A Blessing in Disguise

At first, we were very nonplussed by Marc’s sudden lay-off, which greatly interrupted our plans on the road to retirement. As often in life however, further reflection has brought some wonderful conclusions about the situation. For one thing, Marc no longer has to be out amongst the public and can avoid THE stupid people  who refuse to wear masks. His exposure to Covid has likely dropped by 98%. Secondly, he now has time to really attack all those neglected little odd jobs, like cleaning up his shop, that were always shoved to the back burner when he worked. Third, and maybe most importantly, we are getting some free time to really spend together, doing what we want, like putting together the necessary equipment to get into the sport of kayak fishing.

As noted before, my kayak had arrived damaged, so on our first jaunt out in July we had to go with just one and take turns. We found a marvelous Forest Service campground in the UP, which blissfully remained lightly used (even over the weekend) where we had our choice of gorgeous lakeside spots which allowed us easy access to the kayak. We didn’t spring for non-resident fishing licenses due to the cost, but we really both enjoyed exploring the entire shoreline of the lake and testing the kayak’s abilities. With mosquitoes being bad, we set up our screen room and even the kitties were able to enjoy being outside and contained. It was one of the most relaxing times we’ve had in years.

Unfortunately, we moved back into northern WI to find most of the campgrounds in heavy use. The one spot we found in a state forest campground which didn’t take reservations did not thrill us and the water access wasn’t the best so we didn’t even unload the kayak. We drove around checking out many lakeside campgrounds in this area but most are on the reservation system and are fully booked through September. The others we determined we could not easily maneuver the tight turns required. It was very disappointing because the many lakes are like shining jewels and perfect for kayaking!

Meanwhile, back at home, Marc did come across a kayak at Cabela’s which he purchased and can make work for his purposes since it is motor driven. Getting everything set up plus figuring out how to load, unload and haul two large, heavy kayaks on the Chevy has been a feat in itself. It has occupied many hours, and many days. Thank God for mechanical advantage, as he devised a winch system which greatly helps.

Not to be deterred, we’re leaving again Monday to a yet undetermined lake, but you can bet it will be a campground which is first come only. We’ll stay in WI this time so we can fish and hopefully discover a spot nice enough to repeatedly return to. Oh yeah, that’s another advantage of his lay-off; we can now pretend we’re retired and leave during the week days to avoid the Friday rush. 

 

Getting Rid of the Old Girl

(This post is for link purposes to ads we are running)

Great Value! Parting Out Travel Supreme: Perfect for DIY tiny home at affordable cost: $9950.

We are parting out a 1998, 40 foot Travel Supreme fifth wheel. If you are looking to keep costs down on a new-build tiny home this trailer has many serviceable parts including:

*Trail Air hitch (over $1000 new)

*two slide mechanisms

*solid wood maple cabinetry which can easily be refinished

*100 amp electrical service in the rig and another 100 amp box in basement  

*24” 6” deep one-hole stainless steel sink w/Moen fixture

*12 c.f. two-way refrigerator

*apartment size pro four burner stainless steel propane stove, oven and GE  Spacesaver microwave

*easy lift King platform bed

*mirrored closet doors

*large corner fiberglass tub/shower combination with glass door

* porcelain RV toilet

*three large holding tanks and some landing gear jacks.

*two Dometic 15000 BTU A/C units

*Misc items include: A&E canvas 20’ center pole support awning with aluminum cover; A&E window awnings;  240 V baseboard electric heat; Cadet 1500W 240V space heater; faux wood window blinds; built-in safe

Most important for a tiny build is the stoutness of the frame: Gooseneck trailers are said to make the best tiny homes because a large master is possible on the main floor and easier towing. A new gooseneck frame of this size will run about $8000. Travel Supreme’s were some of the best built trailers available and this 40 footer has a double 2”x8” box tube frame which is fully enclosed on the bottom. The three axles were upgraded and custom made by Dexter specifically for this trailer (at a cost of about $10,000) and have under 5000 miles on them. They are rated 10k/each axle with oil bath bearings and there are HD Hercules 17” tires and wheels, rated for 5600 lbs/each. You can see the comparison to the original axles and (especially brake size) in two of the photos.

