4 April 08
Ink Under the Fingernails
I dropped and broke the water jug (it wasn’t empty), I left the binder in the wrong place, I lost my glasses, I’m behind on everything at home, at work, and in the garden.
Breathe, and get ink under the fingernails. I did. My, that feels better.
In other news and to get some perspective, one of my coworkers was rescued from the San Jacinto Mountains yesterday having hiked in the day before to retrieve a radio collar from one of our tagged lions. He twisted his knee (don’t know quite how badly he’s hurt yet, but he couldn’t walk). He was luckily a) with a colleague, b) carrying a GPS emergency beacon, which he activated at six the night before. They made a shelter (which didn’t cover his hurt leg, which he had to keep extended and which got rained on in the same rainstorm that delayed the Dodger/Giants game). (At this time of year it could still have turned into a blizzard…)
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Thank goodness he was safe! As we keep reminding the kids: never go hiking alone.
Glad you’re feeling better. :)
Sorry to be late but I loved seeing your photo in the garden! And reading about it. And all the new sketches. And finally, belated five-year congratulations and thanks for being such a wonderful companion here and in real life.
hi pica, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment and thanks for the reminder about getting ink under the fingernails – yes, that does feel better! To do the things we love and that make us feel like ourselves. Quite a scare about your co-worker. I’m glad they kept safe and hope he will recover quickly.
Your friend was lucky. I’m glad he’s okay. Was he on a day hike, or an overnighter? I wonder why he didn’t carry a shelter with more coverage? These days you can get incredibly light tarps made of silnylon that weigh as little as 300 grams. ANd just for any future mishaps for anyone, if you don’t have enough coverage for a night out and you need protection and warmth, just stick your legs in your backpack. It makes a big difference. (I’m assuming that people always carry rain gear…)
Hope you got the ink and graphite on the sides of your fingers, too! Just no paper cuts… yeow!
I don’t want to step in as a know-it-all, but one thing I thought might also be helpful to know is that, when you don’t have enough warm clothes, either from not bringing enough or losing something, you can always use dried leaves or grass to keep yourself warm. Just stuff your shirt or windbreaker and pants with as many dry leaves as you can and they will act as insulation, very good insulation, in fact. You can even pile up the leaves into a huge mound and get inside that… it will get you out of the wind, keep you dry, and help you stay very warm. Squirrels do it all the time.
Just my 2 yen’s worth (which is worth less than 2 cent’s worth!!!)