rshort1202

I’m driving somewhere and notice that the horizon behind the hills has an ugly yellow tint of wildfire smoke. The look of it is unmistakable and instantly saddens and angers me. I sigh my discontent. Now, I’m walking with Melissa and Stella in what looks like these hills. We round a corner going uphill and some flames come into view. They are burning tall and intense yet confined to roughly a 20 foot diameter. We continue walking on the trail. (I had seen an ambulance? - which maybe I assumed was a fire truck - while driving earlier, otherwise I’d be calling 911. Come to think of it, it was headed in the wrong direction). As we get a little uphill of the flames I consider throwing some sand onto it or rolling some rocks over it. I then think the rolling rocks may only spread the fire and that it looks to be surrounded by sand anyway. We now seem to be at the top of this hill. There’s a man with a dog on the trail a little ahead; Melissa starts running after him, calling “sir!” I’m confused, but it’s because she watched him not clean up after his dog. She catches up and tells him this. He looks annoyed, maybe because it’s outside - though it is right on the trail - but goes to pick it up. It looks tiny through the bag. This path leads into a stairwell built into the hillside. There’s a little landing before, on which the dogs meet and don’t really do much with each other.
(I’m not sure if this is part of the last dream or not). I’m in some two story house with Melissa. Stella is on the second floor and we can hear her barking at something. It sounds and feels like she’s directly above us.

I’m walking Stella somewhere outside, a fairly wide dirt path, when I pass an older man with his dog, what looks like a retriever. Stella does well with being able to pass the dog without meeting it. There is a culvert off to the side, maybe 8+ feet long. It’s almost filled completely with running water and Stella decides to get into it. In an instant, she’s completely submerged and I can only feel by the pull of the long leash how far into it she is. I initially remain calm, hoping I’ll be able to remain calm, hoping I’ll be able to hold onto the leash until I can just run and grab her on the other side. This then does not feel possible, so I call for help from Dad who is now here. Stella is somehow still being swept down this stream that only seems a few inches deep. It is rocky as well and feels like it’s underground, as I run to catch up with her. With all of my might, I eventually do.



I’m going into a Dead and Company concert with Melissa. The indoor venue seems like something comparable in size to the Reno Events Center. There’s a simple white folding table in the foyer and some hassle with the middle aged white man in getting our tickets. I succeed in getting them and we go in. It’s close to empty, so we hurry toward the front. There’s no GA, only seats. When I ask, Melissa says she doesn’t care where we sit, which kind of irritates me. At first we go up too high, so we try lower. There are now some people here and we have to squeeze by them in their seats. The band is on the stage now, all unfamiliar except for Bob Weir, the rest seeming much younger. I notice the drummer playing but don’t hear any music. Bob is wearing a black cloth face mask which he removes and gives to one of the younger band members to wear. This makes no sense to me but I try to let it go.

I am with Julia and maybe some others. We’re walking along a rocky creek bed. The rocks are dark gray, smooth, and large enough to create a few feet of space between us and the water below. I end up climbing down to the water. Julia reacts as if I shouldn’t be doing this, but I think it’s fine. I continue further, eventually submerging and then surfacing in a large, circular pool. The walls seem to be stone, though possibly with windows around towards the top, like a cross between a natural space and an aquarium. There are several sea animals swimming in here with me. Jon is here also and I think I jump into the water once or twice.



I am walking outside when I pass by someone’s yard. The path seems to go right next to the chain link fence. The yard is fairly large and at a slight incline. There’s a large rock right by the fence; I climb up onto it. There are two dogs here and I am impressed as one climbs onto the steep side of the rock. I’m not sure if the dogs are coming over to be protective, but I end up playing with them. A younger middle aged lesbian couple come out of the house through its back door and start to apologize for the dogs, but I don’t mind at all. I throw a ball for the dogs. I also sense the couple is tired and trying to go to bed.

