August 13th, 2010

August 13, 2010:

Went to Benson, Utah; about 10 miles away to see my llama and good friends that have given her a very nice home. They have a few marshy acres, with an irrigation canal running along their property. Their house is a geodesic dome home, with nice porches, a basement ect. What really was striking was that the place was covered in trees, which is rare up here in the high plains between the mountains. Sue is obviously in heaven, having two goat companions, as well as my friend Johanna and her little sister, who give her much attention also. I had a great time in the cool 80 degree afternoon, watching Sue, talking to these kind, educated artists, and enjoying their little farm, which was a bit of a paradise. I used to have a small paradise back in Texas, and I hope to someday get another small place with a cabin and animals someday. But regrets are stupid, I moved on to where I currently am, which is in an exciting downtown loft in the city of Logan, where there is never a dull moment.

I still can be happy for this kind family to give my llama a beautiful place to live.

Got home and shared some baloney and cheese sandwiches with my son, who paid me in full his rent money that I only loaned him a few days ago. Logan is a good boy despite some of the things I have said about him. The Bank clerk accepted my "Universal Life" Church credentials as a valid ID, which allowed me to make my deposit!

I like this minister stuff too much for my own good, but I swear to have been a student of religion and claim full legitimacy as a "Guru" (Sanscrite for "Teacher"), as a minister for Universal Life. Their website is sincere, with forums of ministers discussing sermons, wedding procedures, and what not. The credentials can be taken as lightly or as seriously as you want to take them. I take them as seriously as my teaching credentials, and I have learned to be a heck of a counselor, to all people young and old. I understand the plight of the human race, and vow to help any person who asks for my guidance and assistance. I love people.

Went to a local store and bought a long folding table, two feet wide which serves perfectly as a desk, and eating table. Except for the Organ, the rest of my furnishings are lightweight, and can be easily moved by one man in less than two hours. I desire a big old desk, but this one is cheap, sturdy, and portable. I can even take it camping, when I set up my huge "British Expedition" tent, as some sort of a wilderness base. I also bought a much needed plant, a Ficus tree, which I am well familier with as a nice looking, easy to care for plant. I also plan to get a small rubber tree and the indestructable "Mother in Law Tongue" plan which is as tough as: Well... a typical German mother in law! These plants require little in the attention department, but do need a bit of water from time to time. I love ferns and palms very much, but keeping them going is another story. I am also in search of a nice looking, "Pothos Ivy", for the big hanging hook 12 feet above, but didn't see a specimen that impressed me. Now my place is completely furnished, there is still a matter of how much Art do I put on the walls, but I like to take that one slow. A pad needs to age a bit, and decor should be well thought out over a long period of time. I hope to put some of my art on the gallery walls in this hallway once I get the permission from the landlord, who uses these walls as a gallery space. Most of the paintings are amateur as heck, but more power to them. I like the Art ok.

Out of all the previously described books I'm reading, the "Lsst Don", by Mario Puzo is getting the most attention. Here are the page reading results of the previously described books I bought recently:

The Last Don by Puzo: 173 pages down.

The Upanshads: 25 pages

The F Word: 20 pages into the Intro.

Innocents Abroad by Twain: 43 pages

The Annals of Ancient Rome by Tacticus:35 pages

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott: 17 pages

The Maitese Falcon by Hammett: 3 pages, but i had to stop since the character descriptions caused me too much laughter! I will probably hit this one soon.

One hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez: 0 pages

This is my progress after two weeks of reading, I should finish the Puzo book this weekend, since I cannot seem to put it down. The rest will be labors of love and should take a few more weeks to finish (except the Upanshads). I also added McMurtry's "Comanche Moon", which I read partically this summer and just rescued from my Truck Camper. I am 116 pages in but they don't count in this current contest. So far I am happy not to have Cable at my place. I do miss the internet, but I will still

avoid getting it, since it would kill my reading and writing.

Planning to book a trip to South Eastern Colorado soon, since I am the back up minister for Melissa and Chucks wedding. I get to say a few words prior to the veteran ministers ceremony. The ticket is $370 since it lands at a small airport in Montrose Colorado, rather than a big hub like Denver. This will be my third plane trip in 10 months, but I like trips more than saving money so oh well. A fool and his money..... I know this one all too well.

Just went outside for a few minutes at 1 PM. Forty Five degrees on August 13th! It got down to 43 last night. What the hell is wrong with this place? Last night, I fell asleep in my livng room chair, with all the windows open, and by 6 AM my core temperature was gone. I climbed into bed with a sheet, light blanket, and finally grabbed a parka from the closet to wrap up in in order to restore my core temp. Once your insides are cold, it takes forever to warm up again. My question is: This is early August??? So the WTF starts to enter the equation. Yes, we have a summer that lasts 6 weeks at the most. Yes the temps will warm up next week, but we also know that winter isn't far behind. I love the cool, but last night caught me completely off guard. People try to compare the weather of Chicago and up state New York with this place, but I doubt those places see 43 degrees on August 12th! We will be having our first freeze of the year within a month. Please, dont take my constant bitching about the cold as real "bitching", in fact, I do love the cold to a great extent. My bitching is more out of curious amazement than anything else. Being able to live here, one could easily adapt to Alaska, Moscow, Greenland, wherever. This is one of the coldest places in the lower 48 states, and I am proud to adapt to this. I deplore the deadly heat of North and Central Texas far more than this. I don't even have an air conditioner and its no big deal.

About to go to sleep at 2 AM once again. I have to re-learn how to get to bed at 10 PM again somehow. Not getting enough sleep is very bad for me (and most people). I left a picture above on what I will be dreaming about.