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September 2, 2019: Same Old, Same Old

A few people have asked if I’m glad to be home.  My answer is yes and no. Yes, living here is like living in a U. S.  Forest Service cabin – it’s a refuge, warm and dry. And I enjoy the chores that are associated with an off the grid lifestyle. We also brought our horses home with us, so as on the trail, I tend to them on a daily basis. No, I miss being out on the trail, setting up and taking down base camp. The semi-nomadic lifestyle is also a more simple way to live – possessions are at a minimum. I also enjoyed being resourceful. When I lost something, I had to make do. For instance, the snap on my reins gave out when we were in Wyoming, on day 1 of our Wyoming Range pack trip.

Hrimmi chasing the flag
Hrimmi chasing the flag


Pete took some of the highline rope and made me a new set, using whipping thread in securing the rope to the snap.

These reins weren’t as good as my original leather ones – they were short, and I had to wear gloves, otherwise my hands would become rope burned. However, otherwise we would have had to returned to the trailer – this would have taken an additional day.

So here we are now, back on the home front. The weather’s been excellent, sunny and not too warm. I wisely decided about two weeks ago to spend as much time as possible outside when the weather was good. The up side of this was that I’d get in some good riding time and get some things done around the place. The down side of this was that I knew that I was being neglectful in taking care of inside things, writing included.

Now it’s overcast and raining. Here I am, doing inside things. This morning I studied the chapter on Vital Signs in my EMT book. And I’ve written up a few trip dispatches. The up side of this was that it was easy to concentrate. The down side was that outside things, like tending to the horses and going for a ride, became a secondary thought.

Another reason for doing inside things now is that we have another three (count ‘em three) weeks of hunting season. I am downright angry about the fact that these croutons are allowed to hunt during the best month of the year, weather-wise. I use the analogy of croutons as a form of direct address because like croutons, which do nothing for salad, they do nothing for the environment. We don’t need croutons on our salad.  And we don’t need croutons tearing up trails and shooting at whatever moves, be it men or moose.
The rain, not a good thing because the crouton’s vehicles will further tear up the already rutted and slippery trails.

Something humorous: Yesterday Pete noticed that a vehicle was pulling a shed, or maybe they call it a “tiny house,” on the road past the house. We later noted that it had been dumped at the Buffalo Mine Road/Glenn Highway intersection. We thought that the squatters down the road, who have one of these things on their property had taken it and dropped it off. No, Pete went for a walk last night and saw that the neighbor’s shed had not been moved. We, who have little to speculate about here, are now wondering whys this building went by our house, and how long it will be at the intersection. Could be years. As with croutons, the question is, what do you do with it? You can push a crouton to the side of your plate, but alas, you eat knowing it’s still there.

Next: 243. 8/3/19: Another Ideas Day, Oh Oh

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