Quickie

Ok, ran accross a neat story in a blog, Lloyd Kahn's blog at http://lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/ He posts small snippet of neat stuff as he find them, so I'm doing the same. This is a treehouse of sorts in Crossville, TN. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chucksutherland/3977773445/ is the link to the picture of the treehouse, and http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-07-29-treehouse-church_N.htm is a link to the story about the treeehouse. It is a 10 story treehouse, and isn't so much a treehouse as a house built using live trees to support it. I'd post the picture, but I need to brush up on how to do that, and I'm busy reading other folks' blogs right now. :)

Oopsy

I came home yesterday, changed clothes into sweats and decided on a 'quick' nap before starting anything else. I woke up after a deep sleep, and without glasses on thought the clock said 4am. Apparently it actually said 9pm. Anyway, I just finished getting undressed and went to bed thinking I'd missed the evening. So, that's why no update yesterday. That's my story...

I feel like I need to explain a link I disconnected recently. I have a friends list of blogs that I follow. I took one person off. I enjoyed reading her blog entries about her life. However, now her blog is only her 'tweets', which made no sense whatsoever when I'm so far away from her life. It's difficult to have any depth of thought conveyed in 140 characters. So, I dropped her blog from my friends list. If she goes back to actually writing I will add her back in happily. But, life moves on and I'm guessing this fits her current life better.

I have today off for Veteran's Day. I was thinking of driving over to the Olympics to the Hoh Rain Forest. I may instead do house things, and free up next weekend for that. Or, I may just be lazy all day and next weekend, too. That's the problem with no one out here to motivate me. Once I get going I'm glad I did. It's that whole get in the Jeep and go part that's difficult.

Since I owe a post I'll post again tonight.

Three's a Trend?

I got more done yesterday, so I'm feeling like I'm finally making some progress after the weeks of being sick. Laundry is finally caught up. The house if more or less straight. Tonight I'll start what I hope is a habit of taking my shower at night. I practiced my push-ups. Lori and Cindi gave me ideas on how to get strong enough to actually start doing push-ups. I'm working on it.

Not a lot to write about in the weekday evenings. I just don't do a lot here. But, I posted, so some promises to myself are being kept.

Back Again

Day 2. Yesterday I got several things accomplished. My bedroom looks less cluttered. I put stuff into containers, drawers, and back into the correct room depending on what it was that was out of place. The container thing is a middle ground. I find it easier to put like things together, then later go through and pare down those to just what I feel I need at the time. So, at least now there is less loose 'stuff' in there.

I have a couple of loads of laundry to do today. Still catching up on that. The dining room, small nook that it is, also got cleared out, but I haven't taken the pictures of the table yet. Maybe today.

I want to do some sit ups, and some 'girly' push-ups since I can't do even one regular one at this point. We women were asked (jokingly) by one of the test pilots (who is retired military) if we wanted to participate in a PT test the 3rd week of this month. We looked at him and even the two females who are younger than me and former military themselves mentioned they couldn't begin to pass a PT test. The pilot yelled back to the NCIOC "they're in". This particular pilot is renowned for being able to ace the PT tests with no prior notice and even though he is a 'old man' of 40. I'll be there to provide comic relief I guess.

Ummm. Hello?

'Last updated 5 weeks ago'. Yeah. I've been in a bit of a depression, I guess. Lost interest in most things, sick for at least 2 weeks of it, which didn't help. Realized this morning that I let the first of November, which is National Novel Writing Month, slip past without even feeling like I should try to write. Then read a blog that I enjoy even though she updates no more often than I do. She has taken the challenge to blog every day in November. My book of quotes might say something like 'and on the 7th day she finally got her tail in gear while everyone else was resting...' No promises. But I will try to write every day. As I've suggested I would do at times in the past and failed to keep up with it. Of course, the 3 people who read this have probably given up on my at this point, which is ok. This blog is mostly for me, anyway.

It is raining. And, as it tends to do out here, the forecast is for rain out to the future. Last night I went and got some plastic drawer dresser things, like I have several of back in the storage unit in Nashville. I need to get my clothes out to see what I have and either wear it or get rid of it. Time to move on this. I want to look around and maybe move out of this trailer. It has been a nice temporary place. I'm not sure what I want, but I do know I need to get even lighter on my feet. I'm making progress on using up consumables around here. I had bars of soap enough for literally more than a year, maybe several years come to think of it, and I'm getting down to only a few. I have travel sizes of a lot of stuff, in several travel kits. I'm using it down. All of this takes room to store, and I'm getting that room back. I don't buy huges sizes of stuff now, just enough to get buy for a few weeks. Things like dishwashing detergent, toilet paper, groceries. As I use up what I have stockpiled, spaces are appearing in the cabinets. Not enough space yet, but it is starting to happen.

I went to the gym one night last week. I'll try for two nights this week. Progress, not perfection. I have lost enough weight (maybe 4 or 5 pounds...) that my clothes fit again. I'm trying to eat healthy, as I enjoy my morning oatmeal while writing this. I have a loose plan or goal for where I want to be by the end of the year. Nothing dramatic, so hopefully attainable.

If the day goes as I hope, I may post some pictures of my new kitchen table. We'll see. I do have 6 posts to make up to get on track.