I’m walking outside somewhere with Stella. The area seems unfamiliar. It still looks like Nevada though, with the rolling hills and lack of trees. We ascend a hill that I notice is now a dusty orange slate. It is steep enough to make me question my footing, especially since there are little pebbles all around. Stella runs circles around me in her excitement; I switch the leash between my hands to accommodate it. I’m now at the very top and the whole surrounding area comes into view. It is very pretty-there’s an ethereal-ness to it, so I take some pictures. I think this is the furthest I’ve gone this way and it didn’t take too long.



I’m in what feels like an underground building. It all seems to be under construction, in an early phase. It’s dim and sparse and it feels like I should not be here. There are several construction workers and I’m trying to not be seen by them. There seems to be a few levels and many rooms. I go into a couple and at times see some creepy scenes. One room in particular has an arrangement of stuffed animals that doesn’t sit right with me. I get creeped out and leave the room. I think I am supposed to be doing something here (but I’m not sure what). Now I am with mom and sorting a black trash bag of things to either keep or throw away. I set aside the reusable things (pens, etc) to keep and want to throw away the rest, like papers and projects.



I’m outside somewhere unfamiliar and trying to take a nap where I’m lying on some weird edge. It seems like the edge of a truck bed or something? I then end up in a tent. I have an iPad or tablet and put on the Pandora station ‘guitar for sleep’ or something similar. I tried a similar station first but it wasn’t very conducive for me trying to sleep. I now close my eyes and it’s still very bright, though I think I fall asleep for a while. I emerge with the post-nap grogginess and go to be around everyone else (not sure who).



(fragment) I am somehow holding onto the back end of a bus, what seems like a tour bus. Someone else is doing the same on the right side of the bus. The bus takes off, driving a little too fast for my uncertain grip. I’m not sure why I’m doing this.

I am somewhere outside, on a walk. The place looks familiar (from another dream?). I’m coming up a slight hill to a smaller river. I think I usually go to the right but I veer to the left this time. There’s a sense of happiness at doing something new. I also have Stella with me. Some or all of this water is frozen solid and she and I walk on it.

*I was with Dad yesterday and we were talking about how the pond here froze over.

I am walking outside somewhere with Melissa. The area is a large gully and for some reason I think it’s between Reno and Carson. We’ve been on the upper edge of it, but I ask if she wants to walk along the bottom of it. There is a very faint trail down, though it almost looks too steep. I then change my mind, not remembering if it’s too overgrown at the end for us to get out. There is something about picking up Alex around 1. I think that should work fine; Melissa then mentions casually that it’s 1am, which changes things. Now, I’m driving in what looks like the same area (the highway through Washoe Valley?) and end up turning around. I also end up at Mom’s (I try not to care about turning around because I think I’ll be making another trip or so) and packing some things from my mostly full room, though I thought I had everything I needed.

I am walking from somewhere to somewhere else to use the bathroom. I think I come from a school and it looks like I’m heading to a construction site/new apartments or other buildings. It crosses my mind that I’ve actually passed a bathroom, but I continue on anyway. This area looks like it’s near the marina. I’m on the side of an uncrowded highway. I walk through a red light and it doesn’t cause any problems but still I feel a little guilty. I have my blue headphones on, listening to some music. I’m also walking at a good pace, and it feels like. I round a corner and start stepping high, flexing my eyes at each rise. I now notice that I can get multiple flexes in each step. Pretty soon I am completely off the ground at each step for a time longer than possible. I enjoy the sensation and continue it and soon I am levitating up into the air. I rise to 50+ feet and then the thought crosses my mind that this would only be possible in a dream. My mind writes off this happening with some explanation.

*Though it sounds like it, I never actually realize this is a dream in the dream. I also wake up right after.

