Monday, June 30, 2014

Long Lost Mermaid

Unexpected visitors today.



Looking for a long lost mermaid.

I'm not all here, cause I'm not all there.





Sunday, June 29, 2014

Choose Happiness

Getting my groove back on...

I haven't written much lately here, just been a tad overwhelmed with too much happening around me. With 80 things to do and energy for only 8, which do I pick? Getting well with alternative treatments is sure taking up a chunk of time and energy but for me, it's a lot less stressful this way. I had something wrong with my jaw, it hurt so bad, I couldn't smile! That sure put me in a funk.

But today, I woke up alive and struggled to smile. Well, frankly I had to force myself to plaster a great big smile on my face. But it was well worth the effort. Soon I was feeling great in spite of everything. You can't really force a smile, you have to let your eyes twinkle. A fake smile doesn't do much, except tell the world "Hey, look at my fake smile!" but if that's all one can muster, it's a start towards a genuine smile.

No idea how to explain that. But I always think of Bobby C. a good friend of mine (now passed on) who was never without a smile even when he went through some excruciatingly tough times. I would briefly see him down and out, as he lowered his voice to almost a whisper, updating me on his nightmare, then a moment later he would be smiling, laughing and that twinkle in his eye was unmistakable. He triumphed over tragedy. Perhaps it was his daily enthusiasm and smiling.

choose happiness instead of misery and practice it by smiling


Smiling is a natural happiness high. Sick and tired of drugs? Try smiling!

Smiling releases pleasure hormones called endorphins, antidepressant hormones such as serotonin  (Big drum roll here!) and natural painkillers. Smiling reduces stress and boosts your immune system.

Still not smiling?

Smiling produces more happy hormones than chocolate. One study suggests that smiling offers the same level of stimulation as 2,000 chocolate bars. (Um...who exactly volunteered to eat those 2,000 chocolate bars?)

Another study claims you can lower your blood pressure through smiling. The study says you can test your blood pressure, then smile for 10-20 minutes, then test it again, and it will be lower. I don't have a blood pressure monitor to try this but if you do, let me know what you find out.

Another study claims manic depression can be cured with 20 minutes per day of smiling. Why not smile all day long? Cure everything!

When I smile, I feel better and people are nicer around me. Funny how that works.

I've even tried this over the phone a few times. I had a big technical problem. Calling the company was sure to be a daunting task, in the past it was always difficult. But I sat at my desk and smiled. Then I made the dreaded phone call. Once I finally got a technician on the line, I continued to smile while I spoke on the phone. Amazingly, the person on the other end became warm, engaging and actually sought to fix my problem rather quickly. I was stunned.

Sure there are times to be sad and one doesn't feel like smiling, like when someone beloved dies. It's sad and heart wrenching. It's OK, to sulk in some misery. But soon enough you have to pick up the pieces and get on back to smiling. Your beloved would want you that way.

So no matter what is going on, I am trying to remind myself over and over, SMILE SMILE SMILE!

~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Inspiration



























Visit RVworkamping.Com

Dear Miss Mermaid, a child of the planet, but cleverly disguised as an adult, has been hanging about there writing and posting.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Sea Roses

My blogs have slowed down some, but this is temporary, not to worry.

Just a few stumbling blocks with problems every where I turned it seemed. I still keep plastering a smile on my silly face, hoping for the best.

Sea Roses Monet

I never knew until today that Claude Monet painted this lovely scene titled Sea Roses. I look at this painting and I just want to go sit by the waters edge in a comfy rocking chair.

When I lived aboard my sailboat she was named Sea Rose. I towed a dingy named Sea Weed.

Later when I acquired a beat up old heap of a rusty jeep for my business, I christened her Rose Royce.

Years back I posted Name My Motorhome. A few readers came up with some very creative names, but I never really settled on one. Recently someone suggested I name it Rolling Rose.

And of course Harley Dog has his own ideas...



Thursday, June 26, 2014

Take The Challenge!

Reboot your life.

Take the challenge!

Go techno-free.

Plan ahead to set aside a minimum of 24 hours. Notify friends, family, business associates and any worry warts that you will be completely unavailable.

Turn off the phone. Turn off the TV. Shut down the computer. Unplug the internet. Turn off the radio.

That's right. Unplug yourself from all technology.

Now spend 24 hours (or more!) doing something else that doesn't involve phone, internet, radio or TV.

If you can set aside more time, then by all means do it.

Dear Miss Mermaid just spent 24+ hours of no technology. It was refreshing, exhilarating, calming and relaxing. Next week I might take 48 hours of no technology. And next month, I might just sail off the edge of the world. We all know it's not really round. 

My technology is old, very old. But still, I needed a break from the chaos. 








