This week - Day 2186 (Year 6, Day 347)

Land O'Lakes, FL

Not too much exciting going on.  Mitch's schedule keeps changing every few weeks so it's hard to get adjusted to anything.  He's been working Sundays 8-5 and Mon-Thurs 1-10.  Today he's working 10-7 and will be back on days (Mon-Thurs 8-5) for the next 2 weeks.  Then he reverts back to nights.  At least he has a job!  Not complaining.  Variety is the spice of life!  Meanwhile, he's loving his commute.  Well, not exactly loving it, as who can love commuting?  But he's certainly very pleased with getting home in 10-15 minutes instead of an hour.

Yesterday was Shabbat and for the first time since the beginning of March, our shul decided to hold limited services (once again, thrilled about the commute there--8 miles instead of 20). Chairs were 6 feet apart, everyone was required to wear masks, door handles were constantly cleaned (and there was hand sanitizer stations in several places).  Socializing was strongly discouraged and there was no kiddush lunch.  We didn't have a minyan (10 men) so we couldn't read from the Torah, so I'm not sure how that would have been handled (hopefully we'll find out in the coming weeks). This definitely is a different world we live in. Judaism places great value on life and it is forbidden to do anything that threatens it.  Since this coronavirus is extremely contagious and can potentially be fatal, doing anything to help spread the disease is strictly forbidden.  Thus the reason for all the precautions (unlike many churches, protests and Trump rallies where there are thousands of people gathered in a tight space without any precautions).

Yesterday, also, we took another walk down to the lake.  We discovered the swimming area, which I would never go into, as it looks like it's full of reeds, minnows, algae.  I suppose that's what a lake looks like.  Thanks but give me a well maintained blue swimming pool and I'm happy!!!  We did discover that there are 2 public docks: 1 that has a gazebo at the end and the other is open and designated for fishing (there were quite a few people on that one yesterday).  We sat in the gazebo on the lake for about 20 minutes, but then the sky grew dark and we heard the distant roar of thunder.  Being that I was having problems walking, I wanted to get a head start back to the rig so we wouldn't have to try to outrun the rain.  Have to remember that this is Florida during the summer, where afternoon rains and t'storms are an almost daily occurrence. (BTW, sorry that I still haven't take any photos of my walk to the lake and the lake itself.  Haven't had the energy or motivation to take that walk by myself and the only time I did was on Shabbat, with Mitch, when I can't use my camera).  Still on the waiting list for when those other folks move out so we can have a lakeside site.  But I suspect that may not be happening any time soon.  This is fine, though.  I am not as miserable as I thought I'd be.  I can live here for a while.

Nothing else new.  Business is still somewhat slow, but we are still very grateful for our health, a roof over our heads and food on the table.

Next impressions of new place - Day 2179 (Year 6, Day 340)

Land O'Lakes, FL

It really is a matter of perspective, and sometimes just turning your head in a different direction or walking out your door.

Yesterday, despite being on the edge of a tropical storm and thereby experiencing all day rains, at times torrential, we actually had about an hour or 2 where the rain stopped.  Despite everything being wet and there being numerous puddles along the way, Mitch and I were determined to follow through on our desire to take a Shabbat walk to explore the lake.

Turns out the walk itself was very manageable for me, although I did need to stop a few times along the way.  Our street is actually very lovely.  Almost every home has a screened in porch and there were actually only 1 or 2 homes that had visible clutter and/or were in severe need of a good wash.  For the most part, almost every home had beautiful landscaping: lots of plants and flowers and chockies.  Grass is kept trimmed and it is very clean and neat looking (I hope to take some photos later this week).  So, to reiterate, although the view out my window and the noise at this site, needs a bit of imagination to tolerate, all I need to do is walk to the end of my site and look to the right to see a better view, and all I need to do is take a 5 minute walk to enter an almost different world.

When we got to the lake area (at the end of the road, which is no more than 1/10th mile), it was absolutely the difference between night and day compared to our site.  It was SOOO serene, and instead of roadway traffic, all you could hear was the sounds of the water birds (even saw a few cranes and herons) and the splash of the water against the dock.  There is a small pavilion and a public dock with a gazebo at the end, complete with chairs.  There was actually a gentleman sitting on the bench, fishing.  There is one RV site there and we're on the waiting list for when those folks move out (they were supposed to leave in March as they, like us, travel for work.  But due to the pandemic, they can no longer work and therefore have nowhere else to go at this point).

