Go Ahead and Laugh (at me)

That's right, get ready to laugh at me cause what I did today was mock worthy... I'm sure you recall the other day when I mentioned how stressed out I was about suitcase weight, so, rather than just continue with the stress I did a test run. I've already pretty much laid out which clothes I'm taking (give or take a few things), so I loaded up a rolling knapsack that I dug out of the basement, and my regular suitcase. As it turns out using the knapsack leaves me with an extra 5lbs for carryon, and the suitcase had lots of leftover room also. Big sigh of relief :-)

I seem to be stressing out easily these days, I hope it is the weather :-0

Yesterday was a whirlwind day that included lunch at Carm's mom's, Ikea (for more of those kitchen rail bits), and the liquidation place. I've been wearing the same two pairs of jeans for years now as many of my other clothes just don't fit so it was time for a few new pairs of pants. The liquidation place had pants on sale for 4 pairs for $30. How could you beat that! Today I wore one of the pairs out - you know when you wear the same things all the time (pants and shoes included) how anything else feels weird and uncomfortable. That's what it was like for me today, but I'm happy to say that after a few hours the pants started feeling okay - hurrah, there is (some) hope for me :-)

Another weird thing about me is that when I like something I want to have two of them. It doesn't matter what it is... must be some sort of obsession. I'd like two more pairs of these pants... but since it is the liquidation place there is no guarantee that even if I went back tomorrow there would be any. Drat.

I ventured out into the frosty cold this morning for a short walk with the dogs. I was bundled up and had my hands in my pockets. The dogs were basically naked and barefoot in the snow. How do they do that? Why don't they get frostbite on their feet?

We indulged in Chicken Shwarma plates for lunch today. Totally garlicly delishiousness. I have lunch for tomorrow (Carm doesn't ha ha). As we paid they gave us each a giant baklava... with honey dripping off my fingers I used more paper napkins for dessert than I did for the rest of the meal. I'm sure I've told the story a million times, but when I went to Jordan with my dad (1989) we feasted on freshly made baklava at every opportunity - we even had a giant box of them in our room... we did manage to bring home a few pieces for our family!

That trip also has a funny suitcase story. You see, both Dad and I both like souveiners and there were tons of things to bring back from Jordan - camel blankets, Arabian horse bridles, other camel (stinky blankets), leather ottomans... - all these treasures had to fit into our suitcases for the return home. We laughed so hard as we were squeezing everything in. I don't know how we did it, but we did get everything to fit. Thank goodness we didn't need to worry about weight as well!

Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.

Walt Whitman

Comfort Food

I've got to change my playlist... I've been feeling anxious, irritable and just generally awful the last few days - I think the ongoing grey skies have been effecting my mood - at least I hope that's it. I moped around all day today, with just a short trip out to the Dollar store, it was too grey and cold to venture on a walk. Finally I ended up in the tub with my current fav playlist playing. Starry Starry Night by Don Maclean came on and as I listened to the lyrics I couldn't help but shed a tear for Vincent (Van Gogh) or was it myself I was shedding that tear for? I was deep into a mire of self pity about not having a normal brain. It doesn't seem fair to have everything be just that much harder to get through.

Part of my stress is suitcase related. I have a 15lb limit for my carry on to NZ. My bag weighs 10lb. Empty. Well that is just stupid. Carm says they won't check, but what if they do? From what I could read online at some comment sites they do check the occasional bag - what if it is mine? Do I just dump everything? Or maybe stuff the contents into a paper bag and leave the suitcase behind. I can feel my blood pressure go crazy just thinking about it. Breathe breathe breathe.

Maybe a cup of tea will be the ticket? Or a shot of Amarone ;-) Comfort food would be the ticket too. Hummm.... maybe butternut squash risotto with roasted green beans. Comfort but healthy (since I already tried the comfort but unhealthy).

What we see depends mainly on what we look for.

