Again, we were hit with another storm yesterday. I was not happy driving home in it last night and I was certainly not happy at 5:30 this morning when I had to go out and clean off my car so I could get into work.
BUT! I have to tell you that when I left the house it was almost daylight and this storm above all the others reminded me just how beautiful winter can be in New England. It is a heavy wet snow that will tell this old back all about it tonight when I have to get out and clean up around the walkways and what the plow guy leaves behind, but for that few minutes this morning I was able to just enjoy the picture postcard that is New England in winter.
ON THE OTHER HAND!
I am beginning to make lists of things to start the downsize process in the hopes that we will be ready to start our full time RV lifestyle in the next 4 years. I would love it if I could start it sooner than later, but I am looking at the 4 year time line. We have stuff to get rid of and work to do on our house which has been under constant renovation for the past 13 years. We were getting so much accomplished that it seemed there would be an end to the process when my DH became disabled in 2000 after surgery on his cervical spine. Now when things get done they come between what I need and my sons activities. He is great about helping me and I really try not to expect him to be there all the time. But now I need to step up the pace and get it finished.
I have pretty much narrowed my wish list for a Class A Motor Home down to the Newmar models and will be looking at one approximately 4-5 years old when the time comes. I hope to find a dealer somewhere nearby so I can actually see one in person. I really like the floor plans of the Mountain Aire so am hoping to find one of those in a price range I can live with. I know I need to wait to purchase, but at least we can look at the MH we have in the surrounding areas.
I have been watching a lot of shows on things and places to visit here in the US along with many RVing groups I belong to here on the web and I have quite a list of places I want to visit once I can hit the road. I have seen a lot of the country from the cab of a TT, but due to schedules and time constraints, not to mention the size of the rig, it was not always possible to visit many of the things I would have liked. I want to see the sights of the US that are not on the sides of interstates.
I am off to lunch and errands so everyone have a great day.
Debs
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Sun is shining!!!!!
After two days of rain, sleet and snow the sun has finally come out again. Unfortunately we are in a freeze right now with temps in the mid 20's. I have a flat roof on my house and over the weekend, with news of roof after roof collapsing every day, I had one of my fellow coworkers come and take the ice and snow off. That is the second time this year and it is getting expensive to have this done. I have never had to have it done before and the roof has been on about 5 years. I have PVC roofing on 75% of my roof and the snow usually slides right off without a problem. It is a good thing we have a wood pellet stove to heat our home with as it would be really a hardship to pay for oil heat and get the roof cleaned off as well. Can you believe the price gouging we are getting from these oil companies?
I woke to another light covering of snow on my car this morning. I am so done with the winter. I want green grass and flowers. I want to be able to go outside without bundling into multiple layers to stay warm. My family wonders why I want to RV full time. I so want to head out when fall is on the wane and not come back until the last snow drift is gone.
Hey! Did you see the results of the Wisconsin primary. Obama has another one under his belt. I was listening to an interview of a voter last night and when asked who she voted for and why she said Hillary Clinton - because it is time to have a woman in the White House. Now I ask you is that a stupid reason to vote for someone or what? One other lady said she voted for Obama because Clinton was more involved with special interest groups. At least she had a reason for her vote.
I got an email from a very dear friend who moved to Mississippi almost a year ago telling me that the new house she just built is on the market and she will be coming home as soon as it sells. I am so looking forward to seeing her again. I was so surprised when she announced that she was moving south last year. She is thoroughly New England and having lived in Alabama myself, I wasn't sure she would be happy down there. There is nothing wrong with southerners, I made dear friends when I was there. The life style is so slow that it is difficult for us from the northeast, where everything moves at the speed of sound sometimes, to acclimate and slow ourselves down.
Have a great day!
Debs
I woke to another light covering of snow on my car this morning. I am so done with the winter. I want green grass and flowers. I want to be able to go outside without bundling into multiple layers to stay warm. My family wonders why I want to RV full time. I so want to head out when fall is on the wane and not come back until the last snow drift is gone.
Hey! Did you see the results of the Wisconsin primary. Obama has another one under his belt. I was listening to an interview of a voter last night and when asked who she voted for and why she said Hillary Clinton - because it is time to have a woman in the White House. Now I ask you is that a stupid reason to vote for someone or what? One other lady said she voted for Obama because Clinton was more involved with special interest groups. At least she had a reason for her vote.
I got an email from a very dear friend who moved to Mississippi almost a year ago telling me that the new house she just built is on the market and she will be coming home as soon as it sells. I am so looking forward to seeing her again. I was so surprised when she announced that she was moving south last year. She is thoroughly New England and having lived in Alabama myself, I wasn't sure she would be happy down there. There is nothing wrong with southerners, I made dear friends when I was there. The life style is so slow that it is difficult for us from the northeast, where everything moves at the speed of sound sometimes, to acclimate and slow ourselves down.
