Sunday, April 08, 2012

OK MOTHER NATURE……QUEUE THE BIRDS:))

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WE ENJOY LIVING IN OUR PINE FOREST

Oh how nice it is to be home using our new (last summer) Lenovo desktop computer again.  No connection problems, faster speeds & a big wide screen monitor.  And, no fan noise.  Our computer is located in our Sun Room which overlooks our front yard.  Our half dozen birdfeeders are spaced outside of the windows for best viewing.  How nice it is to sit here on the computer surrounded by soothing music & soft lighting watching the antics of many birds flitting about between the shrubs, trees, & feeders.  I do like my time at home.  It’s just the length of time at home that I have trouble with.  When we are on the road traveling we adjust to the mobile lifestyle & never miss all this stuff……until we get home!!

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2010 FILE PHOTO FROM OUR COZY SUN ROOM…ONLY THING DIFFERENT NOW IS WE HAVE A BIGGER MONITOR, DIFFERENT COMPUTER, & I AM GRUDGINGLY 2 YEARS OLDER:((

Back in 06, 07, & 08 I was pretty gung-ho to sell our house, all our stuff & hit the road full time.  We even went as far in the Spring & early summer of 08 to put our house up for sale.  It was all pretty exciting.  We had some people come through but no solid offers.  Just as well because the financial world came to a crashing halt in 08 & we, like many others, lost money.  We had no choice but to step back from the brink, reconsider our options & make some new plans.  It still bugged me quite a bit for a couple years after that about not full timing, but then I noticed another gradual change setting in.

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COLT’S FOOT FLOWER ON THE FOREST FLOOR

Kelly convinced me of the importance of keeping & maintaining a Canadian home base.  There are pros & cons & the arguments can go back & forth forever but what it boils down to is each individuals or couples needs, wants, desires, & levels of comfort, etc.  Had we gone full timing 3 years ago I’m sure we would have been just fine & enjoyed the lifestyle to the fullest.  But having been Snow Birders now since 06 I do well understand about making the best of two world’s.  Because of our limited time on the road we may never get to see some of the North-western States but that’s just the way it has to be.  Plenty of other territories to cover in the winter months allotted to us.  Things may change at some point so we have to be ready to change with them.

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AND, WHAT WOULD SPRING BE WITHOUT IT’S DAFFODILS

Our home base in Congress Arizona will now give us a jumping off point for future RV travels.  We can do old & new areas in two week stints whenever we feel like doing that.  Working away on the house & then slipping up to Sedona or over to Borrego Springs, maybe down to Cochise County south of Tucson works great for a restless spirit like mine.  Not suffering the boredom of sitting in the same spot day after day, week after week & month after month is important to both of us.  And, how nice to have a sticks & bricks centrally located in the Southwest for a great & welcome change of pace.  Not for everybody of course, but it works for us:))

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MOURNING DOVE ON ONE OF OUR FEEDERS

Had ourselves a cloudy cool & damp morning with some rain landing on us around 10.  That was ok because it gave me an opportunity to do a preliminary vacuuming of the Motorhome.  Next step is to bring in a backhoe with a blade to get the really tough stuff out.  Also took our Sirius satellite radio out of the rig & hooked it back up in the Jeep for the summer.  We have travel stuff scattered from one end of the house to the other so the earlier rainy day also allowed us to get a few things re-organized indoors.  Sunny afternoon so re-positioned some bird feeders for better camera angles.  Ok Mother Nature, queue the birds…………..:))

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ALWAYS NICE TO SEE NEW LIFE IN SPRING

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Three guys, stranded on a desert island, find a magic lantern containing a genie, who grants them each one wish. The first guy wishes he was off the island and back home. The second guy wishes the same. The third guy says "I’m lonely. I wish my friends were back here."

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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

20 comments:

  1. Glad you are enjoying both worlds. We have many home bases but still do not miss the sticks and bricks. But then again each to their own. I think we all enjoy what we have and make the best of it.

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  2. it is nice to have the ability to have both....we considered selling the house and snow birding it then full timing back in canada for the summer months-it was definitely a consideration but I'm glad we decided to keep the house for now..we just we not ready to give it up...like you said its all a matter of personal choice..for now I still like knowing our house is there waiting for us...have a great week

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  3. Gorgeous spot with ALL THOSE WINDOWS!

    We still own the farm, only because we just couldn't bring ourselves to sell it. Perhaps that was a blessing of with the shocking health problems that appeared out of no where for a previously vigorously healthy man.

    We're still on the road but who kows for how long.

