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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. |
| Monday blahs, or coming down with something? The day started out fine and normal, but it began to deteriorate quite rapidly. I was up pretty early and enjoyed coffee with my wife before she left for work. Then, it was a bit of work to get done, with colder weather I needed to fax in some clothing orders for everyone. Once this was finished, it was time to do a Bible study. Normally, once I finish my Bible study, I eat lunch and then work on various other things until it's time for work. One of the things I do is log into WdC and spend a little time around the site, then write in my blog. But yesterday things started going afoul shortly after my bible study. My stomach was a bit upset and I didn't feel like eating, so I logged into WdC and started browsing about. That's when my head started aching. No problem, I took a couple of Tylenol and figured that would take care of things. Nope, the headache continued to increase to the point of not being able to do anything. Also, my slightly upset stomach became a very upset stomach. On top of that, I found myself cold and shivering. Normally, I like it a bit cooler, being more comfortable with the air a little too chill instead of too warm. It was a chilly day, and it was cool in the house, just the way I like it. But not Monday; I put on a sweatshirt to overcome the chill and sat back in my recliner with a blanket over me. I sipped on a glass of fruit juice only to have it upset my stomach even more as I continued to shiver. Only one thing left to do, since I was feeling very ill and my head was pounding fiercely, take a nap. I snuggled into a pile of blankets and closed my eyes, hoping the quiet and darkness would ease my throbbing head. I was also hoping that after a little snooze, I would wake to have my stomach settled and headache gone. Nope. I did fall asleep and slept for an hour and a half, but woke feeling just as miserable about the time I should be getting ready for work. I got up, sipped on some coffee, covered up with a comforter and waited for the furnace to take the chill off. I sent a text off to my wife, at work, and told her I would be running a bit late, since I was feeling so miserable. Being the kind soul that she is, she offered to stay at work and cover my shift so I could rest and get feeling better. Even with the heat on, the house at a nice toasty seventy degrees, me in a sweatshirt and covered with a heavy and very warm comforter, I was freezing and shivering. I had not eaten anything and I had not yet fed Hannah. Since I had a tuna-fish sandwich in the fridge for my lunch at work, I decided to eat a little of it and share with her. Only, she didn't want any and I ate the entire sandwich only to have it upset my stomach more. I did suffer through fixing her something else to eat before getting a bottle of ginger-ale from the fridge and settling back into my chair. I watched a couple of videos until Rhonda got home from work, then was going to drag my miserable butt off to bed. she suggested a glass of 7-up with some brandy in it. Now, with my head still pounding and my stomach rumbling and hurting, 7-up didn't sound all too good, even though I knew it could settle things down some. But to drink any brandy? No way was that going to settle on my upset gut. Of course, I did know that a little brandy is often good for the digestive system, but the way I was feeling, I wasn't sure. Rhonda, being of kind heart, also reminded me that little brandy may help, and the 7-up would do me good. Well, feeling like crap anyway, I decided I would try it. You know, just a sip here and there and see how it goes. Surprise, surprise, it went down pretty well, and even though the first few sips didn't seem to help any, they didn't' make things any worse, either. By the time I had sipped down about half of my glass, my stomach was feeling a bit better. By the time I finished it, I was feeling a whole lot better. My stomach was still upset, but it was no longer a sharp ache and my head seemed to be throbbing a little less. Rhonda poured us another glass and I sipped away on it until we finished watching our show. With a half another half a glass down, I was feeling even better. My stomach was still a bit uneasy and I didn't think eating anything would be good, but it was doing so much better. Also, my headache had let up to just a minor throbbing that I could pretty well ignore. By the time I finished my second drink I was getting too warm under the comforter and tossed it aside. The sweat shirt also had to go, just too many cloths on. I was finally not cold and no longer shivering as I got myself ready for bed. I slept well and woke this morning without the headache and just a very slight bit of discomfort in my stomach. After I finish writing in here, I'm going to have a light lunch and see if it's just not due to the fact that I haven't eaten anything more than one sandwich since Sunday.  & "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| Not much to write about today, it's been a lazy Sunday. Last night was a crazy night at work and I was late getting out of there, so late getting home. Even so, I managed to get to bed by midnight just to get woke up at four-thirty this morning by a phone call from the Director of Operations at work. I was sleeping sound and didn't hear the phone right away and by the time I did drag my groggy butt out of bed and got to the phone, he had hung up; no message. I thought about calling him back, but waited since there wasn't any message left. I checked my cell phone for any messages or emails, nothing. By now, it was time for Rhonda to get up and get ready for work, so the coffee was finishing up. I decided to enjoy a cup with her while I pondered why the Director would be calling me that early on a Sunday. Rhonda left for work about five-thirty and I had another cup of coffee while I waited for her to call when she got there, just in case something had come up at the work site that he may have been calling about. Nothing. I decided to return to bed, since I have to work this evening again. I never did find out why he had called, and since he didn't leave a message or try to contact me again, can only assume he was calling someone else and got my number by mistake. The second time around I woke to Hannah, our dog, licking my face; time to get up. This was a little after ten. From there it's been a quiet and peaceful day, very relaxing. Rhonda called a little while ago to say it was crazy busy at work again, so having a relaxing morning and afternoon will help out when I get there. |
| We returned from a short camping trip yesterday, likely the last time we will get out this year. Since we didn't get home until late last night, we just emptied out the vehicle and left most of the stuff to deal with today; that's what I've been doing up until now, putting some things away and drying out the wet stuff. We camped in northern Minnesota, a state park by the name of Maplewood, by Pelican Rapids. The park is huge and we only had time to sample a little bit of it. But, what we did get to enjoy was awesome. We hit the park, full of Maple and other hardwoods at the peak of the fall colors. With the many hills, some quite large, and various lakes, the view was nothing short of spectacular. We camped on the shore of Grass Lake in a tent. We also set up our screen tent, as a kitchen, since our tent isn't very big. the view from the screen tent overlooked the lake and the colorful hills behind. The temperatures were brisk, only getting into the sixties by day and down to the upper thirties and low forties by night; pretty chilly to sleep in a tent. But, with our sleeping bags zipped together and an oversize quilt over top of them, we stayed comfortable through the cold nights. Hannah, our dog, also found her way into our sleeping bags during the night, to stay warm. We had a little light rain the first night, but nothing leaked and it was wonderful falling asleep to the sound of the rain drops against the tent. We got to the park Wednesday afternoon and got things set up rather quickly. Enjoyed a wonderful meal cooked outdoors, then sat and enjoyed a campfire until about ten or eleven. We were all tucked into our bed before the rain came and since everything else was in the screen tent, nothing but our chairs got wet. I woke early on Thursday, to the sounds of something trying to get into our food. We had seen what we thought was a cat the night before, it strolled right past us while we enjoyed the fire, but it turned out to be a raccoon. He had returned and was trying his best to get into our coolers and food container, but luckily everything was well stowed and he only managed to get away with two bananas. I got up to the cold, brisk air about four-thirty, when I heard him attempting to open one of the containers. I had long sleeved pajamas on, so just needed to grab my jacket and slip my feet into my shoes, then I was out and heading to the screen tent to chase the little burglar away. He just looked at me from the screen tent, then moseyed across the grass to the edge of the lake, stopped and finished eating one of the bananas. I shook my jacket at him and tried to shoe him away, but he just looked at me for a minute, like I was demented or something, then finished eating the banana. Once done, he picked up the second banana and strolled into the tall grass and was on his way to pack away his treasure for later. We named him Ricky when he returned on Thursday night. We were enjoying the fire and he just strolled across our camp and headed for the screen tent, looking for his dinner. He could care less that we were right there, and if there had been anything available, I'm sure the little camp-robber would have just enjoyed his pilfered vittles right there while we watched. Unfortunately for Ricky, we had stowed all the food containers in the back of the vehicle except for the marshmallows and fudge cookies we had with us by the fire. With nothing to interest his appetite, he soon strolled away to look at other campsites for his dinner. He didn't return that night, as far as I know. Besides Ricky entertaining us in the evenings, we got