And the "exciting" stuff going on this week:

1)  Need to have the roof replaced.  As mentioned a few days ago, when we arrived and were pulling into the spot, the limbs of the tree did some damage to the roof.  We had our RV tech come and take a look (and also sent a lot of photos to the insurance company) and it was determined by both that the entire roof needs to be replaced, as just patching that one little area wouldn't guarantee any long term prevention of future leaks (thankfully, insurance will cover all this).  They plan to start the work this coming Tuesday (6/9/20).  They will also replace the fabric on the back awning and all 3 slide toppers, which all have tears (hey, it's a 12 year old unit; these things get worn out.  Also covered by the insurance check).

2)  Sewer (drain) fly infestation.  It was explained that this was most likely caused by all the shaking up when we moved (it truly is like going thru an earthquake zone when you tow as no roads are 100% smooth).  These flies (look like gnats) live and plant their larvae in the gray and black tanks but as long as the tanks are flushed constantly and you sit still, mostly you won't see more than a few at a time.  But this time around, moving caused a very severe infestation.  It was so bad that when I needed to make the challah on Friday, it took 2 of us: one to work the dough and the other to stand and swat the flies away so they wouldn't land in the dough.  Cooking has been extremely difficult in that regard (not getting gnats in the food).  Sitting at my table, my face was red due to constantly hitting myself (actually trying to swat them away from my face and hitting myself in the process.  A few times they got in my eyes and nose).

Thankfully, by today, we have the situation under completely under control.  We flushed and back-flushed the tanks, put solutions of apple cider vinegar & dish soap in cups near the sinks (you'd be surprised how many gnats were found dead in the solution), and poured dish soap into the drains.  Also filled a spray bottle with a dish soap solution and shot at them (they died instantly when I was able to make contact). Seemed to work!

Anyway, hope to get more photos this week.

PS:  In case you're wondering, this is NOT the place where they make the butter.  That is Land O'Lakes, Wisconsin.

First impressions of new place - Day 2175 (Year 6, Day 336)

Land O'Lakes, FL

I haven't had the chance yet to walk around and explore, so more will come, but here are my first impressions from what I've seen in the last 2 days.

For one, Mitch was super ecstatic about his commute: he said it only took him about 10-15 minutes to get home last night (as compared to almost an hour).

The view out my windows:  the view from the back window is right up against the trailer behind us, with a rusted awning and air conditioner unit. I closed the day shade so at least I don't see it and there's still some light coming in.  This is acceptable. I was concerned about looking out my "office" window and seeing a rusted shed, but all I can really see is a small portion of the corner of the roof.  Mostly I see our tree and the highway, the trailer across from us and if I move my head a bit, 2 bushes with pink and lavender flowers.  Not as pretty as Zephyrhills, but not as terrible as I anticipated either.  I can live with this view.  And if I sit outside, I will see more open space (and the highway) instead of the shed, which was what I originally feared.  On a side note, being right off the highway, the noise is horrific.  But I'm sure at some point we'll get used to it and be able to tune it out.  Bottom line: not as bad as I feared.  Not great either, but I can learn to live with it.

There is a great deal of activity here.  We are a few feet away from the dumpsters, so of course there is a lot of foot and car traffic of people bringing their trash. On a positive note, it makes it incredibly easy for us to dump our trash.  At Z'hills, Mitch would put the bags on the hood of the car and drive it to the dumpster on his way out.  In other places, we had to do the same thing, or walk a bit of a ways to get there.  So this is very convenient.  Unfortunately, they don't have a recycle program here so we'll need to find where the public recycling place is.  After 1.5 years of recycling our  plastics, it sickens me to think how much we were throwing out and sending to the dumps (which would eventually find its way to the oceans and kill the fish and birds).  I really want to be able to continue recycling, even if it's a bit inconvenient to bring it to a dump site.

Back to activity... the park is basically a large circle and I've seen quite a number of people either walking or bike riding around it.  Most of them pass our site between 10 and 20 times.  I'm hoping at some point I will sit outside and start a conversation with all the passersby.  I'm also hoping that the weather will permit on Saturday for me and Mitch to take a walk to the end of our road where the public access to the lake is.  We're told there's a dock where we can fish.  I'm hoping there are chairs there as well.  Really looking forward to learning how far it is (can I do the walk?).  Overall, I'm feeling extremely positive that there are a lot of good, friendly folks here and we will make a few new friends.

