Ardmore, Oklahoma

11:00 a.m. I am here in the Ardmore, Oklahoma, public library, which has a great wifi connection by the way. It enabled me to fix the broken links to the two pictures in my last posting.

I only thought the rain was behind when I wrote that posting. The rain that I drove through in Kansas was incredible last night. I have no idea what shape the inside of my camper trailer is in. We will see soon.

On the other hand I did not see one inch of Kansas in the daylight, which is a blessing. I am not going to make fun of Kansas though. That is too easy. I am not going to say things like, “Kansas is just like Nebraska but without the excitement.”

I took these pictures in Norman, Oklahoma, this morning at 7:30 a.m. for huge Sooner fan Scott Wingert at midwestauction.com






Back to the equipment for a moment. The truck and trailer actually handle better loaded than they did empty when I hauled the trailer to the farm from Anamosa. In spite of the awful weather, we covered some serious ground last night.

As soon as I cross the line into Texas in a few minutes, I am going to dig around in the back of my truck, take off my Sears hiking boots, and put on my cowboy boots. Gotta blend in.

Picture Links? Pandemic?

My picture links are driving me nuts right now. Be patient. I will try to figure out what I am doing wrong. I got yesterday's pictures up after a big struggle, and now I have another big struggle with today's.

The Burger King here in Ardmore also has a helluva wifi hotspot. That is where I am now, here at Burger King with the poor people.

Now as for this alleged pandemic. . . . .One cannot trust those cable news networks. They love to yell words like "pandemic," and literally scare the shit out of every little old lady in the country.

But in any event, Sarah, I have discussed the "flu pandemic" with Nurse Rick. (I had no idea what you were talking about when you kept saying "don't catch the flu" just before my departure.) Nurse Rick pointed me to the official CDC site. Those are the only folks we are going to pay any attention to.

Rick also tells me that we do not know how this particular strain of swine flu is spread. He simply suggested that I get very compulsive about washing my hands. I have done just that. Lady Macbeth was not more compulsive about this than I am now. It does not seem very cowboy-like to be continually washing my hands, but I will live with it. And I am about to go into very serious cowboy mode.

My own individual research indicates that this particular strain of swine flu is only killing people between the ages of 20 and 40 anyway.

Finally on the Road

Okay. Okay. I have been dawdling. It's been drive a little; rest a little. Drive a little; eat a little. Drive a little; rest a little. Scratch a little; peck a little. Scratch a little, peck a little.

Symbolism

This morning I ran the 4.7 mile loop to the north of the farm again. I met a man picking up cans in the ditch. He had with him two strikingly beautiful Huskies on long leashes.




Most of the homesteads on the loop are abandoned now, the houses falling in on themselves. The one at the fourth turn leading into the home stretch is occupied, however, and well maintained. A young man and his son were in the grove sawing up wood. Just after I made the turn the breeze out of the southeast was so heavy, so redolent, with the scent of that newly cut wood that it brought tears to my eyes. But then the chain saw cranked up again with its sharp whine. The very instrument that produced that wonderful odor then despoiled the whole effect.

I ran the last mile emotionally iced over.

[Here's a hint. I am terribly proud of the symbolism in that little piece. Country boys usually have a tough time with symbolism.]

Slowly But Surely

April 21, 2009; 8:00 p.m. I am down toward the end of preparations here, but the last preparations are taking the most time. That is attributable to me. I get slower every day and apparently have already adopted a much slower pace generally.

Last Sunday Rick came up to the farm and completed wiring some 12-volt plugs into the camper. They look like cigarette lighter plugs. All kinds of different appliances can be purchased to plug into these deals.



More importantly, we finished wiring the solar panel so that it can be used to charge the 12-volt battery. This gives me some huge flexibility as to where I can camp.



Yesterday, I packed in the morning and knocked off in the afternoon to drive into Des Moines. I had dinner with Robyn, the new acquaintance, and drove home. Delightful. Good for lots and lots of laughs, but I was worthless today. I got only a small bit more packing done but did get a 4+ mile run in. Tomorrow big time packing will be done.

It looks like a Saturday departure now.

On It Goes

It's Tuesday morning, April 14. I am sitting in Deb's Ice Cream Parlor and Deli. She has wifi. I am contemplating what more needs to be done to get out of here.

Last Saturday Rick Robinson came to farm where I am setting up the camper. He provided me with a solar panel and wired the storage batter on the camper in order to connect it so that the solar panel can charge it. We also added additional insulation to the cavity where the ice box mounts.

Up at the farm now I simply have to get the various supplies, clothes, blankets, cooking utensils and such packed in the truck and camper. Down here in Cedar Rapids I continue to work on getting the office cleaned out. I have one more legal project to complete before leaving, and I will try to get that done today. I am very close to seeing downtown Cedar Rapids for the last time in a long time.

I wanted to leave tomorrow, but it looks more like this weekend now. Rick is coming back to the farm on Thursday evening to wire some plugs into the 12 volt system on the camper.

On it goes.

James Taylor of course

The Week That Was

Helluva week! Last Sunday my sons-in-law and my son really stepped up and helped me move the big stuff out of my apartment. Then I had to step up on Monday and Tuesday, March 30 and 31, to get the rest out--sheets, towels, cooking equipment, dishes silverware, clothes, miscellaneous, miscellaneous, miscellaneous. I did it, but I was exhausted.

Continued to work at closing files and getting files transferred to other lawyers at the office.

And then. . . .and then. . . . .and then on Friday, April 3, I picked up the camper trailer at the dealers.








I do wish that I would think of the camera more often. I wish I had taken pictures when Russ Schmelzer of Lasso E RVs delivered the thing to me and gave me an instruction course. Ah well.








Is that cool or what?