Jojo got a new home

I finally put an ad on Craig's List to find Jojo a new home. I got several inquiries and eventually settled on a young couple with another beagle, a yard to run in and a doggie door already installed. These people love to take their dog out to the doggie park and to the lake, so I think Jojo will  have a lot of fun. And I get some peace and quiet here. No more stinky surprises, no more 3 dog walks and getting all tangled up in their leashes (wish I could have gotten a picture of that). No more trying to type with a doggie nose under my arm, making it impossible.
Today I got from a Freecycler a mirror to hang on our bathroom door and a small plastic table for outside. I put all the Christmas trees in pots and put the kitty litter buckets under the RV, out of sight. I may use them for other things or give them away. The trees look nice now, all around the RV. I still have to get some potting soil. But I am not in any hurry. It's still cold outside and the trees are probably fine in their little pots still.
I have been trying to knit hats for newborns to send to Haiti, but I keep dropping stitches off the needle. I am frustrated. I have one crocheted hat finished and that was easy for me, so I started another crocheted hat. I might as well do what I am good at doing and not worry about what is difficult.

RV Remodeling and Garden Seeds

Duane is away for about three weeks, so I am working on redecorating our RV. I put the foil bubble wrap insulation on the windows and now it is like a cave in here. Gotta see how I can roll some up easily for some sunlight. But I am covering the old valances with new fabric. Sure would like to replace this dirty carpet. Can't do it now, but maybe in a few months.
I got the seeds I ordered online. I thought I was getting a good buy when I saw that I only had three minutes left to bid on ebay. It was an ok deal, but I didn't get all of the kinds of seeds I want. I didn't get watermelon, cantaloupe or broccoli, or edible pod peas. I will have to take a look at Walmart or somewhere else for those.
Since I am doing all this work on the RV, I have pulled out things I don't need and have put them out on Freecycle. Most will be gone today and I will be picking up some curtains later on that I hope will make this place a bit warmer. I am thinking of putting them up across the back of the front seats. It feels drafty in the front. But then the TV might be blocked, so it just might not work, unless I can figure something out.
We are still looking for a home for Jojo the beagle. He is calming down, but he sure needs a place to run.

Gardening ideas

I planned on getting a plot in the community garden this spring and I may still do that. But now I am thinking of other ideas. I have gathered more pots for the Christmas trees. This will make our space look better than being surrounded by kitty litter buckets. I think I would like to have our salad veges here instead of across town. I'm thinking of using those upside down hanging tomato pots for cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and maybe some other plants. Now I have to look for some stands, coat racks or something to hang the pots from. I have strawberry cuttings in a plastic bag lined box. I got those from another freecycler. I think it would be fun to have blueberry bushes and maybe some dwarf fruit trees here too.
And should I do some hydroponics? Just thinking...

Summer garden dreaming

I received a large bag of plastic pots from a freecycler this afternoon, so now I am starting to get excited about getting my garden going. However, winter is still here and will be for quite awhile. Winter can last a long time in Reno. People have told me about snow in July. That is rare, but, it can happen. The "rule of thumb" here is, "If there is snow on Peavine, it is too early to plant". So we all wait for the snow to melt on top of Peavine Mountain. With all the mountains around Reno, I wasn't sure which one was Peavine. Eventually  I discovered that Peavine is the tallest mountain straight north of downtown from Virginia St. So, instead of being able to really garden right now, I did the next best thing, and web surfed, dreamed and planned. I still have a tomato plant from last year. It is planted in a hanging pot and I brought it inside and put it on the motorhome dashboard when we got our first frost in October. It still has a few cherry tomatoes on it. I wonder how long it will live? That tomato plant was my inspiration to look into how other people do indoor gardening. Which eventually led me to look for the best place to buy seeds. Ebay had a great deal on 15,000+ survival garden seeds. The starting bid was $19.99 and when I happened upon that page, there were only three minutes left to bid. I won! I should have plenty of seeds for a long time or have a lot to share with my kids and friends. And I got a great deal (I think). Updates obviously will follow as the year progresses. Last year I bought the 20 cent/package seeds at Walmart and most did not germinate. I guess you get what you pay for sometimes, unfortunately.

