He Did it Again...

 The last evening on the Plomosa Road Desert for a while...

Loaded up, hitched up and moved on down the road yesterday morning... Making a stop at Bouse to use the county parks dump station.

You might want to keep an eye on things there, if you plan on depending on it through the winter. It seems the "RV Stop" in Quartzite raised their dump/water rates so a LOT of people have been going to the station in Bouse... and overloading their system... (20+ miles? Not sure how that adds up to saving money?) but... They're entertaining the thought of shutting the dump down. The leech field is being over run... Just a Heads up if you're used to using it... It may not be there next time...

Anyhoo... dumped out and watered up... fired up and then... had to make the decision... left or right?

Though I'd planned on another week or so at least out on that desert (Turning left)...  I up and decided that some truck maintenance I've been stalling on doing... Really... needed to get done before the bobtail run to Denver coming up in a couple of weeks... so I carried my butt... or... the Dodge carried my butt back to glendale (Turning right) where I can poach some more free parking behind my sisters place while I perform some maintenance and other chores...

Don't know that I mentioned it... a few weeks ago while here I finally broke down and tore the drivers door apart to replace the window switch... a $75+- switch... which turned out, didn't fix the problem... changed it... but didn't FIX it...

I felt a sudden vibration down in my belly... thought my phone was ringing/vibrating on my belt... Nope... just a grumpy twister getting wound up... grrrrrrrrrrr......

Tore the door open some more... to get to and remove the motor... working in there is like trying to thread a needle with your toes... while writing a letter on the laptop with your nose...

Most of the past year I've had to smack the door, more and more, to make the window behave... much like step children, ...being one I know! :) ... It got worse as time went by... it finally stopped even working the passenger door window... so... it's the switch, right? Only if you also add a $60 dollar or so window motor... NOW... it all works...

So... I get in the truck last evening, after I got set up... to go get some supplies and such that I'd consumed over the past 14 days... fired up the cummins... twisted the switch... and... and... DARKNESS.

I got no headlights... ooooommmmmphhhhhhh.... just go back to the rig and listen to the rain on the roof... drink a beer... and turn on some Joan Baez for a bit when the music of the rain quits... I'll fix the lights...  tomorrow...

Tomorrow... is now today... the sky has cleared... and I have to go chase down missing electrons...

... So... The truck is in good shape to make the run to single digit Colorado... uh... What is wrong with THAT picture? ;)

Sometimes... Good Sense... Just Makes No Sense At All!
Brian

Is Brian all Doom and Gloom? or Is He Just Trying to Keep It Real?

 Has he given up? Or is there a reason to his "madness"? Is he a Debbie Downer... or just trying to lock the barn door BEFORE the horse gets loose? and maybe trying to tickle some others to do the same?

I surely understand how things can look to folks, like it's all doom and gloom. They get whipped by the winds around 'em, and it seems like they get carried on by the force of that storm, with no way out.

I for one don't hold with that idea.

The way things are turning for me now, (with my books and such) I have to have some optimism left. It's just... well... if you go into something with your eyes open, you're set up a lot better to adjust to the situation around you...

I'm NOT saying that you'll weather this storm without gettin' wet. I'm not claiming there is some silver bullet that keeps all the gremlins and politicians, and 1%'er vermin away...

What I AM saying is, you've got options. You ALWAYS have options... and the sun after the storm is pretty nice.

When you're up north, in the land of Wolves and 900 lb Grizzlies. You don't stop living. You don't stop hiking. You DO take certain precautions to give yourself an "edge"... To make that bit of world that you can exert control over, a mite safer and more pleasant for you. Pepper spray, Bells... and.. ahem... tools of a more... uh ... athletic nature...

That's what I'm sayin'... see what's coming and put the 7P's in operation. (Proper prior planning prevents p_ _ S poor performance)

Is it doom and gloom to think of the possibility of a wreck, or theft or fire... and buy insurance for your car?
Or is it better to just smile without insurance... and Expect it to all turn out fine?

Is it doom and gloom to mount fire extinguishers in strategic spots around your rig? Or is it better to believe a fire will never happen, and Save that expense?

Is it doom and gloom to place wheel chocks to keep the winds from rolling your rig away to places you'd
rather it didn't travel? Or is it better to Hope that won't happen to you... and not expend the effort?

Is it doom and gloom to try and save up a lil' bit of gold in case of a rainy day?

You must be doom and gloom if you buy health insurance or set up medical savings aren't you? Why are you so negative?

Is it doom and gloom for me to write about the sense it makes to do such things? or is it living in Denial to pretend such things "Will never happen to me?"

I say nope. Just simple, pragmatic, common sense... Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

So... Seeing where things are likely goin' in the not so far off future, is it "Doom and Gloom" for me to talk about it? To point at the lessons of History... that too many want you to ignore... and holler; Yo! People! DUCK!?

Or... can I claim to be simply warning you that I believe there's a coming storm, and it might make sense to take a few precautions in that world right close about you... to be prepared for the approaching weather?

Some tell me why bother? What can you do? Others tell me that I only see the dark side of things, "Why are you so negative?" Maybe what they perceive is my perception of the world around me.  That it seems so few others smell the bad breath of that 800 lb Gorilla sitting in the corner... and nobody is doing much to get the sucker moved out of my living room!

 I've got things I want to do. I can't get 'em done if I've not dealt with the gorilla first... so...

Somebody has to say something... so that I can get back to the Important stuff... Motorcycles and Playing!

I get frustrated and have those thoughts of defeat myself on occasion. What can I do? Sometimes it all seems too big. Too much to accept let alone deal with.

