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Friday, January 1, 2016

Out With the Old and In with the New!

Well, it certainly has been a long time since I last posted.  I know, get with the program here Jordan!  A lot has happened since our last chapter.  Let’s see, I guess we’ll start with the flu!  Yes, I was the lucky recipient of a most delightful little Flu Bug as an early Christmas present.  Just imagine my surprise when I awoke to find it hopping around under my miniature tree!  It was so cute with its big red bow I just had to keep it!  I guess it didn’t like living in my tearbaby with me out here in the desert, since it only stuck around for about 2 days before it moved on to what I can only guess was a more obliging host with a warmer home and a lot more friends to play with.  Not much to entertain it here or for it to eat, so I can understand it wanting to find a better deal.  I am however grateful that it came to visit while we were having one of our rare, short “warm” spells and during the full moon - made visiting the bucket at all hours of the night much more pleasant.

My Christmas Decorations - took me and entire morning to put them up!  The Tree and Santa are from my dear friend, and the festive little Teardrop Trailer is from my wonderful sister and brother-in-law!

Christmas Day I was feeling much better so treated myself to my traditional “On-my-own-for-the-holidays” trip to the movies.  I rarely get to go see movies anymore and hate crowds, so I always love to go to the earliest show on the big holidays.  Usually I have the whole theater to myself or nearly so, but not this year – the theater was almost full - but it was a fun group of people in good spirits that were enjoying the movie as much as I was.  And it was SO worth it!  As a diehard original Star Wars fan I of course was biting at the bit to see the new Star Wars movie, and I loved it.  What a fun treat. 

Oh, and Santa was kind enough to bring me more cold weather.  Geez, Thanks Santa!  You’re a real sweetie.  And I have to say the 36 hour windstorm was extra special, especially followed by a week’s worth of lows in the low to mid 30’s.  Boy, you really know how to pick great presents Santa - I would have been ecstatically happy with a nice misfit toy or even some coal in my stocking (I KNOW I was bad this year – that had to have counted for at least some coal!).

Unfortunately with the biting cold temps, my fingers have been a bit on the frozen side, so typing hasn’t been very doable (tonight is no exception), and I haven’t yet perfected typing with my mittens on.  Though you might have had fun trying to decipher what I did type.  Maybe we’ll try that sometime.  
    
So then Jordan, why didn’t you get your butt to the library to recharge your computer and type us up a new post?  Well, I did go during the windstorm, but got there late and didn’t have time to do much besides warm up.  Since then I have been busy with a new big development!  My friend I met here has been helping me set up the “solar array of power”– should be up and running by early next week if all goes well.  No more 4 hours at the library waiting for my computer to recharge!  I will get to hang out in the sun all day while those glorious little solar cells work their photovoltaic magic.  “Hello sun, it’s me, Jordan’s computer, please feed me!”  I am swooning already.  And I’ll even have lights in Zelda too!  No more hanging out in the dimness from my little lantern each evening wondering if I really DID get my contact lens into the little case or not.  Good-bye Dark Ages!  It’s been fun but I must go towards the light.

On Wednesday, I received a very special gift.  A very dear and wonderful friend of mine who is originally from Arizona came to visit me.  Her amazing mother drove them 4 hours each way so I could see my friend and finally meet her mom!  How many mom's do you know who would do half as much?  We got to visit for several hours over a huge lunch and they even drove out to my campsite to see it.  They also brought me goodies!  Cookies, oranges picked fresh from an actual TREE! (I've only had ones from a bag or bin!), and homemade tamales!  I've never had a tamale before and the first ones I get to taste are made by Experts!  I can't wait till dinner tomorrow.  YUM!!!  As always, it seems with those that are most dear to you, the visits are never long enough.  But it was such an incredible thing to have my friend BE a part of this life of mine.  To her and her mom - a most heartfelt THANK YOU!!

To start the new year, I am hoping to head south to Quartzite next week to join up with a group of vandwellers and check out what the Big Q is all about.  This may be somewhat problematic since I am crowdaphobic.  But sometimes you just have to pull yourself up by your socks and face those big Fear Monsters . . . and beg them not to eat you.  I think it will be quite an experience and I see it as kind of a Right of Passage into full-timing.  Hey, maybe I’ll even get a gold star for going.  One can hope!

