The Palms is squeaky clean and shining, and goodbye Escape

Welcome to our new followers!  Running Liner, Nan, Jed's Mom, and Bunny Jeans Decor...and More.

Running Liner - they are not retired yet, but make short RV trips and hang out in their small RV.  This is a new blog, and she has lots of great photos posted so far.

Nan and Jed's Mom - I don't see a blog listed for either of you - if you have one, or start one, let me know so I can visit you both, too! 

Bunny Jeans Decor...and More, this new follower, Margie, and I met here at Santee Lakes.  She has two really cute dogs, and when Katie and I passed their site, of course the dogs wanted to get together, and so I walked over and was invited to sit down and visit.  We had the best conversation - it was really nice.  Margie has a blog about decorating that's beautiful and interesting - check it out.

WELCOME to you all, and thanks for following along with me and Katie on our Great Escape! : )

Well, The Palms got her wash and wax this afternoon.  It was a much better experience than I expected, of course I really didn't know what to expect.  The company is called Fresh Mobile Detailing, and is owned by Tyler Deno, a 19 year old "kid" who has a really good business going.   He has quite an operation - when they got there, there were three guys, Tyler and two employees, Josh and Adam, and they really moved.

From now on when I hear about "these lazy young kids," I will definitely have a story to tell the other side.  These guys worked hard for a hour and a half, they washed the entire rig from top to bottom, then applied a wax and buffed it out, the entire rig was waxed and buffed, 

the tires cleaned,

and the windows washed.  I'll tell you, they really worked, and it was hot out!  Tyler checked everything that was done and went over any areas that he wasn't happy with.  I was impressed with his attention to every detail on every part of The Palms.

I can definitely recommend Tyler and Fresh Mobile Detailing - you'll get your money's worth and then some.   They were happy, listened to my comments, answered all my questions (my son says I'm a nightmare customer because I always get involved and want lots of answers), but they were great and put up with me and my chatter and picture taking.

If you're ever in the San Diego County area and need a good company to wash and/or wash and wax your rig, give them a call:

And here she is, clean, shiny, very smooth:

Just look at the shine on that hood, if you click on the photo, you'll see a real reflection:

The decals look richer and I'd guess the wax will protect them from weathering as quickly.

He also installs radios/stereos/speakers, window tinting, and HID lights.   I'm sure he does just as good a job with those areas of his business.  Thanks Tyler, Josh and Adam, you guys did a great job!

And here's Katie, supervising in the chair,

and later in her new halter (see hated it when I put the other one on her, so I broke down and got a different one - she likes this one):

 

 Katie's new halter - pretty in pink ruffles

This morning I drove to work in my Ford Escape, and left it there.  Marc, one of our supervisors, drove me back to my campsite.  So... she's gone, and I'm sure going to miss her.
 

But Tom will take good care of her... much better care than I took of her, I'm sure.

It was a busy day, and now I'm going to get my Kindle and relax.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Wednesday, everyone!  : )

The Lakes, the car, the bath

Welcome to our new followers:  Joyce Gray, Longdog2 and Stargeezer.

Joyce and Longdog2 don't show a blog (yet), but Katie and I are very glad you are joining us on our full-timing adventure.  Welcome aboard The Palms!

Of course we all know Stargeezer, Al from The Bayfield Bunch.  Al, I've been reading your blog almost from the beginning of my RV dream planning, and have enjoyed your posts immensely.  The good times and the bad times, you're an honest, interesting man, and I love your photos.  Welcome aboard to you, too, I'm glad you've joined Me and My Dog as a follower!

Here are a couple of photos of some of the amenities offered here at Santee Lakes:

 Beautiful pool and hot tub area

Large pool

 Laundry - squeaky clean, ironing board, too

I was going to get a shot of the club house, but there is a pot luck every Monday night, and there was a crowd of people lined up filling their plates, and I didn't want to intrude since I wasn't participating.  It looked and smelled wonderful, though.  They also have free coffee and pastries on Thursday mornings, and this week there is also a free concert at 6:30 Thursday evening.   Friday is family night with games and cards and Bingo at 7:00.  Saturday there is a live band in the clubhouse. Lots going on every week for people who want to participate.  

