Black flies — there really is only one solution to them: don’t be hanging out until they are gone for the night. That means waiting for darkness to come over the land. Then the party can get started.
Black flies aren’t out all night. So that’s the best time to up and own doing things. Like cooking dinner, drinking beer, and hanging out by the campfire. There is nothing wrong with staying up all night during black fly season, because the days really aren’t that wonderful, if you don’t like getting eaten alive.
Granted, in the darkness, you are somewhat restricted in what you can do. But bring a flashlight, and hell, maybe a bunch of Christmas lights, party lights, and big bright 100-watt equivalent florescent lights, and pretend it’s day light. It’s also cooler, and generally much nicer in then in the day time.
During black fly season, the whole purpose of the day is to be sleeping, and recovering from the hang overs of the previous night.
They are in a strange time of year, the middle of May, as many of us are thinking more about our summer plans, rather then critical questions of local government spending. School board elections, as local elections, are poorly covered by the news, and often are uninteresting. You may no longer attend high school, and you may not have kids in school. Yet those are not good reasons for not voting.
School Board Elections, School Budget Vote, and Library Budget Vote are all important things to vote on for several reasons including:
Low turn out, local elections mean your vote can change results easily.
Your decision hits your pocketbook directly, especially if pay property taxes.
Only chance to directly comment on government spending — should we invest more in our public schools or further increase the crushing tax burden on working folk?
None of us have perfect information. Many years when I vote in school board elections, I don’t even know whose running for school board, and leave those ballots blank. If your concerned about government spending and waste, or think schools and the students being educated are getting cut too much, then either vote Yes or No. It’s that simple.
I try to be careful with saving money every week, and putting a little away for a goal. I contribute to my pension plan and a little bit my Roth IRA every week to save towards retirement. That’s fine, but I also like to save a lot more money into my boring old savings account for more immediate goals — within the next couple of years.
The problem is I really don’t have another goal. I am kind of saving for nothing, or actually one of many choices that I really don’t have a solid figure on what I want to do with the money. It also has grown tougher to save money these days, as the interest rates are so low that money doesn’t really grow much in the bank.
Idea 1: Save Money to Move Out of NY State.
I am not a big fan of New York State by any means. I think it’s policies are so dracionian, and it’s urban dominance means that Upstate will forever be governed by absentee landlords from New York City, who develop policies in wine bars high above the strip in trendy Manhattan.
I don’t like the Sullivan Act. I don’t like the burn ban. I don’t liek the Adirondack Park Agency, or just the state’s official dislike of all rural areas. I don’t like the fact the state increasingly nickling and diming working folks just to feed the beast.
But, hey I like the Adirondacks, Catskills, Greens, Taconics, and other amazing places being so close to home. The recession makes it hard to find a job elsewheres, and the reality is any place I would go would certainly involve a massive cut in salary, benefits, and a relearning of how to live.
But some day I do want to move out of state, on to some rural land, have animals, do a little hobby farming, play in the mud, shoot some guns, and burn things. I really dislike state’s open burn ban. But for now, the Adirondack Park and Catskill Park works well enough for me.
Idea 2: Go Back to College.
I’ve been toying with the idea of going back to college. But it’s so dang expensive. And I really don’t want to sit in class all day, and learn stuff I am not really interested in or could better learn on my own. I struggled through 6 years of college, in and out of school and at work to get my bachelors degree, and I am less then excited about the whole thing.
I would like to go back to school to study GIS map making, and turn my hobby into actually marketable skills. Doing that would allow me to make more money, but more importantly have more flexiability in where I live, so I can live in rural area not run by citidiots.
Idea 3: Sled.
I have been thinking about getting a snowmobile at the end of winter season for next year. Not something brand new, but something decently reliable that I could use to access the deep back country in winter. It might also be fun for camping in the winter, as I could strap a backpack on with gear.
But it’s also an expensive hobby to say least. Plus, even if I got a snowmobile in the spring time, I would have to store it until the winter before I could really use it for much better. But I figure an end of season special would probably save some real money.
Idea 4: Fix Up My Truck.
I got to fix the bumper on my truck. It annoys the fuck out me, to put it the way I see it. The way it is bent — the particular angle — is so ugly. Yet, do I want to just fix the parts that are damaged or do I want to get a real bumper for my truck? I know they make heavy duty off-road bumpers.
Which got me thinking — if I replace the rear bumper, shouldn’t I also replace the front bumper with a real bumper, so it at least matches? Or should I wait until I do something stupid and damage it?
Likewise, I want to jack my truck up. It would be fun to ride up higher, would add at least “visual” value to the truck, and make me like it better. Although, maybe I would eventually get tired of jacked up truck. But should I wait until the first set of tires are worn out, before going for the jacked up routine? I don’t know.
Many Possibilities.
I continue to chew over my choices and possibilities. Moving out of NY State — to a nicer state with more sane policies — continues to be a priority of mine, but that has to be balanced by my good paying job that pays the bills, and the proximity to the great Adirondack and Catskill Parks.
Then there are all the toys I could spend my money on. But toys require gasoline, which sure is expensive these days. Certainly having more money in the bank account makes it grow faster. But I also got to have fun, and have an excuse for saving money. So I don’t know.
I got this book out of the library the other day titled, “The Best of Tent Camping: A guide for car campers who hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos” and thought it was a perfect read until I actually opened the book and found out it was a book expounding the virtues of state campgrounds, rather then back country and roadside locations for camping.
I once stayed in a state campground. It had to be the most miserable day in my life. I really don’t need to be told by some jackbooted thug how to operate my campsite, when I must turn down the music or dim the camp lights, or otherwise restrict what I want to do. I want shoot guns at midnight, then that should be my right.
Campgrounds are tightly packed locations, versus the typical 1/4 mile plus spacing between most roadside and backcountry campsites, where you are out of eyeshot and earshot of other campers, so you are pretty much free to do what you want without restriction of the government or annoyance of others.
If you need the kind of services that campgrounds you probably shouldn’t go up to woods. Especially if your tent camping, a developed campground just seems kind of silly and wasteful. You can always burn and pack out your garbage, and there are creeks to swim in to clean yourself out.
