A Parade and the Spokane River Falls

Saturday was the perfect sunny day for a parade.  My oldest granddaughter plays the clarinet in her middle school marching band.  So My Auntie and I and my kiddo went to the early morning Jr Lilac Festival.  I loved seeing her playing.  I of course, had to make sure that she saw me..... chasing down the street with camera in hand, to get the perfect picture.     (This is as close to perfect as I could get taking a picture of a moving object!)  Hailey is the tallest in the orange shirt.  Such a cutie!  (Grandma's are expected to show favoritism.)

  A walk along the river showed the power of the Spokane River that cuts through the downtown city.  A gondola comes down from the upper RiverFront Park and is shown in the bottom left of the photo.  A thrilling and beautiful way to experience the river during the Spring and early Summer. 

 

Markers along the river tell the history of this area along the river. 

I have lived here most of my life,  How did  I not know these were here? While I'm getting the footwork done for full time RVing I best be viewing my the sights in my own back yard.

The Monroe Street Bridge rebuilt (for the third time in 1912) still stands and carries vehicles and pedestrians to the north side of the city.

The Glory Days of Camping

My Mom showed me the glory of camping the summer that when we made a 'summer home' at Priest Lake, Idaho. I will never forget that summer we went camping for 6 weeks.  We didn't have a fancy camper and indeed our camp was pretty rustic.  We did have a gigantic tent with 3 rooms and cots to sleep on.  We also had prime real estate with a beach front camp site.  My brother was on a baseball team  and my Dad had to work so they joined us on weekends.

My Mom and I set out to get the camp set up and launch the boat.  It was our first time setting up camp alone so it was of course and interesting day.  It took most of the day to get the camp just the way she wanted it with plastic tarps surrounding the camp for a wind break and raking up the pine needles... (yes in the forest as we had to have a neat camp!)  The boat was launched and tied to the dock before dinner.  Now we were set for the night and even had a fire to warm us in the evening.


 
Sometime during the night, a huge storm blew in and the sound of raging wind ripping through the trees awoke us with a single shared thought..... How was the boat?  We rushed down to the dock to find one end of the boat still tied to the dock and the other floating free.  Several other boats had broken away from the dock and there were many frantic boat owners attempting to capture the wayward boats.  After much effort the boat owners working together and were able to secure the boats back to the dock and others beached their boats.  Tired, we returned to our campsite.  In the dim moonlight we saw the the wind had flattened our tent!
After much laughter.... we finally had our tent back up for a much deserved sleep.  The morning found the ideal camp site that we loved.

                    

       This was just the beginning of a lifetime love of camping.........

  I love and miss you Mom!!

The pictures are not mine but the memories are.

    

I am drawn to the River

I once met a woman visiting Spokane who couldn't believe how the residents of the Lilac City are so fascinated by the Spokane River.  She commented,  we act as if we were the only city with a river running through it.  It is true, we are obsessed with the River.

The Spokane River is a part of our history, our celebrations and our souls, our inner being.  It was a local gathering place for area Native American Tribes as they caught and dried fish.  Early settlers used the falls to power mills and generate power.  There is now a Centennial Trail that follows along the river for 60 miles that people use for biking, running, walking and riding horses. The river seems to change with each bend as well as the seasons.

Below are pictures very close to where I live.

This old tree is a sign of days gone by.  Rare is the day without a bird in its branches

 Snow melt has caused the river banks to swell and flood. 

 

The plants change from season to season marking the passage of time.

Flowers always make me smile!

                                                                       

The river and I are evolving  and constantly changing.

The river reminds me of all these changes and I am renewed.

Procrastination Lives at my House

     Yep, procrastination doesn't come to visit periodically at my house, it is a full time resident.  I have always known I work best under pressure with the adrenalin  fueling creativity and productivity.  As I have gotten older fewer of these power bursts fuel the work that needs to be done.  As a result more unfinished projects,  delayed maintenance and piles and piles of essential (?) stuff has accumulated.  With a new Master Plan for RV travel, liquidating assets to prepare for full time RVing is essential.  I have lots of work to do!  My usual pattern is to wait until panic sets in and run off the energy of the moment.  I seriously doubt I can produce the amount of panic or adrenalin required for all the tasks to be done.

Maybe I need a different strategy to prepare for the life changes coming my way.

 New plan.... 

Do something everyday that leads towards my goal.     Maybe some days I'll do more but I'm committing to at least doing one thing each day.  Clean out a closet, the dreaded craft (read crap) room, the garage, barns, sheds, it all needs it's day of purging.  Not all the tasks are cleaning and purging of course, planning for the farm animals, and there is research and paperwork to be done.  I have a question for all of you who have taken the leap into full time RVing......

