People are funny and fortunately they are fun to interact with mostly. After a good start to the day then a bad middle somewhere around the bend of good intentions the afternoon turned out to be enjoyable. My landlord in the RV/trailer park is a delightful woman in her seventies, from the UK originally. Since her husband died she now handles the park, does most of the maintenance, and keeps up on all the appropriate gossip. I paid the rent early and left a note about some issues, one the light over the stove has a short, and the other was that we needed a mailbox key. She came right over in her toy cart and we had a nice visit. We discussed the finer points of dealing with adult children who have come home to roost with their chicks. More on that later. We will be getting a new light over the stove but she brought a clip-on light in the meantime. And the door that had previously been torn from its hinges will be replaced with an accordion door. She loved what we did with the place and is indeed a sheltered island away from the storm over at Brock's trailer that is so full of disfunction and chaos. We get along famously, we old ships of the sea. Like Ma Joad said in The Grapes of Wrath, men they live their lives in jerks while we women experience life as a flowing river. Sometimes its deep and treacherous and sometimes its calm and peaceful. I'm having to jerk some peace back for myself after dealing with Brock today.
To set the story up, of course I'm always right. Once that's decided then we will get along famously. All kidding aside, when I'm forking over time, energy, and money, yes I'm always right. This week his mother was in tears and we are both sick over how shabbily he is taking care of things. He got a job at Wally World when he first got out of jail when I bailed him out on a $2500 bond. He didn't get all four children dumped on him until a few months afterward. I've been doing all the babysitting which has turned out to be only about three days a week. He uses any excuse to miss work and it falls on his mother to take up the financial slack. Every time I see him the fist is opened palm up requesting money. Of course we don't want to see him lose his job or for the kids to go without birthdays and back to school supplies. But I'm tired of sitting in the trailer babysitting and catching calls from bill collectors for things that were not needed. We cannot affort fancy rental TV's and video game systems. We are tired of subsidizing a life he just cannot afford. We are sick of it. SICK OF IT! She wants to throw her hands up and say "screw it!" I thought I was made of sterner stuff and proceeded to try to get him involved in part of the solution, so I called him and requested that we use Friday to take care of things.
Today I picked him up on my last effort to invest more time, energy, and money into the problem. The plan was to get the notarized power of attorney forms done for the kids because we may end up with them if he has to serve out any sentence on his conviction, and next week is the big day where we find out. I took Brock to do his laundry because the washer is now broken. His mother believes this is because he allows all his friends to come to her trailer to do their laundry. She has no plans to fix it. So after that we planned to get a carpet steamer to take care of the nasties in the trailer. There is an issue where he is not on the lease and Mavis doesn't want the landlord to have an excuse to put an end to this nonsense because the trailer is falling to a state of filth and disrepair. Actually, there is no lease, this is the country. But there is common decency and one should keep one's rental property in good condition. Most responsible people know this. But, as I expected, Brock decided to inform me that he wasn't having anything to do with cleaning up the trailer and since he is a grown man he is sure I'll understand that he will be doing his own thing in the trailer while I work at cleaning it. Excuse me! I am not your kitchen mammy. I dropped him off at the trailer with the kids and I'm spending the rest of my time doing my own thing, since I am a grown woman. Can't wait for him to ask me to babysit again. Gee, I'm busy. I'm a grown woman and I have other things to do. I think it's time for another hike. And did I mention that his hoopty car, which belongs to his mother, has died? No? Well, it's on the side of the road and we "we're" going to look into fixing it after the trailer cleaning. But that's not my problem. >^;^<
On the bright side, this is just another life lesson for me. I really need to stop helping people when they ask. Gee, I'm jest too busy. Family is the worst and this youngster is like a son to me. I'm obviously not doing a very good job of being an example to him. My own sons are 27 and 23 and once they turned 22 and finished school I have not had to bail them out of trouble, knock on wood. Brock didn't get the pleasure of graduating from my boot camp for troubled teens.
The question on my mind as I reorganize my life is how far to go to help my family and friends? There have been people who helped me when I needed it and I don't mind being helpful, but surely there is a line to be drawn when it is too much. When is it too much? The decision has been made, it is too much for me. I'm not enjoying this stress at all. I did promise to give him a ride to work and the two smaller children to the sitter tomorrow, and I will. I think I'd like to leave the kids with her and leave Brock to his own devices coming home. He's a grown man. Five miles is no big deal to walk and I'm sure he will get a ride. I have an appointment with my hammock tomorrow night. I feel the urge to wander the woods.
Briock, if you are listening, I was a single mother too. I worked every hour I could and I held on to my money. My kids never had to wonder where they were going to live. Man up! No excuses!
Sheesh!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Pondering the Meaning of Life
The meaning of life is simple, it is just plain fun to live, and breathe, and sleep, and get dirty, and become clean, and have children, and raise them, and have cats, and enjoy them, and to keep one's quests simple. The structure in which you do it can be fun in and of itself. It is a little harder to enjoy life without some kind of structure.
I got this epiphany over the past few weeks as I donated babysitting services to Marie's son Brock (sometimes I facetiously call him "Brain"). He has four young boys, ages 3, 4, 9, and 10. Yeah, I know. What were they doing in those years? Heh, heh. Anyway, the issue is that
I got this epiphany over the past few weeks as I donated babysitting services to Marie's son Brock (sometimes I facetiously call him "Brain"). He has four young boys, ages 3, 4, 9, and 10. Yeah, I know. What were they doing in those years? Heh, heh. Anyway, the issue is that
Friday, August 17, 2007
Grandma-isms - Rules to Live By
My grandmothers were wise, wild women and left me a legacy of "isms" that I've learned the hard way to ignore at my peril. When you become a grandmother it is your duty and your right to dispense "isms". Here are some words to the wise, and you tell me if they aren't the smartest ideas on the planet today.
1. Never leave your purse unattended. That also goes for anything important to you. If your dollars or cell phone go missing don't say you weren't warned.
2. ALWAYS keep your keys with you. Don't leave them in the car or the house because your kids or grandkids could lock you out, and that is the LEAST of your worries. The only time you should not keep your keys with you is if you are body surfing at Daytona Beach. My dad could explain that one to you. The worst mistake you can make is to leave kids and keys in a car. You could lose everything. I don't leave kids unattended. At gas stations or the post office, they go with.
3. Never give anybody your last dollar (re: bill collectors)
4. When the bill collectors approach, don't pay until you see the whites of their eyes!
5. No money leaves this house!
6. Stash your cash and ditch your trash.
7. Don't build your house in the swamp. This could apply to fault lines and the path of tornadoes, too.
8. If the kids are quiet you'd better investigate. Flour, sugar, syrup, and cake mix dampens noise.
9. Travel light through life, things are not important, people are.
Hey, what can I say? They each raised four children, who raised children, who raised children, who are raising children. Great grandma can't be wrong. I hope I get to see my grandchildren raise children one day.
1. Never leave your purse unattended. That also goes for anything important to you. If your dollars or cell phone go missing don't say you weren't warned.
2. ALWAYS keep your keys with you. Don't leave them in the car or the house because your kids or grandkids could lock you out, and that is the LEAST of your worries. The only time you should not keep your keys with you is if you are body surfing at Daytona Beach. My dad could explain that one to you. The worst mistake you can make is to leave kids and keys in a car. You could lose everything. I don't leave kids unattended. At gas stations or the post office, they go with.
