Westward HO!

 *First written on April 23, 2013 as I was leaving Ohio for Montana. Sorry for the long delay. 

 It seems fitting to me that as I pack the car to move from Ohio to Montana, leaving on what has become an epic adventure, that spring in all its glory is bursting out all over.  For all endings are actually just new beginnings and spring is just that...evidence that all is not lost but actually just dormant and waiting for a little sun.  My home in Ohio is 2 acres of natural loveliness, me being the fine horticulturist that I am, flowers run together with wildflowers and weeds in a combination of color and confusion.  I love it.

As most of you know, I've not found a full-time job in Ohio in 5 years of looking,  Lately, I've applied nationwide which produced some positive results in that I did make it to the top of 6 job searches.  Meaning, that I was 1 of 20ish or so to get a phone call or two in a selection process that started with 200 to 300 people.  Ok, so I'm flattered but still am without a job.

In March, I had decided I might move to Florida.  My friend, Cathy, spoke to me of how HOT the summers are and stated that, "You really have to feel called to move to Florida!"  So, I reconsidered.  I've been to Florida in the summer, its more than hot.  In stating to her, several times, that we should find a cool summer place to go to, I had a head-slapping moment when I realized that I knew someone who worked in such a place. 

I sent my resume, to a cool summer place, I waited over the weekend for Monday to come thinking all the while about seasonal jobs and what I might do after it ended if I was not asked to stay.  At 10 AM Monday, the phone rang, it was the owner of the Izaak Walton Inn calling to talk.  His manner was easy, he was exited about the possibilities and at the end of an hour long call, it was on me to read the Employee Handbook and decide if this non-smoker could adhere to the "no Crack smoking" rule.  I giggled and in an email later that night told him I thought I could live with this. 

Then the next day another call came, an offer, a virtual handshake over the phone occurred and the next thing I new I had agreed to spend at least the summer in Montana.  Not just normal Montana, but Glacier National Park area, Montana!  Compared to all the other job searches had been a piece of cake.  

So, that chain of events is why I'm leaving Ohio and moving to Montana.  I'm moving for a job, seasonal at the least.  I'm moving into spring, a new beginning.  I'm moving into the unknown towards the sun.  I'm moving because my heart says maybe I"m going home.  Stay tuned everyone.  I'll post more later about the journey. 

Moving on...

Today marks the last Sunday of my residency in Ohio.  I have loved you Ohio and you have loved me too.  And so for a time, we lived together you and I.  But now it is time for me to move on, out into the big world again.  I will remember you with love and friendship, Ohio.  

I came here by accident it may seem but in my belief system nothing in the universe works particularly randomly even if it seems to be.  Yet, even if my coming here was a random decision it was a good one.  Though it has not turned out to be an easy choice emotionally or financially, the things I've learned about myself, the confidence developed, the friends made will stay with me into the future.  Most of all, I've valued the pressure, can't explain it any other way, to continually discover and refine what and who I am.  The constant nudging to THINK about what is important to me to accomplish, to find my talents and pursue them and to leave all else by the wayside has been tough at times but mostly a comical head scratch.  My long-suffering family and friends who have chosen to ride the waves of life with me truly deserve a medal.  I cannot guarantee that the future will not hold challenges but Ohio, you have done your job and helped me along my path. 

I cannot speak of family/friends without becoming slightly misty eyed as they are the stuff of life.  I've made some good ones here, lifetime ones.  Kick me in the ass friends who when I was being silly would do just that.  Creative friends who have encouraged me to let my words shine brightly and friends who have been both.  Thank you.

So, these last few days will be bittersweet.  Thank you, Ohio, for sharing with me both your best and your worst. 

GACK! Its a Spider!

I was driving along today on a road which I drive at least 4 to 5 times a week, sun shining and all is well with the world.  Suddenly, as I rounded a bend I see movement on the dash!  I try to take tiny little peeks at whatever is moving up there while negotiating the curves of the road.  As the road straightens, I straighten up in my seat and realize that what I am looking at is a Jumping Spider, all of 1/4th of an inch long, running back and forth on the dash in a frantic attempt to exit the car.  

