The Truth About RVing. For the most part.

I'm sitting here during a Minnesota summer thunderstorm, close to suppertime, wondering if the hail is denting our truck. Amazing view of the storm moving down the Mississippi River, which is only 10 feet from my steps. Beginning sometime last winter in Mexico, I resolved to start counting up "the good" more, an attempt to lighten my mood. And I DO find myself almost feeling sorry for people who have to live in houses. (Tornado sirens just went off...) So here's a start on my list of:

The Best Parts About Fulltime RVing

Location, location, location. No way could I afford a house with steps 10 feet from the Mississippi River. Or my view of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. No reason in the world to put up with urban sprawl, street noise, (Oops, more sirens...) billboards, neon, or undesirable neighbors. We can move in under an hour. It's SUCH a pleasure to pull into our site after a rough day at work, grab a beer, and watch the orioles eating my grape jelly or bass moving in the shallows. Cool in summer, warm in winter. Beautiful. always.

Chores are VERY few. Takes a couple of minutes to sweep the floor, 10 max to clean the kitchen. We're sort of forced to pick up after ourselves due to the small size of our living quarters, where 2 pair of shoes on the floor WILL trip you up. No lawn mowing or snow shoveling. (Big wall cloud moving toward us, with rotation...) This translates to lots more leisure time than the folks who own sticks and bricks.

Fewer possessions means freedom. (Someone's awning just blew past my window...) In the beginning, I had some trouble with this concept. I owned 150 pairs of shoes, a gazillion books, tchotchkes galore, and had to give it all up. Now I have FAVORITES only. And a self-made rule: Buy One Throw One. After I'm gone, my son will NOT have to sort through 80 years of accumulated STUFF like I had to. He'll have a stocked RV!

One bouquet of purloined lilacs perfumes the whole RV, instantly erasing the fried walleye odor. (Some of the campers are running to the storm shelter now...)

Windows! There's more glass than walls. Guess this goes under Location, but it's more than the view. It feels lighter, open, less restricted despite the small square footage. (An elm tree just took out someone's screen house gazebo thing...)

Oooh! The rain stopped! Real quiet outside...Kinda green hue to the air, though...

There's really only one or two things I miss: my laundry room foremost. I really hate the laundromat thing. I wish I could have 2 or 3 different kinds of ice cream in that tiny freezer. (That was apparently the EYE of the storm, it's much worse now...)

Companionship, camaraderie, closeness, call it what you will, but 2 people living 24/7 in 250 square feet tend to develop a finely honed knowledge of the other person. If one needs space, go outside. No secrets here. None. Read between the lines, and sit by the lilacs. (The TV shows a whole long string of these severe cells moving toward us...Time to get in the truck and go to WalMart. We're insured.)

A Minnesota Summer

Can't believe we've been here almost 3 months. It's going so fast! Half of me is glad, as I'm SO homesick for Mexico, but half feels like I won't be able to "fill up" enough on the grandkids to sustain me until I get back.

I'm not working very hard, just 3 days a week and most of those are only 8 hour shifts. About time. Those 15 hour days are Old-Nurse-Killers.

When I'm not working, I've been at the VA a lot.They do a great job, I'm surprised and grateful to discover. So far, I've had 2 CT scans, a cystoscopy, multiple blood draws, surgery consult (hemorrhoids), and mental health workup for Alzheimer's testing and grief counseling. I begin the actual therapy this afternoon.

We've had enough rain. Stop now.

Jon's doing SO well as a single dad, with the assistance of Grampa Nay downstairs as resident Nanny. Yes, the divorce is final. The babies are happy, well-adjusted, and getting along together. Jon's summer job (some desk-computer-type) at the college is paying the bills and has been extended through the fall when he gets into his FINAL phase of his master's program.

Here are some Minnesota Summer photos. You can click on them to enlarge.

Nora and Dylan at Lake Mille Lacs, Photoshopped

Eli the Bike King

Dylan, family barbeque. Note Jon's ponytail in the background.

Dylan, Jon, Scotty, Beer, Mississippi River, Ron

Miss Nora, Beer

Grampa Brian, Beer, Scotty, Jon

Sienna, Aunt Julie, Gramma Joy, Beer

And I've been making lots of these. They're starting to sell. Buy them here:

My Etsy Shop

Other than loving the grandbabies, VA appointments, crocheting booties, working, and drinking beer, there's not much else going on. Rocky's slowing down at 14, sleeps most of the time either in the recliner or a lawn chair. I'm starting to want another dog, but not a lab. I still get teary when I even see one on the street. Will report news if any occurs. Hope it doesn't, "news" ages me.

 Rocky in his lawn chair.

Update! Turns out today wasn't therapy after all. It was dementia testing (requested by Ron, given my family history.)  I have ZERO memory deficits. If I remember correctly...