OK, now I have the van, and I've done a night in a state park to work out what I should do next. I'm happy enough with the van to think about how I could improve it for permanent living or camping, but the downside is that there isn't enough head room to stand up. Over the long haul that could be very uncomfortable.
I'd end up doing more in the van and even living in it if I could consistently walk around and not feel so claustrophobic. Of course I could live in the van in a pinch, but I'm deciding whether to use the current van for casual camping while searching for a taller van to outfit for living.
This matters because I want a permanent bed attached with room for storage underneath, a desk to work at, and an easy way to cook and clean up inside when necessary. It wouldn't make sense to outfit this van just to obtain and outfit another one, so here is how I thought I'd proceed:
1. Keep this van and have it mechanically checked and brought up to a state of excellence. I may need some suspension work, brakes, tires, and that should be it for another 30,000 miles. I need to verify that. I want money budgeted for the power train, or replacement of the van, as necessary.
2. Have electrical items installed-vent, roof AC, 110 volt wiring, cable wiring, panel to hookup to outside electric and cable, deep cycle batteries and box vented to the outside, and perhaps solar panels on the roof. Anything to make it simple to run a vent, fan, AC, or small heater as needed. The AC and heater would be run when hooked to outside power.
3. Install alarm & remote start-I can use that to run AC and heater from the engine in a pinch. Also install some kind of gas cap lock.
4. Install permanent screens and window coverings that are removable as necessary, using reflectix panels for when the windows need to remain shut. That includes window coverings for the cabin, too. The curtain between the cabin and the living space is still good for if a guest needs to use the potty behind the curtain. It *could* happen...
5. Clean up the rug, the walls, and the ceiling, and cover the walls with something attractive and easy to clean. Fit a rug that covers the bench seat holes and looks attractive.
6. Install a plywood bench across the back with enough room for a twin to 3/4 size mattress to be set up as a permanent bed/settee, using the underneath for storage of 8 lidded plastic bins with necessary items as storage for clothes, toiletries, extra food, and miscellaneous. Cover the plywood so it is smooth to the touch and attractive to look at. Cover the front opening to hide the clutter.
7. There is room for a small desk on the right of the van, to use for making jewelry inside, or to work. It can be a real desk or a jury-rigged desk, like a fold-down style that can be reached from the bed(?).
8. There is room for two plastic chest of drawers behind the driver's seat, with space to store a 5 gallon water bottle with a pump on it. I'd make the drawers the area for cooking, cleaning, and storing food. It would have dishes, utensils, sprouting supplies, spices, seasonings, trash bags, paper products, anything else related to eating and cleaning. There is room for a cooler behind the passenger seat for easy acces to cold items, both to clean it out, stock it, and fill it with ice.
When traveling, I'd use the living space in the back to hold folding chairs, a folding table, tools, inverter, travel bags, cleaning supplies, hiking gear, and extra items. When parked, these items would be stored in the cabin. Ideally, if I lived out of the van for long periods of time, I'd pull a sturdy enclosed trailer to stow sellable items and extra stuff. For the present I'll still work on downsizing, though I'm doing pretty good already. One van load and a half of personal treasures is not bad for a 51 year old grandmother.
>^;^<
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Camping in the Van - French Creek, PA
Yesterday I came home from my van camping adventure in French Creek State Park, here in Pennsylvania. I was tired and ended up vegetating before going to bed early. But I did reminisce about the adventure and thought about what I could do to make it better next time, and in general for van camping and van dwelling.
The biggest issue was my disorganization and an excess of stuff. I had to toss in everything I thought I might need or want on the trip, then got on the road before rush hour. There was no time to organize anything. I was lucky to keep the load from sliding around too much. Once I got to the park and backed into my site, I plugged into the electric and threaded the heavy duty extension cord through the side window. I plugged a power strip into the cord and charged my cell phone and ran a small fan for ventilation. That's what I did right. I also brought the real necessities: beer and food, and in that order. I only drank two beers on the trip but in Pennsylvania the blue laws insist you buy beer by the case, so I had to keep the beer cold so it wouldn't get skunky. The rest of the larder consisted of veggies, mushrooms, hummus, blackberries, and blueberries. Yummo!
There was stuff everywhere! I stayed in the van for several hours working it all out. I think my pop-up camping neighbors thought I was acting a bit odd, but I was there for my own purpose, which was to checkout the van camping setup and improve it. There were several large and small plastic bins that were used to organize the necessities. There was a bin for food, one for dishes and utensils to eat with, and one for cooking equipment. That seemed like a lot. The first time I tried van camping I used two large plastic chests with three drawers that hid most of the clutter. Those were bungied to the front seats and taped to keep them closed. Henry was a taller van than Rocky is, so I didn't think the drawers would work this time. I may have to try them out.
There is a also a black hassock shaped port-a-potty with a grey lid. I'm using black trash can liners doubled inside, with some biodegrading additive for the smell. I didn't notice an odor unless I removed the lid. It wasn't too bad then either.
In the picture above you can see the green plastic sewing organizer I rescued from little bird's basement hoard, plus an inverter that I plan to keep charged and in the van for casual use, a white trash can with a plastic pop-up lid that stays closed to keep the stench down, plus the blue fan. The orange handled device is for cutting firewood, and the water jug and dishes are self-explanatory.
Order started to come out of the chaos of it all, and I was able to make curtains and put them up. This was for a sense of privacy, though with the lights on it was clear that you could still see into the van in the dark. I'll need privacy curtains, so that's a new shopping task. That box seen in the picture above contains some hiking items I ordered in the mail that I wanted to inspect while out camping. I'm experimenting with the overall weight of my sleeping system, and got some disposable sleeping bags to keep in the van for social emergencies when I'm planning a hike with others who may be ill-prepared.
Those are my toes, relaxing at the end of the sleeping pad. My left ankle is as swollen and misshapen as it looks, from the accident, but I get by. The cooler had to be set to hang over the doorstep to drain. It is a Walmart cooler that leaks, and until I can stop it up correctly, it will have to drain to the steps rather than the rug as it did before I discovered it. I think I can cut some rubber to fit inside, or even some silicon. I'd like to make a permanent bed area off the floor in the back, over the area to store plastic bins, then put the drawers against the wall behind the driver's seat. The toilet hassock can be used as a seat, and I need a space for storing a folding table and chair to use outside. The driver and passenger seats are a waste of space at the moment, but will probaby be used as a space to stash little used items while in camp. I still need to make or buy something to cover the dash and front windows, for privacy. I'd like to get some screen to make covers for all the windows that open, during the buggy seasons of the year.
The biggest issue was my disorganization and an excess of stuff. I had to toss in everything I thought I might need or want on the trip, then got on the road before rush hour. There was no time to organize anything. I was lucky to keep the load from sliding around too much. Once I got to the park and backed into my site, I plugged into the electric and threaded the heavy duty extension cord through the side window. I plugged a power strip into the cord and charged my cell phone and ran a small fan for ventilation. That's what I did right. I also brought the real necessities: beer and food, and in that order. I only drank two beers on the trip but in Pennsylvania the blue laws insist you buy beer by the case, so I had to keep the beer cold so it wouldn't get skunky. The rest of the larder consisted of veggies, mushrooms, hummus, blackberries, and blueberries. Yummo!
There was stuff everywhere! I stayed in the van for several hours working it all out. I think my pop-up camping neighbors thought I was acting a bit odd, but I was there for my own purpose, which was to checkout the van camping setup and improve it. There were several large and small plastic bins that were used to organize the necessities. There was a bin for food, one for dishes and utensils to eat with, and one for cooking equipment. That seemed like a lot. The first time I tried van camping I used two large plastic chests with three drawers that hid most of the clutter. Those were bungied to the front seats and taped to keep them closed. Henry was a taller van than Rocky is, so I didn't think the drawers would work this time. I may have to try them out.
There is a also a black hassock shaped port-a-potty with a grey lid. I'm using black trash can liners doubled inside, with some biodegrading additive for the smell. I didn't notice an odor unless I removed the lid. It wasn't too bad then either.
In the picture above you can see the green plastic sewing organizer I rescued from little bird's basement hoard, plus an inverter that I plan to keep charged and in the van for casual use, a white trash can with a plastic pop-up lid that stays closed to keep the stench down, plus the blue fan. The orange handled device is for cutting firewood, and the water jug and dishes are self-explanatory.
Order started to come out of the chaos of it all, and I was able to make curtains and put them up. This was for a sense of privacy, though with the lights on it was clear that you could still see into the van in the dark. I'll need privacy curtains, so that's a new shopping task. That box seen in the picture above contains some hiking items I ordered in the mail that I wanted to inspect while out camping. I'm experimenting with the overall weight of my sleeping system, and got some disposable sleeping bags to keep in the van for social emergencies when I'm planning a hike with others who may be ill-prepared.
Those are my toes, relaxing at the end of the sleeping pad. My left ankle is as swollen and misshapen as it looks, from the accident, but I get by. The cooler had to be set to hang over the doorstep to drain. It is a Walmart cooler that leaks, and until I can stop it up correctly, it will have to drain to the steps rather than the rug as it did before I discovered it. I think I can cut some rubber to fit inside, or even some silicon. I'd like to make a permanent bed area off the floor in the back, over the area to store plastic bins, then put the drawers against the wall behind the driver's seat. The toilet hassock can be used as a seat, and I need a space for storing a folding table and chair to use outside. The driver and passenger seats are a waste of space at the moment, but will probaby be used as a space to stash little used items while in camp. I still need to make or buy something to cover the dash and front windows, for privacy. I'd like to get some screen to make covers for all the windows that open, during the buggy seasons of the year.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Camper Van Dwelling
It's Friday, and I'm getting ready to go to French Creek to camp in the van. I need to run some errands and get beer, ice, and food. Then I'll set it up for a nice day of camping out. I reserved an electric site so that I can have light to do my sewing this evening. After spending the last few months picking up 50 cent scraps of black cloth, it's time to make the curtains. There is one privacy curtain going up behind the driver's seat. The rest will be velcro attached curtains on all the windows.
For cooking I'm bringing a long heavy duty extension cord and a power strip for plugging in a hot plate. I simply don't feel like dealing with a propane stove or a hobo stove. I'll post lots of wonderful pictures when I get back home.
For cooking I'm bringing a long heavy duty extension cord and a power strip for plugging in a hot plate. I simply don't feel like dealing with a propane stove or a hobo stove. I'll post lots of wonderful pictures when I get back home.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
How the Other Half Lives
I'm determined to relax today, after spending all day yesterday at a client site in Trenton, NJ. The things I'll do for money! LOL
It was a pretty intense day, lots of traveling, and a certain amount of stress. Now I'm processing that day, and taking care of miscellaneous items for today. An order to the Spice House for powdered tomatoes went to my address in Missouri. That's so odd because they switched the billing for the shipping address, but that's not what the screen print said. The credit card wouldn't have gone through if they used it when I hit the confirm button. So, my much sought after tomato powder is in Missouri, while I'm in Pennsylvania planning a hiking adventure where I wanted to use the powdered tomatoes to make delicious concoctions along the trail. Now I'll have to go to REI and to Whole Foods to see if they have it. Maybe I'll go to Kimberton Whole Foods and see what they have. I don't feel like working much today, anyway.
I took pictures of the house of clutter, or how "the other half lives." I have permission and I'm not invading little bird's privacy. She knows there is a problem and is trying to work on it. Apparently, clutter becomes invisible after a certain number of years. I've documented clutter piles that have not materially changed for the past three years. The basement is an utter disaster, both as a fire hazard and as a health hazard from the mold and dust. At least the stairs are being kept clean for a change. Here are some examples of the living areas and the basement.
This is the dining room:
More of the dining room:
Dining room, continued:
The entry way, better hope you don't have to come in or go out of this doorway:
The living room, which is 2000% better than when I started the project several years ago:
That blue styrofoam container is my fault. I didn't toss it last night when I finished the mushrooms. The difference with me is that I will see it and take care of it when I see it. That is not how the rest of the household clutter is handled. For now we have finished the kitchen, though clutter is starting to build up at the basement door, making it hard to go downstairs to do the laundry. That is a "tolerance" and keeps one from actively doing the laundry, because the laundry becomes a project, not a task. The project is to clear the door several times, replacing the clutter each time, as you start the wash, dry the wash, and get the wash. Inevitably, you never "get the wash" and that becomes clutter on its own. The pile of clean laundry in front of the dryer is a sad testament to waste, because that laundry used energy, water, and detergent to become "clean", but is trodden on the floor of the basement because it is all too much to contemplate. There is too much "project" going on in this house. It is better to just discard, discard, discard. Then make projects when the house is clear of things.
In the next few pictures you can see the basement and the green plastic sewing box I "rescued". If you have lived with a hoarder, then you know what the term "rescued" actually means. I am really going to utilize the box, today. That is the key difference between a hoarder and between normalcy. I use items or discard them when they are not actively useful. I have no attachment or anxiety associated with any item. I'm free to hunt and gather, and to discard at will. If I rescue the sewing box, then subsequently no longer need it, it will be donated or held for a near-term yard sale that will actually occur. I do not hold it for "someday" "I" "might" "need" "it".
Basement, see washer and dryer on the other side of the peak:
Clean laundry moldering on the floor:
It was a pretty intense day, lots of traveling, and a certain amount of stress. Now I'm processing that day, and taking care of miscellaneous items for today. An order to the Spice House for powdered tomatoes went to my address in Missouri. That's so odd because they switched the billing for the shipping address, but that's not what the screen print said. The credit card wouldn't have gone through if they used it when I hit the confirm button. So, my much sought after tomato powder is in Missouri, while I'm in Pennsylvania planning a hiking adventure where I wanted to use the powdered tomatoes to make delicious concoctions along the trail. Now I'll have to go to REI and to Whole Foods to see if they have it. Maybe I'll go to Kimberton Whole Foods and see what they have. I don't feel like working much today, anyway.
I took pictures of the house of clutter, or how "the other half lives." I have permission and I'm not invading little bird's privacy. She knows there is a problem and is trying to work on it. Apparently, clutter becomes invisible after a certain number of years. I've documented clutter piles that have not materially changed for the past three years. The basement is an utter disaster, both as a fire hazard and as a health hazard from the mold and dust. At least the stairs are being kept clean for a change. Here are some examples of the living areas and the basement.
This is the dining room:
More of the dining room:
Dining room, continued:
The entry way, better hope you don't have to come in or go out of this doorway:
The living room, which is 2000% better than when I started the project several years ago:
That blue styrofoam container is my fault. I didn't toss it last night when I finished the mushrooms. The difference with me is that I will see it and take care of it when I see it. That is not how the rest of the household clutter is handled. For now we have finished the kitchen, though clutter is starting to build up at the basement door, making it hard to go downstairs to do the laundry. That is a "tolerance" and keeps one from actively doing the laundry, because the laundry becomes a project, not a task. The project is to clear the door several times, replacing the clutter each time, as you start the wash, dry the wash, and get the wash. Inevitably, you never "get the wash" and that becomes clutter on its own. The pile of clean laundry in front of the dryer is a sad testament to waste, because that laundry used energy, water, and detergent to become "clean", but is trodden on the floor of the basement because it is all too much to contemplate. There is too much "project" going on in this house. It is better to just discard, discard, discard. Then make projects when the house is clear of things.
