Friday, September 28, 2007

Eastward progress

Friday (Nevada to Wyoming 410 miles)

In the morning we gas up (something we did a lot, and for huge buckets of money for the Behemoth) and TGF says she thinks she can drive after all. While I am relieved that I won’t have the responsibility of driving that thing I remain worried about her body.

(I confess I am writing this almost a week later and things are getting fuzzy, plus I am behind exhausted – more emotionally than physically at this point.)

Once again the eerie beauty of the Great Salt Lake Desert captured my imagination. How did this stretch get crossed the first time, how could those people known how to go on. This time I noticed more rock messages, similar to those in Nevada but the here the colour contrast was more stark, more distinctly black & white. Initials and names made up most of the messages but there was also a heart shaped peace sign. New art installations used soda or water bottles stuck upside down to form shapes or designs. Back in 2001 I don’t remember so many rock markings, certainly not the bottles. Perhaps there are just more traveling east, or there is more of this sort of thing. I wonder if Burning Man has had an impact on this desert art.

Traveling east the views of the actual salt water lake are not quite as tantalizing but it still is an awesome thing to behold in the middle of the desert landscape. Also as has been noted by other travelers entering Salt Lake city from the east is much more striking vista but it is still amazing how suddenly a large scale city is ahead of you after so much nothing.

The red rock of Utah towered above us as we cruised down the road. Suddenly I got an urge to call Glamour Girl to see how she was fairly with her chemo treatment. With all that has been going on in my world I have been a less than attentive friend to her and others. However the signal on my blackberry was invisible. Don’t I sound oh so hip? I’m not. It’s a low end model that a friend got on a deal which became a better deal when the fabu deal buster website, that I won’t link here because I am not willing to be responsible for creating more addiction to the web, did not charge her for it. I barely know how to work the damn thing and it randomly calls people while sitting in my bag, but other than that it’s great. Anyway, I had to wait until I crossed states and called her from Wyoming. I am happy to report that she is doing really well and seems to managing her treatments with grace and good feelings.

Our mutual limit was reached and Rawlins was picked as our next resting stop for the evening. Like other cities (Chicago and the cows come to mind) Rawlins has the Pronghorn Pride Project which I learned about via billboards. I never saw any of the art project versions but I did see lots of actual pronghorn antelope during our drive through the state, which was really cool!

Once again we settled at a Super 8, though this one was far more costly than the other one, which was surprising because it’s not like this town is bustling or anything. Calling another hotel in our line of vision gave the same result so we stuck with the place that we knew accepted pets and had free wireless. Unfortunately TGF got a bit stuck in the gravel of the parking area next door and had to work the Behemoth a bit to get into a better spot. By this point she was in major pain and swore that I would have to drive the next day, which course I said I would.

This was the first night we had a fridge and microwave in the room, which felt like the lap of luxury about now. We each heated something in the microwave and nibbled on various little things until we were reasonably sated. The room seemed awfully smelly between my sinking Tevas, heated Indian food and tortilla soup. I couldn’t take the stench and was sure it was my shoes beyond our food, animals, their food or anything else contributing to the odor, so I grabbed my Tevas and took them outside, propping them on the roof of PB. At this time the wind had begun kicking up so I tucked them under the roof rack just a bit and then used the rest of my strength to open the door against the powerful winds for the umpteen time that night. Unloading a dog, three cat carriers (Marcelle and Atticus were sharing the really large one), our bags, litter boxes, their food, etc made every evening and morning akin to a small moving job.

Soon we settled into a sleep after deciding on a new goal and attempting to bolster myself for the task of driving the Behemoth the next day. We had managed to do just over 1000 miles of about 2400 and time was feeling rather pressured to me but I remained hopeful we would make serious progress.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

The trip begins in earnest

(Wednesday. Oakland CA to Fernley NV. 250 miles)

We proceeded merrily along until somewhere near Sacramento where unfortunately TGF went left instead of right and we barreled along on Business 80 rather than Route 80 to Reno. So around about we went until we were finally back on track. It was amazing how sleepy I felt and it was so early in the drive. One last time we pulled into a service area and got In n Out burgers. Yes I ate a burger, theirs are the some of the only ones I would eat. I don’t know what they do to them but I actually like them. A little food somehow reenergized us both, thankfully and we proceeded merrily along.

