PP #30: Pioneer Wagons, Ho!
Project: Pioneer #30, April 21, 2024 Sunday 5pm
The surprising call came on Tuesday. We could move into the wooded site a day early—tomorrow rather than Thurs. Yay! The site managers were trying to get people in before (guess what) another few straight days of rain and mud. We jumped at the opportunity and started battening down the hatches immediately for our relocation.
Project: Pioneer is the live weekly reality journal of a couple and their small dog as they leave their ‘normal’ life in a luxury apartment for a new semi-off grid life in a small recreational vehicle, just at the start of winter. We cover prepping, politics, spirituality, afterlife, RV life, and personal finance. Most posts are free, more personal posts are to reward our loyal paid subscribers. Audio podcast at Substack, Apple, and Spotify)
In this journal post:
Updates: RV Pioneer Relocation
Queue the Violence
What’s Next?
Updates: RV Pioneer Relocation
This was our first real move since embracing the pioneer full-time RV life. It was a stunning contrast to our previous moves. Those involved constant trips back and forth with truckloads of crap we never used. It was a ton of work, an expensive, endless grueling, manual labor time-suck.
This time, we simply made sure everything inside was secure enough to endure the bouncy gravel road between the two sites, hooked up our trusty Ranger pickup Henrik the Brave, traveled the path, and set up in the new site. We started Wednesday morning around 8am after coffee and a leisurely breakfast, and were in and pretty much settled, utilities hooked up, by noon. Incredible! After Wednesday’s work, we relaxed in our recliners to catch a movie. Thank God for comfortable recliners after a hard day’s pioneer work!
It was a good test run. If an emergency happens (impending weather disaster, alien landing, nuclear strike, a wannabe dictator who has destroyed everyone and everything that he has ever touched wins the election…) we now know we can get outta Dodge in a hurry. The only difference in that scenario would be a longer drive to safety, piece of cake. Yeah, we moved our deck boxes down early, but in those emergency cases I listed, that stuff would be left behind or put in Henrik’s bed.
So what’s different so far? As compared to our true, pioneer survivor real-deal full-time RV neighbors in our sparse winter site, the vibe is different down here in the forestland. The first few days we had the place pretty much to ourselves, nice and quiet, unlike the previous pet-store insanity I wrote about. Then, the campground opened for the season on Friday. Many of the seasonal renters, who leave their RVs dormant here all winter, flooded in to start de-winterizing their rigs and clean up their sites.
There was a lot of joy and happiness, many of them seemed to know each other from previous seasons. Drinking goes along with that, hard-working folks with a chance to kick back, get away from the burbs, and forget their problems for a while. Later on Friday night there was the associated random screams (indistinguishable whether from fear/violence or just redneckin’ fun), loud discourse, louder music, etc. Of course, there are lots of kids as well, but those are sounds of joy, hard to complain about that. We’re far enough from the arcade and play areas to hear much of it.
So, we’ll see. It comes with the turf—living in a campground full-time. Most of these folks are weekenders, so it will likely get quiet again during the week. We’re in the seasonal area. I’m sure the regular vacation camping area will be full-time rowdy as we hit peak vacation time, but that’s out of earshot for us (I think!). Rather than living close to roadways and breathing in the associated smog, we’re treated to the regular scents of fresh air, nature, campfires, and barbeque.
Yesterday was nice. I finished up putting in a run for Pia to roam free, installed the security cameras, and did half-assed work on the sewer lines (my nemesis, again!) and then sat in the sun with Pia on my lap to listen to some music and catch up on reading. She doesn’t like the sun, yet demands to be on my lap, so it was a conundrum. I put up the hammock and we moved there to solve the problem. She was nervous at first, a new experience with all the awkward getting aboard and the rocking, but she loved it! Both goals achieved, since she could find shade inside it.
There will be adjustments. We’re in the woods. There will be critters, snakes, bugs, allergy irritants. In the true Buddhist sense, we should expect those things, be unsurprised when they present, and deal with it. Safety is important. Snakes like woodpiles. Unlike humans, animals don’t usually attack without good reason. I took Pia for a walk around the large pond, and as we circled it, large frogs jumped from the embankment into the water, spun around, and glared at us for our intrusion into their spring mating.
I got silly and I found a frog
In the water by a hollow log
And I shook it at her
And I said, "This frog's for you"
And she said
"I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me
—Jim Stafford, “Spiders and Snakes”
Queue the Violence (Politics)
In other news, the calls for violence on the right are ever-increasing as we near November. Prolific traitor to our country and disgraced former General Michael Flynn is criss-crossing the country for a “ReAwaken Tour” to set up terror cells and recruit angry, ignorant, and naïve followers for their “Army of God,” This includes baptizing people for the coming Christo-Fascist Christian Nationalism civil war they plan should November not go their way. Flynn and his J6 team of neo-Nazis and foreign agents are creating a network of paramilitary cells country-wide. Watch or read Handmaid’s Tale, because that’s the life they envision for you, your kids, your grandkids. Make no mistake—the wealthy and the leaders (men only) as always will continue to be able to obtain abortions for their mistresses.
The planning is well underway, it’s not paranoia or fiction. Prepare. It will make Jan 6 look like a tea party, with attacks on state capitols, police departments, and other facilities around the country. Many inside the military and law enforcement are on board, so resistance may be weak to non-existent. They are also training people for what they call a “digital civil war.” They hate democracy and they hate our diversity and freedom.
They hate the very thing that made America great and set us apart from every other developed nation—our acceptance of the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse, the homeless, tempest-tossed immigrants that comprise our ancestry.
There have been other recent calls for violence from prominent Republicans. Senator Josh Hawley, the douchiest, chicken-necked, weak-jawed member of Congress who incited the insurrectionist rioters on Jan 6 and then was filmed running away like a scared roadrunner, suggested people “take matters into their own hands.” Kari Lake suggested people “strap on a Glock” and deploy “God’s Armor.” It’s always the pampered, elite, ivy league, trust-fund baby set who never served and make damn sure their kids don’t serve that are the first to act all tough and badass, isn’t it? The ones who probably bullied you or your kids in school because their mommies and daddies know everyone on the school board, administration, and law enforcement from the country club.
Keep in mind, it will likely be you or your kids that get caught in the cross-fire of all that shooting and violence. Certainly, you’ll suffer in the aftermath.
What’s Next?
It will be our first week on the site. Tune in to see if I get the sewer done right (again!). Maybe we’ll make some new friends. This pioneer journey continues… Don’t forget, commenting is now turned on for everyone on these free posts. Let’s interact! Too many of you reply to us personally, share the love with the Project: Pioneer community :-)
"Nothing in the world can bother you as much as your own mind, I tell you. In fact, other's seem to be bothering you, but it is not others. It is your own mind."-- Dalai Lama
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