Seventy-five days sober. Seventy-five days living on the road. Seventy-five days of just saying fuck it and seeing where life takes me. Seventy-five days of eating cheese and hummus by headlight and searching for adventure in the day. Seventy-five days of finding new hobbies and rekindling my love for old ones. Seventy-five days of turning ratchets and learning about my van. Seventy-five days of looking for new places to explore and new places to park. Seventy-five days of putting my own mental health above all else.
The rain has finally come. We have needed it so, so badly. We are in a drought, yes, and I do generally love the rain- but the millions or acres burning in the state of Oregon is the real reason. I have not been looking at the weather because, well, in all honesty I had just given up. It’s been months since it’s rained and any real weather change. The only relevant thing has been wind direction and AQI- and it’s not like tracking that is going to help much. So when I woke up this morning to the ping ping of drip from the trees above I actually had to look out the window to believe it.
As I sit here awaiting work, drinking my Yerba and trying to put off walking to the bathroom, the mountain is masked from eyesight by a thick layer of fog. Considering the significant drop in temperature that has occurred over the last few days, it is more than possible that it actually snowed up there. Which is insane because it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit a few days ago. It seems the rain is more or less done for the day; but more is predicted all next week. A lot. This, accompanied with the wonderful job the firefighters have been doing out there, puts my mind greatly at ease. Maybe we aren’t totally cooked.
the line of firefighters waiting for the gas pump this morning 🖤
Returning to normal life after my friend’s visit has been smoother than I thought. I dropped a shift at the kitchen job- something I didn’t really want to do but it’s extremely comforting to have developed a more or less consistent schedule. All the previous running around between departments and never knowing what day it was or when u worked was, well…
It wasn’t ideal. And I didn’t mind it. I absolutely love the chaos of a lifestyle like that. But after getting in trouble with my workplace, serious trouble, just for doing what was asked of me… man, they can go kick rocks. Last time I fell anybody. (I hope it should be obvious that I am being sarcastic)(But also maybe not)(kidding again).
I did pick up a retail shift though which means I only have one day off this week. So I have to make the most of it. Unfortunately it is before the potential snowfall; but still I think I will try to go snowboarding. There’s still some large patches of snow up on the glacier and I haven’t gotten up there since we shut down the lifts. I’ve heard it’s pretty god-awful, both in terms of coverage and quality.. but hey, I temporarily chose this “home” for the glacier, and I gotta make the most of it.
I started writing this before realizing I left my Vans outside. God damnit, Squid. I threw them on the floor by the gas pedals, hoping I remember to put them in my work locker; hoping the heat in the lodge will dry them out after a day or two. Of course, immediately after I did so I took a walk in the grass; decision making is not always on the forefront of my mind. Ok, two wet pairs of shoes. I gotta get my shit together. Summer has spoiled me.
The downside of the rain is that I let myself down the last few days in turns of doing some much needed organization in the van. It’s difficult to do anything in there, with the way I have my things jammed into random nooks and crannies, without pulling my stuff out onto the ground. Dry ground is, obviously, a requirement for this method. Im starting to think more and more that I need to maybe gut the thing and do an actual build before winter. Next dry spell we have I have to make a final decision on that.. which means no more money-spendy in case I need to buy a bunch of lumber and insulation.
Our dear friend Jonnie has left us(not in THAT sense) and gone to EMT school. I’ll miss the kid. An occasional pain in the ass; sure- but a really good kid. I’m glad he found a path he’s really excited about. The only reason I mention it is that he left his truck behind; and in typical Jonnie form, left it in a really stupid place. He told me he is paying a friend to take care of it, so hopefully whoever that person is comes and moved it ASAP cause that thing gonna get towed. I walked by it like three times yesterday, and continued to wonder if Oscar the raccoon is still inhabiting it. Jonnie and the raccoon’s relationship is a story all in of itself. They began as enemies after Oscar ransacked Jonnie’s food, and then they ended up as room mates 😂
Yesterday was fairly uneventful; not much to report. Just getting back into the swing of things after the past week. There’s gonna be a decent period here of juggling catching up on responsibilities and work. Things will be alright. Keep it sleazy party people 🖤
