… I find I need something, anything, maybe some background noise, maybe just some solid music running in the background. Anything just to keep my head from exploding and the world around me becoming unraveled.
#
Tag: Life
There isn’t much about August I think I’ll miss. But I’m not sure if fall will be much more fun.
I’ve been busy, and then started working my second job again, teaching (face-to-face) in this fall, which adds to the busy. I’ve been working straight through China virus and am so ready for a break. I have a couple weeks time off coming up, I hope everything goes well.
It’s clear summer is leaving us now the cooler temperatures of fall are starting to drift in. The days are getting shorter. Every morning I notice sunrise is a couple minutes later. With the longer darkness brings thoughts of upcoming holidays and an underlying sadness with them. I’ve heard the fall and winter is problematic for a lot of people. I fear this year maybe worse for some due to the long periods of “self isolation,” quarantine, social distancing, or whatever everyone has been going through.
In other news, it seems the city of Los Angeles has cancelled Halloween this because of the kung flu. The one night of the year people would want to wear a mask and they canceled it? Sigh, the world just doesn’t make much sense anymore.
I saw a post with a skyline picture of NY City from September 10, 2001 which brought back memories. Sadly there is an entire generation now who really have no idea, the trauma people felt on that day, and went through in the following days and weeks after, and still. I think I’ll always remember, that day, where I was. Those thoughts and feelings.
Here’s to tipping one back to the fall, may she woo us with something good and exciting. Stay safe y’all.
#
It’s been a bit more of the crazies these last few months, and I can’t wait to see what the next few months have in store for us.
Most of the country is now slowly reemerging from some level of state imposed, pandemic induced, shutdown and quarantine. I hope your area is recovering well and your family is safe. The global release of a new virus and resulting pandemic was caused either by some conspiracy involving world depopulation with a bio-engineered, lab created, smart bug with no known cure. The other possibly is it was just a bad cup of bat-soup. WHO knows (that’s a punny play by the way, feel free to comment if you get it). Anyway I haven’t had the opportunity to camp, hike, or get lost in the woods since last year. The group I volunteer with had to cancel a long list of events including summer camp and our high adventure back packing trip. Everything was closed, including the wilderness.
As an “essential worker,” my daily work routine really hadn’t changed much through the whole pandemic. I just see fewer people. Overall, this is probably a good thing. It’s strange times when you can’t get a haircut, yet Walmart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot are packed almost 24/7. One of my favorite things to do in recent years was to sit in a local coffee shop, people coming and going, listening to music, just thinking, maybe write some. Yep well, No Can Do in china virus times. While you can still get a cup of coffee, it’s To-Go only. Sitting is banned. Pretty much I just go to work & go to home. I will tell you, the daily commute to and fro was great for the first month or so. It seems essential workers are also very responsible drivers. You could really tell when the non-essential folks hit the roads again. I was just beginning to think, really soon, things should drift back to normal. But then, Murder Hornets.
Such a creature as the Murder Hornet popped up on the radar for a short period, about early May I think. These hornets are around 2-3 inches long. And can kill people. And wipe out honey bees hives. And they have invaded the Americas and are heading to a field near you. Imagine tripping over a hive of them. Yep that’s the thing of which nightmares are made. For a short while, these horrendous creatures were a real concern. But then, the Purge.
For those who don’t know, The Purge is a movie where society basically allows crime and mayhem for a one single night and all emergency services are suspended. Admittedly I haven’t seen this movie but then sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Not to be constrained by a mere single night of mayhem, we’re now about a month into some nightmare real life version of the movie. Either overwhelmed by the volume of chaos, or stifled by governmental leadership, the police aren’t responding to crime in major cities now, which of course limits emergency medical & fire response services. In multiple cities, whole blocks have been vandalized, looted, and burned to the ground by rioters. Dozens murdered. Hundreds injured. And it’s still continuing. I wish it was a movie, because then I could get up and leave. As time grinds on, it seems like people are just getting crazier. And dumber.
