The Journey: Three for the Price of One . . . and One is Free!

I LIVE IN 1995

If the title of this section seems a bit cryptic, I am fairly confident you will understand soon.

In 1995, as you may remember, we were all marveling at a thing called the Worldwide Web, and email, and it truly was a wonder at that time, but the thing I remember clearly was the dial-up and how long, at times, it could take to get a connection.

Welcome to my life today, 2023, in my present location.

Honest to God, and I don’t think I’m being unrealistic here, but wouldn’t you think, in 2023, damned near 2024, that you could get an internet connection and WiFi just about anywhere? Okay, maybe not in the middle of the Alaskan tundra, but I’m talking Olympia, Washington, literally three miles from downtown.

I might as well be in Siberia.

Let me paint the picture for you. The main internet modem, or whatever it is called, is in the school owner’s home. She has boosters placed in several buildings around the farm school, which is all well and good. The classrooms get internet and a strong connection, but Bill, sitting in Puddle Walker, thirty feet from one of the classrooms, but separated from it by a metal shipping container, gets no internet connection.

And this isn’t the first time I’ve faced this problem. It happened several times during our PCT travels, but on those occasions, my phone’s hotspot was good enough to get me WiFi anyway.

Not here! Not in 2023.  If I want a consistent connection, I have to enter the classroom, which is being used during the day, or drive in my car, literally, a block down the road, where I can get reception.

Jules Verne must be laughing right now.

Update: The solution is arriving this Tuesday; so says Comcast. Stay tuned!

THE DEVALUING OF SOME HUMANS

At first, I believed it was just my imagination.

Now I’m convinced I am correct.

Now that I am in my seventy-fifth year, I have sensed that quite a few people do not value my opinion, do not ask for my opinion, and do not seek me out when they need advice on matters I am quite qualified to give.  I’m not sure how to give this phenomenon the correct words, but to me it is a devaluing of my worth the older I get.

Surprised? Really? This country devalued women for centuries; in fact, to a lesser degree, still does.  Have you checked out comparable pay for men and women in similar jobs?

This country, and I use that as a generalization, so relax, has devalued certain ethnicities for decades; in fact, to a lesser degree, still does.

This country has devalued the handicapped for decades, has devalued those with psychological problems, and has devalued the addicted, for decades.

So why not the aged?

Please note, I am not bitter about this. I find it fascinating.  There are people on this farm who talk to me slowly, explain rudimentary tasks to me like I’m feeble, and there are times I would like to slap them alongside the head, tell them I’ve owned twelve homes, I’ve owned acreage, I’ve raised farm animals, I have three degrees, and I’ve owned businesses, so how about talking to me like we are at least equals? I’ve probably forgotten more about economics and marketing and education than some of these youngsters will ever know, but my gray hair and obvious age have rendered me as, shall we say, obsolete.

But those times are fleeting and, in truth, if I’m being completely honest, I’ve been guilty of this same thing when I was a young adult, ten feet tall, bulletproof, and capable of leaping tall buildings at a single bound.

We all make assumptions about other people. I am absolutely certain that someone reading this, right now, is saying to themselves “he’s full of crap. I would never do that, I don’t do it, I would never do it,” and to that person I say b.s. We all do it.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to be better about it.   Growth can happen if we want it to.

A DAYDREAM (REAL DREAM) FANSTASY?

Speaking of age, when does one stop daydreaming about doing something cool and exciting?

Whatever the age is, I haven’t reached it yet.

I’ve got this nagging idea which will not go away.  I hinted at it to two of my online friends, Melanie and Cynthia. Mind you, I have absolutely no clue how I could pull it off and make it happen but hey, why let little details like that hold me back?

I keep thinking about an intentional community, a couple acres, room for three or four people in tiny homes, all the people sharing in the gardening/farming/raising of animals, enough room for privacy and yet surrounded by a small group of people who I share a bond with.

And I’m daydreaming about selling Puddle Walker, buying an unfinished tiny home, one for about $10,000, one I can work on, finish up, a little more room to stretch out inside . . . and yes, I would still take trips in Spirit Walker (my SUV) because that wanderlust will not go away.

Money is obviously an issue. Too bad one of my twenty books wasn’t a bestseller, eh?  LOL

And I’m also looking at gypsy wagons for the tiny house.  Don’t laugh until you take a look at them online. They are friggin’ adorable/cool/groovy/use any adjective you want.

I’m just waiting for someone to tell me it’s not possible, or I can’t do it? Then I’ll really kick this idea into motion.

Seriously, let’s talk about that . . . taking plans and turning them into action.