The news here is fascinating to me. Watching Chicago news for my whole life I am used to certain things, and here in the Valley of the Sun, they have different expectations. The latest news is centered around the weather person promising we will get down to the 80s soon. It is with apology she announces another day with a high in the 90s. She seems to not know how some parts of the country are struggling in the 40s and 50s and would welcome the 90s. Today is supposed to be the last day in the 90s, and yet, it is another beautiful day, which I would feel guilty complaining about.

I feel alone often, but not really lonely. I feel a definite difference in the two. I have friends I can talk to, my kids and all the people here at the resort who are more than willing to spend time chatting, mostly when I am in a hurry to get things done. But I feel alone a lot. I go to the gym where I purposely shut the other people out, and try to concentrate on getting fit. I am getting stronger, but not really losing any weight for the past month. I am sure it has to do with my extra evening munching while doing my school projects.

I took the scooter last weekend and went to the closest casino (where I left with a little more than I came with) but gambling is a solo event, where I even go alone when I am with people. I had joined a couple of meet up groups but they didn’t really workout for me, as they had back in Chicago where I met some great gals.

Today is my birthday. This is not the first birthday I have spent away from Chicago, but this one seems different. I am not sure what I want to do, but maybe the fact that my day has been exactly like every other day, can be interpreted to be I am living a pretty great life, or I am uninspired to find something better to do.  Thinking about how I want to spend the day, all I could come up with was the food I wanted to indulge in.

When I was a kid, my grandpa had a birthday and when I wished him happy birthday he answered, “It’s just another day, no reason to make a fuss.” and as a kid, I could’t understand how he could think that. I really liked presents and getting to pick my dinner back then. Now, I just want my kids to call me, and send me a card which makes me feel appreciated. I have received a couple of gifts already, which are very nice and thoughtful, however, the son who called me first thing this morning to ask for my help with an email, and did not wish me a happy birthday, kind of made me laugh. He just wasn’t thinking, and I am OK with that, because he calls me all the time, and always answers my texts and stupid emails I send him, so he gets a pass on this one.

My plans have changed throughout the week, and evolved into taking a scooter ride, having ice cream, and pizza and wings. I am not sure what else I will decide to do, but I am kind of sorry I got all of my work done, so I could do whatever I wanted today, since I don’t know what I want to do. Having nobody to do things with, makes it harder to have fun. I was laying in bed, thinking about my birthday this morning, and I was thinking about my favorite birthday; It was the year I turned 19, because I had wanted to see the play “The Odd Couple” and Chuck gave me tickets for my birthday. I had never been to a live play, and I loved it. We went out to eat afterwards and stayed out til 4am. Later that same date, he asked me, unofficially, to marry him. It was a great birthday.

It is this yearly celebration where most people think about their next 30 years, and vow to make their lives better. I know I need to eat better, be kinder and try to give back, more. I will work on being more positive and forgiving myself for my past, and moving forward, embracing whatever the future holds. I know I will be in a different place the next birthday I celebrate, if I am so lucky to do so, so I should enjoy my next trip around the sun, and be grateful for all the blessings I have.

With all my schoolwork, and the people coming to the resort, which means I will be working more here, I felt the need to make sure I have any projects I wanted to do, underway, or done, before the season really kicks into gear.

I was sick over the weekend, and did almost nothing, so I was glad to feel better and get back to my routine yesterday. It was a little overwhelming, since I have a lot of things which need to get done. It is amazing how just one person can make so many dirty dishes, and two dogs can create so much dust and hair. Good news is, after a couple of hours, the RV looks all clean and shiny again, and I have clean silverware in the drawer. I also filled the bare fridge with some great deals, and worked on videos and school projects.

I did check out the internet and read my emails, so after cleaning the RV, I was intrigued by the article I saw from an email I subscribe to. It was about a woman who has pared her life down in an effort to simplify. She and her husband had a lot of debt, and a lot of stuff. In an effort to simplify, they got their debt down and she has decided to simplify her life by getting rid of her stuff.

Living in an RV, I have already cut my stuff down a lot, but I can still get rid of more, and her blog has shown me I am living the big life with all my stuff in comparison to her simple existence. I have always been fascinated by people who live very simply, mainly those who have no clutter. Now the lady in the blog has limited herself to 100 personal items. She even lists them, and has decided to replace an item if she gets a new item she likes better. Therefore she doesn’t have 25 pairs of shoes anymore, however, she is not including her household “stuff” in this list. This is more about personal clothing and effects. Her blog is http://bemorewithless.com/2012/my-100-thing-challenge/ if you’d like to read about her list.

I thought about this and through my weightloss, I have had to part with a lot of clothing already, but maybe I should consider her ideas, for other things. It is hard for me to get rid of things. I am a hoarder by nature, saving anything with any possible future use, because you don’t get rid of something which you might need someday. Basements were made for this. I have a trailer now, but try hard to monitor what I put into the trailer, knowing I have only so much room.

