It was a super cold night, I woke up periodically during the night. I finally got up at 7:00 a.m. turned on the heater for a few minutes just to feel some warmth.
7:30 I got up and got ready for the day’s work securing the camp in the woods. I made a short video to show how cold it really is. Then went to check on Mike.
8:00 a.m. I stopped to check on Mike who had moved back into his smaller tent that night. I called into Mike’s tent and Mike tells me that the wind was cutting through the thin walls of my tent, so he moved back into his smaller tent.
8:45 a.m. I walked over to Lifebridge for breakfast, and when I arrive one of the workers tells me that they do not do breakfast. I got some spinach pastries and a breakfast sandwich at the grocery store next to Lifebridge. I sat by the flagpoles and did a video feeding a seagull. After I ate my breakfast I took a walk by the Tent City in Salem. The tent city was flooded, but Witch City Action gave the people pallets to put their tents on top of, and help them get resituated, and everything looked pretty good at Tent City.
10:00 a.m. I sat in my car and I work on the blogs on my phone. I also spent some time trying to work through some of the issues with my girlfriend. I don’t want to go into depth about this but it’s very difficult for me. Her and I have some discussions and things seem to get a little bit better.
11:30 a.m. I walked back up to the camp to check on Cryin Mike. I tell Mike that I’m going to get something to eat at lifebridge. Mike decided that he wants to come with me, so I wait for him to get ready and he and I walk over to Lifebridge. When I go to the shelter to get the takeaway tray of food, The worker tells me that I cannot take one for Michael, I try to explain that Michael has a restraining order for his wife who was in the shelter and can’t come in. Regardless, the worker does not want me to take a tray for Michael. I decided I would give Mike my tray. This ends up working out for me because when I bring the tray to Michael to give it to him he refuses it. So I ended up eating the food.
1:00 p.m. I walked back to my car and I hungout in my little car for a little bit charging my phone. And then walked back up to Cryin Mike’s Camp and I laid in the tent for a while. It’s really cold out today.
4:30 p.m. I walked back to Lifebridge and I hungout outside waiting for them to serve the take away trays. There are other homeless people waiting as well, and we have nice conversation. It feels good to be surrounded by people and to talk. When the trays arrive, we all take one. I end up sitting at a picnic table with another woman named Mary, and we enjoy our meal together and make small talk.
5:30 p.m. I walked back up to Michael’s camp to check on him. It was freezing cold, and Michael was freaking out about his zipper breaking on his tent. I was going to stay with him, but instead offered him my tent, air mattress, and blankets to stay warm through the night. I walked back to my car and I talked to my girlfriend on the phone and asked her if she wanted to spend the night in the tent with me. I told her how cold it will be and she told me that she’ll get back to me within an hour and let me know. I stayed in my car waiting for her response. About 45 minutes later My girlfriend gets back to me and lets me know that she’s going to stay at her apartment. I drove out to the location of my camp site in the Salem woods and left Cryin Mike in my tent at his camp. I hiked out into the woods and I settled in for a cold night. It’s usually my hands that bother me the most in the cold. I have big winter gloves which I put on my hands to keep me from being woken in the night by having cold hands. This works well. Although it is hovering between 20 and 25°. I have a good night’s sleep and only my feet are a little bit cold, even though I have two pairs of socks on.