April 2, 2009 08:07 - Easy to Say... Difficult to Do...
I've said it... a few hundred thousand others have said it... but all of us knowing it, doesn't make it any easier a task.
Live for Today... for right now... this minute, because tomorrow may never come... the next hour... may never come.
Real easy for me, sitting here at my desk, sippin' a fresh cup, to do all sorts of flowery speechafyin'... Not so easy, each and every day, to actually, LIVE, the words.
We all... and I'm the poster boy for such failures... get caught up in all the trivial worries of livin'... and find ourselves derailed and diverted so often, we start thinkin'; "I must be some sort of an idiot!"
Naw... we're all just Human... well... you are. Some folks are still debatin' my ancestry. :-)
This right here, is the need for Friends. They 'hear' the tone in your words... You don't have to say it outright.They sense when your not firin' on all cylinders... They reach out, take hold, and boost you up.
They reach out and catch you, when you trip... before you hit too hard... or... at least, help you put on the bandages... if their grip slipped. :-)
So...if it's so damn hard... why keep at it?
Because.
Because it's the tears that make the laughter shine so bright.
It's the lonliness... that makes the Friends so precious.
It's the fear... that makes the Victories so sweet.
Live for Today... Value every second... Don't get stupid with tomorrow... But... don't allow tomorrow, to rule Today.
I've had a rough road, here and there. Things have often not been how I'd wanted them to be. If I could go back and do it again... there are many things I'd surely change... if I could... but...
BUT... Who cannot say the same thing? I'm little different than most other folks... likely far more fortunate... Salted in there, among all the bad times... have been absolutely, glorious Shining Times... that I would not change a SECOND of... Compared to so many people working their way through this life... I've lived in Shining Glory...
... Maybe that's why I've come to place such a high value on the precious little ones, like Laurie. They've served to bring the things that count, back into sharp focus... when I've managed to allow myself to be diverted by the wearisome obstacles of living.
Watch out for your friends. Hold 'em up when they trip... stand by 'em, when their frustrations lead 'em to say things... you know aren't really 'them' talking... stop on occasion... as you sweat your way through your toils, to take in the view of those High Mountains on the horizon...
Just close your eyes on occasion... when things are really draggin' you down... and take yourself back to some Shining Time, when things were right with the world... Take it slow, and they will be again.
Take Good Care Brian
April 3, 2009 08:01 - Does RVin' Still Make Sense... in 'Bad Times'?
Why RV?
I can answer that question... but only for me... maybe though... my thoughts on it will help you sort out your own...
My re-organizin' efforts... to get/keep things in proper perspective started out with me, askin' me... Why? What's the deal... If it's so dang hard to get where you're tryin' to go... what's the payoff with RVing/RV Boondocking?
What is it about RVing that holds my attention? Why does a guy, who claims to hunger for millions of acres of open country... also claim to be as happy as a pig, living in a 230 sq. ft., fiberglas RV box?
In my case, there's so many different bits and pieces to it... that I'm not sure I even know 'em all. I'm sure, if one of those psychobabble fellas put his diagnosin' parts to it... he could punch out a book... "The Many Psychosis Found in a Motorcycling Cowboy's RV Boondocking Camp!"
The biggest chunk is almost surely my natural gypsy nature. My aching need to go Yondering is so deep I'd have to describe the situation of bein' locked down in one place for too long, as painful.
Firing up our truck, hitchin' up our Fifth-Wheel and goin' down the road a ways, is the most reliable treatment for me that I've found.
It's not that goin' down the road actually is a joyful thing for me, either. A more accurate description, that comes to mind, is, content. Goin' down the road, I am content... Uncomfortable and uneasy, when I've been sittin' too long... a few minutes with my wheels singin' on the pavement, and the pressure inside recedes, and I'm breathin' easy.
As I roll along, snapshots slide into view that do, for sure and for certain, split a grin on my face... The sunrise, glowing on a Mountainside... or sparkling across the surface of some little lake, tucked back in a Meadow, cradled in the High Timber.... The mottled hills of the High Desert, seeming to roll endlessly off into the distant horizon...
Often, it's not a grin on my face, but a deeper, hard to describe feeling of Belonging, that keeps me hauling my fiver into the woods. When I'm in town, I always feel like an outsider... out on the road, or parked in a Boondock camp... is where I feel at home.
I've struggled most of my life, to some degree, 'going along to get along'... Let me just say... That's not worked out real well most of the time! :-) ... less than shiny to say the least...
I can, most generally, find a way to tangle things up pretty good. Confine me to town for a while, and I'm kind of like that hyper active kid who's always pokin' an' proddin' ever'body around him... I'm always 'stirrin' the pot'... just get fidgety and can't help it...
But, how-some-ever... put me in my rig... give me a few days to get un-twisted, and all that pokin' an' proddin' goes away... Poof! Just like magic!
Too bad it's taken me this long to figure out where I fit in best... so I can take my 'medicine'. :-)
Once you get past that 'psychosis' part... There's the Ol' money deal. A fella... or fellerette... could just hop in a lil' car and drive from motel to lodge and hotel to Bed and Breakfast... and in all honesty... that don't sound half bad!
But... with me there is always a 'but'... besides bein' some little ways from wakin' up to the singin' of a Loon... or the mists lifting off a Mountain Lake... which you already know I much prefer to the rumbling of a Kenworth in the motel parking lot... at something like $70 a night (at the lower end)... and at least $20 a meal for the two of us (if we breakfast at Mickey D's) ... my wallet would require major renovations to do it for very long!
It's true that, if you're lookin' at $400,000 motorhomes, pulling a Lexus and 'camping' in $55 a night RV Resorts... that ain't gonna be any cheaper... probably even more!
