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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. 
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| And, along with the cookie, my goals as well. I had set a goal to log into WdC each day and to, at the least, make a blog entry. Things progressed well through the week until yesterday, when, as you can see, I did not make a blog entry, or even get logged into Wdc. It was a busy day getting things done and ready for a short camping trip next week. Not overly busy, but kind of relaxed and just taking it easy while finishing things up. One of the tasks was to give our kayaks a good scrubbing and wash down tents and tarps from our last camping trip. This went well, but it was getting late by the time we had everything washed, dried, and put away. Rhonda started on our dinner while I got on the computer to spend some time in here. But, I could not connect to the internet. I connected to the router network but it would not connect to the internet, so I did what I always do when this happens, I shut it down, waited a few minutes, and then restarted it. This fixes the problem, usually, but not this time. Still no connection to the internet. I tried everything to get connected, but it just would not connect. I contacted the help center from our provider, thinking maybe they were doing something that interrupted the internet, but that was not the case, we should have been able to connect. They gave me detailed instructions on resetting the router, but it still would not connect to the internet. After several attempts to get connected, they determined that the old, outdated, unit we were renting, had just up and failed, they would send someone out to replace it. But, since it was after business hours, they would not be here until this morning, so no internet and no getting logged into any sites. We have service protection we pay so when something like this happens, there is no cost to us, but if they come out after hours, that changes and we pay a pretty steep price. No choice then, we had to wait. Now, the technician has finished, we have a new router and should see a little faster speed. I logged in and everything is fine again. Still, I missed one day of getting logged in, missed one day of writing in my blog, and missed my weekly goal. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbled... |
| Another day coming to a close and still no time to spend in WdC... It's just not fare, I tell ya. We picked up so new containers last evening to reorganize our camping gear. Of course, it was getting late by the time we returned home, but even so, we managed to get everything packed back up before retiring for the night. Today started with a little quiet time with Rhonda, enjoying coffee and talking. After brunch, we did a test fit of all the new camping containers in the Jimmy. Success, everything fit fine, and even a little room to spare. We usually use a luggage rack on the hitch to haul some of the items, but this time everything fit except for two folding chairs and the camping grill, which will easily fit on the rack. After, we worked on mowing grass. It was very tall, since it did not get mowed last week while we here out camping. Also, with all the rain that came down over the weekend, it 's was not only tall, it was very wet. We have a big yard and it's not the easiest to mow, especially with push mowers, but that's what we are using. the rider is broke, and it was cheaper to get a couple of nice push mowers, and I should add, we can definitely use the extra exercise. I can't say so much for Rhonda, she usually does the trim work and stuff with the push mower, anyway. But I usually ride around on the rider, which is nice, but push mowing is a lot more exercise and since I'm trying to loose, why not. I still have tomorrow off, and even though there are things needing done, I am hoping to get a little more time in here. Next week, during our days off, we will be out camping again, and Saturday I'm back to work, so time is running short. |
| Where indeed? I had hoped to get in here earlier, but time slipped by as time tends to do. Of course, I didn't get up and moving much before noon, so there's half the day already. Then, the rest was spent going through camping gear, reorganizing and cleaning things up from our last camping trip. We need to make more room and get things better organized, so we are looking at packing things differently, which means we need to run and buy a few new containers as well as a few other things. That will take the rest of today, and we will be off to town as soon as I finish this post. It will be late when we get back, and we still need to pack our camp kitchen away, right now it's taking up most of the kitchen counter. Then, tomorrow, we need to set up our tent and screen tent to clean them up good, wash down some tarps, and pack the rest. Hopefully, next week we will be taking another camping trip. We want to check out another state park and will likely only spend one night, but will prepare for two. We want to check this park our for a spring camping trip with friends, and what better way than to give it a visit. Besides checking it out, the park has a lot of maple trees and hardwoods and the fall colors should be beautiful. Now, time to run... |
| Another cold and damp evening at work last night. That makes three days of working in the rain, and tonight will be four days in the cold and damp. At least it's not raining. Thinking I may be coming down with a cold, but trying to head it off before it gets too bad. The bright side is, tonight is my last day of work before getting three days off. Of course, there's plenty to get caught up on since our last camping adventure. We returned to work the next day and only had one day off since. Even so, I'm hoping to get in here a bit more, and hoping also to get more done with my writing. |
