the Youngest Snowbird:

Bears Stand On Guard For Thee

Remember this CBC news story about bears guarding a marijuana grow-op by Christina Lake, BC? Well this Russian news anchor is having a tough time reporting the story.

RV Site Renos: Looking for the Best Deck Stain

Here's what we've been working on lately.

Sid the Snake disappeared just in time for the Deck Dudes to show up yesterday morning.

It took two guys only four hours to assemble a 12' x 14' platform deck with pressure treated SPF (spruce pine fir).  Our deck had already been pre-cut and drilled so it all came together very quickly.

After the Deck Dudes left My Fella went out to sand any rough edges and clean up the sawdust. And I started researching deck stains.

There are tons of good websites explaining how to stain your deck but I was more interested in the online discussions about the best deck stain available.  

Do It Yourself forums can be very helpful because - mixed in with the usual internet trolls - there are posts from individual consumers who have used different products.  Most folks are happy to share their experiences, good or bad, and there was a general consensus on a few things:

• the best stain depends on your type of deck wood and your climate
• wooden decks need to be refinished every year, especially in snowy areas 
• Behr outdoor products got bashed repeatedly 

Still not sure what deck stain we'll eventually go with but I have time to decide since it's raining again out here in the BC wilderness. We may not see the sun for awhile.

But we're happy with how this RV lot is slowly coming together.

Dirt and Neighbours

My Fella and I played outside yesterday between raindrops.

First we cruised into town for some groceries and perennial vines.  Then he went golfing and built a birdhouse, while I got some more work done on the RV yard; mainly pushing around big rocks and piles of dirt/sand.

The sand pile that was in the middle of the back yard is now gone. This may sound like work to some folks, but I love landscaping.  Dirt is my friend.

Our next door RV neighbours carted some of the sand/soil mix over to their lot and I tossed the rest over the side of our hill.  My plan is to sprinkle wildflower seeds over the hill and try cover it with California poppies.

The space where the dirt pile was will soon be leveled out and tamped down flat. Then we'll lay down a 4' x 4' brick floor which will be the base of a small outdoor firepit.

We're waiting for the deck guy to build a 12' x 14' platform deck beside JohnnyDisco, then I can install the lattices and start planting some vines.

The deck guy didn't make an appearance this weekend, but we did have another backyard visitor.

Sid the Snake seemed curious about all the action on our RV lot.  But his eyes glazed over within minutes and he slithered away right in the middle of my explanation for our exciting landscape plans.

More yard reno pics coming up in the next few weeks.  Hopefully you're more interested than Sid.

Might As Well Flip the Weather Coin

Apparently the Weather People cobbled together their latest forecast after downing a 40 of rum since our predicted sunny long weekend turned into 1.5 days of sun and two days of pouring rain. 

With a chance of a thunderstorm this evening. 

My Fella is working all weekend so I was free to mess around with our annual budget again.  Some people collect stamps, or do puzzles; I play with my calculators.  And yes, I do have two of them, but one is just a back-up.  

For math emergencies.  :) 

As mentioned in my last post, our RV gas budget for the year was pretty much right on target, but will have to be increased for this winter since we're travelling further than Arizona.  Still working on the final numbers but it'll probably go up about $1600 - from $2400 to $4000.  And of course, that depends on the price of gas this fall/winter. 

Our car gas budget is way under at this point.  31 weeks into our fiscal year we've only spent $546.49 for gas, which means we have $1013.51 left from the total of $1560/year.  (Our budget year is from October 16th to October 15 -  NOT Jan 1 to Dec 31.)

Moving on to our biggest monthly expense - food.  We actually lump groceries together with household supplies, toiletries, cleaning stuff, vitamins, booze, gifts, laundry quarters, stamps, pocket money, etc. - so I just label it groceries & stuff.  

Multiple choice test time... Do I budget this way because:

• a)  it's a pain in the butt to figure out an accurate number for each of those categories
• b)  when I lump everything together, it's easier to hide how much I spend on booze, or
• c)  all of the above

Our groceries & stuff budget needs a facelift since we are over by $118/month. Instead of spending the allocated $750, we're shelling out $868 every month.  We spend about $500/month on food and the rest on everything else. Going thru all our receipts there's really nothing to cut out so I'll just increase the annual number from $9000 to $10,500.  My Fella and I are very lucky that we have a strong free cash flow and don't have to worry about cutting out another category to make up the difference.  No doubt there are lots of families that don't have this luxury, and are forced to work with what they have.

