A Well Earned Reprieve

 

I’m going to take a little bit of a blogging break and go have some fun, see some things, try something new and have some adventures.  I’m not sure how long I will be away from the blog, at least a month probably longer, but I promise I will come back and let you know what all I managed to get myself up to.  I think you will find it rather interesting and perhaps a little surprising.

 

I’ve been blogging steadily over the past 15 years and I think a break and some fun and adventure will allow me to come back refreshed and ready to pick up and go at it again.  I am past due for a real vacation and I’m ready to hit the road.  I love this blog and I love all of you that have commented and shared with me over the years.  Thank you so much for your support and friendship.

 

In the meantime do take care, enjoy your summer and I will see you soon!

 

My Adventure Mobile

 

I love to spend time outdoors and I love to go camping.  One of the things I don’t love is pitching a tent and sleeping in it which is why I bought Laverne.  However, Laverne can’t get to the places I like to go, off the beaten path, and she costs a lot to drive so that is why I sold her.  When I got the Subaru last year one of the things I really wanted to do was make it into my new adventure mobile.  It’s more affordable to drive and I am easily able to get where I want to go.  With a motorhome I am much more limited as far as where I can take it.  Last summer I tried it out and it worked beautifully!

 

With the backseats folded down the Subaru is surprisingly roomy and long enough to completely stretch out.  In the back I am able to put my bed on one side and line my gear up on the other.  There are plenty of nooks and crannies for me to tuck various things into from bug and bear sprays to hiking boots.

 

Instead of a cooler I upgraded to a 12 volt refrigerator/freezer.  I can use it either way, but for now I only plan to use it as a refrigerator.  I have a solar powered generator with panels for charging and I can also use the car adapter to charge while I’m driving.

 

The pop up shower tent with the collapsible potty can lay on top of my bed without taking up much space at all and the window covers are stored underneath where they are protected when not in use.

 

For the most part I keep my gear fairly simple.  A camp chair and a folding table, a single burner stove, an axe and a folding hand saw for firewood, a bucket, etc.  I’m not too fussy, but I do really do appreciate my comfortable bed, complete with sheets and blankets, to sleep in.  That’s the tour!  I hope you enjoyed it.

 

No & Low Cost Summer Fun Ideas

 

When times were tough (meaning I didn't make that much money) I was always on the lookout for no and low cost ways for me and my family to have fun, especially when I was saving for something important like when I adopted my daughters or when I took my children to Disneyland.  During those times day trips and camping were low cost ways for us to go out and have fun, get away and still enjoy some vacation time without blowing the budget.  I would get tickets on Free Museum Day and we’d go to the old penitentiary or the historical museum.

 

Bike rides, picnics, hiking and nature paths, as well as going to the park and just playing on the swings were common things we did.  Our city offers self guided PDF brochures I can print off and use for walking tours through various parts of town.  I’m one of those weird history buffs who loves to visit old cemeteries.  Ghost towns and a packed picnic lunch were also on the list of fun things to do and there was always an old cemetery to visit.  Our city also offers free events like car shows, arts & crafts fairs, live music and tons of other types of entertainment.

 

With my friends we’ve enjoyed a handful of Happy Hours at area restaurants and bars.  This saves us quite a bit of money on food and drinks when we want to get together and go out to eat.  We are also taking turns hosting get-togethers at each other’s homes to cut costs further.  We still have a low budget movie theater too and “tightwad Tuesday” allows me to go to the movies for only $2.00.  I’m getting reacquainted with my DVD collection and searching for free streaming movie options.  Whenever we find a good one we let each other know.

 

With the price of fuel so high right now my luxury item this summer will definitely be gasoline.  Who would’ve thought that fueling our automobiles would be a luxury for many of us?  I want to still go camping and take some daytrips, but with the cost of fuel so high it adds to the price of each adventure considerably, even with a fuel efficient vehicle.  Needless to say the majority of my Fun & Leisure budget will be going toward supplementing my monthly fuel budget in order to make things happen.

 

Additionally, I plan to make and enjoy a lot more food from home and over the summer to cut down quite a bit on eating out, even Happy Hours.  If I decide to hit the town during the daytime I’ll most likely get an all day bus pass to go wherever I need to go.  Our bus system offers a $27 cash card for $20 and I can use that to buy my bus passes.  If I use the bus once a week to run around or do some errands that cash card would last me two and a half months and a lot of money on fuel as well as wear and tear on my vehicles.

 

So that is the plan anyway.  What are some of the things you’ve got planned for the summer?  How are you cutting costs on these activities?  Please share so we can all learn from each other and get new ideas.