John Lubbock

Snowbird

Predawn I opened my eyes and knew immediately that snow was on the ground. Sure enough, a peek out the window revealed a snowy mantle gracing the trees outside the window. Ugh. Back to bed.

When I finally did emerge from the depth of my covers, I ventured out into a winter wonderland. A few inches covered the grass and every tree was piled with fluffy snow. It was beautiful. The geese were flying overhead in large flocks, some glinting white in the sun. As two flocks passed by I could see that one flock were Canada Geese, while the other flock were large white birds with black wing tips. Snow Geese. I've seen these before but always thought they were just Canada Geese with the sun reflecting off their feathers, but now I know differently. Flock after flock shouted their greetings as they passed by.

If you forget the line about "the one I love forever is untrue", Snowbird by Anne Murray is a lovely song and echos my sentiments about todays snow:

Spread your tiny wings and fly away

And take the snow back with you

Where it came from on that day

The one I love forever is untrue

And if I could you know that I would

Fly away with you

I was talking with Kirsten (my sister) this afternoon and part of our conversation centred on my upcoming trip to visit them in NZ. It prompted me to put a little app on my tablet - Days to Go Widget. There are just 44 days left till I leave! If I feel this excited so far out I'll need a horse tranquilizer the night before!

To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.

Robert Schumann

Poof go the Puffs

It seems that the days are melding into each other with not much to note. Friday we worked on fixing the "fireplace" on the camper. The light and heating worked, but the fan that makes the "flames" flicker wasn't working. Carm oiled it and spun it to no avail. After it was all put back together we closed up the camper... with a few trials and tribulations. We have a few big pieces, the coffee table and Grace's big outside cage, that will have to ride between the slides... but big problem... they don't fit. I guess we are going to have to do some thinking about how to work it out, but it was getting towards the end of the day and the weather was getting worse by the minute. So in the meantime we shoved a bunch of stuff against the back window and got the slides in. After all that the only thing to ease my mood was a hot bubble bath with favorite music playing - oh, and a DQ chocolatey blizzard (thank you Carm).

Saturday was the always dreaded day - poodle hair cut day. It had been 11 weeks!!! since the last one, I've never left them that long so their hair was thick and long. Luckily there wasn't any matting on their bodies, just some on Spike's tail. They look so different all sleeked up, and with such pretty faces. Spike was looking quite scruffy before the blades did their work. Then everyone got their nails clipped and a bath. They were pretty sick of us by the end of it all! But they are so good and don't really give us any grief.





Today I picked up Trudie and drove down to the Morrisburg flea market for a hair cut and some poking around. Ten bucks for the hair cut is a great deal and it is fun to find little treasures in the mountains of junk stuff. I picked up 6 beat up silver knives for $3. They cleaned up not too badly and will be nicer than that Ikea stuff I have on the camper. I also got an old (antique) bowl that I will use on the camper for serving things - it is a brown and white pattern with little birds on the rim - all for $5. It had been marked $28 (and I never would have even considered buying it at that), but Trudie noticed the crazing (which won't affect my planned use) and talked him down. She's brutal! It is going to look lovely on the Tardis's table.




The naming is not totally settled. The model of camper is a Mystique, and looking on wiki it seems that Mystique is one of the Marvel X-men characters. It isn't clear if she is a good guy (but it is clear that she was a villain). Her name is Raven Darkholme - so I figure the camper should be called Raven. We do have a bird theme going on in our decor so it really fits in. Carm's not buying in though.

First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.

Thomas Kempis

Driveway Camping

You probably already guessed from the title that we spent the night last night in our new digs! I even cooked supper out there (just a simple one dish meal). The counter space worked out (mostly) fine, but I had trouble finding a place to put my pot lid down! This morning I put a tall stool in there to see if having a small island will do the trick, without getting in the way.

