Monthly Archives: March 2020

How Am I Doing? How Are You Doing?

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Give it a week or two, a day or two, an hour or two and all of our lives change. I never would have guessed that I would be in lockdown due to a novel virus. I would never have guessed that I would have to figure out how to self-quarantine in a tiny motorhome. I would have never guessed that I would not have to live alone in my rig. I would have never guessed.

I am doing well. Just days before the Coronavirus became overwhelming, my friend, Cynthia, had elective surgery. Her right foot was operated on and she is non-weight bearing on her right leg for five weeks. I had offered to help her and her husband, Ward with the recovery. I was moved into their home and then the Coronavirus hit. These good and kind friends invited me to stay for as long as need be (or until they are weary of me). So, here I am isolated in a nice home with two good friends. We chat, play games, watch Netflix or Prime and wait it out. When we need alone time we all go to our corners, my bedroom, Ward’s office, and Cynthia is in the downstairs of the house. So far we are making it work with ease.

Fanita Ranch

My rig is in the driveway so I can visit it. It also gives me a wee bit of freedom to find alone time if I need it. I can drive to a view and sit in my rig and enjoy the change. The other day I drove to Santee for a possible Elsie the Cat sighting. The cat did not pan out, however, I had the opportunity to walk out on some open land, Fanita Ranch and enjoy the spring flowers. I was the only one there.

For most of us, we are in an unknown state. As a nation, we are trying to figure it out. We are struggling to do what is right. Doing what is right takes a bit of “moral muscle”. On a beautiful day in San Diego can I really not go to the beach, bay or mountains? Yes! It is hard to stay away from places I love yet, for now, I will remain distant and wait. I will need to continue to ask myself the hard questions about what is right, over what it is I really want to do. Hopefully, the answers will remain the correct ones for each given situation.

I am concerned about my friends who are living single. I am very aware that I have found myself in a fortunate situation. One of my solo friends stated, “I am an introvert, I like to be alone, but I like being able to get out and visit with friends”. What do you other singles do to help with true social isolation? What are the unique things you have found to keep yourself entertained and patient? I reach out with phone calls or texts because this is the best I can do at the moment. This morning I discovered Zoom and was able to visit with one of my single friends where we could see each other and talk.

I have been learning new skills and reactivating old, unused ones. Since Cynthia is non-weight bearing on her right leg, I am the head chef in the house. I have great instructions (Cynthia) and cookbooks to guide me in my cooking. I have not cooked so much in years. And there are so many cool tools to use in this kitchen. I have found that the right tools make the job so much easier. Last night I made broccoli soup. It was delicious. I have cooked chicken a few different ways, created lunches and more. Cynthia helps out where she can. It helps that the freezer is stocked and we can order home delivery for veggies and fruit. Ward and I have figured out how to help each other in the kitchen. It is more fun to cook for others. Cooking for one is often a disappointing affair for me.

I wonder how my friends and others who follow my blog are doing? Please let me know. I hope you are all well and working on thriving in this very odd situation we find ourselves in. Know that I think of all of you, the world and the people within it, often with love and kindness.

Still finding small and large reasons to be thankful.

It has come to my attention, recently that some of you would like to receive notices of new posting on my blog without access to Facebook. All you need to do is scroll to the link on this page titled Follow My Blog (it is underneath the pic of my rig), click on it, and add your email to the link. That way you don’t have to find them on FB and can receive a simple notification via email when a new post is published. If you find this is not easy to do let me know and I can send you an invitation. 

Dollhouses, Kayaks, Moving Forward

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An Example of a Queen Ann Style Dollhouse

Years ago, more than I can remember, Jim (my husband) and I decided to build a dollhouse. A good friend of mine had mentioned that she would love to have a Queen Ann style dollhouse. Sharon is someone we both loved. She wanted a dollhouse and so we built her a dollhouse. This was not just a wee dollhouse, it was at least 2-3 feet tall. We shingled, wallpapered, carpeted, painted it and more. It was an adventure we enjoyed together. I don’t remember how long it took us to build. It was months by the time we finished it. It was a labor of love. Every moment we worked on was rewarded by Sharon’s reaction when we presented the finished product to her

Building the first one was so much fun that we decided to build a second one for Jim’s niece. This second house was just as much fun as the first. After it was completed it went home to Chris.

