'22/#4 It's Time For Jello!

 Well here it is, the first of April and the Jello still hasn't set. What does that mean? It means that we have no plans made for travel in the near future. Not that we don't want to hit the road nor do we want to leave friends and family. It is just that time of year when our travel adventure usually takes us north. Right now there are too many things swirling around in the Jello to let it set.

First thing is our summer job in New York. We are planning on returning to Darien Lake for a second year. The only problem is the weather up there hasn't allowed maintenance to work on the campground to give us an arrival date. That messes with our departure date and travel itinerary. The second thing is our work here in Florida. We have a few things that need to be completed before we leave so that will fill time between now and "D" (departure) Day.

 Thirdly we have both been under the weather for about five days putting everything behind schedule. Not to worry, we have tested negative for Covid. With all the pollen and congestion, we have an environment in our heads that is homey for the virus that causes sinus infections. We are getting better and hope to soon be out and about taking care of business.

Wait, there is more! What is that? Number four? Yep, number four. We finally found the satellite reciever we wanted. Yay! Now we have to get it installed and that needs to be put on the installers schedule. Is there more? You betcha! We still have people to see before we go, so that would be number five, again delayed by number three. And finally number????? Let me swich hands...that would be number six, the RV check list. That list of things that every RVer should be doing in preparation for hitting the road. We started on it early and are we glad we did!

Well I need to take a shower because I....phew! I can smell me and so can Mary. So that means a sense of smell and no Covid! Yeah! So I will sign off and start to feel better and smell better here in our home in Zephyrhills because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

22/#3 The List

 It is that time of year again. This is the bi-annual check-list season. When we get ready to travel we make a list of everything we want and need to get done before the wheels start rolling. Up until a few years ago we jumped on that list two to three weeks prior to departure. As we have gotten older and smarter and slower and smarter we now start a lot earlier. Yes I said smarter twice because it is impotant to realize that it took us this long to figure out that we have a much easier time getting ready if we give ourseves more time.

Like any list, it ebbs and flows as we get things done and think of more to do. Some things are directly related to travel while others are projects around our home as well as people and places we need to see. All of this while we are still workcamping here in the RV park. There is nothing more satisfying than crossing things off a list. I know that if I do something that is not planned I will add it to the list just to cross it off so I can see how much we have accomplished.

Yesterday I got a big item off the list. I finally got around to doing our taxes. This is the latest that I have ever been doing our taxes. Between waiting for our tax documents, getting new phones and tablet, staying busy with "the list", and just running short on calendar I am about a month later than usual. Yesterday was cleared from the schedule and dedicated to taxes only. As workcampers our taxes are a little different because of all the places we work. Every state has their own tax codes and require different forms or documents. Fortunately this year it was New York State. New York tax forms are basically replicated federal forms and it is easy to transfer information from one to the other once the first ones are filled out. California on the other hand is so screwed up that their tax forms are in comprehensible. We will never work in California again!

I was going to blog yesterday after the dreaded taxes were done but my head hurt after four hours of screen time, so today is blog day. We have people to see, places to go, and things to do so I will sign off now from our home in Zephyrhills because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'22/#2 Time Does Fly

 I don't know where the time has gone. Here it is, almost the end of February, and I am just getting to my second blog of the year. I've said in the past that sometimes there just isn't material that is "blog worthy" but that really is no excuse. It's not like nothing has been going on but some times it just doesn't seem like it would be of interest to anyone else. But here goes.

Since the last blog the weather has been, shall we say, erratic? Highs in the upper 80's then lows in the mid 40's? I shouldn't complain because we have friends up north who are dealing with snow that is measured in feet, not inches, but still....40's in Florida?!?!? And just to add to the fun during one of the more severe cold spells our furnace dies! Fortunately we have alternate heat sources to use in case of emergency and we survived until the tech could fix the problem. 

On our trip south from New York I too our rig to the truck scales just to see where we were weight wise. Sadly we were overweight by more than we were comfortable with and knew we would have to do something about it. The last weekend in January there was a park wide yard sale followed two weeks later by a park wide yard sale in our sister park next door. We took advantage of both salea and sold as much as we could that we decided we didn't really need. That reduced weight, cleared out some space, and put a couple of dollars in our pocket. When we leave Florida to head north I will stop at the truck scale and see how well we did reducing weight.

During this whole time we were still working in the park getting projects done that the managers wanted. The are working hard to clean up this older park and make it some place that people would like to visit and stay. We also have been trying to get together with as many friends as we can before we head out on the road so all in all our calender is filling up. The last few weeks of our stay will be spent preping for the trek north.

I've finished my coffee and it is time to start moving so I will sign off from our home in Zephyrhills because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'22/#1 Just In Time

 The post holiday season is not a bad time nor a sad time, but it is sometimes a down time. The rushing around, shopping, cooking, meeting people, and generally celebrating all that this time of year means is over and it seems to quiet down. We relax and recuperate from the go, go, go of the last month or so of the year. I also became lax about my blog and kept putting it off until "tomorrow" and "tomorrow" kind of got away from me. So before January is gone(where did it go?) here is my first blog of 2022.