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 214

 

Hello!  Last week I found myself at a bit of a crossroads.  I’ve been feeling that itch to quit my “dream job” (which I must admit, due to recent events, had lost a bit of its luster) and embrace full retirement and all it has to offer me.  This past week I completed my application to start receiving my Social Security benefits after my next birthday in the fall and, with a whole summer ahead to enjoy, my feet are getting itchy.  Would I regret my decision to stop working?  I might.  But, I also may not.  Oh, what to do? 

 

But then, that evening I took a group of seniors out to dinner and then to the theater for Drunk Shakespeare (so funny!).  At dinner they were excitedly talking about all of the various activities they had signed up for in the coming months and how much they were looking forward to doing them with me.  That is when I realized, this is why I do what I do.  The work drama is in my rear view mirror and TTO can suck it!  I’ve got places to go, things to do and people to see!  Heck yeah!  I know the answer will come to me when the time is right for me to walk away, but it simply isn’t now.

 

Super excited about this!

I still plan to thoroughly enjoy my summer with plenty of time off for myself because I realized I can do both!  So, on Saturday morning, I rewarded myself with an Alpicool 12V fridge/freezer to use in the Subaru while I’m camping or traveling.  I’ve been researching and hunting for just the right one for a couple of years now and when this one went on sale I decided to pull the trigger and get it.  I have come to realize it is time for me stop thinking about things and start doing them.  With that in mind I got dressed, packed a lunch and hopped on the bus to head to the mall to do the dreaded annual bra shopping I had been putting off.  At JC Penney I was able to find two bras in my size on the clearance rack for $32, far less than the price of a single bra on sale so I purchased both and now I won’t need to go next year!  Hurray!

 

I ate my lunch in the food court and then walked over to Cabela’s, just to browse and see what is new in the camping world, and I scored two items on “my camping wish list”.  A fleece lined red and black plaid jacket and a pair of black camo thorn resistant hiking pants.  I have wanted both of these items for years and they were on the clearance rack so I knew it was meant to be.  I was able to snag the jacket for $20 and the pants for $25.  I was thrilled!  After walking through the entire store I was able to see that I happily have everything else I need for my adventures so I paid for my new finds and walked back to the mall and caught the bus to ride back home.  It was a super fun way to spend my Saturday.

 

Sunday morning I restocked my camp Coffee bin and got it ready for the season.  I checked the shower bucket and determined it is still well stocked with toiletries, TP and first aid supplies and determined all of the other bins are good to go too.  I then went upstairs and packed my duffle bag with my camp clothes.  I also grabbed my hiking boots, socks and trail shoes.  This girl is ready to hit the dusty trail!

 

Monday afternoon the window covers I had ordered for the Subaru arrived and I tested them out.  They will work perfectly!  I am also getting ready to set up a few things inside the Subaru so I am ready for fast getaways.  Surprisingly  the fridge showed up that day too.  This will be a game changer, believe you me, because I can now go and stay out in the boonies much longer and in the long run this thing is going to save me a ton of money on travel food.  I’m super excited!

 

I worked Monday afternoon and again on Tuesday taking a group of ladies out to lunch and then mini golfing.  We had a wonderful time and it really confirmed my choice to focus on literally “what’s in it for me” and why I took this job in the first place.  I’ve also found myself being more assertive with TTO and my supervisor as far as what I am willing and not willing to do.  This has been met with a lot of “okay” responses.  We’ll see how well “okay” works out for me going forward.

 

I spent the most time reorganizing this shelving unit

Wednesday I headed out to the garage and gave it a good once over.  I decluttered some things to donate, tossed out a handful of items into the trash, but mostly did a lot of reorganizing, cleaning and sweeping.  I used empty bins I had decluttered the contents from this winter to reorganize my things, but I decluttered and consolidated enough while I was at it that I ended up with the same number of empty bins by the time all was said and done.  I also refilled the pet and chicken food bins.  I must say that after the big declutter I did in there last summer this time around it was a breeze to get things all tidied up.  I love that!

 

Thursday was my day to run the errands that were not conducive to walking, bike riding or using public transportation.  On the way home I stopped to top up the gas tank at the best priced neighborhood gas station plus with my 3¢ per gallon discount five and a half gallons still cost me nearly $25!  That hurt.  I consoled myself by coming home and working outside in the backyard and my garden while the chickens clucked away at me as I worked.  Silly girls!

 

My neighbor's irises

With that my latest week in retirement came to a close.  I think it was a really great week for me.  I want to wish Happy Mother’s Day to all of you with babies and fur babies!  I hope you have a fabulous day tomorrow!  Take care my friends and I will be back soon.

