Survivalisting

Here I sit at my current software gig, somewhere in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. My kids could explain that to you, since they graduated from Pennsylvania schools, the fine distinction between a Commonwealth and a State. In any case, I'm working late and am taking a mental health break to surf the web. I'm in survival planning mode, which is no surprise. As a child of the 50's who grew up on Florida, I carry the utlimate atomic bomb shelter in my head at all times. Posted in the corridors of my childhood schools were detailed lists of everything you should do in the event of a nuclear attack: stay away from windows, hide under your overturned desk, close your eyes, clasp your arms around your knees, and kiss your ass goodbye--seriously!

So this peak oil thing is nothing new to me. I'm down with what they predict, though for different reasons. First, the production of oil that we can get at easily is being artificially kept low. The reasons would be to facilitate the continual rape and pillaging of our willing purses, in which we are so cooperatative. The second would be the sword that defeats our rapacious democracy from the inside. We are willing victims. Even after 9/11 people still continued to patronize the storefronts of the world at the expense of our own.

My grandparents who survived the depression always taught us to keep a year's worth of food in storage, and to stay out of debt, and to have a paid for piece of land. So I've always been prepared for anything, all my life. But I've spent the years since Y2K figuring out an ultimate survival plan that takes into account the realities we will face.

It is a great idea to own land, but land and resources can be seized and taken, by the government, or by the hordes. There is no guarantee you will be able to defend against the gangs and hordes of suffering humanity. If our government implodes and society breaks down, then no amount of land will save you. You will be easily identified as the easiest pickings, and the first to go. Unless you are well hidden and have formed a group with likeminded family groups.

I don't have that luxury, and I intend to be well beyond the hordes and gangs. My strategy is to live out of my van. I expect to be able to make at least 600 miles in the van, in an attempt to flee the urban and suburban area ahead of the hordes. I'll take the pulse of the city and be well away before any government entity announces an evacuation, or the hungry reach critical mass.

Once I'm 600 miles away, I expect to be able to wait things out in a camping mode. I could stay in the van indefinitely, depending upon the mood of the crisis. If things go badly while camping, my mountain bike is outfitted with panniers and a rack, upon which I can carry everything needed to ensure survival as I go deeper into the wilderness areas. After the bike is no longer useful, my backpack contains enough to sustain me as long as I can find water and wild edibles. My dehydrated food collection was designed to sustain me without wild edibles or other food sources for at least three months of hard-scrabbled rationing, if necessary.

I think that being mobile and hostile is the best strategy. I do not see any need to invest all my resources into a place that I may not be able to keep.

On another note, this may on the surface not be a completely "popular" thought, but the the concept that our economy and our collective American "lifestyle" was never really sustainable seems to be ignored by the Peak Oil survivalists. The Nouveau Survivalists. Most will not see it, and many who do see it still do nothing about it:

"The Population Reference Bureau estimates that the average American consumes about 23 times more goods and services than the average world citizen. Americans also bum 10,000 liters (2600 gallons) of oil-equivalents per year —seven times the world average. Clearly, achieving a US standard of living is impossible for the rest of the world, based both on projections of future resource availability and on population growth. The affluent standard of living now enjoyed by Americans (made possible by our abundant supplies of fertile cropland, water and fossil energy) is projected to decline if the US population doubles during the next 63 years." http://www.mnforsustain.org/pimentel_d_natural_resources_and_optimum_population.htm

That doesn't mean that I don't understand the Peak Oil whinging and the pain that the forced realization of these home truths cause in average Americans who believe the lie, that they are somehow more deserving of the world's resources than the people whose resources we steal. My survivalist planning isn't about the problems exposed by Peak Oil. My planning is to save me and mine from the ill-prepared, starving, raging, marauding hordes. My kind will always survive YOU. I have no illusions about the coming reboot of human civilization. See, we are all survivalists--even the foreigners who inflate the oil prices--they are trying to survive YOU.

Don't take this personally. Understand what is really going on. And, of course, SURVIVE!

Van Camping Planning

The rain subsided long enough yesterday and I got enough done with the software development to go ahead and pick up my new bike and ride it home. It is sitting in Little Bird's house now, waiting to be ridden today, and trucked to French Creek tomorrow. It has its cute little backpacking panniers attached to the bike rack. There are two adorable grocery panniers that I will keep in the van for grocery shopping. I may be an ultra-lightweight backpacker, but I'm not carrying all my stuff on my back while biking. Not happening!

It is Saturday, a beautiful day from all glances out of the window. I've been working this morning and will take some time to get showered and ready for outdoor activities. A nice long bike ride (a shakedown cruise), then more software development work, then perhaps some errands for beer, food, and camping supplies. I'll hit Walmart and Home Depot tomorrow if I'm energetic enough in the morning. I promised to help Little Bird consolidate clutter in a big room she wants to move into, then move it to the room I'm cramping out in now.

I'll move my computer lab to the dining room while all that is going on. The laptop and hardware will travel with me to the campsite, then hopefully I'll have a new and empty room when I get back. There I'll set up jewelry and crafts, and my computer collection. Mostly, I'll work in Exton for a few days next week and perhaps will leave all the PC's onsite. I don't have to commute every day, especially with the van. I can camp out in the van overnight and still get 20 hours of work done over two days.

My hope and plan is that once I'm in the big room I can work out a nice routine that gives me plenty of time for hiking, biking, and camping. I do feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and that all my stuff will no longer be my topic of the day. Can't wait!

