Good Friends and Bad Campgrounds

     Phyllis was my mentor and only friend when I was first promoted into management. I went from a temporary employee in Arizona to manager at AT&T headquarters in New Jersey in seven months, and I had no clue what challenges I would face. She helped me discover my moral compass amid the glory grabbing and back stabbing that is corporate reality. And there were times that, living in outrageously expensive northern New Jersey, I would not have had lunch had it not been for Phyllis; “Girl, I made the best chicken and rice last night and I brought you some for lunch.”  I went to her wedding to Jack 13 years ago, and although that was the last time I saw her, we’ve kept in touch through promotions, downsizing, illness, crappy jobs, and personal drama. 
     Our reunion was joyous and fulfilling. We talked privately in her finished attic for two hours as we shared the most intimate details of our lives. Phyllis is a breast cancer survivor. She is currently working in a call center on the phone, being managed by supervisors who do not have a third the knowledge or ability she has as a manager, trying to be grateful she has a job. Her grown son and two grandchildren have moved in with her and Jack.
     We joined Jack downstairs for cake and soda. Jack is as laid-back and calm as Phyllis is dynamic and outgoing. Jack walked me out to the Goose, parked in the driveway. Phyllis is afraid of dogs (even gentle Gracie) and allergic to cats, so she said goodbye at the door. We copied the directions from Gypsy on how to get to the campground, and Phyllis promised if she could scrape the gas money together, we would see each other again before I leave. I drove the 20 miles back to the campground feeling warm inside.
     This is officially the worst campground I have ever stayed in. The laundry room (two partially working washers and one working drier) and shower/bathroom need a thorough scrubbing and fumigating. The water smells like kerosene. The owner, a chain smoker named Pam, says it’s well water and she has to treat it. With what, I wonder?
    The good side? We woke up this morning to deer outside the front windshield. There are more cardinals and bluejays than I have ever seen in one place. The campground is spacious; my only neighbors are a free-roaming flock of chickens and ducks (which drives Dylan crazy). There are several horses in a corral outside my window.
     With no television reception at all, I have gotten so much done on my writing website. I uploaded all my articles, created the home page, added a picture, and got the feature, humor, and travel pages completed. Two of the pages I created (product reviews and club profiles/meeting coverage) apparently did not build, so I have to redo them, but I have all the elements in place, so that shouldn’t be too difficult.
    Saturday I am going to get propane early, gas up, go to the WalMart in Lewisburg and drive to Red Bay, AL. I have an appointment to get some work done on the Goose. Then on to Gulf Shores.