by Phyllis McCrossin
If ever there were a good way to get away from it all, this week would have been a good example of just that.
For the first time in months (probably years), King and I had no obligations. None. We didn’t have to be anywhere. We didn’t have job obligations. We did nothing. It was most excellent. And we have five more days of… nothing.
King admitted to our daughter today when she stopped for a visit that he was pretty bored.
To fill our time we took an occasional pop run (some call it soda). King is addicted to diet Mountain Dew (yeah, I know how bad it is for the body). Our refrigerator is tiny, so every other day or so we make a run to the local Wal-Mart to get another six-pack.
I’ve looked for Mountain Dew at the local discount grocery stores but they don’t carry it. The local Vons or Albertsons (California grocery stores) probably carry it, but generally they are at least one-third more expensive. And we all know that one can enter a store with the intent of buying just one thing, but come out with a least three bags of groceries…at least that’s the way it’s been for me for most of my life. Wal-Mart is easier on the budget.
A few years ago California passed a law banning plastic bags. Oh they still have them. They are much more hefty than the plastic bags we know and love/hate in Michigan — the theory is they are reusable. And they are. They cost 10 cents a bag. I have a huge collection of them I bring back to Michigan with me and donate to the campground store where I work during the summer.
I’ll be honest, storing them until April has become a challenge, so most of the time instead of purchasing more plastic bags at the checkout, I bring my collection of reusable bags I’ve acquired throughout the years (the 99 cent ones you get at Aldi, etc.) to the store.
So exciting trips to the grocery store aside, King and I have been sticking close to home and relaxing. He spends his time with scratch-off lottery tickets, methodically scratching squares in a system I don’t understand. I have been weaving twined rugs and turning them into storage baskets.
We’ve also been walking the trails at the campground. Lake Jennings campground is owned by the Helix Water district and is located on the shores of the Lake Jennings reservior — an 85-acre, 160-foot deep lake that supplies water to the cities of Alpine and Ramona in eastern San Diego County.
While there is no swimming in the lake there are plenty of trails and they do allow fishing. In fact this year they will stock 19,000 pounds of trout this season. The campground has 97 campsites (combination of primitive, partial and full hook-ups). The views are fantastic.
King walks Petra early every morning and has encountered what he swears is a wolf, but I’m more inclined to believe is a very large coyote. He (the wolf/coyote) is pretty shy and tends to run when encountered.
I’ve only seen him once (which is why I think he’s a coyote and not a wolf) and that was several years ago during COVID. The campground was closed to all but those who had long-term camping reservations, so it was not busy, and the wildlife was more prone to wander into the campground. He ran through our campsite between the trailer and our firepit. I watched him through our open door. I think he was after a rabbit.
That was the year I finished my memoir about our mother and her dementia. It’s still available on Amazon for the low price of $3.99 for the Kindle edition and $6.99 for the paperback edition. (memoir.kingandi.blog/discount)
I wish you all a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving. Be kind. Don’t kick sand in the sandbox.
