As I’m writing this, it’s Sunday, July 27, 2025. If I finish writing with any pictures that I decide to include all gathered together, hopefully, I’ll be able to publish it all for the blog. I say ‘Hopefully’, because I am working without a ‘NET’… As in, no internet at my ‘sticks and bricks’. It means that I’ll need to utilize our local public library, and/or available WiFi at the few business around me that provide the service for their customers. (Yes, when I have needed to do that, I always make a purchase of something to show ‘good faith’).
There’s no internet at my home now, as I’ve decided to bite the bullet now, and begin adopting the ‘minimalist’ lifestyle that I’ve lived when on the road for extended periods of time. If you read between the lines you will figure out that once my home sells, and all the obligations are met, paperwork signed, and what household items aren’t sold at the weekend garage sales I’m starting to conduct are then donated to the various non-profits who are legit here… I’ll be embarking on the new chapter of my life, becoming a full-time RVer again.
The ritual of ‘downsizing’ isn’t an option… It’s a necessity. Having gone through this process before when Deborah and I lived our two periods of full-time travel, first in a Class C, then in a Class A. This time, it will be in ‘lil Red, the Winnebago Micro-Mini travel trailer that I’ve towed with ‘The Beast’ Toyota Sequoia on my short jaunts around the region. Packing the rig for those weekend or week-long excursions is one thing… finding room to bring ‘the essentials’ for the foreseeable future is always a challenge.
It’s probably a good thing that I will have a few months to get it all done before the house sells and then closes. Anyone who has lived in one place for years, will understand the disbelief at the amount of ‘things’ that have been saved and tucked away in to various corners of the house. ‘Things’ that either I didn’t remember getting, or why we saved them in the first place. (There were unpacked boxes from the move we made here back in 2011… Receipts and invoices from as early as 2003…Unreal…)
And lest you think I’ll point fingers, while she did hold on to some things that we might have needed at a later date, I held on to things that we had no need for when we acquired them, and then promptly forget about them. Now that she’s laughing at my predicament from a much better place, I truly miss her. This change of lifestyle would be so much better if we were a team tackling the challenge together.
So… The project continues, sandwiched around making sure the house if clean and tidy, while the lawns are mowed and edged, weeds pulled, bushes clipped, and the ‘For Sale’ sign remains ‘visible’ to people who travel down our street, not knowing their ‘perfect’ home was theirs for the right price.
As a final thought, I want to thank the people who have reached out to me to express their condolences. Those who I’ve known, worked with, neighbors, and even a number of people who publish websites relating to the RV and travel industries. Your words of encouragement and support are truly appreciated.