Moving Day - Day 2173 (Year 6, Day 334)

Land O'Lakes, FL

As always, must start out by counting our blessings and being thankful for the positive, which is that we made it the 25 miles safely.  Of course, it was not without incident:

• took an extra 1/2 hour to get on the road because, just like the day we arrived (Jan 14, 2019: https://mitcheryl-rv-journey.blogspot.com/2019/01/arrived-day-1663-year-5-day-194.html), we were stuck in a rut and it took some shoveling and setting down wood under the tires.
• Driving over went smoothly (although there were a few times Mitch didn't turn wide enough and ran over the edge of the sidewalk), but getting into our site was quite a production.  The site, as well as the road we're on, is very narrow and the site itself is on a strange angle, complete with a tree with very low branches.  We had someone from the park (an experienced pro) help back us in, but it still took almost 2 hours, plus a little bit of damage to the roof before he brought out the chainsaw and cut down the branches (hopefully it only went through the outermost material and not deep enough to worry about a leak).  If so, then it's just a matter of patching rather than replacing it.  We will explore more later or tomorrow morning.
• The water hoses didn't reach the spigot so Mitch had to run to the store to buy extension hoses.
• We brought along a hitchhiker.  Just as we were closing the door in Zephyrhills, a frog jumped inside.  We couldn't get him out, so we may have a new pet who is probably hiding in the pipes somewhere.

So, although the aim was to leave at 9:30 and be all settled in by 11; noon latest, it is now 2:30 and although I finished the unpacking, there are still a few more things left to do before we can shower and finally relax.

Update on my PT - Day 2167 (Year 6, Day 328)

Zephyrhills, FL

Ok, I didn't think I'd write from this address again, but alas...

As you know, I've been going to physical therapy (PT) since March.  I started out going for the pinched nerve in my neck/shoulder for which I was on the 1-10 pain scale of a constant 9-10.  After a few weeks of PT, I felt relief and as of now, you'd never know I even had a problem there.

However, simultaneously, I was having lots of problems with my left hip.  I was well aware that the arthritis was bone on bone and nothing short of a replacement will solve the problem.  But I decided that since I have all these therapy sessions scheduled, I'd focus on the hip since the neck was resolved.

So I've been working with PT for the last 1.5 months.  Since we're moving on Monday, today was my last day at this location.  The outcome:  my therapist feels that I've made excellent improvement in most mobility.  There are, of course, certain movements I can't make without extreme pain due to the bone grinding on the bone, but for the most part, I do have improved mobility.

For now, the recommendation is the next step really needs to be seeing an orthopedic surgeon and planning a hip replacement.  The PT place does have an office near my new location but my therapist recommended to wait about 2 weeks -- to continue my daily exercises and see whether I'm feeling any relief, if it's gotten worse or stays the same before making an appointment for more PT.

So... stay tuned.

Feeling melancholy - Day 2164 (Year 6, Day 325)

Zephyrhills, FL

This is most likely the last time (after 16 months) that I will be posting from this location.  Next will be LOL (Land O'Lakes, FL), as G-d willing, with no obstacles, we will be moving out one week from tomorrow (Monday, June 1st).  When we first arrived here, after Mitch lost his job at the end of Dec. 2018 (we arrived at this location Jan. 4, 2019), we thought it would only be for a few months.  But we have faith that G-d has plans for us, and things turned out well when he landed a full time job (and I lost a lot of work from my clients) just as the pandemic hit.  If you've been following my blog, you know the reason we are moving.

I'm feeling a bit melancholy not only because I'll miss the aesthetics of this campground, but because of the friends I've made here, especially Ellie.  She also has a BFF here (Carol) who's been here for about the same amount of time (5+ years) and as it turns out, Carol is leaving on the same day we are (due to the virus, she lost her job and can't afford the rent here so needs to live with her children hundreds of miles away). Ellie also lost her husband a little over a year ago, so needless to say, this is a very devastating situation for her.

So we planned a special get together with us, Ellie and Carol yesterday.  Had to be outdoors so we could sit separated.  It was a very enjoyable evening, especially when Ellie brought out her guitar.

