Always eat your tomatoes in the sunshine.

That's one of my self-imposed rules. I came up with it two summers ago while working inside at the hotel in Escalante. Tomatoes and sunshine. I needed more of both in my life.

Sunshine promotes all kinds of good health. In addition to improving the mood, it is also the biggest and best source of Vitamin D. And Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption. And calcium is needed for healthy bones and teeth. And the Good Lord knows we all need healthy bones and strong teeth. As our bodies begin to age, we have to be very conscious of our health.

And tomatoes... I don't know why I needed tomatoes, but I knew they were a good anti-oxidant. I later learned tomatoes promote heart health and reduce cancer risk. (See the Cleveland Clinic article on this here.) My body was telling me I needed them at the time.

So today, I ate an heirloom tomato from southern Utah while walking up the hill to the college.

This past weekend, I was in Utah to view the Ring of Fire solar eclipse.

The weekend before that, I was in Buena Vista for some rock climbing and then in Breckenridge to cheer my daughter on in her first half marathon.

I wish I could say more about those two weekends, but I'm drowning in work because I took a day off each of those two weeks, which meant I wasn't grading papers on the weekend, which means I've been so deep in lesson planning and grading that I barely have time for personal stuff.

But...I wanted everyone to know that I'm surviving up here in Craig, Colorado. The RV is still sitting outside the shop. The radiator, water pump, timing chain, and power steering lines have been removed. Opening the hood, the cavernous interior tells me I'm not going anywhere in a hurry. The good news is that I'm plugged in next to the shop. The bad news is that I'm parked on a slight angle. I have to walk uphill to get to the living room and downhill to get to the bedroom.

Regarding housing and the impending winter... I've seen some nice places that will cost me too much when I factor in having to pay utilities and buy furniture. (Why buy furniture when I have a perfectly good bed and sofa in the Godspeed?) At the other end of the spectrum, the affordable rents, leave much to be desired. One of the places I looked at made me gag. The realtor showed me the $900-a-month-utilities-included-furnished-studio-efficiency unit. Moose decor and wallpaper was the overall theme of the room. Two of the framed pictures of moose had screws drilled through the frame, going into the wall. Nobody was going to move those moose pictures. Not ever! Across the room, a few large autumn flies bumped against the screen in the late-afternoon sun, trying to get outside. Dead moths and flies lay sprinkled over the bed. The realtor picked up a moth carcass. "Nothing that a good cleaning won't fix." She tossed the body to the floor.

So, needless to say, I'm making alternate plans for the deepest, coldest winter months: mid-December through the end of February. I know this is the period in which I need to beware of living in the RV. After talking with dozens of locals and hearing their stories, I know that this is when the -20 to -40 temperatures can arrive. "Oh, we've seen them in November, too, but it's not as common." Others have told stories about snowmobiling into May. These Craig people live for their winter sports in the same way Lake Havasu people look forward to summer. Crazy at both ends of the spectrum!

And...speaking of Havasu...

On the way back from the eclipse...in Capitol Reef to be exact...an idea was born.

So, on Monday, I drew up a graph and pitched a proposal to my boss. I'll take on extra work to just not be present on campus during January and February. That is all I want. I want the pressure of trying to find housing lifted off my shoulders for a bit. So, yesterday we talked about possible scenarios. "You know," BossMan said, reminding me, "I didn't hire you to be online. We hired you to be present." I know, I know. But what's a girl to do with winter coming and no housing options? He asked what the worst-case scenario would be. "You know I have to get permission for this. If they don't approve it, then what?" I told him I'd have to find housing further away, a two-hour commute and sleeping in the office like Elon Musk.

Today, I don't even know what I'm thinking about any of it. I'm tired of trying to keep it all balanced. All I know is that trying to make a living shouldn't be so difficult. So... I'm putting it in Jesus' hands. Somehow, it will all shake out.