Well, it's Spring in South Dakota. The snow is receding--slowly in the higher elevations--but is, largely, gone for the duration.
I'm working at The Lodge at Deadwood, Deadwood's major convention center. We have the largest casino floor in Deadwood, for those with the gambling spirit. (I am not one of them, myself.) This resort is about two miles from the downtown center of Deadwood. I work the Night Audit shift three days a week, ten hours a day. My shift is mid-week, which leaves my weekends free.
I'm fine with this, for now, as it goes. However, I have desires which will require more than the money I'm making, so I'm looking into possibilities for income generation, not necessarily the usual item known as 'work.' Rather, I'm considering Writing, Uber-style transportation for larger distances to the local area (I'm not trying to be a taxi service, though; there are a ton of those, and I want to fulfill a different kind of niche, like 'back-country transport specialist,' which would assist people off the beaten path, in the more secluded areas of the Black HIlls), or some other type of contractual-style employment.
I'm looking into a trip to Yellowstone National Park, in May, with my sister. She's been chomping at the bit to see Old Faithful, the geyser, and I wouldn't mind a trip-outward, myself.
I"m going to have to get new brake pads soon, and turn my rotors, or replace them. I replaced six ignition coils and spark plugs on my 2003 Trail Blazer EXT 4x4, and would like to do some other work on the vehicle in coming months. I need a new instrument cluster, for example, as my current one is only semi-functional.
I'm still working on my book, The Story of Lauralie Fox. It is taking some time to write.
I'm going to start dating again, soon. My wife and I have been living apart for almost two years, now. She's been with someone else for at least three-quarters of a year, and I'm not wanting to be alone the rest of my days, so I figure it's time now.
The dating game... It's been years since I had a need. I really wish I didn't, but relationships are not what they used to be, relative to my parent's, and their parent's, times. Those of us desiring lifetime commitment face challenges, especially those of us over fifty.
I'm working on improving myself, personally, so I will be more likely to attract a mate. I deal with learning disabilities, and some other issues, some of which I may not be seeing clearly, through my own rose-colored glasses. I may need to hire a personal coach for this issue.
Finally, I'm learning about real estate, and am wanting to get out of apartment living, and find someplace deeply enmeshed in the surrounding countryside to live. The city is okay, but I really want to live in the back-country, where I can breathe a little easier, and be nearer to the out-of-doors.
What a man-of-the-land to do? Learn about property, and how to afford it. Also, how to lower cost-of-materials substantially. I'm looking at pre-cut log cabin kits. They cost between 5K and 15K, for the type of dwelling into which I'm looking, so the housing cost does not have to be huge. There are many tracts of land in the Black Hills that are not part of high-dollar-house associations, with no covenants or restrictions, or very little, at any rate.
I want to build a cost-effective home, with a DC-to-AC Power Inversion system on at least one circuit of the house, from the start; also, with wiring to connect an auxiliary gas, or diesel, power generator, for emergencies, or for if I just want to get off the grid to save electricity. The inverter system should solve that, however, and electric costs are not huge in this area of the country, anyway. I find them to be very reasonable, even in the apartment complex in which I reside, and I have electric baseboard heat, at that! All the lights in the home will be LED.
Well, that's it for now. More updates, and posts, and the season progresses. Springing forth, on into Summer!
Be Well All!
--Stephen
