I'll talk a bit about my trip back to Nashville, but first a quote from a blog. I read several blogs, some more often than others. Blogs give me a chance to explore other ways to live, try other ways on for size. One I read is Zach Aboard at http://www.zachaboard.blogspot.com/ . It is a Mom who writes about raising her son Zach while the family lives on a sailboat in a harbor. The quote is in the story about how one of Zach's 'friends' is the 'Queen of England' and he wanted to have high tea with her.
"...Lately Z’s been spending a lot of time with the Queen. And one day he got this idea that he really wanted to have tea with the Queen, not just regular tea, but High Tea. And he wanted it make it and serve it himself. One problem... we didn’t have a proper tea set. After browsing the internet and toy store options, I was told that none were fit for the Queen.
So we did what anyone expecting royalty would do. We went to Goodwill. Rows and rows of mismatched and long forgotten china just waiting to be snatched up at $0.50 pop. He picked out the perfect set, stripes and flowers and gold and blue, and finally had a proper High Tea with The Queen."
If this doesn't make it easier for me to donate things, thinking that some child will need it to have the proper items for High Tea with the Queen, then I'm hopeless.
I went back to Nashville for a week. Got lots done. The house is pretty much empty. The sheds almost gleaned of what items I intend to keep. I go back this next Friday to spend Saturday, my Dad's 90th birthday, with him and then fly home Sunday. Again I'll take two large suitcases, empty, and bring back what will fit. Then, that's it. The house is on the market. I have 2 storage units in Nashville, a 10x20 and a 5x10. Hopefully in September when I go back I can consolidate it all into the larger one. But, the major moving is over. For now.
Back here I have been able to start studying the material to pass the tests I need for work. I wasn't able to concentrate before. I've mostly slept since I got home but I did make some chili to take to work for lunch, and I will make muffins as well. The walking program starts again tomorrow, or maybe tonight if I feel ambitious. The cats were fine when I got home, the caretakers having done their job. They have even settled down from the wrestling and wall climbing for the most part. They curl up together more than they used to. Calm is being restored.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Hiking in the Olympics
I have gotten out some and hiked. These pictures are from my trip last weekend.
I drove out to Ozette Lake and did part of the triangle loop that goes from the ranger station at the lake out to the coast. On the way I took this picture of Clallam Bay. The area around here is nice.
I drove out to Ozette Lake and did part of the triangle loop that goes from the ranger station at the lake out to the coast. On the way I took this picture of Clallam Bay. The area around here is nice.
I got to the trailhead late, about 3pm. It stays light till after 8:30, so I had plenty of time. I decided that I wasn't ready to camp out on the beach alone, so I set up camp in the campground at the ranger station (no trees, had to use my tent). Then I headed out toward the coast. I took the right hand trail this time. Next time I'll head left, out to where the ranger says there are trees to hang my hammock and camp. No more tents.
I had envisioned a nice, flat walk on the boardwalk for 3 miles out to the coast. However, it was more like 3 miles of steps up and down the small hills between the lake and the ocean. No great elevation changes at any one time, but the sum total of the 3 miles out and back really nailed my legs. Every muscle hurt when I was finally done.
And so, my first real look at the Pacific Ocean. I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge many years ago, but this was my first look at the coastline. It was worth the walk. Next time I will go prepared to do the entire triangle trail, which also includes 3 miles of beach walking between the two boardwalk sections out and back.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Slow
I have spent the past week feeling sorry for myself again. Being a hermit. Sleeping instead of doing anything, surfing the internet at work. The words from Ara in his blog, The Oasis of my Soul:
"... The process is slow, painstaking, but time is present. What else is there but time? These moments I am still allowed to breathe in and out with the good fortune of a certain ability to think. Sometimes feeling as all is stagnant, but it is not. The gears never stop, they turn and turn so smoothly that only when new images come up I am aware of their constant movements."
And the words of John Wells in his blog, The Field Lab, where he talks about feeling like its time to 'get back into the game'. Except that I don't know where the game went. Or it's new rules. Or where I fit.
On Wednesday I go back to Nashville for a week. My Dad is still alive and in the nursing home. Mom chronicles the signs his body is shutting down. She is told by a recent widow the signs that mean 'there's about 2 weeks left at that point' and tells me that those signs aren't there yet. She has sold his lift chair at the apartment, and even his electric scooter. He is bed bound now. They have even stopped taking him to a doctor since it involves using an ambulance to get him there. Comfort is the word, keep him comfortable.
