FINALLY DID IT!

Yes I finally shut down the store.  It wasn't easy but certainly easier than I thought.  I drove myself nuts worrying about what to do with everything but it all came together.  Books were sold or donated, shelving was sold or donated, and my brother, daughter and myself ended up with a lot of wood.

Lots of books left

Books all boxed & waiting for pickup.

Empty shelving

I'll be using some of the wood for the van build out.
To start with I have a metal bed frame & I bought a twin mattress.  The mattress will need to be supported with slats which I will make from some of the wood I kept.  Then I will need a way to anchor the whole thing to the floor of the van in case of an accident.  Any suggestions?
I'm also planning to use some of the wood for building a cabinet or shelving in the back of the van.  I've looked at a million build outs on the internet but I want something very simple.  I'll probably take a trip or two before actually building out the kitchen area in hopes of discovering what will work best for me.
Last but not least, I must find a part time job to support my travels.  I'll worry about that later.
Great to be back on here.
Everyone have a great day!

FEBRUARY 2018

Hi,
It's great here.  Hope your day is going well.
Everything is moving forward towards shutting down the bookstore.  I've even got a couple people interested in buying the whole thing.  In the mean time I've got everything marked down & selling off extra stock.
I was looking into working at a National Park during the summer.  Then I realized I would have to pay someone else to cut my grass & take care of my house.  So I will stay home this summer & get a part time job.  Hopefully this will put me in a better position for next year.
Have a great day!

JANUARY 2018

It's been another year. 
In 2017 I had one vacation.  We went to Lake Barkley State Park for our family reunion. Then I took a few short trips to hike trails in some state parks.
That was 2017.
2018 will bring big changes.
I've finally began the process of closing my store.  The store should be closed by the end of February and depending on money I will pay for one more month rent.  The last month will be spent taking down all the shelving and cleaning out the store. 
Most importantly that last month will be spent building my bed, kitchen and storage for my van.  Since I still have a house payment I wont be able to travel fulltime but I intend to travel as much as money and my work schedule will allow.  Yes I will still need to work.  Hopefully, I will make enough working part time to support myself and have a little money left for traveling.
Hope everyone has a wonderful 2018.

JANUARY 2017

Not much going on.  Business is very very slow.
I read Grandma Gatewood's Walk.  It was an interesting and quick read.  This book made me think about how lazy I've been lately.  Constantly making excuses for not exercising.
So I'm working on a plan to hike in all of the state parks this year.  About 10 yrs ago my daughter and I started to hike some trails in the state parks but that soon got put on hold because of our jobs.  Now I think I will try again.
There are 50 state maintained parks in Kentucky.  That should keep me busy for a little while.  I can't wait for the weather to be warm enough for sleeping in my van but in the mean time I'll start with parks that have lodges.  Most of the lodges are pretty reasonably priced at this time of year.  About $60 for a nice warm room and comfortable bed with bath & shower.

GOODBYE 2016

The end of another year.
This year in recap.
May & June...trip to Yellowstone

August trip to Arkansas

October trip to Gatlinburg

Over all it's been a good year.  I still haven't retired and don't get the opportunity to travel as much as I would like.  But I can still pay the bills & enjoy spending time with my family.


December 21st new great grand baby

 

This year has also brought some health news.  Type 2 diabetes and arthritis.  Isn't getting old fun.

See you next year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

NEW ADDITION

My plan was to adopt a dog I could travel with when the time was right.  However, my daughter found a puppy on Petfinder that she had to go see.  Of course the one she was interested in wasn't there so she found a cute Chihuahua and Dachshund mix that she fell in love with.  She convinced me to go look at this dog.  Nyla is not what I wanted in a pet.  Nyla is 7 yrs old, afraid of the leash and doesn't want to get up until about 9am.  By 9am Georgie and I have already gone for 2 walks (a short one while it is still dark and then about 1 or 2 miles after daylight). 
At least she is no trouble in the mornings.  When we get up she goes out to potty with Georgie and when she comes back in the house she goes straight to her cage and goes back to sleep.  While I make coffee and walk with Georgie she sleeps, only getting up when I start fixing breakfast.
She is too excited once she gets up to put on a leash but in the evenings if I set on the floor and work with her with treats she will eventually let me put the leash on  her and then we go out for a short walk.