We are still working here in our park and have a list of jobs that need to be done before we leave for points north in the spring. On top of that we worked at the RV Super Show in Tampa for a couple of days for  Six Flags-Darien Lake where we spent last summer. We also had to check out all the RVs and vendors at the show. We never miss this show if we are in Florida and this year was no exception. There was lots to see but we are very satisfied with everything we have. That didn't stop us from spending a little money on a few things that will make our lives easier in the RV.

As anyone who lives in Florida or pays attention to the weather here knows that this winter has been unseasonably cold. Well this morning it was down right frigid! Overnight low in Zephyrhills was 24 degrees! This is the land of coats and scarves if the temperature gets below 50 degrees! We haven't had to prepare our water hoses for freezing temperatures since the fall that we were in West Yellowstone Montana. In an RV that means having water in your fresh water tank and disconnecting your hose from the water supply. Mobile home owners know to leave a faucet running slowly when the temps are below freezing. That would work in an RV also just remember to open the gray water holding tank or there will be a flood in the morning when the tank fills up!

Again this blog was well over due and until it warms up, this morning is a good time to catch up.  So I will sign off now from our toasty warm home in frigid Zephyrhills Florida because.......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'21/#55 Bye Bye

       It is that time of yearto say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. Like 2020, 2021 was challlenging because of the Covid virus and all that it brought with it, but we have made it to a new year. Hopefullyeveryone reading this is doing well and taking all the recommended precautions to stay healthy and make this coming year better than the last.

     We also hope that everyone had a good Christmas and got tospend rime with family and friends in a safe and healthy way. Again, covid is dictating how we celebrate with others, but if we try we can still get together with those close to us and also enjoy ourselves.  Well I am going to make this short and wish everyone a Happy New Year from our home in Zephyrhill because....

   Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'21/#54 What Is Christmas?

    It is that time if year when everything is all about Christmas, but what is Christmas? It is a religous holiday that is most dear to those of the Christian faiths and to some that is enough. Others look at it as a time of good cheer and good will, while some see family gatherings as the high point of the season. Some see the Christmas tree, or Santa Claus, and some will focus on the gifts while others are not sure what it is at all. 

   In this day of internet socialization we have come across a number of people who aren't sure if it is still Christmas. When the kids are grown and the wonder about what Santa has brought is replaced by knowing that someone, whether a relative or friend, has given you a gift is it still Chistmas? When the kids are out of the house and Christmas day comes to two people in an empty nest, is it still Christmas? When seniors gather in community centers or nursing homes is it still Christmas? Yes it is!

   I won't try to tell anyone what Christmas should be. I am not smart enough to tell someone else what Christmas is to them. But I would like to quote someone much smarter than me. Dr. Seuss spoke to people of all ages and I think summed it up best when he had the Grinch say, "It came without ribbons, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. Maybe Christmas (he thought) doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more."

   To me "more" is the operative word. More can be anything to anyone and can only be found by looking into your own heart. Thanksgiving is past and we gave thanks for what we have in our life but Christmas can be so much more. There is that word again. Take the time to reflect on your life. Not just the present but the past and the future also. To me Christmas is a time to give thanks for what we had, for what we have, and also for what we may have in the future. It is a time when we can give not just gifts but ouselves to others. Time is such a precious gift and becomes more so when it is shared.

   So this Christmas don't fret about how things have changed because things will always change. Remember how things were and how they have changed and look forward to how things will most certainly change in the tomorrows that come.

   So please have a Merry Christmas however you celebrate it as we celebrate it in our home on wheels in Zephyrhills because.....

     Home is where we park it,

   Frank and Mary

'21/#53 The Heart Of Snowbird Season

   It is after Thanksgiving and December first has come and gone.  That means the third wave of snowbirds have arrived and with that all the snowbird season brings. Crowded roads, crowded stores, crowded retaurants, and everything else is ... well crowded. I am not knocking snowbirds, for two reasons. 

   First and foremost we are now snowbirds. Unlike other snowbirds who live up north and travel south for the winter we started in Florida and travel north for the summer and return in the winter. I refer to us as reverse snowbirds. 

   The second reason is the good things that snowbirds bring.  They stimulate the economy during the winter months and help pay for all the infrastructure and business with their spending and the taxes they pay with that spending. 

   When we lived in Florida year round we learned to adapt to the influx of snowbirds. We shopped late in the evening, ate out after the dinner hour,  and tried to stay off the roads during peak traffic hours.

   Speaking of traffic, people who visit the Sunshine State always complain about Florida drivers. My theory is that when tourists are here during the winter months a large percentage of the drivers are NOT Floridians. These drivers are from New York, Massachusetts, Canada, and other northern areas. Each area has it's own peculiarities when it come to driving and they are used to it at home. When each area brings their habits (good or bad) and stir it into the pot called Florida traffic we get a stew of unmixable ingredients which becomes labeled "Florida drivers".

   My point is that the roads will be crowded and filled with drivers not used to the habits of others and accidents will occur. If everyone will slow down for a bit and try to be courteous on the road maybe some of those accidents will be prevented and we can all enjoy the beautiful winter weather we came to Florida to enjoy.

   So I am heading outside to enjoy this beautiful Floridian winter weather here at our home in Zephyrhills because.....

   Home is where we park it,,

Frank and mary