3. Never give anybody your last dollar (re: bill collectors)
4. When the bill collectors approach, don't pay until you see the whites of their eyes!
5. No money leaves this house!
6. Stash your cash and ditch your trash.
7. Don't build your house in the swamp. This could apply to fault lines and the path of tornadoes, too.
8. If the kids are quiet you'd better investigate. Flour, sugar, syrup, and cake mix dampens noise.
9. Travel light through life, things are not important, people are.
Hey, what can I say? They each raised four children, who raised children, who raised children, who are raising children. Great grandma can't be wrong. I hope I get to see my grandchildren raise children one day.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
New Life
The new life is really still the old life only now I'm living quietly and will much less need for material possessions. Mavis and I will still enjoy tracking down bargains to help Brain raise four active boys so we aren't suffering. My wish list is filled only with the plan for buying a good used van to travel and live out of. Most of what I have left is suitable for a mobile life, with easy to transport items.
Check out the pictures of my peaceful room in the tiny trailer I'm sharing with Mavis. I love the warm, rich tones of the old-fashioned wood paneling from the 60's. All of the furniture, bed, bedding, curtains, material, lights, wiring, and appliances were purchased for under $70 in total. The bed is a queensized blow up bed, padded with two comforters for a more bed-like feel. A white student desk and matching set of drawers is covered with a suede look cloth for a quarter, topped with a hutch to make it look more organized. The entertainment center consists of a $5 color tv plus a vcr for $10. A couple of dark pieces of material were used to cover the table with a wood board on top in the alcove. The curtain over the table hides some storage and a large combination printer, copier, scanner, and fax machine. The laptop is wireless, and is handy now when I travel in the area, for staying connected and for writing and creating. I use an inverter to keep the laptop charged while mobile. Yes, that's a dremel on the top shelf of the hutch which I use for making jewelry. It's great for burring, buffing, and drilling. There is a book on edible plants, a big nalgene bottle of water, and a stapler. Generally, I keep most items out of view unless I'm using them
The three light fixture is perfect for making jewelry on the parsons table next to it. I also use the parsons table to set up a light box and take pictures of items I sell on Ebay. It may seem close to the bed, but I use the bed to sit while I'm creating. I can see the entertainment center from that position so I don't have to miss any part of my favorite soap operas (tic). The little table to the right is an end table for the bed plus it is the perfect place to display my jewelry making parts and findings in a pretty set of organizers I got from Jo-Annes s while ago. They are a nice touch because they represent my passion to create jewelry and make me happy to see them. I'll often relax on my bed at night and pick through the parts to come up with ideas for the next day's work. The black shelves are right outside the door, in the hallway. I display things that I enjoy there, plus books I'm currently reading.
Check out the pictures of my peaceful room in the tiny trailer I'm sharing with Mavis. I love the warm, rich tones of the old-fashioned wood paneling from the 60's. All of the furniture, bed, bedding, curtains, material, lights, wiring, and appliances were purchased for under $70 in total. The bed is a queensized blow up bed, padded with two comforters for a more bed-like feel. A white student desk and matching set of drawers is covered with a suede look cloth for a quarter, topped with a hutch to make it look more organized. The entertainment center consists of a $5 color tv plus a vcr for $10. A couple of dark pieces of material were used to cover the table with a wood board on top in the alcove. The curtain over the table hides some storage and a large combination printer, copier, scanner, and fax machine. The laptop is wireless, and is handy now when I travel in the area, for staying connected and for writing and creating. I use an inverter to keep the laptop charged while mobile. Yes, that's a dremel on the top shelf of the hutch which I use for making jewelry. It's great for burring, buffing, and drilling. There is a book on edible plants, a big nalgene bottle of water, and a stapler. Generally, I keep most items out of view unless I'm using them
The three light fixture is perfect for making jewelry on the parsons table next to it. I also use the parsons table to set up a light box and take pictures of items I sell on Ebay. It may seem close to the bed, but I use the bed to sit while I'm creating. I can see the entertainment center from that position so I don't have to miss any part of my favorite soap operas (tic). The little table to the right is an end table for the bed plus it is the perfect place to display my jewelry making parts and findings in a pretty set of organizers I got from Jo-Annes s while ago. They are a nice touch because they represent my passion to create jewelry and make me happy to see them. I'll often relax on my bed at night and pick through the parts to come up with ideas for the next day's work. The black shelves are right outside the door, in the hallway. I display things that I enjoy there, plus books I'm currently reading.
The wall behind the bed could use some work. If I'm energetic I may find a nice cloth cover to staple up and make it look nicer. I really don't feel the need to remove the wallpaper to prep and paint, or anything like that. If we are still here in a few months, I'll think about it. We are possibly moving into a slightly larger trailer with two bedrooms that each have their own bathroom. That would be ideal. For now, this is fine. We are both neat and orderly in our habits.
I hung a bright green sheet in the hallway to provide an extension of the room that holds in my AC while giving both of us more privacy. The doors are sliders and they are fine but I thought this would benefit the feng shui. I should have posted a picture of the wonderful built-in closet and drawers. It's like living in an RV. I love it!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Wild Women
From the age of four or five, Marilyn and I ran the neighborhood. We hid in bushes and spied on the neighbors and we knew all the great gossip before it became gossip. We used information and intrinsic coquetry as cash to gain cookies, candy, and above all building supplies. Because there was much more fun to be had in the woods. We allowed some of the other neighborhood children to run with us, both girls and boys. But together or separate we were the alpha females and the undisputed leaders of the pack. She was a loner and I was a loner with devious social skills. We were lean and mean, one a tall goddess and the other a petite wood nymph. We meshed together well and shared a common purpose--utter curiosity and the drive to be the masters of our domain. We were wise, wild women from an early age.
Wild Women are Earth Mothers. Wild Women are untamed and unpredictable. We own our sexuality and you won't see anything other than shampoo, soap, and a toothbrush in our bathrooms. The lotions and pots of makeup are stored away for when we want them. Yes, Wild Women will occasionally dress up like "ladies" or "other-than-ladies", mostly because we can, but that is not the entirety of our consciousness. We were lucky to grow up as a wild women in central Florida, shielded from mass media, knowing nothing of weight and diets, makeup and fashion, and with a small dose of the reality of being targets in a male dominated culture. It was a delightful test tube and we revelled in it, in spite of the hardships of our lives. She lost her father early in life, while I was the cat person raised by wolves. But I am the cat who walks by herself and all places are alike to me.
My fondest memory of our escapades was the taming of the wilderness surrounding us. We lived in a concrete block subdivision of surrounded by "the woods". The woods were a grand forest of towering pines with a low ground cover of vicious blackberry vines and treacherous palmetto's, stretching around us for miles. There were rattlesnakes, coral snakes, a vast assortment of bugs and mosquitoes, plus an array of fruits and benign looking foliage designed to lull the unsuspecting into believing they were safe. But we were children of the woods who were well-schooled in the false pretenses of both the wilderness and civilization.
Beware the blackberry that is actually lantana, a poisonous weed. Beware the poison oak masquerading as a mild bush. Beware the coral snake pretending to be a king snake. Oh, yes the woods can be very, very devious. "Red touching yellow kills a fellow; Red touching black is a friend of Jack" that was our code for deciphering the message in the coloration of a potentially deadly coral snake, and only works decisively in Florida because the coral snake is more devious than most throughout the continent. Lantana has no thorns, so we only ate blackberries from vines with lots of thorns. The more blood on your arms the safer the berry. And we used the Native American method of inoculation against poison ivy. We never got a case of it while running the woods in Florida. It is the reason that folks can get allergy shots today. We believe that the great spirit put the remedy with the problem, in all cases.
So we tamed the woods around us and made hidden paths that went for miles and miles in and around our territory. We built forts high in the pine trees and used them to defend our turf from rivals. There were hardly any disputes because all the kids wanted to be in our group. And you could join the group if you had tools and building supplies, and a willingness to be bold and to build in the clouds. If I could name our tribe today, we'd have been The Children of the Clouds. We rained terror on the lowly children of the woods who came later into our game. Pebbles, water balloons, and noxious substances. Wild Women can be ruthless.
