Uncategorized – Chick Ranger–Retired California State Park Supervising Ranger/Writer/Artist

The Mind and the Body are One

I don’t know why it has taken me 65 years to question my addiction-like draw to toxic stress. It was easily fueled during my park ranger days, with a portable law enforcement radio microphone cord woven through an epaulet on my uniform shirt, feeding me a stream of law enforcement contacts and radio calls, orContinue reading “The Mind and the Body are One”

Dog Days

So at least it was an improvement over my last car camp experience a week or so ago in southern California. This time I had two dogs jammed into my little Subaru Crosstrek for the voyage from the central coast of California to San Diego. Along for the ride was my mutt sidekick Cosmo, andContinue reading “Dog Days”

ROUGH NIGHT

A kickboard might fill the gap. This thought suddenly came to me in the early morning hours. I had been wrestling with how I could fill the gap between the flattened back seat and the back of the passenger seat in my relatively tiny Subaru Crosstrek. I planned to car camp in a week toContinue reading “ROUGH NIGHT”

Youtube Epiphany

“It’s so cute,” I tell the seller of a used teardrop trailer. It’s a t@g brand, the one I have been searching for after hours of researching. I drove two hours to Solvang to see it. It’s in good shape and has the solar package and side tents. And it’s $16, 000. Firm. That’s aContinue reading “Youtube Epiphany”

Necessary Escape

I recently came back from four days of an annual campout with fellow retired California state park women. Last year was the first time we had to cancel due to Covid. We are all older now and appreciate how fragile life is. I am 61. One of our members is battling Stage 4 breast cancerContinue reading “Necessary Escape”