With some candles flickering, the fireplace gently warming and just the right lights on it was a very lovely spot to have a meal. We listened to music, watched tv and generally had a relaxing evening. It is very cosy in the evening and the thermopane windows make it easy for the furnace to keep it toasty. We even got the tv in the bedroom to work - it is built into the ceiling above the bed so we hope it never breaks down as it would be $$ to fix (if it was even possible to find a replacement). Including the sleep number bed, there are NINE remotes!!! Isn't that just totally ridiculous for a camper!!!! It's embarrassing just to think about it.

The sleep number bed is to die for... it is so much more comfortable than our stix&brix mattress, I may have to move out to the Tardis (?) permanently!

This morning I handed Grace a huge beef rib that was leftover from our outing the other day. She held onto for dear life (it was as tall as she is), but of course I didn't have my camera handy. By the time I ran out to the camper to get it she was tired and dropped it just as I walked back in the room. Try as I might she wouldn't hang onto it again (but was more than happy to chow down while I held the giant bone).

Today we worked on getting the basement stuff loaded (that's the storage that is accessed from the outside). As with the rest of the camper there is somewhat less room so there was some purging done... I will admit to losing my temper at one point. But the job did get done... but will require some fine tuning in the spring...

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.

John Donne

Photo Essay–New Camper

Here are a “few” photos of the conversion from our Titanium 29e34rl and the new Titanium 30e35sa. It was a process!

We haven’t settled on a name for it/him/her yet, but there are 3 in the running so far: Tardis (Dr. Who) ; Brownie (cow – cottage on wheels, and it is a bit brown so brownie, a good name for a cow) ; or Howie (home on wheels). Any suggestions? Please!

I spent a few days unloading all the stuff from the 29. There was tons of stuff and I started to freak out a bit (okay, a lot) as I knew there wasn’t as much storage on the new camper.

A break with the dogs. The mornings are frosty these days, but luckily for us the weather held out so that we could pick up the new camper. No snow yet! I’ve even been lucky enough to be able to leave the slides out so we can get all settled in.

The poodles are way overdue for a hair cut, but I’ve been putting it off until we were back from getting the new camper – I wasn’t sure if they’d need their hair for the sleepover.

On the night we picked it up: Morry’s had us all hooked up so that we could spend the night. I brought a few things along to make it feel (a bit) like home then we settled down for some junk food and a quiet night.

On our drive home on Friday. Carm did a good job getting us there and back, and especially getting us through Toronto in one piece. It was a pretty tiring few days though – I’m not sure we’d want to do more than 2 long driving days in a row – something to think about for our trip next summer (anything good to see in Thunder Bay? It might be a good spot for a day layover).

 

Now the jigsaw puzzle starts. How to fit X amount of stuff into x amount of storage…

Gulp. This and more has to shoehorn in…

(Mostly) all done. I’d like a slightly different fabric for the pillows but I’m pretty happy with how it has turned out. It is much fancier than what we have at home, but since we’ll be camping… I guess we should be pretty formal? We took one of the recliners out to make room for Grace’s cage, which we haven’t put it in yet as we’d like to find a non-toxic paint to freshen it up. I love the hardwood floors and imagine that it will be much easier to keep things clean.

Doesn’t this look inviting? We will be taking the two back chairs out though and tucking dog beds against the wall. That will leave a bed for Bella and Kabira, Spike will be under Grace’s cage. It will be nice to have the beds all tucked away – no more Bella underfoot!

Kabira was enjoying the fireplace yesterday afternoon. It adds a nice ambience as well as kicking out 1500 watts of heat.

I started to lay out where I want to put the pictures. There isn’t much wall space but I like to have a few things hung up, it makes it seem more like home. For the kitchen we got hanging thing from Ikea (you can’t see it in the picture above, it is tucked under the counter – the baskets hook onto a rail that is mounted on the wall. It is very flexible and will give some extra counter space. One of the baskets is a cutlery stand – I like to keep the cutlery that we use all the time out of the drawer – the drawers are a bit&% to open! Once we see how this works out we will install another one on the other wall.

