Thursday Thoughts

Moose cow and calf 

Big Hole National Battlefield, Montana

June 2004

A. Continuing to get rid of stuff:

1. Gave away two 2-drawer file cabinets via Freecycle today - woman came and picked them up this afternoon.

2. Mailed the beer steins and quilt.

3. Threw away a bunch of old papers and magazines - why had I kept that stuff?  (I ask myself that all the time.)

B. I am nothing without my man.  At least, that's what the Air Force told me today. I went to the BX (and had planned to go to the Commissary), but as I was paying, the cashier noticed my ID card had just expired on April 2.  He confiscated it and told me to go to Pass & ID to get another. He insisted I would be able to get the new one without Don since they were using the DEERS system.  So, I went to Pass & ID, where I was turned away since I didn't have my lord and protector with me.  He'll have to take me in tomorrow where they'll acknowledge the supremacy of the sponsor and give me my new "dependent" ID card.  (And I was a Captain in the AF, for goodness sake!)

C. Our District administrators and board members continue to pretend that lies are truth. We have written proof of three different points, yet they needed to humiliate a woman at the board meeting and tell her she was misinformed.  I am (still) appalled that they can say what they say with a straight face. 

D. I'm sad for the 11 almost-retirees - who had the early retirement incentive pulled out from under them yesterday.  One was so upset she was sent home since she couldn't function at work. So far I know of only ONE who will still retire - meaning 10 people are going to work another year or two who'd be much happier if they weren't, and 10 teachers who could have been "saved" through those retirements will stay on the layoff list.  The explanation we got for the rescinding of the incentive is flimsy and based on faulty speculation.

At least we're getting closer to the end of the school year!

Another Day Closer... 

Busy, busy day - getting rid of more "stuff!"

Don looks over the upper Conejos River Valley, Colorado
June, 2006

We sure did get a lot accomplished today. We have:

a. Two boxes to be mailed - beer steins to a colleague from Zweibrucken Air Base and a quilt to my sister in Texas

b. 4 large bags of trash

c. 6 boxes (paper case size) of small items for yard sale

d. 1 large sack of clothes and shoes for yard sale

e. 1 small box of memorabilia and 1 box of Christmas ornaments for our daughter

f. 2 boxes of notebooks and teaching materials to give away (I held on to them just in case I ever went back into the classroom - but now I won't so I don't need them any more).

Don spent several hours in the basement going through fishing stuff and bringing me boxes of things to go through; I just kept sorting and pricing and trying to get rid of as much as possible.  We're beginning to make a dent in the stuff - and when I first started, I didn't know I had that much!  Crazy!

My thoughts go out to the people of Yazoo City, Mississippi and all the surrounding towns affected by yesterday's tornadoes. 

Dreamin' of a new trailer

Looking south along the Waterpocket Fold from Boulder Mountain, Utah

June, 2004

Today we spent about an hour at our trailer, hanging some wire baskets for fruits and vegetables to clear up counter space, and putting some plastic drawers in the bathroom closet.  After that we went to Colton and visited McMahon's RV and Mike Thompson RV.  I'd seen a Heartland ElkRidge advertised at McMahon's, but it had already been sold.  

We spent an hour or so with Debra at McMahon's - and she showed us a set of Coachmen Chaparrals and then three Coachmen Brookstones. The Chaparrals are in our price range, and are also light enough to tow with the truck we already have (Dodge Ram 2500).  There's a rear kitchen layout that I like - the 270RKS.  The Brookstones - oh my!  Not only are they way too heavy for us to haul, these are definitely "luxury" fifth wheels.  I can dream, right?!

I told Debra I was interested in previously-owned Heartlands and Tetons, so she'll let us know if any come in. She's expecting some new ElkRidges next month - so we'll go look at those when they come in. We think, however, that we're going to buy something previously owned - no need to get something brand new. Everything hinges on what we get for our house - we need to pay off a credit card and the  rest of the trailer - then we'll see what kind of down payment we can make on a new rig. Maybe we'll find one with a good truck as part of the package - a truck that can tow a heavier trailer. 

Next we went over to Mike Thompson RV - and I really didn't like anything there. The Keystone Outback is too "cheap" for me - and I don't mean to offend anyone with an Outback - but it just isn't my style.  We looked at some Montanas, but they are all too large and expensive.

So, I keep on dreaming. I really enjoy the "shopping," and since we've been in our Keystone Sprinter for 2 years now, we're getting a good idea of what we like and don't like. 

Another Day Closer...

Thursday thoughts

Sunset over the Pacific

Honolulu, February 2006

I'd rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth.

- Steve McQueen

This morning we woke up to yet another big snowfall.  Now I know that there are people who live up north or in the midwest who think it's no big deal - but this is southern California. We've been in a drought for so long that when we get an El Niño year, it's almost too much to take. During the night, we got about 8 inches.  Not a whole lot in the big scheme of things, but definitely a lot for Don to shovel.  Poor guy - just when it about finishes melting, we get more. 

  Sorry this picture is so small - it's from my iphone, uploaded to Facebook, then downloaded to here. If you want to see it in a larger format, it's HERE. 

 We were going to go camping tonight - had a site reserved at Lake Perris - but since we got this snowfall, and he can't get the truck out (no 4WD and he doesn't want to put chains on), we both decided to just hunker down and stay home. 


So my goal for this weekend is to finish gathering "stuff" for the yard sale - which is next weekend.  I can't believe it's already here!  Hooray!  I have so much at the office, and so much at home - I sure hope we sell most of it - the rest I'll donate to the thrift shop.  At least I'll get a tax write-off for it.
I also have some sewing to do - I haven't touched my machine in about 3 weeks, and I'm committed to a couple of swaps in some internet groups I'm in.  It'll be nice to just sit and not think about work. 


