Caught A Creep On Tape

A very creepy thing happened to me in this new campground. 


I caught a peeping tom on tape.  


Sorry my hand was shaky while filming.


That's my puppy dog barking at the predator. 



I uploaded the video to YouTube so all the world could see this creep too. 
http://youtu.be/eIK0vEQ838g


His mug shot is also posted down below the video, just scroll down. 

Stuffing My Breasts

Enlarging the RV...


I think today marks 2 years since I set out traveling across state lines in my little old motorhome.   Everything I own fits in 27 feet. I thought it was 28 feet, when I bought it, but the manufacturer lists it at 27. It measures 28 bumper to bumper. More or less. I took the former owner's  word for it. 


While workamping, I try to save up current funds for future repairs, upgrades and traveling. This is easier said than done.


It's kin to  learning to juggle with  raw eggs (real messy at times!)


One thing I've learned about living efficiently is planning ahead for the whole year. That's very scary. But my monthly income is wildly erratic, so it makes sense to plan around the whole year.  


So when I thought I was ahead of the game enough to take a traveling break between workamping plus make a few repairs and upgrades, the motorhome threw a new monkey wrench at me. The overhead leaks which are now more or less completed. It doesn't leak anymore, but there is cosmetic work to finish.


I had just spent money on enlarging the RV because it was in great shape otherwise, so I felt like I was caught with my pants down. 


What???


Yes, I said enlarge the RV!  Tee hee hee...


Yepper!  I added a cargo carrier and a toy box. No more torture from the basement, hunting down the little stuff that runs and hides in the deep dark far flung corners. 

Let me explain...


That basement door was designed by an anorexic engineer who never planned to carry a thing but 7 foot long boards in the basement. Since the basement goes across the width of the motorhome, things that are smaller than 7 feet, wiggle themselves until they are in the farthest corner so it's impossible to reach them. 


I've tried to stick my upper body into the tiny basement door so I can reach stuff stored inside the basement that have slid into no-man's land.  But I am a female. Females have breasts. Apparently my upper body will not fit into that tiny space unless I have a double mastectomy (which for obvious reasons I am fervently avoiding).  However if I manage to lose enough weight to only topple the scales at 70 pounds or so, I could probably fit my upper body through that tiny door. 


By then I'm bound to be too weak to even care anymore...


Just so you know, I've tried stuffing my breasts into a teeny tiny jogging bra that is supposed to flatten those things out so you look like a man-child. I still can't fit in the diminutive door because when I bend over in that oh-so-tight jogging bra, I pass right out from lack of oxygen. 


This is why I smell like dog breath. Harley licks my silly face trying to revive me. 


And you thought your life was complicated...


So I tried training the 6 pound dog to go in there and push things back out at me. He found his various toys in the far recesses, brought those out with great glee then refused to return inside until I played toss the ball 182 times with him. 


The next time I shoved him in there with a "fetch" command, he merely found a cozy dark corner to nap in. What a comedian. 


Mostly the big stuff I can retrieve from the basement, it's just the little stuff that teases me. The big stuff can only slide so far, but little things can dig a hole and hide in there for months. 


For months I have studied hitch mounted cargo carriers at Amazon.  They come in all different sizes, shapes, styles and prices. I finally settled on the Curt Aluminum Cargo Carrier with Folding Shank.  This means it will fold up vertically against the back of the wheel estate.  It can carry up to 500 pounds. 

This picture might be confusing. The cargo carrier is folded up, but what's that junk on the side hanging off the ladder?  Well, I bought a cheap rack that fits on the ladder that is advertised as a chair or bike rack.  I hung it real low on the ladder, then strapped my wet muddy outdoor mats on it. When I broke camp, it was rainy, so that is how they ended up strapped out there instead of inside. I wasn't real happy with this method. I was looking more like a gypsy with too much stuff. 

Being a sailor, I was intrigued with the aluminum carrier over the steel ones, because aluminum is lighter than steel and doesn't rust. So there is no painting to be done down the road. Since I am lazy this is a huge plus. 


