Hi All! It\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve put out an update to this blog. The past 15 months have been no less interesting than you would expect out of me. Though, from my perspective, it has been an interesting period of time in my life. Many changes, not only in geographical location, but also in personal growth. I\u2019ll try to recap the last several months.<\/p>\n
Just before my last update in April of 2017, I\u2019d scheduled an appointment with an ENT to discuss the crazy ringing in my ears. As it turned out it\u2019s tinnitus and its pretty common. While getting all checked out the doc noted that I have something called (Osteosclerosis) in my ears. Which is abnormal hardening and unusual bone density elevation. This was causing the little inner ear bones to basically lock up and significantly reduce my ability to hear clearly.<\/p>\n
There is a surgery that can be done to correct it (https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stapedectomy) where they can replace the inner ear bones with a prothstetic to restore hearing to near normal. So, after some though and some research I scheduled the surgery. It, surprisingly, does not require an overnight stay in the hospital. The surgery itself takes about 4 hours and they send you on home with, a pile of pain meds, to heal up. Well, the healing process was pretty challenging on the sailboat, but I got through it. It only took about a month or so to feel comfortable enough to call it \u2018mostly healed\u2019.<\/p>\n
While I was laid up and not able to get out on the water (had to refrain from any strenuous activity while my ear healed up) I decided to take some time to be with my sister and near some people that are very close to me. So, I packed my stuff and moved over to Minnesota. Once I arrived and spent some time here I thought it might be good to sell the boat as I didn\u2019t intend on heading back to California anytime soon. So on the market went the boat! It took about 9-10 months to sell. I was able to get pretty close to what I paid for it and thought that was good since I\u2019d been able to enjoy it and learn how to sail while I had it. Free education\u2026kind of, lol.<\/p>\n
I stayed in my sisters travel trailer in her driveway for about a month. After that I found a nice little townhome in Rochester, MN. to park my rear and my gear for a bit. It was kind of a nice little place that backed up to the bike trail and a lot of trees. An end unit with only one neighbor to the west of me. The neighbor\u2019s name is Rhonda, she and I started talking about the first week that I moved in. She was from the neighboring town (Austin, MN) and had just moved in about a month before I did. Well, we hit it off pretty well and have just recently rented a home together. So far its really great, she and I click very well. We don\u2019t get in each other\u2019s way and we do lots of things together. It\u2019s probably the healthiest relationship that I think I\u2019ve ever been in! \ud83d\ude42 We are spending this year exploring our relationship to see where it goes and how it may align with each of our future plans. Updates on that as they become available over time!<\/p>\n
Since I\u2019ve been here in Minnesota, I\u2019ve thoroughly enjoyed the time that I\u2019ve had with my nieces and nephews, and just being part of a group of people that I really care about. I think I was getting pretty lonely on the boat because I didn\u2019t have a lot of people that I called friends, no real depth in relationships etc\u2026 So being here has been good for me, mentally and spiritually. I will say I\u2019m not in as good of shape as I was while living in California. The weather here is a good bit different than I remember. The winter was seriously cold\u2026 weeks of below zero weather, snow, ice \u2026 apocalyptic looking terrain\u2026ugh! It made it hard to get out and do much of anything. Just to take the dog out was a big ordeal. Bundle myself up, bundle the dog up\u2026with booties for his little feet even.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve decided that the people that choose to live here have either never been anywhere else and don\u2019t realize that there is actually some \u2018earth like\u2019 areas out there that don\u2019t require you to consider how you might obtain some seal blubber to sustain yourself during the coldest months of the year. Or, they stay here because they are simply crazy. No offense to the people here in Minnesota, but you all are crazy to stay here. The summer is like a hotbox of humidity. While the temps might only be in the high 70\u2019s or low to mid 80\u2019s it feels like walking around inside of a wet blanket, in a clothes dryer, that just won\u2019t get dry. It\u2019s miserable. Now, there are a handful of days when the weather is very nice. People here say that\u2019s why they stay here. For those nice days that are like \u201cparadise\u201d \u2026 I wonder if it feels like paradise by comparison to the hell of the other seasons? \ud83d\ude10<\/p>\n