In the next few pictures you can see the basement and the green plastic sewing box I "rescued". If you have lived with a hoarder, then you know what the term "rescued" actually means. I am really going to utilize the box, today. That is the key difference between a hoarder and between normalcy. I use items or discard them when they are not actively useful. I have no attachment or anxiety associated with any item. I'm free to hunt and gather, and to discard at will. If I rescue the sewing box, then subsequently no longer need it, it will be donated or held for a near-term yard sale that will actually occur. I do not hold it for "someday" "I" "might" "need" "it".
Basement, see washer and dryer on the other side of the peak:
Clean laundry moldering on the floor:
Spotting and "rescuing" the sewing box:
Yes! Cleared and snagged! I'll wash it and sanitize it today, before I go to storage to continue my own downsizing and organization project. I'm planning to do some sewing soon, and I want to make sure my sewing items are ready for action.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Earth Mother Has A New Granddaughter!
The main reason for traveling to Pennsylvania has come to fruition. I have a new granddaughter--number three! She is a tiny little bundle of joy, weighing in at 6 pounds. She looks just like my son and me, who all take after my father's side of the family. She has the dark skin and the dark hair, and I suspect this chick will develop green eyes. If she does, this is my "mini me". My son is in for a time of it, raising this little woman.
Reason number two for coming to Pennsylvania is the accident case, which has settled. Nothing more to be said about that until the money is in my hot little hands. Then I will have a lot to say!
Reason number three is the job, which is a bit of a conundrum. According to the higher ups, they need me. According to my "manager" I'm a grunt and should consider leaving this operation soon because the product is getting trashed anyway (not according to everyone else above him). He also told me to pad my invoice with an extra 40 hours, which I refused to do, the result of which he didn't approve the lower amount of the invoice (the correct amount) and I didn't get paid. Which isn't a castastrophe just yet. My intention is to get hired as a full-time employee, rather than as a contractor, to further my plans to remain in the area to help my son with his family while he is in Iraq next year.
To understand the politics of it all, I was called in under desperate measures because the project needed to be saved. The plan has always been to "fire" or otherwise remove my "manager". I was specifically told to blind carbon copy (bcc) the higher ups on every communication. Now I need to decide how much more of this nonsense I will deal with. I've been vocal, but not adamant up to this point. I'm about ready to let loose, but do not want to fall into a trap. So, today I will quietly continue working on specific items that need to be addressed and see where it leads me. I'll put in a hefty invoice next week and then I'll see where things stand. If I don't get paid or involved I'll know it's time to exit. Of course, I'm communicating and working visibly on the hot issues.
Now for the clutter of it all. I'm staying at my old roommate's house and giving her money weekly, with the understanding that this is temporary. But the clutter is going to drive me more insane than I already am! I nearly went out and rented an apartment yesterday, or an efficiency, or a no-tell motel room. I'm so tired of helping my old friend with her clutter, only to see it come back. I'm in the mood to resolve issues so I proposed this: One area per week and if she doesn't go through with it I'm leaving.
Tonight the area is the kitchen and the outside trash area. Hey, you can't drag trash out if you don't have a place to put it! Duh! Then a clear path to the basement just to get to the washer and dryer will be the next area. I might include the bathrooms in the basement to washing machine activity because the "area" is about cleanliness. The next area will encompass the living room, dining room, closets, and entry way on the main floor. These are filled top to bottom with books, sellable items, junk, paperwork, and mess. In fairness, I've put little bird through the paces of ditching paperwork trash in the past, like forty clear trash bags of it, so it wasn't quite as bad this time. We won't even go into the areas like the wet trash filled basement, the damp atticSSS, the stuffed third bedroom, the stuffed closets, and THE BARN. Thank goodness the barn only has a second floor and no basement!
The kitchen is small and is packed with the usual clutterholic items such as: 21 frying pans, 16 spatulas, 95 plates, 295 mismatched silverware, spices & teas that are over 10 years old, moldy foods in the refrigerator, food that is well over 10 years old, gadgets that duplicate function and overflow every surface, and every household item sold on QVC and in the Lillian Vernon catalogue. How many ways are there to implement a cutting board? I found a cutting board that is three feet long and has a hole in it. Oy vey! That's along with the other 8 cutting boards, plus the four brand new ones laying on the floor. At least you can SEE the floor now. We will have a little helper tonight and with the use of six huge plastic bins we will pretend to do "Clean House". I'm playing the part of Niecy Nash, step into my office!
The six bin method includes removing/editing everything in the kitchen and all cupboards that are not used in the kitchen. Duh! There is a lot of that, classified as "to ebay", "to Charlestown Fair" flea market, "to donate", "to yard sale", "to go to another area", and to "store". The agreement is that a single woman only needs 8 plates, 8 bowls, 8 glasses, 8 cups, 12 place settings, a range of pots and pans without any duplicates, no more than two of any cooking utensil, and above all CLEAR COUNTERS. There is a nice plastic shelf system beside the fridge to store appliances that are actualy used. The counters are not for storage, they are for food preparation and cooking. Dishes are washed as they are used. Food is used, not stored. Cabinets are used for storage of kitchen items that are rarely used on the bottom, and for highly used items on the top where they can be easily accessed.
Then the fridge. My son and his girlfriend have a clean refrigerator with a few easy to see items that include actual food. Little bird collects condiments. And rotted food that is hard to see and impossible to locate for use. And a complex system for storing ice cubes to keep them from picking up odors. I propose: clean out the fridge, clean the fridge, and sanitize the fridge. Then we can use a real ice maker hooked up to a water filter. So far, I have little bird's agreement. She seems happy about it. There is a large table in the kitchen that is taking up extra space because the legs hit the radiator. I'm taking off the back legs and shoving it as close the fridge and the back wall as possible to get more room. Here is a picture of this as it looked once when it was originally decluttered:
Reason number two for coming to Pennsylvania is the accident case, which has settled. Nothing more to be said about that until the money is in my hot little hands. Then I will have a lot to say!
Reason number three is the job, which is a bit of a conundrum. According to the higher ups, they need me. According to my "manager" I'm a grunt and should consider leaving this operation soon because the product is getting trashed anyway (not according to everyone else above him). He also told me to pad my invoice with an extra 40 hours, which I refused to do, the result of which he didn't approve the lower amount of the invoice (the correct amount) and I didn't get paid. Which isn't a castastrophe just yet. My intention is to get hired as a full-time employee, rather than as a contractor, to further my plans to remain in the area to help my son with his family while he is in Iraq next year.
To understand the politics of it all, I was called in under desperate measures because the project needed to be saved. The plan has always been to "fire" or otherwise remove my "manager". I was specifically told to blind carbon copy (bcc) the higher ups on every communication. Now I need to decide how much more of this nonsense I will deal with. I've been vocal, but not adamant up to this point. I'm about ready to let loose, but do not want to fall into a trap. So, today I will quietly continue working on specific items that need to be addressed and see where it leads me. I'll put in a hefty invoice next week and then I'll see where things stand. If I don't get paid or involved I'll know it's time to exit. Of course, I'm communicating and working visibly on the hot issues.
Now for the clutter of it all. I'm staying at my old roommate's house and giving her money weekly, with the understanding that this is temporary. But the clutter is going to drive me more insane than I already am! I nearly went out and rented an apartment yesterday, or an efficiency, or a no-tell motel room. I'm so tired of helping my old friend with her clutter, only to see it come back. I'm in the mood to resolve issues so I proposed this: One area per week and if she doesn't go through with it I'm leaving.
Tonight the area is the kitchen and the outside trash area. Hey, you can't drag trash out if you don't have a place to put it! Duh! Then a clear path to the basement just to get to the washer and dryer will be the next area. I might include the bathrooms in the basement to washing machine activity because the "area" is about cleanliness. The next area will encompass the living room, dining room, closets, and entry way on the main floor. These are filled top to bottom with books, sellable items, junk, paperwork, and mess. In fairness, I've put little bird through the paces of ditching paperwork trash in the past, like forty clear trash bags of it, so it wasn't quite as bad this time. We won't even go into the areas like the wet trash filled basement, the damp atticSSS, the stuffed third bedroom, the stuffed closets, and THE BARN. Thank goodness the barn only has a second floor and no basement!
The kitchen is small and is packed with the usual clutterholic items such as: 21 frying pans, 16 spatulas, 95 plates, 295 mismatched silverware, spices & teas that are over 10 years old, moldy foods in the refrigerator, food that is well over 10 years old, gadgets that duplicate function and overflow every surface, and every household item sold on QVC and in the Lillian Vernon catalogue. How many ways are there to implement a cutting board? I found a cutting board that is three feet long and has a hole in it. Oy vey! That's along with the other 8 cutting boards, plus the four brand new ones laying on the floor. At least you can SEE the floor now. We will have a little helper tonight and with the use of six huge plastic bins we will pretend to do "Clean House". I'm playing the part of Niecy Nash, step into my office!
The six bin method includes removing/editing everything in the kitchen and all cupboards that are not used in the kitchen. Duh! There is a lot of that, classified as "to ebay", "to Charlestown Fair" flea market, "to donate", "to yard sale", "to go to another area", and to "store". The agreement is that a single woman only needs 8 plates, 8 bowls, 8 glasses, 8 cups, 12 place settings, a range of pots and pans without any duplicates, no more than two of any cooking utensil, and above all CLEAR COUNTERS. There is a nice plastic shelf system beside the fridge to store appliances that are actualy used. The counters are not for storage, they are for food preparation and cooking. Dishes are washed as they are used. Food is used, not stored. Cabinets are used for storage of kitchen items that are rarely used on the bottom, and for highly used items on the top where they can be easily accessed.
Then the fridge. My son and his girlfriend have a clean refrigerator with a few easy to see items that include actual food. Little bird collects condiments. And rotted food that is hard to see and impossible to locate for use. And a complex system for storing ice cubes to keep them from picking up odors. I propose: clean out the fridge, clean the fridge, and sanitize the fridge. Then we can use a real ice maker hooked up to a water filter. So far, I have little bird's agreement. She seems happy about it. There is a large table in the kitchen that is taking up extra space because the legs hit the radiator. I'm taking off the back legs and shoving it as close the fridge and the back wall as possible to get more room. Here is a picture of this as it looked once when it was originally decluttered:
I'll find the before pictures and post them soon.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Van Traveling - continued
It is nearly 7 am on Friday morning. I should have left on Wednesday, but the sinus infection really hampered my efforts. I was so tired that every action seemed fruitless. I gave myself the day off Thursday and I'm satisfied that I loaded up enough stuff in the van to make today a bit easier.
I need to do a few hours of work and upload the software for review of a prototype solution to handle photo graphics. Then I'll shower and dress, start up one last load of laundry, and pack up the van. Because I'm not sure when I'll be back, I need to drag the trash out and clean up the place a bit. I'm leaving Marie's cat, Spike, so his litter pan and toilet area needs to be cleaned and changed out.
I believe that at some point I'll be on the road towards Pennsylvania today. I've considered, really considered, obtaining a small trailer to clear the RV and take everything. But I'll hold myself back.
Once I get to Pennsylvania I'm staying with my messy clutterbug friend so I'll unload the van completely into a storage room, then load back only what I need to live with. If I tackle one box a day, I could have all my memorabilia and paperwork consolidated and handled by the end of April. That is huge! That gets me to the point where only personal, kitchen, and jewelry/crafts are left--the moneymakers!
I need to get out of my own way!
I need to do a few hours of work and upload the software for review of a prototype solution to handle photo graphics. Then I'll shower and dress, start up one last load of laundry, and pack up the van. Because I'm not sure when I'll be back, I need to drag the trash out and clean up the place a bit. I'm leaving Marie's cat, Spike, so his litter pan and toilet area needs to be cleaned and changed out.
I believe that at some point I'll be on the road towards Pennsylvania today. I've considered, really considered, obtaining a small trailer to clear the RV and take everything. But I'll hold myself back.
Once I get to Pennsylvania I'm staying with my messy clutterbug friend so I'll unload the van completely into a storage room, then load back only what I need to live with. If I tackle one box a day, I could have all my memorabilia and paperwork consolidated and handled by the end of April. That is huge! That gets me to the point where only personal, kitchen, and jewelry/crafts are left--the moneymakers!
I need to get out of my own way!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Van Traveling
OK, I admit it. This trip to Pennsylvania is about van traveling, not van dwelling. I have so much stuff anyway, I couldn't sleep in there if I wanted to.
Rocky the Van is loaded up so far with both bench seats, all the memoribilia, all the paperwork, most of the office supplies, most of the jewelry, and some miscellaneous items. I have one of the white plastic utility three drawer units in the front bench seat. Next I'm sorting out the clothes in my room so that some is in a bag to carry to and fro, while the rest is in the drawers. Once I empty the other drawers they will go next on the bench seat to be filled. At least they are high enough in the bench seat to keep crap from hitting me when I have to stop quickly. I just ate a quick vegie burger to give me strength.
The other utility drawers are in place, and packed up. Pretty much everything I'm taking is in the van, except for kitchen stuff, the laptop, the monitor/TV, and my bedding. I postponed the trip yesterday because I felt just miserable from the beginnings of a sinus infection. My tail was dragging all day.
Rocky the Van is loaded up so far with both bench seats, all the memoribilia, all the paperwork, most of the office supplies, most of the jewelry, and some miscellaneous items. I have one of the white plastic utility three drawer units in the front bench seat. Next I'm sorting out the clothes in my room so that some is in a bag to carry to and fro, while the rest is in the drawers. Once I empty the other drawers they will go next on the bench seat to be filled. At least they are high enough in the bench seat to keep crap from hitting me when I have to stop quickly. I just ate a quick vegie burger to give me strength.
The other utility drawers are in place, and packed up. Pretty much everything I'm taking is in the van, except for kitchen stuff, the laptop, the monitor/TV, and my bedding. I postponed the trip yesterday because I felt just miserable from the beginnings of a sinus infection. My tail was dragging all day.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Van Dwelling
It hasn't really sunk in yet that van dwelling is more than a set of tasks on my to do list. This time it's just about the van. It doesn't need anything done to it or for it. It just "is". This one isn't about how many generators I can get into it, or when is the vent getting installed, or covering up metal walls. This is a passenger van with two bench seats and carpeting, and is fairly finished inside. The doors are conveniently arranged and the windows are darkly tinted. So even curtains aren't absolutely necessary. I'll check that out later tonight.
I've let my mind go in circles trying to decide what this trip to Pennsylvania means for me. It was mainly about seeing my son and his new baby that is due this week. And secondarily it was about the lawsuit and the trial scheduled for the 31st. The job is out there, too. Though I wouldn't have to be tied to the job. The freedom that is all tied up in that van is something I just can't comprehend the same way I accepted the shackles of restricted living. I can come and go, with or without stuff, really I can.
I've mentally explored endless possibilities in trying to decide what to take, what to leave behind, and how I will live out there. I still have a lot of stuff and if I wanted to stay in Pennsylvania for a month or more, then I don't want to be thinking I'd like to make some soy milk then remember the soy milk maker is in Missouri. I might want to work on craft projects, but the same condition applies. Where is all the stuff? Then what happens if I lose my stuff? This is a George Carlin schtick if I ever saw one. Stuff, stuff! Everywhere and nowhere is the stuff!
