Back home! (warranty saga V & a lesson in weight distribution hitches)

It feels so good to be back home in the Hideout!  We were away from it for one night - it was housed at the dealership...we stayed with a very sweet friend who was willing to endure our chaos for an evening!  For two days we were semi homeless - traveling from parks to libraries to other fun places and visiting with friends...but we are back and it is wonderful to be in our place.

So...as you may know we planned this warranty work back in January and despite that amount of planning and thinking ahead the dealership was unable to address all of our concerns.  However we did get a brand-spanking-new water heater!  Hooray!  We also purchased a vent cover and had that installed (not warranty) and that is good.  The vent covers should come with the RVs, but they don't.  If you don't have one you can't open your roof vent when it is raining (not a huge deal in AZ, but it does happen from time to time).  Another thing that might happen is that a swarm of bees might decide to try to enter your RV that way...yes that did happen.  While many of them perished in the attempt (chopped up by the vent fan) we did have a scary day one shining afternoon in Tempe when the orange tree behind us was especially fragrant and the dumpster so near.  Yes a couple bees did get in and yes I was able to stymie their attempt after I realized what was happening - but it did point out the additional benefit of having the vent cover and now I will not have to clean up dead bees in the vent.  Here is an example from doityourselfRV showing the part.  They are not hard to install, but at this moment we don't even have a ladder available to get us up there!

We did have a breakthrough moment today when we learned that we were not utilizing the weight distribution hitch to its full potential - or actually, to say it more plainly, we were not getting any benefit from it because we were not hooking it up properly!  Whoops.  So...back when we took our first trip with the rig up the mountain to Flagstaff we stopped and had it weighed.  We learned that we were towing our truck's capacity (6500 lbs) and that we were slightly overloaded on our rear truck axle (about 200 lbs).  We also noted that the truck's rear seemed to sag and there was a slight V at the hitch.  Since then we have been doing some research, reducing our weight (hopefully) and trying to figure out what our options are regarding taking some weight off of that rear axle.  One possibility was that there was some adjustment that could be made to the weight distribution hitch, another possibility is that we could have an airbag suspension system installed (it would cost about $750). Since we purchased our hitch from the dealership and they installed it, we thought we would ask about whether it needed to be adjusted.  While I kept the kids busy looking at fifth wheel trailers (OMG - nice!!) Husband worked through the steps with a technician who explained each step and what we could do differently to get a better outcome and a more level hitch (eliminate the sag/V issue)... The bottom line is that we were lowering too much trailer weight onto the hitch prior to attaching the weight distribution arms AND we were using too low of tension (the first chain link instead of the third) so it was not shifting the weight back to the trailer axle!

This is a picture of the exact weight distribution hitch we have - and this picture shows exactly how we were using it...the last chain link was the one we connected, but as we learned today the arms should be parallel to the trailer frame - not aiming towards the ground like shown here.  In other words you have to use the third chain link at a minimum.  In order to muscle that baby on you can't have all the weight on the ball, you have to lift the trailer and then attach the arms and then lower the trailer back down.  These were the steps we were missing.  Did we receive a tutorial about this? Yes, but on the day we picked up the trailer, it was BLAZING hot in June, we had the kids with us, we had to wait at the dealership for hours prior to our walkthrough....I was trying to record what was being said with my phone and my phone kept overheating and shutting down....the technician gave us the orientation to the inside prior to the outside because it was a million degrees and then by the time we got to hitching it up...crap - we were all ready to move on with our lives and get into some A/C...so yeah, it's no wonder we may have missed something....

It would have been better if I would have stood back further so that the sag was more apparent...this pic was taken last week when we moved to Mesa.  You can see that the distribution hitch arms are aiming toward the ground (last chain link attached)... You can compare the wheel well height of the front vs. the back and see how low it is setting in the back.  I should have taken a picture today after it was properly hitched, but I didn't of course.  I was so glad to be heading "home" to Mesa and getting it all set back up.  