I was pondering the 100 item list as I took the dogs for a walk, and decided if I could use her idea of grouping items, such as underwear, by counting them as one item, I would try it out. I will go through my items again, and especially my over packed closet and see what I can do to get the “stuff” pared down. I would rather give it away than throw it away, so I will pack a few more bags and see if I can get my closet less crowded and therefore reduce my stress. It almost seems like a challenge which would be too difficult for me to do with clothing. Mainly because I have two drawers full of t-shirts. I enjoy my shirt collection from various events, and until they no longer fit, or I ruin them somehow, I will wear them. So I am going to try to do the challenge, using underwear, socks and t-shirts each as their own collective unit. After that, I am going see how well I can do. I have never thought of myself as a clothes person, but I know I have more than 100 various clothing items. I thought fitting everything in the RV was the challenge, and except for a couple of new smaller sized items, I have not bought too many clothes in the past year. I would say maybe 10 items total.

The person who backpacks across a country, is my real heros. How do they do it? And do they really have no other things, or do they have a room full of stuff at their parent’s house? I have found many items I brought with me, have stayed in their original place, and really have not been useful. But, I am not sure I am ready to get rid of them yet, since I think as soon as I get rid of them, I will wish I had them available. Most people living in RVs have found this to be true. They usually have too many clothes and “things”, and say that it takes a while to determine what is important and useful and what id not.

Limiting myself to 100 items in total, would stress me out, but I do think I can pare down my total number of items, and have less clutter. And I can put the things in the trailer for now and later donate them, if I don’t use them in 6 months. I think we all need to change our thinking, and adapt to what our lives become. I think this is the lesson to learn. Whether you can, or feel the need to live with less, is a personal decision, and one I keep revisiting. I like to go to the library, and read magazines and have some quiet time. One of the magazines I always read is called Simply Living. I am on board with its message and I like the idea of less, I just struggle with the “letting go” part.

 

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” 

–Steve Jobs (who passed one year ago, today)

Yes this is true. As I stayed up very late last night to finish the Powerpoint presentation for my class, I was thinking about the time I have spent working, and going to school. I enjoy what I am doing right now, at the resort. It does not pay as much as a “real job” would, but I like it, so far. It is fun to be the “newscaster” for the resort, and to take pictures and post them.

How much should money play a part in what you do? If you can do something you enjoy, isn’t that worth the difference in pay. I have always believed it was. I can spend less on frivolous things, and have a lot less stress. Maybe in the long run, will I save the money in healthcare, or in care for some disease which sets in due to the stress I was experiencing.

I think getting paid a lot of money is a great advantage, but if given the choice, I’d prefer less money, and enjoying my days and nights. I see people all of the time on Facebook, just counting down the days until Friday. Is that really living your life? If you plod through five days to get to the two, you are not really enjoying your life.

I remember when I was working at US99, I was so thrilled to be working there, I looked forward to going to work. Of all the jobs I have had, I think that one was the one which paid the least, and I loved every minute of it. I learned so much, and I got to do something I wanted to do, so it was more fun than work.

Although even in the best jobs, there are things you may not want to do, or times you may not feel like doing it, but overall if you enjoy your work, what a wonderful life you will have. And how much better of a job will you do? I know I get more into a job I enjoy than one I am in it only for the pay.

Sam and I judging a Lego competition

On TV the other night, on The MIddle, the mom wanted to start her second career, and looked at all the various avenues, and wondered what she REALLY wanted to do. I think that myself, as I work towards another degree in hopes I can teach audio editing, and communications classes at a University, maybe even some online classes. But as I work towards this education degree I start remembering how much I wanted to teach when I was in grade school. The public teachers went on strike, and I was asked to come in and fill in for one of the lower grades. I was in 8th grade and one of the best students in the school.

The kids were acting like you’d expect kids to act when they knew they had a substitute teacher who was only a few years older than they were. The one kid was throwing spitballs at the blackboard so I told him he had to go to the office. He took his stuff and left the room. At lunchtime, I was called into the Principals office and a lady who was a secretary (which was why she was there and not on strike) told me the boy went home and told his mother I yelled at him and sent him home. I was so upset, because that is not what happened. I may have yelled when I sent him to the office, after he was being a jerk, but still, I did not send him home. While she was admonishing me, she said “And whatever you do, don’t ever become a teacher!”

Later she would come and apologize to me, because other students told her what had really happened. But in that time, her words stuck with me, and I always kept away from thinking I should teach. So, I taught Bible School, CCD and sports, I even taught a kids class of bowling at the Community College one semester. This was something I had always wanted to do, and her words hurt me so badly, I never went in that direction again. In fact, whenever I have thought about teaching, I think I need to teach adults, because the problem I had was with kids. But as I do these various teaching projects, I am really drawn to teaching younger kids.

We take our work seriously.

When I had to answer the questions about Sam, the young lady asked if I had wanted Sam to do something particular, and I thought about how I always wanted my kids to do something they love. I remember Sam coming to me and saying he wanted to attend the one college, and I had a hunch it was because of the bowling team and his friend was talking about it, so I asked him what he was going to major in and he said Culinary. I literally laughed out loud. He had a thing about making smoothies, but before that he had no desire to cook anything. I had taught him to make french toast, but he never made anything else, so I thought he was joking. I feel terribly guilty to this day, because now he calls me and sends me pictures of his food, and he really enjoys cooking, so maybe he could have been a great chef if I had not laughed at him. I think he enjoys what he is doing, but I still feel badly. Maybe cooking can be just a hobby for Sam, or one day he may want to be a chef, it’s nice to have that option and be able to think that you should do what makes you happy.

