Camping Trip

All my bags are packed and I am ready to go .... 2 weeks of vacation are staring me in the face. I have to admit that I am liking what I am seeing. I am officially ready to head to Eastern Oregon and join my family in our annual deer hunting trip.

For many years I was absent from the family trip and finally last year I joined the family once again. I really enjoyed being with the family and connecting with everyone once again.. I also made an amazing discovery ... we are no longer tent camping. We actually stay in a cabin ... with electricity and running water. It is rather amazing. I could hardly believe that they are still calling it camping to be honest. Perhaps glamping would be closer. But it was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to doing it again this year.

So early tomorrow morning I load up the car and join the caravan. There will be wonderful things ahead as I relax and restore.

Yep ... I am thinking I could get used to this feeling ...

Just Connie

Cabot Lake

It was a clear and beautiful day as we strapped on the packs and headed to the  Lake. The girls were full of energy and I was even feeling pretty good. The dust was incredibly thick but it did not lessen our enjoyment of the beauty around us,

We hiked through burned out sections that illustrated how the land was growing back. We hiked though tall timber and then finally we reached the Lake Cabot nestled in the valley between the trees. Reaching our preferred spot along the backside of the lake, we quickly set up camp and got the fishing poles ready.

 

We spent the next couple of days hiking, napping and fishing. /we headed home tired, dirty and happy. It was a great vacation. next year I would like to go for a longer time. If I can carry the extra food weight.

 

Perhaps I can find a Sherpa ....

 

Just Connie

Backpack 2013 - Night Before

Here is my backpack all packed and ready to go, except for a couple of small items. It weighed in at 32 pounds this year. 2 pounds heavier than I had hoped for. But I think still within acceptable limits.

It will be interesting to see how much complaining my collarbone does on the hike into the lake tomorrow. I am thinking that I am glad it is a short hike this year.

Now I just need to somehow get a good night sleep. .... I should not be so excited if that is my plan.

Time to read myself to sleep ....

Just Connie

Mud Drags 2013

These are the two vehicles that I rode today in the mud drags. it was wonderful! Exciting! And I still think  hat I am on adrenaline overdrive right now.

I came home muddy, tired and very happy. I am so glad that I am still enjoying new adventures around every corner. I hope I never get too old to enjoy new and exciting things.

Who knows what I will get to do next?

Hmmm ... I might have to think about that for a while.

Just Connie

Backpacking Chaos

There is backpacking stuff spread all over the house. Since tomorrow is so busy, this is the only day I have to get my pack ready to go. So now I am in the process of laying out what I want to take. The next step is weighing things and trying to cut down as much weight as I possibly can. I always try to take too much.

I actually enjoy this part of it. I read my lists and try to make sure I have not missed anything over and over again. I think I am just about there. Just a couple of things to take out of the dryer and then everything will be ready to pack.

This is when I begin to get very excited about the trip. It all seems very real now and I am so very ready to go. So at 6:30 Sunday morning Hope Puppy and I will leave the house and begin to make our way to the Mt Jefferson Wilderness area.

I am expecting hard work, some complaining from my collarbone and the joy of being outside.

In fact when I think about it ... those are pretty good expectations ....

Just Connie

Collarbone Saga

The collarbone saga continues ... I am finding that the pain level has decreased and I am much more comfortable. I actually slept last night with no pain pills and did not wake up in horrible pain like I have the last couple of days.

So because I am all better :) I made a couple of decisions. First of all, I am going to ride in the mud drags on Saturday. I have been asked several times and it has never worked out and I committed to it back in July. I actually think I will have a wonderful time and I am very much looking forward to it. Secondly, I am going to  continue on with my backpacking trip. Yes I think it will be uncomfortable, but it will not do damage, it is just a matter of toughing it out. I think I can do that.

So last night I drug my backpacking gear out and began to organize it and get things ready. I have not been backpacking in over a year and I have missed it. Because of my ongoing battle with the bacterial infection I also have not done much hiking and I need to get outside and let the beauty of God's world soothe and strengthen me.

So I will spend the rest of the week, sorting and packing and planning ... and of course getting excited.

I wish you could all come with me!

