Quarantine Capers

*** A Friends Tale ***

(For previous stories, see here, here, and here).

While maintaining a distance of 6 feet is presently necessary for maintaining the health of our communities, getting out of the house for brief periods is also needed for the mental health of individuals.

Allen the Bear helped Prince Eric and his steed, Zecora, Bulldozer, Pikachu, Giraffe, and Nick Fury
make personalized face masks. After some confusion over where Bulldozer's mouth is, Allen settled on fitting the mask over his bucket. Allen had doubts about this, but Bulldozer insisted that this was the way to go. Shrugging, Allen let it go.

Masked-up and ready, the group thanked Allen and headed out. They made it halfway down the front porch stairs, when Bulldozer cried, "Wait!"

Concerned, the Friends looked over to see a frustrated Bulldozer trying to push the porch railing down. However, he was unable to do so because the mask made his bucket inoperable. In tears, Bulldozer confessed he'd lied about where his mouth is. He thought the idea of a mask sounded suffocating, so he wanted the mask on his bucket so he'd be free to breathe freely. Now, experience taught him that not being able to bulldoze properly was a much greater agony.

Shaking their heads, the Friends good naturedly took Bulldozer back in the Allen who fitted him with a proper mask.

Even then, Bulldozer resisted a full mask, insisting his exhaust pipes could stay exposed. After a lengthy, heated debate, he agreed to cover only the front one. Not wanting to waste any more time, the Friends accepted this compromise.

Finally on the outside, the Friends immediately found a nice patch of grass and spring wild flowers to stretch out in. Imagine a group of puppies blissfully rolling around on the lawn, and you'll be pretty close to the scene that took place.

Nick, arguably the most enthusiastic roller, was the first to regain his composure. Ignoring the flowers entangled in his guns, Nick announced, "I'm going to climb that tree. Get the lay of the land."

Not wanting to be left behind, the others jumped up to follow.

Being small and sure footed, Nick and Zecora quickly made their way to the top-most branches. Having shorter arms and legs (or no legs at all), the other friends got entangled in the lower limbs. Nick conceded to their difficulties. From their vantage point, Nick and Zecora found a building that all could climb in order see the view.

Safely situated on the window frames, the crew pointed out possible places to visit. Bulldozer was intrigued by a large pile of dirt. Giraffe thought the grocery store looked a treat. Pikachu, fixated on trying to peer through the dark windows, frequently interrupted the conversation with exclamations like, "I see someone! Wait...that's a mop..."

After much debate, the group settled on exploring a small creek that Prince Eric noticed in the distance. Scrambling down from window - Pikachu joining last because he thought he saw a burning trash can that turned out to be a glare from the sun - the Friends officially began their trek.

It was not a smooth journey. First, Giraffe began to complain about being hungry, stopping at every food-related sign and pouting.

So hungry!

Nick became oddly authoritarian about enforcing parking signs. It began when the group sighted a strongly worded sign at the entrance of a nearly empty lot. Mocking the serious language, Nick jumped on top of the sign and declared, "THOU SHALL NOT PARK."

Getting the laugh he wanted, Nick jumped down and the Friends continued.

 Unfortunately, Nick continued making the joke at every No Parking sign they passed. The Friends stopped finding it funny and became annoyed with the delays. Making matters worse, each time he jumped on a sign, he became more serious about enforcing what it said. It took longer and longer to get him to come down and stop threatening parking violators. It was as if he forgot about the original joke and was beginning to think of himself as the Ultimate Parking Enforcer.

Even stranger than Nick acting like, well, Nick, Prince Eric became passionately opinionated on people's mode of transport. Most notable was when he saw a pile of bikes that had fallen over at a bike rack.

"This is no way to treat respectable steeds!" he exclaimed. "Even mechanical ones!"

Eric tried to end their disgrace and set them upright again, but they were too heavy and tangled to manage. After a brief moment of silent apology, he moved on.

Not getting caught up in the manic antics of Nick Fury and Prince Eric, Bulldozer and Pikachu maintained a mellow composure.

Bulldozer spent some time inspecting the safety of an orange cone situation.

He really got in there.

Fortunately, it passed Bulldozer's expert level of scrutiny.

Pikacha, meanwhile, found some flowers with the same coloring as Giraffe and himself. They even coordinated with the face masks!

It is suspected that Pikachu insisted upon this photo in order to distract Giraffe from her hunger pangs.
He, however, remains silent upon this subject.

