0007 - Making the most of things

Every Saturday morning for the past several months, I've driven to Montgomery, TX to volunteer at St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary. Not once in all that time has it rained, so I've often wondered what would happen if it did. The answer is simple - you get soaked to the bone and end up smelling like a wet wolf/dog. You may think that sounds miserable, but on the contrary, I love rain, and it was quality time with the woofers. I left feeling happy. That said, we didn't walk them, and there were no visitors to introduce them to, so it was a short day... after only 2-1/2 hours we were done and I was back on the road.

Since I had some extra time I decided to experiment a little and take a different route home. Ever since I got a GPS I've been less afraid to take 'risks' like that. Anyone who knows me will tell you that gadget changed my life - if I was unfamiliar with an area, I would not drive it because inevitably I would get lost, and then I would get flustered, and that would lead to a near miss of some kind... a GPS has pretty much solved that problem for me. I say 'pretty much' because they're not infallible, but on the whole I'm a much more confident driver thanks to satellites and disembodied voices coming from my car stereo (they're not in my head! they're not!).

Anyway, I've been taking CR105 through Conroe, then following Loop 336 to I-45S to get home. Every weekend I stop at Sonic (it's part of my ritual) and there's a road that runs alongside it, perpendicular to CR105 - I found myself wondering, 'where does that road go?' This week I did a little research and found that it runs into CR1448 which still joins I-45, only a few exits further down. Since I try to avoid I-45 as much as humanly possible, that route seemed ideal.

CR105 drives me nuts with it's varying speed limits and myriad stop lights; somehow even with three lanes there always seems to be too much traffic. This route has a lower speed limit, and for the most part it's a one-lane country road, but it has less traffic - which makes for a much more pleasant experience. There is nothing like a country road... winding and tree-lined... very peaceful. It's like Mrs. Todd's Shortcut minus the strange creatures.

The gamble paid off - it was such a pleasant drive. Had it been after sundown it might have been a different story because of the Renaissance traffic, but in the middle of the day... very nice.

The Conroe area is recreational in nature so, not surprisingly, as I drove down the road I passed a couple of RV and boat storage facilities, and it made me think that if we take the fifth wheel out to St. Francis while Mike is home on leave, we should take that road home. In fact, there is another fork in the road that I may try out next weekend to see if I can extend my off-freeway time even further.

I figure these are the kinds of little gems we'll run across in our travels... routes that may not be as direct, but seem worth the extra time because they're serene.

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Today was American Express' Small Business Saturday. I'd been lucky enough to receive a $25 prepaid card from FedEx to spend today, and I also synced my AmEx to Four Square for a $25 statement credit. That's $50 in free money I 'had to' spend today. Fortunately, the local RV dealership was on the small business list, so I was able to use both to get some needed supplies. I'm telling you - if you're new to this... it's like buying a house... you may think you're done, but you're not. It. Never. Ends.

Today's haul: four chocks for the tires, a water pressure regulator so the city water doesn't destroy our plumbing, deodorizing tablets for the grey water tank, and rv-safe toilet bowl cleaner. On Friday I got a more sturdy hose for emptying the black water tank (a task that neither Mike nor I look forward to), it's actually two 10-foot sections of hose that can be coupled together in case we need a longer hose. I also bought two packages of enzymatic deodorizers for the black water tank, winterizer, a winterizer kit, and an air hose adapter for the winterizer kit. I asked the guy at Dues what we needed and apparently it's all about the poop and the winterization... even though Texas weather probably won't dip down to freezing for more than 14 days this winter, better safe than sorry (then again, the wolves and woofers have pretty thick coats, so maybe we're in for a cold snap).

Is it weird that I kinda want to go ahead and move into CiCi? (We name everything, so I'm thinking our home needs a name too... gotta run it by Mike though. CiCi = CC = Cedar Creek... there's madness to my method. ;p )

After reading the owner's manual I'm pretty intimidated. There is a lot to maintain, and new ways of doing things that I'm going to have to learn. If that wasn't enough, Mike mentioned electrical considerations today... we have a 50 volt plug, but some campsites only have 30 volt outlets, so we not only have to consider our weight load, now we have to think about our electrical load too. And our laundry load... he found a forum piece on lint from the washer/dryer potentially causing issues with the grey water tank. That's loads of stuff to consider!!!

My brain hurts just thinking of all the things we'll have to think about. I didn't realize you had to flush the anti-freeze out of the pipes and then sanitize them prior to use, or blow air out of the propane lines, or remove the water filter before you sanitize, or consider humidity issues if you live in it full time... I'm sure the RVeterans out there are probably laughing their asses off right now because they remember when they were this gobsmacked.

In closing, this isn't the best picture, but this is how I started my day today. It was so vibrant, and you could actually see both ends, but it was too big to capture and all I had was my cell phone. When we start traveling I'll take better pics, I promise.

0006 - The arrival

Yesterday was a happy Thanksgiving indeed - our RV is here!