I did shop a little for the new van: big toolbox, large rectangular zipper bag to organize van dwelling stuff, a port-a-potty for those nights or days when I'm too shy to go into a facility, LED lantern, and some camping cookware. I have stuff all over the living room of the RV as I'm trying to organize before loading the van before my trip.
The priorities are work (PC, hardware enclosure, laptop, printer, scanner, camera, software), personal (clothes, shoes, toiletries), paperwork (consolidate even more!), memoribilia (scanning project), camping & hiking gear, garden & sprouting stuff, kitchen gear (if I decide to get a place). Nice-to-have would be all the jewelry supplies and tools, and my dolls and crafts. And then there are the cats, Spike and Kristi Belle Belle. My head is spinning.
Do I go ahead and take out the bench seats then put in the living space, which means storing the bench seats in Missouri? Or, do I leave in the bench seats and take all the above items, leaving the cats and the crafts? I don't really have time for crafts if I'm going to visit my son and the new baby, hike as much as possible, finish consolidating the paperwork, and further consolidate memoribilia in the scanning project. If I'm going to stay in Pennsylvania I don't necessarily want to drive all the way back to Missouri to get the cats and the crafts, but I would have to come back anyway to sell the car. Argh! See why I can't stop the voices in my head?
OK, calming down a bit. I'll take the bench seats, work stuff, kitchen stuff, paperwork, memoribilia, and hiking & camping gear. I'll take my air mattresses in case I want a real bed. I'll leave the Spike and take Kristi Belle Belle. Marie will take Spike if for some reason I can't get back here (I hope, he's her cat!). I'll stuff other things into the van, things I can't easily or cheaply replace. Then I'll rent a storage room in Pennsylvania to hold the stuff while I leisurely go through it. This is really, really ridiculous! I'm really not all about my stuff, but I do have some hobbies and I haven't had a chance to work all this out.
I've let my mind go in circles trying to decide what this trip to Pennsylvania means for me. It was mainly about seeing my son and his new baby that is due this week. And secondarily it was about the lawsuit and the trial scheduled for the 31st. The job is out there, too. Though I wouldn't have to be tied to the job. The freedom that is all tied up in that van is something I just can't comprehend the same way I accepted the shackles of restricted living. I can come and go, with or without stuff, really I can.
I've mentally explored endless possibilities in trying to decide what to take, what to leave behind, and how I will live out there. I still have a lot of stuff and if I wanted to stay in Pennsylvania for a month or more, then I don't want to be thinking I'd like to make some soy milk then remember the soy milk maker is in Missouri. I might want to work on craft projects, but the same condition applies. Where is all the stuff? Then what happens if I lose my stuff? This is a George Carlin schtick if I ever saw one. Stuff, stuff! Everywhere and nowhere is the stuff!
I did shop a little for the new van: big toolbox, large rectangular zipper bag to organize van dwelling stuff, a port-a-potty for those nights or days when I'm too shy to go into a facility, LED lantern, and some camping cookware. I have stuff all over the living room of the RV as I'm trying to organize before loading the van before my trip.
The priorities are work (PC, hardware enclosure, laptop, printer, scanner, camera, software), personal (clothes, shoes, toiletries), paperwork (consolidate even more!), memoribilia (scanning project), camping & hiking gear, garden & sprouting stuff, kitchen gear (if I decide to get a place). Nice-to-have would be all the jewelry supplies and tools, and my dolls and crafts. And then there are the cats, Spike and Kristi Belle Belle. My head is spinning.
Do I go ahead and take out the bench seats then put in the living space, which means storing the bench seats in Missouri? Or, do I leave in the bench seats and take all the above items, leaving the cats and the crafts? I don't really have time for crafts if I'm going to visit my son and the new baby, hike as much as possible, finish consolidating the paperwork, and further consolidate memoribilia in the scanning project. If I'm going to stay in Pennsylvania I don't necessarily want to drive all the way back to Missouri to get the cats and the crafts, but I would have to come back anyway to sell the car. Argh! See why I can't stop the voices in my head?
OK, calming down a bit. I'll take the bench seats, work stuff, kitchen stuff, paperwork, memoribilia, and hiking & camping gear. I'll take my air mattresses in case I want a real bed. I'll leave the Spike and take Kristi Belle Belle. Marie will take Spike if for some reason I can't get back here (I hope, he's her cat!). I'll stuff other things into the van, things I can't easily or cheaply replace. Then I'll rent a storage room in Pennsylvania to hold the stuff while I leisurely go through it. This is really, really ridiculous! I'm really not all about my stuff, but I do have some hobbies and I haven't had a chance to work all this out.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Speaking of Clutter
Oy vey! Speaking of clutter here, I have to seriously handle my business because it is time to head out to Pennsylvania to work and to see my newest grandchild who is on the way. I have paperwork to do and send out, plus I need to decide what to take.
I acquired a 2000 Dodge Ram van extended body for $4900 today. Tomorrow I pick it up, get it registered in Missouri, then mail out paperwork, then get the car inspected so that it can be registered in Missouri so I can sell it. But I probably won't have the title back in time to sell it before my trip to Pennsylvania.
This weekend I need to prep the van with my sleeping arrangements and storage needs in order to travel and visit folks without having to unpack. Ideally I can sleep in the van during comfortable weather and just bring in a toiletry bag and my laptop when I need to shower or work. I'm liking this idea.
Today it is 5:00 pm and I'm home from running, waiting for Brock's girlfriend to stop by and get both her taxes done plus get a lecture on household management. Then I need to finish up my own work, and fit in some time with doing my paperwork and taxes and copies and preparation to mail things. Hopefully I'll get enough time in to enjoy myself and make some jewelry.
I acquired a 2000 Dodge Ram van extended body for $4900 today. Tomorrow I pick it up, get it registered in Missouri, then mail out paperwork, then get the car inspected so that it can be registered in Missouri so I can sell it. But I probably won't have the title back in time to sell it before my trip to Pennsylvania.
This weekend I need to prep the van with my sleeping arrangements and storage needs in order to travel and visit folks without having to unpack. Ideally I can sleep in the van during comfortable weather and just bring in a toiletry bag and my laptop when I need to shower or work. I'm liking this idea.
Today it is 5:00 pm and I'm home from running, waiting for Brock's girlfriend to stop by and get both her taxes done plus get a lecture on household management. Then I need to finish up my own work, and fit in some time with doing my paperwork and taxes and copies and preparation to mail things. Hopefully I'll get enough time in to enjoy myself and make some jewelry.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Less is More
Do you live surrounded by clutter yet spend your precious mental energy buying more stuff? Do you have more books & movies than you could watch in a lifetime? Are you providing for the care and feeding of paper that appears to be successfully reproducing itself when the lights go out? Do you want to live in simplicity and peace? You can turn this around for yourself without cleaning it, organizing it, or throwing it all out.
Because you are a perfectionist and you are waiting for the magical day when it will all be squared away, you are too tired, too drained, too confused, and too defeated to try cleaning it up even one more time. I understand because I have been there too.
If you use my system you will become more organized every day by becoming more functional. Functional means knowing where your keys and cell phone are, being able to put your hands on your bills and on paper, pens, envelopes, and stamps when you need them. Because you are going to enjoy that feeling so much that you will want more of it!
You need to have one shelf or surface near your front door where you will keep four boxes the size of shoe boxes. Box #1 is for keys, wallet, cell phone. Box #2 is for envelopes, stamps, pens, scissors, and tape. Box #3 is for bills and important papers. Box #4 is for returns, like movies, books, and stuff that is going out of your house. Keep a trash can right outside your front door and use it often! When you get the mail, toss everything except your bills, your checks, and your important correspondence before it comes into the house.
When you generate trash each day, take it to the trash can in front of your house. Take all the unused trash cans in the house and place them outside. You must follow this rule: bring NOTHING into the house until every trash can is filled and taken by the sanitation service, then you can bring one THING in. Otherwise, try to live on what you have cluttering up your house.
Need money? Sell stuff on Craigslist. Hungry, swim through the debris in the kitchen and sweep everything off the counters with your arms. Take food out of the fridge until you find something that doen't have mold, taking the bad stuff to the trash can outside your front door. While the food is cooking or heating up, wash just the dishes you need to eat with at this meal, plus wash dishes for the next meal. Eat. Take the trash from this meal out to the trash can in front of your house. Then wash all the dishes in the kitchen and put them away.
Tip #1: Your kitchen should contain ONLY two glasses, two plates, two bowls, two spoons, and two forks for each person in your household. Pick your favorites and put them in the cabinets and take all the extras to a thrift store ASAP. Do NOT buy anything at the thrift store.
By the time you have eaten and washed your dishes, you need to think about tomorrow. Find ONLY the clothes that you plan to wear tomorrow, then wash them and fold them and put them away. Sweep the rest of the clothes, shoes, and accessorie into a pile. Make a big pile in the corner. The goal is to have a bed you can lay out on full length to get a good nights sleep because you deserve it!. You and your family also deserve to have clean clothes for tomorrow, and only for tomorrow.
Tip #2: When you watch tv make it a habit to get up during every commercial and take seven articles of trash to the trash can outside of your front door. Make a game out of it! Anything goes, including old newspapers, magazines, magazine clippings, empty food containers, dog poop, dust bunnies, and even old shoes.
If you want a snack, first go into your bathroom and clean one of the following: sink, toilet, tub, floor, mirror, counter, cabinet. Then wade into the kitchen and get one item to eat, taking all your trash to the trash can outside the front door.
Tip #3: Don't buy another item to eat until your refrigerator is completely empty. Then wash the refrigerator and make a menu for the next week, trying to make use of the items overflowing from the cupboards. Be creative! You may be able to save hundreds of dollars in food costs by eating what you have and trip over, rather than buying things you don't have room to store.
Before you go to bed for the night, make sure your cell phone, keys, and wallet/purse are in the box by the door. Make sure your freshly laundered clothes are put away. This is the highest priority every day.
Tip #4: Get big cardboard boxes at work. Bring them home and immediately fill them with clutter from your entry way. Grab things like toiletries out of the pile if you see them and take those things to the bathroom--toss them on the floor with everything else. If you see clothes, take them to the huge pile in your room--that goes for shoes and accessories. If you find bills, stamps, pens, tape, scissors or stamps then put them in the box by the front door. If you feel like taking any trash that you see out to the trash can by your front door, then that's fine. Fill that cardboard box up, close it after rescuing any returns (which go in the box by the front door). Keep bringing home boxes, and box up the clutter stacking the boxes up to the ceiling. Don't organize anything! Do NOT under any circumstance label anything. Leave important things on the floor where you might find them again. If you simply MUST, then put important paperwork in the special box by the door, and put the miscellaneous paperwork in one box near the front door. If you have to find something that is where it could probably be.
In the morning, you should shower and dress as soon as you get up. Then stand and supervise your children dressing in their clean clothes. If your kids are small, you can clean the sink or the floor or the toilet while they bathe. When everyone is dressed then assemble everyone in the kitchen where you will prepare/find food, wash dishes for the next meal, and get everyone to take some trash to the trash can outside your door. Don't do too much today. Get the kids to school and take a box of extra kitchen stuff to the thrift store, then go to work. Work like a dog and try to get as much stuff done as possible. Be sure and file everything away and clean your desk off before heading home.
As soon as you get home assemble everybody in the kitchen/dining room, clear a table (just shove the crap onto the floor), do homework with the kids while you prepare a meal and clean the fridge out. Every day you should:
If it's open, close it.
If it's on the floor pick it up.
If it's in the fridge eat it first, then the stuff in the freezer, then the stuff in the cabinets.
If you have two of the same thing, give one away.
If you need it, do without or dig it out of the mess.
If you wear it, put it in the: hamper, washer, closet, drawer, give-away pile.
If you want to keep it, then take care of it.
If its in a pile, it was never that important.
People are more important than things.
Smile and remember that Less is more!
Because you are a perfectionist and you are waiting for the magical day when it will all be squared away, you are too tired, too drained, too confused, and too defeated to try cleaning it up even one more time. I understand because I have been there too.
If you use my system you will become more organized every day by becoming more functional. Functional means knowing where your keys and cell phone are, being able to put your hands on your bills and on paper, pens, envelopes, and stamps when you need them. Because you are going to enjoy that feeling so much that you will want more of it!
You need to have one shelf or surface near your front door where you will keep four boxes the size of shoe boxes. Box #1 is for keys, wallet, cell phone. Box #2 is for envelopes, stamps, pens, scissors, and tape. Box #3 is for bills and important papers. Box #4 is for returns, like movies, books, and stuff that is going out of your house. Keep a trash can right outside your front door and use it often! When you get the mail, toss everything except your bills, your checks, and your important correspondence before it comes into the house.
When you generate trash each day, take it to the trash can in front of your house. Take all the unused trash cans in the house and place them outside. You must follow this rule: bring NOTHING into the house until every trash can is filled and taken by the sanitation service, then you can bring one THING in. Otherwise, try to live on what you have cluttering up your house.
Need money? Sell stuff on Craigslist. Hungry, swim through the debris in the kitchen and sweep everything off the counters with your arms. Take food out of the fridge until you find something that doen't have mold, taking the bad stuff to the trash can outside your front door. While the food is cooking or heating up, wash just the dishes you need to eat with at this meal, plus wash dishes for the next meal. Eat. Take the trash from this meal out to the trash can in front of your house. Then wash all the dishes in the kitchen and put them away.
Tip #1: Your kitchen should contain ONLY two glasses, two plates, two bowls, two spoons, and two forks for each person in your household. Pick your favorites and put them in the cabinets and take all the extras to a thrift store ASAP. Do NOT buy anything at the thrift store.
By the time you have eaten and washed your dishes, you need to think about tomorrow. Find ONLY the clothes that you plan to wear tomorrow, then wash them and fold them and put them away. Sweep the rest of the clothes, shoes, and accessorie into a pile. Make a big pile in the corner. The goal is to have a bed you can lay out on full length to get a good nights sleep because you deserve it!. You and your family also deserve to have clean clothes for tomorrow, and only for tomorrow.
Tip #2: When you watch tv make it a habit to get up during every commercial and take seven articles of trash to the trash can outside of your front door. Make a game out of it! Anything goes, including old newspapers, magazines, magazine clippings, empty food containers, dog poop, dust bunnies, and even old shoes.
If you want a snack, first go into your bathroom and clean one of the following: sink, toilet, tub, floor, mirror, counter, cabinet. Then wade into the kitchen and get one item to eat, taking all your trash to the trash can outside the front door.
Tip #3: Don't buy another item to eat until your refrigerator is completely empty. Then wash the refrigerator and make a menu for the next week, trying to make use of the items overflowing from the cupboards. Be creative! You may be able to save hundreds of dollars in food costs by eating what you have and trip over, rather than buying things you don't have room to store.
Before you go to bed for the night, make sure your cell phone, keys, and wallet/purse are in the box by the door. Make sure your freshly laundered clothes are put away. This is the highest priority every day.