Building supplies? That was simple. We found these things laying about, dumped at the edges of our woods, in back yard piles, and at the new construction sites. We favored large nails, long planks, plywood sheets, and shorter lengths of two by fours. But we used everything. Our dads had hammers and saws, and didn't miss them during the day. We carried water in glass coke bottles with corks we made from sticks when cork was hard to come by--there were no plastic containers available then. We carried nets and forked sticks to catch snakes and other animals, plus boxes and bags to carry them home safely--safely for us, not for the animals. My dad dispatched quite a few of my captured coral snakes before I started carrying the axe with me, which turned out to be great for hacking foliage and cutting firewood as well.
The first venture into an apparently impenetrable forest wall was my idea. Marilyn said she wasn't allowed in the woods, but I hadn't gotten those specific instructions because to my unsuspecting parents it didn't look like any human being could penetrate the sheer volume of foliage, much less one small daughter. One day we were playing in the back yard of her home on the edge of the subdivision. Her step-father had a woodpile behind the house, at the edge of the woods. All the parents were at work and their family's maid was ironing and she never paid attention to us anyway. I got Marilyn to help me grab a board and stand it on its end, right at the edge of the woods. We let go of the board and made a four foot long path directly into the forbidden woods. I scampered to the end and said "let's do it again!" And it was on! We made it at least twenty feet into the woods and included a ninety degree turn to camouflage our efforts. Because it was forbidden, we wise women gathered brush and debris to hide our initial hole into the dense jungle we had started to tame. We must have been about seven years old at the time. Running around the neighborhood was getting old, it was time to run around the woods.
It was the beginning of spring, and it was hot as hell already, but this was central Florida before air conditioning was easily available. It was just as easy to cool down in the creeks as it was to cool down on the concrete floor of a Florida room. TV was black & white and we weren't yet hooked on Dark Shadows, so the ideal situation was born. We were of the age where nobody really cared what we did as long as nothing was broken and we didn't scare the horses. There was no such thing as babysitting for kids in school. In that era, in the sixties, there seemed to be no need. Ted Bundy hadn't set up shop in Gainesville yet, so we were wild and safer wild than tamed in any event. There were a few incidents where we ran into men in the woods, but already being well versed in covert operations from running wild in the neighborhood, it was more fun to be discreet in the woods and watch the men without them knowing about us. We sensed danger from adults anyway, so strangers had to be doubly dangerous. We were very wise women, even then.
The next day we would ordinarily have gone to my house to play as part of our unspoken reciprocity agreement, but being mind readers we hopped off the bus together and went straight to her house. We had three hours to make our way deeper into the woods. This time we prepared a little better and had a definite goal--to find water! Most of Florida is about an inch away from water at any moment and we already knew that if we didn't find a creek we could easily make one by digging a trench. So she carried the shovel and I dragged two planks. We fixed our entrance by setting it back behind a stand of palmetto's so that we could disappear behind it, and we made a place to stack our personal supplies and building materials. We had a fair idea of where the subdivision's drainage creek was located and that is what we set off to find. We didn't make it the second day, but we thought we heard it.
A few more days passed, and it rained a bit, so we went to my house to avert any suspicion over our activities. There we played a rousing game of Risk. "Crush, kill, destroy," that was our motto. We were long past The Game of Life or Monopoly. We rummaged through my father's tools and gathered a few more boards for our next venture. Then on the third day of this new adventure we found the creek. And not only did we find the creek, we found a relatively clean "beach" made of white clay in a cool depression along the sides of the creek. There was a tree down over the creek that made a great bridge, but the creek was only a few feet across at one point, so a few planks of wood solved the problem of carrying our supplies and tools. We made inroads into the woods with only a few planks at a time. As one plank was laid to compress the foliage, we'd trot to the end and lay down the second plank, taking up the first plank to use again. Once the foliage was compressed once, it seemed to stay relatively compressed as we used it as a pathway. At the creek, we eventually stashed three planks for use as a temporary bridge when we needed it.
On the third day we rested in the cool depression, covering our sun browned limbs with white clay as we laid in the shade, plotting our next moves. We were inveterate planners, always thinking several moves ahead, which serves us well to this day. As we lay there in the depression with our knees bent and our feet ankle deep in cool water we both seemed to spy the perfect tree house tree at the same time. We had made the prerequisite inroads into the woods, and it was logical to now build up. How on earth do two young girls build a tree house in a pine tree that has no lower branches whatsoever? We were two young engineers in the making and that part was easy. We needed rope for safety and short two by fours for the ladder, plus a hammer and the biggest nails we could find. Thus the next step of the project began to form.
Within days we had what we needed and it was a Saturday with hours and hours stretching out before us. In our plotting we arranged it so that I stayed overnight at her house. Her step-father went fishing, something we normally would have clamoured to do, but we let him go peacefully. We asked her mother if we could make a picnic lunch and go to the park. Naturally, she said "yes". Carla, the maid, helped us fill a small cooler with ice, four cokes, water, cups, and peanut butter sandwiches. Carla even gave us apples and a bag of Lay's potato chips. She didn't make the sandwiches the way I was used to, with maple syrup, but I wasn't arguing that day. Marilyn's mother and baby sister went shopping and Carla was watching TV. So we plotted how to get our lunch and our supplies to the tree house site as quickly as possible. At first we were going to make it in three or more trips. But mid-morning demonstrated how hot it was going to get. No way was I going to traipse several miles before starting the project, being very eager to begin. I grabbed a tarp from the carport and showed Marilyn a new trick. I was planning to make a travois like I'd read about in a book about the Plains Indians in school, but we managed to stack everything in the tarp, fold it up, and run the rope I brought through the holes to make a tarp sandwich around our stuff, like a hot dog with the ends closed. It didn't take us long to get to the creek pulling our travois behind us.
We organized our stuff, and had part of an early lunch, sharing a coke over two cups jam packed with ice. In Florida, everything is served over ice. It is inconceivable to me to drink a coke from a bottle or a can. It has to be over ice, otherwise it just isn't a coke. And everything's a coke. You order a coke in a restaurant and the waitress will tell you what they've got, sprite, coke, Dr. Pepper, etc. If all they have is Pepsi then you order yourself an ice tea. In Florida, in the south, everything's a coke. That's the way it has always been.
Anyway, after refreshing ourselves with a cold drink of coke (later it would be beer or Mad Dog, but we hadn't gotten to that yet), we worked out the plan. The first day we expected to hammer in short two by four's as ladder rungs to make it up the pine tree trunk to the first sturdy branches. And that is what we did. We quickly learned that one nail just wouldn't do, two is better, and the little engineers in us decided that three nails in a triangular pattern would work the best. When we ran out of two by fours, we used whatever fallen branches we could find. It took us 32 rungs to make it to the first set of sturdy branches, where we sat and looked around our domain, wishing we had our cokes and our lunch with us. Necessity is the not the only mother of invention, so is desire. We were well on our way to making our desires turn into reality. First we tried using the rope and tarp but realized it wasn't long enough, but I remembered my dad using a pulley to draw mysterious things up to the roof when he was working on it. I knew where the pulleys and the rope were stashed and he never was able to locate them again. Marilyn heard my description of his system and she knew what it meant. The idea of building a real tree house was born out of a simple desire to have an ice cold coke high in the tree, overlooking a vast woods filled with mystery and untamed promise.
It took us days to get the pulley system worked out permanently, plus a base set of boards secured, and place to hold our lunch and supplies. We learned to pull out the lowest rungs on the tree and carry them with us because we didn't want anyone to see that there was a path to our fort in the tree. We knew stealth, and we knew the limits of our potential rivals who would only see what they expected to see, not what we had introduced. Within weeks we had walls and a roof, and a stash of water and food. Because of the hardships in our lives we both talked of running away and living in the tree permanently. It was our haven and our dearest desires fulfilled. A safe place, hidden and discreet, far from the veneer of civilization. She had a step-father to dodge sexually, and I had the position of kitchen mammy in my home. We were warriors protecting our souls from the leeches of civilization. That is the way it has always been.
