New Routine

I'll be re-establishing my home routine in a new way for a few days. It is almost 5:30 in the afternoon and I am just getting up after spending last night at the shelter. Due to an unusual situation I will be working four consecutive nights so sleeping all day and getting up in the evening to go to work will be how I spend my week.
I guess I'll get back to my regular routine later.

There were light flurries when I left the shelter to come home this morning and the temperature was somewhere around 20f (-7c). That's a pretty big change from the mornings of walking in shorts and sandals to sit at a sidewalk cafe for my coffee. 
We will have several days of below freezing weather.
Life in the Ozarks.

We brought all of the deck plants into the house before we left for Mexico. Now they are just sort of spread throughout the house. I'll need to move them to the basement so they can get some natural light. We really don't get much direct sunlight in the main living areas of the house due to the large front and back porches. It works well at keeping the house much cooler during the hot days of summer, but isn't great for indoor plants.

While I may struggle to find my winter routine, at least that struggle won't include having to find a place to stay warm at night or looking for food. Our un-sheltered neighbors are very grateful for the people that volunteer at the shelters and provide food. I fear that the high cost of housing is driving more people from their homes and we are going to see an increase in numbers this year.

If you are in the area here, we could really use your help. There are plenty of volunteer positions available.
If you are not in this area, please check local shelters or food pantries where you live.
Homelessness is not a uniquely American problem, but it is unique in how we tend to ignore or criminalize it.
Have some compassion.
Be kind.

John

NaBloPoMo Success!

I made it!
Yay, me!
Thirty consecutive days of posting nonsense!

I do realize that Out of My Hat doesn't post much in the way of valued content anymore. While I do still check on things like views and look forward to any comments, I now mostly write as a way to organize my own thoughts and converse in a way that preempts the interruptions of actual conversation with people that don't really care what you think or have to say. 

     * * * * *

It is November 30 and it is cold in the Ozarks of SWMO. Sometime around sunset yesterday the temperature dropped below freezing and it will remain below freezing until sometime Tuesday afternoon. It is a bit of a shock to the system for a guy just returning from the tropical beaches of Mexico.

With the cold nights comes dangerous conditions for many that have no permanent shelter nor safe, warm places to sleep. There are a number of places that offer overnight shelter, but there are too few of them and there is a great need for volunteers. 
Tonight begins my sixth season of volunteering/working with one of the shelters that is a cooperative effort of three local Springfield churches. The coordinators from the three churches are compassionate, caring, and truly hardworking people. I am honored to be a part of the work that they organize and do on top of their regular day job duties. 
Please consider being a part of our work. There are volunteer duties that vary from very little contact with people like setting up, cleaning, and hauling laundry, to full on spend the night watching over and caring for 30 or so people and their pets. 
Let me know if you are interested or have questions. I will happily point you to the people that can help you to be involved and fulfill a great need this cold weather season.

Today will be a lazy day and a long overnight.
I am glad that I won't feel the need to post tomorrow. 
On the other hand, I will have plenty of time to do so while our overnight guests are sleeping, so you might have more useless reading waiting for you tomorrow.

Be well
Be warm
Be grateful
Be kind

John

Home

After a long and unsuccessful travel day yesterday, I finally arrived home to a rainy and cold day. 
Friday's first flight was delayed several times and the gate for the absent plane also changed several times (which is really pretty stupid). I changed my connecting flight to Springfield to the last flight of the day as soon as the initial flight was delayed. That might have worked if we didn't make an unscheduled stop in Houston. 

I don't know what that was all about other than to say the airline's excuse was no doubt a lie, since they said it was due to weather in Dallas but weather radar didn't show it to be that bad. By the time we took off to resume our flight to DFW my SGF flight was already on the ground in Springfield.
All-in-all, such things are truly first world problems and it would be a shame if all of those people leaving Puerto Vallarta let a bad travel day ruin an otherwise wonderful vacation.

At least today's journey was easy and I figured I would throw this out there and hope for a Sunday post to complete the NaBloPoMo challenge.

It is good to be home.

John

Travel day!

It's time to go home.

And it will be good to be home.

Unfortunately, the dental work was a bit of a bust. Mistakes were made and I will need to plan another trip to finish up the work that was started.

Initially, I was going to be able to buy the two round-trip air fares and get the implants for less than the cost of the implants in the US.

Now cost wise it will be a wash, but I've still spent two months in PV, so...

It's been a little frustrating, but first world problems shouldn't be more than that. 

And speaking of first world problems: The 60f degrees difference (15c) from when I depart PVR and land in SGF is kind of a big deal! 

I did bring long pants and a long sleeve shirt, but I figured I can manage walking from the terminal to the car in shorts and a short sleeve shirt, so that's what I'm wearing. There will be plenty of time for winter clothes in the coming weeks.

¡Hasta la próxima, mis amigos!

(Until next time, my friends!)

John 

Thanksgiving

For the second year in a row Chris and I are apart at Thanksgiving. Last year I was home alone while she was here in Mexico on a moms trip to see the kids. This year I am the one in Mexico as I needed to extend my stay to complete the dental work I am having done.
Together or apart, we have many reasons to be thankful.

