At first, we thought it might just be the second verse of the Stick House Blues. But, now we're not so sure.
We've been thinking about our timing for this change in lifestyle. We've asked the question before: Is April 2010 soon enough? Today is one of those days where the answer to that question is an enthusiastic and heart-felt "No!"
We're both news junkies from way back. And, the world of journalism lost a couple of shining stars in recent weeks: Tim Russert and Tony Snow. We watched their careers and developed great respect for them as professionals over the years. We were saddened when they were taken far too soon: Tim at 58; Tony at 53. As we sit here at 50, the ages they departed this earth are within shouting distance of where we are today. And, that has us thinking.
"If we could ask Tony Snow," Boris started this morning as we were getting ready for work, "if you had the chance at 50 to go off on the adventure of a lifetime for two or three years, would you do it? What would he say?"
Now, we didn't know Tony Snow or Tim Russert. So, we can't with total certainty say how they would answer that question. But, we can guess. And, we guess the answer would be "YES!"
Add to that today was a particularly challenging day at the office for us both. And, it was not an isolated day. It's a long story not to be detailed here. But, bottom line, we find ourselves asking the question "What are we waiting for?"
You know what? We don't know!
Is it the money? No. Not really. We've done lots of calculations. And, we're very conservative in that department. Truth be told, we have that covered, best we can tell. And, if it turns out we don't, we'll figure something out.
Is it that we have lots to do to get ready? Well, yes that's true. But, will it take us almost two years? We made a move halfway across the country eight years ago in less than six months. Do we really, honestly, need two years? Well, probably not.
Is it that we're not on board with this crazy idea? Oh no! We're both quite on board. We're ready for the adventure. (Heck, we bought a new RV in eight short weeks.) Maybe part of us is thinking this crazy yearning might fade a bit. But, so far, it's shining brighter than ever. No fading in site.
So, what, exactly, are we waiting for?
Boris "vests" in his retirement plan in March. So, we guess we're waiting for that. That's something.
So, what else, exactly?
We may not know. But, we are definitely thinking....
Stick House Blues
A couple of things have popped up today that have us thinking about how different life will be on the road.
It's nothing serious, thankfully. Our other car (not our future toad) is in the shop for a second day on its second visit for its second problem that stems from another problem that was missed the first time. (Did that make sense?) And, after we carpooled home tonight we discovered that our land line is out, and apparently has been since yesterday afternoon. (Now if the cable had gone out we would have noticed it in an instant...that's the source of our internet access!) So, we have scheduled the ever-so-convenient appointment for "sometime" between noon and 7PM tomorrow. We're wondering which will be fixed first - the car or the phone?
Lamenting these little nit-picky problems, it did come to mind that when we're on the road we won't have that car or a land line. True, life on the road comes with another set of woes. But right now, we'd be interested in trading this set for that one.
With no extra car, no phone and nine days 'til we we're on the road again with our moose, we got ourselves a bad case of the Stick House Blues.
It's nothing serious, thankfully. Our other car (not our future toad) is in the shop for a second day on its second visit for its second problem that stems from another problem that was missed the first time. (Did that make sense?) And, after we carpooled home tonight we discovered that our land line is out, and apparently has been since yesterday afternoon. (Now if the cable had gone out we would have noticed it in an instant...that's the source of our internet access!) So, we have scheduled the ever-so-convenient appointment for "sometime" between noon and 7PM tomorrow. We're wondering which will be fixed first - the car or the phone?
Lamenting these little nit-picky problems, it did come to mind that when we're on the road we won't have that car or a land line. True, life on the road comes with another set of woes. But right now, we'd be interested in trading this set for that one.
With no extra car, no phone and nine days 'til we we're on the road again with our moose, we got ourselves a bad case of the Stick House Blues.
Thinking About Thanksgiving
For not doing any "camping" these days, we're doing a pretty good job of filling up our calendar with future camping dates. A weekend here, then a weekend there. They're filling up fast. How fun!
