Moving right along.....!

Ridding out, packing the RV, advertising the main high-dollar things to sell from the house, furniture and such.
Decisions, decisions!

Meanwhile, I had ordered a Berkey water filter, and the Nature's Head composting toilet. I had seen reviews on both over the last several months and studied up on them. The composting toilet would enable me to stay out in some highly desirable scenic painting areas without have to pull up camp and go empty my black water tank every ten days or so. I watched you-tube videos on how this works until I could practically recite them word for word!I thought my friend Kent would be just the person to properly remove the RV toilet and install the composting one,  as well as a couple other things I wanted to change in my RV to make it my "home".

                           

I still have plenty of room to get into my shower.

He also installed my best painting easel!

This was placed where the large dog crate had been which was no longer needed. I had room to set up my folding chair in front of the easel for days I need to paint inside.

Then a little extra touch was added, making it even more homey. I was going to be able to have a window shelf! The dinette would be transformed into a day bed/couch type fixture that would allow me to keep my under-bench storage areas as well as creating my space under where the lowered table is. Maybe Miss Izzy will want that for her hide-a-way place. She was always crawling under my bed in the house to go to sleep.

So I picked up some 4" foam to use for under the shelf, by which cutting the pieces in half lengthwise, gave the perfect fit 

In this next photo you can see the nice wavy edge piece that Kent made and attached to the shelf.

(He is very meticulous, and the changes he made for me could easily be switched back to the way it was if I decided down the road to sell.)

And this is what the finished couch area will look like....  I'm loving it!!

Back to packing and minimizing! 

Thanks for stopping to read my blog. Have a blessed day!

Home on Wheels, or House and Land

Wow! Its been almost a year since I've posted on here! My RV has been sitting in my driveway since last summer when I got it back from the dealership where I bought it. It was in need of several repairs and a good general going over after my 7 and 1/2  months of travel. I had a whole list for them and they fixed every one.
Then came summer's end, with canning and preserving what I could from my garden and the Amish farm market near by, all the while my right knee getting worse. I knew I had to get the surgery done and had put it off as long as possible. Since I was having repairs and upgrades done on the house as well as a greenhouse added, I decided to wait till as close to wintertime as I could.
After Thanksgiving I had the total knee replacement. My eldest daughter stayed with me for almost a month after, taking care of me and my few chickens. Fortunately, the weather stayed pretty good through Dec. my recovery was slower than I had expected, much slower than when I had the left knee done 6 years previous. Now that I am back on my feet I am realizing just how much work this place requires and the fact that I don't have the strength to manage it properly. I warred all winter long in my mind whether to sell my RV or to sell my home. I did alot of journaling, writing down my thoughts; pros and cons on both. I disliked the RV sitting in my driveway, being paid on each month and not being used. I also disliked paying property taxes, insurance, and heat-in-winter bills for the house when I am out in RV for at least 6 months at a time. after giving it much thought and prayer, I finally came to the decision that I was not attached to any "thing" here. I could sell it all and live in my RV as had been the plan and purpose of buying the RV in the first place. The desire was still with me to travel full-time and paint.
I called the realtor and she came out a couple days later to look my place over, told me what I needed to do yet to advertise it and wanted to list it by May 20. YIKES!!! No way did I think i would be ready, but we shall see. If it sells, I will be free from alot of work which I don't need at my age, and if not I will still leave in the fall for another winter of travel and painting.
I will continue blogging on my progress. Meanwhile, the cover is off, batteries charged up, and I have an appointment to get my RV inspected (required in PA) on Monday.

Thanks to anyone who stops long enough to read my ramblings. I will be keeping up with my progress. Leave a comment if you wish!

Just The Way it Goes Sometimes (long post)

Ok, I've said it.... I've lost interest in blogging. Or maybe its just my interest in blogging about RVing.

I had intended to come back, clear out , and get ready to sell my house by fall. Not going to happen. The longer I was here the more I was having second thoughts. I really didn't need to sell ... and I actually was beginning to like being here again. I will probably never be a full-time RVer, although I had thought that was my goal. But, you know what? It's ok. I have the best of both worlds.

