Monday, October 29, 2018

RAINY MORNING AND SUNNY AFTERNOON AS WE DE-STRESS AND TRY TO SIMPLIFY THINGS

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ALL TONIGHT’S PHOTOS WERE TAKEN RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN PARK’S FOREST

With Saturday mornings flat tire needing fixed Pheebs & I were off to Clinton’s Huron Tirecraft in the pouring rain.  Busy time for tire shops this time of year with people piling in wanting their snow tires put on.  Said they could get it done today sometime but didn’t know when.  We’ll go back Tuesday and hope they have it fixed.

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Country roads were a sea of mud so carefully avoiding them we took a paved scenic route home.  Couldn’t even stop for a leg stretch, rain-rain-rain!!!!  I had pretty much resigned myself to and inside day sitting in the corner reading when, ‘surprise-surprise’ our rain quit and skies began to clear.  Glorious sunshine began to spill into our yard and with that I was out the door, up my tall step ladder, and cleaning pine needles out of our eavestroughs.

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And if eavestrough cleaning wasn’t enough I took Pheebs out for a long walk around our pine tree trail.  Had not been out there in the woods for probably a month and a half.  With the Sun’s rays tumbling through the forest canopy of yellow sugar maples the forest took on a golden glow.  I had been waiting since about mid September to see that.  Always my favorite every Autumn.

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One of the things that led to our decision not to travel south this winter was the growing RV travel stress we both felt.  Our drive last winter out to the Southwest then over to Florida and back home really took it’s toll and this last little 3 week jaunt out to the Maritimes just about done us in totally.  It seems we don’t handle stress as well as we once did and RVing can certainly be stressful as I’m sure any RV’er would attest to.  Up until a couple years ago we understood, accepted, and handled the stress of owning and maintaining an RV like most other traveling folks.  We knew there would be a lot of driving ahead and yes there were some bad traffic days but we always made it through and kept on going.  I’ve always loved driving but these last couple RVing years drained the fun out of it for me.  Traffic’s getting heavier, drivers are getting crazier and we’re both just tired of RVing through all that heavy craziness.

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Recreational Vehicles are complicated machines prone to things happening when you least expect them.  RV’s bumping, twisting, and bending down the road with their electrical systems, plumbing, hydraulics, holding tanks, solar systems, and another dozen things I haven’t thought about bouncing and jiggling around can be a major concern at the best of times.  Not so much it seems when one is younger and just starting out but after having problems at various times with each and every one of those things one reaches a point (well we did anyway) where the stress simply becomes too much and the fun drain out of it. 

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YES IT’S A NICE LOOKING PARK WE HAVE HERE AND NO THAT IS NOT OUR MOTORHOME

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WITHIN MINUTES OF WALKING OUT OUR DOOR WE ARE INTO THE FOREST

We’re finding now at this age and stage of life one of our priorities in life is to eliminate as much stress as we can, not add to it.  When I sold my motorcycle a year ago it was a big weight off my shoulders.  One less vehicle to maintain and stress over.  I had my enjoyment and day in the sun.  Just as in RVing we’ve had our day in the sun as well.  We’ve enjoyed our Snow Birding years to the max.  Both Kelly and I are at a different place in our lives now and it’s time to de-stress, simplify, and move on to other things.  (Well darn-it anyway)

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GROANER’S CORNER:(( A traveling evangelist always put on a grand finale at his revival meetings, When he was to preach at a church, he would secretly hire a small boy to sit in the ceiling rafters with a dove in a cage. Toward the end of his sermon, the preacher would shout for the Holy Spirit to come down, and the boy in the rafters would dutifully release the dove.At one revival meeting, however, nothing happened when the preacher called for the Holy Spirit to descend. He again raised his arms and exclaimed: "Come down, Holy Spirit!"Still no sign of the dove.The preacher then heard the anxious voice of a small boy call down from the rafters:"Sir, a big black cat just ate the Holy Spirit. Shall I throw down the cat?"

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“What do you call the medical condition where your feet go to sleep? Coma-toes.”

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12 comments:

  1. I think I am about three years behind you on the RV travel. Sooner, likely, than later I feel I will also be cutting back considerably on the travel also. Thank you for leading the way and helping me with that journey.

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  2. Al, the photos are absolutely stunning tonight. My favorite is the first one of Miss Pheebs standing in the fallen leaves.

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  3. I hear you loud and clear! I've been thinking about hanging up the "full timer keys" for a couple of years, and one morning I woke up and it was done. I know a few other people who were great bloggers and loved being on the road who are doing the same thing.

    I love visiting The Palms in my side yard and go out a few times a week to get something, or check on things, but have no desire yet to move her to a camping location. I'm sure I will, probably next summer. Head north to a higher elevation for a few weeks to get out of the hottest temps here, but I'm so settled in my house now I can't imagine leaving it for a while.

    It's just another season for us. I've been through lots of life changes, and they were all different and wonderful and led me to the next one. I'm sure it's the same with you and Kelly. Onward and upward... :)

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  4. You guys had quite a good run and now a new chapter will still have adventures of a different type. We review our life every three years to see if it is still makes us happy and can we handle the stress involved. We know the snow bird life will end for us someday. Thanks for being open about a real issue all will face someday.

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  5. De-stressing is good and only you can know when the time is right. Our time will come as well, hopefully not too soon, we still having too much fun.

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  6. We eliminate stress in our life by retiring from our work. Then as time progresses we take on new stresses. I think about the day I will also put the snowbird life behind me. People ask me why I don't sell my house and I always tell them I will need a place to live when I stop travelling. We prepare our selves for those times. Things change, we lose loved ones, and we see so many of our friends get sick and their lives become restricted. We have to be able to travel when we can. You and Kelly did quite a bit and you should be happy that you did it when you got to enjoy it to the utmost. You showed people who could not travel just how beautiful the world is that we live in and others who are mobile great places to see and travel to. Your photos will continue to spread that joy.

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  7. Al you are living already in paradise, so no need to travel ;-) Your pictures could be used in a travel magazine advertising the area. I bet you will enjoy also spending the winter at home because the snow and ice have its own charm and beauty. Just bundle up (and the Pheebs) the sun will shine in winter too!

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  8. What a glorious place to call home - it is so beautiful just out your door! I can add a lot of stress to our travels when I start thinking that we have to "see it all" in some places, or that we have to move quickly to some next point on the map. So far we've been able to de-stress by seeing what we want, and taking our time down the road. We've never been ones for long driving days with just a single night in between which would definitely be stressful for us. Thank you for sharing your transition from the road, I know it helps all of us to face the reality, and to prepare how it will look for us. You're blessed to have your lovely place in the woods, and we're blessed to get to share it with you!!

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  9. Only you and Kelly can tell when it's time to change your lives a bit, and I'm glad you seem to have made the decision. The stress was showing a bit in your blog posts, so I think you made a wise choice and will always find little jaunts to make, photos to take, and not miss the stress.

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  10. You do have a magical place to call home, Al. Even in winter. Nothing better than turning on an outdoor light in the evening and watching those big, fluffy lake-effect flakes floating down.

    We have been able to avoid most of the stress of traveling by observing the 2-2-2 rule. No more than 200 miles a day, off the road by 2 PM, and stay a minimum of 2 nights. For us, the journey can be just as much fun as the destination. It is rare for us to find a stop to be dull. There are gems everywhere. 😊

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  11. A beautiful sunny day here. We got out for a nice walk too.

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