 

 

Sam and I working on videos together.

 

 

So, as I keep learning more about teaching, I keep changing what it is I may want to do. I dont think it is ever too late to change what you want to do, and to do something you truly enjoy. You only get one chance in this world, so you have to make it count.

More and more RVs come into the resort each day. It is almost “the season” here in Arizona. I have been fortunate to have spent one of the hottest (according to the weatherwoman last night, there have been the most 100+ degree days this summer since they began keeping track!) summers here, and now I am hoping to get the reward of a cooler, allbeit warmer than the Midwest, winter!

I have been busy with making videos for the author, and keeping the Facebook page for the resort up to the minute, attending meetings and doing my schoolwork . I have projects due this week, but I wanted to post a few thoughts I have.

Right now, my life revolves around modern technology. My job here is based on doing social media, editing and uploading videos for websites, and I am taking my Masters degree classes via the internet. When I stop and think about it, it seems mind boggling to me. I am being paid to do a job that didn’t exist 10 years ago, taking classes in a way that could not have occurred 10 years ago.

I was sent a few questions from one of Sam’s classmates. It seems they are doing a project where they interview people and do a real indepth project about the person. Sam told me she’d be sending me some questions, but I was surprised at them. She asked if I could describe Sam in 3 words, which would be next to impossible, but I tried. Then she asked me about my favorite memory. That is another one which I cannot say, yes, THIS is my favorite memory of Sam. There are so many. it made me think back to a lot of great memories when the kids were little. This is always a fun thing to do, since it was the best time in my life. I enjoyed thinking about all of the anecdotes which revolved around Sam, and shared a few with her.

Then came a question which made me think a lot about my life. What can you see Sam doing in 5 years? I am certain I got this right about him, but if someone had told me 5 years ago where I’d be, I would have certainly laughed at them. Even 5 years ago, my position as a social media director, and taking online classes would be a far fetched idea. Even if there was such a thing, it was not something I thought I would be doing.

If you had told me I would be in Arizona, I would have probably debated that and certainly if you had told me there would not be anyone from our family living in Illinois, I would have doubted that as well. Life takes funny turns and the future is not for us to know. Sometimes I think the people like myself, who worry and fret over things are the least productive. The people who roll with the flow seem to be the happiest, and most content. Striving for things and to make everything perfect, just makes yourself crazy. Nothing is ever perfect, and maybe those imperfections are what gives us character?

I got a picture last night on my phone. It was of Sarah, doing her editing. It is always nice to get a picture from any of the kids, which means they are thinking of me, and want to share. This is something I never could have thought would be so much a part of my life. I send pictures to my kids of food I made, the dogs, what I am doing and they send me the same. It is another way technology keeps us connected in five different states. Yes, that’s right, currently we are in Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Missouri and Arizona. I never would have thought that either.

I watched the Presidential debates last night, and I have never enjoyed them more. I usually watched, while doing something else, and this time it was not much different, but I enjoyed this debate far more than any other. I had my twitter account open, and the people I follow are insanely clever. In real time, they commented on the debate, and I laughed out loud as if I was watching a sitcom, without the laughtrack. This is something I had never thought of, five years ago, but I have to say my Twitter people certainly entertained me during an otherwise awful debate.

I sent the answers to the young lady and thought more about what I had written. Who’s to say what Sam will be doing in 5 years, or any of us for that matter. I can’t see the future, and I am glad for that. But I do know that for right now I am glad that we have this marvelous technology which keeps us connected and helps me try to move forward.

Things usually fall into a routine, and around here, we have one as well. Not only do the dogs dictate most of the routine, they force me to follow their needs, and adapt my schedule around when they need something.

For the past month, we have been getting woken up around 7:45am, Arizona time, by a very low whine which Wrigley has used since being a little puppy to announce to the world he is ready to start his day. I plead with him to give me a few more minutes to which he does his best immitation of a snooze alarm and is quiet for another ten minutes before starting again. I have learned the hard way, he will not relent the second time, he will get louder and louder until you respond to him. Knowing this, I get up and talk to him while I make my bed, brush my teeth, get dressed, etc. then I gather the various things we need to go to the dog park.

My alarm clock

This is not a small list. There are leashes, doggie bags, my keys, sunglasses and once I have shoes on, we head out the door. The two of them head towards the gate, and I follow unlocking it to let them into the canine version of a big bathroom. They do their business, and after smelling all the new smells, they head back to the gate where I leash them and we go for our walk around the resort. They pull and tug at first but after about 5 minutes they are good walkers and if it’s not too hot, we even head to the back part and get a few more “blocks” in before we head back to the RV where I make their breakfast, and my coffee.