Grace will have two windows to look out of. I think she’ll be very happy here.

We were looking through the pile of manuals looking for the stereo system one. One of our jobs this winter will be to categorize everything into file folders. It would making finding stuff much easier! (and it will give us our rv fix).

Happy happy!

Hell has Changed Its Colours

Our new trailer has 50amp power (our old one was 30 amp). The 50 amp cord is THICK and unwieldy and since most parks we go to do not have 50 amp service we want to use our old 30 amp cords. Carm spent some time on the internet and then the phone where he finally sourced one on the other side of town, so we piled into the car and went for a drive. After picking up the "dogbone" (yes, that's actually what the adaptors are called), we stopped in at IKEA. Not Carm's favorite spot (hence the comment about hell's new colour scheme changing from red to blue & yellow), but he was well behaved and let me poke around.

We found the display for kitchen rails that hold metal basket/shelves and played around until we were sure we could make it work on the camper. We'll try installing it tomorrow and I'll post a picture. I also picked up a catalogue - eye candy for when I'm bored later.

This morning I worked on a post with before, during and after photos - I'll post it tomorrow morning (but beware - there are lots of photos).

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

Robert Frost

Nesting

Gosh, the last few days have gone by quickly - I can't believe that it is Monday night already!

I'll go back in time to Friday night when we arrived home from our adventure. It was just getting dark when Carm started backing it down the laneway - it took a few tries as the difference in length changed the turning dynamics a bit. But he got it nicely situated and level. Then it was time to winterize and unload the stuff from our trip. Fed Grace and the dogs after which I collapsed into a hot bubble bath - heaven! I was so exhausted that I was shaking and my head was fuzzy. A yummy sandwich while watching the news energized me enough to start loading a few things onto the camper.

I started with a really ugly carpet - just to protect the floor while I piled boxes onto it, and then box after box. Honestly though there weren't that many boxes moved...

Saturday I worked like a demon all day. And miracles of miracles most stuff fit! There was much arranging and re-arranging as I figured out the best place to put stuff. I like to use plastic bins to organize stuff in, but I can't tell you how many times the container wouldn't fit in the spot by 1/4" - arrggh! All turned out pretty well though and I even have some empty spots :-) My next task is to take recipe cards and write an inventory for each bin to affix to the front of it. Maybe I'll be able to find what I'm looking for... but for sure Carm won't! Maybe a master plan/map would be a good winter project. I was too exhausted by the end of it all to insist on eating supper out there.

Sunday I finished up and then vacuumed, got rid of the ugly carpet, put out some nice pillows and generally made it look like home. I was happy :-)

And then decadence... we met my brother Graham, his wife Carole and their two kids, Juliette and Erik, as well as my aunt Kari and Trevor at D & S Southern BBQ. It was fun to see everyone, but boy oh boy the food. I went wild and ordered the Mini Determinator, which is basically a hamburger with grilled cheese instead of a bun, and with brisket, back bacon, bacon, cheese, onion rings and perhaps the kitchen sink. It was good, but I was only able to eat one quarter of it! Graham ate the other quarter and the rest came home with me for my lunch (I could only eat 1/4, so maybe I'll finish it off tomorrow). Do the calories count if you eat them on another day? Anyway, it was pretty tasty, but also very fatty. Next time a salad. Oh, and maybe a few of those deep fried Mac & Cheese balls. (so much for low fat plant based healthy foods!)

When we got home from supper there was a message from Trudie & Leo so of course we called them up so we could show off our new digs.

Today was a quiet day for me. Carm went into town for a dentist appointment and lunch with his mom while I putzed around - and napped (I snuggled under a blanket on the camper for my nap). There have been far too many days of excitement and not enough rest. I have to watch this or I may trigger a mood event (if I haven't already).


