ALL OF MY TRAVEL GEAR IS STOWED into the windjammer and the remaining possessions have been tossed, either into the trash or stored within numerous containers which are now in the attic of a friend.

Methinks, for now, what I have in the jammer is close to being within the realm of need level. However, there is still much work in evaluating the remaining stored belongings to determine their position of being either keep-worthy or mundane, a task which I hope eventually shall ennoble the art in my acquiring true need level.

The hope is to accomplish much of this task in the upcoming months with the goal of eliminating most of it soon, or eventually all of these stored possessions. However, at present this task seems overwhelming in it′s scope because of having possessions aplenty and caused by my long since putting off their dispossession.

Upon the end of these next ten days, I must needs take a windjamming tour or two, so that I my clear my head before feeling up to dealing further with the task at hand, that of ennobling the art. ¹

Today marks the last double digit day in this Countdown and a major accomplishment in my desire to Journey On. Too, this makes me think back to the time when I was growing up in Texas, living not far from the NASA Houston control, and when there was a national rocket launch into space.

The countdown would continue with the announcer talking about different aspects of the launch until the last ten seconds when the announcer would verbalize the countdown with the words: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero, we have ignition..... and lift off. Yes, it seemed that those last ten seconds of the countdown were the most important.

Well, today starts the final ten days of my countdown.

Arising before seven, I go inside to get ready for the early morning ministry and meet Larry at the Hall at eight am. Then at nine am, we meet back at the Hall for the regular meeting for the field service and due to the fact that today is a secular holiday, a large number shows up, enough to make three car groups. I continue to work with Larry together with Edna and Sharon for the morning and into the afternoon.

After the ministry, I don my casual clothes and go to the coffee shop for WiFi access to the internet.

Awake before the alarm which was set for six-thirty, go into the mobile to shower and prepare for the early ministry at seven-thirty this morning. We have decided that there is enough daylight now to begin this early. Actually, on a day when the sky is clear like today, the day is bright enough by seven am.

We go first to the market and check the bus stop, then to the grocery to check the bus stop there and then stop in the parking lot to catch the people who are getting off the bus. There are a lot of people coming out and I use up quite a number of the old magazines I am carrying from the stack at the hall of which we have over a thousand available. I suppose that the large number of unused magazines that we have now is a result of our building the new Hall. It seems that many were spending more time working on the Hall than in the field ministry, which of course is an important work as well. I know this was the case with myself.

Finally, we check the city beach and talk to those who are there, after which we head back to the Hall for the regular meeting for ministry. I continue to work with Larry and join Edna and Judy to work some house to house. Finally, we return to the Hall for lunch. Then we head out for the afternoon ministry during which I now begin working with Dan and the same two sisters until about two pm.

As we were leaving the Hall, I see the Jim and Jean who are from Anacortes East congregation and who spent many hours working in the cleaning department during our hall build. They are here to see how the new Hall looks.

After the ministry, I make the deposit for the congregation and then check my mail. Next, I go home to begin getting the jammer ready for a small trip this weekend to visit John and Karen, the couple who spent so much time at the hall build in their motor home working as the overnight security guards. This will be a test run to see how the jammer now works for travel. Methinks that it will take several test runs to get my gear in order for the time when I strike out in earnest.

Methinks there is need for something to have ready to reheat for meals during the last few days here in the mobile, so I take what is in the refrigerator, create a large pot of food and then freze the extra in containers to eat while working on my gear. This cookpot of food is so good, that I recorded the recipe so as to add it to my online recipes.

This stew is a bean and potato stew which will include other fresh vegetables such as celery, green and yellow onions, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and basil. This will be the basic ingredients to which I will begin to add more in my endeavor to add more to the taste.

Now with all of the ingredients in the pot, all that is left in the refrigerator is a few eggs and some cheese. Guess what I will be having for breakfast tomorrow?

Upon awaking at seven, I go through my routines, first a shower and shave, then a cup of hot, a cheese omelet, and get dressed. Then I meet for the nine o′clock ministry meeting, stopping shortly after midday. Upon returning to the mobile, I continue to make ready for the upcoming weekend trip by taking my non perisable food containers out of the refrigerator and putting them into the food storage location in the jammer.

In the late afternoon, Alan calls and invites me to join him and Tonia for supper this evening. I leave early to drive by the waterfront and see a nice place for a photo of the sunset.