Have a great day!
Debs
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Another Snowy Wet Day in New England
We awoke to the storm that has swept across the country these past few days. I am thinking that we had about 7-8 inches at 5 AM. By the time we left for work a hour later it was changing over to sleet and as we drove the 11 miles into work it changed to rain. The city was and still is, from reports coming in, a mess. I will carefully make my daily foray to the park at lunch time to get away from ringing phones and just have some quiet time. That is my time and I do not stay inside the building.
I have been searching on the internet for RV information, used units for sale, places to go and things to do while traveling. It is a great way to pass an evening especially with dial-up service and encouraging to think that winter is not that far from its end. While temperatures are hovering around 30 degrees F and I look out the window to see the camper covered and surrounded by snow I so long for the summer and green grass. It is much easier to mow that to shovel. I am looking forward to being on the road and not having to deal with either one.
I have been watching the travel channel on TV lately with many shows on things to see and do right here in the US. I have spent little time in the west and next to none in the southwest so it is one area of the country I really want to visit. One of my co-workers travels to Arizona once a year to spend time with her father. She comes back with tales of many places they visit and it makes me want to go sooner rather than later to see all these wonderful places. I am thinking it would be fun to start planning my first trip here on my blog and try to get pictures and a map to chart the planned route.
I have been comparing Class A motor homes and trying to decide which make and model I would prefer. I am leaning toward a Newmar Mountain Aire approx 3-5 years old with low miles. I really like the amount of storage and the floor plans available. I would like a diesel pusher, but that would depend on price. Many people have told me that the Newmar products are good quality so even though I hear good things about Tiffin MH I am not in love with the floor plans and storage available. I have time to look and find exactly what I will be happy with. Right now we have a 26' Rockwood which is OK for a weekend or vacation, but definitely not to live in.
I am off to find a map and get started on my virtual cross country adventure.
Have a great day!!
Debs
I have been searching on the internet for RV information, used units for sale, places to go and things to do while traveling. It is a great way to pass an evening especially with dial-up service and encouraging to think that winter is not that far from its end. While temperatures are hovering around 30 degrees F and I look out the window to see the camper covered and surrounded by snow I so long for the summer and green grass. It is much easier to mow that to shovel. I am looking forward to being on the road and not having to deal with either one.
I have been watching the travel channel on TV lately with many shows on things to see and do right here in the US. I have spent little time in the west and next to none in the southwest so it is one area of the country I really want to visit. One of my co-workers travels to Arizona once a year to spend time with her father. She comes back with tales of many places they visit and it makes me want to go sooner rather than later to see all these wonderful places. I am thinking it would be fun to start planning my first trip here on my blog and try to get pictures and a map to chart the planned route.
I have been comparing Class A motor homes and trying to decide which make and model I would prefer. I am leaning toward a Newmar Mountain Aire approx 3-5 years old with low miles. I really like the amount of storage and the floor plans available. I would like a diesel pusher, but that would depend on price. Many people have told me that the Newmar products are good quality so even though I hear good things about Tiffin MH I am not in love with the floor plans and storage available. I have time to look and find exactly what I will be happy with. Right now we have a 26' Rockwood which is OK for a weekend or vacation, but definitely not to live in.
I am off to find a map and get started on my virtual cross country adventure.
Have a great day!!
Debs
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Farm Bill 2008
As I was wandering around the web this morning I noticed a headline that read that our illustrious president has threatened to veto the new farm bill. That got my curiosity aroused so I went looking for the current bill online to see if I could find out what it said. What I found was a list of items that went through the last bill just changing the dates from 2007 to 2012. Well that told me a lot of nothing. Why are we not given the whole of what they are changing so we can see for ourselves what it is that President Bush is talking about?
That got me to thinking about the biofuels. With all of the subsidies that we pay the farmers not to plant crops wouldn't it be better to pay them a decent price to raise corn or peanuts to be used as fuel. The price of oil is outrageous and no one is benefiting from it but the stock holders of the oil companies while our farmers are going bankrupt everyday because they can not make a living farming. The president wants a $200,000 gross income limit put on what farmers can earn to get the subsidies which sounds to me like a reasonable limit, but how much of the income is expenses and how much is the net income that they have to survive on. I have watched dairy farmers here in the northeast stop producing and end up turning the farmland into housing developments or just lay fallow because they can not afford to pay for grain to feed the cows. Yet the price of milk is going out of sight in the grocery stores. It may sound naive to say it appears that we need to rethink the whole process and come up with maybe a subside to pay for the corn or peanut seeds for the farmers to grow a totally renewable source to generate a fuel that would be cleaner to use and possibly help with all the greenhouse gases that are produced each day. I personally hate the fact that I can not drive to work each day without adding to the problem. I am hoping to travel full time within 4 years in a RV and would love to be able to use biodiesel to run it. If farm equipment can run on it then why not a recreational vehicle?