Well, that about covers the past week and a half.  I’m looking forward to what 2016 has waiting for me (PLEASE let it include some extended periods of warm weather soon!).  2015 has been another challenging year, but also one full of wonderful memories of time spent with family and friends, great learning experiences, and best of all, the beginning of this amazing life I have chosen for myself.  Chose the life that is right for you - make it one of your New Year's Resolutions.  

My New Year’s Wish for you . . .



Here's to an EXTRAORDINARY 2016!!



6 comments:

  1. Happy New Year! I know the weather has been hunker-down type in AZ. Sending warm and dry thoughts. Stay away from washes in the desert! My creeping crud virus finally is almost gone. Ten days of misery, ugh. Just upper respiratory, non-flu, non-pneumonia, non-strep laryngitis virus. I think I was only able to communicate with bats and dogs for a while when I tried to talk *squeak!*. I got better just in time to go to work on Monday. Bleh!

    I'm back to the task of pairing down things. You are my motivation and hero (along with hulu chick)!

    Good health and good times to you!
    Angel

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    1. Hi Angel,

      I am SO SORRY you have been so sick for so long! What horrible way to have to celebrate the holidays! Why does it always seem to happen when you have extended time off or over holidays? I seemed to have started a "tradition" in my family back in 2003 of hospital visits (ER or admitted) over holidays. One tradition I very much would like to have stop!! I hope you are feeling much better now and having fun playing charades with your new canine and chiroptera friends! ;o)

      It is STILL cold out here and not looking much better for the next week! I have to admit it is starting to wear on me. I am so tired of being cold most of the time, but it is better than you are probably getting weather-wise right now, so I shouldn't complain. It's just that I have so much I want & need to do and just can't do much of it right now because of the weather and frozen fingers - but soon it will warm up and all will be good.

      I'm glad you are still working on the "purging". It is so hard to do, but keep at it one step at a time and you will get there and boy will it be liberating! I'm glad I can be your motivation, but I'm not quite sure I qualify as hero status. . . yet. Hula Chick is definitely hero material though! :o)

      Wishing you good health in this new year as well, and magical times too. And thank you always for the warm thoughts; they are much appreciated!

      Jordan

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  2. So are you in Quartzsite by now? Do you read the Interstellar Orchard blog, written by Becky Schade? She is going to be there! I remember driving through Arizona once and coming up on it - didn't even know what it was at the time, but it was pretty amazing to think that it just springs up every year!

    God, I hate feeling sick, and being by myself being sick is even worse. I'm glad it didn't last too long.

    Btw, do you know where they got that little camper ornament? Super cute!

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    1. Hi Terri,

      No, I'm still in Lake Havasu City. Still working on my solar and minivan mods. I'm hoping to get there by the end of this week, but they are actually colder down there than we are here - so as much as I want to go to Q, I'm already cold enough! I did see that Becky was there and I'd really love to meet her and others, so I want to get there soon. I can't wait to "experience" the big Q, though I know it will be overwhelming for me. I have a very hard time dealing with big crowds . . . I think it's partially because I'm short and can't see anything. :o)

      I hate being sick too, and I had thought about how I'd deal with it out here on the road in my tiny set-up. I basically just hoped it wouldn't happen, or at least not often (which for me is typical, I don't get sick often), but the flu - yuck! I am so grateful it wasn't bad and the worst only lasted about 24 hours. Usually when I'm sick I just want to curl up on the couch, watch movies and make warm things to eat - none of which I was able to do, so that was a bummer (but I wasn't up for eating so that one was kind of a wash).

      I'm not sure which store my sister and brother-in-law found the little camper ornament, but it is a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament if that helps. It is adorable! My B-I-L found it and came home and told my sister that they had to get it for me! I'm so glad he did - I love it.

      Hope you are staying warm with your furballs! Cuddle up with them for me too!

      Jordan

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  3. Well I was wondering where you were. I must of missed this post back on the 1st. Aniouxly awaiting your next post.

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    1. Happy New Year jdl1968!

      Yeah, I'm still here. Hoping to leave by the end of this week. My friend and I are still working on my solar set-up and minivan mods - almost done! It will be SO nice to have lights in Zelda again. My little lantern is a bit better than candle light but not bright enough to do anything. It is also still much colder than normal here, but warmer here than further south! - so not really anywhere else to go to get warm, though I am starting to consider Panama!

      Hope you are having a good start to your New Year! What are you doing with all your spare time now? ;o)

      Hope to swing through for visits this late February or early spring. Give the puppers belly rubs for me!

      Jordan

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