Tip #4: Get big cardboard boxes at work. Bring them home and immediately fill them with clutter from your entry way. Grab things like toiletries out of the pile if you see them and take those things to the bathroom--toss them on the floor with everything else. If you see clothes, take them to the huge pile in your room--that goes for shoes and accessories. If you find bills, stamps, pens, tape, scissors or stamps then put them in the box by the front door. If you feel like taking any trash that you see out to the trash can by your front door, then that's fine. Fill that cardboard box up, close it after rescuing any returns (which go in the box by the front door). Keep bringing home boxes, and box up the clutter stacking the boxes up to the ceiling. Don't organize anything! Do NOT under any circumstance label anything. Leave important things on the floor where you might find them again. If you simply MUST, then put important paperwork in the special box by the door, and put the miscellaneous paperwork in one box near the front door. If you have to find something that is where it could probably be.
In the morning, you should shower and dress as soon as you get up. Then stand and supervise your children dressing in their clean clothes. If your kids are small, you can clean the sink or the floor or the toilet while they bathe. When everyone is dressed then assemble everyone in the kitchen where you will prepare/find food, wash dishes for the next meal, and get everyone to take some trash to the trash can outside your door. Don't do too much today. Get the kids to school and take a box of extra kitchen stuff to the thrift store, then go to work. Work like a dog and try to get as much stuff done as possible. Be sure and file everything away and clean your desk off before heading home.
As soon as you get home assemble everybody in the kitchen/dining room, clear a table (just shove the crap onto the floor), do homework with the kids while you prepare a meal and clean the fridge out. Every day you should:
If it's open, close it.
If it's on the floor pick it up.
If it's in the fridge eat it first, then the stuff in the freezer, then the stuff in the cabinets.
If you have two of the same thing, give one away.
If you need it, do without or dig it out of the mess.
If you wear it, put it in the: hamper, washer, closet, drawer, give-away pile.
If you want to keep it, then take care of it.
If its in a pile, it was never that important.
People are more important than things.
Smile and remember that Less is more!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
What life is all about
Today was so peaceful that I don't remember any particular part as different from any other part of the day. I capped the day off by inviting neighbors over for a bonfire on the concrete pad outside the RV. I had a small grill that I picked up at odd lots for $10 and had amassed a huge pile of deadfall. That was the basis of the friendly bonfire and a get together with beer and wine. I just got done with all the festivities and now I'm putting my brain to bed. Yawn....
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Anxiety and my favorite herbs
Heh, heh, you thought this was about "those" herbs, didn't ya? I'm a pretty straight arrow, outside of a few of my favorite brews on occasion. No, today I was feeling an extreme amount of anxiety over all the known, unknown, and forecasted outcomes to my financial situation. The contract work, the taxes, the accident case, all roiled and broiled around my head until I felt like it was spinning. It's about 6:39 pm Missouri time and I think I need to go to sleep and start tomorrow around 1:00 am. When I first get up in the morning and if I get my brain engaged in software development I can usually put the thoughts of doom and gloom on another thread.
But gloom and doom were paramount this morning and basically nothing got done, i.e., "accomplished". I ended up researching my accident case and it is still on the schedule with a trial date set. I just figured they'd won their motion for summary judgement, and now I get to worry about actually going to trial. While trying to finish my software project, while worrying about the outcome of the tax situation. Yes, that's what I'm talking about--S T R E S S, with a capital D, which stand for impending doom. I even made a list of the items I need to do to get away from all this. Hence a trip to the local health food store to grab some tinture of Kava. I hope it helps because I need some relief from this massive amount of anxiety.
I've mentioned before that if the going gets too tough, this time I'll leave without a vehicle. I'm still wedded to a certain amount of my stuff so I need to position that stuff where I can easily get to it if I'm without a vehicle. I have to review my survival gear and get it ready for a quick trip to anywhere. At some point I would get a vehicle, but it would not be in my name. So that is the plan. This week I will divest myself of some stuff, position the rest, and start planning my escape. I'm only holding onto this job in order to keep up with all the illusions of civilization that will assist me in getting closer to an actual accident settlement or win at trial.
So, back to the tincture of Kava and an early bedtime. I'm going to get through this! Dammit.
But gloom and doom were paramount this morning and basically nothing got done, i.e., "accomplished". I ended up researching my accident case and it is still on the schedule with a trial date set. I just figured they'd won their motion for summary judgement, and now I get to worry about actually going to trial. While trying to finish my software project, while worrying about the outcome of the tax situation. Yes, that's what I'm talking about--S T R E S S, with a capital D, which stand for impending doom. I even made a list of the items I need to do to get away from all this. Hence a trip to the local health food store to grab some tinture of Kava. I hope it helps because I need some relief from this massive amount of anxiety.
I've mentioned before that if the going gets too tough, this time I'll leave without a vehicle. I'm still wedded to a certain amount of my stuff so I need to position that stuff where I can easily get to it if I'm without a vehicle. I have to review my survival gear and get it ready for a quick trip to anywhere. At some point I would get a vehicle, but it would not be in my name. So that is the plan. This week I will divest myself of some stuff, position the rest, and start planning my escape. I'm only holding onto this job in order to keep up with all the illusions of civilization that will assist me in getting closer to an actual accident settlement or win at trial.
So, back to the tincture of Kava and an early bedtime. I'm going to get through this! Dammit.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Coasting for a minute
This is Friday in Misouri, with ice all over the place and my car frozen shut. I'm not going anywhere, but at least I am warm and cozy in the RV. I'm coasting a bit right now because I managed to make it through the whole day without e-mails and botheration. I should have turned in my software project, but as long as nobodies' asking, I'm coasting.
The tax forms for 2003-2006 were sent to the kind folks at the IRS on Tuesday. I owe about $15,000. In all the chaos of recovering from the accident and dealing with financial problems and being homeless, I knew I needed to look at my paperwork and take care of this. I honestly didn't think I owed more than a few grand. It was the self-employment taxes that got me, plus losing the house and all those deductions, that I didn't realize how the mortgage shielded me from so many of the realitie of life. Also in the back of my mind I was praying for the accident case to turn out in my favor sooner, and provide the funds to handle everything.
Now I'm working with one of those tv tax relief firms to help me work out a payment plan. If I can do that, I can keep this job. If the IRS garnishe me, I'll lose the work. If that happens, I will follow Plan B. Plan A was living in a van, which is now put to rest anyway. I sold Henry to have enough cash for this issue, or to run. Plan B is to run. Perhaps with no car and no driver's license, a bus ticket or a thumb will take me away from here. So I'm thinking about putting all my belongings in storage, what few are left, and taking my cash and hitting the road. I think I can get to a place where I can room with somebody via Craigslist, in a college sort of town. They don't ask too many questions there. Then I'm one petsitting business away from living completely off the grid. Or, something. The point is that I don't have to live in fear unless I just want to.
One of the things that weighed heavily on me for the last several years was fear. Fear that I needed to do things a certain way to "survive." I've done the math and the emotional work and the given deep thought to "why" life has happened this way for me. I could blame myself, I could blame others, and I could ask "Why me?" But, it is what it is. As I read articles about homelessness I see both sides. Homefull people point out concrete reasons "why" others are homeless, because they don't understand and because they think they can keep the "reasons" at bay. But you have no control over circumstances. Have a couple of bad things happen in a row, go through your savings, run out of options, and then you too can be counted as one of the unfortunates of the world. The serious fact is that if I didn't have money, friends, family, or a brain, I'd be homeless right now. As it is, I'm merely contemplating the possibility.
At one point I bought Henry the van with the thought of fixing him up as a mobile bedroom on wheels. For a woman my age, a van is safer than being on the street in any way, heck for a woman period. The plan was to keep making jewelry and selling it, and the van was necessary for transporting all my stuff. But as long as I have cash I can land in a city with public transportation and get lodging easily enough. I don't need stuff. If I can manage with very little money. The business ideas were in case I needed to make money along the way. So I still have Plan A, but am prepared to go to Plan B.
Here's my one rant and whine, because I'm only human. My sister lives in our mother's house. My mother passed away and the house came to my brother, sister, and me. I have $20,000 equity in that house, the same as they do. My sister knew how bad thing had gotten for me, but refuses to either buy the house or sell the house or pay her fair share of the rent. If I was like her I'd sic the IRS on that house. But, I think I'm not like that. I can't do that to my family. So, I get to handle this bad situation alone, as usual.
Whinge over!
This blog is all about what one 51 year old grandmother will do to survive and get through the bad times. That means that I'm going to get up off my lazy butt and hook up the cable from my friend next door so I can be snowed in and relax with TV until they come hook it back up. When my friend got her cable turned on the technician accidentally turned mine off. Sheesh!
Then I'm going to finish two more items on my software to do list. Then I'm going to get my tiny little home organized again. Then I'm having a real night's sleep and I'm not getting up until I have to! I've been living on four-five hours of sleep at a time for the past two weeks, trying to make the work people happy while trying to make the IRS and attorney people happy, while trying to help my friend move into her hoopty trailer.
I'm beat!
The tax forms for 2003-2006 were sent to the kind folks at the IRS on Tuesday. I owe about $15,000. In all the chaos of recovering from the accident and dealing with financial problems and being homeless, I knew I needed to look at my paperwork and take care of this. I honestly didn't think I owed more than a few grand. It was the self-employment taxes that got me, plus losing the house and all those deductions, that I didn't realize how the mortgage shielded me from so many of the realitie of life. Also in the back of my mind I was praying for the accident case to turn out in my favor sooner, and provide the funds to handle everything.
Now I'm working with one of those tv tax relief firms to help me work out a payment plan. If I can do that, I can keep this job. If the IRS garnishe me, I'll lose the work. If that happens, I will follow Plan B. Plan A was living in a van, which is now put to rest anyway. I sold Henry to have enough cash for this issue, or to run. Plan B is to run. Perhaps with no car and no driver's license, a bus ticket or a thumb will take me away from here. So I'm thinking about putting all my belongings in storage, what few are left, and taking my cash and hitting the road. I think I can get to a place where I can room with somebody via Craigslist, in a college sort of town. They don't ask too many questions there. Then I'm one petsitting business away from living completely off the grid. Or, something. The point is that I don't have to live in fear unless I just want to.
One of the things that weighed heavily on me for the last several years was fear. Fear that I needed to do things a certain way to "survive." I've done the math and the emotional work and the given deep thought to "why" life has happened this way for me. I could blame myself, I could blame others, and I could ask "Why me?" But, it is what it is. As I read articles about homelessness I see both sides. Homefull people point out concrete reasons "why" others are homeless, because they don't understand and because they think they can keep the "reasons" at bay. But you have no control over circumstances. Have a couple of bad things happen in a row, go through your savings, run out of options, and then you too can be counted as one of the unfortunates of the world. The serious fact is that if I didn't have money, friends, family, or a brain, I'd be homeless right now. As it is, I'm merely contemplating the possibility.
At one point I bought Henry the van with the thought of fixing him up as a mobile bedroom on wheels. For a woman my age, a van is safer than being on the street in any way, heck for a woman period. The plan was to keep making jewelry and selling it, and the van was necessary for transporting all my stuff. But as long as I have cash I can land in a city with public transportation and get lodging easily enough. I don't need stuff. If I can manage with very little money. The business ideas were in case I needed to make money along the way. So I still have Plan A, but am prepared to go to Plan B.
Here's my one rant and whine, because I'm only human. My sister lives in our mother's house. My mother passed away and the house came to my brother, sister, and me. I have $20,000 equity in that house, the same as they do. My sister knew how bad thing had gotten for me, but refuses to either buy the house or sell the house or pay her fair share of the rent. If I was like her I'd sic the IRS on that house. But, I think I'm not like that. I can't do that to my family. So, I get to handle this bad situation alone, as usual.
Whinge over!
This blog is all about what one 51 year old grandmother will do to survive and get through the bad times. That means that I'm going to get up off my lazy butt and hook up the cable from my friend next door so I can be snowed in and relax with TV until they come hook it back up. When my friend got her cable turned on the technician accidentally turned mine off. Sheesh!
Then I'm going to finish two more items on my software to do list. Then I'm going to get my tiny little home organized again. Then I'm having a real night's sleep and I'm not getting up until I have to! I've been living on four-five hours of sleep at a time for the past two weeks, trying to make the work people happy while trying to make the IRS and attorney people happy, while trying to help my friend move into her hoopty trailer.
I'm beat!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Details
I got to the finish line with the software project! The tax forms were mailed out yesterday. Today the plan is to get the details finalized by around 10 am, then to use the rest of the day to clean up and get organized. My roommate here in the RV is getting her new place ready next door. If all goes well she could be completely moved into the trailer and out of mine by the weekend after this coming weekend.
She picked up a one bedroom trailer that is just tiny cute, for $2000. It needs cosmetic work inside, and some plumbing updates. The plumbing inside works well enough, but one day a new vanity and a sink in the bathroom would be a cheap and easy update. The tub could use a new faucet and some pipes behind the wall, which is easily reached from outside the trailer. As the resident engineer I'm pushing to have all the pipes heat taped and wrapped. My friend is really good at the cosmetic stuff and I'd say she has taken on a lifetime project with this. But it is a well-insulated trailer and has never been moved from its quiet spot in a sleepy retirement style mobile home park. We are all about the alternative living styles.
I could pick up the trailer I'm in for $2500, and it needs no work at all. I'm considering it just to have a permanent place next door to a friend who'd look out for the place while I travel. But I'd be tied to a $950 per month lot rent, plus about $50 in electric, and $100 for propane. Not bad compared to the east coast. I have gotten my head wrapped around the fact that I may be spending a year and a half on the east coast, working and helping out with my new grandchild while my son is in Iraq. I have a place to stay on the east coast that will be very inexpensive during that time. If I'm working as planned, I'll be able to afford both places for less than $1000 a month in total living expenses on a salary of about $8000 take home. I "could" rent this place out for about $400 a month. I'm thinking about this. The decision does not have to be made until June 2008. By then I should have the accident case finished (hopefully settled) and the tax situation under control. I may have to sell Henry the van to ensure that the tax man is happy. But, it will give me a chance to work out the van dwelling logistics again so that I can have what I want when I pick the next vehicle, rather than having to build it into a used van. That was getting to be way too time-consuming and I was getting nowhere.
One of the sneaky ways that my friend and I are going to save on expenses is to have one telephone line between us, at her new place. I'll pay for the DSL portion for her and use a wireless router to send the signal my way, with a code of course! That way we don't have to duplicate service all over the place. I can have a handset here for making calls. It's doable.
Back to the details of building a software installation CD. Ugh!
The job's not done until the paperwork is finished.
She picked up a one bedroom trailer that is just tiny cute, for $2000. It needs cosmetic work inside, and some plumbing updates. The plumbing inside works well enough, but one day a new vanity and a sink in the bathroom would be a cheap and easy update. The tub could use a new faucet and some pipes behind the wall, which is easily reached from outside the trailer. As the resident engineer I'm pushing to have all the pipes heat taped and wrapped. My friend is really good at the cosmetic stuff and I'd say she has taken on a lifetime project with this. But it is a well-insulated trailer and has never been moved from its quiet spot in a sleepy retirement style mobile home park. We are all about the alternative living styles.
