Month: September 2013

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An Update

I’d like to thank everyone who is still keeping in touch. I’m especially moved by those who have expressed concern that I am depressed or in a funk. I just wanted to touch base to say that everything is fine. It’s not good and it’s not bad, it’s just life. I am content, in a good mood, creative, productive, and healthy.

Those of you who have read Lessons the Road Taught Me know that I don’t believe that our lives are our own and that we are gently guided toward some greater cosmic purpose. When I fight my Path, I am anxious, malcontent, exhausted, and fearful. When I allow my life to take the shape meant for it, I am at peace with whatever fate has thrown at me. That’s where I am right now, a little disappointed, but wise enough to know that things are as they should be.

So with that preface, I can now say that I’m staying in Saskatchewan this winter. I don’t feel like going into all the details of why or how I’m going to do it, but I am going to be fine.

It wasn’t until I settled into a comfortable routine at Haven and established Saskatchewan residency that I came to realise just how tired I was. For five years, I was essentially on the run, staying one step ahead of the law and always worried about overstaying my welcome. Suddenly, I found myself ‘legal’ again and somewhere that I can stay forever if I want.

It’s as though all the miles and stresses caught up with me. I just need a few months to sit quietly and remember just why I put myself through all of that so that I can strengthen myself for the next time that my biological urge to go manifests itself. Because it will manifest itself again, as surely as the sun will set tonight and rise tomorrow.

I just spent five years making up for a lifetime of wanderlust so severe it left no room any other priorities. This past year, my nomadic needs have loosened their grips a little and I’ve found myself able to focus on other things. Ultimately, it’s all preparation for the next phase of my travels.

I’ve cleaned up and simplified my diet, finding myself 36 pounds lighter than I was this time last year. The improved diet that eliminates allergens and irritants has helped me feel so much better and given me energy I thought lost forever, which means I’m more productive and creative at work. I’m still not making enough money, but business is steady and growing and I’m not worried about paying basic bills anymore. I just got a big order from one client because I’m not taking off in the next few weeks. I might even get some ebooks updated this winter.

My home is just so perfect right now, tidy and organized with nothing superfluous. It is a place to cook healthy meals, put in long days at the office, relax with a view and a comfy seat in the evening, and even host friends (Jody is arriving tomorrow for two days!). I’m trying to lure an electrician here to hook me up to the grid, but I’m doing fine off the grid now that I’ve acquired a new-to-me computer (straight trade of my old one for this newer model, no money involved) that uses much less power than my previous computer, dropping my energy need for 70 to 100AH a day to a mere 10 to 50AH!

My current environment is scenic and populated with wonderful people. It’s no wonder I’ve essentially crashed and have no desire to go anywhere.

I’ll be back on the road either in early summer of 2014 (to go to Kelowna again) or early fall; my RV wanderings are far from over! I think that when I’m closer to getting going again I’ll feel like returning to regular updates here. Miranda needs a break, too, and once all her repairs are done, we’ll both have caught our second wind and be ready to drive into an Arizona sunset. I hope you’ll still be here when we do.

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A Good Home Should Be Able to Grow With You

There’s something about the fall that makes people nest. I sell more copies of Sorting It Out between September and December than I do the rest of the year combined.

Many people have told me they have gone through the process outlined in my book and that it has been transformative. I agree. I don’t look at my ‘stuff’ in the same light today. I don’t think I’ll ever again be able to have a home where I forget what I have and let clutter waste valuable space and energy. I no longer think “I wish I had more space” but rather “let’s see what I need to get rid of to get the space I need.”

Take my breadmaker, for example. I hardly ever eat bread anymore and I certainly don’t make it. Why let a huge machine like that eat up three quarters of a cabinet? And why are things that I do use, like the rice cooker and salad spinner, much less my pots and pans, so awkward to access? So the breadmaker went to the thrift store, I added yet another shelf to my rig, and voilà:

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I’ve also been having serious pantry issues. Out here on the frontier, you really have to stock up. It’s not like being in Dawson City where you can get a little bit of stuff in Whitehorse and go treasuring hunting at the grocery store, but you’re mostly stuffing your face at world class eateries. This is the first time in my life that I have had to really keep the pantry stocked It’s been an interesting experience that has resulted in stubbed toes because of having to leave bags of cans lying on the floor.

Surely there was a space to store them? Maybe I could just convert the carpet cleaner cupboard to pantry? Do I really need that carpet cleaner anymore? Yes, it’s great for cleaning upholstery. Okay, maybe another shelf is in order, like so?