The middle of the day can vary, but the dogs don’t do a lot, until about 4pm, then they will start wanting to go out, and for a second walk which sometimes gets pushed to later, or when it was too hot, gets nixed all together. But at 5pm, they start wanting their dinner, so I give them dinner, and then they watch the other dogs go to the dog park and start asking to go out every hour for the next 3 -4 hours. At 9-10pm, Wrigley will start pulling Snowballs’ tail, and taking my socks and basically asking for me to get a treat and ask him if it is “bedtime for Bonzo?” After more than 2 years, he knows what this means. Some nights he will calm down and find something to chew on quietly, other nights I hold up the treat and ask him and heads right for his bed where he is ready to call it a night. I hear nothing out of him, most nights, until 7:45am when we start all over again.

Last night, however, I had a phone call planned and decided to take Wrigley into the cooler night with me at about 8pm, and we went to the dog park where he played with the puppy who has even more energy than he has, and after they ran around like crazy little doggies for about 30 minutes, my phone rang, so I took the leash and we walked for about 40 minutes more while I talked, and when we got back to the dog park, all alone, Wrigley laid down. We walked back to the RV and when we came inside Wrigley headed for his bed, and looked at me, asking for his treat, from inside the crate where he has slept his whole life, except for a couple of nights.

I put him to bed and took Snowball out and came in, to finish some work I was involved with. I did not get it done until almost midnight, and I went to bed then. I was tired, but when I saw that the sun had come up and I rolled over to get a few more winks before rising, I was hoping for more sleep. I drifted back to sleep and as I do many mornings, when I decided it was time to get up, I assumed it was about 7:30 and I would hear Wrigley in a bit. But when I looked at the clock next ot the bed, I thought there was something wrong with the clock, because it said 9:45am. I wondered if it had stopped the previous night, and grabbed my phone which confirmed that the time was a good two hours past when it should be!

My heart started beating faster, because I could not fathom how Wrigley could still be breathing if he was not up yet. I came into the room and looked at him. He was curled up, and so I called him. He looked very sadly at me, as if I was bothering his slumber. I got dressed, made my bed, brushed my teeth, and still, nothing. This was such a foreign concept for me I was not sure what to do! I got all the leashes and bags ready and he started stretching as if he decided it was finally time to get up.

We went ahead with our doggie park visit, walk and breakfast routine, but because I am usually up so much earlier on Sundays, I can usually go get the paper before the football games start, but here, they start at 10am, so I hurried to get the paper, forgot to get coffee, and all day I have had a hard time getting into the swing, because it seems like it should be earlier than it is! Wrigley has slept a lot, so I am not sure if he just overdid it yesterday, or he is getting sick, or what.

It’s funny how I depend on his dependability to get the morning started, and this morning, he really dropped the ball!

The blue toolbox holds more than just assorted tools which I have used for more than 40 years. It holds some of my dearest childhood memories where I learned to use every tool in the box.

My Dad gave me my very own toolbox, and put in it one of each of the very important tools he knew I would need. I was about 4-5 years old when he gave me this first set of real tools, and I loved it. I would practice nailing on an old piece of wood, and screwing in both phillips and flathead screws and my favorite thing to do was to screw a nut onto a bolt. Dad would tell me what a good job I did and then when he went to do a “real job”, I’d get to be his assistant handing him the right tool, or holding the flashlight for him. As the Cubs games played on the radio in the warm afternoons, these became the best parts of my childhood. Even when I hit my thumbnail so hard with the hammer I eventually lost the nail, I insisted I was fine. Because I didn’t ever want to not be able to play with the tools.

This morning, I decided I would tackle a project I have been putting off for sometime: installing the water filter on the sink, so I can use the tap water rather than refilling a 2 gallong jug repeatedly. Not only will it save me some money, but it will also be much more convenient. I went out to the blue toolbox, which has all my basic tools, and got the wrench out. I proceeded to install the filter properly, I assume, since it works!

As I was doing the work, I thought back to those times with Dad, and what a wonderful gift he gave me, by teaching me how to do so many things. As my son pointed out: If you need to know how to do something now, just look it up on YouTube!  And, he’s right. Look up almost any project and you will find many vidoes showing you how to do it. This is the second best thing to being shown firsthand.

I bought my kids a set of tools for Christmas last year, mainly because I knew how valuable mine have been to me. Over the years, I have used them to assemble things, to hang pictures, to take apart other things and every time I do, I think about how lucky I am to have learned how to use them. The old wooden screwdrivers broke many years ago, and I replaced them with the blue screwdriver Chuck and I had, which could be used either way. That screwdriver had been an ongoing joke among us, we playfully debated over whose it was, and it may have been the only “thing” we agreed to joint custody of, so it is now another part of the toolbox which holds memories for me. The blue toolbox has lived in my bedroom,  first apartment, the closet in both houses and now, the bin of the RV.

They say: Give a man a fish and he will eat today, teach a man to fish and he will eat a lifetime.

I say: Give a girl some tools and teach her to use them and she will be able to fix things her whole life.

This glass of filtered water is for you, Dad!

Since I bought the RV two years ago, (yes it was exactly 2 years ago this week!) I have probably used the awning twenty short times. I enjoy the shade it provides, and certainly love how much cooler the RV is when it is open while the sun is beating down in the desert here in Arizona. I usually put it up, only to take it down an hour or two later. This is to avoid, what I have been told repeatedly, is the biggest accident issue with RVs; a broken awning.

