Outdoor Ed, and an Important Message

That's right: Preventing Cable Company Fuckery is up again.  Once again, we're stuck with those who have more money than sense deciding they need even more. Using that money to turn legislation in their direction. The government "by the people, for the people" has long been straying from being either. But deliberately choosing to throw those of us who access services like Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, Blogger, Google, under the bus in an effort to make more money for corporations - you're crazy if you think this cost for "hyperspeed" service won't be passed onto the consumers - is deplorable. The people in our governments, OUR REPRESENTATIVES, are choosing - actively choosing - to put corporations ahead of the best interests of their constituents.  And we need to do something. The 120 days John Oliver mentions are up, so we can't comment directly to the FCC.  But visit https://www.battleforthenet.com/.  Sign the petition. Make your voice heard.

And now, onto Outdoor Education!

I am horribly disappointed. I took some really great photos while Mad Natter were on our Outdoor Ed Adventure... and my camera deleted the bulk of them.  So the second half here is woefully photo light, despite the gorgeous scenery we were in.

Now I, personally, am a midwestern girl. Born and raised outside of Chicago,now spending my adult life about eight hours away in Mooselandia. I've been as far out as Montana by car, and have visited Florida, Massachusetts, New York (city and bits of Buffalo), Iowa, Ohio, Indiana...  These are mostly places Mad Natter has been as well.  The common theme to all these places, scenery-wise, is "flat." Lots of farming, some rolling hills, but generally... very flat. This week, we went to the Poconos to visit with Grammy and Poppy. Neither Mad Natter nor I have seen mountains - real mountains - before. I always had the snow-capped peaks in mind when I thought of mountains, but in early September in Pennsylvania?  Not so much.  Driving by them in the car was impressive. Getting out of the car and really looking at the scope?  Incredible. We both suddenly had a lot more of an impression of how small people really are in terms of what the land looks like, and is capable of.

Now, add to that the wildlife. Not only did we get to see a very different style of Earth than we are used to...  Mad Natter found tree frogs. He ran into deer. He fed turkeys, looked at a whole lot of stars, met some new cats, and learned about a local bear. We didn't do much in the way of trail hiking or wilderness survival or anything, but honestly, learning how different the world looks from just eight hours away?  Absolutely priceless.  This was, easily, the best possible trip we could have taken - both in terms of long-missed company, and in terms of outdoor education. Trips like this make me want to get a camper and see how much we can see... until I remember that logistics and the real world exist, and I am endlessly disappointed in reality.