When I posted about Rutland a couple of days ago, Master Bennet had this to say:
Good post-now think of this in lifestyle terms-how is this you in the lifestyle.

At first I thought, that’s kind of strange. I never connected the town with the lifestyle. But there really are several parallels.

First, Rutland is bordered by a wooded area, giving the place a feel of being in the wild. I guess many people would say the bdsm is “wild”, not mainstream. Supposedly the lifestyle is a small segment of the population, although it may well be bigger than many suspect. At times the life can seem disconnected with society at large. But is it really? I don’t think so. Doms and subs are average, everyday people. They go to work, they have their families. They do the same things everyone else does. And so it is in the town of Rutland. The people come and go.

Some people think bdsm is an extravagant lifestyle. Probably not for most people who live it. Like in the town of Rutland, big money is not an option for most involved with D/s. Money does not propel the world of bdsm.

But probably the biggest parallel to me is the independence, the feel of everyone doing their own thing. In bdsm, there is a lot of variation. It means different things to different people. Because our ideas are not considered mainstream, many people in the lifestyle have a “live and let live” attitude. If you don’t agree with my way of doing things, just let it be.

Like Rutland, the right relationship, with the right one, can be an easy going place to be.

My youngest son M stayed at a friend’s house during my recent trip. We were going to meet up at his track meet. At least that was the plan.

I got a phone call at 10:00 the first night. I knew when my cell rang at that hour, it was not a good sign. It was M. He had thrown up. He admitted that at least part of the problem was that he was having second thoughts about not going with me to his grandfather’s house. I could hear that he was in tears. From talking to him, I also found out that it had been a very busy day. Undoubtedly, he was exhausted.

I told M that I couldn’t come get him (a one way trip of four and a half hours). At best, when his friend’s family came down for the track meet, I could meet them and take him with me to Grandpa’s . But that would mean no hotel and no swimming pool. M agreed, and that’s what we did. He admitted, though, that he was torn, part of him still wanted to stay at the hotel with his friend.

In July, M will be spending five days at a sports camp. It was my intention to go camping by myself during that time, assuming the weather holds. How best to prepare him for that? I am open to suggestions.

Master, I would especially appreciate your thoughts on this.

On my recent trip, I took a side trip to Rutland, Iowa. Rutland is exactly like you would expect it to be.

I happened upon Rutland as I was looking for a place to walk. Although Master allowed me to take a break from this blog, he made it clear that I was to continue my 45 minutes of daily activity. My plan was to stop halfway on the trip to my father’s, get out of the van and take my walk. As I was approaching the halfway point, I saw a sign that said Three River Trail-3 miles. Another sign said Rutland-3 miles. So I headed to Rutland, searching for this trail to walk. I thought I might stop at a gas station in Rutland, buy a pop and ask directions.

The only problem with that plan was there was no gas station there. I saw a post office and a city hall. There was a building that looked like a meat locker. Another building had pop machines in front of it, but no sign indicating what it was.

I saw a sign saying Rutland Dam. I thought that was a logical place for a Three Rivers Trail. I found the dam and a little park/campground next to it, but no trail. No problem. I could just take in the sights or Rutland, Iowa. I parked the van and started walking.

Rutland seemed to be an appropriate name for the town. Like a rut in the road, it existed, but seemed ignored, even neglected, forgotten. Being on a river (a very small river) the town was bordered on the west by a woodsy area, giving the entire town a feel of being disconnected from the larger world.

As I walked, I noted the houses and their condition. There were no palatial houses, no manicured lawns. Some places were fairly well maintained, others not. But it was obvious there was no big money here.

I felt a streak of independence in this town, where the citizens do the best they can and don’t worry about how they compare to the next town or city. People do their own thing and allow others to do the same. I saw on older couple sitting in their yard, surrounded by “stuff”. In my town, the city would have complained and insisted that the “clean up their property”. In Rutland, they were left alone. And what were they hurting, anyway?

I also saw an extremely small house. It reminded me of a house I lived in twenty years ago. The house of my past had a small kitchen, a living room and two bedrooms. There was also a bathroom that had originally been a back porch. Seeing another small house took me back to the time I was young, newly married, starting a family. My whole life ahead of me.

I liked Rutland, the little hole-in-the-wall town. It was quiet and peaceful, without the sharper edge of a competitive community. l Just an easy, laid back place where you could relax away from the rat race of the world.

I love summer. I love dressing in tops with spaghetti straps and going with bare shoulders. I love the feel of the sun on my skin. To a point, that is.

With the recent spat of baseball games and the track meet I went to, I have spent a lot of time outside. I wanted to get some sun. I’d like to have a little color, especially since I plan to have my pictures taken in a few weeks. But I seem to have overdone it.

You see, I am very light skinned and I burn easily. The day of the track meet, I tried to stay in the shade. I really did. But I work up Sunday morning to blistered shoulders. I should explain that I do not use sunblock because I will usually have an allergic reaction to it and end up itchier and more uncomfortable than if I had done nothing at all.

So, I suppose it is now time to bring out the light, long sleeve shirts to throw over my shoulders if I am going to be out in the sun for any length of time. I will just have to let this heal, then be careful for the rest of the summer.

Master has ordered me to do 45 minutes of activity daily, which I was required to continue during my recent trip. First, I should say that I really don’t like the requirement. Since it comes from Master, I don’t feel that I have the freedom to skip a day unless the circumstances are quite unusual. I requested that mowing the lawn count, and he said no, so I am aware that he is hardline on this.

On Friday, I spent a day shopping, met up with my son and went to see a movie. We returned to my father’s house after 8:00 pm. I really didn’t want to, but I did my 45 minutes. I didn’t want to have to explain to Master why I didn’t walk, nor did I feel comfortable lying about it.

Saturday, I spent the day at my son’s track meet. It was terribly hot, so I did my 45 minutes in spurts of 20 minutes or so. I was concerned about the heat, plus there was no good place to walk. The track was being used by the athletes, and there was not a sidewalk/good path to walk. I was concerned that this would not be good enough for Master, so after we returned to my father’s, I set out once again, doing 45 minutes.

I am compelled to obey. It is my submissive nature. I don’t feel comfortable cutting corners. Even when it makes me unhappy, or tired, or whatever, I carry out my assignment.