Update and Misc post

Sick update

This morning was rough, coughing for 30 min. straight with flem and other things, right through the time I woke till past my shower time. I dressed for work, went to the kitchen but decided to tell them I am taking a sick day. So the big boss sent me to the Medics, not too bad he is ex Military Medic and now a PA (Physicians Assistant, next step is full Doc) so I trust him.

Temp 99.9, so close I asked him if he could do it again, and I would try to raise it that one paltry point to make it an even 100 deg far, so close. He laughed and said, yup your ex military al right!

Medical Thermometer showing temps

So, bed rest for the day, I slept about 8 hrs today and am still feeling tired so not too worried about sleeping tonight. He also gave me some free Tylenol Cold, as the package I bought here cost me $23 – yikers!

Tomorrow is another day, I already feel better, but if I ask for another day off, out I go and I need the money, so suck it up princess, as they say in the military.

Cold Weather Clothing

A person I know posted in the Canadian Preppers site on cold weather clothing, here is my answer to help some others as well;

*They can not wear processed wool,

alternative is Alpaca wool and products,
there is a store near Oshawa/Bowmanville and they say people with processed wool allergies (like myself) can use this product as an alternative.

Polypropylene or Capilene see the sporting goods and hunting sections for these products. Layers, layers, layers. There is a army surplus store out your way, they did the interview with the Canadian Prepper shoot as well, they have the wool overshirts. Damn warm, works awesome, put the polypro underneath with a regular Tshirt etc and you will be very warm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypropylene

http://www.rei.com/product/801816/patagonia-capilene-3-long-underwear-bottoms-mens
That way, you take off the heavy coat when working, so you do not overheat, now that is the real problem for most people as they keep the coat on. You work, you heat up, you sweat, then as you cool down the body cools off quickly and the cold causes the sweat to freeze, with the poly/capilleran which is moisture wicking, as well as the wool which is moisture wicking, it helps to protect you from this by pulling the sweat away from the skin. Remember Cotton Kills.

Might also look into Hemp clothing, there are some great Hemp and Bamboo/Hemp combos coming out as well.
Edit – I agree with the Polar Flees as well.

Here is the direct link to the clothing page.

Now I am allergic to processed wool, so I used to wear long sleve Polypro under the wool, it is an unbeatable combination.
http://www.providencesupplies.com/Produ … tegory=113

They are nice folks, he is Ex Cdn Military and they are Preppers.

On this page you will see some links to other countries Wool Pants and Wool Shirts. The best are the Dutch and German ones, unless you can find the Canadian ones, especially the older WWII or Korean War Wool kit.

gc_mountainman posted (he is ex CDN Military as well)

oldschool wrote:I can’t wear wool. Is there anything that will work as well as the wool?

oldschool,

Two thoughts here. If you want to have wool as an option, use a silk or poly-pro set of long sleeve shirt with a long john pant. This should prevent skin to wool contact. I would also recommend a poly-pro liner sock, they wick without absorbing moisture like cotton socks. Then wear a high quality wool sock over them for cushion and warmth.

The other thought was to try Merino wool, it is a very high quality wool from New Zealand if I recall. It has a finer texture, not itchy to the touch. Now, if you have wool allergies, I am not sure what this would do. Worth looking at and researching.

If wool is a total no-go, then I agree with JustABear, use polar fleece. It comes in at least four thicknesses, 100 lightest/thinnest, 200, 300, & 400 thickest/warmest.

Of course, maybe you could use a wool outer layer overtop of a polar fleece middle layer???

Best of luck on your search.

Mountainman.

http://mtnmanblog.blogspot.ca/

Sick and You?

Well it has been a long time since an update.

Working up here on the Mine site, 2.5 hrs north of Cochrane Ontario, long hours with some bad weather and bam, got sick 😦

So long hours + Sick = NO energy

Doing a double rotation, so back to back and if it were not for being sick this would be my best happy and friendly week ever here! So it means, 2 weeks in camp and 2 weeks out of camp, hopefully to finish sorting, getting rid of stuff and ready for move, well that’s the plan as it stands.

 

How have you all been doing?

 

 

 

Fortune Cookie says:

So it has been a long time since I made a journal entry, so here it goes. Some will be in short form, sorry to the one person who follows who does not like this style, and some will be in more of a story format.

Last night my fortune cookie said; “You make people realize that there exist other beauties in the world”

Now this is actually true, a few days ago I had an epiphany on the Meaning of Life. Now I am not so arrogant to try to start my own religion or anything like that, or to consider that this is the meaning for life for everyone in the world and universe. This was my message from the Creator/God/Universe to ME.

Working for others is hard and working with others is harder sometimes, so many egos and hidden agendas. So having a bad people day, as in shit heads were peeing in my Corn flakes, I said Universe I need a sign to stay here and not quit. Within a half an hour a large Raven swooped in front of me as I was driving, spiralled around and flew beside my cab and looked over to make sure I was watching, then sped up and swooped in front of the Rock Truck to fly up the road and disappear over the hill in front. Odd I thought, not knowing how much the creatures and the nature of the world would impact on me that night.

Eventually my slow large cumbersome Rock Truck which is a Cat 740 Rock truck with 3 axles, can carry 40 tons in the payload area, over rough terrain, crested the hill, in time to see a very large Red Fox, saunter across the road looking right in my eyes. Odd I thought, so continuing down the road, I spotted more small wildlife off in the trees, lots of birds for sure, more than normal. The time was around 6:30 ish PM, the night creatures were stirring and shift change was happening, so they felt more secure perhaps.

