After the whole China experience one of my new things is trying to avoid purchasing products that were made in said autocracy. Unfair trade practices, a lack of environmental standards and no basic protections in regard to human rights just makes gaming the system too easy for them. Granted, one person isn't going to make a difference but on a personal level every time I look at something that says “made in China” it draws my ire. From previous experience I was already aware that buying American is next to impossible. It turns out that for many types of products simply not buying Chinese is at the very least going to take a ton of effort. So the next best thing is to buy used whenever possible. Even if it's made in the PRC at least my dollars didn't go directly to the crony communist owner a smokestack in some pollution choked city of five million that you've never heard of. Craigslisting can be a minefield though and some of my necessities have been put off. Specifically: shelter. A good bit of my next few months or possibly even longer might be spent living out of a tent. But for one reason or another the craigslist deals just kept falling through.

At about three days beyond the last minute (there was a night spent in the car and one directly under the stars) my new home was finally purchased from a local reseller of outdoors equipment. Though it was indeed made in China by people who could never begin to imagine the places it would see, the method and venue of purchase makes my temporary home feel a little more ethical, if not patriotic. Problem is that it's a pretty unfamiliar design. Moreover, the park where it's being pitched has these odd gravel lots that tent stakes just don't want to stick into. Meatier stakes might have done the trick, but the cheapos kept coming loose. Meanwhile a storm was brewing across the plains and coming toward the mountains. At the first gust it became apparent that the tent wasn't going to last the evening. Another night sleeping in the car? Hardly. 

There are a few skills which have served me well. One of those is the ability to look around and utilize whatever may be around at the moment to suit my purpose. Also, my car is a receptacle for any and all items that are no longer of real use but aren't exactly garbage material either. A nylon tie down cut in two, a veggied up and rusted chain, copious amounts of zip ties (lengthened for use as rope and also as structural support on the tent), a bicycle lock, the grill on the firepit and my late doggy's collar. Honestly, these weren't even my last resort. Jumper cables in place of rope, ratchets in place of tent poles, there were a lot of ideas swirling around my head. Macgeyver, jerry rigged whatever you want to call it, I have a good feeling the tent is going to last through the storm.  


edit: (it did)
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(grill top is chained to steel fireplace)
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