Arriving at six pm, I carry with me a loafs of killer bread, and they are appreciative to receive the gift. After supper, Andy, Angela, and Aaron join us to read together the Bible reading for this week, the first four chapters in the gospel of Mark.

Afterwards, I drive home, park in the garage, climb into the back to go to sleep.

Again, I go through the morning routine, have a cup of daystart and afterwards begin working on the last few website pages still needing revision four and after analyzing what remains, think that revision four will probably take me several more weeks to complete.

As I look around the inside of my home, methinks that there is still too much stuff but then Joanne calls and asks if she can come by this afternoon to pick up the cooking things that I have promised to give her. When she comes by, we pack her trunk full of my things, all of the cooking pots and a couple of small appliances.

Now, methinks, there is not too much left. However, in order for me to cook anything, I will need to get out the backpacking gear which is already in the jammer. However, I do have four meals left from the potato-bean soup that I cooked Tuesday evening but will just have to buy some crackers. Slowly, this art form of developing the Need is being ennobled to the point that I will soon be able to leave this Island.

Up at six-thirty to a windy morning. Inside, I make the final preparations for the weekend off island trip north to Birch Bay. At nine, I go to the bank to make the congregation deposit and then head north to the bridge, drive to the mainland and head north.

Soon, I am in Bellingham and stop at the outfitter store to look for a felt crushable hat and find one that I like it but costs forty dollars, more than I can spend at this time. Since I have not got the money from the home sale yet, I will wait until later until I purchase the hat.

Continuing north, I arrive at the Birch Bay exit and begin traveling west toward′s the Bay on Grand View road and arrive at a point near the state park where I can see Birch Bay. Here, I stop briefly and get a photo of a pair of hooded mergansers.

Next, I return back to Jackson street and turn north, drive for a mile and arrive at the front gate of Beachwood resort where John and Karen live.

I call to tell them that I am here after which Karen drives out to the gate to sign me in as a guest. She then leads in her car and I follow her to there home. They explain that this is a resort where it is necessary to purchase a membership to allow you access to live in your mobile home, which they also had to purchase separately.

They explain that they need to pay a monthly membership fee of seventy-five dollars which covers there water, sewer, garbage and additionally allows them to use eight other connected resorts in Washington state. Finally, they inform me that camping membership all also available for purchase at these resorts. I tell them that it seems to be a good deal. John tells me that there is a high wind advisory and that he may be called out if there is a power outage.

Then I sit and enjoy the evening with my friends, a warm fire, good food, great laughs, and tales of past experiences. The moment is filled with Jouissance and the wind continue blowing but the power never falters. Sometime in the evening I become aware that my sinuses have cleared up with no brain fog or nasal drip.

When I leave to go out to the jammer, I see a ring-necked pheasant walking down the road way in the mobile home park. I grab my camera and fire off a couple of rounds, I mean photos.

What a magnificent bird, one that I know that many would love to have on a plate.

Awake at six this morning, get up and step out of the jammer and notice that it is not cold at all but rather comfortable although still windy. I walk to the back of the van and get out my stove to make a cup of coffee and one of the neighbors who tells me his name is Larry says hi to which I return the greeting. Soon, Karen comes outside to do her morning walk around the park while I continued to drink my coffee. When Karen returns, she invites me in for grits and eggs to which I gladly accept.

Somewhat later, John and I leave to go and see the places where he does volunteer communication work. First, we go to the police station and see the Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS) office with all of the many radios, and there are a lot of them, so many that I was impressed. Then we left the police station and headed to the old airport where the city uses one of the hangers to house the ACS mobile emergency communication vehicles. Once we go into the hanger, John gives me the tour of both the hanger and the emergency communication truck with is a converted ambulance which holds all of the same radios that are in the police station. Also, at the hanger, a third ACS communication station is being set up, this being done for redundancy.

When we arrive back at John and Karen′s home, Karen has lunch prepared for us. Then we all go into the den to work on our computer or take a nap. After all, the three of us are certified senior citizens and aren′t we each entitled to take an afternoon nap if that is what we want to do.

When I come inside, I bring my titanium cook pot filled with the ingredients I eat almost every morning, so as to share with John and Karen. I tell Karen that I normally use kefir but do not have any this morning, so Karen provides some yogurt which I mix in equal parts with rice milk to turn the yogurt into a liquid. Then I pour the liquid onto the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. They both like what I tell them I call a Wayƒarer′s daystart which by the way is constantly changing.

A while later, we leave for the meeting at the Hall in Ferndale. Afterwards, we go to eat Mexican food and then back to their home.