I could pick up the trailer I'm in for $2500, and it needs no work at all. I'm considering it just to have a permanent place next door to a friend who'd look out for the place while I travel. But I'd be tied to a $950 per month lot rent, plus about $50 in electric, and $100 for propane. Not bad compared to the east coast. I have gotten my head wrapped around the fact that I may be spending a year and a half on the east coast, working and helping out with my new grandchild while my son is in Iraq. I have a place to stay on the east coast that will be very inexpensive during that time. If I'm working as planned, I'll be able to afford both places for less than $1000 a month in total living expenses on a salary of about $8000 take home. I "could" rent this place out for about $400 a month. I'm thinking about this. The decision does not have to be made until June 2008. By then I should have the accident case finished (hopefully settled) and the tax situation under control. I may have to sell Henry the van to ensure that the tax man is happy. But, it will give me a chance to work out the van dwelling logistics again so that I can have what I want when I pick the next vehicle, rather than having to build it into a used van. That was getting to be way too time-consuming and I was getting nowhere.
One of the sneaky ways that my friend and I are going to save on expenses is to have one telephone line between us, at her new place. I'll pay for the DSL portion for her and use a wireless router to send the signal my way, with a code of course! That way we don't have to duplicate service all over the place. I can have a handset here for making calls. It's doable.
Back to the details of building a software installation CD. Ugh!
The job's not done until the paperwork is finished.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Ebay Sellers Up In Arms
It's still very busy here. That convergence of due dates should ease up today, provided I complete all of my tasks, or at least look like I did. >^;^<
I took a chill pill after working on software for a few hours, and looked at my ebay account. I've had an account there for ten years which I just cancelled. The paypal account is going next. The reason I am cancelling after so many years is due to the changes ebay is making in their fee structure and in the buyer feedback system. After routinely forking out over $400 a month in fees, only to clear about a thousand dollars a month, I am voting on the new policies with my feet. As soon as I get to a quiet point with my software project, I will work on my new website to sell handcrafted jewelry and doll sized miniatures. I'm sure I can live without that tiny bit of money from ebay. Gee thanks, Meg! I needed that! The final and last straw that would get me to quit the beast!
I took a chill pill after working on software for a few hours, and looked at my ebay account. I've had an account there for ten years which I just cancelled. The paypal account is going next. The reason I am cancelling after so many years is due to the changes ebay is making in their fee structure and in the buyer feedback system. After routinely forking out over $400 a month in fees, only to clear about a thousand dollars a month, I am voting on the new policies with my feet. As soon as I get to a quiet point with my software project, I will work on my new website to sell handcrafted jewelry and doll sized miniatures. I'm sure I can live without that tiny bit of money from ebay. Gee thanks, Meg! I needed that! The final and last straw that would get me to quit the beast!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Crunchtime
Yesterday I had to do something about the convergence of due dates. Since it is in the best interests of all taxpayers that I continue to work, I was able to gain an extra 3 days to finish the forms due on Friday. Now I'll have the weekend to complete them. Yes!
So only the software monkey is on my back today. No time to blog about anything else. It's crunchtime! Focus, focus focus!
So only the software monkey is on my back today. No time to blog about anything else. It's crunchtime! Focus, focus focus!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Earth Mother is Ruthless
Back to pragmatism. Today I'm working diligently on sifting my mounds of paperwork, trying to find the nuggets that will declare that I owe little to nothing for the years 2005 and 2006. That should hopefully put the IRS monster to rest for awhile. At this point, I don't much care. Working for food and scraping up a little extra to have for emergencies on the road is all I'm up for now. I'm going to plow through as much of the bulk of the work now, then pick up my roommate from work. I'll clean up the mess I'm sure to make, then make it an early night. Tomorrow I'll work on my software project until later in the day. When I'm satisfied with my progress, then I'll do a finer sifting to see where I'm at. The forms are due on 2/1. Maybe they'll let me fax them in, which would buy me another day. Maybe they'll let me overnight them on Saturday, to arrive Monday. That would give me an extra three days! Heck, I'll drive them to Jeff City! Wah! I need more time!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Clear Your Clutter
After a few days of the diligent shifting of bags and boxes, the UHaul full of clutter is now decreased in volume by 50%. Clutter is a visual symptom of postponed decisions. That's why half of my clutter consists of 20 years of paperwork. Things like my kids schoolwork, cards and letters, pictures, and everything else. Calendars, scraps of notes, and other detritus of a life misspent on the little things. One of the tasks today is to obtain a good photo and negative scanner to put the most memorable keepsakes into an electronic form. Then I'll mail each of my son's stuff to them to keep if they wish. I no longer need to be the keeper of the clutter.
The other half of the clutter consists of several bins of craft supplies for things I want to do and can make me money, a huge collection of sellable fashion doll accessories, loads of jewelry making supplies, and boxes in which to sell said jewelry. Then there are a few boxes of personal items and clothing. There's a bag of holiday decorations, and a few boxes of books. The books are sellable. Before I can tackle the clutter I have to finish part of my current software project, Then I have to sort, file, and purge the paperwork in order to make the tax people happy. Then I can seriously clean up the rest of the stuff.
I think that the threads of my life will converge at a point that meets sometime in April, May, or June. Yeah, try and plan around THAT! The lawsuit, the taxes, the clutter, and the job. You see, all I want to do is live and work out of a camper van, with a jewelry making business in progress to supplement my income. But I can't realistically do that without finishing the lawsuit, the taxes, and the clutter. Catch 22 all the way around. I suppose I can once again mortgage my life to a job in order to get a few years closer to my preferred lifestyle. This sucks!
Jest in time to take my mind off my troubles, here comes Brock, home from prison! Yeah! His mom drove to Farmington to pick him up. She'll call me when she is on the way back with him, which will give me two hours to finish my chores and run some errands on the way to say hi to him. After that I'm back to the RV to work on my software project. Brock will be going to visit his girlfriend at her Section 8 apartment, where she has her three children and his four children. Yes, you can laugh out loud. His mom and I always get a good chuckle out of it when we think about it.
So I've learned my lesson. I'm not going to be available for loans, babysitting, or anything else. He is expecting a good sized tax refund of which $2500 is due to me for the bail money. Then his mother will borrow $1000 of that to buy a $2000 trailer far enough away that he can't disturb her peace either. In the meantime we will be roommates again. I have my next six days set aside for 3 days of work and 3 days of paperwork, taxes, correspondence, bills, more downsizing, organizing, and cleaning. I'd love to sell more crap on Ebay but may have to hold that thought for a few more months. I'm simply too busy to Ebay these days.
The other half of the clutter consists of several bins of craft supplies for things I want to do and can make me money, a huge collection of sellable fashion doll accessories, loads of jewelry making supplies, and boxes in which to sell said jewelry. Then there are a few boxes of personal items and clothing. There's a bag of holiday decorations, and a few boxes of books. The books are sellable. Before I can tackle the clutter I have to finish part of my current software project, Then I have to sort, file, and purge the paperwork in order to make the tax people happy. Then I can seriously clean up the rest of the stuff.
I think that the threads of my life will converge at a point that meets sometime in April, May, or June. Yeah, try and plan around THAT! The lawsuit, the taxes, the clutter, and the job. You see, all I want to do is live and work out of a camper van, with a jewelry making business in progress to supplement my income. But I can't realistically do that without finishing the lawsuit, the taxes, and the clutter. Catch 22 all the way around. I suppose I can once again mortgage my life to a job in order to get a few years closer to my preferred lifestyle. This sucks!
Jest in time to take my mind off my troubles, here comes Brock, home from prison! Yeah! His mom drove to Farmington to pick him up. She'll call me when she is on the way back with him, which will give me two hours to finish my chores and run some errands on the way to say hi to him. After that I'm back to the RV to work on my software project. Brock will be going to visit his girlfriend at her Section 8 apartment, where she has her three children and his four children. Yes, you can laugh out loud. His mom and I always get a good chuckle out of it when we think about it.
So I've learned my lesson. I'm not going to be available for loans, babysitting, or anything else. He is expecting a good sized tax refund of which $2500 is due to me for the bail money. Then his mother will borrow $1000 of that to buy a $2000 trailer far enough away that he can't disturb her peace either. In the meantime we will be roommates again. I have my next six days set aside for 3 days of work and 3 days of paperwork, taxes, correspondence, bills, more downsizing, organizing, and cleaning. I'd love to sell more crap on Ebay but may have to hold that thought for a few more months. I'm simply too busy to Ebay these days.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Emptying
No matter how much I try to empty my life it seems I'm determined to fill it up in spite of myself. Emptying the stuff, the to do list, the chores, the pets, the junk of life. Trying to find the peace that doesn't include everything we perceive as necessary. Curiousity continues to drive this need to find out what is absolutely needed to sustain me.
Long ago I learned that a house in the suburbs and an Expedition in the driveway wouldn't sustain me. So I traveled the highway to another place with as little as possible. It sustained me for six months. Then a driving need to see my son for Christmas and grab the rest of my junk out of storage compelled me to travel 2000 miles from here to there. Once I went through that process I ended up looking at a Uhaul full of crap.
Sheesh!
Long ago I learned that a house in the suburbs and an Expedition in the driveway wouldn't sustain me. So I traveled the highway to another place with as little as possible. It sustained me for six months. Then a driving need to see my son for Christmas and grab the rest of my junk out of storage compelled me to travel 2000 miles from here to there. Once I went through that process I ended up looking at a Uhaul full of crap.
Sheesh!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Home Stretch
Yeah, it's been awhile. With nothing earth shattering to mention on the lawsuit, the job, the van, or anything else, it's been a time of maintaining direction and handling old business. I'm still working as an hourly contractor on a contract, trying to get on my feet for the home stretch of the accident case. After a trip back home to Pennsylvania, all my stuff is stored in the RV for sorting and purging. A lifetime's accumulation of paperwork is waiting for a final cleansing before I file old tax forms and clean up that bit of the disaster of my life.
Yeah, about three days after I returned home with the papwerwork and junk there was a knock on the door from the infernal revenue service. Something about the form that kicks out when you lose your house to foreclosure. They are looking for the lost years' forms and possibly some money, but it will be up to me to show that I didn't make a dime on that deal, or many others. I didn't even claim a "home office". I'll probably need legal advice on this one. In any case, homeless people do have a low rate of tax compliance--duh!
The van is set and I'm currently processing things so that I can be mobile and gone by the end of February if necessary. The lawsuit is coming up on the pre-trial conference date, so I have that emotional roller coaster to look forward to. And, I have three of the boys whose father is in prison--all in a tiny "RV" with no room. My nerves are truly shot at this point. In about two weeks I should know how the lawsuit will play out. How does one survive chaos and uncontrollable change? I think you do it by putting one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. That's all we can do.
Yeah, about three days after I returned home with the papwerwork and junk there was a knock on the door from the infernal revenue service. Something about the form that kicks out when you lose your house to foreclosure. They are looking for the lost years' forms and possibly some money, but it will be up to me to show that I didn't make a dime on that deal, or many others. I didn't even claim a "home office". I'll probably need legal advice on this one. In any case, homeless people do have a low rate of tax compliance--duh!
The van is set and I'm currently processing things so that I can be mobile and gone by the end of February if necessary. The lawsuit is coming up on the pre-trial conference date, so I have that emotional roller coaster to look forward to. And, I have three of the boys whose father is in prison--all in a tiny "RV" with no room. My nerves are truly shot at this point. In about two weeks I should know how the lawsuit will play out. How does one survive chaos and uncontrollable change? I think you do it by putting one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. That's all we can do.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Ten Days Later
Just a couple of ordinary days has past. I've been working hard on the software contract and put in a hefty invoice yesterday. Some political b.s. got in the way of getting things done, but that too shall pass. My attorney called me with instructions to stay by my cell phone on Monday--some sort of settlement conference with a judge. ROFL. That's not going to happen. Lawsuits are a PITA.
I took my friend Marie to a birthday lunch yesterday, then came home and puked my guts out. We ate at a place called "Cooking from scratch". I should have known. I'm a vegan and a frugivore and all they had on the menu was Southern fried stuff. I got the fried okra, cole slaw, and green beans. The fried okra may have been fried in lard, one sniff told me not to eat it. The green beans had a slice of pork in it--I gave it to Marie. The cole slaw was not delicious and hindsight tells me it was a bit off. I ordered the onion rings because I was hungry and the side dishes weren't up to par, and that was after making sure they fried them in vegetable oil, at least. They were OK. But I'm not used to bad eating nowadays. I popped the whole lunch within a few hours. I woke up today feeling a little better. I'm sipping a cool herbal tea and will baby the tummy for a few more hours.
The usual morning routine sets in, though I plan to read a couple of chapters on C# to get my head wrapped back around delegates, handlers, callbacks, sockets, and threads. When I design something I always have a handle on all that. This weekend I have to remediate a project that was poorly designed by someone who was still new at the job. I'm trying to understand what that last genious did so I can make surgically precise corrections.
Then I do all my personal stuff first, because you should always start your day dressed all the way to your shoes. It prevents obstacles to progress later in the day and you should always put on your own oxygen mask first. For me, personal stuff includes good eating, good grooming, good exercise, and good meditation. Chores are next, so they don't hang over your head...all the animal care, housework, remedial cleaning. With the boring stuff out of the way, I then concentrate on anything to do with immediate money, making jewelry to fill eBay orders, listing new jewelry, wrapping items to mail, then sending invoices or following up on past invoices for the software business. Then I get any errands out of the way. By 10:00 am I'm at work on my projects where I can get 8 hours of work done in about 5 hours. Then the rest of the day is mine.
So there won't be much posting here until I hear something significant about the lawsuit, the work, or the van. The van is being scheduled for basic work next week. I hope they only keep it for a few days. Henry is due for some basic preventative maintenance, mechanicl work that we may identify, new generator and electrical system, roof vents, and a discussion on who might be best qualified to prep the inside for real living. I'm popping $4000-$5000 for the first bit of work, it may be a lot less. I'm expecting engine work and perhaps a new transmission. I've got another $2500 ready for extensive work. The body and chassis is in excellent condition, but it may have had some hard driving in the past. I don't want to be a van dweller who finds out in a remote corner of Georgia that I have to put my house in a shop for a week. The backup plan for that is preventative maintenance and mechanical work now, plus a small trailer which will be used for storing my items if the van is getting repairs. I could camp out in a tent, or spend cash on a motel room. I have to have Henry back within a few weeks because I'm traveling to a few places for work, then I'm heading back to Pennsylvania to get my stuff.
Today, I'm just going to chill out.
I took my friend Marie to a birthday lunch yesterday, then came home and puked my guts out. We ate at a place called "Cooking from scratch". I should have known. I'm a vegan and a frugivore and all they had on the menu was Southern fried stuff. I got the fried okra, cole slaw, and green beans. The fried okra may have been fried in lard, one sniff told me not to eat it. The green beans had a slice of pork in it--I gave it to Marie. The cole slaw was not delicious and hindsight tells me it was a bit off. I ordered the onion rings because I was hungry and the side dishes weren't up to par, and that was after making sure they fried them in vegetable oil, at least. They were OK. But I'm not used to bad eating nowadays. I popped the whole lunch within a few hours. I woke up today feeling a little better. I'm sipping a cool herbal tea and will baby the tummy for a few more hours.
The usual morning routine sets in, though I plan to read a couple of chapters on C# to get my head wrapped back around delegates, handlers, callbacks, sockets, and threads. When I design something I always have a handle on all that. This weekend I have to remediate a project that was poorly designed by someone who was still new at the job. I'm trying to understand what that last genious did so I can make surgically precise corrections.