At the end of his rope (and mine)

Jojo is our adorable Beagle. We got him from a neighbor who was hurt after the little sweetie pie pulled her and she slipped on some ice. That was the end of her rope. We thought we'd be nice and take him off her hands. Sometimes I wonder if he's part jack rabbit. He leaps all over this little motorhome. And he is always at the end of his leash, sniffing the ground and pulling to get whatever it is he smells.  We had him for about two weeks when my husband needed to leave on a business trip for a week. During those two weeks, Duane had been home all day, working on his computer, and keeping little Jojo in line. When he left, I was left in charge. However, I go out to work every morning. I need my sleep. I only have so many hours in a day to take care of doggies. Angel and Chuck, our schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle) and pug, are both 11 years old and very mellow and easy to care for. Jojo demands a lot of attention.  After work last Tuesday, I walked and then fed the dogs. They all seemed ready to go to bed, so I did not take them for another walk. BIG MISTAKE! Jojo did his business inside on the carpet. I got mad and put him in his crate. He scratched and yowled as beagles do for hours. Finally, around 4:00am, the noise got so loud he woke me up. I got up and took him out, but I noticed a foul odor from his crate. Looking inside, I saw the mess. Yuck. He must have been really desperate. I felt so bad.  After he was done outside, we came in and I sat on the pot.  While there, I noticed Jojo squatting in front of me and doing MORE on the carpet. Ugh.  So I got out the cleaning supplies and the carpet cleaner and at 4:30 am, I was cleaning all the carpet. Then Jojo and I got into bed. Yes, I put him in my bed. I felt so bad about neglecting him earlier. Then I set my alarm to the time that would give me the longest amount of sleep time and the shortest amount of get ready time.  When I woke up, about three hours later, Jojo was sound asleep on the bed. But, as I got out of bed, I found more "presents". At some point, he must have slipped off the bed without disturbing me. Great! More cleaner on the carpet. More paper towels wiping it all up. Good thing I am a professional house cleaner and quick, because I was only 10 minutes late for my first client. Of course, my hair looked awful, so I put on a hat, which only works as long as the hat is on. When the hat comes off, my hair looks even worse. Oh well, my little old ladies really don't care about that.  So, anyway, I am at the end of my rope with Jojo. We HAVE  to find another home for him, hopefully one with a yard and kids. Some place where he can run and romp and have a good life. Living with a couple of old folks in a motorhome is definitely not the right place for him. Btw, I looked at his papers and he is a pedigreed pooch. His family is full of champions.  He cost his original owner $600, but we got him for free, so we can give him away.