The last thing I want to share is that we are now scheduled for our, hopefully, last trip to the dealership for warranty work in early May prior to departing for our cross country journey.  I approached our salesperson today and told her about the drama with the exterior dented paneling and she promised to see what she could do on her end.  I shared that I was disappointed we took possession without having that fixed.  In June (2017) she told us, and I believed her, that it would be a warranty issue and would be fixed.  So we will see if that gets us anywhere.  It appears that they will need at least two days in May...oh, did I mention that this time they didn't even work on it on Monday!?!  So we didn't even have to sleep over at our friend's house - they made a mistake in scheduling us overnight.  SO frustrating.  But all's well that ends well and we are back in Mesa, set, and cozy.  The kids are snoozing peacefully after our adventure and their first sleepover at a friend's house!

Warranty saga part IV

This week is Spring Break, which should be a fun time...but it is our scheduled time to take the Hideout in for the next batch of repairs.  Our original plan was to drive up the mountain and hang for a couple of days, but it is too cold for my thin blood (in the teens!) and I am not up for that sort of adventure...alternatively we are going to stay in the valley, with a friend for a night and see if they can get everything done in two days... If not, we will get a hotel so we don't overstay our welcome!

To recap the current status of our issues:

Exterior

• WARRANTY/PARTS NEEDED: Siding is bowing or dented in a number of places - This has been complete BS.  We've gone back and forth on this with both the dealership and Keystone.  The shitty thing is that the dealership noted some of the damage to the siding when they received it from the manufacturer.  Keystone has denied it twice, but we were told by our salesperson when we picked it up and noted the one bigger dent, "oh, that will be fixed with your warranty work." Like it was no big thing...obviously it is a thing.  I can't wait to take it in and talk to the manager face-to-face on this one.
• WARRANTY/PARTS NEEDED: Leaking water heater - The dealership has the new water heater from the water heater manufacturer and is ready to replace it.

Interior

• WARRANTY/PARTS NEEDED: Shower stall unsticking / bowing away from the wall (Keystone denied this repair, but the dealership said they would look at it.)
• WARRANTY/PARTS NEEDED: Shower head leaks significantly when in the closed position (Keystone denied repair - stating this is normal.  However I wonder if our dealership ever tested it to see if the amount of leakage was "normal."  I will push the issue when we take it in.)
• WARRANTY/PARTS NEEDED: A couple panels and cabinets need repair (these will be fixed - but not during Spring Break because they still don't have the parts.)
• WARRANTY/PARTS NEEDED: There is a wall panel in the bathroom that has a bubbling texture -  this has been there since day one and we think we missed it at our walk-through because the lights were not on and it is not easy to see without light. (This will be fixed - they will replace the wall panel which will require taking off the existing panel and probably part of the shower stall...this is a bigger repair that will take the better part of a day.  Even though this was one of the first things they told us was approved they now say they aren't ready to do the repair.  We are done with phone calls - next communication needs to be face-to-face when we drop it off.)
• WARRANTY/PARTS NEEDED: molding around the kitchen table is coming apart.  I forgot to include this one in previous posts, but the dealership said they are ready to fix this.  I am not sure if Keystone approved it or if the dealership is just going to fix it.

Overall this whole thing is a huge disruption to our lives and I am disappointed that everything can't be fixed this week.  The bottom line is that we will have to take it back in May before we leave on our trip.  

I feel a rant coming on...

If you love your house and your routine you should be thankful for it and go about your day.  There are many ways of living and I am not the judge of what is right or wrong for your family.  In fact, I believe that there can be many truths that vary from person to person.  My truth may not be yours, it is a result of my life, my experience, my education, my observations - I have given you, dear reader, some insight into where my views originate, but ultimately it doesn't matter, they are mine and I record them because it helps me focus and I like writing.  My point is, this post may not be for everyone....but if you have an itch you can't scratch, a malaise or hazy tint over your life that just won't go away no matter how much self pampering and shopping you do - well maybe you will enjoy this post... or maybe you won't, whatever.