I have been a first person witness to two such mishaps while traveling the country. One was rain induced, the other wind. In addition, I have heard countless stories about broken awnings. When I arrived back here, in Arizona, a neighbor had just had his awning blown to bits while he went to the store. The winds can whip up here pretty good, and quickly. I have seen people use weights and other tie downs to secure their awnings, but I was not sure how, so I continued to pull mine out (manually, as David pointed out when I was in Kansas City, “Mom I thought you had everything on the RV, but not an electric awning?) and then put it back in, before I would leave it, and yes, I would worry the whole time it was up, because if a wind whipped up, what could I do anyway?

As I walked the dogs around the RV Resort, which is filling up, more each day, I saw numerous awnings out, shading the RVs from the warm sunshine. I looked at all of them and noticed they all had a ground stake, of some sort, and something around the awning to tie it down. I felt like a detective trying to solve a mystery as I looked at various awnings, and then tried to determine if I had the right equipment to do this myself. I became more certain that this would solve my sun/shade issue, if I could only figure out how to do it.

When I got back to the RV, I decided to clean up the remaining mess the monsoon had left, by washing my slab of concrete down. The monsoon left it full of sand, and I thought the next rain would take care of it, but instead it just baked in the sun and became a mess. I had been using an old rug, someone had given me on the porch,(glad I was since the monsoon ruined parts of it) and I decided it was time to get my good rug out and spruce up the place before all the new people arrive. I washed down the cement, and then I fixed my water hose which had been leaking at the RV connection. I had tried to tighten it, but it continued to trickle water out. I discovered that the second hose was not needed here, the one actually made it from the RV to the water faucet on the ground behind the RV. I was happy and relieved to see that when I connected it, there was no leak at all. Better to be a leaky hose connection than RV connection!

Once I cleaned off the slab, I pulled out the awning and tried to set up the arms of the awning on the ground, as I was shown, once, 2 years ago. I did this, but honestly, the awning sagged, and it did not look right. I envisioned a rain with pooling water up there, and decided I could live with the extending ams from the RV, which I will occasionally bump into, and have better piece of mind if rain should start while I am not there. Then I dug out the alligator clamp things Chuck had bought me for the scooter, before we found the cool Harley ones which work like a seat belt buckle. Chuck had tried to explain to me numerous times how easy the alligator tighteners work, but for some reason, I just couldn’t get it. We tried over and over, and he kept saying, “Oh it’s easy, Laveda, you’ll get it.”, but as soon as we bought the Harley ones, I was so relieved to not need to use the others. He insisted I put them in my RV, because “you never know when you’ll need to secure something.” So I have driven all over with them in my bin, just in case, but the fact I had a very loose idea of how they worked meant I would really need them, before I would sit down and figure them out.

Today was that day. I pulled them out, and mustering all of my brain cells together and willing them to remember how Chuck said these things worked, I looked at the awning and then at the loop and clasp. This seemed to go there, so I secured that part over the awning itself, and after seeing where the other part dangled down, I used my big fat sledge hammer (Chuck also made me pack) to hammer the (tent) stakes into the very hard ground. These were the tent stakes from the tent, which have a loop on the top. I went to secure the other clasp to the loop, and it was too short.

Now the beauty of these things is, they adjust. I looked at it, and if I could figure out how to adjust them, I think they’d make it. I pulled it down, and spent the next 30 minutes trying to figure out how this alligator thing worked. I know how to make it tighten, but making it looser was what I needed to do, and Thank God they were put away already rolled, because I never would have figured them out otherwise! Finally, my memory kicked in, and playing with it enough, I got it to give back some of the material, to make it longer and this time when I attached it, the clasp reached. Then with a couple alligator cranks, it was pulled tight, and I have to say, I was quite proud  of my work. I repeated the same procedure on the other side and felt like for the first time, I would not worry about the awning.

I moved the old rug to the back, by the wall for the dogs to use, but I needed something to secure them both down, so I went to the store. I bought the plastic stakes and some solar lights. I had to put the solar lights together, (that’s what I get for buying the cheaper ones in the box!) but I really liked how they looked and they put out a decent amount of light. I secured both rugs and put out my big blue chair, which is so comfy, I have fallen asleep in it before.  I discovered by accident, my outdoor radio actually plays my satellite radio feed from inside directly. I discovered this about 2 weeks ago, which is nice when I am outside. This would have been good to know the past two years! Once I was finished with that, I went and got the wooden sign I bought back in March which tells passersby that this is “The Peterlins”, and that we are from Chicago. I put in the hangers and secured it to the front of the RV. Around here, almost everyone has such a sign. I enjoy reading the names and where they are from as we walk through the Resort, which is why I wanted to participate.

Once I finished, I sat in my blue chair, under the awning, listening to the satellite radio and admired my work for the day. Yes, right now I love the awning.

My Finished Work

Apache Junction, Arizona

 

The RV Resort where I am staying has everything. I enjoy walking only a block to get my fresh drinking water, and 72 air channels means I get all the local TV channels I can handle, and the one mile ride to a fancy gym and large mall, including theater, has made me delirious with all the comforts I love. Being able to make and receive phone calls on my cell is the cherry on the sundae I am not eating.

