Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Kansas Is Why People Fly
We made it as far as Kansas City Missouri on Monday night. These 500 mile days are killers. We would never choose to drive so far in such a short time if it weren't for this new job of Bill's. It is killer on my hip pain! Although we had over 600 miles to go when we left this morning we are going to try and make it all the way to Pickerel as there is no way we want to stop with only 100 miles to go.
I'm not sure how many of you have heard of Gretchen Rubin and the Happiness Project. I might have mentioned her in a previous post. She is someone who basically "had it all" - a lawyer who clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor, married to a great guy, two kids and the proverbial white picket fence who realized that she never took the time to be really, truly happy with who she was and where she was in life. I have found that in myself many, many times. I am a planner so I am always looking out a week, a month, a year, to retirement. But now that we are living what I have dreamed about doing for about 20 years, which is to travel and work before we were too old to really enjoy it, I realized that I was doing the same thing. Of course, the recession and our precarious financial situation made it that much harder to enjoy the winter in Phoenix. We were constantly working - if not battling traffic on the freeways then entering reports or looking online for more work. I realized that the winter passed by and it was not all that enjoyable except for the weather.
Well, life is way too short for that. Now that the work situation has somewhat resolved I am going to try and enjoy each day. We are being sent to the areas that I am going to post below. Granted, this is not the geographic area that we would have chosen if we were taking a workamping position, but maybe that is for the best. This way we can get to know this area and leave the more personally desirable areas of the country for later on. So every day I am going to try and find something to be happy about and post it. That way I am held more accountable. Will it work every day? Hopefully, but if not, I will pick up and try the next day. So here is my first "happiness" posting - I am happy that my brother Brad paid us $1500 of the much larger sum he owes us. It really helped to pay on the property taxes!
Here is Bill's schedule for the next two months -
April 5 Fort Wayne IN
April 7 Rossford OH
April 11 Portage MI
April 12 Battle Creek MI
April 13 Jackson MI
April 14 Okemos MI
April 15 Lansing MI
April 16 Lansing MI
April 18 Grand Rapids MI
April 20 Caledonia MI
April 22 Wyoming MI
April 25 Jenison MI
April 26 Grand Rapids MI
April 27 Muskegon MI
April 29 Holland MI
May 2 Benton Harbor MI
May 3 Granger IN
May 4 Goshen IN
May 6 South Bend IN
May 9 Valparaiso IN
May 11 Merrillville IN
May 14 Calumet city IL
May 18 Homewood IL
May 20 Chicago IL
May 23 Oak Lawn IL
May 25 Chicago IL
May 26 Chicago IL
June 3 Chicago IL
So you see by the very busy schedule, we will be moving around quite a bit.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Phoenix to Gallup to Liberal
We left Phoenix yesterday, March 27, at about 11 am after Bill had gotten some sleep as he didn't get home until almost 6am. We took Hwy 87 heading northeast out of Phoenix that went through some pretty steep mountain passes. Our poor gasser just does not like towing the Avalanche from about 700 ft above sea level to over 6000 ft. That is one of the main reasons we need a diesel in the future. We pulled in to Gallup New Mexico and decided to stay at the Fire Rock Casino just east of town. http://www.firerocknavajocasino.com/ BAD. CHOICE. On one side of the parking lot was a railroad track that I swear carried all the country's rail shipments last night. On the other side was I-40. Needless to say that along with the 19 degree temperatures and all the noise, I don't believe I slept a hour straight. Bill, of course, snored right through it all.
We crossed the state of New Mexico today and currently are in Texas heading for our stop for the night at a truck stop in Liberal Kansas. We are trying to put on 500 miles a day so we can get to Pickerel by late Tuesday. I am NOT looking forward to more prairie views. It gets really old really fast.
I added two links at the bottom right of the blog. One for the Care2 website and another for The Animal Rescue Site. If you click these links every day money will go to good causes. There are links on each of the websites for other causes such as the rainforest, literacy, domestic violence and others. I just put the button for the animals as they are my "pet" project - pun intended! I don't make any money on these links, I just think it's great to try and help a little where we can. I click everyday and hope you are able to find a little time when you are browsing to do the same.
