Starry night on the prairie

This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder!

I went down to take a shower and it became a community event. Five other women came in just as I was about done. This hotel only has room for three to shower at a time so two stood outside in the changing room waiting. The door to the part of the shower where you get dressed was left open and all that was covering the door was a half curtain. The hall in front of the shower was rather busy. Oh well, we are leaving in the morning and I won’t see them again.

Our bags finally showed up. We went down to dinner and saw they were by the front door. We carried them up to our room to find clean underwear as we only had our robes on. We felt a little exposed!

Dinner was another interesting event. Not sure what we were served. Nicole had a bug as some extra protein on top of her raw fish. It crawled around and entertained her. Good thing she doesn’t eat raw fish. One of the workers finally noticed it at the end of our dinner and got it.

The owner of the hotel is a little – shall we say – my way or the highway type of person. She came up to Nicole and dumped Nicole’s eggplant into her rice and loaded up Nicole’s chop sticks and handed them to her. She almost shoved them in her mouth.

She then came over to my side of the table and dumped the noodles out of my soup and did the same thing to me with my chop sticks.

Nicole took a bite of her prawn and immediately broke out into a sweat all over her body. Her face turned bright red. She thought it was because the room suddenly got hot so a few minutes later took another bite and the same thing happened. Thinking she had an allergic reaction and grateful it wasn’t worse.

The variety of toilets in Japan is impressive. This hotel only has one bidet and the rest are squatters. When one has walked lots of stairs in a day it seems a bit of a cosmic joke to have to use a squatter toilet. We are on the second floor and the bidet is on the first floor. Plenty of squatters on our floor though. Guess I will get to work my thigh muscles one way or the other.

I have had quite a time learning how to use a bidet. I have ended up with the back of my shirt wet more times than I can count. Oh the joys of international traveling.

Nicole and I were trying to decide what we would eat if we could. She wants pizza and I want cream cheese on oat bread toast.

We didn’t get turn down service that was to happen during dinner so now we get to figure out how to make up our futons. They are folded up against the wall and that is all we have had to sit on this afternoon.

You have to take your shoes off at the front door and put on one-size fits most slippers. When you go into the bathroom you have to change to toilet slippers. I want to wear different shoes tomorrow then what I had on today so I tried to carry my boots up to my room. The owner stopped me. She put them in a bag but wouldn’t let me carry them to my room. Not sure how I am going to get them packed in the morning. Maybe I’ll go down and sneak them up to my room during the night. The owner has to sleep sometime – right?

What a day! Certainly different from we had planned.

Grateful for rice! Never thought I would say that as I don’t usually eat rice. Last night’s dinner was interesting. Raw fish, cooked fish, beef, soup, and mystery vegetables. I poured the broth from the soup over the rice and ate that and the beef. I gave my raw fish to our table mates.

Dinner conversation was so different from on the Camino. There were only two other young couples eating with us. All four were from other countries. We did very little conversation. They spoke English but I got the feeling conversation wasn’t welcomed. On the Camino we shared stories during meal times.

I miss welcoming other pilgrims with Buen Camino. To my knowledge they don’t have anything like that on this walk.

I was grateful for rice again at breakfast. Again I poured my soup over the rice. I didn’t recognize what else was served except for a scrambled egg-shaped weirdly. We were given our picnic lunch which is three rice balls wrapped in seed weed. I tried to give mine to the walkers but they didn’t want the extra weight as the trail is very difficult and steep today.

We left the hotel at 7:30 and walked to the nearest bus stop. We were there about five minutes and Nicole said it didn’t feel right. She walked down the road a bit and found the right stop. Not sure how she does that but I am grateful for her.

We took three different buses to the waterfall. Mother Nature at her best. We walked up to the observation deck and enjoyed the view. Lots of stairs up and down. The waterfall is 110 meters tall.

When we returned to the bus stop I finally convinced Nicole to walk by herself. There are several shrines she wants to see and she wanted to walk part of the trail. It is too hot for me again today. I was nauseated by the time we got back to the bus station and dripping wet.

I took a bus to where I need to walk to our hotel for the night from. Nicole was concerned I would get lost. It was the first stop so no worries. I need to figure out how to get to the hotel from here but I’m sure I can ask directions and find it. Nicole needed our only map more than I did.

The buses in the bigger cities translate the stops into English but these smaller rural areas do not. I pick out a simple symbol from the stop I want and look for that.

While I was waiting for the bus the kindest Japanese couple gifted me with a fan. They helped me get on the right bus and waved goodbye as if I was an old friend.

Sure disappointed in myself I can’t do much of this walk. Grateful Nicole went by herself so she can experience a brief time on the trail. It feels like that needed to happen but I don’t like it.

Nothing about this walk has been easy. The trail is not well-marked. You can tell they are still developing it for foreigners to walk it. The Camino is much better marked and the locals there seemed to watch out for the pilgrims more. I’m sure it is a cultural difference that makes the Japanese feel less helpful. They seem to mind their own business and not offer help. However when we have a reason to have a personal interaction with them they are very helpful and kind.

Nicole returned from her adventure around noon. We can’t check into the hotel until 3:00. We walked up towards the shrine but didn’t go all the way. Nicole had already done 48 flights of stairs. We did 16 more flights just killing time.

We ate at a little place. We had rice with chicken and eggs. We ask for hard eggs and they were very runny. The rice was good and if I was careful the chicken was good. We had an ice cream cone for dessert.

Long day of waiting today. Another very hot and humid day. I’m sure having second thoughts about going to Fiji. They have no A/C and thinking the temps are like Japan

We finally checked into our room. The A/C was off. Nicole finally figured out how to turn it on kinda. It runs for a moment then stops. We are on the second floor in an oven! Showers aren’t available until 4:30. We haven’t figured out how to claim our luggage yet.

We met up with two very fit 20 somethings that walked the trail today. We saw them last night as they stayed at our hotel too. They said the trail was brutal! So glad I didn’t attempt it.

Tomorrow we head for Kyoto. It will take five to six hours to get there. We will spend two nights there then go to the airport hotel for one last night before we fly home Sunday. What an adventure this has been.

We survived the typhoon! It wasn’t as bad as I expected. There were brief times of high winds but not as bad as I have seen on the prairie. If we understand Japanese TV there were parts of Japan that got hit very hard.

Yesterday after our morning trip to the Visitor’s Center we stayed in. Michelle saved the day for Nicole as Michelle let Nicole log on to her Netflix account. Nicole watched four movies and I took a nap. We went out looking for dinner during a break in the rain but nothing was open. We stopped at the grocery store and got a Haagen-Dazs ice cream bar and Pringle’s.

We woke up to bright blue skies and sunshine. We went out for breakfast. I wanted another rice and ketchup omelet but they weren’t serving those yet. I had some sort of egg salad, cucumber and mystery meat sandwich with half of a boiled egg. It also came with salad greens and a small scoop of potato salad. Nicole had pancakes.

I ask the waitress for the other menu that had what I wanted on it and she pointed to the Japanese menu and ask if I wanted more Japanese? She laughed at her own joke.

An older man across from us ask us where we were from and how long we were going to be in Japan. His English was fairly good. I’m always impressed when someone can converse in more than one language. I sure can’t.

We came back to our room and packed up. We had a two-hour wait for the first of three buses we need to take today.

I took the lady that was so helpful at the Visitor’s Center a little package of cookies to say thank you. She almost cried when I gave them to her. Not sure what we would have done without her help.

Rode our first bus and then had a two-hour layover. We walked to two different shrines during that time – well actually I walked to one and Nicole did the 110 stairs to the second one. It was a beautiful little town. We had a strawberry ice cream cone for lunch that was delicious but it wasn’t what I call ice cream. I saw a Camino Santiago sign post. It is only 17,566 kilometers to Santiago, Spain from here.

We went to the bus stop for our second bus of the day. There was an older gentleman that talked to us for about thirty minutes. He had learned English from a Mormon missionary years ago. His English was fairly good. He recited all 50 states to us. He offered to drive us to our final destination of the day but we graciously refused. I think he was honorable but it seemed silly to get in his car.

We had two more bus rides through very curvy roads to get to our final destination. The last ride was especially curvy and a very narrow road. We pushed the bell to get off but the driver had us stay on and delivered us closer to our guesthouse.

The guesthouse is our first experience in a traditional Japanese Guesthouse. The shower room is interesting. You remove your clothing in your room and put on a robe they furnish. You walk down a rather long hall to the bathing room. You unrobe and place your towel, slippers and robe in a basket outside the shower room. The shower room had about eight open stations. There is a little stool you sit on with a bowl you can use. Each station has a shower head on a handle. You bathe yourself and then rinse off. There is a shallow tub you can get it as an option but you have to wash off first. I skipped the community tub. When you are done you dry off, put on your robe and slippers and walk back to your room to get dressed.

The room has two mats on the floor for us to sleep on. You have to pay for the A/C in the room. 100 yen for two hours or about $1.00. They also have coin washers and dryers so we are doing a load of laundry. Internet is only available in the hotel lobby. Not sure what we will do when we wake up in the middle of the night tonight.

We have dinner at 6:00 tonight and breakfast at 7:00 am.

Tomorrow is the hardest part of the trail we have been told. It is rated five out of five on the difficulty rating. We were told it takes at least eight hours to walk it – would probably take me twice that long. I decided not to attempt it so we got bus information at the visitor’s center after our first bus stop. Nicole has decided not to walk it either. We are going to ride the bus to the waterfall and shrine in the morning and will find something else to do until we can check into our room at 3:00. We may walk some of the trail depending on how hot it is. Thankfully our luggage will be transferred for us tomorrow so we don’t have to deal with it tomorrow like we did today. We found a coin storage box to put it in while we were walking around for two hours waiting for our second bus.

The humidity was lower today but the heat was still intense. Neither one of us felt very good this afternoon. It may have been motion sickness from the curvy highway.

Yesterday the river was very low and at times hard to see because it was so low. Today it was raging and full of water.

Tonight will be our first real Japanese meal. Not any options around so trusting it will be something we can eat. We didn’t have lunch other than the strawberry cone. Both of us are hungry.

Nicole has figured out these complicated bus schedules. We haven’t taken a wrong bus yet. Thursday morning we will take buses and trains and head to Kyoto for two nights. We will then have one last night at the airport hotel before we fly home Sunday. The trip has gone by very quickly.

I would come back to Japan anytime. It is a beautiful country full of peaceful, quiet people.

I’m disappointed I haven’t been able to walk much. The heat, a typhoon, and my lack of training didn’t make for a good chance of success. We have enjoyed the trip anyways and are finding ways to see this beautiful country without doing the actual walk. We have made many wonderful memories!

We went to the Kumano booking companies office this morning at 9:00. I received my refund in cash. It then took us over an hour to figure out how to get our luggage to where we are staying tomorrow night. The best option they could come up with was for us to send our luggage this morning but they were concerned they might not make it due to the weather conditions. We decided to take a bus sometime tomorrow to go where we are to stay tomorrow night and take our bags with us.

There is a 6:35 bus if the buses are running. They cancelled all trains and buses after noon today and can’t tell us when they might be back running. There is a bus about noon that may work better. We had hoped to get in early enough to do some walking backwards on the trail but not sure if that will work.

The weather is to start clearing around noon tomorrow so if we can get to where we want to walk from we can do some walking. The challenge is to get there from here as where we want to get to is in the mountains and in the middle of the island. There is concern about the roads being open due to mudslides.

We discovered the very kind people we have worked with will not tell us if they think it is safe to walk or not. They had a big look of relief on their face though when we decided to go with our plan to carry our bags on the bus and not try to walk the 13K trail we had hoped to walk tomorrow. They are concerned about the trail having a mudslide on it due to the high amounts of rain and high winds we will be getting this afternoon. There is no exit point on the trail so once you go you either have to walk all the way or turnaround and go back to where you started.

The rain so far has been fairly light although since we are in the city with tall buildings around us I’m not sure that is what is happening in the open areas. The strongest rain and wind hasn’t gotten here yet. There were some pretty strong gusts already when we were out walking to the Kumano Companies office. We were soaked by the time we walked back to our hotel.

Nicole found an ATM machine and got some more cash for us. We didn’t expect to need so much cash for the buses and food we have needed due to not walking as expected. We do need to get the bigger bills broke down before we head to the more rural area again. The rural areas and buses don’t take credit cards.

We found a restaurant that was open on the way back to our rooms. We each had a rice omelet that had ketchup in it and on it. We hadn’t eaten a good meal since breakfast yesterday so it was good to get a good meal. Not sure if anything will be open later today when the strongest part of the typhoon hits.

The locals don’t seem too concerned about the typhoon. They told me they were used to them and know the typhoon can change directions and they don’t worry until they need to. Guess it is the same with our tornadoes back home.

Not sure what we will do to entertain ourselves this afternoon. Not a good day to go sightseeing for sure. It has been very disappointing to not get to walk the trail much. One disadvantage of this trail over the Camino is that this one is so short you don’t get lots of other days to walk.

We saw several other walkers in the office today doing what we are doing and changing their plans. I’m sure there are other walkers that didn’t and they are walking today. Betting if I wasn’t here Nicole would have walked today. I feel bad about holding her back yet my mother’s heart is glad she didn’t walk.

I can sit outside during a tornado warning and feel very safe as I know what to look for. I don’t know how a typhoon behaves and I hate to take chances. The trail is very hard on a dry day. I can’t imagine how hard it would be today in 50 mph plus winds and strong rain.

I was impressed with the people who helped us today. They helped us with our bus schedule for tomorrow and showed us many different options. No one can tell us what will be running when yet so we will have to stay flexible and figure it out tomorrow.

