A Living Magazine - Day 102 - Publish or Perish

This time I was up a little earlier and headed out. I had a lot of work to do. If I didn't post today I'd be five days behind. I'd checked out where the library was on Google Maps, and got some advice about the Plymouth area from Allyson. So, I decided to walk to the library and save the bus fare...

Except for being able to buy a coffee at Burger King, I was out of money again. Whenever I stay with people I am really only sleeping there, and hanging out with them when our schedules allow. Though hosts often offer food, I certainly don't expect them to do that. Therefore, if I don't write I don't eat. But also, sometimes if people think I'm being "cared for", I don't eat either. I knew this would happen here too.

I still have to work in order to receive contributions, regardless--I can never stop while I'm out here. As we saw with the train ticket, saving and living are difficult to do at the same time. I know you understand, because most of us find that same situation to be true, no matter what income level or lifestyle you live at as a middle class person. I am used to this system that I operate under, and it barely works enough to keep things rolling along. However, I am anxious to find a better way to have - at the very least - some kind of food security each day.

I mention these things, not because I am complaining, but because they are problems to be solved--ones that are constantly on my mind. This blog is based on what it really feels like to live this way. If I were to spin everything as positive, I would not capture why it is an adventure, and not "a wallk in the park". This constant search for reliable sources of food is - by far - the most limiting and uncomfortable of all the things I experience.

These thoughts crossed through my mind as I passed another crabapple tree, with fruit the size of cranberries. As I may have implied in the last post, I see every bit of wild fruit as an opportunity to stave off hunger, or as a way to store food for later, as I plan to do in the future when I have my own land.

I grew up not knowing anything about plants, besides what people told me. I didn't experiment with trying the things other people shunned. Crabapples were one of those things. They were treated as though they were poisonous. No crabapple (or domestic apple) or rose is poisonous--they are all in the same happy family. Some crabapples are pretty gross tasting and/or have strange textures, but there are literally thousands of varieties and they are each different...

I didn't pick any of these, but I will when I see them again.

I worked for about three hours at Burger King, before heading out to the Plymouth library...

The Route 9 walk to the library.

I can't give you much more from this day, as I spent about seven more hours writing at the library, which took a hour and a half to walk to. I was able to get three of the four posts up, and start the fourth by the time the library was closing.

I walked back to the area of town where I was staying. A few things maybe you have noticed about walking to a new place: The first walk there always seems like the longest one. The walk back always seems shorter. And, at night, walking anywhere seems shorter. I think I walk a bit faster at night too...

The waning moon.

I made it back to the house by about 10:00 pm. I talked to Allyson's husband for awhile and then settled in to finish the fourth post, which was completed about 2:00 am. In all, I had worked 14 hours, writing. It felt pretty nice to have my posts about the trip to Minneapolis finally up. I fell asleep on the comfy couch again by 2:30.