Sunday, June 22, 2014

Ahhhhhhh


Crazy Summer Solstice

The summer solstice has brought out throngs to the park where I workamp.

It's amazing the things that can happen in the heat of day in one small park. From broken glass on the beach to a lost dog on one side of the park and a found dog on the other side, a lost child, a frantic family, someone stuffed a diaper down the toilet flooding the bathroom. It's a no-alcohol-allowed park, but we end up with drunks anyhow. Many are allergic to the garbage cans, so they toss their beer cans where ever. A curious situation I haven't quite figured out.

We have a boat ramp and a courtesy dock. The courtesy dock is for brief short term use. Often used to pick up and discharge passengers. It's also used by captains to briefly tie up the boat, run to the parking lot, reverse their truck and boat trailer down the ramp, run back to the dock, motor their boat over to the ramp, maneuver up on their boat trailer, then hop in their truck or SUV, tow the boat and trailer off the ramp. Many then stop in the parking lot, to finish securing their boat before they take it back home or to one of the numerous storage areas outside of the park. In other words, it's not a marina dock for long term use.

Sailors on the other hand, use the boat ramp too, but most don't have engines. They tie their boats in the bushes, so they can walk them around in the shallow water to their boat trailer once it's in place. But at some point some cantankerous fishermen set up shop between a sailboat in the bushes and the boat ramp. When the sailor returned to walk his boat around in the water, the belligerent fishermen attacked him with hooks. What a bloody mess. Two were left embedded in his hand.

A boat crashed into the courtesy boat dock in such a way as to drive up on top of the dock which happened to have people on it at the time who luckily managed to jump out of the way. Their accident damaged the fender boards on the dock. No idea what damages the boat sustained, as they left the scene of the accident. While I was photographing the damages to the dock, another boat that had no fenders was utilizing the dock. Meanwhile I notice the damages from the prior accident left exposed mangled bolts jutting out, which were grinding scratches into their boat. Oh dear me. I tried to fend off their boat until the owner came back.

Another boat owner broke their trailer while trying to haul out their boat. Hours later in the parking lot, they still couldn't get the trailer repaired. There wasn't room to leave their boat on the small dock overnight, because we have boaters coming and going at all hours.

So now I've got their boat tied up to a tree, on the lake out back of my place. They towed their busted trailer home with hopes of returning tomorrow with it repaired.

Whee! I got a party pontoon boat out back!

An injured sailor was unable to take his rig down in order to tow his boat home, so now I've got his fully rigged sailboat parked in my driveway out front.

Whee! Now I've got a sailboat out front!

At some point I had a lost dog and a lost child, but luckily I pawned them off, hopefully back to their correct families. Then somebody starts shooting off fireworks in the woods, scaring dogs, adults and children. Good grief. Fireworks aren't allowed in the park, but shoot, bang, bang, something is exploding in the woods.

A golf cart went tootling down a steep hiking path, and that's where his battery died. At the bottom of the steep path.

Oh and for some weird reason a big pile of smelly dead fish appeared on the shoreline. Whether left there from a fishing tournament or washed up dead, I have no idea but it sure smells lovely in this heat.

Other than that, not much happened around here today. 

Friday, June 20, 2014

Double Trouble

It's a beautiful day. I woke up alive, the sun came up, the birds are busy singing and tweeting. I wish I had a way to record them, it's like living in a bird paradise.

We have one confused woodpecker. I've tried unsucessfully to photogrpah him many times. He was pecking away on the metal of the street lamp planted on my lot. It made a racuous noise as he tapped away at the metal. All my pictures came out either blurry or empty (he flew away). But for weeks he kept up this pesky habit of loudly rat-a-tat-tatting on the street lamp metal.

Recently I caught him again, but now he is tapping away on the wooden pole.



Funny scams...

I know it's not funny to the victims, but I recently stumbled across this nugget of information.

A little background information first:
Lake Hartwell is a US Army Corps protected lake bordering on South Carolina and Georgia in 2 states and 6 counties with a shoreline nearly a thousand miles long. Homeowners who build on the lake can apply for a floating dock permit for their enjoyment and boating. Some folks build a covered dock for their boat with an upper deck for entertaining. This is commonly referred to as a double decker.

Thieves last year picked out a lovely 24 by 24 foot double decker dock to advertise for sale on Craigslist. A couple on the lake saw the ad and bought the dock for $4,000 cash after going to look at it. The sellers towed the dock across the lake to attach to the purchaser's property.

The big problem is, the thieves didn't own the dock. They stole it from another homeowner who was living out of state. Many lake homes are not occupied fulltime year round.

