Paula is hosting February Love Me where we’re celebrating the season of amore by posting one thing we’re loving every day of February. Today, we saw temperatures above freezing for the first time in over 2 weeks. The sun is shining like diamond glints on the snow and little patches of road are starting to show through (which means travel will be easier). I’m remembering my high school days in Redondo Beach, California and I’m lovin’ the Beach Boys. This is a classic and massively underrated piece for it’s exquisite musical complexity.
For Paula’s February Love Me where we’re posting something we’re loving every day of February. Today I’m loving upbeat music. Specifically my “Bright and Perky” playlist and the song, “Brighter than the Sun” by Colbie Caillat.
Also for First Line Lyric Thursday, I’m selecting a line from a song and using it as the first line of a poem. This week’s entry is from “Brighter than the Sun” see the video after the poem. Chosen line: “Who am I to tell Fate where it’s supposed to go?”
Fated
Who am I to tell Fate where it’s supposed to go? To foreswear love’s right to bloom and grow? A heart that was broken when Fate intervened does not question the underlying need to mend all that was battered and torn to bind the bruised, haggard soul forlorn with empty heart and wearied soul you found me then and brought me home more joy found than we ever hoped to know who am I to tell Fate where it’s supposed to go?
Paula is our host for February Love Me where she says “Let’s celebrate the month of lurve by posting one thing we love every day throughout February.”
Today I’m loving … wait for it … running water. YES! After two weeks of sub-zero (Fahrenheit) weather, (for those of you on the Celsius scale we’ve ranged -18c to -28c) we have finally broken through into positive numbers (in Fahrenheit at least). And with that we’ve got running water to our RV once again. Although the RV park shower house is usable in freezing temps, it’s not as nice and cozy, and well … warm as my own postage stamp sized shower.
Paula is hosting February Love Me “Let’s celebrate the month of lurve by posting one thing we love every day throughout February.” And away we go. I’ve had to dig deep this month two weeks of temperatures below zero Fahrenheit with dangerous wind chills have left me a bit “well let me tell you what I’m NOT loving this February.” Now, now JP that’s not the spirit *shaking my head a bit and searching frantically for my hot tea*. So digging a little deeper today I’m loving: my local Coop bulk ordering. I’ve stocked up on some great deals in organic nuts and spices.
Paula’s hosting February Love Me “Let’s celebrate the month of lurve by posting one thing we love every day throughout February.” Today I’m loving my local library where I can acquire a long list of books, dvd’s various other fun stuff, all with the convenience of drive-thru.
Greetings fellow Spoonies, not Spoonies, and various other sentient beings (yeah waaaay too much SciFi around here). February is the month of love and Paula’s got the February Love Me Challenge going which is awesome. Today I’m loving my RV lifestyle.
Living full time (and by that I mean 24/7/365) in an RV can be a challenge. It’s also a lot of fun. In 2019 we made the decision to “come off the road” which simply put means we sold our motorhome and replaced it with a small 5th wheel which stays at the RV park year round. The membership park to which we belong offers a moving service, as well as both long and short term storage for the times we’re off site. Now we take vacations (well not so much this past year … stupid pandemic).
So here we are still “livin the dream.” The views and openess of Hart Ranch RV resort are awesome. You don’t get this kind of views in a house, well not one we can afford anyway. This week we’ve worked hard and overcome several challenges. The temperatures have been below zero farenheit for over a week and we are living in an RV none of which are designed for long term use. The inside stays pleasantly warm with our propane furnace, electric faux fireplace and a couple of tiny space heaters.
We lost running water sometime last week. Keeping fresh water running in arctic temps is difficult at best, so when the line freezes we disconnect the hose, bring it in to thaw and run on fresh water tanks until things begin to thaw. Generally, our heated water hose keeps us going as long as we stay somewhere near or above zero. Yesterday, our reserve tanks ran almost dry, so we bundled up, hooked up the hose and refilled the tanks. The next problem is the “black tank” yep, that’s the sewage holding tank. We drain twice a week and the problem in these temps is to keep the drain hose and the valves from freezing. To that end we have a small outdoor space heater (milkhouse heater) under the RV skirts which warms the underbelly enough to keep the drain hose running.
All of this requires outdoor work. A friend who spent 6 months working in antarctica told us it took an hour to don 25 pounds of clothes and gear, to go outside for 20 minutes and another hour to get out of said gear and was worth every minute of prep spent. So, we spend 20 minutes donning 15+ pounds of layered clothing and proceed outside to do 30 minutes of work. As Spoonies, we are acutely aware of the dangers presented by hypothermia, we stay out for 5-10 minutes then come inside, warm up, and go back out to finish. Wind chills are particularly dangerous. Extreme cold can exacerbate symptoms of autoimmune disease and both of us have neuropathy in feet and hands. Even clearing a path to the car can take waaaaay longer than expected. But … we adapt (we are Borg, we will adapt, yeah OK definitely too much SciFi).
So there you have it, a day in the life of two almost cryogenically frozen Spoonie SoDaks (South Dakotans).
Til next time ~bundle up, stay warm, stay safe ~JP
Paula’s hosting February Love Me where we are challenged to post something we love every day for the month of Love. Today, I’m loving my coloring books so calming for filling these frigid afternoons.
Paula’s hosting February Love Me: “Let’s celebrate the month of lurve by posting one thing we love every day throughout February.”
Temps here are below zero farenheit, again. Wind chills are in the “dangerous” zone. We live in an RV and although it’s an “arctic package” it still requires special steps in these temperatures. It’s fairly warm in the “house” considering it’s -14f outside (air temp wind chill is much lower) but today I am really loving my thermal tights. They’re just a pair of footless spandex/jersey weight tights but they give just that extra bit of warmth that is not only delightful but absolutely necessary right now.
Til next time ~Stay calm and wear thermal underwear ~JP
Paula’s hosting Love Me February where every day during the “month of love” we’re sharing something we’re loving.
Today I’m loving soup. Fall and winter I’m all about soup. I make bone broth from chicken parts, occasionally from beef bones then, I throw in every vegetable I can lay my hands. I make soup the way my Grandma did from left overs. She used every bit ad scrap, a reminder of her days as a young wife and mother in the great depression. She would tell me the story of Stone Soup which if you’ve never heard be sure to google, it’s worth the quick read.
Sorry for the combined post. I have been having serious tech issues.
Paula’s hosting February Love Me where every day we’re saluting the Month of Amour by posting something we’re loving. Today I’m loving: Coffee and Music
Nothing starts the day out better than a cup of coffee and some lively music. With the temperatures outside a balmy 6 degrees farenheit today (yes that’s the high), I need something bright and lively. What I’m listening to today
Wide Eyed Wonderings 