Thursday, July 30, 2015

Big Cry Baby and Funny Doctor

Alive, kicking and screaming....

um not really, too weak to kick and scream!

this post is a mess because
i am dealing with only one hand for typing

i never learned texting, so i am no good with full sized keyboard and only 5 fingers to type with

confused? me too!

I am in a lot of pucking fain and the pucking fain pills are weak weak weak.

the emergency room folks were pretty nice even though i was a lousy patient

it takes extreme pain to get me to go beg for help

the events of the last week are astonishing

i had to drop what i was doing to go deal with a loved one's finality and that has been sad sad sad

during that event my rv broke down, i have tempoary bandiad on that fix now, took a few days cause  i was weak and exhausted

i went to soak my swollen right leg ankle calf  in an icy cold river and the relief was awesome even though the steep trail required me using the quad cane coming and going

i was waiting for amazon to deliver rv transmission fluid so i could refill it then hopefully drive rather than be towed

confused? me too!

on one of my leg soaking trips to icy river, i was super hot as its been hot humid weather in upper south carolina where i trveled to on short notice, long sad story... but i went to river and  left shoes on cause hot rocks can burn feet and day before burned feet when a child in river let out ear piercing screams.... determined child was not hurt but communicates in loud shrill screams that delight his family

confused? me too!

I entered water with shoes on when usually off and i guess cause my feet decided to scratch my nose and i am not sure my nose was itching so suddemly i was levitating looking at my toes thinking my quad cane in right hand would hold me up like a circus performer but when i landed on my well padded rump, my left arm looked funny and hurt

and hurt

and hurt

and hurt

so i stayed in icy cold river with body parts submerged until my teeth chatter so arm and leg no hurt because i am so c-c-cold now

confused? me too!

next day got rv rolling with bandaids and drove a mile with one hand and one leg, dead tired from lack of sleep and grief and pain

stopped to say another final farewell to my now deceased beloved, i couldnt drive anymore cause by now my arm had been torturing me for well over 24 hours and i was crazy or crazier? from pain

my friend took over driving my rig and we had to stop  along the way to make sure rv would make it and  rv transmission level  seemed happy with temp  fix

confused? me too!

ran into young couple who needed jump start and decided to help them out, old beat up car that sounded awful, like a junk yard reject, the young woman was covered in numerous open sores  whether a dreadful disease or really bad drugs, i don't know but we helped them out, then we checked our transmission, mind you this was at an ancient store of used goods and eclectic hardware on a country road in cherokee foothills in middle of nowhere

seemed like hours before we found small hospital with ER

by then i was in so much pain i could barely talk to point at arm and hand over ID and beg to lady at desk in busy hospital

confused? me too!

xrays and a super nice young doc who was incredulous cause my arm was badly broken close to wrist from about 30 something hours earlier and he funny too cause we laughing about this
by now i was whacked out giggly

so THATS why my arm looked lumpy and me crazy with pain thinking i be such a big cry baby over grief and lack of sleep making me cranky

confused? me too!







Monday, July 27, 2015

Roll With The PunchesIn my case

I woke up alive, living to the thrill of the latest misadventures.

Life is what happens when you plan one thing and another event inserts itself when you least expect it.

Multiply that times twenty and well you get the picture, I am very confused and exhausted.

A simple pine cone and pine needles.

Nature is awesome.

Speaking of awesome... without me it would just be aweso...


I was getting ready to prop up my injured leg when Harley dog decided to anchor me down in his cutest pose. Life is goof.


More later.

More or less.


Thursday, July 23, 2015

Motorhome Breaks Down


I just can't decide about this post.

How not to RV

RVing Misadventures

Angels and Devils

Having Way Too Much Fun

The Good, The Bad, The Comedy

MY RV innards threw up all over the place. (I thought I was the only one allowed to do that.) 

The good news... 
I have Wifi.

The bad news... 
My RV broke down and can't move an inch under its own power.

The comedy... 
It broke down blocking the entrance to an RV park in the middle of nowhere. 

Can you imagine? 

If I wasn't laughing so hard, I would be crying.

The good news... 
Angels appeared and in 95 effin degree weather of heat and humidity, pushed my RV with sheer brutal force towards a downward slope in the RV park then I coasted into a grassy parking spot with electric, water and sewer. I guess you could say they will do ANYTHING to attract (and keep!) new customers. 

