The Myth & The Majesty

On the last night of camp at the last campfire, it is semi-traditional for the smaller camps to do a round of highs and lows (and sometimes mid-week, but we'll stick with the end of the week). Given that I'm attempting much more regular posting around here, I thought maybe I should give myself at least one weekly gimme. This last week (since my weeks tend to go from Friday to Friday) has involved four different camps, a camp flip, lots of transportation juggling, and an influx of bikes for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally . So! My highs and lows. But in the opposite order. Lows: Um ... Well ... Actually, not a lot. It's been a pretty good week. I've been tired. That's my low. Highs: Sophie's expected expensive fix ended up being ... nonexistent. As long as the process didn't mess with anything, life is good. The 'rents bought a lot! And a theoretical house! The 'rents also appear to have gotten a rental for their in-between time! Did I menti

Daydreaming.  

As the summer wraps up, I have a few thoughts on posts I'm probably going to write. Quality-type stuff that may or may not bore the living daylights out of you ... or amuse you if I do it right. Let's hope it's that second option. Unless of course you read my blog in order to go to sleep, which I probably can't hold against you because it may just work. Where were we? Right. Posts. I've had a lot of short posts (really, glorified Facebook statuses) lately because -- here's a shocker -- posting every single day is tough. Not impossible, but not easy. And while I live in a place that does in fact provide material on a very regular basis, not everyone wants to hear about my job all the time and quite frankly, when I get home at night I might not want to write about it. There's not a lot of separation in my life. I work. I live at work. I eat at work. Writing about work can be exhausting. Tonight, I'm here to ask for some help. No, not help not

Some days at camp are so exhausting you can barely stand up by the time supper rolls around. Some days, there's so much going on there are no real breaks. Some days people drive you bonkers. Some days you get to spend the evening laughing so hard you're reminded that people are awesome. Some days the sky is so clear you can see every star in the Little Dipper without squinting. Some days it stays a perfect 80 degrees out all day so that every activity can occur as planned. Some days ... that all happens at once. And you know what? That's a pretty good day.

It's the last week of regular summer camp.   It's ... going to be a bit crazy.   Time for a serene thought.    

It's a clear night at the end of a sort of wacky day. I'm ... pretty much exhausted. But somehow, the back deck calls, if only for a few minutes. Living here occasionally offers those moments that I missed so much when I lived in town. Any town. Because even just a neighbor's porch light can completely ruin a stargazing outing.

7 days till regular summer camps are done. 39 days till the 'rents house is officially in new hands. 48 days till my vacation starts. 130...ish days till my parents have a new house to live in full-time. ... Those 90 days between the second and fourth numbers have me perplexed.

On the last night of camp at the last campfire, it is semi-traditional for the smaller camps to do a round of highs and lows (and sometimes mid-week, but we'll stick with the end of the week). Given that I'm attempting much more regular posting around here, I thought maybe I should give myself at least one weekly gimme. This last week (since my weeks tend to go from Friday to Friday) has involved a group of 160 young junior high kids (and counselors), a ridiculous phone saga, and the appearance of Mom and Mia Sorella. So! My highs and lows. But in the opposite order. Lows: Sophie's having some difficulties -- namely, her thermostat seems to have gone out. I haven't figured out where to get that fixed just yet. Highs: The 'rents have an appointment tomorrow to hopefully get started building a new house. My phone was finally found after a 10-day absence (that, in the end, really didn't mean that much). We're headed into the last week of camp. Tha

All right. A long line of random quizzes brings about the desire to answer random questions. So for this evening, let's give that a try, shall we?   *   Do you ever eat breakfast for supper? Yes. I also eat supper for breakfast every now and then.   Do you play Scrabble? Oh, boy. I own Scrabble, I have family members who like Scrabble, but I'm terrible at it and generally avoid it. Kind of the same way I feel about Monopoly, minus the ruin friendships.   Are you a dog or a cat person? Honestly? More of a cat person. I like the low-maintenance thing. Realistically, neither, since I'm mildly allergic to both. (It sucks.)   Pick one picture that shows a highlight from the last year.   What do you order at McDonald's? A stop at McDonald's is incredibly rare. But if I do ... Either chicken nuggets with fries or a Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait. How much coffee do you drink? Enough that one of the summer staffers said something to the e

Tonight, after a day spent periodically explaining " matchstick trees ," I'm thinking about the day I took this.  

