The RV Life for a Dog

We are living the dream, so our Chippy dog is too.  His favorite thing is to sit here in this chair looking out the window hoping that some squirrel will come by and he can bark them to death.

Most of the time Chippy the 6 pound miniature curly haired Rottweiler (aka Toy Poodle) has free run of the house, but there are times when he needs to be crated.  Sometimes it is for his protection.  Once I ran a quick errand and came back and he had hopped onto the kitchen counter (he used the couch as a ladder) and ate a plate of almond pancakes.  Six pound dogs don't need to eat five almond pancakes.  So, I typically put him in the crate to avoid potentially vomitous situations.

Sometimes, it is for our neighbor's protection.  He barks less when he is crated. So if we are parked in an RV park where others could hear him barking, into the crate he goes.  

He has been crated since he was little bitty and it is his safe place.  

If he isn't feeling well, he voluntarily goes to the crate.  

If he's feeling guilty, he goes to the crate.  

If he needs a timeout, he is sent to the crate.  

Sometimes he even hides food in the crate for a later snack (that's where we found the rest of the almond pancakes).

Ray at LoveYourRV.com has this to say about crating your dog.

Many times the dogs will have to stay behind in the rig. Sometimes it’s because we are going shopping and they can’t be left in a sunny truck or it’s a hike in National park and no dogs are allowed. We have found the best way to do it is to leave them inside their kennels in the rig. This really made sense after the carpet eating incident. If they are in the kennels they feel secure, won’t be trying to see out the windows causing stress or if they fall an injury, and most important with beagles…. won’t eat stuff. When leaving the less fuss the better soon they will know the drill and if properly exercised will likely curl up and sleep till you return.

Now, when we lived in a 3801 sq ft house, there were plenty of places to keep a crate.  After all, that 1 extra square foot over 3800 came in handy!  BUT, in a RV, space is limited.  In fact, if there is unused space then the RV designer did not do their job (another post for another day....finding all the hidey-holes in an RV).  So, where would I put the crate?  We had to have that safe, timeout, bark-less crate and I really didn't want to trip over it in the middle of the night.

So, I found a hidey-hole.  Since there are only 2 of us living here, I took one of the chairs and put it in the basement (Yes, RVs have basements - another post on another day) and put the crate in its place!  (I'm especially proud of this discovery/idea).

If you are looking for a hidey-hole in your home, I recommend purchasing the Midwest Life Stages Folding Metal Dog Crate.  It has a door on the side and the end, perfect for odd spaces.  You can click here for the link to this crate.  

If you need help finding that hidey-hole, I am available for consultations.

Traveling with Dog Disasters

Occasionally, traveling with a dog is quite disastrous.  Like the one time that the RV door didn't get closed and our daughter found our dog ALL the way across the park.  She said we were bad parents.  I reminded her that SHE was still alive. Lucky duck.

Sometimes, traveling with a dog is quite hilarious.  Once while driving through New Mexico in a light snow, we stopped to get gas.  Hubby left the keys in the car and the rest of us got out to go to the bathroom (read "get snacks" for the kids).  Guess what? The dog got excited and ran to the window and placed his little bitty paw on the automatic door lock.  Here's what I learned from that little episode.

1.  Onstar considers it an emergency if a pet or person is locked in the car.
2.  When you call Onstar, they are very concerned about said pet and ask if they are ok.
3.  Onstar does not care about the fact that the car was locked because the dog stepped on the "lock" button while you were pumping gas.  
4. Onstar can even talk to the dog while they are unlocking the car and you are standing outside in 32 degree weather with no coat cause it's in the car.
5.  Gas stations in the middle of New Mexico do not keep the phone number for Onstar handy.
6.  When you have an Onstar account, you should put their number in your phone. 


I think that these are good tips for anyone traveling with a dog.  Number one being "Don't leave the keys in the ignition."

Also, please don't leave your dog in the car when it is very hot or very cold.  It's very dangerous and that is exactly why Onstar considers it an emergency.  

If you RV, please don't leave your pet in the RV during extreme temperatures if you aren't heating or cooling it.  AND never put your pet in a crate inside the RV while you are pulling it down the road.  You just never know what might happen.