Once the second dollhouse was complete we decided to move onto a much larger adventure. Jim and I had been planning to buy kayaks for some time. It was Jim’s suggestion that we try to build our own. After much research, we narrowed our search to two companies, Pygmy Boats, and Chesapeake Light Craft. Chesapeake Light Craft became our company of choice. Did we want to use their blueprints or build from a kit? What was the difference between the two? The blueprint meant we would have to find the wood, cut it into the shapes we needed and find all the components that were needed to put it together. The kit came with all the wood pieces cut into the shapes we needed. All the screws, nails, rolls of fiberglass, epoxy glue and more were included. We decided on the kit.

We were both working full time. The kayak building was done on weekends and nights. We were busy. Jim was certainly the lead on the building, I was a very active second in command. In approximately six months the first boat was complete. We painted her red and named her Whistling Woman. I was reading a book titled A Whistling Woman is Up to No Good. This book showed women of the ’90s how to express their wildness, describing how they can get in touch with their true natures and express themselves in a sometimes-disapproving society. The first kayak was mine.

It took us six more months to finish the second kayak. We had learned a bit from the first kayak so the second one was easier to put together. It was five pounds lighter. When it was complete it was painted forest green and named Ronin, after one of Jim’s favorite movies. The second one was Jim’s.

After launching them successfully on Mission Bay, in San Diego, our kayaking adventures started. We took classes through Aqua Adventures and an independent boating store. We learned how to capsize our boats, turn them over and re-enter them. Learning to come in through the waves on the ocean was a challenge. It was fun to get wet. Kayaking into a strong wind also presented us with new challenges.

The kayaks were frequently out on the water. Early, Sunday mornings often found us back on Mission Bay. We would kayak until the other boat traffic would get heavy, then retire to a coffee house to enjoy the rest of the morning. As we became more proficient with kayaking, the learning curve is quick, we ventured further afield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took them camping on the lower Colorado River, on the back bay at Newport Beach. When we finally felt brave enough we went camping and kayaking throughout California, making sure to spend time on the lakes and bays. It was fun to combine our love of camping with the joy of kayaking.

After Jim died I continued to kayak. My tactics changed. First I had to figure out how to get my kayak on the roof of the Subaru Outback. Then I had to figure out how to get it off the roof. I got very good at asking others for help. Kayakers are a nice group of people and I never had to search far for assistance.

Three years ago I started my nomadic full-time existence in my Roadtrek RV. I sold my house in Southern California, moved what I wanted to keep into storage, including the kayaks and began my full-time traveling adventure.

I have been thinking of the kayaks often over the past year. I have held onto them for emotional reasons. Jim and I built them. They were a precious reminder of our life together. They were a reminder of this very loving and unique man I married. Over the past year, I decided these kayaks needed to find a loving home, where they would be used and cared for. Keeping kayaks in storage is not the best use for any boat.

October 2019, I decided that I was OK with selling them. I had a few requirements.

  • They need to go to a loving home.
  • They need to be used.
  • I need pictures of them once in a while so I can see they will be enjoyed and loved.
  • They are not to return to a storage unit.

With Elsie’the Cat’s disappearance the kayaks, once again were put on the back burner. Trying to find Elsie was the number one priority. Unfortunately, Elsie is still missing.

Early in March, I decided to proceed with the selling of the kayaks. I spiffed them up, took pictures and after advertising them to friends, I put them up for sale on Craigslist, Nextdoor, OfferUp, and Facebook Marketplace. The offers started coming in. How was I going to choose? Just as I was preparing to sit down and sort out all the offers, a friend contacted me. He wanted to buy both kayaks and I would get visiting privileges. That, is a sweet deal. They will be going to someone I know. I have no doubt they will be loved and taken care of. Any time I want, I can ask Jon how they are doing. Maybe I will get an occasional picture. And…I have visiting privileges.

