I Didn't Get to Go on My Weekend Trip to Oregon

Man, I was psyched to leave town for just the second time in 2026.Our earlier trip this year took us just 4 hours away, in-state. This time, Mrs. Mouthy and I were supposed to be headed to Oregon with her close friend and hiking buddy, Ginger. But I was concerned about a couple of things.Leaving Mooch at home with our young adult children, primarily. They’re good kids, but I worry about them not babying our little dog like we do.I woke up to significant back pain once again, like I had last week. It hit my lower back first, a week ago. Then it moved to my upper right, got better, and now it’s back again on the upper right side. Still, that’s so much better than lower back pain. I wouldn’t have considered going if it were my lower. That lower back pain shit hurts to sit upright. But this upper back pain hurts enough for me to pull the plug on my plans. Fuck.Damn it, I needed the time off. I work my tail off every day of the year. I really wanted to get to that cabin, east of Salem, and spend two days there, doing some wildlife photography while the ladies went hiking. I was gonna bring my ice packs, heating pads, lidocaine patches, and ibuprofen. I’d planned to stay within walking distance of the cabin.I’ll get through the disappointment of missing out. This same shit happened a year ago when we were supposed to go to Yellowstone for a long weekend. It’s frustrating as hell to have it happen again, but I’m not going to beat myself up over it. I have to be healthy for our Vegas trip next month.The ladies will have fun without me. Though Mai wanted me to go, she knows I’m making a better choice. Doing what I know is right versus what I want to do isn’t easy. But I’m not going to risk further injury or bringing the vibe down for her and Ginger. Thank you for letting me vent a bit and talk my way through this. I’m sad and not feeling very well mentally about it, but staying home and snuggling Mooch will make it better. At least she won’t miss us both, just her Ma-Ma.© 2026 The Mouthy Renegade Writer. All rights reserved.Mooch thinks that you all deserve 50% off our paid subscription rate. It’s just $2.49 monthly, or $24.99 a year to support our independent journalism. Here’s our half-off coupon, just for you!Join HERE for 50% off!If you enjoy my daily podcast episodes, I’d appreciate your support of my independent journalism. It’s less than $5 monthly, and I’d be honored to have you with us. Thank you!Click HERE to Contribute to our GoFundMe. And we hope to see you soon on the road!https://gofund.me/bfe9b9429 Get full access to You Have the Right to Remain Mouthy at themouthyrenegadewriter.substack.com/subscribe