Happy New Year

Bosley and I will have a quiet evening to celebrate the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018.  I set the box down to take to the trash, and he claimed it.

May everyone have a safe evening if you are heading out, and a good beginning to the New Year.

My cold is clearing up and I’m starting the cleaning of the motor home in preparation for Turtle Lady to fly in soon.  We will go boondock in Quartzsite for a couple of weeks.  I’m looking forward to it.  Unfortunately she won’t still be here for Bloggerfest.  Oh, and my comment about bringing something to drink if you wish means coffee, water, etc.  If you want to bring ‘other’ beverages, just don’t mention it.  That is what I get from what I heard about the rules of the place.

Bloggerfest reminder, and I’m sick

Don’t forget about Bloggerfest on January 27, 2018 at the shelter (ramada?) at La Possa South south of Quartzsite..  Bring yourself.  Bring a snack and whatever you want to drink if you are so inclined.  It is from 1pm-4pm’ish.  We will stand around and talk to each other.  We will probably have a circle where everyone who wants to gets up and talks about their blog, or talks about what blogs they follow. Brink cards width the url of your blog if you are so inclined and organized enough to do so. Hope to see you there.

I have a bad cold.  I am hoping it is just a cold, and not this nasty flue that many have right now.  I am not coughing much, just blowing my nose a lot.  It is sapping my desire to get anything done.  This is part of why I haven’t blogged, I’m not doing much to blog about.

Time to take more medicine and drink more water and generally be pathetic.

Wednesday Work In Progress

As I started using up the yarn left over from a previous baby blanket I got a call. Seems that baby, now a young boy, is going to be a big brother. Mom has requested a hat to match the original blanket. I already had the preemie hat finished. I am making a bigger one with the yarn now. I'll probably send along both.

I need to change the pattern a bit. I am making it up as I go. I am starting at the top as if it was a toe up sock. I think I need to cast on fewer stitches to start and increase further along as the tops of the caps seems a bit too flat. Any suggestions?

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

A do-nothing day

I have no motivation.  I do think I need to get back on the Vitamin B12 pills more regularly again.  I had a busy weekend, but the RV is now sitting in my spot in the new park.  This park definitely has a different feel to it.  I will have to start going to the gym as there is no real place to walk around here.  It is a very small park.  There are also has a lot of dogs, which generally doesn’t bother me.  It was funny when a siren went by and every dog here started howling.  It was quite a chorus.  I think it will be less funny if it happens at 3am.

Yes, Bloggerfest is still a thing.  I can’t do much except talk about it until I get to Quartzsite in a few weeks.  If someone who is already at La Posa South could swing by the check in station and verify how to reserve the shelter for January 27 I would appreciate it.  I’ll be in the area January 9, but Murphy being what he is the earlier the shelter can be reserved the better.  Then again, it could add spice to the gathering if we share the shelter with a Hell’s Angels reunion.  For the Canadians in the audience, it is a motorcycle club.  Sort of.  Then used to do security for rock concerts.  I don’t think that ended well, though.

I am still knitting preemie hats.  I’m still going through stuff and trying to downsize.  I’m mostly sitting on the couch with Bosley the cat and playing games on my phone/computer.

I'm still here

I don't know why I haven't updated this blog in so long. I did have a cold and was pretty much just doing what had to be done that doesn't require many functioning brain cells.

I decided not to stay in my current RV park once my annual rent is due tomorrow. I'm going to a month to month place nearby that doesn't have the amenities and is therefore cheaper. For the 4 or so months I'm down here it makes sense for now. Mom will help me move as I still don't have a tow dolly for the car. I will get up early and run up and get her and her car tomorrow, she will follow me to the new park as I move the motorhome, and then we will hit thrift shops and other places she doesn't have up where she lives. Saturday morning we will go to coffee and donuts where we used to live. Then I will drive her home, get my car and head to Mike's for his Christmas party. It will be a full day.

I'll report once imoved and back home from the weekend.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Bloggerfest

Thank you to George of Our Awesome Travels for making this year’s banner.  And thank you for sending it to me in a version I could get to work with my Live Writer.

If anyone wants a JPEG of this to put on their blog to help advertise the get together, let me know in the comments.  There may be a way to pick it up from my blog.  If so, have at it.

Works In Progress

The push to finish the socks was because I want to contribute to our Elks Lodge project to do ate preemie caps to a hospital in Tuscon. Here are my first 2. I'm making up the pattern as I go. This has a side benefit of using up the partial skeins of yarn left from a few baby blankets I've made over the years. Plus, it's fun.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Bloggerfest 2018. Any interest this year?

Lorne Green of A Place Called Away (link) hosted last year’s Bloggerfest.  He is not sure he will be down in January to host it again this next year.  I will be in Quartzsite, and I am a big fan of Bloggerfest.  I still have the original signs to post.  I’m wondering if I’ll be at the shelter all alone consoling myself with a large coffee because no one else shows up.  If you are interested, please comment here to let me know.  I’ll see what it takes to reserve the shelter.  I personally would like to see it continue, but I know several of the folks who showed up to the first two didn’t show up last year.  Let me know in the comments.  Also, please post in your blogs to let others who don’t read me here to let me know.