What was the task that was hardest for you to get done to ready for a life of RVing?  

One thing is clear, today is the day to begin.    

Thought for the Day:

Take time to be deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in."        Napoleon Bonaparte 

Procrastination Funnies:

The Mystery of the Missing Turkey

I let the turkeys out of the winter pen when I spent more time trying to herd them back into the pen than they actually spent residing in the pen.   Since the snow is gone, they have taken up residency in the horse and donkey pastures.   Currently there are 6 adult turkeys, 2 toms and 4 hens.  Every morning when I go out to feed the animals I do a quick head count.  The last couple of weeks I came up with a different number each day.  Sometimes 4, sometimes 5 but rarely 6.
                                            Hmmmm..... what is up in turkey land?

                   Well, by now you have probably guessed it.... its Spring in turkey land.

So this morning I when out on a turkey hunt..... no guns just a camera.  After much hunting, I finally found 2 hens sitting on a nest in the farthest corner of the pasture.  I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of the 2 hens on the nest together.  After watching much of the morning,  it seems one of the turkeys only drops by to lay an egg and the 'main' momma does all the sitting.  She is a cross between the white tom and a bronze hen. Isn't she beautiful?

After waiting a bit and scattering some scratch for her to nibble on, I was able to get this shot of the eggs.

 

                                                                               



The hens are back to sharing     sitting responsibilities.

The Momma Hens are doing their jobs. 

  Now  we just wait to see  if  Pappa Tom did his job.

                                   

So the mystery of the missing turkey is solved.

Thought for the Day 

We spend our lives talking about this mystery - our life."      Jules Renard

The Beginnings of "The Master Plan"

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called, "Shall I stay or shall I go?"  I ask readers what were the most important things that contributed to their decision to become a full timer.  Thank-you to all the readers who contributed their thoughts and ideas.  I so appreciate  the opportunity to learn from your experience. The answers have given me fodder for much thought.  Next March is Social Security Day, (SS) Day.  That is one Birthday I look forward to celebrating.  It certainly is time to get all the ducks in order.  So here is the beginning of The Master Plan....

•  Make a list of accumulated material possessions and determine action needed.  This includes animals, vehicles, all possessions from a barn, tack room, garage and 5 bedroom house.  
•  Follow many RV blogs gleaning from writers information needed to make wise decisions regarding preparations for travel. 
• Continue Financial planning for SS Day in 10 months.
• Pay down all debt
• Travel in the local area extensively including 'alone' travel to get a feel for solo travel
•  Make re-connections with significant people of my life  and spend quality time together.
•  Make preparations for House Sale - Make updates and clutter removal
•  Make preparations for Home of Record, Insurance, Storage of Important Papers and Family Items
• Make Dream List -  Where and When to go
• Determine D Day
• Live every day fully..... Enjoy every moment!

Given that I am generally a spontaneous person, extensive planning is not my first nature.  It will require a great deal of self-discipline (which I often lack) to expand the above list to the detailed action steps  accomplishing  these activities.

Probably one of the greatest gifts to myself will be the  realization that this will be a learning process... one in which I must be face my fears, free to learn, and shift direction to where the process takes me. I shall wear flexibility as my new purple cloak.


Thought for the Day 

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality.  The beginning, as you will observe is in  the imagination.
                      Napoleon  Hill

Technoloyg has its way with me!

Today is the first day over 70 degrees.  It absolutely requires some outdoor play.  Dog, check.  Kiddo, check.  Camera, check. Geo-caching GPS, check.   So off to the river we will go.   I had downloaded 3 caches (treasures to hunt called geo-caching).  Obviously I'm rusty after a long winter.  My old brain just couldn't handle the frustration of figuring out the technology of the GPS.  After trying to find 3 treasures, in frustration I finally gave up.  (Technology 1, Karen, 0).  After abandoning treasure hunting,  I needed some time to decompress.  So on to plan B.... hiking along the river trail...  I'm good with seeing what nature has to show us today.  Just soak in some splendor and see what is all around us.

           Check out the 2 foot tall Red ant hill.  It is literally covered in little biters!


We found this hill right beside the trail where I was going to sit down on the ground for a little rest.  Close call. Just as I was going to sit, my buddy yelled not to sit there!!!!   I certainly need to wear bifocals all the time! I also discovered a problem with my camera.  For some reason the memory disk write-protected itself while 'noone' was watching.  After many attempts to undo this I gave up....... I also discovered I could only take 3 pictures on the internal memory.  Geez, what a way to spoil a gals fun!!   (Technology 2, Karen 0 ).  Two more pictures was all I was allowed for this day adventure.