In my calculations I had forgotten about the mountain ranges we needed to drive through. Well I hadn’t forgotten but had not accounted for a heavy truck pulling a Subaru Forester. Oops. The vistas were still beautiful and I eagerly awaited the gates which mark the entrance into California Heading eastward there is no clear marker but still there was something exhilarating about crossing that invisible line out of the state that I had passed through six years previous.

The roads climbed, dipped, and climbed again. As we rode on the elevation markers made it clear how far up we were: 4,000; 5,000; 6,000 feet above sea level. There was spitting hitting my windshield, reminding me how long it had been since I had seen rain. It never rained hard but it made the driving hard for TGF; the first rains of the season make the roads slick and slippery as the water mixes with oil and gasoline on the asphalt surface. The smell was of chalk and wet and asphalt.

Suddenly the lights of Reno were ahead, twinkling and bright. One building outlined in green, recalled the Emerald City but this was a larger rainbow with other outline colours visible. There was something about the gaudy cluster of brightness that made feel like I had been living in some provincial little hamlet rather than somewhere as diverse and sophisticated as Berkeley.

After the glowing town the road was dark, cold, and drizzling when we pulled over so she could get some gas. I suppose exhaustion is to blame for her taking a wrong turn out of the station. She tried back up, which is hard to do with good instruction and while wide awake. As she tried figure out how to get out of this non-road, I pondered how to get the sleeping bags off the roof of the car and if we could keep warm enough until day light and start again. She found a way out though an unpaved section until she found a paved road and we made our way back on the road. Soon after that she called me staying she was done. Tried pulling into a Super 8 but they were full, as was the Best Western across the way. The front desk person recommended the Truck’s Inn across the highway, so on we went. This place was a total dive: a motel/casino/restaurant/truck stop with absolutely no charm. Seriously. It took forever to book the room as the woman at the desk was new and apparently not allowed to do a dang thing. The manager gave me a room but before he could put the charge through had a long phone call from which I found out that most rooms in a significant radius had been booked up for the better part of a year for Street Vibrations scheduled for the coming weekend. As nice as the manager was he wasn’t very talented because he could not put a charge through and talk on the phone. Reminded me of the joke of not being to walk and chew gum – yep that was him. Through all of this I was being inundated with second hand smoke and wanted to strip off a layer of skin to get it off.

The hallways had signs that read “Please talk and walk softly as people are sleeping at all hours”; and the room was just as charming as you might imagine, complete with carpeting on the door. Now it took me all of a minute to figure out the reason for the décor but TGF is a total princess when it comes to hotels and had never been to a place like this, what I like to call a “chew ‘n screw”. It wasn’t until the next morning that she told me she had just figured it out, after pondering it for awhile. Anybody know? It’s cheaper than a good door that actually blocks sound.

The barrenness of Nevada

Thursday. Nevada to Nevada (365 miles)

After getting some gas I hop on the highway to catch up to TGF but I’m not seeing her, so I call. Nothing. No answer. Barreling along I keep trying to phone her to no avail, which is pissing me off a bit because she called me just before taking off.

The western part of Nevada is as naked of colour and charm as I remember it being on the trip west. I ponder the arrangement of black rocks against the beige sand, wondering where the hell she is, The Purple Beast loses power. As in dies. I coast onto the shoulder and feel panic starting to rise. The exit behind is far, I have no idea where the next one is, I have a car full of animals, and I’m in a desert. It shocked me how out of control and alone I felt so quickly. Suddenly my phone rings and I cannot stop myself from yelling a bit – “Where the hell have you been! The car died, the hood won’t pop.” Quickly I rein myself in and say I’m going to try starting her again and for TGF to find a rest stop. PB blessedly starts back up and we meet at a rest stop not too far up the road. On the drive there the hood loosens so it easily opens for a looksee. Following us to the rest stop is a brigade of Model T Fords or something like them and I mutter something about them still running. (I do have a photo of one but I have downloaded nothing so far. Sorry!) A friendly man from the DOT or the Highway Department (he had a uniform and "company" vehicle so he was an official something or other) comes over and pokes around our car. We all decide to agree it was a vapor lock in the fuel line and all is fine.

Nevada stretches ahead of us for a long time and the mountain passes come up every so often. As I ride along I continue to look for the messages spelled out, the artful rock piles and hope that we can make the next goal I set out for us as we are behind my carefully constructed schedule by about 125 miles.

A little tidbit for travelers: The entire town of Elko is a wireless hotspot. Go figure. San Francisco isn't but this little diddly squat place in the desert is, weird.