One time we opened our RV up after traveling and found this:

The knife fell off the magnetic rack and landed point down in the floor.  That could kill a pet.  For real. 

If you have seen the movie "The Long, Long Trailer" with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, then you KNOW what can happen to someone who is riding in the RV while traveling down the road.

If you haven't seen the movie, click here to purchase it.  You'll love it!  It's very worth the 5 bucks.

Pitter Patter

If you have never slept in an RV during a gentle rain, you are missing out on one of lives greatest pleasures.  Best.sleep.ever!!!!

For real, you seriously need to put this on your bucket list.  You will wake refreshed and well rested.

In fact, I might be willing to trade with you.  You can sleep in my RV on a rainy afternoon if I can nap on a floaty in your pool on a sunny day.

Truly.

I wonder if I could record the sound and load it to iTunes and make money?  After all, someone videoed their fireplace and put it on Netflix and people really watch it when they don't have a fireplace and want the ambience of one.  I'm gonna try it!  I'll keep you posted since inquiring minds (like you) want to know.

Not wandering, but dreaming of a wander

Well, I have not posted because we are still not wandering.  We are in the RV parked in our friends' driveway in the hot, humid hub of Houston...living the dream.

It's NOT the dream we envisioned, yet.  But, it is a step in the right direction.

We CAN be mobile.
We CAN pack up and leave in about an hour.
We HAVE drastically cut our outgoing expenses.
We are just waiting for dream financing.

But, it has taken me months to realize that although I thought this blog would be about our wanderings, it can still be about PREPARING to wander.  Some of you might find it interesting.  I still get questions all the time about the "full timer" lifestyle.  Inquiring minds want to know.

So, I will resurrect the blog. You just need to read it, like it, follow it, subscribe to it, tweet about it; whatever floats your boat, or rather, rolls your wheels.  Do it!  We'll dream a little together.

What are you dreaming about?  What are you doing to make that dream come true?

Potty Talk

Um, uh, where do you go to the, uh, bathroom?

Not in the yard, not in the shower, not in the woods, not down the road at the gas station.  We, uh, "go" in the bathroom

We have a full bathroom.  It seems that some people have had some experience with some very old RVs.  And yes, some old RVs had "wet rooms."  Imagine one room with the shower and toilet together.  You sit on the toilet and shower.  Some people maybe thinking "How convenient!"  If you thought that, you are a different kind of camper than me.  You are the kind who sleeps on the ground possibly in a tent and uses leaves for tp.  Me?  I'm not that kind of girl.  I'm not even that kind of person.  I'm the "One step away from a Marriot" kind of girl.  My RV is something like a hotel room with wheels.

I have a separate toilet.  It even flushes.  It's even tankless.  (Impressed?  It's like a "green" thing.)

Where does the, um, "product" go?  Good question.  It goes into a "Human Waste" tank which is also called "black water."  I'm thinking it's called that because when it is all mixed together, it may or may not be black.  Every once in a while, Scot goes and pulls a lever and "whoosh" the black water flows through the tube-like hose and into the sewer.  If you have seen "RV", it is NOTHING like that.  IF it was I'd be doing some serious videoing.

If you have never seen RV with Robin Williams, you have totally missed out on a treat.  Here is the clip of the very funny Robin Williams trying to dump his RV.  

http://klipd.com/watch/rv/waste-dump-scene 

I'm am very excited to report this news flash!!!!  People have asked me what do you miss about your house?  My answer was "two-ply" toilet paper.  Because, you want to use special RV toilet paper that will disintegrate easily.  However, I'm not a fan of disintegration in my hand.  TRULY, not a fan.  So, you would not believe how excited I was when I found RV 2-ply tp.  I was soooo excited I even texted some friends.  It's the little things that make me totally happy.

Now, I have to come up with a new answer.  What do I miss????  I'll have to get back to you later.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

How do you stay warm in this super cold weather?

We've received this question a lot!  Believe it or not, we keep pretty snuggly.  Here's why:

First, small spaces warm up quickly.  We figure we have around 400 square feet.  That is easy to heat.