But... I may just wear that word out :-) ... Looky here... your chances of seein' me, jammin gears in that sort of rig... and stayin' in those sorts of places... reside somewhere between remote, and pretty dang unlikely! :-) (OK... the occasional Dog Agility Trial puts me there... but :-) ... Only occassionally!)
For me... the way we do it... RVing is a cheap enough way of living to let me do the yondering that keeps me grinning. It's not really about the RVing itself... but rather the wandering it lets me do... considering my budget.
Our truck is now coming 3 years old... bought when we 'thought' we were just about to depart on the Great Adventure (Surprise!). ARRRGGGGH! So we could pull out with a fresh truck... and our Fifth-Wheel was built in '01. and started out life as what might be considered a 'middle class' rig... not the bottom of the line... but not real close to the top of the heap either.
Bein' a mite under 30' long, it's considerably smaller than maybe the majority of Full-Timer rigs.
Once I finally locate the 'Trailhead' of the trail that leads around 'Speedbump' Mountain' and we get out of here... we'll be runnin' with little debt (hopefully none)... runnin' slow... more like joggin' than running... eating the majority of our meals in the rig... or in front of it... or sittin' on a rock, a few miles up the trail to some beautiful spot you can't see from the road.
Many days the truck... or the bike... won't get started... the solar panels will recharge the batteries... so a generator won't have to be run either... payments won't get mailed to pay the mortgage we don't have on the rig... or the house that no longer owns us! ... or the credit card debt we won't have... and nigh on to ZERO dollars will be pulled out of our pockets...
My calculatin' says that's a cheaper way of goin'.
So... does it make sense in 'Bad Times'? You Bet!... The only way to go is to take those 'Bad Times' and carve 'em into GOOD ONES! It ain't gonna happen by itself.
I've got enough wind to go on and on... nigh on forever :-) ... but I figure your ears are sore from all this rehashin'... so I'll give it a rest...
Take Good Care Brian
"There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him." --Robert Heinlein
April 4, 2009 06:21 - This Will Be a Morning to Cowboy Up!
Storm come a whuppin' in here last night...
'Course... somebody... said; "Aw, it won't be nothin'... never is when it comes from that direction."
Well, the power's off. Been dead for a few hours... House startin' to get kinda cold. Heidi's off to another trial, has both the dogs with her... If I was gonna be here... I'd go fire up the furnace in the 5er and read a book... Only I'm lined up to be at the store at seven thirty...
... And Laurie's service is at eleven thirty.
Don't care how many drifts Big Red has to bust his way through... I'll be there.
Shaved by candle light... damn romantic... 'course here I sit... lookin' at my own scowlin' face in the flickerin' light... Now, that's a vision you might not want of a cold, snowy mornin'.
Sunrise, such that it is, is comin' on... I can start to see without the candles... guess I better get to diggin' Red out from under the bit of snow that's blown up on him... and bustin' drifts.
Take Good Care Brian
April 6, 2009 06:03 - Comin' up on another 'crunch' time...
Can't beleive I'm still dealing with... a house...
Never would have believed I'd still be owning one... Hell... can't even rent the barn... obstacles there, created by the county building and zoning outfit... throw up so many hurdles... makes that idea, for me, make little economic sense... and the gov't wonders why things get so poor... maybe if they'd get their sorry, parasitic kiesters out of the way... somebody might could do something a bit productive...
... but I better not hold my breath waitin' on that to happen... I don't look good purple.
... still can't get the 'old' business handled... the banks... after putting 'pie in the sky valuations'... of multiples of the 'cost' value of a house on places back east... and in California... are now under-valuing in Colorado... inconsistently to boot... to the tune of 30%+ or - ... that's30% less than the cost to build it... right now today...
... so overnight they strip away maybe $100,000 from a person... who was paying their bills, on time... and in full...
... These are the bankers that those political vermin are falling all over themselves to 'bailout'... of course... with dinero THEY swiped... from that poor S.O.B. that the canibalistic banker already raped for pretty much every nickle the bugger ever' managed to build...
... and people tell me how wonderful 'This' politician is... just another thieving, smooth talking weasle...
Too bad I don't have 'em all... back on the ranch... We'uns knew how to deal with Varmints back there... They called it the three S's of a Rancher... When some dirty critter was stealin' an' ravaging your herd or your flock... you simply S-hoot... S-hovel... and S-hut up!
I guess... you can't clean out a septic tank without gettin' dirty... So I've got the unpleasant task of sitting in the same room... breathin' the same contaminated air... as one of those parasites... and tryin' to get 'em to behave, long enough, with enough integrity... to make some sort of a deal that makes their theft of our equity palatable in some way...
They arbitrarily took us from 40% equity (based on construction cost) ... down to 15% +-... at a number more than 35% Below the cost of construction... and they want us to tolerate savin' their butts? You have a cow that takes that much out of your pocket... you cull the sucker without a second thought...
... Us (People in general) bein' the smart buggers we are... we say... aw hell... let's just give 'em a bunch of cash we don't have... and never will... so that they can survive to cheat us another day... it would be cruel... to make them actually have to go back to workin' for a living... like the rest of us...
Thing is... I don't want to refi... I want to sell... but every time I 'adjust' my head to the new... lower... realities... and get set to make another try at sellin'... those buggers lower the bar again...
Now... I try... awful dang hard... to put one foot in front of the other... and see a brighter day ahead... but these guys seem determined to thow mud in my wheaties...
Well... time to go get ready to make the donuts... and I gotta brush the taste of this dirt outa my mouth...
It'll get better... eventually... if we keep workin' at it... but... damn... it gets wearisome... I'm ready, NOW, for other things!
Take Good Care Brian
April 8, 2009 07:20 - The Healing Power of the Open Road...
That's a philisophical saying in the 'Motorcycle Community'... and I took a dose of it yeseterday... Not enough for a cure... but enough to get me down the road a bit more!