Mountain Bike & Hitch

Wow, I budgeted $2000 for a new mountain bike and hitch, and I got everything for only $1200. I got a Thule hitch-mount with locking cable for four bikes. This moves out of the way for ease in getting into the back of the van. The bike is a cool grandma green with 60's purple flowers. It's a Barbie bike!

http://www.trekbikes.com/women/wsd_products/bikes/2008/mountain/3700wsd

I left it at the shop to have some gadgets attached. The kick-stand, water bottle rack, rear cargo rack (will also hold removable panniers), wireless odometer, kick-ass headlight, and a rear safety light. The new Trek helmet is also in green to match my new Trek bike. I will have it in time to take it camping Sunday, for three days.

Tomorrow I'll head over to Home Depot to buy the reflextix and screen for a van camping van window covering project. If I have energy, I'll head over to JoAnne's for a sewing machine and some material for curtains.

This three day weekend is for meditation, van windows, biking, sorting all my paperwork for final disposition, hiking, studying C# threading, remediating threading in a server application, eating healthy, and napping--a lot! I think I can fit all that in.

Van Camper Planning

OK, now I have the van, and I've done a night in a state park to work out what I should do next. I'm happy enough with the van to think about how I could improve it for permanent living or camping, but the downside is that there isn't enough head room to stand up. Over the long haul that could be very uncomfortable.

I'd end up doing more in the van and even living in it if I could consistently walk around and not feel so claustrophobic. Of course I could live in the van in a pinch, but I'm deciding whether to use the current van for casual camping while searching for a taller van to outfit for living.

This matters because I want a permanent bed attached with room for storage underneath, a desk to work at, and an easy way to cook and clean up inside when necessary. It wouldn't make sense to outfit this van just to obtain and outfit another one, so here is how I thought I'd proceed:

1. Keep this van and have it mechanically checked and brought up to a state of excellence. I may need some suspension work, brakes, tires, and that should be it for another 30,000 miles. I need to verify that. I want money budgeted for the power train, or replacement of the van, as necessary.

2. Have electrical items installed-vent, roof AC, 110 volt wiring, cable wiring, panel to hookup to outside electric and cable, deep cycle batteries and box vented to the outside, and perhaps solar panels on the roof. Anything to make it simple to run a vent, fan, AC, or small heater as needed. The AC and heater would be run when hooked to outside power.

3. Install alarm & remote start-I can use that to run AC and heater from the engine in a pinch. Also install some kind of gas cap lock.

4. Install permanent screens and window coverings that are removable as necessary, using reflectix panels for when the windows need to remain shut. That includes window coverings for the cabin, too. The curtain between the cabin and the living space is still good for if a guest needs to use the potty behind the curtain. It *could* happen...

5. Clean up the rug, the walls, and the ceiling, and cover the walls with something attractive and easy to clean. Fit a rug that covers the bench seat holes and looks attractive.

6. Install a plywood bench across the back with enough room for a twin to 3/4 size mattress to be set up as a permanent bed/settee, using the underneath for storage of 8 lidded plastic bins with necessary items as storage for clothes, toiletries, extra food, and miscellaneous. Cover the plywood so it is smooth to the touch and attractive to look at. Cover the front opening to hide the clutter.

7. There is room for a small desk on the right of the van, to use for making jewelry inside, or to work. It can be a real desk or a jury-rigged desk, like a fold-down style that can be reached from the bed(?).

8. There is room for two plastic chest of drawers behind the driver's seat, with space to store a 5 gallon water bottle with a pump on it. I'd make the drawers the area for cooking, cleaning, and storing food. It would have dishes, utensils, sprouting supplies, spices, seasonings, trash bags, paper products, anything else related to eating and cleaning. There is room for a cooler behind the passenger seat for easy acces to cold items, both to clean it out, stock it, and fill it with ice.

When traveling, I'd use the living space in the back to hold folding chairs, a folding table, tools, inverter, travel bags, cleaning supplies, hiking gear, and extra items. When parked, these items would be stored in the cabin. Ideally, if I lived out of the van for long periods of time, I'd pull a sturdy enclosed trailer to stow sellable items and extra stuff. For the present I'll still work on downsizing, though I'm doing pretty good already. One van load and a half of personal treasures is not bad for a 51 year old grandmother.

>^;^<

Camping in the Van - French Creek, PA

Yesterday I came home from my van camping adventure in French Creek State Park, here in Pennsylvania. I was tired and ended up vegetating before going to bed early. But I did reminisce about the adventure and thought about what I could do to make it better next time, and in general for van camping and van dwelling.



The biggest issue was my disorganization and an excess of stuff. I had to toss in everything I thought I might need or want on the trip, then got on the road before rush hour. There was no time to organize anything. I was lucky to keep the load from sliding around too much. Once I got to the park and backed into my site, I plugged into the electric and threaded the heavy duty extension cord through the side window. I plugged a power strip into the cord and charged my cell phone and ran a small fan for ventilation. That's what I did right. I also brought the real necessities: beer and food, and in that order. I only drank two beers on the trip but in Pennsylvania the blue laws insist you buy beer by the case, so I had to keep the beer cold so it wouldn't get skunky. The rest of the larder consisted of veggies, mushrooms, hummus, blackberries, and blueberries. Yummo!



There was stuff everywhere! I stayed in the van for several hours working it all out. I think my pop-up camping neighbors thought I was acting a bit odd, but I was there for my own purpose, which was to checkout the van camping setup and improve it. There were several large and small plastic bins that were used to organize the necessities. There was a bin for food, one for dishes and utensils to eat with, and one for cooking equipment. That seemed like a lot. The first time I tried van camping I used two large plastic chests with three drawers that hid most of the clutter. Those were bungied to the front seats and taped to keep them closed. Henry was a taller van than Rocky is, so I didn't think the drawers would work this time. I may have to try them out.



There is a also a black hassock shaped port-a-potty with a grey lid. I'm using black trash can liners doubled inside, with some biodegrading additive for the smell. I didn't notice an odor unless I removed the lid. It wasn't too bad then either.