in some kayaking and hiking. We did what was supposed to be a two mile loop on Thursday afternoon, but I think it's quite a bit longer. The trails were well marked, but uneven and there were a lot of big hills; a pretty difficult and tiring hike by the time we returned to camp, but the scenery was definitely worth the workout. Besides the vivid fall colors, we seen quite a few swans enjoying the lakes. While kayaking, we were entertained by a loon and her young as they dove for food. Friday was our last day and we had to be packed and out by four in the afternoon. It was another chilly night and cold morning as we sipped coffee and enjoyed the beautiful view from our screen tent. But, the forecast for rain around noon was off and by nine that morning we had a pretty good rain coming down. Rhonda packed up the items in the tent while I worked in the screen tent packing up our kitchen. Most of these items stayed dry, but the tent leaked and the screen tent was sopping when we rolled them up. Our chairs by the fire and Hannah's bedroll we had out by the fire were soaked, and our clothing, tarps, and a few other things got pretty wet. Even so, we had things packed and stowed before noon and set out to explore more of the park. We decided on a shorter hike, up to a lookout on a big hill. It was a difficult hike up, but it was sure worth it when we reached the top and looked out upon the park, lakes, and surrounding country side. Once we hiked back down, we took a scenic drive through the park to check out other camping sites, observation blinds, and more of the breathtaking beauty of Maplewood park in the fall. Now, we pack our camping gear away and wait for spring; we are eager to return to Maplewood State Park and see what it looks like in the spring. We may pick a more primitive campsite on Lake Lida and there are miles and miles of hiking trails to check out as well as numerous lakes to explore by kayak. |
| Well then, there it is.... All I can say is what a day! Things started out normal enough, was awake and up early enough to enjoy coffee with my love. Then she had to get ready to go to work from eleven until five. I was scheduled to work from five to closing, but had taken the day off to get everything packed up for our camping trip. She was going to haul the garbage out on her way to work, but things started to go amuck. Somehow, time got away from us, so Rhonda didn't have time to take the trash with her before work. No problem, I could haul it to the landfill, then return home, pack things up, take care of a few items left on our to-do list, and load the Jimmy for an early start tomorrow. But, by the time I got to the landfill, Rhonda had sent a text telling me to come in to the work site, new things had come to light. I knew we were being audited by the store's security team from their corporate headquarters, so I didn't hesitate, I drove to work to find out what was going on. Turns out, the stores corporate headquarters wants us to control yard access in accordance with their policy, despite the store manager wanting us to follow his policy. Okay, I'm just a site supervisor and it's not in my pay-grade to get in a tug-o-war between corporate policy and store policy. It's a lose-lose situation, to say the least. Of course, the general manager is not in at this time, so I have to discuss this with an assistant manager. All went well, but now it's a matter of waiting to see if the general manager is going to follow policy or insist we do things his way. I'll find out when I get back from camping on Saturday. Then, a couple hours later, I'm heading back home to try and pick up where I left off. Of course, there is no making up for lost time, so now I'm finally done packing, finishing up, and loading the vehicle. It's eight-thirty and I'm tired and out of time, but everything is ready to go in the morning, I managed to get in here and write in my blog while holding up dinner a bit. Enjoy the rest of the week, I know I am. I was already looking forward to our camping trip, short as it is, but after today, I'm even more eager to go get lost in the woods away from everything. |
| Another cool and rainy day and soon I'll be heading to work, I was supposed to work tomorrow evening as well, but took the day off to finish getting things ready for camping. Rhonda will get home about six tomorrow evening, and I want everything ready to pack into the Jimmy except the food. I'm hoping to get an early start on Wednesday and should be arriving at the campsite early afternoon. We had just reorganized our camping gear and this will give us a chance to try things out and see how well we did. It's also likely to be our last camp out of the year. We will be going to a state park in Minnesota, one we have never been to, with a lot of hiking trails and a couple of different lakes. I printed off maps of the hiking trails and the park earlier. Being in the northern part of the state, the fall leaves should be in autumn colors and with all the maple trees, it's going to be a beautiful camping trip. The forecast is for sunny skies, dry, and cool days and cold nights. It's looking right