Then I do all my personal stuff first, because you should always start your day dressed all the way to your shoes. It prevents obstacles to progress later in the day and you should always put on your own oxygen mask first. For me, personal stuff includes good eating, good grooming, good exercise, and good meditation. Chores are next, so they don't hang over your head...all the animal care, housework, remedial cleaning. With the boring stuff out of the way, I then concentrate on anything to do with immediate money, making jewelry to fill eBay orders, listing new jewelry, wrapping items to mail, then sending invoices or following up on past invoices for the software business. Then I get any errands out of the way. By 10:00 am I'm at work on my projects where I can get 8 hours of work done in about 5 hours. Then the rest of the day is mine.
So there won't be much posting here until I hear something significant about the lawsuit, the work, or the van. The van is being scheduled for basic work next week. I hope they only keep it for a few days. Henry is due for some basic preventative maintenance, mechanicl work that we may identify, new generator and electrical system, roof vents, and a discussion on who might be best qualified to prep the inside for real living. I'm popping $4000-$5000 for the first bit of work, it may be a lot less. I'm expecting engine work and perhaps a new transmission. I've got another $2500 ready for extensive work. The body and chassis is in excellent condition, but it may have had some hard driving in the past. I don't want to be a van dweller who finds out in a remote corner of Georgia that I have to put my house in a shop for a week. The backup plan for that is preventative maintenance and mechanical work now, plus a small trailer which will be used for storing my items if the van is getting repairs. I could camp out in a tent, or spend cash on a motel room. I have to have Henry back within a few weeks because I'm traveling to a few places for work, then I'm heading back to Pennsylvania to get my stuff.
Today, I'm just going to chill out.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
This is the life!
To think that just a year ago I was worried about getting my own place to live and downsizing so that I could afford to work less and play more. I struggled with my situation, made lists, schemed, and prayed for miracles. But what finally helped me in the end was just doing it. I worked at a job I didn't like, saved money, got out of "the job", went on unemployment, and just did it. I took a few detours along the way because we humans are like that sometimes. The safe and familiar is more dear, and the promise of better circumstances can be quite a lure. I thought I had a "real job" waiting for me, but that did fall through. It is HARD to change, one of the most difficult things that we can do. You have to be willing to throw your hat into the wide open ring and just do it.
So I did it. After a few painful months of downsizing, I was able to put all my interminable boxes of stuff into a small storage room, load up a tiny Ford Escort with the stuff I considered my most basic requirements, and then I hit the road. Yes, I had a real destination, but it was just a stop to allow me to execute the rest of my plan. I spent my savings on a used Sprinter van which is mechanically sound. Without modifications it serves as a bedroom and kitchenette on wheels. I've already used it for camping, for retiring to after a night of babysitting, and for accessing my jewelry supplies and tools to keep up an online business. I've even gotten back into the software contracting business, also from out of my van. I still have a room in a tiny trailer I share with an old friend. Our goal was to downsize both of us in preparation for an early retirement--two old birds giving each other a hand. But she got sidetracked by her own life and we are essentially keeping up two places between us. Until her son gets out of prison, she's stuck with her grandsons and in her current job.
So I'm rattling around the little trailer, the RV I like to call it. It's a good thing, because it would take a lot of diesel or even propane to keep Henry the van warm right now. We got a hard freeze last night and I tried to sleep in the van, but it was just too hard to function. I think my tv froze and my feet definitely froze in spite of two pair of socks and my thermals. The problem with the van as it is with the bare metal and no real insulation is that it was probably colder inside than outside. The plan has always been to get the van outfitted more like a real home inside, but that does take time and money. Realistically, if I had to live in the van full-time as it is, I'd be farther south by now. Or, parked at a friend's house. But then I'd be spending my spare time insulating. Now I'm working on the practical matter of completing work on the software contract to get some money to stashed. And because it makes more sense to stay in the RV and be comfortable I've been working on winterizing the RV.
Winterizing, you say? Oh, yes. All over the country, wherever it might get cold, poor folks are gathering newspaper, plastic bags, duct tape, staples, nails, and hammers, even old blankets, old sheets, old mattresses, old pillows, you name it, all for valiant attempts to seal up the holes that run rampant in older homes and trailers. I've even lived in a fairly new condo in New Jersey where I would swear that the wind was whistling through the drywall, not the cracks, the drywall itself, right through the coating of paint! I nailed quilts to that wall that went up two stories. I also closed the upstairs bedrooms and moved my children down to the dining room where we lived that winter, with their bunk beds and my full-size bed. I moved in the TV and the VCR and the computer and their toys. We wouldn't have been able to financially survive that winter if I hadn't. If you don't know how to winterize, you'd better pay attention now. Sometimes you have to be ruthless and often you have to be creative.
Winterizing the RV is still in progress but I've gotten a lot done. The two air conditioners are covered with heavy plastic and winter grade plastic tape. They are covered both on the outside, around the window openings, and inside. Windows have been covered on the outside with heavy plastic and tape, while I took a lighter plastic and wound it around the screens, reinserted the screens (where there was no storm window to insert), then taped plastic around all that. I left one window in the hallway untaped, in order to get air when needed. Then the doors, oh my, the doors! I think these doors have never seen a gasket or a weather seal, so I cut strips of felt and glued them to the sides, shut the back door and hung four $1.00 quilts found at the thrift store in the recessed opening of the "back door". The front door has a heavy quilt hung in front of it, plus there is a baffle set up with quilts on either side of the opening. It won't be fun getting in and out, but the quilts can be moved out of the way during the day. I set the propane heater on 62, and use a couple of space heaters when I'm awake. Two quilts on the bed and I don't need heaters at night. I even turn the propane heater down to 58. Then you wear sweaters inside, stay dressed in clothes, and keep your socks on. That completes the winterization of a less than cosy place to live.
So I did it. After a few painful months of downsizing, I was able to put all my interminable boxes of stuff into a small storage room, load up a tiny Ford Escort with the stuff I considered my most basic requirements, and then I hit the road. Yes, I had a real destination, but it was just a stop to allow me to execute the rest of my plan. I spent my savings on a used Sprinter van which is mechanically sound. Without modifications it serves as a bedroom and kitchenette on wheels. I've already used it for camping, for retiring to after a night of babysitting, and for accessing my jewelry supplies and tools to keep up an online business. I've even gotten back into the software contracting business, also from out of my van. I still have a room in a tiny trailer I share with an old friend. Our goal was to downsize both of us in preparation for an early retirement--two old birds giving each other a hand. But she got sidetracked by her own life and we are essentially keeping up two places between us. Until her son gets out of prison, she's stuck with her grandsons and in her current job.
So I'm rattling around the little trailer, the RV I like to call it. It's a good thing, because it would take a lot of diesel or even propane to keep Henry the van warm right now. We got a hard freeze last night and I tried to sleep in the van, but it was just too hard to function. I think my tv froze and my feet definitely froze in spite of two pair of socks and my thermals. The problem with the van as it is with the bare metal and no real insulation is that it was probably colder inside than outside. The plan has always been to get the van outfitted more like a real home inside, but that does take time and money. Realistically, if I had to live in the van full-time as it is, I'd be farther south by now. Or, parked at a friend's house. But then I'd be spending my spare time insulating. Now I'm working on the practical matter of completing work on the software contract to get some money to stashed. And because it makes more sense to stay in the RV and be comfortable I've been working on winterizing the RV.
Winterizing, you say? Oh, yes. All over the country, wherever it might get cold, poor folks are gathering newspaper, plastic bags, duct tape, staples, nails, and hammers, even old blankets, old sheets, old mattresses, old pillows, you name it, all for valiant attempts to seal up the holes that run rampant in older homes and trailers. I've even lived in a fairly new condo in New Jersey where I would swear that the wind was whistling through the drywall, not the cracks, the drywall itself, right through the coating of paint! I nailed quilts to that wall that went up two stories. I also closed the upstairs bedrooms and moved my children down to the dining room where we lived that winter, with their bunk beds and my full-size bed. I moved in the TV and the VCR and the computer and their toys. We wouldn't have been able to financially survive that winter if I hadn't. If you don't know how to winterize, you'd better pay attention now. Sometimes you have to be ruthless and often you have to be creative.
Winterizing the RV is still in progress but I've gotten a lot done. The two air conditioners are covered with heavy plastic and winter grade plastic tape. They are covered both on the outside, around the window openings, and inside. Windows have been covered on the outside with heavy plastic and tape, while I took a lighter plastic and wound it around the screens, reinserted the screens (where there was no storm window to insert), then taped plastic around all that. I left one window in the hallway untaped, in order to get air when needed. Then the doors, oh my, the doors! I think these doors have never seen a gasket or a weather seal, so I cut strips of felt and glued them to the sides, shut the back door and hung four $1.00 quilts found at the thrift store in the recessed opening of the "back door". The front door has a heavy quilt hung in front of it, plus there is a baffle set up with quilts on either side of the opening. It won't be fun getting in and out, but the quilts can be moved out of the way during the day. I set the propane heater on 62, and use a couple of space heaters when I'm awake. Two quilts on the bed and I don't need heaters at night. I even turn the propane heater down to 58. Then you wear sweaters inside, stay dressed in clothes, and keep your socks on. That completes the winterization of a less than cosy place to live.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Still Catching Up
Basically catching my breath and working on the new project. I want to stash as much cash as possible before I go back to Pennsylvania for the Christmas holidays.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Catching up
Now, back to catching up on my postings. Before getting back to the backpacking adventure I want to take a few moments to explain the long gap in between postings. I'd recently signed up with the Red Cross and during the wildfires in California we were involved in helping those displaced. I didn't leave the area but it was pretty busy with collections activities and providing general support to those who did travel. It didn't feel like I did much but the feeling of being part of a group effort was the highlight of the past two weeks. We just hope that those who were displaced will receive the help they need to rebuild their lives.
In between responding to emergencies and working on the latest contract I helped out with babysitting. Brock's boys and a new friend's newborn kept me occupied with not much time to dwell on the fact that my youngest son is going to Iraq next year with his Pennsylvania Army National Guard unit. That's going to weigh heavily on our minds until he's there and we have a whole new set of problems to contemplate. I just hope that the idiots in office give up on this made up war that was dreamed up to line their pockets. The economy is imploding here and I'm sick of the Re-pub-licken party. It's almost time to change my party affiliation but not before I cast a negative vote in the primaries. I hope that many other registered republican voters do the same. Vote for the weakest republican candidate and then at election time vote for ANY Democrat put forward. I hope the independents will do the same at election time. I'd vote independent but its a wasted vote until the bad party is weakened. The only reason "it" got elected the second time is because many of the older folks won't change their vote during the time of war, even if it's a made up war.
In between responding to emergencies and working on the latest contract I helped out with babysitting. Brock's boys and a new friend's newborn kept me occupied with not much time to dwell on the fact that my youngest son is going to Iraq next year with his Pennsylvania Army National Guard unit. That's going to weigh heavily on our minds until he's there and we have a whole new set of problems to contemplate. I just hope that the idiots in office give up on this made up war that was dreamed up to line their pockets. The economy is imploding here and I'm sick of the Re-pub-licken party. It's almost time to change my party affiliation but not before I cast a negative vote in the primaries. I hope that many other registered republican voters do the same. Vote for the weakest republican candidate and then at election time vote for ANY Democrat put forward. I hope the independents will do the same at election time. I'd vote independent but its a wasted vote until the bad party is weakened. The only reason "it" got elected the second time is because many of the older folks won't change their vote during the time of war, even if it's a made up war.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Two Nights in the Ozarks
I started this blog entry over a week ago then *things* started to happen faster than I could think about them. Starting from the beginning, the past Saturday and Sunday, over a week ago, were absolutely beautiful. The sky was clear and blue and it was almost too warm. I'm glad that I managed to fit in two overnights out in the wilds of the Ozarks because it's going to get cold.
So I joined a group of local backpackers and we met up at UMR (University of Missouri) around noon and worked out the travel arrangements. This adventure was relatively stationary. We had permission to hike and execute a LNT (leave no trace) camp out in a local national park. While milling around I let several folks look at my "camping" arrangement inside Henry, my van. I alluded to "living out of" the van, but most folks don't catch on to that concept. It's still shady to appear to live out of a vehicle, much less IN it. When I have the modifications done to make Henry look more like an RV inside, then I'll press the idea forward, the idea of living out of a vehicle as a normal option for people to embrace. I'm not hiding it but for casual acquaintances I'm not advertising it just yet.
I'm still amazed at how much STUFF most backpackers think makes a great adventure. To me less has always been more. One older fellow tried to explain to me that my tiny pack was not going to cover two days of backpacking and camping out in the Ozarks. I just smiled mysteriously and asked him if I could snuggle up with him if I found myself in dire straits. He blushed appropriately and changed the subject. I do a lot with a 12 pound lumbar pack and he didn't bother to ask me what my plan was, he just did a typical rush to judgment. Actually I was overpacked for two days out. I do carry over a pound in my tummy pack, plus I carry stuff on my trekking poles, and more stuff in my pockets, so my total weight becomes 125 pounds of me and about 16-18 pounds of my "stuff." But I try to carry NOTHING on my shoulders. That's my weak spot. But compare my 15% body weight sized packing to those 40-70 pound condo packs and you can see why they are so concerned for me. What they don't know is that I can and I have camped out for over a week in the Pike's Peak area of Colorado with nothing more than the contents of a tummy pack. In other words, I have a full amount of survival gear in the tummy pack, and can live for a week on it because that's the training I've received. Lightweight backpacking is not for the average hiker, you need to understand how to survive on basically nothing then surviving on ten pounds of gear is a luxury!
Anyway, the trip was as much fun as backpacking. I like the time spent traveling in a vehicle, having a cup of coffee and a little camaraderie, and transitioning into the new space and attitude. I'm funny that way, for me its the journey not the destination. I took the older gentleman because Henry doesn't have seats for more than the driver and one passenger. He angled himself in position to travel with me. At that point I figured he was either feeling protective or attracted, and possibly curious about my plans for backpacking in the Ozarks with a tiny little lumbar pack. It took both of us to get his condo pack into the van and he still didn't "get it." There is a major rift between condo packers and ultralight packers and the former thinks the latter is just plain crazy and that we don't know how to survive. We had a good conversation, starting with packing for the wilderness. He was still worried about me.
So it started with "Don't you need a tent?" Since he didn't "see" a tent he assumed, I mean presumed that I didn't have a shelter at all. I told him I have a Hennessy Hammock and two tarps that weigh a total of two pounds for the entire setup. "Oh...well what will you sleep in, where's your sleeping bag?" Well, my sleep system doesn't have to be a "sleeping bag" though sometimes it is. For this trip my sleep system was thermals under flannels with two pair of socks and a woolen hat, inside a silk bag, with a bivvy sack backup depending upon the temperature, total weight of five pounds for the extra clothes, silk bag, and el cheapo bivvy sack. "Oh, I'd like to see that, but how are you going to cook?" Well that's pretty easy, my Esbit wing stove is 3 ounces, the six tablets are about 4 ounces, the fire starter is maybe 2 ounces, and the titanium pot is about 6 ounces. I'd say my entire "cooking" system including plastic utensils is less than a pound, and that includes a large folded sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil that can be used as a windscreen or to make a bigger pot. The Esbit fuel tablets are only for backup because the wingstove can use any found fuel, deadfall and twigs on the forest floor. So that takes me up to seven pounds. After that I had a pound of water handling stuff, two pounds of water, a pound of food, and a pound of personal stuff. I weighed it, twelve pounds and I was overpacked! That set the tone for this backpacking adventure.