I owe those Good Samaraitans a bundle of thanks and gratitude and hugs and kisses and money and my first born child. (They won't accept the canine kid as payment.)

The Bad news...
I don't have a plan yet.

The end result...

I am fine, the doggy is fine. The motorhome is not so fine but what the heck, I woke up alive and life is goof (But all this fun is exhausting!)


Monday, July 20, 2015

Out of Touch

Moving around to areas without phone or internet, so blog may have a hiccup.

My little monkey dog is helping out with the driving. Thank goodness for cruise control!


See you somewhere sooner or later.

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

Saturday, July 18, 2015

8 Months In A Little Old Motorhome

It only took me 8 months to do this route (shown below). The map is roughly from November 15, 2014 through July 15, 2015. All the stops are everywhere I camped. According to my odometer, I drove 2,230 miles which averages out to 279 miles per month which included running around doing my errands.

Of course I rely heavily on Amazon to deliver to my door in most campgrounds. With their competitive pricing and free shipping on many items, this has saved me a load of time and fuel. I am a member of Prime which means most of my items are shipped free in 2 days.

The new google maps made it nearly impossible to draw this map out. I had to copy, paste, knit and sew it together. Still I ended up with a little white box. I am too tired (lazy?) to fix that because I can't quite figure out how since google maps is fighting me every step of the way. This is their new improved map, it's a disaster! It does not work flawlessly at all, matter of fact it is full of many bugs and problems that somehow they think is useful. Google steadfastly refuses to allow me or anyone to revert back to the old useful mapping system. We are saddled with the new cantankerous mess. Their new mapping programs now limits one to only 10 stops, the old one allowed unlimited.

Nothing is efficient anymore. In the past, I could have whipped out this map in under 5 minutes, the new and improved system took me over an hour. Even then, it refused to recognize one of my stops, hence Cedar Point Campground is shown as VFW Road.

Common sense is... no longer common these days.

It seems the new techno nerds are bored. The old motto of "If ain't broke, don't fix it" has been tossed out with the rubbish. The new motto is "If it ain't broke, BREAK IT!"

Life is goof...

federal campgrounds, state campgrounds, county campgrounds, florida campgrounds, georgia rv parks, south carolina rv parks, north carolina rv parks

The good news is I woke up alive, it's a beautiful day and I am VERY thankful for all my wonderful readers who tolerate my madness *OOPS* my ramblings and writings.

My GPS continues to work erratically, I print out google directions, but recently they once again, gave me false information, but I reverted to my Atlas, which didn't know where I was going either. It's like I drove into the twilight zone. Can you imagine? Even the state park map on their South Carolina webpage, shows the wrong location for the park I ended up in. Or where I think I ended up...

It's a miracle I arrived at all, but I did. Of course we got lost a bunch of times because no one could agree on how to get here. But while wandering around lost, I pretended I was just out sightseeing and tried not to grind my teeth over the wasted petrol.

I am now camping SOMEWHERE and that's good enough for me. No one here but one other camper and two super nice rangers.

So all is well, fine and dandy!

For more info on prime benefits and Amazon, click here. 

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Band of Gypsies

Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again

***A big thanks to Willie Nelson for writing those lyrics. 

I make plans and then life happens, so it's another change in plans for this wobbly mermaid. 

Absolutely loved the past month at Neuseway Nature Park. I surely hope I get back there again. I seem to fall in love with every camp I stay in. 

Life is beautiful. I am oh so lucky and blessed to have this glorious day. 

Heat wave!

Harley dog is a mess. A friend, Harley and I  were in a beautiful green field playing Frisbee. This is Harley's favorite game! Well, next to golf or baseball or bouncy ball or teddy bear or on and on I cold go, this dog loves to play, play, play!

Usually Harley fetches the Frisbee then brings it back for another toss, chase and fetch game. Harley has expertly learned how to carry the big Frisbee (it's bigger than him!) without tripping over it. Today after a few heated runs for the Frisbee, he snatched it up, big red Frisbee in his tiny mouth and he ran all the way home to the camper, leaving us alone in the field laughing our heads off. 

I am still wobbling around with brace and cane, so by the time I got back, there he was, sitting on the step to the motorhome, with his Frisbee, waiting to go inside to the air conditioning. 

Silly mutt!

Now a few scenes from Kinston, North Carolina...





Sunday, July 12, 2015

The Light Of My Life

I replaced most of my existing RV light fixtures with LED bayonet bulbs without changing the fixture out. None of mine flicker and my rig is 21 years old, so the fixtures are probably that old too.