This is a secure park, with gates that lock overnight. People who are staying here can get in and out after hours with an electronic gate access code.  The front part of the lakes is open for day use with an entry fee, and the rear lakes are for campers only.

This is the kind of park people come back to year after year, and reserve their sites up to a year in advance.  Some are lakeside, or near the lake, and others are in more park-like settings:

I'd  much rather be by the lake.  I might come back in the future and stay a few days or a week and stay closer to the lake. The cost is the same as the site I'm in now, but of course it would be the daily rate or weekly if I stay that long.  I'll make sure to call a few months in advance to make sure I get one of the sites I want.  I just talked to a couple who have come here for years, they are from Arizona, and they gave me their favorite sites by the lake, so I have something to go on when I come back.  Thanks Irene and Steve!

Yesterday outside the pool fencing, Katie went nuts on the lawn, rolling around like crazy:

She was full of energy, poor thing - she's always in The Palms or on a leash and she is such a runner, she can't get her energy out.  When she gets like that, I yell, "run, run, run!" and she starts running like mad, she is super fast and can run forever.  But when she has to be on the leash, I turn around in circles and she runs and runs around in large circles, still on the leash.  It's not the same as just taking off, but she loves it.  These large grassy areas by the pool and laundry are perfect for "circle running."

Katie stayed in bed this morning until 10:30!  I love it!  I did my Wii stuff, had coffee, checked e-mails, made some phone calls, took my shower, watched a little TV, and finally I got her up.  In the condo, we got up at 5:15 on workdays, but on my days off she was staring at me - an inch from my nose - every morning around 6 - 6:30 until I got up and let her out to go potty.  She is taking this retirement thing very seriously.  

When we took our walk, I headed toward a noise that had been going on for a while, sounded like a generator at the end of my loop.  Generators are not allowed here in the park, so I was curious.  It was two men with an RV washing business who were cleaning the RV at the end.  So I scheduled an appointment for them to wash and wax The Palms tomorrow at 11:00.  They were booked solid today, and their first job tomorrow is the big rig down the way from me - the huge one with the window cages for their dogs.  Those people are full-timers and have been coming here for years, I guess they pretty much live here, and I figured if they trust this company, I would too.  I've only hosed The Palms off once, but I don't know the history of how she's been taken care of, so I thought a wash and wax was a good idea before we leave Santee.  

They charge $3/foot for wash and $7.50/foot for wash and wax, but he said he'd give me $6/foot for both.   That's $144.  I don't know if that's reasonable or not, but I do know I'm not waxing The Palms.  I may wash her myself from now on if I'm in a place that allows it, but I can't see myself doing a wax job.  So we will start out clean and shiny on Friday.

My son is going to buy my car from me, so she will stay in the family.  I think he'll love driving it as a work car instead of one of the business trucks.  I'll drive her to the office tomorrow and one of the guys will bring me back to Santee.

So, as of tomorrow I will have only The Palms, and she will hold everything I own.  When I take off on Friday morning, I will truly be a full-timer - on the road.  I'm getting really excited about that.  I know I'm a full-timer now, but camping for a month at Santee Lakes doesn't exactly feel like an "adventure," although I think it was a really good plan to be here this long to get me and Katie adjusted to living here, and learning a little more about her.   

The Palms is set up and organized (and re-organized a few times) so Katie and I are comfortable and have everything I think we'll need.  I'm sure I'll come across other things that will be useful, but the only large purchases that are still planned are solar installation and a back-up camera.  Those are going to cost me, so I'll do research before I have them installed.

Another beautiful day in San Diego County!

From Me and My Dog, have a great Tuesday everyone!  : )

My Wii is set up, moving on this week

I've learned more about The Palms in the last three weeks, and feel more comfortable with the systems. Still lots to learn, though.

I took my car to CarMax on Friday, and they offered me a price within the range I was looking for.  Low in the range, but acceptable, so I'll bring it back on Wednesday and sell it to them.  My son mentioned maybe wanting to buy it from me for the same price, so either way it will be sold Wednesday.

