Apropos of Nothing v.7

Steve, I agree with Holly... a man of true fortitude indeed.

Your story is worse than mine, but I had to ride out seven miles of single track mountain trail on a dirtbike with a broken wrist on my clutch hand. I had stopped to help another rider who had crashed her bike, and then when we went to start off again, I pulled a really stupid maneuver and got my boot caught on my downhill peg getting ready to start my bike, and tumbled off the ledge that we had pulled my friend up from. We were in the middle of nowhere, and really behind the pack because it had taken us a bit of time to get her bike up, and then more time to get mine up. The trail was narrow enough that unless we had been missing for an extended period of time, it would have been more dangerous for the rest of the pack to come back and find out what was keeping us rather than waiting for us to catch up. It was a long ride back...amazing what you can do if you have no choice.

I spend a lot of time in the woods by myself, and Michael's story really makes it hit home that the ability to contact the outside world at all times if you are by yourself is very important.

Holly, I don't blame your Mom a bit for keeping the lifeline button. I am fortunate enough that all of my family is close enough that we check on each other fairly regularly, but we are also all fairly independant and stubborn people who often take on more than we should alone, and if you think beyond being invincible, it could cause problems and sometimes it takes something to open your eyes to that fact.

I guess my only concern about dying out in the yard is that my friends & family would have to try to figure out the mess that is currently my house & belongings.

If I get creamed by a semi, it will be painful & people will horse around with my bloody, crumpled self & maybe I'll hang on for a few days in a haze of pain & tubes. Or maybe I'll be shot to death in a bank robbery & the back of my bloody blouse will be all over the news.

Give me death in the yard over that. I would rather eat it in the river than down on the highway, and my fondest desire is to be composted NOT BURIED DEEP IN THE COLD EARTH so honestly -- should we really live in fear of our demise?

Anyone who goes out to the edge or even near it can experience adventure or disaster. But that is what makes my life full and rich.
I told the doctor that I set my leg by hitting it against a rock and used two pieces of split log to stabilize the fracture tieing my shirts around them and the fracture was perfect alignment. The Doctor asked what I did for a living that would allow me to do that and I told him. He said Ohhhh that makes sense. LOL
We cross posted Summer. I have no fear and can't wait for the rocket ship ride waiting!

This message was edited Jan 18, 2010 10:33 PM

I could match those stories with the tale of the time that I broke both an arm & a leg deep in the mountains as a teenager but will refrain because it has made more than one person throw up.

Like you, Sofer, I guess what I fear is to live with fear. Today I stopped for a sodden old man who was hitchhiking along a dangerous highway in a downpour. It seemed, given the horrible things that have befallen the Haitians, the least I could do for my fellow humans on a personal level. He was so grateful, and he knew exactly where the bus stop was in relation to the grocery store I was heading to. Osita insisted on crowding into the front passenger seat with him -- she was quite taken. In the meantime, I got an earful of tales that involved him being shot by the Black Panthers & Canadian money & cell phones. I was quite pleased by the experience.

What I fear is becoming the person who is afraid to pick up a wet old man who may or may not have been shot by the Black Panthers (in Alaska, no less).

We all appreciate the people who HAVE LIVED. AND SURVIVED.

It is always humbling to face one's own mortality.

A quick pause for a mountain fix this morning.....................

And just one more.

Very Nice Sharon! Clear skies being filled from the west at the perfect moment. Winds about 5-10 miles out of the west with rain expected.

That is gorgeous. I used it as my daily "come on" to my brother, whom I am begging to move his family out here.

Very impressive Mom! Unfortunately, I had to watch the same sunrise from the parking lot at work. Not quite so romantic when it has a Denny's in the forground, but the colors were still enough to make you stop and enjoy it.

Yes Sharon it must be tough to walk out and see such beauty and not even get your feet wet.

Breathtaking pictures, Sharon.

Oh wow - amazing photos. Sharon, thank you.

I forgot to 'watch' the new thread. Whew! just in time to see that beautiful sunrise!

