No, not ham hocks, silly. Hammocks. We took two of them camping with us, strung them up between a couple of trees, and man was that ever bliss.

I slept more this past week than I have in the past decade, I believe. All I seemed to do was sleep, read, eat, or play scrabble. Hubby got a bit worried, I slept so much.

Coming home, while nice to be clean and not have to bear-proof our food, is a letdown. I'm already tired, anxious, behind and it's only Monday. A part of me is still on vacation, enfolded in the Brazilian hammock (it doesn't have cross bars at the ends), sleeping beneath the trees and feeling the breeze. At peace.

Why is this life so stressful? Or rather, why do I *make* my life so stressful? Why do I ask so much of myself? Is it so I won't have to ask too much of others? I don't know. Perhaps. But I'm strong, I can handle it.

And yet, it was awful nice, sleeping the morning away in the hammock, the breeze dancing over my face and the rushing of the river near by.
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Hubby has been learning a few of The Band's songs - funny, 35 years after they were popular. His favorite is Cripple Creek - he said it reminds him of me. Awwww. He's also learning The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down and The Wait. His style is swinging to folk/country - a perfect fit for his voice.
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Tomorrow we take the Honda in to the new mechanic here in town. Sigh. It seems like we just get one major thing squared away, and another one pops up.
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If you're into lecture series on CD (and hey, it's a GREAT way to learn), Barnes & Noble have several fantastic series out. We've gone through the Roman one (To Rule the World and Make Mankind Obey) which was AWESOME (and led our eldest son to a killer grade in world history this summer).

This trip to Mammoth, we listened to Foundations of Western Thought - Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. Meaning, the foundations of the first five books of the Bible (Torah); Homer's Iliad and Oddyssey; and what else I don't know, as we just finished lecture 8 and there are 16. But, MARVELOUS - the series on Western Thought is something everyone should listen to, as it gives a clear perspective on not only the Hebrews and Christianity, but the other two sectors that have influenced our daily lives. A much needed balance, and a relief from the current trend of relentless Christian Fundamentalist thought that gets thrust down my throat by strangers at every turn. At some point I hope to be able to argue intelligently - at this point, I merely smile and say "no thank you".

Gads. No wonder I'm tired.