Marti's Musings: Mooch docking

Soooo - "Moochdocking" sure has it's ups and downs...so I thought I'd give a woman's point of view to this way of life...you've heard about the sewer, the leveling...so, sorry guys, but here's another view.

It goes without saying that being so very close to the grandtreasures outweighs any other inconveniences! 

But there have been some other adaptations to consider:

We need to conserve water for the obvious sewer issues - that includes showering, laundering, dish washing and general water usage.  We are always aware of water usage, particularly when we travel, but this puts us into hyper-awareness...

Although we typically run 50 amps, being plugged into a 20 amp household current makes us very aware of the electrical usage - ie:  I turn off the fridge to run my coffee pot, or the hairdryer - kind of a pain, but we certainly don't want to be popping their house circuit breakers.

Along the same line of the amperage, we have to conserve our propane so we don't have to un-decorate the rig, and go refill the tank.  We looked for an extend-a-stay hook up, but were unsuccessful.  So we are using a small electric heater to take the chill off in the evening, after we retire to our "home".  We also found that an electric blanket is a life saver at night, as it gets so cold, and we keep the Journey's temp rather low at night.  Personally, I like sleeping in a cold room - but on very cold nights, putting the blanket on low is heavenly!

Paul also mentioned the leveling issue - the drive way is far from level, and he did a great job with leveling the rig.  That just caused one problem, we have a portable step to help with gaps, but even with the portable step this gap is, well...HUGE!  The gap is a good 18" - yikes!  But, we've even gotten used to that - it's only temporary after all...  :c) 

Our day typically goes something like this:  We get the "Good morning, we are up" text, and so we head inside to have breakfast together.  If we have errands, we head out after breakfast, by the way, the scenery here is breathtaking.  The mornings are typically foggy, and the fog clouds clear up randomly - often times we are in the clouds, and when we head down the mountain (hill?) it is clear - or sometimes the reverse.  Looking across the water, and mountains, it is absolutely stunning!

Lunch is often out, and dinner is usually cooked by DIL Amber, who is a whiz at Southern style cooking.  We may not want to step on the scales 'til we are well clear of this visit!  ;-)  Of course, mingled in this is playing, crafting and hugging the grandtreasures!

After dinner, we enjoy family time (although we are certainly a family of the technical generation- as both the girls are asking if they can play games on my iPhone or iPad - along with their own gaming systems!)  We have been enjoying Christmas movies and TV this week.  Once the girls head to bed, we retire to our home - giving both couples time to themselves.  Amber is 5 months pregnant now, and is a trooper at having company!

I am enjoying the Christmas movies (yup, the ol' soppy ones) - often long into the night.  I figure my body clock is totally messed up by now, as I sleep at odd hours! (note the napping pictures from the last several posts).  While watching TV, I am diligently working on the hand made Christmas stockings for the two new grandbabies due in 2012.  They take me several months each to make, so I am getting a head start.

It is so nice to sit in the rig at night, listening to Christmas music, watching TV - smelling the candles burning, the Christmas lights giving such a nice ambiance.  It may take a while to get used to this style of living, but it sure is great learning it!

I admit, I have my moments of panic (the reality of walking away from a well paying job) - compounded by calls offering me jobs!  Yup, got another one of those today...but when I hear the spontaneous "I love you Mimi" comments, the screams of "MIMI!!!" when the girls see me in the morning.  Yeah, that outweighs any doubts, and confirms that we made the right decision.


In my line of work, I had the unfortunate opportunity to see folks at the end of their lives.  Never once did I hear any expressions of disappointment from anyone, saying they wish they had spent more time working, or at the office.  On the other hand, there was much regret over time NOT spent with family. 

Today, I also learned that another dear friend of mine has been diagnosed with cancer.  She is younger than I am.  My friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor earlier this year, still is struggling with that disease, and is under rigorous treatment.  Time is precious, and being able to spend it with family - whenever we want to?  Nothing beats that - and any inconveniences or adaptations we need to make are so worth it.  You only get one shot at life.  Make it worthwhile.

We are blessed immensely by God, and we are trying to make every day He has given us count.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment. ~ Marti