A few months later, the thief was caught, incredibly he lived nearby. I could understand if he came from across the country, did the evil deed then left town again. But um no. He lived in the area. Even funnier the purchaser's of the dock took pictures of him when he was setting up their "new" dock.

Life is goof...

~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Growing Pains

Warning! This post might cure insomnia...

Growing Pains...
I am going through a lot of growing pains with this blog and my new one. My life is going through growing pains while I do a mountain of research on alternative therapies for my health issues. It all seems to take so much time because I am constantly learning new things and I'm pretty darn slow about it. Then there is this old motorhome, which takes up time as I try to learn then repair what I can myself or carefully research before plunking down funds for someone else to resuscitate it.

Subscriptions...
Many folks have emailed or commented about the subscriptions on this site. I subscribe to it too so I can monitor the system. I have no idea what's wrong. The emailed subscriptions seem to show up randomly and might have one post or several. Currently I have no control over it, but I have become disenchanted with this particular blogging platform, so I am switching over slowly to a different one. If you are missing my subscription, then try the subscribe link again.



Workamping...
It takes up more time than I imagined, but I do more volunteer work than is "required" for my situation. I guess it's just my nature to go the extra mile. Many folks in my shoes would do the bare minimum or even try to escape that too. I wish I could be more relaxed about it. But I just like to put my best foot and paw forward (and pray I don't trip up and land on my face.)

99% of my career life I was self-employed or working under contract as a freelancer. This is easier said than done. It requires a mountain of self discipline and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done... without excuses.

Excuses...
It's so easy to fall into the trap and I've certainly fallen into that trap the last few years while I've flailed around picking up the pieces. Now I am trying NOT to make excuses and accept reality. Own up to the facts. Quit making excuses and get on with life. 

Confusion...
I am often confused and overwhelmed. I know I take on too much, but here again, I've just always preferred a busy life juggling numerous things. My brain seems thirsty. But I need to focus more on the stuff I don't want to do, that still needs doing, no matter how stressful or distasteful. (Yucky poo!)

Go figure...
Money is not happiness and many folks take me to task on this. They can't be happy without a pile of money and they feel like I have no right to be so happy either. It's crazy!

I am wildly happy each day and some interpret this to mean I must be fantastically wealthy in money. Well, I must admit, I wouldn't be allergic to money in the bank again, but I feel fantastically wealthy that in spite of the nightmare I went through, I managed to get my groove back. I sorted out my basic needs, picked up the pieces and marched, crawled, wobbled and wiggled onward... more or less.

I still wake up happy and plan to keep right on doing that. In 2009 I spent much of the year waking up miserable and confused. I was caught up in a horrid situation for which there will never be justice. Sometimes life is NOT fair. Bad things happen.

Angels...
So many angels have helped me along. I never knew so many people could be so generous, kind and fantastic examples of Good Samaritans. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I fear I am never thankful enough!

Oh be Joyful, Oh Be Thankful...
I am so super uber thankful for all the wonderful angels and powers above that helped this wretched soul. You know who you are and I pray you are holding your head high.

The past...
Much of my life I made enough money to do what I wanted to do and still set some aside for a rainy day. I was wildly happy and content. The year 2009 transformed my life in ways I still don't want to talk about. The end result I spent a bloody fortune trying to recuperate and rebound. Then after 23 years working and living overseas, mostly in and around the Caribbean both on sea and land, I whimsically relocated to America. I was born here, raised here and worked my first career here. I loved my home in the Caribbean but I decided I needed distance between me and those horrifying events of 2009.

I might as well have moved to Mars. America changed a lot in those 23 years. I was and still am pretty clueless!

Now I live on a minuscule erratic income while I fight to get my health in order while dreaming of more energy to live and love and give back. Maybe in some ways, I am comforted by doing my anonymous litter picking as a bizarre thank you to all the blessed angels who went out of their way to help me out. I feel like I am leaving my mark on mother nature, that I tried to restore some of her beauty, bounty and grandeur by cleaning up what thoughtless souls have left behind in their disgrace. Maybe Cherokee blood runs strong and it's why I feel more at home with nature than anywhere else.

Even if your blissful life has come to a shattering halt, it's no excuse to stop dreaming. Pick up the pieces, shuffle forward. Cling to that life raft and savor the adventure!

Bits and Pieces...
I feel like my brain is coming back to me in little bits and pieces. I've used it to figure out how to live happily albeit in much different circumstances. Yes, it can be done! A few short years ago, I couldn't remember my date of birth or how to put my clothes on right side out. Now it seems all so silly, like a funny dream.

Sometimes I still need a dose of reality now and then but I see nothing wrong with striving to wake up happy each and every day.

My body is failing but the spirit is willing. 