Capistrano teachers went out on strike today.  They are not asking for a raise. They agreed to some pretty huge pay cuts - but the board imposed PERMANENT cuts - 10.1% - in spite of a mediator's recommendation to the contrary.  Everyone knows this bad economy is not going to last forever. Even our district knows that any cuts we take (and we're going to be taking some big ones) are temporary.  We're getting pretty close to a settlement here - thank goodness.  But all across the country public education is taking hits - not just financial.  It's so sad to see all the misstatements and generalizations, along with the anger and fear.  I am proud to be president of a local union.  We do NOT protect bad teachers. We do NOT make too much money - I have a master's degree and years of extra training - and we DO care about kids.  We ARE evaluated based on our students' achievement - but it's a holistic approach, looking at kids, not test scores.  To reduce students to numbers on a standardized test is wrong in so many ways.  It's a damn shame what politicians have done to public education. 


Okay, enough venting for today. 

Another Day Closer...

I decided on a countdown

 At Red Rock Pass (between Henry's Lake, Idaho, and Red Rock National Wildlife Refuge, in Montana

Summer 2007

See the cool widget over on the sidebar?  I decided to count down to my last day of work.  Even though I won't be officially retired, that's when I'm going to make the transition to retirement.

Today we got rid of the spa, and I filled up 3 very large boxes with kitchen things and Christmas decorations.  These will go down to the office to be ferried over to the yard sale.

My son just called from Japan - he'll be coming to California next week for a class at Beale AFB (up near Sacramento) and when that's over, he'll come here for 2 weeks.  It'll be nice to see him!

Until then, we're

Another Day Closer...

Figuring out a countdown

Vega State Park, Colorado

Summer 2008

I saw this on the RV Dreams website today:

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined.  As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler." Henry David Thoreau


And to go with that oh, so, appropriate quote, I'd like to welcome our 10th follower, Heyduke50. He and his wife are counting down the days until they hit the road. As of today, it's 322, according to his blog. That's a few months fewer than we have.  Lucky guy.

I have a new way to get rid of my stuff to add to my ebay, craigslist, freecycle, trash, and so on.  It's called "give it to you daughter."  Theresa came up today for the first time in months to do her laundry and have dinner. Not only did she take home a wall-hanging, 2 framed photos, and a Japanese samurai statuette, she has laid claim to quite a few other things that we're holding on to until next year. I'm going to do the same thing when Kenny comes home on leave in a few weeks: have him pick out what he wants, and mail it to himself or have us mail it when he gets to his next assignment.


We had a couple come all the way from Hesperia today to look at our spa - and they're going to buy it! They will arrange to have it picked up either tomorrow or Monday.

I've boxed up a few more things for the yard sale and will take them down to the office Monday to get them out of the house.

I want to put a countdown on my blog, but am in a quandary as to how I should be counting down the days.  You see, my last day of work will be June 9, 2011.  But since I won't be 55 until July 10, I won't be officially "retired" until then.  But we'll be hitting the road right after June 9. So should I count down 'til the last day of work or the day I officially retire?  What do you think?

Until then, we're

Another Day Closer...

 

Roadworthy Recipe: Ranch Chicken Thighs

A couple notes here about cooking -
1. I put links to all my recipes from my cooking blog, Cookin' With Cyndi, in the sidebar of this blog.  Feel free to check them out - some are healthy, some are not - almost all of them are really, really good. There are a few that I tried, and will not eat again, but taste is an individual thing, so someone else might like them.

2. I am always on the lookout for recipes that would be tasty and easy to fix in my small trailer kitchen. I'm going to start gathering them under one link, and I'll call them Roadworthy Recipes. 

This is a roadworthy recipe:

Ranch Chicken Thighs

4-5 small boneless, skinless chicken breast thighs
1/4 cup bottled Italian dressing
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 375˚. Spray a 12 x 7 (or similar size) baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Put thighs in a bowl; add dressing and toss to coat.  In a large plastic bag, put the remaining ingredients. Place each thigh in the bag, close it, and shake to coat. Place thigh in baking dish. Repeat with remaining thighs.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until juices run clear when cut with a knife.


I sold the grandfather clock today!  Since it had been a gift for Don a long time ago, the money went into the savings account instead of the blue pig. 

Another Day Closer...

We felt that earthquake from 200 miles away

I was in my bedroom putting some clothes away, and the floor just started rolling.  It lasted for about 10 seconds up here, and it felt like a local 3.0.  I quickly went to the computer, and learned that it had taken place south of Calexico/Mexicali in Baja California.  Initially, the reports were that it was a 6.9, but then Lucy Jones from CalTech in Pasadena stated that it had been upgraded to a 7.2.  [I'm a geology buff - minored in geology in college and love all things related to rocks]  She also stated that it was so strong because it was a long portion of a fault that had ruptured.  In Baja, reports are that the shaking lasted 25-30 seconds.  That's a long time!

I've been told that one of the safest places to live when there's an earthquake is an RV, since it's designed to handle the bumps and rattles of the road. So to all my RV friends out in the desert - I'm glad you're safe!

Another tree cut down

This is our friend and neighbor Gary, 20 feet up in a fir that needed to come down.  At least, Don insisted that it needed to come down.  I'm such a tree-hugger - I never think any trees need to come down.  But during the big snowstorm in January, this tree was leaning up against Tom's house next door from the weight of the snow.  Once all the snow on it melted, it stayed permanently leaning, and Don's afraid it'll collapse.  Someone told him the roots on these firs are pretty shallow, so it is entirely possible that it'll go some day. 




You can see the angle of the lean in this shot.




That's the stump in the sunlight in the middle of the picture; with the branches Gary had pre-cut still lying in the snow. The tree is now cut in fireplace-length logs, and stacked in the corner of the yard to season until next winter.

I had a very busy day - I emptied out the hallway bookcase, and will be meeting a gal at Starbuck's tomorrow morning to give her 3 large bags of cookbooks.  I'd contemplated trying to sell them at the yard sale, but she'd posted on freecycle that she needed cookbooks. She has 4 daughters in college, and they all want to learn how to cook - so these are all going to a good home.

