I believe all caving mishap videos are coded van life videos. "Rescuers struggled to free the body, but after 20 years the victim's head had become permanently wedged between a tool box and a rucksack full of clothes from the thrift store. It took 12 hours to pry the victim loose. He was crazy, and in bad need of a shave, but he was alive."

Van Life: Beyond Human Limits 😵‍💫🚐

I am currently in Southwestern Colorado, due to the recent heat wave. Arizona was just too hot. Not for me, but for Louie The Road Cat. So we went into the mountains, where the snow was melting prematurely, like the heart of a fool. It was beautiful, but untenable in the long term. The mountain people were surprised and dismayed at the premature disappearance of the snow. And all the roads are closed anyway. Half of them can't be traversed by anything less than a helicopter on a clear day, but in March, even the flat roads are blocked by gates. It makes sense. There's no way to get in there, and nothing to do if you did.

So we came back south.

Twice in the last 6-7 months, I have broken down on the Navajo Nation in western New Mexico. Once with a blown radiator, once with a flat tire. It is brutal, beautiful country. Every time you stop on the Rez for any reason, natives will swoop down on you for some kind of solicitation. It doesn't bother me. If anything, it's an opportunity to witness. 2 guys ago, I said that it was God's money, and to thank Him for it, not me. He said something to the sky, which gave me the opportunity to clarify that God is not a cultural tradition, whether Middle Eastern, Native American, or European, and that Jesus is God (present tense), and that He speaks all languages and loves all people around the world, regardless of anything. You don't get those opportunities driving past ski resorts in Colorado.

Which doesn't mean your phone will work. I know at least 2 good mechanics in the Shiprock/Farmington area, but if you're a T-Mobile person, prepare for a total communication blackout. Fortunately, the 911 operator will sympathize and send a tow truck, even if it isn't an emergency.

I am currently on the waiting list for assisted housing in Durango, Colorado, a town in which I could easily start playing, if only there was a place to unpack my cat. I can't leave him in the van, and in a YEAR of being back in the US, not one place has proven to be a tenable long-enough-term option. From being evicted from the carport in Weatherford, TX, where we could have stayed (it was a friendly eviction, but a gringo event to be sure), to Arkansas, Colorado, the frozen East, and all the way back to Arizona (which, this time I didn't even bother going back to Jerome. Sadly, the place is moribund and obsolete), to work in a warehouse in Phoenix for a month, and back to one in Colorado, once again,

It has been an interesting and educational year. I have outsourced all my songwriting energy to the "Proverbs of Smog," which can be completed in a night in a van in the woods, and don't have to sit in a folder anywhere from a few months to 20 years, waiting to be recorded,

But even that is coming to a halt, if something doesn't change. Which in fact I am confident it will.

I was able to visit Rick Katt at the Arizona Deliverance Center in January, which ministry changed my life, and which I've been following for many years. The video above convicted me to STOP COMPLAINING, because as fun as it looks to the emotionally continent and financially secure, "van life" is an existential nightmare. It draws the furious madman right out of you. Effortlessly. The first few years might be "adventurous," but after a couple decades, it's just homeless. And so, thanks to AZDC, I have been called to conquer the nightmare from within. It has rekindled my faith. I can defeat this burning, frozen misery. I already have. Even while explaining that I can't leave my cat in the parking lot to a bunch of people who think I'm on vacation. To be "on vacation," there needs to be somewhere to vacate. Cave life does not apply. When was the last time you saw me play. A year ago? Once? I've been in survival mode this whole time. Which is fine. I've learned a lot.

But it's no kind of vacation.

We're in Southwestern Colorado, and Louie's cat water froze almost solid last night. We've been through it before, but perhaps it's too early to commit to the mountain life just yet. We may need to return to Arizona, to wait out the rest of the month. Barring something to actually do, of course. I have more faith than ever.

But we are broke.

This comment is from the most recent "Smog Proverb," and happens to be true. Whether you're in AZ, California, Colorado, Texas, the frozen East, or one of the people kicking up dust into the instant coffeesphere, driving by our "campsite" in your all-terrain helicopter, we would be extremely grateful for your help. CashApp and PayPal are linked at the bottom of this article, and my Zelle address is pablosmoglives @ protonmail. com. Perhaps Durango will come through, and I can start playing again. I left a message with those people yesterday. Maybe Arizona will defrost, and Texas will realize that the sole purpose of the peer group is to keep you down, and that opportunities can be made, but as often as not, they're mist. If you want to win, you're going to lose people.

Losers, usually.

Thank you in advance for your support. Hit me up anytime, via the contact page on my website, or the comment section wherever. I'm grateful for everyone who subscribes, and shows any interest and appreciation for my work at all. I have enjoyed writing the Smog Proverbs, but it's not a joke. The crypto pennies really don't cut it.

Thanks for listening.

To God,

Charles Schwab checking account
#4400-2974-1962

Routing number 121202211