In the picture above you can see the green plastic sewing organizer I rescued from little bird's basement hoard, plus an inverter that I plan to keep charged and in the van for casual use, a white trash can with a plastic pop-up lid that stays closed to keep the stench down, plus the blue fan. The orange handled device is for cutting firewood, and the water jug and dishes are self-explanatory.



Order started to come out of the chaos of it all, and I was able to make curtains and put them up. This was for a sense of privacy, though with the lights on it was clear that you could still see into the van in the dark. I'll need privacy curtains, so that's a new shopping task. That box seen in the picture above contains some hiking items I ordered in the mail that I wanted to inspect while out camping. I'm experimenting with the overall weight of my sleeping system, and got some disposable sleeping bags to keep in the van for social emergencies when I'm planning a hike with others who may be ill-prepared.



Those are my toes, relaxing at the end of the sleeping pad. My left ankle is as swollen and misshapen as it looks, from the accident, but I get by. The cooler had to be set to hang over the doorstep to drain. It is a Walmart cooler that leaks, and until I can stop it up correctly, it will have to drain to the steps rather than the rug as it did before I discovered it. I think I can cut some rubber to fit inside, or even some silicon. I'd like to make a permanent bed area off the floor in the back, over the area to store plastic bins, then put the drawers against the wall behind the driver's seat. The toilet hassock can be used as a seat, and I need a space for storing a folding table and chair to use outside. The driver and passenger seats are a waste of space at the moment, but will probaby be used as a space to stash little used items while in camp. I still need to make or buy something to cover the dash and front windows, for privacy. I'd like to get some screen to make covers for all the windows that open, during the buggy seasons of the year.

Camper Van Dwelling

It's Friday, and I'm getting ready to go to French Creek to camp in the van. I need to run some errands and get beer, ice, and food. Then I'll set it up for a nice day of camping out. I reserved an electric site so that I can have light to do my sewing this evening. After spending the last few months picking up 50 cent scraps of black cloth, it's time to make the curtains. There is one privacy curtain going up behind the driver's seat. The rest will be velcro attached curtains on all the windows.

For cooking I'm bringing a long heavy duty extension cord and a power strip for plugging in a hot plate. I simply don't feel like dealing with a propane stove or a hobo stove. I'll post lots of wonderful pictures when I get back home.

Van Traveling

OK, I admit it. This trip to Pennsylvania is about van traveling, not van dwelling. I have so much stuff anyway, I couldn't sleep in there if I wanted to.

Rocky the Van is loaded up so far with both bench seats, all the memoribilia, all the paperwork, most of the office supplies, most of the jewelry, and some miscellaneous items. I have one of the white plastic utility three drawer units in the front bench seat. Next I'm sorting out the clothes in my room so that some is in a bag to carry to and fro, while the rest is in the drawers. Once I empty the other drawers they will go next on the bench seat to be filled. At least they are high enough in the bench seat to keep crap from hitting me when I have to stop quickly. I just ate a quick vegie burger to give me strength.

The other utility drawers are in place, and packed up. Pretty much everything I'm taking is in the van, except for kitchen stuff, the laptop, the monitor/TV, and my bedding. I postponed the trip yesterday because I felt just miserable from the beginnings of a sinus infection. My tail was dragging all day.

Van Dwelling

It hasn't really sunk in yet that van dwelling is more than a set of tasks on my to do list. This time it's just about the van. It doesn't need anything done to it or for it. It just "is". This one isn't about how many generators I can get into it, or when is the vent getting installed, or covering up metal walls. This is a passenger van with two bench seats and carpeting, and is fairly finished inside. The doors are conveniently arranged and the windows are darkly tinted. So even curtains aren't absolutely necessary. I'll check that out later tonight.

I've let my mind go in circles trying to decide what this trip to Pennsylvania means for me. It was mainly about seeing my son and his new baby that is due this week. And secondarily it was about the lawsuit and the trial scheduled for the 31st. The job is out there, too. Though I wouldn't have to be tied to the job. The freedom that is all tied up in that van is something I just can't comprehend the same way I accepted the shackles of restricted living. I can come and go, with or without stuff, really I can.

I've mentally explored endless possibilities in trying to decide what to take, what to leave behind, and how I will live out there. I still have a lot of stuff and if I wanted to stay in Pennsylvania for a month or more, then I don't want to be thinking I'd like to make some soy milk then remember the soy milk maker is in Missouri. I might want to work on craft projects, but the same condition applies. Where is all the stuff? Then what happens if I lose my stuff? This is a George Carlin schtick if I ever saw one. Stuff, stuff! Everywhere and nowhere is the stuff!

I did shop a little for the new van: big toolbox, large rectangular zipper bag to organize van dwelling stuff, a port-a-potty for those nights or days when I'm too shy to go into a facility, LED lantern, and some camping cookware. I have stuff all over the living room of the RV as I'm trying to organize before loading the van before my trip.

The priorities are work (PC, hardware enclosure, laptop, printer, scanner, camera, software), personal (clothes, shoes, toiletries), paperwork (consolidate even more!), memoribilia (scanning project), camping & hiking gear, garden & sprouting stuff, kitchen gear (if I decide to get a place). Nice-to-have would be all the jewelry supplies and tools, and my dolls and crafts. And then there are the cats, Spike and Kristi Belle Belle. My head is spinning.

Do I go ahead and take out the bench seats then put in the living space, which means storing the bench seats in Missouri? Or, do I leave in the bench seats and take all the above items, leaving the cats and the crafts? I don't really have time for crafts if I'm going to visit my son and the new baby, hike as much as possible, finish consolidating the paperwork, and further consolidate memoribilia in the scanning project. If I'm going to stay in Pennsylvania I don't necessarily want to drive all the way back to Missouri to get the cats and the crafts, but I would have to come back anyway to sell the car. Argh! See why I can't stop the voices in my head?