Late in the day somehow, perhaps I made an extra stop, TGF is far ahead of me and I am trying to catch up. The sun is just starting to lower in the sky as yet another rise crests and begins to fall. My phone rings and she is breathless, sounding a little scared and perhaps beaten down. The downward slope off the mountain was really hard for her to manage and she was shaken, done even. We agreed to call it a night as soon as there seemed a good spot to pull off.

Soon West Wendover’s lights were welcoming us as dusk fell, glistening fading streams of light hitting the Great Salt Desert, with the bright lights of casinos directly in front of the vast salt lands beyond as the road curved downward. Tonight’s host is a Super 8 and dinner was the very disappointing and expensive buffet at the Rainbow Casino. At this point TGF’s shoulder injury was hurting something evil and we talked about me taking over the truck driving to her a rest. I confess that I was a bit daunted by driving the behemoth but was ready to do whatever needed to be done. We tucked ourselves and the beasties in, hoping to dream sweet dreams and face the next day.

Monday, September 24, 2007

In which our heroine changes plans, again

So as I was saying, things went long. Izaac is a wonderful human being and I cannot imagine a more respectful person when it comes to packing things so they are safe for a long (or even short ride), however he is a tad slow about it. At about 6pm it became clear that we were not going to finish loading the truck that day. We were supposed to go to Ruth’s for a last walk with the dogs and dinner. Since we had been checking in through out the day she wasn’t exactly surprised when I called to give her the less than glowing update. She quickly volunteered to keep Wyatt another night (she had had him since our Sunday late afternoon walk) and we would all do dinner Tuesday night.

TGF and I were both so tired and my feet had been screaming at me a good portion of the day. We foolishly hoped that a night without the dog would allow for some rest but alas and aleck we were oh so wrong. The air mattress was less than comfortable somehow, the living room is a much noisier room than our bedroom and Marcelle decided to play kitty hockey off and on all night. Oh and my left knee decided to wake me several times in total pain. When I woke up I was wishing for a chiropractor to put things in place, or even out – anything to make it stop hurting.

When Alex called in the morning (blessed woman that she is) to see what time she should come but we had barely any consciousness to tell her anything. Izaac also had a late starting gate time, so things started quite late, maybe 1pm? But still I had hopes and dreams of speed, there really wasn’t that much more to load. Again I thought a moment after that prediction that the goddesses were laughing at me. They were. We finally made plans to leave, I think about 6pm, to head to park to meet Ruth and the dogs. It was a short walk as we were both dead tired from the exertion and stress. Ruth cooked us a fabulous dinner of some the best fried chicken either us have even tasted. The end of our time there was very emotional, Ruth was sobbing, we were barely holding it together and Piccolo had the saddest eyes ever and hid under the table refusing us a last hug. Ruth insisted we take Piccolo’s bed so Wyatt would have something to remember her by. See? Totally emotional.

We drove home drained and trying to distract ourselves with mindless conversation. Opening the door to Casa de Cedar was not a happy site. There was far too much that had not gone into the truck. We were starting to get pissed. As previously arranged Izaac had driven the truck down the lot in Oakland since we still needed to attach the car dolly and put the Subaru on it. So there was nothing we could do but steam and gather things for the next day. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. It was Roger the Neighbor – the best neighbor ever! He was worried about us depending on cell phones so he bought us a set of walkie talkies! So sweet.

Wednesday morning found Roger, Alex, TGF and I struggling to make heads or tails out of our dilemma. Roger, the former boy scout, tied awesome knots to secure the soft pack to the roof of the Subaru. He also brought us a container of homemade brownies with Scharffenberger chocolate. Alex came up with a great idea to load the Sub with things to throw into the truck, then come back to load up the stuff that we wanted for travel. Oh, one other little bit of drama, Joia one of our cats disappeared. Yes that’s right she is not with us. I am choosing to hope that she has found a new place. Roger and Alex will keep an eye out for her. Alex offered to drive down a few times and try to catch her, to then fly her to us. I am less than confident about this happening. Truthfully I have had a feeling for quite sometime that this might happen. I am sad about our Mama Joi not being with us. Very sad. While TGF and Alex were fighting with Izaac about getting things into the truck in the quickest and safest manner I was wondering where they were, comforting the dog who was in an empty house, talking to the cats who was already in carriers in the Purple Beast, cleaning, hauling things close to the front door for easy loading, and calling for Joia in the vain hope she would come home.