"How am I gonna resist the winds of such storms. How is a lil' guy like me gonna stand up to that?

When such thinking is dragging me back... it helps me to listen to a song from many years ago... I was listening to it just a lil' bit ago... I think it fits well... even if the horses in this video don't :)  ... though... in a way, I can see parallels to consider ;)



I say. Live your life. Make the choices that preserve your Liberty and Family. Live with Pride and Courage.
Live with Compassion and Honor.

And while you are out Living, Laughing and Loving...

... keep your B_ _L  S_ _T detector handy and the volume turned up high  ;)

Just Keepin' it Real
Brian

My Yarn Spinning, Website Building Version of Workamping Continues Bearing Fruit...

Time flies when nothin' much is happening... Been here 13 days I guess. BLM says I gotta move my self tomorrow. Yeah I know, it's gettin' crowded 'round here... There's a rig a hundred and fifty yards east and another a hundred yards west... the next nearest rig is six hundred yards at least west. Nothing within a 1/4 mile north, or further east or west...

Yup... crowded...

... I guess the BLM has to keep us moving so new folks have room to set up! ;)

This morning, I'm sitting at my table with John Barry (Dances With Wolves) playin' over my Ipod player... and a lil' of the Old Garth Brooks too... You know, I sure miss the days before he 'lost it'. His music was so much deeper and said something... than nearly any of the rest... at least I've got his good stuff to listen too... It helps.

Anyhoo, those two are getting my Yarn Spinning creative juices warmed up. Hoping to get some more of the Heart of a Man story braided today... (the coming sequel to A Matter of Honor)

Though I had some false starts getting the lead in sorted out, having to circle back and restart a time or two, I think I've gotten that worked out and the past few days have seen steady progress. At this point if the "size" of the second story is any indication I'm 'bout 10% complete on the third. ;)

This one has a lot more goin' on 'tween a lot more folks ears... at least to my perception... so writing it, for a pea brain is a lot more difficult. I gotta take a lot more care to make sure I hear the Voices in My Head correctly! ;) and gettin' their words copied down straight... arguing with 'em 'bout what they said hasn't proven to be productive!... and it kinda scares the "neighbors".

I'm pretty pleased with the reception "A Pair..." has garnered so far. Many folks have told me they started reading and then just had to read on through. "Couldn't put it down." I realize that some of those were likely just blowing sunshine up my skirt to be nice, but figuring some were talkin' true, it's about the best compliment I can think of for one of my tales. Enough have told me what I felt myself, that "A Pair" is a stronger and better story than "Honor" is... that I feel pretty good about it, 'cause I Really Like that first story! :)

As far as how it's performing, though the numbers aren't huge by any stretch and "Honor" started out real slow, "A Pair" sold more in its first month than "Honor" did in its first (5)five. Combine that with the very nice kick its given to the sales of "Honor" and they're making a nice and growing contribution to my pantry. Awesome! Thank You Very Much! I won't starve this month... well... as long as I manage to go a month without busting anything new! ;)

It's nice to have that lil' bit of diversifying comin' on to spread some of my eggs to other baskets. That way the website income, though continuing and sustaining, becomes a smaller piece of the whole. It being such a heavy % of our income for a while, It's made me sorta nervous.

It's an awful lot like workin' for the man and being dependent on that paycheck. Gives the "man" more power than he deserves. Being able to spread things around a bit gives the little guy (you and me) a lot more freedom of choice.

If you can build something where your RV Boondocking Income is coming from multiple sources; If One outfit gets a lil' too rude and pushy, and you've got more nickles and dimes comin' in from other places... you can walk up to the Pushy Outfit and push back.

Yup. Grab the bugger by the ears... Plant a big Ol' sloppy kiss and whisper; Adios Sparky!

The little guy being able to push back is a good thing. If the man on the treadmill has the viable option to just step off any time he feels the need, it can't help but make the "Man" a lil' more respectful of the people who are doing his work for him. He'll need to treat 'em better to keep his enterprise rolling.

Bottom line, my personal version of Workamping, camp and sit at the computer in camp working ;) , is developing pretty nicely. A few more months and we might could even see a lil' change in our accounts at the end of the month... as in HAVING a little change in the bank at the end of the month! :)

Been having to run the genset for a bit in the evenings the past few days. Spending as much computer time as I have been, I've been pulling a bit over 40% out... Momma nature's been keepin' things cloudy enough to keep my RV Solar Power System from doin' the 100% recharging job I'm accustomed to. I do believe though, if I did have those other three panels I'd originally planned on... the generator would be sittin' cold and dusty.

But like a lot of other people... we shuffle the dinero around to grease the squeakiest wheel... so those additional panels never have got added...

... and shhhhh... we're skatin' on thin ice too! Slidin' through warm winds with rusty blades over shark infested shoals, with the fat lady from the opera comin' along and bellerin' behind us! ... the batteries are... uh ... old and wrinkled... past their prime... and ... shhhhhhh .... I'm hopin' to sqeeeeeeeze out another month or three. ;) but don't tell no one....

I know... I'm all over the board ;) kinda me these days... like bein' on the storm deck of a bronc... you never know what'll be flyin' at you next! or how hard you'll hit ;) You just put one foot in front of the other and move on down the road.

The thing is... My point is... though things in the world seem like you have no control. You can't change the world... You CAN have an affect on that lil' piece of it where You camp. You can, if you stay focused on the dream, Whatever That Dream May Be... carve out a better place for yourself.

Plenty to do... So I'll get at it...
Brian

Return to the main site of goin' RV Boondocking or Visit my Sister website Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road