What is Bloggerfest?  It is an afternoon get together the last weekend of the Big Tent in Quartzsite, AZ in January of the folks who ether write blogs or read blogs about RV’ing.  Or, any other subject, for that matter.  We bring something to munch on, and cards with our blog links listed if we have blogs.  We mostly sit and talk, introduce ourselves, and finally meet in person the people whose lives we read about in their blog.  I have very much enjoyed the two I have attended.

So, let me know, so I know how big a mug of coffee I will need to console myself with.

Socks finished

I had put the away once I got to the place where I knit in the heels. I finally retrieved them from the cabinet yesterday and finished knitting them. These are more like slippers than socks. With my tile floor I will need something on my feet in the mornings rather than run around barefoot like I do now.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Changing things around. Again

I was up at the storage unit Monday getting my summer shorts and short sleeve tops back out.  The air conditioner has been going all day, although it does go off for the evenings and nights.  That is how I know it is fall in the Valley.  The furnace hasn’t been on since the morning I left up north.

It is nice to be back where I have virtually unlimited water from the tap, unlimited (30 amp) electricity, propane fill a phone call away (for a price).  I am taking showers in my own shower again, rather than borrowing Mike’s or Mom’s showers.  I’m washing dishes in the kitchen sink rather than in dish tubs so I can dump the water on Mike’s compost pile rather than into my grey water tank.  I have EMPTY tanks!  The sewer connection is right there!.

I’m pretty sure I’ll renew my annual rent here in December.  I will only live here 5-6 months a year, but it is nice to have a place to come ‘home’ to.  Even with the traffic noise and sirens and heat if I come back a bit too early.

What have I done?

From running the furnace this morning up at 6000' to an increasingly warmer drive down to the Valley to the indoor thermometer reading 106* while the air conditioner tries to bring the temp down, I'm wondering if I'm still too early.  

Backed myself into the spot with many back and forths.  Knocked down a dry water spigot (one that is dripping water is next to it), which has my managers now promising to be here shortly.  The one I knocked down is the one I used last year, but it is rotted at ground level.  One that is dripping water has very rusted threads.  Mike will be here tonight and we can get a wire brush or something to clean it if the manager doesn't get me hooked up.

Welcome home.

On the Road Again

Soon.  Later this week I’ll move back down to the Valley.  It was still 100* yesterday when i was down there, but I have hopes that it will cool off quickly.  I’m ready to be near people again. 

I have my car back, and I went down yesterday and had the other 3 tires replaced.  I needed new tires at the time of the wreck (not a factor in the wreck…) and one tire was damaged so the insurance replaced it.  Now all 4 are new, and the rest of the damage is fixed, and I have a nice, like new car.  Hopefully I can keep folks from running into me for awhile.

I have new insurance on the ACA exchange until the end of the year.  I’ve found cheap (generic) places to get both of my prescriptions that don’t rely on insurance.  I was given year long prescriptions for each of them before leaving Mayo.  So, for now I’m good medically.

Today is laundry, and start getting things battened down for the trip back to Phoenix metro.  Bosley is a happy cat now, at least until the motor starts for the trip.  The RV has some this and thats to be be taken care of once I’m back to civilization.  All in all it is time to switch gears and go into fall.

What do I want?

I have the details of my  life settled down for a bit here. I’m basically house sitting at Mikes out in the middle of nowhere.  I am getting some of the small things accomplished that I never get around to.

I have finally signed up for health insurance for the next 3 months.  I need to check on it on Monday.  Boy, is that ever a messed up process in this state.  Since my checkups this month all came back as clear, no issues (thank God for not so small victories), I’m just counting on not needing medical care for the rest of the year.  I have catastrophic insurance, in that I pay over $6K before it pays anything.  I don’t pay anything out of pocket for the insurance, though.  I have a lot of thoughts on how this, among a few other things, puts me in the ‘poor’ demographic and what some of the emotional and social issues are that follow along.  Not for this post, though.

I was idling around on the internet a few days ago, and came across some old-school motivational audios on YouTube by Earl Nightingale.  Some interesting stuff there.  It has me thinking about what do I want, what goal(s) do I have now that I am retired.  I decided that I want to live a ‘competent life’.  See, especially after the wreck of my car my nerve started to evaporate.  I decided that I was not able to ‘gut check’ things as I usually do because my ‘gut’ put out a Do Not Disturb sign and went away to curl up in a fetal position for the duration.  I needed to drive the motor home down to Williams to dump the tanks, but the wind has been really fierce and I Just Didn’t Want to Do It.  I didn’t water Mikes garden last week, again because with the wind I just sat in the motor home and did nothing.  I felt my world becoming smaller because I was losing my nerve to get out.

Earl Nightingale said, make a goal.  Ok, a competent life, where I can   actually do things, have confidence again.  He said, banish negative thoughts.  Wow, do I have a lot of those.  Ok, I just repeat mentally ‘competent life’ over and over.  A lot.  I got off my duff yesterday morning before the wind was at its worst and dumped the tanks.  Yeah, me. 

