My Daily Mantra: Cook and the People Will Come

Only those who are closest to me understand how stubborn and hard-headed I can be.  I’ve accepted that this is one of my flaws, and though it is difficult for me at times to recognize when I am being boneheaded, when I do realize it, I admit it.  So here we go; for the past three days, I’ve been tracking massive storm fronts going through California, often checking the NOAA (National weather site) for updates. My neighbor Jim keeps telling me “that SOB of a storm will come through here, you better prepare”. I just shrug it off, and respond, “Jim….the NOAA website is forecasting one tenth to one half inch of rain, what damage can that possibly do; wash my tent away with me and Gwen.”  Then to make my point further, I added, “don’t worry, you won’t see us on the local news”.  So Jim, being the fifteen year veteran that he is, just shakes his head, and as he turns to walk away he says, “You don’t understand, this is the desert, nothing is what it seems. I’m telling you this place could flood in a heartbeat. Don’t come running to me later and say that I didn’t warn you”. Later that day I see this ominous, really dark cloud coming right at us.

Now remember, I’ve lived in the Colorado mountains for the last 5 years, I’m used to thunderstorms, micro bursts, and heavy winds. But when this Mother hit, it was like bang…..this storm moves in, winds blowing 40mph and starts dumping rain in  buckets.  I ran for shelter, and as I’m sitting in my car watching this down pour, I turn on the radio just in time to hear an emergency broadcast warning of flash flooding, and winds clocked at up to 60mph.  The broadcast continued, “ we recommend that you find a sturdy shelter,” and it went on to explain what to do in the event the roof caves in, or your home experiences severe flooding.  By now, I’m holding on tightly to my dog Gwen, as I sit looking out my truck window at my tent……..my tent……my shelter, my humble abode. This is one of those, “Eddie, what the hell are you doing” moments.  I threw my stubbornness aside, and decided now was a good time to empty the tent, and put everything in the food trailer, including my bed, just incase the wind and rain blows my tent away.  Okay, so I know what you’re thinking, “Eddie, I thought you said only one tenth to a half inch of rain was expected”  yea, yea I did say that,  and now Jim’s words were coming  back to me… loud and clear.  I could just picture him sitting there in his nice long trailer with his heater going, probably sipping on some freshly brewed coffee, watching me get soaked through and through as I frantically toss everything I own into my food trailer.  Karma’s a bitch.  Anyway, the storm blows through, so I decide to go to the local pizza place for a beer, just to calm my nerves.  I must have been in there for at least an hour, as I exit, it’s still freaking raining. I’m no meteorologist, but we are looking at more that one tenth to a half an inch of rain.  Four hours later it’s still raining.  It was only by the grace of God that my tent didn’t get washed away; my tent happens to be positioned on the highest part of my space.  I’d love to tell you that I had enough foresight to set it up that way, but the truth is, I’m me…Eddie, and I had nothing to do with it.  I would like to interject here, that I would love to meet the meteorologist who put out that forecast, ya know just to let him know that he was WRONG, but I digress.  So, Gwen and I made it through our first major storm, and woke up to a beautiful desert sunrise. I know…many of you wanted a more dramatic ending, but this journey I am on can be dramatic at times and at the same time revealing. Dramatic concerning my new experiences, and revealing in what an idiot I can be.  As I write this paragraph I am in my tent, winds are once again howling, and its expected to drop to 40 tonight, and down to 24 tomorrow night. It seems as though there is bad weather all around the country. I see a lot of facebook postings about all the snow hitting my home town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Its funny how it’s all relative….I’m in the desert in a tent being buffeted by 30-36mph winds and a freezing air temp, Pogosa Springs is facing lows of -16, heck even across the country New York is digging out of a blizzard, and California is drowning beneath the heavy rainfall, and this too shall pass.

          Speaking about it all being relative, I was just visited by a friend in the same boat (so to speak) as I am.  He is a concessionaire struggling through this season, he too lost a restaurant, and all that was important to him. During a night of cards, and shots of tequila, he shared with me that he had attempted suicide after losing everything.  The next morning, as I was sharing with him my impatience in this waiting game I find myself in, waiting for the droves of people to arrive and dine on my cuisine, his response to me was, “I don’t see how you do it, I would have killed myself by now”.  I have been out here for two months now, and though I have yet to make much money, I still awaken each day with enthusiasm and energy, what is wrong with me.  Is it Gods spirit that drives me or just plain stupidity.  Perhaps, it has been pre-ordained that I live the rest of my days as a simple man, without the accumulation of worldly things.  Until the answer comes, I will continue my daily Mantra, as I await the droves of people to descend upon Quartzsite, AZ.  The reality is, I don’t know what will happen.  Perhaps Eddie won’t B doin’ much Cookin’, but I press on with an eternal hope within myself, confident in my ability to endure, and desire to reach the goal I set.  This blog will always maintain the purpose of inspiring others to press on to all that is important to them. I wish all that read this blog, all friends, family, new acquaintances, and my desert misfit family a happy and prosperous New Year.      Later, Eddie