6:39am

I move slow on Mondays. It’s my last day off before resuming deli work for the week. I deliberately slow things down a few notches. It’s my day of stillness and rest. I’m shaking it up a bit to go hiking. I haven’t been outdoors in a while and it’s starting to get to me. I don’t mean going for a walk or run, or sitting under a tree although those are some solid options.

I need sweat, uphill cadence, sun on my face and a fat hilltop to gaze over the landscape.

I gotta free range for a few hours. That’s my intention. Table Rock has a new trail for me to hike. November was the last time I laced my shoes to walk up a mountain. Every weekend for the past three months I’ve either had a big order on my day off, snow, sleet, rain or I was moving and packing. My mental health is fine and that’s quite the accomplishment because it wasn’t so long ago I’d be climbing the walls to get outside.

I’m good y’all. Just trying to get some sun on my face and mud on my shoes.

I gave myself 30 minutes to write this morning. Soon it’ll be the gym, yoga and straight to the mountains. I am beside myself with folly. I write with my phone. Some days my fingers can dance all over this keyboard and I can type like a madman. Other days my thumbs go dumb and I’m backspacing like drunk Chad trying to express himself on a Facebook post. This is one of those days.

My thumbs are off by a millimeter. Or if you go by the standard American measurement, they’re off by a mule hair.

In another two weeks or so I can resume my outdoor activities with my camper. Hopefully, maybe three.

Spent my Sunday hanging some art and frames all over our new home with one of my favorite people. The walls are finally coming alive and the home is settling. My feathers stayed slightly ruffled for the first two weeks as we acclimated into our nesting phase. If there is one box sitting out that doesn’t belong I stare at it until I make it go away. Moving it out of my site does absolutely nothing because I will get up and stare at it. If I put it in a closet it will speak like a Shakespearean raven into my head until I reckon with it.

Nevermore

Nevermore

Nevermore

Just unpack the box Chad and go about your day. Well I finally did yesterday. Well except for one. I still have a 100 lb dresser that has to climb some stairs.

The plus side are my walls are 3D now with still life.

8 more minutes

Bought a new stand for my tv to stand on. I’m curious if tv legs could bend would we have the options for TV sits? It was a Costco buy I’ve been sitting on my annual Costco check for about 10 months now. Used it to purchase a 75 inch stand and rolled it out. I’m mentioning the length of the box because it’s relevant to my next side story.

My truck bed is 73.7 inches long. Box was just a tad too long. No problem Chad you can just leave the tailgate down. Yeah I could’ve before last week before I purchased a ridiculously big and heavy tire hitch swing for my spare tire. It’s a Rig’d hitch swing. Big and fancy. I bought it used as I do most things that I consider way overpriced. I love it. Carries my 5th 33in Yokohama billabong bouncer all radial reed monster truck national champion off-roaders.

I don’t know shit about tires yall. All I know is they handle well in the mud and they destroyed my mpgs.

Comes with a fancy fold down table and a cutting board.

And a gas can.

Probably around 80lbs dry. and it’s bolted tight.

Can’t drive with my tailgate down. Tried to force it you know cardboard is can bend and shit. Closed my tailgate and it goes “nope” and pops off my truck. Right in front of a dozen Costco people that I most likely bumped with my cart for being slow.

Didn’t know tailgates could do that. Yeah I did but wasn’t expecting it to happen at Costco in the pouring rain. A Good Samaritan helped me shove a 90 pack of paper towels under the box so I could hover it over my disheveled tailgate that held on like a loose tooth until we got home. I enjoyed a nice 55° shower as I finagled my tailgate back into submission. All of this for a rectangular box for my tv to sit on top of.

Welp I went 3 minutes over. Time to climb a mountain.

Peace.