Future plans?

Hidden Valley Ranch, Deming, NM  

Mon. 11/25/13  Fri. 11/22/13 - Wed. 1/1/14 (5 weeks)

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Contents:

RV Life

Pets

Audio Book Review

Crafts

RV Mod

Product review (update)

RV LIFE:

Our time is running out here in the Valley. Even though it's been cold and very little time spent outside, I've so enjoyed my time here. I'm very content. Nothing to sight see, not a lot of places to shop, not many restaurants. So just staying cozy in the RV. Having this "down" time has enabled our foster reservation dog, Dina to acclimate to our routines. She is truly a great dog.

The laundry is close by, which is a cozy area with garden murals painted on the walls.

The pot lucks have been fun, as well as bingo. The crafting meet up is kind of a bust. It's supposed to be 2 hours, but after one hour, people are leaving. No one really does a show and tell. We all just sit and do our own thing. Eh. I'd rather sit in my easy chair with a cup of good coffee and do my crafts.

It is so easy to settle down in one spot. I'm still so torn whether to settle in a house or not. 

There is still so much to see, but I can be content in my own home with my own wooded, private backyard. 

I fear accumulating "stuff" again, but I also regret giving some things away.

I'd like to be able to be settled and know the neighborhood, have the same vet and Dr.'s. But, it is fun checking out new grocery stores and restaurants while traveling.

Do I want the responsibility of cleaning and maintaining a house? I can easily fill up my day and not be bored living in an RV with little responsibility and chores.

Are we able to take on the finance burden of being "house poor" again? I do not like that feeling. Living in the RV, we can easily control our expenses. If we need to be careful, then we stay in one spot for a longer time. We get a reduced rate for longer stays, and we don't gobble up gas. 

I'm afraid of the commitment to owning a house with all the separate bills...taxes, water, sewer, electric, heat, etc. Now everything is paid via credit card with one payment in full per month.

Decisions, decisions. I hope to get a better feel for what I/we want when we look at houses and property in Tennessee in the Spring.

Here are some photos of a home and property we've had our eye on for about a month. It has just been reduced by $10,000. But, we will not think too much about it unless it is still available in the Spring when we are in Tennessee. 10 acres $205,000.

A lake with a mini island. What a great "getaway" spot!

I love wood interior!

 

Some grass to keep Scott busy.

Even fenced around the house for the dogs!!!!

Large covered porch...ahhhh!

I'm trying to develop a more detailed itinerary. What a PIA! It is so much nicer to just wing it week to week. I enjoy no timeline. We stay someplace for a week or two and while there, decide where to head next. But since we "have" to visit family and "have" to attend a Cedar Creek RV Owner's Rally, we are on a time schedule, even though the rally is not until June 2014. We have a lot of ground to cover. My parents are in Florida, Scott's parents are in NJ as well as my brother. Along the way, we'll visit friends, in Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, NJ, and Massachusetts. Plus, we want look at real estate in Tennessee. And finally, the rally is in Missouri. Phew! That's a lot of mileage, so deciding how much distance to cover and how long to stay at places is very time consuming. I'm especially concerned because I'm not sure if we plan to return to this part of the country again, so I'd like to visit the Gulf shores of Texas.

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PETS:

An Irish Setter breeder we know from Jackson, NJ was awarded Breeder of the Year by the AKC. We don't know them personally, but have watched their son grow from a chubby junior handler to a now 29 year old handler and breeder following in his parents footsteps. This family was quite easy to keep track of since Dad and Son would dress very loudly at dog shows. They would wear bright pants and large plaid sports jackets, was their signature.

How to tell if your dog is involved in a sex scandal...

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love reading books about dogs as long as it's a happy ending.
This is a sweet book. But as a seasoned dog rescue volunteer, there were parts in this book that drove me bonkers.
The attitude of a dog owner that dogs are free to come and go and choose whom to live with. They called this type of dog "A walk in". These dogs walk into your life and just as easily walk out of your life. Well, duh, if you don't ensure the fence is high enough and secure enough, yes a dog will wander. Not all dogs are velcro dogs. It is our responsibility to keep them safe.
The story is about taking a shelter dog home for the Christmas holiday and then returning afterward, if you haven't fell in love. Good ole' Dad was following the rules and insisting on bringing the dog back after Christmas, because that was the deal. Well, duh! Shelter dogs need homes. He didn't realize he could adopt the dog? Grrrr! Little things like that was the reason for only 3 stars.
But overall, the book kept my interest. The love of family and community was like "Mayberry". I wanted to give the special needs boy, Todd a hug. This is a feel good book, with an educational story about all the dogs in need of homes and what we all can do to help.
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CRAFTS:

Still working on my felted Ravelry tote bag. Instead of knitting intarsia (changing colors while knitting), I opted to do he design in duplicate stitch (cover stitches with embroidery). I'm not happy with the coverage, but hope after felting it will all blend in.

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RV MOD:

When we lived in a house, I would stock up on items that were on sale. One of the items being, toilet paper. Toilet paper rolls can take up a lot of precious storage space. Our RV has a closet for the toilet area. Our shower and sink are open into the bedroom, so just the "throne" is enclosed for privacy. Cosmetically, it is not a nice set up, but it opens up our bedroom rather than having the 3 piece ensuite a completely separate area. We used to buy just 3-6 rolls at a time. Now we can EASILY store 12 rolls of toilet paper. And yes, we use Scott 1000. We have never had a problem with clogging toilet paper in our black tank. But where to store this bulky package???

Ta dah! Think up! This inexpensive and easy mod holds 11-12 rolls of toilet paper. I also use it to keep our jumbo roll of handi wipes...handy.  It takes up very little floor space and is convenient. If you can see right above the wallpaper border to the left of the dowel, I've attached a command hook and a bungee cord. I wrap the bungee around the dowel during travel, so it doesn't tip over. But even if it does, nothing bad really happens.



Supplies:
3-4 foot 1" round dowel
an approx. 4" square medallion corner molding piece
Drill
Screw

 

Just drill a hole in the bottom of the medallion and screw the screw into the dowel. Done!

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PRODUCT REVIEW update:

In our never ending effort to downsize and keep things small and light, we got rid of our Keurig One cup coffee maker in July 2013. We won it at as a raffle prize. It had a good go and did a fine job of brewing coffee. It was fun being able to have a variety of coffees to choose from, especially since Scott and my taste in coffee are different, just like wine. We switched to a cone drip method. This freed up a lot of counter space. So after 6 months of using the drip method, I'm very happy with it. It may not be for someone who has to rush to work, or who makes a pot of coffee for multiple members of the family, but for us it fits. 

We've been using the Cuissential  SlickDrip Collapsible Silicone Coffee Dripper. It collapses flat so will fit in a drawer. We stopped buying whole bean coffee, so was able to clear the bean grinder off the counter also. I am somewhat particular about my coffee. I like a dark, strong coffee, but NOT BITTER. But, my pickiness does not seem to be affected by whole or pre-ground beans.

Since Scott and I like different types of coffee, and Scott gets up much later than I do, there is no need to make a pot of coffee. I can make one or two cups at a time for myself and reheat if needed. I'm very happy with this compact coffee brew system.

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
Thursday, 1/2/13 - 1/8/13 (1 week) Oliver Lee State Park, Alamogordo, NM (White Sands)