With the sun shining, and the blue clear sky above, Slick and me took a roll along the Poudre River... It's a pretty place... and helps a fella find some perspective when the spiral he's caught in has his head spinning...
It's kind of a pressure valve... and releases a bit of tension for me... to just roll a ways up the canyon... which I can't really do very much, when it's snowing :-) ... and sit for a while, along the river...
Sometimes, you have to just... stop... and force your head to slow down... let things focus a bit...
I wonder what it is about the flowing water of a river, that smooths out the 'bumps' in a man's head? I suppose it's something about how, no matter what happens... it just keeps on rollin'.
Whatever... right now... I'd wish for a big enough tank on Slick... to just keep on rollin' for days! :-)
Short of that... I'll take the lil' day trips... now that the weather's breakin'... and I don't have to gear up like I'm headin' for the arctic...
Of course... in the spring... on one of your first rides up a mountain canyon... you might want to mind your manners for a bit... lots of sand and rocks litter the road... and I was slippin' tires a few times... WEEE HEEEE! :-) ... even came around one bend and right into a patch of fist sized rocks that weren't there, on my way up! OOOPS!
... It ... WILL ... get your attention! :-)
... What gets your attention the most though, is when you come leaning around a corner... and right into a small herd of Big Horns, standing on the side of the road... Hmmmm... let's see.... don't whack the Big Horn on the right...
... or that UPS truck coming the other way on the left...
It's kind of like sewing! ... ??? .... sure! .... first you got to thread the needle!
... They'd climbed back up on the side of the canyon... after I dodged 'em... and got pulled off to take their portrait...
... It all makes for a nice day... when you need some distraction...
... don't know what's to happen with this banking thing... The banks in colorado seem to be demanding a property valuation depreciation of the same % that Florida and California have had...
There's only one problem with that... Florida and Califonia prices had been inflated 2 and 3 times the true cost of construction... that never happened here in Colorado... the most our place ever got to was about 5% above cost... which seems like a pretty thin 'profit' margin to me... far from unreasonable...
So... when Florida and California see 50 and 75% drops... it ends up with them being knocked down... TO... actual cost... but then, when similar %'s are imposed on those whose values were never driven up by wild speculation... they get hammered down to 25% BELOW actual cost...
The people who got suckered into paying those inflated prices got hurt, for sure and for certain... but they didn't lose 'REAL' value... they got conned right from the get go... Here in Colorado... they're taking away 'REAL' value... the price that's paid for bricks and boards... and sayin'... "Well, I know it cost that... and we're gonna require you to insure it for that... but... we're gonna assign a value... 25% below that... and totally devastate your financing... and make you pay MORE insurance and higher rates..."
and that my friends is how WELLS FARGO does business... so... I'd advise... if you were thinking of financing a car through WELLS FARGO... DON"T... if you were thinking about opening a checking account with .... WELLS FARGO... DON"T! ... if you were thinking about using WELLS FARGO for anything... that's your choice... but know this... WELLS FARGO is going to USE YOU.
... from one wild speculative blunder to it's opposite... I was treated gentler by bulls and broncs... and at least they were honest about it up front! :-)
... the good thing for us is that we had a strong enough equity that we're not yet 'upside down'... unless the banks get, yet greedier...
... We just can't seem to come to agreement that it's time to take whatever we can get put on the table... and deal with that...
I'm having to re-ead my own words... try to follow my own 'preachin'... I still know I was right when I said the words... but that don't make it any easier to actually follow the advice does it? :-)
Time will tell... was it just me... I'd already be done with it...
I'd be rolling along some river canyon... or bending the twisties on some southern mountain two lane... and waiting for the north country to warm up enough for a summer tour...
Hmmm... Can you say somethin' positive... 'bout negativity?
Hmmm... I guess you need negative grounding to make a complete circuit... so your rig will start! :-) Does that fit into Lloyds "Philosophy" of Balance? :-)
But... Let's face it... Lettin' it get a solid grip on you is the quickest way I know of to enter the race for the bottom.
This is a time when I can honestly say... "Do as I say... not as I do!"
If you're tryin' to get where you're goin'... thinkin' you ain't gonna make it, is pretty much gonna knock the wheels off your bus... Don't believe me? Look out my window, at the wheeless buggy in my driveway! :-)
Thinkin' melancholy, negative thoughts is a contagion. I can't but admit that I'm infected... and it can be a chronic ailment.
I have to deliberately, consciously, reach up and grab that black hearted beast by the throat and shake it like a rag doll... and order it to go away...
... now... that might work for me... and maybe so, some others... at times... but...
How-some-ever... I should warn you... it sure scares the neighbors and spooks most folks right close around me... so... you just might want to 'Do It'... out in the barn... or down in the basement... or some such...
Might even want to not let family know about your 'conversations'... unless those sideways glances... with their questioning, 'eyebrows raised', expressions don't bother you none...
I mean... when you see a bald headed puss gut... squallin' and jumpin up and down in the yard... stompin' on and hollerin' at... nothin'!... I guess it makes folks uneasy. :-)
... and, when he starts in orderin' ... Nothin' ... to "go away and leave me be!" ... they (the neighbors) seem to get a mite bug eyed. :-)
I can hear the 911 calls echoin' up and down the road... "Come Quick! He's jumpin' up an' down... an' hollerin' ... at Nothin'!... He's tellin'... Nothin'... that he's gonna have a Rocky Mountain Oyster Barbeque with the Devils' Cajones... and send his mush brained minions to perdition!... Please Hurry!" :-)
... Oh Lordy... ain't it wonderful to be... Colorful?
... That's the nice way of describin' a feller as; 'Four bricks shy... of 1/2 a load!'
I long for the soft, easy, days of gettin' kicked in the head by some bawlin' calf... or my head stuck in the sand by some green broke caballo who's better at buckin'... than I am at bronc ridin'...