I am walking in Mom’s neighborhood when I notice an old lady staring at me from behind the wooden fence around her yard. She’s wearing sunglasses, some kind of hat, and I think a mask. Despite all this obscuration, I can tell that she’s older (maybe also because I think she’s wearing a sweat suit). As I walk, I look back, turn, and flip her off with both middle fingers. I don’t think I expected a reaction, but I can tell it’s really set her off. I think she wants to come out and fight me. I can see her starting to go through the house to come out here. I think about taking a right at this street, but think I’ll be highly visible. I hear her shouting in the house for someone to come get me and/or call the cops. Instead, I turn around and head through some marshy area with a walking path through it. I run across a white bridge that is a contrast to the dim water and marshy greenery. This seems to happen in slow motion, and I have time to notice how beautiful this scene is. I think that I should remember it so it might have an effect on my dreams or something similar. I think there’s one more bridge but also that I’ll have to walk through the water at some point. I think I’m wearing slippers? Earlier I also noticed how I was wearing fairly bright colored clothes. I think the police may be close.




I’m with Melissa on what seems to be a small porch? It’s really more of a small, flat protrusion from the side of a house, with mesh sidings and top. It’s just big enough for us two and I think the bottom of it is some kind of padding. All of it is black. We seem to be fairly high up and overlooking a long beach. I think we’re both naked. My head is close to between her legs, and I start going down on her. She crawls on top of me and I continue.

I’m on a walk. I get to the edge of a driveway, where a Black man has met and is talking to a white, male police officer. I get the impression he has come down here so the officer won’t go on his property. Now, another Black man comes out and does the same thing. The officer leaves amicably and then the first man turns to me and starts handing me some cash, a few crisp bills. He has short hair and seems very genuine. I think it’s a few 20s and I don’t even know what it’s for, so I say no, I can’t take it. The second man, with shoulder length dreads and baggier clothes, tries doing the same, and I think I give in. I think at the beginning of this, I put on headphones to listen to a Tedeschi Trucks Band show (the song was ‘Laugh About It’ into a drum segment). The weather was cooler - I had pants and a long sleeve. I was walking on the right side of the roads [sic] as two girls were coming towards me. I noticed a car coming from behind them and from behind me as I had to go around them to the left, thinking it would leave very little room for the cars.




I’m walking into a store with Sage. I think it’s a reptile or animal store. On the left, I notice three tanks on stands that’ve been covered with a black film or cover. Two older ladies working here say hi and then I think profile or customer service me. This irritates me as we walk into a larger back room, Sage way ahead of me.




I’m on a walk and have ended up on what looks like a sandy hillside that overlooks a beach and the ocean? It is sunset and the thick and vivid layers of deep reds and oranges are absolutely beautiful. There is some kind of electronic trance music playing and it makes for a very ethereal moment. I’m now down on the beach and there are a bunch of people dancing to the music. The sunset is the background, but there are also strobe lights. I think I start dancing.





Granny has died, but I feel comforted knowing that she had the opportunity to say bye to everyone and also that she came to me in a dream (*this seemed very real, and I was recalling pretty much exactly our visit with her yesterday).

I am walking on a path that is about to fork and incline up a hillside. I think Mom or someone else is with me. There are also two middle aged or younger women that have been walking fairly close to us. They start talking with us, asking if we think they can manage the uphill. They seem kind of sketchy to me, so I try to get them to take the path in the other direction. They end up choosing to do so, and I think it is so they don’t have to keep walking awkwardly close to us. On the uphill now, the path is narrow and sandy. I see the women walking off in the other direction and one is pulling a cart behind her, so I guess it’s good they didn’t come this way anyway.




I am outside somewhere with Melissa, and we’re walking up to some pizza place. The storefront has some windows - I see no door - and a stainless steel counter top. There are a few picnic style tables crowded together in the front, currently all full (I think with only men). The owner? is sitting among everyone, facing us, and I hear him call out for someone’s order. He has an air of being among everything in a perfectly friendly way while also being on top of all the operations. He seems shorter and rotund, shaven and with short but thick brown hair, and genial. He takes a pizza on a white paper plate and tosses it to someone like a frisbee. It nears the ground and then slows impossibly until the guy grabs it. We’re now sitting across from this guy at a high table. He is eating from a plate of something. There are a few, three?, beers brewed/served here, and I contemplate getting one. I think they’re all IPAs, which I’m not too thrilled about. The guy refers to one as ‘thickest/dankest’? and I decide that it does sound good. I offer to get him one, and he says something about not needing another, but says yes anyway. I can tell by his grin and behaviors that he is feeling it.

