day to day feelings
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Being Home
There had been discussions about staying socially distant by remaining in Arizona for a while, traveling away from cities up the west coast, just enjoying the spacious outdoor living that RV’ing was providing us. But eventually we heard reports of closings to RV parks in the eastern part of the country and the decision was made to get home ASAP. So, pedal to the metal, 2,800 miles (5,200 km) covered in 6 days of driving with one day of rest in the middle. It was really hard on the dogs, and Charlie had to be strongly encouraged back into the RV after each walk. We traveled from ideal weather conditions…
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And…heading home!
My eyes flickered open and tried to focus on the microwave clock…5:45 am. “Are you awake?” I heard Dennis ask. I had this sense that he was about to drop some really bad news on me. “Pennsylvania is closing all the RV parks to new registrations. I think we need to start heading home today.” So, it wasn’t as terrible as I’d intuited but it was disappointing news to say the least. Today was Saturday and we were scheduled to leave Tucson on Tuesday. We had anticipated enjoying the absolutely perfect weather for the next few days, walking trails with the dogs, and continuing to enjoy our time with Lisa…
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A Secluded Winery
The hubbub of Houston and it’s sprawling reach took us over an hour to drive out of. We had enjoyed 5 nights just north of Houston and now it was time to get out into the Texas countryside. Our next destination was Big Bend National Park. We looked at the distances to be covered, keeping in mind stops for pup walks, people walks, and gas fill ups, and planned our next 3 days of driving. Three days! Albeit not full days of driving, but still, Texas is a huge state to drive across. Our first one-night stopover was in Vanderpool, TX and the second was in Fort Stockton, TX. Vanderpool…
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The RV Life ‘feeling’
No matter how much research we did, how many YouTube videos we watched, how many articles we read and how much information our RV’ing friends shared with us, there was no way for us to really understand what RV’ing was really about or how it works. I’m not referring to plotting next destinations on the map, researching campgrounds and jotting our plans on the calendar. What we have discovered is the flow that is part of life on the road. It ebbs and flows, it has a feeling, and it informs us on when we are to spend a single night at a campground or extend our stay to either…
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Find Rhythm on the Road
Hopefully we have finished finding the little things we think we ‘need’. It feels like we have. I write this while looking over at the little palm in its pot, placed right next to the little lamp, both of which I felt we had to have. I always have my reasons (also read as justifications). But that’s the human way. There has been an ongoing trickle of purchases for things like cleaning supplies, an occasional tool, a new squeegee with extender handle, and compostable Nespresso pods for the best purchase I ever made…a Nespresso machine. We have become very fond of our morning café Americano in our Yeti cups. The dogs like…
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The Back Story – Part 2
The first part of this story was blogged on March 31st, 6 weeks after undergoing a procedure called Discseel. The procedure was my non-surgical choice for addressing 4 ruptured lower lumbar discs. As a very brief recap; with significant disc degeneration, the deterioration in my back stability and the increasing levels of pain (that no longer responded to care in a way that provided sustainable relief) led me to seek solutions that were non-surgical. Discseel is the procedure that made the most sense to me. From the DiscSeel.com website, this is the procedure: “The Discseel® Procedure takes approximately 40 minutes and is performed in an outpatient facility. You will be offered…
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Moodiness
Oh dark and moody clouds,Hanging heavy in a burdened sky,Winds darting across the sand,Pushing hair across my face. What splendor in the dark and lightof these floating wonders,How they turn my face skywardas my awe is stirred from sleep. The blanket of clouds is whipped awayOh my! What a clear blue!And over my shoulder I see rain fallon the horizon. A cyclist on his broad-tired bike, A small pack of excited dogs,Gulls soaring and playing in the updrafts,and people…faces alive with wonder.
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A swimming and flying cell phone…and 15 ticks
In only 15 minutes of beating around the underbrush I managed to gather 15 ticks. There were 5 in my hair and 10 on my clothing, inside and out. I used the dog’s comb to get them out of my hair, because the teeth of the comb are closer together than any other comb in the house. Hopefully I didn’t miss any. I know all about ticks and the many diseases they carry, so why would I end up in dense underbrush, especially as the weather warms up? Well, it’s a weird story… Yesterday morning my cell phone dropped out of my pocket. It happened during the morning beach walk…
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Mud season
April, the worst and best month of the year. Rolling into winter in Maine is fun. It’s a time for cozy clothes and snowy days. Walking the dogs on the beach, even on the coldest days, is quiet and magical, and okay…sometimes just damn cold. But we dress for well for it. When we hit the middle of March we tend to be done with the multiple layers of clothes and heavy boots. We are thrilled at the first tiny green sprouts of daffodils that keep the promise of spring alive. Night time temperatures stop going below freezing every night, and because of my enthusiasm for wearing less layers, I…
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The Bench
Early in 2012, my friend Cindy and I sat on a bench on the banks of the Crocodile River in South Africa and I dissolved into tears. I was experiencing the indescribable joy of my life starting over. It was the beginning of life after Lyme disease, it was the beginning of life without old emotional baggage, and it was better than I could have imagined possible. A book was born of from it called, Chronic Illness as an Access to Quantum Healing. It is now 2019, and a couple of months ago our family was back in South Africa, and specifically, in the same area of the Crocodile River.…
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A new path to silent sharing
It’s been a few days of walking around in warm and cold air, of looking through binoculars and camera lenses. I love a scene that is broad with distance, and I love an up-close and detailed look as well. And I definitely enjoy taking photos of things that stir me. I have a new appreciation for photographers who sit in the cold snow to capture that perfect wild life shot. Those photos do not happen by chance. I have a new appreciation for how cold their hands must get as they adjust the settings on their cameras. And I appreciate those who notice the world around themselves, allow wonder to…
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Mae, a rescued mustang
Last year I pulled my old bike out of the basement, cleaned it off and started going out for rides. Somehow, no matter what route I peddled, I invariably ended up at the Ever After Mustang Rescue. I would hang out for a while, watching the residents as they grazed, sometimes watching them as they watched me. A month or so later I began volunteering at the barn each Saturday. I knew nothing about caring for horses and was just thrilled to have the opportunity to muck out stalls and begin learning about these beautiful animals. All the residents are rescues, all have endured trauma, all are now in an…
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The way the light dances
Walking along the coast line, I stood and allowed myself the awe of gazing over the vastness that is the ocean, and I breathed in the salty air. With the sun in my eyes, I marveled at the glistening water below and noticed the thoughts arising, almost as if they were begging to be arranged into a poem. If I wrote poetry it would certainly have included those first words that came to me, something about how the light dances on the water. But does the light dance? Not really. It just is. It’s steady. There is what dances in it. What reflects it. How it, whatever ‘it’ is, reflects…
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The Back Story – Part 1
My eyes opened slowly as I came to. It was all over. I was lying face up on the bed and I was quickly overwhelmed by the raging and searing pain in my lower back. The last thing I could remember was lying face down on the table, positioning my head so that the pillow didn’t pull the oxygen tubing away from my nose. It had been difficult to get comfortable. My back was miserably uncomfortable and it didn’t appreciate the hard, flat surface, even with the pillow under my stomach. But despite all that, the excitement that was coursing through me had me in exceptionally high spirits, loving everyone…