My house needs attention. The yard is wild, and I just got a water bill for $120.00 for last month. This means probably that a toilet is running constantly. I can't get hold of anyone with a key other than Mom, and she says it's storming there so I told her not to bother. I'll pay the bill, and keep trying to get someone else on the phone. When I'm back I will try to get everything closed out and the house put up for sale.
I feel closed in by so little of my life here with me in the West, and closed in by so much left undone back in Nashville. Things will change irrevocably in the next 6 months, or sooner. My Dad will pass, my house will sell. I will come to some resolution on living out here. For now I feel trapped in Jello. I can move, but I can't see clearly and movement seems difficult.
"... The process is slow, painstaking, but time is present. What else is there but time? These moments I am still allowed to breathe in and out with the good fortune of a certain ability to think. Sometimes feeling as all is stagnant, but it is not. The gears never stop, they turn and turn so smoothly that only when new images come up I am aware of their constant movements."
And the words of John Wells in his blog, The Field Lab, where he talks about feeling like its time to 'get back into the game'. Except that I don't know where the game went. Or it's new rules. Or where I fit.
On Wednesday I go back to Nashville for a week. My Dad is still alive and in the nursing home. Mom chronicles the signs his body is shutting down. She is told by a recent widow the signs that mean 'there's about 2 weeks left at that point' and tells me that those signs aren't there yet. She has sold his lift chair at the apartment, and even his electric scooter. He is bed bound now. They have even stopped taking him to a doctor since it involves using an ambulance to get him there. Comfort is the word, keep him comfortable.
My house needs attention. The yard is wild, and I just got a water bill for $120.00 for last month. This means probably that a toilet is running constantly. I can't get hold of anyone with a key other than Mom, and she says it's storming there so I told her not to bother. I'll pay the bill, and keep trying to get someone else on the phone. When I'm back I will try to get everything closed out and the house put up for sale.
I feel closed in by so little of my life here with me in the West, and closed in by so much left undone back in Nashville. Things will change irrevocably in the next 6 months, or sooner. My Dad will pass, my house will sell. I will come to some resolution on living out here. For now I feel trapped in Jello. I can move, but I can't see clearly and movement seems difficult.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Reward
Now that I think I've gotten the basics, I'll give you a picture I took recently.
Remember when I said that I went to Mt. Ranier a couple of weeks ago and saw some snow. Well, here is a picture to show what I was talking about.
I'm wanting to start posting more pictures. Hopefully I can do it now without having them be larger than the rest of the post.
Remember when I said that I went to Mt. Ranier a couple of weeks ago and saw some snow. Well, here is a picture to show what I was talking about.
I'm wanting to start posting more pictures. Hopefully I can do it now without having them be larger than the rest of the post.
This is just a test...
I'm going to try to learn how to sprinkle pictures in my postings without overwhelming the text. Please bear with me.
REMOVED BY ME
This is a picture I took the weekend I hiked the approach trail to the AT a couple of years ago.
REMOVED BY ME
It is a generic enough picture that I can play with it.
REMOVED BY ME
Ok, so now I see what it looks like...
edit: ok, so how do I move it to the right? I know center make it, err, centered, and no positioning bracket says to the right. I think I'm supposed to already know this stuff rather than relying on Photobucket to hand feed it to me. sigh.
edited again: The Photobucket method takes users to my album on Photobucket. I want to just post the picture as a thumbnail. Yes, it's hosted on Photobucket, but I don't want to actually take people there. Guess I'll actually have to look up the correct image tag syntax. Geez...
REMOVED BY ME
This is a picture I took the weekend I hiked the approach trail to the AT a couple of years ago.
REMOVED BY ME
It is a generic enough picture that I can play with it.
REMOVED BY ME
Ok, so now I see what it looks like...
edit: ok, so how do I move it to the right? I know center make it, err, centered, and no positioning bracket says to the right. I think I'm supposed to already know this stuff rather than relying on Photobucket to hand feed it to me. sigh.
edited again: The Photobucket method takes users to my album on Photobucket. I want to just post the picture as a thumbnail. Yes, it's hosted on Photobucket, but I don't want to actually take people there. Guess I'll actually have to look up the correct image tag syntax. Geez...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Doing Not Thinking Update
Last week I did well with my project. I walked the rest of the week at lunch. Two days I did longer walks, walking the entire hour and covering 3+ miles. The other two days I did about a mile. I was able to do this because I had enough food as leftovers that I could take my lunch. Taking my lunch to work for 3 days in a row was also some kind of record for me.
