Day 30: Back in Rachacha

I had a great time reconnecting with Maryville and seeing my family. It is pretty tough to be separated from them for long periods of time, especially when there is so much settling to do in our house in TN. It is not really our house, but we have to make it a home. So Val has been working her butt off to get the upstairs done, and she was at an impasse when I got home. So we decided that I'd stay a little longer to help her get a handle on things, which we did. The upstairs is nearly complete, and Val has a great plan to get it finished. And we are both really happy with most of the upstairs. There is a bit more work to do, but not much.

We really needed more kitchen space, but there is no such thing as a cabinet stretcher, so Val and Patty found this great hutch for $100! It is old and has some stuff wrong going on, but it is a solid piece of furniture. So I fixed the structural stuff and primed it, and then Val painted it Val colors. It turned out really pretty. The handles need to go back on and then its done!

The boys were great. Andre was extra clingy, and I really love the attention, but he somehow thinks if he lays down really high he is the king; I guess he is. Wishy has always been distant unless he doesn't want to be. But he yelled at me a lot while I was home, for sure. They were both a bit sad to see me go. Val is too. And I'll miss my family, but I'm already in the second Session! I'm still so pleased to be studying under Dwain, and I cannot wait to get started back in the shop.

But before we do we are going to the Cranberry Dulcimer Gathering. Dwain has been going for about 20 years, so he is well known there. He suggested introducing me to the gathering as his apprentice, and I think it is a great idea because we can talk about passing the dulcimer building torch to me all we want. But we both feel that others must witness the event, too. I have to get people talking about me so that they will be interested in my dulcimers, and going to the gathering is one way to do so. I think I'll have to find my own gathering, too.

So what do you do after just a couple of hours of sleep on a bus--Greyhound is really comfortable if you twist just so! And with my veteran discount I get a ticket for $88! And I made it here in only 17 hours with no hassle. Plus, I get to see fringe people, you know, people like me. I know that my kind are everywhere and come in every flavor, but Greyhound fringe is really fringy. I saw so many different kinds of characters, as anyone would when travelling. But some of the characters are just too fantastic.

I saw a princess, I swear. She was Eastern European and carried herself really princessy--I know because I seen all of the Disney princess movies. There was a 45 minute stopover, and so I got a nice, hot meal. As I was eating my fried, processed chicken sandwich with a mess of vegetables on it--jalapeños are a vegetable, right?--a dude sits down two seats away from me , took out his teeth and started cleaning them. It was just the uppers, so I guess it was okay. Was it wrong that I watched him while I ate?


I get here in Rochester at 4:30am and I walk the 2 miles carrying my fifty pounds of stuff for the month to Gretchen's house. There is supposed to be a house full of people, so I sit on the porch until 6am so I at least wake them up an almost respectable time. Then Bodhi the Cat comes and demands some love and some food, so I let him in. George is right there to greet us, and I feed them both, which is why George was there to greet us, I'm sure.

I left my bags and fell asleep downstairs because nobody in the house was moving. I woke up at 9am to a call from the VA Clinic in Knoxville because they wanted to set up my first appointment to see my new Dr., who is actually a nurse practitioner or some such because her name is Ms. Kelly. But I'm in and they'll treat me. A big WooHoo! to the VA in a time of crisis for many vets and the VA. I've really had great experiences with the VA in these past ten or so years--but not always, mind you.

There is this guy, Brandon Bryant, who is a Facebook friend (but I think that we could be real friends outside of Facebook). He is the first drone pilot to speak publicly about his duty to murder people, and he suffers greatly from his experiences and deeds. He gets a lot of flack from other military guys, but they are probably supply clerks with delusions of war being glorious and want to be heroes who can tell others they've killed. So my hat goes off to Brandon as he struggles with his doings, and today I sent to him the information for the Zaltho Foundation, which is run by Claude Anshin Thomas, who is a Vietnam vet whose deeds there were terrible. He's the one who taught me that his war and battles are not mine, so I have to deal with me as a the guy in my own skin who did some stuff and has to live with it. As for Claude Anshin Thomas, he has spent the rest of his life since then making amends and atoning for those deeds. He is a powerful man who saved my life. Anyway, Brandon is having a tough time with the VA right now. I'm sorry, brother.


Well, so what do you do after a 17 hour bus ride and a few hours of sleep?
You go run, of course! There is this park on top of this hill that Dwain told me about, so I set a course to run up there. It is a beautiful day for a run, too. I plotted out a just-over 4.5 mile run. There is a reservoir on top of the hill. It is huge cistern! I guess it makes sense that they used to be made this way, before water towers were put into use, I guess.

I get there and decide to run up this dirt path. Gee Wilikers! I had no idea the path went straight up the hill just a few meters after it started. The path started with a gentle slope and then after a few turns the slope was steeper than 45 degrees! I had to walk and use my hands just to get up. I was not ready for that! Then I went to the water fountain to get the dirt out of my mouth--really, it was that steep that I had to reach up and pull myself up. But there is construction on the reservoir, so they cut off the water. Poop. So I just ran on. I went around the waterless reservoir and then decided to run down the grassy slope on the other side of the hill to balance out the silliness on the dirt-trail side. When I got to the bottom I took a left when I should have taken a right. I knew after I ran a mile that it was the wrong direction, so I had to turn around. That added two miles to my run. That takes care of my six mile run for the month--6.68 miles the map says. I definitely was not ready for that!

I'm still staying at Gretchen's place. Did I tell you that she is letting me stay for free? This will save us a lot of money over the next 3.5 months! I've been doing work around her house because I can and she needs the help (Even fiercely independent persons need help; they just don't want to ask for it.), so we're helping one another. She is a wonderful, gracious, and fiercely independent woman who has led a really interesting life.

After my run I decided to do one of the tasks that Gretchen put on her list. The list is not a must do list she assures me, but if I can I help her with the list I will. So because I didn't get enough hutch at home I decided to move the rug she has in a room under her hutch. It is so solidly built that I had to take out all of the drawers and most of the china. But I did it!


As I took out the china I strategically placed it so that I would know exactly to where the things went back. I spent a lot of time, too much I'm sure, getting things just right because the lines of the 120 year-old floor were about as straight as the lines of the 50 year-old hutch whose lines were as straight as the woven rug. So I couldn't get anything to line up perfectly. But the rug is off of the fireplace and everything in the room is mostly straight in relationship to the room itself!


Noel, Gretchen's daughter, and Dillon, Noel's son, are staying here for a while. And today is Dillon's birthday. I got to celebrate with the family.


And I got to play my dulcimer. I'm really liking it as an instrument, and as my repertory grows I start to understand much more about the music the dulcimer can make and music in general. I'm up to four songs, solidly played.

It is making Val and my relationship better, too!