FREEWAYS DOG BLOG

Freeway is deep deep in thought. He's considering doing NaBloPoMo for April.



Growing up, hmmm, let me think....

OF JOY AND SPRING

Now really how can you even think of separating the terms joy and spring. I do though, because although, it was warm and mostly sunny yesterday, I didn't make it out of the house.
It was just another bad bad week for me.
We took our little day trip to Eugene last Sunday and like the little spoiled baby I can sometimes be, I insisted on staying in the truck the whole day.
Well, actually, I did get out to take Freeway for a walk with Ms. Lea on the trail in the lower pic that I posted on Monday. Unfortunately, I was in such a rotten mood that I even forgot to get the camera out of the truck to take pictures on our little walk and had to resort to finding a similar
bridge in the same park we walked
in, from the Internet. Which is a shame as the
bridge that we actually crossed was much
prettier.

Anyway, don't ask why, 'cause I really couldn't say, but I had a lousy week! Today though?
BETTER, MUCH BETTER!

Some really good stuff has been happening lately that really has made me feel better.
Ms.Lea and I went into the feed store last week for chicken, dog and cat food, and when we walked past their chicken display, which was all set up for chicks, it was empty. So we asked what had happened, they said they had received 700 chicks and sold out in 2 days.
That started me thinking that it seems like a lot of people are thinking that maybe a little bit more self sufficiency might be a good thing.
We've been thinking so for a few years now.
Then I got on craigslist and was looking in the wanted section and found 3 different adds for folks looking for chicken coops. Turns out that I have a bit of experience at building very cheap chicken coops. The Grange wants big bucks for theirs, I mean, like hundreds of dollars for them. I'm figuring that folks are trying to find a way to save some money, not spend hundreds just for eggs, right? So I took some pictures of some of the ones I've built and wrote up a little add to that effect and posted it on craigslist and I'll be damned if I didn't get 5 emails inside of a day. I suddenly went from being a man of leisure, to a very busy puppy indeed! YIPEE!!!

I think I've mentioned that I'm an alcoholic in recovery. Well, quitting smoking has brought back a few of the issues that I had when I first quit drinking. I always had certain rituals, with both my drinking and smoking, that they call triggers. One of those triggers, is that if I am out doors, say in the garage, or working in the yard, I'd want to be drinking
or smoking. So, what happens then, is that when I go to do those things, I get cravings for either the alcohol or
tobacco. With the case of the tobacco,
I'm finding getting past that stage, to
be very hard. So, last night I got my
shit together and went to my local
AA meeting. I'm ashamed to say, that, that is not usually my first response when I'm having a hard time coping.
What can I say, I'm an independent bastard. However, there are those times when just getting together to curse the fates that gave us our proclivities, really seems to help! That was certainly the case last night! I like to go to the local men's meeting, where the guys feel free to cuss and swear, and maybe, we'll even get around to talking about some of the issues that we all share. In truth, it's been probobly more than a year since I went to that particular meeting, and although it had been that long, all the same guys were there and they treated me like I'd never missed a meeting at all. VERY VERY COOL! I enjoyed it to say the least.
Of course, the fact that it's 70 degrees and beautiful out side doesn't hurt either. It's so gorgeous that I had to take some time to take some pics of some of the wild flowers we've got coming up all over the yard. Before the landlord comes down and points out that they're over 4 inches tall and must be mowed down so that they're not a fire hazard. DEEP SIGH!!!
Oh well. For now all is good. There is joy!! It's finally SPRING!!