This past weekend I got little to nothing accomplished, other than sleep. So, with no food cooked and my motivation down, I drove off post for lunch yesterday. Today my coworker, Lori, decided to walk with me to the coffee shop on post for lunch. Problem was, I'd decided to forget walking today again, and just drive over. She laughed, and then guilted me into walking. It felt good to walk, but after lunch we both wanted naps.
I have a range of choices of what to do next weekend. There are at least 3 things around here that I would like to do, or I can go camping in the Olympics as I have been saying I was going to do. The weather will play a large part in my decision. It started raining again tonight. The rain this weekend was a lot of why I stayed in and slept. Sun is good. Rain is getting old.
The cats keep getting rambunctious lately, running from end to end of the trailer, wrestling at all hours of the night with each other, trying to climb the walls (with no claws they can't leave marks, thank goodness) and just generally being rowdy. I hope they calm down some. I'm almost to the end of this bag of food. I get them Science Diet, but I got a different type last time. I think I'll go back to the original one and see if that helps. I have decided that the wrestling and fighting seems to be an even match. Even though Ce Ce is twice the size now of Micki, Micki is as likely to initiate it as Ce Ce. I have shut them out of my bedroom at night when they won't settle down, so they pretty much quiet down in there now if I'm trying to sleep. They need the kitty cat version of Chucky Cheese or McD's playground to burn off some of this energy.
This past weekend I got little to nothing accomplished, other than sleep. So, with no food cooked and my motivation down, I drove off post for lunch yesterday. Today my coworker, Lori, decided to walk with me to the coffee shop on post for lunch. Problem was, I'd decided to forget walking today again, and just drive over. She laughed, and then guilted me into walking. It felt good to walk, but after lunch we both wanted naps.
I have a range of choices of what to do next weekend. There are at least 3 things around here that I would like to do, or I can go camping in the Olympics as I have been saying I was going to do. The weather will play a large part in my decision. It started raining again tonight. The rain this weekend was a lot of why I stayed in and slept. Sun is good. Rain is getting old.
The cats keep getting rambunctious lately, running from end to end of the trailer, wrestling at all hours of the night with each other, trying to climb the walls (with no claws they can't leave marks, thank goodness) and just generally being rowdy. I hope they calm down some. I'm almost to the end of this bag of food. I get them Science Diet, but I got a different type last time. I think I'll go back to the original one and see if that helps. I have decided that the wrestling and fighting seems to be an even match. Even though Ce Ce is twice the size now of Micki, Micki is as likely to initiate it as Ce Ce. I have shut them out of my bedroom at night when they won't settle down, so they pretty much quiet down in there now if I'm trying to sleep. They need the kitty cat version of Chucky Cheese or McD's playground to burn off some of this energy.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Doing Not Thinking
Over at Two Frog Home ( twofroghome.com ) she is having a group challenge called Doing Not Thinking. We are to pick a goal, and report on our progress in our blogs each Tuesday with a wrap-up on September 20. I said in her comments that I was up for it. So, guess I'm in for a challenge.
My Goal: To be able to run/jog a mile without having to stop and walk. An alternative to that would be to be walking at least 5 miles a day 3 days a week.
Plan: There is a track of sorts around the airfield at work that the soldiers use in the early mornings for PT. It is 4.3 miles long from what I was told today. At lunch today I spent about 15 or 20 minutes and walked to one corner from our parking lot and back, about a mile altogether as estimated by a couple of the soldiers I work with. I already have plans to take in my lunch and then walk for a half hour, trying for 2 miles a day. After work I could walk the entire thing, which I'll start maybe next week. As I walk more, I will start jogging some of it.
Issues: I twisted my ankle about 8 weeks ago, and I have real pain in my inner thigh on that leg. I'm not sure if I should stretch it, or let it rest (even though it's been 8 week already). I think it does better when I stretch it. So far it doesn't hurt when I walk, but I can tell that my entire body is out of alignment from favoring that side of my body since the injury.