OK, calming down a bit. I'll take the bench seats, work stuff, kitchen stuff, paperwork, memoribilia, and hiking & camping gear. I'll take my air mattresses in case I want a real bed. I'll leave the Spike and take Kristi Belle Belle. Marie will take Spike if for some reason I can't get back here (I hope, he's her cat!). I'll stuff other things into the van, things I can't easily or cheaply replace. Then I'll rent a storage room in Pennsylvania to hold the stuff while I leisurely go through it. This is really, really ridiculous! I'm really not all about my stuff, but I do have some hobbies and I haven't had a chance to work all this out.

Two Nights in the Ozarks

I started this blog entry over a week ago then *things* started to happen faster than I could think about them. Starting from the beginning, the past Saturday and Sunday, over a week ago, were absolutely beautiful. The sky was clear and blue and it was almost too warm. I'm glad that I managed to fit in two overnights out in the wilds of the Ozarks because it's going to get cold.

So I joined a group of local backpackers and we met up at UMR (University of Missouri) around noon and worked out the travel arrangements. This adventure was relatively stationary. We had permission to hike and execute a LNT (leave no trace) camp out in a local national park. While milling around I let several folks look at my "camping" arrangement inside Henry, my van. I alluded to "living out of" the van, but most folks don't catch on to that concept. It's still shady to appear to live out of a vehicle, much less IN it. When I have the modifications done to make Henry look more like an RV inside, then I'll press the idea forward, the idea of living out of a vehicle as a normal option for people to embrace. I'm not hiding it but for casual acquaintances I'm not advertising it just yet.

I'm still amazed at how much STUFF most backpackers think makes a great adventure. To me less has always been more. One older fellow tried to explain to me that my tiny pack was not going to cover two days of backpacking and camping out in the Ozarks. I just smiled mysteriously and asked him if I could snuggle up with him if I found myself in dire straits. He blushed appropriately and changed the subject. I do a lot with a 12 pound lumbar pack and he didn't bother to ask me what my plan was, he just did a typical rush to judgment. Actually I was overpacked for two days out. I do carry over a pound in my tummy pack, plus I carry stuff on my trekking poles, and more stuff in my pockets, so my total weight becomes 125 pounds of me and about 16-18 pounds of my "stuff." But I try to carry NOTHING on my shoulders. That's my weak spot. But compare my 15% body weight sized packing to those 40-70 pound condo packs and you can see why they are so concerned for me. What they don't know is that I can and I have camped out for over a week in the Pike's Peak area of Colorado with nothing more than the contents of a tummy pack. In other words, I have a full amount of survival gear in the tummy pack, and can live for a week on it because that's the training I've received. Lightweight backpacking is not for the average hiker, you need to understand how to survive on basically nothing then surviving on ten pounds of gear is a luxury!

Anyway, the trip was as much fun as backpacking. I like the time spent traveling in a vehicle, having a cup of coffee and a little camaraderie, and transitioning into the new space and attitude. I'm funny that way, for me its the journey not the destination. I took the older gentleman because Henry doesn't have seats for more than the driver and one passenger. He angled himself in position to travel with me. At that point I figured he was either feeling protective or attracted, and possibly curious about my plans for backpacking in the Ozarks with a tiny little lumbar pack. It took both of us to get his condo pack into the van and he still didn't "get it." There is a major rift between condo packers and ultralight packers and the former thinks the latter is just plain crazy and that we don't know how to survive. We had a good conversation, starting with packing for the wilderness. He was still worried about me.

So it started with "Don't you need a tent?" Since he didn't "see" a tent he assumed, I mean presumed that I didn't have a shelter at all. I told him I have a Hennessy Hammock and two tarps that weigh a total of two pounds for the entire setup. "Oh...well what will you sleep in, where's your sleeping bag?" Well, my sleep system doesn't have to be a "sleeping bag" though sometimes it is. For this trip my sleep system was thermals under flannels with two pair of socks and a woolen hat, inside a silk bag, with a bivvy sack backup depending upon the temperature, total weight of five pounds for the extra clothes, silk bag, and el cheapo bivvy sack. "Oh, I'd like to see that, but how are you going to cook?" Well that's pretty easy, my Esbit wing stove is 3 ounces, the six tablets are about 4 ounces, the fire starter is maybe 2 ounces, and the titanium pot is about 6 ounces. I'd say my entire "cooking" system including plastic utensils is less than a pound, and that includes a large folded sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil that can be used as a windscreen or to make a bigger pot. The Esbit fuel tablets are only for backup because the wingstove can use any found fuel, deadfall and twigs on the forest floor. So that takes me up to seven pounds. After that I had a pound of water handling stuff, two pounds of water, a pound of food, and a pound of personal stuff. I weighed it, twelve pounds and I was overpacked! That set the tone for this backpacking adventure.

We got to the parking lot and everybody met in a circle and defined the parameters of the trip. The two leaders were very organized and gave each of us small maps of the area and directions on getting in and out. Then we loaded ourselves up. I strapped on the tummy pack, then the lumbar pack, then grabbed my trekking poles and lccked up the van. I turned around and saw several straining faces as the guys did impossible acrobatic movements to toss those packs on their backs. I tried so hard not to laugh, but my body was quivering in mirth. I'm bad! There were two additional women in the group made up mostly of young fellows from the college. The women were fairly serious and they turned out to be a couple. One carried the tent and the other carried the cooking equipment, so they weren't loaded down too badly. Fit and athletic women can usually fit into a smaller tent, smaller sleeping bags, and can regulate body temperature better. Menopausal women, like me, can sleep in sub-zero weather and open the tent a notch to get some fresh air and that's like no problem. I don't get too many hot flashes thanks to my vegan diet, but I do notice that I really appreciate air conditioning like never before. In any case, I'm of the belief that we women have a leg up when it comes to survival under most any circumstances.