Miracles...
I believe in them! I defy all odds, I am still alive and kicking, living every day like I am the richest person on planet earth. I figure if I wake up alive, it's like winning the zillion dollar lottery! The first thing I do when I wake up is SMILE.

We all just need super basic needs, once those are met, if you still aren't happy, then probably nothing will make you happy. I know that sounds harsh!

Food, shelter, clothing, community. That's the 4 basic needs. In America, it's surprisingly easy to obtain the 4 basic needs but you may have to go about it in a most unconventional way if your life has had a major interruption.

Many folks I think just aren't grateful to have their daily basic needs met.

Some want fancy cars and big payments, huge TV's and more payments, over zealous satellite and internet systems, then more techno gadgets and more payments, mansions and more payments, then they  wonder how they ended up in a job they hate, keeping up appearances with all these payments wondering why they can't run out and just follow their dreams.

Humans of course need food to survive. Unfortunately our bodies aren't designed to run around naked unless we can all live in temperate climates, even then our semi-hairless bodies just aren't built to cope with nature much. It's as if we are aliens on our own planet. Shelter, we need some sort of shelter because we are ill equipped to live without it lest we become part of the food chain or succumb to the elements of brutal weather. Community is necessary in the form of some sort of companionship, whether it's our family, someone down the street or a beloved pet. Man was not designed to live alone without some sort of companionship or community.

Sure there are a few token souls that manage to try to live without community and companionship but they are an extreme rare exception. Eventually they need or want something that forces them into contact with others. Heaven help us all.

Life is Goof but I'm loving every minute of it!


Sunday, June 15, 2014

Friday the 13th Weekend of Crazy

Somehow some way I have to learn to climb up on the roof and fix it. I've paid 3 different people to repair it and guess what.

Opened up my inside overhead cabinets to find them an inch deep in water. The scream was heard around the lake. 

Lately so much of my stuff has been flooded that I might as well live on a boat again. I swear, my boat was much drier than this RV. I repaired my boat leaks shortly after I bought it and it remained dry the next 12 years. My RV is proving differently. Of course flooding the toy box aka the cargo carrier box aka the tool box... was perhaps maybe just my fault. *SIGH*

I have a ton of flimsy excuses why I don't wish to climb on the roof:

I am just not as agile anymore. 
Body parts have fused together in strange ways.
Matter of fact, I am missing a few parts here and there too.
I'm too fluffy. 
My body is beat to pieces (and covered in scars to prove it.)
I loaned out my walker. (True!)
I loaned out my cane. (True!)
I'm parked on concrete, not a soft landing if I fall off the daggum roof. 
The ladder is difficult. 
The ladder is too short. 
The ladder doesn't like me.
I get dizzy.
Heights without rails sort of scare me.
It's hot up there.
The dog won't go with me.
Once up there, whatever I forgot will be down here.
The dog can't dial 911.

In case you are wondering, a new roof is out of the question unless I sell 803 more "Hurricanes and Hangovers" at retail price or 3,214 at wholesale price. Easier said than done, but worth a shot.

BANG! 

Then my friends came to visit and it was all fun and games until someone broke my nearly new awesome folding rocking chair while doing something the rocking chair wasn't intended to do. They had to go home and left. Seriously they had another engagement. For a few weeks now I have been in heaven on earth being able to rock away for the first time in many years. Rocking is very soothing and I jumped up in the mornings, to grab coffee, go outside and rock away while the sun came up. Many evenings I rocked while the sun set. It was soothing, it was healing, it was fun, it was comforting. I even found out recently that rocking chairs have a ton of beneficial health benefits. I guess you could say I kind of fell in love with the rocker.

Even my doggy loves me to hold him while we rock away together. It was all such great fun and most of all comforting. I never knew it could end. POOF, just like that. Two other friends showed up and tried to help me patch the rocker back together. *Sigh*

Hours later some sort of fire at the electrical post caused a meltdown. Now I had no electricity and it was almost dark thirty.

Finally I pealed myself off the ceiling, to go deal with the electrical nightmare.

I was scared silly out there with rubber gloves and wooden sticks trying to remove my RV plug from the offending smoking socket. This after making a phone call to an RV angel who was willing to talk to this fool on the phone. I am terrified of electricity. I've been shocked, I've been hit by lightning (more than once too.) So yeah, I am one great big WIMP when it comes to electrical mishaps.

It's been super hot today too. Very hot! I drank almost a gallon of iced tea and two glasses of juice. I am still thirsty.

Before I could fix the electrical mess, my phone rang. It was a close friend of mine who is hundreds of miles away but threatening to come see me one of these days. Another sailor. The dates keep changing. A new tack, an old boat. Or should I say an old goat. Naaaah... that would be baaaaa...d.