Recently I discovered a 400 lumens LED light bulb that is AWESOME. I bought one to test it out and it is currently in my outside porch light. This thing lights up the entire awning/patio area bright enough to read by at night. I find this amazing since I also replaced my outside lens cover with an amber cover in hopes of keeping the bugs away. That 400 lumens LED shines brightly.



I bought mine here:
http://amzn.to/1GfAlEJ

The housing swivels, you need 2 hunks of rubber grips (I have 2 for opening jars). You grasp the top and bottom of the light then gently twist to aim the lighting where you want it, so I was able to angle my outdoor light more downwards.

I am planning to get 2 more, 1 for the overhead kitchen and the other for the overhead bathroom light. I use a nightlight in the bathroom for 4am visits, but am looking forward to bright light over the mirror for the scare factor (checking moles and pores.)

On another note, I have one of those seriously anemic range hood lights that is absolutely useless. Like many RVers, I have a shortage of outlets in the kitchen for adding traditional under cabinet lighting.

I recently bought this 72 super bright LED light fixture that is fed by 4 AA batteries.
http://amzn.to/1CyzuEh

It came with 3 strong magnets on the back. I stuck that up right to the underside of the range hood and was delighted at the incredible effect. I may add a 2nd strip just to have super duper bright light because I enjoy cooking and the inevitable cleaning that goes with it.

On a handy note, I can grab it and move it around if I am repairing something in the middle of the night that needs super bright light.

I guess I am a light-a-holic and I enjoy spending time outdoors too plus I do many projects and sometimes have to walk the doggy after dark. I bought this 30 LED table lamp (D batteries) a few years ago and this thing is awesome.
http://amzn.to/1GfBexb

It's great for reading, sewing, hiking after dark and so on. I replace the batteries about once a year. The lamp head rotates up and down plus the hand grip is nice and comfy. I've bought this as a gift several times with glowing reviews from the recipients.

Lastly, after tons of research, I bought this Coleman LED spotlight.
http://amzn.to/1JYJUji

If you hear ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night, this bright spotlight will scare them half to death. It seems to shine a few hundred yards, runs on D batteries and is awesome. The handle folds up neatly for storage. I keep mine in an interior cabinet right by the front door of the RV, so I can find it in the dark to light up whatever is making a ruckus at 3am. I've had it well over a year now, used it pretty often and not changed the batteries yet.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Shopping For A New Used RV

I have been shopping around for a new used motorhome. Oh what a chore that has turned out to be.

This first one seemed plenty big for my fulltime lifestyle.  I liked the unique lines to it. However, the tires are dry rotted. Buying 14 new tires is a bit daunting, so I guess it's no longer a runner up as a possibility.

The next one proved to be super efficient on fuel consumption. I could surely go to Alaska and back every summer. However the attached RV seemed only  big enough for Harley Dog and all his accouterments. While he loved the idea, I would need to learn tent living and reduce my wardrobe to one outfit.

This shiny red one really appealed to me. Red is my favorite color but I was hoping for much larger windows so maybe I should keep looking.

This rig requires no new tires. It could use a bath and a wax job. There is only one slight problem, it's not approved for road use yet and the engine is problematic. Apparently it has to be super loud to hover, so being deaf is a huge plus. I found the inside a bit too cramped for my style.

I kind of liked the fun lines to this unique rig. But then again, upon closer inspection I realized it's a whimsically painted honey wagon named the "Stool Bus".  Oops, maybe I need new eyeglasses before I shop around. 

This one below was nearly new but being sold at an amazing bargain... until I read the fine print "as is where is". Apparently the cost of moving it and making it mobile again is prohibitive in spite of the bargain basement pricing. I've heard rumors the owners are blaming their GPS for a wrong turn.





I liked the aerodynamic lines to this sleek rig but honestly I need a lot more windows and natural daylight inside. I want to see my world, not hide from it. 

This one was a strong contingent until I realized I couldn't reach the bicycle rack.


 Oh how I love the art deco look of this unique rig and the portholes too. It even comes with a nice cockpit on top. Harley dog didn't like the high windows, he needs to be able to see outside when he is inside so we passed on it. Also one wonders... how do you check the air in the rear tires?


Windows! Sunshine! This seemed right up my alley but the furnishings seemed more like cheap waiting room era.