We crossed the state of New Mexico today and currently are in Texas heading for our stop for the night at a truck stop in Liberal Kansas. We are trying to put on 500 miles a day so we can get to Pickerel by late Tuesday. I am NOT looking forward to more prairie views. It gets really old really fast.
I added two links at the bottom right of the blog. One for the Care2 website and another for The Animal Rescue Site. If you click these links every day money will go to good causes. There are links on each of the websites for other causes such as the rainforest, literacy, domestic violence and others. I just put the button for the animals as they are my "pet" project - pun intended! I don't make any money on these links, I just think it's great to try and help a little where we can. I click everyday and hope you are able to find a little time when you are browsing to do the same.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Cheap RV Living
http://cheaprvliving.com/index.html
Although we have not paid a cent for one night of camping since we left Minnesota back in October the people features on this website have us beat all to hell. This website features people who are living in places much, much smaller than what we are living in. On the left hand side are links to people who are living in vans, truck campers and small vehicles. They are called vandwellers and at night can be in "stealth mode" which is basically parking the vehicle somewhere to spend the night without anyone knowing that you are living in it. Unfortunately the recession has made it so there are more and more people like this out there.
There are many people I'm sure who wonder how we can live in such small quarters and not have much stuff. What reading these stories brings home is that what we think we "need" and "can't live without" we really, really can if we HAVE to or, in some cases, WANT to. Is this life harder logistically even with less possessions? Normally yes. You can't just mindlessly turn on a light and the microwave or the generator will blow. You can't take an immediate shower if you forgot to turn on the hot water heater for 20 minutes or so. You can't just walk to your front porch or your mailbox and get your mail rather you have to have it forwarded to where you will be so planning ahead is necessary. You can't just turn on TV without going outside and setting up the dish and FINDING the satellite (unless you can afford a really nice rooftop self pointing system which we can't right now). You can't take a shower and let the wonderful hot water run if you are boondocking as you will drain your fresh water and fill your gray water waste tank. You have to turn off the modem at night as it will drain the RV battery and you will have to either run the engine for awhile or find another way to power the internet. You can't just let your laptop run down on battery because then you have three choices: plug it into the inverter which drains the house battery eventually, turn on the generator and waste gas and have noise or charge it in the truck and drain the batteries there. I think in a nutshell this life requires more PLANNING AHEAD and FLEXIBILITY.
Is this life for everyone? Absolutely not! There are times when even I, who have wanted this for years, is ready to pack up and head to Pickerel. Although admittedly thinking about the weather these last few months made me grateful to be in Phoenix. Could life be easier if we went to a campground instead of boondocking? I'm sure in some cases it would be and we may do that more when we don't have the mortgage to pay. But down here in the winter rates are astronomical, many parks are 55+, and some don't allow or only allow a certain number of pets. That's unacceptable to us as that was one of the main reasons we decided to RV - so the furkids could be with us.
So as far as feelings of deprivation? I can give up gardening as there are chances for me to volunteer with a community garden wherever we are - I can get my hands dirty and give back at the same time. But we are going to have to come up with some way of Bill being able to bring along the little boat. Once we get caught up there are quite a few lifts and other tow ideas that we can toss around in order to be able to do that. But other things? Have we missed them to not be able to live without them? No...of course yes, I miss the hot tub; yes, Bill misses his big TV etc. But is the trade off in what we are doing worth "missing" that stuff? Absolutely. The hard part has been having to work all the time these last few months and not getting time to go out and be a tourist down here. I wanted to horseback ride in the desert, Bill wanted to fish at Parker Dam. But now that we've got a better paying job going on we should be able to do all that from now on. What we did get to experience was really being a Phoenix resident for these last couple of months....driving the freeway during rush hour, dealing with lots and lots of people in the many different stores, being the minority in certain areas if you don't speak Spanish. That is really what made us say that we have "lived" here and didn't just "visit" and know that although we don't mind the area we definitely are not going to buy a retirement place in Sun City! Not enough trees and almost no water. The Escapees RV club that we belong to has a "retirement" location at their headquarters in Livington Texas where you can live in your own rig, get medical care and any other type of care you need right there. We are going to look into that location for when we have to hang up the keys - although hopefully that won't be for quite some time yet!
