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Friday, August 22, 2014

Wow - An update! Yes it really is true!

Moving out of my house and to Northern Ohio this past December was beyond overwhelming.  I never would have gotten out of my house in time without the help of my amazing brother.  I'd still be there today laying on the kitchen floor in tears.  Yes, I know I'm not supposed to be moving north for the winter, but that is where I had a place to stay, so northward I was bound.  It is also where I grew up so I was essentially coming home.  My amazingly generous friends took me in and let me stay with them on their farm.  They didn't have much space for themselves, so adding me and my 2 cats to the mix was beyond what most people would have put up with.  (I had to have my 3rd cat put down just before I moved due to an illness and the stress of the move being too much for him). 
RIP Yoda
At my friend's cabin I had my little corner to sleep and lived out of a bag and my car and was content.  It was good practice for my future simplistic life in the tearbaby and a useful lesson in flexibility!  We eventually got into a routine and aside from frozen pipes and the most wicked winter I can remember, we managed pretty well - as long as I could Bogart their gas fireplace heater round the clock!  

But due to many setbacks this past winter - specifically the WEATHER! - and a great loss in my life this spring (the sudden passing of my brother), my travel plans have been put on hold for now.  Once life for me and my family adjusts to a "new normal" I will be hitting the road. It seems that 2014 hasn't been a good year for many people I know.  I hope the second half is spectacular for everyone, to make up for the first half.  I'm counting on it!

I also don't have regular access to internet so have to grab it at the library when I can - thus the lack of posts.  However, I have several that I plan to get up soon with some new developments with the tearbaby.

So this summer I have been working on developing my online business to hopefully fund my traveling and helping my family as we transition to life without my brother. This summer my dear friend invited me to spend a day with her and her family at their cottage on Kelley's Island in Lake Erie.  I used to go there as a kid with our neighbors, but it has been more than 30 years since I visited.  What a MAGICAL day it was for me. Any time I can be on the water is magical, but this day was extraordinary in what it did for me.  I really needed it too.  We had such a fantastic day.  I am so grateful for such dear friends.
Ferry ride to Kelley's Island, Lake Erie.  Any time on a boat on the water is pure heaven to me!


Hanging out at my friend's "Cottage by the Lake" on Kelley's Island.
Boy did I need this day!

All great days must come to an end.  Taking a moonlit ferry ride back to the mainland.
Cedar Point Amusement Park is lit up in the background.
(picture is grainy - sorry)

I have also packed and repacked and repacked the tearbaby and car so many times trying to cut down my pile to what I think I will need, and trying to figure out how everything will fit.  It isn't easy trying to figure out what you might need while living on the road - especially if you are very limited on space and funds.  If you already have it then why re-buy it later if it might be helpful?  (Have to let go of that mindset.)  It reminds me of my backpacking days - talk about living minimally!  My first backpack packing experience was rather pathetic - I'm really quite embarrassed to admit to the giant pile of stuff I thought I couldn't live without that I tried to fit into that poor backpack. Thank the powers that be that I had a knowledgeable friend who educated me on proper backpack packing etiquette and amazingly I still survived, quite happily, without all the extras.  I tried for many years to keep to a minimalist lifestyle, but can’t believe not only the amount of stuff that you end up with, but also the speed of accumulation of said stuff when you have a house: "If you build it, STUFF will come!"  Like ants to a picnic or scandal to a politician. I'm sure I'll continue to purge as I adjust to life in the tearbaby.  If you've never watched the movie "The Story of Stuff" you really need to.  It really hits home.  I used to do a lesson very similar when I taught Environmental Education.  Here it is:  http://storyofstuff.org/movies/



One thing I've been enjoying is decorating my little trailer.  Zelda the tearbaby is getting decked out in an ocean theme.  You'd think decorating something that's less than 50 square feet would be easy, well . . . it's not.  Limited space means you have to be creative.  But I love the challenge!  The ocean theme and a few small personal items that were special gifts from loved ones will make Zelda feel like home to me.

My "totally awesome, coolest little nephew ever" & his mom visited and checked out Zelda.
He and "puppy" gave Zelda their Seal of Approval!
Actually he loved playing in her - just his size. 

Things are moving along!


2 comments:

  1. Hi from Mount Vernon, Ohio. I got here from your comments on RVSue's blog and have been fighting Blogger trying to follow and/or comment ever since. I think I've reached the point of being able to comment, but don't know if I succeeded in following you.

    You are the only other person I know who has even considered full-timing in a teardrop. I keep turning the idea over in my mind because it's the minimalist answer to full-time travel and because I could use a smaller tow vehicle while avoiding canvas.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Calvin.
      I think I have things set up now for you to follow my blog and I see that you are in my Google circle so I hope what you did worked. I had my comments set to moderate before publishing so that is why you didn't see your's right away. Sorry, I'm not very techno-savvy when it comes to anything beyond designing and writing a blog. I appreciate your tenacity in sticking with commenting and following!

      I actually love my tearbaby - though mine is a unique design (I have to get interior pictures posted!) which makes living in it a bit easier than the traditional style of teardrop - it's like a little room inside. I don't think I could live in one of those unless I always lived where it was warm. I am not the only person living full-time in a teardrop - there are others out there - some having built their own to their specifications. What got me thinking I could do it was seeing a story on the Tiny House Blog about a young woman who was doing it. I fell in love with her teardrop. A year later when my "traditional life" fell apart and I decided to make a radical change to something that fulfilled my soul, I knew that journey would be in a teardrop like hers. I contacted her to find out how to contact the builder of her teardrop and about 24 hours later I was on my new path with the teardrop of my dreams just a couple of months away from being completed. The young woman has a fantastic blog - The Blonde Coyote. You can see what my tearbaby looks like inside.

      My 4 cylinder car pulls the teardrop quite easily (I usually don't even know it's there until I look in my rearview mirror and scare the crap out of myself) - though I haven't tried on the BIG mountains out west. I'm kind of afraid of killing my car with it and the teardrop packed when I get to the biggies. But you are right about not needing a gas guzzler to tow a teardrop. You may want to look into the TearJerkers forum - they have chapters all over the country with camping trips several times a year (though I believe the Ohio chapter ones are done till spring). The groups are full of amazing folks that would love to have you come camp with them for a weekend (tent or anything is O.K.) or just stop by for the day and they will show and tell you everything you need to know about teardrops. You also get to see a huge variety of designs and ingenious ideas. If you are up in the Lorian County area anytime before it gets super cold, I'd be happy to show you Zelda.

      Thanks again for your help with my blog techno-mistakes! Hope I have them all fixed now.

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