I was going to go hiking this morning at the Grand Canyon.  I’m not all that far from it, and with my Golden Geezers pass it is free to get in.  But, you know, it was chilly this morning and coffee and computer time was going so well.  I decided that I’ll be busy tomorrow anyway, so maybe next week I’ll go hiking.

Then the phone rang.  A friend, Lesle, that I met when I was in Jr. High.  We reconnected when I was living in WA, and off and on since, but not for over a year.  She never calls me out of the blue like that, what with email and all.  Her words were ‘I just called to tell you I’m dying.  Sorry, I don’t know a better way to say it.  I’m calling my friends to say goodbye.’  She has advanced pancreatic cancer, a fast devil that she first found out about less than 2 months ago.  We talked for a few minutes.  I got off the phone and went hiking.  Because I can.

Not my fault

A guy turned into me.  This car is doomed.  Just got the dent on that fender fixed.  It is now sitting in the back seat.  I'm fine.  Frustrated, but fine.

I took a short walk today

I woke up today and decides I needed a walk.  Luckily I an about an hour from walking out my door to some nice scenery to enjoy on my walk.  I walked a mile, but road shuttle busses and saw more of the Canyon.

Rainy day

Northern AZ is not Florida or Cuba, but we are also having a rainy day.  It is also chilly.  I just put on another layer and I wish I'd remembered to grab my afghans from the storage unit before I left.  It is 60* in here.

I could probably talk Mike into starting a fire in the woodstove, but I'd have to walk in the rain up to the house.  I'm making oatmeal (old fashioned cook type) and hoping it warms things up.  Or I could just turn on the furnace.  I'm trying to be bada$$ and just get by without using resources.  I may fail at that.

What mice?

Lazy day.  Cloudy and breezy, so cool.  No mice to be seen, at least by the napping Bosley.

Boondocking lite

I'm parked behind Mike's place up by Williams, AZ.  He let me plug into electricity, so I'm not really off grid.  One step at a time.  It is marginally cool enough without the air conditioner, the extension cord won't support my roof air conditioner, but I brought a small floor fan that keeps a breeze going.  He is working out of state for most of the next two months.  I'm watching the place and watering the garden.  Bosley is on mouse patrol.

Even Bosley is bored

I'm almost finished with the tax papers shredding.  There is a bit more going on in my life, but not much.  I am trying to find an Affordable Care Act navigator to explore my options.  It is not straightforward.  

I joined the Elks Lodge and go over there a few times a week.  It is good to have a somewhat stable (mobility-wise) social group.  Croft and Norma will be happy to learn that I am getting accustomed to happy hour being from 3-5pm, not 6pm as my previous life dictated before retirement.

At the end of the month I will move... someplace.  Probably up in elevation and North.  Or, over to the Lodge RV park.  Free vs. cheap.  Leap of faith vs. known quantity.  Jury is still out.

Mom is doing really well, and despite the fact that her original incision on her face was, ummm, dramatic, she has healed to where it is not really noticeable.

Going, Going

Not yet gone.  Working on it.

And more, all the taxes

I have, for a day or so yet, all of the paper relating to my income taxes from 1973 up to when I went to electronic filing.  Part of me wants to scan All The Paper.  Most of me knows there is no reason to keep it, just shred and go.

Summer of Purge continues

Under Bosley's watchful eyes I am continuing to shred old papers.  I'm on the next to last box and then there is a 2 drawer file cabinet to go through. 

Yesterday I shredded documents from a job in 1988.  Mostly today has been receipts, driving logs and documentation for contacts I was working in the early 2000's.  When these were boxed up it was still in the time frame to keep them.  I just haven't been in one place long enough to go through and do this shredding since about 2006.

Northern Arizona

On my trip last week we went hiking up in the National Forest on my favorite trail up there.  This is a tank, or water pond, that has water lilies.  I am about a week early as most of them aren't blooming yet.

My friend seemed to enjoy the tours.  I drove home in the motor home without incident.  Then I crashed physically for a few days.  I'm not used to hiking that much.  I'm finally waking up.

The night I got back I was initiated into the local Elks Lodge.  I'm excited to start joining in the activities.

Mom had a skin cancer taken off her face this morning.  She said almost did an entire embroidery putting in the stitches.  All I saw was a large bandage on her face when she came out of the office.  Other than the bandage she didn't seem much worse for wear.  I'll check on her after the numbing wears off.  She may not feel so well at that point.

Visiting

A friend came over from CA and Mike and I are giving her a tour of the area.  Today, the Grand Canyon, tomorrow Sedona.  I drove the motor home up and parked it at Mike's place.  Plan A was the forest outside of Flagstaff, but the rains have made it too muddy.  Family came through to see the Canyon today as well so Mike played tour guide for all of us.