Although we have not paid a cent for one night of camping since we left Minnesota back in October the people features on this website have us beat all to hell. This website features people who are living in places much, much smaller than what we are living in. On the left hand side are links to people who are living in vans, truck campers and small vehicles. They are called vandwellers and at night can be in "stealth mode" which is basically parking the vehicle somewhere to spend the night without anyone knowing that you are living in it. Unfortunately the recession has made it so there are more and more people like this out there.
There are many people I'm sure who wonder how we can live in such small quarters and not have much stuff. What reading these stories brings home is that what we think we "need" and "can't live without" we really, really can if we HAVE to or, in some cases, WANT to. Is this life harder logistically even with less possessions? Normally yes. You can't just mindlessly turn on a light and the microwave or the generator will blow. You can't take an immediate shower if you forgot to turn on the hot water heater for 20 minutes or so. You can't just walk to your front porch or your mailbox and get your mail rather you have to have it forwarded to where you will be so planning ahead is necessary. You can't just turn on TV without going outside and setting up the dish and FINDING the satellite (unless you can afford a really nice rooftop self pointing system which we can't right now). You can't take a shower and let the wonderful hot water run if you are boondocking as you will drain your fresh water and fill your gray water waste tank. You have to turn off the modem at night as it will drain the RV battery and you will have to either run the engine for awhile or find another way to power the internet. You can't just let your laptop run down on battery because then you have three choices: plug it into the inverter which drains the house battery eventually, turn on the generator and waste gas and have noise or charge it in the truck and drain the batteries there. I think in a nutshell this life requires more PLANNING AHEAD and FLEXIBILITY.
Is this life for everyone? Absolutely not! There are times when even I, who have wanted this for years, is ready to pack up and head to Pickerel. Although admittedly thinking about the weather these last few months made me grateful to be in Phoenix. Could life be easier if we went to a campground instead of boondocking? I'm sure in some cases it would be and we may do that more when we don't have the mortgage to pay. But down here in the winter rates are astronomical, many parks are 55+, and some don't allow or only allow a certain number of pets. That's unacceptable to us as that was one of the main reasons we decided to RV - so the furkids could be with us.
So as far as feelings of deprivation? I can give up gardening as there are chances for me to volunteer with a community garden wherever we are - I can get my hands dirty and give back at the same time. But we are going to have to come up with some way of Bill being able to bring along the little boat. Once we get caught up there are quite a few lifts and other tow ideas that we can toss around in order to be able to do that. But other things? Have we missed them to not be able to live without them? No...of course yes, I miss the hot tub; yes, Bill misses his big TV etc. But is the trade off in what we are doing worth "missing" that stuff? Absolutely. The hard part has been having to work all the time these last few months and not getting time to go out and be a tourist down here. I wanted to horseback ride in the desert, Bill wanted to fish at Parker Dam. But now that we've got a better paying job going on we should be able to do all that from now on. What we did get to experience was really being a Phoenix resident for these last couple of months....driving the freeway during rush hour, dealing with lots and lots of people in the many different stores, being the minority in certain areas if you don't speak Spanish. That is really what made us say that we have "lived" here and didn't just "visit" and know that although we don't mind the area we definitely are not going to buy a retirement place in Sun City! Not enough trees and almost no water. The Escapees RV club that we belong to has a "retirement" location at their headquarters in Livington Texas where you can live in your own rig, get medical care and any other type of care you need right there. We are going to look into that location for when we have to hang up the keys - although hopefully that won't be for quite some time yet!