Sharon - do save that one for next years photo competition - its got to be a contender. Lovely.

Thanks, all. Sure wish I could share it in person with all of you.
Steve, your weather reading and forecast was only partially right, Didn't get the rain. Think the cloud has to be more right on top for that forecast to be more accurate.

I want to buy another chainsaw. Any suggestions? My old one is lost somewhere in the barn, Joey's doesn't start, the electric one is too small, and the one I got from my ex is too big. I want to take down the small scrappy looking trees to let in some more sunlight, and be able to see the pretty evergreens better. Also, the wind keeps blowing them down, one by one.

I have bought many cheap saws and 10 yrs ago bought a "Stihl" and have never had trouble starting, ideling, great fast tree cutting etc. I have cut up over 8 cords every year with it and love it. I would get something around 20" to make it easy to handle and start. Mine is 24" because I have to drop some pretty big boys for firewood.

I'm applying to be a respite parent for proctor care families. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Not to me. But good for you!

I enjoy children & have great patience for them. Plus, as a respite parent, you're only committing to a day or a couple weeks or whatever. But the recruiter says that, given my personality, work-at-home situation & location on the coast, I would likely be booked solid if desired.

I like kid too, but we have four, eleven grandkids and 14 great-grandkids.

Eeek, yeah. Kristin at Rise Inc. says they love to get single people. We aren't burned out by our own progeny (not that you are personally).

Best of luck on the Respite Care, Summer. Good caregivers are hard to find, I'll bet they keep you really busy if you want. Tough kids come through more often than not, it's not for the faint of heart.

Yeah, she was drooling over me precisely because my family adopted several children with serious problems, so I grew up knowing the challenges. These proctor cases are all developmentally disabled kids, mostly autistic, Krista said, and they don't take the really tough ones, but those likely to do well in a family environment. She said they might act defiant, be verbally aggressive, and a "little naughty." Perfect, I said, sounds kinda like me, we can be naughty together.

She got a belly laugh out of that.

The Discovery Channel has a show on called "Man vs. Wild," in which some guy named Bear tries to get from Point A to Point B in the wilderness by himself. Sofer, he's somewhere in the Montana Rockies right now -- it's so comical but educational. He found an abandoned cabin as a storm was coming in, so decided to sleep in the rafters even though the walls showed serious signs of bear damage. He made a mattress of willows, then created a trip wire with a pitchfork & stovepipe to alert him if a bear came in because he figured a grizzly could still reach him in the rafters.

So the trip wire goes off in the middle of the night & he panics & lights his torch (a split branch with pine resin & twigs -- the species of the branch was important but it has already slipped my mind) ... some of the torch drops to the ground & lights the floor on fire, so he's trying to stamp out the fire as a raccoon dashes off into the night. He seemed kinda rattled.

Good luck Summerkid. You must have the patience of a saint.
Thanks for the advice, Sofer. I will search for a Stihl. I do not want something that I cannot handle comfortably, or is not reliable. I had a Craftsman, but I cannot find it, and I think I had problems with it when it was running. I forgot how big it was.

Well, I get bored with basic life.

I feel bored tonight, actually -- wish there was something dramatic to do.

When I get home permanently I too want to be available for that kind of thing Summer. Good for you to make a difference for a parent or child. I respect you.

Thanks, Sofer! I always figured I would adopt children myself but haven't really had the chance, so this seems like a wonderful opportunity to give back & have a good time doing it.

soooooo .... bored .... that .... i .... did .... my .... taxes.

not dramatic but gratifying how much money the federal government wants to give me this year just for being an American.

Arrrrggggghhhh - so much to catch up on!!!!!

Lynn, like sofer, I love my Stihl - just a very nice chainsaw - AND, on my work c.v., under the 'other qualifications' I have 'Domestic Chain Saw Certificate' - excellent!! I bet I am the only psychoanalyst in London with a Domestic Chain Saw Certificate! Hotcha!

summerkid, well done you for taking on respite care - sometimes it only take one person, giving good unequivocal care that can really make a difference to a child come through okay or not. You have just given a new generation more hope. I'll say thank you as a representative of the rest of the world.