 

Now, being an ex-Naturalist, I am not normally afraid of spiders but at that moment in time the primeval fear of spiders hit me in the gut with a sucker punch that took my breath away and with every inch of me alert, my brain yelled, "OMIGOD, I"M TRAPPED IN THE CAR WITH A SPIDER!!"  

The spider was at this point panicked.  Spiders you know can read your mind and having heard my brain yell, knew that I was on to him and he was not long for the world.  He ran back and forth in front of the steering wheel, bobbing and weaving, he'd run towards my hand and then run back into the corner of the windshield.  At the same time, I'm looking all over the car for a piece of paper for him to 'jump' onto so I could throw him out the window.  I had slowed the car to a crawl, dumped my purse's contacts on to the seat next to me.  People were passing me, giving me evil looks and one guy even shook his fist at me.  All I could do was look at him, eyes begging for understanding and wave.  Why do we feel we have to be polite when in the midst of a personal crisis?

Up until this time I'd managed to keep him at bay with little waves of my hand but suddenly he decided that it was time to make a stand.  Planting his tiny little feet, all eight of them, he crouched....I KNOW that he was about to launch himself at my face...spiders know that by landing on our faces we will become totally incoherent thus allowing them to either gnaw our faces off or escape.  I was hoping that he'd decide to escape.  Needing to do something quickly, I rolled the window down creating a -10 degree vortex of rushing air and with the other hand shoved him over close to the window hoping that a twister would grab hurl him out.  And no, I do not have 4 arms but was at this time steering with my knee.  The spider to his credit hung on to the dash for just a moment before the wind caught him and with a passing hand gesture of a disturbing nature flew out the window free to fly at last.  

Now to the truth of all this.  This story is true and I did for a moment become panicked with the idea of being in the car with a spider.  Spiders neither read minds nor gnaw faces off.  However, the primal response they elicit is real.  Even I was subject to a few moments of upset upon finding this little guy in my car.  These primal fear responses often keep us from fully understanding the importance of certain animals.  

Spiders, bats, coyotes, raptors and snakes are a few of the animals who are categorized as scary or nuisance animals.  They are all top predators in their habitats, playing a vital role in the balance of prey species which would, population-wise, without these predators, become wildly out of control.  Spiders eat annoying insects, bats eat moths which eat crops, coyotes here in Ohio, help with deer and rodent control, raptors help cull the pigeon and dove populations, snakes eat mice and other small rodents.  Nature knows what she's doing and these relationships are important.   

So, next time you're stuck in the car with something scary, (your children don't count!) or out somewhere and see something scary, don't immediately panic, take a few seconds to consider how it fits in nature and how it contributes to its habitat before reflexively flattening it.  Think about how sometimes your journey takes you to unexpected places where you only want to get away or get back to something familiar and cut the little guy a break.  Let it fly free and live to see another day.

Flying Through Rocky

Written on February 26th as I was leaving Ohio for Florida.
So, today in an effort to escape the death throes of a northern winter, I am flying again to Florida.  Land of sun, sea and sand; its winds whisper my name and the ocean music sings its song to me even in my waking hours.  The Sea Gull's cry is a welcome home invocation.  Although, I am a child of the mountains, hills and forests, the wild coast touches my wild heart and I long to stand on an empty beach facing west, wind running fingers through my hair.  Oh, it can't come soon enough, that salty air.

Yet, Ohio wishes me to stay and with a grip like iron conspires with its sister states to the west to keep me here by hatching, Rocky.  I failed to realize, really, that winter storms are now being named.  It was with dismay that I started hearing of Rocky's approach.  Tough, hard, pummeling, blustery and bragging, this would be, in my mind what a storm named, Rocky, would be like, a fighter, unwilling to give up.  And so it is with this one, I've danced and dodged, lodged a jab or two myself, staying always ahead of it.  My steps always one ahead of him.  

