Guns and Steel & the Germs of Love

I woke twice during the night to pee, the first time using the cabin's composting toilet, and the second time stepping outside into the dark night. Could hardly see anything in front of me. Too bad the sky was clouded over otherwise I could've seen billions of stars. I woke for good at 7am which I soon realized would've been 8am just the day before.

I quickly slipped into my running clothes and shoes then headed outside to pee, stretch and run. I ran the gravel and dirt road north to the large rock then back all the way to the main highway then back to the rock then back to the cabin. I'm guessing that added up to about three miles. Of course it isn't flat by and stretch, so it proved to be a really good workout.

Back at the cabin, I strolled the grounds in a semi-meditative state taking n the flora and fauna. It's hard to imagine just how quiet it is in the forest, unlike home where there's always the ever present background noise - most notably traffic and commerce. I headed back inside the cabin fully expecting the others to be up but they weren't. I grabbed a bottled water from my cooler, snatched up my overnight kit and Kindle, then stepped out on the front porch where I brushed my teeth then found a comfy chair to sit and do some reading.

I must've read for about 15 minutes before being joined by my boss. He asked what I was reading, and when I shared that it was The Evolution of God, he responded by asking if I was a church going man. I half jokingly shared that the forest was more of a church than any building back home. He concurred. Soon Ryan and Ken were up, too.

Boss man asked if we were game for coffee, sausage, eggs and pancakes. We all favorably agreed, though I ended up passing on the coffee when I learned that there wasn't any creamer. It's not that I couldn't drink or appreciate black coffee, I just wasn't in the mood. I was fine with water. As he did the night before, boss man did all the cooking and table set up. Breakfast hit the spot.

About an hour after breakfast I got sleepy while slouching on the sofa. Ended up taking a nap while the others headed outside to shoot their guns. The first shot startled me even though I knew it was coming. It was much louder than I guessed. And while all the guns were legal, a couple of them were over the top wicked. Most notable were two that Ken brought, a .227 AR assault rifle & then a .44 magnum (Dirty Harry) handgun. Not only was it loud, but it was ferociously destructive. After the others took target practice with a couple .40 caliber hand guns on a concrete block, Ken followed up by completely destroying the block with one shot from the .44 magnum.

I declined an option to shoot. I was happy just watching. Guessing they did their shooting for about an hour before systematically putting everything away. Boss man asked what time we wanted to head back into town. When no one spoke up I shared that I hoped to get back by 4pm. We agreed to have lunch, go on a hike, then head back to town.

And just as he did at dinner the night before and then again at breakfast a few hours earlier, boss man headed inside to ready our lunch, which consisted of brats and potato salad. Cooked the brats on the gas grill outside. Lunch was good. As much fun as it was spending time with my peeps in the woods, I was more than ready to head home and see my wife. We helped get the kitchen cleaned up then headed off on a walk. I detected a faint hum in the distance but didn't think much of it. But whatever it was, it angered the boss man. He soon shared that it was the hum of an obnoxious generator coming from the next cabin down, which was probably a good 1/4 mile up the road.

We walked towards the noise and the closer we got the louder the generator became. Where boss man's generator is almost silent (a Honda) this one was so loud you could barely hear yourself speak. Boss man was worried that this was a precursor to what lies ahead with his new cabin neighbors. He walked up to the drive to the cabin apparently intent on talking with his new neighbors. We were a little worried that he was going to get aggressive, though that would've been completely out of character for him.

He was inside for a while, so we decided to walk on ahead, albeit slowly. About 15-20 minutes passed before we spotted him coming our way up the dirt road. When he finally caught up to us he shared the good news. The new owners were only using the generator to wreck out the old walls. They plan to completely remodel and install solar power to the entire cabin. That elevated the boss man's mood tenfold. He insisted they stop down and see his place when they had a chance.

We walked all the way to the main highway then back to the cabin. Immediately we prepared to leave, carrying our gear to our vehicles and then helping boss man put everything back as we found it on arrival. One of the last things he did was take down the American flag from the post on the front porch. We were on the road for home by 140pm. Boss man insisted we take a different route back to 33, going by Laurel Lodge at Lake Hope and ultimately picking up 33 off of rt 378. Definitely a more scenic drive than rt. 93, though it has some scenic views of its own, too. There was one house in particular that caught my fancy, sitting on the crest of a moderate hill but overlooking an enormous valley then more rolling hills in the background. And those rolling hills were ablaze in autumn colors. Unbelievably beautiful!