The Line

Reading some of my blogs this Saturday morning, I again started thinking about that line. The line I have to make between the public parts of my life I write about here and the more private thoughts and events that I don't mention here. I know that there are friends of mine around the country who check in here to keep track of me, and I use this space to let them know what's going on (and hear about it when I don't update often enough... smile... hi, Charlie) I also sometimes go back and read the older entries myself to see where I was mentally and emotionally to make the decisions that have put me here. In leaving comments on others' blogs I also sometimes have folks I don't know in real life stopping in here to read. I try to be somewhat interesting for those folks, too, although I fail on that level more often than not I think. I started writing in a paper and pen journal recently to give voice to thoughts and emotions that involve other people who would not like to see their parts in my life broadcast in the blog. I don't keep up with it regularly, either :) .

Turtle Lady said I should mention here that the neighbor who was so wonderful at watching the cats while I was gone went above the call of duty in many ways. The cats had a new catnip mouse to play with when I got home. My black cat, Mikki, has now dunked it in the water bowl, which he does with all his toys for some reason, so I'm not sure how it will dry out, or how to keep it from going swimming again. Mentioning the new toy to her inspired her to gather some catnip and renew a toy for her own cat.

I am unpacked now, but I still have things laying around all over the place. It was nice to come home to a clean place, left that way since the neighbor was to visit the cats on a regular basis (which he did, watched by another neighbor and reported to me when I got home). I just wish that I had kept it clear longer than I was able to. So, today I'll take a shovel to it and start putting things away. I haven't played with my new pack or my new stoves yet. I need to fabricate a pot stand and wind screen for the stoves, so I may head to Home Depot for some hardware cloth and see if I have any aluminum foil to make the wind screen. The rest of the weekend will be mostly just figuring out what I will do now that I've decided to stay here and give up on moving back to TN any time soon. Yes, that decision was made while I was gone. I weighed the options and decided to give up on getting a job back there for now. I really only want to work full time for a few more years anyway. I'm trying hard not to burn my bridges before me, but I'm heading out with the idea that here in WA is my home now.

Its a chilly, rainy weekend. Don't think I'll go outside and do much. However, I need to get used to getting out in this weather since it's what happens here 9 months of the year.

Home and Sleep

I'm back home in WA. I got in around 5 and immediately fell asleep. 12 hours later I feel more normal. I'm sore from packing around the huge amount of stuff I flew home with. I won't take so much next time, or bring so much back.

I got a prototype pack while at the hangout in Hot Springs while I was gone. I hope I won't be schlepping the heavy pack I took with me back there again. That will help with the weight of the luggage. Also, I won't be packing all my dirty clothes with me again. It was nice to use my own machines to wash the laundry, but I had more clothes with me than I needed. I won't have access to my machines again, anyway. I rented out the house. Here's hoping it's the right thing to do.

I go in to work in an hour or so. I actually missed it, wondered what was going on with folks. I guess that is a good thing.

Update

I have been asked to update more often (waves at Charlie...). This week I can't say I don't have anything happening to write about. So far it has gone basically as I outlined in my last entry. Nancye, from here on out known as Turtle Lady (because I carry my home on my back), and I went to Hot Springs for the hangout last weekend. Met some nice folks, learned some new tricks with my hammock camping system, and came into a couple of home made alcohol stoves and a new style pack called the Molly Mac Pack. The pack was his prototype that he donated to the silent auction at the hangout. It is a rectangle of molly straps with alice pack shoulder straps and hip belt. This is a military style method of attaching various pouches and equipment, used on the back of flight vests and such. His pack is just the attachments. Difficult to describe. I'll attach various water proof bags to the frame, and eliminate the 'bag' part of the pack. I've wanted to play with this since he mentioned it. I'll put in pictures when I get home and load it with my stuff.

The house rental is on track. I'm having a lawyer friend of mine draft the lease. I'm nervous, but there seems to be no good solution to this now. I'm lucky that I can rent this out at a low enough rate to attract friends, or rather my friends adult kids. More when I have it all nailed down.

I work tomorrow, going in for training at the Ft. Campbell branch of our contract. I need the training, and it means I don't have to take any time with no pay. I didn't have enough leave for this entire week without this opportunity to 'work' two days while I'm here. My boss does try to work with me as much as he can.

And that is what's going on so far.

On the Road Again

I'm at Sea-Tac airport waiting for the flight to Nashville. I used the shuttle that picks me up at home. A neighbor will take care of the cats while I'm gone. Nancye was putting my truck at the house yesterday, Phil will pick me up at the airport and take me to the house when I get there this afternoon. Tomorrow after visiting my Dad, Nancye and I go to the hang-out at Hot Springs for the weekend. Then, I meet with the folks who want to rent my house, using work on the house as part of the rent. I'll be busy this next week while at home. Hopefully, everything here in Washington is battened down and will be fine while I'm gone.

I packed my dirty clothes to do laundry at the house in my own machines. It occurred to me this morning while waiting on the shuttle that I packed no clean underwear (or anything else...) So, a first order of business is to get detergent and wash what I'll need for the weekend.

Another hour and a half till my flight...

Same Old

Again, not a lot goes on here. The weather has gone back to rainy and cool. One of my co-workers told me, when I was talking in early summer about packing away my winter clothes, 'don't pack them too far away'. I see what she meant. I need a change here. I'm spending this Labor Day weekend going through more stuff trying to eliminate and consolidate. It's the small things at this point. But, I have the time now and it needs to be done.

I head to Nashville the 17th. I will set up the house for the winter, one way or another. I'll make some more decisions. I'll see my Dad again, as he is still there in the nursing home. He mostly sleeps, Mom says. I'll also spend the first weekend at the hangout in Hot Springs. There are so many folks who go to that now that I hope that the small intimate feeling of hanging with some special friends isn't lost.

Perhaps I'll post on my progress from this weekend later. If there is enough progress to discuss.