Work in Progress

I even made it on a Wednesday!  Some blogs, much more organized than this one, have certain subjects on certain days of the week.  I'm lucky to figure out the day of the week after a couple of wrong guesses.  Anyway, the socks are looking like socks now.  I didn't put enough information last time.  I'm knitting toe up, 2 at a time, magic loop socks.  That basically means I'm knitting both at the same time on a circular needle.  I'm ready to start the heel now.  Foot for scale.

Socks, the beginning

I should really explain that these are more 'bed socks' or slippers.  I'm practicing on larger yarn so that when I use nicer, more expensive sock yarn I may know what I'm doing.  I got this yarn for $1 a skein at a thrift shop.  Judy's magic cast-on and then I knit the tail along with the main yarn on the next row to double the stitches.  I'll increase stitches in some pattern yet to be determined until it looks like it will fit around my foot.  What can possibly go wrong?  Well, other than the first round I knit with the tail instead of the main yarn.  I switched over when I got to the main yarn again.

Onward.

So, a blog post

Now that we have affirmed that Live Writer works, I guess I’ll write a post.  It won’t have a picture because I’ve been putting off taking the picture all day and if this is going to get written and posted today it won’t have a picture.  Don’t try to make sense of that.

I started some sprouts last night.  I’m using the new, improved sprouter I bought last year, or whenever it was.  The mix has all kinds of weird named lentils and other odd legumes.  So far nothing is showing any sprouts.  Forget the hype about sprouts in 24 hrs with the new, improved methods, I guess.  I’m kind of relieved about it, actually.

I started a new pair of socks.  Actually I watched most of Judy’s YouTube of how to do Judy’s Magic Cast-on.  I’m making up the pattern as I go since I know how many stitches I used last time, and the pattern I’m using this time is for bulky yarn.  I’m using worsted yarn and needles 2 sizes smaller because apparently I knit very loosely.  I’ll probably end up starting over a few times till I figure it out.  I meant to have the picture of the first few rows in this post.  I have to get that far in order to do that. 

I’m still shredding paperwork.  I’m finding paycheck advices from 2005, and contract paperwork for a house I ended up not buying as well as all the buying and selling paperwork (a lot) for each of the houses I’ve bought and sold.  I’m making some progress.

It rained again today.  The Monsoons are here.  The temperature has dropped nicely.  I may survive.

The rest of the story

I have been using my phone to do most of my blog posting as I can just send an email and it posts.  Only 1 picture per post that way, though.  I now have good portable internet, so I decided to try posting from my computer a few weeks ago and had issues.  I now have time to troubleshoot.  I’ll try posting a picture with this to see if that was the problem, or if it was just a temporary glitch.

This is a random picture of my sprouting seeds.  I need to get back to sprouting.  Now to see if this will post.  If you see it, then it means I need to get going on stuff to post about.  I’ve always known that is my blog is (even more) boring, it means I’m just sitting around vegging too much.

This is a test

Testing Live Writer as I haven’t used it in awhile.

Work In Progress - Finished

Many mistakes were made.  I did end up with socks, and they fit.  These are my first attempt at knitting socks.  I used Magic Loop, two at a time.  I used Cat Bordi's sweet tomato heel, and a stretchy bind off.  The yarn is not sock yarn and I had issues with it splitting and I dropped a lot of stitches and had to go back and pick them up.  I did not totally understand the heel instructions until I was in bed hours after I'd finished knitting the heels and it clicked how it was supposed to work.  Even done incorrectly, the socks do have heels in them.  Next time it will go better.

Thoughts on the trip

This trip evolved.  Originally it was planned to just fly out to see Rod Ivers one more time.  He left the area fairly suddenly, and even though I did go over to say goodby the evening before he left I still wanted to see him again.  I planned for October after my medical tests that had already been scheduled were finished.  It kind of morphed into running up in a rental car to see Favorite Neighbor after she fell and it became apparent she would not be back down to Mesa for the winters again.  I have family in the area (more or less) where Rod lived, so this plan was doable.

Well, the medical tests came back showing breast cancer, and I was tied up with that until the end of the year.  Rod died in January.  It was winter in MN.  The trip got put off.  Once I had the Class A I pondered taking it, but Mom was getting so weak once she went of her thyroid medicine because of the side effects of taking it for over 35 years I stayed put.  Once Mom got straightened out and was feeling so much better, and I had the Class A, I turned the trip into a visit with family as well as the trip up to see Favorite Neighbor.

The motorhome performed wonderfully.  It is 20 years old, but runs very well.  It worked well for Mom and I traveling as well.  I turned the passenger seat around to face the living room in the evenings and she sat there and read while I went back to my bedroom and got on my computer.  It is comfortable to ride in while driving, and nice to be able to stop anywhere.  I had enough on my mind with this being my first long trip in an RV that we mostly stayed in RV parks.  We did boondock one night at the Kansas Star casino and that went well, even though there was a huge storm during the night.

I managed to dodge the storms while traveling, and most rain fell during the nights.  It seemed a blessed trip in many ways.  I got used to driving in a stiff broadside wind.  At one point I told Mom that I wouldn't know how to drive on a flat, good road with no wind.  I never had all three at the same time on the way out.  It was better on the way home.