We had dreams of taking a week-long trip sometime this Fall. But, duty calls, we're afraid. So, our available time for lengthy travel is rather limited. However, we're looking at the week of Thanksgiving. We have no work or social commitments. If we play our cards right, we could manage 8 nights away.
So, where are we gonna go to give thanks?
Right now, we're looking at Palm Springs. We've never been there, and it's definitely doable from here. But, when it comes to RVing in Palm Springs during the winter, we are total novices.
This place is full of pros! There are tons of places to stay. So many, in fact, we're a bit boggled.
The thought of a week-long holiday road trip in the moose sounds great. But, we are definitely open to any and all thoughts and opinions about the SoCal desert that time of year.
Your opinions, dear readers, are most certainly welcome.
And, for that, we give thanks.
We had dreams of taking a week-long trip sometime this Fall. But, duty calls, we're afraid. So, our available time for lengthy travel is rather limited. However, we're looking at the week of Thanksgiving. We have no work or social commitments. If we play our cards right, we could manage 8 nights away.
So, where are we gonna go to give thanks?
Right now, we're looking at Palm Springs. We've never been there, and it's definitely doable from here. But, when it comes to RVing in Palm Springs during the winter, we are total novices.
This place is full of pros! There are tons of places to stay. So many, in fact, we're a bit boggled.
The thought of a week-long holiday road trip in the moose sounds great. But, we are definitely open to any and all thoughts and opinions about the SoCal desert that time of year.
Your opinions, dear readers, are most certainly welcome.
And, for that, we give thanks.
More Shopping and Purging
We took advantage of a sunny Sunday afternoon at home to run RV errands. It's not quite as much fun as actually being in our RV, but it's close.
We made a trip to Camping World to pick up a few odds and ends we've learned we couldn't live without: a 50 to 30 amp adapter, an amber lens cover for our patio light, and a sewer connector. We had a sewer connector we bought on our rental trip. But, it seems there's a "Betamax" and a "VHS" of sewer connectors. We had a VHS and bought sewer hose since that requires the whole thing to be Beta. So, now we're in sync in that department. We also found a "flag" windsock, for which we were desperately searching for our July 4th trip. Better late than never, I suppose. Besides, now we can proudly display our patriotism at the campground any day of the year.
We also stopped by REI to get a bike rack for the beast. Boris did extensive research and found the perfect model for us -- a Yakima that "doubles-down" and holds up to four bikes. That way we have room for our two and a couple of friends.
With the bike rack purchased, we just had to go install it. So, we drove across town to Bullwinkle's place and Boris hooked it up in minutes. We also installed a hitch lock for good measure. We loaded our Camping World purchases inside and bid Bullwinkle farewell. Now we're really looking forward to our next trip. No matter where we go, we're taking the bikes!
With all that shopping behind us, Natasha embarked on a bit more purging after we got home. An over-used dresser drawer or two got the treatment today, and are once again neat and orderly. In there she found her long-lost phone headset. (Good thing, as our state instituted a hands-free law July 1.) Now, she just has to find the headset charger.
Hmmm. Might be time to purge another drawer.
We made a trip to Camping World to pick up a few odds and ends we've learned we couldn't live without: a 50 to 30 amp adapter, an amber lens cover for our patio light, and a sewer connector. We had a sewer connector we bought on our rental trip. But, it seems there's a "Betamax" and a "VHS" of sewer connectors. We had a VHS and bought sewer hose since that requires the whole thing to be Beta. So, now we're in sync in that department. We also found a "flag" windsock, for which we were desperately searching for our July 4th trip. Better late than never, I suppose. Besides, now we can proudly display our patriotism at the campground any day of the year.
We also stopped by REI to get a bike rack for the beast. Boris did extensive research and found the perfect model for us -- a Yakima that "doubles-down" and holds up to four bikes. That way we have room for our two and a couple of friends.
With the bike rack purchased, we just had to go install it. So, we drove across town to Bullwinkle's place and Boris hooked it up in minutes. We also installed a hitch lock for good measure. We loaded our Camping World purchases inside and bid Bullwinkle farewell. Now we're really looking forward to our next trip. No matter where we go, we're taking the bikes!
