House Sitting

Sarah and I are house sitting for a relative of hers that is away for the week. The house was the first built in this area and was originally an old plantation. It was part of the underground railroad at one point and had a tunnel that went across the street to a convent. It's boarded off now, and/or filled in. The first floor ceilings are about 14 feet high. Getting to the second floor is a bit of a trek. I can't imagine what it costs to heat this place even though the thermostat is set on 60.
The best thing though is that we can help ourselves to whatever is in the refrigerator.

It Must Be Inertia

I have noticed a strange paradox here in Louisville with the people. They often seem to move at a glacial speed. It is most apparent when waiting in line at a convenient store checkout line, or for the car in front of you at the green light to accelerate. However, once they are moving they seem loath to stop. In my daily travels I see 2-3 cars on average drive right through a red light.

Inspired

I'm currently reading a book written by the Barefoot Sisters who hiked the AT. They started in their native state of Maine and hiked to Georgia. They not only did that, but got to Georgia, turned around, and walked back to Maine. And not just that, but as their name implies they did most of the trip barefoot.

I have had the great fortune to meet these wonderful women a number of times. One of them even donated her rain coat to me the last time I hiked the AT when I got mine stolen from my pack in Damascus.

In reading the book, all kinds of vignettes are coming back to me from my own hikes and I am toying with the idea of actually taking a stab at writing my own account. Toying with the idea, mind you. Don't search Amazon for it just yet.

Breaking News

I am stunned. A TV show I am watching was just interrupted for "breaking news". Disaster? No. Death of the president? No. Anything of importance at all? No. The show was actually interrupted to announce that a Kentucky sports coach was leaving his team to go to another state. There was nothing more to say, but that didn't stop the "news" caster from repeating it about 8 times with the promise of keeping us updated as soon as there's more to report.

Do You Stop?

Here is a question that I have begun asking people. When I first posed the question I thought it was a no-brainer, but I was surprised to find how many people thought differently. I was also surprised by how emotional people got about the topic when you discuss the answers in depth.

It goes like this: You are driving through a big open desert where the visibility is excellent; you can see for miles and miles in all directions. You come to an intersection with a stop sign. You could see this intersection for miles in advance, as you can see for miles that there are no cars coming from any other direction and none behind you. There are no low shrubs, ditches, or billboards behind which a police officer could be hiding. You are certain you are the only person around. Do you stop?

For those of you that say "yes", let's say it is a traffic light. Would you wait for it to turn green? How long would you wait?

Glass Works

I went down to the local glass-blowing art gallery to get some photos. The artisan was making clear glass bottles. It wasn't as big a project as the last time I was there so I couldn't get some of the photos I'd hope for. It was still interesting to see how it's all done.

Bringing In The New Year

A friend of Sarah's hired me to paint the inside of her elderly mother's house so they can put it on the market. The mother was gone for the holidays so I was putting in some LONG days trying to get as much done as possible before she returned. I managed to get the kitchen and bathroom painted. There's a ton of prep work to do including hiding some cracks in the old plaster of the ceilings and walls.

I'm enjoying the work and the company (I've had the house entirely to myself).

I felt myself getting run down, but didn't take a break and now I'm sick on the couch with cough. I'll probably take tomorrow off since I don't want to bring germs into the old gal's house and get her sick.