Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
|
|
|
May 28, 2016 - 08:22pm PT
|
FAIRYBANKS ALASKA, home of feralfae (ooooh, now it all makes sense tee tee tee)
I am ready for visitors, but the house isn’t quite yet: I would be embarrassed to have any of you see the main bathroom, and the guest bath is beyond mention, and only the sink and toilet in the MBR are clean. renters, glad they kept the place in one piece, but goodness!
But I just put 4-1# packages of fresh Copper River salmon into the freezer. It feels very good to have some food ready to use, and to have a clean refrigerator and freezer to store things. Four smaller pieces of salmon are cooling from being seared and then slow cooked in a large iron skillet. They will be a side of protein for four salads I will make this coming week. I do wish a few of you were here. It would be so much fun. I will send out a more gracious invitation soon.
I am being pretty still and peaceful today, focusing almost entirely on my own state of being, just resting and relaxing, supporting my existence in simple ways of peace and harmony, listening to Bach, Enya, Rachmaninoff, and of course Scriabin. Staying very low key. All around me on the walls are photos of Doug climbing, the mountains of Alaska, and a couple of Waterman photos, too. It is a glorious time to be here — warm but very few mosquitoes yet. Nice breezes. I had a nice photo — wait, I’ll grab it -- from a friend up in Nome, who sent this, with the title “one of the locals” which I am sure it is. I think the poor creature is perplexed by all the big machines around there.
For those who might not recognize one, this is a musk ox. Their fine undercoat wool, called Quiviut, is prized for its fineness, beauty, as a gift from Mother Earth, mostly for its warmth, and is harvested from bushes and range lands by the local peoples, who spin and weave it into beautiful and superbly warm clothing. Imagine a baby's first boots, lined with Quiviut. :)
My X-C ski route took me right past the herd at the experimental farm. I would stop and visit.I hope to have enough energy to do that again sometime soon.
So, there is a musk ox in case you have not met any, and if you come up here, you can go talk with them if they are having a social day. I now go back to doing absolutely nothing except admiring the light on the trees, beneath a sapphire-blue sky, with clouds that Bierstadt would love to paint. :)
I am surrounded by Love and Light, and able to sleep only because I have a wonderful sleep mask. We are at the time of midnight twilight, when the sun is never quite surrendering to night, is always hovering around the rim of the shadow. Everything is so very alive and vibrant, growing and surging forth to gobble all the photons during the long, lingering light of high summer, all around the roof of Earth. It is a glorious time to be here.
feralfae, at home, at ease :)
|
|
hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
|
|
|
May 28, 2016 - 08:53pm PT
|
^^^ wow!
i was thinking today i should afford as much effort to apprehend place as time. "now" has been trendy. place, while not quite commoditized is ranked as to worthiness. somewhere in the mix may lurk dwell, an elusive state for one who only haltingly resides
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - May 28, 2016 - 09:01pm PT
|
Oh, Locker, gurgle this, bud.
It's not everyone who climbs as often as you. H'A H'A! ! ! !
"Salmon Patty" has it goin' on in FairieBanks, eh?
But quietly.
Wonderinging about you, too, feralfae, but I knew you were in the midst of a change of scene.
Yeah, takin' it easy and lettin' it come to you, that's the ticket.
Enjoy your salmon and Scriabin.
And thanks for the musk ox image.
I gurgled this one, who is dancing.
|
|
feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
|
|
|
May 28, 2016 - 09:07pm PT
|
Mouse, that is a beautiful piece of art. Wow.
Yep, je suis ici. That is my entire French vocabulary, vraiment. :)
ff
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
|
May 28, 2016 - 09:12pm PT
|
hey there say, mouse...
wow, say, as to burney falls...
i been there once... but, my best childhood friend, went there
"tons" of times, with family...
they discovered it, from a friend and loved it!
SHE TOO wishes she was there... sadly, she had a small stroke,
about a week agao, :(
i am so very sad for her...
send her some GET WELL prayers and burney falls hopes...
say, wow, feralfae!!!!
oh how i LOVED this:
I am being pretty still and peaceful today, focusing almost entirely on my own state of being, just resting and relaxing, supporting my existence in simple ways of peace and harmony, listening to Bach, Enya, Rachmaninoff, and of course Scriabin. Staying very low key. All around me on the walls are photos of Doug climbing, the mountains of Alaska, and a couple of Waterman photos, too. It is a glorious time to be here — warm but very few mosquitoes yet. Nice breezes. I had a nice photo — wait, I’ll grab it -- from a friend up in Nome, who sent this, with the title “one of the locals” which I am sure it is. I think the poor creature is perplexed by all the big machines around there.