Wild Women are Earth Mothers. Wild Women are untamed and unpredictable. We own our sexuality and you won't see anything other than shampoo, soap, and a toothbrush in our bathrooms. The lotions and pots of makeup are stored away for when we want them. Yes, Wild Women will occasionally dress up like "ladies" or "other-than-ladies", mostly because we can, but that is not the entirety of our consciousness. We were lucky to grow up as a wild women in central Florida, shielded from mass media, knowing nothing of weight and diets, makeup and fashion, and with a small dose of the reality of being targets in a male dominated culture. It was a delightful test tube and we revelled in it, in spite of the hardships of our lives. She lost her father early in life, while I was the cat person raised by wolves. But I am the cat who walks by herself and all places are alike to me.
My fondest memory of our escapades was the taming of the wilderness surrounding us. We lived in a concrete block subdivision of surrounded by "the woods". The woods were a grand forest of towering pines with a low ground cover of vicious blackberry vines and treacherous palmetto's, stretching around us for miles. There were rattlesnakes, coral snakes, a vast assortment of bugs and mosquitoes, plus an array of fruits and benign looking foliage designed to lull the unsuspecting into believing they were safe. But we were children of the woods who were well-schooled in the false pretenses of both the wilderness and civilization.
Beware the blackberry that is actually lantana, a poisonous weed. Beware the poison oak masquerading as a mild bush. Beware the coral snake pretending to be a king snake. Oh, yes the woods can be very, very devious. "Red touching yellow kills a fellow; Red touching black is a friend of Jack" that was our code for deciphering the message in the coloration of a potentially deadly coral snake, and only works decisively in Florida because the coral snake is more devious than most throughout the continent. Lantana has no thorns, so we only ate blackberries from vines with lots of thorns. The more blood on your arms the safer the berry. And we used the Native American method of inoculation against poison ivy. We never got a case of it while running the woods in Florida. It is the reason that folks can get allergy shots today. We believe that the great spirit put the remedy with the problem, in all cases.
So we tamed the woods around us and made hidden paths that went for miles and miles in and around our territory. We built forts high in the pine trees and used them to defend our turf from rivals. There were hardly any disputes because all the kids wanted to be in our group. And you could join the group if you had tools and building supplies, and a willingness to be bold and to build in the clouds. If I could name our tribe today, we'd have been The Children of the Clouds. We rained terror on the lowly children of the woods who came later into our game. Pebbles, water balloons, and noxious substances. Wild Women can be ruthless.
Building supplies? That was simple. We found these things laying about, dumped at the edges of our woods, in back yard piles, and at the new construction sites. We favored large nails, long planks, plywood sheets, and shorter lengths of two by fours. But we used everything. Our dads had hammers and saws, and didn't miss them during the day. We carried water in glass coke bottles with corks we made from sticks when cork was hard to come by--there were no plastic containers available then. We carried nets and forked sticks to catch snakes and other animals, plus boxes and bags to carry them home safely--safely for us, not for the animals. My dad dispatched quite a few of my captured coral snakes before I started carrying the axe with me, which turned out to be great for hacking foliage and cutting firewood as well.
The first venture into an apparently impenetrable forest wall was my idea. Marilyn said she wasn't allowed in the woods, but I hadn't gotten those specific instructions because to my unsuspecting parents it didn't look like any human being could penetrate the sheer volume of foliage, much less one small daughter. One day we were playing in the back yard of her home on the edge of the subdivision. Her step-father had a woodpile behind the house, at the edge of the woods. All the parents were at work and their family's maid was ironing and she never paid attention to us anyway. I got Marilyn to help me grab a board and stand it on its end, right at the edge of the woods. We let go of the board and made a four foot long path directly into the forbidden woods. I scampered to the end and said "let's do it again!" And it was on! We made it at least twenty feet into the woods and included a ninety degree turn to camouflage our efforts. Because it was forbidden, we wise women gathered brush and debris to hide our initial hole into the dense jungle we had started to tame. We must have been about seven years old at the time. Running around the neighborhood was getting old, it was time to run around the woods.
It was the beginning of spring, and it was hot as hell already, but this was central Florida before air conditioning was easily available. It was just as easy to cool down in the creeks as it was to cool down on the concrete floor of a Florida room. TV was black & white and we weren't yet hooked on Dark Shadows, so the ideal situation was born. We were of the age where nobody really cared what we did as long as nothing was broken and we didn't scare the horses. There was no such thing as babysitting for kids in school. In that era, in the sixties, there seemed to be no need. Ted Bundy hadn't set up shop in Gainesville yet, so we were wild and safer wild than tamed in any event. There were a few incidents where we ran into men in the woods, but already being well versed in covert operations from running wild in the neighborhood, it was more fun to be discreet in the woods and watch the men without them knowing about us. We sensed danger from adults anyway, so strangers had to be doubly dangerous. We were very wise women, even then.
The next day we would ordinarily have gone to my house to play as part of our unspoken reciprocity agreement, but being mind readers we hopped off the bus together and went straight to her house. We had three hours to make our way deeper into the woods. This time we prepared a little better and had a definite goal--to find water! Most of Florida is about an inch away from water at any moment and we already knew that if we didn't find a creek we could easily make one by digging a trench. So she carried the shovel and I dragged two planks. We fixed our entrance by setting it back behind a stand of palmetto's so that we could disappear behind it, and we made a place to stack our personal supplies and building materials. We had a fair idea of where the subdivision's drainage creek was located and that is what we set off to find. We didn't make it the second day, but we thought we heard it.
A few more days passed, and it rained a bit, so we went to my house to avert any suspicion over our activities. There we played a rousing game of Risk. "Crush, kill, destroy," that was our motto. We were long past The Game of Life or Monopoly. We rummaged through my father's tools and gathered a few more boards for our next venture. Then on the third day of this new adventure we found the creek. And not only did we find the creek, we found a relatively clean "beach" made of white clay in a cool depression along the sides of the creek. There was a tree down over the creek that made a great bridge, but the creek was only a few feet across at one point, so a few planks of wood solved the problem of carrying our supplies and tools. We made inroads into the woods with only a few planks at a time. As one plank was laid to compress the foliage, we'd trot to the end and lay down the second plank, taking up the first plank to use again. Once the foliage was compressed once, it seemed to stay relatively compressed as we used it as a pathway. At the creek, we eventually stashed three planks for use as a temporary bridge when we needed it.
On the third day we rested in the cool depression, covering our sun browned limbs with white clay as we laid in the shade, plotting our next moves. We were inveterate planners, always thinking several moves ahead, which serves us well to this day. As we lay there in the depression with our knees bent and our feet ankle deep in cool water we both seemed to spy the perfect tree house tree at the same time. We had made the prerequisite inroads into the woods, and it was logical to now build up. How on earth do two young girls build a tree house in a pine tree that has no lower branches whatsoever? We were two young engineers in the making and that part was easy. We needed rope for safety and short two by fours for the ladder, plus a hammer and the biggest nails we could find. Thus the next step of the project began to form.
Within days we had what we needed and it was a Saturday with hours and hours stretching out before us. In our plotting we arranged it so that I stayed overnight at her house. Her step-father went fishing, something we normally would have clamoured to do, but we let him go peacefully. We asked her mother if we could make a picnic lunch and go to the park. Naturally, she said "yes". Carla, the maid, helped us fill a small cooler with ice, four cokes, water, cups, and peanut butter sandwiches. Carla even gave us apples and a bag of Lay's potato chips. She didn't make the sandwiches the way I was used to, with maple syrup, but I wasn't arguing that day. Marilyn's mother and baby sister went shopping and Carla was watching TV. So we plotted how to get our lunch and our supplies to the tree house site as quickly as possible. At first we were going to make it in three or more trips. But mid-morning demonstrated how hot it was going to get. No way was I going to traipse several miles before starting the project, being very eager to begin. I grabbed a tarp from the carport and showed Marilyn a new trick. I was planning to make a travois like I'd read about in a book about the Plains Indians in school, but we managed to stack everything in the tarp, fold it up, and run the rope I brought through the holes to make a tarp sandwich around our stuff, like a hot dog with the ends closed. It didn't take us long to get to the creek pulling our travois behind us.
