Summer Palace Week One

After my long journey back to where I belong, I settled in and started up the Summer Palace.  I had a full tank of propane, so I could feed myself and stay warm.  What else do I need?  Oh yeah - water!  There was still a chance of freezing temps overnight, so the water wasn't going to be turned on until there was no chance of the pipes bursting.

So for 5 days I hauled water from our Community Center for coffee but mainly to flush the toilet.  Luckily we have good shower facilities there too.  I learned to appreciate water that comes straight from the taps without having to haul it in 5-gallon buckets.

But the water was eventually turned on, and I flushed all the pink antifreeze out of the lines.  That full tank of propane only lasted 2 weeks - it was cold overnight!

A lady turkey had her home base nearby it seems, since I saw her quite frequently wandering in my backyard.

And the pair of fox from last year started a family!

And this week I saw a bobcat running through the property two doors down.  I've gotten a lot of grief from folks who don't believe it was a bobcat, but I know what I saw, and they're not uncommon here.  And late last night I may have seen it again bounding through the property.  Where are those nigh-vision glasses when I need them?

Friends of mine that have a cabin on Pelican Lake (site of my Summer Palace a few years ago) had a cinnamon colored black bear strolling through their front yard.  And the next day 2 cubs were seen.  That freaks out a lot of people, but there's a research organization up in Ely, MN that has been studying black bears for years, and have been able to prove many myths are untrue.  For example, bears don't sleep through the winter.  They wake up quite often, leave their den, and will sometimes eat snow for the water.  When their cubs are born (during hibernation), they are good mothers, and just like humans, don't sleep much for the first few months!

Check out www.bear.org - this winter I actually watched Jewel, one of the bears in the study, give birth to 2 cubs.  The cameras with audio in her den kept me coming back time and time again just to check on her and the kids.

I think I missed my calling.  If I could somehow combine my passion for nature with my passion for cooking, I'd be a happy camper!  In a way, that's exactly what I've done already.

Back Home Where I Belong

I was chomping at the bit to get going.  After all, the temperatures had reached 70 already in Detroit Lakes (okay, so it was one day and it probably snowed the same night).  I got back from my latest 2-week jaunt to Australia, spent the weekend packing, worked a couple of days, then I could stand it no longer.  Even though the campground isn't open officially until May 1, I knew they wouldn't kick me out if I showed up a week early.

I may have mentioned that jet lag coming home from Australia kicks my butt.  Generally for 2 weeks after I get home I suffer from disturbed sleep, diarrhea, and even depression.  So I know that driving for two days straight wasn't the smartest thing to do.  The first day wasn't bad - I drove 12 hours, checked into a hotel, and even stayed awake to watch TV a couple of hours!

Day 2 was a little harder.  Even though it would be a shorter day, I found myself all fidgety and cranky, and worst of all, sleepy.  Driving through South Dakota, I really kept wishing I was in Minnesota already.  So knowing that I couldn't shorten the drive anyway, I decided to at least "get to Minnesota".  I exited on Highway 90 and turned east.  Before you knew it, I was in Minnesota!  And I had never visited Southwestern Minnesota before, so I felt like a tourist.

 "So it came to be (1993) that a cluster of more than 70 wind turbines was erected about Hendricks and Lake Benton in Lincoln County, MN, as the U.S. government, the State of Minnesota and several energy conglomerates began a serious effort to create electricity from wind. Soon a second cluster of turbines - more than 140 - was erected near the same site.

A dozen years later there is uncertainty attending the precise number of wind turbines across and along Buffalo Ridge. There are thousands of them. Southwest Minnesota’s landscape has been transformed, just as the search for energy has been transformed. Minnesota’s southwest corner, in particular, has become an American center for the production of electricity.

The sleek, nearly silent wind turbines are all about 250 feet high. Each turbine weighs nearly 100 tons. Most have three blades with a rotor diameter of more than 150 feet. They are awesome structures.

Each turbine may generate the annual electrical needs of up to 250 homes. The wind-driven turbines supplant the burning of hundreds of thousands of tons of coal which would be required to fill the needs of the power now harvested from Minnesota breezes.

Some farmers in the southwest region, who have watched turbines being erected on their lands, call their farms “wind farms.” They now reap harvests from winds which once only rustled their corn crops."

Little Creatures, Helium, and Sailors; or How I Spent My Friday Night

I'm down under again, and was lucky enough to be invited to a going-away party.  I don't know the person who the party was for, but hey - any excuse, right?