I then emptied out 4 giant tubs in my "craft closet" and have a large box of items labelled and priced for the yard sale. I added more things to the trash, and spent a half hour selecting and labelling clothes in the front closet.  Since I'm only going to work 1 more year, some of the "professional" clothes just won't be needed any more - I don't see myself wearing them again anyway since my tastes have changed.

We have a man coming tomorrow to look at our spa - something we'd not even thought about until today. But I saw on the craigslist "wanteds" that he was looking for a spa - I emailed him, he called, and is coming up tomorrow.  Later on in the day I'll be dropping off some books at the high school library.

Also, there's another man coming to my office tomorrow to get the grandfather clock - I posted it on craigslist and 3 different people have inquired about it.  That'll be some good money to put in the blue pig.  Don brought up a few things from the basement, and we put some in the yard sale boxes and threw out others.  Next weekend:  the 5 boxes of Christmas decorations and lights.

Kenny called Friday night, and I told him that when he comes home on leave next month he was going to have to decide what to do with the trophies, yearbooks, and other items he'd left here.  He can mail some things to himself, and might just have to part with some other things. He said he's fine with that. He's going to be at an AFCOMAC (Air Force Combat Ammunitions Center - and yes, I know the letters don't match) course at Beale AFB beginning in 3 weeks.  ("I'll be building a lot of bombs...")Then he'll come here for a week before he returns to Japan. When we come back from our summer trip in August, he should know his next assignment.  He's volunteered to go to Europe, but says he'll be all right with a stateside base, too.

We're supposed to be getting a small winter storm tonight - just when I get ready to wear short pants and sandals to work again. I'm really tired of winter.  Maybe this will be our last one up here!

Another Day Closer...

Information Gathering

Shiprock, northwestern New Mexico, after a thunderstorm

May, 1979

First, let me acknowledge my new followers!  When I wasn't looking, Kim, Rick & Paulette, and my sister Toi Lynn joined up!  It is so nice to know that the community we're joining continues to grow.

We live in a little town up in a canyon in the San Bernardino Mountains. Every year there are 4 or 5 different groups (Boy Scouts, Search & Rescue, etc.) who have pancake breakfasts.  Since we're such a small town (about 1,000 full-time residents, another 700-800 summer residents), the pancake breakfasts are well-attended. This morning, we went to one held by the Forest Falls Firefighters, who are raising money to repair some equipment that was damaged in the big snowstorm we had.  The Firefighters always have the best breakfast, in my opinion, because in addition to the pancakes, you get sausage, eggs, and the most wonderful potatoes. They cook up 200 pounds of those potatoes and run out every time.

We walked down and got our plates and food, and were able to sit and chat for a while with Tom Mc, who is a retired firefighter, a realtor (he sold us our house) and the unofficial mayor of Forest Falls. We asked him for advice about selling our house, and had a good talk about the timing of selling and my pending retirement. 

It looks like we're going to put the house up for sale this fall - and if it sells early, we'll rent a space at an RV park in Beaumont that takes full-timers, and live in our trailer until we get ready to either hit the road or move up into something larger. (It all depends on what we get for the house.) Tom wishes he had a working crystal ball, but all we can do is just keep hoping the market continues to rebound. 

So, my countdown, though it's unofficial, is now at 1 year and 2 months until I retire.  Wow.  Things are looking up!

Another Day Closer...

Long, Sad Day

The Green River

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area

Today was the hearing with the administrative law judge for the 73 teachers our District has moved to lay off.  While they do have a right to a hearing, what usually happens is that the judge rules in favor of the District - it's all about whether or not the District has done its paperwork correctly.  Since this is the third year in a row we've gone through this, the District is getting better and better at the "legalease," leaving little to challenge.  As chapter president, all I can do is answer everyone's questions, make sure they're prepared for the hearing, and listen to them vent, cry, worry, or complain. I can't fix it, and that makes me mad. There were 4 pregnant women and two married couples, along with a large number of new homeowners. One young man had just come from the hospital where his newborn is being cared for by neo-natal nurses.

What's next is more negotiations, with the possibility that some of those jobs will be saved through concessions - furlough days, pay cuts, etc.  I will not speculate on that; only time will tell.  And we don't have a lot of time - the final deadline for the layoffs will be the Board meeting on May 11.

This is one reason I was really hoping to retire in June - to not have to go through this again. But all indications are that the California budget is NOT going to get better any time soon, and since public education will continue to take massive hits, we'll be back for another layoff hearing next spring.  

I'm tired of this. I really, really want to leave California. It is nowhere near the "Golden State" it was decades ago. But for now, I'm...

Another Day Closer...

Coralling the Spices

You know how sometimes your mind grabs hold of a problem and refuses to let it go until it's solved? This was my mini-obsession this week. I love to cook. I also believe in cooking as much from scratch as possible, since processed foods are so high in fat, carbs, sodium, and chemicals. Therefore, it's been a hassle each trip to try to remember what spices to take since I obviously couldn't take the two large spice racks I have next to my stove at home.

The first step was to identify which ones I use a lot of: chili powder, parsley, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and powdered chicken bouillon. I found these small magnetic tins at Cost Plus World Market for $1.99 each. They're approximately 3 inches in diameter and 2 inches tall. The lid rotates to expose a slot and some holes for sprinkling without having to take off the lid. There is a larger size that is $2.99. [Note: right next door to Cost Plus, the small ones were selling for $2.99 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Always go to Cost Plus first!] These are going to be hanging on the side of the "hood" above the stove where they'll be immediately handy all the time.





Next, I was experimenting with ways to store and organize the small bottles of spices. (My trailer has a "spice rack" below the sink, which has enough room for 6 or 7 tall bottles.) One good idea was to put them all in one drawer, and to use a label maker to put the names on the tops so you could pull out the drawer and see them. I spent a few minutes one afternoon making the labels and cleared out a drawer in the trailer for them. Within 2 days, all the labels had come off. It seemed I was going to have to rummage through the drawerful of jars to find what I wanted each time.

