January had presented more evidence that the winter sun had finally turned its broad corner and now stayed up longer - by about two minutes each day - past its bedtime from the night before. That stretch of time had been a temperature recovery period after the brutal assault of December's extreme and record breaking cold. On one of those bitter nights around Christmas time, Farmington temps dipped to -30 degrees F (-34 degrees C) at the very end of 2017.
I discussed this with a friend the other day. We agreed that if I'd had to live outside at my land (as I had been doing until the middle of December) throughout the rest of 2017 and into January, I would have probably broken some kind of record myself, and been very uncomfortable. That didn't happen, thankfully. Still, I never assume anything anymore...
Now it was the beginning of February and fortunately these longer daylight hours were forcing the temperatures to moderate and become more seasonal. The increase in light was most appreciated, even by Gato who could have played this game all morning...
I was walking nearly every day again, because I could not afford to buy a lot of food at any one time. Paying rent in addition to my mortgage, even the modest rent I pay now for the cabin, completely exhausted what had been my food budget. I have experienced hunger so many times that it is rather easy for me to fit back into the habit of living with food insecurity. Some donors, long term readers and friends came out and helped me get through the month. You know who you are and how much I appreciate it. I am not complaining about this. I choose to do what I do, knowing that that there will be lean times. It's an entrepreneurial approach... Stay in the game.
On the bright side, my new walk time into town from the cabin went from three miles to three and a half, or around an hour and ten minutes each way. I hardly noticed the extra time and there was a new hill to climb, but none of this bothered me. With very little I could do out on my land now and a lot more time to write, I began to both sort through my thirty or so pages of notes, ideas, and rudimentary outlines, and also begin typing up some of it. It seemed at first I had almost too much experience to draw upon, or more accurately, too many experiences in different fields, to organize them into a single work. Over time though, these these ideas settled into categories.
My walking really filled in a lot of meditative effort. When Iwallk, my mind is freed to work on things. By FAR, walking is the most productive time of my writing efforts even with no pen on paper, nor finger on keypad. Each time I run up against a deadline I begin to worry. But simply walking allows me to align my efforts with my goals much more effectively than being in any other circumstance. For me, thinking (as a part of working) needs as few distractions and as possible.
It took a couple weeks of condensing different layers of material out of the mists of so many ideas (I have over 550 posts) during my walks. When at home, I grew frustrated with myself as another 50 pages of handwritten notes built up after my many walks, along with the aborted efforts of a dozen different book outlines on the computer. Still, ever so slowly, the number of books shrank as their various subject matters grew in relevance, merged, and then stuck to the ribs of only two or three of the original book ideas. Only this week (and I write this post from a few weeks after the time period it refers to) did I finally confirm for myself a book writing plan.
Out of all I had been attempting, I was furthest along on my book about the mechanics of a modern nomadic lifestyle, called, appropriately, "Modern Nomadics." I have since, found it easier and easier to fill in the original outline I'd made for it. At this point, as I near the end of writing the book, it seems to have taken on a momentum of its own. You may have experienced this yourself with a project that actually begins to work. It takes a lot of effort to breathe life into it. But as it begins to understand itself (if you will?), you--as the once-creator, function now only as make up artist to the star--the book itself; primping and preening at this now-living idea (or, in my case, Living Magazine?). The book is commanding me now, rather than the other way around. And that is the best kind of boss a writer can ask for!
Things are going to change - specifics and such - and I offer no promises about being consistent with what I am predicting now. Yet, for the hell of it, I can see this first book, Modern Nomadics: A Manual and Guide, as being an obvious foot in the door. It is pragmatic and informative, if a bit tongue-in-cheeky. Marketing-wise I see possibilities in the travel section of bookstores. But I think it can be much more than that.
The book will go all the way across the spectrum of the Nomadic idea as I have envisioned it. It will start by seriously suggesting that young creative people who understand device-technology and social media - but are perhaps having a hard time dealing with working at Dunkin Donuts or some other restaurant chain (with no disrespect to these companies) as their means of survival, right after receiving their college degree - might want to consider this (I think) incredible, if temporary, Nomadic way of saving money while being their own bosses, and instead of continuing to create more debt--potentially for life, while embedding themselves as slaves to the American Game.