The site on one side of mine has remained empty since Larry left over a week ago, but I have a new neighbor who arrived on Friday.  Paula is an older woman with a little dog, who arrived with her son and his friend to help her get set up.  The kids have had such a good time, they stayed until Sunday afternoon, and she is leaving this morning.  Katie loved her dog, Roxie, they got on really well.

I thought it was funny that we had three older ladies with their dogs, traveling solo, all in a row. Paula has a friend camping here who has a new kitten, three months old. She is leash training it - so cute. 

Mary and her dog, Ginger, left again Sunday for Arizona and will be back on Thursday.  We have become fast friends.  I got my Wii Fit Plus set up the other day, but I wasn't very careful packing the console and it wouldn't work, so I went to Wal-Mart and got a new one.  I was telling Mary about it, and she wanted to see how it worked, so she came over and tried it out and loved it. Saturday we went to Wal-Mart and Mary bought the Wii console and Wii Fit Plus.  She got it all set up and when I was walking Katie Sunday morning, I could hear the faint sounds of the Wii coming from her rig. : )

When we went to Wal-Mart, I left Katie in The Palms alone for the first time, and asked Paula and her kids to let me know if Katie barked while I was gone.  They said she was good, she only barked when they walked near The Palms, so maybe I'll be able to leave her by herself.  I closed everything up, lowered the shades, and turned on the Endless Breeze 12V fan, and that seemed to work.  I have her crate, just in case, and will use it if I need to, but I'd rather leave her loose in The Palms if she's quiet.  

I haven't done anything on my Wii Fit for a long time, and I've lost a lot of the balance, strength, and endurance I had built up, so I'm working on that again.  I'm going to try to put in at least 20 minutes every day. It's amazing that I actually have enough room in The Palms to do most of the things.  The running I have to do in place, of course, but everything I've tried so far I was able to do. I'm horrible with the Yoga, and that would take more room than I have, so that's my excuse.  No Yoga. Since that's so hard for me, though, it's probably the exercise that I should do. : (

I'm getting The Palms ready to travel Thursday afternoon, and plan to leave around six am on Friday.  I plan to go back to my beach spot in Carlsbad to spend the day Friday, dry camp in my usual place Friday night, and spend some time Saturday with my son and his family. (They get back from vacation Friday night.)  I want to have a sleep over with Kennedy and Gavin, my 8 and 6 year old grand kids, on Saturday night in their driveway.  Sunday I'll leave to start the drive to Vacaville to visit my daughter and her family, arriving on Monday.

Katie has been a little sweetheart, and is enjoying this lifestyle.  She is getting socialized with the other dogs here at the park, and is actually going over to some of them now.  She is getting even more attached to me since we're spending so much time together.  I don't know if that's good or not, but it is what it is and she seems happy.

 Katie and Buster

Katie and Roxie

Since I'm leaving on Friday morning, I'm already feeling like I'm in departure mode.  I'm going to get out my departure checklists and cut and paste them into one that will work for me.  When I was stealth camping before, I didn't have much in The Palms, and I wasn't hooked up, so it was pretty simple to stash things and drive away.  I don't think I'll have much more to do now, but want to make sure I have everything covered.

No photos today except the ones of Katie and her new friends.  I've pretty much snapped everything of note that we've been doing here.  I don't usually take advantage of the amenities like pools, gatherings in the rec room, etc., but maybe today when we take our walks, I'll take some photos of those things so anyone coming through this area will have an idea of what's offered.

After the first few days with the kids bugging me, things settled down and have been really nice and quiet.  The park is beautifully maintained and the volunteers (workkampers) are all really friendly and helpful.  They had a sign up in the office looking for volunteers, so if anyone wants to stay here and work, you might check it out.  They have volunteer sites in each area, I'd guess they have a lot of volunteers working, especially through the summer months.    The weather has been beautiful, cool in the mornings, warm to hot in the afternoons with nice breezes, cool again the evenings.  Full hookups and free wi-fi.  $690 a month in my size site which includes electric and pet fee.  Santee Lakes Regional Park and Campground.

