1 October 2020
Finally! October! Somewhere around the last of the month we’ll get our first break in the heat. Temps will drop a few degrees but more importantly the humidity will drop. It’s start our 6 months of paradisiacal weather. That’s the good news. The bad news is the gas bill will start going up again as the pool heater starts kicking in. It’ll be worth paying the extra for the cooler weather. Of course, cooler is a relative term. It never gets too cool down here.
Renovations are creeping along and the pace of a sluggish snail. It’s mostly detail work but even so, I think everyone is getting paid by the hour – or maybe by the minute. Since insurance is paying for it, that’s OK by me but I’m tired of living out of boxes and having to search through three rooms to find what I need to turn out a meal.
The second glass door for the upper middle cabinet still hasn’t arrived nor has the spice rack pull out. Again, I’m shooting for a December completion date. It’s beginning to sound less facetious.
Speaking of meals, the other day when they left so late (after 5 pm) I didn’t feel like cooking so I scanned the web to look for some vegetarian delivery. I found a place and ordered to entrées at $15 each. With the delivery charge and tax and tip, it came to $48 but that didn’t bother me because I figured I would get three or four meals out of it.
The food had absolutely no taste. I was sorely disappointed in a restaurant that specialized in vegan meals. That’s why I did the potato dish and the green bean dish that I like so well (see previous post).
I did get in my morning walk, yoga stretches and my 20 minutes in the pool. However, I’ve felt hungover all day today. I took 1 Advil PM to insure I got a good night’s sleep and I did. I got up at 7 am without waking during the night. However, I’ve been lethargic all day.
I’ve ordered some CBD gummies from Amazon. I think I like those better than the Advil PM. At least, I don’t get the hangover feeling when I chew a few of those before bed.
A few days ago, I checked on getting some reservations at state and national parks for a camping trip. I could find some sites for state parks but the national parks, although open, seemed to be pretty full. I could get one night in but not two in a row. I’m not sure if that is because there are so many people camping right now or that they are restricting access.
I remember a couple of years ago trying to get reservations at Smokemont campground in the Smokies. They said they were full. When I camped elsewhere but hiked the Smokemont loop trail, the campsite was open but nearly empty. I wonder how many people block out reservations and then cancel at the last minute?
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To earn the camping merit badge, you had to camp out a specific number of nights (I think 20 or 21). It was only later that our scoutmaster told us for the camp to count, you had to keep a journal about the camping. I think that may be where I got the idea to keep a travel blog of my cross country trips.
One of the worst nights of camping was with Tommy Brown. We went out to one of his Dad’s farms and camped in the field. We found a nice level place to pitch the tent and only learned later that we pitched the tent in the middle of a hog trail. I also learned that night that hogs roam the trails at night. About every 45 minutes, the hogs would come by and root around the tent. I think I got about 30 minutes sleep the entire night.
My coldest night of camping was with our assistant scoutmaster at his farm. His name was John Stokes and he was a master sergeant in the army and while working with us scouts, he was also responsible for traveling the south to bring in AWOL soldiers.
Anyway, he took us out to his farm and we helped clear brush for him. It was so cold that night I couldn’t get any sleep. I got out of my sleeping bag and went and sat by the fire. Sgt. Stokes was there feeding the fire and we stayed up until dawn trying to get warm by the fire. The other scouts were still in their sleeping bags. I suspect they had a warmer bag than I did. Anyway, Sgt. Stokes always spoke to me as an adult and he and I kind of bonded that night even though I was a Tenderfoot in rank. I also learned about “false” dawns. There is a short period of time before the sun rises that it looks like the dawn. I suspect it has something to do with the scattering of light rays beyond the horizon.
After that time, Sgt. Stokes and I were close. I’ve had several “second” fathers over the years. Let me first say that my Dad recognized that and was not in any way offended. He knew the importance of role models in life. Sgt. Stokes was one of the first. Our scoutmaster, H.D. Polk was another. My major professor at Ole Miss was a third. I owe a lot to those individuals for what they taught me.
Once, at Boy Scout camp, Camp Kickapoo in Clinton, Mississippi, our troop was given the task of clearing out some timber in the back reaches of the camp. Some of the trees were quite large and we had to haul them up a steep incline. Fortunately, Sgt. Stokes had a come-along and we hand cranked the trees up the hill. We’d take turns pumping the handle of the come-along. On one of my shifts, I was sagging. Mr. Polk made a move to take over and Sgt. Stokes waved him off. He wanted me to finish to prove myself. He made a very innocuous sign to Mr. Polk but I saw it out of the corner of my eye. That made me redouble my efforts. And trust me, it was an effort. It was in July, surrounded by trees with no breeze and 90% humidity – but I did it. I always appreciated his confidence in me.
A few years later, I became troop leader for Troop 28 of Morton. Sgt. Stokes took me more and more into his confidence and we even talked about his concerns with his son. Butch was one of my best friends and Sgt. Stokes didn’t know I was also privy to Butch’s conversations about his Dad with me. These were two very fine people. His wife Bernice Stokes was from Germany and spoke with a German accent but she treated me like her son Butch. I ate many meals at that house. Both she and Sgt. Stokes knew of the alcoholism of my parents and gave me constant support and help.
Years later when Mother died, who showed up at the funeral but Mrs. Stokes. She asked if I remembered her and I told her there was not any way I would ever not remember her and what she did for me. Sgt. Stokes had died earlier than Mom and I didn’t find out about it until after the funeral. I was touched she saw Christine Searcy in the obits and attended the funeral.
With the rainy weather, my lethargy, and the unending renovation, my song recommendation for the day is Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me.”
Stay tuned and stay safe!
