Brain Overload and no American Redoubt for me

Every once in a while I work so hard that my brain actually hurts at the end of the day.  Please no snide remarks about government workers not working...it's not that at all.  Well today is one of those days that I didn't get any breaks for more than a couple of minutes and each phone call or email message was urgent and something that I had to respond to instantly.  I never did make it out to the field.  That's for tomorrow as long as it doesn't start off like today!

I had one call where I had to explain why I had to do what I was doing for a certain project.  I like those...justify your job.  Only normally the person is totally obnoxious and they don't want to really listen.  This wasn't the case.  This person was part of a committee and the committee asked why I had to do what I had to do on their project and the person calling me didn't know how to respond.  All he knew was I had to go out and make an inspection and I only wanted to do it in good weather!  So I explained and he was satisfied.  He will be able to get the answer off to his other committee members and all will be happy.

It's interesting being a government employee in an era of hating government employees.  And my job especially is one that may need explaining.  The government does WHAT????  On the other hand, when I am in what I call "the wrong place at the wrong time" I've done things like being in charge of saving people's lives and property.  So it all works out. 

One of the things that I did mull over in my mind is this super push lately on the survivalblog site about moving to the American Redoubt.  You know: Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, etc.  Sounds great other than it's COLD there and I don't like the cold.  I've been told by a friend of mine with plans to move to North Dakota that you can always hang out by the fire.  Sure but at some point you have to go outside to take care of the animals unless you live in one of those houses that has the barn attached - and it's heated!  No, I'll stay in the Great Central Valley.  I just want to make sure that I'm as prepared as can be in the location that I'm at.

I do have the bug-out place in the hills about an hour from here.  With the kids still doing their activities in the city moving an hour and a half from the city and then having to commute in two times per week for the kids and between two and five times per week for my job just doesn't make sense to me.  Perhaps when I retire when the kids are older I may think about permanently moving to the other property.  The only upside to moving there is that it's paid for and this place that I'm in now is not.  I'd be spending less money each month even with the added expense of the commute and building a decent house on that property when compared to the mortgage on this place.  But my time has value in that the time I spend in the garden and on the animals would be used for commuting. 

So I just keep working on this place here.  I make it as safe and secure as time and money allows.  Unfortunately, time and money are both sort of scarce! 

It's going to be cold once again tonight.  We have a freeze warning from midnight until nine tomorrow morning.  I'd better go out and check the trees to make sure the coverings I put on are secure just in case the wind picks up.