There is so much else that takes my time, like spending time with my pups, Miss Izzy and Sasha. Since I have been back, Sasha has had her big girl surgery and healed up nicely.

Lots of work here to be done.......  I started a fire in my chiminae one evening and sat there contemplating what all needed to be done, and what was not necessary to do.

I'm glad now I did build that fire and enjoy it, because a few days later I had put the pups on the deck (Sasha on her cable) while I mowed the yard. She had gotten her cable wrapped around the chiminae and down it went into more pieces than anyone would care to count. I did not scold her as it was absolutely my fault for not thinking ahead.

I have been working at getting the yard and gardens back in shape after being away for 7+ months. 

(I must mention here that My eldest daughter and sil worked very hard at getting those oak leaves raked up and the yard mowed a couple times before I got back, and I thank them so very much! It sure saved me alot of work!!)

I bought hanging baskets of flowers on sale. and put out my yard decorations,

 bought new cushions for the rockers and a mat for the deck; doing what I could to make the entrance an inviting place. 

Then there was the issue of spraining my ankle so badly that it has been very painful to walk and kept getting worse. I wish I hadn't been so stubborn and gone to the ER when I first hurt it. So of course things are getting done slower. Here it is the almost end of June and all my garden beds and flowers have not been put in yet, but I have made up my mind to do what I can and not stress about it. So I am just enjoying the process.....

However, I did get my second 3' x 8' herb bed planted (the older one still needs cut back and the anthill dealt with) I love working with herbs. The scents are so calming! I also dry them and use in salad or for cooking or potpourri.

Till next time....

I did the winter in PA! Yay!!

I am so thankful it was an easy winter this year! I kept my woodstove humming, had a neighbor that kept me plowed out with his ATV and a plow on front, even the path to the hen houses and rabbit pens. I knitted and painted all winter. Spring came and I planted peas mid-April, and am now enjoying the fresh produce. My Kale survived the winter and I ate alot of that. I also was able to stay on my half-dose of celebrex without too much arthritic discomfort.

Aparagus, Blueberry bed, and Raspberry bed off to a good start for the year,

along with fruit trees. A Bartlett Pear i put in last fall, a Winesap apple ans 2 Plum trees added this spring.

My herb bed cleaned and expanding,

Yummy fresh green peas,

Eggs of several colors from my chickens,

Aren't they pretty??

Ok so now anyway wondering about this coming winter and getting the itch to go on the road again. Problem being I don't trust Lady Blue to not break down on me and being a single, thinking I should have something safer. She would make a great "week-end" camper for someone with a mechanically inclined husband :) I have been looking for a unit a bit more suitable for me, and think I may have finally found it. More on that later....

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Thanks for visiting

"Lady Blue" and Other News

Lady Blue is back home today. The guy at the transmission shop told me that wherever I had had it serviced (I am thinking it was west TX, on the way home) they put the wrong gasket on the oil pan and had dinged the pan in and that was the cause of my leak. He kept it there an extra day just to make sure of no leaks. Said it drove and shifted like it should. I am very thankful thats all that was wrong.

 

My brother and SIL left their home in Tuscon, Arizona today to make their way here to PA in their motorhome. Their kids and grands are anxious to see them. What a reunion that will be!

 

I have been making some progress as to getting back to a realistic meals/snacks plan, and as a result I have been starting to feel better. I have been able to do more yard work and have been enjoying it. I decided that some of these overgrown flowerbeds are just going to have to be totally pulled out and re-done. I did find a good natural weed killer on-line. Would you believe white vinegar???? Full strength in your sprayer. Well if it doesn't rain I will be trying it tomorrow and will take before and after pictures to post.

 

My electrician grandson came Sunday afternoon and put up 3 ceiling fans for me! I was so glad to get this done. I had bought them last year. This year is already warm and quite humid. 

