Made room for randomness

The only problem with going out into the wilderness and clearing your head is that now you have room up there for a lot of random thoughts.

If you keep your brain stuffed with school schedules and work problems and stuff like "get more kitty litter" you really can't squeeze in things like "why does curdled milk fat make butter but curdled milk makes me gag?"

And where's the bus stop to the alternate universe?

And why does the Travelin' Van look much better in the light of nature?

Along the leafy path, you become more aware of your surroundings, so that you can wonder

where are the bears and alligators the sign warned me about?

In the mindful pace of the woods, one can ponder great existential questions like

what is this thing, and how did it die and is it an alligator?

In the stillness of the forest you have time to makes lists of things that matter. Not grocery lists. Not errand lists. No 'things I wish my spouse would do' lists. Not that I've ever made one of those.

Nope, you make important lists, like my "Things NOT to do" list:
#1-Get eaten by a bear.
#2-Get eaten by an alligator
#3-Marry a statistician

#7 on my NOT to do list: get hugely fat.
However, the new butterfinger bites may move this off the list.


TO DO list:
#1-Visit every Presidential library. I know, I'm a nerd. I'm comfortable in my nerdiness. I embrace my nerdiness.
#2-I need to hurry if I'm going to see every National Park before I die...
#3- Encourage and support The Whee's musical interests. The Whee is now playing bass drum. It is not a subtle instrument.
#4-Have a trail named after me. Second only to my nerdiness is my ego.

    Happy Trails, and may you always have room for adventure!

Starting to recover

After a week in the wilderness with some of the boys, I am finally returning to my normal self. Craving chocolate and DP. Blogging incessantly.

There was a van full of us. There was me, aka Mother Nature, aka Wonder Woman, aka occasional camp cook, aka the slug in the back of the van who read the whole time.

Philoboy, aka mi esposo, aka my beloved, aka my significant other, aka the guy who looks good even after 8 days of not shaving.

There was Philoboy Action Figure, aka PAF, aka Philo Mini, aka the one who thinks he has to have a sherpa, aka the only one whoever grouses on our trips.

And then there was an uncle and a cousin thrown in for good measure. They came from Kansas, we left from Oklahoma, and we rendezvoused somewhere in Arkansas. I love saying rendezvoused. It sounds so much more adventurous than saying 'we're meeting here'.

We found a rendezvous point and pitched camp. Philo's partial to National Forests because they are relatively people-free. They are also bathroom and shower free.

While we waited for the other two members of our expedition to join us, we explored (are you getting the whole National Geographic documentary feel of this blog yet?)

We found this waterfall hidden away. As dry as every place has been, I was amazed to see flowing water. Made me want to camp right under it and stake out squatter's rights.

We were in Devil's Den State Park. It was a great little park, well-used. There are caves in the park, but they were closed due to an illness among the bats called White Nose Fungus. I think my kids had that when they were little.

This is as close to a shower as Philo got the whole week. Get closer, honey, trust me, ain't nothing going to melt!"

Then it was back to camp to wait for the others. PAF was crabby about giving up his seat. "Dang it, woman, I was here first, and I got squatter's rights."

Yeah, go and squat, little man. See what happens when I sit on your lap.

Civilization is still here!!

We're back from the bayou. Survived the swamp. We are gone from the gators and national-forest free.

When I emerge from my hibernacula, I'll tell you all about it.  I plan on working the word hibernacula into every conversation for the next month.

I can give you a hint- it was wet sometimes, cold sometimes, and fun all times. Except that time I was afraid I was going to fall into the water and be eaten by a gator.

I've assembled my tools for re-entry into the civilized world:

Industrial sander for skin-check.

Motor-oil weight moisturizer-check

Weed-whacker for leg foliage-check

Five-gallon bucket of detangler for hair-check

Masseuse for multiple tender spots-HEY!  Who forgot to order the masseuse!?!?!

   Happy Trails, and may your adventures never dampen your spirits!