I actually find myself getting fatigued from reading or watching the daily news too long now. There are groups of people who literally want nothing more than to watch the world burn. The idiocy sometimes becomes overwhelming, but then I push away, look out a window, go for a walk, and it feels just a little bit better. I am thankful for the people in my life, my family and friends. Being able to gather with family is refreshing and something I miss. Up until recently this social gathering of good people was banned too. June 20, 2020 happens to officially be the first day of Summer, yet the backyard barbecue parties are still restricted or banned in a lot of areas. Beaches in most states have been closed to the general public for months. Only celebrities, heads of state governments, and other special “VIP” get to go beaching or get haircuts. But then mass protesters made it all okay to get together again, but only to riot, not for happy events like birthday parties or friendly gatherings (see what I mean about dumb?). Crazy times. I can’t wait to see what July brings.
Be safe. Stay vigilant.
#
Just a quick note as this first day of spring begins to fade. The weather today has been truly spring like, although I’ve been stuck inside working my day job for most of it, I’m looking forward to more of nice weather. The winter has been great but I’m ready to move on. Unfortunately the world is now caught in this whole global China flu Coronavirus pandemic thing and everything around me is closing, or winding down, or being socially isolated, or being washed and disinfected. There is a ton of good info out there on this bug so I’m not going to add to the noise other than to say use some common sense, you don’t need ALL the toilet paper on the shelf, and follow the recommendations of your local health officials. Here in the great state of South Carolina our winter seems to have been pretty mild and the plants are really starting to bud out now with the warmer weather. I’m guessing the Azaleas are probably a week or three from peak bloom, and the Dogwoods are just beginning to flower. I’m so looking forward to getting some trail time this spring, with any luck. We’ll see how the next couple of weeks pan out. Stay safe all.
#
If you are using a canoe in rough or “white water”, not having a keel allows you to maneuver the canoe much easier by allowing the boat to slide sideways easier during certain paddle strokes. On a fairly gently river like the Congaree River, a canoe with a keel is much easier to keep on course. I found it requires more work to keep the canoe straight without a keel. Differences in paddler strength or stroke are much more apparent and required more corrections.
#
This park has a heavy slant toward horses and dogs, but don’t be mislead. H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trial and Recreation Area is an outstanding destination with unique facilities and terrain to explore.
I found H. Cooper’s openness a pleasant change from some of the smaller parks within the state. While there aren’t really “hiking” trails here, there are acres of wilderness to explore. I found the freedom of walking across the expansive rolling hills with their combination of open tall grass fields, pine forests, and waterfowl ponds nestled between, amazingly enjoyable and refreshing.
One of fun things I enjoyed about this park, was letting Radar off leash when we were out in the fields and at the ponds (dogs must be on lease near the camp sites). We even tried a little retriever training at the ponds (‘turns out the pup can’t swim – but that’s a story for another time). Most state parks have some pretty strict lease rules which makes it a little difficult to train with him for hiking, so it was nice to be able to roam in the fields and woods with him.
This park is one of newest and largest in the SC park system. Located in Chesterfield County, just about 5.6 miles South of Cheraw, H. Cooper Black was added to the park system in 1994. With it’s 7000 acres, it is the fourth largest in the South Carolina State Park system. The two big things in the park are the 20 miles of equestrian trails and the retriever training & events. But don’t let not having a horse keep you away. This park it is open, pleasant, and definitely worth the trip away from civilization. I look forward to returning to H. Cooper Black again.
Favorite Time of year: Anytime for camping.
Things to Know: If you like animals such as horses and dogs, you will like H. Cooper Black.
Camping: Camping is available at H Cooper Black. Please contact the park from 11 a.m. to noon, daily, at 843-378-1555 for camping reservations and information (Reservations Required).
Pet friendly: Pets must be voice command controlled or kept on a leash or in a kennel while in the camping area or within 1/4 mile of the camping area.
Getting There: H Cooper Black is in the Eastern midlands of South Carolina, just North of Florence and just South of Cheraw, right off highway 15. It’s about a 3 hour drive from the Charleston area.
#