Lake Hope was beautiful in its own right. Very pristine and very colorful. Seemed to take longer than it should've to reach 33, but once we did it was smooth sailing into Columbus. About 1/2 the drive in is now 70 mph which is very nice. Couldn't ask for better peak fall colors. I was appreciative of the opportunity afforded me. For me the highlights were the incredible autumn flora and the unbelievable star filled skies. Arrived at the boss' place just after 3pm. After unloading Ryan's gear from the trunk of my car I thanked boss man for the fun time and wished Ken and Ryan well.

I tried calling Mindy on my short drive home but my call eventually rolled to VM. Hmmm? And I thought she'd be eager to take my call. Pulled in the drive around 330pm. Felt great to be home. Before heading inside I unloaded my cooler, drug both the recycling and regular trash cans to the curb for Monday morning's pick-up. Finally inside, I was greeted by Mindy with a ridiculously hoarse voice. She asked why I didn't call to let her know that I was on my way. I explained that I did but got VM. She was busy cleaning and cooking dinner - Jean's chicken, a recipe she got from a friend (not named Jean).

I spent the next 15-20 minutes unpacking and reorganizing my stuff while also sharing a few cabin stories with Mindy. Already I'd broken the cabin promise - what happens in the cabin, stays in the cabin. :) I was really eager to share my take on the star filled sky. Without question, the incredibly starry night left the most lasting impression. A few minutes passed before I headed upstairs to see Bella. She was in her room organizing her old clothes that no longer fit and then putting away the new stuff she and Mindy picked up earlier that afternoon from Justice. I was taken back when Bella all but slammed her bedroom door in my face. Really? Did I deserve that.? Truth be told, my feeling were hurt. Not sure what that was all about.

Jacob was holed up in his room, apparently not feeling well. I chose to leave him alone. Mindy suggested we walk the pug together. It was a nice autumn evening with alternating windows of clouds and sun. For the better part of our 15 minutes walk, the skies were completely sunny. Not too long after we got back to the house it was time for dinner. Just before dinner, I checked the final score of the Viking game. Once again they lost in the last minute, this time to the Cowboys. At this point (now 1-7), I'm cheering for them to keep losing so we get the #1 draft pick. And sadly, I hope the terrible record leads to a wholesale coaching change. And know this, my opinion isn't knee jerk. While I like Mr. Frazier as a man, I've never looked at him as the type of guy capable of leading an NFL to the promised land. When he speaks, he rarely if ever seems sure of himself about anything.

Dinner was delicious. Jacob wasn't feeling well enough to come down, so it was just the three of us. It was during dinner that I remembered to tune the cable box to the seasonal music channel. Sure enough, it was Xmas music time! Unlike the past two years when the kids and Mindy pooh-poohed the notion of early Xmas music, this time they were both singing along. Bella suggested we make it a movie night. And not long after dinner clean-up, she, Mindy and I snuggled up in the family room to watch Elf, one of our all-time favorite movies for any time of the year.

I actually dosed off about an hour into the movie, missing the part when the midget writer comes into the office. When I woke I got a second wind and watched the rest of the movie completely wide eyed. Soon after the movie ended Mindy and Bella headed up to bed. According to the clock it was only 830pm, but to our bodies 930pm, which is Mindy's standing bedtime. As soon as they were out of the room I tuned the TV to the SNF game between the Colts and Texans. Mindy looked over the railing offering that I could watch the game from bed. Don't tell anyone, but a couple minutes later I decided to take her up on the offer and was upstairs in bed by 845pm but with the SNF game on.

Mindy was asleep within 15 minutes. Me, I was wide awake. And those that know me well know that I can't simply lay in bed wide awake. Instead, I rolled out of bed and headed back downstairs to watch the game from the family room. I watched some football and had a bowl or Mini-Wheats cereal. Even though our white milk had an expiration date still a couple days out, it was sour. I dumped it out and used chocolate milk instead, not wasting the cereal I had already poured.

Not really into the game, I changed the channel to the History Channel watching a timeline of history spanning the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries CE before the sleepies began to set in again. I think it was near 1045pm when I headed back up to bed.