At least those were things I understood... could see comin'... and had some ability to work around...
The smoke and mirrors 'stuff' we all have to live in... well... If I could find the way out of the box... all you'd see would be the dust that I'd kick up in the leavin'... sifting back down onto the trail... and all you'd hear would be the giggling of a fella that found his way home...
... I'd be a long gone, yondering, puss gut, cowboy!
April 10, 2009 18:54 - Where ever I end up I guess!
I Know there's a bunch of you that will remember this fella! :-)
Now I gotta tell you... I was a snot nosed kid with itchy feet way back yonder in '69 when this came along... But this ol' show spoke to that snot nosed kid... He 'heard' behind the words... and started to understand the gypsy hunger he'd had all his short life... took him clean around the world way back then... courtesy of the United States Army...
... set him to rodeoin' for a while, and driftin' the rest of his whole dang life... and I suppose that's where my fondness for Boondocking was born as well.
A drifter and a rover... that's me.
... Anybody knows me close... will tell you... I'm still driftin'... like a leaf in the wind... just about the time they think they've got me set up somewhere... I'm pushin' to tear down my tent and move on along...
... What can I say... it's made for considerable... 'friction', along the way... but then I ask... Why? Whose life is it anyhoo? and I step off...
Not many close to me have ever liked it... or accepted it... I don't expect they ever will... what people don't understand... they don't like... What people don't like, they work hard to prevent...
Hmmm... I'd advise you to go on up to Wyoming, and try to stop the wind... or maybe California... and stop the ocean from rollin' up on the beach... You'd likely have better success! :-)
... and for a bunch of years... this was just about my favorite song... You'd hear me hummin' it as I rolled down that Long Lonesome Highway... headed to some Rodeo... or ... just goin'...
Like Norm advised me in the 'comments'... step outside... look back in... make your decision... and chase it!
... are the words to a John Denver song... I think?...
... and they'll have to be how I ride this morning... it snowed a dusting last night... the road is likely to be a mite less than absolutely fine when I ride in an hour or so from now... but ride I will... it's the thing that keeps me grinning...
... outside of those times I run it out of fuel... which I did... AGAIN! day before yesterday.... arrrrrrggggghhhh! Senility or gremlins? .... if it's them lil' buggers... they better walk soft... I'm gettin' real cranky about it!... it's embarassing!
Lot's of folks don't understand the draw of a fine Motorcycle... they make jokes and such... "What's a motorcycle rider?... answer: An organ donor!" ... they talk about 'danger' and all sorts of such things...
It's not a thing that can be explained I guess... there are old sayings... "If I have to explain it you won't understand... Only motorcycle riders know why dogs hang their heads out the window... yadda yadda yadda...."
The draw is something inside... something that is, I believe... some variety of spiritual.... It's not about dyin' and danger... we all do that, eventually... It's about LIVING! while you're here... and that, maybe is one of the big lessons in this life... to choke down what might be and grab a good solid hold of what IS!
It's to be up into the sixties today... so I'll not worry about the iffy conditions... just ride soft... It's still the Best RV around!... :-)
... And, when it comes to Living and putting a little more joy in each day... I reeeeeallly like my music... and I'm gaining a reall liking for short videos that go along with some of the tunes... especially... those made by some 'regular' folks on You Tube...
... Found a way to put You Tube video onto my IPOD... a free lil' program/converter on the web! ... SWEET! Just do a google for 'How to put You tube Video on IPOD"... heck even I could do it... and it worked first time... now... I can listen to " Goin' Down that Long Lonesome Highway"... while I'm "Goin' Down that Long Lonesome Highway!" SaaaWWWWEEET! :-)
... and sittin' somewhere, sippin' coffee and warmin' up... I can watch the video part of thos clips... Yeah Baby!
I'll fill up that 80GB now by God! :-)
... turning into a genuine electronic cowboy! ... now... if I could just figger a way to keep that wide brim felt from blowin' off... on the motorcycle... one that don't involve nails or bolts!
... It may cause difficulty though... something that sweet is something you generally don't want to quit doin'... if I ever figure out how to quit running out of gas... I may just ride on forever... and then what's gonna happen to the world? It'll have to calculate a way to keep on turnin' without me there to help! :-)
Chase the Wind! Brian
April 14, 2009 07:17 - Slippery roads, Motorcycles, RV windows... and pieces of the puzzle...
OK... So... when the sun actually came up yesterday... what I'd thought was a dusting of snow... turned out to be just a reeeeeeallly heavy frost! :-) ... still slippery! And in a heavy fog to boot.
Rollin' down the road... wiping my face shield every 100 yards or so, trying to clear it... Can't go fast enough in the fog... for the wind to clear the shield... Workin' hard to tell the difference between the grey of the road... and the grey of the shoulder... through the fog... and the constant 'fog' on the face shield...
... so I raise the face shield... and the sunglasses I had on... figuring I might have to raise the shield... get fogged up asap... and they're a mite harder to wipe with a finger... :-)
Can't see... riding by 'brail'... :-) aw heck... it just don't get no better! :-)
But Oh Yeah!... When the sun got up high in the afternoon... and it was warm and clear... and my time sellin' the nuts an' bolts was done... you knew for sure and for certain that pushin' through the fog in the morning... was the right choice!
It takes all those little bits... and pieces... to put all the color in a life you know!
Sun is supposed to be high and bright today... and today is mine... so Me an' Slick will take another roll somewhere... but first... with decent weather today... I've got to get back to that busted RV window for a bit... I need to pull that frame so I can get accurate measurements of the opening... to hunt up the replacement...
Today and tomorrow are lookin' good... more weather on the schedule for Wed. ... so... today I open up the hole... then go straighten some twisties on that Yamaha for a bit...
... and then... get back to real work!... Did I tell you? Some time back... more than a year ago...after I put out my little book of short stories... a few folks wrote and told me I should write a 'real' book? One called it the 'last cowboy that made good'... Well I did! :-) actually finished it last week...