Two, our RV is specially designed for all four seasons.  Which works out pretty well if you live in Houston year round since there are only two seasons - summer and not summer.   But since our dream is to travel someday, we went for the big, super-duper, all season, be prepared, bonus insulation.  So far so good.

Three, RV's do come with heating implements.  We have a furnace that runs on propane.  It has a digital thermostat JUST LIKE A HOUSE!!!!

 I don't have to go outside and light it or anything.  However, one night in Tennessee we ran out of propane and Scot had to go outside about 2am and switch to the other propane tank.  I stayed in bed.  I'm a creature of comfort.


Four, here's the big deal:  we also have an electric fireplace.  It even has a remote.  Pretty fancy, huh??  It's ok for you to be jealous.

Here's the run down.

• Our bedroom is actually the second warmest room in the house.  Which works out great for us.  We can snuggle under the comforter till the hot flashes force me to kick off the covers.  Then I don't freeze. 
• The warmest room is actually the bathroom which is right above the furnace.  That is great because stepping out of the shower is pretty toasty warm. 
• Madeline says her cupboard is warm too.  Maybe even too warm for her Mickey Mouse footsie jammies.  (She calls her room a cupboard, I call it a ROOM and then tell her that it is bigger than Harry Potter's and he turned out just  fine.)
• The livingroom/diningroom/kitchen (an all-in-one combo) is the coldest room in the house until Scot gets up in the morning and turns on the fireplace.  Yes, we have a fireplace.  Some of you might call it a space heater, but it has real "flames" and is built-in like a fireplace.  Therefore, it IS a fireplace.

If I get really cold, I bundle up with lots of clothes.  We've been in 26 degree weather and we were snug as a bug in a rug with an excuse for a hot cup of cocoa.

Warmly,

The Wandering Wursters

Our First Road Trip

Well, we wandered.  We hit the road.  We mosied down I-10.  Scot is particularly impressed that we only went into one ditch (at the end of the driveway....we had gone 300 feet before we "ditched it."  I guess that is when it's good to have a "SUPER DUTY" truck.  Crisis averted.

Did I mention that while we "hooked up" it was misting/raining.  So, then we had to drive down the muddy 300 foot driveway.  If it was a comedy, we would've gotten stuck.  S-T-U-C-K.  If you've ever seen "The Long, Long Trailer" with Lucy and Desi, - that kind of stuck.  If you haven't, you have truly missed out on a treat!

I took this picture for you.  This is the view out the back window.  Don't worry.  We have great mirrors that stick WAY out.  We can almost see all the way to the back.  :)

Then we got down the road.  We'd been gone maybe 20 minutes and Emily called.

Me:  Hello?
Em:  Um, I just wanted you to know that your trailer isn't there.
Me:  WHAT?
Em:  I think maybe your trailer was stolen.  It's gone.
Me:  Uh....no.  We just left with it.
Em:  Ohhhhhh!  Good.

We had horrible traffic and it was raining all before we got our of Houston.  (Houston is really BIG).  Scot was really pleased with how the 5th wheel pulls.  It's much better than pulling a trailer (less sway) and better than a motorhome (less rattling).

We stopped and got "The BEST Burger" (according to the sign).   I think that if they claim it's the best, I should definitely try it.  You never know when they are telling the truth.  It was yummy and we didn't hit a ditch on the way out.  Bonus.

Finally, we reached our destination, Frog City RV Park.  I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that we are in Louisiana.  I haven't heard any frogs, but I can hear the interstate.  It's not quite the same.

This state makes me laugh.  I have seen the funniest signs in Louisiana.  I sure would like to hear the stories behind signs like this:

Tomorrow we move on to Mississippi to see our kiddos.  I'm sure it will be an adventure!

Yummy pies

So, one of the questions that people have asked about my RV....

How do you cook?

Now this is a question I have never asked.  Normally, I ask what should I cook?  It seems to be the question I ask everyday.  WHAT SHOULD WE HAVE FOR DINNER?  It's "The Dinner Dilemna."  But, that's another blog.  I have never asked HOW I should I cook it.

