Microbe Slam

Can only think I gave myself food poisoning. Hit early this morning, gone now. Drinking chicken broth and holding it down, trying to re-hydrate. Didn't really feel bad, just had to stay close to the outhouse. Didn't get to town. Lovely rain this morning, cleaning off the dust of summer and making the leaves lustrous. The driveway is terrible, B and I talked about it Saturday (he was at the top of the driveway when I got home) and agreed that we had to get it redefined and graded. Opening dialogue. I'm already behind on firewood for next winter, but we get the driveway graded I'll be able to buy a load. A mounded dump-truck is probably close to two cords, the backbone of my winter's supply, $120, so I'm not too worried about that. I'll do better with the pantry in the fall, I know that I need to weather a winter, two gallons of lamp oil, 50 candles, a bag of beans, various condiments, the occasional salad. People send me things, I'm not dependent on that, but it often serves to get me over a hump. I made cheese-grits in the crock-pot today, so I'd have something to eat next week. Refried grits with a fried egg. My side of town is, Chicago. I can take the train up from here and sleep the whole way, eat indigenous food and visit museums. They do a great hot-dog there, beyond your wildest dreams, street food of the highest rank. I go up under an assumed name, to eat hot-dogs in the park and visit museums. Call me crazy, but it's a good way to get to know an area, and scope out the food. I can mop anywhere, good enough to allay suspicion I might be something other than what I am. Infiltrate a museum in dark blue Dickies, with a Cubs hat and wrap-around sunglasses, find the cleaning closet, mumble a bit under my breath, no one looks at me a second time. The only situation I was almost caught I pulled out my pocket knife and scraped a bit of gum off the floor, the guards went right over my head; we slipped out a delivery door and caught the train back to Portsmouth. It's easy, once you get the hang of it. On a lark, Svet and I mopped the Pentagon. He found evidence of aliens, I argued it was bullshit, if there were aliens, who were we?