Firstly, I want Ryan and Josh to know how special they are. Certainly they each have stories far beyond what little I know of them, yet I know they are human. And that ended up being the deciding factor in choosing a featured image for this post. Check out my other choices in this album:
Today was pretty good day, I’m kinda tired out and would rather relax right now than type this post. I slept well last night on top of the mummy bag again, yet about four am I had to crawl into it. Seems I can handle down to about forty with just my blankets. Tonight is forty eight.
In a meta way, I did exactly what I said I would do- and I enjoyed the day. This morning after chores and whatnot, so about nine am, I just did not want to to jump on the car project. Yes, it was there and ready, I just didn’t want to. So I didn’t and sat down instead. Okay, well I had to do something, so I thought about a few things I’ve been meaning to post on the site, picked one and went to work.
In the weeks before I left Michigan I had purchased a tripod mount for my Spiderbeam telescoping antenna mast. After move the tripod around all this time, it is earning its keep. It didn’t do well in Texas, yet I was using much smaller stakes and it was soft grass. Here I’m using ten inch heavy duty stakes and the ground is a desert hardpack and the tripod is rock solid. So I wrote a review and posted it in a Ham Radio group on Facebook.
Feeling good that I got that done (no deadline for it.. just a ‘one day’ thing) I got a text from my son and chatted a big, filling me in on the news of the day and college happenings. Towards the end I took the opportunity to play an April Fool prank on him, by telling him I’d be coming back to Jackson and running for Mayor, again. I got him good, said so himself. So, I thought I’d share the love with everyone else with another post on the website (two already today, and not even the adventure post yet.)
It makes me smile, from so many past memories from that era. More than that, I smiled because I knew I could do it. So much I’ve learned in the last six years. Heck, it’s a forty five thousand dollar three year contract – given to the winner of a public election. The Treasures election will grant close to quarter million dollar contract. Oh, politics.
The I wake up and say, what the heck was I thinking? Same thing as now I guess. Six weeks of knocking doors for a forty thousand dollar four year contract. I honestly have to say I’ve thought about it. Going back to Jackson, resurrecting the past- and doing it better.
Yet, I might miss pictures of a bunny tomorrow. Or a bug. Or maybe some deer shit. Yeah, a chance to get a photo of deer shit would be better than going back to politics. And oh, do politics exist in so many more places than public office. For years in my life, I would hear people say “It’s politics”, “It’s politics” and I would never quite understand (and that was when I worked in business and the Church.)
Once I ran in two thousand and seventeen and won the primary, being greeted then by others as the heir apparent to Dan Greer’s throne (ha- just teasing Dan!) Dan is a standup guy, which even after I knocked him out of public office, stayed on as a volunteer- a better man than I. And I told him so myself with room full of witnesses in my last act of public service.
I’m pretty sure most people got the joke- yet I wonder about a few people that might start spreading the word.. hmm, wonder if I could do it remotely? Anyway, where was I?
Yes, I was feeling good, a couple fun posts and and watching the stats roll in. I was glad that I was able relax the morning away and get some stuff done- I was so happy I smoked a bowl (not the tobacco pipe) which I usually don’t do before noon, yet it was eleven forty eight. Any, puff puff.. puff puff. Just about then I hear a couple of trucks rolling down my driveway.
Now, I don’t get traffic on my driveway, none. I was pretty sure this was going to be a “time to go” conversation, yet this was the wrong state department for that. I’m pretty sure Ryan knew I was high, I caught a grin here and there. Josh, the experienced officer on the right, either didn’t notice or just didn’t give a shit- a long as my fishing licenses were in order.
Which, I have no license and no fishing poles – Josh did look around to check. A simple question: so what are you doing out here? Ha, I asked how much time they had. All day and paid by the hour, what’s your story?
Ha, I asked for a moment to walk back into my tent to grab my shade hat and chair then went back out to chat. I started the story with my youngest eighteenth birthday, the landing, coma, bed, wheelchair, walker, non-union, insurance, cold weather, surgery, the bar, the takeoff list, Texas, Jal, then here, Brantley Lake. I didn’t take all day, yet they both were pretty cool guys, they even enjoyed watching a few of my landing videos. Also, they from the previous photos, they gave me a positive ID: a thirteen-lined ground squirrel.
Eventually they went on their way and by then sitting outside for so long, I decided I wanted to go to work on my car. I finished up most of the project I was working on, maybe just a little more and I’ll have some photos of it too. I was in the car at dusk, and I could start to hear my critter friends in the tarp tent (the tarp floor makes their footsteps obvious.) Knowing the floor was clean, I didn’t mind if they looked around as I finished up in the car.
As I wrapped up the tarp tent for the night, I stood at the door quietly. After a moment, they started to run again and I saw it was two: Blimey and one of the kangaroo rats, having a good fun chase around the canned good obstacle course. I definitely think they’re getting comfortable around me. Oh, I forget somewhere there in between, I was able to convince the thirteen-lined ground squirrel to hold still for a photograph, see the album above- can’t believe that cute little guy isn’t the featured image for this post. I know, I know, just animals..
And that’s the day, a little productive, a little fun, a little high, a little conversation, a little car work, and a little more critter fun.
Time to rest.
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