Burnout: 1. To be too tired to do a once favored activity. A common malady for those who have been in the hobby for sometime.

This year marked my 23rd year in the hobby and I am afraid I have finally succumbed to this most feared of all reenacting diseases.

I can blame part of it on the work I am trying to do on the new house or trying to balance two jobs at the moment. I can also blame the lack of events this season but it seems I only made the ones that were on my side of the mountain.

So how can you tell you may be suffering from Burnout?

1. Your neighbors comment that your yard has never looked better.

2. You actually remember your kids names.

3. There is a stack of unread Civil War Times and Camp Chase Gazettes next to your bed.

4. You forget which side the cartridge box is supposed to go on.

5. The wood smoke smell has actually disappeared from your shell jacket.

Good God Man! This is serious! I didn't even have ajulepp this season.

I needed something torecoursee my willingness to reenact. I was getting a little excited around Camp of Instruction time but when it got cancelled it sent me further into depression. That left a lot of weeks until Cedar Creek. More time to work on my real life.

I apologize for not keeping things updated but honestly this year most things have been company events. My home unit, 6th VA Infantry, stayed closer to home this year and did a lot of smaller events to get a little variety in their life. Perhaps that can be apreventivee to burnout.

I am looking forward to Cedar Creek as the event to drag me out of this pit of depression. Perhaps getting outside again with you, my friends, will shake the funk off of me. Perhaps the smell of black powder and the thrill of the mid battle nap will inspire me once again. If not, it is a long time until next season.

Check back this week. I will be posting info on Cedar Creek.