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I’m having to cook more from scratch at Haven than I have had to anywhere else in my life. It’s nice to have the objectivity to get rid of something I don’t use (breadmaker) so that I can make room for something I have used way more in one week than any other appliance I own (food processor).

Does your home have room to grow with you? If not, whose fault is it really?

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Five Years On the Road

I’m a little boggled that my half-decade anniversary of being on the road has come. That time span doesn’t feel real to me.

The last five years have been some of the best and most challenging of my life. Every time I thought I finally got a grip on my nomadic existence, something would come to bend it back out of shape. That is the nature of all lives, I guess, but mine was especially precarious. I think that establishing Saskatchewan residency will be the missing cement to the shaky foundation of my life.

When I set off five years ago, I dreamed of making a name for myself RVing, but dared not fathom of a future that would put me on the cover of an RVing magazine, being interviewed by a major TV morning show, that I would get quite the spread in one of Canada’s most prominent newspapers, or that strangers would knock on the door and say, “Hey, I recognize you from the blog!”

Five years ago, I could only only hope to winter in a sunny clime, feel the midnight sun on my face, summit a mountain, freeze my toes in the Arctic Ocean, never mind do so much more than all that. I also could not imagine the friends I would meet along the way or that I would one day find a place where I would belong.

My life’s in a little bit of a limbo right now as I am coming to grips with just how hard I have fallen in love with my little piece of Saskatchewan and the people who populate that world. I am just grateful that the last five years have reminded me that such contentment at being in a beloved location never lasts and restlessness is guaranteed to follow. Therefore, I have to find a balance between making Haven comfortable while still being able to wander.

When I started RVing, I really enjoyed blogging about my life and the odd adventure that I have. But living so publicly began to weigh on me and I found myself wondering if the decisions I was making were best for me or best for the blog.

This past spring, I came to the conclusion that blogging was no longer a good use of my time. I cherish the friendships I have made through this blog, but regularly blogging about my life is just not something I’m interested in doing anymore. I made the decision in the spring to review how I felt on my fifth anniversary and the sentiment still holds. So I’ve been thinking about this post for about six months.

I don’t want to be one of those bloggers who says, “I quit!” and then comes back a few weeks later, almost as though they are seeking attention. So this isn’t the final Travels With Miranda post. I just don’t know when, or even if, I’ll be back. I’m thinking that taking a break might help refresh me and maybe even motivate me to get through a backlog of technical post drafts stemming from the seminar this summer…

I really like the Travels With Miranda Facebook page for giving updates, so that’s where you can go to get updates on Miranda’s out of province inspection, winter plans, and more. It’s a public page, so you don’t need to be a member of Facebook; just bookmark the link. Soon as I hit publish on this post, I’m heading there to share some information of importance to Snowbirds (hint, I recently got a letter from the IRS).

I love and appreciate each and everyone of you who has followed me along the way, whether it was from the very beginning or if you came on board at a later date. I am so grateful for the advice, hospitality, and help in all forms that you have given me. I hope that you’ll still try to keep in touch because my days of adventure and wandering are far from over!

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Miranda’s Safety Inspection

Hammond: How did it go, Colonel?
Teal’c: It did not go well, General Hammond.
O’Neill: Ya think?

I got in with Miranda about 45 minutes ago. It was a VERY long morning. I was up at at ’em by the ridiculous hour of 5:30 (had a good sleep, though). By the time I had coffee made, my emails were checked, and the rig was repacked, it was about 7:30. A knock came from the owner who wanted me to move to a different location. I did that then hung out for another half our or so, going inside around 8:15.

It’s a good thing I had my iPad and internet as I didn’t get out of there until about 12:30.

Miranda failed her safety inspection.

First, the ‘good’ news:

The first failed items were ridiculous, like not having a hazard kit in the cab (I keep one in the truck) and having broken lenses (from the hail storm). The most idiotic reason for failing was that the windshield wipers don’t spray high enough! They have always sprayed to that height and it’s plenty. I can’t wait to see how much it’ll cost to modify that! *rolls eyes*

The not so bad news:

She needs two tires to pass and I think that will bring me to all recent tires, which would buy me time to get her reshoed properly. So the tires aren’t really the huge issue I expected them to be. I’m going to see if I can talk them into putting on good used ones.

The bad news:

She needs an alignment and the suspension needs what sounds like major work.

I am waiting on an estimate before saying anything more about how this may or may not affect my winter plans.

I’m glad I had the inspection done and do not resent the bulk of the findings. Once I get the repairs done, Miranda will be in great shape and will likely drive a hell of a lot of better. I’ll have peace of mind that she’s mechanically sound and will be able to focus on some of the house items that need attention.

That’s all I have to say about that at this time.