Her favorite spot on the couch.

Nyla with the big ears

Something moved over there

Georgey will check it out

 

 

 

Deciding who gets to pee in this spot first

FALL HAS ARRIVED!

Today I sat on the porch and practiced relaxing my face and smiling.  Sounds strange.  But for years I've been caught up in the stress of everyday life.  After a while clenching my jaw and frowning just becomes a way of life.  Sitting on the porch every morning listening to the world waking up around me is helping me to relax, stop worrying about tomorrow and just enjoy what is here.
Business was good in September.  Only had 1 bad sales week.  I've only been open an hour today but I've already had a few customers.
I joined a van group on facebook and enjoy seeing the conversions people are doing on their vans.  I only have a minivan and will not be full timing in it so I'm only going to add a bed for now.  If I have an opportunity to take longer trips I will buy more gear but I'm fine for now.
Three weeks ago Cookie (my little dog) passed away.  I've missed her everyday but having my daughter's dog living here does help.  I'm trying not to get another dog until I spend more time on the road and see how a pet will fit into my schedule.  While all of my pets have enjoyed traveling with me I realize a time comes when their health makes it difficult for them to enjoy travel and new places.
Have a great day!

A few pictures from Yellowstone:

 

We were told this fella was tagged that morning and was sleeping off his tranquilizer.

 

 

He was about 50 yrds off the road and people were walking closer to get better shots.  Glad he didn't wake up.

 

MAY & JUNE

I've never kept a journal so blogging does not come easy for me.  I feel that I should be writing about my travels or something of interest to others instead of everyday life.  But I'm going to give this blogging another try.

 

I just read over my last few post and realize nothing worked out the way I thought.  My mother had to cancel our European cruise.  I didn't get to take any overnight trips in my van this spring because  I spent all my money going to Yellowstone at the end of May.  The trip was expensive and I ended up with debt.

Yellowstone is hard to say no to even when your broke.  I traveled with a friend and my daughter and it was a fantastic trip.  This is my third trip to Yellowstone and I can never get enough.  We flew into Idaho Falls airport and rented a car, entering through West Yellowstone.  We spent 3 nights at Mammoth and 3 nights at Old Faithful, then we drove through the Tetons to spend a night at Jackson Hole.  We wanted to spend a night in Jackson Hole to buy more supplies (mostly water & junk food) and to see moose.  We were very lucky to get pictures of 2 moose, one was about  15 feet from the car.  We also saw our only bald eagle while looking for moose.  Then we returned to Yellowstone for 2 nights and Canyon Village.

The bears were very active this year.  We saw grizzly's in the Tetons and near the Morning Glory pool at Old Faithful.  We were also lucky to see black bears in Lamar Valley,  West Yellowstone entrance and just north of the Tower store we saw a momma and 2 cubs. 

 

We had an opportunity to watch a pack of wolves in Lamar Valley.  This was the first time I had heard them howling, a very eerie sound.  We spent about an hour watching them moving  back and forth across the river.  There was another pack in Lamar Valley with pups but our equipment was not powerful enough to see them when they came out of their den.  A good pair of binoculars and camera zoom lens are great but sometimes you just need a scope.

 

 

That's all for now.  I'll be posting more pictures later.

Have a great day!

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

Good morning!
Still struggling with what to write.  With the winter weather I feel like I'm stuck in a rut.  Today will be sunny and warm (high 70) then tomorrow, when I have a day off work, we have 80% chance of rain.  Then the temps are suppose to drop and we will have snow again before the end of next week.  Exciting weather report! Ha!

My mom booked us for a Mediterranean cruise for 2 weeks in April.  Now her husband is sick and she may not be able to leave him.  She has wanted to take this cruise for years and has booked the cruise for the last 3 yrs and had to cancel every time.  I don't see how she is going to leave him this year but she is determined to go.  If everything works out for her, we will see Barcelona, Rome, Florence, Naples and more.  Sounds exciting.

I've been looking at places to visit on my long weekends this spring and summer.  A couple places on my list are:  Natchez State Park in Tennessee, Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee.  If anyone has any suggestions of things to see or do in these areas please let me know.