Friday, March 26, 2010
In Memory of Lizzy
We just got an email from our friends Jan and Al who Bill worked with at Amazon. They are full timers too and travel with feline furkids like we do....although they have more of them and two litter boxes to boot! One of their furkids, Lizzie, started having problems with her breathing a while ago and the doctors could not tell them what was wrong....she just kept going downhill. Today they had to let her go to the Rainbow Bridge and I am sure I know what they are going through right now as I still hurt from losing Tigre....so here is a little poem a fellow RV Petstop member sent me when I lost Tiges...Jan and Al - I hope this helps your grief a little bit...I know that my Tigre welcomed Lizzy today with a soft head butt and they are both healthy and happy right now.
Are You Ready To Come Home?
And God asked the feline spirit, are you ready to come home?
Oh, yes, quite, so, replied the precious soul.
And, as a cat, you know I am most able to decide anything for myself.
Are you coming then? asked God.
Soon, replied the whiskered angel,
but I must come slowly for my human friends are troubled.
For you see, they need me, quite certainly.
But don't they understand? asked God,
that you'll never leave them?
That your souls are intertwined for all eternity?
That nothing is created or destroyed?
It just IS .... forever and ever and ever.
Eventually they will understand, replied the glorious cat.
For I will whisper into their hearts
that I am always with them.
I just AM .... forever and ever and ever.
Author Patricia Olson
Are You Ready To Come Home?
And God asked the feline spirit, are you ready to come home?
Oh, yes, quite, so, replied the precious soul.
And, as a cat, you know I am most able to decide anything for myself.
Are you coming then? asked God.
Soon, replied the whiskered angel,
but I must come slowly for my human friends are troubled.
For you see, they need me, quite certainly.
But don't they understand? asked God,
that you'll never leave them?
That your souls are intertwined for all eternity?
That nothing is created or destroyed?
It just IS .... forever and ever and ever.
Eventually they will understand, replied the glorious cat.
For I will whisper into their hearts
that I am always with them.
I just AM .... forever and ever and ever.
Author Patricia Olson
On The Road Again
Well, Bill was able to talk to Prime Retail today and they formally offered him the job which he took. At first they wanted us to be in Minneapolis by the 31st and he said no way as we have to stop in Pickerel to get his tools. PLUS I don't think many campgrounds are open yet in Minnesota so even if we'd boondock there is a chance our water would freeze - as would we. So now they are sending him to Fort Wayne Indiana by April 5 to a Target.
We are now leaving tomorrow around noon after he gets some sleep as he has to finish up at the Petsmart tonight. Hopefully we hit no big storms through the middle of the country and can be in Pickerel by Tuesday sometime. We have to load up tools and other stuff, I have to go to the doctor so I still get my meds and we want to pull the couch out of the rig. We plan on being there for two days and leaving for Appleton on Friday the 2nd so that we can get together with the Siebers family for dinner. We will then take off for Fort Wayne on Saturday the 3rd.
Hopefully this is the start of us being able to dig out of the hole the recession has put us in. I do not want to be at the Pickerel house for very long as I will want to work in my garden and Bill will want to go fishing....that is going to be very hard this year not to miss, but we don't have much other choice - the pay for this is too good and the Census has not called so we can't count on them. Alaska just won't work right now with the pay being only $7 an hour. Hopefully by doing this a couple of years we will be able to take the lower paying jobs in the neater places of the country. At least Dozey will get a couple of days to play with Clyde.
Here is Bill's entry to Letterman's stupid pet tricks.
We are now leaving tomorrow around noon after he gets some sleep as he has to finish up at the Petsmart tonight. Hopefully we hit no big storms through the middle of the country and can be in Pickerel by Tuesday sometime. We have to load up tools and other stuff, I have to go to the doctor so I still get my meds and we want to pull the couch out of the rig. We plan on being there for two days and leaving for Appleton on Friday the 2nd so that we can get together with the Siebers family for dinner. We will then take off for Fort Wayne on Saturday the 3rd.
