Why do we even get our hopes up?

Due to the financial situation we have been in for a while...we make it paycheck to paycheck. Then the government is going to give out the stimulus package. Thank you Lord, we can put tires on the truck, put it in the shop for tune up or whatever so we can get more than 5 miles to the gallon. We can pay off a couple of small bills that are hanging over our heads.

We are in a payment arrangement for federal taxes from a few years back. They take the refund every year and we expect that. When the stimulus package started it was believed that it would not go to leans or back taxes...because it was meant to be put back into the economy.

Today I found out that yes, it will go to back taxes..so no truck repair for us. I need to feel like I am helping hubby. He has been wonderful...telling me that being here and having his home, dinner, etc for him is more help than I know. I love him for that but I know that he needs me to bring income in to take some of the load off him. It would help us get closer to our "heading for the coast" goal. I have been looking for work, we have only 1 vehicle so it has to be close enough for hubby and I to work out transportation. Now future daughter-in-law is working so we need to add her schedule to the list because her van died.

The job search is really discouraging for me. I am 53, suffer from depression, rheumatoid arthritis (especially in my hands and feet), and fibromyalgia. My symptoms get worse in a high stress environment. So I need to find a job where i can sit and stand off and on, rest my right hand as needed, with no stress. Yeah that will be really easy! I am going to go to Goodwill staffing this week, maybe they can help me out. We shall see.

Spring fever has us "antsy"

Hubby and I are trying to find a way to make ends meet by working from home. This would allow us to pick up and travel as we get the funds to do so. We want to be in Portland this summer, to get the "experience" my son swears we will love. Then our goal is to head to the coastline and stay a little while in each coastal community till we find one we feel at home in. That is where we will call home. A friend said she would be concerned about us being on the coast in the event of storms, I assured her that the major benefit of living in an RV is that you can pull that plug and drive away anytime you need or want to!

We can't wait!!!

Letting go can actually be uplifting!

Well, to those who have kept up with my blog, you know that when we moved into the RV everything we owned and everything our son and his fiance owned went into 2 12x25 storage units.

A good bit of it is stuff for the BBQ business, but so much of it was...well... just things we accumulated over the years that you work so hard for so you just can't part with it. Other stuff was..."we may need it some day". I have 2 boxes of keepsakes, that I will not part with. When the boys were growing up, I kept track of special things...1st pair of glasses at 15 months old, snoopy sling when an arm got sprung, boo boo bunny, karate ribbons, stuff like that. Each boy had a box and I have one with cards and gifts made in school, artwork, etc. When the oldest got married I gave him his box. When the youngest gets married I will give him his box. NO ONE gets MY box.

So, in order to save $100 a month, we all tied our hearts and weaved thru the mass of boxes and bags and started posting stuff for free on Craigslist. It took us 2 wks because the weather has been so cold but we are proud to say that we now only have 1 storage unit and it isn't even full.
Now understand, I am sure there is much more that could go...but its fine for now.

When we started we were stressed, too many decisions, too little time. We would go and it was like they moved stuff around but nothing was in the "to go" pile or "trash" pile. So I told the my son and his fiance to look at each item, if it was sentiment to put it on the "keep" side. If it was value, sell it. If you could replace it for very little, give it away. Somehow that helped them and before you knew it we were lining cars up at the gate of our storage place and driving in like a caravan!

People were very happy with their goodies and we were happy that it was done. After it was over, there were no regrets, just relief, it felt kind of like a soul cleansing.

Smiles for the day!

Well, thank God the water in the cargo was not due to a bad water heater, just a loose pipe! Hubby tightened it up, we left the doors open and all is dry and no money out of pocket! Now that is the kind of repairs we like!

We had a beautiful weekend...even if the forecasters lied and said it would be WARM... but hubby grilled some salmon and we enjoyed the sun! We had jackets and hoods on so I am not sure how much SUN we actually got but we tried!

We picked up a new smoker/bbq pit. Some hubby's spend extra money working on cars, going hunting, fishing, golfing, and the like. Mine.... after all he is the grill master....spends his money on anything barbeque. We got the grill, new gizmo's and gadgets and he was blissfully happy....which makes me happy. He works hard, is a great hubby and takes really good care of me. He deserves the best......though he never gets 'the best', he is happy with New!

