24/7 Chat About Anything

[maki2]

Travel, the last month or so anticipating a change in your life is much like someone retiring from a job or the last 6 weels of a pregnancy. You just want to get it over and done with. The trapped feeling is because you are pretty much helpless to speed it up and also uncertain of the actual outcome. unfortunately no real treatment is around for that emotional state.

You will lose some of that stress when the solar panels arrive and you can see progress on the van. In the meantime maybe a glass of wine in the evening ?

 

[travelaround]

Wine in the evening is happening. It is part of my high blood pressure diet, though I haven't read that chapter of the book yet so I don't know why.

Yes, the anticipation has been building since May for this van build. Many of the needed materials are in the van though there are still some things I haven't purchased yet. And the outcome is far from certain. I don't have it planned to the square inch, and am relying on the workmen's good judgment for a lot of this. Truly would like to have a van I could live in again. I'll lose the stress when I see the bathroom in there completed. And a kitchen too. All of it is sorta nerve-wracking, to be honest, though I know if there are elements I don't like I can replace or improve them later.

 

[maki2]

As to builds.
The biggest issue is not having enough space, time or funds to get to 100% satisfaction . Good enough is a very relaxing state of mind, hopefully you will get to visit that state regularly over the years.

 

[maki2]

I took my last dose of antibiotic last night. This morning it does feel like most of the infection has cleared. But I am not absoltely positive that the abcess is fully gone so I will hang out camping close to Flagstaff where the dentist and pharmacy is through the weekend just in case. My energy also needs time to rebound from the infection and the stress. Packing up for travel will only take a couple of hours but I know I wont have that much energy in reserve today after doing other essential tasks.

Hopefully it will be a normal day, a trip into town to mail out orders, do laundry, then back to camp to start on more chores. What chores depends on if it is raining or not. Build chores will have wait until I get to my next camp where I will stay for 14 days and setup my popup screen room workspace.

If you are doing a build while on the road I highly recommend investing in an auxillary space to work that is covered to keep the rain out and the sun off your head.

 

[VanFan]

TA:  I don't enjoy wine (weird, I know), but I have my daily flavonoids anyway.  On my highest shelf, I had a canister of Hershey's cocoa--the bitter, all natural kind.  In the morning, a tablespoon or two gets mixed in with my coffee.  Some always sinks to the bottom.  In the evening, I stir a cup of milk into that and slurp it up.  The calcium in the milk is relaxing, and I happen to like the bitter cocoa taste.  It is a low-calorie alternative to dark chocolate squares, and helps ensure I get a low-fat dairy serving in.  Wouldn't be everyone's "cup of tea," but I thought I'd pass it along.

Here's to everyone's happiness and good health!

 

[VanFan]

Cammalu:  It just ain't right to have that many gorgeous tomatoes!  Yum!

 

[user 30781]

Well, my LDL, A1c and fasting blood sugar are all at the high end of normal which is not good enough for me. Back to the drawing board.

My HDL has come up nicely though, all that salmon oil and extra virgin olive oil.

I allow myself 2 squares of Lindt 70% dark chocolate every day, but I don't eat them every day. 70% is pleasurable, anything higher is not for me.

 

[desert_sailing]

lol.. I remember as a kid we waited til ma and pa went to town... and my siblings and I raided the baking chocolate...Lol

We lost all trust in appearances from that point on.

 

[Gypsy108]

still making my own.  2/3 C 99% rubbing alcohol, 1/3 C aloe vera gel, 1 Tbl hydrogen peroxide, 1 tsp glycerine.  Today I scented it with 4 drops Douglas fir, 2 drops Atlas cedar, 1 drop pine needle and 2 drops of 10% vanilla bourbon.  I'm not a fan of vanilla scented things but a drop or two in an evergreen blend makes all the difference.  This hand sanitizer doesn't leave a strong scent on your hands and it fades pretty quickly but it smells like heaven (aka the Olympic Peninsula) until it does.

You seriously could market that stuff  :heart: I'd buy some !!!

I am amazed at your beautiful tomatoes Cammalu & all the energy it takes to do all the canning.....i used to help my mom
when i was a kid.....she canned every year.....but i never did it myself as i grew up.........i loved peeling the tomatoes when they were still hot & eating them....also loved it when she canned peaches......i was her little helper....haha...

T.A. >   I don't understand why it's taking so long for those guys to start on your Van.....

Glad you're feeling better Maki.

 

[user 30781]

^^ My mom canned too, everything she could get her hands on. My dad made her a pantry cupboard across one whole end of half the basement and it was always full.

 

[travelaround]

@VanFan - I don't enjoy wine either - never have. This is an experiment for me. So the reason I have to drink red wine with dinner for high blood pressure is that I need flavinoids? Where do you get yours? From the chocolate? I used to put chocolate in my coffee. Right now I'm not drinking coffee - just tea. I'm wanting to go back to drinking coffee soon.

