Do you ever have one of those times when you don't have time to do anything because you're so busy, but at the same time you don't feel like you are getting anything done?

I've had another one of those times recently, with trips all over the area to fetch things, deliver things or visit people but no real ‘concrete' progress. In fact, I haven't really felt like I made real headway on anything since I stopped working on the remodeling at the house.

This past weekend is a perfect example. I spent Friday night in Boone, where I picked up a serging machine from some folks up near the Meat Camp community. That was my first experience with that area, and I was kind of surprised to find such a rural place so close to Boone.

The road leading there, N.C. 194, was about as indicative of the pastoral mountain scene as any I've seen. There were long stretches with no houses at all, just open farmland.

In several places the trees completely canopied the roadway, which is one of the things I've always liked about driving rural byways. As I was going along, I thought what a nice drive that would be on a motorcycle. Of course, that would require owning a motorcycle, which I haven't done in quite some time. And since I can't afford to buy one, I decided to forget all about that.

As for the machine I was picking up, I really don't know what it does. I've been told that such machines were used in the sewing industry to join pieces of cloth. However, my nearest experience with a sewing plant prior to picking up that very machine last weekend was putting on clothing made at such a plant. Some of you who know more than I surely could tell me more about the merits of such a piece of equipment, but all I really know is that I was told we wanted it and I went and got it. Oh, and the fact that it's heavy.

After that, I took the family into Boone for a meal at the restaurant and didn't get home until fairly late. Meanwhile, on Saturday, I had to take a freezer to my sister's house in Fries, Va. That was a pretty good drive in itself, although the roads were much more familiar. I used to own some land in that neck of the woods, so I know the area very well. While over there, I also visited my niece's house, where one of her children was celebrating her birthday. Birthdays are always hectic occasions for parents and fun ones for children. This one was no exception. In between trying to keep everyone safe, fed and under some form of supervision, there was an opportune moment to eat lunch, my first meal of that day, albeit a bit late. Luckily, the indigestion from the food I ate far too late the night before tided me over nicely.

After that, I had to go by a piece of land I sold not far from there and start moving some of my junk that was stored in one of the buildings. With the price of gas what it is, I usually need to combine trips when taking even my small car. With the cost of diesel even higher and the mileage lower, I really put every mile I drive the truck under a microscope. Most of the stuff I retrieved probably wouldn't have had enough value to pay for the fuel necessary to fetch it. However, the combination trip helped it all make more sense.

I got the truck loaded just in time to get back and head to the Alleghany Fiddler's Convention, where I took some pictures and caught up with a few old friends. Well, they aren't that old, but they are friends.

I finally got home somewhere around midnight, which is several hours longer than I intended to stay there. But, since I was able to play a few songs with a group of quality musicians, all of whom were far more talented than I am, I was very glad to be able to spend the time.

After that, I went to church early the next morning and to a meeting later that day. After the meeting, a friend brought his daughter over to play. I went to bed earlier that night, but still not early enough to prevent me from waking up Monday morning feeling like a man who needed a break from the break over the weekend.

It seems like my life is going that direction right now; running back and forth and to and fro with great velocity, but very little to show for my efforts.

I've always said that I like jobs like building fences, where a man can look down a long straight row of posts and see where he started and how far he's gone and look the other direction and see how much is left to do. He can even admire how straight his line is and how straight he's set the posts or how well he tensioned the wire. With that kind of work, measuring progress isn't a problem. However, most of the things I do aren't so easily measured in feet and inches.

I guess counting progress in stories, newspaper pages, phone calls, conversations and interviews could be construed as something like progress, but since it's really all gone the next week and the same job lies before you again, it's like it never happened. In that way, it's not nearly as gratifying as building a fence.

I guess that's why I still dabble in carpentry work, remodeling or fixing up things when the opportunity arises. It gives me a chance to look around and see what I've done with my time.

Then again, sometimes I do nothing at all, which is even worse than driving around all weekend, only it isn't so tiring. That's another thing that really gets me. Why does driving or even riding in a vehicle make a person tired? You're really just sitting there, making only minimal movements. In my case, the little talking GPS unit really does all the thinking for me, which is a good thing for a person who can get lost in a neighboring county with even the most clear and simple directions.

Luckily, the GPS even has a backup plan for that, recalculating the route to the endpoint as fast as I can miss the turns. On the way home Saturday, I stopped and put $125 worth of diesel in the truck at a station with better prices. The day before I stopped in Ashe County and bought fuel for $4.90 a gallon. That stop cost me $50.

Luckily, I still have nearly a full tank, which might even make it through firewood season.

I still have more stuff to empty out of the building over there, including nearly a truckload of mason jars that I hope to at least partially fill this year with green beans, pickles, vegetable soup, beets, cooked carrots and tomatoes out of my garden. At least I can easily measure the progress of weeds there. If I don't start making progress with firewood cutting and putting away the garden, I'll not see a warm house and a full belly this winter. Of course, that could give me visible progress in reducing my girth. I guess you just need to find a silver lining.
 

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