With all that shopping behind us, Natasha embarked on a bit more purging after we got home. An over-used dresser drawer or two got the treatment today, and are once again neat and orderly. In there she found her long-lost phone headset. (Good thing, as our state instituted a hands-free law July 1.) Now, she just has to find the headset charger.
Hmmm. Might be time to purge another drawer.
Taking Inventory
Looking for ways to put off today's task of cleaning out the bathroom cabinets, Natasha spent a few minutes at the computer and created a household inventory spreadsheet.
In a matter of 21 months or so, everything in this house will be outta here. So, it all has to go somewhere. This nifty new spreadsheet will help us make note of what we have, and where we want it to go --Bullwinkle? Storage? Sell? Gift? Trash? There's lots of stuff that we simply need to toss right now as part of The Great Purge of 2008. That stuff won't even make the list. But, most of the stuff in our house is stuff we use in one way or another. So, it's just a bit too soon to start packing it up and shipping it out. We'll need it for awhile!
With the spreadsheet created, Natasha began to catalog the two rooms with the least amount of stuff: the living room and dining room. She made quick work of both rooms, and tossed a few things along the way. The big surprise was how many things were on the list for such "lightweight" rooms. The thought of continuing into the kitchen was overwhelming. So, she set off on today's original "to-do" -- clearing the bathroom cabinets.
A full trash bag later, the bathroom drawers and cabinets were orderly and spacious. Yet, a mystery remained: We've lived in this house for about eight years. So, why would we have pharmaceuticals and beauty aids in this bathroom that expired in 1999? That means we actually moved this stuff here!
Who knows?
In a matter of 21 months or so, everything in this house will be outta here. So, it all has to go somewhere. This nifty new spreadsheet will help us make note of what we have, and where we want it to go --Bullwinkle? Storage? Sell? Gift? Trash? There's lots of stuff that we simply need to toss right now as part of The Great Purge of 2008. That stuff won't even make the list. But, most of the stuff in our house is stuff we use in one way or another. So, it's just a bit too soon to start packing it up and shipping it out. We'll need it for awhile!
With the spreadsheet created, Natasha began to catalog the two rooms with the least amount of stuff: the living room and dining room. She made quick work of both rooms, and tossed a few things along the way. The big surprise was how many things were on the list for such "lightweight" rooms. The thought of continuing into the kitchen was overwhelming. So, she set off on today's original "to-do" -- clearing the bathroom cabinets.
A full trash bag later, the bathroom drawers and cabinets were orderly and spacious. Yet, a mystery remained: We've lived in this house for about eight years. So, why would we have pharmaceuticals and beauty aids in this bathroom that expired in 1999? That means we actually moved this stuff here!
Who knows?
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!
Just as we were settling in to enjoy our weekend at home, we picked up an email from new friends we met last weekend. They are off for an RV club weekend to a brand new campground an hour or so south of here. They invited us to come along. They're leaving right about now, in fact.
We had to turn this invitation down. But, we wished them well.
We'll sure be thinking about them this weekend!!
We had to turn this invitation down. But, we wished them well.
We'll sure be thinking about them this weekend!!
It's All Good
With another weekend upon us, we're feeling just a little bit better about the fact that we're not hitting the road this weekend.
Yes, we're still playing "spot the RV" from our offices. We're just feeling a little bit better about not actually being out there with the good people we spot.
Instead, we're shifting our thinking to how much we can accomplish this weekend at home.
Boris has schoolwork he can attend to. And, Natasha is finally going to tackle the bathroom cabinets.
Bottom line: As much as we would LOVE to be away, there is definitely important stuff we need to do while we're here.
O.K. We guess we're feeling at least a little better!
Yes, we're still playing "spot the RV" from our offices. We're just feeling a little bit better about not actually being out there with the good people we spot.
Instead, we're shifting our thinking to how much we can accomplish this weekend at home.
Boris has schoolwork he can attend to. And, Natasha is finally going to tackle the bathroom cabinets.
Bottom line: As much as we would LOVE to be away, there is definitely important stuff we need to do while we're here.
O.K. We guess we're feeling at least a little better!
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