Man, it’s hot… but thats allright!
The Germs visited me last weekend! It was awesome to finally have yet another guest here! It’s been way too long, especially given our love for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and floating ’round and ’round on our onewheels! We met up in Redding at my storage unit (it’s finally empty, I’m saving $70/month and everything I own is right here!) and after a quick catching up, headed here. For the most part we chatted, floated around town, and played a bit of MK8D. It’s nice to know town well enough to give a bit of history – and history, this place certainly has! Finally was able to have somebody snap a pic of me and the kids – pardon the messy hair…
But hey, their visit proved that I can sometimes be blind… As I was showing them where to set up their tent, we were sniffing the air and I looked towards this plant compost pile.. to a particular plant growing out of the pile… NO WAY!!! Oh, yes way. You know it – somehow, without being watered or cared for, a marijuana plant grew and thrived. NOW I know it’s there, I’m gonna care for it, feed it, and love it like all other plants I have growing here!
In the past month and half, I have made it a point to head into town as much as I can, to get whatever I need – even if just one measly tiny thing… I DON’T HAVE TO DRIVE!!! I CAN GO SHOPPING!!! Now that’s special, given the past 2 years at the South Fork Mountain… This place may still be rural, but things are ACCESSIBLE! I am just so… relieved. One morning, I woke up and realized I forgot to get more coffee filters at the food store, and… well, it’s time to pay the coffeehouse in town a visit! They had chai latte, and of course I had to try it out. Dude even made foam art! Most excellent chai, I totally approve – and brought the Germs there, as well! Foam art seems to be the norm. While we were waiting for our drinks, I noticed they had a food menu, a fridge with beer, and knew I had to come back for a bite. After the germs left, I swung by this place again and ordered an IPA and a chicken wrap. DAMN, that was one excellent wrap! The beer was pretty decent, too – the artwork was way better than the flavor (I’d give it 3.8/5).
There’s two food stores as well – one closest to me is more of a regular food store, the other is a discount food store but with the BEST local beef, and did I say discounts? Yeah, I haven’t shopped at the discount store much. The local one has everything I need, plus 1% back on everything you buy there. Wait, did I just say money back… YES!!! ALSO – their beer prices are insanely low, especially given this is a rural area!!! Oh, my liver gonna hate me… good thing I don’t plan on drinking much.
WELP. Men plan, god laughs… I don’t like getting drunk and have not been drunk in a long time, but even just imbibing a few is starting to get at me. Both age and the fact I went through a 4 month winter having only imbibed less than a 30 pack the entire time, it’s getting to me now – I dehydrate way too easy. Not a bad thing, really, but I find myself craving beer a lot more especially since it’s so cheap and so close…
Oh yeah, the water utility center is… 15-ish mins float away – and this one lady runs the entire thing, it seems… She’s been great and super friendly, unlike most utility folks I have dealt with in the past. Rural folks, that!
There’s two hardware stores in town and they seem to have most everything I’d need for my gardening and building needs. Oh yeah, there’s a nursery as well – I stopped by twice already to get a pound of crimson clover seeds both times. I’m waiting on them to refill their stock of white clover seeds as well. I’ve decided that, to help control weeds such as foxtails (Harley ate them 6 times, Marley got them in her eyes twice already… UGH), wild black mustards, stinging nettles and the likes… I’m gonna treat the area with weed killer where foxtails are rampant, which seems to be far from the house (but where the dogs like to sniff around!), plant some drought tolerant grass seeds only near/around the house, and where the hills of dirt are/further away from the house, I’ll be growing clover groundcovers with white and red (crimson) flowers. I’ve already started seeding this hill that Marley and Capt’n love to climb up on top – especially when folks are walking or driving by, they need to protect home, yanno… Guard dog mode and all.
Oh, my current landlord continues to prove to be one of, if not the best landlord I’ve ever had. He mailed me a huge box of… mouse snapping traps, mouse sticky traps, and a trap catcher with poison. I mean, a LOT… I’m good for killing mouses for maybe a year now? I set the traps out, and have not caught anything in two weeks. But then again, I do keep a clean place, especially when it comes to food… AND I’ve got three dogs, one who is a proven mouse killer (please, Harley… DO NOT bring the dead mouse in my bed. PLEASE!) Not only this, but the landlord also left me some decent yard tools, including this kick ass huge weedwhacker with hand controls and shoulder strap! He’s gonna send me some exterior paint as well, to fix up the outside of this building.
He, and some local folks, have warned me I should have a security system. He left behind 4 arlo wireless cameras and 4 wired night owl cameras, but no smart base/hub or DVR. That’s alright, like I told some locals, I got 3 dogs… ha, but yeah – I finally ordered a base station for the Arlo’s and a power wire adapter for the Night Owl’s and they will both arrive in the mail tomorrow. Which means… I’ll set the Arlo’s along the fence, and keep the Night Owl’s on this building. Arlo’s will have its own software, but I’m gonna hook up the Night Owl’s to a Raspberry Pi and write my own motion capture program for fun. Eventually, I’ll get me a weather station as well… Raspberry Pi’s are fun, and I’m fortunate to have three on hand – all purchased well before the chip shortage hit! Phew…
Alright thats all for now, catch y’all later…