At seven-thirty John, who was asked to be net control, started the weekly network operations check of all of the ACS radios within the Blain system.

Not long after, I go out to the jammer and go to sleep.

Upon rising, I drive out of Blain, and back to the island. When I arrive at home, I go inside and take a hot shower; this being the first since Friday morning because I have been taking alcohol rubs to keep clean during this past weekend. Too, while at John and Karen′s home, I was able to get a lot done on the new web pages to my website and even uploaded most of it.

Too, it was a very enjoyable weekend with friends away from under the Jet Path, but upon coming back here, I notice that the brain fog and nasal drip return right away.

As some of you already know, I have sold my mobile home. Finally! Still, I have to wait for the closing, which occurs this Thursday, the twenty-eight of February, which would allow me to leave on the first of March for the journey on. Interestingly, Episode One began on the first of March because back then, I wanted to get an early start on my walk on the Mountain.

Also, on that previous journey, it was necessary to take my time to gain strength in my step. Likewise, on this journey I plan to take my time so that I will be able to continue in my step of auxiliary pioneering. So, I will only travel for three or four days at a time, stop at a Kingdom Hall for the meetings and go out in the ministry with the congregation while at the Hall.

However, before I can begin on this journey, I do have some other personal duties and tasks which could take a month or longer to complete.

Still, this day came upon me after many long years of waiting. It was shortly after receiving the April 2008 study edition of the Watchtower when I read the article concerning the request for some to travel to Mexico and serve in the English field. It was after that when I came to realize that moving to Mexico could be good for me.

What amazes me about this entire scenario is that in the month directly before that article came out, there was an English speaking Spanish brother who came to visit from the south of Mexico who told me that with my circumstances, I should seriously consider moving to Mexico.

My answer to him was that I would never be able to make that kind of move. The next month, after reading that article, my inclination was to Want to move to Mexico. However, much prayer ensued and in September 2009, I find myselƒ driving south for the purpose of checking Mexico out to see if moving there is even feasible. Then after arriving in Mexico and staying there during January and February of 2010, I could not help but fall in love with the people, the country and the idea of making Mexico my home. So, I returned to Oak Harbor with the intention of selling my mobile home.

So my petitions to Jehovah continued with my supplication to bring me a person who had money in his pocket. Yes, every night, I would ask Him to bring me that right person who would buy my home. Finally after almost two years of prayers, he has done just that. Also, somewhere in the process of repeating the prayers night after night, I came to realize that the same inclination that had made me Want to move to Mexico had now made me feel that it is a Need to move there.

In so many ways, more than I can grasp, I have come to understand that moving into a foreign country at this time of my life could be totally in my best interests. Why would I say that this move would be good for me?

First and foremost, the request to me, or for that matter, anyone to move to Mexico has come from the faithful and wise servant. (Matthew 24:45) Therefore, anything coming from Jehovah through his earthly organization would ultimately be beneficial for me to follow.

Second, I have personally come to understanding that it is safer for a citizen of the US to live in Mexico than to live in his home country, this being so on so many different fronts. I will not go into this discussion at this time but if you regularly read my Journal entries, you probably will also come to this conclusion yourself.

Third, in each and every new yearbook that comes out with the multitude of experiences, it is always in the undeveloped part of the world that the most wonderful experiences persistently happen.

Fourth, for someone living on social security, it is totally too expensive to live in the United States and that is true in no mater what state you choose to live. The cost of many of the Needs in Mexico is half of the price of the cost here.

Fifth, to be a need-greater in this time of the end is a journey of exceeding joy and gratification, a journey of which I am writing a story to be able to tell to my children and grandchildren in the new paradise earth. I know, I do not have children at this time, much less grandchildren, but in the new earth, I hope to begin a family of many children and grandchildren. And even if the children do not come for centuries, I can still tell this story to some of those many ones who come back in the resurrection.

Finally, I could go on and on about the blessings that Jehovah will provide his dedicated servants who go out of their way now in their service to him during the last days of this wicked system of things. However, I will stop here for now.

Of late, I have frequently been asked, What is the next step in this Journey? or something similar which has made me think long and hard for an answer. Thus far, my only answer to this asked question is I am not sure.

However, I do know that soon after the sale of my home finalizes, I will close Chapter Forty-eight: Ennobling the Art in my online Journal which will also close Quire Nine, The Quest for The Need Level because I will have accomplished this goal or at least have come very close to doing so.