In some ways this has become a bigger adventure than planned. We are both disappointed we haven’t been able to do what we came for. But I think we are both still glad we came. Japan is a beautiful country with nice people.

May be naps for us this afternoon. Maybe if we take a nap we can stay up past 8:00 at night and be able to sleep in a bit tomorrow morning.

We are tucked into a safe and dry hotel room waiting for this typhoon to move on out. We are entertaining ourselves watching Japanese television and attempting to understand what they are saying. Some of the commercials are hilarious.

What a day! Not sure much went as planned but we made the best of it and had some adventures.

During the middle of the night we were both awake so checked the progress of the typhoon. It wasn’t good news. Although this area is not in the direct path the forecast is for lots and lots of wind and rain. We decided we didn’t want to be out in the middle of nowhere on a mountain with no escape route.

We bounced around several options but couldn’t seem to decide on how we wanted to proceed. Nicole walked down to the ocean at sunrise to take some pictures. When she came back she decided to see if we could stay at the hotel we spent last night in. That way we could still walk the path today but return by bus to this hotel instead of the one on the path.

We went down for breakfast at 7:00 and through a translator app asked our hotel owner if we could stay two more nights. She was busy serving breakfast but finally checked her papers and talked to us. She doesn’t speak English and we don’t speak Japanese so we weren’t 100% sure she said yes. We decided to leave our bags in the room but packed so if she didn’t say yes all she had to do was take our bags to the lobby and we would figure out where to stay when we came home for the day.

We walked to the bus station and a very nice man had my name on a sign. He was waiting for our bags so he could transport our luggage to where we had planned to stay. After using the translator app again we informed him we didn’t need his services today. He gave us each a fan and a little jar of honey for energy on our walk.

We took the bus about 40 minutes to where the trail starts. The bus was very comfortable and it was a pleasant ride. We drove through some beautiful mountain scenery. The mountains are not Rockie Mountains but more like what the east coast calls mountains.

When we got to the starting point of the Kumano Kodo a man was waiting for us. Evidently the luggage guy had called the people who made our reservations and they wanted to speak to me. They had called a guy that has a little souvenir shop near the visitor’s center and he was waiting for me at the bus stop. He called the booking company so I could speak with them. They confirmed that our hotel owner had agreed to let us stay two more nights. He told me he would call the two hotels we had booked to cancel our reservations along with the luggage pickups.

I need to go to his office sometime tomorrow and he will refund part of my money as well as arrange a luggage transfer to where we will pick up the trail on Tuesday. I was surprised when he said he could refund some money as I understood they don’t usually do that.

It was so nice that he found a way to talk to me. Although I am to have phone and text service it doesn’t work very well. It sure lifted our spirits to know that we had a room for tonight and tomorrow night and that they will work with us to get us back on track. The company is closed on the weekends and he had called me from his home.

We went into the welcome building to get our passports to collect our stamps for the walk. The lady was very nice and helped us with a bus schedule so we knew how to get back to our hotel at the end of the day.

We walked across the street and started our Kumano Kodo. It was another very hot and humid day. The humidity was over 80% today and the heat index was 105. The trail is full of tree roots and rocks. There are some natural steps and some man-made steps. It was hard to pick out the trail. We immediately started uphill at a rather steep incline. Some of the steps were really tall and I struggled early.

I only walked less than a mile and knew I couldn’t go on. I have never been so wet from sweating before. I was getting light-headed and nauseated. I told Nicole I needed to go back. It was a seven mile walk today with no place to opt out. I was concerned if I continued I would get stuck and not be able to finish.

It was hard on this mom’s heart to watch Nicole walk on alone. I really felt like I failed her. I walked back to the visitor’s center and sat and drank a bottle of water and cooled down. I was there about 30 minutes waiting for the bus and Nicole walked in. She had kept getting lost on the trail and had to keep doubling back. She got frustrated and decided to not go on either so she wouldn’t get lost.

We sat at the visitor’s center about an hour to catch a bus. We decided to go to where there are two statues and stamps to collect on the trail and walk to see them. After that short bus ride further down the trail we walked about a half mile up a path that was much easier to follow. I sat on a bench and Nicole walked the last 500 meters to the two sites.

While I was waiting for her to return it started raining. I had been enjoying a chorus of insects singing and didn’t notice the rain coming in. It was a cleansing rain and helped cool me down. When Nicole returned we walked back down the path. The rain had stopped before we got all the way down the path. It did make the down hill path a bit slippery.

We didn’t see many other hikers on the trail today. While I was waiting for Nicole I saw seven others hiking but all had done the short hike we were doing. We did see two hikers that had been on our first bus come into the second Visitor’s Center. They had managed to walk the path we attempted. Both looked to be in their mid 20’s and very physically fit.

We had to wait for a bus and then came back to our hotel. It has been relaxing to sit in our cool room this afternoon and recover from our attempted walk. This trip is not going as we had hoped it might but we are doing our best to make the best of it and get at least a taste of walking the Kumano Kodo.

When we got to the room I took a shower. The bathtub is very deep, narrow and very short. I put the plug in the tub and threw my dirty clothes on the bottom of the tub. I put some laundry soap in with them and stomped on them while I took my shower. I take quick showers so the water wasn’t deep enough when I was done. I couldn’t reach the bottom of the tub from the outside of it so I sat down in the tub to finish washing my clothes out. I drained the dirty water and filled it again with fresh water and used the shower head on a rope to rinse the clothes out. I put them in the sink as I finished each one. Then I had to get out of the bathtub. I thought for a minute I was going to have to have Nicole come pulled me out. There was nothing to grab hold of to pull myself up. Sure reminded me of some of my bathtub adventures on the Camino.

Tomorrow may be a long day if we lose power. Keeping our fingers crossed that won’t happen as it will be very hot and humid. We are expected to get 12 plus inches of rain. There have been some reported deaths in Japan due to this storm already and it hasn’t hit a very populated part of Japan yet. Lots of flights have been cancelled and we are hearing that the trains and buses may not be running tomorrow.

We need to go out later and find some dinner. The streets close up during the afternoon and we couldn’t find anywhere to eat yesterday afternoon. We ended up going to the grocery store and getting Pringles, Cuties and an ice cream bar. Hoping we can find some good food yet today before the storm comes in. While we are out we will stop at the grocery store and stock up for tomorrow in case we don’t want to get out.

What an adventure! Almost half way through. Making some incredible memories. Hunkering down for the storm. May not be able to communicate if we lose power. We will touch base as soon as we can if that happens. Our first typhoon. I ask for rain so I didn’t have to walk the 12 mile day. Guess I need to be more careful about what I ask for!

Love from Japan!

Ended up eating at the British Pub again last night as nothing else sounded good. It was not as good as it was the night before. We both went to bed again early but neither one of us slept all night. We were both up and dressed before 6:30 again. They don’t have daylight savings time here so the sun is up by 6:00.

We returned to the really good restaurant for breakfast this morning and it was every bit as good as it was yesterday. We decided we wanted one last good meal before we started the Kumano Kodo.

After breakfast we checked out and walked almost a mile to the train station. We have reservations for a 10:15 train but took an earlier one. They don’t check your tickets so it didn’t matter which train we took.

It took us a while to figure out which train we needed to take for our long ride of the day. We had reserved seats for this one so had to wait over two hours at the station. We found some chairs and did our best to stay cool. It is another very hot and humid day here. Heat index is 105 today.

The long train ride was very quiet and comfortable with nice A/C. Beautiful mountains and then a sea-shore to look at. We noticed the waves are very high and strong.

After the two-hour bus ride we went to the Kumano Kodo tourist center to find out where our hotel for the night is located. When we walked in we noticed a typhoon warning sign. We decided we better get bus schedules in case it does hit and the rain and wind is too strong to walk in. We got bus schedules for every day. It is to be at its peak on Monday and Tuesday. Hoping we can get a little walking in either before or after it hits.

We picked up our books to collect our stamps along the trail. I was given a special book since I walked the Camino. There is some special certificate and ceremony that happens at the end of the Kumano Kodo for dual pilgrims. Not sure I will be able to collect all the stamps needed to get the certificate though due to the weather.

I ask if the bus will run during the typhoon and the lady at the desk said maybe. Trusting the hotels will help us out and allow us to stay longer if needed.

The hotel we are in tonight is certainly not elegant like the last two have been. It reminds me of the hotels I stayed at on the Camino. Thankfully it has A/C so we can cool down.

The last hotel we stayed at was very fancy. The door men dressed in top hats and the women in beautiful kimonos at night and gave each guest a deep bow. We felt a bit under dressed at night as most of the guests were dressed up in the evenings. We had twin beds that were more like double beds. The room had a white leather couch and a big screen TV. The bathroom had a deep soaking tub with a separate shower.

This room has narrow twin beds. The tub is a half-size one with a shower above it that has the hand-held shower head. I had so much trouble with those in Spain. They would get away from me and I would get lots of water on the floor. You step up to go in the very small bathroom. Nicole barely fits through the door as she is so tall and her head almost hits the roof of the shower. We get to share the one bath towel. There is almost enough extra space in the room to open both of our suitcases and still have room to walk around them to get out the door.

Since we are here early we are going to go walk around Tanabe and visit some of the shrines. Might as well get out and about before the rain hits.

I gave Nicole the option of taking a bus back to the city and skipping the Kumano Kodo but she said that isn’t an option. Fingers crossed we will stay safe. Sounds like it will be an even bigger adventure than we had originally planned. Perhaps it will miss us though. We will stay informed and not take chances if we can help it.

Day one of the Kumano Kodo successfully completed. The bigger adventure begins tomorrow.

We had dinner last night in a British pub. I had fish and chips that were the best I have ever had.

Went to bed early again last night. I woke up at midnight again and then went back to sleep for another hour or so. We were both up before 6:00 again. We watched the sunrise from a west view. The sunlight placed shadows on the city and it was beautiful to watch.

We had a wonderful breakfast at our hotel. A bit pricey but worth it. We had a green salad, vegetable soup, yogurt, eggs, bacon, juice and a warm croissant. Service was excellent and we enjoyed it. There was an American man in the restaurant that took a phone call at his table. It made us realize how quiet the Japanese people are and his loud call was disturbing.

After breakfast we headed out for the day before 8:00. Our first destination was the Osaka Castle Museum. Nicole figured out how to get us there by train. We purchased a day pass for each of us and off we went. As we were at the train station during rush hour it was very crowded. It was also very quiet. People were rushing around but everyone was very polite. No one talks much so there were no loud words or angry voices to be heard. We had to change trains several times but never got lost. The mile walk after the last train to the castle was brutal as it was very high humidity and in the 90’s today.

I was disappointed in the Castle. It was the first temple building we had seen and the outside was amazing. Inside was a museum. I was hoping to see the rooms as they might have looked years ago but that wasn’t how they had it displayed. I had to sit on the floor for a bit at one point as I got too hot. We had to walk lots of steps to get to the castle and lots more steps inside it as it had eight floors.

After the castle we headed to the aquarium. It too involved lots of trains and lots of walking to get to the right train. When we got to the aquarium the line to get tickets was estimated to take over an hour just to get inside. We both decided to pass. We rode another very tall Ferris Wheel instead. The Ferris Wheel has 86 cars on it. We saw over the river and out into the ocean from the top. Luckily the cars are air-conditioned.

We headed back to the train station and decided to get lunch. The aquarium mall was too busy so we headed to the train station. We stopped at the cutest little store run by the cutest couple. We both had a teriyaki chicken crepe that was amazing. We were so hot we couldn’t eat anything heavy and that was perfect. After lunch we got back on the trains.

Nicole wanted to go to the Harley Dealer but after two tries to figure out which train to take gave up. We didn’t know how far we were going to have to walk if we got there and it is brutally hot out today. The heat index today was 107.

We made it back to our hotel around 2:00. It took us a while before we stopped sweating enough to take showers. I took a nap after my shower but Nicole stayed awake. We went out looking for dinner. We walked around a bit but didn’t find anything that looked good so ended up going back to the British Pub. It wasn’t as good as last night. Nicole stopped on the way back to our room and got an ice cream bar as her dinner wasn’t good at all.

Tomorrow morning we have over a two-hour train ride to the city where we will start our Kumano Kodo. We will have to drag our suitcases with us until we get to our hotel. So glad we each only brought a day pack and a carry on bag.

After my nap we watched a big thunderstorm move in. The rain never reached us but it was fun watching it from afar. It didn’t help lower the temperature much though as it was still very hot and sticky when we went out for dinner.

Both of us are tired again tonight. We are both nursing some aching body parts tonight as a result of our long day of sight-seeing. Nicole’s Fitbit tells her she did over 39 flights of stairs and over 17,000 steps today. It was a very hot and humid day.

More rain is in the forecast for the next four days. Time will tell how much walking we can do. Maybe the rain would be cooler to walk in then the extreme high heat.

Heat. Walking. Tired. All is well in Japan.

We ate at the hotel restaurant last night. It was OK. Although the iced tea is a barley tea and I didn’t care for it.

We were asleep by 8:00. Both of us woke up around midnight but went back to sleep. We woke up again around 3:00 and finally got up a little after 5:30. We ate at the breakfast buffet at the hotel then walked to the train station to purchase our train tickets to get into the city and for our trip Saturday to the starting point of the Kumano Kodo.