So, tomorrow I will take my lunch to work. I already have food to take, and I went grocery shopping and have food for lunch the rest of the week, more or less. This week should work out fine. Another issue may be the constant rain. It's been sunny her for 3 days in a row. I keep hearing that the summers here are really sunny. It's supposed to start raining here again tonight. I'll see how my enthusiasm lasts when it's wet out.
I apologize if there are glaring mistakes in this post. I'm enjoying a glass of wine...
My Goal: To be able to run/jog a mile without having to stop and walk. An alternative to that would be to be walking at least 5 miles a day 3 days a week.
Plan: There is a track of sorts around the airfield at work that the soldiers use in the early mornings for PT. It is 4.3 miles long from what I was told today. At lunch today I spent about 15 or 20 minutes and walked to one corner from our parking lot and back, about a mile altogether as estimated by a couple of the soldiers I work with. I already have plans to take in my lunch and then walk for a half hour, trying for 2 miles a day. After work I could walk the entire thing, which I'll start maybe next week. As I walk more, I will start jogging some of it.
Issues: I twisted my ankle about 8 weeks ago, and I have real pain in my inner thigh on that leg. I'm not sure if I should stretch it, or let it rest (even though it's been 8 week already). I think it does better when I stretch it. So far it doesn't hurt when I walk, but I can tell that my entire body is out of alignment from favoring that side of my body since the injury.
So, tomorrow I will take my lunch to work. I already have food to take, and I went grocery shopping and have food for lunch the rest of the week, more or less. This week should work out fine. Another issue may be the constant rain. It's been sunny her for 3 days in a row. I keep hearing that the summers here are really sunny. It's supposed to start raining here again tonight. I'll see how my enthusiasm lasts when it's wet out.
I apologize if there are glaring mistakes in this post. I'm enjoying a glass of wine...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Went Somewhere
Drove about 9 hours of 'somewhere', saw the circumference of about half of the Olympics. Highway 101 entirely circles the Olympics. I took a northern route to get over there, and drove over the Narrows bridge (near Gig Harbor, where I got lost... don't want to talk about it...), and then over the floating bridge across Hood Canal. I also took Hwy 112 from Port Angeles over to Hwy 113, dropped down it to 101 and took 101 the entire way South to Olympia. I'll leave the West and South sides for another time soon.
I finally found an area I really enjoyed out here. I have a plan, really several plans. I think that I need to get out to a few of the small 'rec area' campgrounds for an overnight and just car camp. Need to make sure I can use my hammock in those campgrounds.
I only stopped at one place, but I talked to a volunteer there. She didn't work for the campground so she couldn't tell me the policies about hammocks, and no one from the campground was around. I did find out that my yearly pass I bought at Mt. Rainier will get me into the area I stopped, saving me $15. I need to hit 7 Federal parks or sites that charge that $15 to pay for the pass. I still need 6, since I didn't actually hike into the Refuge where I stopped today.
I'm tired now. I'll see how I bounce back, and make my plans for next weekend accordingly.
I finally found an area I really enjoyed out here. I have a plan, really several plans. I think that I need to get out to a few of the small 'rec area' campgrounds for an overnight and just car camp. Need to make sure I can use my hammock in those campgrounds.
I only stopped at one place, but I talked to a volunteer there. She didn't work for the campground so she couldn't tell me the policies about hammocks, and no one from the campground was around. I did find out that my yearly pass I bought at Mt. Rainier will get me into the area I stopped, saving me $15. I need to hit 7 Federal parks or sites that charge that $15 to pay for the pass. I still need 6, since I didn't actually hike into the Refuge where I stopped today.
I'm tired now. I'll see how I bounce back, and make my plans for next weekend accordingly.
WTF
Why am I sitting here on a rare sunny Sunday morning, reading about others going out hiking/camping? I complain that I'm not having fun 'out here'. I complained that I had 'too much to do' when back 'there'.
Yesterday I did clear out the shed, and I cooked. I'm going to go take a shower, eat breakfast, and then I'm heading out. Somewhere. I have a nice new 4WD Jeep, enough money for gas, no real responsibilities. No excuse.
Yesterday I did clear out the shed, and I cooked. I'm going to go take a shower, eat breakfast, and then I'm heading out. Somewhere. I have a nice new 4WD Jeep, enough money for gas, no real responsibilities. No excuse.
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