Zecora, always classy, began climbing nearby to pass the time during each holdup in the group's progress. She view each climb as a personal challenge.

As the delays increased, so did the difficulty.

From this last height, Zecora noticed a tree that had fallen, but remained clinging to life. Eagerly, the Friends rushed to help save it.

After a fair amount of arguing and teamwork - even from Giraffe, who resisted the temptation to grab a quick nibble - the tree was righted and its roots secured. Satisfied, they brushed the dirt off their hands and picked pine needles from their hair.

Unfortunately, their satisfaction didn't last long because they couldn't remember how to get back to their path.

Fortunately, their distress lasted only as long as it took Zecora to calmly remind them how well climbing had helped them navigate previously. Scanning the area for a useful object, they found a stone tower. It resemble some sort of mystical and ancient mushroom. Without pausing to wonder if they should, the Friends scrambled up the sides.

Always competitive, Nick made it to top of the mushroom tower first. "I SEE THE CREEK!" he bellowed. "IT'S RIGHT OVER THERE!!!"

Jubilant, the Friends tumbled down the tower and scurried to where Nick pointed. Finding a quaint bridge, the adventurers peered over its railing to enjoy the sight of the tranquil water below.

All fell silent, absorbed the soft murmurs of the creek and its surroundings.

Pikachu was the first to notice that Giraffe was missing. Their tranquility disrupted, the Friends began a frantic search for their tallest member.

It was Bulldozer who heard the whimpers. Listening close, he followed them and found Giraffe! She was standing in some violets, sobbing.

 "Are you hurt?" Bulldozer asked as the others joined. Giraffe shook her head no, but it was several moments before she could speak through the sobs.

"I'm just hungry!" Giraffe cried when her tears were somewhat under control. "Violets are my favorite food but I can't eat them with this mask on!" With this, her tears picked up again.

Both relieved and annoyed, the Friend's decided the time had come to return home. Pikachu coxed Giraffe out of the violets. Zecora diplomatically acknowledged she would like to eat some violets, too. Nick rolled his eyes a little but kindly said nothing. Eric gave Bulldozer some money and sent him to a nearby merchant for refreshments.

In effort, to distract Giraffe from her embarrassment and grief, Pikachu organized one last group photo. Bulldozer arrived just in time with a drink for all to share.

This distraction proved to be very effective. Moments after the photo was snapped, Pikachu noticed an unwelcome addition in the center.

"WHY DON'T PEOPLE PICK UP AFTER THEIR PETS?!?!?!" she raged. "It's nasty!!! They even put up a sign for these stupid people!!!!!"

Giggling, Giraffe ushered a still-ranting Pikachu along, and the Friends headed home.

Other than a minor obstruction quickly cleared by Bulldozer,

and one last monologue on the state transportation by Prince Eric,

"Why would anyone settle for a picture of a horse on their car
whey they could ride one instead?!?!"

the voyage home was safe and uneventful.

All of them now famished, they busted out the snacks before remembering about the face masks.

Pikachu's lightening power for the win!

Everyone agreed, it was an adventure well executed.

The End

Wise and Unsatisfying

At the start of my last post, I declared my intention to post more regularly. Seeing as it's been about 4 months since then, I have a ways to go before achieving that goal. I need to set myself some deadlines. I do better with deadlines.

I actually started this post almost two months ago. Had it all outlined. I only needed to fill in the pertinent details and add a bit of personality. This was, of course, before Covid-19 hit the big time. Now, much of that original outline is no longer relevant.

Like millions of others, I am at home, furloughed for the time being. Back in mid-March, during that weird week when the reality of quarantining and shelter-in-place orders became really real, I was incredibly angry and a little panicked. I had only just gotten financially stable enough that I could start rebuilding my savings again. And now I was being sent back to ground zero. I was a real crab as all this sank in.

Strangely enough, what most helped calm my initial fears was recognizing that my anger was not new anger. I have been angry constantly since December 2018, when I first started feeling the effects of post-seizure vertigo. Honestly, I've arguably been angry my entire life, but this recent bout of fury has a more tangible cause. Life as I knew it was completely upended, giving me a pile of concerns I'd never had before. Areas I'd believed secure were no longer safe. I lost autonomy. As confidently as I could express my gratefulness, I was also grieving the unfairness of it all.