More advertised bargains with slight water damage. Perhaps more work involved than I feel up to at this point. Remember, if the campground manager tells you to leave because of possible flooding, perhaps you should heed their advice. 

This one is certainly economical on fuel. It's not a fifth wheel, it's a five wheelie. The baby poop color just didn't appeal to me though.

I thought about switching to a houseboat, but the only one I could afford had a dicey ladder to the upper deck.




This RV has plenty of windows for my style, but the head room is a problem.



This one has a nice homey feel to it, but parts for the engine are hard to come by. 

I like going retro with this efficient rig but Harley dog owns too much stuff to fit it all inside.

This one was advertised with plenty of windows, but here again, it was being sold "as is, where is" and refrigerators don't like to operate at a slant. 

This RV boasted fabulous views... if you don't mind a heart pounding climb to reach it. I am not sure I would feel comfortable up there on a windy day either. 

Well, I guess when the day is done, I am keeping my little old 21 year old rig... for now. 

It has 14 windows and as of yesterday, one new tire due to a sidewall blowout. More on that story later.


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

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

Knock Knock Knocking

You never know who will come knocking next. This fellow visits every day.

Many RV parks likes this one are built in flood zones. This makes sense in a way. During a flood, the campers can drive away, where as houses in a flood zone are doomed.

The park I am camped in now boasts of their past high water marks that would have put my motorhome under water for sure. They put the signs up at the level the water reached! For these reasons, I like to buy gas before I set up camp and I keep the water tank full. If there is an emergency, at least I have gas for driving, gas for the generator and of course water for living.

It's a start...


I take Harley for a walk, then we rest on this whimsical swing by the river. This camp has several swings for the campers to enjoy.

Today we found an off leash doggy park in biking distant! Harley was thrilled to run wild though no other dogs were at the park. I forgot to take pictures, but he ran after his golf ball playing, then dug around in the sand, rolled in the grass and did a perimeter check of the fence. Such a lovely dog park and not a doggy around.

It was so hot he drank about half my water bottle, so we pedaled on back to the coach to cool off and tank up again.

The bike ride there is easy enough without traffic except the last 100 yards is down a highway of sorts, but traffic let me through without running me down.

Thank goodness for small favors!

Monday, July 06, 2015

Survived The Fourth

May the fourth be with you...

The campground had a spectacular fireworks display. My doggy was terrified, so he chose to huddle under my feather pillows until it was all gone. I managed to sneak outside to enjoy the spectacular (though noisy!) show of exploding colors.

Earlier in the day I rode my bicycle to the Dollar General so I could use my $5 coupon for food, then I pedaled on over to the farmers market where I filled up spare room in my bicycle baskets with local produce. One of the fresh foods was butter beans. Oh my goodness gracious. I've never had fresh off the farm butter beans before. These were a brilliant green color. The simmered in the crockpot quite nicely. Super delicious!

Lately we've been calling my bicycle the "cargo carrier" because without the doggy riding, it can carry an amazing amount of cargo. Of course *huff puff* this means *huffing puffing* that I have to *heavy breathing* pedal with this *huff puff* extra weight.

But luckily, I do have the electric option to help me speed through intersections and hopefully avoid collisions. I've had a few close calls, folks that just aren't looking where they are going. A car was rapidly approaching an intersection I was crossing legally and he wasn't looking at all, just heavy on the accelerator, glancing to his right, like the red light in front of him meant nothing. I tried to ding my little brass bell repeatedly and I think I yelled something like "AHGGGGGGGG!!!" when it looked like he was going to run me down. He slammed on brakes and scowled at me. I was muttering not-so-nice things under my breath. If he could read lips, then I gave him an earful.

Today we pedaled to the post office then the Piggly Wiggly grocery store. When I came out to load up my bicycle, this sweet little old lady waiting in her car said "That sure looks like fun!" as I rode past her.

There is a certain satisfaction to being near a small town, close enough to pedal around running errands. It's a shame more folks don't get out on bicycles. Honestly, if you are hesitating about getting on a bicycle because you doubt your athletic skills, get the handy electric bike kit. I am having so much fun with mine. If anything, it gives me confidence to run about, leg brace and all, pedaling around town, yet pushing the magic button when needed. What fun!

Wheeeeeeee!

Behind my campsite is this eerie swamp. Harley took himself swimming while I was fiddling with the camera. Later I noticed he is in the picture on the right side. His legs were covered in green bits of flora when he got out. I guess a hot dog has to cool down. 