We organized our stuff, and had part of an early lunch, sharing a coke over two cups jam packed with ice. In Florida, everything is served over ice. It is inconceivable to me to drink a coke from a bottle or a can. It has to be over ice, otherwise it just isn't a coke. And everything's a coke. You order a coke in a restaurant and the waitress will tell you what they've got, sprite, coke, Dr. Pepper, etc. If all they have is Pepsi then you order yourself an ice tea. In Florida, in the south, everything's a coke. That's the way it has always been.
Anyway, after refreshing ourselves with a cold drink of coke (later it would be beer or Mad Dog, but we hadn't gotten to that yet), we worked out the plan. The first day we expected to hammer in short two by four's as ladder rungs to make it up the pine tree trunk to the first sturdy branches. And that is what we did. We quickly learned that one nail just wouldn't do, two is better, and the little engineers in us decided that three nails in a triangular pattern would work the best. When we ran out of two by fours, we used whatever fallen branches we could find. It took us 32 rungs to make it to the first set of sturdy branches, where we sat and looked around our domain, wishing we had our cokes and our lunch with us. Necessity is the not the only mother of invention, so is desire. We were well on our way to making our desires turn into reality. First we tried using the rope and tarp but realized it wasn't long enough, but I remembered my dad using a pulley to draw mysterious things up to the roof when he was working on it. I knew where the pulleys and the rope were stashed and he never was able to locate them again. Marilyn heard my description of his system and she knew what it meant. The idea of building a real tree house was born out of a simple desire to have an ice cold coke high in the tree, overlooking a vast woods filled with mystery and untamed promise.
It took us days to get the pulley system worked out permanently, plus a base set of boards secured, and place to hold our lunch and supplies. We learned to pull out the lowest rungs on the tree and carry them with us because we didn't want anyone to see that there was a path to our fort in the tree. We knew stealth, and we knew the limits of our potential rivals who would only see what they expected to see, not what we had introduced. Within weeks we had walls and a roof, and a stash of water and food. Because of the hardships in our lives we both talked of running away and living in the tree permanently. It was our haven and our dearest desires fulfilled. A safe place, hidden and discreet, far from the veneer of civilization. She had a step-father to dodge sexually, and I had the position of kitchen mammy in my home. We were warriors protecting our souls from the leeches of civilization. That is the way it has always been.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Letting Go
This morning Mavis was awakened around noon by the UPS driver delivering the DSL modem and filters. I was awakened by the smell of her toast burning, so we managed to meet with our cups of coffee in the common area. We watched most of "All My Children", our favorite soap opera. We talked about the process both of us have gone through to let go of the idea that we have to spring out of bed exhausted and attend to a never-ending series of tasks and worry about everything we say or do and the repercussions all day long. Egads! Did we ever really live that way? The life of a single mother is just like that. You are the last to be hired, the first to be let go at work, while statistically being the most reliable employee an employer can acquire. You are beholden to everybody, your kids, your hex, your family, social services, your employers, your landlord, and even the neighbors. I managed it by becoming successful enough to get a secluded house in the burbs, while she gave the boys to her husband and said "good luck to you, my friend." He was retired from the Army and had the time and income to deal with very energetic and conniving pre-teens, while she worked two jobs to get on her feet. We have been through the wringer. I'm so glad I turned my back on the madness, and even forgive myself for sleeping past noon today.
Around 3:00 am last night I was still awake, mainly because I slept until 11:00 am yesterday. I just turned out the lights and rolled over, and proceeded to fantasize a survival scenario until I fell asleep. Now I'm ready to incorporate the fantasy in my book. But first I need to make some jewelry to fill Ebay orders that came in overnight. My little room here in the tiny trailer is very comfortable, but there are a few more things I'd like to acquire to make it more organized. So I'll finish the jewelry and go on some liesurely errands. In fact, I'd like to go play trivia, so I need to look up some places in the area. It's time I make this place my home for awhile. I figure on settling here until my new grandchild is born, and just working as little as possible as I take day trips in the area. First it needs to cool down. It's hot outside!
My expenses now are less than $500 a month, really less. I include $225 for shelter, electric, cable, and DSL, $36 for a life insurance policy, $60 for full coverage on my hoopty car (which is paid for and well-maintained), $70 a month for auto maintenance and fuel, $100 for food, and a little bit for toiletries. That is easily made in a week of selling on Ebay, and all the rest of my income goes into savings for my van and van dwelling plans. Of course I spend more than $500, but that is when I have made extra by selling things I no longer need. I sold a PC software game that I no longer use and am using the $26 I made on that to find materials to block off my alcove to look like an armoire or built-in closet with curtains. It's all about the feng shui of hiding the electronics and the clutter. I like clean lines and bare surfaces. Pictures are coming soon! Oh, and all the materials will either stay while I'm traveling or can be incorporated in my van, one day.
Around 3:00 am last night I was still awake, mainly because I slept until 11:00 am yesterday. I just turned out the lights and rolled over, and proceeded to fantasize a survival scenario until I fell asleep. Now I'm ready to incorporate the fantasy in my book. But first I need to make some jewelry to fill Ebay orders that came in overnight. My little room here in the tiny trailer is very comfortable, but there are a few more things I'd like to acquire to make it more organized. So I'll finish the jewelry and go on some liesurely errands. In fact, I'd like to go play trivia, so I need to look up some places in the area. It's time I make this place my home for awhile. I figure on settling here until my new grandchild is born, and just working as little as possible as I take day trips in the area. First it needs to cool down. It's hot outside!
My expenses now are less than $500 a month, really less. I include $225 for shelter, electric, cable, and DSL, $36 for a life insurance policy, $60 for full coverage on my hoopty car (which is paid for and well-maintained), $70 a month for auto maintenance and fuel, $100 for food, and a little bit for toiletries. That is easily made in a week of selling on Ebay, and all the rest of my income goes into savings for my van and van dwelling plans. Of course I spend more than $500, but that is when I have made extra by selling things I no longer need. I sold a PC software game that I no longer use and am using the $26 I made on that to find materials to block off my alcove to look like an armoire or built-in closet with curtains. It's all about the feng shui of hiding the electronics and the clutter. I like clean lines and bare surfaces. Pictures are coming soon! Oh, and all the materials will either stay while I'm traveling or can be incorporated in my van, one day.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Being
Today was spent merely "being", so I'm officially a Human Being and not a Human Doing anymore. It took a lot of self-searching to change into a Human Being because a Human Doing is very much addicted to being busy and I am really good at busy. Is is very hard to give that up and merely "be". It is all falling into place in my mind regarding a van dweller's life because in my spirit I am already there. It must be the ultra-lightweight backpacker in me, as I schemed and plotted to reduce my base pack. I had to go through the steps where I realized that I can truly survive with what I can carry on my back. Obviously, I'm going to be a Human Doing again, but hopefully this time it will happen because I want it to, not because I feel that is the only way to survive.
