorsement right there! I’m sure the ladies of Chapel Hart were so excited to get a mention from Dolly. Well, actually THEY WERE! Here’s their Twitter reaction…

Since the AGT debut, their album (I guess they already had an album out?) reportedly shot to #1 on iTunes. It appears as if good things are in store for these fine women! I’m very interested in how they follow up this early success once the live shows start. Time will tell! In the meantime, comment below with your thoughts about their song and Dolly’s reaction…

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

Wordle #396, a sad story

Another day, another failed wordle! Yesterday (Wednesday, July 20) I was in a good place to start the game, because I HAVE to be in the zone if I’m gonna do this. Turns out, my “good place” doesn’t really matter, I guess! Grrrrrrrrr. Here are my thoughts as I slugged through the board. 

Not starting out well with only one yellow letter on my first attempt. But then the clouds broke on my second guess!

Then I channeled Lord of the Rings with my third guess. Frodo, treat me nice!

Dang it. Sauron strikes again. But I like that I have 4 letters in the right spot with my 4th guess. Simultaneously I’m also annoyed to be in a spot where the one missing character could be 219 different letters!

*very angry emoji*

So I started my guesses, hoping I was in tune with the Wordle gods. 

Nope. Shaking my head in disappointment, like a dad watching his average son strike out without swinging in coach-pitch Little League. But then, out of the blue, he swings and gets a base hit! In other words, I barely avoided striking out. 

Double letters will be the death of me. How did you do on Wordle #396? Chime in below and comfort me in my sad state. 

-Out of the Wilderness