RV Chickadee

Okay, I’ll be honest. This life is GREAT, but not every day is completely and totally off the chain with adventure and wonder.

Daily life still comes with its rigamarole and challenges.
I have been hanging out on BLM land (It’s free!) in Southern Arizona for almost a week now at the same area with a small group of new friends parked nearby.

Slowly, most of them have departed, leaving just a few who will also be leaving in a couple of days, including myself.
Yesterday was laundry day requiring an 11-mile drive into town.

See? Regular daily life still applies.

I also had to go to the post office and mail a couple of things and get my address permanently changed.

Wait… Here’s a little rant… due to my ADD glory, I ended up visiting the laundromat and the post office TWICE yesterday. I had an incorrect address on the box the first P.O. trip, and I LEFT half of a load in a dryer at the laundromat.

Don’t ask. Just understand these sort of mistakes are a constant/normal part of my life! Rant over.

RV life challenge example:

Yesterday I was minding my own business doing some online work when I looked up to see what my battery charge level was at. (I have a digital meter) The meter was OFF. This was not good.

After checking breakers and a few other things I was at a complete loss as to what was wrong.

Luckily there were still people here from the group who I could seek out for help. I knocked on Clark and Lynn’s motorhome of Tales From The Mutiny and asked Clark if he could take a look.

He came over to check it out. The batteries were tested with my voltmeter (which up to this point, I did not know how to test the batteries with it.)  and they showed a decent charge of 12.5.

Perplexed, we went back inside, and while simply gazing at the fuses, the power popped back on.

I suppose Clark has a very electric personality to be able to correct a problem simply by LOOKING at it! Thanks, Clark!

Now I know how to use my voltmeter. I have found that the learning curve for batteries, charging and solar are all going to come with time and experience.

This has been the consensus of everyone who I have talked to. It is frustrating because I want to know and understand all of it NOW.

It’s actually quite complicated, but I am learning.

Let’s see…

I work daily, I walk The Girls, eat a couple of meals a day, clean the RV,  clean my truck…

I get my oil changed, blah blah blah- all of that stuff doesn’t change.

The good part is that I can change the view of my surroundings, or change who my neighbors are at any time.

Also- with this group, we usually have a huge community campfire around sunset till everyone goes to bed. This is a wonderful perk of this lifestyle.

Sometimes it’s complete with guitar, food and always with good company.

I still have to go to the grocery store and the gas station. I still have errands to run. I still have to clean my place up. (Especially here in Arizona it’s pretty darn Dusty!)

Once every few weeks, I have to dump my gray and black tanks. I have to turn on my generator twice daily for a few hours at a time to recharge my batteries.

And I must say, My YAMAHA freaking generator has done my ass VERY well.

I would buy it again so get one if you know what’s good for your batteries.

I have to turn on a switch to get hot water, then turn it off after I’m finished to save propane. I must refill my RV water tank when it’s empty.

But they DID! I have found a water filler that screws onto my stupid valve.I have to refill my propane tanks when they’re empty.  I have large tanks so the last quite a while a few weeks depending on the outside temperature.

What do I not have to do anymore? Mow the lawn. Maintain a three bedroom two bath home.
Drive the same route Every. Single. Day.

No worries about hurricanes. Wait, actually, I still do have to worry there. I have a rental home back in Florida!

I don’t have to be IN the hurricane, though!
I don’t have to worry about neighbors. Or barking dogs. Or solicitors!

No more miserably humid summer days. No Florida mosquitoes/fire ants/wasps stinging me. I don’t have mounting possessions to clean, move around, store, fix and maintain.

All I have and need fits nicely into my RV and truck.

It’s more freeing than I can express in writing. I enjoy the constant learning experiences I get with this lifestyle.

I enjoy meeting new friends and I have made a lot of them. I hadn’t made a new friend back home for quite a while.

I look forward to each day.

I full-time R.V.!

Thank you for following and reading along!