Back

We are back in Idaho for the week.

There are jobs that need to be done before anyone can rent our house, and we brought a strong 15 year old grandson for help (and ice cream).

Thursday night, we were camping with family and I locked the pickup keys in the pickup. We were about 30 miles from a locksmith and about $50 away from home, and spare keys.

But if we made a run to Idaho, along with 21 year old grandson Alan, we could bring Miriam's Cavalier back and eventually get it to Washington where it can be wonderfully useful. So Alan, Miriam and I made the run.

The pickup key was easy, it was on the loft steps. The Cavalier key was more complex. We looked in all the proper places, then began looking any where. I looked in boxes of stuff Miriam had not used since her days as an illustrator, and after 30 minutes of such search, I found a single key to the doors and trunk of the Cav.

I sent Alan out to make sure, and like a good kid (which he is), he checked the glove box for an ignition key. He returned with THE key. We celebrated with a dish of ice cream.

The AC is not functioning in the Cav right now. Fortunately it was not a hot day and Miriam and I made the trip back to our camp without any problem.

Sunday Alan drove the Cav (along with the teardrop) back to his house, which is 40 miles from our RV home in Washington state.

Along the way I caught a cold that went to my lungs. My lungs are my weakest link and when a cold settles in it takes a while to dislodge it. Right now I am up way too early, coughing with a brain splitting headache brought on by all of this coughing.

Not fun.

This was once the community center of a small town.
The hotel lady smiled as she remembered the good times in this building.
But the wiring was ancient and not good and some years ago the whole thing caught on fire and what would burn did.
Not is is picturesque, but not too useful.

reality

This is not a camping trip.

We are full time RV livers. Not perfect by a yard or two, but what has to be done.

Like all reality it takes a bit for it all to sink in, to really be part of our thinking.

This is a fairly permanent arrangement. That is not really bad, but it does kick in a few clinkers.

What am I going to do all day? Ahh, a friend from Boise State University offered me a job (I'll likely decline) and maybe some studio space (not sure I could decline that one!).

I remember being on a 14 foot square lookout tower on top of mountain in Montana. I was 18, just graduated from high school, but I quickly concluded that if I did not plan my day a bit, and keep myself busy, I would swallowed alive. A fellow lookout that summer spent his day watching the clock. He was relieved before he went insane.

Gardening is enjoying tome, as a part time occupation. I would never be able to work at it all day every day and maintain sanity, I think

We go back to Idaho next week, so at least part of the agenda is to know what to bring back with us.

Books? Clothes? Games? Hobby gear and supplies?

The answer is yes!

Wild duck eggs (I think!).

fathers day

Me: "I want to get some chickens soon." I was watching the neighbor's three chickens through the fence. We were sitting in our daughter's back yard in Washington State.

She: "Where?"

Me: "Here."

She: "Are we going to move here?"

Me. "We already did."

She: "Hmm."

This is monumental, and good.



* * *

We had a wonderful weekend with family.

When family works well, there is nothing even close as wonderful.

For reasons far to complex for me to understand, ours functions.

Good food. Hmm.

Last evening, the last big meal together, we had a barbecue. We have vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, gluten free and we all ate well. That is a tribute to my fab daughters who work together so well.

Nurse daughter lives just 38 miles away, and went home last night. Today one daughter drive to Portland another flies to San Francisco. That daughter will leave her two teen age sons. We will enjoy them as grandpa "works them half to death." For some reason no one is worried!

No one is terribly taken up with grandpa's bluster, we will have a great time.

buying groceries

I took over the food in our house a couple of years ago.

Miriam had the cupboards stocked/overstocked/understocked with a lot of stuff. Gallons of this and jars and jars of that.

So I did not begin from the actual beginning.

But here I am with a motorhome and empty cupboards. No sale, no sugar and no tea. Just empty cupboards. Of course all of these things are at home in Idaho, but that is there and we are here.

Besides, there are a lot of things daughter buys in bulk and the cost is low and the supply fairly high. We will go back to Idaho next week for a week or so, and I’ll gather up all that I can, but I don’t want that kitchen to be depleted either. So I’ll not take THE jar of cinnamon, but maybe half of it in another smaller jar.

I went grocery shopping tonight. This is not a low food cost town. Everything is higher than I have been paying, sometimes by a wide margin.

So I came back from shopping with a few bags of stuff, but not the variety I would like. Since we have company here this weekend (father’s day and all of the daughters, the sons-in-law and most of the grandkids).

No point in buying fresh mushrooms or salad stuff.

And I came back quite depressed by it all.