I am outside and walking through a neighborhood with a few others. It seems like we’re doing something for a school assignment. We’re looking for a certain house and come up on one that I think is right because it looks familiar. The house is white with a light blue trim. It’s slightly downhill from the street and is placed horizontally on the lot. The garage is open, revealing all of the stuff inside that looks familiar. The number is something like 150105. I look on the map on my phone, and it shows us about halfway down this street. Looking to the left, I see that the street starts to incline somewhat significantly, telling them I don’t remember going uphill. I tell them I can also search Canvas to see if it’s the right one. I do so and don’t think I find anything. We end up deciding that it’s the right house. We go inside, and it’s kind of empty and dim. The others take an open riser staircase to the second floor. I stay back and then walk back to the front door. The owner has arrived - it’s David from Discology and his son. They’re walking up and I meet them at the glass sliding door. I don’t think much is said, and I guess he doesn’t find it weird that I’m in his house. I say something about the others, and I think he goes to look for them, using a flashlight. I think it is somewhat intense.




I’m at work and going on a break. I need to use the bathroom, and we have to use Sani Huts. they are scattered all around this parking lot, and I head for a line of them up against a fence. There is a handicapped one, which I take because it is larger, because it is not busy out here, and because there are more in case someone needs it. I am relieved when I step in and find it clean and without much of a scent. I use some toilet paper to put the seat down. I think I am just sitting on top of the seat now, and I notice a window in here. Through it, I see a bed, upon which sit several people. I notice two girls, a couple, what look very similar if not almost the same. They are reclined, tan, and naked from the waist up. Currently, each has her arms above her head, which gently lifts her breasts and perky nipples. They begin taking off each other’s underwear and kissing, so I take out my phone and start taking a video on Snapchat. I can’t believe I can see this from here and no one can see in. I briefly contemplate its potential. I end up in another Sani Hut now, and it has the same kind of window. This one seems to be at the end of a dirt road or parking lot. To the left is an old station wagon with an open back. There are one or two women and some kids (maybe on a sports team?) approaching it - it must be theirs. One of the women, Asian?, is wearing a Grateful Dead shirt I’ve never seen before. It’s black and is tasteful; it also looks like it could be homemade. I think it’s cool that she’s into them, I think because it’s a change from the typical white male. They all start getting into the back of the car, which has blankets and I think string lights. They start playing music and smoking weed out of a lightbulb. One guy, Asian, takes a quick but large hit. I know that I don’t smoke, but they seem to be having a great time, which is fine by me. Now, I’m walking out to the Sani Huts again. It is raining fairly hard, which I barely feel. I’m walking over the rocks in a median and notice it pooling up here as well as along the sides of the road.

I’m going to go to Melissa’s after work, I think for Valentine’s day. After I’m done (not sure where) I walk to the house, which seems close. The house is very upscale, large, and with lots of stone. When I get inside I discover that all of the lights are out, so I figure everyone is sleeping. It was light outside but it is near pitch black inside. I start down a foyer or hallway, which is the only place with even a hint of natural light filtering in. I go through a living room and stumble into a couch, then use it to guide myself. Despite my slight miscalculation on the couch, I seem to know exactly where to go. Now, I’m in the backseat of a car in the garage here. Melissa is in the driver’s seat, Alex in the passenger’s. I’m thinking that they’re just getting back from somewhere, but they’re actually going out to see the sunset. The garage door is open and behind me I can see the sunset through some trees and houses. The sun looks halfway sunken on the horizon, shrouded in oranges, yellows, and thin clouds. I end up telling Melissa that I didn’t bring an extra pair of clothes but that I might not worry about going to get some tonight since I’ll be going home in the morning. I tell her I’ve barely worn this shirt and that the shorts are fine too (*I think I am envisioning the same clothes I was wearing at her house yesterday). She makes a comment about the underwear still being the same. We are walking around this neighborhood and pass what looks like Scott with a much younger Shannon and I think a small dog. I end up at a swimming pool with an infant (about six months old and mine). I’m swimming at the shallow edge and the boy is up on the tile. I’m not being negligent though; I am watching him. There are about two women here, and he’s playing with one of their iced drink Starbucks cups. I have him bring it to her and he does. He’s cute and we’re all laughing and smiling. He looks very similar to me as a child that age.