The height of my anger was in early August, when the indignity of the second seizure was still fresh and I was deep into job search limbo. Fortunately, I soon got hired as a sales associate at Dillards. I also got a helpful counselor. (Thanks, BetterHelp.com!) The most intense rage has subsided, but the underlying anger persists. While my health is much improved, I am still prone to fatigue and dizziness when I overdo things. I am also wrestling with frustrating good news of passing every medical test they've tried on me. Having unanswered health questions hanging over my head is infuriating. It has forced me to make decisions that are wise in terms of my physical well-being, but offer little satisfaction otherwise. Things aren't bad, but I feel like I'm on pause. I'm tired of feeling on pause.

When Covid-19 arrived, I about had a temper tantrum. How unfair can we get?! Am I not allowed to make any progress????

via GIPHY

My Temper

Thankfully, after some kind friends graciously tolerated my venting, I recognized that while a pandemic is absolutely a complete game-changer, for me personally, having an unexpected wrench thrown into the works is not a novel situation. I've been living with wrenches for a while now. It's familiar territory.

To be clear, I am not implying that any of this is easy. It's definitely not. I do, however, have experience with being in uncomfortable situations I cannot fix. As much as it sucks, I have learned to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Most days.

I've learned that the best thing I can do is to give myself permission to be sad and angry. For at least 36 of my 41 years on this planet, I did not do this. Even now, I resist. I have to intentionally tell myself that it is okay to be upset. It is okay to take the time to deal. For me, this step usually involves solitude. I regret the friends and family I neglect as retreat from the world. It is one of the main reasons I try to avoid this step. However, the truth is, I'm not a very good friend when I don't deal with my own rough emotions. I simply don't have the space.

At the time of writing this, I am feeling pretty good. Not happy, by any stretch, but good all the same. I'm taking the opportunity to run more. Previously, I was constantly worried about my "energy budget," afraid overdoing it would leave me dizzy and irritable during the days that followed. Now, if I find myself fuzzy-headed, I can stay in bed and no one else will have to deal with my crankiness.

Additionally, I've enjoyed talking to my oldest nephew and niece more. They keep me posted on the salamanders in the creek, the blossoms on the blackberry bushes, and the other adventures they have going on. They are very thorough in their updates.

Based on my nephew's description, the Spotted Salamander seems to be what they're keeping tabs on.
http://herpsofarkansas.com/Salamander/AmbystomaMaculatum

Even with the positives, I do wish I could help more. I hate that this happened while I'm on sabbatical from teaching. Some days, I feel incredibly left out, and resent being on the sidelines. I do still tutor online, but that's anonymous. It's not the same as working with students I knew and had a relationship with.

In conclusion, I am well, I am sad, and I am angry. I am choosing to keep optimistic, even when I don't want to be. I want to reach out more and I am sorry when I hesitate. I am uncomfortable and could be doing a million things better, but for now, it's okay to be where I am. I think...

Love to you all 💗

Ciao!

Warning: This post contains brief, Renaissance nudity.

Hey! It's been a minute. I hit a bit of a roadblock with this blog a few months ago because I didn't know what to write about. There are a lot of contributing factors to the lack of motivation, but in the center of it was the feeling that since I'm not traveling for the foreseeable future, I don't really have any interesting stories to tell. There's the tangled mess of questions marks regarding my health, job, and future in general, but that's kind of drag to think about too much. Things aren't terrible. Just not as interesting as life on the road.

Recently, I remembered that I chose the name of this blog, Dynamic DJR, over my second choice, Wandering Rice, because I wanted the freedom to write about more than just traveling. With that, I think it's time to give this another shot.

At some point I'll write an update on my health and job stuff, but for now I want to tell the story of David, my favorite refrigerator magnet.

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Backstory: A few years ago, a close friend visited Tuscany and brought me back a magnet depicting Michelanglo's David.

https://www.michelangelo.org/david.jsp

Only it's a close up...

http://www.accademia.org/explore-museum/artworks/michelangelos-david/

No, not of his face...

https://www.boredpanda.com/michelangelo-david-close-up-photos/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Nor of his hand.

It's of a different kind of appendage altogether...



On to the current tale!

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law drove up with my niece and nephew to visit for a couple of days. Within moments of their arrival, I walked into the kitchen to find my niece, age 5, holding the magnet in question and staring this:

Me: "Ah! You found my magnets."

Niece: "Who's this? He's cute!"