Subsequently will begin Passage Five: The Journey of the Myselƒ, Quire Ten: The Journey On and Chapter Forty-nine: The Weighing Anchor.

With this new Passage, I suspect will come some deep soul searching for me, even a new quest; searching for how I personally can improve as a servant of the most High God and do more than the goal that I have set to do during this time of my travel. Meanwhile, I will weight anchor from this harbor and Journey On into the realm of the Myselƒ all along praying for Jehovah′s blessings and directions.

Please continue with myself on this Journey. Thom Buras

Again, I awake at sunglow which is before six-thirty now, go inside and take a hot shower followed by a cold one. Then, I prepare scramble eggs with spinach and lots of garlic because I am using up what remains in the refrigerator. Methinks that I did save these ingredients for today.

Later, at nine, I go out in the ministry, finishing my goal for the month and then at eleven go to the escrow to sign papers. I am told that my money will be available tomorrow afternoon some time after three pm and that she will call me when it is ready.

Afterwards, I return to the mobile and begin packing my van for the final move out. Then at about three pm, I drive to Mark and Cheryl′s garage to unload. Mark is outside but has to leave so I unload my things by myselƒ and return home for another load.

At four I drive back to Mark′s and unload the second load. All that is left now is the kitchen table, the bench seat for the van, the wheel barrow and lawn tools. Mark tells me that he will send his employee to help me move those items in the morning. What a nice friend, like a father to me even though he is younger.

I go the prescription mart store and buy a bottle of Southern Comfort which states on the label that it was born in 1874 in the crescent city, the same city in which I was born. Finally, I head for home to spend the last night my mobile home and enjoy some comfort while watching the flames dance in the fireplace.

I go out to the jammer at nine pm to read the latest magazine and soon after I turn off the lights.

Like many days before and many more to come, the sunglow awakens me. I get up immediately to come inside to shower and fix my breakfast. As I enjoy the hot water on my body, methinks that when I turn off the hot water this morning for my cold shower, it will be the last cold shower that I will voluntarily take.

From now on, all of my cold showers will most likely be a need. Further, any future hot showers will be a rarity and truly appreciated. After showering, I clean the bathroom, put in the last load of wash and go into the kitchen for breakfast.

As I sit at the board eating, methinks that this will be the last time I will look out the window at this view or watch the birds frequent the feeders along the deck. Even thought I have prayed for this day to come and longed for the time when I could leave this home and this island to Journey On, I will miss those times that I have enjoyed watching the wildlife here.

Still, in my mind and heart, I know that there will be much more of the wildlife viewing to come in future homes, whether traveling in the jammer or to some place for my winter hiatus. Too, I do so look forward to the time under Kingdom rule when there will be great peace between man and wildlife, a time when wildlife viewing will be commonplace and not like today when it is usually a rarity.

Those rare times when I have seen animals in intimate moments are cherished memories to me but in the new earth, those moments will abound for the joy and delight of all of God′s people. Again, I thank Jehovah for providing the sale of my home.

There is still much to do this morning; I will finish cleaning the mobile and then move all the remaining items out to the garage to load on the trailer. Too, John will be here later to help me move the last of my things, so I must get busy and get it done. After the first stop to drop off my garden tools at the hall shed around nine am, and when I am ready to return to the mobile, Dan drives into the parking lot and gets out.

He tells me that he is here to print the memorial invitations and asks me if I have emailed him the corrected document to use to print from. I tell him no and head to the coffee store to use the WiFi to email him the file. When I return, I go inside with him and help get the printing started. It is after two pm when we finish and then I return to the mobile to sweep and mop the floors, then make a final run through before calling it done.

At three-thirty pm, after locking the mobile, I get a call from the escrow company telling me that my check is ready. So, I drive there, leave the mobile keys and receive a check drawn on the same bank as mine.

Realizing that there will be no wait time for the funds to clear, I go directly to my Bank, walk in and inform the teller that I have a small check to cash. You should have seen the look on her face when I present a check with five figures in front of the decimal place. She asks me Are you sure that you want to cash this? to which I reply If it doesn′t draw you too low on you bank funds. She replies, It shouldn′t.

I then deposit a small amount of the moneys into two of my checking accounts and leave with the rest. The next stop is at Mark and Cheryl′s home to pay Mark the money I borrowed from him. I talk with them for a while, get dressed and then head to the Hall for the meeting, pulling to the back of the parking lot.