Melissa and I have had a baby. We are somewhere outside where there are a bunch of tents set up - like camping tents, but I think slightly bigger. I think all of these tents are for couples and their newborns. I also think this is the first time we get to see our kid. Sitting outside of the tent, the baby is revealed to me. When I first see her I cannot help but to grin and be filled with joy. She is chunky but very pretty, with fine, yellow hair. We have named her Makayla, and, in fact, she looks like both Makayla and myself as babies. She crawls around, smiling and laughing (it looks like she’s around six months old). She gets that same devious expression on her face that I sometimes get and it causes me to feel excited. ‘She is spunky’, I think, imagining the years to come. I play around with her, making her laugh, giving her kisses. I tell her jokes and I think she actually talks back (not 100% mature, but definitely too advanced for her age). Now, I am leaving to go to a Starbucks that is right by here to reheat a drink for Mom. I walk through some storefronts along a slightly winding paved area and don’t notice anyone else out. Just as I come up on the Starbucks, I realize that I am not wearing a mask and that they may not take kindly to that here. Moreover and probably more importantly, I realize that I am completely naked. I become aware of my bare torso, backside, and penis juxtaposed against this setting. I wonder about the legality of this and then go back to get the coffee that I’ve forgotten anyway. I come back, this time clothed, but without the coffee. There are people wearing face masks and waiting, distanced from each other. The barista behind the counter sees me and goes to take my order, but I tell him I forgot something and I’ll be right back. Now, I am taking the coffee out of a microwave (not sure if it’s in the Starbucks or not). It looks like a short sized cup of a tan colored coffee drink. There is ice in it, but I think it may also be hot? I try it and it’s creamy and really not all that good. Mom is here, sitting on a long, brown leather couch. She takes the drink, tries it, and agrees with me. I am back with Melissa now and we are going to go home with our kid. I think about what life is going to be like now with a baby, specifically the nights.




I am with Dad somewhere and he’s talking about walking around some of the houses in this neighborhood (I think they are nice). I’m looking at one across the street right now. It is right next to the asphalt street and looks to be completely a glass curtain wall with vertical supports every ten feet or so. Right now it is mostly a reflection, so it’s almost as if it’s disguised, not there. Dad says he was walking by one and taking a picture and then he thought someone was about to come out and punch him - except it was just a woman? He says he offered to show her the pictures, that they’re just scenery and nothing bad. I tell him I feel weird/bad about taking pictures sometimes, too. Dad’s going to go for a walk right now and is offering for me to come. I look out and slightly to the right and see a woman walking up a slight ravine in a mostly green hillside.

I am on a walk. I notice someone coming up behind me so I step side to let them pass. I then notice an old couple coming up quickly and wait for them too. I overhear the man tell the woman that it’s time to start their cardio. I think that’s great for them, given their age. I notice how thin his legs are and how thin she is. They pass me on a footbridge that’s probably 30 feet or so long, winding, with some snow left on it. Getting behind them, I say “mind if I try to keep up with you guys? It might be good for me” as they’re starting to jog. I don’t think they mind even though I’m not sure they say anything and I keep following even though I know it’s weird what I just did. We do end up talking about different hiking areas. The man mentions somewhere in Orange County, as if it’s close, and then a spot that actually is nearby. He points when he talks, but I focus more on the woman (maybe because she is closer?). He says ‘hello’ to get my attention and then looks irritated when I look up after it’s already too late. They are both nice and kind of blunt. We’re on a straightaway of an old dirt road among some pines. To my left there is a small field. In the field there is what looks like the trunk of a Baobab tree. It is topped with flags of different countries? that are currently swelling in the breeze. It seems abandoned or otherwise has some creepy element about it. I take a picture to send to Melissa, thinking of Midsommar. For a second I think I probably shouldn’t be this close to this couple with the virus going around. Looking at her, I think it would probably kill her if she got it. They don’t seem to be concerned though. We are now near the top of a hill and I’m not sure I’ve been this far. There is a good view of the city behind us (very similar to the actual view) and there is another hill to the left that I think I have walked down before.