We are located in central Wisconsin and will consider reasonable local delivery. Trailer is no longer licensed or insured but can be moved with a trip permit at Buyer’s expense. We can also store it for Buyer for a reasonable amount of time with full payment and a liability waiver. All sold “as is”; trailer has been stored for past seven years.

How About a Quickie?

Tongue in cheek aside, this post won’t be filled with joy or even slutty photos. Or any photos for that matter as I am too lazy to download the poor ones I’ve taken lately.

What I did want to discuss was our day of reckoning on June 30^th. Marc was called in to the main office of his new company to be let go. To be honest, this wasn’t a total surprise since it often happens that personnel at the top of the food chain (read salary) are often the first to go when a larger company gobbles up a smaller one and wants to replace all the “old” people. The average age at the new company is likely thirty-something, so to them, Marc is downright ancient and stuck in his archaic, ponderous ways that over 50 years of hands-on construction work has taught him really “works”. I’m not sure this is important to the new way of doing business: hey, if it can’t be done online than what is the good of it? Who cares if the engineer flubbed and the roof trusses are an inch short on the right side of the building? Or that the front façade windows on a four-story building don’t line up because they’re all off by an inch and a quarter but only in certain sections?

What’s done is done, no undoing it, and life will move on, of that we’re sure. Marc battles between feeling great relief from his mountain of stress and the new mean streets of knowing that we really weren’t financially prepared for this to happen. Meanwhile, why not take the summer off and ponder the bigger questions like is it time for him to retire?

We were awaiting our kayaks to arrive, which was delayed a week, then I suffered major disappointment as we unwrapped mine to find it skewered through the hull with two holes the size of a forklift prong. It doesn’t matter that the wrapping clearly stated in big letters: Do Not Use Forklift; someone obviously had and hoped to get away with it.

In case you haven’t noticed, anything to do with recreation lately is entirely sold out due to Covid; either factories are not working or demand is sucking up what little supply remains so there is no replacement for the kayak I ordered, nor is there even another brand available until “maybe October”. It’s this way with fishing poles, bicycles, pools, even RVs.

So, for the rest of this year I figure I’ll be taking turns on Marc’s, which will just be a real ton of fun, eh? Not quite what we had in mind to enjoy all those wonderful, remote lakes in the Upper Peninsula. Marc has worked hard on designing and building a kayak rack for the garage, a kayak rack for the truck (using an electric winch) and still has to do an under-kayak wheel setup to get it to the water once it is unloaded from the truck because this sucker weighs in at about 115 lbs. All this has taken about a week but our leave taking is finally on the horizon after tomorrow’s bad storm. We should be good to go Wednesday.

The true meaning of freedom—I’m not even sure what highway we are taking north, having only a general idea of about four different campgrounds which will satisfy our yearnings. It will be so good to finally get away! Pictures next time: Marc is taking the Go Pro and the drone and his cell phone is in a waterproof case just in case things get dicey out there on the water for such an old has-been.

Summer Update

What with Covid, it’s been a relatively quiet spring and summer for us. Marc continues to adjust to his new company (his old company sold out to another and was absorbed), although one huge advantage has been for him to work from a home office. He still travels daily but is able to get his day usually started from his desk in the sunroom and end it writing his reports from the same spot. His hours are now much more regular as well and he isn’t being nearly as taken advantage of since he works on salary. Before, he often would work 60 hours for “45” hours of pay. 

With the demise of any volunteering, functions, or event planning with the Humane Society due to Covid, I’m spending time primarily gardening and doing yard work. We’re now close enough to some vacation time that I have been planning for that, which is a nine-day stretch in mid-July. RVing has apparently been a big deal to a lot of folks lately as a safer way to travel and vacation, so I have found many of Wisconsin’s better-known spots pretty well booked. But that’s OK; we’ll just go to Plan B.