This one doesn't look like much ... but it sounds pretty terrifying. (Especially the rumbling before the downpour...)  

If you've been on Facebook in the last few days, you're probably aware that Weird Al has a new album out. What you might not be aware of is just how awesome it really is. Being released with said album are 8 new videos in 8 days. This one is from day 3 (I think) and ... well, just watch it.

Spent this morning out with the M-Man's rock climbing camp ... Fantastic way to enjoy the Hills today.   Watching the kids climb aaaalmost convinced me that maybe I could give it a try.   Some day.   Maybe.  Side note: We're being slowly overtaken by smoke from the fires out west. Hope you're all staying safe out there ... and that your homes & getaways can return to normal soon.

A few years back, I posted my Top 10 Single Woman travel tips. In a bit of a twist, I read those again this week and ... they haven't changed. I stand by every one of them and I'm genuinely surprised. However, if I were to write that post again I'd probably expand it and add a few more. Turns out after a few good-sized road trips (and another one in the works) I've actually learned some new things. Crazy, isn't it? Anyway. Here are a few more things I'm considering as I plan my upcoming trip this fall. 1. As Andi commented way back then, make sure someone knows your itinerary. Keep in mind that this isn't just for your safety -- it's also so that, in the event of an emergency back home, someone can get you a message within a day if your cellphone is dead or just plain out of service. When I go for my longer trips, I talk to my mom more than on an average week, partially because the miles get long but also so that someone knows where(ish) I am.

On the last night of camp at the last campfire, it is semi-traditional for the smaller camps to do a round of highs and lows (and sometimes mid-week, but we'll stick with the end of the week). Given that I'm attempting much more regular posting around here, I thought maybe I should give myself at least one weekly gimme. This last week (since my weeks tend to go from Friday to Friday) has involved a couple of camps, a group of 150 women and girls, a visit from Mom, and my parents thinking that maaaaybe they might have their housing situation figured out. Maybe. So! My highs and lows. But in the opposite order. Lows: My water heater decided to quit working, most likely on Saturday. Sometime Sunday night (or Monday morning?) I lost my cell phone ... and I still haven't found it. I really need to clean my house. Highs: New water heater! At which point the plumber discovered that my old one was hooked up backwards, which explained why I had roughly one and a half s

It's back!      And it turned out a mushroom & Swiss burger was exactly what I needed last night.

This week so far, in brief: - The realization that I was hugging people voluntarily. And frequently. Maybe I've been stressed out? Drugged? Gone over the edge? - Rainbow cake. Lobster rainbow cake. - Poorly timed rain leading to sudden indoor activities with 65 kids aged eight and under. - "So then we had TWO situations, and it was like a really bad episode of Jersey Shore. " - 150 women and girls, ages 12 and up. All at once. In camp. - A new granddaughter for the Chef Lady & M-Man. It's a good week.

Tonight, it's thoughts of Korea while I try to sleep...    

I just took my furry nephew for a quick jaunt and couldn't help but be amused at that very fact. This has been the summer of the revolving door. First in the camp, where we've had a lot of one-night groups -- families passing through, pastors needing a night away, summer mission teams on their way to or from sites, that kind of thing. We've flipped more buildings mid-week than I've ever seen and it's ... amusing. Exhausting. Kind of fascinating. It's been going on in my house as well. Dad moved out here at the end of April, so every time Mom turns up to go house hunting she stays here. Mia Sorella as well, Shorty occasionally ... and with them an assortment of pets, friends, and once or twice Miss M. For a person who likes her space, it gets awfully crowded. But you know what? It's amusing. And exhausting. Kind of fascinating. Don't get me wrong. I've had my moments. (Especially where said pets are concerned, since I'm allergic.) Every t