Then yesterday while I was sewing, I looked up and saw my thread holders:

I bought these at Slumgullion Gift Gallery in Lake City, Colorado. Each one is made with two yardsticks and some "shelves." I moved the thread to a drawer in my desk (where it's much easier to get to from a sitting position while I sew), and filled the little mini-shelves with my small bottles of spices:


The McCormick, Simply Organic, and Penzey's plastic jars fit neatly into each shelf, and won't come out if jostled. The glass Penzey's jars (why did they change?) are almost too wide, but rubber bands hold them nicely in place. Since each one of these "shelves" hangs individually, I'll be able to put them on the wall next to the refrigerator.

Now my mind can go work on something else!

Another Day Closer...

Back Home Again

Welcome to Cindy, my 6th follower. We "met" under some strange circumstances, but are going to be good friends in this world of full-timing, and want-to-be-full-timing. She's from Texas; I'm from Texas - maybe we'll meet in person some day.

We came home from Lone Pine a day early - we saw on two different weather forecasts that tomorrow, our intended travel day, would be very windy. The forecasts also said that today would not be windy. At 5 am, we heard gale force winds outside, and thought we wouldn't be coming today. Then at 5:30, the winds abruptly ceased. We put everything away, disconnected and hitched up, and hit the road. As we got a couple miles down the road, the winds started again - and were really blowing the white "stuff" up from the Owens Lake bed. We stopped in Olancha for breakfast, and when we came outside afterwards, it was slightly breezy. The winds seemed to follow us all the way home - the winds that weren't supposed to be there - and Don had to work to hold his hands on the wheel for most of the trip. It sure was nice to get back to Mentone and park the trailer.

We unloaded quickly and I took off first - I had my Jeep parked at the storage facility - and I came home to a house that was 50˚. It was actually warmer outside than inside. Most of the snow in town has melted, but there are still huge piles left from the huger piles. The creek is running high from the snowmelt in the wilderness; I expect it will be that way for the next 3 months.

My friend Tara told me on Facebook that she was able to sell a few things at her garage sale; I'll itemize those later since I don't know what they are yet.

Before we left, I'd gotten rid of some sleeping bags, and still had a huge stuff sack left the size of a lawn-and-leaf bag. I decided to fill it with things for yard sale #1, and I'd read somewhere that you should put price tags on things in advance. I took about half an hour and have the bag half full.

In the yard sale bag:
2 handmade purses
1 pair Minnetonka sandals
1 pair Teva sandals
1 pair Teva hiking shoes
1 pair Crocs
1 half slip (new)
1 sports bra (new)
6 pairs Birkenstocks (barely worn)
1 curling iron
1 quilted project bag

To the trash:
3 t-shirts
2 pairs Birkenstocks
5 old undies

This is starting to get fun!

Another Day Closer...

A little bit of everything day

First of all, welcome to my 5th follower - Merikay! Merikay and I are kindred spirits - both of us are in the process of getting ready to be full-timers. She's clearing out her house, as I am, using the same processes, and is a list maker - as I am. It's going to be fun following her as we go on this journey together.

We're still in Lone Pine; Don is currently in his float tube on Diaz Lake. He had a great day there Sunday, so he's gone back. I've thoroughly enjoyed the time here alone, especially since I no longer have that horrible cold. I sewed most of the morning and took lots of breaks to play on the computer. I finished this little quilt top - it's called "Dolly Duette" and it's from the Jan/Feb '10 issue of Quiltmaker. The one in the magazine used reds and taupes; I substituted blues and beiges. It measures about 21" square.


As I said, I played a lot on the computer. It was a day of planning, making lists, looking at recipes, and researching 5th wheels. We've gone and looked at 5th wheels at dealers, and I've done a lot of "window shopping" on various websites - from manufacturers to rv sales websites. Right now I'm pretty sure I want a Teton. It's made for full-timers, and has plenty of storage and kitchen space. I like the layouts I've seen; I really like the ones with the island in the kitchen.

I'm pretty sure we'll be able to locate a used one with a truck included through the internet when the time comes. Who knows - we might be able to find a trailer and truck that we like in southern California. (Of course, once we buy it, we'll work towards changing the state of registration. I really want to cut ties to California.)

I found some great recipes to try when we get home; made some lists of things to do at the office (I can't believe I'm thinking about work - STOP IT!), and did a chart for paying off the two vehicles and the 2 credit cards.

Don just came back from the lake - I'll publish this and go sit outside with him for a bit.

Another Day Closer...

A Long Hot Day in Death Valley

Boy are we tired. I think now that the sun has gone down I've finally cooled off. We spent the day in Death Valley - and even in March, it's already hot.

We left about 8:30 this morning - took the route from Lone Pine along the north side of Owens Lake, and up into the pass in the southern Inyo/northern Argus Mountains. Our first stop in the park was the Father Crowley Viewpoint. It sits next to Rainbow Gorge - which really is more colorful than my photo shows. As we got out of our truck, we heard the roar of jets -

and looked DOWN. Two F-18s were coming through the gorge below us, and then catapulted up and around - and came by a second time. Being the daughter of an AF pilot and the wife of a retired AF guy, it was thrilling.




Below is a look north from the viewpoint to the Panamint Dunes in upper Panamint Valley.




Below, the road winds its way down 4000' to the valley floor. We'd crossed one mountain range - still had another one to go.





Right after you cross the Panamint Range, you come to Emigrant, which has a gas station and a small campground. A 2.4-mile bumpy dirt road takes you to the mouth of Mosaic Canyon. A short hike goes into the canyon, which is a slot canyon cut into the dolomite and the breccia. Below is the mouth of the canyon - and you can't tell yet that it's going to be a slot canyon.