| I committed to a weekly goal for the week, getting into WdC and posting to my blog every day, but it not just for the week, I want to spend more time in here reading, reviewing, and working on some items in my portfolio. I also need to get back into writing. With things finally starting to slow down at work, as well as the shorter hours I have to work, there really isn't any reason to think I can't reach this goal. I also am starting another challenge, getting back into shape. Not that I'm a shapeless blob, I wouldn't be able to type if that was the case, but along with my writing and WdC, I have let myself go, too. I've put on weight and have been slacking in the exercise department. Now, it's time to shape up and drop some unwanted pounds. I've actually started this challenge yesterday, with the start of the week week. I haven't stepped on the scale yet, but will be doing that shortly. Now, hopefully I will have something more to mention in my blog, my progress. |
| Almost time to leave for work so another short entry. It's another cold and wet day, but sources tell me it's a lot slower at work, so it should be a pretty good night. It feels kind of strange leaving this late for work on a Sunday, since I normally would have been there by eleven. But, the double coverage hours have ended and now I'll have a little more time on the weekends. I would have gotten in here sooner, but ended up visiting with a childhood friend in Facebook Messenger. Seems we always have nice conversations, makes me wonder why they are so few and far between. I reckon I may just have to do something about that. I found in my mail a wonderful surprise, someone read and reviewed, by chapter, a novel I wrote a few years ago for NaNoWriMo. It's just the rough draft, as it flowed from my mind through my fingers onto the computer, so likely it was a difficult read. Still, she read the entire novel and commented/reviewed each chapter with some very positive feedback. Maybe this year for NaNoWriMo, I'll go through and edit that thing and see about getting it out there for some more feedback. Now, it's time to head out, maybe if it stays slow enough, I can work on a couple of items while I wait to return home. |
| It's Saturday night here, just a few minutes after eleven at night. I knew I wouldn't have much time to get into WdC today, since I worked a long shift, but I at least wanted to get an entry in before midnight my time. Since I worked all day, I don't have much to talk about except work and the things that happened at work; boring, I know. Another choice would be the weather, since we all have some. Yesterday was in the lower nineties and very humid with a stiff wind blowing; a very muggy day. It cooled down nice last night right before the thunderstorms arrived and it was nice to have the fans in the windows. By the time we turned in for the night, it was raining, thundering, and lightning. Of course, this meant closing the windows and once again, it was hot and humid in the house, very uncomfortable for sleeping. The power went out around one-thirty this morning, shortly after we had gone to bed; so much for the fans circulating the muggy air. Luckily the power was back on by two this morning and I managed to get a decent nights sleep, even if it was a short night. Today was cold, barely climbing into the lower sixties before dropping back into the lower fifties. We had high humidity, lots of rain, and several thunderstorms. From hot and humid to cold and damp, it will be a wonder if we don't both end up sick, especially since we never got a chance to really dry off at work. Tomorrow will be more of the same, in fact, it's sounding like it will stay like this until mid week. On the upside, I did get my wipers fixed and driving to work and home was no problems. Well except for the heavy rain, it meant a slow drive home, but hey, better safe than in the ditch. Anyway, that's an entry for the day, now off to check out a few other things around the site before retiring.  & "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| Yesterday I set off to work with intentions of working on a couple of writing items, but that got blasted straight to hell. It was just too damn busy at work to do anything. Not only busy, but one of those days where you wonder if these people are in reality zombies out meandering about. It was also very warm and excessively humid, making it all uncomfortable, on top of being busy and dealing with mindless zombies. Today would have been a good day to try getting some work done on the said items, but again, my plans were foiled. Of course, I knew I had other things to do, so it was no surprise. I had lost my wipers on the car driving home a few nights past and needed to get them fixed. I had the parts, but no time until today, my only day off before the weekend; one forecasting lots of rain and thunderstorms. So, the wipers are now fixed and I'm ready to go, rain or shine. I also know I won't get any much, if any time to work on these items over the weekend. Weekends are always busy, and tomorrow is the last day of the "big" sale, unless they extend it again, like they have for the last seven weeks. Also, tomorrow is our last day of double coverage, so I have a long day, going in at 10:30 and likely not getting home until 11:00 or later. I am hoping to at least get an entry in here tomorrow and Sunday, if not, I will return on Monday and resume the Battle of the Mojo. |