 

There is a lot to be said for taking things for granted. I have not spent much time thinking about the amount of water I use, or the electricity I waste on a daily basis. A year later, I am aware how much I like to live inAmerica, the land of plenty. I am also aware of how much time people spend working and performing tasks they do not like. Many people spend all week looking forward to the weekend, just so they can have 2 days to enjoy their life. Is this really a good tradeoff? Spend 5 days existing, in hopes of living for 2…and at the end of their life, do those same people look back with no regrets?

 

I have been so fortunate to get to do so many things I like to do, and as I wander through the RV Resort which I am currently calling home, I wonder how many of the guests here have worked hard and are now enjoying their lives, for the first time? I wonder if many of them will get to be retired for 20 years and get the rewards for the many years they worked hard, in jobs many of them did not even like. Since I have been here, I have heard two rather sad stories which remind me why I am not willing to work in a position I am not happy, in hopes of one day getting to enjoy life.

 

The first story came as I was researching the resort and saw some very old, negative feedback online. It was about the previous manager. I asked my neighbor, and she told me it was mostly true. Then she told me the manager left here, after finally retiring, and was in the South, just days after finally deciding to retire and enjoy her life, when her boyfriend and herself were riding their motorcycle through an area where Hurricane Katrina had been, and the winds whipped up some sand on the road. He saw it too late and she was killed instantly. Just a few days after her retirement, I am sure she had plans for many years of enjoying life, yet, it was all over in a few seconds.

 

The second story was told to me by the owner of the Resort. A lady who is now the “greeter” of guests, was coming here for a nice visit, a few years back, enjoying her husband’s retirement, when he had a heart attack, right here at the Resort, leaving her alone. She went back toCanadaand packed up everything and moved here. Although she had never driven the RV herself, she drove it all the way, alone, to get here. I am sure she did not expect that after years of working, he would pass away soon into their retirement plans.

 

I have found what is needed and wanted are two entirely different things, and sometimes we want more than we need, so we try to get all the “stuff” we need, not enjoying the life we lead. I have always said if you find a job you love, you never work a day in your life. I think doing something you love is more important than financial gain, and it will lead to quality of life, as well. I read on Facebook daily about people who hate their work, and it makes me grateful I was given an opportunity to do what I really want to do, and be able to see all the things I have seen.

 

I read with interest from my RV friend, who wrote about a time she ate fish and fresh produce in an area she stayed while traveling. The others caught the fish, and they traded some of it for fresh produce. They had nothing but their rigs, and the clothes on their backs, but for months, they lived and she some of the best times of her life!

 

The guests here are all over 55, so many of them have retirements, social security and other forms of income. Almost all of the rigs are very new and very nice. I don’t think too many of the people are struggling, but they are enjoying their retirement, having parties, playing cards, darts, billiards and golf. Many of the people participate in the various clubs, including motorcycle club, cooking clubs and photography. They are not waiting for anything, they are living now.

 

In the doggie park where Wrigley has found many new friends, I met a couple a few days ago. I asked them how they liked the park, and they said they didn’t. I was shocked. I asked them why not. The lady did most of the talking and she told me they are not too keen on so many people, and the only activity they partook in was the massages. They enjoyed being by themselves, and watching TV. This made me think, because I can be like that too, sometimes, especially when writing, exercising and trying to get some projects completed. The couple was leaving in another couple of days and said they would probably stay at a campground next time. I can un understand that. It is a different mindset, I am guessing. There are those that feel that life is quiet and still and those who are only happy when going and going. I think I am in between, but I can see both sides of this. It is wonderful to sit alone and enjoy a sunset on a beach, and also wonderful to make new friends and have a great evening together, doing almost anything.

 

I just think whatever you find to be important, you make that your priority and you work for that, not to impress others, or to save for your retirement. You never know what the future holds, it’s just as important to “play for today” as it is to “plan for tomorrow”.

The old adage “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet” comes to mind as I am thinking about my current homebase. While researching my travels, I ran across a few mentions of a place called Quartzsite. Pictures showed RVs blanketing an area of land almoat one upon another. It looked very crowded and the descriptions said as much, and told of dusty conditions as well. Many mentioned the constant humming of generators which seemed to make sense since there are no hookups, many people rely on their generators to power their rigs. Although these people would have the experience to know that you only need to run the generator once, or twice a day for an hour to replenish the batteries, they would be taking turns, so with the multitude of RVs, I could see many of them running often.

All of this reading made me want to see the RV wonderland myself, but I was not going to plan on staying too long, in case it was not a great place to be. I stayed at the campground the past 3 months, and not having cell phone service was much more “roughing it” than not having hookups for me. Although I had internet acess, it was not reliable and if there were a lot of guests, sometimes I could not even get on at all. This was really hard for me. My RV is setup for boondocking, with a generator, larger inverter, bigger battery bank and solar panel. Until now I have mostly used it for urban boondocking, so I was looking forward to the challenge.