There is a lot of information on the web about biofuels and if we can produce enough grains or what ever crop can be used to make a difference. The consensus is no, there is not enough land with which to do this. I am thinking that even if we can produce 25 to 50% of what we use then it would be better than what we are doing to the earth right now.
There was a movie made in 2004, titled The Day After Tomorrow. If you have not seen it then maybe you should. We have had some of the strangest weather this year that I have seen or been aware of in my lifetime. I think about this movie and wonder just what could happen if we keep adding to the global warming process.
If anyone has anything to add, please feel free to comment.
Have a great day!
Debs
That got me to thinking about the biofuels. With all of the subsidies that we pay the farmers not to plant crops wouldn't it be better to pay them a decent price to raise corn or peanuts to be used as fuel. The price of oil is outrageous and no one is benefiting from it but the stock holders of the oil companies while our farmers are going bankrupt everyday because they can not make a living farming. The president wants a $200,000 gross income limit put on what farmers can earn to get the subsidies which sounds to me like a reasonable limit, but how much of the income is expenses and how much is the net income that they have to survive on. I have watched dairy farmers here in the northeast stop producing and end up turning the farmland into housing developments or just lay fallow because they can not afford to pay for grain to feed the cows. Yet the price of milk is going out of sight in the grocery stores. It may sound naive to say it appears that we need to rethink the whole process and come up with maybe a subside to pay for the corn or peanut seeds for the farmers to grow a totally renewable source to generate a fuel that would be cleaner to use and possibly help with all the greenhouse gases that are produced each day. I personally hate the fact that I can not drive to work each day without adding to the problem. I am hoping to travel full time within 4 years in a RV and would love to be able to use biodiesel to run it. If farm equipment can run on it then why not a recreational vehicle?
There is a lot of information on the web about biofuels and if we can produce enough grains or what ever crop can be used to make a difference. The consensus is no, there is not enough land with which to do this. I am thinking that even if we can produce 25 to 50% of what we use then it would be better than what we are doing to the earth right now.
There was a movie made in 2004, titled The Day After Tomorrow. If you have not seen it then maybe you should. We have had some of the strangest weather this year that I have seen or been aware of in my lifetime. I think about this movie and wonder just what could happen if we keep adding to the global warming process.
If anyone has anything to add, please feel free to comment.
Have a great day!
Debs
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Super Tuesday Followup
Well another hurtle crossed. It seems that I am not the only one who believes that Barack Obama is a good choice for our next president. As I was watching the news last evening one of the newscasters was saying that there are many Democratic households who are split between our top candidates. In this instance mine is one of them in the sense that we differed in our choices. My DH would have preferred to see John Edwards as one of the top candidates, but alas that was not to be. I am not sure where he will lean at this point.
It will definitely be interesting to see where this will all play out by convention time.
Have a great day.
Debs
It will definitely be interesting to see where this will all play out by convention time.
Have a great day.
Debs
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Tuesday
At no time in my adult life have I ever paid as much attention to an election or the candidates who were running. It appears that I have finally grown up at least in this sense of the word.
What makes us want to take part in the process while others seem to feel that their vote never counts. I have a stepson who feels we waste our time voting as it never counts. I tell him all the time he needs to grow up. One of our inalienable rights while we are on earth is the right to vote. I am also glad to see that many of the younger generations are exercising this right. I tend to get rather defensive when I hear someone complaining about this or that public figure, but yet they have never bothered to even register to vote.
I am rather looking forward to the outcome of this super Tuesday at least where the Democrats are concerned. As previously stated I do support Senator Obama and sincerely hope he does get the nomination this year. We need so desperately a whole new perspective in the White House.
Enough of my soap box for today. Will continue after the counts are in tomorrow.
Debs
What makes us want to take part in the process while others seem to feel that their vote never counts. I have a stepson who feels we waste our time voting as it never counts. I tell him all the time he needs to grow up. One of our inalienable rights while we are on earth is the right to vote. I am also glad to see that many of the younger generations are exercising this right. I tend to get rather defensive when I hear someone complaining about this or that public figure, but yet they have never bothered to even register to vote.
I am rather looking forward to the outcome of this super Tuesday at least where the Democrats are concerned. As previously stated I do support Senator Obama and sincerely hope he does get the nomination this year. We need so desperately a whole new perspective in the White House.
Enough of my soap box for today. Will continue after the counts are in tomorrow.
Debs
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