I'm afraid I interrupted him with a great big belly laugh. I was surveying the park from my place on the hill. That's when I noticed IT.

For some insane reason, a woman was parading around naked in the parking lot where I workamp. I couldn't stop laughing. It just seemed well, so hilarious! All this weird calamity around me and now there's a grown woman in her birthday suit strutting around the parking lot in her flip flops.

Like I said, it was a VERY hot day.

My friend on the phone was giggling too as I described the scene. It started with me saying "Hmm, (giggle, laugh, roar) looks like (snicker, giggle)  a naked woman (laugh, snort, giggle) in the parking lot. Let me put on my glasses. (Laugh, giggle, roar, snicker) Um, by golly, (uncontrollable laughter) it IS a naked woman in the parking lot. (Giggle, laugh, hold my ribs, and roar raucous laughter) Yep, she is walking around naked in her flip flops. (Giggle, giggle, giggle!) Oh there (snicker, laugh, giggle)  she's opening a pickup truck door, ah, she is pulling out some clothes. Now she is carrying the clothes but walking around (Giggle, laugh, snort, giggle) naked in her flip flops.

I couldn't stop laughing! My friend on the other end of the phone was roaring too, making funny comments. We had to get off the phone, we were making each other laugh so hard we couldn't carry on a conversation anymore.

A few minutes later, the woman eventually got dressed right there in the parking lot.

I calmed back down. But it WAS funny! 

Now without rocking, I've been seriously reconsidering ALL things.

Long and hard, I've thought about my future.

