I am lamenting the fact that I am home. I had such a great time camping and needed that. The solitude and quiet comforted me like a trusty old warm blanket. It helped calm my very busy and racing mind.
Part of my joy is that when I fade off into the woods like that I finally feel free. No one can reach me or knows where I am at. I get a chance to break away from a culture that stymies my senses. I can say what I want and do what I want without any repercussions. It is just me, the forest, and my forest dwelling friends. My only link to the outside world is a little radio which I can easily turn off with the press of a button if the need expresses it self. I wish I could do this with the real world sometimes.
One thing that is good is that my second sense about the weather is still intact from my homeless days. I learned to read and watch the signs nature was giving me to be able to forecast the weather with pretty good accuracy. It was very, very windy as the afternoon progressed yesterday. The canopy above me and my camp would roar with the sound of gale strength wind. Also, the clear sunny sky soon gave way to dark, ominous clouds. I knew a cold front was on the way with possible storms. I used all the tie downs on my tent to get ready and put all my gear inside. The gale force wind made my fire burn wood at an exhausting pace so I finally gave up on it and put it out. It was also blowing sparks and embers out into the forest and I grew paranoid that it would cause a forest fire.
I sat up against a big pine and began to eat my supper. I just ate the first MRE I grabbed out of my pack. It was ravioli with meat sauce and I poured some water into the outside pouch to begin the heating process. In minutes it was piping hot. I sat there as the sky grew ever darker eating the contents of the pouch with a spoon. Then the first drops of rain started to fall. These were big, heavy drops that made loud splats as they hit the fabric of my tent. The rain was coming down sideways thanks to the wind and started to sting as it hit my exposed face and hands. I crawled inside my tent and sat at the door cross-legged, smoking my pipe with the door half unzipped. Finally, the ever increasing rain forced me to zip up the door. I rolled out my sleeping bag and lay down on it to read a book. It had grown dark enough outside that I had to light my candle lantern. The candle would flicker violently from the gusty wind outside and made reading my novel troublesome.
I gave up on reading and pulled out my flask of liquor and donned my radio. I listened for a good long while to Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion on public radio. I have missed listening to this show and it brought back a hundred fond memories of days past. I continued to sit there cross-legged in the middle of my tent while I listened and drank from my flask. Finally, after drinking my pint, I grew very sleepy and climbed into my sleeping bag. It was still very warm though and I couldn’t zip it up and just lay atop it. I laid there scanning the radio for signs of intelligent thought and sadly, found few. I was soon fast asleep.
I awoke this morning to a bright sun and the glorious calls of spring from the birds. It had grown very chilly overnight and I could see my breath this morning. Sometime during the night I had crawled fully into my sleeping bag and zipped it up. This morning it was soaked with sweat as I had overheated during the night and didn’t wake up. I quickly changed out of my damp clothing and went about the task of packing up all my gear. It was too cold to hang around the campsite and a good hike would warm me up. I donned my pack and hiked the five miles home and made it back well before lunch. Thus concludes last night’s camping adventure.
On the new home front……
I went by my new home this afternoon with Charlie. The re-wiring of my house is almost done. They are doing a great job. Every power outlet, light switch, junction box, and wire has been replaced. They also installed and wired me a garbage disposal that Charlie gave to me. They even cut out the hole and ran the wiring for my soon to be purchased dish washer. They also put lights with outside switches in all my closets. It is really starting to come together and I grow ever more excited as time goes by. I will soon be the proud owner of a very modest, inexpensive home but it will be mine. I will be sure to cherish it.
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