What would have happened if we'd flown into Midway.

At first, my departure was set for afternoon out of Akron/Canton but by mid-day those plans were cancelled with the knock-out punch to the chin of Chicago.  That mighty city's Midway airport felled; closed to air traffic, dealt a blow by Rocky's snowy glove.  Lovely Southwest Airlines scrambled to find me another flight out today, so off I went to Cleveland Airport, whose selection of flights to Tampa, Florida is more generous.  Connection through Baltimore was possible, away from the mighty fist of Rocky.  But his glancing blow is still trying to knock me out by delaying my departure from Baltimore.

As I sit here, waiting, watching for his approach, hoping that my plane boards and scoots out ahead of his arrival into the northeastern Ohio ring of snow, I wonder if he will get the upper hand.  But just in time the doors open we board the plane and off we go.  Rocky still has some blocks, slamming us with turbulence and that bottom dropping out of the plane feeling.  We fly to Baltimore with the fasten seat belt sign on for almost the whole trip.  Yet once up above 10,000 feet all is calm.  The stars shine brightly and only the cloud mountains below indicate any issues.  The almost full moon brightens the sky and is so beautiful.  It illuminates the tops of the clouds below putting their peaks and valleys in bright relief. 
 
Upon arrival in Baltimore, thinking I still had 40 minutes or more to kill I allow other passengers who have a tighter connection to de-plane ahead of me.  Searching for a board gate sign, I turn left and spy it ahead.  Well, all is still as planned, Baltimore to Tampa still delayed.  I head back towards my gate, looking for a bathroom, when I hear:  "Welcome to Flight so and so non-stop service from Baltimore to Tampa boarding at gate 8." Wait,  WHAT! 3 minutes after I de-planed, I was lining up to re-plane?! Yikes!  So, within 10 minutes of getting off 1 plane, I was on another waiting to head to my final destination of sun, sand and surf.  Rocky wasn't going to win after all.  He was successfully knocked out and I was going to win at least this round with mother nature.    

Final destination, feet successfully de-planed on to the beach!

Cold Wind, Warm Heart

Again due to issues on my part, this is a continuation of a thought from last year, 2012. 

There was more to my shower idea than just writing every day.  I had this crazy thought that since this is the time of Thanks-giving that maybe it would be a good thing for me to think about that very thing.  What was I thankful for in this past year of 2012?  Well, it was an unusual year.  

It started in January 2012 with a trip to Arkansas for a job interview which ended with me not getting the job.  I came to the realization that I had been gendered and aged out of that job from the minute I stepped off the plane.  This knowledge became huge and life-changing. 

 

A lovely recovery trip to Florida where walking the beach and shell collecting became the therapy to beat back the blues came later in January.  I can also recommend Paint-by-Number art therapy.

 It was a year of both the perceived ugly and the lovely bumping into each other back and forth, a tightrope walk of emotions.  But as the year progressed I mitigated the ugly with positive educational opportunities (Jennifer McLean's, Healing with the Masters) and readings designed to keep me from slipping into the dumpster.  This has helped. 

I have struggled with inspiration, often not writing at all.  It was the walks and my camera which were my eyes into the world of creativity linking me to the magic that is our world.  Other things happened, a trip to Colorado (awesome), gifts of love and kindness from friends, more hours at work and opportunities to do hard work, cleansing my soul with the dirt and birdsong. 

A realization gradually breaking upon me that all things really DO work for good ..that the path I've walked has made me who I am today.  Without the slurry of experiences whether perceived "good" or "bad" by me (at the time they occurred) I would not have walked the path I did.  Would not have felt the things I felt, not learned the lessons I've learned...just not been ME.  I would have been another ME...maybe one I didn't like...I definitely wouldn't have been here at this particular time, in this spot, writing.  I'd miss that.