It is my theory that the bugs belong to some sort of militant corp. The reason I think this is because when it is nice they seem to infiltrate in battle squadrons. First the little \u2018no-see-ums\u2019, they are sneaky because you can\u2019t see them. Get it\u2026 no-see-um\u2019s \u2026 clever right? No, I didn\u2019t think so either. Anyway, there you are sitting outside in late afternoon as the sun is going down, trying to reclaim the outdoors as some temporary living space. Then with out warning, no buzzing, no visual on the attacker and boom, bite,bite,bite! Out of nowhere and the bites are definitely attention getters!<\/p>\n
Well that lasts for a few days, maybe longer, then come the flies. They are bold too. Not only do they represent the fearless kamikaze pilots of WWII by diving directly into your face attempting to crash into your nostrils or your eyeballs, but they bite too! These are the black flies, people around here, just smile and shake their heads like \u201coh those crazy flies, yep, we have \u2018em!\u201d and don\u2019t seem to even give it a second thought.<\/p>\n
Then\u2026the state bird makes an appearance. No, I\u2019m not talking about the Loons\u2026I\u2019m talking about the mosquitos. They are huge, unafraid and thirsty. They come in packs\u2026err..swarms. A bunch of them will distract you on your left while the remainder hit you hard on the right. Their tactics are effective and frustrating. If that\u2019s not enough for you, well let me tell you about the rest of the infantry. They\u2019re hiding in the woods, the weeds, the tall grass\u2026 basically everywhere. Ticks, and lots of them. No need to go into the details of Lyme disease, but just know that it will probably kill you if you get it.<\/p>\n
They boast all kinds of wonderful fishing and hunting here. I\u2019ll admit, it is literally some of the best fishing areas in the United States for trout, bass, walleye, northern pike, Muskie\u2026 lots of big and tasty game fish. The deer are plentiful and are nearly all corn fed as they invade the farmers crops around here. Guess the love of corn on the cob spans generations and species, huh\u2026who knew?!<\/p>\n
Now, if you decide to brave the winter and drill through 18-24 inches of ice to go an catch some of the huge game fish available, good fo you\u2026 bundle up. Maybe light a literal fire INSIDE of your snow suit\u2026 seems to me the only way to ensure you won\u2019t freeze to death. If you decide to go after the fish in summer\u2026great! Bathe in 2000% deet, don\u2019t worry about the long term effects to your organs or your skin (which I think is actually an organ too\u2026), just lather it on all over the place and get on out there to catch some fish.<\/p>\n
Oh, but while you do that, make sure that you also wear a hazmat suit before entering the woods or traipsing around the rivers\/streams looking for trout. Why you ask? Oh, this little thing called poison oak\u2026that\u2019s a wonderful thing straight from heaven. It truly makes you appreciate smooth skin and no itching. Because when you come in contact with it, and you scratch what feels like just a normal itch\u2026 suddenly you feel like you can\u2019t stop until you scratch enough to wear your skin completely off! \u201cHey is that dude on drugs, is he seeing invisible bugs on his skin?? – Oh, no, not at all..he\u2019s just got into some poison oak\u201d. \ud83d\ude10<\/p>\n
If that\u2019s not enough to inspire you to get on out into the great Minnesota outdoors, how about this one\u2026 there is a plant around here called poisonous parsnip\u2026now that\u2019s some nasty stuff right there. Not only will it cause a rash, itching and blisters on your skin, it can also cause permanent damage to your skin and make you sensitive to the suns rays such that you have to forever wear long sleeves or pants for fear of your skin being boiled off of your body. Sigh\u2026 I suppose there are positives and negatives in every state, this one just seems to have an imbalance of negatives. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
All-in-all, its really not a bad place. While I embellish some of the things that are distasteful to me, it does offer some beautiful scenery, great fishing, great hunting and nice people. I am fairly confident that this will be a good temporary stay as I plan to be here for another 12 months. After that, I\u2019m strongly considering a move back to the west coast or somewhere in between here and there. More on that later.<\/p>\n
Now you are all caught up – some of the details have been left out to protect the guilty, but the overall picture is now complete. More updates to come\u2026stay tuned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi All! It\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve put out an update to this blog. The past 15 months have been no less interesting than you would expect out of me. Though, from my perspective, it has been an interesting period of time in my life. Many changes, not only in geographical location, but also … Continue reading