Good morning

[crofter]

Good day from western OR!! It is 43 degrees and NOT raining, but it might rain later and most likely will rain tomorrow. Details details.  I am still doing glue gun projects after investing in one I have found endless uses for it, and a number of broken things that a little glue can fix.   ~crofter

 

[Dean and Buster]

Hi all still in Missouri a cold 50 degrees here

 

[crofter]

Big snow is coming to the Cascade Mountains, storm warnings posted.  -crofter

 

[shadowmoss]

Hey, Dean!  Hope you get back down to AZ at some point.  Sunny here.  A jacket is what shows if one is native to AZ or a dang Northerner who doesn't realize it is too cold for shorts and a t-shirt.

 

[maki2]

Woke up with my muscles still exhausted, not enough sleep, too much physical stress on my body with all the bending involved. Too many days of cleaning and downsizing my friend space where I share space getting ready for the every 2 years fire department inspection that happens in commercial spaces. Then after 2 nearly sleepless days the fire department does a no show and reschedules. I fell into bed at 1:00 in the afternoon and just woke up at 9:00 pm.

So it will be back at it again until the fire department reschedules. My friend is using the inspection as an incentive to downsize a lifetime plus of his things that fill what amounts to a 5 car garage. I am doing some of my own downsizing of things I no longer need now that I am getting closer to hitting the road. I do need that incentive as well so now works better than later since I am already making trips to the donation stations and recycling centers to take his unwanted items there.

It is just one of those things that has to get done sooner rather than later but as is normal got put off until later and then occurs all at once on a deadline.

 

[travelaround]

Hello ... still vandwelling. Been sleeping in the van more than 6 months now. I found out the former owner of the property, who is still owed 5000 dollars, didn't send in her paperwork so I am still waiting for the closing paperwork.. and until I get it I cannot pay... and until I'm able to pay the seller doesn't want me to move in. So... I had to give the RV park another 150 dollars. This gives me access to their laundromat and showers until the end of the month.. or whenever I get the property.. whatever comes first. That's all I know for now. Honestly I'm weary of vandwelling right now yet I know if I continued I'd be on the edge of a breakthrough to where I'd be fully acclimated to it. I'm still hoping for a break so I can empty the van and clean it and build cabinets and a kitchen, etc... which I think would make my next episode of vandwelling much more pleasant and workable for me.

 

[maki2]

I will be very glad of my insulated travel trailer for a night time residence for the next few days. It is easier to keep warm with a little electric space heater than the big workshop space is.

Snow predicted for Monday.

One of these days my build will be far enough along to get my diesel cooktop/heater installed. Looking forward to trying it out.

 

[travelaround]

Diesel cooktop heater sounds awesome and useful.

Rained all last night and rain expected every day this week. So glad I'm no longer in North Idaho where snow is expected for the next 16 days.

Today is for laundry and shower.. prep for tomorrow, church day. Today is the closing date for the land purchase but no paperwork or payment yet.. so, carrying on. More of the same. So glad I got this mostly insulated.. even though not paneled yet. Love the fairy light that change colors as they brighten my mood and make a great nightlight plugged into USB all night.

 

[maki2]

I did a heat bake treatment on my back and arms yesterday.
Spent much of yesterday afternoon and evening snoozing on top of my electric mattress pad that was set to high with a fleece blanket and down one on top of me. Also took a mild muscle relaxer. That did the trick, the pain of overused muscles that had gone into spasm is all cleared up now and it only took a few hours and no effort on my part was needed except lying around in bed napping for a while.

Don't you wish all physical aches and pains were so quick and easy to deal with?

Well off to the post office to send orders to foreign countries, this time Canada and Belgium plus some to the East Coast of the USA.

 

[crofter]

High of 67 degrees and sunny south AZ. Looking for a car wash.

@TA the secret to making your van "home" is to have comforts in there that you don't have elsewhere. I can sleep better in my van bed than anywhere else. Makes it "home" for me.  -crofter

 

[maki2]

This morning brought a big surprise and intriguing possibility for a change in my plans for this year. I got an invitation to go to Wales for an extended visit to help a friend finish the interior on his timber frame house.

I was just thinking yesterday when someone was posting about getting their passport renewed that I did not need to bother with that as I was very unlikely to ever be able to travel to Europe for another trip because of the cost. I guess you just never know what the next day will bring, and sometimes it is a very exciting surprise.

Of course I told him that my trailer renovation had to get finished before I could put it in storage and leave which is going to take a few more months. It is so much easier to get a build done when you have a space to work in and this space will only be available for a few more months.

He does have a VW camper van

 

[travelaround]

Very cool opportunity, Maki..

Crofter, my discontent with vandwelling is based in my inability, thus far, to replicate some of my needed places like a good, usable computer desk, and an art studio. Without these, the van doesn't meet my needs. A kitchen would also be nice. I have a big van but it just isn't working. I need a build that contains these 3 areas.