After trying it out for a few days, when I was shuffling between camp spots, it was super handy to throw stuff on the cargo carrier then move. But what I really needed it for was all the tiny stuff, so the big stuff (outdoor table, assorted chairs, canopy, patio mat) could all continue to live in the basement through that tiny door.  Besides, if I use the cargo carrier for big stuff, I have to tie it down 19 ways to make sure it doesn't fly off the back while I am bouncing the road. 


So I bought a toy box then strapped that down to the cargo carrier. It's a heavy duty all weather box with a built-in hasp for a lock. 

So what's in that big toy box?  Well, it's got all the little stuff now such as dog toys,  bungee cords, ropes, clothes line, dog tether, table cloth, bar-b-q tools, one of my tool boxes, 40 feet of outdoor lights, tent stakes for the patio mat, plus my old awning which I plan to cut up into a picnic table cloth and so on.  There is still plenty of room left over. 


I look at the ends of the cargo carrier and think some firewood would be nice to have now and then. Sometimes in certain campgrounds, the weather is perfect for fires but many campgrounds require you to bring your own wood or buy theirs. Some will let you scavenge the woods others will not. But typically somebody is selling firewood near a campground. Now I have room to enjoy some too. 


So this is how you enlarge a motorhome...

Whimsical Wednesday

A whimsical sign on A1A. 

Living efficiently on an erratic budget means planning ahead. I found these cozy clogs  on sale for $3.  They will come in handy when cool weather hits us again and a certain puppy dog needs walking.

 The guest loft where I was doing gymnastics to make up bed. when I discovered the big front window had leaks!

 My current spot at Long Point Park on the water.

 Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Florida

 The view from my front door at Long Point Park, Florida

Harley naps in his outdoor chair. That quilt he has rearranged to suit him, was made by my mother and I about 4 decades ago. I found it at a friend's house and mentioned the history. They insisted I take it, though it is kind of holey. Harley loves it as if he knows it was made with love, long ago and far away. 

Weakly

Sorry for the hiccup in posting. I've been very weak, tired and pooped.  All my energy must be going towards getting stronger. 


All work on the wheel estate has come to a screeching halt. 


Harley the dog, has been very patient, but he loves the campground because it is full of children in all ages plus dogs in all sizes. So he drags me out around the campground often, but we practically collapse when we return. 


Even as I bang this out, I am so exhausted. 


This particular campground is always full of happy people. It's been very entertaining just to watch all the chaos. 

99 pictures later of a blurry dog and finally I get one where he is awake and still long enough for a clear picture, but he looks goofy. I am so used to his one ear on duty at all times.  I can't imagine what he would look like with both ears up. I love the long fur that dangles off his ears. Hard to believe he is a strapping 6.5 pounds!  

Where I am parked now, this is the view from my front door to the path of the Indian River. 

Soulful Sunday

The week in review...

 Countdown to lift off. 

You can never own the land. 

It owns you. 

Somewhere over the rainbow.

Precious cargo in transit. 

Stork stroll. 

My Wood Stork Video

Stork video I made today. This wood stork arrived on my campsite to go after Harley dog's toys. He was livid. 

Excuse the mess please. 


I am new at this.

BRB

Be right back


Taking a break.


Pardon my mess. 


Work in progress.


That is not a blue stripe, it is removable painter's tape in anticipation of adding the Eternabond Roof and Leak repair tape in a more or less straight line  to fix the cantankerous leaky window. This stuff has such aggressive adhesive applied, that you only have ONE chance to lay it down right.  It's not like a sticky note. You can not reposition it, once it is applied. 


We used up all I had on hand, then I was forced to buy some from an RV shop, but I ran out again. I ordered more from Amazon, where it was less than half the cost of what the RV shop charged me. *sigh*  Live and learn. I should have checked first, but I wanted to knock out the repair while I had help. Actually my friend did a good bit of the donkey work. 


He has a very colorful vocabulary when he works. My ears turned red. 

You light up my life. 