I just don't think growing up is going to work for me. 


~~~~~~~~~
Shop Amazon
They Even Sell a Naked Book!



Saturday, June 14, 2014

Ship of Fools

Friday the 13th
Full Moon Rising
Lake Hartwell
South Carolina


I just discovered what an idiot I am. Um, well I know, you're probably wondering why it took me so long to figure this out...

I try to do certain things systematically since the head injury so that I don't accidentally do something monumentally stupid. Like the time I hooked up the washing machine which quick-connects to the bathroom sink, turned it on, then a half hour later noticed I had not jammed the water drain hose down the sink drain. Not only was the RV flooded but it poured out the front door and down the steps like a waterfall.

Soooooooo...

Whenever I am in the "toy box" which is a big cargo carrier on the rear of the RV, I close it right away and put the wind lock on it. The wind lock being a bungee cord thingy to keep the wind from blowing it open so I don't have to padlock it right away. The bungee cord latch also keeps the cargo carrier rain proof.

Recently a wonderful angel stopped by to visit and we ended up tackling a minor project on my bicycle.

So yesterday while digging out the wire ties and tools, about the 3rd time back there to the cargo carrier in back of the RV, for some FOOL reason I left the lid up. Why oh why did I do that? I always close it right away, so I don't have to THINK about it...

Well, as time marched on that afternoon, a huge storm came rolling in. My friend went home, doggy and I took cover inside the motorhome. The storm raged on all night long. The next day, I had no reason to go to the rear of my motorhome until late that evening.

That is when I noticed the cargo carrier with all my tools and RV supplies wide open and 2 feet deep in water.

Deep rain water in my now empty cargo box.


I was pretty tired, very upset, super agitated and like a girl... I just wanted to sit down and cry my eyes out. Somehow, I avoided the tears and began the thankless task of emptying out the entire cargo carrier while muttering under my breath. It was like pandora's box. I was utterly amazed at the mountain of tools and supplies I had stored in that box.

Some of the mess laid out for drying.


At one point I was still so upset, I said to hell with it. The doggy and I went on a nice long walk while litter picking. We even met some friendly folks who chatted us up and helped us with some of the litter. WOW! That so rarely happens and it was super refreshing!

Back at the RV, I began labourisouly drying off tools with microfiber rags while the box fan was positioned to blow air on them. Then I will need to coat them with a bit of oil. Oh what fun.

I am just so hopping mad at myself. But I will get over it.

A bored little doggy wanted to play Frisbee, so I was tossing the Frisbee, then drying off tools. Harley would race back with the Frisbee which he deposited into his chair. I would stop drying tools, toss the Frisbee, go back to drying tools while waiting for him to fetch and return.

At one point when he came back, I was now soaking a rag in oil for polishing and protecting the tools. I told him to wait a minute while I found something to wipe my hands dry. Somehow that little rascal quietly escaped his tether and ran off. What's even WORSE was I was busy for another few minutes and didn't notice!

Suddenly I look up and see a lady walking up the hill with a small dog. I jumped up, looking for my little dog who I was sure would be thrilled to have company, but he wasn't around. That's when I realized the small dog she was walking was MY little monkey!

Apparently he raced for the parking lot, found people messing about their boat so he inserted himself into their group. The woman realized where he had escaped from, coaxing him back up the hill with her.

With a big red face, I thanked her profusely while debating whether to love on my wayward puppy (who has no road sense at all) or scream at him for doing such a foolish thing. (He could have been run over!)

I guess we are just a ship of fools today.





Thursday, June 12, 2014

Toto and Harley



Wizard of Oz Dorothy's Toto in a Basket

I am laughing so hard, my little doggy is trying to kiss me all over my silly face. Amazon is selling this hilarious prop. If you don't have a doggy to ride on your bicycle, get this basket that comes with Toto!

Harley dog is going to have to save up his spare change to get this toy. What a hoot! It looks just like him, even funnier.

Maybe Santa Claws will get this for him if he is a super good doggy all year long.

The way Harley likes to perform and show off, I sometimes wonder if he is a descendant of Toto. At the time the movie was made, Toto was paid more than the munchkins. Strange trivia for sure. Toto was paid $125 a week, the munchkins were paid $100 but they had to pay a 50% commission to some sort of gouging agency, so they only made $50 per week.

I am going to giggle all day long when I think about this silly toy.

OK, we are off to see the wizard!

That is code talk for patrolling the park and policing the litter. 

Harley wants a blog of his own. Good grief. First he needs to learn to type...

Meanwhile we have a new blog and website under construction at
http://RVworkamping.Com



Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Doggy Time

Somehow May 25th came and went while I forgot it was Harley Dog's anniversary with me and this old motorhome. Four years ago the poor wretched waif entered my life. Neither of us were expected to live much longer, but with bizarre enthusiasm, we embarked on a journey of healing together.

At first, he wouldn't walk on a leash and I couldn't walk 100 feet. So I carried my little fur baby out to a bush, set him down to sniff and piddle. He would rapidly do his business, then cry pathetically until I picked him up again. Ten feet later, we would repeat this. Another ten feet. Now I had to rest. He seemed so heavy, I was so weak. Our walks were short and mostly I carried him the first week.

One day while he was watering some grass, he saw a squirrel. Suddenly he ran after him, while I leaped behind him with the leash. With a wee more encouragement, he decided maybe the leash could work. After all it was useful for dragging me where ever he wanted to go. This could be down right fun.

At the time we were camping in a friend's garden. Several times a day we went on super short walks while I tried to work on my stamina and he tried nine different ways to tangle up the leash. Whenever something spooked him, which was quite often, he would cry to be held. Often I had to carry him in my arms.