NOTE:  I am adding this after reading my first two comments - $690 (monthly rate) is only $23 a day, and for San Diego I didn't think that was bad.  I was originally going to stay here while I was working - through December - and would have been bringing in a full time salary.  I thought that was a bargain at about 1/3 of the cost of my condo.  Now that I'm retired, that will all change and my "frugal" lifestyle will start in July.  (I had pre-paid for June.)  But - it seems like a lot of bloggers I follow pay more than that at the RV parks they stay in.  And they are not in California, or especially San Diego, which is really expensive.  I was surprised at the comments that this is expensive.   And happy - if you guys think this is expensive, then I probably will be paying less than I thought for future camp sites in other areas.  : )  What do you all think is reasonable for a night with full hookups?  I'm hoping to overnight free a lot by stealth camping and Wal-Mart, etc., but will occasionally stop at a park for a couple of days, or longer if I really like it and can afford it.

From Me and My Dog, have a nice Monday, everyone!  : )

Sweet Ginger and Happy Birthday, Tom!

I don't have much to post tonight, but I did get a photo of Ginger, the dog next door, and I have to get that snake photo replaced. Every time I pull up my blog to access the blogs I read, that snake is there.  Ugh!

Mary and Ginger, my neighbor and her dog, have been away for a few days, and returned this afternoon.  Tonight I noticed Ginger was laying on the dash of Mary's Class A, so I got the camera and went over to snap a photo or two.  I tried taking it through my window, but it didn't come out.  By the time I got over there, Katie was barking and Ginger stood up, but here she is:

 Ginger

This photo taken through the windshield looks almost like a watercolor painting.  There's something about the photo that I really like.  That's a palm tree in the background.  As you can see, Ginger is a very pretty, sweet little girl.

This little guy was hanging out in the tree in front of The Palms for a while. Usually there are two of them, but I didn't see the other one.

I cleaned out my car this morning, tomorrow it's going to CarMax to see what they will give me.  I was going to have it detailed, probably would have cost about $150, but I called Carmax and asked if that would make any difference in the price I get, and he said not to waste the money. It's all about the car itself.  My Escape is a 2001, and too old for them to re-sell, so it will be sent away to where they send the older cars.  Kelly Bluebook is between $3,000 and $4,000, but he said that has nothing to do with what they offer.  It depends on whether or not the car is in demand.  Hopefully they will offer at least $3,000.

Today is my son Tom's 44th birthday.  He and his family went to the San Diego County Fair today, which they do every year on his birthday, and he said they had a great time.  Happy Birthday, Tom!  44 years ago today I was a very happy new mother!

From Me and My Dog, who is sound asleep up in the bunk, have a great Thursday night, everyone!

It's a snake!

Today is pretty warm, and Katie and I were sitting outside this morning.  I was reading my Kindle, minding my own business, when Katie started getting agitated.  I thought the cat across the street was roaming around, but Katie usually doesn't mind the cat being nearby.  I looked across the street, looked around, didn't see anything, and kept reading.  Katie started growling and backing up, and I looked again, and here's what I saw heading toward Katie:

 Our morning visitor.

Going under The Palms

I stood up to get out of his way, and he started going under The Palms - I Don't Think So!  I could just imagine him coming up inside - I don't know if that 's possible, but I wasnt' taking any chances. I grabbed one of my Wal-Mart solar lights, and flipped him away, then flipped him again down the hill onto the path below us.  Whew!  That was a little excitement!  He didn't look like a poisonous snake, but I didn't want him around, especially under The Palms.

When  Katie and I took our morning walk (we both slept in until 10:30! - I think Katie is taking this retirement thing seriously!), we saw the dog in the window crate for the first time:

Darling little pup in her lofty crate

Isn't that the cutest thing?  They have two small dogs and two crates, one on each side of their very large, very nice rig which is black and red. 

I don't think I showed you my newest container - it's a little suitcase, with a handle and clasp. Its the perfect size for my spices and little packets of things, like dried gravy mix, soup mix, etc.  Isn't it cute?  I think that's it for the containers from Michael's. 

Spice storage

The handle and clasp are on the top, and you can stand it up or lay it down.  I love little shops, and now I have one!  : )

And...  here are a few bird photos I took this week:

 When it's warm, the ducks all gather in the shade.

 Looks a little like a dove, but they look different when they fly - they are usually flying in pairs.