I have a 'friend' that's done some editing in the past reading it for an educated opinion... It may never see the light of a bookstore shelf... but it was fun writin' it... and the best I've ever written... leastways... I think so... :-) ... and... I've got a second started! ... This one... again in my 'opinion'... looks to be even better! ...
Never thought I'd ever even think of dreamin' about writing... let alone believe anyone might want to read any of it... but whittlin' words into a picture has come to be a true pleasure for this ol' buster... whether it ever comes to pay the bills or not...
... Finding something... or a couple somethings... (Like Motorcycles!) that gets your head workin' on things that bring a smile... things other than the obstacles that keep gettin' in the way of livin' is a good thing...
Lately, I've been trying to look at those first... the Smile makin' things... and trying to just push those obstacles aside... put 'em on the back burner... Sort of a take a breather and recharge, just smellin' the roses sort of deal... for a bit...
I suppose this fits into the 'take it slow' mentality I've talked about before as well... hmmm... I may just get this puzzle put together one day!
... todays pieces are clear... fifth wheel windows and motorcycles in the twisties!
I'm off to cahse the wind some more... Brian
April 15, 2009 07:43 - Do Many RVers dig into Why?
... or do most just enjoy the ride, without questioning where that joy came from?
I, most generally, find myself questioning everything... I was the kid who got his new bike home... and the first thing he started doin'... was takin' it apart. :-) 'course, like you'd expect... I had pieces left over when it went back together.
What is it, 'bout the road that has such a strong pull for so many?
Now, I don't admit it 'round most Rodeo types... or the rough tough tatted up bikers... but ever' once in a while a bit of poetry gets me to tryin' to get 'something' out of my eye...
Have you ever read Whitman?
Here's a few 'clips' from his Song of the Open Road;
AFOOT and light-hearted, I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortuneI myself am good fortune; Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing, Strong and content, I travel the open road.
You air that serves me with breath to speak! You objects that call from diffusion my meanings, and give them shape! You light that wraps me and all things in delicate equable showers! You paths worn in the irregular hollows by the roadsides! I think you are latent with unseen existencesyou are so dear to me.
The earth expanding right hand and left hand, The picture alive, every part in its best light, The music falling in where it is wanted, and stopping where it is not wanted, The cheerful voice of the public roadthe gay fresh sentiment of the road.
O highway I travel! O public road! do you say to me, Do not leave me? Do you say, Venture not? If you leave me, you are lost? Do you say, I am already preparedI am well-beaten and undeniedadhere to me?
O public road! I say back, I am not afraid to leave youyet I love you; You express me better than I can express myself; You shall be more to me than my poem.
... Hmmm... sounds like he might have been an RVer... or maybe... a motorcycle rider!
Then, I stumbled across another fella named Ralph Waldo Trine... and cherry picked a few of his thoughts... that were part of a 'creed'... works pretty good for me... not bad pursuits as a fella goes down that Long Lonesome Highway...
To live to my highest To right wrongs To run toward the light To love the fields, the wild flowers, the stars, To rise immediately when I stumble To preserve the middle ground Do my own thinking To love and hold due reverance
Take Good Care and always remember to... Chase the Wind! Brian
April 17, 2009 08:14 - Is it Required... That You Risk Your Life?
Naw... I don't think so.
It matters little, whether you are Basejumping with a Wingsuit (You've GOT to watch this!) over on Mark and Bobbies place on the web... or hiking the Rims with 'em around Moab...
The working part of any of this is; Are You Reaching Out... for the life that's all around you?
Are you reaching out to savor the joys of living? ... or do you sit and 'wait' for something to happen?
It's not required to 'risk it all'... there's plenty of Living around, for those of us that don't need quite that much 'joy' anymore... :-)
I've climbed on the storm deck of a hundred snorting buckin' horses... danced around bulls tryin' to stomp my carcass to mush... and got caught a time or two... I've teased Moose Bulls, Taunted Bullies, and climbed some pretty tame rock walls... that still had my nether parts blowin' kisses to the world!
I'll straddle a motorcycle at 100+ ... Rode a Hot Rod '75 Ford Pickup and beat 135... I've brawled and battled... and come to a conclusion...
I've said it in other places... While some of those 'rides' really had me suckin' wind... and the exhilaration was real... you know what has hung the clearest in my memories?
Cresting a ridge in Yellowstone... and the vista that rolled out in front of me... Leaning my bike around a bend, out of a western, river canyon... and seeing the sun sparkling off the grass... the road and the horizon fading into the far off mists...
The Joy of... just Living.
Is 'Risking it All' a memorable ride? You bet... You sure smell, Life, when you've danced on the edge...
But... Not one time... did the 'Wild Ride'... have the tears running down my face... like the quiet glory I've seen in a Mountain Valley... or a River Canyon... and it's those... Quiet times, that I believe, strike the deepest, teach the most... and endure the longest.
Take Good Care Brian
April 19, 2009 05:46 - Travelers on The Open Road...
I ask a lot of questions... as time goes by, I find, I know fewer of the answers...
So many seem to feel the need to travel far... Why? What do they seek?
Do you need to travel to the far ends of the Earth? Go to exotic places where they speak in languages you can't understand? Pay fortunes to explore cultures strange to you?
Or...
Is what you seek, found closer by searching within your own soul?
What part of the Earth remains unseen? unexplored?
What part within... Have you buried away... hidden... unexplored?
Maybe... simply... The Healing Power of the Open Road is what so many of us need... to find what we seek?
Maybe... that power... That Healing Power found in the Freedom of the Road... known clearly to some... and sought by others... can help close the wounds known only to you?
Are those on the Road... running toward something?... searching for something?
Are they running away?
... or both?
Lots of questions... Fewer answers...