Another bird photograph from a guy who does not photograph birds often or very well.
It is a red and yellow bird, and it has a name, but that name is unknown to me!
Thankfully, he sat there patiently while I did the photography thing.

plumbing and art

Yesterday we finished the plumbing in and out of the Motorhome/Whale.

That may not seem like it should be a big deal, but having to go get enough water to make tea is not a great sign.

Yesterday after we finished installing the drain line, I emptied the waste water tank in the Whale. Then we hooked up the fresh water. Such luxury. I came inside, turned the water heater on, and took a luxury shower.


Then I went into a funk about what I am going to do besides take care of Miriam.

Daughter has lots of space outside and we have lots of ideas, but not too much cash, so I was perplexed. There is not room in any motorhome for an art/craft studio, and daughters house is full of people and people stuff.

So I agonized. Last night while writing in my journal in the book store, I came to a simple conclusion. Most of my tools will fit into a single tool box. My supplies can fit into series of proper sized totes and boxes, and all can fit into a space in the "basement" in the Whale and be moved in and out as needed.

In graduate school my professor impressed me with the idea and goal of doing "small" pieces of art. Pieces that are easily handled and maybe even stored in our small spaces. I will continue that direction.

The rest is logistics mostly.

My envy resolve was tested again. The case worker said she decided that at the mid point of her life she would buy something a bit more sporty this time, and that she did.
Daughter four once had an Eclipse. It was one very fast piece of joy. Hers was a stick shift and you would have trouble shifting gears fast enough.
That aside, I think it is a beautiful car, but I controlled my emotions and merely admired this one.
Of course I lifted the image from a place called top speed.

the case worker

Most things turn out to be less awful than we guessed.

Today's interview with the case worker was one of those.

I spent a lot of energy worrying about it and it went well. She was a pro and asked the questions with care and skill. She would look right at Miriam and ask her question. "Miriam are you having trouble dressing yourself?

Miriam would, of course, say NO, but daughter and I would look nod our heads. The case worker would look at both of us and enter the answer on her computer. Miriam displayed out all of the symptoms. It was classic and really sad both. Here she was, a college graduate, and she did not even know the month of the year.

This was not about her eligibility for help, but rather about how many hours daughter will be paid to look after her. We won't know for another few days.

Meanwhile Miriam seems to be settling down a bit. Once she figured out (I told her) the basics of the plan here, she seems to relax a bit, but not very much.

I am hoping that time will heal her terrors.

We love her.

This is how I photograph birds.
They are nicely stuffed and motionless.
Then I do pretty well.

move in

Today we moved into the motorhome.

I bought a new set of sheets, ran them through the laundry and put them on the bed. This evening I bought a few groceries so we can begin to eat in the bus.

But Miriam was in a snit all day. She kept asking the same rather insolent questions, and arguing with the answer. This afternoon my patience was about exhausted and Arline sensed that and sent me to the bus to take a nap and make the bed. I spent a couple of hours doing just that.

Tomorrow we have an appointment with the case worker. How Miriam will react is a guess. When she was interviewed about the guardianship papers a couple of years ago, the questions asked were not threatening, and she did well. My guess is that careful questioning may be the key and I can only hope!

These are big changes we are making, no question, and if she is dubious, that is OK too.

We all make peace with changes, in time, at least.

Any time is good.

Daughter christened the motorhome the "Blue Whale."
When she noticed the juxtaposition, she added that it was "The Blue Whale and the Gold FIsh."
This is about the extremes of wheeled camping!
Big diesel powered motorhome with multiple plumbing and electrical systems, compared to the tear with nothing but storage and a good bed.
There is a place for both!

puzzle parts

When Raymond proposed to Debra the pieces fell into place.

She had, she explained to the shell shocked Raymond, been planning her wedding since she was 12 and he was the very last piece of the puzzle. That was the beginning of the story (not the series) of “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

So it is with us, one of the last pieces of the puzzle arrived yesterday in the form of what has become known as “The Blue Whale.” The whale is a largish motorhome, lent to us by our wonderful friends David and Lynda.

Since they were here for the night, they slept, Jonah style, in the belly of the whale last night. Tonight is our turn. They slept in their sleeping bags, I’ll put sheets and blankets on the bed.

Miriam is a bit bewildered by it all. We did not tell her everything, but I have in the past, she just does not remember.

The next part of the puzzle is Miriam. Can we tame her anxieties? Can we convince her that this is a move for her benefit?

I keep asking her: “Do you trust me?” Then add: “You know I will never do anything to hurt you.”

My guess is that she will adapt.