This little guy was finding some delicious morsels in these reeds.

 

Just over 90 degrees this afternoon in The Palms.

Between the cross breeze from the large windows over the couch and dinette, and the Fan-Tastic Endless Breeze fan, it doesn't feel hot in The Palms.  I'm also under a tree, which gives us shade, too.  Even so, at 90+ degrees, I'm lucky for all the breezes we're getting.

That's it for now - from Me and My Dog, have a nice Tuesday,  everyone!  : )

Fan-Tastic Fan, solar lights, etc.

WELCOME to new followers: 

Paul Tempesta - thank you for following along with me and Katie. You don't show a blog, let me know if you start (or have) one.  Welcome aboard, Paul!

Also, Mary B. (and her dog, Ginger), thank you for becoming a follower!  Mary is my neighbor, and Ginger is her Dachshund, Katie's new friend. I think they are both wonderful, and I'm glad you're following along with us, Mary.  Mary gave me permission to post Ginger's photo, sitting on her RV dashboard where she enjoys the sunshine. Katie looks out the window from time to time to see if Ginger is there.  When I take Ginger's photo, I'll post it for you.  Welcome aboard to you, too! : )

And finally, ljmck66 - WELCOME!   You don't show a blog, either - but I am glad you are following along with Me and My Dog and that you are along for the adventure!

It doesn't seem like I have posted many photos lately, so, since I'm getting good Internet service right now, I'm going to put a bunch in this post.  Here are some recent pics of Katie:

 Katie enjoying the shade near my new chair (really comfortable!)

 Katie's coloring blends right in with the decor. : )

 Beautiful apricots neighbor Larry brought over.

 New Fan-Tastic 12 Volt Fan

When I left work, the staff gave me a gift certificate to Rick's RV Sales in El Cajon.  I have been wanting this fan, it was one of the last things on my list, but it was kind of expensive and I was trying to justify getting it.  Then I realized I could get it with the gift certificate, along with other things.  I'm sure my fellow employees would have wanted me to have it. : )  So I ordered it over the phone and Rick's sent an employee to pick one up at a local distributor and they had it for me that very afternoon.  (That's what I call good service!)  I've used it a couple of times already, and it really IS fantastic.  If I'm boondocking and need a fan, this will keep me and Katie cool just by plugging it into the cigarette lighter. 

Solar Lights

My neighbor, Larry, has these very nice solar lights that he got for $1 each at Wal-Mart.  They were pretty bright, and I wanted some, so I went down - but I went to a different Wal-Mart and paid $2.  I couldn't get them pounded into the hard dirt under the rocks in front of The Palms.  A Volunteer who works here told me he used long nails, pounded them into the dirt, then took off the stake part of the lights and put the lights over the large nail. What a great idea! So I stowed them in front of the passenger seat until I could get some nails and forgot about them.  Until I went to bed, turned off all the lights, and the cab was lit up.  Scared me - SPOOKY - these solar lights really work!

I got the large nails at Home Depot yesterday and put the lights out.  I just checked them after being outside in the sun all day, and they work pretty well.  You could certainly see your way in the dark using just these lights.  Pretty good for the price.

Neighborhood cat - he climbed up the tree and then couldn't seem to get down.

 He finally got enough courage and very slowly came down.  

Afterward he stood at the bottom of the tree and looked up - looked like he was thinking, Wow, I was way up there? His owner told me tonight he is always climbing trees - so I guess he wasn't as worried about coming down as he looked.

The propane truck is coming by tomorrow to fill my propane tank.  That will be a first.

From me and Katie, have a great night, everyone!  : )

Update - I think we're finally organized

We have four new Followers - WELCOME to:

Michael Ultra, who has his RV Blog about his "adventures in the toy hauler with a couple of furkids and an old Harley," and also a new blog he's using to sell his house. That's a good idea, hope it works! 

Meadow House Musings - I like your name - You don't have a Blog listed, let me know if you start or have one so I can check it out. (Michael Ultra posted a message with your blog link - Thanks, Michael!)

Kitty, who retired in April and will be a full-timer in 36 days.  They are getting their fiver ready, and will be towing a motorcycle. 