He was like a little baby. I enjoyed cuddling him, stroking his scant fur, and talking sweetly to him telling him that one day we would travel far and wide.

Four years later, we are both very much alive and having oodles of fun!

Hmm...

Maybe pets and people can heal together. I can't imagine my life without this bundle of joy.





Also see

In Celebration of Harley

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

More Garbage

I always enjoy reading the comments readers take time to post on my blogs. Yesterday's "Compulsive Obsessive" sparked 3 comments which I have posted below and added my own note afterwards.

Ann wrote:
I, too am disgusted with all the litter I encounter when I hike state park trails on my many camping trips. I've taken to carrying a small trash bag and frequently fill it on a 2-3 mile hike. I understand that sometimes things get lost (like the necklace you found), but other stuff is (at best) carelessness and (at worst) deliberate littering due to ignorance or laziness or something. Its not that hard to pack out your litter. But, there will always be people who don't care I guess. 

I am glad to hear from other caring souls! We will always need more angels willing to pick up after the slouches, clods, dimwits, lamebrains and ratbags. Last year I workamped in a different park that had closed off one section to cars. Hikers were allowed to park and walk into the closed section. We asked them to bring their garbage out with them. It surely fell on deaf ears for some. I was astonished at the amount of leftover picnics I had to clean up after.

Martha wrote:
The cross looks like one my husband wears. It's made with horse shoe nails. They really should pay you for your work. 

Ah ha! I wondered what kind of nails those were. I have it in my "Lost and Found" pile in case someone inquires about it. The leather is pretty worn out, like it might have been in the lake awhile. An amazing amount of garbage washes up on the lake shore, where I found the necklace. Last year's floods deposited a ton or more of garbage in this little park, making me nearly crazy as I toiled day after day trying to get to it all. Sometimes I put the shoes and clothes at the life jacket stand at the end of the parking lot, but often the maintenance workers that empty the garbage cans nearby will toss it in.

As for paying me, I often think with laughter, that it's a good thing folks like me are willing to volunteer so that the almighty politicians can continue to maintain their lavish lifestyles with exorbitant salaries, outlandish perks and sumptuous retirement schemes. Where would they be without us volunteers?

Anonymous wrote:
Good for you! I save aluminum cans for my son to recycle. The cash adds up rapidly in NC. Does SC recycle in the parks? Enjoy your blogs and check regularly for them. on Compulsive Obsessive

This park where I volunteer, does not have recycle bins probably because there is not a campground within this particular park. Most of them do have recycle bins, but I've seen folks do some awful things to those sometimes. I just wish Americans as a whole had a better attitude towards cleaning up their paradise.

A family walked in the other day with small children, dragging small bags of cans. They asked if there was a fee for them to walk-in (cars are charged $4 each). I told them there was no fee for walk-ins. They wanted to look for cans and I had just cleaned the park. I told them to feel free to check all the garbage cans and remove the aluminum cans. I was hoping they were going to come every day, but I only saw them that one time.

There is a place on the shoreline that has some cans that I haven't been able to reach yet. I was hoping the kids could scramble over the rocky terrain to get to them, but I noticed they are still there. If an area looks snaky or an ankle breaker, I try to be super careful. Sometimes I just have to leave the garbage there because I feel like I can't safely reach it. Mostly this is our illustrious beer drinkers who feel compelled to toss their beer cans deep into the woods. I would rather they just drop them in the road where I can at least get to it without risking a broken leg.

Recently I found a super heavy water logged blanket or carpet that had tears and rips on the edge of the shore. I dragged it up further inland to some sunshine. Either I was super weak or it was very heavy. I was hoping once it dried out, I can get it to a garbage can. I also found a very old shoe and a rotten rope nearby. It seemed very creepy to me for some indeterminate reason.

My dog has been quite adventurous with me, finding garbage but sometimes he doesn't want to enter an area where there is garbage in the woods. I listen to him, that it might be snaky. I mean he will defiantly plant his little paws and refuse to budge. Sadly we sometimes just have to leave it behind for the sake of our own safety. 

Monday, June 09, 2014

Compulsive Obsessive



Sometimes I wish I were compulsive obsessive (for a super clean home) and other times I realize I may already be that way in certain strange areas.


There are no dumpsters around here for me to dive in looking for useful camping goods. But I pick up litter all over the park as a volunteer to nature. Amazingly, I actually find some interesting stuff once in awhile.


Among some of the items I found and kept these past 2 months of litter picking in this small park and along the public roads:
2 bungee cords
1 necklace with a cross
1 nearly new large life jacket vest in black and red
1 cell phone (returned to owner after numerous calls)
34 wiggly rubber fishing lures
1 fish net with handle
1 screw driver
1 red reflector
1 large foam football
3 toy shovels
2 promotional doughnut shaped discs
1 medium plastic turtle
1 small pink pig
53 quarters (25 cent coins)
43 dimes (10 cents coins)
29 nickles (5 cent coins)
148 pennies (1 cent coins)
1 key chain with fringed leather attachment but no keys
2 cigarette lighters (both working)

The stuff I find and relocate to the garbage cans:

Candy wrappers
cigarette wrappers
plastic cigar tips
foil wrappers
bottle tops
can tops
fishing line
junk food wrappers
fast food wrappers
drink cups
aluminum cans
fishing hooks
1 pair shoes
an amazing amount of mateless shoe singles
underwear
shorts
T-shirts
batteries
bolts, screws, washers, nuts
inflatable bed
carpet pieces
balloons
birth control
beer cans
soda cans
beer bottles
plastic bottles
way too many water bottles
rotten blanket
bait containers (some with fresh bait)
cigar butts
cigarette butts
cigarette packs
drink lids
drink straws
condiment packages (mustard etc.)
broken glass
parking tickets

