North America

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Parked For a Difficult Winter

Today, I moved to my winter parking spot.

My first choice would have been to have power put in and build a simple greenhouse-type structure around Miranda. Unfortunately, no one local was willing to return my calls and electricians in Moose Jaw were too pricey because of the mileage involved.

Then, I thought of asking the owner of the empty house next door if he could have power turned on for me to park in his yard. He said yes, but when we got to negotiating the deal, I found I didn’t trust him not to kick me out in the dead of winter with 50′ of snow on the ground.

So I ended up taking up Laura on her offer to park in her yard where I’d have access to two circuits, for 30A total. It would have been nice to have a full electrical panel to myself, but 30A will get me far.

I’m parked between two garages, so sheltered from the window on Miranda’s long sides. I will be skirting with styrofoam and eventually snow, as well as running a light bulb under the rig near the holding tanks, with more styrofoam around them to trap the heat. I’ll also have a bulb going in the fresh water tank compartment and be putting plastic on the windows. I may also use thick plastic across the front and the back between the two garages to further block out the wind, if necessary. Since I don’t have cats anymore ( 🙁 ) putting down rugs inside for further insulation will also be possible.

(I forgot to grab a picture of the VIEW outside my office! I’ll have to remember to grab one to share!)

The plan at this point is to see how long I can be comfortable and productive at home. I estimate I will have $150 worth of power, plus propane, which isn’t too bad and makes it worth being home as long as I’m not frozen. But if the costs skyrocket and I’m just not able to stay comfortable, I can take one of Laura’s spare rooms. I’ll watch the weather and gauge week to week what I need to do. This could be a very mild winter, like I had in Lethbridge, or a bad one. Either way, I’ve got options to ride it out comfortably, but it won’t be much fun (except for all the playing in the snow, whee!).

Laura isn’t home during the day, so I have the option of working out of her house, although that will make internet tricky. I have access to laundry and my own bathroom for showers during the day, too. Another perk is the garage as I will be able to stash Moya in it, making it easier to take her out the odd time I want to go to town.

The downside is that Laura and I underestimated how much overhang the garage has. Miranda JUST fits in the space, with my house door only opening partway (enough to be safe in case of a fire!). This is motivation to get the passenger seat out of the cab. Once that’s done, I can enter easily through the cab (that door opens fully), shut the door, and then open the door into the living room, keeping all the cold wind from blowing in.

This morning, I headed over here to test the power outlets to make sure I could plug in. Well, they were getting 120V, but the hot and neutral were reversed! Reversed polarity doesn’t damage electrical components, but can electrifya rig, with deadly consequences when the RV gets wet. Moreover, my new converter would not run in a reverse polarity situation.

Luckily, Laura was home today, so I had her give me access to the breaker box so I could shut power to the circuits and fix the problem. It was simply a matter of switching the location of the black and white wires. The outlets then tested perfectly and my converter is very happy with the setup.

I hadn’t woken up planning to move today, but the cold north wind made me want to get hooked up and running an electric heater! So one would think getting going would have taken ages. Well, it took exactly five minutes to get the inside packed. Outside was a bit more work, but only because I decided to dump and also fill up my fresh water tank before unhooking. I was parked at Laura’s within a half hour.

I thought it would be an easy in, but the alley wasn’t straight and there was a sapling blocking me. I got too close to the overhang and wasn’t straight, so I decided to get Laura to spot me so I could straighten out. Even with her, I managed to catch the overhang and scrape a little, but it was nothing too serious that a little buffing won’t erase. Laura cut the sapling down, which made my job easier. Unfortunately, there were a lot of low-hanging branches, so one of my vent cap pipes got yanked off and will need to be found and replaced.

Thankfully, the spot is perfect level, so that was one less job to do! Once I was parked, I hooked up power and propane, then did a couple of loads with the truck of stuff sitting in my yard to be stored in the garage for the winter. I still have things there to deal with, including my hose. Water will be tricky this winter and I’ll likely just haul what I need to wash dishes.

The overhead branches were scratching the roof, so I went up there with pruners and cut them all back. That done, I had to get my internet set up again and I managed to get a decent signal by installing my antenna to the very top of my ladder. It may end up on the garage roof, but so far so good on the internet front.

It is SO GOOD to be back on shore power. I am sooooo sick of boondocking with solar. It is already getting cold, but I think I have lost my tolerance and will need to build it back up a little. I don’t keep it as warm in here as I’d like, instead adding extra layers, to toughen me up a little. I also have a lot less natural insulation than I have ever had ahead of a brutal winter. What a time to have lost 41lbs! 😀 I suspect that the electric blanket will get a lot of use. It draws so little when I’m on shore power that it is the cheapest way to stay warm while working at the computer or curled up with a book or movie.

It’s going to be an interesting winter, that’s for sure. It really helps to know that I have somewhere else to go if we end up in an ice age. For some reason, this winter is less intimidating than the one I faced in Lethbridge in that I won’t have to drive when the weather is bad and my truck is winter-ready, with good snow tires and a block heater. Also, I have winter gear in the basement, but am fairly certain I’ll need to go buy some boots. I have plenty of heavy corduroy skirts, leggings, and wool blend knee-high socks, fleece tops and a couple of good coats. So the wardrobe situation isn’t dire. I’m just hoping I still have a snowsuit as I know the best way to get through a cold snowy winter is to get outside and play in it!