What it's really like to live in a motorhome: the pros and cons

     So what is it really like to live in a motorhome? Life is what you make it and can be mostly like it is in any home, except with less space. Motorhomes have all the conveniences of a regular home: we have hot and cold running water, a shower, a toilet, a kitchen sink, a stove, a microwave, a refrigerator, a bed, a couch, a table and tv sets.  Ah, the tv sets. One in the bedroom and one in the living room. His and hers. At least one is on almost all of the time. But that would be our life anywhere...
     So, what else? The main difference may be the expenses or savings compared to a large house. Our rent is $400/month plus electric and propane gas (approx. $100 for both). We have cell phones instead of a land line ($98). We do not have to pay for trash pick up, water, sewer, cable tv or internet. That is much different from most people's expenses. We have other bills, of course, but these are our monthly housing costs, plus $200 payment on the motorhome itself.
     Cooking has been a challenge because of the small space to work in and the small refrigerator. The best solution, so far, has been to buy frozen dinners. The Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice types are great tasting and "healthy", low calorie dinners, along with a salad. Contessa also makes packaged meals that cook on the stove in about 10 minutes.  I also have a crock pot and occasionally will make a bean soup.  I am attempting to assemble an outside kitchen to use in the summer. I will see how that goes.
     We are able to save on our propane usage by using the park's showers, which are only a few feet away from our RV.  They are cleaned daily and not used by many people, so it is a good option for us, besides having better water pressure and more hot water than a shower in the motorhome, and it allows us to use our motorhome shower stall for an extra closet. I hung a tension shower rod up and use that for hanging clothes.
     Although our park also has its own laundry, we use a local laundromat. It has become a weekly outing for us and we are able to save some money also because they offer free drying. (I am always looking to save, as you can tell.)
     One downside has been that the dogs need to be walked several times a day. We don't have a fenced yard to just let them run in.  I guess we were spoiled when we lived in our own home with a fenced yard. But it's good exercise for us, so I really shouldn't complain. But it isn't a lot of fun when the weather is bad out.
     I go off to work every morning. I clean houses and do shopping for elderly people. My husband, Duane, is able to work from home most of the time. He is a carpet and flooring rep. Every few weeks though, he has to travel for a week at a time. That's when I get some good cleaning done in the motorhome. It's hard to do much when he is home.
     His next trip is scheduled to begin this Sunday, on the 10th. I am planning on working on the window coverings and also the couch. I bought fabric to make a new cover for it.  However, I am also scheduled to work all weekend, so we shall see what I am able to accomplish.

Online Gallery

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=my_artfire&op=edit_new
I am opening an online gallery for my creations. Stop by in a few weeks to see what I have made.

Bargain hunting

My latest bargain hunting adventure was to find the potted Christmas trees at Lowe's being sold for 75% off at $1.46 each. I bought 12. Now where was I going to plant these since I live in a motorhome in a park? From two freecyclers I received 12 kitty litter buckets. Now I need to get paint to cover the labels and some soil. These will surround the motorhome and act as a kind of skirting to keep wind from blowing underneath us and they should also offer us some shade as they get bigger.

Crafts I made for Christmas

Way back in the '80's I always made homemade Christmas gifts. This year I started up again.  For most of the girls I made a purse organizer.  I found this website: http://thegivingflower.de/?p=920 and followed  her directions. Of course, empty, with no explanation, no one was able to guess what it was, which was funny. I also made another gift for my mom which puzzled her. I don't even know what to call it. I saw one at a friend's house and just copied it. I found a pretty picture frame at a thrift store, took out the print, glass and backing. Cut a bulletin board to the same size as the backing and inserted it into the frame, after covering it with a loose weave fabric. Then I bought some pearl beaded straight pins and put a few of them on it, to give her a clue. It can be used to hang your jewelry up on. It looks pretty on the wall and is useful. But what to call it? Any ideas? I also made curtains for my granddaughters' bedroom. I think I caught the crafting bug again. I have so many ideas floating around in my mind and I am anxious to get going on them. Even in my little RV, I find a corner to stash my stuff. I also have a daughter living close by who lets me keep my sewing machine at her house. That's a big help. This RV is too small to set one up.

Welcome to my blog about living in a motorhome fulltime

Welcome!

I live full time in a 1996 Allegro motorhome with my husband and three dogs (a pug, a schnoodle and a beagle). We didn't plan this life, but it just happened and we have been here for just over a year. Seeing how the economy doesn't seem to be improving much, this seems to be the way it may be for a long time. So I have learned to accept it and make the best of it. I have much to be thankful for. I have good health, a job I enjoy, a good church and friends, my children and grandchildren.

Since we will likely be here for awhile, I have been thinking of ways to make it homier. I bought some reflective insulation but need to exchange it for a larger size roll, to put on the windows. I thought of putting in the warm window http://www.warmcompany.com/wwpage.html#, but it is a bit too pricey for us right now, so I will insulate the windows with this reflective insulation and then make some roman type shades. I found a great idea today that I will be copying: http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2009/02/make-shades-out-of-mini-blinds.html