roughing it

i'm living in a tent.
maybe more like living with a tent.
it's in my living room.
see?
best roommate i've ever had.

back story:
30 years ago, i did a lot of camping, including 2 cross country runs. had all the gear, gadgets and doodads then available. i LOVED it. i loved being outside, hanging with trees, rocks, stars, lizards, bears-well, not so much the bears. as life was lived, the accoutrement of camping was dispersed, through moves, divorce, dumb decisions. roughing it became a hotel without room service.
here and now:
about 2 years ago, i decided that i wanted to start camping again. i deeply missed being outside for extended periods of time. i missed the stars, the smells, the clarity of vision and thought that comes with breathing unadulterated air. so i began the process of collecting, once again, the stuff needed. i bought a sleeping bag and some other odds and ends.
i got distracted (hey, look, a squirrel!), then busy. finally, finally, after a 2 year gestation (think elephant), birth is imminent. now i have a tent.

the exact same make and model i had 30 years ago. deja vu all over again.

oh boy, there are lots of tents out there! after whittling away the ludicrously expensive, the too heavy to carry, and the 10-person halls, there were only a few that i liked. and then-Eureka!

that happens to be the name of the manufacturer of my tent, in business for 100 years. can't slap a fly-by-night label on them! and the same model? still in demand, still getting good reviews after all this time? well, as they say, duh.

i still have things to get-stove, lantern, gear loft, seam sealer. the departure date gets ever closer. i'm still chewing over the destination for the shakedown trip.

in the meantime, i hang out in my tent. eat dinner, read, laze about. zip and unzip the window and the door. arrange the sleeping bag and mattress.
you know-play house. or tent.

**singing softly under my breath "i'm goiiing camp-ing, i'm goiiing camp-ing"