Simple Living and Simple Travel

As I walk around and see so much, I realize that at some point, I will never experience them again. Coming across a single colorful wildflower. A pair of ravens flying in sync. Sitting outside in the evening with a friend, talking, sipping wine. Sipping a cold glass of water. All such things strengthen my resolve to be grateful and not take things for granted. Surviving my BMT gave me this second chance at life with all its stellar moments is a most thankful bonus. I’m smilin’. Antlers are just starting to grow on the bucks. The last three summers I had no trouble with rodents getting into the bags of cracked corn and scratch grain. Not so this summer. A mouse chewed a hole in a bag of cracked corn and had ready access. A couple days later, there was another hole in the same bag only a few inches away. A maze reject? I generally keep M&M’s dry food and the birdseed bags in my truck. Can you make a guess here? A mouse got into the Ford and chewed through the birdseed bag. Gua...

Yep, neighbors are starting to come around. I think I was listening to Pandora when a commercial came on about Bondic. I only listen to Pandora for two months in the winter when I have wi-fi from the Nash so I stick with the free version, with commercials, but at least they tend to be different. Anyway, the product sounded good so I ordered a starter kit. Bondic is a LED UV plastic welding unit. It is not a glue. Shortly afterwards, the frame of my off-the-rack reading glasses broke. I sanded the surfaces, squeezed on a small amount of Bondic, focused the light on it for 3-4 seconds, held it together for another few seconds and the glasses were as good as new. Didn’t even bother to sand the weld. The kit went into the bottom galley drawer where some tools and fixit type things reside. I only used the kit once so far and it worked as advertised. It’s a keeper. After cataract surgery, 20% or so develop posterior capsule opacification (PCO). PCO occurs because cells remaining afte...

I’m back in Timberon. It feels good. Well, not so much being back in Timberon, since I no longer like it all that much. But back to the lifestyle. I need the parks for my annual social-fix but I need to find some place other than the parks from mid-Feb to mid-March. I’m maxed on the parks by the middle of February and it is too cold to go back up to 7,000’ with just solar power. It’s pretty quiet, having no close neighbors. Deer come by most days and I’ve heard some wild turkeys but have only had one come near. More should be coming by soon. Birds are at the feeders and sprinkled grain. Some hummingbirds have found their feeder. A couple weeks ago, a realtor put a for sale sign on the next lot. Guano. If that sells, I might go back to hard-wall camping off the grid, but at this time, that could be problematic. We’ll see. The realtor is asking $10,000 for the acre. The county’s assessed value is around $4,500. Someone’s going to get taken. I found the lifestyle that I get the mos...

I got tired of trying to get Meadow and Mesa into their individual fold-down carriers. They still make like flying squirrels with the new carrier but it’s way easier. This is a SportPet Designs Foldable Travel Cat Carrier, size XL. It folds down to 5”. The carrier also comes in one or two smaller sizes. It sure got comments at the Vet. One can easily take the door off and set it up as a cozy spot for their cat/s to sleep or hang out. The new carrier along with two Vet visits only cost me $1560. What a deal. I guess Vehicles for Charity is the organization that handles donated vehicles, such as from NPRs Car Talk Vehicle Donation Program. They sent me a letter stating that my 2004 Ram 1500 was sold for $2,000. The new owner got a good deal with the new trans, brake rotors and other parts. A few years ago I took an online driver safety course recommended by GEICO. The course wasn’t through GEICO, many insurance companies offer discounts for taking a driver safety course. I taug...

All I am trying to get across on this page is to accept statements while maintaining a degree of skepticism about the truth. Simple. But in the current political situation in this country, exceedingly important. (‘Take with a grain of salt (or a pinch)’ comes from the fact that food is more easily swallowed if taken with a small amount of salt.) A while back, I heard a clip on National Public Radio of the current president attacking two of his opponents about the homeless situation on their home turf. Three years ago, being a listener of NPR, I learned to question statements coming from White House. So I questioned what was not said in his homeless statement. What about the homeless situation in cities overseen by his own tribe? I then googled the homeless situation in Washington D.C., his own turf. I was not the least bit surprised. Look it up. Partial truths can skew the true story. If I hear a politician discrediting her/his opponent, I’ve learned to take...

Another one from Dianna’s folder Met up with my favorite winter acquaintance and had some good talks and laughs. Simple pleasures. I also met a couple from Wisconsin who travel south for the winters in a Holiday Rambler Class A, towing a Mercedes Benz Smart Car. Had two good, informative conversations with them. I need talks like this. They lent me a DVD of the 1988 miniseries, Lincoln, with Sam Waterson and Mary Tyler Moore. I remember Moore from the Mary Tyler Moore show. This is the only time I saw her in a drama, that I can remember. Mary Tyler Moore gave an absolutely stellar performance as Mrs. Lincoln. I do not think anyone could have topped it. He facial expressions nailed every scene. I was thankful that I was given the opportunity to see this performance. When they were leaving the park, they gave me a package of Dove dark chocolate. This candy is now a staple in my freezer. I take them one-a-day, like a vitamin. Thank you so much. They also gave Meadow & Mesa a gi...

A character in a book I was reading walked into the scene wearing a T-shirt with this on the front: ‘Dear Karma, I have a list of people you’ve missed.’ Dropped down over 3,000’ in elevation from Timberon to have it go down into the 20s the first night. Guano. I’ll stay down on the flats until March. When I get back up to Timberon, there will probably be a few days with a little snow and/or hail, typical for March. But after four months getting my social fix, I’ll be over-ready for some solitude. March is quiet up there. One from a file of photos sent from Dianna. The ten years I was hard-wall camping, I was content with not having people around to talk with. It felt good. All the wildlife and Meadow and Mesa were enough. I didn’t think about people not being around. This year I realized that there are people around me in Timberon to talk with—but I cannot talk with them. Almost like feeling alone while around people. I have two favorite acquaintances I enjoy being ar...