Sunday, July 10, 2011

The rest at Ripon.

Rosendale has the reputation for the most notorious speed trap in "the dairyland". If you don't receive a citation you can contribute to "the common good" by purchasing a t-shirt at the hub of commerce and home of the local "liars table", the BP station. Everyone I met there were very nice and a pleasure to talk with. As I sat on the shaded benches by the parking lot where everyone else visits a man came from across the street. He happily gave us a shuttle to the support van back in Fond de Lac and treated me to the history of the corner store and some of the changes he'd seen since he liived there as a boy. I won't go into his health problems though I was struck by how glad he was to be alive seeming to enjoy every moment, every breath.
Thank's for the ride Bob!
I had been given permission to park at the community center at the edge of town by the post office across from the elementary school a short walk from the corner store where the World was being looked after. I parked by the community center and walked over to reclaim the World. I walked back to the van with the World and struck up a conversation with a man just pulling into his driveway. He and his mate invited me for dinner and that night I parked "out back" with a cord to the van for a fan, with the mosquitoes the closed van and the fans breeze makes sleeping tolerable. The man and I nearly collided as he had pulled in, we later talked of the coincidence of how our "worlds" brushed together.
I left without citation or the towns "ticket" t-shirt. I will keep the good people I met with me longer than paper or thread.

The walk to Ripon was a gorgeous morning with the wind often blowing perfectly so all I had to do was steer alongside the World as it "trundled" with the breeze. It is those times when I too appreciate every breath,every "turn". Half-way to Ripon Nice (the dog) was urging me to some shade just past a farmhouse. As we walked by the couple inside offered us cold water and treated us both with a morning sandwich, and plate of dog food. We shared the sandwich meat but not the "kibbles" or sweet pickles. We emerged from the tall grass by the shade trees and met a sweet woman who told me of her relative who was waiting for "another" kidney transplant because of diabetes. She beamed as she told me how successful the young man was and the good he was doing for "the World" despite his struggles with the disease.
Every breath.
When I got as far as the park at the edge of Ripon I met with the local news weekly. We relaxed under the shade in the well groomed grass for almost two hours while people came to talk and the reporter asked the occasional question to "fill in the blanks" where the passing visitors had not covered. As we made our way into Ripon I we met everyone from locals to visitors the historic "Main Street". As we progressed to the far side of town I thought this a great place to live and how lucky the townspeople were. I stopped at Cousins for a drink and a cup of soup. The owner had asked me to stop by when we had net earlier when I had arrived at the east side of town. Befoire my soup was cool enough to eat I was out by the World posing for another picture with a family when I met a man who offered for us to stay at his business across the road. We stowed the World safely away and he shuttled me back to Rosendale where "the rose" by the post office had my laundry on the line smelling fresh and clean, grilled a delicious meal and let me shower before I returned to Ripon. I got back to where the World was resting just as the evening mosquitoes were swarming but was able to get my extension cord for the fan plugged in with only a few blood-sucking-interlopers.
It looked cloudy at five o'clock this Sunday morning but the sun is now shining on clear skies. I have heard it could be muggy today out of Ripon and I could have rushed to get on the road earlier. Nice looks very content as he lays his head across my leg and has sprawled himself my sleeping spot in the van with the cool air coming in as we are shaded by the Casual Outfitters patio furniture store. We will get going. After a few more moments of R&R in Ripon.
Enjoying every breath...

3 comments:

Clark said...

Its nice to see the world has unselfish people who fight for good causes and try to make this a better world.

Heidi said...

I just have say I am amazed and greatful for what you are doing! My 9 year old was diagnosed type 1and celiac diasese in May. I missed your visit in Fond du lac because we were in Minnasota for doctors appointments. It is great to hear your story and we will continue to follow your amazing journey!!

Amanda said...

This is so cool that you do this. It was my dad's house that you stopped at in Princeton and had dinner with him and my step-mom. He told me all about it. My husband thinks what you do is awesome. He's only 29 and found out last year he had diabetes. We had no idea until all the sudden his vision went very blurry, almost blind. The doctors told him his sugar was over 950 and that he was a dead man walking. I thank God every day that he is still here knowing now how close I was to losing him. If we had known more of what to look for for early symptoms we would have had him in sooner. We need more people like you out there fighting for causes like this. Keep us the good work :)