Pulling into the pit, I noticed the clouds were forming large big interesting shapes. As I pulled up to the Front end Loader, another Red Fox scouted past looking for food thrown from the people, he was disappointed though, as we did not through anything to him. He was funny to watch, scurrying around, his little pads and low weight barely making a dent in the soft sand, circling the moving machines, knowing how they worked and confident in his speed and agility.

As I slowly left the pit rounding the corner and heading up the long straight stretch to the active Dam building area, God/The Universe/The Creator had another awe-inspiring treat for my eyes to view, to activate my brain and make my Soul soar with delight. I looked up at the clouds, the sun peaking over the and behind the clouds, brilliant silver rays of sunlight flashing out from the cloud cover like wide laser beams, bathing the landscape all around me. Wow was all I could articulate out loud.  What a display of beauty, in that Northern land of lakes and trees, Wow.

Later that evening the spectacles continued; the day before I had seen a small black bear playing on the road, well tonight I watch another similar one, slowly saunter into the woods, then on another trip back into the pit, the Red Fox, dashing around, I caught sight of his family down in the sand dunes on another level of the pit waiting and playing for him to return. So nice so many sights to delight the soul, but the evening was not over yet.

Soon, I would see the Aura Borealis again for the fist time in 20+ years, dancing in the sky, peaking around the clouds, making a wonderous spectacle for all to see. All to see who took the time to look up in the wonderous sky, all who take the time to admire nature and the world around them even while working. For those who see more than man-made things, man make problems, man created problems, those who are awake or waking up, those who love the World/Earth/Gia love the Creator, that whom created the world God, that whom created the Universe the Universe unto itself.

similar to the aura borealis I saw

I told others that night to enjoy a moment or two of the beauty that is around us, even on a job site. In the past having told others of the beauty around my as I stand or walk or pace or sit outside while others sit in their man made dwellings shutting out the world, I enjoy what the Universe has to show me that night, teach me that night or that day. While on the phone to people, I watch birds swoop and soar, insects skitter through the wall grasses and weeds. Observe Fireflies in the fields below and around me, twinkling like the stars above, mirroring the story of creation itself. Listen to the wind rustle or blow through the trees and branches, move and hustle around the tall weeds, scoot sideways the poor little dragon flies  as they search out their meals for the evening.

The Meaning of Life, for me is Stop worrying about man-made things and concerns, live closer to nature, explore my little part of the universe, help to create some beauty in life to offset the destruction of Man Kind. Stop with the petty worries of others, relax outdoors as much as possible, sleep outdoors when I can, sit outdoors when I can and when I can not sit or sleep there, put on weather gear and walk there. Spend as much time getting back to nature, getting back to the One Real Church, the Church God the Universe Created for us. Nature.

My Wilderness Return story continues, continues along on the right path the proper path. Share with others, share to help teach to remind and to help reflect on the meaning of life; enjoy the moments that are all around us, everyday, every moment of the day and every moment of the evening and night. Watch the lovely Moon the companion to this Earth.

So;
taking the plunge, went up to Timmins area, Cochrane, Matheson, took a job with a so so employer that starts with a ‘C’ just to get into the North, work and time = money to move up and get property and follow my dreams and reality, my path.

Been travelling to and fro from Bowmanville to Timmins, while back working on projects to get rid of stuff, sell off stuff, including my business stuff, stuff that is like a boat anchor dragging me down to the hollow lake of despair in this dreary man-made area overpopulation and cities. Back to the North, back to the Wilderness.

My next time in the Mines, I will ask to stay for 2 weeks so I can have 2 weeks off, in the full two weeks off, I can get way more done than now with only 3 -1/2 days of being able to work here. There are two full days of travel just to get back and forth, and the first day that I am back down here, I sleep extra to make up for the time spent not sleeping for a least a week while travelling and working. Wow.. Time, never enough time, wish I could go back in time, correct the mistakes of the past. I know the exact divergent path that I made my first big mistake, I would go to that timeline and take the other road to travel. Go back in time with my full memories to guide me is my only wish of the Genie, “Genie I would make one wish only, it would be thus stated!”

Alas, it is not to be, onward Christian Soldiers we go. Hoping for a brighter future, hoping for a future, hoping for the miracle of a better life, to enjoy life, to have the ability to notice the wonderous events around us to allow our hearts and Soul to be uplifted and inspired. This is the wish of Soldiers and Warriors throughout history. My wish now again as well.

This blog is about my journey for my recollection and thoughts, hopefully I will be helping others to realize that there are exists other beauties in the world and other events beyond the human condition.

* So as I wrote the very last paragraph above, a large Chipmunk just took the chance darted across from the trailer in front of me to the trailer beside me, looked me in the eyes, and took the risk. As the Dog is just laying outside the Van right now, sighing for me to get off the computer and do something useful like play fetch with her, it was a rather large risk for the Chipmunk to take. So the Universe just spoke to me again, verifying my observations, to verify my writing of the events, thoughts and feelings for others to hopefully start looking around, playing around and staying outdoors to enjoy what is real and inspiring, not man-made things, the simple things like a single drop of dew on a blade of grass, glistening in the dawn light, a drop of moisture mirroring the beauty of the Universe for us to See and Observe!

Cheers and have a wonderous day of Observing the Glory that is all around us.

(ps, note, no re-writing, no re-reading just thoughts spilling out in all their lack of sentence structure, just thoughts one after another spilling forth through the clumsy medium of brain to fingers to keyboard to pixels on a screen in a pixel universe to tell you to go back to the real Universe, HA HA.. Irony is me 🙂