| OK, enough of this sitting here looking at a blank page trying to think of something to write. Ideas come and go, I start typing then clear the feeble start to a subject. Even as I start again, distractions and wondering thoughts fight to interfere and halt the process... It's the Battle of Mojo I tell you. I'm talking of my Inspirational Mojo, of course. I had lost it for quite some time but found it while out camping. It just showed up one evening while talking around a fire. Now, I find it's trying to escape me once again and I'm fighting a battle to hold fast to the mojo high-grounds. I explained about the missing mojo five entries back and then how I found it two entries ago. In summary, it returned while talking around a campfire with my wife and a couple of friends. One minute I was telling of an experience toasting marshmallows and the next, a humorous story began to just flow; that, my friends, is my Inspirational Mojo. I've been wanting to develop the story I shared that evening ever since we returned, but it's just not happening. Normally, I can't stop the mojo from flowing, it's just there and thoughts and ideas flow from it like an artesian spring, but now it's like trying to pump water from an unprimed pump; I know the story is there but I can't get it out. I do have a plan, however, to prime the pump and get the mojo flowing. I was invited by a person who had reviewed one of my stories to do a fill-in-the-blank story he has in his port. With no mojo, I have no idea what to write, but I'm going to accomplish this task. It's a battle, one I plan to win. I've already gained some ground in this Battle of Mojo. While thinking on some idea for the story, a simple little rhyme surfaced from within. Yes, a trickle of mojo flowed in the form of a limerick. Of course, until the mojo flows freely again, the limerick is also undeveloped; that is another task I plan on completing to win this battle. I will retake Mojo! |
| My plans from yesterday were to spend a bit more time in WdC today, but last nights weather forced a change in plans. I knew we were supposed to get rain and possibly a thunderstorm yesterday, with the chances increasing as the day passed. the worst wasn't suppose to hit until about midnight, which would have seen me safely home before the worst of the weather arrived. But, the rain didn't come when it was suppose to, it waited until later in the evening; the storms, however, decided to arrive earlier than scheduled. The last couple hours of my shift were filled with rain, some light, some heavy. There was a lot of lightning and some gusting winds, but nothing severe. By the time I got done with work and started my drive home, it was light rain and a bit of lightning, nothing severe. Shortly after, however, some heavy rain arrived, stronger winds, and a lot of lightning ripping through the dark skies. With wipers on high, I proceeded on my way, enjoying the beauty of the storm as it passed over. Half way home, the enjoyment came to an abrupt end when extremely heavy rain and powerful gusts of wind made it impossible to see much, even with the wipers swishing back and forth at their highest speed. I of course reduced speed, and since there was very little traffic, focused my attention on staying on my side of the road and continued towards the turn off that would point me towards home. As I climbed the hill right before this turn, the storm hit with vengeful force. My little car was being buffeted relentlessly by the winds, the amount of rain, driven by powerful winds made it impossible to travel at speeds over twenty miles per hour, and I slowed even more as I forced my ride to hold the proper lane of the highway. As I peaked the top of the hill, the sound of the storm was deafening. Visibility dropped to a point were I could barely see past the hood, the beams from my headlights drowning in the downpour. I managed to get to the shoulder of the road with plans to sit there until the worst passed over. But even as I pulled onto the shoulder, the force of the wind began sliding the car back onto the highway. It also was tipping the car as if it desired to roll me across the highway and down into the opposite ditch. It's difficult to know, but it seemed as if there were a few times the passenger side tires left the road and the tilt of the vehicle was enough to send items sliding to the drivers side. I couldn't come to a complete stop, for fear of getting blown right off the road my only option was to creep along and attempt to force my way against the wind and hold to my shoulder of the road. It was at this point that the drivers side windshield wiper blew right off the windshield, hanging at a useless position on my side mirror. The passenger side wiper was still functioning, but the drivers side was done for. As another blast of wind again tried to roll me over, the passenger side wiper gave way to the force of the wind and stopped halfway down the drivers side of the car. Without them, I could see nothing but a river of water flowing from the force of the wind across my windshield and had to come to a full stop and hope for the best. It wasn't the best, but it was enough of a drop in the ferocity of the storm for me to see again; very limited, but enough to crawl along to my turn and continue towards home. It's at this point that there are two slews, one on each side of the road, that I had to pass. No shoulders, just a drop on either side to the murky waters. The rain had let up substantially, and I proceeded at a safe speed. As I passed between these two bodies of water, the wind again struck with gale force and waves of water from the slew to my left washed over my car. It may have been safest to stop right there and wait it out, but I was concerned that the force of the wind, along with the amount of water pounding the driver's side of the car, could and would, push me over the embankment. I crossed at a snails pace. Once safely across, I felt my way to the side of the road, since the rain had intensified again and I couldn't see anything. Here I stopped and called Rhonda to let her know I wasn't moving until the storm let up and I could see to drive again. As the storm let up, I got out and put the wipers back to their home position, then proceeded at a very reduced speed with my flashers on, even though I had not seen another motorist out. The storm continued to diminish and eventually I was able to increase speed to about forty miles per hour and made it home. Of course, it was much later than normal, and I was a bit wound up from the stressful drive, so I wasn't at all ready to go to bed anytime soon. It also means that when I finish this entry, I need to go out and look at the wipers and find out what broke as well as how to fix them. Luckily, the forecast has changed and it's looking like nice dry weather for the next few days, so if needed, I can still drive the car to work this afternoon and tomorrow. I have Friday off and can, if needed, spend it working on my wipers. |
