Cassia at Salvation Mountain at Slab City back in the spring of 2011.
Spending time on the blog these past few weeks, specifically on our pages just above us here - has given me a chance to stop and reflect on the things I want to communicate to those that visit our blog. Such as….Simple Living.
The page Simple Living needs to be written.
Now, at the moment, no one will doubt me when I say that we are the epitome of simple living. After all, we are house sitting and the trick to house sitting of course is the fact that you - we in this case - are in someone else's house, using their things. What it comes with is just as exciting as what it doesn't come with. Bills. Heat - check. Lights - check. Water - check. Garbage pick up - check. Wifi - check. What isn't there to love.
And yes - we have bought out own food - one can only push the envelope so far - right?!
But let's talk about when we are on the road, after all that is where we spend a good part of our year - usually. And although we are not there right now we have lived on the road long enough that it, and all thats comes with it, is firmly
So - let's just take stock for a minute shall we…..about life on the road - can it be considered simple living?
- Finding a new place - in a public place - to sleep every night. Simple?
- Looking for a free source of potable water and dump facilities every 5 to 7 days. Simple?
- Finding a place to dump your garbage, again for free, every day. Simple?
- Move cushions, put on legs, flip out bed, get cushion from the back trailer, reinstall cushions, put down foam, lay out sheets, add pillows, and lay covers every night. Simple?
- Fold up covers, tuck away pillows, pull up sheet, fold up foam, lift cushions, bring cushion back to back trailer, flip bed up, reinstall cushions every morning. Simple?
- Cooking 3 meals with two burners, counter space the size of a postage stamp, an upper cabinet attached to your head and your legs pinned against the sofa . Simple?
- Washing dishes from said meals in 2 inches of lukewarm water. Simple?
- Shopping every 3 to 4 days for groceries because you live with a bar fridge. Simple?
- Trying to maneuver around traffic that knows exactly where they are going in their city when you don't have the slightest clue. Simple?
- When moving very fast, stopping for gas 3 times per day. Simple?
- Tying your HUGE husky up in the back bathroom, securing the fridge door, securing kid in their seat, giving said kid snacks, drinks and toys, making sure everything is off the counter, climbing into your seat in the cockpit, securing seat belt, and placing maps on lap every time you start to drive. Simple?
Anddddd……...
- Spending the winter putting out hundreds of resumes in the hopes that you can beg, plead and bargain your way into a job for the next summer so that you can do it all again next winter.
Good thing we have now renamed our blog Rantin' n Raven because darn it! this travelin' thing is not simple!
But worth it?!
You bet!
We have no mortgage, no rent, no bills, not much stuff and a lot less stress than we used to have.
And we get to see, eat and drink great stuff and meet up with amazing people!
Simple.
Teresa
If you are looking for more of Rantin' n Raven we are not hard to find out there in the social media world. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. See you there!
Bothersome at the least, doing all that day in and day out!! As well as tiring!! But, as I told a friend of 40 plus years over Thanksgiving, when he asked me what I had to be thankful for-------:well, lets see.....unlike so many people today, I have a home that is PAID for, despite the fact it is a converted cargo trailer!! I have a vehicle that is also paid for. I have a warm bed to sleep in, food to eat, clothes to wear, money to spend......I have all my senses that God gave me...I can walk and see and hear and feel and smell......I am free to travel about the country at will....shoot, whats not to be thankful for!!!!!!! And you know what?? You have a lot to be thankful for as well!!
ReplyDeleteNo truer words were spoken BlackSheep! I was just pokin' fun at this so called simple life. Slogging away at a 9 - 5 job isn't simple to me at all! I am so thankful to have a 'simple' life!
DeleteSure - why not join in the fun Cj! Just one more person to get in my way!! Ha! Ahhhhhh a dining room table - guess it comes with a slide eh?! Dare to dream - a real life slide! Simple = fun.
ReplyDeleteThere are no roses without thorns...
ReplyDeleteOh but Peter there are roses without thorns…..trouble is that it isn't nearly as easy to breed them out of our lives.
DeleteAll those things that you have to do living on the road is sure much more rewarding than a the work every day life. So glad we just chucked it all back on '06 and hit the road. Such a simple life, no stress, no mortgage, no bills, do it as long as you can, then do it again.
ReplyDeleteWell you two certainly make it look fun! Plus you eat well with that ol' weber of yours and you being such a great chef there George. I'm going to consider parking closer to you guys...
DeleteIt is fun! We eat well because I know how to shop and portion meals.
DeleteWell I just enjoy cooking on our Weber Q, or any meals for that matter. Would love to have you guys over for a meal, whenever we can get close enough, almost caught up with your in Missouri. Keep in touch.
Wow you have done a whole lot of work on this blog. Lookin good
ReplyDeleteWe are watching the sun come up over the water in Huatabampito - yesterday it RAINED all day. It's funny this year we have the big RV and life for me is so much simpler than in the small one - Bill might not think so though.
Hang in there girl you're young and I presume you're all feeling better now.
Thanks Carol! Glad you noticed! Great pics on the blog of Huatabampito! I liked it there - great shells!
DeleteNot so simple driving that thing around but certainly more room to maneuver around.
Young - ish.
I'm with you. Keep it simple. I'd rather be in your class b any day than going to work in a cubicle and kissing someone's feet. Life is for the living.
ReplyDeleteYa, I was in that cubicle Chris! And the walls were grey! And there was a phone attached to my head! And $10,000,000 on the line! No thanks.
DeleteWell said Teresa - Great job!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy! Nice to hear from you guys - that was quite the cruise you took! Nice pics!
DeleteGreat post! It's not that simple but we do what we can to make it work for us. Six months in the RV in Mexico is worth the six months of 12 to 18 hour days. You do what you have to do. Love, love the look of your blog. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThanks Contessa! Yup - the long days during the summer months are worth it - you're right! That way we get a years worth of work (or almost) over with in the 6 months. Can't beat that.
DeleteDo you not have a cat anymore? I wondered how traveling with a cat was.
ReplyDeleteHi Teri. Ummmm - no - we don't have our cat with us this trip. We were visiting with friends this fall on our way south - the exact same place where we got him 6 years ago. We let him out and he never came back. We figured that he chose his new home. We were afraid that he would be a flight risk this year having been free for the previous six months.
DeleteThis is the first year that we don't have a cat with us. Actually, when we first started traveling we had 5! We never had much of a problem - when we stopped somewhere - desert or state park - we would let them out. Once dinner came we would feed them and put them in for the night. Never lost a cat on the road. Last year we went to Mexico and back with Moonie - he was a bit more like a dog and stayed very close to the van.
I think it really depends on the cat and the amount of space you have. There have been a few times over the years that a cat wasn't back when we were ready to leave - we had to wait them out - good thing we weren't on a schedule.