the ending

So close. The end of nine years of summer bliss. Dante's inferno and hellfreezing over - sometimes in the same day. Dancing and yelling and singing and climbing trees. Crazy people, crazy pain. Vietnam, but without all that killing. Great food, insanely steep cut blocks with devil's club, stinging nettle, bears, rock, hail, sleet, snow and blistering heat. Bag rub, monkey butt, ingrown hairs, boils, cramps, heat exhaustion and muscle pain so multifarious that it's easier to say what DOESN't hurt. Horseflies, blackflies, no-see-ums, mosquitoes and gnats by the millionsin my eyes and ears and mind until I rip off my planting bags and run screaming down the road. Great food, beautiful scenery, waterfalls and little fawns.

The memories are overwhelming. The job is teeth-shatteringly addictive. I am retiring in a week. Too much to process. Shutting down. Library time limit collapsing over me. Must... sleep.....

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