 

A week ago I "inherited" a couple of my grandmother's paintings, as my 3 cousins were settling my uncle's estate. He had passed away in Dec of last year. These are now hanging over my loveseat in the room where I paint.Great inspiration for me.

 

 

Memorial Day weekend will find my family gathered at my son Robert's home for a picnic, as he is still in a wheel chair. So we are bringing the picnic to him! He has been a trooper with very little (in his eyes) advancement and his wife has been very faithful and consistant in his care. She has been a jewel! It will be good to have us all together in one place at the same time.

 

Hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day celebrations. I am sure we will all be remembering those who have given their lives for our freedom.

 



What now?

"The Old Road...."

 

I have been "home" a month now. I have planted one raised bed of my garden, and the asparagus and rhubarb are up strong. I considered getting some chickens to put in the coop, maybe a few turkeys to raise for thanksgiving meals. I even fell in love with a couple goat kids listed on craigs*list,

and my bees are flying.

 

I got a parakeet to put into my birdcage I got last fall, well 2 of them...

I've worked on my yard and flower beds.... some. I have my chiminea set up near my outdoor swing.

I have visited with my kids and grands, and even some cousins .......

 

For some reason, I am just not getting into this "home-body" thing. I feel restless... I have been experiencing anxiety feelings again, and anger feelings because my 'whatever' wants to cry; and I, well I just want to get on with my life.....

 

My motorhome sits with a tran-y leak til next Monday when it goes to the repair shop to see whats wrong. Otherwise I'd probably be outta here.

 

My plans were to stay in PA til just after Christmas next year. Why can I not be content for very long??? Why can't I feel settled?? Will life never be normal again? I know.... normal is a figment of the imagination....

No need for comments. Just had to get this out.

 

 

Tiny Home Atmoshere

Just thought you might like to see some of my "creature comforts".

 

These plants sit on my dinette table when I am at a campsite, otherwise they ride in the sink or a cardboard box while on the move. The one in the middle has 3 plants in it; a rope plant, a philodendren, and a hen and chicks plant, They are all starts from my friend Debbie in Kentucky where I used to live. She gave them to me this fall on my way through.

The larger pot holds 2 plants; of which I am not sure the names, but one resembles a staghorn fern without the "stag" part, and the other is a spiney thing  which reminds me of the game "Connects" (click to view larger image.) and is from another Kentucky friend, Wendy, with whom I also worked. Both these girls are special to me and I am so proud to have a living plant from both of them!
 

The water bowl is actually where my little Beta fish, "Moby Dick", lives. I changed his water the other day and he is happily blowing a bubble nest. He has made the journey quite well since the beginning. The lid has a light in the cover, and an opening for a bit of philedendron to live with its roots in the water. 

See him in there?Isn't he pretty?

These minor 'creature comforts' bring a smile to my face and makes my little RV feel like home.

 

Other comforts, such as of the nutritional kind are......

This awesome mueslix mix from a Menonite bulk foods store. I keep it in a ziplock freezer bag, and use 1/2 cup cereal to 1/2 cup water in a microwavable bowl, on high for 2 min. It is made of oatmeal, a couple other grains (no corn), flax, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, dates, and almonds. It doesn't even need honey to sweeten. Absolutely yummy!!

 

Oh, and did I ever show you my bread-maker?? Another yard-sale find. Yes, its actually my old 3 qt crock-pot, which has a roasting rack for meat (bottom left) but also has this nifty little can in which to bake a loaf of bread. Yeh, I agree.... quite a find :)

 

So yesterday I also made some bread using the below ingredients.

Dry yeast mixed with almost a cup water and 2 tsp honey set to "work", 3 1/2 cups of 7-grain bread mix, and some of my home-dehydrated shredded zucchini.

Mix all and knead into a smooth ball

Let rise once, then let the air out (punch down) and put in the can, letting it rise again.

"Bake" in the crockpot on high till done. Mine took almost 3 hrs.

Finished product.... a little dense but oh so flavorful! I can remedy next time I bake it

 

I get the crust!!!