Me: "Oh, that's David."

My nephew, days away from his 11th birthday, joins the conversation and looks over his sister shoulder.

Nephew: "Cool! Is that a sheep?"

Me: "Sure looks like it could be a sheep."

I have a lot of magnets on my refrigerator. Why she picked the only one that is even remotely questionable is beyond me. Is it because it was by itself in the upper corner? Did her animal-loving personality reject the landscape pictures and quirky sayings in favor of this "sheep'? All I know is normally I get great enjoyment out of watching people's reaction when they realize what David is. This time I felt like I was in danger of becoming their creepy aunt.

Did I ruin this innocence?!?!

Being very hands-on kids, every time they came into the kitchen, the magnets on the refrigerator got rearranged into different shapes and patterns. They asked a lot of questions about the various pictures, and David the Sheep was a recurring favorite.

One of their creations

My favorite thing about this systematic arrangement is
that the magnet all by itself in the lower, left corner reads,
"Why Be Normal?

My sister-in-law and I got a great amount of enjoyment out of their innocent imaginations. The funniest was them speculating on how David must be very strong because his shoulders are so huge. This involved a prolonged attempt by my nephew to scrunch his shoulder's up high enough to make his head look small.

We also look forward to laughing at them heartily once they finally recognize David for who he really is!

This is my nephew. Here he isn't imitating David the Sheep, but rather
he's proudly showing off that he put his pj's on backwards. 

Dorothy in Kansas

Yep, there she is!

*

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This concludes the three part series from my road trip in early June. (c:

(Picture taken at the beautiful Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve)

Dunes! (and Other Random Reminders of My Brother)

Part 2 of 3 from my road trip to Colorado in early June. I find that I do not like spending lots of hour on my computer daily. Since I've been needing to do a lot of other tasks, such as job searches and online tutoring, I am behind on finishing this.


My brother is awesome. My sister is, too, but this post is about him. When we were kids, he was is the Boy Scouts and did waaay more camping than I ever did. As I began doing more backpacking and taking longer trips, he was super helpful. Before I hit the road last summer, he taught me how to throw bear bags. He's also a great sounding board as I'm going through all I need to do to be prepared. Or when I feel compelled to mock the stupidity of the people I encounter. Between the shared enjoyment of the outdoors and a similar temperament, I see reminders of him everywhere. This was especially true my last few days in Colorado.

Grimy hair and a happy smile at 15,000 feet
(Some day I will learn to adjust my waistband and minimize my muffin top before photos!)

After leaving Black Canyon of the Gunnison, I took scenic route to the town of Creede, an old silver mining town recommended by a friend. Tucked in between mountains, it is a great place to explore.

Downtown Creede and a very good boy waiting for his owner to finish shopping.

A cliff-side gardener
(She noticed me taking pictures and laughed, saying "I was bent over pulling weeds!
I assured her I waited until she was standing.)

The stream was fast and furious with snow melt.
The juxtaposition of the steep mountains and fast water
were difficult for my dizzy brain.

I could say a lot more about my experience there than there is space in this blog post. The important thing is that in among the fly-fishing stores and tasty restaurants, the was an olive oil shop. My brother loves olive oil shops. I think seeing the Creede Olive Oil Co was the moment I wished my brother was on this trip, too.

I took this photo expressly for my brother

Later that afternoon, I decided to go on a hike in the surrounding mountains. Choosing a 2.7 mile high-altitude hike, I arrived at the trailhead to learn that it was actually 7.2 miles one way. Blaming vertigo-induced idiocy for the mistake, I decided to forgo the hike all together. It was already after 5 and 14.4 miles round trip is a lot longer than 2.7. Besides, my judgement clearly wasn't at its sharpest.

View of the Rio Grande from the road down from the trailhead

Laughing at myself on the drive down, I could totally hear my brother say, "Dork!" Yeah, he's really supportive like that.

The Friends examining splintered deer bones.
My brother recommended Nick Fury for his son.

The next day, after a night of healthy sleep, I continued east and to Great Sand Dunes National Park. Earlier in my planning, I didn't think I would go. I'd been there three times before. There are other things to see and explore. However, as I was working out my route, I felt them calling me. I really like that place and wanted to see them again. Besides, the last time I went I was at the edge of seventeen. (Okay, I was fully seventeen, but you get what I was going for).