We have a good life.
I never get tired of sitting on the deck and looking out over the country view. We have a nice, comfortable home and live in a moderate climate. While we may have difficulty deciding what we're going to have for dinner each night, we never stress about going hungry. We have books available on Kindle and a library that isn't too far away. 
Books, food, comfort, and each other -- what more does anyone really need?

I am proud of our kids.
They live in vastly different climates -- a tropical beach city and a rural mountain setting.
And each is happy where they are. 
We'll be going to see Hannah, Jason, and the pups in a month and have been visiting in Puerto Vallarta with Aaron and Jenny on this trip that ends tomorrow (Chris went home last Friday). 
They all seem to be enjoying life. 
What more could a parent want for their kids?

In all honesty, today won't be that much different from most days. 
To be sure -- there will be some different foods and gatherings of friends, but I feel thankful on a daily basis. Life is not Instagram perfect, but it is a good life. 
"Just another day in the life of John" is more than a stupid little saying. It is an attitude of gratitude and recognition of the good life that I get to live every single day. It is not extravagant nor is it extraordinary. It's just a simple, but good life.

I hope that you find many reasons to be thankful today. While today may be the US holiday to give thanks, it doesn't take a holiday to show gratitude and express grace to one another.

Be well, my friends!

John

Wednesday Wisdom

Reassurance or research
 

John

Simple Life

I'm sitting at the coffee shop around the corner from the kids' place and enjoying the morning. I can't really say that it's quiet because there is a steady stream of traffic on the cobbled road that is right next to my sidewalk table, but there is a certain serenity in the morning noise.
I've noticed a young woman that passes by me each morning as she makes her way back from the small neighborhood store. She has a bag with several eggs (no carton) and whatever vegetables she needs for the day. Apparently it is a part of her morning ritual to walk to the store and buy whatever they will eat for that particular day.

You can buy seven or eight eggs if that's what you need.
If you are making soup and need two stalks of celery, you can buy two stalks of celery. 
If you are looking at avocados, the owner will ask if you need them for today or tomorrow and then she'll pick out the ones that will best serve your need.
There is fresh produce being delivered and sold every morning as I walk past on my way to the coffee shop. 
There are many neighborhood kids walking to the nearby school. I have seen some being dropped off, but most walk, solo or in small groups. I haven't seen any school buses.

But a simple life doesn't mean it's an easy life -- at least not by the standards I am used to.
Many homes have no central air-conditioning and are lucky to have mini-split units in the main living area or sleeping areas.
Tap water is generally not potable, so bottled water must be purchased or a separate filtering system of some kind.
LP is delivered where gas is used since there don't appear to be underground natural gas lines in most areas.

The city is pretty walk-able and so I walk here -- a lot more than I do back home. Traffic is a completely different thing and I think I would have to be here for quite some time before I would be comfortable driving anywhere. I don't know if I'd ever be very comfortable on a motorcycle here. 

The people here work hard.
There are a lot of small business owners that work very hard at making things work for themselves and their families. 
There appears to be much more manual labor available and the laborers work hard. I don't know where the idea of "lazy Mexicans" came from, but it wasn't from anyone that actually watched them work!

I think that much of the living that I have observed here is harder than most people from the US would want to endure on a daily basis. But there is also a peacefulness that is rare in the US. It would be interesting to see if people would be willing to trade a little comfort for a lot of peace.

Just thinking...

John

Reading

Reading can be so much more than just understanding words on a page and passing time.
Reading can be more than informative; it can be educational. Even fictional stories can expose a reader to different cultures, times, and people.

Reading can be its own meditative kind of escape. It can transport the reader into a fantasy world of dragons, ancient gods, or futuristic super heroes and high tech wizards. I almost always have at least one book that I am reading -- often one fiction, one non-fiction.
I find reading of any kind to be good for either mental stimulation or for a calming, relaxing effect, depending on the material and my needs when I open a book or turn on my Kindle.

I also use reading (books) to keep from spending too much time reading internet garbage. I've done fairly well at reducing my screen time and social media time recently. I hope to be even more purposeful about my screen time in the future.

So...
What are you reading?
Why do you read?
How do you learn?

John

Sunday Morning

Today finds me at a softball field not far from where the kids live. We took a bit of a detour on the way to the ballpark to grab a cup of coffee from a nearby coffee shop. Aaron has the early game so I am just using this time to write while he and is team are warming up.

Our tequila tasting trip from yesterday was really quite wonderful. In fact, it is deserving of its own post and I will be doing that when I have the time to devote to it.
Today will be an easy day. Softball this morning, then who knows what this afternoon? 
All-in-all ...

Just another day in the life of John.

It's the weekend!

I know -- What difference does that make for a retired guy?

There is a big market that steps up in the several blocks at the end of the kids' street every Saturday morning. I'll be heading out for coffee and to do a little browsing in a few minutes. I don't expect to buy anything, but the atmosphere is always pretty festive and it will be a great way to begin the day.

Tequila tasting this afternoon. Aaron's baseball game and Jenny's softball game tonight.
It's going to be a full day. I'd better go get that coffee!

Have a grand weekend wherever you are.

John