Someone reading my blog e-mailed to ask for my Ebay information in order to see my jewelry. I wish I could oblige, but from a privacy and safety standpoint it is better that I keep my business life separate from my on-line journal. I've been trying to e-mail that message back to the inquirer, but my internet connection keeps saying that my e-mail server is not available. The bottom line is that my Ebay customers might not approve if they knew I was traveling, while my writings may generate interest that could potentially jeopardize my income. So, I advise anyone who posts a blog to keep their privacy and safety in mind. Even my picture is one where I cleaned up nicely, but at work you wouldn't recognize me because I scrape my wild, wild hair back and wear librarian glasses and dress very conservatively. Unless I clean up like that again, you wouldn't recognize me from my picture. As a woman alone in the world I have to take my personal safety seriously. In any case, I have posted recent pictures of my jewelry, and will post other pieces as the mood strikes me.
What I would like to leave with any reader is the idea that they too could develop a business that could sustain them in an alternative lifestyle. I may not be making the kind of money I once did as a consultant, but I practice one important thing that I've learned. Do something you love to do, and do the least amount of work you can get away with to make your passion into something that earns income. I am careful, I don't invest much, and I spend frugally. When I make jewelry I am remaking beautiful pieces from discarded items I find at thrift stores, yard sales, dumpster diving, and flea markets. I reuse everything that I can. My friend Mavis is getting a charm bracelet that is made entirely of her departed mother's trinkets and costume jewelry that she normally wouldn't wear. I'll post a picture of that when we are done adding to it. It is a bracelet that can be worn or displayed as art. See? I'm passionate about it, I love to do it, and it incorporates my desire to recycle and live frugally. It also takes my mind of a dreadful accident case and the legal shenanigans that go along with it.
As my mission in life, it is my intent to pass along the message of simplicity. A single cup on a table that is otherwise empty is more beautiful than a hundred things lining a shelf. A bed with a single blanket is more peaceful than a room decorated by a designer. A blog where I can get it down to a paragraph a day is the desired goal. But, hey! I'm practicing! Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will my new life be built in less time than it will take for me to thunk it all out on my keyboard.
>^;^<
Someone reading my blog e-mailed to ask for my Ebay information in order to see my jewelry. I wish I could oblige, but from a privacy and safety standpoint it is better that I keep my business life separate from my on-line journal. I've been trying to e-mail that message back to the inquirer, but my internet connection keeps saying that my e-mail server is not available. The bottom line is that my Ebay customers might not approve if they knew I was traveling, while my writings may generate interest that could potentially jeopardize my income. So, I advise anyone who posts a blog to keep their privacy and safety in mind. Even my picture is one where I cleaned up nicely, but at work you wouldn't recognize me because I scrape my wild, wild hair back and wear librarian glasses and dress very conservatively. Unless I clean up like that again, you wouldn't recognize me from my picture. As a woman alone in the world I have to take my personal safety seriously. In any case, I have posted recent pictures of my jewelry, and will post other pieces as the mood strikes me.
What I would like to leave with any reader is the idea that they too could develop a business that could sustain them in an alternative lifestyle. I may not be making the kind of money I once did as a consultant, but I practice one important thing that I've learned. Do something you love to do, and do the least amount of work you can get away with to make your passion into something that earns income. I am careful, I don't invest much, and I spend frugally. When I make jewelry I am remaking beautiful pieces from discarded items I find at thrift stores, yard sales, dumpster diving, and flea markets. I reuse everything that I can. My friend Mavis is getting a charm bracelet that is made entirely of her departed mother's trinkets and costume jewelry that she normally wouldn't wear. I'll post a picture of that when we are done adding to it. It is a bracelet that can be worn or displayed as art. See? I'm passionate about it, I love to do it, and it incorporates my desire to recycle and live frugally. It also takes my mind of a dreadful accident case and the legal shenanigans that go along with it.
As my mission in life, it is my intent to pass along the message of simplicity. A single cup on a table that is otherwise empty is more beautiful than a hundred things lining a shelf. A bed with a single blanket is more peaceful than a room decorated by a designer. A blog where I can get it down to a paragraph a day is the desired goal. But, hey! I'm practicing! Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will my new life be built in less time than it will take for me to thunk it all out on my keyboard.
>^;^<
Monday, August 6, 2007
Downsized
As close as I am to feeling that less is more, I realize that I still focus too much on material culture. Admittedly, though I do need certain things in order to be able to forage successfully for my material needs for shelter, clothing, and food, it seems I'm still attached to material things for my enjoyment of life. I think I must like thinking about and planning around "All My Stuff". It's a perpetual soap opera. It jest goes to show you that less is more. My apologies! Trust that I do indeed have far less than I started with seven years ago. And I do focus on a lot of other matters besides things.
I'm at the big trailer doing a load of laundry for myself and my roommate. The Skyler kitty is lovingly placing his paw on my hands as I type. We have been bonding again as I vegetate. It's a heat wave in Missouri, but at least it's a "dry heat". LOL
Mavis and I had visions of enjoying a quiet and peaceful day without any drama, but unfortunately, her son doesn't get it. The baby mama took all four kids for a week last night after the birthday party. He was supposed to go to work today at 11:00 am. At 10:59 am he calls her with a manufactured emergency. He was out of gas and late for work. He had allowed a friend to drive the gas out of the car over the weekend for basically bullshit stuff. The car is not his. The car belongs to Mavis, and she insures it. He lucky to be out of jail and working and enjoying a trailer, electricity, telephone, and cable, plus his rented TV, while he allowed his work schedule to be cut to two days a week. He is about to be fired, we fear. And we don't understand why this idiot decided it is ok to squander OUR resources. She is sick of it and I'm curious why people act like this. She wants to set a boundary, but she is on the bond and there are four grandchildren to be cared for. It would be better for all concerned for her to be the legal guardian of those kids, allowing the parents visitation. This is ridiculous. This latest escapade is merely one in a string of many. He acts like we are being ridiculous. Sheesh!
I'm at the big trailer doing a load of laundry for myself and my roommate. The Skyler kitty is lovingly placing his paw on my hands as I type. We have been bonding again as I vegetate. It's a heat wave in Missouri, but at least it's a "dry heat". LOL
Mavis and I had visions of enjoying a quiet and peaceful day without any drama, but unfortunately, her son doesn't get it. The baby mama took all four kids for a week last night after the birthday party. He was supposed to go to work today at 11:00 am. At 10:59 am he calls her with a manufactured emergency. He was out of gas and late for work. He had allowed a friend to drive the gas out of the car over the weekend for basically bullshit stuff. The car is not his. The car belongs to Mavis, and she insures it. He lucky to be out of jail and working and enjoying a trailer, electricity, telephone, and cable, plus his rented TV, while he allowed his work schedule to be cut to two days a week. He is about to be fired, we fear. And we don't understand why this idiot decided it is ok to squander OUR resources. She is sick of it and I'm curious why people act like this. She wants to set a boundary, but she is on the bond and there are four grandchildren to be cared for. It would be better for all concerned for her to be the legal guardian of those kids, allowing the parents visitation. This is ridiculous. This latest escapade is merely one in a string of many. He acts like we are being ridiculous. Sheesh!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Nicely Downsized
Life is so much simpler lived downsized. There is a technical name for what I've done, it is called downshifting. I'm a middle-class professional who has made a conscious decision to live a simpler life. There is no upkeep for my "stuff", no upkeep for a fancy car, fancy house, or fancy investments. Basically, my only upkeep is for myself. Today I relaxed outside early this morning with a cup of tea and contemplated for a bit. There was nothing on the "to do" list, other than the impending birthday party for a new nine-year-old.
