In preparation for retirement, my wife and I downsized into a smaller house two years ago. If I finish the last of the ensuing honey do list, I will be allowed to begin my hike on time in the early spring.

Most recently I’ve been painting the wooden trim on our brick house. Somehow several mosquitos managed to get in yesterday and they ate me alive as I was catching up on the end of day Trail Journal posts.

Every one of yesterday’s TJ entries complained about the target rich environment the AT provides the plagues of bugs and clouds of mosquitos resident in the great green tunnel.

Given the 18 bites I suffered in my armchair, it occurred to me that sharing the hiker’s pain and itching was literally an upgraded feature Mother Nature was allowing me to test drive. If the air conditioning had failed, I am certain I would have felt that much closer to my friends in the class of ’13. If the carpet had turned to mud, I would have initiated an emergency call to J.K. Rowling!

Speaking of practice hiking, this entry is being typed in the WordPress smart phone app on a flexible, rubberized Scosche Bluetooth keyboard. So far, so good and it beats the heck out of trying fat finger type on my iPhone.

Tie Dye put the idea in my head, so all credit is hers. We will see what she reports during the remainder of her hike and what my experience is on my long practice hikes this fall. So far, so good.