We got on the 7:20 train into Osaka. We managed to get on and off the train with no issue. A nice gentleman across the aisle helped us figure out the seat and the driver of the train confirmed we were on the right train. It was about a one and one half hour ride into the city with stops every five minutes or so. The train was very clean. It was very quiet even when it got crowded. Most of the other riders were on their iPhones and no one spoke. The train would get crowded and then a couple stops later would clear out and then get crowded again.

The older gentleman that helped us wished us a safe journey when he got off. Another gentleman did the same at the next stop. We were the only foreigners on the train that we could see.

When we got to Osaka we walked with our luggage about a half mile to our hotel. The hotel agreed to check our luggage for us so we didn’t have to drag it around town until it was time to check into our room. We went walking around Osaka. Lots of shopping places in this area with lots of brand name stores. Lots of young ladies walking around shopping. We didn’t see many men of any age or women my age.

We tried an ice cream cone in a green tea flavor with crumbled chocolate on it. Not a fan. Neither one of us could eat much of it. Had to try it though.

We rode a huge Ferris wheel that gave us a wonderful view of the city.

We had lunch at a KFC. The menu said the iced tea was Lipton but it tasted like the barley tea from last night. Think I will just be drinking water for the next two weeks.

It is over 90 degrees here today so very warm and humid. Lots of blue skies with puffy clouds.

We came back to the hotel around 1:00 and they were able to let us in our room early. The room is wonderful! It even has a charging station for our phones. The lady that brought our luggage up to our room showed us how to work all the fancy switches for the curtains and lights.

So far all the toilets are bidets. I finally got brave and used the wash and rinse buttons. They work! Most of the time the water is even nice and warm. Bit of a surprise when it is cold water though. I love the privacy button that plays music to hide the sound of farts.

We are most impressed with how helpful and friendly the people are here. We have not had a bad experience with any worker yet. Some speak fairly good English and even if they don’t we have managed to get our needs met.

Both of us have a bit of jet leg this afternoon. We are going to try not to take a nap so we can sleep tonight. It feels good right now to relax in our room and enjoy the beautiful view of the river with the mountains in the back ground.

Tomorrow we are going to the Osaka Castle and possibly take the aqua bus on a tour around the area. We may go back out later this afternoon after we cool down.

Nicole is a good navigator. She found a map of the city and has managed to get us where we need to go. The streets are not laid out in an easy grid to follow and street name signs are not on every corner so it is a bit of a challenge to get around. There are lots of people out and about but not as crowded as I feared it might be. Most are friendly although most are on their cell phones and not always paying attention to others around them.

Feels good to have gotten to our different hotel with no issues. We are having fun! Trusting by tomorrow our jet lag will quiet down. Glad we have these two days before our Kumano to adjust to the 14 hour time difference.

A bit nervous about walking in this heat on the trail. The forecast is calling for rain starting Sunday so maybe that will help break the heat a bit. Maybe the mountains will be cooler and have more shade. I need to let go of anticipating and allow it to be what it is.

All is well in Japan! What a beautiful country and friendly people.

We made it to Osaka. It was a very long flight! It went on and on and on just like the energizer bunny. I was ready to shoot the fucker!

We had a slight delay in our departure time. A passenger had left their passport on Another airplane and we had to wait until it could be found and returned to the passenger. The pilot made up for the one hour delay and we arrived on time.

We had the easiest trip through immigrations and customs I have ever experienced. The workers are very friendly and helpful. So far I am most impressed with how clean the country is. It is 92 degrees with a heat index of 102. Makes a girl from KS feel like she is home.

I had the most interesting conversation with my seat mate. He is probably in his late 30’s and has a PH.D. In science. He works at a science lab in Chicago and teaches at a college. He grew up in Japan and was returning to visit his aging parents. He gave me lots of tips on what to eat and things to do. We talked about a wide range of topics from Trump to living a minimalist lifestyle and lots of other things. He shared some of his understanding of how Japan and the USA are alike and how they are different. He works too hard and rarely makes time for himself. It sure made the time go by faster while we were talking.

They kept the airplane dark after they served us dinner about an hour after we took off. They passed water bottles out about every hour but didn’t feed us again or turn the lights back on until about two hours before we landed. Neither one of us was able to sleep much on the plane.

Most of the passengers on the plane were citizens of Japan. There were several babies and small children aboard but we rarely heard them cry.

We are going to take showers and put on fresh clothes then go walk around and find some dinner. It is mid afternoon here and we need to stay awake until at least 8:00 so we can start adjusting to the time difference.

Tomorrow we will take the train into the city and change hotels. Not sure what we will find to do but I’m sure it will be fun!

We signed papers yesterday on the sell of Nicole’s old house. The buyer isn’t signing papers until Wednesday. If all goes as planned the funds will be automatically deposited in Nicole’s account this week sometime.

Some friends of Nicole’s drove us to the airport hotel last night. We were up at 4:00 this morning to catch a 4:30 shuttle to the airport. Our flight to San Francisco departed on time and we arrived early. We have over a three-hour lay over as we wait for our Osaka flight.

This time thing is giving me a headache. We get on the flight in San Francisco at 11:25 which is 1:25 pm back home but it is 3:25 am tomorrow in Osaka. Good thing I only have to deal with current time where ever I am.

No problem getting my hiking sticks through security. They did pat down my ass after I went through the scanner. Not sure what triggered that.

Nicole and I are getting a little slap happy already. Wonder if Japan is ready for us? No telling what mood we will be in after another fourteen hours of traveling.

Sitting. Waiting for our next step in this adventure. Trusting this next leg will be as smooth as what we have experienced so far. All is well!

All my bags are packed. I’m ready to go! Going to KC this afternoon to sign papers on the sell of Nicole’s old house. We will have dinner and then head to the airport hotel. Trusting we will get some sleep tonight. We have to be at the airport before 5 AM for our 6:01 AM flight to San Francisco. We have over a three-hour layover in San Francisco before our 11 1/2 hour flight to Osaka, Japan. With the 14 hour time difference we arrive in Osaka around 3:00 their time on Wednesday afternoon. We have a room at a hotel right by the airport for our first night in Japan. We have a different hotel near downtown Osaka for the next two nights and will start our Kumano Kodo on Saturday with a day of travel.

Both of us are feeling a bit nervous today. It is a big day, especially for Nicole, as she has to say goodbye to the house she and Chris lived in for 12 years. Add a trip to Japan on top of that and I think she has reason to be nervous!

I went into Wal-Mart for one last time last night. I decided to buy a cheap purse that is soft enough to squeeze into my day pack for the time on the trail. It is just big enough to hold my phone, credit cards and cash. I also picked up a book to read on the airplane. I would take some knitting but don’t have room for it on the trail. Since I have my iPad with me I will load a couple more books on it in case I finish reading the book I got last night. On the trip home from Iceland several years ago I read a book about the Camino and decided to walk it. Wonder what this trip will inspire me to do.

Fingers crossed all flights will be smooth and on time. I’ll check in when I have time and access to the Internet. Ready for this adventure to begin!

Japan! Here we come!

I woke up in a fog this morning after another rough night of little sleep. I made my normal breakfast of toast with cream cheese. Without thinking, I put a light layer of the peach jam I made yesterday on top of the cream cheese. It was good but about 20 minutes later I felt like shit. I haven’t had sugar for over seven months and my body reacted badly to it. I finally went back to bed to sleep off the sugar head ache. Feeling better now. Think I will stay off sugar again. Not worth the pain!

Made seven more pints of peach jam last night and finished working up the box of peaches I had bought. I love hearing the jar lids pop when they seal. Only had one that didn’t seal. I had bought an off brand case of jars a year ago and although the rings are supposed to be universal they didn’t fit tight enough to made the lid seal.

Only one more sleep in my own bed for two weeks. I am going to unpack my suitcase this afternoon and double-check that I have everything I want to take. I need to make sure the liquids are easy to get to so I can make it through airport security without an issue. Trusting they will allow my walking sticks to go through. If not I may need to check my bag.

I need to decide it I want to take my purse or just put things in my pockets. I took a purse to Spain and ended up ditching it after the first couple of days on the trail. It just added weight to carry. I’ll see if I can fit my purse in my suitcase so I don’t have to carry it on the trail. I don’t want to ditch this purse if it doesn’t fit.

Kathy is cleaning today and maybe that will give me some motivation to do so to. I still haven’t cleaned my main floor. I hate to leave it dirty for Kathy to do while I am gone. Maybe my guilt will motivate me – nothing else seems to.

Only got three eggs this morning from my girls. I gave them a lecture and trust they will get after it and lay more eggs. It has cooled down some so they can’t blame the heat. Seems every once in a while they have a day or two of slacking off and then they get busy laying again. Maybe they take after me!

It is nice to be able to leave and not have to find a house sitter. Thanks Kathy! I know my critters will be in good hands.

Read about the meteor shower that is happening August 12. It is to be one of the biggest shows in years. Hoping I will be able to see it from the airplane on my way home. Not sure how the whole time thing works and if I will be in daylight or night skies on the way home. When I came home from Iceland two years ago I saw the sunset the entire flight home. Kinda made up for the very little sun we saw for the week we were there as we only had four hours of daylight each day.

I’m sure I will see some meteors the night after the 12th If I can stay awake and watch for them that night. I’ll see how bad jet lag is.

What a beautiful day out today. It is only 83 degrees and no wind. Maybe I will go out and weed my flower beds and get some fresh air to finish clearing my head. I still feel a bit of that sugar from the peach jam in my system and need to work it out.

My big adventure finally begins tomorrow. I’m getting excited! Seems appropriate that Nicole gets to sign papers to sell her house the day before we leave. A new adventure awaits! All is well.

Made seven more pints of peach jam this morning. I made three pints and one half pint yesterday. I have enough peaches to make seven more pints but I may need to get some more jars first. I tasted just a little taste of it this morning and liked it. I don’t use as much sugar as the recipe calls for as I think peaches are sweet enough without lots of extra sugar.

Found out Craig and I have to go to KC Monday to sign closing papers on the sale of Nicole’s house. I forgot we had co-signed on her loan when she bought the house. I’m going to ride to KC with Craig Monday and then Kathy will have to come get me when I fly in to KC August 13. We will drop Nicole off at her house then come home.

Had another rough night trying to sleep last night. Bedtime is quickly becoming my least favorite part of the day.

The chickens have been enjoying the peach scraps. I don’t give them the pits as I think I remember reading some where those aren’t good for them. I cleaned the refrigerator out yesterday and the dogs enjoyed the left overs from it.

Still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that on Tuesday I am flying to Japan. I am ready to get out of my comfort box and experience something very new for me. Still a bit terrified about the walk but trying to remember not to anticipate and allow it to be what it is.

Need to run into town and see the grandkids one last time before I leave. I need to check how many jars I have and pick up some more while I am in town if I need them and get my third batch of jam made.

Bags are packed. I’m ready to go. Come on Tuesday!

Went into Emporia this morning to get some cash for my trip and some greens for my girls. I had lunch with Michelle while I was in town. I rarely get a chance to talk to her without the kiddos around so it was nice to catch up with her. I told her I would go into Emporia sometime this weekend to see the grandkids before I leave.

I got a box of peaches while I was in town. I want to make a few batches of peach jam this weekend. Michelle had given us some peaches earlier this week and both Kathy and I have really been enjoying them.

Need to touch base with Jason before I leave Monday. He is hard to get hold of sometimes as he goes to work at 4:00 in the morning and has been working 10 – 12 hour days six days a week.

Enjoying the cooler temperatures. I sure like mid 80’s much better than mid 90’s and above. I have very little energy when it gets that hot.

Doing a final check of what is in my bag and making sure I haven’t forgotten something. I need to keep reminding myself if I forget something I can get it in Japan.

Finally have a quiet head today. I have been on overload the last couple of weeks and have had trouble quieting my mind. I can remember when I had a busy mind all the time and didn’t know what it was like to have a quiet mind. No wonder I was depressed back then.

Grateful for the cooler weather. Loving the smell of fresh peaches. Enjoying connecting with my family before I leave. All is well on the prairie.

Another night of not much sleep. So frustrating to lay in bed and be tired but can’t sleep.

Some dear friends came to town to see me today. We had a long lunch at the Grand Hotel in Cottonwood and then continued our conversation at my house. It is always good to see them and I love our deep conversations.

I realized I have way too many food items in my suitcase and need to take most of them out. I not only have food items in my carry on bag but my day pack is full of them too. When I am on the trail I don’t want any extra weight in my day pack. I have no where to put the extra snacks I now have in my day pack as I don’t think we can eat that many before the walk. It isn’t like Japan doesn’t have any food to eat! I must have an obsession with food!

So nice to have a cooler day today. KC got lots of rain over night. Sure wished I could have gotten that here. Seems like a waste to have that much rain over a city when the prairie is so dry.

Nothing on my calendar for tomorrow or the weekend. Trusting I will be able to get some good sleep and will be well rested before I leave for KC on Monday and then Japan early Tuesday morning.

Nicole signs her closing papers on her house next Monday. The title company will deposit her proceeds for her while we are in Japan. I have never had a house sell in two weeks. It sure feels like it was meant to be and that Nicole had some behind the scenes help in getting this deal done so quickly.

Still having trouble believing I will be in Japan next week. Not sure how I prepare myself at this point. I am glad I realized I was once more living in fear through anticipating what might happen. I need to stay in the present moment and allow it to unfold without my worry or concern.

Getting excited. Staying present. All is well on the cooler prairie today!

We had a very brief shower mid morning. It was enough to knock the cobwebs out of the rain gauge and to lay the dust down for a bit. Have my request in for a couple of inches in the next couple of days.

