It's hot!

It is about 96F this afternoon, but the inside thermometer tells me it is about 75 so I suppose I'm cool. I just returned from walking Lady and even she was lagging.

This being the Sunday farmer's market day, I had planned to get up around 6 am. I awoke at 5 am to the sound of Lady, and she continued for an hour, licking, scratching, yawning, and all those annoying sounds dogs make. But at 5 in the morning right next to my bed? I would have given her away if someone had come along who wanted an obnoxious dog!

I couldn't resist the various kinds of squash - the smaller ones seem to be the most flavorful and I bought a few of at least 4 different varieties. Potatos, onions, parsley, spinach, and of course bing cherries, filled the bags I had brought with me. I mostly wandered around while Ara and Jeannie took their breakfast to the park. I knew I had enough coffee this morning and one more small cup would have caused me trouble - I don't know where the closest rest room is.

At one end are the meat and fish vendors - all organic, of course. Chickens and capons; pork, beef, & lamb. What I liked best this morning were the open tanks of live fish: white sturgeon, bass, carp, and catfish. The sturgeon are huge! Those were just the fish still swimming - another section had all sorts of fish iced down.

I was tempted to buy some raw almonds, but I'll get them another day. There were also a few garbanzo beans left, but they must have been in their very natural raw state because they didn't look like any garbanzos I've ever seen. Not being crazy about them, I've seen them in salads but that's about all. (And don't mention that yukky "H" word - really don't like the stuff!)

I have never been one to spend money buying fresh flowers, but if I did it would be difficult to choose from all the flowers there. There are also hundreds of plants of all sizes and varieties, and everything looked so fresh and healthy. I love shopping there.

I want to switch topics here and share a comment I received on yesterday's blog. I have been trying so hard to be patient about getting good eyesight back, and I believe the doctor that things will be ok, but this comment just gave me a real lift. Since I think there are a few readers who are facing cataract surgery, I know you will be interested as well. I'd like to reiterate that in almost all cases the eye heals very quickly and with little or no problem. I just had to be one of those with the problem! So here is the comment:

"I just wanted to commiserate with you on your eyes. It's been 10 months since my cataracts were removed, and I'm seeing well now. For awhile, I had the same off/on again blurriness. It will all go away. Soon.
emjay"

Thank you so much "emjay" - you've made my day - and my week - and the month ahead.

I'm going full speed ahead on trip planning (actually, I'm planning for the next three years), but I will be so happy when my 5th wheel sells and I can shop for something else. I am in a real quandary about what to get. I like the idea of a truck camper (slide in), as I already have the truck, I wouldn't need to license a TC, I could drive it to the grocery, back into campsites, and so on. The main objection is that I have sworn I never again want to deal with waste water tanks and hoses as long as I live. It wasn't a big deal to me to begin with, but as time went on I grew to really dislike the task.

When I was parked somewhere for a while, as at Lassen and Fort Pulaski, I could leave the hose hooked into the sewer, and I usually kept the grey and galley tanks open. But the day before having to empty the black I would go out and close the two valves to the other tanks so I would have something to rinse the black water from the hose, and that gets old -- running in and out, opening and shutting valves. Also, when emptying the black tank I followed up with several gallons of water through the tank, and just the running back and forth was tiring and boring. It would be easier for one person to sit inside and pour the fresh water into the tank while the person outside is doing all the other stuff, but I've fretted about that long enough.

I just don't like that job, and I don't want to do it on any type of camper. This leads me to favoring a teardrop, which can be ordered any way you want - they can accommodate a kitchen sink with hot water heater and fresh & grey water storage, although the tanks wouldn't hold much. I decided if I go the teardrop route I would definitely forgo the sink. I can fill a dishpan and set it on a picnic table, and do the few dishes I have that way, and then dump the dishpan in a proper place. As a matter of fact, I have decided that for whatever type of camper I buy next (or a tent which is still in the running), I will use only disposable plates and cups. I hate disposables being tossed into the landfills, but I think as long as I stay with biodegradable products rather than plastic, I would do it for short periods of time. I might take a couple of sets of cutlery rather than use plastic, or else wash the plastic along with the cookpots.

So I'm still studying the issue and the verdict is far from being reached. Whatever I decide on will be something that meets MY needs, which are not necessarily those of the average RVer. If it was just me I would go for the teardrop, which I've wanted to own for years before I even knew what a 5th wheel was. An image recently came to my mind of stopping for the night in a heavy rain. A teardrop doesn't really require much setting up under most circumstances, but then I thought of running to get inside - WITH THE DOG! I'm not sure I could sleep next to a wet dog in such a small space. Normally I dry her paws and fur when I get inside the door, but I will have to get something that is large enough to accommodate that task. A large canopy seems to do the trick for most people, but setting it up would be much easier in good weather.

As I said, I'm looking at the possibilities and these plus a tent are my favorites. Sure, I would love a nice class B or a class C, but they cost a lot more money and I'm not keen to lose money on another RV through normal depreciation. If I could afford a late model that would be relatively problem free for a few years it would be one thing, although from what I read there are problems with most RV's, new and old. I won't return to full time RVing, but would like to take 3 month trips now and then. And finally, at my age I absolutely refuse to finance anything.