I have a love/hate relationship with rain. You see, I live in a place right on the edge of a desert. In a forest, no less, where rain is crucial to keeping my world from going up in smoke. I love rain. I love it's life-giving power and the fact that regular rain keeps my piece of the planet from turning into a dry, dusty, hot chunk of earth. When the rain stops, the ability to have campfires ends. The temperature goes up. There's just a little more tension as trees dry out and the dust rises. This was my experience all through college, and I don't miss the 100+ degree weather, the fire bans, or the fact that I had a "fire box" that someone was supposed to grab if I was gone and we were suddenly evacuated. But. There's always a downside. Too much rain and there is no swimming in the creek, no challenge course, no hikes on certain trails. Too much rain and activities with 60 kids get moved inside at the last minute and campfires get cancelled after all.

I know my late-night picture posts are a bit of a cop-out, but my crazy days are leaving me with very little energy ... and thinking of some of the more interesting outings I've had in recent(ish) years.   Tonight, I'm thinking about these guys.    I ... definitely need to visit them.

Tonight: Remembering my day at Mount Saint Helens .  

Nothing too intense. Just a few tweaks here on the blog. Glad I finally seem to have found a title that can last more than a year ... Egads.

A couple quick pictures from some quality Sylvan Lake time...   Also, yesterday's freaky-deaky orange sky. A 5AM thunderstorm will do that.  

Do YOU want to lose weight without ever joining a gym?   Do you have eating habits that don't support a skinny lifestyle?   Want to eat ice cream every day and not worry about the calories?       Then I have a deal for you! Get a job working with your local camp and watch the pounds melt away! Gain muscle and stamina! Never step on a treadmill again!   Sleep well every single night!     May not be suitable for those who have been working desk jobs for more than a decade. May inhibit any normal or already-established social life. May have to have a high tolerance for children, parents, adults that act like children, Band-Aids, bug bites, sunburns, meals intended for those half to a quarter your age, long hours, long hikes, long swims, long nights, long whines from campers, strange requests, late trips to Walmart, and Kool-Aid. Please consult your physician, psychiatrist, and spouse before beginning this program. Please do not operate heavy machinery

So I've got this vacation coming up. I've mentioned it before. I'm going east. My path will include Minnesota (Minneapolis, most likely) and Wisconsin. What I'm looking for are suggestions ... or if anyone wants to catch me on the way. Probably only ONE night in Wisconsin. Perhaps a stop in Chippewa Falls for a Leinie's visit (since I didn't do that while I lived out there) or if someone had connections and wanted to share ... maybe the first Packers home game? Okay, so that's a stretch. But I have to throw it out there. Anyway! Suggestions? Comments? Help, people!

[Photo taken 7/3/2007] 

As we head into a weekend of family gatherings (including one for my own family), I thought perhaps I could give some of you friends and/or regular readers an idea of what's been going on here. My father's been living with me since he started his new job a couple months ago. In the meantime, Mom and Mia Sorella have been prepping the house back east for sale ... and as it happens, it sold right before it was put on the market. (Yep. Before.) Which means now the 'rents are house-hunting out here. From my perspective, this means an increasing number of conversations that start with me asking, "So, found anything yet?" and end in disappointment. In the meantime, Mia Sorella is officially at a waiting point as far as Jay's paperwork goes. Just waiting. So stop asking her about it because when she's knows something, the entire world will know something. And finally, Shorty & Miss M have not yet set a date, to my knowledge. There's the update.

One of the perks to summer are the staff outings. Okay, also just the summer staffers as a whole. This particular crowd is several different kinds of nutty. Which is why over the course of a single day I can have a conversation about purchasing different varieties of sword in Europe and also get the reindeer-lullaby-like-song from "Frozen" stuck in my head for several hours. Anyway. Back to the outing thing. Generally, we try to find one day we can spend out exploring the Hills. This year ... no such opportunity has presented itself. Instead, we've managed a couple mini-outings this year, including this evening -- pizza, Dairy Queen (a required stop), and a private tour at Wind Cave that I will have to give it's own separate post to do it justice. Our guide? Another former staffer. Because she's awesome. Not a bad way to spend the only free night in July.