The other category I added up today is cash we spend on the mutts.  31 weeks into our budget year we've spent $789.19.  The Shelbert/Norman budget is $1000 per year and includes food, treats, toys, grooming and annual shots.  That cash isn't used for emergency vet care, but it does include one time items like doggy stairs and a plastic baby gate.  "A baby gate ???"  

Yeah, you read that right.  

Shelby would be fine home alone in any part of the RV.  But since Norman is still a pup, he has to stay in the front room. And the quickest (and most fun) way for him to get thru an RV door is just chew it.

Kids can't chew thru a baby gate;  hopefully pups can't either.

We've Got Gas

Or more specifically, we have our gas receipts.

I've been calculating the cost of our six month winter RV escape so I can start working on a budget for the upcoming winter (2011/12).

Between October 15/2010 and April 17/2011, we drove JohnnyDisco from the BC interior to Tucson, Arizona and back home again.  We took the shortest route to get there but travelled home on scenic highway 101 thru California and Oregon, which added a few extra miles to the trip.    

We budgeted $2400 for RV gas but that was just an educated guess.  Apparently we're somewhat educated since the gas tally came in at $2425   :) 

Our USA medical travel insurance for six months cost $500 total.  We didn't use it and I'm reluctant to get it next year, but we probably will.

RV parks cost us $5189*** for six months, waaaaay over our $4000 budget.  And that's including the discount with Passport America.  But we still have two weeks left at the resort we stayed at in Tucson (worth about $380) which we'll use this fall. The $4000 RV park budget would have been do-able if we hadn't stayed in California for almost a month on the way home.  My Fella and I have already decided to bypass California completely on future trips.  Sorry Cali, but you're just too flippin' expensive.

***  $5189 (or $865/month) for RV parks included everything:  pad rental, 50 amp power, water, sewer, cable tv, internet, laundry, all taxes and daily mail delivery if necessary.

Good Thing Our Floors Are Clean Enough to Eat Off

... cause the kitchen table is a little busy right now.

Spring sun gods are finally on our side and the long weekend forecast is calling for five days of sunshine out here in the BC wilderness. So yesterday I zipped into town and bought most of my summer annuals and herbs.  Guess I could've waited until today but the closer we get to the long weekend, the busier all the garden centers will be.  

Unfortunately, our forecast predicted one more night of freezing temps last night so before bed I hauled in all the plants to protect them from frost.  

And that's when the unthinkable happened...

Keep in mind this pic was taken after I had scooped up most of the wet dirt to stop it from soaking into the carpet.  There's no need for a full play by play, but I will say:  pee on the floor + slippery socks + a heavy flowerpot = big muddy mess on the carpet.

The pee was of the four legged variety.  At almost eight months old, Norman is pretty much house trained but he still has the odd accident in the house.

And his latest accident caused my clumsy accident.  I didn't totally wipe out, but I did slide across the floor like a three year old on skates for the first time.  And that heavy pot full of petunias and wet dirt didn't stand a chance against a puddle of pee. In slow motion I felt it slip out of my hands, bounce off the kitchen stool and crash down onto the carpet; splattering mud all over the walls, floor and computer desk.

My Fella was very sympathetic to the 'incident' but I could tell that inside he was laughing his head off.  And I'm darn sure he wished he'd been home to witness it.

Recent events have convinced me that when you have small kids or dogs running around, life starts to resemble scenes from a bad comedy.

But how can anyone get mad at these two?

Three Months With Norman

Wanted to post this Norman Update for his foster mom in Tucson.

My Fella and I had been looking for a four-legged buddy for Shelbert since we adopted her from A Better Life Dog Rescue in May of 2010.  This pic was taken a few months after we brought her home.  Hard to believe she's 10 and a half years old.

We figured that the best match for The Bert would be another senior dog or a mutt at least six or seven (middle age in dog years  :)  Breed or sex didn't matter, but living in an RV full-time meant we had space restrictions and had to look for a dog under 30 pounds.

My Fella and I were online a few times a week perusing animal shelters and rescues all over western Canada, and when we arrived in Tucson last October we quickly made contact with all the local shelters in Southern Arizona.  

Three months ago today we met Norman thru the awesome ladies at AZ Desert Rotti & Pals Rescue.

Four month old Norman was found wandering the streets of Tucson - skinny, matted and dirty.  We definitely weren't looking to adopt a pup but the rescue gals suggested we foster him for a few weeks to get to know him.

My Fella and I were game but as you can see from this pic, Shelbert wasn't really on board.  

"What is this fuzzy black thing and why is it snuggled up to me?"

Norman has a great little personality and My Fella and I knew within a few days that he would be a perfect addition to our little RV-ing family. Shelbert was a bit leery at first but has since warmed up to Norm and when they play it seems like they're both puppies.  

