kristinakar1na

Been following since 2013. Life happened.

I'll start with my most recent experience/adventure. I was homeless in New England in 2012, and then again in 2016. It is not bad to be homeless in New England in the summer. I just camped out on the beach. I camped between the Town Beach, and a fancy-schmancy Beach Club for the rich. I bought a beach pass so I had rights to be on the Town Beach during the day, and use the toilets/showers/concessions. I camped out "right between" the Town Beach and the Rich People beach, so they couldn't decide who's problem I was all summer. It was awesome!!! I got to experience for free what most people pay $2000/wk. to do in the summer in New England. In my local town(s), there is a fun run, or a PowWow, or some sort of event every weekend in the summers so that was fun. And camping out under the waxing and waning moon all summer is an experience that will put you back in touch with your more primitive self. Lead by the moon cycles, not some man-made calendar. I had/have income and money (and SNAP benefits), so I had money - just not ENOUGH money because in the summer in New England, the rents go from $2000/mo. to $2000/wk. FYI: the parking lot at the town beach is open after the life-guards go home. So it's free. And if you are camped out there when they come on duty, then you are already in, for free. You may have to move your van around some to avoid being noticed, and asked to leave.

So that was 2012 - 2016. Prior to that, I lived and worked in Texas. I had a child, so I had to work - about 60-70 hours a week -and I didn't get to pay much attention to anything else, not the news, not the changing of the seasons, not my daughter's milestones. But, we would take monthly trips to Mexico to stock up on pharmaceuticals and staples, and items that you can't get except at a mercado. But it was MUCHO cheaper in Mexico. And, sometimes - I would just tell my boss(es) to go f^ck themselves and I would take off with my kid and campout at some campsite next to a river, and spend the whole day drifting around in an inner-tube, and eating camp food at night. We would make shadow puppets on the sides of our tent, and hang out with the locals at the ice cream shop or somewhere (MMMM, Amy's Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream, the Best!).

In 1998, I car camped from Fort Worth, TX to the tip of Baja and back. That was fun. I traveled across the desert Southwest and the Big Rez alone (because I kicked my deadbeat boyfriend to the curb in Mexico, with good reason). The Rez is transcendental. I had some truly spiritual moments there. I wrote about it, and I will post it here when I get a round tuit.

Prior to that, in the 1980's I took a bus to Florida, and hitchhiked around there for a summer. That was fun, but - it gets old. Florida is too crowded.

And, when I was 15 - 17 in California in the 1970's - 1980's, I hitchhiked up and down the West Coast. It was probably dangerous due to the activity of all the "psycho-killa's, ques que c'est...", but I was happily oblivious and unaware. Had some really good times in the Emerald Triangle before it became all militarized and all.

Currently residing in New England. I like it. I was happily contributing to my @this.is.anarchoherbalism page on FB (shameless self-promotion). Then, Putin threatened to nuke US, and my daughter has some health issues, and my dog needs his teeth pulled.... but, You know what they say, "A Woman is like a tea-bag, you don't know how strong she is until you put her in hot water".

I am buggin' in for a while, but the skills that I learned from hitch-hiking, being in the Military, and car-campin', and plain just being homeless are translatable here. I thought I would just dip my toe in, and test the water....
So, that's me, a 50' something chihuahua grandma.

I B lurkin',
~KK