What is going on in this country?!?  Seriously, things are effed up.  I saw a four lanes of traffic on the I60 slow to a crawl because a dog was running down the side of the freeway.  Some of you are thinking, "oh good, hope someone helped the doggy."  Seriously you should not read this, go about your day and enjoy your life.  Save a dog.  

Every day I see homeless people all over this city and the vast majority of people don't give a shit, or worse, blame the victims.  What are they victims of?  There is only one answer and you are not going to like it - capitalism.  A system which is set up to benefit the owners at the expense of the wage slaves.  Profit is the gold standard by which we measure success.  

Q: Is the water clean?  

A: Who give a flying f, was money was made?  

Q: Are the people healthy?  

A: If they are not is there a way to make money off of them being sick?  

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is about profit.  It is a sickness, it's called greed, gluttony, hoarding.  The rich are so much more astronomically rich than the rest of us.  They hoard so much wealth that we have to fight over the crumbs falling from their ever-rising tables.  We imitate our masters and covet everything we don't have.  We take even more from the poor to make us feel better.  We take their dignity, their homes, their health, their kids, their freedom.  We make people sleep in cardboard boxes.  In AMERICA!  I saw a homeless mother with a child the same age as Sister on the train yesterday.  My heart broke.  What are we doing?  No one, including me, said or did a damn thing yet four lanes of traffic stopped for a lost dog.  But I don't really blame people, at least in the case of the dog we can do something - pick it up, make it safe.  What could I do for the mother and that baby when I am on my way to work to make sure my babies are taken care of?  Tragic. Fighting over crumbs.

I can't bear it.  Yet we are such a small group, the four of us in the Hideout, what can we do?  Actually I have some ideas - you probably won't like them.  Stop buying stuff.  Give it away, stop hoarding.  Live with less, embrace the idea of having less.  Stop buying makeup & hair color. Stop hiding who you are.  Stop trying to fit into a mold that some advertising executive created.  Stop wasting what you have.  Don't spoil your kids.  Spend time talking about real things that matter instead of rich celebrities.  Go to a park or a library.  Find something funded by your tax dollars, and consider that the things we pay for to enhance the social good are socially good.  Schools, roads, police, fire - these are government services because we don't think anyone should have a profit motive when making decisions that affect us all.  If the local police only responded on a fee-for-service basis only the rich would have police.....think about it.  Public services are vital.  It's an abomination that prisons and jails are privatized - profiting from human misery!  The owners of those corporations are going to hell if such a place exists.  Health care - same thing.  Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security - ask your grandparents if they would rather buy their insurance from a private company?  Stop eating crap (sugar and hormone/antibiotic/meat). Try some food that was grown.  Go for a walk, ride a bike, "get out into nature and make your own discoveries" (huh? parents? ...Dr. Scott The Paleontologist - wink). 

We went to a Mesa library and park today ($0 spent) and it was amazing (Friday 3/2/18).  These are just a few pictures of this beautiful park in - stunning.  So much for the kids to do.  A non-commercial space for families to play.  Wonderful, no pressure to buy things.  There was a sweet splash pad we could have actually used today as it was in the 80s, but we weren't prepared for.  So many climbing things...and we were able to go during the week on a school day when only preschool kids and mommies were around.  

Earlier in the day we went to the library and I stayed with Sister while Brother schooled with Husband.  We went to a free pre-school fun day that had a bunch of stations and activities.  Prior to that Sister was drawing on a huge touchscreen TV hung at 3-year old height on the wall of a kids' section of the library.  It was so cool.  I took my computer and checked my emails and did a bit of work while she played.  I'm not sure what you were doing today but I had a good day.  When Brother and Husband were done we went to the Hideout and made veggie Bagels sandwiches while we talked about the value of failure and strategies on how to do mental math.  Brother and Husband did an experiment about friction.  We had a really intense conversation as a family about how people learn, Husband's experiences, my experiences, and Brother's experiences were compared and contrasted.  We were happy and learned something together about ourselves as a family.  Pretty much every day is like this.  We have leisure time because we opt out of as much consumerism as possible.