been so busy loving and helping my dear older friend... wow, it is
like having a mother, mentor and sister, and friend, all rolled into one...
oh, and a historian, of sorts, too, :))
now, the yard will need my time, too, as it has been raining and SUNNING... :))
i have extra piece of land, now, too, thanks to god's grace and a kind
neighbor, that did not want the land, as, it was too hard to upkeep as he is 86...
he inherited it from his mom's sis... it has been a chore, and now that i own my house, it makes sense for my family to help me add it on to my house, now...
will be garden and little pond:
IF THE CRITTERS, hee heee, will let the food alone, :)
when it grows... :)
but--will try to call you, hopefully by monday... :)
|
|
feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
|
|
|
May 28, 2016 - 09:37pm PT
|
neebs, I will email the phone # here to you. Glad to hear about the land for a garden! Yes! You will have the best and most organic garden you can. I am thinking of you and your friend and holding you both in prayer, too.
ff
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
|
May 28, 2016 - 09:47pm PT
|
hey there say, got the email...
hee hee, man oh man, READ my reply, :))
hugs and night-night, now... :)
|
|
feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
|
|
|
May 28, 2016 - 11:31pm PT
|
Hooblie, thank you for your comments.
I am not very metaphysical, just in the middle of a metaphysical experiment. Me?, I'm just a simple potter, turning mud back into stone through the application of heat. When Doug used to ask me what I aspired to be if not this feralfae, I said a pine marten. Maybe a fox now. That's about as far as I go these days, when not working on a paper or a lecture or something.
Have a safe and sane weekend, and enjoy nature all around you. I am weeding the flower beds and starting to clean up the entry of the house up here. It is fun to be able to work outside most of a 24-hour period.
happy holiday time to you.
ff
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - May 29, 2016 - 01:39am PT
|
This afternoon around three thirty I spent over an hour out on the roof of the nearby parking structure taking shots of the thunderheads over the mountains.
I earned the beers I had over at the Public House when I went there to watch the Warriors' game. I stuck to two. Skip was there to talk with, but I had the two beers I earned and am glad I left when I did. I had a good little snooze to rest up when I got home. I got horizontal, a good thing for my legs, which had been vertical most of the day.
I'm now down to a weight that is ten pounds less than a week ago and I can feel the energy. That's about a gallon of water weight, not fat. I can still poke my feet and the finger leaves a slight indentation, a sign I need to keep up with "the program." It helps that I got my Rx to boost the effect of the Furosemide I take twice a day.
I rode the bike to the top of the parking garage, but was really winded. It's just two flights. I used cross-country skiing and mountaineering technique, switching back rather than straight up. I did it, though, without having to stop. That's a start. Cruising around on the flats is not really working out. Getting that heavy beast Electra up a slight incline is working out, though, even in low gear.
It's like John Decker told me, I should be ascending the stairs and taking the elevator down to spare my knees, then repeat as necessary or able. And the bike on the inclined plane isn't so bad, and more to my taste, knees-wise. I just have to do it--and control my appetite, too. That's the plan for the next week and I'll see how it goes. I need to get into shape for being in the Valley for Facelift.
So that's where I am at, feralfae, trying to reach a level where I can function like I wish, more or less...but...I keep slipping back, losing control; and the doctor calls me a "Problem Child" and Stephanie, the gal who coordinates the daily health care check, agrees.
I go up and down in weight quickly and it's the very thing they want me to stop doing. It's up to me and I am the one who lacks will power, but who wishes to stick around a bit longer; and not just that, but feel up to at least mild exertion and enjoying life more.
Thunderheads. Nice to get a different location for a change.
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - May 29, 2016 - 07:35am PT
|
"Thank you. Have a good day."
This is the message the health check unit delivers every morning when the check is completed and the data is ready to be sent.
Today's readings were as I thought they might be...low, which is good. I went out and tackled the parking structure again around 5:45 and shot those sunrise pix. I felt winded at the top of the ramps, but did them with no stopping. When I checked my BP it's the lowest that it's ever been, 73/48. And I've lost 2 pounds, putting me at just under 190.
So the pep talk which I gave myself last night helped. So did a good sleep, for a change! Nearly four solid hours.
When I finished with the sunrise I went across the street to shoot the roses at the Gateway Gardens. I'm happy.
I'd rather be at Briceburg or Burney Falls or kicking it with Tad while Mo's out of town, but such is not the case. Flowers will do, though.
Oh, say, those aren't flowers!
