No More Travels!

In response to several readers who asked, I will more than likely NOT be going to Lassen this summer. About a month after surgery, when I realized things were not going so well, I wrote to the folks at Lassen giving them an update. At that time I still had hoped to see a great improvement soon, and that I would be able to work at the campground as intended. As soon as I saw the surgeon and realized I had quite a while to go before I could go anywhere on my own, I again wrote to Lassen explaining the situation. It's just not meant to be, at least this summer.

Looking over the past year I am amazed at the times that I've been driven to do something or to change plans, not knowing why but trusting completely in my strong intuition. A case in point was leaving Georgia for the west coast, when I initially had planned to make a leisurely trip. As the time got closer I got frantic to be here as soon as possible - the birthday party for my son was a good reason - but there was an urgency in my trip.

Deciding to settle into a fixed location - that came out of the blue for sure. At first I didn't understand it but thought I might like to be up in the foothills. I nearly rented a house there when I developed an unexplained desire to be in Sacramento - first a little closer to the downtown area, and then at the last moment found this place in Fair Oaks, which is just about 2 miles from the eye clinic, and surprisingly off the beaten track for Sacramento while close to everything I need. I know this area, having lived nearby for six years, and that is probably why I feel comfortable enough to drive short distances during non-rush traffic times.

I certainly have no peek into the future. But I have learned in my later life to trust my intuition implicity. As far as the events of the past few months, I have actually had little say in the matter - I "feel" I should do something and can't possibly do anything else. It's an interesting trip I'm on, and I'm looking forward to whatever awaits me down the road. I just hope I can "see" whatever it is!

The bird feeders have suddenly become a little more active. The thistle sock has had what I think is a female goldfinch quite a number of times today. She is still in the drab colors of winter so it's hard to say. The goldfinches I saw in NC were the most beautiful bright yellow I've ever seen, and maybe these finches will brighten up when their mating season begins. I've tried to get photographs looking out of the window, but they didn't turn out very well and you can't see much detail on the bird. I may take my camera out on the patio some day when the weather warms up and see if I can snap them closer up. The camera doesn't seem to bother the hummingbirds, nor does my presence or the dog's.

It has rained off and on all day, with several very loud thunderclaps. This is so odd for the end of May in Sacramento.

I am still having problems with my internet connection, although I have figured out that it has a lot to do with the USB hub I've been using. I use it because the aircard is too wide to allow anything to fit in the adjacent usb port, so I can't even have a mouse connected. I disconnected the hub and plugged the aircard directly into my laptop and the service is marginally better. No doubt the weather has something to do with today's connection problems.

I would be interested in hearing from readers who use the MiFi for internet. In your travels do you find many places where the connection is non-existent or not so good? I'm thinking seriously about renting the MiFi equipment from 3G stores - with no contract to sign it might be worth it to just terminate my air card (at a $90 penalty) and try something else. If I cancel the rental before two years is up there is no fee but I would have to return the equipment or pay $200 to keep it. No contracts, no credit checks, no social security number required - and at least $10 less a month than what I'm paying for an aircard that doesn't work half the time.

I wouldn't change over without discussing the pros and cons with a customer rep from 3G, but would like to hear of actual experiences with the MiFi. I know there isn't anything that is perfect, but there has to be something better than what I now have.