Cloqualliam Hill

 

I'm still just going up what I call Cloqualliam Hill once a week.  I have not hit the actual trails yet.  I really do hate crowds of people and dogs.  But now that I am dogless I might take some bus trips up to Mount Walker again.  Gas is so expensive and my monthly budget has so little wiggle room in it.  My lifetime budget is looking good, but my monthly budget is hellish. 

It took getting all that wonderful COVID unemployment for me to realize just how poor I am.  My son and I are living well below the poverty level now.  

My son is looking for   jobs, he is disabled with EDS.  There has always been something causing him pain but he had a pretty normal childhood.  Things are getting worse for him now, but at least we finally have a name for it.  He still has not been diagnosed, we are working on that.    My son is 18 and has lost his survivors benefits since he can not find a school in Shelton to take him for 20 hours a week, the requirement once a child turns 18. He had a nice accommodating GED program in Aberdeen, but the program in Shelton will not accommodate him at all.

My son is looking for pet sitting and housesitting jobs.  He can pet sit exotic pets of all kinds and small dogs.  He can not handle large dogs.  He is neat and tidy and can do light housework, so he could be an excellent house and pet sitter.

I've started trout fishing again, something I have not done since my childhood!  My daughter wanted to fish but wanted someone to go with her so I got advice from grandpa (my father who writes books on fishing)  and then translated that advice to my daughter and now she is catching trout.  

I'm catching trout too and using them to cut back on my food budget.  I think I've eaten more meat this week than I have in any other week during my adult life.  I'm eating trout nearly every day.  I've found a good spot close to home. That spot is in the photo above.  It can be tricky to cast there, but with patience I go home with dinner every morning. 

I don't like catch and release fishing, I think it is needlessly cruel. So I eat what I catch.