We went down to the local pub, and I ordered my favorite local beer Little Creatures.  Several more of them, someone decided to show us all the proper technique for sucking helium out of a balloon in order to talk funny. I have to admit, I've always been the one laughing at others when they do this.  I am a virgin when it comes to sucking helium.  The proper technique involves pulling the knotted end taut and biting a small hole in it, then inhaling as much of the stuff as you can handle.  Why have I never done this before?  We laughed until we cried!

One of the girls wanted to move downstairs where a musician was playing and there were pool tables, so I gladly went with her.  She put a dollar on the pool table and told me to find two "good-looking men" to play with us.  So I very politely tapped two gentlemen on the shoulder and told them that my friend asked me to find the two "best looking men" in the pub to play with, and would they like to be our partners?

I'm not sure they knew what to make of me, but they went along out of politeness anyway.  They were both really interesting guys!  I asked what they did, and they responded, "we're sailors".  Interesting enough, that was their hobby, their passion; not what they do to make money.  I saw pictures of a beautiful sailing vessel, which they plan on racing all the way to Tasmania.  I would venture a guess that they were both in their 30's, maybe early 40's.  The older one had tattoos everywhere, including his knuckles.  He used to be a punk rocker, but now builds marine electronics.  The other guy is an engineer, which translates to building gas stations.

For some reason, I felt like a celebrity with these guys.  They hung on every word, and totally ignored the (much prettier and younger) girl I was with.  What a great night - I wasn't looking for anything except having an interesting conversation, and that's exactly what I got.

The girl I was with was looking for a man, and these guys didn't meet her standards.  She kept looking for something better in the pub.  Which is probably why the guys ignored her.  I told her that even if one of these guys wasn't Mr. Right, it didn't hurt to expand your circle of friends.  Funny - I remember being just like her; looking around waiting for my handsome prince and ignoring the funny, smart guys sitting right in front of me. I guess when you stop looking for the pearl you get to enjoy the oyster.

Jet Lag - the Bitch That Won't Leave

I'm surviving day 11 since I returned from my last trip to Oz.  As I write this, I'm on the couch, wearing a fuzzy purple robe, slippers, and a cat in my lap.  But I am working - this is lunchtime, so I can be forgiven a few minutes to rant and rave about my present state of being.

Jet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms resulting from rapid long-distance transmeridian (east–west or west–east) travel on a jet airplane. It is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

The symptoms of jet lag can be quite varied, depending on the amount of time zone alteration, time of day and individual differences. They may include the following:^[2]

• Headaches
• Fatigue, irregular sleep patterns, insomnia
• Disorientation, grogginess, irritability
• Mild depression
• Constipation or diarrhea

Source: Wikipedia

Yep, got 'em all.  I lived through 5 days of a constant nagging headache, which only subsided to let the diarrhea start back up for a couple of days (and nights).  Last night I fell into bed at 8:30 pm, exhausted, only to be wide awake at 11 pm.  About 1 am I decided to take some Nyquil, which put me back to sleep.  Until I woke up with a leg cramp.  Don't see that on the list of symptoms, but I'm blaming it on jet lag anyway.

Last week I got into a shouting match with my boss, burst into tears twice, and shot off several pissy e-mails.  So I took yesterday off - my last trip I took 2 days off.  Which makes me irritable, because I have to waste valuable vacation time on a day where I barely leave the house anyway.  Did I mention that irritability is one of the symptoms?

NASA estimates that west-to-east travel takes one day to recover for each time zone crossed.  Brisbane is 15 hours ahead of us, so by their estimation I've only got 4 more days to endure this bitch.  But I'm heading back to Australia April 7, so let the games begin all over again!

Taking Care...of Myself

First, an update on Jewel the black bear - she had two cubs, and the researchers have named them Fern and Herbie!  I still check in on the bears - it's a great way to pass the time in Australia.  And yes, I'm in Australia again.

I spent 3 weeks here last month, and I'm 1 day short of 2 weeks this month.  I love the city (Brisbane), and the people, but geez, I miss home too!  The work is challenging, frustrating, fascinating, infuriating, fun, and tiring all at the same time.  During my last trip my Aunt and Uncle both died (husband and wife), and I still feel like I haven't dealt with that yet.  My uncle was my Mom's favorite brother, and his wife was my Mom's best friend.  But it feels like I've been swept up in a wave that's rushing away from the shore; away from everything I love; everything I need to pay attention to.

My day starts really early.  When I arrived, Brisbane was 16 hours ahead of Dallas.  The easy way to calculate that is to take the current time in Brisbane, subtract 4, and that's the time in Dallas, except reverse the morning to night and vice versa.  This weekend though, Dallas changed to daylight savings time, which means we only subtract 3.