I left Las Vegas and drove to the closest of my gyms, and had a proper workout. Although it was a rough one, probably from detoxing all the sugars I had consumed recently, I was happy to be back at a gym. I stayed the night in their parking lot, and then headed towards the magical land of Quartzsite. This tiny area was about 4 hours from where I was, which means it would take me 5 hours or more to get there. I drove, I stopped, I stocked up on supplies. I was most worried about water, since I have been drinking more water, I wanted to make sure I had fresh water. Having the scooter means I can travel if need be, but I would rather not have to. I was not sure how far into the wild I would be going either.

I saw the first little group of RVs before I hit the sign which told me I had arrived in Quartzsite. I saw another group off to one side, and so I kept traveling, looking for the giant group. I did see many RV parks which charged to park, some with hookups, and some without. Tis made me curious, they looked like modern expensive RVs, so why would they come here, and then pay? I drove around the vicinity and never found the multitude of Rvs I had seen, but then again, I am at the end of the season, so maybe they have left. I saw one area which looked like boondocking, so I stopped and asked a guy who looked like he had been there for some time. He assured me the place was packed a few weeks back, and I could go wherever I wanted. He added that the people are very nice and nobody steals. This was just rhown out there, so I laughed and he added, if they do I shoot them. OK then. I was not sure what to expect out of this guy…not sure if I wanted to befriend him, or get as far away as possible!

It was almost dark, so I drove just a little ways away and set up for the night. I figured Wrigley and I could take a walk and find a better place the next day. It was hard to tell how the other RVs got to where they were, further away, and I did not want to get stuck, so daylight was a good idea. I started by BBQ, and proceeded to get dinner ready, when I saw the same guy walking toward my RV carrying a box…oh geez, what now? He got closer and I could see it was a pizza box. He politely offered me some pizza and since I had the BBQ already going, it made for a very convenient excuse, but he seemed a bit insulted by my decline. I tried to explain to him I am trying to lose weight, but he seemed upset, so the next day after Wrigley and I scouted out a new place, I was glad to move farther away from him and his buddy, who also stopped by to chat…

Now, I don’t want to be rude, but I did not feel like chatting with these fellows and I really wanted to just do my own thing. I have plenty of little projects I need to get done, and I did not care to discuss with this guy why his lack of communicartion with the world is superior to my way of living. He has no communication devices at all, and wanted to know all about mine. I tried to be polite, but I just told him I needed to get back to making my dinner…

Once we moved to the new area, we both we so much happier. It is far enough off the road, Wrigley can roam for a bit, without worry he will wander into the way of a car. Neighbors here are not chatty, and I have a beautiful view. If I had known this was what it was like here, I would have come here much sooner. It is quiet, and peaceful, and the sun is so bright, my solar panel charges up the batteries in an hour! Now at night, that is another story, we saw a guy using a small wind devise in Las Vegas, and I am going to look into that for additional power, especially at night.

I was as happy as a pig in slop, as I sat outside and worked on my computer, listening to the radio while watching blue skies. My phone would ring now and again and I could talk to my kids whenever I wanted, which is so wonderful. After I went to sleep the first night, I woke up a bit more refreshed, but was alarmed when I went to take my daily thyroid pill and there were no more left. I had stocked up on all the things I thought I would need, but forgot this one real necessity. I checked my phone for a pharmacy nearby, and after checking various listings, it showed the closest one to be 22 miles away. I changed the settings to avoid highways and it became closer to 30 miles. Now I drove my scooter with the big bikes last year at Daytona, but out on the expressway alone, it gets a bit scary for me, so I avoid expressways if possible. If I took the RV, it would cost me about $20 in gas, plus I may lose my awesome place I have claimed. I looked at all my choices and determined the next day I would just bite the bullet and take the long ride on the scooter, avoiding the expressways.

I got ready to go, and took off down the road I had driven into town. It turned into a one lane road, which was not good for me, since I was not going more than the 55mph listed and people get behind you and want you to do more. I pulled off to the side of the road twice for people to pass me. From my experience on Highway 1, I knew this was going to be a long ride, but heck I had time, so why not just enjoy it….until I saw the next sign; 65 mph….! This is where I draw the line. The reason I avoid highways is because of this, but at least I have a lane to be in so others can pass me on the highway. I pulled over and tried to decide what to do. I looked at the route by highway and decided to give that a try.

I drove back the way I had come, then through town, and down a street which runs parallel to the highway. I saw a lot of stores, and wondered why there is no pharmacy in this town. I was thinking if I could build one, because I bet it would make a lot of money with all the older people here, surely they need their medicine? I got to the entrance of the highway, and I just didn’t like it. I decided to go back a few blocks and ask some locals. I drove to the market store which had a little of everything. I waited in line to ask the cashier. A guy was stocking shelves, so I asked him if there is a pharmacy in town, and he told me they sell medicine here. I said I need a prescription, but his English was not very good so he pointed me back to the cashier, whose line had now doubled. I walked to the door and asked the gentleman there if he was from the area, and he told me he was.

He told me there was a small pharmacy behind the fire house off of the street I was staying on! I was looking for a Walgreens/CVS/Rite Aid type of drug store, so I had not thought there would be one hidden behind another place! I drove there and behind the heliport (nice to know it’s there, just in case) there was the smallest drug store I have ever been in. I was delighted I had not driven the highway, or taken the long route, when the drug store was only about 3 blocks from my RV!