I bought one of these night lights. It has an on/off switch.  The shade rotates around to where you need it. 


In my wheel estate, 4 of my electrical outlets are installed under the overhead cabinets. Several of my 12 volt light fixtures are installed under the overhead cabinets too, but away from the 110 outlets. Sometimes the 12 volt lighting is too harsh for my tired old eyes, but still I would like to be able to see around the place at night. 


Above is one of my  overhead outlets, underneath the upper cabinet with the new nightlight plugged in and turned on. Woo hoo!  It provided such nice ambient lighting, I bought 5 more, now all 4 upper outlets have a tiny light and the 2 other outlets in my bedroom have a night light. One outlet is located near the floor, the other in a dark corner about halfway up the wall.  When I turn them all on at night, it gives the wheel estate really nice ambient lighting. 


When I go to bed, I turn them all off again.  Waste not want not and I don't need to sleep with the lights on. 


It's kind of sexy lighting, so watch out!  Sexy mermaid on the loose...

Shredded Feet

When it rains it pours...


Above is the swimming lake at Long Point Park at Melbourne Beach, Florida.   Nobody uses it to swim anymore. Not since they relocated the alligator that was swimming in it.  I guess that sort of shook folks up. Even though the alligator is living elsewhere, folks worry he might get homesick. 


Speaking of rain...


When I was making up my guest loft for company, I noticed water stains on my nearly new curtains. The ones that nearly drove me crazy when I sewed them up last December. I foolishly bought this type of sheer linen to sew up for the curtains because I liked the luminosity of it. Turns out you can't cut a straight line with it, you can't rip a straight line like other materials. Maybe this was just too loosely woven. Ironing it was  hilarious. I've never dealt with such difficult material. In the end, I was proud of the guest loft curtains but my hair had turned gray, and I had taught the dog filthy curse words while sewing up that dastardly material.   I am sure the other campers found my outbursts entertaining, as I sat at the picnic table trying to tame that most difficult fabric. 


My guest loft is an optimistic name for the bunk over the cab area. It's queen sized (woo hoo) has 3 windows, shelves, a reading light and optional privacy curtains that close it off from the rest of the wheel estate. It also has a removable ladder for easy access. It slides across to a single bunk, which gives the cab area more head room, but I don't need it, since I am short and getting shorter. So I always leave it set up as a queen bunk. When I have company, we put the ladder up at night, then once they are up in the morning, we put the ladder away again. 


So I climbed up there to do gymnastics while making up the bed with clean sheets because a friend was going to come visit for a few days. We are both sailors from the Caribbean, so we have loads in common. 


The water stains on my curtains really put me in a funky mood. 


Along comes my friend, and I tell them the bad news. Well...  I came up with a crazy idea and my dear friend carried out 90% of the work. Pictures coming soon!  Hopefully we have fixed the leak, but the repair was not cheap at all, other than my friend graciously donating hard labor. And it was hard work too. 


So, we've been busy busy busy, instead of visiting we are like two sailors trying to bail out a sinking boat. Nothing worse than a leak in your RV or your boat. We've made so many trips to the hardware store for pieces and parts and tools, that they know Harley and us  by name now. Besides fixing the leaks, we did a ton of other work. Ditto for a trip to an RV supplier where we spent a small fortune because he had the coveted supplies no one else within 100 miles had.  Just for fun we looked at a few unlocked RV's on the sales lot, hoping a salesman would turn up and show us some of the locked ones. But by the time the salesman wandered out to show us around, it was hot, we were tired and we told the salesman, the dog didn't see anything he liked better than his current rolling dog house. 


I'm pooped!


I hate to bad mouth a place, but I am visiting the Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, Florida. They have a wonderful shady river campground we could not get into. Then they have the new campground in a different area, where they gave us 5 night reservations, in 3 different sites. Yes, in between all the repairs, we had to keep packing up and moving.  I made these reservations in advance, but apparently, not enough in advance. 