And the guy doing the wilderness trip is Bear Ghylls - he lives a couple of miles up the road from here in Etchingham. Very popular figure, he does a TV series on survival techniques - fun show to watch (although he did get caught out for bunking off to sleep a couple nights in lodging during one filming, leaving his crew to sleep in tents in the snow - claimed to have had flu during the filming. Could be.) His getting twitchy about things is what makes him so popular, he can be an absolute goose. But my favourite was his going kayaking with an old hand in the rockies somewhere - Bear stops to show the old hand how to make a paddle from scratch "incase you lose yours" - finishes up a few hours later, and says to the guy, 'good skill to have, bet you feel better knowing I can do that' and the guy replies, on camera, 'I'd be more comfortable if you were smart enough to have a spare with you" and then walked away. Ghylls just stood there looking completely crest fallen - poor boy with his paddle. EXCELLENT, and they left the whole thing in. Don't you just love English television.

Oh, Laurie, that is so funny. I DO love British television -- especially anything with Jennifer Saunders.

Bear kind of left me behind in that show when he created a zip line with a deer antler & some cable ... I was like, yeah, I'll just go around the ravine, thank you ....

But what kind of reality show would that be if you just went around the ravine? Where is the drama in that? A zipline indeed.
I thought I recognized that character from an old post. Now I remember.
Laurie, inquiring minds want to know: which farmer got a bride and are they happy?

" and my fondest desire is to be composted NOT BURIED DEEP IN THE COLD EARTH "

Coming in late on the conversation...I think I remember you are not supposed to ever put meat in your compost?

LOL....the practical side of me which when it comes to gardening and animals almost never ever shows itself.


Ginger

Oh, that's right, I forgot about the farmer too. Thank you for asking Pix. I too, love British television even if what I get is BBC America.

Sharon those pictures are amazing!! Thank you for sharing. I am looking at a bright sunny day with blue skies after days of clouds and rain. It won't last long, another storm due this afternoon. So I'll soak up the sun while I can.

Summerkid.....you are indeed braver than I, can't get myself to pick up people. Did help a family with a baby once and have been known to get a meal or a coat if it looks like it's needed, quite often actually. DH laughs because I'm always running out of hot hands in the winter time. I always have them in the car and my pockets because of my hands and I pass them out all over. LOL

Good luck with the respite care. I admire your choice to do that. Since I care for my invalid mother and my disabled husband I had to give up volunteering. Will probably return to it one day, if I'm still able.

Have a good day everyone!

Ohh, Pix, I hate to say this, but I don't know - I watched the first one, and it just felt like work - so, click, TV off (I actually watch very little of what we work on) - I'll check with my colleague and see if she knows.

Ginger, it isn't a great idea to put meat in - it will compost, but it also rots. Even more important, it attracts rats and others. You can use Bokashi to compost meat and dairy - it uses a pickling process, so when it gets added to the earth it breaks down very fast.

Summer, my impression is that you can't always get around a ravine - aren't they usually very steep and long? Especially in America, where everything is bigger and broader? My feeling is when you get to the ravine, relax - camp out for a few days, and then head for home - zip lines, especially home made ones over a ravine, just doesn't make it onto my 'YES' list.

Laurie, so nice to hear from you! I was just thinking about you yesterday, I was working around the hot tub tropical area and was admiring the rock you sent me. What size Stihl do you have - the 20 inch?

Summer, be careful picking up hitchhikers. I do it too, and I get the same lecture from my son. He is a counselor at a prison, so he sees firsthand a lot of the other side of life and how they think. Heck, the "normal" guy next door could have bad intentions.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34978313

This kind of stuff upsets me. Because the owners didn't pay attention, beloved pets were hurt and now these poor dogs may die.

I don't understand why people don't take stewardship of their animals seriously.