They’ve done surveys which suggest that around 60% of RVers like having full hookups. Larger state and county campgrounds usually have at least some electrical sites but it’s almost unheard of in Forest Service camps. So, first step: look only to those without any hookups or services, which I figure eliminates at least 60-65% of the competition. (Commercial campgrounds for us aren’t even in the equation). To that end, Marc worked diligently on making room for and hooking our trailer up with four batteries for longer boondocking! In addition, he bought the connector cable to tie both of our 2200-watt generators together, which will give us enough power to run A/C if necessary.

The second and third step was to look for areas less trafficked; more remote and farther afield. Add in dirt road travel necessity to reach those spots, and we expect to eliminate 90-95% of the competition. We don’t like no stinking reservations! We’re skipping Wisconsin and will head directly to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which is filled with state forests, county parks, and national forest areas. We’re going to mix things up a bit on this summer’s recreation and try and get more active in the rustic spots we find. We dug out our metal detectors, which we purchased in the late 1990’s but have hardly used and hope to dig our way through some interesting spots.

Since it’s a shame to have so many thousands of lakes and rivers available and not be able to get out on them, we’ve switched up our way to do that. Marc decided he just didn’t like trying to fish out of the inflatable boat I bought a few years ago, so we just sold it and are replacing that with two new pedal power angling kayaks. These should arrive next weekend so we have time to get them set up and figure out the transportation mechanics of carting them along. This should make for an interesting story since neither one of us has ever kayaked in our lives. These nudged out the idea of ever getting a pontoon boat, so hopefully we, like thousands of others running around with kayaks on their roofs, will find the sport engaging and fun.

As being solely at home restrictions lifted, we slipped away one four-day weekend in May to the county park campground I found last year figuring it wouldn’t be too busy as yet. We scored our favorite site once again and cozied up to the lakeshore for a wonderful stay and great weather. Fishing was a bust but it was a wonderful break and only wetted our appetite for what we can find this summer on new adventures. I’ll try and be better about posting those!

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How Are We Impacted?

My parents grew up during the Great Depression and then fought in and against the shortages of WWII. Mom tells me stories of not being able to get tires, sugar, flour, gasoline, shoes. My mother turned 93 on April 9th and told me she has gone through all this stuff before…but it’s been a long time. She is used to conserving and making do and not going anywhere.

Marc and I are too, to a certain extent. Marc is a master MacGyver—if there’s a way to figure out how to improvise something to work, he can usually do so. We’re too cheap to hire things out; we do it ourselves.

We’re used to staying home and in our older years, rarely socialize anymore. Since we only eat out about twice a year and don’t visit bars, the new regulations don’t bother us, excepting feeling so badly for all those impacted economically by lost jobs. While some react in horror to having to cook at home, it’s just another day around our place.

We are impacted by Marc’s cut in pay and hours, and the future of his job could eventually be in question depending upon what happens with the economy. Will people still build stuff? He’s had to adjust his way of overseeing his projects by doing business over the phone and computer and leaving for work at 3 p.m. on days he has to personally inspect things, so he avoids all people; then crawling home an exhausted twelve hours later at 3 a.m. He just informed me that he will have to work Sunday, driving to MN and back while no one else is working, so his schedule is constantly in a state of flux.

We are impacted by some shortages on grocery shelves around here but often confide to each other how lucky we are to be weathering this in a small, rural community. Our county has only had three cases of Covid, one of whom died immediately. People seem normal as they are out and about, albeit around half of them now wear masks. There are none of the lines you see on the national news.