On a blustery afternoon in San Diego county, three of us loaded them on the top of Jon’s truck and off they went to their new home. It was hard to see them go, yet I know that it was the right thing to do. They weigh in at 40-45 pounds. I no longer have a car to haul them. They are 16 feet long, making them to long to fit in or on the back of my RV. The bottom line, I want them to be used and not just sitting and waiting to be used. It is the best way to honor them and to honor Jim.

I am content. I can look at this as a sad farewell or another step forward in my life. Maybe I can find a smaller kayak that will fit my needs better (12 feet sounds right to me). Maybe I can manage without one at all. Or maybe I will just decide to build myself another boat. the opportunities are endless as my life moves forward, one step at a time.

 

 

 

 

Updates & Plans

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I am now three weeks out from my Radioactive Iodine treatment. It was much harder than I had anticipated, yet I am doing well and recovering on my own timeline. I now have to remind myself it is time to figure out how to get back to normal, whatever that is. Each day I am a little less tired and I begin to think about the future at least a little.

I have been getting questions from friends near and far, regarding how I am doing. Now that February and the first two weeks in March are over, I am realizing that I can begin to consider my future. I still deal with tinnitus but after a visit to my acupuncturist, Gayle the humming is a bit quieter. I appreciate that the birds don’t have to compete for my attention so much.

I am officially not glowing however, the Radioactive Iodine will continue to make it’s way out of my body for eighty days. I can still set off Geiger Counters and alarms at the borders. I have a card I need to carry with me until mid-May that I present if I am stopped anywhere. I will probably set off alarms if I drive into Arizona. I continue to do what I need to do to stay healthy. Drinking a lot of water is still first on the list. Getting enough rest is another.

I still have to wait until early April to have my labs drawn. These labs will tell if I am on the correct dose of Synthroid or whether I need to change it up, again. I will also get a Thyrogen level, which should be close to 0. I have had my full body scan which is normal. Yes!!! If all goes well then I am free to go for hopefully another year.

What is next? Well isn’t that just a loaded question. I have been offered a great opportunity to house-sit for friends on Whidbey Island, off the coast of Seattle for six months. Oooh, what is a girl to do? I am still in the considering phase but each day that I ponder this, I am more and more inclined to accept this offer.

Two years ago, Elsie (the still missing kitty) and I spent a summer in the northwest. I really liked it. I liked the small towns. I liked the people. I liked the access to the water and the mountains as well. I have been considering changing up my travel methods and have begun to plan to stay in places for longer so I can determine where I might want to settle. My first thought was to find a rental in Monterey. I love it there. Then this opportunity arose and well a woman can change her mind.

I started to write this post about a week ago. So much has changed in that time. I am holed up like so many in this country in the safety of my rig. I have wonderful friends in San Diego. Yvonne has kindly offered me her driveway for the past week or so. I sit on the top of a small hill, secure from the world, and have been practicing social isolation in the best of forms. Some mornings, I meet Yvonne in her hot tub. We have been catching up on movies and reality TV. Another day I drove to my friend, Nancy’s house and happily weeded in her front yard for three hours. I have been enjoying quiet and healing time.

Today, I am getting ready to move. My friends, Cynthia and Ward, who have helped me through all things Thyroid Cancer related are welcoming me back to their home. Several years ago I fell while hiking in the desert and broke my right ankle. I had to be off of that leg for seven weeks. I remember how hard it was to adjust to being down one leg, especially for the first few weeks. It would have been so much easier to have someone help me while I got used to my new temporary life. Tomorrow, Cynthia is going to have elective surgery on her foot. She will be non-weight bearing for five weeks. I have offered to help her and her husband out for a few weeks until they have their temporary lifestyle figured out.

This is what friends do for each other. This is all we can do for each other. We can lovingly and supportively help each other out. We can make life easier for ourselves and for others. This is what we do. Practicing kindness and caring is all I can do for myself and others. Even better is allowing myself to accept help and support and put my innate stubbornness on the back burner. So I am off to enjoy my friend’s company and help out the best way I know how. Maybe I will be able to learn a few new crochet stitches (Cynthia is my crochet mentor)  while I enjoy the company of my friends. And…I will continue to give my self the time I need to heal and gain strength.

For those of you who have asked or wondered, I am doing OK. I am grateful for your concern and questions. I am grateful for my friends. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.