Connection Junkies

Roger and I don't really feel like we live out in the boonies. We're a 45 minute drive to the capitol of the most populated state in the country. We're six miles from Interstate 80. That's right I-80, the most well-traveled interstate in the country. We're seven miles from a 24-hour Safeway. Seriously. We're not out in the boonies. And yet… and yet… every freakin' time it rains our internet goes down and our telephone line has buzzing static that makes conversation impossible.

Here's the thing about living rurally, you have to be willing to put up with a lot of cranky back-woods stuff that drives us "experienced" city folk crazy. I have to stop myself from calling ATT and saying things I would regret ever showing up in print and accurately attributed to me. Aren't we all living in the 21st century at the same time? How is that things can be this technologically funky so close to the real world of high-tech?

Winter has arrived. We're already 158% above average rainfall, and the storms keep coming. The clouds have darkened the already darkened winter skies, and there has been very little actual bright daylight for a while. Not particularly good for photographing anything, unless you want to see gray winter bleakness at its bleakest best (or would that be worst?).

I have to wonder if our internet disconnect would have been quite as disastrous had it occurred in summer, when we could have gone on hikes in the high country or at least good long walks on local trails. I confess that a few days without our DSL on day-after-day of rain compelled us to seek a similar drug that required a two-year contract and a little device that lets us connect to the internet via cell phone towers. Of course we live in a 3G environment that not even Virgin Mobile recognizes, so our Verizon Jetpack provides a slightly faster than dialup fix. We were absolutely delighted.

Hello, we're the Dharma Bums, and we're connection junkies.

PS -- I did go out the other day to photograph the beautiful big mushrooms growing on the bark next to one of our woodpiles. I looked up at a clear sky and saw a stunningly brief and beautiful iridescent cloud.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!