  

Humans need to experience nature - we need to get out of concrete jungles and commercial spaces.  We need to stop thinking things and stuff will solve our problems.  Consumerism is the symptom, capitalism is the disease.  Until we can prioritize quality of life over profit we will see no end to the misery, division, and inequality.  

Having a rich life does not mean you need to be rich.  Our family of four lives on approx $2600/month which is less than the median household income in the US.  The median income is the point where half of households make more and half make less.  Half of households in the US make around $57,000/year or less.  Exploring and growing together does not take money, it takes time.  We limit our expenses so we have time.  We save.  We have savings - most Americans have less than $1000 saved and would struggle to pay for an unexpected $500 expense. Table scraps. 

Kids are getting killed in schools, families chose between health care and food, chronic disease, environmental destruction, privatizing National Parks, endless global war, over 900 military bases, robot drone assassinations, the increased prevalence of mental health problems, cycles of violence leading to more kids getting killed in schools...again, again....It's normal, right?  WTF? Clearly this is not a safe or healthy environment and we are unwilling or unable to fix the problem because gun makers need to make money, war profiteers need to make money, pharmaceutical companies need to make money...

When you really think about it, the whole house of cards is based upon a very simple premise - that the workers will accept this arrangement.  That they will agree to receiving a fraction of the value of their labor so that the wealthy can profit, the will take their earnings and buy the very stuff they produced at a mark-up so that other wealthy people can profit, they will ignore the environmental harms the companies are ravaging and pay for bottled water and nature experiences, that they will send their kids to the military for patriotic (and financial) reasons, that when the worker does not make enough money to buy the things they are told they need they will borrow money at interest so other wealthy people can make a profit and so on................The only rebellion is an economic one - reduce your spending, be very selective about spending your money (i.e. buy veggies not meat), save, eliminate debt, minimize, downsize, conserve, and create more leisure time for yourself and your family that does not center on commerce or commercial spaces.  Best wishes in taking charge of your life, your mind, your finances, and your sanity.

Home is Mesa.

We are set up in our new spot and the pros are that the yard is larger, we have a concrete pad on each side of the Hideout, we are not right next to the dumpster, and the neighborhood has been quiet so far.  After dinner last night we walked around the neighborhood.  All of the RVs and manufactured homes we saw are well kept, have tidy yards, and the vibe of the neighborhood seemed safe and relaxed.  It's a trailer park, but it seems to be a decent one so far.

RV lots are mixed in between the manufactured homes.  This is our lot.

The biggest con was that the office woman (I am starting to see a pattern with these women) neglected to tell me I had to connect the electricity in my name.  No, I didn't ask, and maybe that was my failing, but I would think she could have mentioned it prior to my arrival.  As a result we had the opportunity to live with the battery for one night - which actually went quite well despite Brother's concern, "How will we SURVIVE??!!"  I thought he understood about the battery and the DC power, but we had to review.    

A view of our large lot after set up (and there is Sister in motion!).

We are three miles from the light rail line and a park n' ride. Yesterday I drove the truck, parked it and picked up the light rail from Mesa.  The commute is a bit longer, but not by too much in the morning - maybe 10-15 minutes.  In the afternoon it took about 30 minutes longer, maybe due to traffic, I'm not sure if the train was just slower...?  Today we went to the Mesa library, which is approx 3 miles from here.  There happened to be some preschool activities for Sister so she and I participated in those while Brother schooled with Husband.  