I've been asked about traveling with a pet and I have to say my dog is too old to enjoy hiking or camping.  I took her to Cumberland Falls state park with me last year and she did very well as long as she could take very short walks and lay around in the cabin.  Her arthritis is too bad for her to walk very far without pain.  When looking for a picture to post everything I found was just a big black furry blob.  Apparently I didn't take any pictures of her outside running and playing when she was young and she doesn't run and play anymore.  Here is Cookie,  she is 15 yrs young and enjoys our walks to the end of the street and back, rides in the car, and treats.

Cookie resting after playing hard

The little dog in front is Georgie. (my daughter's dog)

I'll leave you now.  Have a wonderful day!

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

I've spent the last few weeks actually working.  I've gotten a lot of books on the shelves and the store was looking pretty good then boxes of books started coming in.  I should be stocking today but there is always tomorrow.

After much deliberation I've decided to change my hours for the summer.  Right now the store is only closed on Sunday & Monday.  Starting sometime in May I'm going to start closing on Tuesdays also.  My plan is to stay open later on Wed, Thur and Fri. plus start running special Wednesday sales now so people will get used to the idea of shopping here on Wednesdays.  Today I will put a sign on the door and a notice on facebook about our Wednesday sales.

If the store can survive, this will give me 3 days off each week so there will be more time to take short trips each month.  I enjoy the planning and research for trips so now is the time to start that planning.  We will see how it works this summer.  I sure like the idea of only working 4 days a week.

In addition I'm going to try my hand at container gardening for a few vegetables.  I can't believe the price of squash and bell peppers.  So this year I will try to plant a few in containers and see how they do.  I'm going to start with spinach.  It is a cool weather plant so I should be able to start it in the next couple of weeks and have fresh spinach for April and May.  If the spinach survives I should be able to get the squash and bell peppers started.

Well I have customers coming in I should get back to work.
Have a great day!

JANUARY 14

Hello,
A new year and I'm still not retired.

One of the problems I've had with writing is doing exactly the same thing everyday.  How does one write about the same thing everyday?  When I first started the plan was to record my journey to full time rving.  Now a year later I'm still doing the same thing.  My first reaction was to quit blogging but now I've decided to continue in the hope that recording life will benefit me down the road.

My youngest daughter moved in with me in December.  I thought this would benefit both of us financially but so far she has only worked 1 week out of 4.  She did have minor surgery requiring her to be off work for 2 weeks, then she worked a week and had another minor health issue.  She just needs to get back to work so our lives can become somewhat routine.

Last week I checked out driving to Florida for the weekend.  Too many hours driving to overnight in Florida then head back home.  Today I'm going to check on temps and camping around Atlanta or maybe Mississippi.  I need somewhere within a 6 hr drive.  Florida is 10 hrs or more.  It's just too cold for camping anywhere close.

Today's plan:  Research trips within a 6 hr driving range and price and stock all the books on the 2 tables.  Then I can start on the boxes of books under the tables.

I'm going to get off here and do some research.

Have a great day!

THE NEW YEAR

2015 goals:

sell house
purchase a van or truck
rent a kayak
take an all day hike
hike alone

#1 changed my mind
#2 purchased a van
#3 didn't take advantage of opportunity
#4 didn't even try
#5 was a little different but okay

So I actually completed 2 of 5 items.  Yeah! at least I did something.
2016 my only goal will be to live one day at a time.  I spend way too much time worrying about how to change things and not enough time enjoying what I have.
Today I'm working on getting books on the shelves.  I've taken in more books than I've sold which means a lot of boxes sitting around waiting for shelving.  Getting them all on the shelf is what keeps me in business.  And the business is what will pay for my next trip!

Have a great day!

