today i potted up and brought in some less cold-hardy herbs, as temps are forecasted to go down to freezing this weekend.  we had given away all our houseplants, thinking we were moving to TN any day now, but then it turned out we couldn’t get approved for any home loans after all.   so i was feeling pretty plant-deprived.  it’s a weird limbo, not really being at home or settled here, while not knowing if or when we’ll ever be able to afford a tiny home and garden of our own elsewhere.  so now at least i have some mental health culinary herbs around me.  and flowers, of course.

after that last rugged adventure, returning to the narrows was like strolling down a lawn.  i had to make myself slow down and not charge full steam ahead!  it was a perfect fall day.  note the dogs having a blast in the river, and the perfect fungi on the tree.

the part not pictured was the really hairy phase, hanging on for dear life.  maybe next time i’ll attempt to record it.

here is rose lake and beyond.

i haven’t posted in a couple of days, partly because i was so exhausted from our latest hike, and partly due to the countless number of photos to choose from.

did i use the words ‘rugged’ or ‘massive’ to describe previous hikes?  i lied.  THIS latest new park for us, old man’s cave and hocking hills state park, makes all those others look like a stroll in the playground.  at some point i just stopped photographing and started holding on for dear life (also i was running out of charge, having taken so many shots).  we  scaled really rugged, massive, nearly vertical, ancient rock formations, with sketchy footing and some roots to cling onto.  there were incredible naturally formed caves that dwarfed us.  there were miles of huge old hemlock forests that just seemed to go on forever, overlooking the sheer drop.  there were falls and a vast, gorgeous lake with many species of large fish.

i can’t even begin to describe or illustrate this place, which we only scratched the surface of,  trekking for miles and hours.  we met lots of friendly people from all over the world, speaking many languages.  there was even a wedding being held down on the rocks by a pool of water.  i shall attempt to do it justice in several sets of photos.

here is phase one, the forest overlooking the caves.

so here we be for a while, reeling from each new setback in our struggle to move on, trying to be resilient and keep hunkering down, until maybe we get a break.  there’s always another day after another erev.

or a few days, if you forgot to post this.  just a little distracted.

back at our ‘new’ park, indian mound reserve, to explore a little more, trying to lose some of the discouragement.  there are some very dramatic rocky formations and deep rock crevices, along the river.

apparently there’s no limit to the magnitude of setbacks you can experience at a time, when you’re poor, marginalized, and screwed by everyone due to just being born.  that’s what i’m learning here in ohio, and it’s quite an education into just how stupid, corrupt, and non-compassionate people can be toward powerless victims of our system.

now, it turns out,  E. can’t even continue to buy, or sell, or refinance her car, or get the title in the end to show for her reliable payment history, because other people’s ignorant behavior has sabotaged her otherwise good credit history, and no one will step up to work with her.  so everything she tries to accomplish in good faith gets tangled up in catch-22s.  instead of hard work and responsibility being rewarded, it’s penalized.  something illegal is probably happening, but with no pro-bono legal aid available in this area, or money to buy a lawyer to unscramble it, you’re screwed.  no wonder marginalized people end up alone and suicidal.  and it’s not an isolated occurrence in this country.

when you grow up with advantages and privileges that you take for granted, you generally don’t see this side of reality for so many people who don’t have money, or education, or legal recourse.  you assume somehow it’s just them being ignorant or trashy due to their own negligence or laziness, whereas somehow you’re different just by virtue of being born advantaged.  this is where politics goes seriously wrong, with the whole bootstraps mentality.  there are just so many times a hardworking person can be kicked down, before they just give up.  but if you have money to begin with, you control all the strings.

anyway, we’re still here, struggling to stay hopeful and keep going, despite each new setback.  if nothing else, it’s opening my eyes, and teaching me to be more adaptable, never my strong point.  it sure beats dying of a heart attack in NJ, or retiring to my proverbial underpass.  always look on the bright side of life!

this probably being our last fun outing in E’s car before we sell it, we took it to the fen to see all the pretty colors.

today we took care of the business of reducing down to one car, mine.  we can’t afford or need to own two vehicles.  another milestone on the way to minimizing living expenses and eliminating excess baggage.  you do what you gotta do to survive.

just to lighten up, here are more nature photos.