We hiked about six miles to the campsite, which wasn't too bad. A bit hilly, but nothing like the third class scrambles in Rocksylvania on the Appalachian Trail. It took us about two hours to get to the spot and set up camp. There was some friendly competition for good tent spots, and I hung back and let them fight it out. Then I went into a stand of trees and put up the hammock and added the two tarps on each side in a diamond formation. That served as a wind break and a privacy screen. I made sure I had a big rock and a log for comfort while cooking and eating. I hung my packs on the ridge line inside my hammock, which has it's own rainfly. Altogether it was a very cozy, lightweight, quick to set up system. I've spent years working it all out. There was water nearby so I opened up the collapsible pail and brought water to my site for later. We all met in the relative middle of the camp and had some lunch. I cheated with lunch and had a tofu salad pita sandwich with fresh broccoli, alfalfa, and mung beans, dehydrated onions, and one whole tomato. That never tasted so good before. There's something about a hike on one of the last days of autumn that makes everything you eat taste wonderful. And so it went.

Hiking is about planning, provisioning, preparing, and then hiking, eating, eliminating, and sleeping. Your whole world is simplified to the point where you are only thinking about your physical needs and the outside world is far away. No matter what is going on in the outside world, your world is simple and free.

I love Henry

Henry is the best boyfriend I've ever had. He performs all the functions of a man and best of all requires very little care in return. Henry carries my worldy possessions for me by day and envelopes me in his warm embrace at night. He provides me with security in a hostile world. Becauses he's an older model, but a top-of-the-line model of his day, he commands respect. I have no fear of running afoul of societal mores with Henry's companionship. This means that Henry, my van, doesn't look like a derelict family of drug-crazed hippies lives inside. Henry looks like a modestly successful locksmith's van. Hmmmmm, I wonder if I should look into becoming a locksmith?

Van dwelling is fun now that I have Henry, but backpacking is even more fun--that's my true passion. This weekend is a backpacking weekend. I plan to look for a puppy to raise as my hiking companion, for those places that Henry cannot go. Soon...the way this week has gone I haven't had time to shop for anything. In between getting the van cleaned up and unpacked, the laundry done, and starting a new IT project so I've been digging into the Y2K rations, which are still good. My Y2K solution consisted of sprouting seeds, beans, and dried foods like corn, onions, and spices. I've kept up with that shopping, roughly twice a year, and have rotated my stock so everything is still less than two years old, while most is less than six months old.

I found that I need far less kidney beans than first envisioned. They are too much work, what with soaking, rinsing, and pressure cooking. I far prefer chick peas. Sprouted chick pea hummus is simply fabulous. It's possible to make it without using electricity, and that's a bonus. I just use a pastry cutter, that twisted set of metal blades used to "cut in" butter into a pie dough. Of course you have to sprout the chick peas first, then blanch them for a minute in hot water. Then cut into the two-three cups of sprouted chick peas a couple of lemons or limes juiced, a few tablespoons of sesame oil, and either peanut butter or tahini (sesame seed butter). Sometimes I use whatever nuts I have handy and crush them mercilessly before adding them into the hummus. After the basic hummus is fairly smooth other things can be added, like garlic, or cilantro, or other similar savory things. Once you have hummus you have a highly nutritious food and healthy food, deliciously prepared, that goes well with any type of vegetable crudite. I like eating foods as close to nature as possible, without much cooking. So hummus is a big deal when so much prep time and hot water go into it. It's still delicious and definitely far more nutritious and healthy than anything that is cooked to death.

With that being said, today's repast was as raw as I could make it while running out of fresh produce. I had been spending most of this week babysitting at the big trailer and sleeping in my van in the yard (you can hardly call it a driveway). I got up this morning and after making a cup of oolong tea I fired up the laptop to get a little work in. For some reason my groggy brain was able to quickly solve the highest priority issue in about 5 minutes, which involved 1 hour and fifty-five minutes of testing after ten seconds of typing. The problem was estimated to take 40 hours so I'm about 38 hours ahead. Being a fairly fair consultant I think I'll bill just 12 hours. The guys would bill the entire 40. I guess they can live with themselves, but I don't have to. I fixed a few other problems, too. That means I'm ahead on next week's billing. Since the big boys want estimates to measure the results I'll work to the estimates. Duh! I think the secret to being able to solve technical issues quickly is to purposefully ask my subconscious mind to work on the problem before I go to sleep. In nearly all cases of doing this I wake up with "the answer".

With "work" out of the way I grabbed my morning basket, the basket that holds clean undies and some frivolous toiletries, and ran inside to take care of some daily grooming needs. I "can" clean up inside the van but I don't have to. I live "out of" my van, not "in it". After the cleanup I located the last of the produce and did some food processing with the knife and cutting board. Everything's a salsa. Chop tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, then add some sprouts, and you've got salsa! Use a spoon and a couple of carrot sticks along with some hummus and you have dinner! I made enough salsa to last for at least two days. I'm hitting the farmer's market in Rolla first thing Saturday morning and that should take care of my food needs for the week. I expect to spend less than $10 for a week's supply of fresh produce.

