Sunday, Nov 8th, 2009.
Well I'm ready to head south again. I've come to like the artificial peace and quietude of living without a permanent home. I am frustrated by having to wait upon the VA for my upcoming medical appointments. I've completed one week of waiting and am starting week number two now and its not comfortable. Not that I can't wait, I can, it is the psychological environment that I find myself in while waiting.
I don't have an apartment to call my own since departing from Highland falls and while I'm on the road camping it isn't an issue. But staying at my brother's home I find unsettling. No it isn't critical but it isn't good either. I'm attempting to help out doing the minor chores, laundry, washing dishes, letting the old dog in and out at zero dark thirty when she needs to relieve herself. But I can't help but feel like an interloper.
Well I've reach a few serious decisions about the course of my life from this point onwards. My furniture in my other brother's barn shall find its way either to a church's thift store, donated to a good cause or failing that just destroyed, and I'd prefer not to destroy it. But I've no need for it anymore. The same goes for much of the excess clothing I've dragged arpound over the years. My old dress greens can be donated to a clothing bag as well as all my old work clothes and uniforms. I only need a couple of pairs of dungarees, tee shirts underwear, socks and shoes. I don't need all i'm dragging around.
Even the motorcycles and sailboat can go. my material possesions just aren't needed. No I'm not giving up on life, I've been abile to realize I don't need all the stuff I've acquired over the years and the emotional burden that comes with being concerned about it. Realisticly I was much happier at 18 years of age with just the clothes upon my back and being able to live out of a dufflebag. So my goal for 2009 and beyond is to down size my life's baggage. Yes, I'll keep a few toys and effects; but I don't need to fill a house and call it home.
A small travel trailer and wardrobe, a laptop computer and a radio, my old bicycle and I can be content. I've discovered this minor thing while camping out on Key West. It isn't a revelation of biblical proportions; Its just a reality of my life.
So come late February when I'm done with the VA and Dentist appointments I shall hit the highway again and reorder my life. Do some charity fundraising as I did for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society but not to that degree of effort, Keep up my exercise regimen and try to make a positive change in my life.
Thursday, Nov 12th, 2009.
So how has the week progressed? Thats a loaded question if ever one has been posed. Good, Bad and Ugly may apply.
Bad: A person Who've I've known and worked with in a Volunteer Fire department passed away this past Saturday, He was only 46 years old.
Good; I've started running material possessions I haven't used in a year or more to the Salvation Army for their reuse. They were surprised with the very good condition of the materials I've donated. Also with the 1980's vintage component sterio system. Now I've need to go through various other items and reduce them as well. I've decided to sell both motorcycles and my sailboat. If I get another boat it shall be small enough to put atop the cargo racks on my van.
Ugly; Ice, snow and mud. Enough said there I supposed as everyone knows how ugly it can get dealing with those aspects of nature.
But not all is doom and gloom. I've been helping out my youngest brother and getting a few domestic isues under control for him. But for the work i've done he now needs to get his kids, Teenagers, to start building upon the effort. Well thats another issue and a passing one as I'll be running amuk in a couple of weeks and on the road again.
My younger brother turns 50 this year and my broothers and I will be throwing a Birthday party for him at a Fraternal Lodge. He ain't getting too much but he'll be getting it regardless.
My older brother will turn 52 tomorrow, I'll see to it he gets his.....
Well believe it or not I did the paperwork for the means test for my VA care today. in 2008 my gross income was just over 46,000 down from about 70,000 for 07 and my projected income for 09 is for 27,000 so next year I do the paperwork for yet another means test in order to reduce my costs for the VA health care system yet again.
I guess there is a upside to having a severly reduced income.
Well thats all for this update and I'll post this to my blog in the near future.
Saturday, Nov 14th, 2009
Well today I wasted the day, not completely but pretty much so by spending most of the day on the computer. Although I did run 5 miles this morning and clean up some of my current domicile.
I'm adding some more music to my MP3 player today. Grateful Dead 'The Best of' Skeletons from the Closet' and Jefferson Starship 'Jefferson's Tree of Liberty'.
The Grateful dead music is pretty well know & played; The Golden Road (to unlimited devotion),Truckin, Rosemary, Sugar Magnolia, St. Stephen, Uncle John's Band, Casey Jones, Mexicali Blues, Turn On Your Love Light, One More Saturday Night and Friend of the Devil.
The Jefferson Starship numbers are a mix of known and unknow covers. Wasn't that a time, Follow the drinking gourd, Santy Anno, Cowboy on the run, I ain't marching anymore, Chimes of freedom, Genisis hall, Kisses sweeter than wine, Royal canal, Risin' of the moon, Frenario, In a crisis, Maybe for you, Comandante Carlos Fonseca, Pastures of plenty, Imagine redemption, On the threshold of fire, The quiet joys of brotherhood,
pretty much a mixed bag of music, but as I use the MP3 player when I'm running the random mixing of music when I run can be interesting to say the least. Most of the music is lively and upbeat with a good rythym to run and jog by.
Well I'll see what tomorrow brings, I'll do some grocery shopping and wait for the new week to unfold. Hopefully the Dentist gives me a clean bill of health and I can schedule my next dental check up for October when my next set of VA visits will occur. I'm shifting my schedule to accomodate my ability to deal with the winter cold which has progressively gotten worse over the years. Its a loss of sensation and general numbness which occurs in the hands. With that being the case, I think a complete relocation to a southern clime will be in order for winters. and a return north in the springtime.
Have a safe and easy week everyone.
Looking north towards the Village of Brewster, NY Feb 21st, 2009.
