The Myth & The Majesty

So a week that started with hiking in Rapid has continued with a "not quite snowed in but I am NOT going anywhere" evening. It's all blustery and gross out there and not exactly conducive to things like running around town looking for end tables. Let me reiterate. This was Sunday.     And this was Monday.       [Please excuse me while I post a picture of our oldest cabins.] Today? Well, it doesn't look quite like Monday because it's gotten colder, so instead of big fluffy flakes we have little pelting chunks of ice. Not my favorite weather by a long shot. The last time this happened, I got to painting. Today ... well, I just don't wanna. It doesn't matter that I'll have my first guests on Sunday and I'd really like to have the place at least moderately put together by then. It doesn't matter that I really  do have the free time right now and I should get all that stuff done. Because, you see, I've discovere...

The last few weeks have been all sorts of nutty. I mean, December alone brought about a new job for me, an engagement ( not mine ) and Shorty's official decision about what to do with his life. Our family had a very eventful month. Then I got to move. Since then, any attempt to settle into a routine has been thwarted by my anything-but-routine job. I'm getting stuff done around the house slowly (my kitchen is now TARDIS blue and that makes me happy) but I still don't have a properly arranged living room. I've attended classes on managing our website and our water treatment system (kind of right up my alley, actually), helped cook meals, and found a few opportunities to reacquaint myself with our rather muddy trails -- but my refrigerator still only has milk, leftovers from a restaurant, and a six-pack of beer. The weather hasn't helped. Yesterday, a few of us hiked M-Hill in Rapid. Today, we got something like four inches of snow. (I love January.) If it'...

A year and a half ago, I wrote a piece on a problem we've had at the camp for quite some time. Given that the iPhone 5 (I suspect) has perpetuated this issue, I thought it was worth revisiting. So. This is Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is a national monument. With carvings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln that stand sixty feet tall, it is one of the most visited monuments in the country. You reach it from Rapid City via a multi-lane highway that is clearly marked by large green interstate-style signs. You will see it before you reach it. This is Storm Mountain. Note the lack of granite. It has a United Methodist church camp reached via a winding gravel road. The camp has a lot of great features but no phenomenal sculptures. There is no view of Mount Rushmore from our trails, lodges, or parking lot. This week alone, there have been at least five car...

With every move, there are definining moments that assure you that yes, you are still yourself, but no, you aren't in Kansas anymore. (Or eastern SoDak. Whatever.) There was the moment I thought, "Yay! Six inches of snow! I can paint my kitchen instead of buying a mop today!" Then there was the time I bundled up to walk the fifty feet to my office. Or the moment I realized the sun was out and the snow was still falling. Or the several days I woke up bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 5AM. (Wow, it's been awhile.) The moments I realized it had been pitch black for an hour and it was barely dinner time. The time I took a group photo and the guys in it harassed me for standing there in a T-shirt when it was just barely in the 50s. But then there were the other ones. Like the time I was muttering to myself in Target and because this is Rapid City, someone actually answered. The proof that in order to get something fixed, you really just need to talk to the r...

In 2011, I wrote a piece for Christmas. This one seemed more fitting for today. * About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem... He wasn't sure what to think anymore. It had been months since his boss had first mentioned the trip, entirely in passing. He and his colleagues had been watching the stars and saw a potential alignment, one that would rival previous events for rarity and brilliance. They had decided then to track it as far as they could, which would likely involve a few months' travel, and that was when his boss had approached him. Each man wanted to bring along a servant or apprentice -- a minimal crowd so they wouldn't lose speed but something commensurate with their standing -- and it was entirely optional. Months, maybe even years on the road, wouldn't be possible for all of them. In fact, one man who technically outranked him had passed on it as he had two children at home and another on the way. And so it was when hi...

So ... I basically had the best Christmas ever. (Well, second best, as I'll explain in a minute.) And now I can post it, so I will. It started with the new job in early December. I'm still giddy about that and I've already moved. It's pretty much been fantastic already. Then there was, of course, the brewing kit I got to open Christmas morning when it was just my folks and me. (Yes -- I got a bucket for Christmas and I was happy about it.) That was awesome. And the cinnamon rolls. And the snow was pretty great. But best of all was the Skype call Christmas morning when I found out I also get a brother-in-law for Christmas. Mia Sorella would probably argue that her present was better (I mean, she's marrying the guy) but I'm pretty dang excited that The Boy is officially going to join the family. (Okay, so maybe third best gift. I mean, my parents get a son-in-law. That's pretty much awesome.) Granted it'll be awhile before they can actually get marr...

In the last decade, I have packed up everything I own and moved it fifteen times. Some of those were for school -- to college, elsewhere for the summer, etc. etc. -- but the bottom line is the same: it stinks. Today I'm up to my two least favorite stages. It starts with cleaning up the dregs (where did all this junk come from?) and continues with goodbyes. Ugh, I hate goodbyes. This time, it helps that a) I'll be back with some frequency and b) if I don't get everything out, I'm not out a security deposit or anything. (I may get a butt-chewing, but that can be handled.) Doesn't mean it's a fun day. When I moved back to the area, I had no intention of staying here this long or getting particularly attached. It's no surprise that after two years, I've managed to make a few new friends and spend a bit more quality time with some old ones -- hello, attachment. Even with the knowledge that the next step will be awesome, I'm feeling oddly hesitant. ...