In the fog as the times are changin’ 🌫️

Things often these days are quite foggy. But boy did it feel mild without a breeze this morning when I stepped out a few minutes ago before the rain showers pushed through.

Once the rain stops, I should ride over to Walmart 🚲 and get some groceries and supplies though if it looks like it will hang around for a while, maybe that will be best done after I get back from visiting Mom and Dad. Honestly, now we have that extra hour in the evening which will be nice. Still a fair bit of snow around, including on the Rail Trail but with the warm weather today, and especially tomorrow ☀️ it should be tough on th remaining snow and by Tuesday I would imagine much of snow will be gone from the Rail Trail. I have a Pine Bush meeting on Wednesday. 🌲

I never did go out to Five Rivers yesterday, 🌬️ as it was pretty breeze, cool and gray most of yesterday, and I just wanted a day off to hang out, think and not do a lot. Also obviously did not go shopping. 🏪 I think I am starting to make piece in my mind about buying the truck, I want to talk to a few more people to get their opinion, but I think I want to put in no-nonsense bids on a few trucks I was looking at. I think I have a good gage on what a fair price, not too low that dealers will ignore my proposition but not too high that I am getting totally scammed. ⚖️ Its’ though though as configurations very a lot, though actually there are fairly standardized configurations if you dig through the pile of crap on Window Stickers. 💩 Truth is trying to decide really is tearing at me, as is watching the Middle East blow up. 💣 Am I buying myself the ultimate adventure rig? Or is the Godzilla Holstein a White Elephant? 🐘 It is a work truck. At some point, the check will cut, money gone, I’ll have the truck. It’s just a number on bank account, I need a truck if I want to get to wilderness, and even if I end up selling or scrapping it in a few years, there will be some residual value. 

I don’ t know, it’s just so crazy these days. 🤪 It could be an amazing rig, many good adventures ahead, and ultimately what gas costs week to week doesn’t matter, as much as what it does over the next 15 years. ⛽ You’re going to have times when prices go up, other times when it’s cheap. A Taco 🌮 might be more fuel efficent but it’s not right option for me. I have started to move on a bit more, looked at truck caps, solar panels, and even battery boxes, chewing what I can and should move over form the old rig. Cellphone booster for work and streaming from camp. Diesel heater too but that can wait until next autumn, though I want one before mid-October if it’s going to be chilly at times and I’m doing a lot of remote work from either the National Forest or the Adirondacks. 🏕️ I definately want more then 100 watt in solar, but I haven’t decided if I will get a second 100 watt panel or look at a larger commercial panel to mount on the roof. Need to spec out the cost and what would work with my existing equipment. Probably get a flat roof cap over the long bed. While I liked the extra height of the MX cap on old truck, the one tons have deeper beds, and higher roof lines, so I think I’m good with the flat roof, and that will help with the gas economy and easier getting the kayak on and off the roof. 🛶

Other then that, I don’t know. 🫘 Finished off the last of the chickpeas I cooked up earlier in the week and now I have pinto beans cooking down on the stove. Listening to Steven Stills and his gang sing Helplessly Hoping, noting some day I’ll have a house with a porch like the one on the album cover. Maybe I should put more of time into finding a house, building a homestead, but I still want to travel and have some fun while I am still young. In 15 years, when I retire, I can buy land and a cabin, and move forward from there.

Helplessly hoping her harlequin hovers nearby
Awaiting a word
Gasping at glimpses of gentle true spirit he runs
Wishing he could fly
Only to trip at the sound of goodbye

Wordlessly watching he waits by the window and wonders
At the empty place inside
Heartlessly helping himself to her bad dreams he worries
Did he hear a good-bye?
Or even hello?