Take Good Care Brian
April 21, 2009 06:13 - What's This Guy's 'Deal' Anyway?
He's got all he's got... when plenty of people are losin' theirs... and yet he wants more?
People often comment that I must be nuts... or greedy... or both... "You've got that big beautiful, house... and it's on 20 acres!... With a gorgeous view of the Mountains... What more could you need? Talk about greedy!"
The thing is... I Don't want... more... I want far, far, less...
...How about... no house... and millions of acres? ... That would be a Joy without compare.
Freedom is far more valuable and precious a possession than any 'view' from any 'house'... I know some folks put a lot of stock in their possessions... and if that works for them... for them I'm happy... But I'm one who feels burdened by possessions... as if they own me rather than the opposite... Fewer 'possessions' = Lighter burden!
I feel akin to one of those caged critters at the zoo... (only difference being... I helped build my cage. DOH!)
They're given a bit of room to move around and 'look' normal... in their prettily designed 'environments'... they have all they need... food, water, shelter... sometimes, even a nice view! how could they be, unhappy?
...but...
... do you notice their lack of animation... the dull look in their eyes? I look at critters in a zoo... and my heart aches for 'em... I see the ache they must feel... looking through the bars... and seeing all that open country... just off there...
The Freedom... just out of reach...
They can scratch at the bars... dig at the concrete barriers... but they remain... caged... poor bastards.
I look around and see that same, vacant stare in people... so many just goin' through the motions... "Lives of quiet desperation"...
... Only... some of us... ain't so quiet about it any more! :-)
I'm one for sure that's going to 'Rage against the night"... I for one, you can bank on it, "Won't go quietly into the night!" :-)
I may never cut through the bars... I may never dig through the concrete... but when the last breath leaves my lungs... I'll be clawing at the chains of the Beast... reaching for Freedom... trying to illuminate the joy of those who 'broke out'...
Don't accept those chains when you're young... cut 'em loose early, before they harden... if some 'caring adult' attaches 'em.
... never, ever let the thing get a hold on you... If it does... in spite of your efforts... Never let it rest... wail in the night...
Fight the Beast... Shine a pure light on it's darkness... and that nasty sucker will run and hide! The 'American Dream' of old, has been corrupted... The 'powers' that work to enslave us, learned to condition us, to 'drug' us with economic chains, they have converted the dream to a Nightmare...
So... How about... we stop taking their 'sleeping pills'... we wake up from that nightmare... and work together... To forge a 'New American Dream'!?
... and only we can do that work... If the 'Elected Saviors' are permitted to participate, if the 'corporate parasites' are permitted to participate... the 'New' Dream will be corrupted as well...
I'll not waste my time on 'Tea Parties' and other political 'fertilizer' in a plainly, corrupt system... I'll, Go into the 'Wilderness'... and come back with that 'New' Dream...
How about one made of; The Pursuit of Art, Music, Philosophy, Friendship, Love... Build and Create... Live Life... Keep from the 'Beast' whatever I can...
Live... Laugh... Love...
OK... so you maybe didn't expect to get words 'bout art and lovin' and such 'flowery' ideals... from a Bald Headed Cowboy... Get over it!... My Shiny Noggin' and the 'stuff' you'll find on my boots, don't make the words any less true!... and you can use the 'stuff' on my boots... to make your flowers shine! :-)
The Great American Dream... I dream of, is based on things of the Heart, and Spirit... Shining Times!... rather than the mere, comforts and 'things'... that the Zoo Keepers have learned to use as tools, to bend me to its will...
Take Good Care Brian
April 22, 2009 06:24 - More Long Winded Cowboy Philosophizin' about Minimalism...
... to Put You... and HOPEFULLY! ME... 'On the Road'.
... and of course it's Long Winded... It is ME talkin' Ya know!
Anyone readin' this hyar gaggle of gab for any amount of time... knows of the, as yet unresolved, issue of sellin' the house...
The seemingly unending ordeal... set me, quite a while ago... months and months ago... to wondering and cogitatin' 'bout the philosophy of minimalism... and wonderin' about the way I live, that's put me in this 'place'.
Actually, I'd have to say it put me back to it... 'cause it's been an 'interest' of mine for nearly as long as I can remember... Which of course... that "as long ago as I can remember" part... is gettin' shorter all the time.
The thing is, I've always been the happiest, when I've had the least... How-some-ever... for this so-sigh-uh-tee we live amongst... 'Minimalism', is not a generally popular idea...
To tell the truth, I can understand why that is.
It's awful hard to make much money from a fella who don't want nuthin'! :-) and that's pretty much the premise of minimalism. "I got what I need, for now... so I ain't a lookin' for more"... And so... corporate fellas don't like to hear fellas like me... talkin' much 'bout minimalizing... what I consume... or even have. Let's face it... they need to sell sell sell... Their 'system' is totally dependent on talkin' you into adding stuff on top of stuff... putting it in storage... so you can make more room... to go out and get more stuff!
... and I think that's just nuts.
... and then... I ran across George Carlin's 'presentation' on the subject...
I don't know; Did I think of those things... on my own... or hear his words and just don't remember... but it was like an echo in my head...
"I hear voices!" :-)
Now I understand how some folks have got to have their coffee makers, a thermostat controlled furnace... and a soft bed... and I'm not puttin' that down... not at all... I have little intention of doin' away with my good Ol' Mr. Coffee!
... but... Why do so many folks buy into the we gotta 'upgrade' to a bigger an' ... 'better'... house? Why do we get lost in this 'get a new car every two years' kind of thinking?... I mean... they're building the dang things with 10 year warranties now!