We got to the parking lot and everybody met in a circle and defined the parameters of the trip. The two leaders were very organized and gave each of us small maps of the area and directions on getting in and out. Then we loaded ourselves up. I strapped on the tummy pack, then the lumbar pack, then grabbed my trekking poles and lccked up the van. I turned around and saw several straining faces as the guys did impossible acrobatic movements to toss those packs on their backs. I tried so hard not to laugh, but my body was quivering in mirth. I'm bad! There were two additional women in the group made up mostly of young fellows from the college. The women were fairly serious and they turned out to be a couple. One carried the tent and the other carried the cooking equipment, so they weren't loaded down too badly. Fit and athletic women can usually fit into a smaller tent, smaller sleeping bags, and can regulate body temperature better. Menopausal women, like me, can sleep in sub-zero weather and open the tent a notch to get some fresh air and that's like no problem. I don't get too many hot flashes thanks to my vegan diet, but I do notice that I really appreciate air conditioning like never before. In any case, I'm of the belief that we women have a leg up when it comes to survival under most any circumstances.
We hiked about six miles to the campsite, which wasn't too bad. A bit hilly, but nothing like the third class scrambles in Rocksylvania on the Appalachian Trail. It took us about two hours to get to the spot and set up camp. There was some friendly competition for good tent spots, and I hung back and let them fight it out. Then I went into a stand of trees and put up the hammock and added the two tarps on each side in a diamond formation. That served as a wind break and a privacy screen. I made sure I had a big rock and a log for comfort while cooking and eating. I hung my packs on the ridge line inside my hammock, which has it's own rainfly. Altogether it was a very cozy, lightweight, quick to set up system. I've spent years working it all out. There was water nearby so I opened up the collapsible pail and brought water to my site for later. We all met in the relative middle of the camp and had some lunch. I cheated with lunch and had a tofu salad pita sandwich with fresh broccoli, alfalfa, and mung beans, dehydrated onions, and one whole tomato. That never tasted so good before. There's something about a hike on one of the last days of autumn that makes everything you eat taste wonderful. And so it went.
Hiking is about planning, provisioning, preparing, and then hiking, eating, eliminating, and sleeping. Your whole world is simplified to the point where you are only thinking about your physical needs and the outside world is far away. No matter what is going on in the outside world, your world is simple and free.
So I joined a group of local backpackers and we met up at UMR (University of Missouri) around noon and worked out the travel arrangements. This adventure was relatively stationary. We had permission to hike and execute a LNT (leave no trace) camp out in a local national park. While milling around I let several folks look at my "camping" arrangement inside Henry, my van. I alluded to "living out of" the van, but most folks don't catch on to that concept. It's still shady to appear to live out of a vehicle, much less IN it. When I have the modifications done to make Henry look more like an RV inside, then I'll press the idea forward, the idea of living out of a vehicle as a normal option for people to embrace. I'm not hiding it but for casual acquaintances I'm not advertising it just yet.
I'm still amazed at how much STUFF most backpackers think makes a great adventure. To me less has always been more. One older fellow tried to explain to me that my tiny pack was not going to cover two days of backpacking and camping out in the Ozarks. I just smiled mysteriously and asked him if I could snuggle up with him if I found myself in dire straits. He blushed appropriately and changed the subject. I do a lot with a 12 pound lumbar pack and he didn't bother to ask me what my plan was, he just did a typical rush to judgment. Actually I was overpacked for two days out. I do carry over a pound in my tummy pack, plus I carry stuff on my trekking poles, and more stuff in my pockets, so my total weight becomes 125 pounds of me and about 16-18 pounds of my "stuff." But I try to carry NOTHING on my shoulders. That's my weak spot. But compare my 15% body weight sized packing to those 40-70 pound condo packs and you can see why they are so concerned for me. What they don't know is that I can and I have camped out for over a week in the Pike's Peak area of Colorado with nothing more than the contents of a tummy pack. In other words, I have a full amount of survival gear in the tummy pack, and can live for a week on it because that's the training I've received. Lightweight backpacking is not for the average hiker, you need to understand how to survive on basically nothing then surviving on ten pounds of gear is a luxury!
Anyway, the trip was as much fun as backpacking. I like the time spent traveling in a vehicle, having a cup of coffee and a little camaraderie, and transitioning into the new space and attitude. I'm funny that way, for me its the journey not the destination. I took the older gentleman because Henry doesn't have seats for more than the driver and one passenger. He angled himself in position to travel with me. At that point I figured he was either feeling protective or attracted, and possibly curious about my plans for backpacking in the Ozarks with a tiny little lumbar pack. It took both of us to get his condo pack into the van and he still didn't "get it." There is a major rift between condo packers and ultralight packers and the former thinks the latter is just plain crazy and that we don't know how to survive. We had a good conversation, starting with packing for the wilderness. He was still worried about me.
So it started with "Don't you need a tent?" Since he didn't "see" a tent he assumed, I mean presumed that I didn't have a shelter at all. I told him I have a Hennessy Hammock and two tarps that weigh a total of two pounds for the entire setup. "Oh...well what will you sleep in, where's your sleeping bag?" Well, my sleep system doesn't have to be a "sleeping bag" though sometimes it is. For this trip my sleep system was thermals under flannels with two pair of socks and a woolen hat, inside a silk bag, with a bivvy sack backup depending upon the temperature, total weight of five pounds for the extra clothes, silk bag, and el cheapo bivvy sack. "Oh, I'd like to see that, but how are you going to cook?" Well that's pretty easy, my Esbit wing stove is 3 ounces, the six tablets are about 4 ounces, the fire starter is maybe 2 ounces, and the titanium pot is about 6 ounces. I'd say my entire "cooking" system including plastic utensils is less than a pound, and that includes a large folded sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil that can be used as a windscreen or to make a bigger pot. The Esbit fuel tablets are only for backup because the wingstove can use any found fuel, deadfall and twigs on the forest floor. So that takes me up to seven pounds. After that I had a pound of water handling stuff, two pounds of water, a pound of food, and a pound of personal stuff. I weighed it, twelve pounds and I was overpacked! That set the tone for this backpacking adventure.
We got to the parking lot and everybody met in a circle and defined the parameters of the trip. The two leaders were very organized and gave each of us small maps of the area and directions on getting in and out. Then we loaded ourselves up. I strapped on the tummy pack, then the lumbar pack, then grabbed my trekking poles and lccked up the van. I turned around and saw several straining faces as the guys did impossible acrobatic movements to toss those packs on their backs. I tried so hard not to laugh, but my body was quivering in mirth. I'm bad! There were two additional women in the group made up mostly of young fellows from the college. The women were fairly serious and they turned out to be a couple. One carried the tent and the other carried the cooking equipment, so they weren't loaded down too badly. Fit and athletic women can usually fit into a smaller tent, smaller sleeping bags, and can regulate body temperature better. Menopausal women, like me, can sleep in sub-zero weather and open the tent a notch to get some fresh air and that's like no problem. I don't get too many hot flashes thanks to my vegan diet, but I do notice that I really appreciate air conditioning like never before. In any case, I'm of the belief that we women have a leg up when it comes to survival under most any circumstances.
We hiked about six miles to the campsite, which wasn't too bad. A bit hilly, but nothing like the third class scrambles in Rocksylvania on the Appalachian Trail. It took us about two hours to get to the spot and set up camp. There was some friendly competition for good tent spots, and I hung back and let them fight it out. Then I went into a stand of trees and put up the hammock and added the two tarps on each side in a diamond formation. That served as a wind break and a privacy screen. I made sure I had a big rock and a log for comfort while cooking and eating. I hung my packs on the ridge line inside my hammock, which has it's own rainfly. Altogether it was a very cozy, lightweight, quick to set up system. I've spent years working it all out. There was water nearby so I opened up the collapsible pail and brought water to my site for later. We all met in the relative middle of the camp and had some lunch. I cheated with lunch and had a tofu salad pita sandwich with fresh broccoli, alfalfa, and mung beans, dehydrated onions, and one whole tomato. That never tasted so good before. There's something about a hike on one of the last days of autumn that makes everything you eat taste wonderful. And so it went.
Hiking is about planning, provisioning, preparing, and then hiking, eating, eliminating, and sleeping. Your whole world is simplified to the point where you are only thinking about your physical needs and the outside world is far away. No matter what is going on in the outside world, your world is simple and free.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Hiking Day
It was nippy last night in the van. I was snuggled into my bed and had cats trying to snuggle into me most of the night. Henry the van is not set up with heating other than from the regular vehicle heater. The thought of having a remote start to periodically heat up the van crossed my mind more than once throughout the night. I've had that before on the Expedition and used it when camping out or sleeping in parking lots away from home. But we managed. I slept great until about 5 am. No amount of lazing in bed was going to induce sleep again so I bit the bullet and got dressed. That was the hard part! I'm sleeping in thermals next time which should make it easier to get up.
Well I'm dressed now and have some hot chocolate next to me. The laptop is where it's supposed to be, on my lap, and the cats are snuggling up to my feet. I hear the two competing coyote families yipping to each other in the big field beside the big trailer. I wonder how I should manage hiking in coyote country? That's on the agenda for some research before I go hiking with the local college group today. I have bear spray and bear bells on my trekking poles, but I'm hoping to learn that coyotes never try to contact humans during the day. Bears aren't supposed to but lately I'm noticing that the bears don't read the same manuals that I read. I'm still looking forward to the hike and hope that some of the senior members of the group are armed with local lore. There is a renouned ecologist on this hike, a woman older than I, so I expect to learn a lot today. I'm particularly interested in local foods.
In a bit I'll have some coffee with Marie and wish the boys good luck with soccer, then I'm heading over to the RV to drop off Spike and Skyler. They did well in the van but I don't want to leave them in it for two days. When I travel I plan to leave the kitty boys with Marie. Hopefully, I'll have the van set up as an RV before I do extensive traveling so that I can leave the cats while working or hiking.
Well I'm dressed now and have some hot chocolate next to me. The laptop is where it's supposed to be, on my lap, and the cats are snuggling up to my feet. I hear the two competing coyote families yipping to each other in the big field beside the big trailer. I wonder how I should manage hiking in coyote country? That's on the agenda for some research before I go hiking with the local college group today. I have bear spray and bear bells on my trekking poles, but I'm hoping to learn that coyotes never try to contact humans during the day. Bears aren't supposed to but lately I'm noticing that the bears don't read the same manuals that I read. I'm still looking forward to the hike and hope that some of the senior members of the group are armed with local lore. There is a renouned ecologist on this hike, a woman older than I, so I expect to learn a lot today. I'm particularly interested in local foods.
In a bit I'll have some coffee with Marie and wish the boys good luck with soccer, then I'm heading over to the RV to drop off Spike and Skyler. They did well in the van but I don't want to leave them in it for two days. When I travel I plan to leave the kitty boys with Marie. Hopefully, I'll have the van set up as an RV before I do extensive traveling so that I can leave the cats while working or hiking.
Friday, October 19, 2007
I love Henry
Henry is the best boyfriend I've ever had. He performs all the functions of a man and best of all requires very little care in return. Henry carries my worldy possessions for me by day and envelopes me in his warm embrace at night. He provides me with security in a hostile world. Becauses he's an older model, but a top-of-the-line model of his day, he commands respect. I have no fear of running afoul of societal mores with Henry's companionship. This means that Henry, my van, doesn't look like a derelict family of drug-crazed hippies lives inside. Henry looks like a modestly successful locksmith's van. Hmmmmm, I wonder if I should look into becoming a locksmith?
Van dwelling is fun now that I have Henry, but backpacking is even more fun--that's my true passion. This weekend is a backpacking weekend. I plan to look for a puppy to raise as my hiking companion, for those places that Henry cannot go. Soon...the way this week has gone I haven't had time to shop for anything. In between getting the van cleaned up and unpacked, the laundry done, and starting a new IT project so I've been digging into the Y2K rations, which are still good. My Y2K solution consisted of sprouting seeds, beans, and dried foods like corn, onions, and spices. I've kept up with that shopping, roughly twice a year, and have rotated my stock so everything is still less than two years old, while most is less than six months old.
I found that I need far less kidney beans than first envisioned. They are too much work, what with soaking, rinsing, and pressure cooking. I far prefer chick peas. Sprouted chick pea hummus is simply fabulous. It's possible to make it without using electricity, and that's a bonus. I just use a pastry cutter, that twisted set of metal blades used to "cut in" butter into a pie dough. Of course you have to sprout the chick peas first, then blanch them for a minute in hot water. Then cut into the two-three cups of sprouted chick peas a couple of lemons or limes juiced, a few tablespoons of sesame oil, and either peanut butter or tahini (sesame seed butter). Sometimes I use whatever nuts I have handy and crush them mercilessly before adding them into the hummus. After the basic hummus is fairly smooth other things can be added, like garlic, or cilantro, or other similar savory things. Once you have hummus you have a highly nutritious food and healthy food, deliciously prepared, that goes well with any type of vegetable crudite. I like eating foods as close to nature as possible, without much cooking. So hummus is a big deal when so much prep time and hot water go into it. It's still delicious and definitely far more nutritious and healthy than anything that is cooked to death.
With that being said, today's repast was as raw as I could make it while running out of fresh produce. I had been spending most of this week babysitting at the big trailer and sleeping in my van in the yard (you can hardly call it a driveway). I got up this morning and after making a cup of oolong tea I fired up the laptop to get a little work in. For some reason my groggy brain was able to quickly solve the highest priority issue in about 5 minutes, which involved 1 hour and fifty-five minutes of testing after ten seconds of typing. The problem was estimated to take 40 hours so I'm about 38 hours ahead. Being a fairly fair consultant I think I'll bill just 12 hours. The guys would bill the entire 40. I guess they can live with themselves, but I don't have to. I fixed a few other problems, too. That means I'm ahead on next week's billing. Since the big boys want estimates to measure the results I'll work to the estimates. Duh! I think the secret to being able to solve technical issues quickly is to purposefully ask my subconscious mind to work on the problem before I go to sleep. In nearly all cases of doing this I wake up with "the answer".
With "work" out of the way I grabbed my morning basket, the basket that holds clean undies and some frivolous toiletries, and ran inside to take care of some daily grooming needs. I "can" clean up inside the van but I don't have to. I live "out of" my van, not "in it". After the cleanup I located the last of the produce and did some food processing with the knife and cutting board. Everything's a salsa. Chop tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, then add some sprouts, and you've got salsa! Use a spoon and a couple of carrot sticks along with some hummus and you have dinner! I made enough salsa to last for at least two days. I'm hitting the farmer's market in Rolla first thing Saturday morning and that should take care of my food needs for the week. I expect to spend less than $10 for a week's supply of fresh produce.