Norm now weighs 9.4 pounds and will soon need another haircut.  His fave outfit is his little camo t-shirt that says Leader of the Pack on the back.

Normie loves running through tall grass, eating small rocks and sticks and chasing ants with his tongue. He also likes his perch up on the dashboard so he can watch hummingbirds zipping around outside.

Most of all he loves following Shelbert around and being close to her.  

Wait a sec, is she sticking out her tongue at me?

Brat.

Anyway... to the wonderful gals at AZ Desert Rotti Rescue:  Norman (formerly known as Peanut) is doing great.  He's healthy and happy and funny and his new hobby is hiding in the tall grass and hunting ants.  He's very happy to be in Canada, but he hasn't forgotten y'all and we'll definitely visit next time we're in Tucson.  We're so lucky.  Thank you!

And finally, this has nothing to do with Norman but I just had to post this strange pic My Fella took ... 

What the heck is going on with my nose here?  I do NOT have a crooked broken hockey player schnoz, but this side profile makes me look like Tim Hunter   :(

Been A Soggy Spring Here in the BC Wilderness

My pink gum boots have been seeing a lot of action lately.

It's been grey and wet around these parts for the past week, but there's some sun in our weekend forecast (swiped from weather underground):

Friday

Partly Cloudy. High: 19 °C. Wind SSE 10 - 19 km/h.

 Saturday

Mostly Cloudy. High: 25 °C. Wind SE 5 km/h.

 Sunday

Partly Cloudy. High: 25 °C. Wind South 8 km/h.

Monday

50% Chance of a Thunderstorm. Overcast. High: 14 °C. Wind South 5 - 11 km/h.

 Tuesday

50% Chance of a Thunderstorm. Partly Cloudy. High: 17 °C. Wind South 3 - 11 km/h.

Wednesday

40% Chance of Rain. Mostly Cloudy. High: 22 °C. Wind SW 8 - 13 km/h.

Rain or shine, the mutts still have to pee and get some fresh air.  Here's a quick stroll around our neighbourhood:

We saw this dude out in the icy cold river a few days ago.

Our local fly fishermen are just as nutty as all those golfers who head out on a frosty spring morning to whack around their balls.  Someone please explain to me the joy in freezing your nose off.  Guess I could just ask My Fella since he's guilty of both.

Continuing our stroll... Shelbert loves all the neighbours, especially these guys.

When it's wet outside I always wipe off the mutts paws before they run up the stairs into JohnnyDisco.  But sometimes they sneak past me... and end up here.  

eight dirty paws on the bed, twelve paws if you include Norman's Ken doll (the stuffed leopard on the left) ... we named him Ken after My Fella's boss  :) 

Busy Morning

This will be a quick post.

Our largest stock holding, Student Transportation (stb on the TSX), is holding their quarterly conference call in about 5 minutes - but I wanted to post a quick shot of my legal indoor grow-op.

This year I planted black-eyed susans, sunflowers and morning glory vines.  At the end of week #1 they looked like this:

And here they are today, week #3:

My sunflowers (center) started out strong, but the morning glories (far right) have taken the lead. Go sprouts!

Had to share this with you since no one else around here wants to monitor my plant growth.

I may as well be talking about the stock market which prompts the exact same bored response   :)

RV Site Renos: The Big Dig Continues

Quick update on our RV site development out here in the BC wilderness.

Well it's not actually our site - we're just using it for the summer.  My Fella and I volunteered to do some landscaping if the owner paid for the materials/plants.  

A couple days ago we finished part one of The Big Dig - planting a six foot cedar hedge to hide the big ugly propane tank that lives next door.  That corner of the lot went from this:

To this:

Lots more work to do but it's fun to see the gradual improvements to our RV yard. 

RV Life: Observation #26

Just one more reason we're sooooo happy we RV full-time, and can take our home with us on vacation:

Air Canada Leaves Luggage Behind INTENTIONALLY.

Snapfish.com

We got a great surprise in the mail yesterday.

Last year my cyberpal Mexico Brenda told me about a company called Snapfish that makes personalized gifts from your digital photos.  You can hop online and create your own calendars, artwork, blankets, coffee, mugs, etc. and have them shipped to your door.

We ordered a mousepad, a travel mug and two 15 ounce coffee mugs (the big ones).  The initial cost was $72 bucks (including taxes and shipping) but I found a coupon online which cut the price down to $60.

