These Knees Were Made For Walking

I hadn’t realized just how long it has been since I posted. So here’s an update.

Jack is still stinky. Hopefully, I will resolve this today or tomorrow. He gets another bath and a new collar.

I am currently at Alum Creek State Park in Ohio. I move tomorrow, to Buck Creek. I thought I would be in Indiana next week but I will still be in Ohio. Indiana after that.

I have been plagued by raccoons and other critters. It about broke me yesterday. They get under the openings of the Chow House and vestibule of the new tent and get after whatever they can reach. If they get in the vestibule Jack has to chase after them. He as already torn through the door of my Brand New Tent. I did cry. The tear is fixable but still. I am now putting a lot of food in the car or using bungee cords to secure the food. I think I have it almost managed. They managed to reach the marsh mellows last night. A little bit of the package stuck out from the container I had them in. The Mutha Fuckas.

And I am also blocking the door to keep Jack in instead of trying to keep the critters out. That seems like it might work a little better.

Just about today: Jack and I did a walk of a little over 6 miles. It was nice. Flat, paved and the weather was windy and a little chilly. We did have some misty rain. The path ran through a little bit of wooded area and around a bunch of meadows. An urban area project to put green space in the areas where there is a shit ton of development. Everywhere I drive and look farms are being turned into housing developments much like Chatham Park. It is disheartening for me to see. It was very much the same in Delaware. Less sure of Pennsylvania and Maryland. All I saw there was rain and flooding.

Now, we are doing laundry and packing up for the move tomorrow. I am really glad I have my little house and won’t be doing a big move from there. This shit is hard. But it is satisfying when I get the new spot set up and stay a few days. It feels like a routine. I have coffee in the morning then do whatever needs done and/or walk. Go to bed early and start again in the morning. I am developing some habits that I would have benefitted from earlier in my life but it’s never too late. Dishes are done and everything put away before I go to bed. Coffee ready to go without having to wash the cups. It’s nice.

Some of the places Jack and I have explored on this journey are some of the graveyards we have passed. I like looking at the dates and figuring out what world events the person lived through. The Civil War, the Depression, WWI and WWII. There are some HUGE graveyards the further west I get. A person could wander around for days and not see all of the really big ones. I love the small ones attached to Churches. They somehow feel like home. I have also seen some family graveyards. They are really small and I don’t tend to intrude on those. The ones that break my heart are the ones that are smack dab in the middle of commercial areas. It is really weird to see a well kept graveyard (and usually a church) next to half a dozen big box stores and really big and busy intersections. You know someone was paid well to approve those plans for the developers. It feels like desecrated sacred land. But, I guess, one could argue that our entire country is desecrated sacred land.

On an odd note, the music that has been playing in the stores and laundry mats I have been in (and even Starbucks) has been older music. Madonna, Jewel, “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia. Which, I have just learned, is a cover from a group called “Ednaswap”. Who knew? Weird hearing music from my high school days and early twenties.

Laundry is dry. Time to fold.