Did some more hard mowing last night after it finally cooled down some. I came in covered with dirt and dust. I took a bath and the tub water was so dirty I couldn’t see the bottom of the tub. I had to clean the ring around the tub off when I got out. Reminded me of a time when I was a kid and there was a bad drought. We only took baths once a week on Saturday nights. The first kid got one inch of clean water. Each kid afterwards could add one inch of water. You got to choose between very little clean water or five inches deep of dirty water. No wonder I like a deep tub of clean water now!

Did a trial packing last night. Everything I wanted to take fits and the bags aren’t too heavy. I do have extra snacks that don’t fit but I will take some of the extras to Nicole and see what she can fit in. Kathy was impressed I am going to be gone for two weeks and only have a carry on bag and a day pack. Sure makes traveling easier when you don’t check luggage.

Not feeling very motivated today to do anything. I still haven’t cleaned house and need to do that before I leave. I did get a note out to the folks joining me for the solar eclipse adventure. We are moving up our start time by thirty minutes due to expected traffic jams. One of the guests responded that she has a port-a-potty she can bring along. May be a good idea! When you get a certain age being close to a bathroom becomes more important!

Notified my banks and credit card companies that I will be in Japan and ask that they allow me to use my cards there. I always carry two debit cards and two different credit cards just in case one of the companies has a communications issue and denies me use of my card. Nicole was going to do the same so trusting between us we will have access to an ATM machine and a credit card will work. I have found the easiest way to get foreign currency is to use my debit card at an ATM machine. The exchange rates are better than at the airport booths. Sometimes breaking the larger bills is a bit tricky though. I noticed the travel guide-book recommended we not bring big bills on the trail as the small places don’t have access to lots of cash to break them for us. I found that to be an issue on the Camino in Spain too. Luckily in the city most places accept credit cards and that is the easiest way to pay for things. They don’t take credit cards on the trail though.

Thankful it is to cool down after today and only be in the mid 80’s over the next five or six days. Maybe my energy will return with the cool down. I have some outdoor work I want to do and it has been too hot to do it lately.

My neighbor was working cattle yesterday afternoon when it was 100 degrees. I felt sorry for the horses they were riding and the cattle. Guess it needs to be done but sure didn’t seem wise to do it in the heat of the day.

Realized yesterday I need to let go of my concern about this upcoming trip. I want it to be a really good experience for Nicole and have been worried I will screw it up for her somehow by not being able to keep up with her on the walk. I need to let that go and allow the trip to unfold without my worry. Easier said than done but now that I am aware of what I have been holding I can allow it to release. I’m sure it will unfold and be in the best and highest interest of each of us. If it is as good as the trip to Spain was it will be a very good trip.

Grounding. Releasing my fears and expectations. Enjoying the cooler prairie today. All is well!

Next Tuesday I will be on my way to Japan! Not sure I am looking forward to being in an airplane for over eleven hours but I am looking forward to the Camino Kumano Kodo. I will admit to being a bit terrified about the walk though. I have not trained for it and walking up and down mountains scares me.

Went into Emporia this morning to get my haircut. I met a friend for lunch afterwards and then met another friend to return some art pieces to her. I stopped at Wal-Mart to get a few things and at Bluestem to get chicken feed. After buying gas I headed home. I got a lot done in town on this trip.

Need to go out and mow for an hour but it is almost 100 degrees out right now and I am having trouble making myself go outside. It is to be cooler later this week so may skip today and do some inside chores instead.

Nicole got her electricity back a little after midnight last night. She lost most of what was in her refrigerator and freezer. She was thankful it came back on and she could get her house cooled down from 93 degrees. Trusting she got some sleep after the house cooled down last night. Not sure which is worse – no electricity or no water.

Made some hotel reservations yesterday. Still need reservations for two more nights in Osaka but we decided to wait and make them after we get there and before we leave for the Camino. If we like the place I have booked us for before the Camino we might stay there after the walk for two nights. We will return to the airport hotel for our last night in Japan as we have an early return flight on Sunday, August 13.

Tomorrow I want to do a packing trial to see where I am at in what I want to take and decide what I need to take out if necessary. The obvious thing to take out will be the snacks I purchased. I’m sure I have way too many of those. I made the same mistake on the Camino and ended up taking a lot of them out and leaving them in hotels my first couple of days on the trail. My carry on bag was too heavy to carry up three or four flights of stairs with all the bars I had in it. I also dumped other items that I found I wasn’t using.

I took eggs to town to try to sell and forgot about them. Anyone need eggs? I have five dozen extra. $3 a dozen.

Figured out I can print with my new printer using my phone but not my iPad. Things like this drive me crazy as I can’t figure out why I can’t print from my iPad. Thankful I figured out I can print from my iPhone.

Another hot day on the prairie. The official count down has begun. Japan are you ready for us in one week? All is well on the prairie.

Just came inside from mowing the tall grass for over an hour. I sat for a bit and thought I was done sweating and then took a shower. I started sweating again after my shower. This is the hard mowing each year I do not like. The grass is over my head as I sit on the mower and there are millions of insects in the grass that fly in my face. Lots of hidden rocks to watch for too. I am over half way done so will have to go back out again tomorrow and Wednesday. I can only take about an hour a day of this type of mowing. It is hot again out there today.

Had a beautiful morning of healings. Five of us gathered for rich conversation and to lay hands on each other. This is how the world will be changed and healed!

After I cool down I need to do some more house cleaning. I did some yesterday but have lots more to do. Mowing takes my energy away but trusting it will return so I can tend to the inside of my house later.

One of my friends brought me some home grown tomatoes out of her garden. I had a BLT for lunch. I added some avacado as I realized I have not been getting enough good fats. Trusting it will help me not get hungry so fast. The tomatoes were so good! Can’t beat home grown.

Last I knew Nicole is still out of power. KPL had estimated she would have it back by noon today. She is still at work so don’t know if it will be on when she gets home or not. She had a very warm night last night with no fan or A/C.

Slowly working my way to being ready for Japan. I leave a week from today. We are spending the first night at a hotel near the airport as we have a 6:00 am flight Tuesday. Have most everything gathered up and on a kitchen table. Need to do a trial packing to see how much will fit and what I might need to take out. Only taking a day pack and a carry on bag. Nicole thought she may have some extra room so will take over flow to her to see if she can fit it in if I need to.

Still need to make some more hotel room reservations. I found a hotel I liked but my internet decided to act up and my attempted reservation didn’t process. Maybe we weren’t supposed to stay there. I’ll try again when I cool down and can find some patience. Not sure what we want to do so am not sure what part of town to look at. Most hotels mention being close to a public transportation system so guess we can get around once we learn how it works. Trusting it will be as easy as the one in Paris is.

I didn’t sleep very much again last night. It is so frustrating to be tired but unable to fall asleep or to wake up 15 minutes after I fall asleep.

Packing. Cleaning. Making my lists and checking them twice. All is well on the hot prairie today.

Relief from the heat at last! Only got 1/4 inch of rain last night and I welcomed every drop. Everyone on my corner of the prairie is much happier today – including all the critters. It is only to be 93 today – feels like a cool day compared to what we have had the last few days.

KC caught the biggest part of the storm last night. They had wind gusts of over 70 mph and side ways rain. Nicole doesn’t have power and has a big tree branch down in her back yard at her rental house. Luckily she doesn’t have any trees down at her old house. Her neighbors at the old house have lots of big trees down. She sure got lucky. It is about time she caught a break.

Nicole got two offers on her old house yesterday. One was really good and she accepted it. They want to close August 2. They have five days to do inspections if they want to do any so Nicole won’t know until the end of the week if the deal will go through. Her realtor was optimistic it would go through as it is an investor who is buying her house and he knows what he is buying. Fingers crossed this deal will work and she will be done with this house.

May do some mowing this afternoon and take advantage of the cooler day. My yard was mowed and hay put up last week. I like to mow the rest of the tall grass so when they burn next spring the grass is an even height. It is hard and dirty mowing though. I have lots of hidden rocks in my yard. I have already had two oops with my mower this year so trusting I won’t have three.

Kathy put up a tarp on the chicken coop so they have more shade. We may have to take it down when the wind blows too hard so it won’t damage the fence. I need to remember to put a permanent shade of some sorts on my wish list. The chickens looked much happier this morning and are spending time in their yard today. I have already gotten more eggs today than I did all day yesterday.

I have some friends coming over in the morning so need to do some house cleaning today. I haven’t cleaned much since the retreat a month ago. Kathy has done some for me thank heavens, but it is time to do a deep clean. I always feel better when my house is really clean.

Finally feeling like I have some energy today. Maybe I will put some of it to good use and get a few things done around here. Seems like there is always something that needs done.

Cooler day on the prairie today. I so appreciate the break from the intense heat. All is well and refreshed on the prairie today.

Another very hot day on the prairie today. My car said it was 103 two hours ago when I came back from Emporia. Bet it is even hotter out there now.

I did a Wal-Mart run to get some groceries and the last two items on my list of things I wanted to get to take to Japan. Decided not to eat in town as I don’t know how a restaurant can serve safe food when they are under a water boil advisory. It was almost too hot to get out of the car and go inside someplace anyways.

I was going to stop and get some Colorado peaches and forgot to do so. May go back in later and see if they are still there.

I went to bed before the sun did last night and slept really good for two whole hours. Woke up and wasn’t able to go back to sleep until it was time for the sun to come up. Slept a couple of hours which I am grateful for but am still tired today. It might be time to get some medication to help me sleep. This is getting crazy again.

I have some cleaning I need to do today if I can find the energy to do so. Kathy helped me drag hose so I can sprinkle my chicken pen as the chickens are showing signs of heat stress. We were only out for ten minutes but it wore me out.

Sure trusting Japan won’t be this hot or I won’t be doing much walking. I don’t do well in this type of heat.

My propane company mailed me my pre-order contract for the propane I will need this winter. Hard to think about paying for propane to heat up the house today. Wonder how the weather will be this coming winter. The last two winters have been fairly mild. Will we have three mild winters in a row?

Next week is turning into a busy week. I have at least one thing to do and several days two or more things to do on four different days of next week already. That is rare for me. It will help make the week go fast before I leave for Japan on the 1st of August.

Need to make a final check of what I want to take to Japan so I can get anything I may have forgotten. Will need to restock all of the critters feed supply so they have enough to last two weeks. Grateful Kathy will be here to care for my critters.

The final ten day countdown is on. Not sure it has hit me I am leaving for Japan in ten days. Japan seems so exotic and foreign to me. Trusting we will make some wonderful memories.

All is well on the hot prairie today!

This may be the longest day yet! I barely slept last night. I took a second bath around 4:00 as sometimes that helps me relax enough to fall asleep. It worked but Tagen had a bad dream and woke me up at 4:30. He had trouble going back to sleep so I was up with him until after 5:00. He finally fell back asleep but I didn’t. Is it nap time yet?

Ellexia went home with her mom and dad last night. They came out and took showers as Emporia had water issues yesterday.

Kathy helped me get Legend and Roxy in my car this morning so I could take them in for their annual vet check. Tagen went with me and helped me get them from the car into the vet office. Both checked out really good and didn’t seem to notice the blood draw and the two shots they each got. Legend weighed 88 pounds and Roxy is 61 pounds.

We had to bring the dogs home and then go back into town to get Ellexia. I didn’t have room in my car for her with the dogs too. We stopped at the grocery store to get junk food for the kids today and then came back to the house. Legend had gone swimming this morning and I now smell like a wet dog. May need to take a shower and change my clothes.

I warned the kiddos I am tired and cranky today and it will be in their best interest if they behave today. Afraid I don’t have much patience today.

Thankfully other than watching the kiddos I don’t have anything else I have to do today. I need to clean house but it may have to wait for one more day.

My head feels like it is floating six feet above me today. My thought process is slow. Trusting I will make it through the day.

Another very hot day on the prairie today. All is well!

I got home about 7:00 last night. I was in bed and asleep a little after 9:00. Slept almost all night and feel much better today.

I met with a realtor yesterday afternoon. He gave me some information to pass on to Nicole. His estimated sale price was a bit higher than we had expected. Nicole hit overwhelm and needs some time to decide what to do. The realtor did say not to replace carpet or do anything else to the house. He didn’t think the return on that investment would make it worth while so I cancelled the carpet estimate appointment.

We considered getting a second realtor to give us a second opinion but didn’t hear back from her before I was ready to leave town. She called on my way home. Not sure Nicole is up to showing her the house and I’m not sure I am up to going back to KC to show it to her either. We may just go with what the first realtor said and be done with it. He anticipated Nicole would get several offers within the first three days on the market and felt he priced it at a price that an investor would match or even bid a bit higher. It will be good if she can have a final offer before we leave for Japan August 1.

Kathy helped me get my car unloaded when I got home last night and I finally got everything put away this morning. Still need to do some house work but it seems to wait for me.

Craig called this morning to see if I would watch the grandkids today. Emporia has no water and their summer school got cancelled as a result. He brought them out around 9:00. I hadn’t seen them for a bit so it has been fun to have them here today.

I picked up the Kumano Kodo guide book that was waiting for me at the post office. The tour company we are using in Japan had sent it to me. It is a great book and is helping me finally make sense of the walking options we have. Nicole and I will read it on our long flight to Japan.

Not fully functioning on all my brain cylinders today. I keep putting things down and can’t remember where I put them. Good thing I have nothing important that needs done today.

Tomorrow morning I am taking Legend and Roxy in for their annual vet check. Tagen said he would help me if he stays all night. If he goes home tonight Kathy said she would go in with me. It is hard for one person to handle both of them as neither one are used to being on a leash.

Recovery day for me today. Another hot Kansas summer day. All is well.