Some take away thoughts:

It sucks not having a car while traveling.  We did no sight seeing at all.  I was not comfortable taking the motorhome far off the interstate.  This is my nerves and lack of experience, not the motorhome.  The size and worry about getting into and out of parking lots is the issue.  After paying for fuel on this trip, which averaged $100/day of travel, I don't have the money to set up the motorhome to pull the car.  This is an ongoing issue.  I'm still pondering.

I was ready to get 'home'.  Mostly back to the Southwest.  I apparently have a strong sense of 'place'.  I need to factor this into future plans.  I said going into this that, given that I 'retired' with little money I might just end up going from the Valley (Mesa/Apache Junction) in the winters and to Payson in the summers to follow the weather and that was ok.  I don't need to make any decisions right now as I'm in a good place right where I am. 

For now I need to sit tight, pay some bills, sort and get rid of a bunch of stuff and chill.  The car issue, and not having it if I leave in the motorhome or the cat issue if I take off in the car and tent camp is my biggest hurdle.  I don't have to solve that right now.

Let's see, where was I again?

Take it easy

Don’t let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy  

The previous post left us in a small town north of Kansas City. Mom and I and Bosley the cat left Payson on the morning of Mother’s Day. I drove for 4 days to get to family, parking in my Uncle’s driveway. He let us plug in so we had electricity to run the coffee makers, an important part of any plans.

  While there we took part of one day with my Uncle and put flowers on the family grave sites. At one point I remarked that we seemed to come from a long line of granite. Alone with visiting my grandparents and great aunts and uncles graves we went to the small graveyard where my Dad is buried and where Mom and I will end up. It is a nice place on a small hill.

My Aunt and Uncle also live in that small town, and I walked back and forth, the only member of my family that walks instead of driving to get between the two places. It is maybe 3 blocks. I saw another Class A motorhome parked along the side street on my walk. As my time there continued, they stayed as well. Doc and Erin finally were cornered on our last day there and I waxed on and on about various links and get togethers and forums for full time RV’ing. If you are reading this, welcome again. Sorry I’ve been too out of it to answer your comments in the previous entry. I did not go up to Ferris', I would have called first to verify if they had a dump facility, but decided in the end to just get a spot with full hookups that night.

My Aunt took Mom and I up to St Jo so Mom could visit some friends. One friend who timidly answered our knock thought we were missionaries. Our dress should have told her otherwise, but she didn’t have on her glasses. Once she opened the door she recognized Mom, and we went in and had a nice visit. At the complex where Mom used to live before she moved to Phoenix we did the same thing, just knocked on the door unannounced. It turned out there was a potluck lunch going on that day, so my Aunt and I left Mom to visit and we went to Taco Bell. A trip to a thrift store where Mom bought a small Singer portable sewing machine (she doesn’t like my computer controlled one) and I bought shorts, and I was done with touring around. Mom and my Aunt went the other direction and visited family the next day as well.

After 3 days it was time to head further north to MN. The entire way from AZ to MO I fought a strong gusty south wind. The morning we were to start heading north Mom looked out at my Uncle’s flag and noticed that the wind had shifted to the east. Of course it had… I drove the entire 520 miles up to Mille Lacs that day. Every time I’d stop and check the weather there was a rain icon for the next day. I’m used to living in a desert. Rain while driving the motorhome seemed more scary than just continuing to drive.

We stayed there for 3 days. We were fed well, and enjoyed the visit with Favorite Neighbor and her son and daughter in law. These folks have treated Mom and I like we are family and it was nice to visit them in their home. We got a driving tour around the lake, and took Favorite Neighbor out shopping one day. I hope they can get back down to Mesa again and have time to stay for awhile.

I drove back to my Uncle’s driveway, all 520 miles, again in one day. My other Aunt and cousin came in for Memorial Day weekend, and there was much visiting of cousins and kids and commotion. I hid in the motorhome a lot of the time.

We left Tuesday after Memorial Day. It took 4 days to get home again. I was like a horse heading for the barn door.

The first night we stayed in a Passport America park in Guthrie, OK. It was nice, and only $18 with the PA membership. The next night I stopped at another PA park on the east side of Amarillo. It was ok, and only $12.50, but there were no amenities. We didn’t really need any as it had full hookups, but Mom said she would pay if we went back to Oasis on the the west side of Amarillo. I went for an evening walk and was waved over to a group that was grilling. These guys were linemen who live in their 5th wheels near the job sites. They said there were maybe 25 guys and some wives. More due next week as their kids got out of school for the summer. I was given a bottle(!) of root beer and could have had supper with them. Really nice folks.

The last night we went back to Enchanted Trails in Albuquerque. With the PA membership the price was only $18. Why didn’t they tell me the other times I stayed there about the PA price? I had intended on trying the RV Park on the other side of the interstate on the way home, but the PA price was so much cheaper that I went back to Enchanted Trails after all.

I was totally trashed when I pulled into Payson. Thoughts on the trip in another post.

Made it

Amarillo by morning..