Below, Don is coming back down from a wider section of the upper canyon.


This is one of the narrower sections.






And here am I, looking rounder than I think I look (!), in one of the narrow portions.





From Mosaic Canyon we next went to Salt Creek. It's a creek that runs about half of the year, and during the spring it has a huge population of pupfish. There's a "nature trail" - a long boardwalk that runs along the creek and through a salt marsh, where you can look down into the water and see the millions of tiny pupfish feed and mate.





We then saw this little guy sunning himself on the boardwalk. He was not afraid of all the people walking by.


By the time we finished the walk at Salt Creek, it was 12:45 - so our next stop was the cafe at Furnace Creek Ranch. We had some good burgers and fries, with several glasses of ice water, and headed over to the Visitor Center. We like a good Visitor Center - it must have a slide show or film, which this one did, and a good interpretive section, which this one sort of had. I wish it had been more. I would have liked a lot more on the history, geology, and wildlife of the park - especially since Death Valley is so huge. But we still enjoyed ourselves there, and decided that from there we'd head back to Lone Pine (and skip the drive to Badwater).

Sooooo, back over two mountain ranges and to our very hot trailer here at Boulder Creek - but with the windows opened and the sun going down behind the mountains, things have cooled off wonderfully. Dinner for me was cold cereal - no way was I interested in cooking anything. Don had a sandwich. Bedtime will probably be early tonight.

Another Day Closer...

Boulder Creek RV Campground

We are in site 63 at Boulder Creek RV about 3 miles south of Lone Pine. We really wanted to be up at the Lone Pine Forest Service campground, but when we were trying to make reservations, we were told it wasn't going to be open yet. Now that it's open, we're already paid here, plus Don didn't bring the gas can for the generator. No problem. We'll enjoy it here. The view of the Sierras is nice, the cherry trees are in bloom (I think they're cherries -Don says they're "fake" cherries) and there's a nice breeze that comes up the Owens Valley and keeps things cool.

Another Day Closer...

Nasty Head Cold

The night before last I started having a few sniffles, which led me to believe that I was allergic to something in the air. (Normally, when I get a cold, it starts with a sore throat.) After breakfast yesterday morning, I went to a few places in Bishop - the Ben Franklin store for some batting, the Schat.net store for a camera-computer cable, and the Mountain Light Gallery to see Galen Rowell's awe-inspiring photography. By the time I got back to the trailer around noon, I was hoarse and clogged - Don said I really sounded awful. Within a couple of hours, I had a full-blown head cold. Last night was a terrible night - the nose kept running, my eyes were itchy and watery, and I had to keep blowing my nose in order to sleep. I'm sure Don didn't get much sleep listening to me honk and sniff all night. Today he's out at the Owens River again, and I stayed in to rest and try to shake this.


I picked up some generic Dayquil - why do they make those pills so huge? - but this must be the worst day of this cold because it doesn't seem to be helping any.

(Yeah, I know, poor, poor, Cyndi.) As my friend Sandy said last night on facebook, at least the scenery's beautiful! The mountains in the distance in the top photograph are the Sierras, and the ones in the bottom photograph are the White Mountains. Bishop lies in a gorgeous high desert valley in between the two ranges.

Today I pieced together two mini-quilts for some swaps, but since I left all my colored thread at home, I'll have to wait to quilt and bind them. So after I hit "publish" on this post, I'm going to go sit outside and read for a bit - which will probably lead to a nice nap!

Another Quiet Day

Today was basically a repeat of yesterday, though Don stayed a little later at the river than yesterday. Also, I walked to the smoked meats store and bought some of the breakfast sausages I'd mentioned yesterday.

When Don returned from the river, it was too late for a lunch but too early to eat dinner - so while it was cooking, I gave him some homemade bean dip. This recipe is easy - just throw everything in the food processor - and it tastes just like Frito Lay's version.

Bean Dip

1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
5 slices bottled jalapenos (nacho slices)
1 tablespoon brine, from bottled jalapeno slices
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. Combine refried beans with the other ingredients in a food processor.
2. Puree ingredients on high speed until smooth.
3. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.

Dinner was Chile Colorado and Spanish Rice- one of my favorite meals and so easy to make on the road.

Chile Colorado

1 lb. sirloin, cut in small cubes
2 small potatoes, peeled and cut in small cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup water
1 cup burgundy

Toss sirloin and potatoes with salt and oil in a large skillet. Cover and cook over low heat - juices will come out and then cook away as the meat browns. This takes about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with chili and chipotle powders; toss to distribute evenly. Sprinkle with flour; toss to distribute evenly. Add water and burgundy; cover and cook over medium-low heat until thickened. Serve with Spanish Rice and flour tortillas.

Spanish Rice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup white rice (regular or converted, but NOT instant)
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
2 cups water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules or 2 cubes
2 tablespoons chopped peeled tomato (this is where I use canned tomatoes that I’ve frozen individually)
⅓ cup frozen peas or mixed vegetables
black pepper

In a saucepan, sauté rice in oil over medium heat until rice is brown. Add onion and garlic; sauté another minute or so. Add remaining ingredients. Cover; bring to a boil Lower heat and simmer approx. 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.


I took pictures of the trailer with the snow-covered mountains in the background, but have left the camera-to-computer cable at home. I'll see if I can find a spare tomorrow - I'm going to drop Don off at the river and go shopping in Bishop.

On the (Windy) Road Again

Phantom Ship Island in Crater Lake Crater Lake National Park, Oregon 2009
(NOT where we are now!)

WINDY - as in WIND. We left home at 5:30 and had a nice breakfast at Arthur's in Mentone. (Why are their breakfasts so HUGE? They let me order off the senior menu because it had "smaller" portions - my French Toast plate had 2 thick pieces of French toast, 2 eggs, and 2 pieces of bacon - I didn't even eat it all.) By 6:30 we were on the road north. As soon as we got to Adelanto on the 395, we hit the wind. A system had come into California and was causing winds all through San Bernardino and Inyo Counties. We were heading right into it, so while we weren't ever in much danger of toppling over, it forced us to drive at 55 and below - mostly below. We used up 3/4 tank of gas just from Pearsonville to Bishop.

