2024-06-23 — Moving Day x3

(written the 24-25th)

I’ve lost all sense of time.

The days are just flying by, and it’s hard to keep track of what I’ve been doing on each day.

Let’s see…

It was nasty, humid, hot miserable night. I think the forecasted low was like 78° just before dawn. And Rover had sat in the sun all day cooking and baking, so the inside was like 100°, and everything inside had heated up and was radiating heat all night.

At some point in the early early morning, I went down to the creek and just took a dip in the cool water, trying to cool my body down a little bit in the hopes that maybe I could fall asleep.

The creek was fantastic. The cool water was amazing.

As funny as it might sound to some, I am totally a nature boy. I would rather take a dip in a creek than take a shower.

🙃

I don’t quite know where I got that part of me, but being in nature is what fills my soul. Being around man-made things… just doesn’t.

I want a hobbit home, so it blends into the ground and into the background of nature. I want a river and trees and hills… and mountains in view.

I want creatures and critters.

And I want to hear them and them only. I don’t want the sound of cars or construction equipment or anything at all in earshot.

…

Anyway, sometime I think maybe around 3:00 in the morning? I remembered that there was fan that I had seen inside the van at some point. I found it, checked the connection, and it had a cigarette lighter adapter on it.

So I grabbed my jump box, plugged it in, and… relief!!!

🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳

Finally… Sleep.

By morning, with the major stresses of the previous day reduced, I was emotionally in a better place, gratefully.

I went up to Steve’s house (our old house) and finished cleaning out the garage. It took many many many trips, and basically all I did was load it up into the truck, drive it down to the greenhouse area, and dump it on the ground.

😅

My biggest stressor is just getting all the stuff out of their way. So even though decisions haven’t been made about what to do with the stuff, at least the pressure is off when it’s moved and no longer in their way.

Anyway, so… many many loads of stuff that was in the garage. Took some stuff to the trash. Took some stuff over to other people to give it away. Took a massive amount down to the greenhouse area where I am “living” for the moment.

Went and bought gas and diesel.

Spent some time trying to dig up the huge sycamore stump next to the greenhouse.

The days are so hot. How did I ever work outside as a mechanic all year around?

😶

I guess that’s why I bought a pop-up tent. I don’t miss leaning over engines dripping sweat like a faucet.

I can’t remember much else about the day. I think I went the neighborhood market in Pea Ridge to grab a little bit of food before crashing for the night.

• I’m grateful that I was feeling better emotionally today.
• I’m grateful that I was able to get everything out of their garage, so they can start moving stuff in.
• I’m grateful that Liz and Mike and company and Jim and Steph and company are so kind to me and see and treat me as family.
• I’m grateful to have the equipment available to do most of the moving myself, at this point.

Lift the world.

~ stephen