We stopped just shy of Amarillo around 6pm local.  The wind was getting crazy, even for me, and the clouds darker.  I had scoped the Oasis RV park already from the Good Sam directory.  Once checked in at an affordable-ish $34, I checked and we had just beat a nasty looking storm just back to the west of us.

This park is newer, and is nice.  Everything just works.   Mom and I both hit the bath house for long hot showers.  Bosley didn't come out for a long time, probably because the wind was rocking the RV even with the jack's down.

We are less than 650 miles from our first stop to visit family.  So far so good.  The wind has died down so I'm thinking with a bit earlier start tomorrow we shouldn't have any issues.

We survived so far

The driving was easier for me, even though it was windy again.  I think the wind is just something I need to deal with driving this time of year.  We left around 9am Arizona time and rolled into to park in Albuquerque around 4pm local or 3 Arizona time.

Other than a minor mishap with Mom's coffeemaker this morning we are doing fine.  It is 9am local and we have just finished breakfast and my ibuprophen and caffeine are kicking in.  All our neighbors have already left, but I'm not in a huge hurry.  I am out of propane so we will get that on the way out.

Goal is at least Amarillo, and maybe further.  There is a rest area we may stop and see what our options are if we get past Amarillo.  If I'm too trashed we will get another campground.  Otherwise we will stay at the rest area.

Onward.

Here we go

Tomorrow morning  Mom and I leave for a couple of week trip 'back East' in the motorhome.  General plan is here to Albuquerque, staying in the same park I was in before for the first night, to Amarillo to Oklahoma City to north of Kansas City.  Stay there a couple of days with family.  On to Favorite Neighbor's place in MN and stay there a couple of days.  Back to family for Memorial day weekend then reverse the process home.  This is written in pencil, after the first night.

I have disconnected the sewer hose that had to be snaked around under the RV to the further back corner.  That was... Interesting.  I have washed the outside of the windshield and got some of the bugs off the front of the rig.  Mom has brought most of her stuff over, including a lot of food for us to eat on the trip.  I still have to stow a few things of mine to reduce clutter.  Tomorrow morning I start the checklist and we leave hopefully around 10.

What to take, what to put back in storage, leaving the cars here as I don't have a tow dolly yet or the confidence to pull it.  However as I remember, there are stores back East, and some have large enough parking lots for me to get the motorhome in and out with few issues.

If you are on I-40 this week, watch out for the crazy Class A driver with a worried looking navigator and wild eyed cat barreling down the road.

Home

As a friend said the other day, it is difficult to know what to call my spot in Mesa now as I have 'home' with me when I travel.  I am now back in Mesa for this week.  I will travel up to Payson next week where I'll spend most of the summer.  Since my storage unit is up there I have no reason to not work on clearing it out.

The drive home was not as easy as the drive over to Albuquerque.  I fought hard wind most of the way.  I get some grief from other full timers for having a schedule to get from point A to point B.  I did the drive in one go as that is how I tend to drive.  The wind will be a consideration for me from now on, though.  I had one hard stop that was a wake-up call to not trust stuff to stay in place on the floor.  I'm reconsidering my kitchen stuff now.

Mom is doing great and says she will drive me back to get my car when I move next week.  I will drive her car back here and then follow her back to Payson.  If there is any issue we will at least be together.  A month ago she needed a walker to get to the bathroom.  That ER Physician's Assistant saved her life.  Also a note to me to take my own thryoid medicine, it really is a necessary thing.

It was good

Worth the $6 anyway.  We came back to the park and ate at the picnic table between our rigs.  It would have been better immediately as it would have been hot.  This being NM it was served with the green chilies.

On the way back we drove through the Flying J so I know where the RV pumps are.  It will be my first time getting gas by myself, as I got here on 3/4 of the tank I got earlier when Jim taught me to drive this rig.

Tomorrow is fix the front grill ( I foresee plastic wire ties...) and clean the windshield.  I'm pondering whether to drive straight back or stop somewhere.  It is hot in the valley, but I want to get back to the car.  Getting a tow dolly is higher on the list now having spent the week without transportation.  I may stay the night at the Walmart in Payson, but probably not.

Caveman Burgers

FZ's husband got back and looked up a place to go get some burgers.  It turned out to be a food truck.  The buns look like saucers, and there is an entire salad on top of the meat.  Cars kept driving in while we waited.  I think it will be good.  I'm tired of eating healthy.  The cost was $6.  I'll update once I get it.

Weird Vegetable Challenge

Before heading over here I went to Ranch Market in Mesa and got a large (for me) selection of vegetables.  What with all the socializing I hadn't cooked any of them.  Today FZ and I decided to cook.  She took a couple of the yams and a large parsnip and I tackled the yellow squash.  We were each cooking something we had never cooked before.  Turns out she doesn't like the sweetness of yams and in Germany where she is from parsnips are eaten raw.  She  cubed and roasted them and did some kind of bassalmic vinigar (can't get close enough to the spelling for spell check to help me) spice simmer to cut the sweetness.  It was good, different taste profile from my usual.  I did my normal coconut oil, onion, garlic and whatever veggie I have goes into the skillet.  I had the sprouts I'd started last week and I had not figured out how to use them, so they went in as well.  Turned out ok.  At least I know I can toss sprouted lentils and small beans into a skillet of stuff and they will cook enough to eat.