Looks like you'll have to check it out and see where the flowers went.
|
|
feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
|
|
|
May 29, 2016 - 09:25am PT
|
When I checked my BP it's the lowest that it's ever been, 73/48.
MFM, isn't that a tad on the low side? I trust you are drinking enough water and staying hydrated.
End of Mommy lecture.
Wow, it is beautiful here today.
ff
|
|
zBrown
Ice climber
|
|
|
May 29, 2016 - 09:25am PT
|
I rode the bike to the top of the parking garage, but was really winded. It's just two flights. I used cross-country skiing and mountaineering technique, switching back rather than straight up. I did it, though, without having to stop. That's a start. Cruising around on the flats is not really working out. Getting that heavy beast Electra up a slight incline is working out, though, even in low gear.
Good job Brian. Keep it up. I don't have any magic, but movement and elevation (and the diuretic) are key from what I've seen.
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - May 29, 2016 - 01:39pm PT
|
It sure seemed low, feralfae. I'll check it again in the morning. The device is not perfect, as it will sometimes try to read the pressure but cannot determine it, so it tells me to tighten the cuff, wait sixty and it begins again, which is what happened this morning.
I'm not too worried...feeling good is not easy and there's no Bobby McGee here.
But Lefty's still around.[Click to View YouTube Video]
Johnny's gone, and Merle, too, now.[Click to View YouTube Video]
[Click to View YouTube Video]When I got to watch a Highwaymen tribute someone said Kris was a songwriter of the top notch, but that his singing was no match for Willie's or Merle's. Nobody said anything of John Mellenkamp's abilities, though he is no slacker in either singing or songwriting.
Here's to continued existence on this plane for what's left of the Highwaymen.
|
|
feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
|
|
|
May 29, 2016 - 01:55pm PT
|
Mouse, I think you're doing' great! Hey, every day that we get out and play with the world, enjoy life and speak with friends is a good day. Everything else is just a series of elaborations on living, playing, loving and sharing our joy.
Keep it up. You know I'll be checkin on the blood pressure reports. :)
I am in such great shape that I've been out walking again, pulling weeds, cleaning the yard, and generally trying to clear small spaces one at a time so I can see how the place used to look before the years of the renters. From now on, I am just going to call all of this the RT: renter times.
I have more pumice stones and more gloves, so I may do a bit more scrubbing this afternoon. But it is beautiful outside, no skeeters yet, and everyone in good moods this holiday weekend. life is good.
Hello zB, I saw you chiming in with some encouragement and congratulations for the Mighty Mouse. Guess I'll pull my gloves on now and go pull some more weeds.
The wild roses are blooming, by the way. :)
ff
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - May 29, 2016 - 06:34pm PT
|
P.O.-ed Again
When traipsing through the underbrush
I came upon a patch
Of shrubbery or greenery--
There is a word to match.
I went crashing through this screen of green
Without a single hitch;
But later on, far down the trail,
My hand began to itch.
Sure is shiny. Looks a little viny.
Not wild roses. Not exactly a tree. Sort of a vine. Sometimes a bush. Always to be avoided.
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - May 30, 2016 - 12:39am PT
|
A bit of fluff.
Fluffy things abound on the street.
And some serious stuff to even it out.Seriously sweet!
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - May 30, 2016 - 04:31am PT
|
Dream Vacation 2016
Welcome to my valley. It was hard to get here, wasn’t it? But I'm used to it. You may be used to it, too--lots of folks are insomniac and it takes work to try to fall asleep.
This is all happening in a valley in a dream which you and I are sharing. You dream of valleys like this very often? I come here when I really want to stretch my mental muscles daydreaming, lost for a time in reverie, gathering wool; in my dreams, my deep-sleep dreams, when they come, all the wool I’ve gathered coalesces into worlds that for the time I sleep are as real as my waking life.
Some people have their Fantasy Island. I have my Fantastic Valley.
It’s very like a library, in that the climbing routes are listed in the Dewey Decimal Rating System’s Guide Book Services Directory to Unreal Climbing Cliffs and Route Thereon.
It’s on the computer, so there’s not a card file. I miss card files. Okay, it’s all on a card file now. I can do anything in a dream. So I switched that fancy-schmancy database to cards. Look at that handsome set of oaken card files! Just beautiful and it only takes up a tenth of the floor space in the valley! Coo1.
So let’s take a look, shall we? There aren’t any topos, just verbal descriptions. This is only to be expected in a library, but there are scads of those things over in the Juvenile Section.
They say that it’s harder to follow a route using verbal descriptions. Here in Book Valley--which, by the way, is the “official” name of this Fantastic Place, this Majestic Place--since it’s a dream world and all things are mutable, the route descriptions aren’t to be totally trusted. Just a caution, mind you. It's hard to get "lost."