Debbie Goode who has two blogs, click on her name for her painting blog which is wonderful, and also her RV Blog, which I enjoy reading.

I appreciate you all following along with Me and My Dog, Katie.

It's been a week since my last blog, I can't believe an entire week has just gone by.  This retirement/full-timing thing is kind of scary.  Time is going by even faster than when I was working, and I'm wondering where the last two weeks went.  I've been so busy, though, getting organized.  I think I've been bored about 10 minutes since I retired, but I'm sure things will settle down soon. 

Living in an RV park is interesting.  Living in the area I am in, being sooooo close to my neighbors, could be a challenge.  Other than the kids who were tossing their football, hitting The Palms, etc. I've had no complaints.   I didn't say anything to the management here, but someone must have, because the day after they climbed my ladder to get the ball off the top of The Palms, things have been great.   It's a long day for these kids to keep themselves entertained, and we do have lots of kids here.  They must have found one of the playgrounds or open areas to toss their ball around.

I think I've been lucky, this area is pretty quiet, with full-timers mostly.  Some of my neighbors are actually living here.  They stay for six months, but have their site reserved for another six, after the required two weeks they have to leave.  Some are couples, some are families.

 I've had only one neighbor on my passenger door side, Larry, who is a great neighbor.  He's quiet, considerate, brings me fresh fruit from a friend's trees.  He's helped me with questions about my rig and I've been lucky to have him for a "first" neighbor.  He was here when I arrived, and is scheduled to stay for a couple more weeks.  (But he told me yesterday he is going to another park this weekend to test it out, so I might be losing him.)

The site on my other side has had many coaches since I've been here, pretty much all good.  They stayed for a few days then moved on, or to another site.  I guess we're pretty booked because it's fishing season.  My new neighbor, though, is scheduled to be here for five months. 

She is a solo woman with her dog, and is an experienced RVer. She's my age and very nice.  She said she will be "in and out," driving back and forth to AZ in her car for business.  I think she will be a great neighbor, too.

I will be leaving in two weeks, myself, but so far am enjoying living in The Palms with Katie, and we are getting into a new routine.  I just can't believe Katie isn't getting up with me in the morning.  She stays cuddled in the comforter for another hour or two and finally wants to come down and go out for her walk.  It's nice, though, because I have time in the morning for coffee and whatever, without having to throw on clothes and take a walk first thing.  I get some "relaxing" time of my own.

I am hoping I have everything I need for The Palms.  I've been driving to the local Wal-Mart and Target, as well as other stores, to get things on my list, or as needed, and in two weeks I won't have a car anymore. 

I have an appointment with someone to see my fridge tomorrow morning at the condo, and I hope it sells.  I've brought the price way down.  I've already cleared the condo out, but have three or four boxes in my storage/laundry room, so I'll pick them up tomorrow.  They are for Salvation Army, and I already dropped off a big bag of clothes and hangers yesterday (things from my closet - only so much will fit, so I purged more things).

I signed the Real Estate documents this week, so my condo is up for sale (short sale) now. I changed my address to my daughter's, and I'm hoping this trip to the condo tomorrow will be my last. 

Although I qualify for the HAFA Short Sale, my mortgage company is being a real #@%&! about it, and I don't want the grief, so I told my Realtor I want a "normal" short sale so I can get on with my life.

I have a medical exam on Monday, and if all goes well, I'll get my car detailed next week, then take it to CarFax and get an estimate.  The estimates are good for a month, so I'll bring it back at the end of my final week here and sell it to them.  According the Blue Book, it's still worth between $3K and $4K, and I'm hoping to get something in between.  Then I will literally have everything I own in The Palms.  That is a kind of "freeing" thought for me.  I won't have to worry about anything but what I have right here with me. 

Katie enjoying our patio - we have no dirt  in this site.

I had more photos I wanted to show you today, but this post is long enough - I'll add them tomorrow.

PS:  Just wanted you to know I've tried to post LOTS OF COMMENTS, but haven't been able to.  I don't know if it's Blogger or my sporadic Internet, but it's really frustrating.  I'm reading all your blogs, and enjoying every one of them, but since I can't comment most of the time, I wanted you to know I'm still following along with you all.  : )

From Me and My Dog, have a great Friday, everyone!  : )

Still here...

