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Monday, July 16, 2012

Camping: The art of getting closer to nature while getting farther away from the nearest cold beverage, hot shower and flush toilet.


Too many projects, not nearly enough time. 

©RiverWalker Arts
But the best time of all is when you go away and there are no distractions.  No dishes lurking in the sink, no laundry slowing getting  sour and beckoning from the basement, no looking through windows covered in dog slobber and thinking how much better the view might be if only I spent some time washing the windows,  which then leads to cleaning the mould out of the aluminum tracks, which reminds me that the floor need a good clean to remove dog prints, slobber, dog hair, dust, baby drool and other miscellany... where upon I open the closet for the appropriate cleaning apparatus and realize that although I can get my closet doors closed (barely) they really need a thorough cleaning , sorting, organizing,  purging and general dung-out.... and while we are talking about closets – the linen cupboard, the fridge, the pantry and pretty much all storage locations in the house need a full on cleaning if I ever hope to find anything ever again..... did I mention my plant needs watering?  And there is a pink ring around the bathtub.  And the dog needs walking.  And the garbage needs to be taken out.  And the hedge needs trimming......  *sigh*.
©RiverWalker Arts

While some folks eschew camping as some form of sadistic experiment in biting insects and poor hygiene ...  (one friend told me “ why would I go live in a tent for fun? ...  I work hard to earn enough money so I don’t have to huddle around a fire in a barrel, and hunker down in the down pouring rain under the dubious shelter of  a tent” )   - I, personally love the way that all the jobs evaporate. I realize that out in the campsite, I have absolutely nothing better to do that nap on a blanket on the grass with my Chicken Little.  Nothing more pressing to do than roast a hot-dog slowly on a collection of warm coals in the fire pit.  Nothing more important than to throw the stick for the dog to chase endlessly. 
©RiverWalker Arts




It is a slice of freedom, a way to clear away the clutter and put some perspective on what really is and is not important. 

©RiverWalker Arts
Yes,  there were bugs, hundreds of thousands, Billions upon Billions of them, and yes I accumulated a lot of black gunk under my fingernails, and my feet looked pretty black on the bottom by the end of the day,  and yes in fact there was a flood in the camper, and yes in fact there were some problems with refrigeration, and not everything went as smoothly as one might hope....   but I rested.  And I came home inspired.  Inspired to write, to paint, to sew and to appreciate the little things....

Standby – brilliant works of art, and witty words will be forthcoming.. 

Maybe.

If I find time.

There are, after all, nearly four hundred and fifty six loads of laundry to do now that we are home, Oh and the garden needs weeding, and the bathroom needs scrubbing.... and....  and..


You sometimes see a woman who would have made a Joan of Arc in another century and climate, threshing herself to pieces over all the mean worry of housekeeping.  ~Rudyard Kipling

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