“Absorbing a healthy amount of dirt builds your immune system.”
~ Monty Don
I’ll apologize right off the bat for a short e-mail this week. On Monday and Tuesday, I spent lots of time enjoying being alone and doing nothing and also tried to coordinate all my packages that would be arriving at Fed-Ex in Flagstaff and at a drop-off point for Amazon at a wireless store. Thursday, I went into town and got water, propane, groceries and stopped at the two shipping places and picked up packages. When I came home, I got busy trying to set up my new laptop.
I absolutely LOVE my new laptop, even though it is still not fully set up. Back in the day, I was somewhat of a computer geek. I knew DOS commands and when Windows replaced all of that, my friend Richard taught me lots…so much so that I would help others with Windows questions. Now, technology has passed me by. Between my iPhone and laptop, I struggle with simple tasks. Nothing is where it used to be on my laptop. They keep upgrading…”new and improved.” I’m ancient. I like “old and consistent” much better. When I unboxed the new laptop, it literally took me 5 minutes to find the power button to turn it on. It went downhill from there, but I did manage to get lots of stuff set up on my own the first afternoon.
Besides computer stuff, I’ve made a concentrated effort to exercise every day. When I had my bloodwork done while in Prescott Valley, my lipid panel was less than stellar, and my doctor recommended some exercise and diet changes since I am adverse to taking medication for a problem that can easily (well, “easily” is a stretch) with some simple lifestyle changes. My goal is to switch to a more Mediterranean type of diet and to exercise for 30 minutes a day to the extent that it would be hard to hold a conversation while doing so. I break the 30 minutes down to two 15-minute brisk walks (Cosmo approves) and am adding more fresh fruits, veggies and olive oil to my diet. I’ve lost 2 pounds in two weeks without much effort and I’m enjoying my new meals.
Unfortunately, walking at least twice a day (I usually do a few brief excursions in between just to keep from being too sedentary) has caused my chigger issue to return. I was “chigger free” for two weeks after moving from Mormon Lake. I avoided all tall grass and stuck to the paths. I’ve done the same here at Ashurst Lake, but I think my walking buddy is not doing his part. I can’t tell if the chiggers are bothering him. I think his fur protects him, but since my bites are on my upper thighs and belly, I suspect he is a chigger rideshare. My guess is that when we return to the van and he lays across my lap, the chiggers hop off and make a meal out of me. I’m coping better with the itch, but when I go into town I wonder if people think I have smallpox.
I’ve been diligent every day, setting up different things on my laptop. Richard called to help out on Saturday, and I’m 99% sure I’ve got everything important transferred over. I’ll use it for a week and make sure, before disposing of my old laptop. Richard suggested I put it outside, since the bulging screen likely indicates a lithium-ion battery about to go super nova. He said such an incident would not be a good thing in my van, so it’s outside in a box in the firepit, just in case.
Lessons From The Road: The forest is a dirty place. I remember how much trouble I had with the thick, black, clay-like mud when I was here last year. This year it hasn’t rained in a very long time. (Not since long before I arrived.) There is a fire ban throughout the area due to drought. Lake Mary and Ashurst Lake are empty fields, too dry to support much plant life. So that means the thick black mud is now more like cocoa powder. Walking through it stirs it up, and I need to wash my legs and feet from the knees down after going outside. The dark powder sticks to everything. So every time I handle a tote or touch Cosmo’s leash, or anything else outdoors, my hands are filthy. And six feet coming and going in and out of the van many times a day has done a number on my van floor. I love the new, padded floor I recently installed, but it is textured. Sweeping is not enough to clean it. I have to get down on my knees and wipe it with a hot, wet towel. I am definitely not liking the dirt but haven’t figured out a solution yet. I contemplated moving to Two Guns where the soil is sandier. It’s much easier to stay clean there, but the temperatures for the next 10 days will be upper 90’s and low triple digits. Flagstaff is the coolest place in all of Arizona. I may need to consider another state to stay cool, but not sure anywhere within reasonable driving distance is much better. I think I may just have to deal with dirt and/or heat for the time being.
See you down the road,