The other issue RV'ers have to deal with is that the the connections are always different no matter where you go.  At this spot there was a long sewer connection that came out of the ground and we had to park to ensure our line would work with it.  After that consideration we had to see if our water lines and electrical line would reach.  We had two white hoses, but our green (used for flushing the black tank) was too short.  Also our electrical line was too short...the box is a looooooong ways away!  We had to buy an extension and another green hose - which we will probably use in other settings beyond this park, so no big deal - also there was no rush since we didn't have power the first night anyways!

Home school update

Homeschooling is challenging because as parents we are learning how to teach elementary school.  We are figuring out how to delivery content and how to structure the day.  However, due to our space constraints we face some additional challenges.  What we don't have is a desk with a way to organize our supplies, books, and other materials.

A beautifully organized drawer of a desk representative of what I WISH we had

What we do have is a kitchen table which serves every purpose (and can even transform to a bed if needed).  Get it out, clean it up, get it out, clean it up....repeat... So this is not ideal, but then add the distraction an active, three-year-old little sister might cause (I mean, hypothetically, right?).  Yeah, so a two hour lesson becomes a 4+ hour session with many breaks and attempts to refocus...it's really wearing on the "teaching staff."  So...effective this week we are building in some trips to the library where we can create a space for focus. 

On the flip side, let's talk about our second child who has not received the one-on-one attention our first born did (sound familiar to any other parents?).  Is it really fair to create a space for Brother without considering what she needs at this point?  So, by dividing the class we are able to each spend some valuable time with each kiddo and I think this is going to be a big turning point for our success in this endeavor.  On Monday when I stayed with Sister we worked on her preschool workbook pages, we read books and we laughed together.  She was so happy to receive my full attention - it was a good day.  The ironic part was that we only had about 40 minutes because it turned out the library was closed for President's Day - so Brother didn't get his focus time after all...he had to come back to the Hideout and complete his work as usual.  Next library trip is scheduled for Friday.

An organized table of school supplies that is not representative of our set-up.
Our supplies are kept in the bench belonging to the kitchen table and we have to open up the bench often to get things out.

Regarding the curriculum - Moving Beyond the Page - we have mixed feelings.  We just finished a language arts unit which was centered on The Lion, The Witch, and Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) which led to some interesting discussions about Christianity.  Before that we read a historical fiction book called Ben and Me (by Robert Lawson about Benjamin Franklin and his mouse Amos)...which was a little hard to get through with all the fictional mouse drama.  However the science lessons on Electricity and Magnetism were awesome and we did some cool experiments.  We are starting a civics lesson which will explore government and we have another science unit on Forces of Nature that is paired with the BFG (Roald Dahl) - something he has previously read twice.  We bought cirriculum for 8-10 year olds (Brother turned 8 in December) and we thought some of the LA concepts were too difficult for him - though we see growth/improvement in his work, which is awesome.  We purchased a quarter of a school year worth of curriculum and are considering whether to go with the same level, change the level, or go in a different direction...choices choices!

"...only the yard changes"

The title was from a sticker I saw on an RV, "Home stays the same, only the yard changes."  I thought it was apt for this post.

We've been looking for other possible parks over the past week.  In addition to cost considerations, I've wanted a place that is a bit more kid friendly.  A playground would be awesome.  We've also considered the cost of staying in RV parks as opposed to mobile home parks.  When we thought about moving in the past we had to consider where Brother's school was in relation to "home."  Now that we are homeschooling we only have to worry about my commute to work and Husband's commute to campus for classes.  The East Valley offers a number of options which are located close to the light rail line, are reasonably priced, and it seem like they have a good, family vibe.  Our first choice does not have any immediate openings, but these things change so we are on the wait list.  In the meantime we found other communities that offer month-to-month options which seems promising.  I gave notice to our current park and they rented our spot for March, so we really are moving...the final destination has yet to be decided...stay tuned!