Well, all is good on the RV front on our end. My youngest...not so much! He has been "Dry docking" for almost 2 wks and just when you think he has a good handle on it....the poop hits the fan!

Well....not the fan...more like his legs, his shoes, his hands and God knows what else. Seems he couldn't get his sewer line to attach to the dump station spout. He couldn't reach to pull his "plug" and hold the hose down at the same time. He pushed the hose in as far as he could, sped to the RV to pull the release handle on the black water.....the sewer line flew out of the ground spout! He said it was like RV, the movie with Robin Williams! After I got my breath back from laughing so hard, I felt bad, really bad, but I just couldn't help but laugh!

They now have a new rule....NO ONE CAN POTTY IN THE RV TILL DADDY GETS IT FIXED!
Some lessons are really hard to learn!

We are proud of them though, they are hanging in there longer than I would. I told them, I love my RV but some comforts I would not do without! Kudo's to them and may they not have many hard lessons to learn!

Pros and Cons of living in the RV

Since this is about the new lifestyle we are living I decided a pro and con blog may help anyone who is trying to decide if this is something they would like to do.

First I will be completely honest. If someone had suggested living full time in an RV 6 months ago I would have thought they were nuts. Too little room, too much sacrifce of worldly goods, you name it I would have had a reason!

At 52, hubby has worked really hard to give us the better things in life. I have been fortunate in that there were not many years that I had to work, and was able to stay at home with my boys most of the years they grew up. We had lean years in our younger days, so when he was able to, Hubby made sure we had everything we needed and just about everything we ever thought we needed and then some. Can we say spoiled rotten? We also held on to everything....so much so that when we had to store everything....it took 2 - 12x25 storage units to hold it all. Granted some of it was stuff the kids needed to store too but it was still WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!

There are 2 types of full time RVers. The ones that park pretty much full time in the same spot like we are doing right now. Other full time RVers, travel some. They either have the savings to live full time on the road or they work from home on the internet or they work at each new location till they save enough to travel again. We all wish we could just travel without thinking of the cost involved. Some day, we will be able to do that. Right now its best for us to stay put. Hubby has a great job less than a mile from here. Both our boys and their families live less than 18 miles from us. They younger son will probably head to Portland before too long, but for now we are all here.

No matter what type of RVer you decide to be, you really need to take stock of what is REALLY important to you personally. What comforts do you refuse to be without? This is what I learned, when we got the first RV ( 22ft motor home):

I learned that I needed to be in something bigger than a 22ft to be able to cook in the kitchen or even FIND anything. That double sinks should hold more than 2 quarts of water and a 2 gallon hot water tank is hard to get used to but you CAN do it! That a 3 burner stove makes fitting 2 pots on it very hard. That washing dishes, especially pots in those little sink is a true test of tenacity!

I learned that the walking area of the 22ft was designed for someone about the size of twiggy, and the ceiling height is not for anyone over 5' 5".

I learned that a closet size bath with a manual potty and a small stand up shower are too small to even brush your teeth! We used the shower to put a stacking shelf for the towels, etc. We only used that potty in the middle of the night. The rest of the time EVERYTHING was done at the RV Park restroom/showers. I learned that tromping thru the snow, rain, etc to take a hot shower or use the bathroom was not my idea of a good time.

I learned that the small master bed area at the end of the RV was much too hard...hard to sleep on, hard to get out of and nearly impossible to fix the bed. I learned that something as simple as a curtain hanging on a rod across the entrance way to that room gives you a chance to "get away" from everyone. I learned that if you sat on that bed with headphones on, you could drown out the noise that comes with 4 adults and a 2 yr old living in a small space.

I learned that the itty bitty refridgerator doesn't hold ANYTHING, so in order to avoid grocery shopping daily, we had to keep things in ice chest outside and remember to keep ice in it.

I learned that you really take it for granted when you can do laundry without leaving your house! I learned that finding room to stack dirty clothes is a task in itself.

