Holding it Together

Heads up — this one's heavier than usual.

The cats, the dog, and I were still in an Airbnb, and by then I was broke. Inflation, the rising cost of parts, slow payments from The Watercraft Journal, and the cost of living had wiped me out. I hadn't planned on being off the boat for two years. I'd also been sick for over a year with Phase 3 Adrenal Dysfunction, and I was still recovering. I lost my truck in December 2023.

Around that time, I took Pally to the vet to get a large mass checked out — it needed to be removed. Then I found out my dad had pancreatic cancer, which was devastating. My mom's COPD and back problems had been getting worse too.

My plan had always been to finish the boat and motor down to Florida to be near my parents as they aged. Instead, I was two years behind, set back by a criminal mechanic and a justice system that moved far slower than any of us needed it to.

I was tired, defeated, and scared for my dad. I was trying to hold it together — keep the project alive, and still find a way to get to Florida.

I never went into much detail in these posts about the boat or the man who defrauded us. They were only ever meant to show what the last few years had actually been like.

Not long after I wrote this, everything changed again — my mom went to the other side on June 17, 2024, and my dad followed on October 28, 2024. I'll write more about them when I'm able to.