Sitting at Nicole’s old house waiting for the VA to show up. I think I was told they would be here in the morning and it is now after noon. Trusting they will show up sometime today.

A realtor is coming at 2:00. Decided not to do any more cleaning until he gets here and I get a better understanding of which direction we will take to get this house sold.

I did line up a free in-house carpet estimate for today. That way if we need to finish getting the house ready to put on the market for a family to buy it we will have actual numbers to work with if we decide to go ahead and replace carpet in two rooms.

The truck from the VA showed up to haul away a garage full of donation items. There is only one man here to load all of this stuff and he won’t let me help. He called for a helper as he will need more room and help lifting the heavy pieces. He must have a strong back as he is stacking the heavy boxes above his head. Grateful the stuff is going away and that I didn’t have to pick any of them up.

After my two appointments this afternoon I am heading home. Nicole is done with this project and needs a break. May come back next week if needed. Anxious to see what the realtor says when he gets here.

What a two weeks this has been. I’m impressed we got so much done but we are both exhausted, especially Nicole. She really had to dig deep to get this job done. It didn’t help she had a work project she was under a time crunch for this week too. Things kinda piled up on her.

The second truck just showed up. Almost done clearing out the garage. Grateful! The house will soon be empty. All that is left is selling it.

Almost to the finish line. Grateful!

Sleep at last! I slept really good last night. Woke up feeling rested. Love when that happens.

Nicole and I had a quiet night at her new house last night. I ordered and picked up Japanese Chicken Teriyaki for dinner and some Dove ice cream bars. Yesterday had not been an easy day for Nicole. She had to stay up late and work on a work project but I went to bed early.

She was already at work this morning before I got up. I went out for breakfast and then went to the old house. I mowed half her front yard and part of the back yard. I hope to finish mowing tomorrow morning when it is cool. I got too hot to finish this morning. Her new house yard almost needs mowed again too.

I worked on hand mopping some floors inside and then came back to her new house for a shower and clean clothes. After I hydrate and rest I will go back and do some more floors this afternoon. She has poison ivy or poison oak in her backyard and I wanted to get out of my mowing clothes and get them washed before I spread it to Nicole. I have never reacted to it but she does badly. Not what I want to happen before our trip to Japan.

I confirmed with the VA that they will be picking up her garage full of items she wants to donate tomorrow. They are to call me when they are headed to her house. I trust they are bringing a big truck so they can take everything.

I contacted two realtors this morning. I have heard back from one of them but they have to refer me to some one else as she is not registered to work in KS. Hoping to hear back from the lady who she referred us to and the other realtor I called sometime this afternoon or tomorrow so I can get them over to see the house tomorrow or Thursday. I’m not going to do too much more cleaning until I know which way Nicole is going on selling the house. If the investor buys it I won’t have to do any more work to it. If she lists it with a realtor I may need to do more cleaning and possibly arrange for some new carpet to be installed.

Two weeks from today we leave for Japan. So nice to have that to look forward to after these last two hard weeks. Hoping she knows what is going to happen to the old house before we leave. May not happen but that is the intention we have set. Craig has agreed to act on her behalf if needed while we are in Japan.

May go out and do a bit of shopping until I am ready to go back to the old house and work for another couple of hours. Have a few little things I want to get to take to Japan and I might as well get them here since I have time. May do a Costco run too.

Clean clothes and a shower make me feel like a new woman. Energy has returned and I can now proceed with my day. Getting things done today. We are ever so close to the finish line of this huge project.

Japan here we come in two weeks!

Not sure I slept at all last night. Not sure why but none of my regular tricks worked to help me sleep. I am tired tonight.

I came up to KC this afternoon and worked on Nicole’s old house for a bit. She has a big work project she needs to get done this week so I am cleaning out her old house. Got a good start on it today. Should be able to finish up tomorrow. Wednesday the VA people are coming to pick up her donation pile.

We need to line up a couple of realtors to come look at the house and tell us what needs to be done. She also has a friend that knows a guy that buys houses that need upgrades and he is going to come look at it too. Just want to make sure if he gives her an offer that it is a fair one and if he decides not to make an offer we have started the process to go a different route.

Picked up some more Restless Legs medication that I needed to take to Japan. Nicole is figuring out how to add international service to her phone so we will be able to stay in contact back home while we are there. We are almost ready to do. We leave two weeks from tomorrow!

Tired tonight. Trusting I will sleep tonight. I have lots to do tomorrow and it will be easier if I am rested.

Tomorrow is a new day. Both of us need a good one!

Feeling like I have much more energy today. Kathy and I went into Emporia and did the Wal-Mart thing this morning. I have almost finished my shopping for my Japan trip. My critters are all set for food again for this week.

I went out and mowed for over two hours this afternoon. It is hot out there today. I wore my trail boots to get my feet used to them again. Need to remember to take my boots to KC this week so I can wear them while I am cleaning. My feet need to get used to not being in sandals.

I started a pile of things I want to take to Japan. Need some more Restless Legs medication which I can get in KC this week. Glad I set things out so I figured that out before it was too late to get some. So far that is the only thing left on my list to get.

Need to go take a shower and clean up. I wanted to quit sweating before I took my shower. Kathy brought me out a cold bottle of water which kept me going so I was able to finish my mowing without stopping today. Trusting I can get all the dirt out of my ears and other body parts. It is so dry out there. It was a bit of a bumpy ride today as I rode over the cracks in the yard. Sure could use a couple inches of rain. May need to do a rain drumming circle before I leave for Japan if we don’t get rain soon.

My girls have given me a dozen eggs already today. I’m surprised they haven’t slowed down a bit due to the heat. I try to keep cool water available for them but it is hard to keep it cool in this heat.

Hot summer day. Grateful for A/C! All is well on the hot prairie today.

I got home around 8:30 last night. I stopped at Craig’s to return his pickup to him. He had surprised me and had my car detailed clean. Thanks Craig. I appreciate it. He had taken my car to Toyota to have them reset the check engine light. They said it was important I bring the car in to have it fixed. The gas station at Cottonwood told me it wasn’t important to get fixed. Who do I trust?

I was so tired last night but when I went to bed I couldn’t fall asleep. I finally took something around 1:00 and this morning I feel like I have a hang over without the fun of getting drunk.

This is definitely a recovery day for me. I’m doing some laundry and checking on my critters but other than that don’t have the energy to do anything. It is hot again outside. I was dripping sweat when I came back to the house from giving the chickens some water. I almost dumped some of the water over my head instead of giving it to the chickens.

Kathy had cleaned my house for me so I don’t need to do that today. Thanks Kathy! I appreciate you too.

May need to go to town to find some food later today. I’m too tired to do so right now.

Starting to make a packing pile for Japan. I got some single serving snacks to take while I was in KC. Need to start putting the things on my list together and see what I need to take out due to space issues. Nicole said she might have extra room so need to take her some things to pack for me. We were so busy last week we forgot to make our final two hotel reservations. Trusting we will remember to do that this week. We leave two weeks from Tuesday.

Nicole has taught me how to stay focused on one thing at a time. It was hard to look past cleaning out the house. Now that we are done with that project maybe Japan will hit our priority list.

Resting. Recovery day. Giving myself permission to do nothing and just be today. All is well on the hot prairie today.

We stayed home last night and relaxed. It finally rained with lots of loud thunder. The rain felt refreshing. It was cooler this morning but the humidity was higher.

We went over to the old house early this morning. Nicole cleaned out the attic and we worked for a little over an hour adding to the donate and the trash piles. We took a break and went out for breakfast and then returned to work another hour and half. We brought another load to the new house and then took a long rest.

We are almost done with getting it cleared out. We have another thirty minutes of carrying more stuff out and one more load to bring to the new house. When the guys show up this afternoon we will get the rest of it cleared out. Then we just need to get it cleaned and it will be done.

I am going home later today. Nicole has a work project she needs to do this weekend. She also needs to rest and regroup as she has to go back to work Monday. She is exhausted right now. So thankful she was able to get this week off to do this project and not try to do it after work each day.

I plan on coming back to KC next week and do the cleaning. Hoping by Wednesday we can get some realtors lined up to take a look at the house so we know what needs to be done before Nicole can list it. The finish line is in sight.

What a week! Nicole has been a trooper to get through it. When we get after it we get a lot done. Grateful neither one of us hurt ourselves other than a few bruises and bumps. The heat added to a tough week but we took good care of ourselves and rested when we needed to.

So looking forward to our reward trip to Japan. It is nice to have had that to look forward to during the hard spots this week.

Grateful to Kathy for caring for my critters so I could be here to help Nicole.

Feels good to have moved my body this week. Felt like really good training for our walk. My body is stronger than I think it is sometimes. Learned how much cooler trail pants and shirts are than jeans.

So close to being done with this project. Grateful!

Nicole treated me to a pedicure yesterday afternoon. It was so relaxing to have my feet and calves massaged. My feet were so rough I would wake myself up turning over in bed at night. Nice to have soft feet again.

Nicole went out with her friends last night. I decided to finish mowing her front yard for her. I did most of it and had to take a break as it was still over 90 after 9:00 last night. Her very kind neighbor from across the street came over to check on me as I was sitting on the front steps. I was able to get most of the yard mowed before I ran out of day light.

I was surprised to see that it had rained when I got up this morning. I looked out the west front window and saw a beautiful rainbow. It sprinkled for a bit this morning but then it turned hot and humid again.

We went over to the old house early this morning and were surprised the dumpster hadn’t been emptied yet. They had told us they would change it out around 7:30. We did a few things but what we wanted to do we needed the empty dumpster for. We decided to go eat breakfast and then go to the Social Security office as Nicole needed to file for death benefits. We got to Social Security at 9:40. After almost an hour waiting we could tell it was going to take at least another hour before it was going to be our turn. We left and went to the old house and filled the pickup with another load. We dropped off the load at the new house and went back to Social Security. We only had to wait another 20 minutes before they called Nicole’s number. It took about three minutes to do what she needed to do with the clerk. Thank heavens she had taken all the paperwork she needed and doesn’t have to return.

We went back to the old house and the empty trash dumpster had been delivered. We put the trash from the garage in it and started carrying her big donation pile into the garage. I carried the stuff we had stacked in the bedroom that is on the same level as the garage. Nicole carried all the boxes we had filled from upstairs down to the garage. The place that is picking up the donation stuff can’t come in the house although they will carry it out of the garage. She has a huge donation pile that will go out into the world to bless other people.

We got all of the smaller pieces to the garage. Nicole’s friends are coming over tomorrow night to help her carry the bigger pieces out of the house to the garage or to the dumpster and to help bring the bigger pieces she wants to take to the new house.

We finished by walking through the whole house to determine what we have left to do. Thinking we only have about three hours of work left before we start cleaning. Thanks to her friends that are going to move the bigger pieces we should have the house empty by tomorrow night.

We came home and took showers and cleaned up. We then went out to lunch and did a little shopping. Not sure what the plan is for the rest of the day. Nicole is done with this project – emotionally and physically. She has done a super job digging deep to get done what we have so far. Maybe with some rest this afternoon we can find the energy to get this house empty tomorrow.

Not sure when I am going to go back home. I told Nicole I will get the house cleaned for her. May go home for the weekend to let Nicole have a few rest days and then come back early next week to clean. She hasn’t contacted a realtor yet to see what they recommend she does to the house before she lists it. Want to get it cleaned before we have them come over. We still have two full weeks plus this weekend before we leave for Japan. Our goal is to have it listed before we leave for Japan. Fingers crossed we can still get that done.

The heat this week has sure made this a tougher project. We have been taking good care of ourselves and not pushing ourselves too hard. We have not been working in the heat in the afternoons. Nicole is really tired this afternoon. I think the emotional toll is catching up to her.

Sitting in the air conditioned house this afternoon. Gathering our strength and energy to get this project done! We are ever so close now. We got this!

We were back at it around 8:00 this morning. We loaded and brought over two pick-up loads and put the stuff in the basement of the new house. We went back to the old house after we did the second load and finished up the master bedroom. Nicole did a great job of sorting. She put lots more stuff in the donate or trash pile than the keep pile. I packed up a closet while she was sorting other things.

When we finished that room we went for breakfast and ran a few errands. Two of my friends had some egg cartons for me so we stopped and picked those up. We went to Target to pick up some cleaning supplies. We went back to the old house and Nicole finished sorting the dining room and garage while I started cleaning the kitchen. After we got too hot we loaded the pick-up with one more load and came back to the new house, unloaded it and called it good for the day. It is just too hot to work right now.

Nicole only has one more room to sort tomorrow and she has already gotten through most of that room earlier. We are getting an empty dumpster in the morning so we can get the last of the stuff that needs to go away out of the house. Then we will take all the donation stuff to the garage so it will be ready to be picked up next week. After we do that all we will have left to do is to finish cleaning the whole house. We can see the finish line ahead although tomorrow will be another day full of hard work carrying stuff.

Still not sure how we are going to get the big pieces downstairs but we will figure that out tomorrow. We have figured everything else out.

We are both tired and a bit cranky today. It has been an emotional job and hard work. I didn’t sleep much last night. The hot weather hasn’t helped either.

This afternoon we are either going to go get pedicures or go to a movie or maybe do both. It may be beer o’clock rather early today. Nicole has more than earned a few beers tonight.

I’m so glad Nicole took a week off from work to finish this project. It would have been very hard for her to have attempted this while working all day.

We want to go get some lunch and find something fun and cool to do before we go have some beer.

Lots more done today. We will be done with sorting tomorrow. Then we just need to clean and we will have this project done. Yeah!