| We had a very wonderful time camping for the past five days despite the first few days being wet and cold. We did find out the old tent isn't waterproof anymore, but we were prepared and stretched a tarp over the tent to keep the rain from seeping through. A few things got wet, but nothing major. Lots of mud around the campsite, but it did not interfere with us having fun; the rain let up both Friday and Saturday by early afternoon and we enjoyed all five days. We started our adventure on Thursday, a bit later than we had hoped, but still got set up and enjoyed a fire before turning in. Our friends arrived Friday just after the rain stopped and we shared our evening meal and spent the evening around the campfire catching up on things. Saturday we took the kayaks out and explored the shoreline to the east for a while, but had to turn around and return when dark clouds and strong winds picked up. Of course, the wind was from the west, so we had to fight heavy waves and gusting winds to get back to the landing site. Most of the shoreline we had traveled was rocky and there was no way we could pull up on shore to wait it out; it would have been a few hours wait anyway. Despite the heavy waves and difficult task of paddling against the wind, all five of us made it safely back to the landing. We were tired and plenty wet from waves breaking over the kayaks, but it was a fun experience. I should add that there were four kayaks and four people, the fifth was our dog Hannah taking turns riding with me or with Rhonda. After returning to the campsite, we changed into dry cloths, enjoyed a nice lunch and then set out hiking. It was a difficult hike climbing up the hills, but we all had a great time. We returned to camp for a nice supper and another night around the fire. Sunday was a beautiful day and we spent a few hours out in the kayaks exploring the opposite side of the lake and then back to explore along the west side of the campground. After, we had another wonderful lunch, then went out with our friends to play some disc golf. Rhonda and I had never tried it, so it was a learning experience, and like kayaking, our friends now have us hooked. Sunday evening we all enjoyed another wonderful meal together, then pulled our chairs around the campfire and talked, roasted marshmallows, and had a wonderful night. Some time into the night my mojo returned. We had been reminiscing on days-gone-by when I found it. I had been sharing an experience from my youth, roasting marshmallows with some other kids when one of them set his tasty tidbit alight. He waved his stick back and forth to put out the flaming treat when it launched off his stick and landing on the seat of the picnic table just as his grandpa sat down. Of course he sat right on the thing and had some colorful exclamations; us children had some good laughs. That's all it took to get my mojo to return. Rhonda happened to set her toasted treat afire and it just popped in my mind and flowed from my mouth. A little story of a flaming marshmallow and then on to setting half the campground alight. Next came fictitious creature that lived in the lake and soon everyone was laughing so hard their sides hurt. I'll have to work on a short story now, based on this tall tale from the campfire, and will be sharing it with everyone soon. For now, it's our first day back home, and also our return to work, so the tale will have to wait a bit, but I do plan on working a little on it through the week, as work permits. |
| I should be packing and loading up for our camping trip, but instead I find I've made a slight detour. I was packing and getting things ready, and as I passed by my laptop, I seen it was still on. Since it will be nearly a week before I return, I stopped by to shut it off. So far, right on task. But, instead of shutting down, I find myself sitting down and logging into WdC for one last blog entry before I shut down and head out. This is number four and the last entry before I head out camping. With no internet at the campground, it may likely be my last entry until I get back. However, since I will have my cell phone with, I may just log in on that and possibly make a short entry. Nothing certain, we will just go with the flow and see what happens. I tend to think I will be preoccupied with other activities, but there will be times when I may be inactive and checking the site. Now, off I go. Have a fantastic weekend -- see you next week. |
| Yes, the end has come. One last night at work and then five days of camping and relaxing. Also, since I won't have internet, this will be my last blog entry. Finally, I will only have one last ten hour shift on Saturday after we return, then no more double coverage and shorter work days. As you can see, a few ends are here. Along with the ends, there will be new beginnings, and I'm hoping one of them will be getting in here more often and becoming more active in here as well. I'm also hoping that five days of no work and lots of relaxing and fun will help me find my missing inspirational mojo and I will be back to writing again. Now, with time running out, I need to get ready for work and bid you all farewell... Have a terrific weekend. |