So, for this new year of 2013, my wish, resolution, desire, whatever you want to call it will be to enjoy the journey more.  I'll try to be easier on myself and not judge situations as "good" or "bad" but will just try to let them BE.  To say more to myself, OH LOOK AT THAT....whatever is happening...isn't that interesting?  I'll shake my emotions up with dancing in joy, throw in some shower singing and let them bubble out in laughter.  Guess I'll also continue keepin' on keepin' on and in the light of each new sun find myself enjoying each moment.  

Winter Day on the Fen

FEN: a peat-forming wetland which receives nutrients from other sources than precipitation and whose soil is generally less acidic and more nutrient rich than bogs thus able to support a greater diversity of plant and animal life.  They are generally covered in grasses, sedges, rushes and wildflowers. Usually occurring in the Northeastern United States, Great Lakes region, the Rocky Mountains and much of Canada -- they have low temperatures and short growing seasons.

I am lucky.  I live near a fen.  When I moved to Northeast Ohio, I had no idea what a fen was.  It is now one of my favorite places to hang.  In all seasons, it is a magical place.  The shifting grasses rustle along the boardwalk which, like a thin ribbon of civilization, runs around the edge of the fen. Standing tall in the distance,the Tamaracks beckon, needle puffs wave like flags in the summer sun.  Yet like deciduous trees, in winter, their bare branches stand naked to the wind and snow.  Chickadees find food and shelter amongst the Tamarack stand. 

Underneath the trees, there is a world of survival going on. Grasses and raspberry bushes crowd together.  Along with the plants we would call "weeds", unusual wildflowers grow, providing a home and sustenance for voles, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and birds.  All the while, the fen lays beyond the tree's edge and at the far end, the  Phragmites australis grow.  Invasive beyond belief, they do provide cover for the deer who forage here.  Once, a buck and I frightened each other as we both quietly went about our business of feeding and curious roaming.

Up the hill from the fen is a great stand of Poplar.  The trail weaves up and through these giants dipping down to two more ponds filled with Canada Geese and Mallards.  You can see that once in a wetter time they all were linked with run off spillways sending their excess into the fen below.  Now, the ponds hold the water as their own.  The Poplars, however, still send their branches straight into the sky, smooth bark a target for the uneducated who leave their mark on it and so I see the usual messages...people thinking that this will provide them with some measure of immortality.  

Always, on the way back to my car, I find my time in the fen has gone too quickly and my feet must hurry, in a race with sundown.  So, my last impressions are dark trees against a flaming orange, blue, pink, raspberry sky, studded with the ever present clouds of Northeast Ohio. Stunning!  

On this walk,  I see "my" Red-Tailed Hawk fly from behind me where the farmer lives, across the fen to settle in the branches of the darkening trees.  A silent messenger to me to remember that like the hawk, my eyes need to see the future with a sharp vision, to pick my target and then go after it with all the energy I have, like my life depends on its capture...to hold in my heart that at Evensong when the sun goes down, find a comfortable perch and end the day, singing in joy to the dying sun.  To also consider that the night brings its on kind of darkness...thus, enjoying the brightness and warmth for as long as possible will bring you through to when the sun rises again.

 

10 or 12 Essentials to Have in Home Emergency

Image from NASA Earth Observatory

**This is another blog post that got away from me and I did not post it in a timely manner.  I hope you all can glean at least a bit of help from it.  Love & Healing energy sent to all those affected by Hurricane Sandy, especially to personal friends who are still homeless.**

 So another weather emergency is about to hit or has hit the east coast of the United States.  Odd having a hurricane in October, especially one that is moving into the Northeast which has in the past been a safe haven against hurricanes.  The Northeast's topography, full of mountains, rivers and lakes, is easily moved by natural forces like wind and water.  Thus, lots of damage comes from mud, water, trees falling etc.  Many are rushing to the stores to buy things that they don't keep on hand normally, like bottled water, matches, batteries etc.  Its cold up here too so how, with no electricity and lots of snow, do people stay warm in their homes?  As an outdoors person and backpacker, I like to think I have an edge on preparedness and due to longstanding Girl Scout membership,  I have a hard time NOT "Being Prepared".  When backpacking, I always try to have the 10 Essentials with me.