The new RV park area is not my cup of tea at all. It's a huge lot where they have done away with nearly all the indigenous plants and trees over 2 feet tall. Shame on them. It's a state park isn't it?  Then they paved the new campground roads in hot black tar. They leveled most of the camping lots then put this horrible sharp-as-razors tiny gravel on them in a huge T-shape so that no matter where you walk, there is that horrible dreadful gravel.

This type of RV camping may appeal to some, but for me, it's a nightmare. Especially in this case, the gravel they used is clearly the wrong type. The elderly volunteer workampers have to rake it every time some body vacates a spot. I feel sorry for them. 

For days we have cursed this gravel. It works into your sandals, cutting your feet, it sticks to the sole of your shoes, it's all over the motorhome floors. It sticks to the rugs, it hides on the vinyl flooring, blending in. I have a thick rope rug, I jam across my motorhome step at the entry, when I park, so I can vigorously scrub my shoe soles before entering the RV. It does nothing to remove the sharp tiny gravel. Heaven help you  when you step on a piece of gravel barefoot indoors. Out fly the curse words! My feet are cut to pieces and oh so sore. Even Harley doesn't like the gravel. 


So no shade, horrible blood sucking gravel, heat producing black tops and guess what... the big rigs must love it, because it's full of big rigs and their satellite dishes parked out front in the gravel. I assume there are people living in those rigs, I hear their air-conditioning humming, behind closed shades, even though the brisk winds here require no A/C. Nothing wrong with living hermetically sealed in perfect climate controlled air with all the shades down 24/7, but I don't live like that. 


I  like nature.  I like trees, grass, shade, dirt, sand,  unpaved  or concrete roads, indigenous plants rather than a treeless campground. Oh there are a few token trees, that provide about 2 inches of shade if you lay under them at the right time of day. 


Somehow, somebody bought the wrong type of gravel for this RV park. You need a vacuum cleaner and assorted brushes  by your door to keep 10% of the gravel out of the motorhome. The other 90% sneaks in, no matter what you do!


I thought since it was a state park, it would offer up lots of park like beauty. But once in a while I am wrong, wrong, wrong! Some of the park is quite nice, but this new RV campground is just dreadful for my type of lifestyle. And oh are my feet so sore. 


Poor little Harley dog has had that sharp gravel stick between his paw pads. Even he hates the stuff!

Harley prefers to be carried across the gravel, because his little paws are  injured from the hideous gravel. I swear I could walk across broken bottles and not feel near the pain I feel now. 

The nice thing is, and it's very nice, we told the rangers we had an emergency and did they by chance have a big step ladder we could borrow?  Well, guess what, they graciously loaned us their ladder (and delivered it too!)  for a day and a half. That made our work much easier, in spite of the constant moving. 


More later, so much work to do and I am failing fast. I am oh so tired and my shredded feet need more doctoring. I must go lay down. 

Park Your Derriere A Spell

RV folks refer to their car as a TOAD.  I just assumed because their car was being towed... that is how toad came to be the acronym. But I may be wrong. 


Me?  Wrong?


I read that a TOAD is supposed to be short for  "Towed On A Dolly" and those that tow their cars with 4 wheels down are really towing a FROG which is "Four Rolling On Ground".  


Well, I don't tow either. I have no plans for a car in my future. It's part of my "living efficiently" budget to skip car ownership entirely. It may be un-American not to own a car and at least spend 20% of my life driving it, but I am trying to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.  I had thought when I set out in my RV that if I needed  a car, I could occasionally rent one and that overall this would be far cheaper than a TOAD or a FROG behind my wheel estate. 


So far, in 2 years, I've never rented a car once. I learned to drive my beasty in thick traffic, parking in double spots if end to end or three-four spots if parking perpendicular. This translates to more walking, as I typically park at the end of the parking lot where no one else wants to park because they don't want to do all that walking. Hint:  Walking briskly and often, lowers medical costs drastically. 


