barefootwalk

Greenway is getting back to normal and water has gone down. There are still small ponds here and there and the road is closed for cars but it is now walkable. Deers are having a peaceful time without crowd, well not when Twyla is around!

Another tropical storm came and gone. This is the highest level of river water I have seen in the south over the last 8 years, as far as I can remember. The Sinclair dam has opened three flood gates. The weather is getting cooler and soon we can have more comfortable outdoor activities. I can't wait for winter. We went for a walk at Greenway but most lower trails were under water and I could hear the boats not far away behind trees. They must be emergency response people working all day.

Finally it arrived, after 36 weeks of waiting! Why? I have made a few myself, there is also cheaper Walmart version that work fine, what is so special about it? First of all its design is beautiful and functional, it is masterpiece for doing a very simple job: having a small fire! I love the fact that you go above and beyond, make a perfect design and use the finest materials (aerospace sheets!) to build something otherwise cheap and non-essential. Second is being handcrafted. Not sure about staffing now, but in the beginning it was Fritz and an off-grid cabin and welding with batteries, now Jeff and Belle are producing the stove and everything is hand crafted. The mass producing society is so boring. And finally the waiting also adds some value to it in my opinion. 36 weeks is long time, but it think is a good reminder to live slow. Our mindset has become "don't waste your time to waste your life". Running all day, using every minute we have and making sure we don't ...

It is already feeling cooler but not cold, the trees however have started shedding leaves. This adds more in to autumn vibes. So many plans and I am feeling I am already behind the schedule. Never ending chores.

She has been busy chewing this bone. She takes her time and enjoys it. Finally hot summer days are over and we can start spending more time outside. There are so many projects I have started working on but there is no end. At one point you just say it's okay, let's just do it and stop worrying about having the right tool.  "After rain after any days without rain, It stays cool, private and cleansed, under the trees, And the dampness there, married now to gravity, Falls branch to branch, leaf to leaf, down to the ground. Where it will disappear – but not, of course, vanish Except to our eyes. The roots of the oaks will have their share,  And the white threads of the grasses, and the cushion of moss;  A few drops, round as pearls, will enter the mole’s tunnel; And soon so many small stones, buried for a thousand years,  Will feel themselves being touched." ~Mary Oliver

I stopped social media activities about 2 years ago. I still open them but just a quick view and no actions. This is getting less and less frequent and it is safe to say I don't pay any more attention. I must say it was a great decision and I am very happy about it. I miss some friends but I can always call/email/visit them. Another decision today was to do the same thing with similar websites such as YouTube. I enjoy replacing many of these screen times with outdoor walk/camp/hike. In another news, I migrated from ipage today. ipage was for domain parking, but it would charge me for both domain renewal and extra charge to keep my information (such as name, address, phone number) private! Almost all major internet service providers offer this option by default for free so ipage had to go! The webpage redirection might go down for a few days but it should go back to normal very soon.

Finally autumn is here, nice cool weather. What a life it has been so far! I was thinking the other day, what is one piece of advice I would give my young self, if I could go back in time? Well, I think it would be "let them go, let it go". It is simple, it is not easy though. But if someone or something doesn't work, doesn't want, doesn't care, just let it go and carry on and enjoy your adventure! Today finally I closed all WF accounts, my time and piece of mind was more valuable than their constant harassment without offering any tangible service, charging me for holding my money! What a joke! Now it is gone and I have a better service for free, just another new beginning. "To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go." ~Mary Oliver PS: After social media, news and YouTube are gone now.