I've had quite a bit of time to sit around and daydream in the past two months. Most of the time I dream of future homes, occupations, and adventures. I wish that I could spend all day sketching the small cabin that I've created in the corners of my mind. Some inspiration has come from here: http://freecabinporn.com/. There are many variations with different components taking priority: a log stove or fireplace, cozy covered porch, window-seat, rocking chair, chicken coop, small garden, library, orchard around the house, wood-fired sauna... I retreat to this imaginary place almost every evening as I cuddle into my Arcata bed and dream of the future. Someday (hopefully sooner rather than later), I'll turn these daydreams into reality and build a perfect retreat in the Sierras.
It's funny...I lived in a garden studio for 2 years here at college, and while the living situation was not perfect, there were so many comforts in that small space. I remember waking up every morning to the song of birds outside my window and watching hummingbirds through my kitchen window as I washed up after meals. I remember the smell of flowers drifting through my open front door and my landlady's lab-poodle mix poking her nose in to beg for a piece of bacon...the sound of rain crashing down on the roof and me worrying that the little house would wash away with the winter storms. For all the stress and hassle of upkeep on the studio, most of my happiest memories here at school took place out of that one room home.
That being said, my new (although not so new after living here for 7 months) apartment offers so many sweet experiences! Although the lack of rain and snow is a worry for the California environment this season, it means that I wake up in a bath of sunshine every morning. I have been setting my alarm to wake up and enjoy the radiant spread that warms a whole corner of my room around 8 AM; it perfectly covers my bed and provides an ideal spot to slowly wake-up and read before rolling out. Another highlight: our small back porch. At first, I thought it was too small to use in any fashion except to house my tiny cedar sapling. Not true! The railing is a perfect bench and has been used as a seat to read, oil boots, paint toenails, and enjoy a beer on a warm winter day.
I never was one to realize how much a good home affects one's mood, but it's remarkable how the weather and your surroundings can brighten your day. For now, I'll keep daydreaming about chickens and rocking chairs and acres of fruit trees. But soon! So soon! I want to live my dreams and not spend so much time sitting around and making plans.
Until next time,
Kate
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Humboldt Life
I doubt anyone is still reading this after my return from New Zealand, but my goal had been to use this blog as a way of recording life post-graduation and gosh darn it, I plan on staying true to this goal.
So, I returned to life in the 'Boldt. Much like I imagined, life's been pretty slow and uneventful. After a month, I feel like there aren't too many exciting things to share...however, there are a few developments.
First, summer employment. It looks like I'll be returning to the Hat Creek handcrew again this summer. Official hiring hasn't taken place as of yet, but my boss assures me that he's going to do all he can to get me on. This is the first summer where employment has been taken care of before April; not gonna lie, it feels damn good to know where I'll be in a couple months. My hope is to rent a small house or apartment near the station (aka: Hat Creek, Burney, Fall River) so that I'm not living full-time in the barracks for 6 months. I don't think my sanity could handle it. Most of the other guys have girlfriends and/or apartments in Redding to escape to on weekends. Without that luxary, I think I'll settle for living alone in the boondocks on my days off. Oh man. Tough life living in a beautiful area.
Secondly, classes. I'm taking a GIS class at the local community college. It's almost exactly the same class as taught at Humboldt State, the main difference being price. It cost me $50 rather than $600; quite the deal! The main objective of the class is for students to develop a project using GIS and solve for a problem or question that's posed. I contacted my fuels officer over in Hat Creek and asked if I could help with any projects they currently have going or are looking into. He recommended that I help with their WUI (wildland urban interface); they have only classified one small area in the district so far and are looking at using remote sensing and computer analysis to quantify sites post-treatment as well as identifying new treatment areas. Good news: the Forest Service already has a ton of data collected and documented. Bad news: this data can get very messy and may not be in formats I've seen before. But hey!, it's an excellent learning process and I'll be working for the district which looks great on a resume.