Sometimes I end up parking in the wrong lot. Like recently, I overshot Fergusons Automotive and Marine parking lot entrance, and ended up in the next block at the Toys R Us parking lot. I couldn't tell if they were closed or just doing very little business, but I parked far away, so as not to be in the way and prayed that no one would chase me off. I figured I could always go in their store and look for puppy stuff. 


Is it wrong to shamelessly use your puppy to gain favors?


Recently I took Harley into two different stores.  One was Tractor Supply. Oh my gosh, that was a dangerous store to go in. They have tons of useful equipment and tools for the RV crowd. They also sell pet supplies. Harley is such an enthusiastic friendly puppy dog, that when we entered the store, three sales clerks dropped what they were doing to come flirt with the puppy with a "By the way, can I help you with something?" as an after thought. 


I wanted to look at hitch mounted cargo carriers. They had three to choose from plus all sorts of towing carriers. But they didn't have the offset hitch mount which would raise my hitch 5 more inches. 


While workamping, I've been piling up the spare change to save up for enlarging my motorhome. 


What???


Actually, I have been saving up to repair/replace the crank out awning on the side of the RV and I've been seriously contemplating a cargo carrier for my  tow hitch. My basement area, (the underneath storage in an RV) is woefully small.  The access doors which are way too small, are very difficult to navigate when something tiny but significant is lost in the bowels. I find myself using all sorts of exotic methods to reach something that has entered the no-man's land of the center of the storage area which is underneath my bed, spans the entire width of the wheel estate but has access doors suitable for a midget with stunted growth who happens to have six-foot arms. Trying to squeeze my body into the teeny tiny access door, is like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube. It ain't happening without a lot of tears and pain.


Perhaps a rear cargo trunk, attached to the tow hitch I never use for towing, could make my RV have the storage space of the contemporary models, without the hassle of buying a newer pricier RV. 


Ditto for repairing the 17 year old side awning that has seen far too many storms in the past two years.


When I had a functioning  awning, it was  like almost doubling the livability of the wheel estate.  The awning provides the roof, the patio mat serves as the flooring or decking.   I have a card table and assorted chairs for furnishings. Suddenly I have room to spread out. While I'm rambling along here, I find it best NOT to own matching chairs. Crazy as this sounds, I travel with 4-5 chairs at a time. I like to meet friends, but if you have no where for them to sit, then they aren't likely to stop by  and visit much. Of course we can visit inside and often do, but my outdoor patio area, when set up, quickly becomes the den, dining and office with far more room than the inside living area.


About the assorted chairs...


Having different types of chairs adds to comfort and use. For instance I have a sturdy directors chair, that is perfect for outdoor office work such as typing on the computer. 

Director's Chairs are very comfy, yet angled nicely for sitting up straight to type , write or dine. 

Then I have a camping chair that folds up to about the size of a fat umbrella. It comes with a slender carrying case and shoulder strap. It's very relaxing to sit in it for reading or visiting or limin' by the campfire.    (Limin' is a Caribbean word for lazing about or going out on the town). 

This typical camping chair is also useful for carrying to an event where you need to provide your own chair, because it's very lightweight and you can sling it over your shoulder in its slender bag. 


Next I have the folding adjustable chair that is so comfy, I took a nap in it within an hour of its arrival by UPS. This thing was bought heavily discounted on sale, and boy was I ever lucky. It's a high backed chair that reclines to three different position, perfect for siestas. It even came with a little table underneath the seat, that slides out for holding a drink, ashtray, book, small dog etc. It also has an adjustable pillow type head rest. It folds up for storage, but it's kind of clunky, nothing you would want to hike with for a day by the river in the woods. 

This chair (my favorite!) reclines and is great for napping. The high back is wonderful when I am uber tired and  need the neck and head support.  See complete details and ordering info. 

Next I have the ubiquitous lawn chair; aluminum frame with webbed seating. Very comfy for dining or limin' or typing. It's lightweight, easy to store and soft on the big behind. 

My friend was giving away a shower chair for the handicapped. I took it. Yep, I'm a certified dumpster diver. Your trash is my treasure. 