So I read a book until I felt like taking my shower. Then I dressed all the way down to my shoes and up to my hair and along with a touch of makeup. Then I wrapped the gifts that Marie and I bought for BJ at midnight last night, at the local all-night Wally World. On the way we were in the midst of the state fair traffic letting out and got into a sobriety checkpoint line. We got away ok, but she didn't have her current Geico insurance card. The nice officer let her off with a verbal warning, and we just made sure we came home the back way on the way home. That was the highlight of our day. Two grandmas traipsing to the store at midnight and getting a field sobriety test. That reminded me of the time the old man and I were spooning at Evansburg park in PA and got breathalyzed. I guess it's just me. I attract excitement. >^;^<
Well, we have BJ here with us while his dad and grandpa are cooking and decorating for the birthday party. BJ is getting a Transformers cake and there is a dead carcass cookout going on. So I just ate my tomato salad and a potato and onion stir-fry. I'd take some of the tomato salad, but I doubt it would be appreciated. Marie has been eating my "cooking" for the past month and has lost 10 pounds and is looking more alert and healthy. Oh, Well! I enjoyed the tomato, vidalia onion, walnut, tofu, lemon and avocado salad. My tastebuds were soooooo happy!
When I get back from the party I'm going to spend a relaxing afternoon and evening making and listing jewelry on Ebay, filling and wrapping the orders that came in this morning, and planning for a trip back to Pennsylvania to get the last of my stuff. I should be able to make the trip there and back within three days. I'm not sure how it will work with the mileage. If I can get a one-way from PA, I'll take a bus out and just drive the one way back. It is just so expensive to rent a one-way from anybody.
I'm getting general feedback that the accident case is progressing. With any luck they may offer a settlement before we actually go to trial next year. At this point I don't care as much. Once I decided to just do it and start moving away from the area it seems like things are getting ticked off my list much faster. I have a large collection of miniature items to sell on Ebay, then I'm headed out to get more of the larger items out of storage. Then once I start working somewhere here I'll part with my savings and buy the best cargo van I can get for money. I may be able to buy a nearly new one if I can find a business in distress type of sale. Then I can get the prep work done to make the van liveable.
My list is small and reasonable. I want two vents on the roof, one a solar vent, and the other a wired vent, to maintain ventilation. These will be under a raised area with a plywood cover for added insulation from the sun beating down. On the plywood area I want to have as many solar panels installed as is feasible. Then I want to have as many storage batteries as feasible with the appropriate inverter to charge and run a laptop, hotpot, fans, printer, and lights. I plan to have a trailer that is for storage, plus it will house a generator that I want to plug into the van's system if I am boondocking--I'm thinking about a caged and locked area in front of the trailer, which I've seen before. Heat is the thing I need protection from the most because when it is cold I plan to be in milder temps. I will research and obtain the best air conditioner unit I can find which will be used only when I'm plugged into the grid or am pulling the generator. For cooking I plan to do the same thing I would do when hiking or camping. I usually eat raw foods, but enjoy the occasional soup or stir-fry. That can be down over a hobo stove, outside of my van. If I can run a hot plate or tiny microwave while plugged into the grid, then I will. The hotpot or SmartMug will be fine for tea and instant coffee anytime. I expect that my cooler will need a dollar's worth of ice every other day, if that. I won't be storing meat or dairy products. I'll be keeping drinking water cold, and fresh fruit and vegies cool. So I don't need to carry a refridgerator. For personal hygiene, I'm a tiny gal. I can use a solar shower with a privacy curtain, inside or outside. I will use a child's blowup pool if I'm planted anywhere for any length of time. I have a YMCA membership and I'm looking into getting an annual federal park permit.
I have already obtained my queensize blowup bed. I picked this because it will wedge in nicely in just about any size van, with canvas between the bed and the walls of the van. I don't plan to do much other than insulate the walls appropriately, use the venting and a dehumidifier to cut down on condensation, and hang fabric to make it look like a tent inside. I have plastic drawer systems to bungie cord to the back of the van's seats, as well as a luggable loo for anytime I want to poo in private inside my van. I will also bungie cord two large water bottles to each side of the interior. I have a battery operated pump that fits on five gallon water bottles, for convenience. I also have a solar battery charger, but I need to acquire a stash of rechargable batteries.
So, the downsizing and the planning are well in motion. I just need money to make things happen faster, otherwise it will still happen, just over a longer period of time.
So I read a book until I felt like taking my shower. Then I dressed all the way down to my shoes and up to my hair and along with a touch of makeup. Then I wrapped the gifts that Marie and I bought for BJ at midnight last night, at the local all-night Wally World. On the way we were in the midst of the state fair traffic letting out and got into a sobriety checkpoint line. We got away ok, but she didn't have her current Geico insurance card. The nice officer let her off with a verbal warning, and we just made sure we came home the back way on the way home. That was the highlight of our day. Two grandmas traipsing to the store at midnight and getting a field sobriety test. That reminded me of the time the old man and I were spooning at Evansburg park in PA and got breathalyzed. I guess it's just me. I attract excitement. >^;^<
Well, we have BJ here with us while his dad and grandpa are cooking and decorating for the birthday party. BJ is getting a Transformers cake and there is a dead carcass cookout going on. So I just ate my tomato salad and a potato and onion stir-fry. I'd take some of the tomato salad, but I doubt it would be appreciated. Marie has been eating my "cooking" for the past month and has lost 10 pounds and is looking more alert and healthy. Oh, Well! I enjoyed the tomato, vidalia onion, walnut, tofu, lemon and avocado salad. My tastebuds were soooooo happy!
When I get back from the party I'm going to spend a relaxing afternoon and evening making and listing jewelry on Ebay, filling and wrapping the orders that came in this morning, and planning for a trip back to Pennsylvania to get the last of my stuff. I should be able to make the trip there and back within three days. I'm not sure how it will work with the mileage. If I can get a one-way from PA, I'll take a bus out and just drive the one way back. It is just so expensive to rent a one-way from anybody.
I'm getting general feedback that the accident case is progressing. With any luck they may offer a settlement before we actually go to trial next year. At this point I don't care as much. Once I decided to just do it and start moving away from the area it seems like things are getting ticked off my list much faster. I have a large collection of miniature items to sell on Ebay, then I'm headed out to get more of the larger items out of storage. Then once I start working somewhere here I'll part with my savings and buy the best cargo van I can get for money. I may be able to buy a nearly new one if I can find a business in distress type of sale. Then I can get the prep work done to make the van liveable.
My list is small and reasonable. I want two vents on the roof, one a solar vent, and the other a wired vent, to maintain ventilation. These will be under a raised area with a plywood cover for added insulation from the sun beating down. On the plywood area I want to have as many solar panels installed as is feasible. Then I want to have as many storage batteries as feasible with the appropriate inverter to charge and run a laptop, hotpot, fans, printer, and lights. I plan to have a trailer that is for storage, plus it will house a generator that I want to plug into the van's system if I am boondocking--I'm thinking about a caged and locked area in front of the trailer, which I've seen before. Heat is the thing I need protection from the most because when it is cold I plan to be in milder temps. I will research and obtain the best air conditioner unit I can find which will be used only when I'm plugged into the grid or am pulling the generator. For cooking I plan to do the same thing I would do when hiking or camping. I usually eat raw foods, but enjoy the occasional soup or stir-fry. That can be down over a hobo stove, outside of my van. If I can run a hot plate or tiny microwave while plugged into the grid, then I will. The hotpot or SmartMug will be fine for tea and instant coffee anytime. I expect that my cooler will need a dollar's worth of ice every other day, if that. I won't be storing meat or dairy products. I'll be keeping drinking water cold, and fresh fruit and vegies cool. So I don't need to carry a refridgerator. For personal hygiene, I'm a tiny gal. I can use a solar shower with a privacy curtain, inside or outside. I will use a child's blowup pool if I'm planted anywhere for any length of time. I have a YMCA membership and I'm looking into getting an annual federal park permit.
I have already obtained my queensize blowup bed. I picked this because it will wedge in nicely in just about any size van, with canvas between the bed and the walls of the van. I don't plan to do much other than insulate the walls appropriately, use the venting and a dehumidifier to cut down on condensation, and hang fabric to make it look like a tent inside. I have plastic drawer systems to bungie cord to the back of the van's seats, as well as a luggable loo for anytime I want to poo in private inside my van. I will also bungie cord two large water bottles to each side of the interior. I have a battery operated pump that fits on five gallon water bottles, for convenience. I also have a solar battery charger, but I need to acquire a stash of rechargable batteries.