On the other hand, my middle class readership buying a book about what life is like at the bottom of America - while understanding that most of these readers would never seriously consider Modern Nomadism as an adventurous temporary lifestyle - have told me the the IWALLK blog is an incredible way to live vicariously in another kind of reality. I think they will like the book as a supplement to the blog.
I hope to also make this work a kind of metaphorical or allegorical study of the "signs and wonders" (or is it the echo of "shock and awe"?) of our life and times at this point in history. That some guy from a small New England state might imagine future generations pouring over the begining of the Digital Age and being intrigued by his reports, is probably a bit on the delusions-of-grandeur side, when it comes to my published observations. However, there is no reason in the world why I shouldn't do all I can to try to be that guy.
I hope to run a very modest fundraising campaign for actual publication of this book, once it is written and being edited. I'd like that publication date to be around May 1st. I'm always so strapped and struggling for money though, that I can bearly wait. Just to have some kind of cushion for selling the book at that time and rewarding the investors in it with paper books of their own would be well worth the effort, if I can make that happen.
Folks, I can't even get food stamps, because I'm not showing in the last three months (through proof of income) that I work enough. Of course I do work my ass off, but income has to show at least 20 hours per week at minimum wage in order to qualify for help. Fact is, very ironically, that I don't make enough to get help buying food in the state of Maine. Oh, and this limitation (thanks to our Governor) is for any "able bodied" applicant (meaning someone who is not on some form of disability). A little bit of money from the sale of this book would help tremendously, if just for food and medication.
During the first three weeks of February it seemed the light of some form of "success" shown from somewhere up ahead in the future. It seems to always be at my back. I know it's there though! I am only ever able to see it by default, via the shapes of the shadows it casts around my current challenges. Plato's cave where we all live until we figure out which direction to face.
Like Gato in the video above, it is easy to be tricked into imagining that we have some control over these shadows. Without giving into the luxury of optimism too much, it seems to me that the density of opportunity in my own life is finally outpacing the momentum (or perceived momentum) of failure. Now I only need to accept and run with that rationalization.
After these three weeks, which incidentally saw the canopied structure on my land sit unattended, I took advantage of an anomalously warm day, hiking out on the crumbing snow crust to see how things were faring...
The initial view of the tarps I cut last time and the snow that was filling up the interior.
It looks much worse than it actually is. Still, I don't like to see it like this.
Having felt trepidation when I'd first arrived at the land on this blazingly hot day, my emotions were much more hopeful as I crunched and broke my way back through the quarter mile of crust, to the main road. I had tightened up the loose parts of the tarp, reinforced the spot protected against snow, and sealed several holes that were allowing the rain from warmer storms to trickle in. The rain was particularly problematic as it was building a three inch thick ice rink around my stored stuff, sealing it in. There is no way nor reason to liberate these items from their icy stasis. The effort would never be worth it.
So, upon getting back to the cabin, I resolved to leave things until some real melting exposed the ground again. As I write this though (in the first week of March) a giant snow storm is approaching. It will dump 18 inches of snow on our Western Maine world, just when leaves were beginning to emerge from below the snow line. Such is the Maine Spring!, now of course mixed with just the global changes in weather that have only increased unpredictability...caveat of the 21st Century.
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On a personal note: I want to thank you all so much for reading! When I see the stats I'm always very pleasantly surprised! Some folks have been reading this blog since 2011! Many of you have been the reason why I could keep going, keep reporting. We have discovered so much together and there is a lot more to come. I DO still WALLK (about 50 miles a week!). And, the shoe-string budget project of developing this property may be the newest chapter, but I have the feeling much more ambitious things will morph into IWALLK projects in the future.
Again, the recent contributions of a few very generous people have helped so much this winter. Now, I ask anyone who has always intended to give but never gotten around to it to consider clicking the PayPal Donate button at the top of the blog page if you can send some bucks my way. Folks who gave so much during the Journeys, but have not thought of donating since? I could really use your help! Please consider sending a small amount to help out if you are able to continue supporting these projects. Nevertheless, I love you all no matter what and appreciate anything you have given. Just sharing these posts on Facebook is very helpful. If you go to the bottom of the blog page and click on the Facebook icon you can join our IWALLK America - Journeys Group! All members of this Facebook discussion group will receive free ebooks!
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