The main reason I took the handicapped shower chair is that it is perfect for my larger friends, as it holds 350 pounds.  It's great for siting up straight for dining or typing. The legs are adjustable from very low to very high.  It is so super sturdy, especially with its thick  rubber tipped legs.  It doubles as a sturdy step stool for outdoor chores around the RV, like washing the windows or the exterior. It doesn't fold up, but that's OK. It rides in my shower stall when I am traveling. I've even sat in it while showering, but mostly I put it outside after I set up camp. 


I acquired these chairs one at a time,  over the past two years because I patiently wait  for deals, bargains and discounts. I have this revolving wish list with no urgency in mind. I shop for bargains, often finding none at all. But I keep wishing and waiting, saving up the pennies, into dollars. Then one day when I stumble into a never-before-seen bargain on an item that is on my wish list, I hopefully have the cash to close the deal. 


Living and budgeting efficiently takes phenomenal patience, but the end result is well worth it. I now have assorted chairs for creature comforts. 


So stop on by and sit a spell, I'm bound to have something you will find comfortable to park your derriere in. :)

Living A Fairy Tale

I pepper most of my blogs with useful links. Sometimes they are underlined, sometimes not, but typically they are a different color. 






Oh the thrills of owning a little old motorhome. My Wheel Estate. My pride and joy. My home, my study, my office, my life. 


Harley's rolling dog house...

Because it is old, I am always trying to scrape up funds to set aside for future repairs or maintenance. Sometimes I know in advance what needs to be done, other times it could slap me in my silly face with an emergency. I figure if I slave away trying to maintain all I can with my own two little hands, that I am gaining ground translating into less emergencies. 


Ha ha ha!  Might as well believe in Fairy Tales! (I do... I do... I tell myself I do.)


Right when I think I have some breathing room to tackle something that has been on the repair list a very long time, some emergency pops up next.  Typically right after I have spent my funds on a non-emergency "repair A" then emergency "repair B" arrives on the scene with zero notice.  Like "Ha ha!  Now now that you spent your money fixing that, you should have fixed this!"


Where's a crystal ball when you need one? 


I wrote the Virgin Island weather reports for umpteen years with a crystal ball that rarely ever failed me.  Bored with the weather, I threw in island tales and answered questions from readers. This is how I became "Dear Miss Mermaid".


Maybe I should have held onto that there crystal ball for predicting the whims of my wheel estate. But I was selling off all my belongings in anticipation of coming to America.  Since I wouldn't be writing weather in America, I figured I wouldn't need the crystal ball anymore. 


Live and learn. 


Like I just discovered the forward window above the cab area, where the guest lost  oops guest loft is located must have sprung a leak. My new curtains I sewed up last December have faint water stains on them. That window has been re-caulked twice in the last year by others and probably 5-6-7 times in the 2.5 years of ownership. 


Sigh. Big sigh. 


Either their work is very poor or like another Rv-er explained, that window which is above the windshield, does get some heavy abuse running down the highway.  That made me feel miles better. It makes sense. I must work on plan B or C or D and get that repaired pronto. I am thinking outside the box, like maybe a slight renovation would improve the situation immensely. Unfortunately, it's one of those jobs I need help with. I can't reach the window on my own. I'm lousy at vertical caulking. 


I have become much more steady on my legs, I'm not near as terrified of ladders as I used to be. Obviously my knees and legs are getting stronger. My good luck cane has indeed brought me good luck. I recently loaned it to a friend who needed a four-legged cane to aid in their walking. I explained it was my good luck cane and once it brought them good luck, well um, I needed it back again. It's not a general purpose good luck cane, it's a good luck cane that as long as I travel with it, my legs will get stronger and steadier and I'll never need to walk with it again. 


Years back I gave away my good luck cane. It was a huge mistake. Months later, I found myself unable to walk at all due to multiple breaks in the other leg, that was followed by a year of physical therapy (which is a very cute name for paying someone for sheer torture and pain in the belief that good will come out of all that  evil.)


Three days later my friend said "Indeed that is a good-luck cane, I am walking fine now! Here's your good-luck cane back again."