Finally TGF and Alex arrived home about noon, and none of us had eaten nor had we had caffeine – not pretty. TGF ran to Mickee D’s to feed us all. Finally we were on our way down to Oakland to hook everything up. That took a very long time and I won’t go into all the details of waiting, driving to where the car dolly actually was which was not in the truck lot, or trying to find TGF when they went to find a gas station to check tires and driving in circles around West Oakland until we finally find each other and barreled on to 80 East – at almost 3 fricking o’clock! SO much later than I had wanted to leave which was more like 11 so we could reasonably hit Winnemuca NV – less than 400 miles.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

We all know the saying

But hate when it is so bloody true. We make plans and the gods laugh. Let me tell the Goddess is having a royal belly laugh right about now. Seriously ROFL. Actually she is probably having those uncontrollable giggles – know the kind, like when you were a kid and there was nothing, no threats from your mother that could get them to stop and in fact made them worse. Yeah, that’s what the gods and goddesses are doing right about now.

We were going to leave bright and early Tuesday. That clearly wasn’t going to happen. So then we were going to leave early, like by 10 am Wednesday. Nope, not that either. Our little caravan was on Route 80 heading east passing all the exits that had been homebound ramps at just before 3 in the afternoon. Merrily we rolled along still keeping our goal of Winnemuca NV before we would lay our heads to sleep. Yeah that didn’t happen. I am writing this from Fernley NV, just past Reno.

Among the things that delayed us, amused us, and humbled us:

Last Saturday we have our House Cooling party which was really lovely. Our friend Anna brought us a cake that said “Happy Trails Dharma & TGF”. Okay it actually had our names but you get the point. There was a veritable gang of children most who had never met but one would never have guessed. They ran rampant through the house, inventing a game as they went. Wyatt, our dog had great fun with them, getting pets and fed Capri fruit drinks. There were people who surprised us with their presence and others who we missed. Two friends, one that we had only known online for years now, drove up for Southern California, just to be able to say goodbye. Blessed, that was definitely the feeling.

At the party Alex, the partner of a school colleague of mine, insisted that we had to call her to help us pack. She came over on Thursday and Friday, worked her tail off, kept us focused, passed lots of tips and reminders, and made us laugh.

Sunday Sue and Sarah came by to pick up furniture they had bought from us. They came to get a “big boy bed” and matching dresser for Isaiah, our nephew of choice. We did one last dinner together, at Ikea. I found it convenient and perhaps planned that it didn’t allow for a lingering goodbye and tears were withheld. We ran home from there to meet with Jennie who was picking up various things from me. Added to the loot were several bags of groceries out of fridge and freezer. Earlier in the week I had bestowed her a few bags from the pantry. That woman shouldn’t need to shop for weeks! She brought me a gift, the appropriately titled “Knitting on the Road”. It’s filled with sock patterns. Tres cool.

Monday Izaac the Amazing Mover came with his buddy Steve, who has the most beautiful blue eyes. Before he arrived however Ruthie came over with a mocha for TGF and a soy latte for me from Peet’s. One last indulgence of such fine purveyors of caffeine. Alex also came back to help us with the last minute packing and to help keep us sane. Actually TGF had to go down to the lot to pick up the truck with Izaac, and as ONeil’s Budget was a hopping place thing took awhile before she, Izaac and Steve showed up. A surprise came through the door at some point. At first I was so distracted I though this vision in a beautiful dress was the woman from craigslist that was supposed to pick up the orange chairs. But no! It was Jennie coming by to see us off and drop off another gift(!) for me. It was a lovely drop spindle and the most beautiful cake of roving in lovely shades of blue. TGF rolled her eyes and we pointed out how small and portable this was, far moreso than a spinning wheel and certainly WAY smaller and lighter than her dang full size arcade game that we were hauling back to Ohio! The woman from craigslist, or rather her husband did show up and take the chairs - Yeah! She also wrote me a lovely email thanking me for them telling me she loved them and that she had said prayers for our safe journey. Blessed all around.

After that things went long. Some might venture to say this is where things went terribly long and terribly wrong.

Friday, September 21, 2007

It's been far too long

So first I am going to cut and paste from random emails.
I started an entry the other night which I will post soon.

September 10th 1:19pm
We are overwhelmed, stressed and on about plan G for everything regarding this move. Pins and needles is a good description. The loan from our friend is less than I had thought but enough to put a down payment on the house in question and maybe a smidge leftover. We are still trying to figure out how we are moving, and hence exactly when.

Same day 9:45pm
The panic comes and goes.
Actually got some of my list done today which is amazing.