But we made it, and Don said he felt like he'd been run over by a semi from maintaining control of the truck and trailer for so long. So he took a 2 1/2 hour nap - and still was able to sleep last night.

Dinner was hamburgers and fried potatoes - comfort food. We either have hamburgers or chili dogs on our first night out - it makes it feel like "camping." We had no difficulties setting up the Carryout dome, but had to call DirecTv to get the receiver activated again. We'd replaced that receiver in the living room with a DVR, and told them we'd use the old receiver in our trailer. It was a simple matter of dealing with the overly-friendly computer voice, and it was fixed.

We're staying at Highlands RV in Bishop - it's on the 395 after you make the big left at the Highway 6 turnoff, and it's next to the smoked meats store. If you've never had the smoked meats, you have to try them. Really, really smoked. My favorite is the breakfast sausage - links that are about an inch in diameter and 4 inches long. I haven't seen an unsmoked version of these anywhere. I plan to pick up a few while we're here.

Highlands RV is Don's choice of campgrounds mainly because it's close enough to the fishing on the Owens River. He goes to the campground just below Pleasant Valley Reservoir dam, and has a 4-5 mile stretch that 's open year round. He walks the whole length and loses track of time - sometimes he doesn't come back until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, after leaving at 8 am. One time he forgot to take water, and was nearly sick by the time he got back here.

Highlands is what I call a parking lot campground. It's completely paved; most of the the sites are side-by-side pull-throughs. There's no tenting here - and of course, no grass anywhere to pitch tents if you wanted to. There are a few full-time residents along the far wall and in the back, but this is a clean, well-kept park with nice bathrooms and laundry, free wi-fi, and a friendly manager. It's right on the highway, but you can't hear the highway noise at all. About a mile up the road is the Paiute casino - we've never gone there because we've been too busy doing other things, but we might go this time just to spend a roll or two of nickels.

Right now Don is on the Owens. I did some sewing for a little while, and now I'm catching up on reading blogs, checking email, and tending to Wanderlust.

I'd like to welcome my 4th follower - Margie! Margie works on two blogs - one is Bruce and Margie's Full-Time Journey, and the other is My Healthy Living Through Weight Control. My husband's uncle Bruce, who died 2 years ago, was married to Marge - so these two names just go together in my mind. I plan to visit Margie's second blog a lot, since I need to keep working on being healthy. As I get closer to retirement, I don't want any weight/diabetes-related issues to slow me down.


Last week I did some work in the trailer that I want to share. First, we had taken the doors down to the bedroom - the track for one of them had come loose from the ceiling, and we discovered it was held up only by a few flimsy nails. Stupid designing, in my opinion. We took the doors out before our summer trip last year, and Don didn't like the glare of the sun coming in from the front door when he was taking a nap. So I made some curtains, which we hung on small tension rods. I got the fabric, a heavy duty household fabric, from JoAnn's, and used a large scrap to recover our ottoman/storage cube.

Before






After






Next, I replaced the foam in the cushions on the sofa sleeper. The old cushions were soft and thin, and rested right on the base of the sleeper part of the sofa sleeper. They were horribly uncomfortable. JoAnn had some heavy-duty 5" thick foam, which I cut to the right shape using my electric knife. Since it was impossible to stuff that back into the zippered upholstery, I made some "pillowcases" out of cheap muslin. This made the foam cushions slip right into the upholstery. Don went to the hardware store and got a piece of 1/2" plywood, which he cut to fit underneath the cushions. It's almost too hard now, but a small pillow under my thighs makes the couch a whole lot more comfortable to sit it than before.

Another Day Closer...

Back to Plan A

The Harbor at Izmir, Turkey
August 1980

We did some more research, talked with our financial advisor, crunched some more numbers, and came to the realization that I won't be able to take the incentive.

I'm okay with this. It was exciting to be contemplating retirement - soon - but it's nice to know for sure - now - what the next couple of years will be like. We'll still have our trips, both short and long, and I'll continue to get rid of our stuff.

Our next trip is TOMORROW! We're leaving in the morning for a week in Bishop and a week in Lone Pine. These are two of our favorite "close" places, where Don will be able to get a lot of fishing in and I'll relax and try not to think about work. I"m taking my sewing machine, we'll have our satellite dish, and I've got a couple good books to read, too.

Another Day Closer...

Maybe a BIG change in plans...

Escalante State Park, Utah - looks like that rock outcropping is smoking!

First, I'd like to acknowledge my first three followers. Welcome to Marie, Vicki and Porter, and Freely Living Life. Thanks for being here! I enjoy reading other people's blogs, and hope that mine is worth reading.

*******

Today I received an email/letter from the District, in which they officially offered the early retirement incentive we've been trying to get them to offer. Up until today, I'd been planning to retire in either 2 or 3 years. But when I started talking about the incentive to my friend and office manager, she said some things about finances, and credit, and so on - and told me I'd be stupid to not take the incentive. It's a gift of a LOT of money. Yes, I know that because I'll only be 54 in July that we'd have a year before the STRS kicks in, but that incentive will be enough for us to live on until then. (Don will still be drawing his retirement check from the AF for 4 more years.)

I came home, mentioned it to Don, and was able to convince him that it was something we might just be able to do. He got out the calculator, bills book, and scratch paper, and I got on the computer, and together we crunched numbers, argued, made lists of questions, and have decided to ....investigate further. I will go to the meetings at the District office, make my appointment with the STRS counselor, call my financial advisor, and continue to crunch numbers.