I was a little nervous because I hadn't actually been inside that particular model, I'd been in one that was very similar, but not a Cedar Creek... I have to say - we made the right choice. When I was looking at houses to buy, I walked in the door of my current home and knew right away that I liked it, it was bright and airy and felt like home. I felt the same way when I walked into our fifth wheel. Our fifth wheel is AWESOME (both in the emotion it invokes and in size - that sucker's huge), and it just felt right. I can't wait for Mike to see it in person.

I was able to bring some of the RV stuff we've been accumulating and at least get it inside and sort of put away... while there was power to the slides, the lights didn't come on, so either I don't know what I'm doing - which is entirely possible - or I have to be connected to a power source to run the lights at this point. I'm planning to stop by again today while it's light outside and do a better job. I still have a lot of space at this point, but not everything we're planning to bring is in there yet, so we'll see how it all shakes out.

Anyway... the living room is huge, it's probably close to the size of our living room now. Not 1:1, but it's similar in size to the sitting area that we actually use. The kitchen feels separate because of the way the countertops wrap around, but it also feels fairly large because off to the side is another counter I can pull out to use when I'm cooking. Oddly enough, we may have more counter space in the fifth wheel than we do at home. No joke.

Bedroom is also roomy. Because the bathroom is a completely separate room and the adjoining wall is solid, it feel more spacious even with a king sized bed. And speaking of, the bathroom feels larger than the one in my 80's style home where everything is all crammed in together. I was disappointed that there was no tub... I thought the shower base had a tall ledge that would allow me to take a shallow bath, but that's not the case. Oh well. I wasn't going to take a lot of baths anyway, I knew that going into it. I just really love baths, so that's my one sacrifice.

All in all it is a very well designed space. Lots of storage inside, brand names everywhere (Serta, Lazyboy, Amana), lots of windows. I'm very, very happy.

0005 - The Money Pit

It sometimes amazes me how the purchase of one thing leads to the purchase of another item... and then another... and yet another... until you look back and realize you were duped! This one simple purchase was anything but!

A couple of small scale examples before we get to the meat of the matter:

• A Keurig leads to the purchase of a gold filter, and k-cups, and a carousel for the k-cups.
• A Sodastream leads to the purchase of a CO2 canister, and syrup, and spare bottles, and a spare CO2 canister.
• A digital camera leads to the purchase of spare batteries, and memory cards, and a case to put them all into, and a tripod to hold your camera steady, and an extended warranty to protect your investment.

But you know what this is really about... oh yes... you know...

It started out as just a fifth wheel.

Plus tax, title and license.

Plus delivery.

Then we needed a hitch so we could attach it to the truck.

And the hitch had to be installed.

And slide awnings to keep debris from accumulating and interfering with our slide mechanisms.

And wheel covers or spray-on UV protectant to prevent our tires from UV deterioration.

And a screened in "patio" to expand our living space.

And solar panels and battery banks to supply electricity when we are boondocked.

And a specialty truck cover that folds into thirds or quarters to make the truck more aerodynamic and keep things secure when the hitch is out.

And stuff for inside the RV, like septic-safe toilet paper, and a collapsible dish drainer, and king-sized sheets.

And a platform to carry a scooter so I will have transportation when Mike is at work - and did I mention - a scooter?

And insurance to cover it all in case something bad happens.

It's amazing how the purchases started to multiply like a decapitated hydra. It's also amazing that we're probably not done.

So I wonder how many others were as naive as I? How many others were just buying a fifth wheel? I can't be the only sucker...

0004 - Dropping the lbs

I'm starting to take this weight thing to a whole new level. Today I went through a bunch of magazine clippings... recipes... articles... craft projects, trimming off every spare centimeter of excess paper. As I did it I tossed the clippings into a plastic shopping bag because it's easier to contain that way, but it also made me realize how much all those scraps weighed. So now me trimming off excess white space isn't just some weird OCD tic of mine - it's actually important and/or useful. :)

Seriously though, I'm in the process of packing up the house bit by bit, and going through things to decide what stays and what goes is part of that process. Today I focused on getting rid of magazines and recipes I've held onto for years, and honestly, I found that some of them didn't interest me anymore anyway. So it begs the question of why I held onto them in the first place. Here's a non-paper example of my typical rationale: I had a t-shirt so threadbare it was almost transparent, but I held onto it, telling myself it was comfy and I shouldn't get rid of it until it completely fell apart. I've had it since the seventh grade, so it was an astounding twenty-six years old! I haven't worn it in over a year, so I finally threw it away (it was a sleep shirt and I tend to hold on to those for much longer than clothes I actually wear out in public). Anything still wearable that I decide to toss, I'll donate, so Goodwill is going to love me this year.

Getting started is always the hard part because I have to create a shift in my thinking, and I am sometimes illogically attached to things (as I've pointed out). In some ways I can understand the hoarding mindset. I don't like to let go of something because I'm afraid the moment I do, I'll need it or want it or miss it, plus it's genetic, my grandmother holds onto everything. By the same token, I hate clutter, so what that means is that I typically hide my clutter in drawers and closets and cabinets. In the very near future, I won't have all the nooks and crannies and hidey-holes I have now, so it's best to transition toward minimalism sooner rather than later.