Anyway, I know that was not really the question.  What these people are really asking is how can you cook?  Basically, they have no clue how today's RVs are equipped.

I have an oven.

It's small, but it cooks.  I've made a meatloaf and this pie:

(So, I am better at baking than cutting....no judging, please.)

I also have a microwave.

It's small, but I will use it to heat up my lunch tomorrow.

Side note:  This gluten free pizza came from Papa Murphy's pizza.  I sure hope that Papa Murphy's hears about this blog and asks me to review their pizza BECAUSE  - IT IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!

Side note #2:  I also baked this in the oven.  Well, technically, in all honesty....Scot baked it.  I was watching "Dancing With the Stars."  

The cooktop is just a cooktop, but my fab hubby made this delicious omelet on it.

(It's ok for you to be jealous.)

We also have a grill.  We could grill outside.  I have no pictures because it is dark and cold and basically.....I'm not going outside to shoot a bad photo.  Think steaks, big, fat and juicy steaks.

So, basically, in this RV, I can make anything that you can make in your kitchen.  Oh, I can even use a crock pot.  That's tomorrow night - soup.

On a final note, Scot thought this post should be about how many hot dogs we've had to eat in the past few weeks.  Hot dogs that were cooked over a fire that he started by rubbing two sticks together. Hmmm...some night that I don't want to cook....that might be an idea!

No, we aren't crazy.

No, we aren't crazy.  Well, I guess it would be more accurate to say that WE don't think we are crazy. Some of you probably think we are stark raving mad, but guess what....we aren't.  We are just following a dream.

I am starting this new blog to debunk some myths, answer some questions, and hopefully entertain the masses (AKA the 25 people who read my blogs).

So, here is our life in a nutshell.

We sold our house after living in it for 16 years.  We said good bye to 3801 square feet containing 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 2 living areas, 2 dining areas, a kitchen, study, sunroom and workshop.  We said good bye to our LOVELY pool and backyard.  We said good bye to our 3 car garage.

We said hello to a 39 foot 5th wheel.  That's an RV that gets pulled by a truck.  So, we had to say hello to a new-to-us truck, too.  We now have 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, and a living/dining/kitchen area.

We've gotten two reactions.  They are exact opposites.  Nobody really asks anything in between.

• Are you REALLY living in an RV?  (said in the "have you lost your mind" tone of voice)

OR

• I am so jealous!  You are my hero.  (said in a tone that makes me think they're going to ask for my autograph)

Then they ask questions like:

• How do you cook?
• Where are you parked?
• How are you faring in these cold temperatures?
• What did you do with all your stuff?
• What are you doing for ice?
• Did you ask your children about this?
• When are you taking off in this RV?
• Do you drive it?
• How long are you going to stay in it?
• What did you do with all your stuff?
• Don't you miss your house?
• Don't you miss your pool?
• What about your kids?  Where will they sleep?
• What did you do with all your stuff?
• How do you watch tv?
• How big is it?
• What will Scot vacuum?

So, I will attempt to answer these questions in the future.  Today, I will answer the one that I feel is the most important.

Yes, we asked our children.  We even asked our parents.  And other than the fact that my parents really don't want us to move away or leave, they are all supportive.

We spend hours and hours searching for an RV that would still give Madeline a place to "come home" and Michael and Mysie still have a place to come visit.  We finally found one that was currently being built and would be ready one week before our house closed.  Perfect timing.  :)

This was not a decision made in haste.  We did lots of research, lots of planning, lots of praying and over and over we found confirmation in our desire to eventually hit the road.

Right now, we are enjoying the "no mortgage, no utilities" lifestyle and plan to sock away some money so that we can eventually travel.  I think that we will eventually go back to a house.  We have put the money from our house away so that it is there when we want to settle down.

So, we invite you to wander this road with us.  For the next few months, we will let you in on all our RV secrets, dish out the good and the bad of RV living, answer your questions, and hopefully peak your interest.  Someday, maybe we can all travel together!!!!

Let us know what you want to know.  Ask your questions in the comment section and I will answer them.