PP #7: Drama at the camp!

Project: Pioneer #7 November 8, 2023 (Wednesday 8am)

Hello!

Poll results from our last post: 13% said we’d bail by Valentines Day, 13% said we’d make it to springtime, and 75% said we’d do this through the summer! Thank you for your confidence, it really makes a difference and feels good to know people out there believe in us.

We hope you paid subscribers enjoyed the photos we sent in the last post. More to come, as a thank-you for your support!

Project: Pioneer is the live reality journal of a couple and their small dog as they leave their ‘normal’ life in a luxury apartment for a new semi-off grid life in a small recreational vehicle, just at the start of winter. We cover prepping, politics, spirituality, afterlife, RV life, and personal finance. (Audio at this link, Apple, and Spotify)

Giavana, Pia, and I were out at the site feathering the nest when we noticed the end site in our row was now conspicuously vacant. It wasn’t long before someone shared the scuttlebutt—the dude was one of those folks who have two lives, two families. We thought it was weird that he had Florida plates and was planning to be up north with us for the winter.

Turns out he was shacking up with his first wife while telling his second wife he was “away for work.” The plan went awry when wife #2 showed up at camp. Oh boy. “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Actually, it’s not Shakespeare, it was Sir Walter Scott who said that.

And I won’t be the person taking pleasure in someone else’s pain, or casting stones. I readily admit I wasn’t always a good person. I drank too much, I hurt people I loved. I’ll forever bear that Sisyphus burden, despite apologizing again and again. I’ll take it to my grave. If that’s you, know you can change. I did. The serenity and difference it will make in your life is profound. Maybe it will punch your ticket to a blissful eternity with everyone you loved and lost.

The other drama in camp was due to some gypsy pavers in one of the RVs. They’re nomad work crews often found in these seasonal RV campgrounds, typically utility or oil workers, landscapers or other such work. They’re young, with some kids who were apparently causing a ruckus late at night and upsetting the lifers. We weren’t present for that either. They’re supposed to be gone by the time we’re in full-time by the end of this month.

This community is unique. The lifestyle isn’t for everyone, therefore everyone has a story, a reason or reasons, like the heartbreaking story by this amazing young full-time RV woman. While we were there yesterday, the manager had us pull names out of a hat for a Secret Santa holiday ceremony they do each year, and to take contributions for Christmas gifts for the only kid in the community. I think we’ll buy that kid something nice, just from us. Here come the holidays!

We may stick. We’ll see a year from now—if democracy falls, we’re out, because it’s very clear what will happen if the election goes the wrong way. It’s in writing, actually. I think we’re past the tipping point as a species and society, in terms of ethics and morality, world-wide, in fact. I know people who are building prepper facilities on the land they own, but what if it turns out to be a bad place to be due to the circumstances? For example a coming natural disaster, nuclear strike and you’re in the blast zone, a war comes too close (ask the folks in Ukraine). The plan is then out the window. We like being able to hitch up and go, off-road if necessary since roads will quickly clog. But, if we’re stuck in traffic, we’ll have heat, A/C, fridge, bed, toilet.

Last night’s elections were encouraging. Don’t be telling women you’re taking away rights their mothers and grandmothers had! We watched that miniseries on the Duggar family on Amazon Prime. It’s scary how all of this folds together into one large conspiracy—Supreme Court, House Speaker, Governors and presidential candidates like Huckabee and Pence. Handmaid’s Tale. Their plan will be incredibly great for you if you’re a straight, white, wealthy, male evangelical Christian! Not in that demographic? They you ain’t in the club, bub, you’re being used with gun fear and lies about our booming economy. Say goodbye to your plans for Social Security and Medicare, and, well, voting.

Ok, off the soapbox. Around here, things are disappearing from our apartment, and the Red House is becoming populated with the necessities. Sold items are flying away daily via the post office and Staples UPS drop off. This morning, in a bleary 5am fog I stumbled into my office and went to sit at my desk, and promptly went down arse over tincups (old-school saying I remember my grandfather using!). I had sold my big comfy Laz-E-Boy leather executive chair and had put a folding chair in its place yesterday. It was still dark, OK? It’s very hard parting with things I love. I’ve sold off thousands of dollars in music gear—microphones, amplifiers, etc. And books have always had a strong sentimental attachment to me. I don’t even dog-ear pages. I can’t bring myself to toss or recycle them, so I put them in the local library drop-box. Maybe I can visit them sometime :-) They’re just things. We’re minimalists now, and it’s freeing.