Thankfully, we'll only be about 25 miles away, and Ellie frequents a health food store that we also go to, which is about 8 miles from our new location.  So hopefully we'll still be able to see each other.

Anyway, will keep you posted from the other side of this adventure!  Confession: I really miss traveling!!!  But it is what it is.  G-d willing, someday we'll be able to retire, trade in our beast for something more travel-able, and really spend time in the rest of the country.  But, alas, plans are made in bubbles.  Just need to take one day at a time.

Moving? - Day 2144 (Year 6, Day 315)

Zephyrhills, FL

No real news since last time, but some updates:

Coronavirus - as of this writing there are about 1.2 million reported cases and about 69,000 deaths.  Of course, since there is still a lack of adequate testing, I'm sure those numbers are doubled or tripled.  There have been a lot of protests and many states are now re-opening, which I think is a huge mistake.  I guess all we can do is continue to protect ourselves (social distancing, hand washing) and wearing masks in public places so we don't infect others in case we're carriers.

Physical therapy - for the most part, I'd say the problem with my neck/shoulder is almost completely healed.  I have some stiffness sometimes but mostly you'd never know there was a problem.  I wish I could say the same about my hip.  The therapists have been focusing on exercises for that but right now (after about 3 weeks) I'm not feeling much of an improvement.  I definitely need a hip replacement but that clearly needs to wait until this coronavirus thing is over and the hospital staffs are better equipped to give me the attention I'll need (not to mention the risks I'd be taking even being in the hospital or rehab).  I'm sure I can find another doctor who's willing to do the surgery before I lose the weight, even though I've been doing pretty well with that.  Anyway, I have about 6 more sessions before we move so we'll see if there's any progress by then.

Moving - you can see from my last post how very unhappy I am about moving away from this campground we've been at for the last 15 months.  I enjoy seeing the grass, trees, wide open spaces and the company of my friends here.  At the "other place", the site itself is extremely claustrophobic and there is nothing aesthetic to look at, either sitting outside or from the windows.  But Mitch's 1+ hour commute is very tiring so there is really no option (especially in light of the next paragraph).  I am extremely grateful, more than words can express - to Mitch for giving me an extra month to adjust to this fact.  He initially said it was to give us both time to see if there could be another solution, and despite my researching, no, there isn't one.  But thank you Mitch for allowing me the extra time to "grieve".  I guess (like it or not), I'm ready to move on.  So unless (G-d forbid!) some kind of obstacle gets in the way, move out day is Monday, June 1st.  It will be to Land O Lakes, which is about 25 miles SW of where we are now, and about 15 miles and 1/2 hr closer to Tampa where most of his work is.

So today I learned that Mitch's work schedule has changed a little over the next few weeks.  He has 2 days off a week, which for now are Fridays and Saturdays (so he's working Sundays).  He's also been working 8-5 daily (leaving home at 6:30am, coming home around 6pm).  Starting today and for next ?? weeks, he will be working M-Th 1-10pm.  So that totally screws up our schedule, especially in the evenings when our routine is: he comes home from work (6pm), we have dinner while watching some tv until 8:00 and then he gets ready for bed (in bed by 8:30, asleep by 9).  So now I need to figure out what to do about dinner and our tv watching.  Maybe I can adjust my own work schedule so we can watch in the morning?  When he was out of town, I'd eat whatever I could make real fast or not eat at all.  I'll need to force myself to still cook a nice meal for 2, even if I just eat it myself so he can have dinner (leftovers) for the following day.

Yes, I accept this challenge.  As I know I've mentioned in one of my much earlier posts, that one of my many character flaws was the need to have everything in my life planned out to the minute.  If anything went wrong that delayed the plan, even by a few minutes, I'd have a major anxiety attack.  Since living on the road, one of the first lessons I learned is that "plans are made in bubbles" - there will ALWAYS be something unexpected thrown in as a monkey wrench, and I've been learning to cope with that and accept it as a new way of life for me.  I'd like to say I've been mostly very successful over the last 6 years.  So, again, although Mitch's new (temporary??) schedule is putting a wrench in our daily routine, I will figure out a way to make it work.  In the scheme of things, it's really NOT A BIG DEAL!!!  I always need to remind myself how much things could be worse, take every moment to THANK G-D for all of our blessings, and just deal with "the small stuff."