                                A picture of the swollen Spokane River

                Yep!   It is snow in dem dar hills.......  Is it almost Spring?

  Do you have days where nothing seems to work right? 

  So what is your technology frustration? 

Thought for the Day :         
It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are.
             Clive James

Exploring has always been in my blood

Exploring my world is something that I remember from an early age.  I loved hiking, and camping and always looked for another trail to check out.  You probably have hiked with someone like me, always wanting to lead the way.  Never wanting to turn back but instead needing to go around the next bend or see what was over the next hill.  It is still in my blood.       

When I was a child I hiked the hills near my home.  Some of those hills are dotted with homes but recently, I hiked some of the hills nearby.

This is the view from the hill near where I live now.  (It is about 2 miles from where I grew up)  It was a long way up.... but still more above this spot.  I took this as a point of reference as I could see where my house is from here.  It is near the left corner on the flat land where the brown turns to green.  The lake in the distance is Liberty Lake.  
When hiking today I never want to come back, I still want to see around the next bend.  But reality (usually  back pain) keeps the meandering under control.  After all I still need to make it back home.


Camping was always dear to my heart.  Mostly though, as a child we went to the same spot, year after year.  It was like returning to a dear friend but I still wanted to check out the next campground... the next best spot.  Indian Creek Campground on Priest Lake, Idaho was a pristine lake with all the hiking, swimming and boating a young lass could desire.  Picking huckleberries for breakfast pancakes and hiking the creek area are fond memories that I cherish.  But I still longed to explore the many sights unseen.

The best news is now I get to decide.

So much to see, so little time.


Thought for the day:
 “Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.”
  L. M. Montgomery

Shall I stay or shall I go?

I have embraced my life in my home town.  I have loved taking care of foster children needing a home and guidance.  The children have learned to connect, trust and care for the rescued animals before they could trust people. There has been laughter.  There has been tears. It has been my dream and it has been a good life.

I stand at a crossroad, (pardon the cliche) .   I am considering what the next portion of my life will contain.  I have wanted to live on the road, experiencing our great country and the people around our land.  What is currently clear is my house, animals and dreams are all mortgaged!  All available funds (and then some) are required to support my present reality. 

I am currently following many blogs of women and men who when standing at this crossroads have taken the leap of faith and embraced the gypsy lifestyle.  I am guessing that each one has been on this fence exploring all the options and yet hesitating, fearful of making the 'wrong' choice.   I have wondered what were the deciding factors that influenced your decision. 

 
Shall I stay or shall I go?



Thought for the Day
Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake   Henry David Thoreau

Meet the Kritters and Kids

Meet the Kritters and the Kids

Nothing ever stays the same for long at this house.  The kids come and go.  I never know how long they will stay but it is always difficult when they leave.  Some more than others.  

It seems the Kritter population changes as often.

Due to confidentiality I am not able to share the children's names. But aren't they beautiful!!

 (I am at liberty to tell the names of the critters) I am able to make up some of the rules!

                                  The Momma donkey is Stella        Her daughter is Katie

                                   The king on his throne is Furby.  He was my mothers dog
                                         When she passed away he came to live with us.
                                                       He fits in nicely don't you think!
                                   

                      This is my mare, Holy Scat.  She is fiesty and she will forever own a big piece of my heart.        She has taught me many skills, such as training horses and how to gracefully get off the ground.

This big boy is Holy Scats Shadow,  Shadow for short.  He has many talents including opening barn doors and escaping the pasture.  But hey, whats not to love....Look at those big brown eyes!

The turkey's are heritage turkey's.  The white one is a Royal Palm.  The dark ones are called Bronze.  I don't name any of the animals that are raised for meat.  We currently have 6 turkeys but the hens have started to lay eggs.  So we will see if they hatch any babies this year.

We currently have about 15 chickens and 2 roosters.  Only one has a name.  He wears his name, Renegade Red like a badge of freedom.  He is a free spirit preferring  to live in the wide open spaces or hanging out with the turkeys.  He certainly does not want to be cooped up with the chickens and meanwhile  I have developed great rooster wrangling skills. His antics entertain me daily.

Emmit

  Tiger 

We also have 3 cats....and par for the course they were not interested in participating in a photo shoot.  These were the best that I could come up with for today.  Come home Spook!  Your photo shoot awaits. Well here at long last is Spook. Queen of the House.

 I will add more as the cat kritters will allow.

Tha....Tha....Tha......That's all folks.... 

Thought for the day

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family:  What ever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."  Jane Howard