Preparation for hiking this weekend is done. My lumbar pack is set, and it contains everything needed for an overnight camp out. Strapped to that is my fleece bedroll, my Hennessey Hammock, and an inflatable mat. I have a three-season system that weighs less than 12 pounds including water. At first I left out the inflatable mat and just used a combination of silk liner, fleece sleeping bag, and an emergency bivvy sack to mix and match a sleeping system suitable for the weather conditions. But in the hammock there is still a problem with one's backside getting chilled. So the self-inflating mat makes a nicer barrier as a well as a firmer sleeping surface. I can also use the mat for sitting or napping along the way. In ultra-lightweight backpacking, multiple uses are mandatory for any item in the kit. My lumbar pack has room for the heavy stuff in the bottom and also has a top part that has shoulder straps. Here is a review I did a while back: Kelty Lumbar Pack. Yes, I'm seriously into backpacking the ultra-light way.
Van dwelling is fun now that I have Henry, but backpacking is even more fun--that's my true passion. This weekend is a backpacking weekend. I plan to look for a puppy to raise as my hiking companion, for those places that Henry cannot go. Soon...the way this week has gone I haven't had time to shop for anything. In between getting the van cleaned up and unpacked, the laundry done, and starting a new IT project so I've been digging into the Y2K rations, which are still good. My Y2K solution consisted of sprouting seeds, beans, and dried foods like corn, onions, and spices. I've kept up with that shopping, roughly twice a year, and have rotated my stock so everything is still less than two years old, while most is less than six months old.
I found that I need far less kidney beans than first envisioned. They are too much work, what with soaking, rinsing, and pressure cooking. I far prefer chick peas. Sprouted chick pea hummus is simply fabulous. It's possible to make it without using electricity, and that's a bonus. I just use a pastry cutter, that twisted set of metal blades used to "cut in" butter into a pie dough. Of course you have to sprout the chick peas first, then blanch them for a minute in hot water. Then cut into the two-three cups of sprouted chick peas a couple of lemons or limes juiced, a few tablespoons of sesame oil, and either peanut butter or tahini (sesame seed butter). Sometimes I use whatever nuts I have handy and crush them mercilessly before adding them into the hummus. After the basic hummus is fairly smooth other things can be added, like garlic, or cilantro, or other similar savory things. Once you have hummus you have a highly nutritious food and healthy food, deliciously prepared, that goes well with any type of vegetable crudite. I like eating foods as close to nature as possible, without much cooking. So hummus is a big deal when so much prep time and hot water go into it. It's still delicious and definitely far more nutritious and healthy than anything that is cooked to death.
With that being said, today's repast was as raw as I could make it while running out of fresh produce. I had been spending most of this week babysitting at the big trailer and sleeping in my van in the yard (you can hardly call it a driveway). I got up this morning and after making a cup of oolong tea I fired up the laptop to get a little work in. For some reason my groggy brain was able to quickly solve the highest priority issue in about 5 minutes, which involved 1 hour and fifty-five minutes of testing after ten seconds of typing. The problem was estimated to take 40 hours so I'm about 38 hours ahead. Being a fairly fair consultant I think I'll bill just 12 hours. The guys would bill the entire 40. I guess they can live with themselves, but I don't have to. I fixed a few other problems, too. That means I'm ahead on next week's billing. Since the big boys want estimates to measure the results I'll work to the estimates. Duh! I think the secret to being able to solve technical issues quickly is to purposefully ask my subconscious mind to work on the problem before I go to sleep. In nearly all cases of doing this I wake up with "the answer".
With "work" out of the way I grabbed my morning basket, the basket that holds clean undies and some frivolous toiletries, and ran inside to take care of some daily grooming needs. I "can" clean up inside the van but I don't have to. I live "out of" my van, not "in it". After the cleanup I located the last of the produce and did some food processing with the knife and cutting board. Everything's a salsa. Chop tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, then add some sprouts, and you've got salsa! Use a spoon and a couple of carrot sticks along with some hummus and you have dinner! I made enough salsa to last for at least two days. I'm hitting the farmer's market in Rolla first thing Saturday morning and that should take care of my food needs for the week. I expect to spend less than $10 for a week's supply of fresh produce.
Preparation for hiking this weekend is done. My lumbar pack is set, and it contains everything needed for an overnight camp out. Strapped to that is my fleece bedroll, my Hennessey Hammock, and an inflatable mat. I have a three-season system that weighs less than 12 pounds including water. At first I left out the inflatable mat and just used a combination of silk liner, fleece sleeping bag, and an emergency bivvy sack to mix and match a sleeping system suitable for the weather conditions. But in the hammock there is still a problem with one's backside getting chilled. So the self-inflating mat makes a nicer barrier as a well as a firmer sleeping surface. I can also use the mat for sitting or napping along the way. In ultra-lightweight backpacking, multiple uses are mandatory for any item in the kit. My lumbar pack has room for the heavy stuff in the bottom and also has a top part that has shoulder straps. Here is a review I did a while back: Kelty Lumbar Pack. Yes, I'm seriously into backpacking the ultra-light way.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Henry's Camping Adventure
Well, that was a blast! I took a primitive campsite last Wednesday through this morning, during the Old Ironwork's Day celebrations at Maramec Springs. A bit pricey but heck, I'm making the big bucks again. With the van, a regular tent, and a screen tent, I was set up for a little bit of entertaining over the weekend, in case anyone brought the boys out to visit. Though I was looking forward to a little bit of solitude, that might have been too much to expect during a celebration week.
I parked the van Wednesday afternoon and explored for several hours, expecting to come back to a quiet evening in the van with my cuddly cat, hot chocolate, and a good book. Instead, I found a new Rolla friend at my campsite setting up a barbeque with a group of her local biker friends. By biker friends, I mean professionals by day, bikers by nights and weekends. It WAS at least a low-stress way of meeting members of the local police force and fire departments. There was definitely a dead carcass cookout going on and I found several willing helpers who put the tents up for me. They even brought some beer and wine, and picnic fixin's. I never did get the solitude I was looking for, but it was a lot of fun. A bit more of a party atmosphere than I expected, but I'm usually up for a good party, as a real Gemini's Gemini (Sun and moon in Gemini). Yes, I believe in it. The Zodiac does not lie!
On Sunday I hitched a ride to a Universalist Unitarian meeting (on a Harley), and I'm glad I did. The presentation was by the group, "Engineers Without Borders". I'm now thinking about joining because it would be a mitzvah to help bring the internet to a remote village in South America. I'm still trying to decide how to implement my mission in life, and I actually dread trying to help the homeless in America. At least I'd be working on relatively the same continent if I went the route of Engineers Without Borders, and it would be only 2 trips a year with the rest of the time spent here. I'd still be able to work with the homeless. What really interested me was the primitive engineeering solutions for water and waste handling, which I think I can put into practice on my own land in the US someday.
Well, the guy who brought me also attended the fellowship meeting and now I think I have a "beau". There is that tendency when the girl rider is wrapped tightly around the guy driving 80 mph down I-44. It's just a normal response to the situation. He hung around me the rest of the day and I had to boot him out of the van before the park closed last night. I didn't give him my cell phone number, but Bonnie did. He's left three messages since last night. I think if he were closer to my age he'd understand how to be a little smoother with the approach. I'm tempted to go out with him but am leary of his "campaign" approach. He's a fireman and has a small business, so hopefully he won't have a lot of time to stalk me. I think I will be nice and return one call, thank him for the ride, and plead a busy week to get out of any dates this week. I do have to get started on a new IT contract and don't need the distractions. Hey, I'm old and I'm not going anywhere. If it is meant to be it will happen.
Henry did well for this camping adventure. The nice part was that I didn't need to pack at all. Everything I needed was already in place inside, only a stop for gas and groceries was required. The blankets on the sides of the interior gave plenty of insulation against the rapidly cooling Missouri days and nights. I let a couple of the ladies stay overnight in the van with me and we managed fine. The men and dogs stayed in the tent, of course. I like dogs and men ok, but they bring funny odors with them. Skyler the cat was the only boy sleeping with me over the weekend. His big adventure was sneaking out to explore the campsite. He got a load of the dogs in the area and decided to perch on the driver's seat instead, which got some sun and warmth. I think living fulltime in a van with a cat shouldn't be a problem until it gets too hot, then I would need to stay somewhere with more conveniences.
I'm home now and will do the cleanup and equipment maintenance before I go take the boys to soccer practice. Hopefully I can snatch a nap in the back of the van while the little brother does his homework. I have a big pile of laundry to do in the Rubbermaid bucket this afternoon, to be dried when I take them back to the big trailer. I'm still living in the RV sized trailer while my friend takes care of her grandchildren in the big trailer. I'm able to be the "soccer mom" and supervise them in the evenings so they aren't alone.
The laundry solution I came up with for van dwelling has been working out well for me. Normally I'd invest an hour of my time at a laundromat, but if it's too cold to contemplate leaving the RV, washing clothes at home is a viable option. The hardest part is agitating the water and wringing out the clothes. I've done it strictly by hand and it's taken days for sopping wet jeans and sweatshirts to dry and my hands ached. My tiny paws were meant for easy work like hand sewing and typing, really. So I bought a commercial size Rubbermaid mop bucket that holds up to thirty gallons of water, though I can do a complete wash with ten gallons--three to wash, and eight to rinse. To "agitate" I bought a new toilet pluner, the black kind made of soft, snag-free rubber. On the mop bucket, the built-in wringer is a flat press style that easily presses most of the water out of the clothes. Inside the van or a tub enclosure, I use a spring pressure mounted bar for a preliminary hanging of the clothes until I either get them to a dryer or hang them on a line outside. With regular clothes line rope I used snap hooks attached to each end to fashion a portable clothes line that can be set up in flexible configurations wherever I can find trees or parts to hook them from. I'll probably set up an awning system on the van one day, so I don't have to harm a tree to dry my clothes.
It takes me about fifteen minutes to wash and hang four days worth of laundry. I'm fast and follow the old fashioned rules--start with extremely hot water and wash the whites (sheets & towels), the stinkies (socks & undies), the pants, and the shirts last. Then dump the water and rinse in the same order, wringing and hanging as I go. A pre-soak, then a detergent scrub with a stiff bristled brush works well on tire tracks, if you know what I mean. My friend Marie has a washboard she's going to dig up for me, and I think it will help with working on any stains. I think my laundry is coming out better now that I use the new system. You tend to put laundry in and not inspect it for hard to treat stains until they are dried into the fabric and it is too late.
Well, enough lunch and lollygagging, it's time to get busy...
I parked the van Wednesday afternoon and explored for several hours, expecting to come back to a quiet evening in the van with my cuddly cat, hot chocolate, and a good book. Instead, I found a new Rolla friend at my campsite setting up a barbeque with a group of her local biker friends. By biker friends, I mean professionals by day, bikers by nights and weekends. It WAS at least a low-stress way of meeting members of the local police force and fire departments. There was definitely a dead carcass cookout going on and I found several willing helpers who put the tents up for me. They even brought some beer and wine, and picnic fixin's. I never did get the solitude I was looking for, but it was a lot of fun. A bit more of a party atmosphere than I expected, but I'm usually up for a good party, as a real Gemini's Gemini (Sun and moon in Gemini). Yes, I believe in it. The Zodiac does not lie!
On Sunday I hitched a ride to a Universalist Unitarian meeting (on a Harley), and I'm glad I did. The presentation was by the group, "Engineers Without Borders". I'm now thinking about joining because it would be a mitzvah to help bring the internet to a remote village in South America. I'm still trying to decide how to implement my mission in life, and I actually dread trying to help the homeless in America. At least I'd be working on relatively the same continent if I went the route of Engineers Without Borders, and it would be only 2 trips a year with the rest of the time spent here. I'd still be able to work with the homeless. What really interested me was the primitive engineeering solutions for water and waste handling, which I think I can put into practice on my own land in the US someday.
Well, the guy who brought me also attended the fellowship meeting and now I think I have a "beau". There is that tendency when the girl rider is wrapped tightly around the guy driving 80 mph down I-44. It's just a normal response to the situation. He hung around me the rest of the day and I had to boot him out of the van before the park closed last night. I didn't give him my cell phone number, but Bonnie did. He's left three messages since last night. I think if he were closer to my age he'd understand how to be a little smoother with the approach. I'm tempted to go out with him but am leary of his "campaign" approach. He's a fireman and has a small business, so hopefully he won't have a lot of time to stalk me. I think I will be nice and return one call, thank him for the ride, and plead a busy week to get out of any dates this week. I do have to get started on a new IT contract and don't need the distractions. Hey, I'm old and I'm not going anywhere. If it is meant to be it will happen.
Henry did well for this camping adventure. The nice part was that I didn't need to pack at all. Everything I needed was already in place inside, only a stop for gas and groceries was required. The blankets on the sides of the interior gave plenty of insulation against the rapidly cooling Missouri days and nights. I let a couple of the ladies stay overnight in the van with me and we managed fine. The men and dogs stayed in the tent, of course. I like dogs and men ok, but they bring funny odors with them. Skyler the cat was the only boy sleeping with me over the weekend. His big adventure was sneaking out to explore the campsite. He got a load of the dogs in the area and decided to perch on the driver's seat instead, which got some sun and warmth. I think living fulltime in a van with a cat shouldn't be a problem until it gets too hot, then I would need to stay somewhere with more conveniences.
I'm home now and will do the cleanup and equipment maintenance before I go take the boys to soccer practice. Hopefully I can snatch a nap in the back of the van while the little brother does his homework. I have a big pile of laundry to do in the Rubbermaid bucket this afternoon, to be dried when I take them back to the big trailer. I'm still living in the RV sized trailer while my friend takes care of her grandchildren in the big trailer. I'm able to be the "soccer mom" and supervise them in the evenings so they aren't alone.
The laundry solution I came up with for van dwelling has been working out well for me. Normally I'd invest an hour of my time at a laundromat, but if it's too cold to contemplate leaving the RV, washing clothes at home is a viable option. The hardest part is agitating the water and wringing out the clothes. I've done it strictly by hand and it's taken days for sopping wet jeans and sweatshirts to dry and my hands ached. My tiny paws were meant for easy work like hand sewing and typing, really. So I bought a commercial size Rubbermaid mop bucket that holds up to thirty gallons of water, though I can do a complete wash with ten gallons--three to wash, and eight to rinse. To "agitate" I bought a new toilet pluner, the black kind made of soft, snag-free rubber. On the mop bucket, the built-in wringer is a flat press style that easily presses most of the water out of the clothes. Inside the van or a tub enclosure, I use a spring pressure mounted bar for a preliminary hanging of the clothes until I either get them to a dryer or hang them on a line outside. With regular clothes line rope I used snap hooks attached to each end to fashion a portable clothes line that can be set up in flexible configurations wherever I can find trees or parts to hook them from. I'll probably set up an awning system on the van one day, so I don't have to harm a tree to dry my clothes.
It takes me about fifteen minutes to wash and hang four days worth of laundry. I'm fast and follow the old fashioned rules--start with extremely hot water and wash the whites (sheets & towels), the stinkies (socks & undies), the pants, and the shirts last. Then dump the water and rinse in the same order, wringing and hanging as I go. A pre-soak, then a detergent scrub with a stiff bristled brush works well on tire tracks, if you know what I mean. My friend Marie has a washboard she's going to dig up for me, and I think it will help with working on any stains. I think my laundry is coming out better now that I use the new system. You tend to put laundry in and not inspect it for hard to treat stains until they are dried into the fabric and it is too late.
Well, enough lunch and lollygagging, it's time to get busy...
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