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it begins in the far, upper reaches

of the north; some might suggest

at the very top of the world.

tiny whispers at first, a whistle, a hiss —

soon, a screaming, screeching banshee.

its momentum builds and grows and expands

across forests, lakes, rivers & ponds,

vast acres of woodland, mountains and plains,

spreading south into the disjointed States.

frigid cold, a raw & hungry wind —

a relentless ferocity that inundates the land.

seasons shift within seasons

and time is held captive

to the merciless impulses of nature.

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Daily writing prompt
Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?
View all responses

Used to be, when I was being lazy, I hovered between feeling guilty and feeling glorious.

After I retired, it took almost six months before I could sit back and feel at ease with those days when nothing much was ever done or accomplished under my watch. Shortly after I left work – for good, on March 15th, 2017 – All Hail, the Ides of March! – I started keeping a WIAT journal: What I Accomplished Today.

Some days, the only thing I write down is the word nothing while some days there are several entries. Over the years, I’m increasingly just fine with that though truth be told, those nada entries, are pretty rare.

It’s all good. I’m at peace.

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We bought a boat last year, a 21-foot Chaparral bowrider, which we love. However, from a practical standpoint, we have started to contemplate perhaps selling it and getting a travel trailer instead. There are a number of advantages to this kind of switcheroo, from my perspective, anyway, but I wanted to see if my Readers have any thoughts about us doing this, especially if anyone has done the same, or similar, kind of thing.

On the upside:

  • With a travel trailer, we would have the ability to pretty much take off and GO, regardless of the weather forecast. We’ve quickly learned that not just rain, but wind, temperature and lake conditions can limit boating opportunities in what is already a pretty narrow outdoor season for us here in the Midwest, sometimes for weeks at a time. I love the idea of us traveling all over the U.S., even in the winter, to places where warmer weather beckons and getting a travel trailer would help keep us off the couch, much as we enjoy our YouTube videos, football and basketball and other streaming entertainment!
  • If we opted for a travel trailer instead, providing our own lodging would simplify the inclusion of Coco, our much beloved furry companion. Currently, we have to search out hotels, B&B’s, and other accommodations that allow pets OR find someone to watch him. At the beginning of summer this year, we had four dog sitters on speed dial. Now, we have just one and she isn’t always available. Many ‘places to stay’ do not allow you to leave your dog in the room when you’re not there. That excludes so many travel and sight-seeing options: restaurants, museums and other indoor venues. National parks, most if not all, do not allow dogs. With a travel trailer, we could leave puppy for a brief stint whenever there’s something we want to do by ourselves. NOTE: Coco is 7 1/2 years old but, to me, he’ll always be puppy!!
  • We are already familiar with towing a boat so the learning curve for a travel trailer, it is assumed, would not be as steep.
  • Likewise, because of the boat, we already have a storage unit. That was a major headache for us at the beginning of our boat-owning journey so cross that item off a travel trailer To Do list.

With a travel trailer, there will always be finding a place to set up camp, the set-up process itself, less living space and maneuverability challenges. ALSO: We’re in our sixties and in a few years, launching and loading and getting in and out of a boat might prove more difficult as we move into our 70s and beyond. Again, it is assumed, those concerns wouldn’t be as jarring with a travel trailer.

If anyone has other insights or comments, I would LOVE to hear from you. Thank you, in advance, SO MUCH!!

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so dope

groovy, cinema

& cool

bee’s knees

cat’s meow

sick, stellar

awesome & wow

eons of ways

to say just how much

I’m really digging

this fantabulous

October day

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SO tired and weary and distressed by the utter chaos, hatred, pettiness, poison, misinformation, un-American-ness and division of this regime.

Sorry.

Just HAD to vent…