I have this never ending list of wishful repairs and maintenance to my wheel estate. While workamping, I feel like I should be stockpiling my pennies to take care of repairs.  


Right when I was feeling overwhelmed, my new camping neighbor made me feel immensely better. He arrived in a Class C much smaller but much newer than mine, along with a spouse, kids, puppy and assorted accouterments. I've come to find out he has in-laws, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins camping around here too on other lots.  How lovely.  He had 5 bicycles in assorted sizes from toddler to tall adult, strapped to the rear of his RV, looking like an itinerant bicycle shop. 


I burst out laughing when he walked around back, counting the bikes and announcing "Wow, didn't lose a single one!"


We were chatting while i was working outdoors and he was setting up camp. He had chased off his kids and wife to go have fun while he did the set-up work. They are vacationing, not fulltiming in their Class C. 


At some point he talked about wanting to trade in his RV, but his payments on the one he had now was $600 a month and going on "forever" and he didn't see where he could get any money out of it on a trade-in. 


I gulped so loudly he noticed and my face turned a crimson red. 


Finally I stammered and stuttered, then explained he had MADE MY DAY!  


I said every time I thought I wanted or foolishly needed a larger or newer or nicer motorhome, I thought about the threat of monthly financing and I quickly fell in love all over again. 


I didn't bother to explain much more, as I didn't want to offend him. 


If the truth be known...


It would stress me out endlessly if I had to make monthly payments on my little old wheel estate. Six-hundred a month sounded like Hades to me. At least my little old wheel estate is paid for. It's old, with a few dings, some weird quirks and a penchant for appearing needy at times,  but everything more or less works on  it. 


I am thrilled to live in it even if I have to share it with a canine critter who thinks he is the star of the show (while I am the mere butler, chauffeur and concierge in his way of thinking.)


I can live all month long on much less than $600.  I can make a helluva lot of repairs and upgrades with $600 a month. Holy cow!  $600 a month to spend on my RV would be like winning the lottery for sure. 


Thinking about his payments on his little Class C, suddenly gave me a surge of energy, I haven't felt in weeks. Maybe I am finally getting well.  (I was laid up for awhile recently getting next to nothing done but I am seriously on the mend.)


The rest of the day, I tackled all sorts of undesirable chores with a burst of vigor. Taking care of my little old wheel estate. 


I just wanted to give my RV a giant hug and show it how much I loved it (for being paid for!) I certainly have tremendous respect for this heap of a beast that has housed and transported me for two years without requiring I make monthly payments to some greedy money monger.  In my eyes, it might have been one of the smartest things I did towards my health and financial recovery. At the time, I had no idea my future would be a  wild roller coaster of highs and lows there after.  But, through it all, my motorhome has been there for me. 


Yippee!  


It's been pointed out to me, time and time again,  by folks who wanted to be helpful, that for what I spent buying this RV and repairing it, I could have used that money as a "down payment" and "financed" something newer with monthly payments for only 10 or 15 or 20 years. In their eyes, this was a more desirable situation that I clearly overlooked.


Even the guy next door said his $600 a month payments "went on forever" and that he didn't want to think of the final cost of his RV.  


I don't need newer, bigger, nicer. I'm happy enough to greet the day knowing I was oh so lucky to have such comfy housing last night. 


And no RV payments. 


I am living a Fairy Tale!  


And it feels good. 


Even if things are falling apart, so what,  I haven't turned into a frog or a pumpkin (yet.)


Life be good.  I am one lucky mermaid. 

Pastel by Dear Miss Mermaid

Almost Silent Saturday

Optimists in our midst.

 Lake or a puddle?

 Blocking the view or providing the view?

R and R

Rest and relaxation?  Hardly!


More like repairs and renovations...


The wheel estate has become really needy so I am busier than a one-armed paper hanger with hives. 


More on that later...

The moat is drying up... there goes my castle protection.


Here is my wittle old wheel estate, parked at Long Point Park near Melbourne Beach in Florida.