Thirdly, current employment. I put out an add for babysitting/nanny work and found a great match. I've been helping out a very sweet family over in Sunny Brae by watching their 19 month-old baby girl, Lily. The parents own a homestead out in Willow Creek (roughly 1 hour east of Arcata) and an apartment in Arcata so they can have a home base out of which to run errands and have basic creature comforts. The plan is to do some babysitting at the Arcata apartment on weekends while they're in town right now, but once the weather gets better, I'll go out to Willow Creek as well to watch Lily while her parents work on the property. The pay isn't much and it's not a lot of time, but so far it's really worked out and I find myself looking forward to babysitting. I guess it's just a nice change from outdoor labor and socializing with foresters and firefighters.
Oh yeah, and I also might be doing some temporary timber cruising for the City of Arcata. And arborist work with my buddy Merlin. And working with my fire science professor at HSU. We'll see how that all goes.
Aside from all that, I've been doing a bunch of hot yoga and home yoga, walking (I try to convince myself to go running, but my "runs" often turn into scenic marsh walks half-way through), reading, logging sports practice/firewood splitting on Saturdays, skeet shooting on Sundays, and seeing what cheap, tasty meals I can make. Current favorite: whole-wheat crackers with salami, sliced tomato, and avocado. Simple, but sooo delicious. So yes, not a very exciting life at the moment, but I'm really happy where I'm at...most days. Which is one of the bigger changes that's occurred recently.
Until next time,
Kate
So, I returned to life in the 'Boldt. Much like I imagined, life's been pretty slow and uneventful. After a month, I feel like there aren't too many exciting things to share...however, there are a few developments.
First, summer employment. It looks like I'll be returning to the Hat Creek handcrew again this summer. Official hiring hasn't taken place as of yet, but my boss assures me that he's going to do all he can to get me on. This is the first summer where employment has been taken care of before April; not gonna lie, it feels damn good to know where I'll be in a couple months. My hope is to rent a small house or apartment near the station (aka: Hat Creek, Burney, Fall River) so that I'm not living full-time in the barracks for 6 months. I don't think my sanity could handle it. Most of the other guys have girlfriends and/or apartments in Redding to escape to on weekends. Without that luxary, I think I'll settle for living alone in the boondocks on my days off. Oh man. Tough life living in a beautiful area.
Secondly, classes. I'm taking a GIS class at the local community college. It's almost exactly the same class as taught at Humboldt State, the main difference being price. It cost me $50 rather than $600; quite the deal! The main objective of the class is for students to develop a project using GIS and solve for a problem or question that's posed. I contacted my fuels officer over in Hat Creek and asked if I could help with any projects they currently have going or are looking into. He recommended that I help with their WUI (wildland urban interface); they have only classified one small area in the district so far and are looking at using remote sensing and computer analysis to quantify sites post-treatment as well as identifying new treatment areas. Good news: the Forest Service already has a ton of data collected and documented. Bad news: this data can get very messy and may not be in formats I've seen before. But hey!, it's an excellent learning process and I'll be working for the district which looks great on a resume.
Thirdly, current employment. I put out an add for babysitting/nanny work and found a great match. I've been helping out a very sweet family over in Sunny Brae by watching their 19 month-old baby girl, Lily. The parents own a homestead out in Willow Creek (roughly 1 hour east of Arcata) and an apartment in Arcata so they can have a home base out of which to run errands and have basic creature comforts. The plan is to do some babysitting at the Arcata apartment on weekends while they're in town right now, but once the weather gets better, I'll go out to Willow Creek as well to watch Lily while her parents work on the property. The pay isn't much and it's not a lot of time, but so far it's really worked out and I find myself looking forward to babysitting. I guess it's just a nice change from outdoor labor and socializing with foresters and firefighters.
Oh yeah, and I also might be doing some temporary timber cruising for the City of Arcata. And arborist work with my buddy Merlin. And working with my fire science professor at HSU. We'll see how that all goes.
Aside from all that, I've been doing a bunch of hot yoga and home yoga, walking (I try to convince myself to go running, but my "runs" often turn into scenic marsh walks half-way through), reading, logging sports practice/firewood splitting on Saturdays, skeet shooting on Sundays, and seeing what cheap, tasty meals I can make. Current favorite: whole-wheat crackers with salami, sliced tomato, and avocado. Simple, but sooo delicious. So yes, not a very exciting life at the moment, but I'm really happy where I'm at...most days. Which is one of the bigger changes that's occurred recently.
Until next time,
Kate
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