” I’ll try to keep myself open up to you
And approve your self expression
I need that too, I need your confidence,
And the gift of your extra time
In turn, I’ll give you mine,
It’s a rich exchange, it seems to me
It’s a warm arrangement.”
- Joni
Happy Thanksgiving Weekend. Hope you all stuffed yourselves on Thursday and continued until the leftovers ran out.
I’ve had a relaxing first half of the week. My neighbor Matt needed some emergency dental work, so headed to Mexico to have a bridge replaced. I stayed at our camping spot and doggie sat his puppy Sunny. Matt had to go to Mexico on two consecutive days (about an hour and a half drive each way) even though the dentist offered him a voucher for half-priced hotel rooms. When he came back each night, we ran errands together, picking up items we both ordered from Amazon at my P.O. Box and getting groceries.
Two of the items I picked up from the P.O. were a new battery for my van (a house battery that stores power to run items in my van at night, not the one under the hood that starts the engine) and an awning. Both will take some work to get them installed and working as intended. The battery is a big upgrade from what was previously installed. It is bigger than the compartment it is meant to fit in, so alterations to that battery compartment will be necessary. The awning will go on the passenger side above my entry door. It will need to be securely hung, and bolted through the fiberglass roof and into the interior wood to assure it won’t damage the fiberglass should it encounter unexpected winds. Both chores are way above my paygrade, but Matt has reassured me he is up for the task.
The weather has cooled off greatly, and although it has been sunny most days, the temperatures barely get past 60 degrees. So it was no hardship for me to stay in my van with the dogs and watch old TV shows and movies on YouTube.
Thursday, Matt and I did dinner at the VFW in Q. They had a pretty good spread, even for a vegetarian. In the past, I’ve driven to Palm Springs to have Thanksgiving with my friend’s Roy and Tom, or just ignored it and stayed in the van alone. It was fun to go out locally and support a good cause.
Lessons From The Road: Several of you have asked (and I suspect many of the rest of you wonder) if Matt is a romantic interest of mine. The answer is (unfortunately) no. Although he is young and handsome, alas, he is also irreparably straight. I suspect that we are quite far apart on many issues, and whereas I am more of the philosophical type, Matt is a more hands-on construction type. In “the empire” we probably would never have connected, but in Nomadland, we have found enough in common. We share a nomadic life and a sense of humor and a sense of what we want in a neighbor, and we have become good friends in a short time. It’s a symbiotic relationship. We are both quite capable of caring for ourselves, and yet we both realize how nice it is to have a neighbor that will enhance our lives through the winter months. I dog sit for him; he installs an awning for me. He drives me back and forth to run errands with him, and I chip in for gas. We sit by the fire at night and exchange stories and laughter. Lots of laughter. We have a similar sense of humor, and I think that makes us each enjoy the other’s company. It’s a warm arrangement indeed.
That’s all I got
Love you like a dog
See you down the road,
Scott