You can track your order online via the UPS website, and when we hadn't received our package after about 2 weeks, I called Snapfish customer service.  The rep explained that international orders (i.e. USA to Canada) took up to 25 business days and assured me we'd receive it within another 2 weeks.  I was totally happy with that and just about to hang up when the Snapfish rep said "because you've been waiting so long I'll take another 20% off the cost of your order". This brought our order (including shipping and taxes) down to $48.  

Unexpected bonus!  

Even more amazing, before I placed our order, I googled customer reviews for Snapfish.  Almost every negative comment from previous customers had to do with the customer service reps.  Guess I lucked out 'cause my guy was awesome. He went above and beyond and completely secured my customer loyalty to Snapfish. 

My Fella took his coffee mug to work before I got a picture of everything, but we are totally impressed with the Snapfish product line.

This shot may look blurry but the pictures on the mugs and mousepad are crisp and clear. And all the items are very good quality in relation to the cost.

Thanks Brenda for turning me on to Snapfish.  We'll definitely order from them again.

RV Site Renos

We crossed a few things off the RV Site Reno list yesterday.

The RV lot we are parked on this season is completely undeveloped.  

My Fella and I volunteered to do some landscaping if the owner paid for the materials so we kicked off The Big Dig yesterday.  Yes, everything has to have a cutesy name...

My first plan was to block off the big propane tank that lives next door.

It's just ugly and... well, ugly.  

My Fella dug out a long deep trench for a row of emerald cedars.  In front of the trench, he also dug several individual holes so I could plant some boxwoods for visual interest.   

We planted three 6' cedars and three round boxwood shrubs.  I'll have to make another trip into town for the final two cedars (since I could only fit three in my little car) but once the final two are planted, the propane tank will be completely hidden from our view. 

On the left hand side of the lot we planted 4 common purple lilac bushes.  

Spring is not the best time to plant lilacs, but we really wanted them in the ground for the summer.

More pics of The Big Dig on the way.

Cash spent so far:  $272 (CAD), including taxes

• soil with fertilizer - 3 bags for $10
• medium size can of bonemeal - $8.99
• 5 six foot emerald cedars - $19.88 each on sale
• 4 boxwood shrubs - $9.88 each on sale
• 4 common lilac bushes - $20 each

Golfer, Fisherman and Trench Digger

My Fella is a fisherman.

Actually he's a golf teacher and pro shop manager, but in his spare time he's A Fisherman.  I don't think we were back in Canada for twenty four hours before he was buying his BC fishing license online.

Tonight after work, he spread out a bunch of stuff on his computer desk:

• fish hooks
• teeny scissors and wire cutter thingies
• glitzy tinsel and brightly coloured pipe cleaners
• feathers
• beads
• and a little sewing kit

I wondered if he got a side gig making costumes for drag queens* but it turns out he was actually settling in to create some new fly hooks.  For fly fishing.  

*Please note:  I have absolutely nothing against drag queens.  They are the Masters of sequinned and beaded, glittery, colorful garb.  The problem is I don't wear jewellery or make-up, so it was hard to come to terms with the fact that My Fella's fishing equipment (and every single drag queen in the universe) is more glamorous than I am.     

Hopefully these colorful little monsters will help him snag some of the dumber fish in the lake cause I'm always up for fresh fish.  

Although if the past is any indication the fish usually win. Even with these creative little fly hooks I can probably hold off on getting the frying pan ready   :) 

Unfortunately fishing will have to wait, 'cause today My Fella is trading in his fly hooks for a shovel.

A couple posts ago I mentioned that the RV lot we're staying on this summer is undeveloped and we've volunteered to do a little landscaping if the owner buys the materials/plants.  Well, Project Landscape:  The Big Dig, has begun.  

Yesterday I was outside measuring spots for boxwoods shrubs and outlining the cedar trench.  The Big Dig gets underway today.

Pictures coming up.

We Have Our Couch Back

But it was a hard fought battle, let me tell ya... 

Once upon a time there were two cute mutts named Shelbert and Norman who lived in an RV with their humans.  JohnnyDisco (the RV) had only 300 square feet of living space and the dogs thought the couch in JohnnyDisco belonged to THEM.

The humans didn't have the heart to kick Norm and Shelby off the couch until they found a new pup-appropriate lounging spot in the main room.

The uber clever humans (???) finally decided to clear everything off the RV dash to make room for two dog beds. They also wrapped a piece of spongey cupboard liner on the wooden cup-holder, turning it into a non-slip step for the dogs to hop up on the dash.

The pups are pumped to have their own window seat.  Shelbert loves watching the squirrels and birds in the trees and Norman is happy anywhere he can lie down and gnaw his corn cob Nylabone.

And the humans have reclaimed their couch.  Victory!

And they all lived happily ever after.