now like upper fifties to lower sixties for the day and upper forties to lower fifties at night. I think this is the coldest weather we have camped in, except for our very first camping experience together. That one turned out to be a flop, since we had gotten a bit wet in the evening of the first day out and that night the temperatures dropped below freezing. We didn't have any sleeping bags then, so we huddled and snuggled under a pile of blankets. We also didn't' have a mattress, so we slept on a few thick quilts. The cold got us by about one in the morning. Actually, I had stayed covered pretty well, so I was doing pretty good, but poor Rhonda didn't have enough blankets and got even more chilled. Being a new couple, she didn't want to wake me and complain, so she tried to tough it out, but eventually the cold got to be too much for her. I was sleeping lightly, and soon became fully awake to her shivering and trying to snuggle closer. Of course, I got her covered well and did my best to get her warmed up, but it was too little, too late. She couldn't get warmed up, so we ended up packing things up and heading back to her place. The car was close, so she sat inside with the engine running and the heater on while I took down the tent and got things ready to go. She helped pack things into the car and then we headed for her place. It took quite some time to get her warmed back up; she was likely beginning to suffer hypothermia. This time around, we will have a nice air mattress under us to keep us off the cold ground. We also have a tarp for under the tent and then some outdoor carpet to put on the inside of the tent. We will be sleeping in two sleeping bags that zip together into one double sized bag, and we will have an extra large, heavy quilt along as well. We should be nice and cozy, but just in case, we will also have a propane tent heater with. I should be in here for a bit tomorrow, then I'll likely not be able to log in until we return on Friday, or if it's late when we get back, Saturday before work. |
| It's a go for camping next week. Just a short trip, three days, two nights, but it should be fun. We are checking out a new state park in Minnesota, so a bit of a drive to get there. Reservations are made, I took Tuesday off to get things ready and packed, and we will leave sometime Wednesday morning. We will be looking over the campgrounds, checking out some trails and sites, playing a little Frisbee golf, and enjoying the fall colors in the park. It is yet undecided if we will be taking the kayaks along or not; more than likely, we will. I was a bit surprised at the cost of the campsites in Minnesota, they have gone up in the years I have been living out of state. I was also surprised to see an additional charge for reservations. I can understand this if the park is first come first serve, but in Minnesota, you have to make a reservation, even if it's the day you show up to camp. That means, there is no way around the reservation fee. We also have to be there by ten at night or lose the entire reservation, no refund on fees and only a percentage of the prepaid camping fees. Of course, this is true even if one cancels before the date of the camping trip. They also prohibit intoxicating liquor, none at all allowed within the park. That's right, no cold beer after kayaking, hiking, or disc golf. No glass of wine with dinner, no intoxicating beverages at all. Why? This I don't understand. I could understand no public drunkenness or even drinking in any of the public areas, but at the campsite, in the tent or in the camper? We enjoy sitting around the fire in the evenings and having a few drinks before retiring to our tent. We don't get staggering drunk, make a scene, or bother anyone, so why is this prohibited. In fact, the way it's stated, I can't even enjoy my wife while camping. What? Well, she is my best friend as well as my wife, and we are deeply in love. I enjoy watching her move around the campsite, and I especially love to watch her in the flickering light of the campfire. I drink in her beauty and intoxicated by our sweet love. So, technically, if I'm drinking in her beauty and becoming intoxicated by it, am I not indulging in an intoxicating liquor? I could go on with more examples of this, such as her sweet as wine kisses, but I'll save all the real mushy stuff for her. Anyway, since this will be our last camping outing for the year, we will likely not follow this rule. I have a suspicion that many other campers also do not follow this. I'm assuming it's kind of a don't show, don't tell policy within the campground. If we keep it out of site and don't go displaying any signs of drinking intoxicating beverages, who's to know? |
| 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! |
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not sure what else to say. The 4th was surprisingly quiet here as well... Last year was rather wild.
). The fourth here was eerily quiet. No loud continual booms and pops from up the hill like they've done for years. Kind of nice actually. I'm sure the pets in the neighborhood appreciated calm for a chnage.