First, for those not familiar with them, what are the 10 Essentials.  The 10 Essentials are items/gear you might need in the wilderness to survive if stuck out there unexpectedly.  Generally, its because you've lost your way, found yourself out past dark, been injured or someone with you has been injured or you get caught in dangerous weather conditions and need to stop.  This link will take you to an informative article concerning these:  http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/Assets/ClientPages/zz_TenEssentials.aspx

So, what can this list teach us about preparation at home?  My humble opinion is that many of us who are outdoor people have a good amount of these things at home already.  The national site for emergency preparation is very good and can be found at:  http://www.ready.gov/basic-disaster-supplies-kit .   These guys know what they are talking about and although I have been pretty cavalier about making an emergency kit, I have always had an idea in my head about what I would need to grab out of my backpacking supplies in order to be ready to leave quickly, if necessary.  

Here is what "I" have in my backpacking closet or car already that I could use if caught in an emergency situation.

A couple of sleeping bags rated 0 to 45 degrees.  However, if you have quilts, blankets, sheets you can make your own sleeping bag by layering together and tying with rope to contain it....place it in a waterproof stuff sack or double garbage bag.  It is VERY important to always keep your sleeping gear dry.  It is your best friend against hypothermia if kept dry. 

Garbage bags are useful as vapor barriers to keep you warm or even use as an emergency shelter or raincoat. They can be double bagged and filled with water or used to collect clean rain water.

Sleeping pads can be used as ground protection protecting you against the cold ground, laid on floor of friends houses provide some comfort or used as rafts if suddenly you find yourself in the water.

Water filtration "stuff" like chlorine dioxide pills (Aquamira, Katahdyn pills etc), water filters or purifiers from Katadyn, MSR, Steripen etc maybe used with rain water to get  your gallon of water/person/day.  Water is always tricky especially if in an area that has been flooded and has been standing.  So do your research about how to handle water that is stagnant or has dead things in it.  Hopefully, you will get away to a safer place and be able to purify running water.  Make sure that you have water bladders, Nalgene bottles, milk jugs or other containers available that will hold your clean water.

In a normal backpacking kit, I would always have a map and compass.  So, transferring this thought to your car and a home emergency always carry a local map and a national map and a non-electric compass.  In bad weather, electronic gadgets can fail/not work/run out of juice, etc so have on hand and learn how to read a map and use a compass.  I always have a state road map, an atlas and will probably add local topo maps.  You can buy state maps that have some elevation details on them from a company called Benchmark or the maps I am familiar with are the Delorme Gazetters.  Make sure your compass has an option for adjusting declination and if you have NO idea what I'm talking about then find someone who does and have them teach you how to use.  In a survival situation, I will always have an advantage because of this knowledge. 

Like any good backpacker, I have a plethora of flashlights/headlamps. I'd probably take a combination of several of my favorites.  I have a small lamp (not a bping model) and a small handheld flashlight in my car which is BRIGHT.  Both would go into any kit.  I have my old reliable Petzel headlamp and my new small Petzel which blinks.  All use AA batteries except the small Petzel making battery buying really easy. Combined together they are all bright and have many uses.  If possible, I also have a Coleman lamp....keep supplies for these with your emergency kit...and grab it if you can.  Coleman fuel does age and get junky so if you have a can in your garage that has been there for awhile...make sure you replace it every year.  (this fuel gets crudy and stuff settles causing blockages in fuel line)


