Tag Archives: Writing Fodder

Living in an RV, part five

Posted on by under Adventure
(Six weeks down; three weeks to go.)

We are very grateful to have shelter during our transition for moving from Michigan to Wisconsin. We are grateful for generous friends lending us their RV for this in-between-time. Thank you, dear friends. Also been some families who have provided meals for us while living in an RV. Thank you, too, dear friends.

Last week we did a quick trip to Wisconsin to move our furniture and boxes into the house we bought. At first I was delighted to use toilets that had more than 2” of water in them, like in an RV. But after a while, using so much water to flush seemed almost obscene. The same with the shower. In the RV, the used shower water becomes gray water, and must be dumped every two days. Therefore, to make sure the RV tank does not fill and overflow, we turn off the water in the shower when not rinsing off ourselves.

It’s still difficult to get used to turning on lights from the switches on the ceiling, and looking into LDS lights as we do so.

We have always been nervous about the use of propane, and how long the tanks last. However, we need propane for heat, and October is a good month to have heat turned on.

Before moving into the RV, I was concerned about meal preparations. We do have a stove and oven with propane, but we prefer using electrical electricalmicrowave or crockpot. We had a toaster oven for a while, but decided to no longer use it, because when any other electrical item was on, like the AC, it would turn off our power to the RV.

Here in our “living room”, you can see the heat vent on the floor. All the heat vents are on the floor. The one in the bedroom is under Jeff’s end of the bed. He does not tuck in the sheets at his feet. Therefore, it blows up and warms his toes in the night. He worries most about the propane running out in the middle of a cold night, then having to go outside and change it to the second tank. but we still don’t know how much is in either tank.

Getting used to life in an RV has been quite the experience for Jeff and me, who’s never spent a night in one before this.

Adapting to the trailer has been interesting, and no Internet service has been horrible. But I find our neighbors in the park interesting to observe. The drive through Michigan countryside into town is beautiful. The sunsets and sunrises at the park are stunning. And as friends continue to remind me, all this (temporary) experience is great fodder for future stories.

A turkey vulture at Turkeyville

Writing Foder for Story Ideas — Grocery Lines

Posted on by under writing, Writing Fodder

 Literature Blogs

I went to two grocery stores today. At the first one, an Amish couple in the line next to mine had difficulty using their debit card. Apparently, although they had plenty of money in the bank, the bank denied them their $240 “request” to pay for their food. The reason? They had already used about the same sum at another store earlier in the day. I realize banks do this to prevent credit card/ debit card theft. But… When I’d left the store, the bank (card) still wouldn’t allow them even to pay for part of their groceries. Makes me long for the good old days of paying with cash only (or bartering).

At the other grocery store, I purchased the 5 items the first one didn’t have. The older couple behind me (with only 3 items) pointed to the check-out magazines and commented on a particular celebrity who has been in the news a lot lately. “So sad,” commented the woman. I thought about the pre-nup agreement by the intended person receiving sympathy, the $20 million if she stayed married to him for 10 years, and now the millions she’ll get anyway in a divorce. “Everyone has choices,” I said. “He was tempted,” defended the man. “We’re all tempted,” I countered, “and we, too, have choices, to choose the honorable or not.”  I was sounding way too righteous, but personally know this statement to be true.

“You know how many properties this guy owns?” the man said, quickly changing the subject.

I laughed. “There’s only so much you can do with a million dollars.” I thought a second. “I’d probably give it away. Of course, I say that now.”

I don’t have millions of dollars, and don’t know what I’d do with it if I did. But my characters can, if I wanted… hmmm. It’s all out there for the taking, all the story lines any writer could ever want. I left the story humming the Fiddler’s song, “If I were a rich man.”