Still, since you are new here--did I just have a flash of deja vu?--I recommend you to use the free bookmarks you received at the entrance station to help find your way back if you get separated from me, which happens in dreams as it does in life. I could stop and tell you a tale that would send you screaming from the room about my having lost my way here one night.
You’ve seen Night In a Museum? “Fire up the iron horse, boys,” and all that lot? I could tell you about that night, which caused my hair to fall out, but that’s off-topic, off-route, and sure to confuse you some, if not greatly. Besides, you might think I’m stretching the truth, and in order to be your trusted guide, I need to maintain my credibility. Leave me say it’s an incredible story, even more incredible than Sophie the Castaway Dog’s story, which is not saying all that much, considering it was a family film. This is, after all, a family vacation, right?
You Ubergrubers are quite a normal-looking bunch. Mrs. and Mr. and two boys, Clint and Ed. Well, we’ll have to issue you all a library/leader's card before we go out and tackle a chapter book. That’s followed by advanced route-reading and a thorough tour of the valley. After that, you are free to check out any climb you wish and climb it with anyone who appeals to you as a partner.
For now, we’ll just go hang out infront of Differoon’s Deli and have some sandwiches and then we’ll take the shuttle to Quest Cliff, where there are several open books just waiting for someone to climb them. You’ve heard their names and all are justly famous:
The Iliad, Pilgrim’s Deviation, Sink the Watership, Hairy Potter, MooseDrool and donini Climb the White Castle, One Piece Wonder, The Bones of Indiana Jones, and the Voyage of the Dawn Wall Treader.
One Piece Wonder is the standard beginner’s route here. It doesn’t require but one point of pro and that’s the obvious exclamation point halfway up the first pitch. It protects the hard moves quite well and all you need is to sling it and clip in.
Okay, here we are. Dreams are like that, eh? Enjoying a sandwich at Differoon’s one second, on a death-climb the next. Get used to it—this most always usually happens when you’ve eaten at Differoon’s. They use ground-up guide-book reviews in their pizza dough, it’s been rumored. Guy named Eric told me. I think his last name is Woot, but I may have miswead his wips. The well-known author Wicki Knozitall seems to think the pizza dough is contaminated by aviation fuel, too. I frankly don’t know who to believe, but then this is a dream, so it really doesn’t matter.
Okay, the way we do it here is to have you all sing the Roofenpoofer Song before hitting the books. If you don’t know the words, make some up. It helps build team spirit, strengthens partnerships, and lets us know who can’t carry a tune in a bucket, or who might be selected for the yodeling team. We urge you to use traditional tunes, if possible. No rapping until it’s time to descend from the summit of yon obstacle, One Piece Wonder, the quasi-legendary Piton Pedro’s piece de resistance and his only free climb FA to date.
You’ve got the rest of the holiday weekend to enjoy after the Tour of the Stacks, as we call it. And you are absolutely free to check out any of the books here as long as they are opened. If they are closed, that means they are either being climbed by another party or they are being emended, repaired, and re-bolted. DO NOT OPEN CLOSED BOOKS. This is the only rule, the main deal, the one-and-only thing that could ruin your weekend because it will ruin this entire dream. Gal from Oakland opened one last month and we never found her. Fair warning.
Enjoy the weekend.
My recommends for reading/climbing:
Tragedy Bluff –
You should do MacDeath and Carmen as a link-up. Four stars.
A Pitch of Doreen Gray is a good send for any mid-level readers and it never gets old for the pros.
Dirty Mary’s Crack and Crazy Hairy Chimney are side by side and only a pitch each, but stellar.
Check out Madame Ovary and Camlet, too.
Rebirth/Self-Help Cliffs--
Life Is a Dream on the Beach, FA by Life Is a Reach and Fritz Ungerbunger, a classic.The Secret Garden, extreme difficulty in coming out of the top of this chimney, but that’s life.
How the Grinch Re-gifted on Christmas is so easy that it’s been led and read by five-year-olds, but it teaches everyone a valuable lesson. Highly recommeded.
Despicable Us, for sure, but most just top-rope it.
I’ll leave you to your own literary devices now. I think you can navigate this place with ease.
What I like best about this place is that I’m here at my own negligible risk; climbing here is no harder than it need be--or it can be as hard as i can imagine; and I can rest assured that everything I climb is an FA.
That’s how it works in Book Valley in Dreamscape National Park.
Our sponsor is the Mono Myth Monthly, the Voice in the Howling Buckaroo.
Offices in Lee Vinining and Manmoth.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!