Heartbreak and Gasoline

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Busy week last week! I had a (fun!) out-of-town guest, then went on a road trip to visit family. My grandma has Alzheimer's and this was the first time she didn't really know who I was; she knew I was important to her, but couldn't place how or why. Seeing her so sad and lonely and confused is heartbreaking. I used to volunteer at an Alzheimer's home so I've thought I was prepared for all these stages, but it's different when it's someone you have loved your whole life, and vice versa. That person is still living, but is no longer here. She is an amazing woman who labored hard all her life for others and taught me some of the very best things I know. She was my close friend and knew a lot of my secrets. So we sit on the couch together and hug and she cries. Dementia is heartbreaking.

Two things happened on the way home: I evidently took a road trip through time as well as space, because I pulled up to this at a middle-of-nowhere pump:


I did not get this price! (The current price had been taped over and fallen off.) I was trying to remember the last time I bought gasoline at this price and the best I could come up with is "A long-ass time ago." 

I also got really head-achy and nauseous while driving and felt progressively worse while in my car, but I'd improve when I stopped for gas/bathroom breaks. It didn't feel like the flu or food poisoning, and when I looked in the rearview mirror and saw my flushed face, I wondered if it was a CO2 problem? But I always thought car CO2 was only an issue if you were in an enclosed space like a garage; I didn't know it could leak into the car cabin while driving. It can! If this happens to you, roll the windows down and stop driving as soon as possible. It's a thing that can happen. (I'll take my car in tomorrow for an exhaust system repair.) 

I'm beat, physically and emotionally. I want to check out for a while. 

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