@Gypsy108 - I'm feeling impatient about the van build. I wanted it done in June.. but there have been delays. It was originally to be done at the Yreka RV business but the owner backed out because of his staffing problems, I was told. The RV guy who comes to my town (70 miles from where he lives in Yreka) has been staying in touch advising me on what to buy for the build. We're still waiting on the solar panels before he can do the roof work. He's also got other projects in this town - mainly working as a volunteer though I do expect to pay him and the carpenter. I will be paying a lot less per hour than if I had the work done at the Yreka RV business.

 

[maki2]

You dont have to drink wine to get flavanoids, there are plenty of other sources of it, green and white tea, apples, blueberries, strawberries, red grapes, chooalate and more. If you dont like one thing try other things. It is not a only one best source situation.

You need to listen to your body, if you dont like drinking wine for whatever reason then don't. Instead get your flavanoids from another source.

 

[jacqueg]

^^ My mom canned too, everything she could get her hands on.  My dad made her a pantry cupboard across one whole end of half the basement and it was always full.

Similar story here. To this day, nothing I know can touch my mom's raspberry jam. Or her bread-and-butter pickles. 

But it was work though...

 

[nature lover]

I grew up and out on canned goods. Among our people it’s still going on today. Nothing tastes like home canned veggies etc. I know that I’ve posted this before on here somewhere but it’s worth repeating anybody who likes canned goods will like this great song. It reminds me of my grandma so much that I cry when I hear it. I’m sure she’s in heaven right now canning her eight day pickles



. Make sure it’s this version it’s the best musically and the video that goes with it. Enjoy the taste of a “July toe may toe.”

 

[nature lover]

I finally broke down and went to the doctor about this arm that I fell on the other week. A young physicians assistant told me there’s no breaks no problem you might wanna wear a wrist support for a while. I wanted to believe him but darn I can hardly move it certain ways and it hurts. Now a couple hours after I got back to the van I got a call and the guy says hey the radiologist saw a ligament that’s supposed to connect between your elbow and your wrist and it ain’t there where it supposed to be. Your appointment with the surgeon is Monday. Ye haw!! This will be the fourth hospitalization in the 14 months that I’ve been living in the van. Ain’t I lucky? I grew up learning to pay my debts. I was debt-free when I started this adventure now I’m in over my head on medical bills and I almost don’t give a darn cause they ain’t gonna get paid. I’m not gonna live long enough.

 

[user 30781]

Oh no! I am sorry to hear that, nature lover.

 

[maki2]

Nature Lover sorry to hear about your needing surgery. Hope it is heals quickly.

 

[maki2]

Strange day. Found out the denntist clinic was closed today, tomorrw and Monday too. I guess if I need more antibiotics it will mean a trip to an urgent care clinic. That would work out OK should I need more antibiotics. There is an urgent care clinic inside the Grand Canyon Village so I might as well move there as stay near Flagstaff. There is a lesser chance of rain in that area. So today I had my Etsy store shipping materials I ordered sent to general delivery at the post office in the GC Village. If I have the energy for it I will hitchup and move over that way tomorrow or the next day.. Time to move anyway as my 14 day stay is about up at this campsite.

Not much energy today but I did get my laundry done. Walmart is right next door to the laundry so I got a couple of things I needed while my clothes were processing.

I have invitations to go camp with others but I dont feel upbeat enough to socialize right now. It will be a while lomger before my phyiscal and mental energy kicks back up. I am more in the mood for some hibernation. That will pass, it is not a permanent state of body or mind.

 

[travelaround]

So sorry, nature lover, that another hospitalization is on the horizon. And Maki, sorry to hear you have so little energy right now. This infection ... must have drained you. Hope you're back to feeling normal soon.

Not much new here - I just talked to my sister for a couple hours. She's talking me into a San Diego trip and Hawaii trip next year. Oh, the adventures ahead... but I must get this van build done first (for the San Diego trip)... she just lost her husband and the memorial wake celebration of life is at the end of September.

She just told me of a travel book she liked - Driving Miss Norma... has anyone heard of it? Published in 2017 . . . a 90-yr-old woman is told she has uterine cancer and she decides it is a great time for a road trip. She went around the country in a RV with her son and his wife.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062664387/ - now in my shopping cart on Amazon.

 

[maki2]

Interesting background to the Driving Miss Norma book. First of all it is a true life story and it sarted as a blog on Facebook by the daughter in law as a way to let her own mom keep up with her and her husbands travels. They were already living full time in their RV before the son's recently widowed and cancer diagnosed mother was invited to join them. Norma's husband had passed away 2 days before she got her terminal cancer prognosis. She opted at 90 years old without her life long partner still alive not undergo surgery followed by chemo and radiation and instead do some travel adventure never having had the chance for it while she was married. Her son was already a writer so later turned the details from the highly popular facebook page/ blog into a book.

It sounds like a fairly positive account of an end of life story and it is definetly related to nomadic living.

Here is a link to a fairly brief NPR interview about the story.
https://www.npr.org/2016/10/07/4970...-who-hit-the-road-after-cancer-diagnosis-dies

Travelaround, looking forward to y our review on this book. Perhaps a special edition review related to your own thoughts about your upcoming change to full time van life?