The camper is starting to feel more like home, especially as I get some of our stuff into it. It doesn't seem so impersonal. It is pretty darn nice. There are things that I didn't notice when we bought it, like the number of lights. In the bathroom there is a general fluorescent over head light, as well as a 3 light fixture over the vanity. The bedroom has two fluorescents and two pot lights over the bed, and two lights in the tv (I'll have to get a photo of the tv it the bedroom - it is mounted over the bed and then hinges down for viewing. It even has a built in dvd player). The living room has a myriad of options as well. It's just crazy! But with the right mood lights lit, and the fireplace flickering it is really, really nice.

Happy Tails!

Excellent Customer Service

Noon and we are well on the other side of Toronto. Traversing Toronto was not too bad. Every time we needed to change lanes there was an empty spot beside us. There was only a short slow down as we first entered the city, but the other side was backed up for miles and miles. I'm glad it was today and not yesterday as it looked like it would be several hours to get across.

On our way down to Toronto we passed a few Mennonites driving their buggies along the highway. We also passed the camels - 2 of them. Years ago I thought of getting a camel and even sourced some from the states. Luckily I came to my senses as I think that would be just too much to ask of Carm! It would have been neat though!

The countryside that we drove through getting from Walkerton to Orangville was lovely. In some spots very hilly with pretty farms nestled in hollows. It seems to be horse country as we passed pasture after pasture ornamented by ponies. Some day we will make a trip to the area just for sightseeing.

Oh, and Spike didn't stress at all going through Toronto - everyone barely lifted an eye lid for the trip so far. I guess they know what to expect now.

As you know from yesterday, we arrived at Morry's Trailer Sales at about 2pm. They were ready and waiting for us. After a few minutes to give the dogs a stretch we started with the walk through. The trailer was opened up and warm. The first thing we noticed is that they had painted the front steps to freshen them up. That set the tone for everything else - these guys thing of everything. As we were led through pretty much everything was working and in good order, and what wasn't was quickly put to rights. So fast we could hardly blink our eyes. We asked them where the 12v outlet was which as it turns out the trailer didn't come with one. Without being asked, one was quickly installed and tested (by a pleasant young man).

We had a good evening checking out all the bits and bobs (while enjoying a house warming glass of bubbles of course). When we did make it to bed we found the sleep number to be very comfortable. Carm slept well, but I was awake for hours planning things out. I thrive on planning things out. I love decorating and making a home. And although this one isn't quite home yet I feel that it won't be long. After I load all (1/2) our stuff, get new fabric for cushions, etc, and spend another night, I'm blathering on - maybe lack of sleep over the last few days...

In the morning we we walked the dogs and Carm went out to bring back coffees and breakfast. Before we had even finished 1/2 our breakfast the service guys were inside fixing the few little things we noticed last night. They even topped up the propane to make up for what we used during the night. These guys have customer satisfaction as a priority. We sure got a warm and fuzzy :-)

And of course I can't forget how impressed we are with our new digs!

-----------------------

It is now 3:40 and we are on the 416, less than an hour from home. We are both exhausted - I don't know how people do several long days of driving to get to Florida or Texas. A hot bath followed by a sandwich from the Italian deli and a glass of almond milk are on the agenda for tonight. We only stopped twice this trip which I don't think is enough. Grace is eating as we speak and the dogs are still flaked out in the back - they have travelled really well. I think we learned much about taking a long trip. We can do it!

Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt.

William Allingham

Happy Tails!

Home? Almost.

We are sitting in our new camper, exhausted but happy (and perhaps a little tipsy from the bubbles - any excuse you know!). The walk through identified a few minor (very, very minor) problems, which were all taken care of quickly and professionally. Even the things we said "is there a ?" - before we knew it there it was. Even though it wasn't promised in the first place. We've never had quite the same service when trading in. I mean, even the front steps were newly painted. We are impressed.