I had to go back to get my prescription, but now I was set. My exploring showed me my worry for supplies was not necessary since the area has a ton of little stands, with food, even fresh produce. More than one place has taken advantage of the RVrs who come to boondock and offer fresh water, dumping and LP gas for a reasonable fee. Standing in line at the Post Office, where I was informed there is always a long line, I discovered how clever people are. Many have their prescriptions delivered by mail, so they do not have to worry about finding the pharmacy…so now I know. Still does not explain the people paying to stay in an RV park, close to one another, when all of this open land is available.

For now, Wrigley and I are enjoying our little slice of Heaven here on Earth. The sunsets are amazing, and I have everything I need.

　

Believe it or not, I get questions asked all the time, many of them sent through my website. Most are from women who are going to get an RV and travel themselves, maybe even become a full timer and want to know about my experiences.  A woman the other day just asked me multiple questions about my adventure, mostly about if I think it was worth it, and she asked about my trailer, and mileage. I decided I would post my response today as a post, since it has a lot of information that many others may want to know as well…..

I would not trade this experience for anything. I was in a very bad situation with my job and where I was personally, before I left. I needed something to get me out of that funk, and this trip saved my life. I am a different person than the one who left. Not only am I recovering physically, but also psychologically. I feel about 20 years younger than when I left.

 

I had made an itinerary and planned on spending the money to complete it. I did have one major monetary setback, but I am still in decent shape, so I figure I did OK. I get about 8 mpg of regular gas in my RV. I got 10 before I started hauling the trailer, but I did have my scooter on the back of the RV, and the tilting carrier quit working, and I was frustrated and bought the trailer. It has my scooter, bicycle and lots of extras, some of which were in the RV originally, but since the room is there, why not? If I were alone, no dog, kids to visit etc. I would buy a used Roadtrek, the kind that looks like a van, and get good mileage, and be able to park anywhere to sleep. I love the room in my RV, but even as small as it is, it is not stealth. I do not have too much trouble finding places to park, and I have yet to be asked to leave in the middle of the night.

 

The scooter is the best investment. It was a gift for me, but I would recommend if you do not want to tow a car, you have something to get around in. My last place was the perfect example; I drove my scooter the 5-6 miles into Santa Paula almost daily and it was great. I could get groceries, go workout, go to a movie, or whatever I wanted without moving the RV. I get about 80mpg with the scooter, so it helps my gas money go farther as well. I have about 1300 miles on it, so it has already paid for itself. Not to mention the fun I have had on it! I would recommend one to anybody.

 

I planned on staying in a campground 3-4 nights a week when I planned my trip. Once I discovered how easy it is to urban boondock, I chose to do so, as much as possible. This meant I saved a lot of money there. I stayed in Walmarts, Cabela’s, Camping Worlds, Home Depots, truck stops and casinos, all who encourage overnight parking in their lots. In addition, I stayed in grocery store lots, my gym parking lots, various baseball field lots after the games, and even mini malls where there were no signs saying parking was not allowed. The price of gas went up from what I had planned before I left, so I spent more on gas, but substantially less on overnight parking. I added a solar panel, which saved on the price of gas for the generator. If you are planning to boondock, make sure you have a good size inverter, big enough bettery bank, and a generator and/or solar panel(s). I added a bigger inverter which gives me use of all of my electrical outlets/appliances, a bigger battery bank, and a 125 solar panel. This seems to meet my needs, though I can add another panel at any time, if I need to. I can always use the generator if I need to, but I rarely do now.

 

I joined Passport America and found their $60 fee to be more than worth it. I have stayed at nice RV resorts for $15 per night with full hookups.  I also joined Escapees, but have not used it really, though I hear of the great deals, I have not personally used it. I was traveling a lot the year I had planned, and it was not worth it for me to drive hundreds of miles out of my way for a deal. I preferred to stick to places close to the exits, which ended up being the list I wrote earlier.

 

I have been fortunate to not have had any issues feeling unsafe. Even in parking lots overnight, the biggest inconvenience is the cleaners who come by with loud machines. I learned how to park so it would be to my benefit, with lights and sound, and I tried to get the best spot to suit my needs. This was learned over time. It seems that other RVrs are very friendly and most will help you, so you have allies wherever you see other RVs.

 

I am more than happy to help you any way I can, I can tell you about my personal experiences, but it really does depend on your personal needs. I have a cell phone, 3 computers, 2 TVs, satellite Tv, satellite Radio and wii in my RV…it’s just what I feel at home with. Others have nothing more than a cell phone. I met up with a single lady RVr a month ago who does not have a TV in her brand new travel trailer. I would not be comfortable with that, but she is happy. It’s all so personal.

 

…….That was my response to the woman who may be finding her own journey. I try to help when I can, and I believe that as others have helped me, maybe I can be of help to someone else along the way.  My friend Elizabeth, who I met through my blog, is an older solo Rver who has given me much insight over the past year, and I always look forward to her comments and responses, because we all need someone to look up to and get advice from.  If you have extra, pass it on, if need something, ask for it…it’s that simple.