IF THIS WORKS, we'll be putting the house up for sale in a month or so - so that it's clean and empty and ready for viewing while we're in Colorado for the summer. I can't believe I'm even writing all this. It's almost surreal.

In the meantime, I got rid of more stuff yesterday! Two sleeping bags, two backpacks, two tents, assorted camping gear - all through craigslist. Then I gave my friend Tara a tub of assorted stuff, a sewing machine, and a hedge trimmer to see if she can sell it all at her garage sale this coming weekend. Vicki and Porter said getting rid of everything would be liberating - and it is. It's exciting, too! We're using the money wisely - I've gone 3 weeks without buying anything new except for 3 full-time RV books. I keep looking around the house, and see more and more things that will go to the garage sale - my friend Patrick says we're now going to have it at his parents' house (Suzy is retiring in June for sure). It's a good location, more flat area to put more stuff on display, and they'll be adding a lot of their own stuff. Should be a good weekend.

Another Day Closer...

Losing the Stuff Update #4

The Rogue River, near Agness, Oregon

Today I had a guy and his family come up from Grand Terrace in response to a posting I'd made on craigslist. He bought Don's backpack, my Big Agnes sleeping pad, and our backpacking kitchen gear - stove, pans, mugs, etc.

I've made, to date, $409 on ebay - mostly cross stitch patterns, but also a couple pairs of never-worn Birkenstocks.

We have a few other things on craigslist that are pending - the people will be coming next week. The first thing I sold was a portable heater that was "extra."

A couple of things I've learned about craigslist and ebay:
1. Some people will always try to bargain you down in price, even after you put "FIRM" in the craigslit posting.
2. You should anticipate a half dozen scammer's emails after putting a post on craigslist. They tell you they have a great new way to earn money, and give you a link you should check out. Delete them all.
3. ebay buyers really appreciate your not trying to cheat them on postage. Go ahead and charge 50¢ for an envelope, but don't just tack on a few extra dollars just because you think you deserve that much for the drive to the post office.

Another Day Closer...

For My Father

Morning in Arizona,
driving east through the desert.
Sun in my eyes,
ocotillo and saguaro flashing by
at 70 miles per hour–
I’d love to stop and wander
away from the highway,
lose myself in the distant mountains,
sleep on the ground
with the howl of the coyote as a serenade,
eat out of my sierra cup,
watch the hawks hunt.
But I can’t–not this time.
Not with my children in the back seat,
my husband next to me,
driving east through the Arizona desert
to obligations, schedules,
to my father.

What’s that smell, my daughter asks.
Creosote says my husband,
and I am distracted again–
the smell makes my mind wander
out into the sagebrush.
The last time we came this way
we stopped at dawn out here,
patches of fog revealing pink and purple skies–
this time just clear skies
and haze along the horizon.
And I’m reminded again that my father,
who used to share my love of wilderness,
awaits us 2 days away–to the east.

15 years ago, Daddy and I were two wanderers,
searching for some meaning.
He’d gone through years of pain, anger,
and alienation,
and I was looking for a direction to take.
We’d sit at our campfire and compare notes–
lessons he’d learned,
people he’d hurt,
burdens he continued to shoulder.



I’d listen, and wonder
how much of my dad was in me–
how many of those lessons I’d learn,
how many people I’d hurt,
how many burdens I’d bear.
Kindred spirits I think we were.
We’d hoist our backpacks and climb higher–
always higher–
as if to rise above the pain and anger
we were trying to leave behind.

Back in Arizona,
my husband points out the fog in the distance,
jagged peaks jutting upwards above it,
and I hear Daddy’s voice,
showing me the summit of Windom Peak
above the clouds.
Oh, we wanted to climb that one,
but 4 heart attacks had slowed him down a little,
and we settled for upper Chicago Basin:
another campfire, conversation,
and coffee,
with the gentle roar of Needle Creek
to lull us to sleep.


I think it helped us–our time together, that is.
I learned that
a father and daughter could be friends–
that we each had something to give
to each other
that sustained us for the next 15 years–
and here I am,
driving east through the Arizona desert,
to see the man I was born loving.

Tomorrow night, Dad.
Put the logs in the fireplace,
and we’ll compare notes again.
It’s been a great 15 years.
I have so much to tell you.

I wrote this in 1995, long before blogs and the widespread use of the internet for personal things like this. I credit my father for passing on to me his wanderlust - and boy, did he have a wanderlust. He was never content to stay in one place for long, and as I get closer and closer to being able to LEAVE, I realize how much like him I am. I miss you, Dad. We should have traveled together even more than we did.

Points to Ponder #2

Bad Kreuznach, Germany 1988

You know how sometimes your brain latches onto a "problem," and you can't think of anything else until you've resolved it? Such is what happened just now.

I will not take my Foodsaver with me on the road. I went through all the pros and cons, and decided that I just won't need it. It'll take up too much space, and in my opinion, it'll cost too much to keep using the special rolls (even though I currently buy generic ones in bulk). There are numerous ways to freeze meats for longer periods of time, but the key would be to just not buy so much at once. Also, if one of my goals is to cut back on meats, then I just won't use a Foodsaver all that much anyway.

Problem solved.

One day closer...

Points to Ponder #1

That's me, 2nd Lt. Floyd, in front of the King's Palace in Oslo, Norway
September 1980

I saw this passage on a fellow traveler's blog:

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness - all foes to real understanding. Likewise, tolerance or broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in our little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." Mark Twain

Losing the Stuff Update #3

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas - 1990
We started with a tent....

1. I sold another Prairie Schooler cross stitch pattern - this one, also out of print, went for $35. There are bids on another 30 charts on ebay.
2. A woman from the county schools office came and picked up the two bowling balls and bags, so I didn't have to take them to the thrift shop.
3. I realized that I also have STUFF at the office - several tubs of teaching materials, yearbooks, student work, and more. So I first threw away the student work. It was hard. But I was able to keep telling myself I don't need it. I don't need it. I don't need it. The teaching materials are going to go to a couple of colleagues who are still in the classroom, and they can do with them what they want. The yearbooks are either going to the library at the high school or the dumpster. I'm on a roll here.

