It was an effort to get myself motivated this morning. Seems the gray dismal looking day outside our window matched the mood I woke up with this morning. And try as I did today I just couldn’t shake it.
WE HAVE LITTLE RED SQUIRRELS IN OUR FRONT YARD
WOODPECKERS…… DOWNIE ON LEFT AND HAIRY ON RIGHT
NUTHATCH AND CHICADEE
Pheebs and I did make it out for a Jeep ride southeast of Bayfield but my mind wouldn’t leave me alone and kept chasing itself round and round on a twirling merry-go-round of thoughts. Tried my best to dig out all those positive reasons for not traveling south this winter. In my head just days and weeks before I had all the answers lined up perfectly and they were all logically well thought out too. Still are, but when I went looking for those solid well thought out ‘staying home’ reasons again this morning they weren’t there and I stumbled backwards. Do I really want to just sit here all winter looking out the window from our cozy comfy little house upon a snowy frozen landscape but at least be free of traveling stress? Yes I do, no I don’t, yes I do, no I don’t. And so that is how my day went and knowing my mind as well as I do I suspect today was a harbinger of long cold winter days to come.
MANAGED TO GET OURSELVES A WEE WALK IN THIS MORNING
For me this past dozen years I have had two big things I always looked forward to. Heading south in the Fall and heading home in the Spring. It was this great change of lifestyles I loved best. We weren’t stuck in a stationery house for 6 months of the year and we weren’t stuck in a confining RV for 6 months of the year either. We had the best of both worlds as we tweaked those time periods around a bit these last few years ending up with maybe two thirds of our time spent at home and one third of our time on the road.
Guess I’m just venting my feelings here folks while trying to adjust to a change I do not seem to be adjusting too very well some days. Maybe in the morning when I wake up my mind will have re-set itself and I can make some sense out of my feelings again. A few readers over the years have described my blog as kind of a ‘fireside chat’ and I suppose my post tonight is just that as I sit here by the fire chatting once again about my confusing thoughts and feelings.
GROANER’S CORNER:(( Occasionally, airline attendants make an effort to make the "in-flight safety lecture" and their other announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane..."
Pilot - "Folks, we have reached our cruising altitude now, so I am going to switch the seat belt sign off. Feel free to move about as you wish, but please stay inside the plane till we land ... it's a bit cold outside, and if you walk on the wings it affects the flight pattern."
And, after landing: "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Washington National, a lone voice comes over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced: "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as Hell everything is going to fall out."
From a Southwest Airlines employee.... "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight XXX to YYY. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt, and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with two small children, decide now which one you love more.
Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive.
Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."
"As you exit the plane, please make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses." "Last one off the plane must clean it."
And from the pilot during his welcome message: "We are pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately none of them are on this flight!!
Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City: The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what ya'll are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendants' fault.....it was the asphalt!"
Another flight Attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the Flight Attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt up against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.
Part of a Flight Attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of us here at US Airways."
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“If crop circles are real, does this mean that aliens have designs for our planet?”
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Al, I think you need some snowshoes. It is possible to go for a walk in the winter!
ReplyDeleteWell I certainly don't envy you.
ReplyDeleteNumber one goal in life... never spend another winter in Canada. I could handle a week or two of snowy vacation weather, and probably even enjoy it... but a whole five to six months? Nooo... I don't think so!
I swing back and forth on traveling before every snowbird trip. Then, it snows, the USFS locks the gates for the winter, and I am chomping at the bit for the holidays to be over so we can head south. I like to spend time outdoors, in decent weather, and I don't particularly like the nearly monochrome look of winter photography.
ReplyDeleteI can see where driving that big ole coach PLUS hauling a car, could get real old at some point, but that doesn't mean you have to stay in snowy Ontario for the winter. Look for another option .....
ReplyDeleteSuch as, get a long term rental in the SouthWest and just drive there in the car, staying at hotels until you get to your final destination. Plenty of hotels and other accommodations allow pets these days.
So many think age has so much to do with everything, one is only as old as one let's one feel! As long as you two can still move about and function well, why sit home where there is a higher risk of slipping and falling on a patch of snow/ice and break a hip or worse, the leg! Exploring the benefits of vitamins and minerals because as we all age, our bodies become depleted in these much needed nutrients our bodies need. You're body is telling you it lacks something it's not getting in the diet. I really believe you and Kelly have it in you to go south, and I really think what gives you the anxiety of traveling through the bigger cities is due to a lack of some vitamin and or minerals. I think your two just jumped ship to early - pack that RV up and head out while you still can.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find contentment with your decision, Al. My exit plan is sort of in Jell-O, but it involves hanging up the keys whenever I become infirm or insensible. The key, I think, is recognizing either one.
ReplyDeleteIt appears you live in a active community with all the walkers. How about a pair of snowshoes for the winter trails? A snowmobile? Is there a community center with activities you could get involved in? How about volunteering in some way? Do you play cards? There might be a group to join. Or... just sit by that warm fireplace. You'll figure something out!
ReplyDeleteArizona is still here. You still have an RV. I'll bet you still have the maps! Just sayin' ...
ReplyDeleteThe photos of the fall colors are spectacular. I agree with the other comment about perhaps needing a vitamin supplement. Another thought is to speak with your doctor about your depressing thoughts. A mild anti-depressant might be needed. Worked wonders for my Mom some years back. Take care.
ReplyDeleteIt will be tough to stay home in the cold all winter, our exit plan is the same as Mike Mills. Hopefully not for many more years.
ReplyDeleteAnd then there's marijuana... Seriously, "confusing thoughts and feelings" are a recurring theme for me too. Maybe we all (or most of us) feel that way at this age much of the time. I have never been a drinker or taken recreational drugs, but I sometimes think now might be my time for that.
ReplyDeleteAgree. At age 77 I started vaping cannabis in the evening for back pain. Used sparingly it works wonders.
Delete;-)
DeleteThank you for the lovely pictures of the curving road and colorful trees. And thank you for the delightful flight attendants/crew levity.
ReplyDeleteAlways look forward to your blog posting and the great jokes.
ReplyDeleteYour trip east this year tired me out just reading of all the near daily moving. For me I much prefer at least two days between moves when I am heading somewhere in particular. Also I have found that in the last couple of years I like to be in a location for at least a week or two before moving on again. Maybe changing your frequency of moving would be worth considering. I do like your blog and read it nearly daily.
ReplyDeleteWe RV to Ajo, AZ each winter from Oregon. We have friends who used to do the same but have decided to bag the RV and just fly to AZ from their Minnesota home. They keep a little Chevy Tracker in Tucson and then drive to Ajo where they rent a small house each winter. They still see their RVing friends but have their own little spot. They bring their two kitties also. Lots of choices for ways to travel. Could also drive a car to AZ, then rent a casa or park model or...
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very cool plan.
DeleteTransitions are usually stressful even if by choice. I have relocated 21 times so far, some were great , some not. We have been RVing for 12 years straight now..six fulltime and now six part time. I honestly still miss full timing but do enjoy the time we spend with the grandkids. As others have said, I know RVing will end at some point and I hope it is by our choice. It sounds like you are making this change by choice and just having second thoughts..don't we all:) I am sure you will find the answer in due course:))
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of the time I may not want to drive the RV as far as you have to go I wonder about hiring a driver just to get there. Then enjoy my new location as I please. Not sure how I would handle someone else driving my RV though.
ReplyDeleteI do think that a part of your problem is that you need to lean how to slow down while on the road. There is no way we could keep setting up and then moving on the next day. Exhausting. We need a certain number of days in one spot.
ReplyDelete