Spring semester went fast this year. We were able to stay warm even with the occasional snow. Our water flowed despite the frigid temps reaching down to low single digits. Sister even made her first snowman...
She was proud - I am not sure that she knows how big they usually are - she was, after all a desert kid until this winter...
On the pandemic front, thankfully Husband and I we were able to get our vaccines in January. I was a lot less stressed about shopping and so forth after that. Since we don't have family in the area I was really worried about what our kids would do if Husband and I got sick.
Our solar water heater worked very well over the winter. I would estimate we had approx 5-7 days over the entire winter where we did not have enough hot water for a decent shower. A small sacrifice in order to live on renewable energy.
We started taking routine walks around the perimeter of the land (approx 5500 steps by my pedometer). Sometimes their spontaneous affection is super cute.
When you're among nature on a regular basis the sky is much more a part of one's consideration. Our sky is often stunning.
Of course, our RV is parked in Mesa, AZ and we are able to also spend time in the valley to enjoy wonderful winter temps and swim in the heated community pool!
We also installed a solar panel on the roof of the RV in anticipation of future boondocking while traveling.
In big news, Husband graduated with his second bachelor's degree in software engineering in May! He started the degree many years ago. At times he thought he would never finish it, but over the past couple of years he took advantage of my tuition discount at ASU and finished it up. Because our monthly expenses are so low and we have no debt he was able to quit his job and focus 100% on the degree, getting the homestead livable, and homeschooling the kids over the past year. I am so thankful that we were able to focus our energy and time on our personal projects during the pandemic. There is no other place I would rather be! Spring was truly a transition time as we spent more and more time in the mountains and less in the RV. I'm very proud of the choices we have made which have allowed us to have the best of many worlds - travel, homesteading in the mountains, "snowbirding" in the valley, & homeschooling.
Living full-time in an RV for three years allowed us to understand what we need vs. what we want. All of our needs are met by the RV. The additional space of our tiny house (500 square feet w/ two lofts), the fact that it is built on a foundation instead of a frame on tires, and the fact that we have all off-grid systems fills our wants beautifully!
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