DECEMBER 2015

Once again I've ignored the blog for too long.
A lot has changed in the last few months.
First my daughter decided to move in with me.  This seemed like a good idea because frankly I can't afford to travel and take care of the house.  So she will be paying rent and helping with taking care of the house and my dog when I am out of town.  Hopefully this will be beneficial for both of us.  She works a low paying job and has many health issues which uses a great deal of her income so she has not been able to afford a car.  The intentions are for her to pay me less rent than the apartment she was in so she can afford a car.
Second my store sales have dropped so much I may need to close the store.  When sales were bad in Sept I blamed it on not advertising in August.  Then when sales only picked up slightly in October I blamed it on being closed for one week so I could go on vacation.  But in November I barely made enough to pay the rent and utilities on this place.  Now I'm on week 2 for December and will be in real trouble if business doesn't pick up in the next 2 weeks.  Christmas time is always bad for business because people just don't spend their money on books for themselves.  They will come in and buy 1 or 2 books as gifts but not much else.  Even my gift certificate sales are down this year.  Last Christmas season I sold 15 gift certificates before Christmas.  So far I have not sold a single one this season.
Closing this place down would be a major pain.  There was once a time when you could mark the books down or sell to a reseller but there are so many bookstores out of business now the market is flooded with books that aren't wanted.
A large used bookstore chain out of Texas has 2 stores in my city, both are on the other side of town.  In September they held a huge 14 store sale at the fairgrounds where many people were able to stock up on books for their winter reading.  I am the only bookstore left on my side of town and it feels as though this company is not satisfied until they force all other bookstores to close.  The most frustrating part is the customers that don't understand they will have to drive across town to shop in the future.  Every few weeks someone will come into my store and tell me how glad they are that I'm on their side of town and then they leave without buying a thing.  How long do they think we can stay open without sales?
Okay, enough ranting for today.  Everyone have a wonderful Christmas!

ARKANSAS

A lot of things have changed since my last post but first here are a few pictures from my trip to Arkansas.
We started in Hot Springs and drove up route 7 to Harrison.  Then we went into Branson, Mo. for one night.  Then it was on to Eureka Springs, AR.  We had a wonderful time.  A lot of relaxing and a lot of walking, I needed both.  Wonderful food, lots of little shops with local art,  and beautiful views of the mountains.  The trees weren't as beautiful as usual but we enjoyed what color there was.

OCTOBER

October 13, 2015
Still haven't spent the night in the van.  After driving for 4 hours the camp ground where I was planning on staying was full.  I checked into the lodge and spent the night on a comfortable bed.  Since I had packed my breakfast I woke up early and headed out to explore at sunrise.  I found a national forest camping area with no facilities right on the lake.  This is where I will try camping on my next trip this way.  One deer and 2 wild turkeys on this trip.  The turkeys must be very plentiful this year.
This Saturday I leave for Hot Springs, AR.  I hope we are on time for the leaf changing.  We will be taking rt 7 through the mountains on the way to Harrison, AR. the drive should be beautiful.  There won't be any camping on this trip.  All hotels with breakfast before we start out everyday.
October 2, 2015
It's been over a month since my last post.  Nothing much has been happening around here just the usual work work work.
This weekend I'm planning a trip to my mothers with the hope of camping in my van on Sunday night.  It has finally cooled off enough to sleep in the van with lots of covers.  Sleeping in a van with the windows closed at 50° is much easier than 90°.
It's not just the weather holding me up.  I have a 14 yr old dog with arthritis, she cannot walk very far and does not do well in extreme hot or cold weather.  Leaving her behind when she is obviously in pain and poor health has not been easy, but she would not enjoy being on a camping trip either.
On the 18th I am going to Hot Springs & Eureka Springs, AR.  I'll be traveling with a friend in her car and staying in hotels along the way.  We will be driving through the mountains with the hope of seeing the fall color.

BUMBLEE BEES

August 19, 2015
Didn't make the camping trip last weekend.  I did go to the lake for the afternoon on Sunday and that was very pleasant.
So what kept me from camping.  On Saturday I received a call from the yard man because he had awakened a bumble bee hive.  I watched the bees on Saturday evening and then called an exterminating company on Monday.  They want $175 to dust the hive and then come back and dust everything under the house.  The bees have gotten under the house through the vent and made their hive in the insulation against the outside wall.  Now it would seem killing the bees would be a no brainer but as with most of the country our bee population is declining.  Bumble bees pollinate many plants and while they are not as necessary as honey bees they are still important
Some research on the internet is helpful.  Male bumble bees die in the winter and only the fertilized queens hibernate.  They go underground for the winter and when they awaken in the spring they establish new hives for their off spring.   The bees under my house will either die or become inactive within 1 to 2 months.  The BIG question is will they move out from under my house or will they establish more hives under the house. 
August 26, 2015
Nothing much going on.  I spent another Sunday setting on my friends deck overlooking the lake and watched the birds fight over the feeders.  I've contacted the county extension office about the bees and they along with everyone else think the answer is just killing them.  I'm going to set an appointment with another company that only charges $90 but they only come out once.  I think one trip will be enough for as late as it is in the year.  They tell me the chemicals they use will not stay active through the winter so no matter what I do now I will probably be calling them back in the spring.
That's it, that's all I've accomplished in two weeks.  Next weekend my mother will be in town so there won't be any trips to the lake.  Maybe I'll get some housework done before she gets here.  We'll see.
Have a great day!