    Life can be a big surprise and plans mean nothing. You just never know. So each does what suits him best and hopefully it all works out.

    Sherry
    www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com

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  4. Yes, it is nice to be home..I just hate all this yard work..We really don't need this big yard, and I would not mind selling and buying something smaller...We hardly go upstairs except to sleep,...or put away laundry...

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  5. we all do what is best for us..and it sure sounds like you and Kelly, finally have things figured out!...one day we will get there too!

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  6. Re. a home base in Canada Kelly must have had the same discussion with you than Bea had with me. We were actually fulltiming for 12 months before we bought this house on Campobello. Good to have a place to return to after the time in the south.
    Love you sun-room!

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  7. Funny! You were considering getting rid of the house and living in the RV, and now you have 2 houses and the Rv. You're going in the wrong direction Lad. :)
    Best of luck, you seem happy.
    Fred

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  8. Sounds like you have the best of both worlds. Lovely, lovely sun room. When we get our summer high
    temps, I will be coveting your
    cool piney home (guess you have cool summers?).
    Thank you Kelly for retrieving my
    comments from spam. So nice of you. Hopefully it's working now.
    Your pictures are absolutely
    beautiful. The hubby love would that
    camera, if it isn't too complicated. lol
    Blessed Easter to you both.

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  9. I sure do like all that glass around your computer room.

    You've got a good balance going for right Now.

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  10. Enjoyed your blog again.
    It is a daily read for me.
    The morning doves down here have less color, but I love their mournful song

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  11. I'm going to sound a bit like Dorothy here, but for us we're getting to that, "there's no place like home" stage.
    Speaking for myself, I miss my shop. I have many many "things" to do. Not that any of them are important.
    I foresee we'll keep our house for a pretty long time. When we moved in back in '92, we said we'd "never move again". That didn't QUITE work out, since we've had places in Horseheads, N.Y., Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, and now Vienna. BUT, we still kept our house in Canada.
    Mind you, the BIG difference in the "moves" since that first one back in '92? Movers! And I mean, movers that pack up and move every little thing that you want. So it still counts as "never having to move again", sort of.
    Our bedroom back home is like a "fortress of solitude", which has been basically undisturbed the whole time we've been away. Our daughter makes sure to do a good vacuuming and put on fresh sheets when she knows we're on our way. That works for us.
    Everyone has to figure out what works for them.

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  12. Yep your just like us now,,,the best of both worlds....not as simple as full timing, but has its advantages....We made 15 years of it so now its time to do as we're doing.... I enjoy my shop...now I have two, one here and one there.....confusing? Sometimes, but its still the best of both worlds and now that we travel less, we can enjoy......

    I still like my computer in my lap...while I'm in my recliner...(Both Places!:-) Take care...

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  13. I've been out in the desert for a while. So sorry about your loss of the Mouse but glad you got her home. Your new home in Congress seems to lend itself well to your lifestyle.
    Thanks for the fine photographs and the interesting writing.
    The way times flies you'll be back in the Southwest before you know it.
    The Desert Scruff

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  14. Your Canadian home looks so serene and calming for the soul. The bird watching stations, the paths you walk, the smell of the pine,the wildlife to observe and photograph, must be wonderful! You are so fortunate to have the best of both worlds. Have you considered visiting Death Valley over the wintering in Arizona? I would guess that you would love the solitude of the valley.
    Gene S. in Ohio

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  15. How nice to enjoy the views out the windows in the spring and summer... not so much in the winter though! ack!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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  16. I LOVE [aka ENVY hehe] your sunroom! You and Kelly do have the best of 3 worlds: homes in Bayfield and Congress plus the motorhome that will take you where you wish. Enjoy -- you deserve it! That's what all the hard work was about...

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  17. That sunroom is beautiful, and the pictures of your environment are yummy. I don't blame you for keeping some stakes hammered in for now.

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  18. I think I could spend my life on the road; coming back to visit the kids for a short while when the notion hit. Rich, however, had already decided that he didn't want to give up the house--he liked the thought of being near his kids for part of the year; and having the option to change his mind if he tired of traveling. Of course, we never had to make that decision and I'm not in a position to full-time (or even travel at the moment). What a great life you have. I'm not envious--I'm happy for those of you who are enjoying the life and sharing it on your blogs. It's the next best thing to traveling, and I appreciate all of you. :)))

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  19. I agree with your statement that things may change, and that you have to be ready to change along with whatever happens.

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  20. i have never ever heard you talk about visiting our California parks, unsurpassed in beauty. In spite of the people :-)

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