So, the downsizing and the planning are well in motion. I just need money to make things happen faster, otherwise it will still happen, just over a longer period of time.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Peace and Quiet
Finally, a break in the madness. I have accomplished about 80% toward my goal of becoming a van dweller. I've downsized significantly and have most of my projects completed. Yesterday I found some bargains while shopping at local thrift stores. We went as far as Waynesville, Missouri, because Mavis had to pick up a free prescription there and we checked out several thrift stores, including Goodwill and Salvation Army. The unnamed thrift stores had the better bargains. I got a relatively modern TV for five dollars, plus about a hundred feet of cable and parts for another dollar. The VCR was ten dollars, and the hot pot for heating water in my room was fifty cents. Brand new! When we got back to Rolla I found a microwave oven on sale for two dollars and fifty cents, which I picked up for Brain, and he needed a small coffee maker which I found for a dollar. I picked up several floor lamps for two dollars each, complete with bulbs that worked. I found a skinny two shelf system to use as a side table beside my twenty dollar blow-up bed. There were other bargains to be found, including a new mop for a buck, a used bucket for a quarter, and a rake for fifty cents. I found new measuring cups, what appeared to be an unused citrus juicer, and a vegetable peeler which I got for another buck for all of them together. Plus a two sets of shelves and a hutch for organizing my desk, altogether for $10. I found nearly new comforters to pad my bed a bit, curtains, and a huge focal pillow that was perfect for lounging with a good book last night. The point of the exercise is that there is no reason to shop in a store without checking out thrift stores first. If I had needed to, I could have furnished an entire three bedroom house for about two hundred dollars. The items I picked up were merely the unused objects discarded by those with debt in the $20,000 range. It just doesn't make any sense, does it? Why go into debt to buy any of it? And most of what I got can be used in a van. Anything else can stay in my little room in a tiny trailer down by the river, where my cats will retire in peace and contentment.
In a few weeks I'll go back to Pennsylvania and get the rest of my stuff out of storage. When I get it all back here I have a small office in the trailer to finish the last of the downsizing and organizing. Half of the 5x5 storage room is filled with family memorabilia and holiday decorations. I plan to scan in all the children's art and writing, pictures, negatives, and etcetera, for creating DVD. That would include pictures of things I'd like to remember, then I can dispose of them. Anything with sentimental value will be dispersed to family. Another quarter of the storage room is filled with items to sell on Ebay. The remainder consists of kitchen items, clothes, personal items, excess toiletries, hiking gear, camping supplies, and other things to just sort through, purge a little, use, and sell as needed. I expect to have all of this completed by the end of September. It's a good thing, too! I'm going to be a grandmother again in March next year. I want to be able to drive up and plug in, to visit and help out.
Today I have several Ebay jewelry orders to fill and wrap, and plan to open a bank account here, at Bank of America. Commerce Bank isn't out this far. I might get the drivers license changed, too. That way when I get back from Pennsylvania I can move my unemployment case out here and start becoming a productive citizen again. I plan to take a minimum wage job and make the extra I'm allowed while on the dole, while I do a really comprehensive career assessment. Heh, heh, heh . . .
What I'd really like to do is play The Sims and vegetate, but that will be more fun later tonight when the TV is hooked up to cable and my beer is nicely chilled. I haven't celebrated in nearly two weeks, so it's time.
In a few weeks I'll go back to Pennsylvania and get the rest of my stuff out of storage. When I get it all back here I have a small office in the trailer to finish the last of the downsizing and organizing. Half of the 5x5 storage room is filled with family memorabilia and holiday decorations. I plan to scan in all the children's art and writing, pictures, negatives, and etcetera, for creating DVD. That would include pictures of things I'd like to remember, then I can dispose of them. Anything with sentimental value will be dispersed to family. Another quarter of the storage room is filled with items to sell on Ebay. The remainder consists of kitchen items, clothes, personal items, excess toiletries, hiking gear, camping supplies, and other things to just sort through, purge a little, use, and sell as needed. I expect to have all of this completed by the end of September. It's a good thing, too! I'm going to be a grandmother again in March next year. I want to be able to drive up and plug in, to visit and help out.
Today I have several Ebay jewelry orders to fill and wrap, and plan to open a bank account here, at Bank of America. Commerce Bank isn't out this far. I might get the drivers license changed, too. That way when I get back from Pennsylvania I can move my unemployment case out here and start becoming a productive citizen again. I plan to take a minimum wage job and make the extra I'm allowed while on the dole, while I do a really comprehensive career assessment. Heh, heh, heh . . .
What I'd really like to do is play The Sims and vegetate, but that will be more fun later tonight when the TV is hooked up to cable and my beer is nicely chilled. I haven't celebrated in nearly two weeks, so it's time.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Employer Confidentiality Handled
I mostly let the issue with the twit at my employer's office roll off my back. But I did gather all the evidence of what he did and I tricked four of the recruiters who contacted me into writing in e-mail and faxing documents to me. In the e-mails I got all of them to say how our "mutual friend" (the twit) gave them my information and told them how badly I need help finding work. I was transformed by the twit from a 50-70 dollar an hour consultant to a 20 dollar an hour consultant, even as low as a 14 dollar an hour consultant, in writing! In fact, I have never worked for 50 dollars an hour or lower in the IT industry and mostly work for 80 dollars or more an hour. This is war! I fedexed the package to the division manager and the branch manager yesterday and just got off a conference call with both of them. I included documentation of all of the transgressions that occurred before this one regarding the breach of confidentiality. The lack of communication, the delayed payments when I was on W-2, sending me to a client who is restricted due to non-payment and not putting me officially in the system. Plus, I discovered that he sent my resume to clients without running the jobs past me first and literally blanketed the area with my personal information. I found out that he and another recruiter and account manager had been called on the carpet for all of these things. The other guy was fired last week. The twit also left a voice mail for me last Thursday, when he was alerted that I was gathering information on him, apologizing for actions that he "sincerely" believed were helping me. I wish I had not been so distracted by the long, drawn out plans for hitting the road, else I would have caught on to this much earlier. Anyway, it is handled. I told them that I must not receive any communication from the twit, and that my resume and personal information must not be given out to anyone without my written permission via e-mail. I don't care what happens to the twit. As for a legal pursuit, I'd have to be able to prove I didn't get a job because of this. That might take more time and energy than it is worth. In any case I'd not do anything about that until after I take another job where I am couch surfing now, or get the accident settlement I'm hoping for, which would make any repercussions from this a moot point. I really don't want to work for anyone ever again. I want to write my own software and books and travel. Period.
So, today Mavis and I are shopping for things for "her" trailer. I would like to find a little tv for my room, one that will travel well when the van arrives in my life. I need a few little things to make the bed comfy and to organize my jewelry making gear. It will be fun to shop together and probably have lunch somewhere interesting. Brain is off work for the next two days so we won't be babysitting. Little Brain has a birthday this Sunday and his dad is hosting a party for him. Can't wait! LOL I'm sort of hoping that our part of the drama will subside and that Mavis and I can shop and vegetate in peace.
I have some jewelry orders to fill and we're going to hit the road.
So, today Mavis and I are shopping for things for "her" trailer. I would like to find a little tv for my room, one that will travel well when the van arrives in my life. I need a few little things to make the bed comfy and to organize my jewelry making gear. It will be fun to shop together and probably have lunch somewhere interesting. Brain is off work for the next two days so we won't be babysitting. Little Brain has a birthday this Sunday and his dad is hosting a party for him. Can't wait! LOL I'm sort of hoping that our part of the drama will subside and that Mavis and I can shop and vegetate in peace.
I have some jewelry orders to fill and we're going to hit the road.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)