RV Blog--Life in a Box. This just ain't 'camping' any more....
Friday, April 28, 2006:
Yessiree! We are CAMPING now!
And 48 hours later, they were out mowing the campsites!
Our CARE package arrived today, at long last. What a treat! I got my Birks! And the floppy drive (so I could share my pix!) and clothes, paperbacks from my daughter-in-laws private collection, and yarn for more socks (seems funny that instead of the yarn I requested, I got the camo yarn that was earmarked for our son for next Christmas...), plus a whole stack of bills! Ugh.
Living in this little box has proven more expensive than one would think....
Fortunately, much of our shopping took place at the Packrat's Palace. Hubby got a work shirt, I got sheets & pillowcases--that sort of thing. We needed a crockpot, a radio, lawn chairs, a water jug to carry to work, and more clothes!
I know it's possible to function on 3 changes of clothing, but not when you're building a road! He comes 'home' filthy every nite. With 'racoon eyes', thanks to the pair of motorcross goggles he bought to keep the dirt out of his eyes. In fact, I think his entire first paycheck was spent just getting stuff so we could live here!
The dogs have begun their evening barkfest, up in the cab of the truck, so it must be time for walking.....
Dinah // Friday, April 28, 2006
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Thursday, April 27, 2006:
So, the quilting has definately fallen by the wayside. :( Left all my goodies behind and only brought a sock-in-progress for our quickie trip to the Black Hills to pick up our truck and slide-in camper that we'd left out here. Never considering the possibility that there would be plenty of construction work going on here, while the Midwest was getting blasted by one spring storm after another so that nothing was happening there....we packed sparingly. 3 changes of clothes, my laptop, and a sock. That was nearly 3 weeks ago! Here I am, living in a 6 X 9 'box', idling away the days while hubby plays in the dirt with the giant Tonka toys. He only has until the end of May, and then he promised we'd go back.... I can stand anything for 4 more weeks, right? Even a non-quilting life? On the other hand, I know where there are 2 quilting stores nearby.... Just hate the idea of buying new tools....
Dinah // Thursday, April 27, 2006
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Wednesday, April 26, 2006:
News Flash! Money CAN buy happiness!!!! I am online and happy and all it took was $79 to buy a wireless PC card and a nominal (?) $59.99 a month--plus applicable taxes and fees, of course! LIFE IS GOOD.
In other news....
Sunday night’s rain was really 6” of really wet snow. Welcome to April in SD! It was pretty…. Of course, hubby spent yesterday and today lounging around inside the ‘box’, with his dogs. NOT pretty. My motto is beginning to be “GET ME THE HELL OUTA HERE!”
After the snow quit, we ventured out to the nearby Yamaha dealer to buy hubby a pair of dirt bike goggles to wear for work…keep the dust out. Then wandered around, shopping for a tiny freezer that would actually come thru the camper door when we eventually (Please, God!) head back to IL and a much bigger ‘box’. Didn’t find one to suit, so our orphan buffalo burger is still taking up space in Shirley’s freezer…. Just gonna have to eat it, I guess!
And Tuesday there was too much snow at the jobsite, so we did another day of laying around the camper--after we went to the Best Buy and acquired the wonderful PC card!
Today was spent on the phone with tech support. Ain't it always the way? Finally managed to keep my poor laptop from puking all over the table whenever I fired up the browser and now I'm under 'orders' to spend the day online and make sure the new software keeps working like it's supposed to. Like that will be a hardship? LOL.
I did take time off to stir up another strawberry/rhubarb pie. Still waiting to see if it melts all over the inside of my 'easy bake' oven, like the last one did. But the last one was tasty, so who cares?
Still waiting for a CARE package from home, and some forwarded mail (bills, of course). I suspect that the package hasn't even been 'packaged', yet.... The family members who urged us to stay here where the work is, for the time being, were supposed to send us the much needed things that we left at home--since we were only going to be gone for a week.... So far, we've survived 80+ degree weather and 2 blizzards and 24 degree weather with nothin' but the Spring duds we brought along....
And now...I must "surf on".....
Dinah // Wednesday, April 26, 2006
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Sunday, April 23, 2006:
12 hours a day and I only have 1 sock to finish and am in a land with no yarn shops! The neighbor kindly loaned me 3 romance novels to fill the time.... Arrrrrggg! I've long since reached my saturation point where Virile Vikings are concerned! I've taken pictures around about the campground...some with snow and some without--but can't download them because my floppy drive is still in IL, waiting to be added to the CARE package our daughter-in-law is going to send, as soon as she gets time. But I've found a cure, of sorts. I think. Verizon sells a wireless card to get me online, anytime, and with a little bit of luck, it'll soon by plugged into the old Dell and I can surf all day! And IM my friends. Maybe I'll start a chat room for other idiot wives who agree to living in a padded cell with 2 dogs? Yeah, right. But hey--eBay awaits! With that card, I can be online at speeds averaging 60kbps--just like dial-up! WOW! No more 14.4 for me! LOL! Keeping my fingers crossed....
Dinah // Sunday, April 23, 2006
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Saturday, April 22, 2006:
Hi, ya'll! It's me again--at long last! And temporarily living in a much smaller box than when I last posted! Here's what happened. We were sitting there, in IL, in our son's driveway. Hubby was getting maybe 1 day of work a week, what with the lovely Spring tornadic weather and all. We decided to head out to SD and return with our old one ton pickup and slide-in camper, since we intend to spend most of this year in IL.
We made a "Plan". We hooked our little motorcycle camper on behind our resurrected car and headed West, with a backseat full of dogs and a week's worth of 'supplies'. Uh huh. Then we planned to rent a tow dolly, put the car on it (still with the little camper attached to the car) and bring the whole works back to IL. That was an interesting experience. The little camper hadn't been out on the road since 1999. BOTH door zippers were broken and we didn't have so much as a clothespin to hold the door shut...and tire disintegrated, thankfully AFTER we made it here!
BUT, then there was this road construction job out here. So-so pay, but working every day. Like any dutiful wife would, I said, "Sure, honey. We can live in the truckcamper for 6 weeks...". Only trouble is, Winter isn't quite over with here--involving a need for things like bib overalls, boots, coats, hats...not to mention a lunch bucket, plenty of food to pack said lunch bucket, extra clothes, and a sundry of other supplies! Did you forget the backseat full of dogs? With beds, leashes, food, toys.... Yup. Life in a really small box is a challenge! Try to imagine a 6 X 9 room that contains everything--refrigerator, stove, microwave, sink, closet, bed, bathroom, table & seating, furnace, floor heater, wastebasket, laundry, spare shoes, laptop, camera, dishes and food...then add 2 large people and a pair of dogs...... We're campin' now!
Winter. We had that on Wednesday & Thursday. Horizontal snow, 30 degrees, for 2 days straight. But, 50 miles south of here the guys worked in the DUST and wind! Not a bit of precip! Up in the Hills, on the other hand--54" of snow around Lead & Deadwood! I-90 was shut down from here to Wyoming!
Today we sat outdoors drinking beer in the shade....
Dinah // Saturday, April 22, 2006
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