My Tireless Retirement - Week 213

 

Another fabulous week is in the books.  I am now focusing solely on myself as I am marching onward after the disappointing outcome with our situation at work.  In order to save myself I need to take really good care of ME and that is what I am doing.  I’ve hit that point, where sadly, I have to stop caring so much.  It is especially sad because we are in a time in our lives where people need to care, but at what cost?  With the help of my therapist I am effectively heading into the “I don’t give a $h!t” zone”.  Moving forward in a friendly and positive way is really the best solution, regardless of what that may become of the future.

 

Over the last weekend I devoted a significant amount of time to revisiting and researching options for my 5 year plan, which is now more of a four year plan as nearly a year has passed since I started.  Travel ideas, relocation prospects, housing options, all that fun stuff.  It reinvigorated me and got me thinking.  A lot!  I also firmed up some plans I have for having fun this year too.  I even added a few small things to my camp gear that I had lying around the house.  I am getting excited to be outdoors and go exploring this summer.

 

On my last camping trip I found a Coleman camp griddle leaning up against a tree.  It was super sticky with grease so I slipped it inside a plastic trash bag and brought it home and stuck it in my garage.  Monday morning I brought it in and sprayed it down generously with oven cleaner.  Using my most aggressive scour pad I was able to remove all of the sticky greasy residue and get it all cleaned up.  Now I have a beautiful “new” griddle to add to my gear and use next time I go camping.

 

After much thought I ordered a complete set of window covers for the Subaru.  I had toggled back and forth between making something or buying something, even going so far as to make window templates to use as patterns.  Once I sat back and really thought about it though I decided it was not only going to be cost prohibitive and fairly labor intensive, but as picky as I can be about certain things it would probably be far less frustrating to just go ahead and order the set.  I am happy with that decision.  Next payday I am hoping to get a 12V refrigerator.  I am slowly ticking away on my list to off-grid efficiency and future travel.

 

Because I embarked on a pantry challenge recently I am working on clearing out the freezer on top of my refrigerator.  I pulled out enough items to feed myself all week without much cooking at all.  Mostly, I just reheated items and it was a nice little break from cooking.  I enjoyed leftover meatballs in sauce, some stuffed bell peppers from the freezer, beef burritos, soup and cornbread muffins, smoothies, eggs and toast, etc.  It was a delicious week!

 

Making My Dreams Into Reality? What A Concept!

 

Long before I bought my motor home I had contemplated purchasing a van and turning it into a campervan.  I follow a handful of vanlifers on Youtube and I really enjoy their content as they travel about and go on their adventures.  I have watched them build out their vans, rebuild their builds as their needs changed, repair their vans and go through the various ups and downs as they navigate this lifestyle and it has always intrigued me.  I really wanted to do it too.

 

As time went on I eventually changed those ideas and bought the motor home with the idea that we’d use it for camping while I still had kiddos at home and then I’d use it to live in the first few years I was retired and do some traveling.  At one point I was even ready to sell the house and load the motor home, but I was still battling some health challenges at the time.  For those that are new to this blog I had a series of mild heart attacks, a stay in the hospital, a trip to Minnesota and two weeks at the Mayo Clinic and then a battle to find a good cardiologist who would work with me to get my medication straightened out, all of which caused me to retire a year earlier than I had originally planned.  My, how our plans can change.  In a blink!

 

Now however, I am onto a future plan with no particular timeline and plenty of time to make my final plans and decisions.  As my BFF and I have been hashing things out and coming up with ideas one of the topics that popped up about two months or so ago was my very early ideas about building my own campervan and traveling in it.  As we were talking he said my face lit up, I was animated and passionate about the discussion and had a jillion ideas of what I would do, how I would do it and where I would go.  It was so fun to talk about it.  My BFF then told me that he thinks I should do it because if I don’t I may someday look back and really regret that I never did.  I think he is right.  Truth be told, I know he is.

 

I’ve been allowing myself to start thinking about this idea, this dream of mine.  I’m going to sell my motor home, my beloved Laverne, because regardless of what I end up doing she doesn’t fit into my plans anymore.  So if any of you want or know someone who might want a sweet little motor home that sleeps up to six people (four would be more comfortable) and has a lot of new stuff including tires (even the spare) and a nice heavy duty cargo rack (brand new, still in the box), at a really fair price, then email me.  She would make a really sweet weekend adventure mobile or a tiny home on wheels.

