Drying Time
I left the library yesterday afternoon. The rain had stopped, just as the radar image from wunderground.com had seemed to portend. Behind the clear "window," which was over Ocala at the time, was a new and menacing green and orange mass, approaching from the southwest. It seemed to be grinning at me.
I knew that this was the time to seek shelter.
Karrie's backpack, along with the soaked sleeping bag were hidden in the woods behind a building. They were not hidden well, as, in the darkness of the previous evening, I had crawled in only far enough so that the street's light was diminished to the intensity of a common night-light. There, I had found the flat spot where I unwittingly rolled out the tarp and bag and slept under the stars. Stars turned into thunderheads, and thunderheads into tornadoes; the rest is history.
My Options Were?
Option 1. Was to get the sleeping bag and dry it at the laundromat, and then find a culvert, overhang, or deeper woods, where the tent could be pitched. This involved spending money, and, if I failed to find a spot and get the tent up before the grinning green and orange mass arrived, then I would have wasted money into the dryer...
Option 2. Walk to the Salvation Army and ask if I could stay there for one night.
I moved towards the Salvation Army. The city is so large that I was prepared for a five mile walk. I always had the option of sitting at a bus stop and taking the city bus the rest of the way, at any point.
I bought an Earthquake High Gravity Lager, and some cashew nuts at a store along the way. I found a place behind a vacant building, which was "for lease," like half of Florida. I pulled out a bag, which had been given to me that morning, as I was sipping my coffee in front of the Kangaroo, before going to the library.
I left the library yesterday afternoon. The rain had stopped, just as the radar image from wunderground.com had seemed to portend. Behind the clear "window," which was over Ocala at the time, was a new and menacing green and orange mass, approaching from the southwest. It seemed to be grinning at me.
I knew that this was the time to seek shelter.
Karrie's backpack, along with the soaked sleeping bag were hidden in the woods behind a building. They were not hidden well, as, in the darkness of the previous evening, I had crawled in only far enough so that the street's light was diminished to the intensity of a common night-light. There, I had found the flat spot where I unwittingly rolled out the tarp and bag and slept under the stars. Stars turned into thunderheads, and thunderheads into tornadoes; the rest is history.
My Options Were?
Option 1. Was to get the sleeping bag and dry it at the laundromat, and then find a culvert, overhang, or deeper woods, where the tent could be pitched. This involved spending money, and, if I failed to find a spot and get the tent up before the grinning green and orange mass arrived, then I would have wasted money into the dryer...
Option 2. Walk to the Salvation Army and ask if I could stay there for one night.
I moved towards the Salvation Army. The city is so large that I was prepared for a five mile walk. I always had the option of sitting at a bus stop and taking the city bus the rest of the way, at any point.
I bought an Earthquake High Gravity Lager, and some cashew nuts at a store along the way. I found a place behind a vacant building, which was "for lease," like half of Florida. I pulled out a bag, which had been given to me that morning, as I was sipping my coffee in front of the Kangaroo, before going to the library.
A man, who looked just like a man in St. Augustine, who has done the same thing, handed it to me, saying: "Here, God put it upon my heart to give this to you," -just like the guy in St. Augustine said. Could he BE Saint Augustine? What's he doing in Ocala? ...baffling...at least they couldn't get him for failure to appear!
There was a can of "stuffed" ravioli, a can of fruit cocktail, spoon-fork-napkin pack, and some literature about a church, which helped the poor. I read the scriptures about "If someone comes to you hungry and naked, and you tell them to go in peace and yet you give them not food, nor clothing, then, how have you helped them?" I paraphrase, of course.
I ate the raviolis, drank the lager, and listened to Sports Radio.
As I continued walking, I noticed that the jackets and shirts which I wore were drying out, making me think that there was yet another option, which didn't necessitate the drying of the sleeping bag. I want to conserve money until the sun comes out this weekend, and I am able to see if street playing yields anything. One good day, and another spent exploring further might put me in a better spot
My needs are simply to hide Karrie's stuff and the tent better, acquaint myself with the shelters and their ability to provide hot showers and food and laundry, and then to see how lucrative the off ramp of Rt. 75 and Rt. 40 is. If successful, I could choose my own food and do laundry on my own schedule. The library here has free Internet, and I have been spending hours on it, catching up on "housecleaning" type things, like answering messages which are two weeks old.
The Captivity Of Karrie
Karrie has not been transferred to St. Augustine, as of yesterday. They have until March 22Nd to pick her up, or failing that, releasing her.
If they let her out in Jacksonville, she will know where to find the "survival pack," which I hid nearby our campsite there. If they bring her to St. Augustine, then I won't have to worry about her being released any time soon. She has 5 charges of "failure to appear." (It sounds like a crime that a ghost might commit at a seance...)
It will cost me $1.50 and a miles walk to get to the ramp on Saturday. I woke up with $72 this morning; half of what I left the camp in Jacksonville with. Now I go to see if they have transported Karrie. I want to send her some money before such a point when it might be the sum total of all I have. I think a quarter of money will sufficiently show my love for her.
There was a can of "stuffed" ravioli, a can of fruit cocktail, spoon-fork-napkin pack, and some literature about a church, which helped the poor. I read the scriptures about "If someone comes to you hungry and naked, and you tell them to go in peace and yet you give them not food, nor clothing, then, how have you helped them?" I paraphrase, of course.
I ate the raviolis, drank the lager, and listened to Sports Radio.
As I continued walking, I noticed that the jackets and shirts which I wore were drying out, making me think that there was yet another option, which didn't necessitate the drying of the sleeping bag. I want to conserve money until the sun comes out this weekend, and I am able to see if street playing yields anything. One good day, and another spent exploring further might put me in a better spot
My needs are simply to hide Karrie's stuff and the tent better, acquaint myself with the shelters and their ability to provide hot showers and food and laundry, and then to see how lucrative the off ramp of Rt. 75 and Rt. 40 is. If successful, I could choose my own food and do laundry on my own schedule. The library here has free Internet, and I have been spending hours on it, catching up on "housecleaning" type things, like answering messages which are two weeks old.
The Captivity Of Karrie
Karrie has not been transferred to St. Augustine, as of yesterday. They have until March 22Nd to pick her up, or failing that, releasing her.
If they let her out in Jacksonville, she will know where to find the "survival pack," which I hid nearby our campsite there. If they bring her to St. Augustine, then I won't have to worry about her being released any time soon. She has 5 charges of "failure to appear." (It sounds like a crime that a ghost might commit at a seance...)
It will cost me $1.50 and a miles walk to get to the ramp on Saturday. I woke up with $72 this morning; half of what I left the camp in Jacksonville with. Now I go to see if they have transported Karrie. I want to send her some money before such a point when it might be the sum total of all I have. I think a quarter of money will sufficiently show my love for her.
The British Are Coming
In the meantime, the Lidgleys are set to arrive in Orlando Sunday night. They will be here in Ocala on Thursday, when we will meet somewhere for dinner.
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