Preparation for hiking this weekend is done. My lumbar pack is set, and it contains everything needed for an overnight camp out. Strapped to that is my fleece bedroll, my Hennessey Hammock, and an inflatable mat. I have a three-season system that weighs less than 12 pounds including water. At first I left out the inflatable mat and just used a combination of silk liner, fleece sleeping bag, and an emergency bivvy sack to mix and match a sleeping system suitable for the weather conditions. But in the hammock there is still a problem with one's backside getting chilled. So the self-inflating mat makes a nicer barrier as a well as a firmer sleeping surface. I can also use the mat for sitting or napping along the way. In ultra-lightweight backpacking, multiple uses are mandatory for any item in the kit. My lumbar pack has room for the heavy stuff in the bottom and also has a top part that has shoulder straps. Here is a review I did a while back: Kelty Lumbar Pack. Yes, I'm seriously into backpacking the ultra-light way.

Henry's Camping Adventure

Well, that was a blast! I took a primitive campsite last Wednesday through this morning, during the Old Ironwork's Day celebrations at Maramec Springs. A bit pricey but heck, I'm making the big bucks again. With the van, a regular tent, and a screen tent, I was set up for a little bit of entertaining over the weekend, in case anyone brought the boys out to visit. Though I was looking forward to a little bit of solitude, that might have been too much to expect during a celebration week.

I parked the van Wednesday afternoon and explored for several hours, expecting to come back to a quiet evening in the van with my cuddly cat, hot chocolate, and a good book. Instead, I found a new Rolla friend at my campsite setting up a barbeque with a group of her local biker friends. By biker friends, I mean professionals by day, bikers by nights and weekends. It WAS at least a low-stress way of meeting members of the local police force and fire departments. There was definitely a dead carcass cookout going on and I found several willing helpers who put the tents up for me. They even brought some beer and wine, and picnic fixin's. I never did get the solitude I was looking for, but it was a lot of fun. A bit more of a party atmosphere than I expected, but I'm usually up for a good party, as a real Gemini's Gemini (Sun and moon in Gemini). Yes, I believe in it. The Zodiac does not lie!

On Sunday I hitched a ride to a Universalist Unitarian meeting (on a Harley), and I'm glad I did. The presentation was by the group, "Engineers Without Borders". I'm now thinking about joining because it would be a mitzvah to help bring the internet to a remote village in South America. I'm still trying to decide how to implement my mission in life, and I actually dread trying to help the homeless in America. At least I'd be working on relatively the same continent if I went the route of Engineers Without Borders, and it would be only 2 trips a year with the rest of the time spent here. I'd still be able to work with the homeless. What really interested me was the primitive engineeering solutions for water and waste handling, which I think I can put into practice on my own land in the US someday.

Well, the guy who brought me also attended the fellowship meeting and now I think I have a "beau". There is that tendency when the girl rider is wrapped tightly around the guy driving 80 mph down I-44. It's just a normal response to the situation. He hung around me the rest of the day and I had to boot him out of the van before the park closed last night. I didn't give him my cell phone number, but Bonnie did. He's left three messages since last night. I think if he were closer to my age he'd understand how to be a little smoother with the approach. I'm tempted to go out with him but am leary of his "campaign" approach. He's a fireman and has a small business, so hopefully he won't have a lot of time to stalk me. I think I will be nice and return one call, thank him for the ride, and plead a busy week to get out of any dates this week. I do have to get started on a new IT contract and don't need the distractions. Hey, I'm old and I'm not going anywhere. If it is meant to be it will happen.

Henry did well for this camping adventure. The nice part was that I didn't need to pack at all. Everything I needed was already in place inside, only a stop for gas and groceries was required. The blankets on the sides of the interior gave plenty of insulation against the rapidly cooling Missouri days and nights. I let a couple of the ladies stay overnight in the van with me and we managed fine. The men and dogs stayed in the tent, of course. I like dogs and men ok, but they bring funny odors with them. Skyler the cat was the only boy sleeping with me over the weekend. His big adventure was sneaking out to explore the campsite. He got a load of the dogs in the area and decided to perch on the driver's seat instead, which got some sun and warmth. I think living fulltime in a van with a cat shouldn't be a problem until it gets too hot, then I would need to stay somewhere with more conveniences.

I'm home now and will do the cleanup and equipment maintenance before I go take the boys to soccer practice. Hopefully I can snatch a nap in the back of the van while the little brother does his homework. I have a big pile of laundry to do in the Rubbermaid bucket this afternoon, to be dried when I take them back to the big trailer. I'm still living in the RV sized trailer while my friend takes care of her grandchildren in the big trailer. I'm able to be the "soccer mom" and supervise them in the evenings so they aren't alone.

The laundry solution I came up with for van dwelling has been working out well for me. Normally I'd invest an hour of my time at a laundromat, but if it's too cold to contemplate leaving the RV, washing clothes at home is a viable option. The hardest part is agitating the water and wringing out the clothes. I've done it strictly by hand and it's taken days for sopping wet jeans and sweatshirts to dry and my hands ached. My tiny paws were meant for easy work like hand sewing and typing, really. So I bought a commercial size Rubbermaid mop bucket that holds up to thirty gallons of water, though I can do a complete wash with ten gallons--three to wash, and eight to rinse. To "agitate" I bought a new toilet pluner, the black kind made of soft, snag-free rubber. On the mop bucket, the built-in wringer is a flat press style that easily presses most of the water out of the clothes. Inside the van or a tub enclosure, I use a spring pressure mounted bar for a preliminary hanging of the clothes until I either get them to a dryer or hang them on a line outside. With regular clothes line rope I used snap hooks attached to each end to fashion a portable clothes line that can be set up in flexible configurations wherever I can find trees or parts to hook them from. I'll probably set up an awning system on the van one day, so I don't have to harm a tree to dry my clothes.