So if I want to talk to my colleagues in Dallas (and I often do), I have a window of opportunity: from about 5 am Brisbane time (2 pm DFW) to 8 am Brisbane (5 pm DFW).  I need to work Saturday here, since it's Friday in DFW, but no relief Monday, since the customer is busy that day.

I'm not complaining - it could be worse in so many ways.

But today I voiced a dream.  Someday, I want to hang up my traveling shoes and move somewhere not Texas (Minnesota I hope, but I'm keeping the dream open just in case).  I want to contribute as much as I do today to my work, but without ever leaving home.  I'd have a lovely organic garden, and keep chickens in the backyard for the eggs.  I'd always have at least 2 cats, whom would of course never leave the house (I do want those chickens to be happy).

I'd rarely if ever have to pay for a petsitter, a house cleaner, or a lawn mower.  That alone would save me about $500 a month, which I could put towards more plants, or chickens, or chicken feed.

And you know what?  I don't care if I live in a camper, an apartment, or a mansion.  My dream isn't the house I live in, the car I drive, or the power I have.  It's about contributing, loving, and taking care of myself.

One more day here in Australia, three weeks in Fort Worth, then back again.  Then it's time to move to my Summer Palace!

If It's January, I Must be Going to Australia

I don't feel like I've traveled much in the past year.  But in the past 4 months?  Yeah.

October was Spain and Italy.  November was San Francisco and Seattle.  December - Ethiopia.

It's January, and now I'm headed to Brisbane, Australia.  Could be for 2 weeks, could be for a month.  Heck, I'm supposed to leave tomorrow and I don't even know if I have tickets yet, so why would I know how long I'm going to be there?

No wonder I've been feeling a little harried these days.  I remodeled my upstairs somehow in the midst of all this travel, and sold my 2nd car.  I will sign over the title and collect the cash tomorrow as soon as the bank opens.  Right before I leave for the airport.  I got to see the NDSU Bison win the NCAA Football Division 1 championship, and my niece sent me video that shows us rushing the field after the game.  Best weekend ever!

One of my cats showed me how HE felt about my stress level last night by peeing and pooping in my bed.  I know from previous experience that it does me no good to fuss at him - I'm better off keeping him as calm as possible.  Between Ethiopia and now he hasn't done this at all, probably because I was home for a change and not racing around getting ready to leave again.

Speaking of critters, I've been riveted the last couple of nights by a black bear named Jewel, who lives in Ely, Minnesota.  She's about to give birth, and researchers have put a camera and microphone in her den.  Thousand of people have been glued to their computer screens watching her every move, from "counting" her fingers, eating snow, stretching, and yawning to listening to her snore/moan in her sleep.  She's sound asleep right now - I think it was false labor.  Check out www.bear.org if you want to watch Jewel yourself...or Lucky, Honey, or Lily, all who have cameras in their dens too.

One more load of laundry and I'm off to bed.  I'll be dreaming of summer and snuggling with bear cubs, er, I mean kittens.

Gratitude Letter, Part 3

In part 3 of Dad's letter to his folks, he describes some of his adventures, including a run-in with a drunk beggar.

...

I will never be a city boy although I like it in the city.  I like the excitement and above all I get a bang out of watching people and trying to imagine what kind they are.  I don't like to have to constantly keep feeling of my pocket to see if my billfold is still there though.
A drunk fellow approached me on the street last Friday night and wanted some money to get coffee.  I said "I wouldn't give you any money as long as you can afford to get drunk".  He got angry and started threatening me.  He didn't know me from Adam and he said, "you better not report for work tomorrow morning" and then walked off.

Later I ran into him again and said "hello pal".  He stopped and looked at me and said, "where have I seen you before"?  I told him he never had.  He wanted a cigarette and I gave it to him.  He was so drunk he could hardly stand up.  He talked to me awhile and then asked me if I had any money and I said "sure, lots of it".  He said "give me some".  I wanted to know what for and he said "to buy a drink".  I started laughing and said that before I would give him any money for a drink I would buy myself one.  He got mad again and walked off.  Things like that make a city interesting.  Of course no matter what you do or say, you know it doesn't make any difference because you will never see the people around you again anyway.

Fred was just up and we decided to eat and then take a long walk into the old part of Brookline.  It will be about a four or five mile walk but I enjoy them.

In your letter Dad you asked if I was coming home if inducted into the army.  I cannot see any sense in doing so because of the cost.  $40 for a railroad ticket is a lot of money.  However if after taking my physical here and if I pass, I get two weeks furlough and might come home then.  No better way of spending my money that I know of.  No word from the draft board as yet.

Your loving son,

Clayton

P.S.  My diploma will arrive in a few days.  Guard it!  Represents 5 years of my life.