Wednesday, July 29, 2015

MORE RAMBLINGS

Well, the Adkins diet didn't last long, about 3 days was my limit.  On Sunday the 19th I had my children & grandchildren over for dinner and that blew the diet.  On the bright side I have lost 3# since my last post.  So, at least I'm headed in the right direction.
The plans for the minivan are coming along even if I haven't actually done any work.  Just measuring and shopping around for items to make curtains.  It's too hot and humid right now to sleep in it but I want to have it ready for a trip this fall.  I saw a blog about a woman getting ready to travel in a mini van but I can't find it now.  She has a mini van with a tent that attaches to the back of the van.  I clicked onto her site through someone or something else I was reading about so I'll have to do some research to find it again.
My mother is looking to buy or rent a house in the same area where I live.  Right now they live about 3 1/2 hrs southwest of here.  We've looked at retirement homes but they are just too expensive.  My step father is in poor health and my mother is struggling with walking because of osteoporosis in her spine.  What prompted her desire to move closer to my brother and I was having shingles and pneumonia a couple of years ago and not having any help available in her small town.  While there are more health care and home care advantages here I'm just not sure she would like moving.
Does this effect my plans?  Not really sure.  It would be very hard to leave town if she needed me here.
My mother has always been a very adventurous person.  She was the first person I knew that owned and drove an RV.  She loves travel and drove through all 48 states and cruised Hawaii and Alaska.  She's been to Mexico, South America, China, Ireland, Germany and a few other countries.
That's enough rambling for today I better get back to work.
Have a great day!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

THIS AND THAT

This post will be a bunch of stuff about nothing.
I received an offer on the store earlier this week but it was way too low.  The owner of a nearby thrift store wants my location and will take my inventory. 
The store is not actually for sale.  In order to put it up for sale I would need a future plan and I'm not there yet.  The property is leased so the only value is the inventory, shelving and equipment.
Yesterday I was rereading last years posts.  One of the reason for starting this blog was so I could look back in a year to see if I had made any progress.  I've actually gone backwards with my full time rving plans and I've made no progress on getting my house or business ready to sell since the beginning of the year.  My one concession to traveling has been to purchase a minivan that I'm working on getting ready to use for camping.
Thinking about going to the RV-Dreams fall rally.  This would give me the opportunity to test out the minivan and learn about others full time experience.  In reading over the list of classes I could benefit from almost all of them.
The hummer with the damaged beak has not been back to my yard.  Maybe it was just something stuck on his beak and he got it off.  At least that is what I prefer to believe.
I'm going to start the Atkins diet tomorrow.  I've been working on low carb for a year without much success so I'm just going to go full throttle into the Atkins.  My blood sugar has been staying under control with low carb but I'm not loosing any weight.  We'll see what happens with a few weeks on Atkins.
That's about it for today.
Have a great day! 

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

CREATURES CLOSE TO HOME

Hi,
I chose to close the store on the 4th and spend my time cleaning house.  I set outside and watched the birds in my own yard every morning and afternoon.  I have 2 finch feeders and 2 hummingbird feeders in my yard.
Last year I had 2 house finches in addition to all of the gold finches.  This year the 2 house finches came back and apparently had a nest nearby.  Now we have 2 males and 2 or 3 females.  The young house finch feed from the hummingbird feeder as well as the finch feeder.  I was surprised by this but the book I have says the house finch will eat fruit so I guess that's why they are attracted to the hummingbird nectar.  They feed off the feeder with store bought nectar and a perch.  When the feeder is empty I will refill it with sugar water and see if the house finches will return to feed.  Such interesting observations while avoiding housework.
On Monday the 6th I went to Bernheim Forest.  While driving up to the treetop lookout I passed a wild turkey with baby and a doe with a fawn.  The turkey was moving into the woods so fast I could be mistaken about it's identity.  On the other hand, the doe stopped in a clearing and waited for the fawn to catch up then she continued into the woods and the fawn stood there and watched me for a few seconds before following mom. The fawn was very small maybe 4 or 5 weeks old.
What a wonderful weekend without leaving town. (and no I didn't get much housework done)
This morning while sitting outside I saw a hummingbird with an injured beak.  It seemed to be eating fine and was defending both feeders from other hummers.  My camera doesn't take a good picture from this distance but below is a picture of the little hummer with the damaged beak.  Does anyone have any info about hummers survival with a damaged beak?

Sad little bird, I hope he will be alright.

Have a great day!


Friday, July 3, 2015

4th of JULY

Hi, I hope everyone has a great 4th.
I thought about trying out camping in my minivan this weekend then realized it was a holiday weekend.  A crowded campground did not sound like a good place for my first experience.
I put some couch cushions in my minivan to test out the sleeping arrangements.  Then I decided to sleep in the van in my driveway last night.  I went to sleep just fine but soon woke up with a pain in my neck and decided to move inside.  The cushions provided plenty of support but the uneven floor was the problem.  I will get a piece of plywood to level the floor out and I may build a raised platform for the bed.  I was considering an air mattress but I like the solid feel of the couch cushions so I'll be looking for hi density foam cushions.
With the bed in place there is plenty of room for storage in the back of the van.  I'm considering building a box for storage that will have a flip down lid that can double as a cooking table when it is raining.  When you are standing at the back of the van with the rear lift gate open you would unlatch the door and it would drop down to provide a table.  I could store all of my kitchen needs in this box for easy access.  I will need a place for the cooler and shelves for clothing.  I'm thinking milk crates will work best for the clothing and the cooler can sit behind the passenger seat.
Since I'm still working there won't be time for long trips so should I consider solar power or just stay in campgrounds with elec hookups?  Keep in mind that living in KY means the solar unit will not get much use unless I'm going either south or west for a weeks vacation.
And I'm confused about propane choices for a camping stove.  I once had a little propane grill that used the small green propane containers.  These would only last for 3 o 4 dinners.  I don't see how one of these would make coffee and heat meals for a week.  On the other hand I don't like the idea of carrying a large propane container in the van.  Are there any other choices out there?
Thanks for any advice you might have.
Have a great day!

Thursday, July 2, 2015

FAMILY REUNION

The family reunion turned out really well.  The 5 living brothers & sisters plus our mother, 12 of the nieces and nephews and their families all showed up. All totaled we had 43 people in 5 generations of the family. There was lots to do, hiking, horseback riding, swimming, and a campfire every night.  Lots of good food and interesting conversation.


Having this at the state park allowed everyone to enjoy activities with their children and share with cousins.  Each family had their own cabin or lodge room which allowed for down time yet we were all close enough to participate in the current activities if we wanted.

I can't wait for the next one.