Well, I'm still here - I can't believe I'm still organizing, but I am.  I THINK everything is finished.

I've been so busy during the day and so tired at night, I don't even remember what photos are in the camera to upload.  Often at night I'm not able to get good wireless service, and I'm not able to comment, I guess there's just not enough power, so that's been kind of frustrating.  I think tomorrow will be pretty free, and I will post then. Wireless seems to be better during the day.

Just wanted you to know everything's fine and I'll catch up tomorrow.

Bedtime

This is Katie saying, "It's bedtime."  She tried to jump up to the bunk, bounced off, and fell on the floor.  Poor baby, it really scared her. I think she was surprised the jump didn't work.  I don't think she will be trying that again. : (

And, now, for me it is bedtime.  It's early, but I'm tired, so that's it, folks!  Katie is already asleep.

More tomorrow.

From me and Katie, have a good Thursday evening, everyone!  : )

100 Followers, and my magic hangers - before and after photos

WELCOME to our new Follower, Jaime Glatz!  Jaime doesn't show a blog, let me know if you start one so I can check it out.  We're happy to have you following along with us.  Welcome aboard.  : )

And WELCOME also to Maureen F., whose blog, 1961 Nomad, is about restoring her vintage camper named GIZMO.  It's going to be really nice when she's done.  I'm going to enjoy following your progress, Maureen, thanks for following along with me and Katie.

Me and My Dog has 100 Official Followers!  That's really great - I remember when I saw we had our first follower, Wild Blue Yonder, I was so surprised someone would follow my new blog.  So much as happened since then.  My first blog post was August 9, 2010.  I had been following so many RVer's blogs to learn what I could, and there was a LOT of information in your posts.  I started commenting, and finally decided to start my own blog so I'd have a record of how I  became a full-timer.  Here I am - ten months later - living in my RV full time and we have 100 Followers.  And over 26,000 page views.  It's amazing!  Thank you all for following our progress and reading my posts through thick and thin, rants and happiness.  I feel like we're part of a large family, and I hope to meet you down the road.

Now, on to my magic hangers - here are the before and after photos:

Before

After

Of course, I arranged the clothes differently in the "after," and put my shorts in a drawer instead of hanging them, so I had more room.  I need one more package of hangers, there are still some old ones, I ran out of the new ones.

They are really different than regular hangars, they are so not-slippery, that it's hard to get clothes on  and off them.  The clothes sure won't fall off while traveling!  But one good thing is that they fit easily in the holes meant for hangers in my closet, and they are easy to put in and take out of the closet.  The clothes seem to hang better because they are evenly spaced.  But you'll need patience for hanging things up and taking them off the hangers if you use these.

I woke up with a lot of energy for the first time this morning.  I cleaned The Palms, Katie and I drove over to the laundry and got that out of the way.  While they were drying, Katie and I took a long walk around that area of the park.  Lots of nice spaces there.  Each part of this large RV park has a different look, there are lakes, streams, concrete with no trees, lots of trees, big grassy areas, well groomed dirt areas, pretty much anything an RVer would want or need.  There are tiny spots like mine, and huge ones with lots of area to spread out.   There are some very nice rigs here.

I also hung a shampoo/conditioner dispenser in the shower this afternoon.  I think that will be easier than having the bottles on the shower floor.  I hope it works.

Katie and I started out taking pretty short walks along the shoreline of the lake near us.  Yesterday we started going around the lake. It's so much easier to walk in places like this, than on a city street.  We actually took two longs walks today.  Katie is going to be spoiled.

Here are a couple of photos from our walk this afternoon.

In different places around the lake there are "groups" of different kinds of ducks laying around, enjoying the view of the lake.  Kind of nice.

So...yesterday afternoon I'm sitting in The Palms minding my own business when a football hits the rig.  There are some kids playing football outside on the street, kicking it to each other.  The second time they hit The Palms, I opened the window and asked them to play somewhere else.  The third time I TOLD them to play somewhere else and opened the door and asked the woman across the street if these were her boys.  She was just standing there talking while her kids were kicking the ball all over the place. I asked her if they could play in another area where there's more room.  Once it went under a big rig, the people weren't home, but the kids went under the rig after the ball.  They were in and out of everyone's sites.