LOOKING FORWARD

August 14, 2015
I'm not sure when I became so disorganized but I have noticed on the last few trips I've taken I'm scrambling at the last minute to get everything together.  Last night at the grocery I walked around in circles trying to decide what to take with me this weekend.  Finally decided to go home and make a decision about how I was going to be cooking before buying food.
I considered eating out,  using the electric hookups to use my coffee maker and a small electric grill, or buying a small propane stove.  For what I would spend eating out I could buy a small stove and I don't want to wait for my morning coffee.  In the end I have decided to just use the electric hookups for coffee and grill.  With that decision made I can buy groceries.  I'm planning to take a couple frozen hamburgers, a container with some lettuce and tomato slices and buns for dinner Sunday and lunch Monday.  For breakfast I'll take some bacon to cook on the grill and either boiled eggs or maybe make an omelet that I could warm on the grill.  I've always loved a big breakfast when camping but I'll keep it simple for this trip.
It costs $5 more for a site with electric hookups but I will need a fan since it is suppose to get into the 90's on Sunday.  Overnight it is only going down to about 77 still plenty hot and humid for sleeping.  I'm hoping by running the A/C to cool down the minivan before bedtime and using the fan to move the air, maybe it won't get too hot to sleep.
When I first started planning this the forecast called for cooler and dryer weather but in our area the weather changes every few days.  I could cancel and wait until fall but I want to get this first camping trip under my belt so I can move forward with my plans.  I have plans for setting up the minivan better but I'm too cheap to spend the money if I hate camping in it.   If I enjoy this trip I know I can make the van even more comfortable.
Can you tell I'm getting excited?  The last time I went camping was 30 years ago, with 3 children and a tent.  The girls and I got pretty good at building fires and we had fun most of the time.  However, I made a lot of mistakes and it always rained on us at least one night during our trips.  When you live in Kentucky no matter how hot and dry it has been if you put up a tent it WILL rain.
Time to get to work.
Have a great day!

GETTING READY FOR 1ST CAMPIN TRIP

August 12, 2015
This past weekend I made shades for the windows in the van.  I made them from foam board that I purchased from the Dollar General store.  One of the rear ones is a little too short and would allow someone to see in between the shade and the back curtain but I'm not going to worry about replacing it yet.
This weekend I'll go to one of the state parks to try camping.  I'm going to use my couch cushions for the bed and I have rope and sheets for curtains at the front and back.  The only thing I will buy is a rechargeable LED light and a camping stove.  The camping stove is the biggest issue for me.  I can get a single burner that uses the small propane tank as the stand for $20 or should I get a two burner Coleman stove.  I worry that the single burner would not be very stable.  I haven't done anything about a canopy for shade but I've got a good idea of how I want to make it.  I just don't want to spend the money for that just yet.  This is a very cheap set up to start with.  As I'm writing this I realize I will have no where to make coffee if it is raining.  I'll have to give that some thought.  Maybe the canopy is a more important investment than I originally thought.
I have customers in the store so I must go to work now.
Have a great day!
August 5, 2015
Yesterday it rained.  I sat out on my front porch and watched the birds.  There are 6 or 7 hummers fighting over 2 feeders.   I've always liked rainy days and often took long walks during the rain.  If I was retired what would my day have been like?  How long would I have sat outside and then what?  When I got up this morning it was cool outside and the high for today was suppose to get to 80.  Another beautiful day spent inside working.  Depressing!
Reading the blogs of full time travelers fill my days.  There are those that will live their life in their van, trailer or motorhome and there are those that will eventually settle into another stick & bricks or at least park their rv on a permanent lot.

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!

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!