Good news, it's seems the fuel pump in the Purple Beast is fine and it was just the alternator.
If true it will cost about $400 rather than about $700 to repair.
Now we are thinking of trailering the Subaru to the rented moving truck and I would drive Purple Beast.
Mayflower gave us an estimate of $6000!!!!!!!!!! to load and move us. Nope, no can do. So back to the original plan, maybe. I have checked online and found we can probably rent a truck and pay the gas for driving for about $3000. Sure we ill need $ to pay people to help load and unload, but not $3K worth!

Six years ago today, on a Monday I started driving west. Really freaky.

September 11th My horoscope
It's more important now to keep all your dealings above board, for the unspoken assumption can be your undoing. Even the slightest bit of shady dealings can cause your world to come tumbling down. Even in the midst of a big transition, you must hold steadfast to your core truth, for this is what will ultimately pull you through.


September 12th 9:53am
Yes!
I'm up now, clothes are on but they're NOT cute. ;-)

September 13th 10:19am
Yes I'm freaking.
There are still many things to pack and much cleaning that needs to happen.
Finances are crazy as in mostly nonexistent.
We are on pins and needles about a housing possibility.
Saying good bye to people and this area is VERY hard.
I am trying to be positive but sometimes I am just a mess.
My relationship with my mother is strained to say the least.
I am being brutal about going through things to keep and things to pass along.
In many ways this feels good but it is still reflects a lot change.
Our friend Jeriann in Ohio has been a great support and I look forward to spending more time with her.
She has been helping by looking at places and being a great cheerleader for TGF.

The goal is rent the truck Sunday or Monday and hit the road Tuesday the 18th.
I figure it will take at least 4 days to drive, probably more like 5, getting us to Ohio, I hope, by Saturday the 22nd.
TGF starts work on the first of October and my birthday, as has been noted is the 2nd.
I expect it to be a fairly bizarre day.

This past Monday was the 6 year anniversary of my heading out of Massachusetts on my way here. As a native New Yorker, I couldn't do more than skim a friend's reposting of that time period. This coming Sunday will be 6 years since I landed in California, two days before I leave the state. The timing of this whole thing has been very reminiscent of 2001. The job became a reality at almost the exact same time as the last big move. It is not PTSD so much as it stirs so many things up for me and the repetitive nature of life felt a bit foisted upon me in a most unwilling way.

I have been trying to maintain a balance between saying goodbye, being sad about leaving - even angry sometimes, and looking at this move optimistically. For the most part I look at life as an adventure and am positive about things being as they are supposed to be. When broke and in debt it's sometimes hard to be positive but I still try to see what I am supposed to learn from even that situation. So once again I am mourning tremendously while working on creating a new foundation in a new state.

About our housing situation in Ohio - I don't want to go into any details but can I ask for positive thoughts that it works out the way we hope and need?

Thanks for listening if you made it this far.

in peace
Dharma
who apparently really really needed to vent some things

September 15th 2:28pm
Subject: If you have any time on Monday

For moral support and hauling boxes out of the house to the truck...

I cannot believe this is really happening.
We went to check out the truck and finalize rental plan just a bit ago.
Have you ever had that scared but terribly excited feeling come over you?
That's what happened to both of us as we walked the behemoth that will be carrying our massive amount of stuff.
We have arranged for our buddy Isaac and a worker for the truly heavy stuff and to organize the jigsaw puzzle that is loading a houseful of goods into a 24-foot truck. And I am hoping he is familiar with how to attach the car carrier as we will be towing the Subaru.

Today and tomorrow will be the final stages of packing
(I hope to be doing NONE on Monday, but one never knows).

Hey and if you know anyone who wants the two 60's orange chairs with cat damage
PLEASE let me know. The craigslist person bailed.
Ditto TGF's computer desk. Both things are free.
Anyone want a Mitsubishi 42" HD television with a stand (about 3 years old) for $350 or best offer?
A working but not pretty gas grill? Free.
Hey Andrea, want that Centipede game. Or anyone else - a full size arcade game - great project piece. Cheap!
Have photos for any of these things.
2 large CRT monitors? Free.

We will miss you all.

Okay that kinda catches y'all up on why I haven't been writing. There is clearly so much more I hope to capture a fair amount of it soon.

Monday, September 10, 2007

One version of my horoscope for today

The Moon in your 12th House of Secrets can reveal hidden emotions now, but others still won't be aware of your internal process. They will merely see the results of your inner work and not the anguish you experience along the way. If you run into unexpected negative judgments from those who normally support you, don't try to change their minds. They will come around as they learn more about your thoughts.

