No posts
yesterday, unless you count the one from the night before that I couldn’t post
til morning. Although obviously there
is internet service here, it is dependent upon enough power in the inverters
from the generator to run my computer. And I DESPISE running the generator for
very long, or very often. Somehow it
makes me feel less ALASKAN, less TOUGH, if I have to run out and turn the
generator on every day to power my computer.
I’m pretty sure the early frontiersmen didn’t HAVE laptops or cell
phones to charge every day! J So, my posting is a little more random.
Sometimes I use the power just to download pictures from my phone or camera, sort through
them, and then add them here. By the time I’m done with that, the internet is
beeping at me to tell me I’ve been on quite long enough, thank you! I’m trying to get a little smarter and do the
things that REQUIRE internet, like the pictures, or sending email, and then do
the rest, like the writing of emails or the writing of a post, OFF line. Give
me another few weeks here (I wish) and I’d totally get a system down. An
efficient one. Well, more efficient than
I have now.
Yesterday, the
sum total of my day consisted of filling water jugs at the Laundromat,
getting
the mail, visiting with Tracey who stopped by after work for a bit, and feeding
the dogs. Oh, and reading. I started a really good book. And so the pile of
papers I brought along to correct sat there, untouched, yet another day. I
really wish now I hadn’t brought them at all. Sigh. So, it rained yesterday. ALL day. It started sprinkling when I was
doing the morning feeding/scratching/petting/playing/poop scooping, and then
got harder when I came in, and then just continued to alternate between a
drizzle and a downpour, all day, and most of the night, long. It was damp and chilly enough that I
started a fire in the woodstove, and the beef stew I made for dinner last night
was the perfect meal. It was perfect -
warm and cozy in here. Even Tricky spent most of his day dozing on the
downstairs dog bed. And the dogs spent
most of the day in their houses. Except Jack, who stood with his head IN his
house and his back end out – and Zumi, who laid on top of her house, oblivious
to the wet. It wasn’t raining when I
went out to feed them supper last night, so I took some very wet, very muddy,
dog yard pictures. I wish I had taken
pictures of Jack and Zumi. They were too funny!
I will do a separate post today with JUST the dog pictures,
and commentary on them. They totally deserve their own page, apart from my
ramblings…
So, my big adventure
for today, which I have been totally putting off out of nervousness is…. Wait for
it…..going to take a shower. A PUBLIC shower. OK, well, no. Not a public
shower. A shower in a public place. The Laundromat here has showers and
(obviously) washers/driers for people who live off the grid. I’ve seen several
just in Big Lake, so it’s not uncommon. It is, in fact, a VERY common way of
life here. But, I’m not used to it, so I’m terrified. Not of taking a shower at
the Laundromat. But of all the unknowns that could make me look really stupid. Do
I need change? I know there’s a change machine, but do I need single dollar
bills? I don’t have any singles. I only have a ten. Should I go get singles
before I go there? Where will I get singles from? Do I have to put change in for the shower? Or
do I pay for the shower at the desk before I go in? Should I start my laundry
first? Oh my goodness. These unknowns
totally plague me. To the point where I would almost rather stay home and not
have to confront it, not have to figure it out. Except that, I know first of
all, once I do, it will be a piece of cake and I will be able to go back and do
it again with NO worries. And secondly, if I DON”T go, my clothing will get up
and walk to the Laundromat themselves. They are THAT dirty. I did a pretty good
job, no a REALLY AWESOME job, of not over-packing this time, which means that I
am down to NO clean jeans and only one clean t-shirt left. Totally not going to
get me through another week. So, it is a MUST-DO today. Yesterday, I was kind of nervous about
filling the water jugs, too. “What if I can’t find the sink Kristin was talking
about? What if they look at me funny for bringing in all these jugs? What if
you’re supposed to pay for the water, and I don’t know that. Kristin didn’t
mention that, but what if??? It seems
weird that they would just GIVE water away. Someone has to pay the water bill. What if I just LOOK STUPID?” But, I went because I had to, and… the sink
was there. Right where she said it would be. And, the sign above it said not to
use HOT water to fill your jugs, so must be EVERYONE fills their jugs there.
And NO ONE LOOKED AT ME FUNNY. In fact, the lady at the counter SMILED at me. So, I filled my jugs proficiently, and came
home, proud of that fact that I had conquered that. And I know, later today, I
will again be proud that I figured out the whole shower thing and didn’t fall
into a nervous heap at the desk. But right now, the task still looms. Funny,
isn’t it, that I can fly thousands of miles to meet someone I don’t know, and
take on the huge responsibility of taking care of 14 sled dogs, but yet, I’m
terrified of having to figure out the unknown of taking a shower, filling water
jugs and doing my laundry – in public. Wow. I am SO weird.
No comments:
Post a Comment