One Day Closer...

Losing the Stuff Update #2

Glacier National Park
July 2001

1. I posted on freecycle that we had two bowling bags (and balls if anyone wanted them) to give away. So far, there are no takers, so the bags will go to the thrift shop.
2. I sold 25 of my CDs through craigslist, and another 13 are "reserved" by a guy named Tony who will come next week to pick them up. That's money for the blue pig!
Note: I already have all the music on my computer and my ipod, and all the favorites are on my iphone, so there's no need to have the actual CDs. If I need CDs to play in the truck or Jeep, I can burn them cheaply from the computer. It was easy to let them go.
3. So far I've sold 5 of my cross stitch pattern booklets - all were OOP (out of print) and 4 were also rare, so they were snapped up quickly. They were sold for $10.99, $30, $40, $35, and $35. That's $160 for 5 booklets! There are 58 more listings - some are for multiple booklets - and I'd guess that over half of them have bids so far. Now most of them are going to go for under $5 - but there are a few more that are OOP and rare.

So it was a busy day in cyberspace - all this while I worked and held meetings and answered emails and phone calls.

One Day Closer...

Feeding the Blue Pig

Let me tell you about the blue pig. It's about 6" high and 12" long from snout to tail. It's made of nearly indestructable plastic, and the only opening is a slot in the top. There's no plug like there is in a ceramic pig. I deliberately got this one because of that. I can't break into it.

I got the blue pig about a year ago, when I was on a frugality kick (yeah, I know I should be on a frugality kick all the time) and was trying to find ways to save a little money here and there. I would my morning Starbucks, for example, and would come home and put $2 in the blue pig. If I took my lunch, instead of eating out, I would come home and put $5 in the blue pig. I sold a bunch of rubber stamps on ebay, and after I'd accumulated over $100 in my paypal account, I transferred it to my checking account and put a hundred-dollar bill in the blue pig.

I clean out my wallet every few days, and all the silver coins go in the blue pig. It's quite heavy now, and I'm guessing it's about 3/4 full. My best estimate as to how much money is in there is that it's over $500.

Now that I"m using ebay and craigslist to start Project Purge, all the money I make from those sales will go in the blue pig.

I haven't decided what the money in the blue pig will be spent on - and I won't decide until it's crammed so full that I can't put anything else in it. One thing I HAVE decided is that it's going to be related to our full-timing goal - something for the trailer, a bill that needs to be paid off, gasoline for the travels - who knows? We'll see what the need is when the time comes.

Starting Slowly - Losing the Stuff

Today's Update:

1. The rocker-glider was given to a gal through Freecycle. She picked it up today.
2. I put 49 cross stitch booklets on ebay - some are worth over $30 (they're out of print and rare).
3. I gave 3 booklets away for the price of postage on a cross stitch message board.
4. I am making arrangements with one of my friends for a yard sale at his house in May. I'm sure that will NOT be the last one, since I know of a lot of things already that I need up until the end, and other things that need to stay on the walls to make the house look sell-able.
5. An old DirecTV dish that we used before we got our portable dome (for the trailer) is going to the thrift shop tomorrow, since I advertised it on freecycle and had no takers.

Future tasks:
a. scan scrapbooking pages and put on a CD. I can't believe I have 15 3-ring binders full of scrapbook pages!
b. sell/donate music CDs - I have them all on my computer, my iphone, and my ipod - so why do I need the actual CDs?

One Day Closer...

(The Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park)

The first task that we need to work on is divesting ourselves of our "stuff." So our minds have been focused on that lately. I'm using ebay for things that are easy to mail, craigslist for things that are not, freecycle for things we know won't get any money, and I'm planning a yard sale (or more) for May. Yesterday I spent almost the whole day (the Olympics were on TV) putting a couple dozen cross stitch patterns on ebay. Since almost half of them are rare and out-of-print, I woke this morning to see that nearly every one has watchers and about 10 have bids already. I'll be adding some birkenstocks and Weekenders clothes later, since I know they sell well.

Don's coming by the office this morning to drop off a rocker-glider that has already been claimed on freecycle. Next up will be the bowling balls, bags, and shoes - I tried to give the balls to the bowling alley in Redlands but they didn't want them.

Don keeps finding more things in the basement that need to go - so I'm going to try craigslist before I put them in the yard sale. The two backpacks, sleeping bags, pads, and cooking stuff are things that are very dear to me, but I think we won't be backpacking any more.

That's all for now - gotta go to work.

ONE DAY CLOSER.

Countdown to Full-Timing

I think the last snowstorm did it. After getting a 5-foot snowfall that caused power, phone, and even water outages, followed by another 2 feet three days later, Don and I have finally made our decision for what to do when I retire. We even decided when I'm retiring - 2014, unless the district offers a buy-out in 2013. (I'm hoping for 2012 - we'll see.)

We're going to:
a) sell the house
b) sell or give away almost everything in it
and then
c) hit the road as full-time RV'ers.

Right now we know we can do it in the trailer we have; we'll see down the road if we can afford a 5th wheel more geared to full-time living. I know that we'll take advantage of all the work options we can - from volunteering at state parks in exchange for RV sites to working at a grocery store/gift store at a national park and everything in between.

We bought a few books about full-timing, and I follow the full-timing forum on RV.net. I also visit as many blogs as I can find about it, so I think we're going into this with our eyes wide open.

So we're starting now with divesting ourselves of STUFF.

I will use ebay, craigslist, freecycle, and eventually a big yard sale. I can't believe that even in our 975-square-foot cabin we have so much STUFF. Today's task is to take pictures of the cross stitch patterns, birkenstocks, and some high-end skirts that I know will sell on ebay.

So, strap yourself in and follow our story of getting ready to go, and then hitting the road.