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Tuesday, February 04, 2003

The Ants go Marching; Blue Subaru; Olivurky

Random humans continue their procession to and from my pile of earthly belongings, dismantling it before my eyes like ants on a cup-cake. I put out the wood from my old water bed a few days before trash day, figuring someone in the neighborhood would take it. This morning I wandered out front and my next door neighbor was coming with her dolly to get it. So I opened up my garage and let her take all manner of building supplies, packing materials, and whatnot from my once revolving (now devolving) stash. Three giant boxes of packing foam, which the trash men turned their noses up at last week, went home with her and will serve to pack her drink machines which she sells occasionally through the mail. Ruby's old carrying cage will soon house her chickens. A small dusty bookshelf will find its way to her church.

Everybody loves my new car. I never mention it, yet unsolicited praise comes in from nearly everyone who sees it. An Indian guy from Colorado tells me it's a great car for the mountains. A marine tells me it's fast. My neighbor tells me how reliable they are. But I'm already happy with it--it's a manual five-speed sports car with lots of pep, a solid feel, and a stiff suspension with full-time all-wheel-drive. It feels natural to me; it suits my driving style. Since I'll probably be driving it for another decade, that's pretty important. And yet, it's a four-door with comfy back seats that fold down and leave a huge space under hatch-back access. Since I'll possibly be living out of it for another decade, that's pretty important too. :) It is nearly silent on idle. It has a roof rack, and a durable waterproof insert in the back for that gear covered in sand, water, snow, or mud. The cargo net has proven just right for snugly holding a few bags of groceries. The dash is simple and functional. One of the first things I noticed when I started driving Subarus is their attention to ergonomics, and this 2001 model is packed full of such details. I like it. It's quite a jump from my '87 Toyota truck.

I ordered some jerky from the Samak Smoke House late last week and it came in the mail yesterday. I won't say the stuff is so good it makes your eyes bug out, but it's a good, simple, high-quality jerky that's not loaded down with chemicals that ruin the taste. Taking a clue from the Indians who used to eat their jerky along with the fat that was rendered away from it in the first place, I've found that dipping the jerky in olive oil really rounds it out nicely. It makes for a super tasty neo-paleo snack that satisfies my appetite for quite a while; and if we believe any current dietary wisdom, olivurky is nearly the perfect animal.

Still I look around and there's so much stuff still here! Where will it all go between now and the end of the month, and how? I best get back to work.

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