Other than laundry I'm not doing anything else other than lounging around.  I haven't had the air-conditioning on since I got here.  Mom said it was supposed to top 100* back in the valley.  I'm due to be back there for a week before I move up to Payson.  We'll see if I make it that long.

Cat TV

There is a small tree just off the corner of the rig that has small songbirds flitting around among it's leaves.  Bosley has a new hobby.

Made it

I'm in an RV park in Albuquerque.  I got in around 5:30 yesterday.  Trip went well with almost no issues.  I heard something rattling the last hundred miles but thought it was  the passenger window.  Turns out my grill came loose and was just sitting in the front of the engine compartment.  I think that is the access to the batteries.  Today's project is to check into that.

I met some friends here.  We are going to just chill as we have no car for a few days until FZ's husband gets back from his needed trip, the reason for all this.  Our local friends will be in and out and FZ and I can hopefully help them make the transition into their own 5th wheel as they embark on fulltiming at the end of the month.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Not sure where I'm going, but I'm ony way.

Packing up

Everything from the patio and under the rig is packed up.  The tote will come inside to pack inside stuff into and the step stool is needed because I'm too short to put the awning up or down without it.

 Working on the inside now.  I'm thinking  I'll pack most of my dishes away and pad the glasses.  I need to get jugs of filtered water and groceries as I'm not taking the car with me.  Sort of a trial run for boondocking, but with full hookups.  Work with me here.

I bought tire covers yesterday, and both the Good Sam campground directory and Next Exit.  As such I know where the first Cracker Barrel and Pilot gas stations are located, as well as where the Walmarts are.  I'm sticking close to civilization this trip.  It is a process.

Bosley approves

While he has been enjoying the passenger chair while it is turned around facing the living room, I'm not counting  on his abilities as navigator.  He tends to hide under the couch when the engine is running and the coach is moving.

We leave on our first road trip on Sunday morning.  I'm driving over to NM to meet some friends.  When I get back it will be time to move back up to Payson to the same park I was in last summer.  I hope to have a few more road trips as the summer goes on.

For now, if you are on I-40 on Sunday, keep an eye out for a rookie Class A driver.

Back to my roots

Or, sprouts.  I'm re-earning my aging hippie card.  I ordered a huge selection of sprouting seeds over a year ago when life was less hectic and I was cooking and making progress on things.  Then this past year happened and I haven't had time to do much more than put on foot in front of the other.  Until last week.  I'm almost afraid to write it out loud, but most crisis situations seem to be favorably resolved.  I'm catching my breath.  And starting sprouts.  Meadow Lark (message board friend) it is your fault.  The sprouts that is.  The rest was me.

Catching up

As Doug pointed out in a comment, the weather has changed.  It is already too hot during the day, in the 90's with a too bright sun beating down.  I hide in the air conditioning in the middle of the day.  Nights are still about perfect, though.

I am sort of moved into the Class A.  The Class C sold.  Now it is just finding a place for everything.  The extra space has filled up quickly.  I also moved everything that was in my Mesa storage units into one storage unit up in Payson.  I've changed my mailing address to Mom's in Payson as well.  All this is to get ready to be more mobile.

Mom came through the exploratory procedure just fine.  She is still weak.  I got her some Ensure on Sunday and helped her get to the laundry room and back.  I'm headed back there again today to register the rig and I'll see if she needs anything.

The park where I lived last summer looks to have a couple of empty spaces.  I may call the manager to see about reserving one for at least a month.  I'm not ready to head out for a summer of working yet, and I think I should stay close right now for Mom.

Cat is happy, I'm getting stuff done, all is good.

Brrrr even in Phoenix

I figured out that the reason my furnace wasn't putting out heat was that I'd turned the propane off instead of on after it was filled.  This is also why the fridge wasn't working and the water heater indicator lights were odd.  Last night I confidently went to bed with the furnace set to come on when it got chilly in the night.  A couple of folks (thanks Sandie) pointed out that the furnace runs from the 12v system so I didn't have to run the generator to have heat.  It was still cold when the alarm went off as the house battery apparently won't last all night for the furnace.  Or something.  Still in the steep part of the learning curve.  I keep telling g myself that it is good to be basically boondocking on a temporary site to learn this stuff.

I got up early because Mom has a procedure at the hospital today and so I need to be in Payson in a few hours.  I need to go turn on the water so I can take a shower now that it is warm in here.  The water connection on this site leaks so I don't turn it on except when I need water.  I was going g to fill the fresh water tank because the original water hose was a disaster but the former owner put a different one on and warned me to not have the wear and tear on my water pump.  Since he is the park manager and has been so helpful as I learn my way around I decided to go with that.  Then the other end started leaking...

I'm getting moved.  Most that was lost has been found.  The cat is settling in, other than when the generator is running and he hides.

I think I just decided to take my shower at Mom's once I get there.  I'm running late waiting for it to be warm enough.  I will stay the night up there as she needs someone there for 24 hours afterwards.