 

My new camp stove works very well

In the past few months I’ve been looking online at vans.  I’ve been making plans again.  I’m making lists.  I’m drawing pictures.  I’m looking at maps and travel guides.  I’m looking at the stuff I already have and re-evaluating it.  Could this work?  Could that work?  I’m coming up with a plan.  I’m getting excited.  And, oddly enough, what has given me the confidence to jump back into this idea, this long abandoned dream of mine, was the Subaru.

 

So does the new coffeemaker! 😍

Working on the Subaru really reinvigorated my inner “gear head” as one of my friends likes to say.  It gave me that boost of confidence that I didn’t know I needed to tell me I can still do stuff.  Stuff I really love to do.  It brought me back to a place where I used to be before all of the medical crap hit me in 2021.  It restored my faith in me as a physically strong and mentally capable human being and in my abilities.  The Subaru project gave me back…  my sense of self.

 

Will I do it?  Will I buy a van, build it out and hit the road to travel and see all of the places I’ve ever wanted to?  I don’t want to look back with regrets.  I don’t want my dreams to just be dreams.  It is definitely an idea that is in the running, that’s for sure.  I guess we will just have to wait and see... but, I wouldn’t be too surprised if I end up doing this.

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 181

 

Hello my friends!  I woke up last Friday morning feeling incentivized (determined and optimistic) and decided the best way to combat melancholy is to work on some goals and plans for my future.  It is hard to feel blue when you are excited.  I have come to realize that I have much to be excited about and that, with anything, whatever “this is” is only temporary.  This too, shall pass.

 

I headed into work Friday morning with patience and compassion intended while my BFF headed back to Colorado, his home base.  I ended up having a wonderful day at work.  I love my Friday co-workers and the crowd that comes in to play pinochle and line dance.  The atmosphere is typically upbeat and loving.  It is a great vibe.

 

Everything fits with room to grow

Last week I headed back into the garage and did some rethinking and redoing of the camping supplies storage pods.  I quickly realized after forgetting that I had put some things in the dishwasher that I had underestimated sizes.  A quick trip back to Wal-Mart and I came home with two more of the larger containers, which happen to stack much better than the two smaller ones sitting on one large one.  Now everything fits better with a little bit of growing room, which for me is perfect.  I have plans to still use the two smaller containers for other camping and travel related items.

 

A friend of mine bought me this shopping bag to use for camping 💖

Along with the two new containers from Wal-Mart I stopped into the feed store on my way home and picked up a heavy duty bucket and a Gamma lid to use as the shower bucket.  Inside I tucked my USB powered shower, some toiletries and laundry washing supplies and the first aid kit.  I also chose and added a pop up shower tent to my Amazon cart.  I plan to use that not only for showering out in the wilderness, but also to house the portable composting toilet I made.  This is solely to protect the bears from having to see my bare butt.

 

Over the weekend I got out the hedge trimmers and the pruners to spruce up and trim the next door neighbor’s row of hedges that extend way over the property line onto my driveway and parking area.  It took me a solid three hours to get those beasts trimmed and all of the debris cleaned out that had collected amongst the branches.  Using a tarp to catch the majority of the debris and trimmings saved me as far as the final clean up.  I filled up the trash wheelie bin and two paper leaf bags full of stuff.

 

Another birthday present showed up on my porch last week, this one a complete surprise.  It’s a mini K cup coffeemaker and there were two boxes of assorted K cups to go along with it.  On my birthday trip we had talked about how nice it would be to just pull off to the side of the road and brew a fresh cup of coffee to enjoy as one takes in the scenery.  We talked about it quite a bit and how various things could be packed in which to do that, including a camp stove and a kettle or even a mini 5 cup coffeemaker to use with my solar generator.  Knowing how I not just love my coffee, but I really LOVE my coffee, once he got home he placed an order and then texted me to go outside and get my package when it was dropped off at my house.  I was so excited, but even more so that I am fully supported in my future plans and endeavors.

 

I worked a few hours Monday and Tuesday and enjoyed dinner out with my colleagues Tuesday evening.  I headed out Wednesday morning on for a solo overnight campout to test the new stove as well as the coffeemaker and enjoy some peaceful time in nature.  I headed off to somewhere I hadn’t been in ages and it felt absolutely amazing to spend time there and recharge my batteries.  The stove worked great and the coffee was really good too!

 

Mission accomplished!

It was a really great week and exactly what I needed to pull myself out of the doldrums.  Being out in nature completely alone with no cell service I was completely unplugged from the world and all of its incessant nonsense.  I once again found myself wading in the river and marveling at the beauty surrounding me.  That night as I lay in bed gazing up at the sky filled with stars I felt so much closer to God.  The noise in my head evaporated.  I was surrounded by His glory and I was incredibly grateful.  I now know I need far more days just like that.