It really helps to have property we can get out and work on, although so far, our spring weather hasn’t been conducive to doing much outdoors. We both agreed we’d be bonkers if cooped up in a small apartment like the one we lived in before we built our home here. Once it warms up, our list is long: pressure wash the house and posts, paint the posts, do some new plantings, weed and feed the lawn, fertilize everything, build the raised bed and plant the garden, put a coat of wax on the RV, reload the RV in the event we can ever use it this summer, finish the sunroom, build a fountain, put in an irrigation system, and build a section of fence on far lot border to keep out neighbor’s dog. Marc stops and starts work on the sunroom according to the temps, but it’s coming along. Another of his latest hobbies is building birdhouses in his basement “shop”.

We have friends who were RVing in Arizona for winter who now can’t make it back here and the animal shelter I volunteer for is really suffering from being shut down. I miss the comradery of the other gals. But for the most part, and thankfully, no one we know has been stricken with Covid, and I’m fairly certain all can afford to still put food of some sort upon their tables. 

We’ve spent seven months cooped up indoors in a cold, wintery Wisconsin and if it turns out we can’t get out to enjoy some outdoor activities this summer I am going to be royally pissed off. Marc enjoys four weeks of vacation and we had already scheduled the breaks so no changing them now. Will it end up that all of them are spent in our own yard?

A bigger fear is the impact all this will have on the greater economy. I think it will be much greater than folks anticipate, since many seem to think with the flip of a switch, all life will return to what we were used to back before Covid. With major industries bleeding money however, it won’t be an easy turnaround to profitability. And woe to the people who have no savings and will go deeply in credit card debt that will take years or decades to pay off. And then what happens if/when all this hits “repeat” as Covid may come back again in winter, as they suspect it may? 

I try hard to keep it all in perspective comparing myself to what others may be going through. So many have lost livelihoods, businesses, their financial wellbeing, their hopes and desires, and their very lives. How can I complain? It’s like World War II again: America will get through it, but not everyone will get through it.

Be well.

A Changed World?

What is there to say that hasn’t already been said? Just a few weeks ago it was business as usual but now it’s not.

WI has been fairly sheltered from large numbers of virus cases but it is rapidly expanding daily now and seems to finally have entered the populations’ attention that this is real. I decided to go out early yesterday to do some final stock up on groceries and found hysteria arriving even here in our tiny town. The store was jam-packed and many aisles were picked over and there was not an egg in the store. Surprisingly however, there seemed to be a normal amount of fresh vegetables so I guess folks aren’t interested in eating those. The frozen pizza aisle was wiped out!

I always jokingly say that I must have had a Mormon buried somewhere in my woodpile as I’ve always been one to have adequate supplies at hand. So even going into this we were pretty well stocked as I buy in bulk and had managed to hit Sam’s Club just before the onslaught. We own the largest chest freezer made and it is chuck full; plus making my own bread, I have 50 pounds of flour on hand. Hearty bread and cheese (also well stocked on that) can keep a person from starving for a long time I suspect.

We had already planned to perhaps build a greenhouse and some raised beds in our garden area this summer so now I’m pretty sure that’s a “go”. Having fresh and clean produce could become prudent in the not too distant future. I reflect that in times like this, it’s good to be out of town on our own acreage where we have a chance to fend for ourselves. If it came to it, we could have our own chickens and raise a pig or cow. Having a home now is solace and a safe haven.

Although we still have plans for some camping trips this summer, I have read in some RV newsletters that some campgrounds and state parks in other states are being closed. Hard to see how being out in nature could pose a problem but panic seems to be the rule of the day. Will severe travel restrictions come next, maybe stranding some RVers who are far from home or where they want to be? And as one RVer put it, who wants to be deathly ill out in the middle of nowhere with no available help or medical facilities? No, I think this is a good time to be home for the most part.

The Humane society I volunteer for is seriously considering cancelling some of our upcoming major fund-raising events, for which I am very sorry. But frankly, most of us volunteers are seniors and elderly and who wants the exposure? The long-awaited annual rummage which I had hoped would be a good market for all my winter efforts in making art quilts, may not be held. The rummage I was set to join with my neighbor at the end of April is also in jeopardy. If we go to all that effort and work will anyone even show up to buy?

Yes, suddenly a very changed world. Be safe out there.