Then late this afternoon, they start again, but the Dad or some older kid, was tossing the ball to them, and I thought, okay, that's better than kicking it.  But the kids weren't good receivers, and it was still going everywhere.  I heard a few small bumps, and thought it might be lightly bouncing off The Palms.  Katie was nervously doing a low growl, on and off.  Then I hear the loud one.  I look out the window, and they area all looking in my window at me, waiting.  I go out the door, and the older guy apologizes and says it was his fault.  The ball was on top of my rig, and he wanted to climb my ladder to get it.  I told him he could, and that they should play somewhere else.  I told him people weren't supposed to be going in and out of other people's campsites, and he says, "Really?"  It's 8:45 and dark out, and I can still hear them outside, but at least they are up the street.  I hope they aren't staying long. 

Other than that, a really good, productive day.  Tomorrow I'm going to do some work for my son - I'm keeping track of the hours I work, and so far it's ZERO.  I'm actually looking forward to doing some research tomorrow.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Friday evening, everyone!  : )

A little interior decoration

WELCOME to our new Follower, ain't for city gals!  Sheryl has a neat blog - she refurbishes small travel trailers - in her words, "after complete renovation my goal is to have the trailer be like a little jewel box inside and bright and colorful on the outside."  What an undertaking - you go, girl!  And thanks for joining Katie and me in our full-timing adventure.  We're happy to have you along.

I'm finding it hard to keep The Palms neat and orderly.  It's such a tiny space that if I have a few things out, it looks messy.  And when I'm sitting at the table I need things, my cords, remotes, calculator, tablet, pens, my Kindle and MP3 are always nearby, glasses, etc., etc., etc.  I never realized how much "stuff" I need around me to function, but I always had enough room to spread things out in the condo and everything had it's place.  My desk had drawers and my living room end tables had drawers, too.  Now all I have is the table.  No drawers close by.  I started out with a plastic container that I put on the bench seat beside me, and started putting things there, at least they were off the table and nearby.  But I didn't like the way that looked.

When I got the two packs of tea for my cold/virus/whatever, I wanted to get a nice little box to put them in so they were handy on the kitchen counter.  A little "tea box."  So I went to Michael's, where they have tons of cute boxes and baskets.  I got one for the tea, and then decided to get a couple more - in fact I got five of them. 

One is a small box that looks like a book - I put it up by my pillow, and it holds the TV remote if I'm watching TV, Kleenex, my phone, etc. It looks like a book beside my pillow, but I have everything close by in one place and nothing will fall or get lost.  Just lift the lid to get a Kleenex, or get my phone.

I put two in the kitchen, the tea one, and another that matches the pot holders I got.  For now they, along with my new cutting board, are stacked on top of the toaster/oven.

 I picked some lavender at the condo today - I love this little vase.

It has a frog inside to stick the stems in.

 This is empty, so far, I just liked it and it matched my potholders.

 This is the box holding the tea bags.

Then I got two large book style boxes that are next to me on the bench.  They don't take much room and hold a lot.  The cover opens and there's a lot of room inside.  I love the way they look.

Aren't these cool looking? They hold quite a bit of "stuff." 

I can't believe I'm still getting organized, but I am.  Tomorrow - the closet!  The Magic Hangers.

I've been asked how Katie is doing in our new life in The Palms.  She's doing fine.  Who knows what she's thinking, though.  She's just started "guarding" me when I'm in the kitchen.  She will sit (or stand) with her back to the kitchen until I leave it.  It's very sweet of her to keep me safe in my kitchen.

 Katie the Brave, guarding her Mommy : )

Poor thing has to wait for me to lift her up and down when she's ready for bed, and ready to get up in the morning.   Last night I was up later than usual, and she was driving me crazy. I finally realized she wanted me to lift her up so she could be in bed.  I guess I need to learn new signals from her.

So far, so good.  She's eating and sleeping well, and loves her walks.  She's getting more walks than ever before, so that's a good thing for her.  And for me, too.

From Me and Katie, have a great Wednesday evening, everyone!  : )