Of course, having friends who will keep me busy is also going to make a big difference. Laura said something about doing the finishing touch on her basement renovations…

The most important thing is that I’m not angry or upset about being here this winter. Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. Sure, it’d be nice to be warm in Mexico, but I’m in nesting mode right now and quite relieved to know that I am parked till May. I can focus on other things, take on as much work as I can find, and make plans for my next trip. I will be fine and I do promise to check in once in a while to let you know how I’m doing.

I’ll close off with a little southern Saskatchewan travel tip: don’t miss the grill-your-own steaks at the Fife Lake Hotel! We’re going there tomorrow for Caroline’s birthday. Me eating steak? Well, since coming here I’ve learned to love bison and venison! And so, I continue to grow and learn and expand my horizons, even if I’m not on the move right now. I am still very much living my dream life.

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And Then There Was One

My beautiful boy Neelix died quite suddenly on Wednesday (October 9th). He was perfectly fine and normal up till late in the day Tuesday and then he got a little lethargic and sniffly. He slipped into a coma overnight and passed away peacefully at home in my arms on Wednesday afternoon.

More than one vet told me that Neelix got many more years than he should have. He was surrendered to the Ottawa Humane Society in March of 2007, emaciated, filthy, and showing signs of abuse and neglect. He had spent four months with a foster family when I met him in July of the same year. The last time he went to the vet, I was told that he was an ‘old man.’ So while I’m shocked that this happened, I’m relieved that it was much quicker than with Tabitha and that it happened naturally. I just thought we’d have a few years together. I’m glad to have had the time we did to truly bond. He was such a sweet soul.

Thank you to everyone who left a kind comment on Facebook. Here are some of my favourite pictures of my boy.

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This was early in our traveling days. He always liked to drape himself over stuff!

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This is during the winter from hell in Oliver. I didn’t like having him on the counter, with the heater under it, it was the warmest spot in the rig!

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This was in the rental house just before I moved into the rig.

CIMG0001-4I’d love to know why he thought this was a good idea.

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One of his MANY oh-so-cute poses!

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He loved to perch at the top of those stairs!

CIMG0004-2The day I brought him home.

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Here he is again on his favourite perch!

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The very first picture I ever took of him. July 2007.

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I was babysitting Ken and Donna’s dog Midnight in the fall of 2010. Neelix thought that getting into the dog bed was a good idea.

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Probably my favourite picture ever of him! LOL

IMGP4416Mmm! Mom’s dirty laundry!

IMGP5444My favourite picture of my two together. It’s hilarious how Bitha is waiting patiently in line for water!

IMGP5845In his last months, Neelix would often spend the day like this by my side.

IMGP6212Soooooo cute! I will miss rubbing his belly.

IMGP6427Soon as they saw I caught them together, the sprung apart! You didn’t fool me one bit you guys!

IMGP6521My favourite pose of his. Still makes me giggle. I love how the feet are straight up with the tail between them.

IMGP6935Neelix always wanted to get into my luggage.

IMGP7382I have no idea why he’s got his face in the corner.

IMGP7490Mom’s iPad makes a great pillow!

IMGP7494Non-cat people claim cats can’t love. Bull.

IMGP7542Neelix with his ball of catnip. I am SO glad he finally learned how to play, even if it took recreational drugs!

IMGP7547Another silly pose; notice the eye staring me down.

Neelix on his backThe first time he showed me his belly, accepting me as his person.

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Another one of Neelix on my suitcase. This was the summer of 2007 days before I flew to San Francisco.

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Looking At Outbuildings

I had one of those mornings where I am kicking myself for going out without a camera!

Charles took me out this morning to look at old graineries, fir-framed buildings that litter the landscape here and have been replaced with more modern round metal graineries. Fir doesn’t rot, so many of these graineries can be moved to another location, reclad with new walls and roofs, and be used as outbuildings. The two graineries we were going to look at belong to a friend of his who said they were free for the taking.

The first one was quite large compared to the ones Charles has, about 16′ by 12′ and quite tall. It is in excellent shape and would be an ideal guest cottage (taking care of the exterior and insulating and finishing the interior, etc.) with plenty of room for a storage loft.

The other one is smaller, about 14′ by 12′, and while the frame is solid, it’s in rougher shape with a plywood rather than fir floor. It would make an awesome shed, workshop, and laundry room.

Charles is going to tell his farmer friend that I want them and assures me that they’ll be there when I can afford to move them to Haven, even if it’s in a year. A friend of his (the one who provided the horse on the wagon train) hauls these for about $300 a pop, but Charles is sure that I will be able to work out a deal, even if it’s only a payment schedule.

I’m trying not to get too excited or to start planning what I’ll do with them until they’re actually here, but it’s hard. 🙂 I do want to remove a couple of trees before I haul them here. Next summer, C&C are removing the cedar shingles from their house and they have promised them to me. There should be enough shingles to clad both buildings and I will let them weather to a silvery finish. They will also eventually get sky-blue tin roofs. Charles has a lot of experience refinishing the graineries and says that I’m looking at about $1,800 a piece to get them here and weather tight (including the tin). I couldn’t *build* anything for that price!

But moving the graineries here isn’t my first priority by far. It’s getting cold and I need to determine just how I’m going to arrange myself for the winter. Option one, getting hooked to the grid, is turning into a surprising nightmare (I wish I was as busy as the local electricians and able to pick and choose jobs!). So I’m exploring other avenues. I would ideally like to remain in Miranda for the bulk of the winter, and if I can get enough power, that will be very doable. I will post when I’m settled in for the winter, and give updates as the cold sets in, as I’m sure that information will be of interest.

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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.