Saturday, July 04, 2015

Dreamy Bedded Sofa

Not just for kitchens.

Camco makes an Oak Accents Countertop Extension, available at Amazon. There is no room for this nifty folding table in my kitchen, but that's OK. I seriously needed it in my bedroom to make my sofa bed comfy.

My motorhome did not come with a couch or sofa. That's OK.

I have a big imagination when it comes to making things do double, triple and quadruple duty.

I bought some jumbo pillows at a nearly new shop to convert my rear bed to the most comfortable sofa I have ever lounged on. I use the big pillows as backing and the normal sleeping pillows as arm rests.

The extreme comfort I enjoy while sleeping or lounging is because of my mattress. It too was bought from Amazon, because none of the mattress stores carried the type I wanted. I needed a custom built Ultimate Dreams Latex Mattress. They custom build these on a scale of 1-10. I bought the softest one available due to my unique physical challenges. I don't regret this one bit. For me it's like floating on a cloud of pure heaven. (And I hope heaven feels this great!)

Actually a dear sweet departed angel bought my mattress for me as a generous gift a few years back. Every time I lay on it, I stare heavenward and thank them. It started with me rattling off about my mattress research. My friend was astonished that I had spent months researching all different types of mattresses when I couldn't even afford to buy one. I spoke often about the torture my old (then 17 year old) mattress was chronically inflicting on my wounded body. I joked I needed pain pills to survive sleeping!

My friend used my extensive research to choose a new mattress for themselves and surprised me with a gift of offering to buy me any mattress I wanted. I had already settled on the dreamy idea of the custom latex mattress in my research. It was a delightful surprise, almost 3 years ago. I'd still rather have my friend alive, but I guess I just can't have it all.

My teeny tiny bedroom has one nightstand with 2 drawers builtin. The other end of the bed has nothing. I discovered I could add the folding table to this closet wall by the bed. Now I have and end table on both ends of the bed. I can fold this out of the way when not desired.
I stuck a felt strip on the metal part of the folding table leg so that when I am driving it will ride quietly, not banging and a clanging. Now when I want to prop up to watch a movie, I can put my iced tea and popcorn on the folding table. Even if I rearrange my sack of bones for more comfort, the table isn't affected by my erratic movements. I was pleased that it's a good looking table with a nice hunk of oak. You can see from the windows that it is raining pretty hard outside.

The 3 brown square pillows were bought at a nearly new shop with proceeds going to help homeless pets. The pillows are  covered in Ultrasuede, they looked new. However, I did vacuum them on both sides with my HEPA filter vac, to remove any prior dirt and traces of former use. I still vacuum them from time to time to keep them fluffed up and dirt free. The big red pillow I found discounted in a pet department. I loved the feel and comfort of it, so I added it to the collection. Funny that a pet pillow was far more comfortable than the "human" pillows. Well, I am like a wild animal anyhow. I eat when hungry and sleep when tired, irregardless of what the clock reads .
You can see a glimpse of the new folding table to the left and the existing builtin nightstand to the right. I can make the bed up neater than shown, but with the soft mattress, coupled with a mattress topper plus a thick fluffy comforter, well my bed is often looking softly lumpy.

I didn't really need a fluffy mattress topper for my new mattress, but I had already bought it at a Big Lots heavily discounted to try to improve my old tortuous inner spring mattress. It did nothing to improve that old bag of rusty rocks. It's too big to store anywhere and not sure anyone wants a used mattress topper since I spilled coffee in bed. I cleaned it up quickly, but the stains just never came out of the mattress topper. So I stuck it on top of the new mattress. Waste not want not. It's hidden under the sheets, so no one can see the coffee stains anyhow.

I read somewhere that the most comfortable beds were composed of layers and the more the merrier when it comes to comfort.

My bedding is stacked up like this:
10 inch Latex mattress (on a platform)
electric mattress warmer
fluffy mattress topper
fitted sheet
flannel duvet cover over a
thick soft comforter
topped with a simple reversible quilt
4 jumbo pillows
5 feather pillows

I used to have a mattress pad to try to hold it all together, but it was looking so old and sad I tossed it out. It came with the motorhome, so no telling how old it was.

I figure on a good day, I am still spending about a third of my life in bed. When I am sick or recuperating, I spend a bit more time resting. If it's pouring down rain, I might relax to a movie spread out lounging on my bed sofa.

Life is goof!