One thing that is annoying about these month-to-month deals is that they rarely prorate the remainder of the month and refund you if you leave before the month is up.  Also, their weekly rates are so high that if you stay 12 days into the month it is almost worth it to pay for the whole month.  I'm bummed because that is our situation for May.  We have to be in AZ for the first couple of weeks, and will have to pay the monthly rate at most of these places. 

I purchased a year subscription to AllStays on the recommendation of my favorite YouTubers. This is a handy tool because I can search the valley (and our summer locations) to look for parks that accept all ages - many of the parks are 55+ in AZ.  I didn't have that before and it was difficult sorting through all the places that wouldn't take us.  You can also refine your search by many amenities, I checked out parks with pools & playgrounds just out of curiosity (though there are not many).  You can also filter by private parks versus state campgrounds and then show only parks that have electricity (a must in the warmer months in AZ). 

RVegan Favorite Recipes Edition

It's been a while since I wrote about our grub.  Recently we have been making our favorites and I thought I would share them.  Today it was crockpot refried beans, which I have shared in the past.  I've long stopped eating dairy, but the kids and Husband still add shredded cheese to theirs.  We eat it as a dip on tortilla chips with fresh guacamole & salsa.  I am still, after almost eight months trying to finish off the dried pinto beans I brought with us from the McMansion!  Dang I am sick of these beans!  I've been alternating between slow-cooker pinto bean to soften them and then freezing them in 14 oz bags and making the refried beans.  I swear I still have about 7-8 pound left....that is 7-8 crockpots of beans...

With the frozen pinto beans I make another favorite crockpot recipe - Mexican Quinoa Tacos. This recipe calls for two cans of black beans, but I sub one bag of frozen pinto beans for one of the cans of black beans and it has helped me (albeit slowly) use up this seemingly neverending stock!  We love this recipe and make it often.  It takes 3-4 hours in the crockpot and most of the ingredients come from a can, so it is super easy.  We eat it in taco shells with fresh guacamole (this family eats a lot of avocados), salsa, and cheese (if you are not me).  Yum.  It makes enough for two dinners, maybe three - I love easy leftovers.  I meant to take a before and after picture but I only took the before, I had to use the picture from ChelseasMessyApron for the after. Yum.

Something else we are eating about once per week - baked potatoes!  But let me tell you that you must find a place that sells TastyBite channa masala, because it is amazing on a tater.  I shop at WinCo & Food City and both places carry these.  Actually they sell all kinds of varieties both vegan and vegetarian and we have tried them all.  Besides the channa masala, I also love the mushroom masala - there are also lentil varieties - all good.  I also bake or grill two heads of broccoli wrapped in aluminum with the potatoes for the last 20 minutes or so and then I cut up the potato, put 3/4 of a package of channa masala and then top with lots of broccoli.  When we have this for dinner we use three packages of channa masala between the four of us.  The kids love this meal.  They also add cheese to theirs (notice a pattern) but I do not and it does not need cheese.  I have added avocado and that is great when I have it.  I have also made a cashew cheese sauce, which was ok, but I really love it simple (potato, masala, and broccoli).  Here's a pic of a time I also made corn on the cob and added that to the mix!

The newest recipe we made was White Bean Artichoke Burgers and they are a keeper.  We pan fried them, but I am sure they would hold together on the grill.  They were excellent.  We made a double batch and ate them for two nights - though we have left overs for one more meal!  The kids ate them without too much fuss (the first night of a new recipe comes with a little grumbling and a very slow rate of consumption - the second night they ate them with no issues).  I spread guacamole all over both sides of the bun, we topped with tomato & red onion.  Delicious.  You have to try.  I am using the picture from AVirtualVegan, my pictures never turn out so well!  I did not stack two patties on top of each other...that would be a bit much!

I am doing very well on eating WFBP, since the beginning of the year I think there have been three days I ate animal products -  one thing I have every once in a while is a couple of eggs with hashbrowns in the morning, or an egg in pancakes.  Otherwise I am loving beans, nuts, pasta, veggies and fruits.  Life is good and eating plant foods is delicious, nourishing, guilt-free, and health promoting.   

