Followers

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

UNRETIRED!

Crap! Shortest retirement in history.....back in the work force, but hopefully not for too long. Couldn't watch Mr. Phil drown any longer. Guilt kicked in, and I am back in the saddle. I will say, that for one and a half weeks, I got a taste of how it would feel to really be retired, and it felt great - like freedom! But, we are still on track for fulltime RV'ing, just as soon as we sell the house. (I think the price of my future 5'er just went up!)


I have more folks that think my blog is blog-worthy! Welcome Planning for RV Days with Jessica and Harry*, (another couple hoping to travel fulltime in the future), Merikay's Dreams are Written in Smoke, (who seems to have a real liking for cheese!), and TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:)), (who does a great job photographing his journeys while wintering in Arizona). I hope one day our paths cross and we can share a campfire or something!


Happy Trails!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Hit by the Good Luck Duck

I was hit by The Good Luck Duck, and have been blessed with three more "followers": Through Gates of Grace, Kenny and Angela's Adventure, and Kate and Terry-Travels in Cholula Red. How cool is that? Now I hope I have properly linked to their blogs, 'cause I am all about sharing. Now, Good Luck Duck, my wish is to spread all of that good luck to my new fellow bloggers, and back at you! (I see a contract on my house, I see a contract on my house, I see a contract on my house........).


OK, I haven't seen any signs worthy of reflection today, I think because I have been too busy examining my legs to see if they can be considered "CANKLES"! Who the HELLO posted about cankles, and now I cannot get my mind off the possibility that my ankles and calves could fall into that category? Crap! I've been poking around in Blogville too much!


I will share a special event that is very much worthy of reflection. My friend needed two lungs, qualified for a transplant.....and waited, and waited, and waited, not knowing if his own lungs would hold out until a match was found. One year ago today, someone died. And, they were an organ donor. One year ago today, my friend got the call that there was a donor that was a match. Both donor lungs were healthy. If only one lung had been healthy, it would have gone to the person waiting for one lung. One year ago today, my friend had a double lung transplant, and tonight his family and friends celebrated the anniversary, and honored the donor. So, if you haven't thought about it, you may want to consider being a donor....http://www.organdonor.gov/ It really is a miracle.


Now, I got to go snooping around in Blogville........

Friday, January 21, 2011

"Blog Worthy"

I have a "Follower"....geez, Teri....you have made my day! Someone out there actually decided that my blog is "blog-worthy". I am so honored! In all seriousness, the ability to connect with others that have common goals and dreams is huge. When we first moved to Chattanooga from Atlanta, we bought an old house to restore. Never having restored old homes, we were reluctant to buy because of the unknown. But the real estate agent introduced us to his friends that had been through the restoration process. These folks were so into what they did that they offered to literally crawl underneath the house, check the systems, and "kick the tires" before we made an offer. That was huge, because the process seemed overwhelming to us, and they were willing to calm our fears. It is the same now for us. We are planning a new chapter in our lives that is foreign to us. And, so is my new friend Teri. Having a network of folks out there that are willing to share their experiences about life on the road is priceless. Friends are huge in life, they make us live longer! By the way, we bought the house, and ten years later, those guys that helped us are still our friends!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

"Sticks and Bricks" For Sale

Love the rotate issue with Blogger and Canon Power Shot cameras!
The term "Sticks and Bricks" is used mostly by people who live full time in an RV, referring to the house they lived in prior to their "home on wheels". Our "Sticks and Bricks" is more of a "Steel and Concrete" house/condo. Regardless, it is officially for sale. Yipee!


Our plan is to downsize (again) and take advantage of not having the responsibility of a "sticks and bricks" house, while we are still young.  ; )  We want to follow the sun, (avoiding cold weather), and explore the USA, Canada and maybe even Mexico in our RV. Mr. Phil works primarily from home, so he can work anywhere he can get an internet connection. And, hopefully, he won't work forever! 


It gets complicated preparing for not having a "sticks and bricks" house. You have to consider not only how you will get your mail, but also vote, renew drivers licenses, register automobiles, tag renewals, and insurance. Lots of people in the full time RV world take advantage of not having a permanent residence by choosing their state of domicile based on tax benefits. A few states do not not tax personal income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota and Texas. Tennessee has no income tax, but taxes interest and dividends. When I began contacting the various county and state departments regarding how this would work for us, I was told by my county clerk office, that if we sell our house and do not buy or rent another house that we would be considered homeless!  That was a very odd response, and one that I had never considered. I told her that we would not be homeless, we would be taking our home with us! I explained that we would have a mail forwarding service that would provide us an address in the same zip code. I finally found someone with the state that told me how to go about handling our business while on the road. Whew!


So, keeping fingers crossed that the "For Sale" sign will soon change to "Sold". With the downturn in the economy, and with condominium owner want-to-be's treated like "trailer trash" by banks - it could be awhile. In the meantime, I will keep taking "stuff" to the Community Kitchen and Habitat for Humanity. It is amazing just how good that feels! We have gone from 3700 square feet 2 years ago, to 2150 square feet today, and if we realize our dream, we will live in about 400 square feet for a few years. I love it! That is a small footprint!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

.....Long haired freaky people need not apply

Sung by a group called "Five Man Electrical Band" in 1971. Good song, that said a lot about the times. Although I would like to think differently, there's a lot of similarity in those times and today - political unrest, bigotry, senseless wars, hate, violence, a sense of hopelessness in many ways. It is a lot to digest for young adults who are trying to make a life for themselves. And, it can be overwhelming for those of us that hope we can make a difference. It's no wonder that this country has such serious addiction problems, and it's not just illegal substances. We have huge problems with alcohol and prescription drugs. People numbing their feelings, instead of being aware and acknowledging their circumstances. It is so much easier to give up and follow the masses, than to keep trying to make a difference, no matter how small, for the future of mankind. I sure hope our country can turn this anger and hate around. There's a lot that needs to be fixed!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

RETIRED!!!

Threw in the towel, hung it up, burnt out, drug up, the time is now......yipee! As of this week, I am RETIRED! I was given the option by My Cute Man, Mr. Phil, to retire. After much consideration, (about 5 minutes), I told my boss, Mr. Phil, of my decision. He was taken by surprise, but accepted my resignation. It is bittersweet, since My Cute Man's workload has increased. I really hate to see him working so hard and can't wait for him to join me in retirement. When that happens, we plan to take off in our little Winnebago and follow the sun.
OK, what's up with the dictionary definition of "Retirement"?? No longer working because you have reached the age where you are officially too old to work (What???? It's more like because you have reached the age that you better enjoy life before you are too old to play!)
A few acronyms:
ROF Retired Old Farts
RWH Retired With Husband
RBNT Retired But Not Tired
RHF Retired Halfassed Fool
ARA Actively Retired Adults
AARP Association for Armed Retired People
ORF Old Retired Fart
ORF Our Retired Friends

This is the first year that Baby Boomers will qualify for Medicare. Although I am a Boomer, I have a few years to go before the big 65. Ouch! Unbelievable how quickly the time slips away! I still can't account for about 20 of those years. ; )
I have heard that the trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off! (I think I can handle it!)

Retirement itself is the best gift. No gold watch could ever top it.

So, I'm off to enjoy my new journeys!