It takes me about fifteen minutes to wash and hang four days worth of laundry. I'm fast and follow the old fashioned rules--start with extremely hot water and wash the whites (sheets & towels), the stinkies (socks & undies), the pants, and the shirts last. Then dump the water and rinse in the same order, wringing and hanging as I go. A pre-soak, then a detergent scrub with a stiff bristled brush works well on tire tracks, if you know what I mean. My friend Marie has a washboard she's going to dig up for me, and I think it will help with working on any stains. I think my laundry is coming out better now that I use the new system. You tend to put laundry in and not inspect it for hard to treat stains until they are dried into the fabric and it is too late.

Well, enough lunch and lollygagging, it's time to get busy...

Starlight Through the Trees

Living out of a van is a few inches closer to nature, like the starlight through the trees makes the stars seem closer, sleeping in the back of a van brings all the sounds of the woods inside. Gee, I can't sleep past 5:00 am anymore! I had to get up and explore the sounds of morning in Missouri.

We still have the little trailer in the RV park, but my BFF Marie is now staying in the big trailer with Brock's kids until he gets released from prison on parole. She plans to take the trailer int he RV park when he comes out and gets on his feet. I can stay in either trailer, but have chosen to set up my living arrangements in the van. This is the real deal and not just practice because it was always my intention to live out of the van. I say "live out of" not "live in" because a vehicle should not define my life. My life is outside of the vehicle and within the vast space defined by my two ears. I am the cat who walks by myself and all places are alike to me. Though I can be tempted inside for amusement and companionship at times.

The Cat that Walked by Himself
by Rudyard Kipling

"HEAR and attend and listen; for this befell and behappened and became and was, O my Best Beloved, when the Tame animals were wild. The Dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild--as wild as wild could be--and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him."

So, living out of the van means this to me, that everywhere I go my necessaries are nearby without being so numerous that I'm encumbered. It is a rolling closet, with a chest of clothes, a tub of jewelry making supplies, healthy foods, my indoor garden, all the electronic gadgets that an engineer dreams of, and a private place to lay my head. It means that when I get the call to explore the Grand Canyon I can just drive there, stopping to work when I feel the urge and stopping to explore at every opportunity. It means that when my next grandchild is born I can drive there and spend days or weeks without packing or planning. I could have been doing all of these things before the van, but the van makes it simpler and simplicity is the key. I am tired of lists of chores and lists of bills and lists of to do's. I want to be a human being and not a human doing.

Now that the shakedown cruise is done I'm planning to add a good deployable antenna and a small television, probably today if I can find these things at a good price. I guess I'm addicted to the tube because I didn't get to watch Survivor Man or Man vs Wild last weekend and was at a loss. No wonder I jumped at the chance to go sightseeing with strangers without having to unpark the van at my campsite. At some point after some planned van modifications are done I will look into satellite TV.

The planned modifications are: diesel generator, solar panels, batteries, electrical system, rooftop vents, heating & air conditioning, finishing the interior and adding cabinets. I'm only doing the interior and cabinets in order to make the environment more like a home rather than a warehouse. I should take a cue from my friend Marie and use hanging fabrics that can be removed for laundering. Heck, that's were I got the front partition curtains because she's a thrift store fabric aficionado and has tubs and tubs of fabric. I should turn her loose in the van. But I only have a few short weeks before the van goes in for modifications. I'm trying to get the best local RV mechanic on the project and he's jammed up with work right now. I'm buying the items needed and basically am just getting ready.

I have the urge to go camping today but some old business needs attending before I get busy on a new IT contract and there is a picnic to attend later. I think today is a holiday. When you no longer have kids in school you tend to forget the miscellaneous public holidays. Yes I babysit kids who attend school but I'm oblivious to the finer details of their school schedule.

Time Flies in the Cloud Forest

In the cloud forest, time has no meaning. You cannot see the sun, though you can see when it is completely dark. You begin to see the "not sun" and the "not moon" and in those places where you see not you begin to see all. Perhaps that's why monasteries are so often found among the clouds. Places of meditation and purity. That's what you find in a cloud forest.

I took some time lately to do a few earthly things on my list and just came out of the clouds of the Ozarks after a shakedown cruise for the new van. After a very intense and busy period I realized I hadn't updated my blog in over a month. There were some compeling reasons, but those are now behind me. It turns out that my former "crazy roommate" decided that my moving out would be her impetus to getting out of her abusive relationship with her bigamist husband. That stirred up a hornet's nest with him because the D.A. is involved now to deal with the bigamy issue. He did not go quietly and there were a lot of threats and some cyber-stalking. So I took the time to change my blog address and will cleanse the blog of information related to location, names, and anything else necessary to achieve privacy as I re-post former entries. I'm not really afraid of him but I do guard my sanity, what's left of it. I don't need to have to deal with him or her situation any longer. I've also made changes in the amount of time I spend on the Marie and Brock issue with the four children and non-existent parenting. It is so easy to be sucked in and I can be a sucker for animals, friends, and kids. This latest journey of mine was about getting my own life back and I feel like I have it again.

Now for the great news. The new van is a 2002 Sprinter Van with the Turbo diesel engine. I once had a purple Ford Windstar we all called "Barney", and now the new van is called "Henry". I picked him up at an auction in St. Louis for $7000. He may need a new transmission in a few years, but I budgeted for that. My overall budget was $15,000 for a good quality, current century, cargo style van that would be comfortable to live out of and travel in. In keeping with the spirit of simplicity that I strive for in life, this van is simply a shell with a driver and a passenger seat in the front and a partition between the driving compartment and the cargo area. It came with shelves and a toolbox in the back which I've already sold on Ebay.