 

[maki2]

Travelaround, you can have it all, bed, desk, kitchen etc. What you need is to consult with someone who is a good space planner.  The image shows the layout in my Tiny Vintage Travel trailer, the interior of my trailer is just under 10 feet in length and just under 6 feet in width. The kitchen counter is 4 feet long, opposite it is a workspace counter also 4 feet long.  Under the 4 foot long workspace counter I have a pullout fridge and a pull out portable toilet as well as several good sized drawers. My bed is crosswise. Across the foot end of the bed I have a nearly 5 foot long desk/workbench that I can sit down at. That desk can be removed if I want to do so. That empty space next to the bed will have a portable storage chest/bench in it. That bench surface doubles as my night stand. I left it moveable so I can switch which side I want the desk to be on. The layout for a van would vary a bit but you can still fit lots of stuff in it. You just have to think it through. Even at home base I have a table across the foot of my bed, my TV/Monitor and printer sit on top of it.

 

[travelaround]

Nice layout Maki.. I especially like the desk that covers the foot of the bed. I will be rethinking my van space.. just right now, I need to unload and clean it.. though.. really want to continue sleeping in it while I work on the mobile home projects. It may be a while until that feels like more of a home than this van.

 

[maki2]

Woke up to a little over an inch of snow sitting on the railing outside. But the pavement was warm enough that it was bare. Good day to focus on building a jig for making the cabinet door frames. Also doing some more organizing of the area where I have the lumber and various supplies and tools kept. Those shelves have gotten into a disorganized mess. Maybe I should have gone into the military and had better discipline drilled into my head while my personality was still more vulnerable to such influences.

 

[maki2]

Half inch of new snow this morning and it is cold enough now to stick. Good thing I don't need to drive anywhere today.

Woke up to a belated Christmas gift certificate from Amazon in my email from my brother. I have had a Kindle Paperwhite on my personal wish list for some time. I need to read books using tablets but the tablet I have can't be viewed while outside because of the glare off the screen. I tried putting non glare film on but it is a nuisance when trying to look at videos or photos. So I spent my Christmas money on the paperwhite and that will bring me lots of fun for years to come... reading free e-books while sitting outside. It is the new waterproof version with a built in lite for reading at night. Arrives on Thursday, which should be warm enough for safe travel on the roads to pick it up at the mail box service. I will have to register it as my standard device on my library account. Free 3 months unlimited Prime books, so I will enjoy some of the newer best sellers this winter.

 

[crofter]

Currently 51 degrees and sunny, high will be high 60's low about 46 degrees. Don't forget your sunscreen or scarf, it is bright out there. Very nice camping with a caravan, but the generators sure are noisey. Going to have to move farther away or wear earplugs. 

Coyotes serenaded us a couple times last night, at about 9pm and again at 4am, and I saw one coming up the draw as I came into camp. How cool is that! 

Lazy morning in camp, I will miss the morning session on hygiene while I get showered & fed.  -crofter

 

[maki2]

Cold in the workshop space today, had my gloves on indoors. But my bunk is warm because of the heated mattress pad.

My workshop mate has come down with a cold so he is mostly staying away and spending this week on his boat that is a few blocks away. He knows how a cold virus for me rapidly turns into bronchitis. Plus of course he really does need to keep warm and get some rest. So he will be still be working on his business design stuff but on his laptop while in bed.

I did venture out on the roads today as I needed to go to the post office to do some shipping. Stopped for coffee at a place I like that is a up on the hill. By the time I got done with my coffee the snow flurries had covered the road and I had to clear the windows. But once off the hill down towards sea level the roads were wet with no snow was sticking to them.

My Kindle paperwhite arrived. For some reason I was expecting it to be nearly as large as my tablets but it is much smaller. That will take a little getting used to but it has the advantage of fitting into my coat pocket and smaller purse. I just have to flip the "page" a little more often when reading a book on it. But the middle size of text is clear enough for me to read comfortably so I am happy with it. It won't need charging as often as my tablet so that is good. A good book always beats lousy OTA TV shows with lots of commercials.

 

[travelaround]

I've very much enjoyed my Kindle Paperwhite which I've had since 2012. Still works perfect and in some ways prefer it to my much newer Kindle Fire 10. Main draw is the convenient size as a book to take everywhere. Also the size is much easier to read with in bed. Easy on the eyes too. I wish I'd gotten a smaller Kindle Fire.. the 10 inch screen is just too big to use comfortably.

Crofter.. didn't realize you were caravaning now. Cool deal

Snow tonight.. about.an inch covering everything when I put my head under the covers. I have no idea what I'll wake up to. I'm in the RV park for the local Tribe.. surely they've got some handy snowplows.. I parked next to the street rather than pulling into my RV space as my patience for being stuck is negligible.

 

[maki2]

My sleep cycle shifted to early to bed early to rise. But the weather outside was a deluge in the early morning.

Putting in more time on downsizing my stuff now that my workshop mate has finished his reorganizing his stuff it is way easier to get to the back corner I have my things stored. Finding some old projects I can get finished which I can then sell. Also tools, construction materials and other supplies that I will put on craigslist. I had forgotten I still had some of the things. There is more to sell down there that has good $$ value and that has been a nice bonus for doing the work I really don't like to do. Small increments of time down there, too much bending and lifting and carrying to be at it for very long. But bonus points that area stays right about 60 on hot days or cold days without having to run a heater. Gets kind of musty though since there are no windows and it is a long way to the door.