Let There Be Light

It's amazing how much easier it is to get up when the sun is shining. And I feel like I actually have some energy to accomplish things. I want to plant the blueberries (finally!) so that they can stay out and enjoy the sun. I'm amazed that they're hanging in there.

I scored a camping sleeping pad at $40 off retail while I was eating lunch. Woo-hoo! This is fun. I don't want to get a sleeping bag until I know when I'm going to be camping because the weight of the sleeping bag varies depending on the temperature that it can handle. I'm hoping that, at the very least, I'll take a short camping trip in Champaign-Urbana this summer (or somewhere else in Illinois that sounds interesting?)

Need to throw myself together and run errands....

Illinois Camping Trip

I've decided to take a summer camping trip to Rockford, Illinois. It's about a 2.25-hour drive from here. There are a lot of campgrounds in the area and interesting trails. Rockford city proper has a botanical garden that I'd like to see.

The trip probably would have to take place during late July or August because the Library Director is going to the big library conference (taking place in Las Vegas this year) in June.

Now that that's settled...back to my homework.

Camping Stash

I've acquired a tiny alcohol stove ($10 off, free shipping), a Swiss Army Knife with flowers on it (I liked the idea of a "girly" pocket knife! It also was 10% off with free shipping), and ultralight towels and washcloths. I looked at freeze-dried food, but is it ever expensive. It would be a lot cheaper to buy some cans of stuff, ramen, cereal, and dehydrated milk. (After all, I'll be driving to the campsite.) I also bought a small, cheap GPS ($60 off, free shipping). And a backpack after some agonizing. It's one that I've wanted for a while, and I got it for $36 off, free shipping, which I think is the best that I'm going to do. It's a "weekend"-sized backpack. I know that I'll be driving to the campground, but I'll still have to haul my stuff over to the actual campsite.

I now have most of the items that I need except for trekking poles and a sleeping bag.