Month: April 2012

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Thank Goodness for Organization

Last night reminded me of my first few days on the road and how much time it took to find space for everything. While I tried to put things away as I brought them back in, the day grew very long yesterday and I piled the last few (dozen) loads wherever there was room. I thought I had at least four or five hours of work ahead of me by the time I was done in the apartment. HA. There was nothing that hadn’t been in the rig before, so it was just a matter of remembering where each item went and I was done in under two hours, which included reorganizing a couple of cabinets. I still have a few little things to square away this morning before I take off, but I did about 95% last night before falling into a pile of exhaustion.

I’m off to do a last load of laundry, mop the apartment floor, and, eventually, hook up the car. I hope to be underway by noon.

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Feline Adaptability

Yesterday’s chaos in The Apartment really stressed out my cats. When it was finally time to bring them down to the rig, they decided they weren’t going anywhere and it was a job and a half to get them downstairs. But soon as they were in the rig, they were transformed. Everything is where I left it and they immediately went to their favourite perching spots, no roaming around, no looking lost. They knew exactly where they were. It was rather amazing to see proven my theory that cats have as good a memory as dogs.

Today, I must have made three dozen trips down to the rig. Neither cat seemed particularly perturbed by my comings and goings. Tabitha snoozed the day away in the loft and Neelix did the same in the study. They only showed me any attention if I came to them for a quick cuddle.

It has been a very long day and I still have some things to square away, but I’m pretty good to go for tomorrow. I hoped to be done in The Apartment by around 8 tonight, which I was. Next on the list was a shower, and then I buzzed my maintenance guy so we could say our good-byes, knowing that I’d get beer this way. My plan worked like a charm! Aren’t I clever?

Well, my winter with unlimited 120V power apparently killed my computer battery, so I have to sign off for tonight. I have transcription to do when I get to Swift Current (!) so I’ll quickly know just how much juice I need to run my office for a full day on inverter power. Today, which was slightly overcast, my batteries were fully charged by noon and I could have still had 5A go into a secondary battery bank. Let’s see if this trend keeps up while I’m living full-time in here again!

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Final Thoughts On My Year in Lethbridge

It looks like I am on schedule to pull out sometime tomorrow morning. I have decided to meander through southern Saskatchewan rather than race to the border as I am leaving a couple of days earlier than planned. I’ll therefore be overnighting at the Walmart in Swift Current tomorrow.

I’ve been asked a number of times about how ready I feel about leaving, with the meaning being “How sick are you of Lethbridge?”

The answer is that I am not sick of Lethbridge, but I am ready to go. I know that what I needed to do here has been done and it’s time to move on to new challenges. My being here has not been unbearable and if I needed to stay a while longer, that would be fine. But I have come to a point where I feel that I would gain nothing more here.

As I wrote at the beginning of winter, I very much believe that we all have a life plan. I can always tell when I’m following that plan or not; the further I get from it, the more chaotic my life feels. When I am firmly on it, like I am today, I am awash with a feeling of serenity. When I ignore the niggle at the back of my brain, as I’ve done several times in the last three and a half years, I feel uneasy, worried, and out of control.

My time in Lethbridge has allowed me to gain professional growth that I truly believe I would never have had in my old life because I wouldn’t have believed myself capable of the challenges of management. When I last saw my boss, he confessed to me that it was only the office manager’s urging that allowed for me to take charge of the apartment complex starting in late June. He trusted her that I would grow into the position. I feel that it took me till well into November to really feel comfortable with the job. But he said that he knew by the end of July that I was going do great in the position! I appreciate so much that I was allowed to make mistakes and that my judgment was trusted. My feelings for this company are difficult to put into words. I am just so happy to have worked for it for the last nine months and am still in disbelief that I have such a wonderful tangible reminder of how I felt while working for them.

The personal growth that came from this job is also immeasurable. I was finally able to let go of my need to be liked and that enabled me to be respected. What an adventure and a half that was! I have finished a rough draft of the little ebook I’ve promised about my winter adventures and I hope to have it out shortly!

The idea of Travels with Miranda isn’t just of physical travels, but also of a journey of the soul, of a half-baked person seeking to find her true voice. So often we get lost in the minutia of daily life and others’ expectations for our life that we never learn to grow into our person. I am returning to Quebec very confident and ready to hold my head high against those folks who measure success in financial statements and who told me that I was throwing away my life. Oh, I did do that, and look at the life I am now living!

I have a ton more stuff to move back into the rig and an apartment to clean, so I’m off to do a final burst. Departure tomorrow is scheduled for 11ish, but no sooner than when an order of Jody’s muffins arrives. 🙂 I’ll post before I take off, then it will depend on cell coverage in Saskatchewan, which is spotty at best.

 

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Thoroughly Spoiled!

This past winter was the first in my life where life wasn’t a struggle and that I was snug and warm in even the coldest temperatures. I knew that getting back into the RV would take some readjusting, but I seriously underestimated how cold it would get in there last night! I woke up around 6 and turned on the heat, but what I really needed was an extra blanket, which was in The Apartment. I don’t like to sleep with my electric blanket on, so that was out of the question. I still had a better (quieter, darker, restful) night than I’ve had in months and the cold meant snuggly cats! Oh, it’s good to be home!

I made coffee at home this morning (yay for propane, which boils water about 10 billion times faster than electric coils) and poured it into my to-go mug to take to the Apartment. I’ll focus on doing my bookkeeping this morning, then run last minute errands this afternoon. For one thing, I don’t want to forget to pick up my last pay cheque! I’m sore from all the work yesterday, but I really can’t take it easy today. I know I have way more to do than it looks like.

As an update to yesterday’s woes, a good soak with water got the toilet flapper working, and then I lubed it with veggie oil. So except for a leaky tap, it looks like I’m good to go.

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There’s No Place Like Home

My office is still set up in The Apartment and I still have some flotsam and jetsam to bring down to the rig, but the hard part of the move is done. WHEW.

Jody and Gary arrived around 6 to help me bring things downstairs. Gary brought the things I’d left at their place all winter, including the propane tank and jerry cans… which were returned to me full! Can you believe him? What an awesome going away present! The hard work done, Jody treated us to a farewell dinner at Montana’s.

My day wasn’t done, though. I made several trips down to the rig to bring the cat stuff and the cats. I then made up the bed. Now, I’m going to have a shower, make sure the iPad is loaded with a good movie, and head down for a good night’s sleep in my home.

Tomorrow is going to be full, too, but Saturday should be a reasonably leisurely departure day.