Gratitude

Every year around Thanksgiving I gather my thoughts and think about what I am grateful for. Perhaps, more importantly, it forces me to think of the things I should be grateful for. Loss of friends and family is inevitable as we age, but more and more my grief is tempered by the time I had with them. I am grateful for that. I am grateful for the teachings my parents imparted to me. We seem to be well liked here as a result of that. We have received gifts from the landowner and oil company people here. Something they didn't have to do. I am grateful for that. My parents also instilled in me a sense of adventure and wonderment. I have traveled and wandered a lot and have been enriched in doing so. I am grateful for that. I sometimes take the love and concern people have for me for granted. That is something I should be more grateful for. I also should be more grateful for the time I've had on this earth and treat each day accordingly. Now a little off script. All of us should be grateful for the wonderful country we live in. Everyone of us should take this time of difficulty and find ways that we can make positive changes to ensure its continued greatness. Grass root movements have fueled change in this country since its inception. Let's be grateful that we have the system in which we can make changes that benefit us all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Air Conditioning Again

Our rear basement heat pump went out in late 2009. The repairman said it was a bad compressor. Finances and finding someone to repair it took till summer 2011. The repairman in 2009 missed a leak in the tubing which was repaired then. After servicing the unit it ran for about two hours before it started blowing the circuit breaker. The repairman returned and diagnosed it as a compressor failure. Estimates to repair it were costly, to say the least. I then started researching where to find a compressor for a reasonable price. I finally found a compressor (by that time we had relocated to Texas) and a "jack leg" to install it. After the unit was flushed and serviced we fired it up and the fan blew! After much searching I located a fan and had it installed. Finally, we seem to have a working heat pump. Perseverance is a must, especially when dealing with equipment that is no longer manufactured.

Have You Got The Itch?

A lot of my readers (and non readers) want to know if they can live the RV lifestyle- sort of leave the 9-5 grind behind. Unless you have some sort of second income, savings or are well off the answer is no. But; if you're willing to work a modified 9-5 grind, there is indeed a way to do it. It's called workamping and if you're reasonably healthy, you can do it. It involves working at a wide variety of places, including National Parks, campgrounds and even malls. You have to find a reliable recreational vehicle, such as a motorhome or 5th wheel. In today's economy that is pretty easy, especially if you look into the used market. We even have friends that do it in a "pop-up"-basically a tent on a small trailer. I don't recommend that, since you will be living in the vehicle. Once you have an RV, you have to find work. Almost all workamping positions and hiring are done via the Internet. Google American Land and Leisure, Workers on Wheels, Happy Vagabonds, Woodalls, etc. just to name a few. Also, www.workamping.com is one of the preeminent sites used to find work  . Some of the more unique positions for couples is gate guarding oil rigs, mini storage units and idle industrial properties. Some of the positions require a moderate amount of exertion. You might have to do some cleaning or yard work, for instance. But; you can do it in some of the most desirable and beautiful places in America.

Real Boon Docking

We asked for two days off when the rig moved and the company honored our request. Unfortunately the company also thought that if we were going to be off they weren't going to provide support. Things like septic, water and electric. Times like these are when I'm glad I own a Class A motor home. We have a generator, holding tanks and freshwater on board. So we are now sitting in another cow pasture two miles off the paved road. We also had to relocate our self (the company also didn't help with that). This is truly boon docking-off road and no support what so ever. We are proud how proficient we have become. Up and moving within a few hours and set up just as fast. Shoot- we tune in the satellite in 10 minutes! Level out and set up the coach in less than an hour. Not to long ago, I wouldn't have dared take this motor home off road and certainly not have been as comfortable boon docking like we are now.