I think I’m in a school or classroom. I have to go to the bathroom and I see that the ‘bathroom’ is two stalls right next to what looks like a teacher’s desk. The one further from the desk looks slightly larger than the other. The whole setup is awkward. I go different times, each time a different scenario of people at the desk and in the stalls or not. I think at one point HR Rosy is at the desk. I line the toilet seat with the thin toilet paper, conscious of everyone being able to hear what I’m doing in here.

I am on a walk with Melissa, currently in a neighborhood. It seems nicer and the houses are not that close together, possibly because we’re on the outskirts of it. Now the houses are all but gone and it looks like we’re coming up on the Hunter Creek trail. We walk for a little bit up the slight grade and end up on a large driveway of faded, rusty orange stone. A few paces ahead of us there are about three or four kids also heading uphill. I think they are all girls. The oldest looks to be maybe eight and the youngest three or so. We nonchalantly keep walking with them and end up inside this large house on the hill. Melissa and I are in a smaller and tidy bedroom, maybe a guest room, and can hear the kids messing around behind the closed door of another room. Melissa now stands up and pulls her pants down; she is going to change. Before she can do anything else, there is some movement in the hallway and then a man and a teenage boy who is probably his son appear in the doorway. There is something off about both of their facial features. The whole scene is awkward. Melissa is wearing a shirt long enough to cover herself, but she does not pull her pants up. I assume the man is the homeowner and I am bracing for what comes next as he has just found two strangers in his house, but he just stands there and never says a word. For some reason, the waistband of my shorts (my blue athletic ones) is very low and I’m trying to discreetly pull them up. I know the scene looks bad too, with her pants down - from his perspective it probably looks like she was quickly trying to put them back on. I guess the man is just used to people showing up in his house, and now he is gone. I am now in a large, open living room. Another man with a small dog shows up. It’s just the two of us in here, so he starts talking to me, telling me the dog is Zoe. I tell him I have a Zoe too, a black lab. We make small talk as I throw a toy for this small dog. I think about introducing myself but never do, and he doesn’t either. He has glasses, is somewhat dopey looking, and talks rather slow. This room has a window almost the size of the whole wall. Looking through it, I can see that it’s close to sunset. There are hazy clouds with a tint of orange and closer to Mt. Rose there is a group of clouds with the sun behind them. There is a very large patio area with some people on it watching the sunset. I notice a couple, the guy behind the girl with his arms around her. The man in here makes a comment about some girls out there. I say something about my girlfriend being in the other room and then walk outside. I get to the end of the patio - it ends at a fairly steep rocky incline that has flat areas that you can still get to. There are a few people hanging out in these areas. I notice two girls laying on their backs, wearing shorts and tight grey tank tops. It is growing darker out and the sunset is getting good. There is a laptop out here playing a Dead and Company live stream, though the current song is nothing I recognize. (I think I somehow see the set list and the first few songs are nothing I recognize and nothing they’ve really played). Someone behind me is watching and right before they walk away they make a comment about them looking like ‘science geeks’? I think it’s because John is wearing glasses. I am looking at the sky again now and at one cloud in particular. This cloud, silhouetted by the sun, looks remarkably like an angel. There are wings, arms bent as if in prayer, and even a clear halo. I quickly take my phone out to take a picture to send to Mom. I take a picture and a video just in case the clouds shift. When I look back at the video, I see the part of the cloud that looks like the arm very quickly move to its face and back down, as if wiping a tear. I think this whole thing is miraculous.