Just Connie

Pain and Celebration

I felt great yesterday, low levels of pain and I did not take any painkiller all day or at bed time. The flip side of that was that I woke up crying this morning. I hurt! So I drug myself to the Dr's office and started my day with a shot. I will also definitely take a painkiller at bed time tonight.

I am a little discouraged. This is not a bad break and I think I should be doing much better than this ... more like I was yesterday. Now that I read that over, that sounds pretty whiny. True ... but whiny.

So .... I will say that I am very grateful that I did not have a bad break. I am grateful that it is no worse. I am also grateful for good tools to manage the pain and inflammation so that my life is hardly impacted by this injury.

What is the worst that this injury will cause? Perhaps to not be able to ride in the mud drags on Saturday or to not go backpacking? I guess those are pretty small prices to pay if you look at in the frame of the big picture. Even though I had to cancel my vacation last spring because of the bacterial infection, this will not be my last chance to break away and take some time off. There will be other backpacking trips.

It is what it is and I just need to lay it down. God is still in control and God still loves me. There are things to celebrate right where I am. I think I would rather spend the day in celebration than in whining. I guess it  is time to start.

Want to come and join the party?

Just Connie

Life Hurts

This broken collarbone has reminded me that life hurts! I notice it more in the simple ways than the great big ways. It is reaching for something and having my collarbone scream a protest, it is driving over the railroad tracks too fast and paying the same price. It just plain hurts!

The doctor has given me painkillers, but I do not like to take them during the day, or when I am driving around, or on an empty stomach .... can you see the problem? I took half a pill at bed time last night which actually helps me sleep. But you do not really get the same quality of sleep on narcotics as you do without them. I feel groggy when I try to find the alarm clock in the morning.

I am also reminded of why I do not like narcotics ... they make me fuzzy and not in a cute little kitten kind of way. More like in a drooling, mindless mess kind of fuzzy. It is hard for me to put two coherent thoughts together when I take them. I am finding that I value my brain too much to do that to it unless I really have no option.

But all in all, I can tell that I am getting better. My pain level has dropped and I can use my arm more than I could a week ago. I am hoping that this is boding well for me to continue with my plans to go backpacking bright and early Sunday morning. It is a short backpack into a nice alpine lake in the Mt Jefferson Wilderness area. I can do that ... I can do that ...

Besides what are painkillers for?

Just Connie

Laughing

Breaking my collarbone though painful has also been entertaining. I have been offered some great alternative stories to  replace my oh so very dull story of how I broke myself.

The other funny part is how people have responded to the news and what they have said. I have two favorite responses so far. The first one response; on hearing that Hope had jumped on the hammock and dumped me out said, "Oh no! Is Hope okay?" I pointed out that luckily I had cushioned Hope's fall and she was fine. The other response came from my father who has decided in the past year that I really need a man in life. His response to the news was, "If you had a boyfriend that never would have happened."

I am looking forward  to what I hear next because it makes me laugh. It has really been funny and I would still  be laughing if it did not hurt so much to laugh.

Can't wait to see what I hear tomorrow ....

Just Connie

The Story

I swung gently in the hammock, reading and enjoying the sunny day. The birds were singing, the creek was gurgling and  peace reigned. And then .....  Hope Puppy landed in on the hammock with me. The world was spinning as the hammock spun and catapulted me onto the ground. I landed shoulder first and clutched my chest as pain exploded across my collar bone. As the world began to come back in focus again I realized that a black furry nose was pressed into my face. As I struggled to sit up Hope kept poking me with me nose and looking quizzically at me, obviously wondering why in the world I had done that.

Over the next 3 days I kept telling myself that I was not hurt and I needed to not be a wuss. On Tuesday I finally decided to go and let the doctor tell me I was being a baby and drug myself in to see what was going on. After being poked and prodded the doctor told me he thought I had fractured my collarbone. He gave me an anti-inflammatory shot and pain pills and sent me home with the instructions to report for an x-ray the next morning.

This morning I got the radiology reports and found out that I had "rippled" my collarbone. Oh yeah! it is good to do something so well. I am trying to concentrate on healing so I will be ready for my backpacking trip in two weeks. But I have to admit that after only a week after the injury I am already tired of this.

I also am discovering that I need a much better story of how I was injured other than "I fell out of the hammock". Somehow that just does not convey the adventure and courage that I would prefer my story to have.

Got any good stories for me?

Just Connie