... or leastways... 'some' manufacturers are! :-)
I mean just think about this for a little bit... if ... you don't have the car payment from getting the 'latest and greatest' new 'American Dream' auto-mo-bile... and you (couple and two kids) live in a 1000 or 1200 sq. ft... Little... three bedroom cottage/bungalow... simple and plain... (about the size of the 'average' 1952 American House... and it worked fine for them!) think about the 'things' you could do... with the amount of your 'labor' that is left over... once you drop your 'Housing budget' back (give or take) to what that, 1/3-the-cost-of-your-present-abode sets you back each month...
You could afford a lot more of those three day weekends... or longer... so the folks at the B&B or Motels... or campgrounds can still make money! While you LIVE better.
... and the gift shops... where you stop on your travels to pick up some momentos... or that nice pendleton blanket you've been wanting to keep you warm... (But couldn't afford because of that higher car payment) instead of running the furnace so long... still do well... maybe even better!... not to mention the Pendleton Mill!... or the Camera shop back home... that sold you that sweet lil' digital camera... to record your wanderings... that you can now enjoy more of... because your Minimalism philosophy opened up all that time and income!
... and now... Those employees at Pendleton... and Mike's Camera shop, and Betty Lou's Crab Lake B&B... can all enjoy... more secure employment... and copying YOUR way of doing things... some of those Shining Times as well!
See? Minimalism don't mean you've got to live under a tarp in the woods... eating fresh cooked bugs and 'squatting' in the trees...
It means... or should... focusing on minimizing the 'costs' of your subsistence... to allow you to enjoy the life you've Freed up, rather than spending it supporting the costs of the corporations that manuvered you into the 'Big' things you simply really don't have a need for... so they could pay their 'executives' way too much as a reward for conning you.
It's really just a reordering of your priorities... to things that benefit YOU.. and your spirit... rather than the profit margins of the Industrial complexes...
I know a gal... finally had enough... and actually split with her... now ex... 'cause he wouldn't agree to sell the big Ol' mansion he'd insisted on building to keep up with the other 'Joneses' in his company... and 'take care of her'... only problem was... SHE was the one, had to keep the damn thing clean and 'maintained'... which took up a goodly part of her life and energy... to clean rooms, she told me... she only ever went in... To Clean!
... There's hard choices to be made along the way... it ain't all easy... but... you should see the smile on her face today!... and she's goin' to Hawaii next month!... a dream she's had for a long time... but couldn't do... because... guess why? :-)
Now... If I hadn't allowed myself to be wheedled into the 'American Dream'... I'd be livin' an American Cowboy's Dream! :-)... Instead of waiting to dig myself out of the hole the 'American Corporate Dream' talked me into digging... well... I did listen... I admit it... that's on me!
So... I know exactly how YOU got there... 'cause I was ridin' that bus right alongside you... DOH!
... A part of this whole deal... that leaves me a bit uncomfortable... is actually... the selling of this place... to somebody else! Arrrrgggghhhh!
I mean... if I think these 'Things' are... ummm... 'misguided'... How can I in good conscience... Sell it to somebody else? ... Only way I can rationalize it... is to tell myself... "Self... lots of people... well, OK... Most people... don't agree with you... so... Sell it to one of them!... and time will tell, which of you is right!" :-)
One thing I can say is... in my defense... this place ain't 'huge'... (just a lot bigger than I need) 1450 sq ft finished... 'course... there is that unfinished 'walkout' down below... But again... in my defense... the idea for that was to allow a 'Mother-in-Law' apartment... or such... maybe just an 'attached' rental apartment... So... I can still Twist the sucker into this 'Philosophy'... with a mite of effort! :-) ...
Two generations under the same roof... is 'cutting costs' right?... If of course... you can live under the same roof... with your mother-in-law! :-)
Now... a minimalism I'd really like to pursue... for an extended period... for the memory of the doin' of it... is a lot more 'austere' than what I'm rattlin' on about here... but that's for another... word herdin' effort... on another day.
... and comin' up... like maybe in the next post... Is, how I, think, I've made progress... in spite of still bein' stuck in a lot more 'place' than I need... toward the ideal I've spouted...
Take Good Care Brian
April 23, 2009 08:19 - Progress Report...
Here's my take on the progress I've made... Or... Think I have.
I often think, when I'm feelin' kind of 'down'... I've gotten nowhere in the past couple of years... but actually, if I stop and really look at how things have gone... and where... I've ridden a pretty far piece.
When I first started this 'thing'... my only real goal was to just spend at least a couple years yondering, RV Boondocking, and just kickin' back and smellin' the roses as I rolled by... reeeeeeeeallly... reeeeeeeeallly... slowwwwwly...
My 'thoughts' didn't really go a whole lot deeper than that... just a period of more relaxed living... I don't remember thinkin' about it as a 'philisophical' enterprise of sorts.
This imposed 'wait' I've got myself mired in... has givin' me an awful lot of time to engage in some pretty detailed introspection...
Now... that can be a scary thing to spend much time lookin' at! I mean ... you peel back a 'page' and... eeeeeeiiiiiiiiiikes!
... oh... Ahem!... hee! hee! hee!... that's just me! :-)
... anyhoo... as I've cut the 'things' back over the past couple years... truth is I'm happier, at least as regards 'things'...
Less stuff is less to worry 'bout...
I sold off my shop trailer... my gooseneck... sent the horses to new homes... cut, pruned, whittled and discarded... Tractor and equipment, gone... furniture, gone!... Lots of shop tools and such... gone! Miscellaneous junk and 'Stuff'... dumpsterized!
Even without having gotten rid of some debts/things that would have been/will be gone, whenever the house sold/sells... I'm able to work less at a 'regular' job... which allows me the time to pursue 'this work'... which is a true pleasure for me...
... and having refound the joy of a Motorcycle... spend a lot of time straightening the twisties...
The Healing Power of the Open Road... when it ain't snowing! :-)
The biggest progress for me has really been mental... and not physical.