ROAD TRIP

Sunday

ONE WEEK

O.k. so it's been a week, I'm certainly ready for a break from the craving, and am extremely tired of chewing this stupid gum.
It doesn't seem to matter which brand or flavor you buy, it's all nasty. Ohhh I hear you all saying,"Not as nasty as cigarettes!". Be that as it may, I still miss 'em.
I ran out of gum day before yesterday, well, actually it was a bad day altogether, what with being out of work for so long, with the landlord standing at the end of the driveway watching everything I do, and in general the uncaring state of the cosmos, it was a bad day. I really wanted a smoke. I didn't though, I roughed it out with my NICCORETTE. I made it completely through the day until about 11:00 pm, when I discovered that I was out of gum. OOH- NOOO!!!! Not good at all. One of my habits was to go out on the porch and have a cig right before turning in. It's just a habit right? wrong!!! I was not able to sleep that night. Now you're asking "Why not go to the store and get some more?" The simple answer is, I had no money, but, my unemployment checks are direct deposited and usually hit the bank about4 or 5 am. So I watched the bank account all night and when the money showed up at 4:30, I got dressed, and drove the 10 miles into town to the 24 hour Walgreen's and bought...
Ya. On the way in I was determined to end this misery and buy cigarettes. Imagine my surprise when I found myself at the counter with another box of gum in my hand. WOW!! I also had a diet Pepsi and some sleep support caps. I finally managed to get to sleep at around 6:30 am. Ms. Lea got up at 7, and I moved from the couch to the bed. ( on sleepless nights I occupy the couch in the hopes that I won't keep her up all night as well) On finally, painfully, slowly rising, at about 9:30, Ms. Lea informed me that she had called off our day trip to Eugene, and she wasn't happy about it. It seems that, in my agitation, I had kept her up as well. oops...
How's that for obsessed? Anyhow, trips rescheduled for Lea's next day off, Sunday. In the meantime I shouldn't be so whiney, it isobviously getting easier, otherwise, I think I would have come home with cigarettes instead of this infernal gum. Does that sound like Gratitude? My Angel card was gratitude today, maybe I need to spend some more time in contemplation...

380 miles, round trip. It's a road trip tomorrow.
Destination: Eugene, Oregon.
Purpose: look 4 work. Relaxation.
Bye Bye..

LAP OF LUXURY

It's a horrible rainy windy day outside, I'm chewing mint flavored NICORETTE, we're out of coffee and tea, and this is what I have to contend with........

TRANSFORMATION

TRANSFORMATION. What the hell does that mean? While I find the processes of spirituality intriguing, it's also extremely baffling.
In rehab they encourage you to reach for your spiritual side, to pray and rely on your higher power. Touchy feely stuff to individuals who for the most part have come face to face with the harder side of life.
I'm a very pragmatic person, to believe is not a natural part of my nature, yet, whether it's my wives influence, or some buried part of my persona, there is a part of me that wants to believe. That's why even though I scoff, I look at things like the Angel cards and horoscopes,etc..
I guess, basically, what it boils down to, is looking for hope! It's tough times, turn on the news on the t.v.( if you still have it, I don't) Read the headlines on the internet, it'll all drag you down!
I think that's why a majority of the U.S.A. voted for change, they wanted hope, someone sincere that they could believe in. Yet the media has pretty much destroyed that for most of us. You'd definitely be a diehard believer to be hanging on to any hope from that quarter. Which is not to say that it's not possible, it's just that whatever happens the media will always put a bad spin on it. We would not want Americans to be getting their heads above water, would we?
O.k. I'm ranting!
Anyway when I had a real job, what I always wanted to do, was to start a business in my garage making things like the little Myrtle wood mantle clock you see to the right. This particular little project actually took me about two weeks to finish. It's made from three pieces of 1/2 inch Myrtle wood that I glued together, then used the bandsaw to cut out the shape, then sanded, sanded, sanded until I got the final shape exactly what I wanted. Finally, I applied several coats of Carnuba wax and buffed it in order to achieve a natural satin finish.
The final product is about 7 inches long, 4 1/2 inches high and 2 inches deep. I'd like to sell this style of clock for $35.00 plus shipping. If you'd like one leave a comment on my blog or send me a email at ddgalinas@gmail.com
It's kinda funny, I feel bad about advertising my stuff on my blog, because it almost feels sacreligious turning Pb4ugo into a commercial site, but that's not going to happen. I think what I'll do is create another blog for my woodworking. How's that? I feel better.
Adventure. Purification. Transformation. Those were my Angel cards for the last three days. I've quit drinking, am quitting smoking, have been off work longer than I ever have before, maybe the cards are right? Maybe, it is time to transform myself, huh?