Day 26 | A Conversation with the Sheriff

My laundry time got cut short by the unpredictable weather yesterday and there were still a lot of clothes left to wash today. I decided I would do the washing again so that Brett could run out to send a work related email.

Unfortunately, we are no longer getting good cell phone service at our campsite. We’re not sure why but are wondering if maybe the cell tower got damaged in the wind storm last week.

I got to work and said goodbye to Brett. After several minutes of plugging away at the laundry, I noticed a white truck approaching with the word “sheriff” written on the side.

“Uh oh!” I thought. “I hope I’m not in trouble for something!” The truck passed our campsite. “Phew!”

Unfortunately, my relief dissipated when I noticed the sheriff was turning around and coming back to me. I got up and started walking towards him as he parked the truck.

“Hello sir!”

“Hello, are you by yourself out here?”

I told him I wasn’t alone and that my husband was here too. I clarified that Brett had just gone out to run an errand. He asked if we were camping and I told him we were.

“We are allowed to camp here, right?”

“As far as I know!” The sheriff replied. He asked where I was from and if I had an ID.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have my ID on me…” I said, embarrassed. He told me that he just wanted to make sure I was alright and said goodbye.

Relieved, I returned to my washing. The water was looking pretty murky however. I didn’t think clothes were going to get very clean in that water! We keep the fresh water in 7 gallon jugs and Brett normally carries them for me because they’re so heavy. It’s about 100 feet from where we park the car to my laundry spot. Carrying the jug was out of the question for me. But maybe there was some other way?

I put my problem solving skills to work as I dumped out the dirty water. Then I carried the empty rinse bucket to where the water jug was. I was able to barely lift the 7 gallons! Hooray! I poured just enough water to cover the clothing and tried to carry the bucket back. Bummer! Still too heavy!

I decided to wring out the clothes right there and take them back to the drying rack. After the clothes were removed I was able to carry the bucket just fine. Well… Mostly just fine.

The bucket is so large that I couldn’t see my feet and almost tripped when I accidentally stepped into a small hole in the ground. Thankfully, I didn’t get hurt besides getting a splash of water in my face. Success!

It might not sound like a big accomplishment, but it was to me. Another victory, proving that I now have something to offer. It means a lot to me that there are things that I can do by myself without the help of others. 😊

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