My mp3 player is playing through the sound system, the dogs are fed and sleeping in their spots by the fire. Grace is happily preening, her little crop filled with french fries. Carm is reading his email on his tablet, his belly also filled with french fries, and KFC. So I guess the home fires are burning (but not flickering - more info about that tomorrow).

The next big test is of the Sleep Number bed - what's your number? The bed might be a challenge for Spike though. It is VERY tall at the end, due to an unfortunately placed step. He'll have to come up the side, but it is also missing a jump off point that was used in the other camper. Poor wee guy. He's so tired from looking out the window all day, and now he'll have trouble getting into bed. Doesn't your heart just bleed for the wee (spoiled rotten) guy?

We did the walk through and then unloaded the rest of the stuff from our old camper to new. I will admit to having to turn my back a few times as sadness overcame me. I know I'll come to love the new one, but gosh, I loved the 29. It was a good camper to us, seeing us through many good times. This camper will do that too, and it is already starting to feel like home.

Heart and Soul... this is where I'll sign off to finish sipping my champagne (any excuse you know!).

Happy Tails!

The Journey Begins

i3866:20 - we pulled out of the laneway and drive down the bumpy road. It was pitch dark, with perhaps just a hint of light. Thirty minutes later and we were bumping down the 416. It is a pretty new road, but is like driving down a wash.

I'm a bit bleary eyed from getting up so early (5:18!), and from the hours spent awake vibrating with excitement. I had visions of fabrics, cupboards, and piles of stuff whirling through my head. I've always felt my excitement keenly. Carm is usually less emotional about things like this, but this time he is pretty excited as well. I'm savouring every minute and storing it away for the darker days.

7:10 - we've merged onto the 401, right on schedule. This part of the 401 is (relatively) easy. Toronto is the hard part... Next stop - service center for the facilities, coffee, and a breakfast sandwich (for Grace of course!). Spike is still looking out of the window, Bella and Kabira are asleep, Grace is chipping away at her carrier so that she can bite Carm.

8:09 - with stomachs full and legs stretched we were on the 401 again. Grace didn't eat her breakfasst bits, but maybe later once she is more settled. Her carrier is strapped to the console between Carm and I. Unfortunately it isn't quite high enough to give her a good view - 4 inches would probably do the trick - I'll have to see if there is anything in the trailer that would do the trick.

10:00 - freaked out, OMG! I can't find the keys for the trailer anywhere... I must have left them at home... and yes, after thinking about it, I switched coats just as we went out the door. I can remember putting them into the pocket... Quickly send an email to Eric to make sure he can get us into the camper (which still has a bunch of our stuff in it). A quick answer back said "No Problem". Relief...






11 am entering toronto





omg - even spike was stressed. Once we hit the smell of to Spike started to fuss. All the big trucks passing us rattled him. Thank goodness Carm can tune it out.


12 noon - just off the 410, gassed up, beasts watered... 2 hours to go

1 2:55 they have camels! Spike is still looking out the window, but he didn`t see the camels.


I love my Harry Potter map/Google Maps.

1:45 pm - We are about 10 minutes away so I'll post this now. Sorry for any typos, between the bumps and the glare on the screen it is a bit of a tough job!






Happy Tails!

Ed Moynan Missing

Today was a day of reflection.

This afternoon we went to the visitation for the father of a friend of ours. Mr. Calageracos lay swathed in a froth of ivory satin. It looked so unreal, I suppose it is meant to look heavenly. So this is it. This is how it ends... if you are lucky... His tiny black shrouded wife sat in her wheelchair nearby clearly disoriented by what was going on. I believe they had been married at least 60 years, a lifetime really. I thought of Carm's mom and how she is adapting to the loss of her life partner, and thought that perhaps Jim's mom might have a harder time of it.