The heat...

I want to take the kids to play in the snow.  We've done it every year - headed up the mountain for a weekend and went sledding - but it doesn't look like we will get that opportunity this year.  I even went to the local kid's exchanged and traded in last year's snow clothes for those that would fit these little giants.  By this time last year Flagstaff had 64 inches of snowfall.  This year they've had 11 and there is no snow in the forecast. 

Maybe you saw this report that Phoenix will be unlivable by 2050.  Of all the reasons to move into an RV full-time it is this - you don't want to be invested in a market where the number of 100+ degree days has increased from the historical average of 92 to over 132!  It doesn't matter how nice your house it...what is it they say?  "Location, location, location." We (desert dwellers) try to pretend that this is not the case, we crank up the air conditioners (making the situation even worse), but let's be serious - it reached 119 degrees on June 20th of 2017 - (the day we moved our remaining property from our McMansion), and that was the 4th highest temp ever recorded in the valley.  June of 2017 was also significant in that there was zero precipitation. 

Climate change refugees are already a thing - not just from third world countries, but also from the forgotten and abandoned places in the U.S. devastated by natural disasters exacerbated by climate change.  This is taking place while the city of New York sues oil companies for creating this situation.  The city of New York is also divesting $5 billion from 190 companies with fossil fuel ties.  Clearly we cannot count on our houses being safe.  For example, we have friends who lost their home to hurricane Sandy - they were subsequently crapped on by their insurance company and local jurisdiction and were not made whole.  Because Arizona offered affordable housing, they landed here.  Will we all be forced to move like nomads to avoid climate change events?  If so, living on wheels will certainly make it easier - though I agree that it would be preferable to be able to move my home without the use of fossil fuels.  Though, if we could move infrequently, following weather that allows us freedom from heating or cooling, we may end up having a lesser carbon footprint than many households. 

On that note, our solar system has been ordered!  Much of the first month of our journey out of the heat this summer will be spent in "unimproved" campgrounds - meaning we will not have hook-ups, but will have to rely on our solar system, propane, and hauled water.  In the RV world, this is called "boondocking" and we have not yet experienced this.  We will not have the ability to use our air conditioning when we are boondocking.  Boondocking can be very cheap (or free), if staying on BLM land, WalMart parking lots, or other RV friendly overnight locations.  While I have made reservations in National Parks, we have some flexibility in our schedule to also seek out true, free, boondocking spots while running from the extreme heat of climate change.

'Less is more' and other maxims...

Brother just finished a language arts unit that included a historical fiction tale about the life and times of Benjamin Franklin.  The lesson was integrated with a science unit on electricity and magnetism.  Overall it's been fun.  However, Franklin's maxims are sometimes difficult for a kiddo to understand - well, some of them are, but not "waste not want not."  Which seems to be our family mantra these past eight months.  We do, after all, display "Want Not" by Laura Wacha in our tiny home.

To me it means that we should treat all of our resources as precious - we should cultivate and care for what we have and we should not take anything for granted.  If you take care of what you have you will not be in a state of want.  Most significantly this applies to our bodies and our health.  I am so very thankful for my health and the health of my family and I want to do all I can to preserve it.  This means being very deliberate in decisions about what I eat - and what I don't drink (It's been over a month now that I have embraced a teetotaler practice).  It's not that I am denying myself - it is the opposite, I am not wasting my health on frivolity and hedonism.  I am also not wasting my resources (money & time) on junk that does not preserve or enhance my health.

I've struggled with this stuff - overindulgence, overeating, obesity, chronic disease - but insofar as I have it in my power to change course I want that.  It would be so easy if our environment supported the choices we are making...I mean I live in the middle of a college town.  The closest "store" is a liquor store and one of my favorite breweries is less than a mile from here...