We only have three weekends left. I lost one while traveling on the Amtrak last weekend with my dear old mom to visit my son and grandkids for his birthday. The lost time was a stress, but the weekend was beautiful, being together with them, so no regrets there. Each morning I woke super-early, as always, and snuck out to the McDonalds next door so my mom could sleep. I got some work and reading done, but enjoyed watching the people. Bloodshot truckers taking a short break to fuel up on coffee and Egg McMuffins. UberEats drivers (like I used to do) dashing in for orders like ants rushing to feed the queen. Some were young side-hustlers, some were quite old. I’m hoping the latter were doing it for some side cash also, and not out of need.

We canceled the electric service for our move-out day. We will no longer have an electric, water, or sewer bill. It’s provided by the site for our rent of hundreds of dollars per month, not thousands as it is now. Living will be far less expensive, but we’ve spent a lot, and I still need to do my ROI/payback analysis. Maybe I procrastinate, again?

We installed the following items:
Poultry light (150 watt) as an undercarriage heat source when needed
Outdoor remote temp/humidity monitor for undercarriage
Smart Plugs (to turn on above heat lamp when temp gets to freezing) I hope to automate that!

We’re in good shape with the dual-fuel generator, but I don’t want to rely on a stock of gasoline and propane. If we have a weather disaster or extended power outage, those might be hard to replenish. I really want to up our solar game. The plan is to replace the old liquid-cell battery on the RV tongue with one or two lithium batteries, which last far longer (but don’t do well in severe cold, so you need heated ones).

Once those are in place, we may add portable solar panels so we have an endless supply of energy. We almost bought the model of our RV that has built-in solar panels on the roof, but that didn’t seem practical to me. We’re parked under cover, and often RVs are, for the shade, to avoid snow pileup, and to stay cooler in summer. What good are solar panels then? Just being able to charge while on the road, I guess.

Lastly, after another venture to the storage unit and Red House yesterday afternoon, we were beat and starving. We decided to make an impromptu stop at an old rural roadside pub/hotel we’d passed each time we went to Red House. It looked pretty shabby from the outside, but there was that flickering red neon ‘Open’ sign beckoning us in. There weren’t many cars in the parking lot, some looked like they were there permanently. Welcome to the Hotel California?

Bottom line? It was incredible! Home-made mozzarella, delicious chili and wings cooked just perfectly. Num! We’ll be there quite a bit, I think. Maybe for the Penn State and/or Packers games this weekend, if there’s time for such pleasures. By the time we left, the place was full (we’re early diners).

It’s our tenth anniversary this week! No, we won’t be hitting the pub. Likely lobster. Although as a scuba diver, I like to say, “I have a deal with my friends in the sea, I don’t eat them, they don’t eat me,” I’ll make an exception. The seafood industry is incredibly destructive, and I don’t like to support it. Plus, the meat is now filled with microplastics, thanks to us. We had been thinking about a nice trip, Europe maybe, but our trip will be this trip. We may spend our anniversary night at Red House, for the very first time! The scene from It’s A Wonderful Life when Mary and George move into their first home comes to mind. Nothing else matters when you are in love.

What’s next? We’re heads-down now, moving as fast as we can to clear out of here. All weekend will be spent in this endeavor. Tossing things out, selling, scanning and shredding, rinse, wash, repeat. I need to clear out the exterior storage areas in the RV and put necessities in there (things that can be cold but not spoil, like tools). We may spend our anniversary in Red House!

Got questions? We’re happy to answer them, just post away below!

I still have a shelf full of my novels and no room for them at Red House. I’ve asked our friends at Wild Lake Press to mark them down to half off, about $5, while supplies last, just for you pioneer journal readers (discount may not show until you check out). That’s pretty much my cost. If you buy any, you can let me know if you want a custom inscription and signature on it. Remember, many authors don’t get famous until they croak, so it could be an investment! Or, not. Sigh.

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