BUT since we have the 40ft RV: I have room to move, slide out Living Rooms are great! Three people can stand in the kitchen and not touch a wall or counter! I have a full size fridge, my small chest freezer, 4 burner stove and oven, microwave, toaster oven, full size double sink, a snack bar with bar stools, tons of counter space and cabinets and an oversized pantry. In the living room I have my double recliner love seat, my computer, 32 inch tv, lots of cabinets and lots of windows that brighten the place up. I also have my full size washer and dryer AND a full bathroom complete with flushable potty, full tub and shower. I have an actual bedroom, with 2 closets, 6 drawers built into the bottom of the bed, cabinets over the bed, nightstands with drawers. We actually have a door to our bedroom! There are huge storage bays outside.

The only issues since we moved in this one and have so many electrical appliances is getting used to turning something off before turning something else on. We can only pull 30 amps at this RV Park and if you pull more it will kick the breaker. After tromping thru the snow to reset the breaker you learn really quick to keep an eye on what is pulling electricity! Most days its not an issue. The only time I have a problem is if I am running the Washer and Dryer, electric heaters and hot water heater with everything else that runs on a regular basis. After using the hot water for whites, I turn the hot water heater off. Then I can run the washer and dryer at the same time without kicking a breaker. It sounds like a pain, but you get used to it and it is so worth it to have all the comforts you rely on.

It actually is more comfortable than some apts I have lived in. So even though we came into this lifestyle unexpectedly, I really am enjoying it and even window shopping at newer models for the future!

Spring is in the air...Achoooo!

Trees are blooming.....the grass is green....allergies are crazy! Yeah! Its Spring!

Not too sure what to think about the weather at this point. It is cold at night in the 30's, we wake up to 50-60 degrees inside the RV, turn on the propane heater and its nice and cozy in no time. It's supposed to be 61 today. I spent the morning resealing the clear plastic on some of our windows to keep cold air out. Now I am opening any unsealed windows and the ceiling vents to cool it off. Personally I am definitely not looking forward to the hot temperatures of summer.

We will have our work cut out for us as the weather permits. Hubby BBQ'd this weekend and took an assessment of "to do's" on the outside. Looks like the previous owners drove thru a grove of trees or something. Lots of peeling and recaulking will be needed. We need to rescreen the front door, and maybe find replacement screens for the missing ones. We need to seal the roof with white flexible sealant because it is a solid sheet of stainless steel which is great because its in really great shape and last a long time. But it will definitely make things hot in here when the weather warms up.

We are going to have to find out where the water leak in the cargo hole is coming from. It looks like the electric water heater but we can't really see so we are going to have to find the leak. Can't afford to replace it right now so hopefully its a simple fix.


But anyone who knows me will tell you that before the temps get in the 70's, the first thing that will be checked will be the two air conditioners in the RV. I am not a nice person when I get too hot! Ok, get your head out of the gutter! I mean weather wise.

Owning and living in the RV isn't much different than living in a house, most of the same comforts, same problems, same spring cleaning and repairs. No rest for the hubby, poor thing.

Another great thing about the RV is that inside spring cleaning will be a snap!

Can we say STRESSED!

I was getting back into what I call a normal routine since the kids moved out. After hubby goes to work, I go thru and work on each room of the house, cleaning as needed and doing some of what he calls "piddling". If I don't feel up to doing it in the morning, I take an easy morning and do it later but it is ALWAYS done by 3pm. I like it to be neat when he gets home. When you live in a small space, even 1 thing out of place makes it look cluttered....like on weekends when I choose to spend more time with him than on cleaning house. By Sunday night, its looks pretty darn small in here.

Well, my youngest son had a dr appt in town Monday morning. He ran out of gas in the '71 RV about 2 blocks from here. Missed his appt and rescheduled for today. So they have been spending the day here and evening here, then drive the RV someplace for the night. I love them to death but 2 more adults, a 3 yr old and a dog tend to make my place SMALL and NOISY. The 3yr old can be sweet as honey for about 5 minutes at a time then "Sybil" shows up intent on driving everyone nuts, destroying stuff, sassing and even hitting us from time to time. Of course she ends up in the time out corner but it doesn't phase her, she just keeps on keeping on. She doesn't take time out well, and so we all pay the price. Definitely wears on the nerves.

