Rest Day

Mimi's Post:

The difference between the motor-home lifestyle and a vacation is the pace. We do not have to feel driven to frolic every day. Today we are just hanging around, resting, and doing little chores. John fiddled with the battery, we went to Wal-Mart, and I have been sitting around dashing off simple Sudoku puzzles from my new book.

John has been after me to write in the blog but he quickly beats me to it when we come home from an adventure. Today I decided it was time for me to put fingers to keyboard. I spend a lot of energy musing about things. I might be inspired by a newspaper article or a sight we have seen. I read an article in the New York Times about developing new habits. The information was not new to me but helped to crystallize one of my basic beliefs or values. Years ago, we called it being a life-long learner. It seems that opening oneself to new experiences helps to keep the mind alive. Research has suggested a link between continuing learning and a drop in the incidence of Alzheimer's.

John has always been a doer. When he gets a notion to do or learn something, he plunges in and doesn't let go until the thing is mastered. I, on the other hand, tend to start many things but not finish. I've always felt it was a failing and it has gotten me into trouble at times. Now I see the value in taking tastes of many things--it is stimulating and fun. Now that I am retired, I have given myself permission to leave things unfinished without guilt. Too much guilt at incomplete projects leads to not even starting anything new.

I have been inspired by the bird book John gave me for my birthday. We have always been interested in birds but most of the activity involved saying, "Look at that. I wonder what it is." Since opening the book day before yesterday, I have identified most of the birds inhabiting our little site. There are Gambel's quail, curve-billed thrashers, house wrens with reddish heads, Cassin's finch, white winged doves and cactus wrens. It is happiness to be able to call these birds by name.

John writes:

Mimi beat me to the posting today. It's a contemplative day. But interesting to see how our thoughts diverge...

Mimi has proclaimed today as a day of rest. She was busy when we were back home with a large barbeque, birthday party for her dad, and going to the opera. Then she helped load the motorhome and with the driving out here.

So here I sit, pondering deep questions. I got to thinking about the concept of heaven and hell this morning. Sitting in the shade with a nice breeze makes the desert look exotic and inviting. Being out in the desert sun for any length of time can be uncomfortable and dangerous. So that could be one type of hell. Then there’s the cave cricket. It dwells in the caverns below the desert in complete darkness for its whole life. Humidity 100 %, in a layer of bat dung. It eats the creepy crawly things in the dung. To live a life in complete darkness and up to your neck in shit… hummm, I think I may start going to church again. There may be something to that reincarnation thing.

I started my redemption by doing some good deeds. That meant dumping and rewatering the motorhome. Then I decided to replace the engine battery, which had been showing signs of weakness (5 yrs old). Off to Wally World and back with a shiny new black battery. Ten minutes to replace it. It’s 10:30 now, and I feel that my soul is redeemed for today at least.

Operating a motorhome is really a combination of art and science (technological know how). It’s like a miniature city, with several sources of power for 12 and 120 volts. That includes a generator, solar panels, power management panel, inverter and controller. It has it’s own water and waste system also. Then there’s the house aspect – it is a home on wheels with plumbing, refrigeration, heating, lighting, and air conditioning. Don’t forget the motorized part – all of the complexities of an engine and chassis. One has to understand how each works, and be ready to troubleshoot on the fly. Frankly, I’m amazed at the number of women who live full-time in their motorhomes. Not that women aren’t capable of complex maintenance, but they generally don’t have the background or inclination to learn about mechanical things. Not knowing how to diagnose and fix things would make it very difficult and expensive to be on the road for any length of time. One would be stopping frequently at the RV repair places that charge close to $100 and hour.

There are several secrets to success. One is to have a fairly new motorhome. There are so many things to go wrong that getting an older one is just asking for trouble. Then do rigorous preventative maintenance. My neighbors will attest to my time and weird activities under, on top, and in the motorhome in keeping it in good shape. Finally, catch something as it is breaking, and fix it. Most mechanical items give subtle messages when they are about to break. Ignoring the hints and hoping that it will get better really doesn’t work very well. The engine battery replacement mentioned above is a good example. I made it a hobby to learn about motorhomes and their systems. It really paid off. And - no joke, have a good towing service. We like Coach Net. Final thought – have a healthy credit card handy.

After reading that, anyone who is interested in getting into Rving is welcome to contact me.