We worked on clearing out one big basement room today. It still has some stuff in it that needs moved out but it is sorted and mostly cleared. We were tired and hot and declared the rest of the day to be a shopping day.

We came back to the house and Nicole mowed her back yard. We took showers and are headed out for lunch in a bit. Nicole gets to pick up her new vehicle this afternoon. That will be fun.

We are going to go get the stuff we need for our trip to Japan. That is our reward for working so hard this morning.

Not sure if we are going back over to the old house today to do some cleaning or not. We need to line up someone to come pick up the big donation pile so we can get that stuff moved out of the way so we can clean the two rooms we have that stuff in. We also need to start moving the stuff she wants to keep over to her new house. All that may wait until tomorrow as it is really hot out again today. The heat index is over 104 already.

We need to get the dumpster emptied so we can fill it back up again. We have some big pieces that need to go to the dump and thinking it will be easier to dump the dumpster and load them in there instead of trying to haul them in a truck. May need to find some strong muscles for tomorrow to help us get the big pieces out of the house.

When we get the house empty we will need to clean it good so we can get the real estate people over to go through it. First things first and that is to get it empty. Getting closer to that goal.

Hot weather today to work in. Moving through things rather quickly but still have lots left to do.
Hard to know when we will get done but we made good progress again today already.

Ready to go play for a bit. Clean clothes and a shower gave us both new energy. We can do this!

I was in KC by 9:45 this morning. After a quick stop at Target after I picked Nicole up we got started on her big project of the week. We are probably 25% done. It got really hot so we came to her house to shower. We are going shopping for a bit and then going back to do some more work.

Nicole is doing a great job sorting through everything and is not saving very much. We want to label the stuff she is keeping so she can find it easily later. She has a huge pile she is going to donate somewhere.

Thanks Craig for the boxes. They are coming in handy.

We are going looking for some long skirts. If I go to Fiji I have to wear a long skirt and have my shoulders covered. I want to take a skirt with me to Japan to wear in the evenings to dinner on the trail. I thought I better look now while the stores still have their summer weight clothes in stock. Not sure I will be able to find summer skirts this winter.

Found a skirt at Old Navy. We went back to the house and packed up the stuff Nicole is keeping. I cleaned a bathroom while Nicole packed. When she was done we went out for dinner.

Getting my exercise in today going up and down steps while carrying boxes. May not be able to move tomorrow but so far so good.

Lots done today. We made a good start. Plan on going over early tomorrow before it gets too hot and doing one more big room. We have some shopping to do in the afternoon.

Slowly but surely this project is getting done. Can’t see the finish line yet but I’m sure it is waiting for us if we keep at it.

It sure got hot today. We decided we are getting good training for our walk in Japan. Not sure how many times I went up and down the stairs but betting over 30 at least. Trusting it will strengthen my legs for mountain climbing.

Another big day ahead of us tomorrow. We are getting it done!

Got three loads of laundry done this morning so I can pack in the morning for my week in KC. Not sure I have anything else that has to be done before I leave so I may spend the afternoon knitting. It is too hot to do much outside today.

Nicole has named this coming week “It is time to be Done”. She wants to be done with several hard things in front of her. She knows grief is not something you are done with however. She has several projects we will be working on this week – none will be easy ones. Some how she will find the strength to get through them. I’m glad she was able to get a week off work so she can give these projects her full attention and not have to stress about work at the same time. Trusting by the end of the week she will be done with her projects and can then turn her focus to her trip to Japan.

I am so grateful to her group of friends that continue to step up and help her through this process. They are like family to her and I appreciate them helping her out so much.

Ellexia went home last night. She said if Tagen was here she would have spent the night. Not sure about that but that is her story so I’ll go with it.

Need to review my list to make sure it is complete so I can get my shopping done this week in KC for the things I need for Japan. Only three more weeks before we leave. Wish I could buy more endurance and physical strength! I have been slacking getting my body ready for this adventure.

Kathy got home last night. She sure seemed to be happy to be back to the quiet prairie. She had a good trip but it is always good to be home. Sophia grew leaps and bounds again. My dogs were happy to see the two of them.

Need to go to Emporia for lettuce for the chickens for the week. I am going to trade vehicles with Craig when I go to town so Nicole has a truck to use this week. It makes it easier to move things with an open bed truck. Not sure Craig enjoys driving my little car but I’m grateful he is willing to do so to help out Nicole.

Another hot, lazy day on the prairie. Kathy headed downstairs to take a nap and I am thinking I may be headed to my bed soon to take one myself. Hot weather drains me and I didn’t sleep much last night. It is a good day for a nap.

Bright blue skies. Lazy day. All is well on the prairie today!

Happy birthday to my son Jason. I can’t believe you are 42 years old. It seems like it has been only 20 years or so since you were born. I’m very proud of the man you have become.

I took Ellexia swimming at the Cottonwood Falls pool this afternoon. I rarely go swimming but for some reason I was in the mood to do so and needed a swimming buddy. I drove into Emporia and picked her up. We had a really good time swimming. The pool has a slide which she loved and she even went off the diving board several times. We stopped for Subway on the way back to my house. She is now covered under a blanket on the couch downstairs watching a movie. I’m thinking she just might fall asleep as she was yawning on the way home. She is thinking about spending the night but hasn’t decided yet.

Kathy should be home around 7:00 tonight. Bet she will be tired of driving for a bit. It takes over 20 hours of driving time to get here from CT. Will be good to see her.

I finally slept last night. I got up this morning around 7:00 and by 9:00 I was tired again so went back to bed for a couple more hours. When I crash I sleep lots! Sure wish I could scatter out my sleep. Grateful for whenever it comes. Grateful I don’t work and had no place I needed to be this morning so I could sleep some more.

It has turned summer here. It is over 90 again today and the forecast calls for more of the same for the next 10 days. Nicole picked one of the hottest weeks of the year to work on her house next week. We will take it slow and easy if needed and get that job done regardless of the heat. I bet we can find some distractions of some sort if we need to cool off once in a while. She wants to get a new vehicle next week.

I need to gather some rocks and put them under my chicken fence. They have dug some holes and I’m afraid something can get into the pen. If I don’t get the holes filled in the chickens will eventually dig a way for themselves to get out. If they do they will quickly become dinner for Legend. I have a big pile of small rocks I can use if I can get some chipped out. It has been there for so long the rocks have stuck together.

Hot, lazy day on the prairie today. Felt good to move my body in the water. Summertime at its best! All is well!

Yesterday I mentioned that love will win! This morning Oriah Mountain Dreamer posted the following on Facebook. It says it so much better than I did.

“It’s going to take “a lotta love”- not the fuzzy, sentimental variety, but the kind of love that helps us roll up our sleeves and work together, the kind of love that makes it possible to keep our hearts open to the person or group that disagrees with us as we work for peace and justice and a sustainable way to live together. When I was a child there was a poster in the church my family attended that said: “Love is a verb.” And right now- it’s gonna take a lotta love, perhaps a Love larger than we can muster on our own. ~ Oriah”

Sleep was very hard to come by last night. I finally fell asleep around 6:00 this morning but woke up at 7:00 and again at 9:00. Sure wish I could figure out this sleep thing. It is becoming foreign to me again.

I cleared out my egg supply this morning. A friend came to buy eight dozen eggs. Thanks Kris – I appreciate you! I already have two more dozen today as I finished filling a partial carton from yesterday plus gathered another dozen. I like when I clear them out as they seem to pile back up rather quickly. One I picked up this morning was still damp as it had just been laid. I love when that happens. Talk about fresh, country eggs!

Almost have the third panel completed on the baby blanket I am making. Not sleeping is good for something! I wasn’t sure if one skein of yarn would be enough but so far it doesn’t even look like I have used any out of the big skein. May have enough yarn to make two out of one skein. I will weigh the skein when I get the first one done and see if I still have over half of it left.

Tonight is music night on Main Street of Cottonwood Falls. I trust I will remember to go. They move it inside if it is too hot to sit outside. I sure enjoy going and watching the musicians perform. All levels of talent come to play and sing and all are appreciated and honored.

I need to go into Emporia sometime this weekend and get lettuce for my girls for next week. I am stocked up with everything else the critters will need next week while I am in KC. Sometimes Wal-Mart doesn’t have enough lettuce in stock when I am there. My girls enjoy their greens once a day. Sometimes I think they eat better than I do.

I got a message from the Kumano folks. They wanted to know what time I wanted our luggage dropped off. I am hoping that is a translation error as I want it picked up that morning and not dropped off. I must have it at the train station at 7:45. The guide I wanted to use that day wanted me to be on the 6:45 bus. Not sure if there is a place to leave our bags or if I can’t use that particular guide. Oh the challenges of international travel! It will all work out some how eventually.

I figured out how to request our seat assignments for the return flight from Toyoko to Chicago. I have to register us first and that requires putting in our passport numbers. I am going to take my passport to KC with me and will register us together then. I didn’t see how to upgrade us to business economy like we did for the flight there. May need to call and ask if that is a possibility. We fly home using a Japanese Airline that is a partner with United. While I was looking at their site I noticed I have to go on line within 24 hours of flight time to register or they can give our seats away. I’m glad I went looking for a way to get our seat assignment or I wouldn’t have known I had to do that. What do travelers do that don’t have access to the Internet?

Nicole is checking with her phone service to see if she can get international service for the two weeks we will be gone. I had read in the guide book they strongly recommend we carry a phone and have it programmed to the local 911 number in case we run into trouble. If she can’t get it added we will pick up an international phone at the airport in Japan. Better safe than sorry I guess.

Wish I could find some motivation to do something. Mine seems to have left me behind in its dust. I’m tired of sitting but can’t seem to find any motivation to do anything else. I read a horoscope last night that said after the full moon tomorrow things will settle down and motivation will return. Trusting that is so!

It is a hot, beautiful day on the prairie. All is quiet and well!

I was caught between world’s this morning. I woke up at 7:00 and got up and put on my walking clothes and headed out the door for a walk. Next thing I know it is 9:00 and I am still in bed. I was having a dream that felt like it was real. Not a great start to my day. Once I really got up it was too hot to walk outside.

After my shower I went outside and did chores. That always help me ground myself. I finally figured out what had happened and got myself fully back into this reality. I sure was confused for a while this morning.

Started knitting a baby blanket last night using the new yarn. Not sure I like it yet. It shows the pattern much more clearly than the other yarn did which means if I make one little mistake I need to fix it. The other yarn could hide little mistakes. I didn’t check the pattern and knitted two and one half rows wrong and had to tink (Tink is knit spelled backwards – it means to rip out.) I have 135 stitches per row so that took a bit of time to do. I almost ripped out the first eight rows to completely start over but decided it would be faster to just do the two and one half rows. The yarn is finally playing nice and I have the first of six panels done.

Legend is MIA this morning. His success rate at coming home sooner or later is 100% so will trust that he will come home when he is ready to. The other two dogs are sleeping in the garage. I heard them several times last night. They must have pulled an all-nighter protecting me.

Have done three loads of laundry today. Not much more to do on my day’s to-do list. Since it is too hot to walk outside I will ride my stationary bike for at least an hour or two today. Need to find a book to read while doing so as it helps the time go by faster.

Kathy is headed back to Kansas sometime this weekend. She will be back either Saturday or Sunday. Nicole told me I didn’t need to come to KC until Monday morning so Kathy and I can have a chance to get caught up before I leave for the week. The dogs especially will be happy to see Kathy. They have missed her and Sophia.

Still adding things to my packing list for the trip to Japan. I only plan on taking a carry on bag and my day back pack so thinking I will need to cross some things off my list. Since I am not checking a bag I have to make sure everything I want to take is small enough to fit and pass the security checks for carry on luggage. May need to buy some things in Japan such as shampoo, body wash, etc. Not sure why I think I have to take that stuff when I know I can get it there. I’m not going to a third world place where that stuff is hard to find.

Felt the world’s energy trying to pull me off my center again. This time I was able to recognize it for what it was and not allow it to pull me off center. I get so overwhelmed thinking about the crazy stuff happening in the world right now. If I allow it I can go down in vibration thinking there is nothing I can do about any of it. When I remember to keep my vibration high and remember that is doing something that helps the world I can stay out of the muck pond. My logical brain tries to tell me that is not enough. My heart brain tells me otherwise. I refuse to fall into fear. I lose my power when I do that. Love will win!

It is a beautiful, hot summer day on the prairie. All is well!

After I finished mowing yesterday around 3:00 I came in and took a shower and put my night-gown on. About 7:30 I couldn’t keep my eyes open and went to bed. Woke up around midnight and have been up since. May be a long day.

I went for an hour’s walk this morning. I was dripping sweat by the time I got back home. It felt good to finally move my body. One disadvantage of living at the top of a hill is the walk back towards home is all up hill. I only walked two miles but it is a start. I used my new walking sticks and wore my new back pack. I didn’t like the walking sticks as well as my old pair. The handles aren’t as comfortable. They don’t fit inside my carry on bag so may look to see if I can find a pair that has different handles and will fit in my carry on bag. I didn’t put any weight inside the back pack as I want to get used to it first. Every day I walk I will add more weight to it. Less than a month before I leave for Japan.

Went into Emporia to get food for my critters for next week. My little car sat low coming home as I had over 200 pounds of chicken feed, dog food, cat food, oats, and black oil sunflower seeds in the back of it. I got my exercise putting all those bags in my cart and loading it in and out of the car. I am stocked up for a bit now. I forgot people food again though.