On the flip side, I can feel myself getting healthier.  I have continued to lose weight, I have given away clothes that are too big for me.  My skin is clearing up - I realize now that I have probably always been affected by dairy in a negative way - a rash on my upper arms that I have had since my youth has significantly cleared.  By avoiding animal products and seeking plant-based nutrition it seems my body is healing itself - it finally has the right nutrients to repair the damage I have done over a life of poor choices.

The kids are positively affected by my choices.  Their favorite snacks are apples with natural peanut butter, freshly smashed avocado and tortilla chips, carrots, orange peppers, bananas and unsweetened applesauce.  For dinner tonight we had sesame peanut butter mung bean vermicelli.  They both cleaned their plates.  I put crazy vegan veggie stuff in front of them every day and they eat it all.  When I chop veggies for a recipe, I have to tell them, "no, sorry no more carrots or broccoli, I need it for my recipe!  Anyhow...waste not, want not. 

t minus 14 weeks! & balance

Holy cow people, this thing is happening in 14 weeks, or to put in another way, 3 months and two weeks!  After so much planning and scheming and then living FT in the Hideout since June of last year we will finally be hitting the road!  It seems so near when I consider that I just completed my 4th week of the semester out of 15 weeks (add on finals week and the week of commencement, which I will be attending) and that gets us through the second week of May when we will launch our 6000 mile journey across these great United States.  National Parks, here we come!

Today on my light rail commute I was reflecting on what it means to live in balance.  Actually, let me rewind to a earlier events that set my thoughts in motion.  For the past few years I have let my hair return to its natural color - gray.  I am 41, but my hair wants people to think I am more "distinguished."  I've worn my hair up in a bun or clip for years, but I finally went and got a decent hair cut and have been wearing it down for the past couple of weeks.  The result is that I have received some compliments - which seemed genuine and made me feel good.  It is always nice to receive a compliment, especially about something one is unsure or insecure about.  I have been insecure about my hair for some time not because I think it looks bad, but rather I know it is not what is expected of me, a woman of 41.  I don't think I know any other women my age or younger who don't dye their hair (if I do - please remind me because then I will feel we are kindred spirits).  Oh, did I mention that I don't wear any makeup or get my nails done?  Right, there is that too.  Between the hair, nails, and "face" I'm an anomaly.   But here is the thing - I feel content and even pleased with my appearance when I am among those I love - it is the world, the workplace, the stores, the television, the social pressures that make me feel incomplete, inadequate, or less of a woman.  It is absolutely absurd I have told myself many times, but that doesn't change the fact that when I see a well-put-together woman with highlights, nails, face...I just don't measure up.  But why do we do this to ourselves?  Well there is money to be made and it has to be made.  We must be made to feel incomplete so that we buy the things that are sold for that purpose.  Of course we could live completely happy and even liberated existences without these absurd demands on our time and money - but then money wouldn't be made by the people that need to make the money.  Also, the stuff wouldn't be purchased and, well, we all know what that means - there would be stuff to buy.

Or are we living in a hyper-reality that is not of our own making or choice?  What if we just decided, as I have decided, to just not buy that stuff?  What if we defined ourselves as perfect as we are?  What if we didn't agree with the mythology of advertising?  What items do you purchase because it is what is expected of you?  Are you sure that the $5/bottle of shampoo works better than the $1/bottle of shampoo?  Soap?  Razors? Cleaning supplies....the list is practically endless.  And this is how I started thinking about living life "in balance."  What is balance other than walking the fine line between expectations and freedom while following your bliss?  Because I also realized something else...pretty much all addictive behavior from overeating to opioid addiction is a result of living out of balance.  If you aren't being true to you, if you don't know who you are, what you want, and where you're going - it is likely that you are living someone else's life (the life that others expect you to live).  Our challenge as humans is to discover for ourselves what it means to live our own lives, to define our boundaries, and to find our balance.