I pick up so many cigarette butts that if I had a penny for each one I pick up, I could buy a new motorhome by now.

I found the devil once too! But OOPS, nope, that's just my crazy little monkey dog...

In my dreams I would love to make a public service video for TV and internet. In that video I would show open beautiful parks, in their pristine shape with lakes, rivers, waterfalls, beaches, oceans, mountains. Then I would show park entrances with CLOSED INDEFINITELY signs. At the closed park scene, I would build a huge wall of garbage blocking the entire entrance, out of the amazing detritus I commonly pick up each day in the park. Next I would show nature trails like a beautiful path to an unspoiled beach, then show the path blocked by a fifty foot high wall of garbage commonly found discarded around the beach and park areas. I guess I would end it with some sort of catchy phrase like "Be a part of the solution, not part of the problem." Maybe even show a fool like me walking a dog, carrying a bucket and a litter picker.

The way I figure it in my crazy brain, the dog gets exercise, I get exercise, and we clean up a piece of paradise, occasionally with eclectic tiny rewards.

Life is amazing. People are strange. I am trying to keep one tiny part of the world tidy and clean from human waste.

Saturday, June 07, 2014

Miracles Shared

I am sharing this story below with you. It's from a close friend of mine who has done quite well for himself in spite of amazing odds he has faced. I knew about his deep secret. This is the first time I've seen him write about his miracle. As I wander around the bewildering paths of alternative therapies, I am both hopeful and reminded by his heartfelt note that miracles can and do happen all around us.

In 1995, I was diagnosed with a malignant inoperable brain tumor! As you can imagine, I was scared to death and after I got past wringing my hands and crying about it, I started trying to figure out what I was going to do to deal with it. 

To make a long story short as possible, I used alternative therapies and, WITH THE HELP OF GOD, AND LOTS OF SUPPORT FROM SOME WONDERFUL FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, the thing went away within about 6 months!

During that time, my daughter "J" was pregnant with my grandson "A". I remember praying everyday; “God please let me live to see this baby boy and let me live to see him grow up and graduate from high school one day!” 

This past Thursday, on June the fifth, 2014, THAT DREAM CAME TRUE! I came down to Greenville S C and went to his graduation ceremony as he received his diploma from Traveler’s Rest High School or as they call it down there, T. R. 

I sat in the audience holding my precious daughter’s hand and cried with her during the ceremony and I thought back to those crazy times in ’95 and experienced a dream coming true right before my eyes!

Is there a moral or lesson here? I think so! 

WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T STOP DREAMING AND DON’T STOP BELIEVING IN MIRACLES! THERE ARE MIRACLES GOING ON ALL AROUND US AND, YES, DREAMS DO COME TRUE! 

I HAVE SEEN IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE SO TODAY, JUST WAKE UP IN YOUR OWN DREAMS AND BELIEVE, BELIEVE, BELIEVE!


RVworkamping.Com

I thought I had posted here,  but blogger sometimes pretends to post then doesn't. I often lose track of time, not sure how that happens, but I've been plenty busy!

Check out my new website RVworkamping.Com

Would love to hear what you think. It's new and going through serious growing pains. 

RV workamping.Com
Home Sweet Home
At least for now...

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Wordless Wednesday


So, not exactly Wordless Wednesday, but here are some photos from the park on Lake Hartwell which borders northwest South Carolina and northeast Georgia.
The nearly new floating fishing pier is wheel chair accessible.
It's tucked away in a small cove with a paved sidewalk from the parking area. It's the opposite end from my camping spot, but we walk over here every day.


Below is my favorite waste of time; playing Frisbee with the puppy dog. At our workamp site he has a green play area with a 50 foot line attached to an overhead 100 foot line so he can race after the flying Frisbee over a large area.

Today he was carrying the Frisbee sideways, a new technique he taught himself.

Often he grasps it in his mouth perpendicular, then races back to get me to throw it again. After 20-50 tosses, we are both wore out. Nobody counts, so we guess.
Below Harley is running towards me, carrying the Frisbee like a big gong dangling, but he holds his head in such a way, the Frisbee is actually an inch above the ground as he zips lickety-split back to me.


The 8 foot 8 ton picnic table gets heavy duty use from entertaining and using it as a project work bench. I move the umbrella around depending on where I want the shade. In the rear is a string of white Christmas lights used for night time lighting. The straps in back are attached on the right to the motorhome awning and to a camp lamp post on the left, to prevent (or mitigate) wind damage to awning frame.
Sailing buddies recently stopped by with lamb, ribs and shrimp for a barbecue in between sailing on the lake in their boats. The picnic table is about 3 feet away, the grill swivels 360 degrees for wind shifts.

Now that I have a big golf umbrella for walking the doggy in wet weather, I whimsically repurposed a tiny umbrella over the lamp post. I hung up my fly swatter, litter picker and broom to the post above the bicycle garage. The line off the left is the start of Harley's 100 foot overhead run through the yard.

The patio fire pit also has a grill.


This is my park office-living-dining-den patio. Not seen is the fire pit in the rear of the paved pad. Harley dog has outfitted his space with toys, bones and pillowed seats. We both enjoy living outdoors as much as possible.

Speaking of projects... I love to repurpose things so they serve multiple purposes as needed. The seat to this folding director's eventually rotted off. It's not made to be easily replaceable. But the frame is so heavy duty, I discovered it makes a nice table or step ladder. I carry short lengths of thick boards for leveling the camper when I am parked on a dirt or grass slope. Now 2 of the boards are temporarily taped together to make a table top. Covering it is a piece of vinyl I cut off from a window shade that was over 3 feet too long.It's wrapped and taped to the boards making a handy side table for the summer. Shown is my park brochures I keep in a rain proof container, the small crockpot  and the computer cord. The white cord on the patio is the park's phone line.