I thought I'd have more leisure time when I wasn't working anymore.

Moving mutter mutter

I keep forgetting how slow I move when I start in to move.  It is taking game 3 or 4 times as long g to get things transferred

From one rig to the other.  

Ms. B, I know my life doesn't make a lot of sense sometimes and his is one of those times.  The trip to Seattle was scheduled in advance of me knowing when the new(er) rig would be available.  As happens for me, everything came together at the same time.  So, the money came in the day before I left on my trip, and I actually paid for it the day after I came back.  I'm feeling really tired right now.

The cat and I slept in the new rig last night.  There is no water or electricity.  I brought a gallon of water to make coffee, and am running the generator.  It was cold in here since I didn't run the generator all night to run the furnace.  This boondocking thing obviously has a learning curve.

I need to do a bunch of stuff today to get legal in this with insurance and plates and stuff.  I need to clear up some things on the other rig and I may have it sold, but probably not.  I need to find my prescription medicines that have taken a hike in all this.  I need a nap.

It begins

I have put off moving as long as I can.  The actual moving of the new RV to my spot won't happen soon for a few reasons, but I will start moving things into it.  Since I plan to actually drive it to new locations once I'm living in it I should get over this idea that I need to wait until it is not going to move for awhile.  I just need to put things where they will ride without incident.  Right.

I looked at the cat and I formed him that his life is changing, again.  The new(er) RV is in this same park currently, but I think I need to get the car carrier out from storage.  First of many things that I will now have room to keep in the rig where I need it rather than in a storage unit.

So, put my shoes on and take some token load over, then head to the storage unit.  The driver and passenger seats are leather so I need to cover them with blankets for now to keep them safe from the cats claws.  Luckily the dash is plastic so it is (probably) safe.

Onward.

My new toy

I bought a 1997 34' Class A.  Need to get it emissions checked and the title transferred tomorrow.  Then move in and sell my  current Class C.

Cat is happy I'm home

He curls up on my black coat or my black sweater when he isn't annoying me for attention.  Cat sitter fed him canned food and treats every day I was gone so he is expecting the same from me.

I am off to withdraw the money to buy a new...  Wait.  I'll post pictures when I have bought it.  Maybe later today.  Have to get a move on as Frugal Zony and her DH are going to help me with it tomorrow.

Waiting for the lightrail

It is very early but I was ready to leave the hostel.  It was snowing earlier.  Time to head south.

Yeah, I know

Here I am in Seattle and I hit a Panda Express.  Like I said, I'm a prolitariate.

Made it

Hope I can find the right bus to get back.  I'm going shopping.  Not for anything special, just seems like a good cold dreary day thing.

Bas photo of the prices

I can pay $200/night at a Westin or Sheraton, or these prices and hang out with a young international crowd.  I didn't really interact much with the other folks here, but the younger energy is definitely a factor.  Sometimes that was good, sometimes I have been really happy I am no longer get 25.

One of the easy chairs

Not the one I was in earlier, but one that is currently unoccupied.  The leather(?) Is very worn on all of them but they are comfortable.

Common area

Bikes and tables and game table.  There is free wifi and a few computers available.

Kitchen

Grab what you need, rinse it off and put in the dishwasher tray on the sink when you are finished.

Breakfast

Here are some pictures of the common areas of the hostel.  I can post a single picture via email from my phone, which is why I do this so much.  If I waited to actually compare these into one post it probably wouldn't happen.

There is coffee, orange sections, halved bananas, instant oatmeal, cereal and milk and toast with butter, peanut butter or jam.  I just remembered that juice is also available in the kitchen.

Drinking coffee at the hostel

This is the view out the window next to the easy chair I'm sitting in.  As I've said the free morning coffee and breakfast and the location make up for the other hostel issues.  It is also neat that the table of folks next to me eating breakfast are speaking German.

The view shows it to be wet outside, and although I haven't checked yet I'm sure it is chilly.  This is my day to do stuff alone as the other travelers are headed home.  My legs have been walked off trying to keep up with a group that was from 40 to 15 years younger than I am.  That latter fact has been so very good for me.  I was accepted even with my whining.  The shifted frame if reference highlights that I need to not cancel my gym membership but rather start using it.  And start getting out and hiking.  And living.

My phone died yesterday right after the statue picture as I didn't charge it the night before.  I'll be heading out with a fully charged phone today.  After breakfast.  Assuming it isn't too wet and cold.  Probably.

Sculpture Park

All I think of is how cold he looks.  I may be a bit of a proletariat.

Mural

Shot on my Motorola whatever

Different Starbucks, different view.

I have not bought much other than a random coffee or forgotten toiletries.  I am running around with other people a lot of the time but some are shy about being identified so few pictures of them.  I am ready for things to slow down a bit.

Today's random scenes

I can post a picture at a time quickly.  Lots of individual posts from this city of rain.

Seattle outside Whole Foods

More Seattle streets

Seattle store

They have on in Vegas as well, and I have pictures of the sewing  machines in their window as well.