They don't think about trying to keep things neat when they are here, don't think of doing dishes after eating, etc. It's weird, when I was younger and had more energy, less weight and less arthritis, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. I would just tell myself they are only here for a little while and I can clean when they leave. My grandmother that raised me was that way. EVERYONE was a guest, even her kids and she made you feel like you were welcomed and didn't expect you to do anything when visiting.

My mom on the other hand was always a clean freak, even making you take your shoes off at the door. God help you if you didn't put your chair just right when you got up from the table...EVEN if you were an adult. If you drank out of a glass you better wash it, dry it and put it away. She was an ANAL WOMAN! Then last year, my oldest son, my 5 yr old grandbaby and I went back home and stayed at my moms. When I got up, I started making my bed and she fussed me telling me we could do that later? I thought, "Wow, she must really miss me!" I made the bed and straightened out the room anyway. I learned well.

Imagine my horror when after playing in the barn, my 5 yr old grandson tried to come in the house covered with dust and chicken poop! I told him we would have to clean him up before he could come in. I couldn't believe my ears when my mother said, " Good Lord, let that child come in, he can't hurt anything!" My oldest son and I at the same time said " WHAT???" She told us that she used to let my sons come in like that when they were little! Well let me tell you that the echo was LOUD when we said, ARE YOU KIDDING?? YOU WOULD HOSE THEM OFF AND STRIPPED THEM DOWN NAKED FIRST! We all had a good laugh and she finally admitted that after losing her baby sister and her mother within the last few years she decided life is too short to worry about crap like that. We were floored but very happy that we could relax a little and enjoy our visit, but still following the rules imbedded in our brains!

So, I guess I need to realize that young people these days don't have the same thoughts on life, love and cleaning up after themselves. I will try to remember that they don't feel they should be "responsible" for the way my house looks. I will just enjoy the visits and try to keep the close relationship I have with my kids, because they are after all grown men and may not always live close to me as they do now. If the young one has his way he will drive himself across the world in his '71 RV, keeping in touch thru his blog at http://www.trulyfreeride.blogspot.com/

Even when things change....it stays the same

As I said in the last post, my husband and my kids are my life. When they are hurting...I hurt. When they are in a bind, it kills me. I can't help it, its in my DNA AND being raised by a grandmother who took everyone's kids and raised them as her own just reinforced that. She would give you the last piece of bread in the house, would do without to make sure you had what you need. I have no doubt that she has her wings and is watching over all of us every single day. ....I am sure some days she does so shaking her head in confusion over some of the crap we do!



Well the kids did really well for a while. They were in the 22ft motor home, right next door to our 5th wheeler. That lasted till they lost their jobs. They were able to pay off the RV but couldn't afford to pay for space rental. We put the RV in storage and they moved in with us for a little while till their income tax checks came in.



They decided that instead of getting jobs here in town, they would "go on the road". Its called Boondocking or dry docking. It's freedom from crowds, noise and high camping fee. You park at truck stops, WalMart, etc. Working odd jobs as needed to get what they need.



Our son, turned 25 on Feb 25. They moved out on the 26th. Well, I don't have to tell you we don't sleep so good these days. They seem to be doing fine, but as parents the hubby and I worry all the time. Finacially, we can't afford to help them. Granted a couple packs of smokes or a tenspot for gas won't kill us but we can't REALLY help them. We understand his choice and his reasons and part of "cutting the apron strings" is to actually LET GO....but we are just old folks that still believe that you have to work to make a living. Personally, the thought of not have full time electricity, and running water would make me go back to workAs the boy said, he will be picking our old folks home, so I hope he makes it as big dreams do come true...so he can put us in a good home! We love him with all our hearts and he knows it, even if our comments hurt his feelings. He knows we only want the best for him and always stand by him and whatever he decides to do with his life....whether it be lifestyle, love and just life in general....we are here for him.