I finally heard back from the Camino Kumano Kodo folks. They sent me a link to pick out the tour guide and route we want to take. I was too tired last night to figure it out. Nothing is familiar or easy with the names of the towns and routes and I am not sure which they are referring to. I sent the link to Nicole to see if she can figure it out. I didn’t realize we have several options each day as to which route we want to take.

I’m glad I went ahead and paid for most of the reservations as I didn’t hear back from them in the 48 hour time limit I had to pay for what they sent me or have to start completely over. They are working on processing my other night stay as well as the first day bag transfer. Once that is confirmed I at least know we have a place to stay each night on the trail and that we won’t have to pull our carry on bag with us. The guide is optional anyways so if that doesn’t work out we are still good to go.

I went downstairs last night to get some yarn to start my fourth baby blanket. I am out of baby blanket yarn! The kind of yarn I really like was discontinued some years ago. I bought all the remaining yarn the store had at a sale price. Guess I have worked it all up. I picked up another kind when I was in town today. I’ll try it and see if I like it – may have to go shopping for yarn when I am in KC next week. I haven’t bought yarn for several years. I still have lots of shawl yarn left.

The last several days I have noticed a icky smell by my bedroom doors. It smelt like a water leak. I went downstairs twice checking to make sure I didn’t have a water leak. I could not figure out where the smell was coming from. When I got up last night I finally realized it was from the vases of fresh flowers I had on each side of the fireplace mantel. I dumped the flowers out and washed the vases out. The smell is gone this morning. Sometimes I over look the obvious.

Need to go to town and get gas for my mower and to fill my car up. I forgot to do that when I was in Emporia. I did remember to stop at the bank to make a deposit. I even had gas on my list and still forgot. I think my brain is tired today.

Beautiful summer day on the prairie today. Bright blue skies and lots of warm sun. All is well!

My dear friend Rodney came over yesterday and fixed my mower. I had some how gotten Craig’s metal target practice thingy stuck in the blades. Rodney was able to get it out. He went home and brought back his grinder and sharpened the blades and I was good to go. He even mowed a big patch of my yard checking the blades out. Thanks friend! I appreciate you! Last time I had to get the mower fixed it was over $500. I’m sure this repair would have been close to that if I had to take it to John Deere.

While I was in the barn talking to him we noticed a cat was in the barn. Evidently it had gotten in when I was mowing last and I shut it in the barn without knowing it was in there. I had noticed Sunday night one of the cats didn’t come in and it wasn’t by the back door Monday morning. Good thing Rodney came over and we opened the barn. I’m sure there are mice in there for it to eat but there is no water source.

After Rodney left I mowed part of the yard. Still have some more to do today. I want to get it all mowed up before I go to KC next week.

I haven’t heard back from the Kumano Kodo travel group. I went ahead and paid for the part of the trip that we need. This morning I requested a room for the night they didn’t have space for where we wanted to stay and finally figured out how to request a luggage transfer for that day too. The only thing I haven’t figured out how to do is request a guide for the first day but if that doesn’t happen we will figure the trail out ourselves. Thousands of people walk it each year so it can’t be that hard – right?

They are to send us a travel book I requested. I’m trusting it will be full of good information. When I walked the Camino Santiago the travel book I had for it even included a packing list. The book I had ordered for the Camino Kumano Kodo wasn’t that helpful. I’m glad I have some walking experience so I have a general idea what we will need.

Nothing on tap for me today other than finishing my mowing. I’m glad the reservations are all but done. That helps me feel more relaxed about the upcoming trip.

Today is the day I take my trash to the curb. I only have one bag of trash this week plus the cat litter bag. Recycling is really paying off and reducing the amount of trash I have. When I dropped a box off at the recycling trailer today a nice man was there and he lifted my box into the trailer for me.

I watched several firework shows from my living room last night. It looked like both Cottonwood Falls and Emporia had their big shows last night. Not my favorite thing to do but it was nice for a few minutes to see the bright, pretty lights. I could hear the booms even from my house. Not sure my dogs are a fan of the booms. Neither am I.

I can’t get my new printer to print from my iPad. It works from my laptop. Not sure what I did wrong. Technology and I are not the best of friends sometimes. Next time some one comes over I will ask them to check it out for me and see if they can make it work. I have reached my limit on working on it without doing damage to something or myself!

Another quiet day on the prairie. At least it is cooler out today for my mowing time. All is well on the prairie today.

I could not fall asleep last night.  I was reading a book that was really good and would put it down and try to sleep and after an hour would read some more.  I finally finished the book around 6:00 and was able to fall asleep for a couple of hours then.  May need a nap this afternoon though as I don’t feel like I got much sleep.

I went into Emporia after I got up and got a new printer.  My other one was four years old and seemed to be having more bad days than good ones.  I couldn’t make it print very often any more.  The one I got is a cheap laser one that seems to work much better.  The toner cartridges are almost as expensive as the printer was.  At least they last longer then the ink jet ink cartridges do.

After I got it hooked up I got caught up printing off copies of my blog.  I learned my lesson the hard way when I lost over a year’s worth of material.  I have a back up system in place now but I also print out a paper copy of each day.

I heard back from the reservation people for the Camino Kumano Kodo.   The first night on the trail they don’t have a room available but recommended a solution for us.  I sent them back a response and when I hear from them how they want me to proceed I will pay for our walk.  It seems like this walk is getting more popular and they are a bit over-whelmed with all the requests.  Their system doesn’t seem to be user-friendly for them.  I’m sure it will all work out.

They recommended we stay at a town where our bus ride ends for the day.  We were to have walked about 1.5 miles to our first hotel after the two train/bus rides we take that day.    This will mean our first day of walking will be 1.5 miles longer than the way I had first requested.  We can do that!  We only walk 6 miles that day so this will only make it 7.5 miles.  I ask about changing the dates by a day but they couldn’t tell me if that would fix the problem.  The only way to do that was to cancel our whole reservation and start over.  They take the reservations in the order they come in and it may have created a bigger issue if I tried it that way as I would lose my place in line.

I also decided to request a guide for our first walking day on the trail.  They can hook us up with a local person who will walk with us on the trail.  I would feel more comfortable knowing someone was with us that can teach us the ropes of the trail.  The book I got makes it seem a bit complicated.  I doubt that it is but I would like us to be successful and this seems like a good way to get us started on the right foot.

A good friend volunteered to come look at my mower to see if he could fix it.  Fingers crossed it is an easy repair and I won’t have to take it to John Deere.  I so appreciate his offer to come check it out for me.  I am clueless on things like this.

Through a friend Nicole got introduced to someone who spent several years in Japan.  She is asking him all sorts of questions about the Japanese culture.  It feels like a wonderful confirmation for her that she is to take this trip.  I love when the Universe makes things easy and provides for us.

I need to remember to go into town later this week and stock up on all the critter’s food supply as I am going to be in KC next week.  Not sure if I will get to see Kathy before I leave or not.  She is headed back here July 7.  I told Nicole I would be in KC the afternoon of the 9th so we may cross in the night.

Chance of rain this afternoon.  Sure feels humid and thick outside.  I could use another inch or two of rain.  Thankfully it is in the low 80’s today so not as hot as it has been.  The humidity makes it feel much warmer though.

Tired.  Grateful I got the printer hooked up and running without issues.  Grateful for a good friend who volunteered to look at my mower.  All is well on the prairie today!

 

 

 

 

 

The chickens have fresh linens.  The air is really thick today.  I was dripping in sweat by the time I finished and I was done by 10:00.  Wish we would get some rain to clear the air.

I came in when I was done and took a shower.  Had to dig out a pair of my old walking shorts as I couldn’t get my jeans on due to my sweating legs.  It took me over an hour to cool down after my shower.  It wasn’t even that hot outside when I was out – just very humid and thick.

I had an app on my iPad that got me to my blog.  All of a sudden it started saying the link is broken.  I had a link on the top bar that worked but today it didn’t work.  I can’t remember how to access the administrator part of my blog from my iPad now.  I had to get my laptop out to write this one.  I sure wished I knew more about this stuff.  It would make my life so much easier.  I’m sure I will eventually figure it out again.  I did it once so I know I can do it again!

The laptop has some short cuts that I don’t find helpful but can’t figure out how to turn them off.  I keep hitting a button that moves the curser to a place I don’t want it to be.  I’m used to the iPad touch screen now.  Habits!  What a habit driven creature I am.

I sat in my chair last night after dark and watched all the fireworks going off around me  I had kept hearing pops and couldn’t figure out what was going on until I finally saw the bright lights of a fireworks going off..  I like the display but not the loud booms.  I read where some towns have created firework shows that don’t have the booms.  Great idea!

I finished reading the book I had ordered about the Camino Kumano Kodo.  I didn’t find it as helpful as the book I had about the Camino Santiago.  Maybe it will make more sense when I am on the trail.  This trail is certainly more remote and has less services along the way than the Camino Santiago did.  The Santiago trail has places where I would walk most of the day without a place to get a drink or food but that was the exception on that trail.   The Kumano is like that everyday but I am only walking for six days on this trail.   Luckily the miles I walk on the Kumano are rather short in comparison.  The longest day is only 12 miles which was the average day on the Santiago Camino.  I think there is only one 12 mile day and the others are only 3 – 8 miles.  The trail is more difficult in places on the Kumano due to the steepness of the climb and descent.  The Camino Santiago has some rather steep climbs and descents too though.

Nicole and I leave a month from today for our grand adventure.  I’m not sure if I am excited or terrified or a bit of both.  Japan seems to be more foreign to me than France or Spain felt.  I could read and understand some French and Spanish but have no clue when it comes to Japanese.  Grateful Nicole has an ear for languages.  She downloaded an App to help her learn some of the language and I bet she can get us what we need.  I am always surprised when I travel how many people speak some English.  I am grateful!

The second week of July I am spending the week in KC with Nicole so we can clean out her old house and get it ready to be sold.  We will finalize our plans and make the last two hotel reservations we need to make.  Need to check to see if we need to pre-purchase our train tickets that will get us to where we need to be to start our Camino adventure and to get us back to the big city afterwards.  It always seems to work out – one way or another.

Spending the day doing laundry, mowing  and cleaning house.  Since I gave the chickens fresh linens I think I will treat myself to some too!  Getting my exercise in today taking care of the house, chickens and yard.  It is a beautiful day on the prairie.  All is well!

 

 

 

 

 

I really enjoyed the Friday night music in downtown Cottonwood Falls last night. It was a beautiful evening to sit outside and listen to the cowboy music. Several recited poetry – I especially enjoyed the poetry about the dog and the cows that was read.

This afternoon I went to Pioneer Bluffs to volunteer for the music program which was followed by a home-made ice cream social. It is always fun to see friends and work beside them. There were over 50 people who came today to enjoy the music and ice cream.

Before I left I finished baby blanket number three. Still have one more to make and maybe two. I like to keep one on hand in case I get invited to a baby shower and don’t have time to make one.

I’m really tired this afternoon. Struggling to keep my eyes open so may need to take a nap. It has warmed back up again and the heat is draining me.

Nothing on my calendar for tomorrow. I do need to clean house as I haven’t cleaned since the last retreat. I still need to give my girls some fresh linens. There is always mowing that needs done. Maybe tomorrow will be the day I get some of those things done.

Beautiful sunny summer day. All is well on the prairie.

Another night of strong storms. The power surged a couple of times during the storm last night and it fried my Sonos Bridge even though I had the bridge plugged into a power surge protection device. I can’t find a replacement bridge and ordered a different type. Trusting it will work. I really enjoy having my Sonos system and would be sad if I can’t continue using it. My speakers are four years old and aren’t compatible with the newest Sonos system. Not sure I want to spend the money to upgrade them.

I have been playing Spotify from my iPad today and it just doesn’t sound the same as the Sonos speakers do.

Found a video of the Kumano Kodo this morning which lead me to several other videos. Wow! The trail looks very difficult in places but doesn’t scare me completely yet. I found on the Camino if I take it very slowly and focus on one step at a time I can do it. The views are absolutely amazing as I will be in the remote mountains with very little development around them. Discovered the trail is over 1,000 years old and has been used as a pilgrimage to nature ever since.

The chicken bedding got wet again last night. It is almost time to change it out so may get that done today. My local farmer was to have delivered more straw two months ago but must have forgotten. I’ll have to get hold of him again and see if he can bring me some more. I have enough to change it out this time and one more time then I will be out of straw. For some reason the eggs I picked up this morning were muddy. It is a muck boot type of day out here for sure.

If I remember I am going to the music at downtown Cottonwood Falls tonight. It is cowboy night. Kathy is on the look out for a cowboy so I’m going to go check out the possibilities for her. Who knows – maybe I will find me one too! If nothing else it may make for some good eye candy. I love watching people doing something they love to do and the people that play at this music event have a real passion for music.

Tomorrow I am volunteering at Pioneer Bluffs music program and ice cream social. I have been invited to a picnic Saturday evening but haven’t decided if I am going or not yet. Three things in two days may be one too much.

Need to start putting together a packing list for Japan. I know I need to get at least one more pair of hiking pants as I broke a zipper on one of my two pairs I had taken on the Camino. Thankfully I had taken a pair of leggings and used them as pants on the days when my other pair of pants didn’t get dry over night. I have enough shirts but do need a rain jacket as I left mine at the Santiago airport on the way home. I had gotten another pair of hiking sticks but need to make sure they fit inside my carry on bag. I am only taking my carry on bag and a day back pack so won’t have room for many clothes. We will be gone almost two weeks so will need to wash things out each night like I did on the Camino. If really helps when I take quick drying clothes so I don’t have to pack wet things. I found out quickly when I do that it gets everything else wet and then they really start to stink.