Hopefully this is the start of us being able to dig out of the hole the recession has put us in. I do not want to be at the Pickerel house for very long as I will want to work in my garden and Bill will want to go fishing....that is going to be very hard this year not to miss, but we don't have much other choice - the pay for this is too good and the Census has not called so we can't count on them. Alaska just won't work right now with the pay being only $7 an hour. Hopefully by doing this a couple of years we will be able to take the lower paying jobs in the neater places of the country. At least Dozey will get a couple of days to play with Clyde.
Here is Bill's entry to Letterman's stupid pet tricks.
Monday, March 22, 2010
New Twist to Overpopulation
Endangered Species Condom Project Launched for Valentine's Day
Just in time for Valentine's Day, this morning the Center for Biological Diversity's network of more than 3,000 volunteers began distributing 100,000 free Endangered Species Condoms in every state in the United States. We also launched a new Web site -- www.EndangeredSpeciesCondoms.com -- to distribute additional free condoms, educate people about how human overpopulation is crowding other species off the planet, and give people a chance to win free condoms for life.
The condoms come in six different packages with original artwork and edgy slogans featuring the polar bear ("Wrap with care, save the polar bear"), jaguar ("Wear a jimmy hat, save the big cat"), American burying beetle ("Cover your tweedle, save the burying beetle"), snail darter ("Hump smarter, save the snail darter"), coquí guajón rock frog ("Use a stopper, save the hopper"), and spotted owl ("Wear a condom now, save the spotted owl").
"Human overpopulation is destroying wildlife habitat at an unprecedented rate," said Randy Serraglio, a conservation advocate leading the Center's overpopulation campaign.
"All of the major threats to the earth's biodiversity -- sprawl, logging, mining, dams, pollution, and climate change -- are driven by human overpopulation. Our Endangered Species Condoms are designed to capture peoples' attention, get them laughing, and get them talking about the impact of overpopulation on our small and fragile planet."
Check out www.EndangeredSpeciesCondoms.com, pass the link on to your friends, and spread the word about overpopulation.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, this morning the Center for Biological Diversity's network of more than 3,000 volunteers began distributing 100,000 free Endangered Species Condoms in every state in the United States. We also launched a new Web site -- www.EndangeredSpeciesCondoms.com -- to distribute additional free condoms, educate people about how human overpopulation is crowding other species off the planet, and give people a chance to win free condoms for life.
The condoms come in six different packages with original artwork and edgy slogans featuring the polar bear ("Wrap with care, save the polar bear"), jaguar ("Wear a jimmy hat, save the big cat"), American burying beetle ("Cover your tweedle, save the burying beetle"), snail darter ("Hump smarter, save the snail darter"), coquí guajón rock frog ("Use a stopper, save the hopper"), and spotted owl ("Wear a condom now, save the spotted owl").
"Human overpopulation is destroying wildlife habitat at an unprecedented rate," said Randy Serraglio, a conservation advocate leading the Center's overpopulation campaign.
"All of the major threats to the earth's biodiversity -- sprawl, logging, mining, dams, pollution, and climate change -- are driven by human overpopulation. Our Endangered Species Condoms are designed to capture peoples' attention, get them laughing, and get them talking about the impact of overpopulation on our small and fragile planet."
Check out www.EndangeredSpeciesCondoms.com, pass the link on to your friends, and spread the word about overpopulation.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Updated Free Food For The Week
Grocery
Albertsons
Food City
Bashas
AJ's
Restaurants
Church's Chicken - more breading than anything
Flying J Buffet - not very good
Krispy Kreme
BJ's Brew House - expensive but ok
Sonic - food....what else to say?
Lucille's BBQ - expensive and not worth it
McDonald's - better than Sonic
Albertsons
Food City
Bashas
AJ's
Restaurants
Church's Chicken - more breading than anything
Flying J Buffet - not very good
Krispy Kreme
BJ's Brew House - expensive but ok
Sonic - food....what else to say?
Lucille's BBQ - expensive and not worth it
McDonald's - better than Sonic
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)