It was a weird feeling driving up to the dunes and seeing how familiar they looked. There is strange dichotomy with sand dunes, because they are always changing, but their general layout stays the same. It added a little nostalgia to my usual reflections.

Being early June, and after a very snowy winter, the seasonal Medano Creek was quite wide and rapid. When I was four, and again when I was seventeen, we were lucky enough to see the creek in late summer. It was a lot warmer and smaller, since it's usually dried up by then. I imagine, given the wetness of 2019, the creek stuck around this summer, too.

The seasonal, snow-melt creek was full of visitors and brisk water.

While I enjoyed squishing my way through the chilly, sandy water, I did not enjoy the crowds right at the entrance. I opted to head upstream towards the mountains. The (slight) remoteness appealed to me.

Heading up and away from the crowds

Loving that the temperature was perfect for walking barefoot, I was reminded of the time in 2002 I went to Bruneau Dunes in Idaho with my brother. That was a great day. The biggest highlight was following badger tracks for a really long time chanting "badger badger badger badger". This was years before either of knew the Badger Song existed. We never did find the badger, which is probably just as well.

Imagine thunder rumbling in the back ground

Laughing at badger-related memories, I realized that this was my first visit to sand dunes without my brother. (Correction: mountain or desert sand dunes. My brother wasn't with me when I went to Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan last summer. Being along a lake and covered in patches of grass, they had a different feel).

As one of daily pop-up thunderstorms approached, I wished my brother was here this time, too, so he could help me decide if it was safe to stay out.

Sand Dune Picnic 2019
Because of the high winds and approaching storm, this was more rushed than
our 2018 picnic at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

My first instinct was to to keep going. By this point, the wind picked up by so much the sand was being whipped around and stung as it hit me. Continuing toward the mountains meant it would be hitting me in the face. Considering a number of factors, including my recent bout with vertigo and a deep-seated desire not to be a complete dumb ass, I decided to head back. As soon as I turned around, there was a huge clap of of thunder and rain started, the drops stinging more that the sand. I laughed as I held onto my visor. The whole situation was really quite fun. I sang to myself as I trekked. It wasn't exactly the them from Lawrence of Arabia, but it was definitely just as epic (advance to 1:55).





Since these storms are brief but mighty, it was over by the time I reached the creek again. I took my time, playing in the surges that occur as the water builds small dams then bursts through them.

Surging water

A little disappointed I'd turned back, I decided to try my hand at reaching the top of Star Dune, the tallest in the park. This was a precarious decision. I knew the climb was within my normal physical abilities. But with the vertigo and the delay in feeling crummy after over-doing it, there was a risk.

Screw the vertigo. I was here and feeling good. I was tired of feeling restricted.

On my way up, I passed several features that look familiar. This was a section of the dunes we had climbed on previous visits. This time was a lot more pleasant because it wasn't anywhere near as hot. The sand was cool, not scalding. The frequent rains made it more compact and the hills easier to climb. In fact, on previous visits, the sun was so hot and the sand so loose, we didn't make it to the top.

The upper ridge leading to Star Dune
I felt better about my overall condition seeing how winded many of the other folks were.

At the top of Star Dune - so worth it!

The funny thing about the sand dunes reminding me so much of my brother is that while I'd been there with him three times, I really didn't spend a lot of time with him. Our first visit was when I was four and he was two. So of course we were together, but clearly, as a preschooler, I was too sophisticated to care what a mere toddler was up to. On our second visit, when I was ten and he was eight, it was probably a similar situation. I was also likely preoccupied with how our little sister, then four, was getting along. Our final visit as a family, the one when I was seventeen, I remember clearly sticking with my sister and both of us being seriously annoyed at our brother for running off without us.

With that memory of annoyance in the back of my mind as I walked back down, it was with great joy that I passed a familiar-looking basin. Twenty-three years earlier, in an effort to show off, my brother had accidentally tumbled down its sides to the bottom. I laughed out loud as I recalled his goofy foolishness. I don't remember what he was trying to do - good chance some cute girls were nearby - but that hardly matters.

Windblown and back at the car, I was glad I came. Even though he wasn't there, it was nice spending time with my brother. He's a good guy.

Wind and rain and sand give quite the beauty treatment.

And with that, my time in the mountains of Colorado came to an end. (c:


Edit - Here's picture of my brother and I when we were around the ages of our first trip to Colorado and the sand dunes:

Serious about cereal