 In my gear closet are many backpacking stoves.  Alcohol stoves, propane/butane bping stoves and in the basement a white gas Coleman backpacking stove. (garage holds a large 2 burner Coleman stove).  In an emergency I'd probably take a canister stove with canisters, my favorite Tinman alcohol stove set with HEET and the small white gas stove.  All are portable, small and able to be carried on my back.  White gas is easily obtainable, as is HEET making the canister stove the first one I'd dump if fuel became unavailable.  However, in any emergency the knowledge of how to build an efficient cooking fire using wood is a valuable skill.  Also, needed would be at least 1 small backpacking pot or a decent stainless steel one that would fit on a small stove or fire.  Plastic handles are no-nos, they will melt over a fire.  Make sure you have at least 1 bandana living in your pots to be used as a washrag or potholder.  If you have a pot gripper, good for you, throw it in...I don't take it backpacking but in an emergency could be useful.

Let me just say a little word about bugout clothing.  I'd not wear my bluejeans or cotton t-shirts exclusively.  Like in any adventure, I always wear nylon backpacking or exercise wear because it dries quickly, is easily washed, durable, can be layered over or under things to keep warm because its thin not bulky.  Staying warm in an emergency is a key component to survival and cotton simply takes forever to dry and does not insulate.  In the backpacking community we often laugh about how, "Cotton Kills!" and really it can.  You need to have clothes that will dry quickly.  Pick materials like wool, fleece, microfiber, synthetic down or down for outerwear.  Have a combo of thick and thin gloves, hats, balaclavas, mittens and maybe some silnylon mitts to cover hands.  A sun hat from Sunday Afternoon hats is my favorite hat but Outdoor Research makes a waterproof hat that many like too.  Don't forget lightweight raincoat (silnylon, Dry Ducks or Marmot/MSR make decent lite rainwear)  A pair of rainpants are very useful.  Don't buy that heavy stuff...get some good rainwear that will NOT let you down and that has some breathablility. 

  So why would I take my backpacking gear with me instead of the stuff that FEMA says I should take.  Well, its a lot smaller and lighter.  If I have to leave my car, its portable.  A Coleman 2 burner stove is not.  The bping gear gives me more options and can go with me if I have to get a boat, helicopter, plane or airboat ride and I don't have to leave all my survival stuff in my car.  So, have a bugout, emergency plan that has the best emergency survival stuff which goes into your car but then a backpack full of your pared down, live in a shelter stuff that you can grab out of your car and go, if necessary. Don't forget to have your most basic stuff contained in plastic waterproof plastic bags, dry bags, ziplocks or stuff sacks.  Dry is much better. Your gear in your pack can be double bagged with garbage bags. OH and do NOT forget to carry a massive supply of Duct Tape.

I have not talked about first aid kits because you need to follow the rules with this one.  Link to info: http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/get-kit/anatomy  Throw in an emergency blanket or bivy in your first aid kit.  Shelter is another biggie and I'd have my tent, hiking poles and role of plastic or blue plastic tarp with rope in the car.  So again, you need to personalize this for your family and remember bottom line - portable.  Don't depend upon others to keep you safe and warm.  Even a small child can help by carrying a 2 lb, 8 x 10 ft piece of plastic which can be used by a family of 4 to shelter under. 

 Make sure you have clothes for the season which you know will work for you...don't use/take gear with you that is not tested by you so you know how to use it.  (ie dont' go to REI and buy bping stuff and put it into a closet for an emergency..if you are not a bper get with one and have them teach you how to use your equipment) Get out and use your gear, have fun, don't wait for an emergency.   

Ok I could go on forever and there is a lot of info in this post.  I can only include a few ideas that maybe some of you haven't thought about concerning what to have available in an emergency.  My disclaimer is that I am not an emergency planner, I do not play one on TV.  I am not responsible or to be blamed for injuries or death that might occur because you read or didn't read this blog.  Planning is something we all are responsible for and need to personalize.  There is a lot of info on the internet.  Stay safe my friends and if you want me to clarify any of this just email me.