I got an email yesterday with a link to a news article about the disappearance in Panama of Ed Moynan. Ed bought the other half of the farm that our land is split from and built the same year we did (1994). We weren't close friends, or even friends really, but friendly acquaintances. We ran into him and his wife Louise countless times and always had a good time. So it is unsettling to hear of his disappearance. We see this sort of thing on the tv often enough, but it is always remote and therefore less real. This feels very immediate. I imagine what Louise must be feeling right now (freaked out, scared, panic, shock perhaps), and since there is a face and a person to attribute those feelings to, it feels real. And scary.

http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20121113150910140

On a totally more upbeat note, we leave early tomorrow morning to pick up our new camper! All buyers remorse has passed me by and now I'm just excited. It will be a long night, and an even longer day...

I'm sure I'll post at least once tomorrow! I'll be bored in the truck so will probably post a blow by blow of every tree passed.

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.

Lorraine Hansberry

Remembering

Carm turned on the Remembrance Day service at about 10:45. I had a few minutes to reflect on the lives of those who served for our country. Sadness washed over me – it seemed as if the emotions of so many were borne on the wind. I stood at the window and let the tears flow blurring my vision. I thought of the mothers sending their sons into the unknown, and worse, getting the notice that they were lost and perhaps in one of the unmarked graves that sanctified the earth. Husbands leaving wife and child. So much lost.

As the service started I turned to watch the tv. Old men stood with time-worn faces that showed little emotion. They were trained soldiers after all. But their eyes seemed haunted. What memories were reeling through their minds? What fallen friends were missed? Do they ever get the bloody visions of war out of their thoughts? I wept for them.

After the fly by of the F18s on tv I ran outside to see if I could see them. In years past they have flown right over our house so I figured the odds were good. Well, I waited and waited (and froze), finally I gave up and came inside. I wasn’t in for more than a few minutes when I heard a roar over the house – I ran out in my bare feet but couldn’t see them. I guess they were long past by the time the sound came to me. When I was back inside I could hear them in the distance, so I put on some shoes (it was near zero and the ground was wet) and went back outside – this time they were too far north, but I could hear them clearly. Oh well. I guess hearing them is almost as good. It sent chills down my spine.

By now you may be thinking that all I do is cry! I don’t actually cry all that often – honest!

After the service I started poking through the piles of stuff from the camper to see what I could purge. I managed to pull out quite a bit of stuff… I feel calmer. It will be okay. It will be a challenge and I love challenges!

Merikay asked me why we are doing this since we love our old camper so much. An excellent question, but one that doesn’t have a logical answer!

• our camper is a 2004 so we wanted to trade in for something newer while it is in such good condition and is still worth a bit
• the new camper is a bit longer, but it has two slides (room extensions) across from each other in the living room which makes for a spacious room (good for dogs and people). There is also a slide in the bedroom
• we got carried away
• we were attracted to the two power awnings
• I may have been a bit manic (which would explain yesterday and the day before of total meltdown, and that now I’m 100% fine again) 
• we really like this brand of rv but they don’t make them anymore so we want to get one while we can (yeah, okay, there will always be some up for sale). The new one is the newest model made (2010) by Titanium before Glendale folded.
• I might have been a bit manic
• the new trailer has tons of bells and whistles. Not only is it a nice brand of rv, it is loaded with all the options plus more. I like nice stuff!
• we went to an rv sale and got caught up in wanting something nicer. Then on a rainy day we went to an rv dealer and saw a nice rv (but giant and expensive)
• we wanted a bigger fridge (the new one has a 10cf fridge vs our old 8cf)
• I worked out where all the storage matches up and where things will go before we went to see it (I thought). I forgot some of our cupboards. And the basement is a bit smaller. And it is short one storage area outside. But in my mind it all fit. Until I started emptying the 29
• we really like the new one
• I can hardly wait to get it home so that I can start making it ours

 

Today was a teacup day. Sometimes it is nice to get out some pretty things!

 

 

One must always maintain one's connection to the past and yet ceaselessly pull away from it.
Gaston Bachelard