OK... I don't know who that was... but I heard that!... and I ain't, 'mental'! A little different?... you bet!... a touch eccentric? I prefer to call it... colorful!... but that 'mental' crack was just mean!
:-)
But really, that's my genuine opinion... the culling and cutting of 'things'... and the time it's been stretched out over... and writing 'bout it here... has really focused my attention on those things that truly are important... and I find myself, more and more... uncomfortable with 'collecting'... and more and more comfortable... and even needful of 'divesting' ever more of the things that I simply don't use... or that carry 'costs' which their benefits can't justify..
The result is, that... living a more 'minimalism' kind of mentality used to require a conscious effort... it was more difficult to resist the buy, buy, buy, droning we all get thrown at us all day... now... I just routinely, automatically buy only what I need... If I don't have a need for it... I don't find myself having to talk myself out of it any more... The thought of buying it, doesn't even happen... in the first place!
That's pretty sweet, ain't it? ... and a Hell of a lot less work... which, bein' naturally lazy... is a good thing! :-)
What's that get me? Well, rather than using time arguing with myself, about something I don't need... Some of that time can be spent sitting quiet, and enjoying a cup of good coffee... my IPOD singin' in my ears... while I filter through the watercolors Bobbie and Mark build for us!
and more time... rolling my Yamaha up into the mountains for a hike!... and thinkin' 'bout the new Excursion pack I need to buy for my Motorcycle... OOPS!
... Did I say Buy? :-)
Hey... Minimalism is minimalism... austerity is austerity... not the same... With an austerity Philosophy, you (my perception here) poke and jab yourself doing without for the purpose of making yourself uncomfortable... for some spiritual gain you think you'll get from the discomfort of doin' without...
Screw that... I've known some significant... 'discomfort'... I've been whupped up on a goodly part of my life... and to tell the truth... I don't get the benefit. Any 'character' I gained from the whuppins... I'd just as soon do without... I'd of much rather had some laughs and lovin' instead! :-)
Minimalism... you simply, take what you need... and leave the rest... Lloyds 'Balance'... Works for me... and rough, tough 'Billy Bad Ass' Cowboy or not... I don't like discomfort!
Seems to me... I like what I see, that comes from people livin' in a place of grins and giggles... a whole lot better... than the downer stuff the fella whippin' on himself with one of those flail gizmos spouts. If that's the price of spiritual growth... This ol' cowboy will just remain... stunted!
So... a summary of my disjointed rambling? What's the progress I've made?
I've got a lot less 'stuff' than three years ago... I continue to spot and discard, sell or give away 'stuff' I don't use/need with little of the 'torment' you experience early on... I have pretty much lost any 'urge' to buy anything for which there is no true need, I don't have ANY discomfort, buying or hunting for new 'Stuff'... for which I have a gen-U-ine purpose or need.
I can see clearly now... not to worry... I won't start singin' :-)
Take Good Care Brian
April 27, 2009 05:44 - The Weatherman needs a new job...
Snowed last night... 34 degrees 'bout now... isn't the old line something 'bout April Showers? bring May flowers?... how 'bout 'Rain' showers and knock off this crusty junk...
Well... Slick is gonna carry me this mornin'... Snow or no...
When ever' other thing is crunched, road blocked, needing paint, stolen, broken or otherwise obstructed... I get cranky... and the only thing, these days... that's a smile hangin' enterprise... is splittin' the wind on a motorcycle...
... so I'll make ever'body shake their heads this morning! :-)
A couple called me last week... came into the ranch store... askin' the people there (that I work with) if they knew where there were any horse properties for sale... "Yeah we do!... a fella here is sellin'... or tryin' to... a real nice place."...
... but... like for the last too long a time... "Well, we really like this place... and if it's still here we'll call you... but first we have to go back to Indiana and sell our house there..."
That afternoon, I put a blurb on Craigs List... had mail in the morning! That couple came out the next day... and said the same thing... They live here in the county... and want to 'Upgrade'... but first... they have to sell the place they have...
arrrrgggghhhhhh....
I don't get it... are there any people actually 'ready' to buy a place... when they go looking? I mean... why bother looking... if you are in no way prepared to do anything if you find something?
... or am I just bein' whiny?
So... I got the tax man jabbin' me, swine flu threatin' us, looky lou's a lookin'... snow a fallin' on me and my motorcycle... and those jabberin' magpies back east promisin' to make my lil' paycheck smaller...
Yes sir... April is turnin' out a shiny time!...
Geeze... I need to go chop some wood and burn off a grouch!
Take Good Care Brian
April 30, 2009 19:29 - Lesson Learned... the Hard Way...
Judy posted a comment, the other day... Commenting that they were unable to get an RV they wanted and were kinda sad over it... until shortly later her husband got laid off... and now they DON'T have that payment... So gettin turned down... was a blessing in disguise...
Hmmm... I'd have been a lot better off... had I done things the other way 'round... waited on the fresh truck... to start our journey... until the house sold... I never calculated that it would become such a problem...
I'd thought I'd had things figured pretty well... just hadn't planned on the rest of the world having different ideas than me...
Working hard to find a way to simply deal with the issues as they are now... and taking on that Red Truck... as much as I like it... has turned out to be an expensive OOPS. Nice idea, that didn't work out... We were only supposed to have the debt... until the house sold... OOPS.
So... it's buckle down... take on more hours, as I can get 'em... and start trying to fill in the hole I dug...
You think... if I turn around and walk backward... I could use hindsight to keep out of trouble... in the future?
Bottom line?... learn from my OOPS... If you have a rig that's runnin' fine... but you would like to 'upgrade' or whatever... think long and hard 'fore you do... consider... more carefully than I did... this time... what you're gonna do... or be able to do... if things don't work out... how you'd had 'em calculated.
Sometimes... I need to go back and read my own words a mite more... Then I'd be providin' fewer lessons on how to NOT do things! :-)