| Day three, I really am on a roll. It will be a short one, since I'll be heading out Thursday for five days of camping and won't have internet, but I'm hoping to really get back into the site after we return; blogging, reading and reviewing, and hopefully some writing. I really do need to get some reviews written, especially for the fine folks who have been reviewing my items. It has been a very long time since I've done any writing, which is not normal for me. Sure, I have my periods of inactivity and even some writer's block from time to time, but never for this long. For me, writing isn't a hobby, it's a part of who I am and how I think. I am an introvert and writing is my main outlet. It's difficult to explain. We all need our down time and find it in different ways. For me, to get away means I lose myself within myself and my writing. I'm one of those people who's mind is always active, thinking about all sorts of stuff all the time. things that need to be done, problems, solutions, etc... I enjoy many different activities, but even while doing them, my mind continues to be bombarded with all these thoughts. But, when I write I turn inward and for a while there is nothing but the story running in my mind. This has always been the case, even as a young child, I could weave the most fantastic stories. Fictional stories told so well, some of my teachers had to consult my parents to find out if it was just a story or reality. No writing for this long goes beyond having a rough spot, it goes beyond writer's block...I've lost my Inspirational Mojo! |
| Entries here two days in a row... Wow! It may not be much more than some meandering ruminations, but it feels good to write something. It also feels good to have made it in to WdC twice already this week. Three more days of work this week and then a five day vacation. In fact, three fairly short days, then pack up and head out to the campground for five days of relaxing and having fun. I'm really looking forward to getting away from everything for a while. And, next week also is the end of our double coverage and shorter work days for both Rhonda and I. Next week is supposed to be the end of the so-called sale they have been running for the last six weeks, which should make the weekends a little less hectic. Speaking of this big sale they run at least once a month, how can people be so gullible to think they are actually saving money? I know, many times a person can get a great deal with sales promotions, but the sale we have is nothing about customers saving money, it's all about the store making more money. Because we don't have much money, we watch prices closely and do our best to get the best deals we can. Knowing this big sale was coming up, we put off making a big purchase thinking it would be cheaper during the sale. But, instead of being marked down, the price had been increased enough that it was still more expensive during the sale than it was before! After noticing this, we began to watch prices before and during this big sale event, and just about everything is marked up enough that the sale price is actually higher than if the item was purchased before or after the sale. In fact, some items don't even go back down after the sale, but are marked up even higher when the next big sale hits. Yes, you get a nice big rebate back, but even with this rebate, your paying more during the sales. Even so, people drive crazy distances to shop during these bit sales, and they buy a lot of merchandise, thinking they are saving money. One would think, after a time, customers would begin to figure this out. Yet each time one of these sales is on, people swarm the store to take advantage of being taken advantage of. The old saying, "A fool and his money are soon parted" holds true... |
| It's been almost two weeks since I wrote anything here, so a quick update on what's happening. We are still doing double coverage on weekends, and they are still super busy. By Monday I'm feeling exhausted and ready for a couple of shorter shifts and then some time off on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Three days off, sounds great, right? It is great, and Rhonda get's the same three days off with me. So, we should have lots of time to enjoy together, as well as to spend in places like here. But, after the long hours this summer, it's also time to get caught up on things around the house. Also, I had to give the Jimmy a tune-up, replace the front brakes, and change the oil and oil filter. I should add, there is very little room and even the simplest job on that thing is difficult and time consuming. Then, the grass needed to be cut, and even working together, it's about four hours of work. We also trimmed up a few trees, cut a few down, and burnt a bunch of dead-wood piled on a huge willow stump. We got it all done, but now it's back to work and yesterday was another typical Saturday; busy and crazy. On top of the normal busy and crazy, there seemed to be an additional amount of nuts, cooks, and confused people coming through. In short, it was a very trying, very tiring, and very long day. Today has been a bit better, so I haven't had to go in to work quite yet. As soon as I finish this entry, I will. Rhonda is keeping me posted on how busy it is there. Even though it's a little slower so far, she has informed me it's still super crazy and to expect just about anything. This week we both have to work an extra day, but then we have our week long camping vacation and our first weekend off since last winter. We will be going to a state campground with some friends from Minnesota. We leave Thursday afternoon and won't return until Monday evening. Since there isn't any WiFi, I wanted to write in here now, just in case I don't get another chance until we return. I would also like to add, Happy Birthday, WdC! |
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