Meanwhile.docx

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

It’s a good thing I’m not starting the walk tomorrow! Not only did I sprain my ankle, but I’m just now collecting the equipment I need for the walk. So far Dick’s seems to have the best price on good hiking socks (4 pairs for a dollar). Of course one can pay up to $25 per pair, but not on my budget. At Wild Country I found a really light pair of hiking boots. (They’re actually designed for SWAT members, fire and rescue personnel, and police officers.) They look a bit like the old tankers’ boots, if you happen to know what those were. They have a heavy-duty zipper up the inside ankle, but they also lace up the front, permitting adjustment of how snug they are. Though with taxes they cost plenty, the store manager gave me a discount because I am retired military. I guess that’s my first unofficial sponsorship. J

I examined and priced backpacks. I’m not particularly impressed. If you want anything that’s very good at all, it quickly becomes pricey. I discussed the matter with my brother and with my son, among others. The technology of backpacks has undergone radical developments since I bought my most recent pack. From an external pack frame, packs have moved to having internal frames. I’m looking for several things in a pack: it needs to be well-made, have plenty of storage space (conveniently and sensibly formatted), be waterproof (or reasonably so: a waterproof cover on the top is a big help), be relatively light, and feel right on my back. Of course no outfitter is going to let me take one out for a week’s trial, so this is a fairly big decision. Furthermore when I attempted to discusses packs with some younger store employees, I didn’t find a single person who had ever heard of using a head strap, so I might have to rig my own. (You can see a picture of an 1882 model backpack with a head strap at http://www.getoutdoors.com/goblog/index.php?/archives/3772-Behold-The-50000-Backpack-1882-Duluth-Poirier-Pack-Sack.html. Of course I’m not quite old enough to remember that particular model, but most serious hikers used to at least consider a head strap. Now no one even knows what that is. That’ll teach me to get old!)

My brother wants me to look at a fairly recent Army-issue pack that he acquired in the past few years, and I’ll certainly do that before I invest in a new piece of equipment that costs as much as a good pack does. I have a Panama Jack hat that should provide reasonable shade from the sun. As for what I should wear by way of shirt and trousers, everything I’ve examined that looks really practical is also really expensive. I’d like to wear something that’s about the light-tan shade of the old Army khaki uniform, but a shirt of that style and look costs $50, and it would seem prudent to have more than one shirt along.

To add to the excitement of the walk, my nonagenarian mom told me about a German man who was walking across the United States. He was on U.S. highway 52 between Lanark and Mt. Carroll, Illinois when the accident occurred. A car left the roadway and struck him, even though he was well off to one side (on the shoulder). And of course she’s right that walking along a public highway is a dangerous undertaking (let’s leave the undertakers out of it for now, though). Still, what I’m proposing to do is not likely to be anywhere near as dangerous as what our soldiers, coastguardsmen, sailors, marines, and airmen face on a daily basis.

I’m writing this blog post when I’m really supposed to be getting things ready for our vacation trip, but you know how it is. I actually have a list of things to do, and I got many of them done yesterday, but so far today I’ve accomplished very little. I’m fighting off (at least I hope I’m winning) a strange sinus infection that is trying to engender a sore larynx and some congestion in my lungs. Given my reluctance to load up on drugs, I’ve finally acquiesced in my wife’s suggestion that I take some Musinex and some Zyrtec, along with more than my usual megadose of vitamin C.

Because we’re going to miss some of the blossoms in our garden (the bush peony is down to its last blossom, and the regular peonies are just starting to open their blossoms to welcome the ants), I’m taking the liberty of posting a few pictures here. Even if you can’t stop by for a visit right now, you can at least enjoy the state of our yard and garden.

This dahlia sits across our front stoop from its look-alike. I hope these will bloom all season.

For years I wanted a bush peony. Against the advice of my master gardener mom, I
spent the money to buy one a couple of years ago, and I haven’t been sorry. This is
really a peony plant grafted onto a bush stock. I haven’t found much information on it.

The spirea (bridal wreath) makes a nice backdrop for the peonies, allium, pinks,
and creeping phlox (a new addition this year). Barely visible are the amaryllis that are rebuilding their bulbs among the peonies.