It is now stripped bare in the back and has an area rug over a plywood "floor", hanging fabric panels over insulation, and some plastic drawers and cabinets attached to the partitions. I put up a double curtain between the partition and opening to the driving area. The inside curtain is a pretty pattern with colors I enjoy. I decided to put up a set of plain white, well lined curtains that are visible through the front windows. The white seems to blend in naturally and seems to be less of a signal that the van might be occupied. It just looks like a workman's cargo van that is closed off in the front. I think that a black curtain might be more of a tip off to security folks. There are no windows in the cargo area, and I checked that you can't see any light leaking from the cargo area in the dark for stealth camping.

In the shakedown cruise I was well outfitted and came back with a very small list of needs. I took two Ozark full size air mattresses to stack for a normal feeling bed, and a portable vacuum cleaner to use in the reverse to inflate "things", plus all my hiking and camping gear, two five gallon bottles of water with one battery operated pump, a luggable loo, and a pantry. I also took the laptop with the wireless broadband connection card, an inverter, a solar battery charger, a solar shower, a small child's blowup pool, and a privacy tent. The privacy tent is for setting up in a camping situation. These are often set up for use as a privy or a place to stand up and shower. I also tossed in the jewelry making table, chair, and supplies, as well as a pop-up screen tent in case I decided to camp somewhere with icky buggies.

For the first night I just stopped in a truck stop parking lot and used the inverter to plug in the vacuum and inflate the mattresses. The nights are starting to get cool in Missouri, so I had two blankets and fixed up a very nice bed cross-wise against the back doors of the van. The luggable loo came in handy, strapped to the partition behind the driver's seat. I used a Good Sense trash bag (nice smell!) with scented kitty litter inside, the multiple cat household variety, of course! This worked out well with one bag a day for my waste. I hate wasting plastic bags, but this will do for now.

I was pretty tired the first night and just slept. I woke up to the sounds of activity about 4:30 am and decided to get dressed and have my coffee. The Smart Mug takes way too long to make a decent cup of instant coffee, though it is great for keeping the coffee at a drinkable temperature. So I used the Rival "hot pot" to quickly heat some water to almost boiling, plugging it into the inverter. I tuned into the local news with my weather radio and fired up the laptop to check e-mail and such. Things quieted down in the parking lot about 6:00 am so I laid back down for a nap until 9:00 am. Hunger definitely drove me out of bed that time and I decided to make breakfast.

The pantry is attached to the partition behind the passenger seat, right by the door. That was so I could open the door and cook outside if I wished. It consists of a set of four large plastic rubbermaid drawers on the bottom, with a plastic cabinet hanging on top. I used a huge, heavy duty rubber band to ensure the doors stayed closed during travel, which worked fine. I have a laminated board cut to size sitting on top of the plastic drawers to protect them from my appliances. There is even a light attached under the cabinets to make it easier to see, the pop-on battery operated style you can pick up at a flea market for less than a dollar.

I had a hankering for some hash browns and happened to have some in the dehydrated food drawer. I used some of the water in the hot pot to re-hydrate them while I browned some fresh cut onions in a saute pan over a single burner electric stove. At that point I decided it might be a good idea to run the van to ensure the battery wouldn't be drained. It also gave a needed boost of A/C to the rear. It may be cool at night, but it's still summer weather here in Missouri and I wasn't camping with the door open just yet. While the hash browns did their thing in the saute pan I manually juiced two oranges, a lemon, and a tomato that I kept in a pan over ice in a large cooler. That was a mighty fine breakfast for my first day in the Ozarks. It was easy to prepare and easy to clean up. I just wiped the pan clean, stashed the cooled appliances back in the appliance drawer, and wiped down my utensils and cutting board with the lemon rind before doing a final wipe with alcohol. I think the citrus fruit rind helped the loo out, too.

The pantry worked fine during the trip. I guess I've been setting up kitchens and cooking over camp stoves long enough to know what might work the best and I'd put more thought into the van setup. The four drawers are organized so that all the heavy canned and packaged foods are in the bottom drawer. The next to the bottom drawer holds the cooking appliances (electric burner, pans, hot pot, Esbit wing stove, etc. The second drawer holds dishes and utensils for eating, while the top drawer holds all the cooking utensils and cleaning paraphenalia. The cabinet has three shelves and I attached lips to the edges with molding and glue so things won't slide out. The bottom shelf has my Biosta sprouters with room for six sprouted crops in rotation. That shelf also contains teas, coffee, Stevia (natural sweetener), hot chocolate, snacks, sea salt and spices. The middle shelf contains oils, condiments, seeds, and nuts, while the top shelf contains paper products and general items. In the middle shelf I also house a dishpan and dishtowels. The hardest part was getting to the water bottles easily. I should probably strap the water bottles behind the driver's partition and move the luggable loo to another location. Decisions, decisions! Anyway, things worked out well.

I got on the road and arrived at my intended destination in time for lunch. I got settled into my reserved campsite in Battle of Athens state park and met my neighbors who invited me over for a barbeque. I grabbed my portabella mushrooms and a squash, a couple of beers, and my lounge chair and had a very enjoyable afternoon that lead to a couple of more beers and an early night. Sometime during the barbeque I made a salad with tomatoes, vidalia onions, tofu, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, and a bunch of fresh sprouts, including mung beans, alfalfa, and broccoli. For a dressing I juiced six lemons and mixed the juice with grapeseed oil, fresh herbs I grow myself, and some Celtic sea salt. I made this huge salad in my new dishpan and even after sharing the ingredients list with my neighbors that salad disappeared almost before I could get some. That salad plus my grilled squash and portabellas is a meal memory that I'll treasure. No matter that I ran out of fresh produce because it was worth it. I ended up going on a trip with my neighbors the next morning and we stopped for groceries on the way home. It's funny how you can go camping alone and end up meeting people anyway.

Because I'm still helping out with the boys I only stayed out for three nights and days, and had to head home Monday this week to take Dee Dee to soccer practice at 5:30. I stretched my weekend out as long as I could.