Birthday gratitude: Overflowing with love and joy. 🎂❤️"

We had an absolutely amazing day for an adventure.
It was very warm, a bit windy, but when isn't it?
Traffic wasn't terrible, it's not yet prime tourist season.

Badger took me back to the Alcatraz Museum, Raven had gone ahead of us, and met us there.
We spent the afternoon absorbed in true crime, and staring at dead bodies.
It's actually fascinating, but the exhibits do not change.

After we got out of there, we headed over to the Island.
We walked around for a bit, and then we lost Raven in a store.
He accused me of ditching him, but Cowboy told me he'd gone on ahead.
So, we went on to the next store.
He'd already walked around the Island before he met us at the museum.
I don't think he really minded being ditched, he went on to Ex's house, she needed him to watch the kids.

Badger bought me a gnome pen, and I found an elephant keychain-with his trunk raised for luck.
But, everything is so expensive over there, mostly we just look.
Oh, and two magnets.
Duffy is like me and Badger, you just can't find our names on anything.
Sometimes you just do what you have to do.

From there, we headed to Mel's Diner.
The last time we'd been was in September for Badger's birthday, it was packed then.
It was practically empty today.
I do wish that I had just got the chicken salad, and not the sandwich-it was good, but I think it would have been better without the bread.
Also, the waitress looked at me like I was nuts ordering a chanana shake even though it was on their menu, wrote exactly like that.
Badger and Cowboy didn't complain, so that was good.

Mel's sells t-shirts, mugs, and shot glasses, so Badger bought me a coffee mug.

They have sample t-shirts hanging up, but the shirts themselves are kept behind the register, and they must not be organized by type, just by size.
She bought herself a t-shirt, thinking-and asking-for the grits t-shirt.
A line was starting to form, so she didn't check to see what she got.
She got it home, and she got this

Other than never having been even near The Dragon, she's not too disappointed.

Our last stop was the Goodwill, we found Badger an office chair, she Googled, and originally it was $199.
I paid $20.

That was a fun trip back home, Cowboy couldn't shove it in our trunk, so he crammed it in the backseat with Badger.

We got home, Cowboy took care of his chickens, came in and took a nap.
Badger disappeared into her room, and I was online for a bit.

We all were enjoying a good rest, today was tiring.

Then at 7 pm, Raven popped up on IM saying he was bringing Vier down—the other parent needed rest.
I still don’t understand how bringing one little here helps if five more are left with her.
I told him flat out: you said the littles were sick—bad sick—and now you say the other parent is sick too.
She swore they had flu, strep, and norovirus.
We don’t want, and certainly don’t need, to get sick.

He ignored me, as usual.

So I told him OK you bring her down, but, and I don't care what your daddy says, you keep her in your bedroom.
You keep her away from Daddy.

Neither me nor Cowboy have had a flu shot.

So we quickly shoved the poor cats back in the laundry room, the dogs in the bedroom, and hid all the cat toys.

I just think it’s a bit inconsiderate to bring a little down here after saying she’d been sick all week.
Especially with everything going around—flu, strep, norovirus—it puts the rest of us at risk.
And since he was up there with them, we’re already exposed.

He's been fairly good at keeping her in his room, she was right in Cowboy's face once-briefly.
For the most part, he's kept her in his room.

And yes, we did run around Pigeon Forge all day, but we've not been without a mask on in five years.

I'm heading back to bed, Peacock is supposed to be up in the morning.