Sunday, May 15, 2011

SITTING UNDER A THUNDERSTORM, PLANNING OUR DEPARTURE

The weather has been CRAZY lately!   Ten days ago, we were sweltering at 90 in Sacramento for two days.  Then the temperatures mellowed, and we moved up into the foothills outside of Sacramento where mornings were nicely cool and afternoons balmy for a couple of days.  We had our windows wide open and a fan running, airing out the motorhome in case something inside is the cause of my allergy problem.  Yesterday the temperature dropped as clouds thickened and now, as I write this at 12:30 pm, hail and heavy rain is pelting us, at a temperature of 40 degrees!  Sheesh! 

On the health front:

Many of you suggested that my allergy might be caused be the new carpet or something else that changed when we did the renovation, and we reluctantly entertained that scary thought.  A big thank you to the Anonymous Commenter who suggested cleaning the carpet!  We carry a carpet cleaner and Odel immediately washed the carpet with plain water.  I think it really helped, as my allergic reaction is much improved; then again, maybe it was simply because we were able to keep the windows open most of the time for three days.  We plan to clean it regularly (every couple weeks) for awhile, and to air out the rig every chance we get… plus, spend more of our time outdoors, as we have in the past. 

Odel’s knee continues to improve and the swelling is gradually diminishing.  He is walking a mile or two each day, and working consistently to improve the extension (he is still 2 or 3 degrees off of straight, but has great flexion).   The pain continues to lessen, and we are both looking forward to hearing his surgeon’s comments at the 6 week follow-up on Tuesday, after which…

… we will be taking off on Wednesday morning!  Those of you who know us will be surprised to read that we don’t know where we are going; no plan except to go where the weather looks good.  After our big swing to the east coast last year, the stress of the renovations, the knee replacement and my unexpected allergic reaction, we decided to take it one day at a time this summer, planning a couple days or a week in advance at the most (yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts!). 

The only item on the wish list for summer: a visit to Fins in Port Townsend, Washington, so Odel can have his very favorite clam chowder.  We expect to spend quite a bit of time this summer in Oregon and Washington but, since the weather up there is still “iffy”, we might start our summer travels with a visit to the Napa/Petaluma area in California’s wine country, where the weather next week looks mighty fine. 

Other big news:  though I haven’t yet graduated to a smart phone, I DID break down and buy a Kindle.  My sister Sydney loaned me hers when I was feeling so miserable with my allergy, and I really enjoyed it.  Since we don’t have any trust issues - she shared her Amazon.com password with me! – we are able to share books, a big help to the book budget. 

I spent several hours yesterday learning how to set it up and connect to our MiFi hotspot (saving $50 over the cost of the 3G-enabled version), downloaded some samples, and made my first purchase: Lost in Shangri-La, a book I had planned to purchase in paperback.  Fun!  As soon as I finish reading my bound books and pass them on, my library will weigh the same as a thin paperback book, and take up about the same space (not including my extensive cookbook library, of course).  What a boon to a full-timer who likes to read!  I can see myself now in my mind’s eye, relaxing in my lounger under the awning (I still consider the electric awning one of our best expenditures!) on a sunny day, maybe in the tall pines, maybe by the ocean, my Kindle library in hand, wondering what to read next…

So, we are all set to head out (somewhere) on Wednesday morning.  I feel the energy rising around here.  :)

21 comments:

  1. Congrats on your Kindle. I LOVE mine. If you are on Facebook .... look at Pixel of Ink... there are free books daily!!!!

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  2. ah, Laurie, so good to hear that your allergy problem is diminishing and that two are almost ~ "on the road again"~~ Congrats on your Kindle, I love mine, and will now have to go hunt down the book Shangri La.

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  3. I bought Craig a Kindle in January and I use the Kindle Ap and other reader aps on my lap top. I like to use the library and am looking forward to when the Kindle will be able to download books from there.

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  4. The weather has been crazy everywhere -- hot one day, freezing the next...it has rained most every day this week. Happy to hear Odel is still doing great & your allergy is improving...be safe as you move on to -- somewhere:)

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  5. I am glad you are enjoying your Kindle. I think it will eventually replace my students' textbooks and I will look forward to that day.

    Glad you are both feeling better and looking forward to happy trails...