I’m going to be in KC the second week of July to help Nicole get her old house cleaned out. I’m sure I can find time then to go shopping and get what I need. Just need to get a list together. Hopefully I will have our trail reservations confirmed by then and will find out what I need to take. Not sure if they provide towels, etc. Since I won’t be checking a bag I need to make sure all my toiletries are small enough sizes to carry on board.

Almost finished the fifth panel on the baby blanket I am making. One more panel after the fifth one and my third blanket will be done. Just one more blanket to go. Good news is I have memorized the pattern by now so don’t have to look at it any more. Trying to figure out if I can take some knitting to work on during the 12 hour flight to Japan. Guess I can make something and give it away so I don’t have to carry it. Not sure I have room for yarn for the trip home though. Maybe I can buy some in Japan.

Quiet day. Clouds are moving away and the sun is coming out. Looks like it may warm up this afternoon. I will need to mow when it dries out a bit.

All is wet and well on the prairie today!

Another night of very little sleep last night. My feet hurt bad last night. Once it finally started raining they started to feel better. Guess I have two weather indicators now.

Drove to KC this afternoon. Stopped at Costco and picked up a few things and then went to Nicole’s house. We booked our flights to Japan and requested our reservations for the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage walk. It takes them three to five days before they can confirm our reservations for the walk. We also booked a hotel room at a hotel right by the airport in Japan for the night we arrive and for our last night in Japan. We aren’t sure what we want to do beside the Kumano Kodo so we will book the rest of the rooms when we decide where we are going to go. We have two more nights before and after the Kumano to find a place to stay.

When we were done we went to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner. Nicole uses chop sticks like a pro. She tried to teach me but I am a slow learner sometimes. The waitress brought me chopsticks that had training wheels on them and a fork. I mainly used the fork. Thinking I will need to pack and take some forks with me to Japan. Good news is we both enjoyed the food. The attorney I used to set up my new trust was having dinner with his family at a table near by. They were celebrating someone’s birthday.

We are both so excited to be going to Japan. We both commented how small the world can be if we remember to go places. Not sure either one of us is looking forward to the almost 12 hour flight plus the connecting flights but we can do it. We did upgrade to business class for the long flight there so we won’t be packed in like a sardine for that long. We leave KC at 6:00 am and arrive in Japan at 3:00 pm the following day. We have over a three-hour lay over in San Francisco flying out. We weren’t able to choose our seats for the long return flight. Hoping when we get to the airport in Japan we can do that before we leave for our time in Japan and won’t have to just take what is left when we check in to come home.

I took clothes so I could stay over night in KC tonight in case the storms moved in as predicted. Thankfully the storm system must have slowed down as I was able to drive home tonight without running into bad weather. The sunset was absolutely beautiful tonight. I had trouble remembering I was driving and not supposed to be staring at the sunset. It is always good to sleep in my own bed if sleep decides to find me tonight.

Just a little over a month before I leave for Japan. Time to get my ass in gear and start walking.

August is shaping up to be an epic month with the trip to Japan and the solar eclipse trip on my birthday. I love adventures and both are going to be epic!

Home sweet home. Plans are being made. Adventures are forthcoming. All is well on the prairie tonight!

Finally made it into Emporia this morning. I needed chicken feed, dog food and some groceries for me. The wind is in a big hurry today and it was hard to keep my little car on the road.

I’m going to KC tomorrow afternoon so Nicole and I can make our Kumano Kodo reservations for August. Not sure if I am going to stay over or drive home late evening. It will depend on how long it takes us to get them finished.

The heat of summer has returned. I sure liked the cooler days better. I turned the air on last night before I went to bed.

Had trouble sleeping last night. I had taken a short nap yesterday afternoon and it must have been enough to give me trouble sleeping. I didn’t do enough movement yesterday to get tired.

I’m going to fix a meatloaf for dinner. I invited the kids and Craig out to help me eat it. Not sure if anyone is free to come though. I’ll take leftovers to Nicole tomorrow if they can’t come.

Sitting with lots of empty space. The summer heat slows me down and with all my empty space I am not very motivated to do much. Glad I have my knitting project going. It helps makes me feel like I get something done.

Tired today. Hot and windy day on the prairie. All is well!

I have a full bus! All the seats have been reserved for our trip to Atchison to view the total solar eclipse on August 21. I am starting a wait list in case someone on the list can’t come. Let me know if you want on the wait list.

Feels good to have the list of those going complete. I’m excited others signed up to come along with me. It will be a really fun day!

Some friends brought me over some fresh beets they picked out of their garden this morning along with extra beet greens for my chickens. My chickens love beet greens and I love beets so we are all happy campers today.

I saw a beautiful rainbow last night after the storm blew through. I only got a few sprinkles and just a little wind for a brief time. It sprinkled again this morning but most of the rain went around me both times. I sure could use an inch or two to fill in the cracks in my yard. Loving the cooler temperatures. The heat is to return tomorrow.

Another quiet day for me. I may go into Emporia this afternoon to get some groceries. Need to wait until I decide what to fix so I will know what to buy. I do want to get some veggies so I can roast them with the beets I got this morning. Since it isn’t too hot I can turn the oven on and fix something tonight. I have some hamburger thawing so I can make a meat loaf. May need to invite the kids out to dinner as there is no way I can eat a meat loaf by myself.

Pioneer Bluffs is having a Brass Quintet play this coming Saturday at 1:30 followed by an ice cream social. I volunteered to help with it from 1:00 to 3:00. Come and enjoy the music and home-made ice cream if you need something to do this weekend. The ice cream social is a fund-raiser and they will be accepting donations for that.

Finished the first panel on the third baby blanket I am knitting. Didn’t have anything else to do last night and it seemed to be a better use of my time than playing iPad games.

Quiet day. Quiet mind. Cool temperatures. All is well on the prairie today.

Total solar eclipse is on August 21 this year. Can you say road trip? I am renting a bus and driver and taking 13 of my friends north to Atchison, KS so we can experience the brief period of darkness around 1:00. I sent an email invite to some friends and put a post on Facebook. I only have one spot left for sure but maybe four. I am temporarily holding three spots for some friends so they can check their schedules to see if they can figure out a way to come. I will start a wait list when it sells out in case plans change and someone decides they can’t come. Let me know if you want to go. Cost is $50 and includes transportation and lunch as well as a piece of birthday cake. Yes, that is my birthday. How cool the Universe is putting on a show for me. Last year I saw the biggest full moon rising I have ever seen that came up just to help me celebrate my birthday. Thanks Universe!

I have been working on clearing up some technology clutter by emptying my email junk and delete files. Need to learn a faster way of doing so. I hadn’t done it for several months so it seemed to take a long time as there were lots of them that needed cleared out. While I was emptying the delete file I got four new junk emails. I work to unsubscribe from as many as I can so I stop the incoming but it sure seems hard to keep ahead of all the junk emails.

I need to figure out a way to speed up my iPad. I googled how to do that and the best recommendation is to reset it to the factory settings and start over putting on it what I want and use. It will delete all the data that isn’t backed up doing so. I think I have everything stored in the Cloud but am not sure. Anyone an expert at this type of thing and want to help me out?

I cast on the third baby blanket I want to knit. May need to take a knitting break though as it is becoming tedious to count each stitch. This one is going to a baby who isn’t due until late fall so have lots of time to make it.

I am going to KC sometime this week so Nicole and I can be together so we can make our flight and Kumano Kodo reservations. Thinking this will be the easiest way rather than talking on the phone and trying to do it. She applied for her LOA from work and is hoping to hear this week if it is approved. The first of August will be here before I know it. Time to get things ready – including my slightly out-of-shape body.

Craig invited me out to dinner last night. We get the funniest looks from people when they see us out together. Is there a rule you can’t be friends with your ex? If so, we break that rule! People seem not to know what to say to us when we are together.

Enjoying a quiet day at home. Not getting much done other than the email decluttering. Feels good today to be quiet and not do much. Some days it really bothers me when I don’t get much done and other days I can enjoy that type of day. Today I am enjoying it.

Another beautiful summer day on the prairie. Not so hot today so the windows are open. The birds are singing. Dogs and cats are napping. Chickens are laying and then singing their I just laid an egg song. All is well on the prairie today!

Happy birthday to my oldest brother Gene. Don’t think the package I mailed you got to you in time for your birthday but it should be there by Tuesday. Enjoy your day!

I am finally having a productive day. I have needed to do some house keeping all week and I was finally able to do it today. Changed the sheets on my bed – I wish I would do that every day. Nothing better than climbing into bed at night in a freshly made bed. Did four loads of laundry and put everything away. Mopped the kitchen floor. Cleaned out my refrigerator. Emptied the trash.

For some reason I didn’t have much energy all week last week and couldn’t make myself do anything. Glad what ever was going on with me is done and my energy is back and I can get a few things done again. I don’t like low energy days – especially when they drag out to a week of them.

I will finish the second baby blanket this afternoon. I’m down to only 12 rows left and then will need to bind off and weave the ends in. Nice to have another one finished. Two more to go so halfway done with this little knitting project.

I got a few sprinkles during the night. I happened to be up so was able to get the windows closed before the rain blew in. By the time I got all the windows closed it had quit raining. Looks like I still have a chance for some rain later this afternoon if the system headed my way holds together. I could use an inch or more. My yard has deep cracks in it again.

Loving having the windows and doors open today. Last night was a busy night outside with the birds singing, insects talking and my critters busy keeping me safe. The dogs usually sleep most of the day so they have lots of energy to chase off invaders at night.

Need to go find some food. I really need to figure out what sounds good to fix and make a list and go buy groceries. Hard to buy groceries when nothing sounds good.

May go out and weed my flower beds this afternoon. I need to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and get that project done. My glad’s have been really pretty this year. I love flowers that come back on their own and I don’t have to do anything with them.

So glad the fog I was in last week has lifted and my spirit is back. I was beginning to worry about myself as all I wanted to do was sleep. When I get too much sleep I am more tired than when I don’t get enough.

Cloudy day. Cool day. All is well on the prairie today!

Thinking my critters may have saved my life last night. I woke up around 2:30 hearing the dogs barking really loud and the cows in the back pasture yelling. Stepped outside but couldn’t see what was wrong. Since I was up I picked up my iPad to check mail. I almost burned my hand when I unplugged it. The charging cord had splintered and there was a hot, loose wire. I will never know if it would have started a fire but it sure felt like it might have. Thanks critters!

I finally went back to bed around 6:30 this morning and slept my second sleep. When I woke up the second time my cranky mood was gone. I did chores and knitted for a bit and then went to Pioneer Bluffs to help with the Ranching Heritage talk. I’m glad I went as the talk was one of the better ones. It was given by the Mushrush family. They shared their ranching philosophy and values. I never knew how much science it takes to raise pure breed Red Angus. They specialize in selling Bulls and do business around the globe.

I came home really tired so took a nap. I have slept more this week than I have for the last month. When I woke up I went into town to get a new charging cord for my iPad. Not taking any chances and threw the broken one away.

What an absolutely beautiful day out today. High was in the low 80’s with bright blue skies and very light wind. It just doesn’t get much better anywhere than today was. Wish it could be like this year round. So nice to have the windows open and fresh air coming in. The dust came in too but I have learned to ignore it.

Still haven’t made it to the gym. Not sure why I am resisting going. I will really have to push myself hard when I get started. I remember I had trouble getting started when I walked the Camino.

I have another week coming up with nothing on my calendar I need to do. No excuses about working out I guess. I struggle when I have days and days of nothing to do. Working on stepping into that and allowing it to be what it is knowing I don’t have to do anything to have value.

Resting. Recharging. Grateful for the beautiful day. All is well on the prairie.

Another lazy day for me. Having trouble finding motivation to get much done. I did take two packages to the post office this morning and mailed them. Added another panel to the baby blanket I am knitting. Mowed some of the tall grass on the rocky ledge in my yard. It is hard mowing as the grass is tough and tall. I have to make two passes to get it all cut. Came in and took a shower as I was dirty and dusty. Hard to get all the dirt out of my ears and other body cracks and crevices.

I did cross something off my 70 things I want to do before I turn 70 list. I usually make a huge mess when I fill my mower with gas and spill it all over the mower and usually get some on my shoes. On my list was to be able to fill my mower with gas and not spill a drop. I did that today! It is the little things in life that give me a big thrill!

Need to go find some food. Not in the mood to cook and I realized last night I have not been eating much this week. All I have wanted to do is sleep and rest. I have been kinda cranky all week. It seems to come and go but mainly comes. A bit of sadness behind it too. Not sure if it is the summer solstice energy or just still worn out from the weekend. What ever it is it can go away soon. I have been doing my best to allow it to be what it is and not sit in resistance to it but I am getting tired of it today.

Tomorrow afternoon is an event at Pioneer Bluffs I probably should go help with. If the cranky stuff goes away I will go. Not sure they want me to come if I am still cranky.

I love the cooler temperatures today. I may turn my A/C off and give it a break. It is to stay cool for several days. Much prefer sleeping with the windows open.

A friend was gong to come have an energy session this afternoon but had trouble getting a rental car and cancelled. Probably worked out for the best for both of us. Not sure I would have been able to do her much good today in the mood I am in.

Ordered a book about the Kumano Kodo. I’m anxious to learn more about it and find out just how physically challenging it is. Course I didn’t always find the predicted hard days on my Camino so hard and I found some days they said would be easy to be hard. The mental aspect of a walk like this is the biggest deciding factor I learned.

Cranky today. This too shall pass. All is well and much cooler on the prairie today.