I cannot begin to explain how much truth there is in this one. This move is one of the hardest things I have ever done. The support has not been great, not non-existent, but it has felt begrudgingly offered which I understand but makes me feel quite lonely. The last few months, since this Ohioan epic began it has been lonely in many ways, it has been sad and I have tried to focus on the upside - like getting out of debt, having money to travel to both coasts to visit family (chosen and biological), of starting a business venture (rehabbing houses).

But there is so much to miss here in California, people on the east coast would still prefer to me to be back there so they are accepting Ohio as at least closer to them but still not quite enough. I get jokes, warnings, and looks of shock as if Ohio will be too hard for me because it is so different from the places I have lived. It is very different but that doesn't make it bad. Right? That's how I view things, it's just different. My mantra is courtesy of Tim Gunn, "Make it work".

But wait there's more on sleep!

It's true I'm obsessed about sleeping because I am never not tired these days. Okay sometimes I have felt totally enthralled and awake. Mostly at camp, and yes JBeeky I will post some photos soon because thanks to you I actually took a few.

That first night three weeks ago in Northampton I was sitting in Adrienne's living room doing something.. when it because clear that a storm was passing over. I love thunder and lightening storms and miss them terribly in California. Did you know they are a rare thing in the Bay Area? I was shocked and saddened to learn that when I moved here. Here I was my first night on the east coast and the sky lit up p
urple for me, thunder rumbled like a very large cat. Lifting myself from the sinky goodness of the couch I went out on the tiny porch. Seriously it's maybe 4 feet wide by the length of the house, which is not great. I curled myself into a chair and watched the sky change colours for seconds at a time, listened to the shimmering sound of leaves imitating the musical sounds of paliettes on a dancers' hips while she shimmies. Soon after I crawled back the couch and went to sleep, actually had a good night sleep. The next night was lovely as well. Sunday night Adrienne and I shared a bed in a Mot*l 6 in Portland as we choose to drive up a bit early and wander Portland in the morning before heading to Poland Spring. It took awhile for my brain to shut down (not an uncommon experience for me) but I slept fairly well.

The first two nights at camp were FREAKING cold. As in I slept in a cabin, albeit uninsulated and unheated, but still a building like thing. I wore a lot of clothing, in a sleeping bag with the other sleeping bag as a blanket over me. I was still cold. The next night I was like a burrito in a kids' mummy sleeping bag, inside the generously sized one, still wearing socks, sweats and two tops. Cold I tell you! Luckily things warmed up and I even slept nekkid in my tent a couple times with just one sleeping bag. Let me tell you this is a rare treat in late August in the state of Maine. The last two nights were the same as the first two. Damn cold.

I returned to Northampton, to an empty house. Adrienne and the boys were away and I enjoyed the sweet quiet of no one for almost 24 hours. Slept on the couch again but not as restfully. Tuesday night I was finally in my own bed, next to my beloved, circled and trapped by my cats. It was muscle cramping bliss I tell you. I slept hard. Really hard. I never heard TGF come into the bedroom, never noticed she turned off the tv. Never heard her get up to deal with animals in the middle of the night. Nada. Absolutely unheard of for me. The only other time such things happen is my first good sleep after attending a long birth.

Sleeping is still a problem and I suspect will remain so forever. Some nights are better than others. TGF has been having a TERRIBLE time. So bad that on Friday she said she literally felt like she was losing her mind because of the lack of rest. The stress is knocking us both off like crazy. I expect to be exhausted for at least another month or two without much reprieve.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Missing in action

I know, I know. It appears I have forsaken this space. There was this imaginary thought I had that I would post every day of camp. I left camp today clearly that so did not happen.

There are so many things to tell y'all. Well the few y'all that are still stopping. I had so many things to write about and I hope to jot some of them soon. Tonight I am so tired and achy in far too many places to list right now.

Right at this moment I am enjoying total alone time in my friend's home in Northampton after a delightful and free range discussion ride home with Rona (I'd link her website but she confesses it is sorely out of date, oh what the hell - here). After being around over 650 people almost non-stop for 11 days this is feeling like heaven. Adrienne will be home sometime tomorrow but for now it is just me, Buddha Kitty, crickets outside. Okay maybe the sound of a television too, which feels like another planet after having none for two weeks.

More later and thanks for your patience my peeps.