What should I do today?

I just can't decide. I thought about going to Wal Mart in Willows, about 10 miles south, but there is a lot of road work being done nearby and I think they have closed some of the ramps to I-5. I took my shower this morning, just in case. The haircut I got after I finally found a salon and a place to park, is very short and really easy to deal with. I thought I would try not blowing it dry, but gave in and smoothed it out with a blast of hot air. I don't want to have to rely on a dryer if I need a generator to use it.

I'm not sure what has been wrong with me lately, but everything seems to fall apart at the same time. Maybe it's just me - I'm pretty short with the dogs as well. When I was in the process of selling my house I frantically searched for a suitable and affordable RV. I leaned towards 5th wheels, mainly from what I read and heard on the various RV forums and chats, and the nearly universal advice was "get the most space you can afford". I liked the idea of the separate bedroom & bath; not having to tow a smaller vehicle, and various other reasons. When I did go to an RV sales lot, the Class C's were just too expensive for me. Six months later with the current economy, I could find a number of C's that I could afford, but that was then and now is now.

I got an email from a woman who had read on one of the forums that I was searching for an RV. She told me her friend had a 5th wheel & truck she wanted to sell, and gave me a link to photos of the rig. I was blown away by the looks of it, the spaciousness, the many features I didn't think I'd be able to find, and best of all, the affordable price. By that time I was so sick and tired of the attitude of salesmen, I was glad to deal with an individual seller.

Maybe I was in too much of a hurry, but by this time I had sold my house and had no where to live. I stayed with my son & daughter-in-law for a while, but with my having two dogs it wouldn't have worked out for very long, and at the end of November 2008 I took possession of a 2004 Nu Wa Hitchhiker and 2002 Ford F-350. I love them both, and I love the lifestyle. I realize now that I actually don't need all this space (although the dogs probably do), and I'd be just as happy in something smaller and easier to maneuver. I still can't back the thing up and I haven't been moving it all that much, so haven't had the opportunity to practice. I'm parked here for two months, as an example, and no way am I going to hitch the 5ver to the truck to go find an empty parking lot to drive around in for an hour or so. It's just too much of an effort to hitch and unhitch, but I think it is something I could learn fairly easily if I practiced it enough.

I can't put into words what I think of the space I have. My kitchen is in the rear of the unit and is almost like it's own little room even though it doesn't look or feel closed in. But compared to my house there is relatively little counter space. I splash water all over when washing dishes, my hands, rinsing vegetables, etc. I'm not normally sloppy, but it ALWAYS splashes everywhere. I haven't figured out why. Even with a countertop extension there just isn't the workspace needed to chop vegetables, mix things, and the general preparation for a meal. Keep in mind there is just me, and how would it work for two people. It's frustrating to say the least, and I think I might as well have less space and fewer overheads to bump my head on.

In essence, I believe if I don't have the comforts and space of a house, then I want to live a minimal lifestyle - not just shrink the space for living the same way. I'm not sure what I mean by that so I can't explain it to you, but when I figure it out I will make it the subject of another post.

By the way, I've filled the holes in the cabinets with matchsticks and glue and the latches are ready to be put back on. The reason they are ready, but not finished, is that I still haven't figured out how to hold the door up in the open position while manipulating the latch in place and putting the screws back in. I sure have been using a lot of four letter words lately over this ordeal.