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  6. I'm such a big baby...I still cannot give up my paper books...Also, I have a scar on my right cornea which really affects my vision...and reading is especially hard, so I will be the last one to go to an e-book...unless they make them for low vision....It sucks to get old sometimes, but it's still better than the alternative....and...yea!! Odel...you are my hero on your return to walking..!

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  7. Be sure to check out these old blogs of mine:

    http://2takinga5th.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-kindlefinding-free-books.html

    http://2takinga5th.blogspot.com/2010/12/cooking-and-free-ebooks.html

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  8. Enjoy that clam chowder at Fin's! Thanks to your recommendation, we sure did. Also, glad you're feeling better! Hugs, J&C

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  9. Glad you are feeling better Laurie and good luck to Odel at the surgeon's office. I too borrowed a Kindle last winter and love it--our DIL didn't like it so now I'm using it--sure lightens up the book load!

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  10. crazy weather everywhere it seems!!..long drive for a bowl of Clam Chowder!!..must be pretty darn good!..if you head up the Oregon Coast be sure to stop at the Crazy Norweigian in Port Orford!..delicious food!!

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  11. Great to hear you're feeling better. I started with a Kindle, but once I got the iPad, that's pretty much what I use these days. I do have quite a few cookbooks that work on either the Kindle or the iPad, so I'm slowly even replacing those (as well as my other books.)

    I also wanted to Thank You again for the lapdesk you gave me in Utah, I use it almost every day!

    Kate
    http://cholulared.blogspot.com

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  12. Laurie- so glad to hear you are doing better! And glad to hear Odel is getting to that "pain-free" mode! I love my kindle. I especially like having several books available depending on the mood I'm in and I LOVE having a dictionary with one click. I could always figure out what a word meant because of the context where it was used, but now, with one click, I can KNOW what it means!! I love that!
    By the way--if you're around Bend Oregon the first weekend in August, we are all going to be there (Ron, Shari, Matt, Brian and I) to celebrate birthdays and then Shari is off to India for a few weeks.
    hugs,
    donna

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  13. We bought i-phones a couple of weeks ago -- pressure from our adult daughters to enter the current century. After the purchase, we immediately traveled to the Big Bend area, where they don't work because of the coverage. Guess we'll have to wait to figure out what an "app" is :-)

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  14. So happy to hear your allergies are getting better. By the way if you're looking for sheer-perfect weather, it's just beautiful in New Mexico right now. We're in central part (in the mountains) with sunny, balmy 75-degree days.
    Just a thought.....
    ENJOY your Kindle. I absolutely love mine!

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  15. Glad to hear your allergy problems are beginning to diminish. Hope they disappear entirely soon. I love your idea to minimize your planning and can't wait to hear where you go. Good luck to Odel for his visit with the surgeon.

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  16. So glad to hear all this good news for both of you. Sounds like everything is ALMOST back to "normal" whatever that is for any of us.

    Sherry
    www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com

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  17. Here's my easiest knee straightening exercise: push away the footstool. That's right move it further from your chair until just your heel is resting on it. Your suspended leg will gradually straighten a bit more each time. You can add a soft weight to the knee to encourage this. After a bit move the stool back in and ice the knee. Do not ice while suspended as ice causes contraction.

    Also, sleep on your back if you can. When we sleep on our sides we tend to curl up rather than straighten out.

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  18. I looked at the Kindle, and there is a lot to recommend it. But because I thought I might want to occasionally read books from the library (not supported as yet by Kindle), I ended up buying a refurbished Nook from the Barnes & Noble store on eBay.

    The Nook also has a lend me feature that allows you to lend ebooks to others (assuming the particular ebook has the capability enabled).

    We don't full-time yet (one day), but I'm already set with my lightweight travel library.

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  19. Laurie & Odel,

    I know you're happy to be getting out of Dodge. It does sound like the carpet is the culprit. Enjoy wherever you dock next. Stay well and healthy. Have fun adventures, travel safe and we'll see you on your return.

    Always
    Rae & Leonard

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  20. On the way to or from Port Townsend you should try the Three Crabs in Sequim. The Dungeness crab there is to die for!

    At least it was the last time I was up that way.

    Hope your recovery is quick and painless. See you on the road sometime.

    John
    http://trikepilotadventures.blogspot.com/

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